Evelyn Raymond

“ We want you, ‘Godmother’ and I, and don’t you dare—don’t either of you dare to be proud and independent now, when your little girl’s so happy—so happy!”
Who could withstand her? Or the sincere affection which beamed upon them from Mrs. Cecil’s fine old eyes? Not “whistling Johnnie” of the big heart, himself; nor faithful Martha, radiant now in the doing away of “mysteries” and the happiness of the girl who had been found a “squalling baby” on her doorstep.
So the night fell on Dorothy Calvert’s homecoming and home-finding. Once more she stood on the threshold of a new life. ”

“ As she made her way through the throng, which on that summer morning crowded the upper deck of the pretty “Mary Powell,” the three young friends watched her with surprised interest.
Apparently she took no note of the amount anybody gave her, carrying bills of all dimensions between her fingers and piles of specie on her broad palm.
“How can she tell how much she’s taken from anybody? How can she give them their right change?” wondered Dorothy.
“I give it up! She must be a deal better at arithmetic than I am. I should make the mixedest mess of that business;” answered Molly, equally curious. ”

“ Dear, faithful old Jim!”
“Pooh! Horrid, pokey old Jim, I say. But Monty’ll have some fun in him; unless—he thinks two girls are poor company.”
“I hope he will. I hope he’ll coax your father and those old ‘boys’ to take him with them into the woods. That might do him some good and take the nonsense out of him.”
“Well, Dorothy, I think that’s not a nice thing for you to say. You must have forgotten the night of the fire and what he did to help you. There wasn’t any ‘nonsense’ about Montmorency Vavasour-Stark then, if you please!” ”

“ Meanwhile the Breckenridge party had crossed the street, under conveyance of a waiting policeman, and had paused upon the further curb while Molly explained:
“Miss Greatorex is dreadful slow, Papa dear. But she’ll be here in a minute. She’s sure to be and Dolly with her. Oh! she is the very sweetest, dearest, bravest girl I ever knew! If I had a sister I should want her to be exactly like Dorothy. I wonder what does keep them! And I’m so hungry, so terribly hungry and we lost our purses—couldn’t be she’d linger to search for them again when we’ve already ransacked the whole boat! ”

“ An endless, unbroken line of drays, beer-wagons, vehicles of every sort, moves up one side and down the other of the hurrying street cars which claim the centre roadway. The pavement is always slippery with slime, the air always full of hoarse [Pg 38] shouts, cries and distracting whistles. Car bells jangle, policemen yell their warnings to unwary foot passengers, hackmen screech their demands for patronage, and hurrying crowds move to and fro between the ferries and the city. A place that speedily set Dorothy’s nerves a-tingle with fear, yet never once diverted her from her purpose. ”

“ I don’t believe you’ve comprehended a single sentence you’ve looked at. I know. Your eyes had that hungry-for-Dorothy look in them. Leastwise, if they hadn’t, the feel of it is in my own old heart. A pretty how’d-ye-do, when that little Lu Breckenridge-Hungerford sets out to hint to me of my duty! a slip of a girl like her—the saucy chit!”
Old Seth laughed, so merrily that others drew near to learn the sport; seeing which, Mistress Elizabeth Cecil Somerset-Calvert, rather haughtily arose and remarked:
“Come, Cousin Seth, I’d like to take a walk.” ”

“ Can you manage a sail-boat, Melvin Cook, by yourself without a man to help you?” he demanded in sincere astonishment.
“Feel that!” answered Melvin, placing Monty’s hand upon his “muscle.” “There’s a bit of strength in that arm, eh, what? And you may not know that I come of a race of sailors and have almost lived upon the water all my life. Manage a sail-boat? Huh! If you choose to come along I’ll show you.”
Ten minutes later they were moving out in a their frail craft from the little pier across the street from the hotel; Melvin for skipper, Tommy for mate, and Montmorency for a passenger. ”

“ Cried Molly, indignantly:
“Don’t talk about sandwiches to a poor, starving girl! Sailing does make a body ravenous, just ravenous, even though we did have a ‘vacation-breakfast’ with something besides cereals and milk. When Miss Rhinelander does ‘treat’ us she does it thoroughly. But, what shall you order when we get to New York and meet Papa and Auntie Lu? You know we’re all to dine at a big hotel, for the Nova Scotia boat doesn’t sail till two o’clock. ”

“ Take care you don’t build up a romance that will fall to pieces like a house of cards at the first breath of reality. But as to birth, be it high or low, Dorothy is a most winning little maid and I’m thankful to have her along with us on our holiday. Thankful, also, that impulsive Molly chose just such an unselfish, ingenuous girl for her ‘chum.’ My poor little lass! ”

“ Separated from these two, who had been in the rear of the whole party, Melvin did exert himself to overcome his abnormal shyness and to talk; and when after proceeding a little way and his finding Dorothy eagerly observant of even the most trivial things that were new to her, he had an abrupt burst of courage—or was it a harmless spite against his tormentor of the day before, Molly? Whatever it was that emboldened him, he suddenly laid his hand on her arm and said:
“Wait just a minute! There comes a man I know. He’s a transplanted Yarmouthian who’s moved to Digby to ‘haul’ for his livelihood. ”

“ Hungerford “Aunt” as she was to call the Judge “Uncle.”
So despite the dullness of the fog, which prevented her seeing much of the ocean, the day passed very well. When she was asked if she could play and to give her new friends a little music, she took the violin from its shelf and gave them her simple best. To please them who were so kind to her was a delight to herself and her readiness to oblige was instantly construed by Aunt Lucretia as a fresh proof of her “discovery.” ”

“ I’ve learned in my life that things don’t happen twice alike. Maybe you won’t be just here again in such terr’ble agreeable company—” and he playfully touched Melvin on the shoulder—“and best improve it. And, Sissy, strikes me you’re real likely. Sort of a common sense sort of little creetur without so many airs as some the girl-towerists put on. If so be ’t you stop a spell in Digby just tip me the wink and I’ll haul you with any load I happen to have on my ‘Mobile.’ Or, if so be we never meet again on earth, be sure, little Sissy, ’t you meet me in Heaven. ”

“ Instead of darling Miss Penelope with her sweet mother-ways to have the ‘Grater’ forced on us this way is too bad. I know Papa and Auntie Lu aren’t pleased with her either, though they’re too polite to say so.”
“O, Molly, don’t! I was bad, I can’t deny it and I deserve to have her stiff and cross with me. I don’t believe she’s half so vexed as she seems but she doesn’t think it’s ‘proper’ to let me know how thankful she is I wasn’t really lost. Folks can’t help being themselves, anyway; else I’d be a perfectly angelic sort of a girl, and be it quick! ”

“ Anton tossed off the kindly hand just laid upon his shoulder and raised a face that had grown haggard, with wild terrified eyes staring into the questioner’s face.
“’Tis a lie, no? There is no girl wanders the forest nights! You are fool, Merimée, with your words!”
“That’s as a man judges. Ghost tales were asked and told, and one is true. I know it. But fear not, lad. No spirit will molest to his harm one who rides through the wood aright, in the fear of God and with honesty in his heart. As for the ghost of poor Susette, hapless maid! ”

“ Molly was afraid of cows and instinctively hid herself behind Dolly, who laughed and remarked:
“Poor old creature! She looks as if she might have lived in the days of the Acadians, she’s so thin and gaunt. Yet the whole street is grass-bordered if she chose to help herself. But isn’t this glorious? Can you hardly wait till we get to Grand Pré? It’s only a few miles away and I’d almost rather walk than not.”
“You’ll not be let to walk, mind that. My father has had enough of things happening to us youngsters. ”

“ Then for a time Molly busied herself in gathering flowers, wherever she caught sight of one, and, thrusting them into her blouse, told Queenie that “these are for that terrible flowery girl, Dorothy C. Oh! I wonder what she is doing now! If she isn’t scraping away on that old fiddle I’ll bet she’s missing me. ’Tisn’t polite for girls to ‘bet,’ Auntie Lu says. Oh! I wish I could see her now. Funny I should be so lonesome, right in the daylight with Queenie here. If I don’t look out I’ll be crying; for I’m getting that awful scared way I was when Anton first went. ”

“ And don’t you think that life—just the mere living—is perfectly grand? All the time meeting new people and finding out new, beautiful things about them? Like Mr. Snackenberg asking me to meet him in Heaven. ”

“ All we shall need, I fancy, is a suit-case a-piece with the plainest things we own. Even that ‘fancy’ hunter’s suit I bought is ridiculous. The Judge uses the oldest sort of things—‘regular rags,’ Molly says; and I—I may be a fool but I don’t like to look like one! [Pg 132] Do it, Mamma, to please me. And let’s put our ‘society’ manners into the trunks with the clothes. Let’s live, for these few weeks, as if we were real poor—as poor as Dolly or Miss Greatorex. I don’t believe even that lady has any money to speak of and as for Dorothy, she hasn’t a cent. ”

“ One was a stout lady of exceedingly fashionable appearance and most peremptory manner. As seemed fitting the first reply of Mr. Ebenezer Stark was for her, and assured her that he would meet her at the wharf, with a carriage, upon the arrival of the first steamer out from Yarmouth. It also informed her that he had already sent her word by post—that letter could follow her home—of the dangerous illness of her mother and that she should make all possible haste. ”

“ If it had been Dorothy who ventured to plan for her elders her suggestions would have been coolly ignored.
The Judge drew near in time to hear the end of the talk and added:
“That is a sight we won’t meet elsewhere in the same proportion as here. Also, the walk will do us good, and we shall pass the postoffice on our way. I like going for my own mail to the ‘general delivery’ better than having it sent to the hotel. I like the mingling with the eager crowd that waits before the little window to ask: ‘Anything for me?’ I like to watch the faces of the people when they open their letters. ”

“ I hate a meddler and am not anxious to become one. Heigho! No matter how hard a tired man tries to mind his own business he can’t do it! Here comes that young Melvin Cook, and he’s a lad with a pedigree, let me tell you, as long as any oldest Marylander of all. He and I have a bit of business to discuss, so I’ll walk the deck with him awhile. Dorothy, I suppose, will sleep in her own stateroom to-night, since Miss Greatorex is comfortable. ”

“ I’m sorry if you’re going to let the prejudices of silly women spoil your own vacation. Don’t do it. Just remember what you often say, that human nature is the same everywhere. We have the pride of wealth to contend with on one hand and the pride of poverty on the other; but beneath each sort of pride lies an honest heart. ”