"Your Mother and then Eliza Pike," she answered with a low laugh.
"Eliza is afraid I won"t "do for you" in proper Providence style and I"m very humble and--I--I want to learn. She thinks I ought to begin on some--some shirts for you right now and I"m going to. What color do you prefer?"
"Horrors!" exclaimed the Doctor, positively blushing at the thought of the very lovely lady engaged in such a clothing mission.
"I knew you wouldn"t have any confidence in them," answered Miss Wingate mournfully, "and I haven"t myself, but still I was willing to try."
"Oh, yes, I have!" the young Doctor hastened to exclaim. "Better make them suitable for traveling, for I"ve got marching orders in the noon mail. Are you ready to start to Italy on short notice and then on to India?"
"What?" demanded the singer lady with alarmed astonishment.
"Yes," answered the young Doctor coolly. "The Commission writes that my reports on Pellagra down here are complete enough now for them to send some chap down to continue them, while I go on to Southern Italy for a study of similar conditions there and then on to India for a still more exhaustive examination. The Government is determined to stamp this scourge out before it gets a hold, and it"s work to put out the fire before it spreads. Better hurry the shirts and pack up your own fluff."
"But I"m not going a step or a wave," answered the singer girl defiantly. "I"m too busy here now. I don"t ever intend to leave Mother as long as I live. I don"t see how you can even suggest such a thing to me."
"Do you know what leaving Mother is like?" asked the young Doctor, as he looked down on her with tenderness in his gray eyes and Mother Mayberry"s own quizzical smile on his lips. "It"s like going to sleep at night with a last look at Providence n.o.b,--you wake up in the morning and find it more there than ever. She was THERE on sunny mornings over in Berlin and THERE on gray days in London and I had her on long hard hospital nights in New York. Just come with me on this trip and I promise she and Old Harpeth will be here when we get back.
Please!"
"I don"t know," answered Miss Wingate in a small voice as she rubbed her cheek against the arm of his coat. "I"m in love with Tom Mayberry of Providence Road. I don"t know that I want to go traveling with a distinguished physician on an important Government mission and attend Legation dinners and banquets and--I don"t want to leave my Mother,"
and there was a real catch in the laugh she smothered in his coat sleeve.
"Dearie girl," he exclaimed, looking down with delight at a small section of blush left visible against the rough blue serge of his coat, "you and Mother are--"
"Sakes, you folks, I wish you"d try to listen when you are called at!"
came in a sharp voice as Mrs. Peavey looked down upon them from over the wall near the barn. "One of them foolish Indiany chickens are stretched out kicking most drowned in a puddle right by the barn door, and there you both stand doing nothing for it. Tom Mayberry, pick it up this minute and give it to me! I"m a-going to put it behind my stove until Mis" Mayberry comes home. I"ve got some feeling for her love of chickens, _I_ have."
"Oh, I didn"t see it!" exclaimed Miss Wingate, in an agony of regret.
"The dear little thing! Give it to me and I"ll take care of it."
"Fiddlesticks! Chickens ain"t "dear little things," and I wouldn"t trust neither one of you to take care of a flea of mine, with your philandering. Hand it here to me, Tom Mayberry, like I tell you!" And the Doctor hastened to pick up the little gasping bunch of drenched feathers, which Mrs. Peavey tucked in the corner of her shawl "Did you all hear that a car busted into another one down in the City day before yesterday and throwed the driver and broke a lady"s arm and cut a baby"s leg shameful? It was in the morning paper I saw down to the store; and a wind storm blew off a man"s roof too."
"I haven"t read the paper yet," answered the singer lady in the subdued voice she always used in addressing Mother Mayberry"s pessimistic neighbor.
"Well, you oughter take interest in accidents if you are a-going to be a Doctor"s wife. It"ll be all in the family then and you can hear it all straight and maybe see some folks mended," answered Mrs. Peavey, and she failed to notice Miss Wingate"s horrified expression at such a prospect. "How"s Mis" Bostick, Tom? That is, how do your Mother say she are, for I couldn"t trust your notion in such a case as her"n."
"I think Mother feels worried over her to-day," answered the Doctor gently, with not a trace of offense at his neighbor"s outspoken question. "Her heart is very weak and it is impossible to stimulate her further. Mother is up there now and I"ll come tell you what she says when she comes home to dinner."
"Well, I"m always thankful for news, bad as it mostly are," answered Mrs. Peavey in gloomy grat.i.tude for his offer of a report from Mother Mayberry. "You all had better go on in the house now and put Miss Elinory"s wet feet in the stove, for they won"t be no use in her dying on Mis" Mayberry"s hands with pneumony at this busy time of the year.
Them slippers is too foolish to look at." With which the shawled head disappeared from the top of the wall.
"Do you know, I had a strange dream last night," said the singer lady, as the Doctor hung up his bridle and shut the feed-room door preparatory to following out Mrs. Peavey"s injunction as to carrying Miss Wingate away to be dry shod. "I dreamed that I was singing to Mrs.
Bostick and the Deacon, REALLY singing, and just as it rose clear and strong Mrs. Peavey called to me to "shut up" and it stopped so suddenly that I waked up--and the strange part of it is that I heard, really heard, I thought, my own voice die away in an echo up in the eaves. For a second I seemed awake and listening--and it was lovely--lovely!"
"Dear," said the Doctor, as he took her hand in his and held it against his breast, "I would give all life has to offer me to get it back for you. I will hope against hope! I haven"t written Doctor Stein yet. I can"t make myself write. Perhaps we will find some one on this trip who has some theory or treatment or something to offer. I"ve been praying that help will come!"
"Would you--like me any better if I had it back?" she asked with a happy little laugh as she laid her cheek against their clasped hands.
"Would you want L"ELEONORE more than you do just plain Elinor Wingate, care Mother Mayberry, Providence, Tennessee?"
"I"m going to carry you in the house so you can put on dry stockings,"
answered the Doctor with a spark in his gray eyes that scorned her question, and without any discussion he picked her up, strode through the rain with her and deposited her in the kitchen door.
And over by the long window they found Mother Mayberry standing with her hand on Cindy"s shoulder, who sat with her head bowed in her ap.r.o.n sobbing quietly, while Martin Luther stood wide-eyed and questioning, with his little hand clutching Mother"s skirts.
"Children," said Mother quietly as she came and stood beside them in the doorway, while Martin Luther nestled up to Doctor Tom, "I"ve come down the Road to tell you that it are all over up at the Deacon"s. It were very beautiful, for Mis" Bostick just give us a smile and went to meet her Lord with the love of us all a-shining on her face. We didn"t hardly sense it at first, for she had just spoke to "Liza, and the Deacon were over by the window. I ain"t got no tears to shed for her and Deacon are so stunned he don"t need "em yet."
"Mother," exclaimed the Doctor, as he took her hand in his, while the singer lady crept close and rested against her strong shoulder.
"Yes, son," answered his Mother gently, "it come so sudden I couldn"t even send for you, but go on up there now and see what you can do for Deacon. He"ll want you for the comfort of your presence, you and "Liza."
"And Eliza!" exclaimed Miss Wingate with a sob, "it"ll break her little heart."
"They never was such a child as "Liza Pike in the world," said Mother Mayberry softly and for the first time a film of tears spread over her eyes. "She have never said a word, but just stands pressed up close with her arm "round the Deacon"s shoulders as he sits with his Good Book acrost his knees. She give one little moan when she understood, but she ain"t made a mite of child-fuss, just shed her baby tears like a woman growed to sorrow. Her little bucket and dish of dinner is a-setting cold on the table and a little draggled rose she had brung in not a hour back is still in Mis" Bostick"s fingers, and the other one pinned on the Deacon"s coat. When Judy and Betty wanted to begin to fix things she understood without a word, led the Deacon out into the hall and are just a-standing there a-keeping him up in his daze by the courage in her own loving little heart. The good Lord bless and keep the child! Now, go on, Tom, and see what you can do! Yes, Cindy will run right over and tell Mis" Peavey. And stop in and see Squire Tutt, for Henny Turner says he are down to-day and a-asking for you. Come into my room, honey-bird, I"ve got to look for something."
"Somehow, I don"t feel about dying as lot of folks do," she remarked to the singer lady, as she stood in front of the tall old chest of drawers in her own room a few minutes later. "Death ain"t nothing but laying down one job of work and going to answer the Master when He calls you to come take up another. Mis" Bostick have worked in His vineyard early and late, through summer sun and winter wind, and now He have summoned her in for some other purpose. He"ll find her well-tried and seasoned to go on with whatever plans He have for her in His Kingdom."
"It"s wonderful to believe that," answered the singer girl through her tears. "It seems to supply a reason for what happens to us here--if we can go on with it later."
"Course we can," answered Mother Mayberry, as she began to search in her top drawer for something. "I hope He have got some good big job cut out for Tom Mayberry and me; but course it will have to be something different, for they won"t be no more sickness or death or sorrowing for us doctors to tend on. But Pa Lovell and Doctor Mayberry have found something by this time and maybe it will be for me and Tom to work at it alongside of "em. It might be you will have the beautiful voice back and come sing for us all, as have never heard you in this world. Then, too, I believe He"ll give it to little Sister Pike to tend on the prophets and maybe I"ll be there to see!"
"This is the first time I ever could take--take any interest in Heaven at all," confessed Miss Wingate, lifting large, comforted eyes to Mother Mayberry"s face. "When I was so desperate and didn"t know what to do, before I came and found out that there was a place for me in this world even if I couldn"t sing any more, I used to dread the thought of Heaven, even if I might some day be good enough to go there."
"Well, a stand-around, set-around kind of Heaven may be for some people as wants it, but a come-over-and-help-us kind is what I"m hoping for. I want to have a good lot of honest acts to pack up and take into the judgment seat to prove my character by and then be honored with some kind of telling labor to do. I"m looking for something white to put at Mis" Bostick"s neck, for we are a-going to lay her in her grave in the old dress with its honorable patches, but with a little piece of fine white to match her sweet soul. Here it is."
"Will you let me know if I can do anything for anybody or the Deacon later?" asked the singer lady gently.
"I know you will be a comfort to him, child, after a while. You can look after my chickens and things for me, for Cindy"s a-going with me and that leaves you to feed the two boys, Tom and Martin Luther, for dinner. And don"t you never forget that you are the apple-core of your Mother Mayberry"s heart and she"s a-going to hold you to her tender, even unto them Glory days we"ve been a-planning for, with Death here in the midst of Life."
CHAPTER X
THE SONG OF THE MASTER"S GRAIL
"In all my long life it have never been gave to me to see anything like Deacon Bostick and his Providence children," said Mother Mayberry, as she stood on the end of the porch with the singer girl"s hand in hers.
"He are a-setting on his bench under the tree right by her window, like he always did to listen for her, and every child in the Road is a-huddled up against him like a forlorn lot of little motherless chickens. He have got little Bettie and Martin Luther on his knees and the rest are just crowded up all around him. He don"t seem to notice any of the rest of us, but looks to "Liza for everything. She got him to go to bed at nine o"clock and when Buck and Mr. Petway went to set up for the night they found she"d done made "Lias and Henny and Bud all lie down by him, one on each side and Bud acrost the foot. He wanted "em to stay and the men let "em do it. Judy says she were up by daylight and gone down the Road to see about his breakfast and things.
And now she are just a-standing by him waiting for the bell to toll for the funeral. The Deacon have surely followed his Master in the suffering of little children to draw close to him in this life and now he are becoming as one of "em before entering the Kingdom."
"This soft, misty, sun-veiled day seems just made for Mrs. Bostick,"
said Miss Wingate with unshed tears in her voice.
"It may be just a notion of mine, honey-bird, but it looks like up here in Harpeth Hills the weather have got a sympathy with us folks. Look how Providence n.o.b have drawed a mist of tears "twixt it and the faint sun. When troubles are with us I"ve seen clouds boil up over the Ridge and on the other hand we ain"t scarcely ever had rain on a wedding or church soshul day. I like to feel that maybe the good Lord looks special after us of His children living out in the open fields and we have got His word that He tempers the winds. People in the big cities can crowd up and keep care of one another, but out here we are all just in the hollow of His hand. Here comes Mis" Peavey. I asked her to go along to the funeral with me and you. It are most time now."
"Howdy, all," said Mrs. Peavey in an utterly gray tone of voice. "Mis"
Mayberry, that Circuit Rider have never come from Bolivar yet. Do you reckon his horse have throwed him or is it just he don"t care for us Providence folks and don"t think it worth his while to come say the words over Sister Bostick?"
"Oh, he come "most a half-hour ago, Hettie Ann," answered Mother Mayberry quickly. "Bettie had a little snack laid out for him "count of his having to make such a early start to get here. He was most kind to the Deacon and professed much sorrow for us all. How are your side this morning?"
"I got out that foolish dry plaster Tom made me more"n a month ago and put it on last night, "cause I didn"t want to disturb you, and to my surprise they ain"t a mite of pain hit me since. But I guess it are mostly the clearing weather that have stopped it."