HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1937-12-23, Page 21•t»
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wingham advance-times PAGE THIRTEEN
your relativeg/’Margaret Graham told
Chloe frankly, "¥pur Gran is. about
the swellest ojd lady and the youngest
I ever saw. And your Dad is a peach.
And I could go for Jane in a big
way.”
"Spare my blushes!” laughed Jane,
pleased that the girls had not consid
ered her a spoil sport,
"They are pretty nice, if I do say
so as shouldn’t.’’ Chloe agreed, “Of
course I’ll have to. admit I pi actjcally
hand-picked 'em."
"I had mine wished on me,” Marg
aret sighed. "Oh, of course Mother
and Dad were swell—I can remember
Dad pretty well, bitt Mother’s sort
of vague. But Phil and I have had
the queerest assortment of ‘dim-bulbs’
wished on us as chaperones, guard
ians and the like. Look, Jiow’s for
trading you a godfather, two guard-
, ians and a housekeeping cousin for
Jane?" “
“I've got a better idea than that,” suggested jane, "Why don’t you look
up some nice young man, cast an eye
" over his relatives and marry him?”
"No dice,” Sighed Jane. “The only
'nice young man’ I’d consider marry
ing hasn’t a relative to his name,
which would be all to the good, ex-
. cept that he can’t see me for dust,
Maybe if I’d been a quick thinker
and had run over him myself in
stead of letting the glamorous Chloe
here do it, I might have been able •
■ to do something about that. But
Chloe ran him down first, and now
the nurses ride herd on him so there’s
not a chance of getting in to smooth
hs pillow,”
Jane asked deliberately, “You are
n’t by any chance speaking of Dr.
Kelvin ?”
“Nobody else but,” said Margaret
who was riding in the front seat with
Chloe,
“There isn’t a girl in town who
wouldn’t give her best pair of arti
ficial eyelashes if he’d even glance
her way. But not the stern Doc. He
• merely looks straight ahead and
scorns anybody who earns more than
twenty-two fifty per week.” “I hear
at the Nursery that Callie Johnson is
trying to put her Indian sign on him,”
offered another girl lightly. “Gosh,
I’m, tired. Pleasantly tired, Miss Jane,
I hasten to add. I haven’t been so
hilariously weary since my Freshman
sorority rush week, ’Have I had fun?”
The subject slid away from Scott
Kelvin and Chloe breathed a bit more
freely. So all the girls in town were
interested in Scott, were they? Well,
Chloe wondered,'what did that make ,
her? She drew a long breath and her
hands tightened a bit on the wheel
as she sent the car speeding ahead,
anxious for a sight of home.-
She dropped the other girls at their
. homes before she turned towards her
own. As she and Jane came within
sight of the big old red house set in
Chloe saw a woman about the place,
the midst of its spacious grounds,
She looked quickly to the right , and
to the left and, to Chloe’s surprise,
the woman darted inside the grounds.
A tall shrub offered shelter. As the
1^, car turned in at the driveway, the
JI' woman started and whirled about. For
a moment Chloe saw her full in the
white light from.the car. A thin, shab
by looking woman scarcely more than
a girl, with wide dark eyes and a pal
lid face.. And then, wtih a little sob
bing gasp, the woman turned to run.
Instantly Chloe brought the car to
a halt with a sharp grinding of brakes
‘and jumped from the car, Chloe easily
overtook the stranger.
“Let me go!” she wailed. I hav-
en’t done anything wrong. I—please
—“Stop that/’Chloe ordered swiftly.
“Npbody’s going to hurt you. What
do ’yott want here?”
.“I^-I^-thought perhaps I might-get
work. A job of some kind. I need
work so badly,” stammered the worn-
‘ an, and, would not quite meet Chloe’s
eyes. •* "But you should have gone to the
Arministtation Office at. the Mills.
Tlier e’s ah employment office there,
said Chloe, and released her arm now
that the Woman seemed less likely to
flee. "Look here, how long since you
’ve had anything to eat?”
“I—I—don’t remember. Maybe yes
terday,” she ’ faltered.
“Then you’re' coming to the house
to have a good hpt dinner, and per-
to*do,” said Chide firmly.
Old Aaron, who had been the but
ler ever since lie was young and
smart, and was now so old and feeble
that two younger men helped him
with ail save opening the door and
waiting on the table, swung the door
open at the sound of^the car in 'the
drive. ..."A&rOn, I’m sure von can find some
good hot soup, perhaps some sand
wiches and milk, Serve it in the small
sitting room at*the end of the. hail,
and tight awy/’ ordered. Chloe brigk-
said firmly. , •
ed^ affectionate glance, For Melissa’s
haps' Dad canlintfsttmething for you . aTmost7 a family joke by this time.
ly.
“Yes, ma’am, Miss Chjoe, ma’am,”
answered Aaron and shuffled off.
Chloe led the way down the hall
to the small sitting room, There was
a cheerful fire and, Chloe siniiled at
the stranger. ■ '
"Here, sit down and get warm,
Aaron will be here soon with some
food,” she was saying, when same the
sound of a childish treble voice on
the stairs. Little pattering footsteps
came along thehall, the door burst
open and Susie May, dainty and fresh'
in an exquisite frock, her tow-colored
curls brushed and shining stood’in the
doorway, Chloe’s name on her \child-
ish lips, . , _ /
But whatever Susie May had been
going to ,say to Chloe died unspoken
as her eyes fell .upon the stranger.
For a moment Susie May stood
breathless, a rigid little statue. And
then she screamed wildly on a tone
, of incredulous delight,
“Mommie! OhMommie! Ohl”‘,
The woman fell to her knees, tears
streaming down her white face. Sus
ie May flung he rsmall ecstatic body
into outstretched arms that closed
hard about her.
“We should have • known—Susie
May’s and Timmy’s mother,” said
Jane, and Chloe nodded, tears sliding
down her cheeks as Susie May and
her mother clung together.
Melissa, who had followed Susie
May downstairs,blit at a necessarily
slower gait, appeared in the doorway
and took in the scene with startled
eyes.“Oh,” said Melissa “You are Susie.
May’s mother?” . • ,
The woman lifted her face still wet
with her tears.
“I’m sorry. I-know I shouldn’t have
come,” she said unsteadily. “But I
was so hungry to see them. I just
wanted to look in at the window—just
to see them again, I didn’t mean to
be any trouble.”Melissa asked gravely, “Why did
you desert them?” ‘
“Because I had lost my job and .1
had no way, of taking care of them.
I knew that if I left them at Mrs,
Barwell’s they would be taken to the
Home. But the home is only open to
the children whose parents are/ both
dead. I couldn’t see them starve and
it seemed the only way,’ ’she answer
ed with a sort of dreadful s’mplicity.
Melisso nodded.
“I had an idea it was something
like that,” she said quietly.
"When I learned that you had
■ brought them here, Miss Chloe,. I
couldn’t believe that my poor babies
had had such luck. You wont send
them away, Miss Chloe? Ill never
bother them again. I’ll go away where
they’ll never see me—”
At which Susie May set up such a
howl of protest that the very rafters
rang with it and her mother said
quickly, alarmed:
"Oh, darling, you mustn t make'
such a noise. You’ll have to go'away
and leave this lovely house, all these
people who have been, so kind to
you-----” • ,
"Don’t say anything more about
leaving her,” said Melissa firmly.
"Here’s Aaron with your supper. Sit
down quietly and eat it and, then we’ll
decide what’s to be done.”
Humbly Susie May’s mother obey
ed and Melissa said briskly to Jane
and Chloe, - „ . ,,"I think we’d best leave Susie May
and her mother alone to their supper
while you two run along and get your
wraps off. I’ll just have a,look at the
evening paper meanwhile.” .
The three went out and left Susie
May clinging to her mother, while the
woman ate the food set before her
with a pitful effort to curb her hunger
and to eat daintily what her starving
body demanded.
CHAPTER XXVI
Outside in the Hall Melissa looked
at Chloe and jane demanded, “Where
did you find her?” (
Chloe explaned and Melissa nodded.
"Poor soul. She’s known a much
•easier life than this. Notice her accent
and her manners? I knew that Susie
May was not just riffraff!" Melissa
said firmly. j ‘ .
Chloe and Jane exchanged an amus
ed, affectionate glance, for Melissa’s
devotion to the two small, waifs was
" 'When1 Jane and Chloe had chang
ed from their outdoorclothes and .had
come back downstairs, Susie Mays
mother had finished her dinner and,
as Melissa, Jane and Chloe came into
the room she stood up and, with Sus
ie May clinging to her hand, said
breathlessly, ,. ,"You’ve been so very kind. I m go-
lft^Of°course you are,” said Melissa
promptly. “You’re going upstairs to
put Timmy and Susie May to bed
and then we’re all going to have a
conclave and see what’s to be done
next”
The woman’s eyes filled with tears,
and she choked sq that she cotild not
speak. But Melissa didn’t give her
much chance. She ushered her up
stairs and into the . nursery and there
she left her. When Melissa came back
to the library Howell had arrived
and had heard the story from Chloe
and Jane. As Melissa came in How
ell, was saying, frowning a little:
"But of course I will have to find
out first why she was fifed before
I can depide whether we can give
her another job,-----”
“Oh, but Dad, she needs Work—”
protested Chloe excitedly.
"I know, darling, and we always
try to give it to people who need it,”
her father pointed’ out. “But, after
all, she wasn’t fired without some
reason. This is a busy season and
we’re giving work to everybody who"
can qualify. So if she was discharged,
then that’s pretty good proof that she
couldn’t do the work. It’s pretty hard
work, you know and it has to be
done right,”
“Anybody could tell with half an
eye that she wasn’t strong enough
for that kind of thing,” said Melis
sa firmly.
"But we’ve got to find her .a job,
Gran, so she can take care of Tim
my and Susie May. We can?t let her
give them up. Gran, you didn’t see
her face when Susie May came in—”
cried Chloe,
“No, but I saw her face when she
lifted Timmy out of the cradle and ‘
said, “Timmy dear!,” said Melissa
and sniffed a little, her eyes suspic
iously bright. “Its’ funny to me,
though, that not one of you three
very smart people has decided that
‘there is a grand job made to order
for Mazie, which, by the way, happens
to be her name.”
“A job made’ to order for her,
Mother?” asked Howell.
"Of course — matron of the Day
Nursery,’ ’said Melissa firmly.
Jane and Chloe spoke together,
Greek chorus effect.
“Why, of course! Why didn’t we
think of it?”
“It’s what I’ve heard some of you
young folks call ‘a natural’,” said
Melissa firmly. “We can furnish a
a room in the Nursery for Mazie and
the-children to use for themselves,
and give her the salary that the nur
se is getting now. That will give her
a home for herself and the babies and
a job 'by which she can be Self-sup
porting.” , TTJane and Chloe and Howell ex
changed glances and Chloe said,
“Gran, you’re a genius!”
Melissa chuckled.
"Weil, if I do say it myself, I do ■
occasionally have an inspiration,” she
agreed modestly.$ $ ♦
The last two or three days before
Christmas Eve were frantically busy.
Chloe was glad that- she didn’t have
time to think. She tumbled into bed
at night so exhausted that she was
asleep almost as soon as her head
touched the pillow. In the morning
she awoke with so many dates wait
ing to be performed that she had no
time to think of Scott. Also, her ex
treme occupation made it necessary
for her to pay him her usual daily
visits. . ■Melissa suggested that the com
mittee whose duty it was to go and
cut greens to decorate the hall, come
to Chinaberry Grove, since there was
a wealth of holly and mistletoe, the
lovely southern smilax that* lends it
self superbly to decoration, pines and
other greens. At Sara Jenkins sug
gestion, a dozen young men from the
mills and a dozen girls were s
for this task, and one of the mill
trucks was turned over to them to
bring back the greens, another to
take them out to ,the grove. There
Melissa had arranged a barbecue for
them and it proved to be a momen
tous occasion for them all.
Chinaberry Grove lay in a valley
between the low hills and in shelter
ed places the bright colored autumn
leaves had not vet vanished. There
were great masses of the southern
smilax and there were clusters of
mistletoe clinging fo the branches of
the old live aok trees, re.ady to be
cut carefully by sharp knives and
handed down gently to be placed in
baskets so that its delicate, pearl-like
berries would not be bruised or des- ,
troyed. There were holly trees stand
ing slender and graceful with silvery
trunks, and stiff outhrust branches
of the prickly leaves thickly starred
with ruddy berries There were
honeysuckle vines; green and russett,
that' would lend themselves to decor
ative purposes. There were small ce
dars that willingly gave a branch here
and there to make the big barn-like
auditorium bright and lovely for the
long anticipated party*
sa firmly.
Gran, so she
The young people spread through
the woods,- laughing, shouting, thpif
voices floating back to Melissa, who,
bundled warmly against the cold-,
wind, was superintending the barb
ecue, spiffing with frank enjoyment
the appetizing odors that wafted up
from the meat cooking over’ pits fil
led with hickory wood burned ex-
actly to the right red embers.
"Gee, I kinda thought the ojd lady
would be high-hat and snooty,” one
of the young men confessed as, from
the, giant limb of a live oak, he hand
ed down a great round cluster of
mistletoe to the girl who stood be
neath the tree, her basket raised.
"Shq. ain’t a bit, she’s as common
as an old shoe,” agreed the girl. By
which homely phase, those about her
knew that she meant Melissa was as
pleasant and friendly as to her *equ-
als, not at all like a great lady con
descending to those beneath her.
'When they came back to the bar
becue pits with their arms laden with
branches of holly and pine and cedar,
their baskets filled with great clumps
of mistletoe, which, in a rough circle,
the long tables made of wide planks
laid on sawhorses, had been laid.
There were great wooden bowls fil
led with savory Brunswick stow;,
there were huge chunks of the barbe
cued beef; there were platters of bar
becued pork; there were crisp green
salads, bowls of vegetables, jars of
jam’ and jelly and pickles out of Mel-
lissa’s storehouse, which had been
"put up” in Melissa’s huge summer
kitchen under. Melissa’s own stern
eye. In short, it was a perfect begin
ning to the holiday season and the
twenty-four young people ate and
drank and laughed and toasted Mel
issa in mugs of piping hot oeffee un
til, just before dusk, they all'piled
into the trucks and went singing back
to town.
Old Martha who had been Melis
sa’s maid for thirty-five years, looked
anxiously at Melissa as she came in
to the house.
"You looks tiahed, Miss M’lissa,”
she ventured.
“Fiddlesticks,” retorted Melissa
happily. "I don’t know when I’ve had
such a good fime. What a nice lot
of boys and girls they were, Martha.
Makes me feel young again!”
Martha studied her sharply, chuckl
ed, and went out leaving Melissa al
one.
CHAPTER XXVII
Melissa drove in town the next day
-and went straight to the'Community
House where she seated serself con
tentedly and watched happily, with
sparkling eyes, the excitement and
' bustle all about her as the decorating
began. Chloe and her Day Nursery
committee, aided by a number of
young people from the mill village,
were in charge of the task.
The bare white walls were almost
hidden beneath the fragrant bough of
of pine and cedar. Clusters of mistle
toe hung here and there and occas
ional scufflings, laughter, little fem-
ine squeals could be heard as some
one moved incautiously in range of
die significant bit of green and white.
The tree itself was so tall that it’s
top brushed the ceiling. A noble cedar
whose gray-green needles stood
straight and tall because the tree had
not been cut down. It was a living
tree, its roots sunk in a huge green
tub. After Christmas was over, the
tree would be planted' in front of the
Community House and every year
thereafter that custon would be fol
lowed.
It had been Melissa’s idea. Melis
sa hated the thought of cutting down
such a fine and splendid tree. Or even
a small, brave cedar. She had. supplied
the tree herself, having an experienc
ed tree surgeon remove it from its
native woods, replanting carefully in
the great tub, and later on the same
expert would see to the transplanting.
•In the huge living room at the Sar
gent home a group of chattering girls
sat at a long table surorunded by
heaps of brightly colored Christmas
wrappings and a veritable sea of toys
and other gifts, busily wrapping, ty
ing, sealing. The place frothed with
white tissue tied in scarlet ribbons,
gold’ tied with green; green tied with
white; yellow tied with green; every
color combination possible. Each gift
bearing a little card on which the
name of the little recipient had been
written. 0
In the back room of the city’s larg
est wholesale grocery house half a
dozen extra clerks Were busily filling
huge baskets with a Week’s supply of
groceries for five people; and in her
tiny cubby-hole of a private office,
Sara Jenldns waS tucking bright,
shiny new paper money into envel
opes on which had been written tlie
namq of every employee in the Sar
gent Mills., Truly this was to be ah
epoch-making Christmas! A heveY to