Evelyn Raymond

“ You can’t help being wrinkley, I know that, dear Sutro, but what makes it?”
“En verdad! It may be answering thy idle questions, Little Un; yet there is one thing I would have thee know, and remember it. My soul! if thou dost not, I will be—”
“Not angry, please, Sutro!” cried Steenie, in sudden alarm.
“Maybe no. Not angry, truly. But wilt thou remember? I cannot be a hundred till the Natividad (Christmas) comes round five-and-ten times more. When I am a hundred years, thou wilt be a woman. This I know, because I asked Father Antonio when I was last at his house. ”

“ And Tito—my sweet!”
“I have the honor to kiss thy feet, Señora,” said the old Spaniard, bowing profoundly.
For a moment Madam regarded him with admiring curiosity. As a “type” of that race which she had read of in history, a race that was fast dying out, he interested her, and for that reason she was glad to see him; and the caballero, lifting his eyes from the ground, beheld only the pleasure, and did not question its cause. “The Doña Steenie says truly, Madam; the Señora is beautiful,—as the snows on the Sierras. May the humblest of her slaves beg her gracious favor?” ”

“ My dear, suppose you let our friend Sutro, here, ride home and tell your people that I am going to keep you for dinner? Then they will not be anxious, and we will have leisure to consider this matter thoroughly. What do you say?” The Judge’s tone, addressing Steenie, was as grave and considerate as if she had been Madam Calthorp herself, and it restored her wounded pride at once.
Nobody likes being laughed at, least of all a child, about whose earnestness there is never any pretence. ”

“ Five minutes later, Steenie, mounted upon her Tito, and with her caballero walking proudly by her side, paced slowly out of the Judge’s grounds. “It has been a good, good day, my Sutro! Such a happiness! You will be happy too, is it not? And what do you think, besides? That kind, splendid gentleman says that he has a pretty, black horse, whom nobody uses much, that shall be loaned to you whenever we wish for a long ride. Then you will not have to go hobblety-bob on those poor worn-out livery hacks. Are you not glad?” ”

“ The small equestrian had lost her control of her animal,—if control she had ever had,—and he had taken fright or become suddenly vicious; keeping just so far in advance of the pursuer as to avoid capture, and dancing upon his hind legs between whiles, in a manner inimical to any rider’s safety and doubly dangerous to one so young as she who still clung to her saddle, her fingers clasping the pommel in the rigidity of fear. ”

“ Swish!” The rope had cut the air in shining circles above the runaway’s straining head, and descended with unerring exactness to her steaming neck; who, at the first touch of the cord, understood its meaning, and stood stock-still,—a throbbing, beautiful, but wholly conquered thing.
“Caramba! Señ’rita Mazan ́! Wouldst serve thy master so? Take that—”
But the uplifted hand was stayed, as suddenly as the mare’s flight had been, by Steenie’s clutch of Sutro’s wrist, and her rebuke: “What! would you strike her, really,—Mazan ́, who never knew stroke or blow! ”

“ Mary Jane knows. She talks ’bout it. An’ it comes—why it must come any time! ’Cause when Mr. Resolved goes to market she tells him not to be a ‘month o’ Sundays,’ or she can’t get the dinner cooked in time. And—lots—Here’s your papa! Oh, I tell you I love him! He’s so dear.”
“You needn’t! He isn’t yours. You can’t have him,” cried Beatrice, feeling her young heart swell with jealousy.
“But I can love him, can’t I? If you couldn’t love my father you would be funny. And, oh, isn’t it happy to be so glad! Most always, anyhow, I think this is an awful nice world. Folks are so cosey an’ kind.” ”

“ Then Madam Calthorp resumed, but in a very kindly and sympathetic tone: “Yes, my darling, we can no longer indulge in any luxury.”
Steenie found courage to speak again. “I don’t know what that is. But Tito isn’t a ‘luxury,’ is he? He’s just a dear, darling little horse!”
“Which, under our changed circumstances, means that he is a luxury, as well.”
“You mustn’t! You shall not! You dare not! He’s mine—mine—mine!”
“Steenie!” said the father, in a pained voice, and opening his lips for the first time.
The child flew to him in a passion of tears. “She can’t—she—she—He’s folks! He can’t be sold. ”

“ Say, has Beatrice Courtenay been to see you?”
“Yes. Once.”
“You thought you did something smart, didn’t you? Ma said it was disgraceful for a girl to get talked about like you have been.”
Steenie stared in amazement, then bethought herself of her grandmother’s parting advice: “Be pleasant to all, as is natural to you; but do not have much to say to any girl until you have learned her name. I wish you to make only the right friends, and I can tell you about all the families—if not all the children—in town. It is wise to select your playmates from households of gentlewomen. ”

“ Such fun that, as Mary Jane prophesied, the furniture almost seemed to march itself back into position; while Steenie was allowed, not only to handle, but to unpack and restore to their own shelves the precious books which seemed “folks a’most” to their loving owner. ”

“ I want to see you and Diablo take your lesson, now Steenie and I have done.”
Beatrice’s interruption was a pleasant relief to the sombre thoughts of both lawyer and client; and Diablo’s owner answered, promptly, “Oh! oh! That is all, is it? Revenge? You wish to see somebody else suffer the torture which the last two hours have been to you? Eh? For lessons and torture are synonyms in your book-hating mind, I fancy, my daughter.”
“Now, Papa Courtenay! ’Xcuse me, but it’s no such thing. You’re teasing me. And I shouldn’t think it hard work just to play with a colt!” ”

“ If I die, it is the Señor Calthorp and Kentucky Bob who will carry out my desires, no? But I do not wish to die first. I wish to live, I myself.”
“Yes—yes! We all wish that.”
“And must I die that my little one may get the good of Santa Trinidad?”
“There is nothing to prevent your giving it to her now, while you are still alive; but a ‘last will and testament’ implies the death of the testator before action is taken upon it.” Then Judge Courtenay went on to explain, as simply and briefly as he could, the various methods by which Sutro Vives could benefit his favorite ”

“ S’posin’ you teach Diablo to be your very own, ownest horse; s’posin’ you don’t let any grooms or anybody do anything for him but just you, yourself! You could make him as smart as Tito, maybe.”
“‘Maybe’? Is Tito so brilliant, then?” asked the Judge, smiling, and greatly delighted that Diablo now stood quietly beside them, nibbling at the grass or sniffing about Steenie’s curly head, without resenting their presence or voices. Sutro and Beatrice had also drawn near and leaned against the paling to hear what the others were saying. ”

“ Here—Steenie didn’t like such difficult questions, but she answered, simply enough: “I s’pose somebody will. I’m Steenie Calthorp; and Tito can’t go home barefoot, over these rough roads, can he? You must see that for yourself, Mr. Smith, don’t you?”
“I see that, plain enough; and if you are one of the Calthorps down at Knollsboro—here goes! They’re honest folks, and always have been. Never a poor man lost a cent by them, and that’s the truth. They’re the right kind of aristocrats, they are. Pay for what they have, and what they can’t pay for go without, and no complaining. ”

“ Another race, ’tween Tito and Mazan ́ this time, not Tito catching her. To the house. I’ll beat you, my Sutro!”
They struck into it briskly; but, as they neared the goal, both riders slackened pace at sight of a strange carriage standing before the ranch-house door, with several of the household servants grouped excitedly about it.
“More strangers!” cried Steenie, regretfully. “It is nothing but comp’ny all the time, nowadays; and I get no more nice times with papa, because he must always attend to them. I wish they wouldn’t come; don’t you, Sutro?” ”

“ Even at this strange East, where it rained whenever it felt like it, and not at stated seasons when people were prepared for it and duly expectant—as at San’ Felisa,—even here, and with disagreeable Resolved Tubbs “to boot,” existence had many pleasures,—not the least among these being Mary Jane’s excellent cookery. To die—to put himself forever out of the reach not only of the Little Un, but of Mazan ́ to whom he had hoped to be reunited, and of delicious chicken-patties, all at one fell swoop—that was too much! ”

“ And Steenie, my dear little child, now you have a chance to be even doubly helpful to your poor father. Blindness is a trial which no seeing person can comprehend; but for a strong man to suffer it, and to know that he cannot do one thing to alleviate the necessities of those who are dear to him, is terrible. ”

“ Can he roll on the cunning little lawn, Grandmother?”
“Steenie, silence. Be still for one moment. What is all this? Who is ‘Tito,’ who ‘Sutro’? Why are you not at school?”
“Why—why—I don’t know. I s’pose I forgot. Sutro—is Sutro. Don’t you know I told you ’bout him? He’s my body-servant, and as old as anything. But such a rider! There’s nobody in all San’ Felisa can beat him, ’cept Kentucky Bob an’ some more. Bless his heart! Bob’s, I mean. Bless everybody’s! For he’s come all these long three thousand miles to bring me my pretty piebald Tito. ”

“ Lord Plunkett shouted and waved till he looked apoplectic; and the reiterated cheers, “Another for the Little Un!” “Another!” brought Mr. Calthorp from his darkened office once more, this time with a smile upon his lips.
But the hour grew late, and the assemblage hungry. There was, accordingly, no delay in giving the last exhibition, which was Steenie’s alone.
“The child—prodigy—must not leave. Like her; like her!” said Lord Plunkett again, as the manager approached.
“I am glad that you are pleased; but I think that you will enjoy this driving scene even more. There is no racing, no danger. ”

“ If your ability only matched your courage, Grandmother knows that you would banish every care from all our hearts! But, yes; there is one thing you can do: bear whatever deprivations you may have with that same sunny spirit; be patient when, by-and-by, we older folks begin to lose our own serenity, and grow fretful, perhaps, and difficult to get along with. You can remember then that it isn’t what you call our ‘truly selves,’ but the worn nerves and depressed hearts that cause the sharp words and moods. Early to learn a woman’s lesson, my gay little Steenie ”

“ Steenie listened attentively, breathlessly; her big blue eyes fixed upon her grandmother’s face, and rejoicing in the calmness which had returned to it. She did not know that the only expression of distress which the proud Madam had given, had been the one exclamation at first sight of her own self. “Everything has come upon us—but death. We are ruined. ”

“ A few rods further of this movement, then Steenie checked Kinks entirely; and though he quivered and trembled, and looked nervously around at the groom riding up and the crowds who had collected on the sidewalk, he suffered the restraint imposed upon him by the stroking of her soft little hands and her caressing voice. Then she asked: “Where do you live, girl? Do you want to go home?”
“Yes, yes! I live down there,” answered the rescued child, loosing one arm from her preserver’s waist sufficiently to point forwards down the avenue.
“Shall I get off? Can you ride alone?” ”

“ Doesn’t everybody keep learning things all the time? If I were a’most a hundred, like you, I should know everything, I think. In verity, I should be able to answer a simple question such as that. And so I tell you.”
“Si? Thou wouldst find thou knew nothing at all, maybe; and thou wouldst not trouble if it were so. Because, if the good Dios wished to make us wise He would put wisdom into our heads without labor to us, wouldn’t he? Why not?”
“Fie, my Sutro! Do I learn reading that way? But no. I should wait a long time first, my father says. ”

“ Grandmother can’t, ’cause she can’t, an’ she oughtn’t to; Papa can’t, ’cause he can’t see to do anything; Sutro can’t, ’cause he’s just Sutro; Mr. Tubbs can’t, ’cause he’s a lumbagorer an’ a ‘reg’lar funeral-dark-sider,’ Mary Jane says; Mary Jane can’t, ’cause her ‘hands an’ heart is full every ’durin’ minute, an’ so she tells you;’ an’ so, after them, they isn’t anybody left but me. So I want to; ’cause I love ’em—love ’em—love ’em—every one! An’ I’m young, an’ I can see, an’ I haven’t any lumbago, an’ I’m not just Sutro, an’ my hands an’ heart isn’t full, and—do—you s’pose I can? ”

“ Do not forget that there are others present to whom an exhibition of domestic misunderstanding must be most disagreeable. You may take the basket of sea-shells into the dining-room, if you like, and show them to Beatrice.”
“I don’t care about sea-shells, ma’am,” responded Beatrice, with what she considered great politeness.
“An’—an’—please ’xcuse me!” said Steenie, tremulously, and ran out of the house, stableward, faster than even her fleet feet had ever sped before.
Mrs. Courtenay rose, “I think, Judge, that it is really time we should go. I have another call to make, and it is growing late. ”

“ Calthorp. “Those fellows idolize that child, and they won’t half try to beat her.”
“Beg pardon, but it will be a ‘fair, square’ trial,” corrected the manager, turning toward the speaker. “Steenie would not ride if they had not promised her that. She is determined to win, and I think she will, but she will do so honestly. She is quicker of motion than the others, and has a judgment about distances which seems like instinct. Besides, she and Tito have grown up together, and he understands her like a second self.” ”