"Bully!" exclaimed Wicker, forgetting in his excitement that he was a cripple. "Have her come on to stop a while with you, Ede. It will be a great treat for her and, by George, I"m inclined to think it maybe somewhat beneficial to us."
"Your enthusiasm is beautiful, Wicker," said his mother, perfectly unruffled. "I have no doubt you think Boston would be benefited, too."
"Now, you know, mother, it"s not just like you to be snippish," said he easily. "Besides, after living a while in other parts of the world, I"m beginning to feel that population is not the only thing about Boston that can be enlarged. It"s all very nice to pave our streets with intellect so that we can"t stray from our own footsteps, but I rather like the idea of losing my way, once in a while, even if I have to look at the same common, old sky up there that the rest of the world looks at, don"t you know. I"ve learned recently that the same sun that shines on Boston also radiates for the rest of the world."
"Yes, it shines in Tinkletown," agreed his mother serenely. "But, my dear--" turning to her daughter--"I think you would better wait a while before extending the invitation. There is no excuse for rushing into the unknown. Let time have a chance."
"By Jove, mother, you talk sometimes like Anderson Crow. He often says things like that," cried Wicker delightedly.
"Dear me! How can you say such a thing, Wicker?"
"Well, you"d like old Anderson. He"s a jewel!"
"I dare say--an emerald. No, no--that was not fair or kind, Wicker. I unsay it. Mr. Crow and all of them have been good to you. Forgive me the sarcasm. Mr. Crow is perfectly impossible, but I like him. He has a heart, and that is more than most of us can say. And now let us return to earth once more. When will you be ready to start for Boston?
To-morrow?"
"Heavens, no! I"m not to be moved for quite a long time--danger of gangrene or something of the sort. It"s astonishing, mother, what capable men these country doctors are. Dr. Smith is something of a marvel. He--he--saved my leg."
"My boy--you don"t mean that--" his mother was saying, her voice trembling.
"Yes; that"s what I mean. I"m all right now, but, of course, I shall be very careful for a couple of weeks. One can"t tell, you know. Blood poisoning and all that sort of thing. But let"s not talk of it--it"s gruesome."
"Indeed it is. You must be extremely careful, Wicker. Promise me that you will do nothing foolish. Don"t use your leg until the doctor--but I have something better. We will send for Dr. J----. He can run up from Boston two or three times--"
"Nothing of the sort, mother! Nonsense! Smith knows more in a minute than J---- does in a month. He"s handling the case exactly as I want him to. Let well enough alone, say I. You know J---- always wants to amputate everything that can be cut or sawed off. For heaven"s sake, don"t let him try it on me. I need my legs."
It is not necessary to say that Mrs. Bonner was completely won over by this argument. She commanded him to stay where he was until it was perfectly safe to be moved across the river, where he could recuperate before venturing into the city of his birth. Moreover, she announced that Edith and she would remain in Boggs City until he was quite out of danger, driving over every day in their chartered automobile. It suddenly struck Bonner that it would be necessary to bribe "Doc" Smith and the entire Crow family, if he was to maintain his position as an invalid.
"Doc" Smith when put to the test lied ably in behalf of his client (he refused to call him his patient), and Mrs. Bonner was convinced. Mr.
Crow and Eva vigorously protested that the young man would not be a "mite of trouble," and that he could stay as long as he liked.
"He"s a gentleman, Mrs. Bonner," announced the marshal, as if the mother was being made aware of the fact for the first time. "Mrs. Crow an" me have talked it over, an" I know what I"m talkin" about. He"s a perfect gentleman."
"Thank you, Mr. Crow. I am happy to hear you say that," said Mrs.
Bonner, with fine tact. "You will not mind if he stops here a while longer then?"
"I should say not. If he"ll take the job, I"ll app"int him deputy marshal."
"I"d like a picture of you with the badge and uniform, Wick," said Edith with good-natured banter.
Just before the two ladies left for Boggs City that evening Bonner managed to say something to Edith.
"Say, Ede, I think it would be uncommonly decent of you to ask Miss Gray down to Boston this spring. You"ll like her."
"Wicker, if it were not so awfully common, I"d laugh in my sleeve," said she, surveying him with a calm scrutiny that disconcerted. "I wasn"t born yesterday, you know. Mother was, perhaps, but not your dear little sister. Cheer up, brother. You"ll get over it, just like all the rest.
I"ll ask her to come, but--Please don"t frown like that. I"ll suspect something."
During the many little automobile excursions that the two girls enjoyed during those few days in Tinkletown, Miss Bonner found much to love in Rosalie, much to esteem and a great deal to antic.i.p.ate. Purposely, she set about to learn by "deduction" just what Rosalie"s feelings were for the big brother. She would not have been surprised to discover the telltale signs of a real but secret affection on Rosalie"s part, but she was, on the contrary, amazed and not a little chagrined to have the young girl meet every advance with a joyous candour, that definitely set aside any possibility of love for the supposedly irresistible brother.
Miss Edith"s mind was quite at rest, but with the arrogant pride of a sister, she resented the fact that any one could know this cherished brother and not fall a victim. Perversely, she would have hated Rosalie had she caught her, in a single moment of unguardedness, revealing a feeling more tender than friendly interest for him.
Sophisticated and world-wise, the gay, careless Miss Bonner read her pages quickly--she skimmed them--but she saw a great deal between the lines. If her mother had been equally discerning, that very estimable lady might have found herself immensely relieved along certain lines.
Bonner was having a hard time of it these days. It was worse than misery to stay indoors, and it was utterly out of the question for him to venture out. His leg was healing with disgusting rashness, but his heart was going into an illness that was to scoff at the cures of man. And if his parting with his mother and the rosy-faced young woman savoured of relief, he must he forgiven. A sore breast is no respecter of persons.
They were returning to the Hub by the early morning train from Boggs City, and it was understood that Rosalie was to come to them in June.
Let it be said in good truth that both Mrs. Bonner and her daughter were delighted to have her promise. If they felt any uneasiness as to the possibility of unwholesome revelations in connection with her birth, they purposely blindfolded themselves and indulged in the game of consequences.
Mrs. Bonner was waiting in the automobile, having said good-bye to Wicker.
"I"ll keep close watch on him, Mrs. Bonner," promised Anderson, "and telegraph you if his condition changes a mite. I ast "Doc" Smith to-day to tell me the real truth "bout him, an"--"
"The real truth? What do you mean?" she cried, in fresh alarm.
"Don"t worry, ma"am. He"s improvin" fine, "doc" says. He told me he"d be out o" danger when he got back to Boston. His heart"s worryin" "doc" a little. I ast "im to speak plain an" tell me jest how bad it"s affected.
He said: "At present, only the left ventricle--whatever that be--only the left one is punctured, but the right one seems to need a change of air.""
CHAPTER XXVII
The Grin Derisive
"I like your ma," said Anderson to Wicker, later in the evening. "She"s a perfect lady. Doggone, it"s a relief to see a rich woman that knows how to be a lady. She ain"t a bit stuck up an" yet she"s a reg"lar aristocrat. Did I ever tell you about what happened to Judge Courtwright"s wife? No? Well, it was a long time ago, right here in Tinkletown. The judge concluded this would be a good place fer a summer home--so him an" her put up a grand residence down there on the river bluff. It was the only summer place on this side of the river. Well, of course Mrs. Courtwright had to turn in an" be the leader of the women in this place. She lorded it over "em an" she give "em to understand that she was a queen er somethin" like that an" they was nothin" but peasants. An" the derned fool women "lowed her to do it, too. Seems as though her great-grandfather was a "squire over in England, an" she had a right to be swell. Well, she ruled the roost fer two summers an"
n.o.body could get near her without a special dispensation from the Almighty. She wouldn"t look at anybody with her eyes; her chin was so high in the air that she had to look through her nose.
"Her husband was as old as Methoosalum--that is, he was as old as Methoosalum was when he was a boy, so to speak--an" she had him skeered of his life. But I fixed her. At the end of the second summer she was ready to git up an" git, duke er no duke. Lemme me give you a tip, Wick.
If you want to fetch a queen down to your level, jest let her know you"re laughin" at her. Well, sir, the judge"s wife used to turn up her nose at me until I got to feelin" too small to be seen. My pride was wallerin" in the dust. Finally, I thought of a scheme to fix her. Every time I saw her, I"d grin at her--not sayin" a word, mind you, but jest lookin" at her as if she struck me as bein" funny. Well, sir, I kept it up good an" strong. First thing I knowed, she was beginnin" to look as though a bee had stung her an" she couldn"t find the place. I"d ketch her stealin" sly glances at me an" she allus found me with a grin on my face--a good, healthy grin, too.
"There wasn"t anything to laugh at, mind you, but she didn"t know that.
She got to fixin" her back hair and lookin" worried about her clothes.
"Nen she"d wipe her face to see if the powder was on straight, all the time wonderin" what in thunder I was laughin" at. If she pa.s.sed in her kerridge she"d peep back to see if I was laughin"; and I allus was. I never failed. All this time I wasn"t sayin" a word-jest grinnin" as though she tickled me half to death. Gradually I begin to be scientific about it. I got so that when she caught me laughin", I"d try my best to hide the grin. Course that made it all the worse. She fidgeted an"
squirmed an" got red in the face till it looked like she was pickled.
Doggone, ef she didn"t begin to neglect her business as a great-granddaughter! She didn"t have time to lord it over her peasants.
She was too blame busy wonderin" what I was laughin" at.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "It was a wise, discreet old oak"]
""Nen she begin to look peaked an" thin. She looked like she was seem"
ghosts all the time. That blamed grin of mine pursued her every minute.
Course, she couldn"t kick about it. That wouldn"t do at all. She jest had to bear it without grinnin". There wasn"t anything to say. Finally, she got to stayin" away from the meetin"s an" almost quit drivin"
through the town. Everybody noticed the change in her. People said she was goin" crazy about her hack hair. She lost thirty pounds worryin"
before August, and when September come, the judge had to take her to a rest cure. They never come back to Tinkletown, an" the judge had to sell the place fer half what it cost him. Fer two years she almost went into hysterics when anybody laughed. But it done her good. It changed her idees. She got over her high an" mighty ways, they say, an" I hear she"s one of the nicest, sweetest old ladies in Boggs City nowadays. But Blootch Peabody says that to this day she looks fl.u.s.tered when anybody notices her back hair. The Lord knows I wa"n"t laughin" at her hair. I don"t see why she thought so, do you?"
Bonner laughed long and heartily over the experiment; but Rosalie vigorously expressed her disapproval of the marshal"s methods.
"It"s the only real mean thing I ever heard of you doing, daddy Crow!"