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The Debtor: A Novel, a novel by Mary E Wilkins Freeman |
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Chapter 27 |
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_ Chapter XXVII Arthur Carroll, when he had started on his drive with his wife and sister that afternoon, was in one of those strenuous moods which seem to make one's whole being tick with the clock-work of destiny and cause everything else, all the environment, and the minor happenings of life, to appear utterly idle. Even when he talked, and apparently with earnestness, it was always with that realization of depths, which made his own voice ring empty and strange in his ears. He heard his wife and sister chatter with the sense of aloofness of the inhabitant of another planet; he thought even of the financial difficulties which harassed him, and had caused this very mood, with that same sense of aloofness. When Anna wondered where Charlotte had gone to walk, and Mrs. Carroll remarked on the possibility of their overtaking her, his mind made an actual effort to grasp that simple idea. He was running so deep, and with such awful swiftness, in his own groove of personal tragedy, that the daughter whom he loved, and had seen only a few moments ago, seemed almost left out of sight of his memory. However, all the while the usual trivialities of his life and the lives of those who belonged to him went on with the same regularity and reality as tragedy, and with as certain a trend to a catastrophe of joy or misery. On that day when Charlotte had her fright from the tramp, she remained at the Anderson's to supper. Eddy had also remained. When Charlotte had waked from her nap, he followed Anderson into the sitting-room, where was Charlotte in Mrs. Anderson's voluminous, white frilly wrapper, a slight young figure scalloped about by soft, white draperies, like a white flower, seated comfortably in the largest, easiest chair in the room. Mrs. Anderson was standing over her with another glass of wine, and a china plate containing two great squares of sponge-cake. "Do eat this and drink the wine, dear," she urged. "It is nearly an hour before supper now." "Then I really must go home, if it is so late," Charlotte cried. She made a weak effort to rise. She was still curiously faint when she essayed to move. "You are going to stay here and have supper, and after supper my son shall take you home. If you are not able to walk, we shall have a carriage." "I think I must go home, thank you," Charlotte repeated, in a sort of bewildered and grateful dismay. "If you think your mother will feel anxious, I will send and inform her where you are," said Mrs. Anderson, "but you must stay, my dear." There was about her a soft, but incontrovertible authority. It was all gentleness, like the overlap of feathers, but it was compelling. It was while Mrs. Anderson was insisting and the girl protesting that Anderson, with Eddy at his heels, had entered the room. "Why, Eddy dear, is that you?" cried Charlotte. Eddy stood before her and surveyed her with commiseration and a strong sense of personal grievance and reproach. "Yes, it's me," said he. "Papa told me to go to walk with you, and I didn't know which way you went, and I couldn't find out for a long time. Then I saw Mr. Anderson taking you here, and I ran, but I couldn't catch up. He's got awful long legs." Eddy looked accusingly at Anderson's legs. "It was too bad," said Charlotte. "You were awful silly to get so scared at nothing," Eddy pursued. "I saw that tramp. He looked to me like a real nice man. Girls are always imagining things. You'd better eat that cake, Charlotte. You look awful. That looks like real nice cake." "Bless your heart, you shall have some," Mrs. Anderson said, and Eddy accepted with alacrity the golden block of cake which was offered him. "Why, Eddy!" Charlotte said. "Now, Charlotte, you know we never have cake like this at home," Eddy said, biting into the cake. "Not since the egg-man won't trust us any more. I know this kind of cake takes lots of eggs. I heard Marie say so when Amy asked her to make it." Charlotte colored pitifully, and made another effort to rise. "Indeed, I think we must go now," said she. "Come, Eddy." Mrs. Anderson turned to her son for support. "I tell her she must not think of going until after tea," she said. "Then if she is not able to walk, we will get a carriage." Eddy removed the fast-diminishing square of cake from his mouth and regarded his sister with an expression of the most open ingenuousness. "Now, Charlotte, I'll tell you something," he said. "What, dear?" "You might just as well stay, and I'll tell you why. Papa and Amy and Anna won't be home until after seven." "Until after seven?" "No. They are going to Addison." "To Addison?" Addison was a large town some fifteen miles from Banbridge. "Yes; and they are going to get dinner there." "Eddy, are you sure?" "Yes, of course I am sure," replied Eddy, with the wide-open eyes of virtue upon his sister's face. "Amy told me to tell you." "Now, Eddy." Eddy took another bite of his cake. "I think you are pretty mean to speak that way. I never spoke to you so," he said. "When you say a thing is so, I never say 'Now, Charlotte!'" Eddy, having imitated his sister's doubtful tone exactly, took another bite of cake. "Well, if Amy really said so," Charlotte returned, and still with a faint accent of incredulity. It was very seldom that the Carrolls took the drive to Addison. However, it was an exceedingly pleasant day, and it did seem possible. "Well, she did," Eddy declared, stoutly; and there was in his declaration a slight trace of truth, for Mrs. Carroll had mentioned, on starting, that it was such a lovely day, that if they had got an earlier start they might have driven to Addison; and Anna had replied that it was too late now, for they would not get home in time for dinner if they went there. The rest Eddy had manufactured to serve his own small ends--which a stay at the Andersons' to tea, for which he had, remembering his dinner there, the pleasantest anticipations. "You had better stay, Charlotte," Eddy urged, furthermore, "for you do look awful pale, and as if you ought to have something nourishing to eat, and you know we won't get much home. The mutton all went this noon, and you know, unless papa got some in Addison, we wouldn't be likely to get any here. I heard Anna talking about the butcher only this morning. Papa hasn't been able to pay him for a very long time, you know, Charlotte." Then Charlotte raised herself hastily. "We must go home," she said, with a fierce emphasis; but the effort was too much. She sank back, and Mrs. Anderson sent her son for the camphor-bottle. "Now," said she to Anderson, "you had better take him out and show him the dog. I'll fix it up." She nodded assuringly towards the little pale face against the rose-patterned chintz. "Come along, son," said Anderson to the boy, and led him out in the garden. "You must not talk quite so much, young man," he said to him, when they were on their way to the dog-kennel, which was backed up against the terrace at the rear of the house, and before which stood chained fast a large dog with a bad reputation. "You had better not touch him," charged Anderson, as they approached. Then he repeated, "No, you must not talk quite so much." "Why not?" demanded Eddy. "He don't look very cross." "Because," said the man, "there are certain things in every family which it is better for a member of the family not to repeat outside his home." "What did I say?" asked Eddy, wonderingly. "He is wagging his tail. He shakes all over. He wouldn't do that unless his tail was wagging. I can't see his tail, but it must be wagging. What did I say?" "When it comes to the family's household affairs--" Anderson said. "Oh, you mean what I said about the butcher, huh? Oh, that don't do any harm. Everybody in Banbridge knows about those things. I don't see what difference that makes. Folks have to have things, don't they? I don't believe that dog would bite me. He is wagging just as hard as he can. Don't they?" "Yes, of course," agreed Anderson, "but--" "And if they don't have the money to pay for things, what are they going to do? You wouldn't want all us Carrolls to die, would you?" Anderson smiled, and stood between the boy and the kennel. "I ain't afraid of him," said Eddy. "You wouldn't, would you?" "Oh, of course not," replied Anderson. "I shouldn't think you would, especially Charlotte. Say, I think Charlotte is a real pretty girl, if she is my sister. Say, why can't I pat him?" "You had better not. He bit a boy about your size once." "Hm! I ain't afraid he'll bite me. Don't you think she is? I don't think you are very polite not to say right off." "Very pretty, indeed," replied Anderson, laughing. Then he spoke to the dog, a large mongrel with a masterly air, and an evident strain of good blood under his white and yellow hide. "How much did you pay for that dog?" inquired Eddy. "I didn't pay anything," replied Anderson. "Somebody left him in the street in front of my office when he was a puppy, or he strayed there. I never knew which." "So you took him in?" "Yes." "Do you always keep him shut up here?" "A great part of the time. Sometimes he stays in my store nights. He is a very good watch-dog." "You keep him shut up because he bit a boy?" "Most of the time. He is a little uncertain in his temper, I am afraid." "Didn't he bite any one but that one boy?" "No, not that I know of. But he has sprang at a good many people and frightened them, and I have either to keep him tied or shoot him." "He didn't kill the boy?" Anderson laughed. "Oh no! He was not very badly bitten." "Well, I know one thing," said Eddy, with conviction. "I would not like a nice dog like that shut up all his life because he had bitten me." Before Anderson knew what he was about to do, Eddy had made a spring, leaping up sideways in the air like a kitten, and was close to the dog. And the dog, upon whom there was no reliance to be placed, except in the case of Anderson himself, hardly stopping for a premonitory growl, had seized upon the boy's little arm. Having a strain of pure bulldog in him, it was considerable trouble to make him let go, and Anderson had to use a good deal of force at his collar and a thick stick. Eddy, meanwhile, made not a whimper, but kept his whitening lips close shut. Luckily he had on a thick jacket, although the day was so warm, and when Anderson drew away at last from the furious, straining animal, and examined the injured member, he found only a slight wound. The marks of the dog's teeth were plainly visible, and there were several breaks of the surface and a little blood, but it was certainly not alarming, and the animal's usual temper made it improbable that any ultra consequences need be feared. Eddy was trembling and very pale, but he still made not a whimper, as Anderson examined his arm. "Well, my son," said Anderson, who was as white as the boy, "I think there is not much harm done. But it is lucky you had on such a thick sleeve. I can tell you that." "That was because we have not paid the Chinaman, and he wouldn't send home my blouses this week. It was so warm I wanted to wear a blouse, but they were all at the Chinaman's." Eddy's teeth chattered as he spoke, his childish lips quivered, and tears were in his eyes. He continued to tremble violently, but he did not for a moment give way. He even shook off the protecting arm which Anderson placed around his little shoulders. "Come, we will go in the house and have this tied up," said Anderson. But Eddy rebelled. "I don't want a lot of women fussing over a little thing like this," said he, stoutly. "It isn't anything at all." "No, it is not very serious, but all the same it had better be tied up, and I have something I want to put on it. I tell you what we will do. We will go around the back way. I will take you in the kitchen door and up the backstairs to my room, and doctor it unknown to anybody." "I don't want Charlotte to know anything about it; she will be just silly enough to faint away again. Girls always do make such an awful fuss over nothing," said Eddy. "All right," said Anderson. "Come along, my boy." Anderson started, and the boy followed, but suddenly he stopped and ran back before Anderson dreamed what he was about. He stopped in front of the kennel, and danced on obviously trembling legs a dance of defiance before the frantic dog. Anderson grabbed him by the shoulders. "Come at once," he said, quite sternly. Eddy obeyed at once. "All right," he said. "I just wanted him to see I wasn't afraid of him, that was all." Eddy and Anderson entered the house through the kitchen door, ascended the backstairs noiselessly, and gained Anderson's room, where the wound was bound up after an application of a stinging remedy which the boy bore without flinching, although it was considerably more painful than the bite itself. He looked soberly down at his arm, now turning black and blue from the bruise of the dog's teeth, beside the inflamed spots where they had actually entered, while Anderson applied the violent remedy. "Well," he said, "I suppose I was to blame. I ought to have minded you." "Yes, I suppose you ought, my son," assented Anderson, continuing to handle the wound gently. "And I suppose that is an exclusive dog. He doesn't like everybody going right up to him. Say, I guess he is a pretty smart dog, but I guess I should rather be his master than anybody else. He never bit you, did he?" "No." "I should think he would be an awful nice watch-dog," said Eddy. Anderson bound the arm tightly and smoothly with a bandage. When the arm was finally dressed the jacket-sleeve could go over it, much to Eddy's satisfaction. "Say, this jacket ain't paid for," he said. "Isn't it lucky that the man where Amy bought it didn't know we didn't have much money to pay for things lately and trusted us. If I had on my old jacket, the sleeves were so short and tight, because I had outgrown it, you know, I'd been hurt a good deal worse, and it was lucky we hadn't paid the Chinaman, too. It was real-- What do you call it?" "I don't know what you mean?" said Anderson, smiling. "It was real-- Oh, shucks! you know. What is it folks say when they don't go on a railroad train, and there's an accident, and everybody that did go is killed. You know." "Oh, providential?" "Yes, it was real providential." "Suppose we go down." "All right. Say, you mind you don't say a word about this to your mother or Charlotte." "Yes, I promise." "Your mother is an awful nice lady," said Eddy, in a whisper, descending the stairs behind Anderson, "but I don't want her fussing over me as if I was a girl, 'cause I ain't." When the two entered the sitting-room, Charlotte started and looked at her brother. "Eddy Carroll, what is the matter?" she cried. "Nothing," declared the little boy, stoutly, but he manifestly tottered. "Why, the dear child is ill!" cried Mrs. Anderson. "Randolph, what has happened?" "Nothing!" cried Eddy, holding on to his consciousness like a hero. "Nothing; and I ain't a dear child." "It is nothing, mother," said Anderson, quickly coming to his rescue. Charlotte was eying wisely the knee of Eddy's knickerbockers. "Eddy Carroll," said she, with tender severity, "your knee must be paining you terribly." Eddy quickly grasped at the lesser evil. "It ain't worth talking about," he responded, stoutly. "I can see blood on your knee, dear. It must be bad to make you turn so pale as that." With a soft swoop like a mother hen, Mrs. Anderson descended upon the boy, who did not dare resist that gentle authority. She tenderly rolled up the leg of the little knickerbockers and examined the bruised, childish knee. Then she got some witch-hazel and bound it up. While she was doing so, Eddy gazed over her head at Anderson with the knowing and confidential twinkle which one man gives another when tolerant of womanly delusion. He even indulged in an apparently insane chuckle when Mrs. Anderson finished, and smoothed his little, dark head, and told him that now she was sure it would feel better. "Eddy," cried Charlotte, "what are you doing so for?" "Nothing," replied Eddy. "I was thinking how funny I looked when I tumbled down." But he rolled his eyes, comically around at Anderson. His arm was paining him frightfully, and it struck him as the most altogether exquisite joke that Mrs. Anderson should be treating his knee, which did not pain him at all, so sympathetically. _ |
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