""Neil would have the laugh on me then. Sure he"s sleeping well. And the snow is coming soon. There"ll be a bonny swirl on the bay ere long. I hope no harm will come to the lad if he starts to cross. When he wakes he"ll be in such a fine Highland temper that he"ll never stop to think of danger. Well, Bess, old girl, here we are. Now, Donald Fraser, pluck up heart and play the man. Never flinch because a slip of a la.s.s looks scornful at you out of the bonniest dark-blue eyes on earth."
"But in spite of his bold words Donald"s heart was thumping as he drove into the Sherman yard. Nancy was there milking a cow by the stable door, but she stood up when she saw Donald coming. Oh, she was very beautiful!
Her hair was like a skein of golden silk, and her eyes were as blue as the gulf water when the sun breaks out after a storm. Donald felt more nervous than ever. But he knew he must make the most of his chance. He might not see Nancy alone again before Neil came. He caught her hand and stammered out,
""Nan, la.s.s, I love you. You may think "tis a hasty wooing, but that"s a story I can tell you later maybe. I know well I"m not worthy of you, but if true love could make a man worthy there"d be none before me. Will you have me, Nan?"
"Nancy didn"t SAY she would have him. She just LOOKED it, and Donald kissed her right there in the snow.
"The next morning the storm was over. Donald knew Neil must be soon on his track. He did not want to make the Sherman house the scene of a quarrel, so he resolved to get away before the Campbell came.
He persuaded Nancy to go with him to visit some friends in another settlement. As he brought Neil"s sleigh up to the door he saw a black speck far out on the bay and laughed.
""Black Dan goes well, but he"ll not be quick enough," he said.
"Half an hour later Neil Campbell rushed into the Sherman kitchen and oh, how angry he was! There was n.o.body there but Betty Sherman, and Betty was not afraid of him. She was never afraid of anybody. She was very handsome, with hair as brown as October nuts and black eyes and crimson cheeks; and she had always been in love with Neil Campbell herself.
""Good morning, Mr. Campbell," she said, with a toss of her head. "It"s early abroad you are. And on Black Dan, no less! Was I mistaken in thinking that Donald Fraser said once that his favourite horse should never be backed by any man but him? But doubtless a fair exchange is no robbery, and Brown Bess is a good mare in her way."
""Where is Donald Fraser?" said Neil, shaking his fist. "It"s him I"m seeking, and it"s him I will be finding. Where is he, Betty Sherman?"
""Donald Fraser is far enough away by this time," mocked Betty. "He is a prudent fellow, and has some quickness of wit under that sandy thatch of his. He came here last night at sunset, with a horse and sleigh not his own, or lately gotten, and he asked Nan in the stable yard to marry him.
Did a man ask ME to marry him at the cow"s side with a milking pail in my hand, it"s a cold answer he"d get for his pains. But Nan thought differently, and they sat late together last night, and "twas a bonny story Nan wakened me to hear when she came to bed--the story of a braw lover who let his secret out when the whisky was above the wit, and then fell asleep while his rival was away to woo and win his la.s.s. Did you ever hear a like story, Mr. Campbell?"
""Oh, yes," said Neil fiercely. "It is laughing at me over the country side and telling that story that Donald Fraser will be doing, is it? But when I meet him it is not laughing he will be doing. Oh, no. There will be another story to tell!"
""Now, don"t meddle with the man," cried Betty. "What a state to be in because one good-looking la.s.s likes sandy hair and gray eyes better than Highland black and blue! You have not the spirit of a wren, Neil Campbell. Were I you, I would show Donald Fraser that I could woo and win a la.s.s as speedily as any Lowlander of them all; that I would!
There"s many a girl would gladly say "yes" for your asking. And here stands one! Why not marry ME, Neil Campbell? Folks say I"m as bonny as Nan--and I could love you as well as Nan loves her Donald--ay, and ten times better!"
"What do you suppose the Campbell did? Why, just the thing he ought to have done. He took Betty at her word on the spot; and there was a double wedding soon after. And it is said that Neil and Betty were the happiest couple in the world--happier even than Donald and Nancy. So all was well because it ended well!"
The Story Girl curtsied until her silken skirts swept the floor. Then she flung herself in her chair and looked at Mr. Campbell, flushed, triumphant, daring.
The story was old to us. It had once been published in a Charlottetown paper, and we had read in Aunt Olivia"s sc.r.a.pbook, where the Story Girl had learned it. But we had listened entranced. I have written down the bare words of the story, as she told it; but I can never reproduce the charm and colour and spirit she infused into it. It LIVED for us. Donald and Neil, Nancy and Betty, were there in that room with us. We saw the flashes of expression on their faces, we heard their voices, angry or tender, mocking or merry, in Lowland and Highland accent. We realized all the mingled coquetry and feeling and defiance and archness in Betty Sherman"s daring speech. We had even forgotten all about Mr. Campbell.
That gentleman, in silence, took out his wallet, extracted a note therefrom, and handed it gravely to the Story Girl.
"There are five dollars for you," he said, "and your story was well worth it. You ARE a wonder. Some day you will make the world realize it. I"ve been about a bit, and heard some good things, but I"ve never enjoyed anything more than that threadbare old story I heard in my cradle. And now, will you do me a favour?"
"Of course," said the delighted Story Girl.
"Recite the multiplication table for me," said Mr. Campbell.
We stared. Well might Mr. Campbell be called eccentric. What on earth did he want the multiplication table recited for? Even the Story Girl was surprised. But she began promptly, with twice one and went through it to twelve times twelve. She repeated it simply, but her voice changed from one tone to another as each in succession grew tired. We had never dreamed that there was so much in the multiplication table. As she announced it, the fact that three times three was nine was exquisitely ridiculous, five times six almost brought tears to our eyes, eight times seven was the most tragic and frightful thing ever heard of, and twelve times twelve rang like a trumpet call to victory.
Mr. Campbell nodded his satisfaction.
"I thought you could do it," he said. "The other day I found this statement in a book. "Her voice would have made the multiplication table charming!" I thought of it when I heard yours. I didn"t believe it before, but I do now."
Then he let us go.
"You see," said the Story Girl as we went home, "you need never be afraid of people."
"But we are not all Story Girls," said Cecily.
That night we heard Felicity talking to Cecily in their room.
"Mr. Campbell never noticed one of us except the Story Girl," she said, "but if I had put on MY best dress as she did maybe she wouldn"t have taken all the attention."
"Could you ever do what Betty Sherman did, do you suppose?" asked Cecily absently.
"No; but I believe the Story Girl could," answered Felicity rather snappishly.
CHAPTER VIII. A TRAGEDY OF CHILDHOOD
The Story Girl went to Charlottetown for a week in June to visit Aunt Louisa. Life seemed very colourless without her, and even Felicity admitted that it was lonesome. But three days after her departure Felix told us something on the way home from school which lent some spice to existence immediately.
"What do you think?" he said in a very solemn, yet excited, tone. "Jerry Cowan told me at recess this afternoon that he HAD SEEN A PICTURE OF G.o.d--that he has it at home in an old, red-covered history of the world, and has looked at it OFTEN."
To think that Jerry Cowan should have seen such a picture often! We were as deeply impressed as Felix had meant us to be.
"Did he say what it was like?" asked Peter.
"No--only that it was a picture of G.o.d, walking in the garden of Eden."
"Oh," whispered Felicity--we all spoke in low tones on the subject, for, by instinct and training, we thought and uttered the Great Name with reverence, in spite of our devouring curiosity--"oh, WOULD Jerry Cowan bring it to school and let us see it?"
"I asked him that, soon as ever he told me," said Felix. "He said he might, but he couldn"t promise, for he"d have to ask his mother if he could bring the book to school. If she"ll let him he"ll bring it to-morrow."
"Oh, I"ll be almost afraid to look at it," said Sara Ray tremulously.
I think we all shared her fear to some extent. Nevertheless, we went to school the next day burning with curiosity. And we were disappointed.
Possibly night had brought counsel to Jerry Cowan; or perhaps his mother had put him up to it. At all events, he announced to us that he couldn"t bring the red-covered history to school, but if we wanted to buy the picture outright he would tear it out of the book and sell it to us for fifty cents.
We talked the matter over in serious conclave in the orchard that evening. We were all rather short of hard cash, having devoted most of our spare means to the school library fund. But the general consensus of opinion was that we must have the picture, no matter what pecuniary sacrifices were involved. If we could each give about seven cents we would have the amount. Peter could only give four, but Dan gave eleven, which squared matters.
"Fifty cents would be pretty dear for any other picture, but of course this is different," said Dan.
"And there"s a picture of Eden thrown in, too, you know," added Felicity.
"Fancy selling G.o.d"s picture," said Cecily in a shocked, awed tone.
"n.o.body but a Cowan would do it, and that"s a fact," said Dan.
"When we get it we"ll keep it in the family Bible," said Felicity.
"That"s the only proper place."
"Oh, I wonder what it will be like," breathed Cecily.