Margaret Sidney

“ Old Mr. King took a turn or two down the apartment, then came back to her with such a displeased countenance as she had never seen him wear before; at sight of which Polly forgot all the attempts at a proper introduction to her plea, and crying out, “O father, dear! do let Phronsie and Roslyn be married here; for Dr. Fisher thinks he won’t get well unless you do,” she threw herself into his arms, and sobbed like a child. ”

“ O Joe, it is so good to see you!”
“Yes, it is good to be here,” cried Joel, feasting his eyes on her. “Well, where’s Polly?”
“Gone to town,” said Phronsie; “and she said we were not to wait luncheon for her.”
“That’s too bad,” said Joel, “for I must be off this afternoon;” and he pulled out his watch. “And now I’ll tell you, Phronsie, what I’ve come for. I want you and Grandpapa to go back with me for a few weeks. I can’t tell you why now, only that I want you both. I’m dead tired of being alone. Now, do persuade him to come, Phronsie.” ”

“ A placid-looking woman in a big stiff white cap sat by the window sewing.
“Now, there’s Bonny,” said Alexia, still sitting on the floor, and looking over at her, “she’s thoroughly commonplace, and can’t rise to the superiority of that blessed child. And strange to say, Grace, his father can’t either. But I can; oh, you dear!” with that she caught Algernon by one of his fat little legs, and drew him to her. And then ensued a wild screaming on Algernon’s part, and a petting on Alexia’s, Grace backing off to the door, feeling that the room was too small for so much action. ”

“ I’m coming.”
“O Johnny! you can’t,” remonstrated Mrs. Fargo quickly. “You’re not big enough; it needs a strong man.”
“I’m ’most a man,” said Johnny, twitching away from her. “I’m going to do it.”
“But your hammer is in the box of your playthings,” said Mrs. Fargo, glad to remember this.
“I don’t care; I’ll get Mr. Brown’s, then,” declared Johnny, prancing off.
“Oh, dear me! Phronsie, do stop that boy,” begged Mrs. Fargo, tired and distressed.
“Johnny,” called Phronsie softly. She did not offer to go after him. “Come here, dear.”
“Am going for Mr. Brown’s hammer,” said Johnny, edging off. ”

“ I’ll be just as good as everything,” said King, clasping his hands. “Begin now, do, Miss Grace;” and he began to pull her along to the little room where the lessons were always said.
“No, King,” said Grace, “I can’t begin those lessons until I ask your sister Polly first. But I’ll draw you a picture of anything you choose.”
“Oh, goody!” exclaimed King, jumping up and down, and making so much noise that Elyot came running in, and after him Barby, trailing her doll by one leg. ”

“ I’m Joel—no, I don’t want to be Joel. I’m David—no, I don’t want to be David, either. I’ll be Ben—I’ll be Ben and Joel and David and all of ’em,” he declared, hurrying around. “Now, what shall I play first? I’ll—I’ll”—
His eyes fell on the stove. “I’m going to have a baking-day all to myself!” he cried in joyful tones, and capering in the middle of the kitchen. “Oh, won’t that be fine! And when they see what splendid cakes I can bake, they won’t care. Phooh! I can make better things than any of ’em, I b’lieve. And I know how to make the fire too.” ”

“ Phronsie fixed her brown eyes upon him wonderingly.
“Phronsie, I’ve always been a curious old chap. I wouldn’t say so to any one else, only to you, dear; but I have.”
“O Grandpapa!” cried Phronsie convulsively, and throwing her arms around his neck, “don’t, don’t, dear Grandpapa! You’ve always and ever been beautiful,” she sobbed in great distress.
“Well, there, there, child,” said the old gentleman, patting her back as if she were three years old, and mightily pleased with her tribute, “you love the old man, and that’s enough. ”

“ Atherton. “One little social break won’t matter.”
“The worst place to make a social break is at Mrs. King’s,” said Mrs. Atherton. “No, Grace, you cannot go.” She set her lips tightly together. “Any other thing you might ask, I’d try to indulge you in; but I won’t make a faux pas at Mrs. Jasper King’s.”
“I don’t want anything else,” cried Grace in a passion. Just then a young girl ran over the steps, and plunged without ceremony into the pretty breakfast-room.
“Oh, joy—joy—joy!” she cried, beating her hands together, “mamma’s going to take me to Mrs. King’s reception to-morrow afternoon.” ”

“ Doctor Fisher paused a moment to give her time to recover herself, and looked very grave. “A big wedding isn’t the best of all blessings,” he said; “and I don’t believe but what Phronsie would prefer the quiet one—your mother thinks so.”
“Does Mamsie think Phronsie better be married here?” asked Polly, feeling as if everybody were deserting her.
“She surely does, Polly,” said the little doctor. “Well, I looked to you to influence Mr. King—but say no more,” as the others crowded around. ”

“ Higby will. I’ll go and ask her.”
“No, I’m going to; Mrs. Higby will let me have the aprons,” shouted Barby, turning her back on her father, in whose lap she had thrown herself, and rushing after him.
“We’re all in for it, I see,” said Pickering. “Well, King, you’re my boy, seeing the others have got champions. What do you want? I’ll see you through this candy scrape.”
“I’d rather have my brother Jasper,” said King, not over politely, “but I’ll take you.”
“O King!” remonstrated Phronsie gently.
“Let him alone, Phronsie,” said Pickering. “King is delicious when unadulterated. ”

“ Dear, dear, I can’t do anything with either of you.”
“No,” said Phronsie, “you can’t, Alexia. And now I want you to come up and see Grace—how nice she is. And you must tell her something lively to amuse her. Do, dear Alexia.”
She got off from the sofa, and put her arm around the tall, slim figure.
“Ugh!—no, I can’t.” Alexia edged off. “It’s bad enough for you to pet and coddle her; I’m going home.”
“Come, Alexia,” said Phronsie, holding out her hand; and Mrs. Dodge, grumbling all the way, went up the stairs after her. ”

“ Grace Tupper sat down on the first thing that she could see, which proved to be the scrap-basket. “Doesn’t old Mr. King love Miss Phronsie?” she gasped.
“Yes, yes,” gasped Alexia, running to pull at her; “but get out of that scrap-basket. Polly Pepper made that for me years ago, and you are mussing all the ribbons.” And calling to Bonny, who came without a ripple on her placid countenance, she bundled the baby into her arms, and began to pull out the big pink bows from which Grace gave a bound. ”

“ And besides, Mamsie said it was a great sign of weakness to give yourself up to fits of crying after you had done wrongly. I remember what she used to tell us: ‘To set about righting the wrong was better than a million tears.’”
“Mrs. King,” exclaimed Grace suddenly, letting her hand fall idle on the bedspread, to peer into Polly’s face, “I think your mother must have been just the nicest”—mother, she was going to say, but pulled herself up in time—“person in all this world.”
“Oh, you can’t guess what she was—what she is,” cried Polly warmly, “till you see our Mamsie.” ”

“ And when this was over, and the block of marble from Roslyn’s studio from across the sea was laid in place on the old Badgertown meadow, to be made famous over two continents, then, at a signal from Rev. Mr. Henderson, the little children from the Dunraven Home marched around Phronsie and her husband, each giving her a white rose as they passed. And Susan sent all her young heart into her “Welcome-Home” song; and everybody applauded her, but she saw only Phronsie’s smile. ”

“ But, notwithstanding all Phronsie’s comfort, Polly knew that she would have to give hard and constant work to make this, the supreme effort of her life thus far in a musical way, a success. It was the first time that anybody outside of the highest professional lines had been asked to play with the Symphony Orchestra; and when this urgent request had been laid before Polly, she had said, “Oh, no! I cannot play well enough.”
But Mrs. Jasper King’s reputation as a pianist had gone farther than Polly knew. ”

“ Polly looked over at Jasper in despair. His eyes said, “Don’t worry, dear. Perhaps she won’t do it.”
“You see,” said Phronsie deliberately, “Miss [146] Fitzwilliam must not be left to spread the story about Grace. And she won’t want to when I tell her all about it. She’ll feel sorry that she told in the first place.”
“You don’t know Miss Fitzwilliam, Phronsie, if you say so,” burst out Polly. “She’s the veriest gossip there is in all Berton—or the universe either. It won’t do a bit of good for you to go to see her. She can’t change, child; she’s too old.” ”

“ EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON POLLY. “JASPER,” cried Polly, “do let us go to Mamsie;” so hand in hand they hurried off to Mrs. Fishers room. But she was not there.
“Oh! now I know that Roslyn is worse,” mourned Polly, not to be comforted; “and they would not tell me.” But Jasper said cheerfully, “Oh, no, Polly! probably Father Fisher has taken her out for an airing.” ”

“ But Johnny wouldn’t get up, and he wouldn’t open his eyes; so Dick was forced to pick him up, the donkey, finding that he incommoded no one by running away, now trotting up to stare at the little figure on the grass. “Here, give me some of that water,” cried Dick hoarsely, to one of the stable boys, who appeared around the paddock with a pail. “Dash it over his face,” as the boy came shambling up. “Donkey kicked him—oh, my goodness! he doesn’t stir,” as the contents of the pail streamed over Johnny’s face. ”

“ Mr. Ferguson looked into his hat, and then gasped out, “N—no; but perhaps it isn’t true, Mrs. King. It said that the Rev. Joel Pepper was among the lost. That’s all.”
Polly ran through the hall, and out the side door. “Jasper, Jasper!” she was saying over and over in her heart, though her white lips did not move. Would she never reach the little brown house! At last she was speeding up the narrow path and over the well-worn flat stone, and through the old doorway and on into the bedroom, where she threw herself on her knees by Mamsie’s big four-poster, just as she had thrown herself years ago. ”

“ Polly’s letter went on; “‘and I’m so happy, Alexia, about it, you can’t think. And Phronsie wore one of her white muslin dresses, and carried the white prayer-book that Roslyn gave her; and she was married with his mother’s ring he had worn all these years. And Roslyn looked like one of the pictures of the young gods, he was so handsome; and Phronsie—well, she was our Phronsie! Oh! and Roslyn’s work, begun in his studio, is considered most remarkable. He is surely, so we are told on all sides, to be one of the foremost sculptors of the age. ”

“ By this time the passage was filling with smoke, and a hoarse babel of sounds, like a distant roar, broke upon their ears.
A man, one of the crew, ran by so roughly that he brushed Phronsie’s cheek with his arm. “Oh, please carry this poor woman to my stateroom!” she cried to him.
“The sailor roared out, ‘The ship’s on fire!’ and was plunging on.”
“Leave me, leave me, deary,” the little old lady was saying. “Good-by, deary; oh, leave the old woman and save yourself!” ”

“ If you do, your foot may be injured for life.”
“I can’t help crying,” said poor Grace, covering her face with both hands.
“You can help doing anything that is wrong,” said Polly gently. Then she brought a brush and comb, unpinned the frizzes, and laid them on the white toilet-table, and began to brush the soft, straight, shining hair.
“It wasn’t Bella at all,” sobbed Grace. “She didn’t want to do it, but I made her. Oh! I can’t give Bella up, Mrs. King.” ”

“ Man, take us in your wagon!” begged Elyot quickly, and not thinking it best to answer any questions, “I’ll bring her;” and he ran over to Barby. “Sit up now, you must; there’s a good, kind man going to carry us in [182] his wagon,” while the farmer rested his hands, with the ends of the old leather reins, in his lap, and scratched his shock of light hair in perplexity.
“We’re coming,” cried Elyot at last, tugging Barby along. Her eyes were half closed, and she protested every inch of the way, but he got her up to the side of the wagon. ”

“ I wanted to call him after his father, ‘Pickering;’ but I knew it would be ‘Pick’ all the time to distinguish him, so I gave it up. Well, you’ll see him often, because we’re going to move out to Badgertown next week.”
“Are you?” cried Grace, “how nice!”
“Yes,” said Alexia, pleased at the effect of her efforts to entertain, “we are; into the dearest little yellow cottage, with barberry-bushes in front. I’ve named it, ‘The Pumpkin’ and”—
“O Alexia! you are only in fun now,” said Phronsie with a little laugh. ”

“ Elyot took it contentedly. “You see, Barby,” he said, “you couldn’t get along without me. We must keep out of the road at first, because it would worry folks to see us going alone. But I know the way perfectly; and then how glad dear Mr. Beebe and dear Mrs. Beebe will be when they see us coming in.”
[178] “Oh, so glad!” hummed Barby; “I guess they’ll be very glad, Elyot. And I shall just kiss dear Mr. Beebe, and say, ‘How do you do, dear Mr. Beebe, pretty well I thank you mostly.’”
“No, Barby, you don’t say the things together like that,” corrected Elyot; “that isn’t right.” ”