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The Portion of Labor, a novel by Mary E Wilkins Freeman |
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Chapter 61 |
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_ Chapter LXI The new park, which had been named, in honor of the president of the street railway company, Clemens Park, was composed of a light growth of oak and birch trees. With the light of the full moon, like a broadside of silvery arrows, and the frequent electric-lights filtering through the young, delicate foliage, it was much more effective than a grove of pine or hemlock would have been. When the people streamed into it from the crowded electric-cars, there were exclamations of rapture. Women and girls fairly shrieked with delight. The ground, which had been entirely cleared of undergrowth, was like an etching in clearest black and white, of the tender dancing foliage of the oaks and birches. The birches stood together in leaning, white-limbed groups like maidens, and the rustling spread of the oaks shed broad flashes of silver from the moon. In the midst of the grove the Hungarian orchestra played in a pavilion, and dancing was going on there. Many of the people outside moved with dancing steps. Children in swings flew through the airs with squeals of delight. There was a stand for the sale of ice-cream and soda, and pretty girls blossomed like flowers behind the counters. There were various rustic adornments, such as seats and grottos, and at one end of the grove was a small collection of wild animals in cages, and a little artificial pond with swans. Now and then, above the chatter of the people and the music of the orchestra, sounded the growl of a bear or the shrill screech of a paroquet, and the people all stopped and listened and laughed. This little titillation of the unusual in the midst of their sober walk of life affected them like champagne. Most of them were of the poorer and middle classes, the employes of the factories of Rowe. They moved back and forth with dancing steps of exultation. "My, ain't it beautiful!" Fanny said, squeezing Andrew's arm. He had his wife on one arm, his mother on the other. For him the whole scene appeared more than it really was, since it reflected the joy of his own soul. There was for him a light greater than that of the moon or electricity upon it--that extreme light of the world--the happiness of a human being who blesses in a moment of prosperity the hour he was born. He knew for the first time in his life that happiness is as true as misery, and no mere creation of a fairy tale. No trees of the Garden of Eden could have outshone for him those oaks and birches. No gold or precious stones of any mines on earth can equal the light of the little star of happiness in one human soul. Fanny, as they walked along, kept looking at her husband, and her own face was transfigured. Mrs. Zelotes, also, seemed to radiate with a sort of harsh and prickly delight. She descanted upon the hard-earned savings which Andrew had risked, but she held her old head very high with reluctant joy, and her bonnet had a rakish cant. Ellen, with Abby and Maria, walked behind them. Presently Andrew met another man who had also purchased stock in the mine, and stopped to exchange congratulations. The man's face was flushed, as if he had been drinking, but he had not. On his arm hung his wife, a young woman with a showy red waist and some pink ribbon bows on her hat. She was teetering a little in time to the music, while a little girl clung to her skirts and teetered also. "Well, old man," said the new-comer, with a hoarse sound in his throat, "they needn't talk to us any more, need they?" "That's so," replied Andrew, but his joy in prosperity was not like the other man's. It placed him heights above him, although from the same cause. Prosperity means one thing to one man, and another to his brother. Presently they met Jim Tenny and Eva and Amabel. They were walking three abreast, Amabel in the middle. Jim Tenny looked hesitatingly at them, although his face was widened with irrepressible smiles. Eva gazed at them with defiant radiance. "Well," said she, "so luck has turned?" Amabel laughed out, and her laugh trilled high with a note of silver, above the chatter of the crowd and the blare and rhythmic trill of the orchestra. "I've had an ice-cream, and I'm going to have a new doll and a doll-carriage," said she. "Oh, Ellen!" She left her father and mother for a second and clung to Ellen, kissing her; then she was back. "Well, Andrew?" said Jim. He had a shamed face, yet there was something brave in it struggling for expression. "Well, Jim?" said Andrew. The two shook hands solemnly. Then they walked on together, and the sisters behind, with Amabel clinging to her mother's hand. "Jim's goin' to work if he _has_ had a little windfall," said Eva, proudly. "Oh, Fanny, only think what it means!" "I hope it will be a lesson to both of them," said Mrs. Zelotes, stalking along after, but she smiled harshly. "Oh, land, don't croak, if you've got a chance to laugh! There's few enough chances in this world," cried Eva, with boisterous good humor. "As for me, I've come out of deep waters, and I'm goin' to take what comfort I can in the feel of the solid ground under my feet." She began to force Amabel into a dance in time with the music, and the child shrieked with laughter. "S'pose she's all right?" whispered Mrs. Zelotes to Fanny. "Land, yes," replied Fanny; "it's just like her, just the way she used to do. It makes me surer than anything else that she's cured." The girls behind were loitering. Abby turned to Ellen and pointed to a rustic seat under a clump of birches. "Let's sit down there a minute, Ellen," said she. "All right," replied Ellen. When she and Abby seated themselves, Maria withdrew, standing aloof under an oak, looking up at the illumined spread of branches with the rapt, innocent expression of a saint. "Why don't you come and sit down with us, Maria?" Ellen called. "In a minute," replied Maria, in her weak, sweet voice. Then John Sargent came up and joined her. "She'll come in a minute," Abby said to Ellen. "She--she--knows I want to tell you something." Abby hesitated. Ellen regarded her with wonder. "Look here, Ellen," said Abby; "I don't know what you're going to think of me after all I've said, but--I'm going to get married to Willy Jones. His mother has had a little money left her, and she owns the house clear now, and I'm going to keep right on working; and--I never thought I would, Ellen, you know; but I've come to think lately that all you can get out of labor in this world is the happiness it brings you, and--the love. That's more than the money, and--he wants me pretty bad. I suppose you think I'm awful, Ellen Brewster." Abby spoke with triumph, yet with shame. She dug her little toe into the shadow-mottled ground. "Oh, Abby, I hope you'll be real happy," said Ellen. Then she choked a little. "I've made up my mind not to work for nothing," said Abby; "I've made up my mind to get whatever work is worth in this world if I can, and--to get it for him too." "I hope you will be very happy," said Ellen again. "There he is now," whispered Abby. She rose as Willy Jones approached, laughing confusedly. "I've been telling Ellen Brewster," said Abby, with her perfunctory air. Ellen held out her hand, and Willy Jones grasped it, then let it drop and muttered something. He looked with helpless adoration at Abby, who put her hand through his arm reassuringly. "Let's go and see the animals," said she; "I haven't seen the animals." "I guess I'll go and see if I can find my father and mother," returned Ellen. "I want to see my mother about something." "Oh, come with us." Abby grasped Ellen firmly around the waist and kissed her. "I don't love him a mite better than I do you," she whispered; "so there! You needn't think you're left out, Ellen Brewster." "I don't," replied Ellen. She tried to laugh, but she felt her lips stiff. And unconquerable feeling of desolation was coming over her, and in spite of herself her tone was somewhat like that of a child who sees another with all the cake. "I suppose you know Floretta got married last night," said Abby, moving off with Willy Jones. John Sargent and Maria had long since disappeared from under the oak. Ellen, left alone, looked for a minute after Abby and Willy, and noted the tender lean of the girl's head towards the young man's shoulder; then she started off to find her father and mother. She could not rid herself of the sense of desolation. She felt blindly that if she could not get under the shelter of her own loves of life she could not bear it any longer. She had borne up bravely under Robert's neglect, but now all at once, with the sight of the happiness of these others before her eyes, it seemed to crush her. All the spirit in her seemed to flag and faint. She was only a young girl, who would fall to the ground and be slain by the awful law of gravitation of the spirit without love. "Anyway, I've got father and mother," she said to herself. She rushed on alone through the merry crowd. The orchestra was playing a medley. The violins seemed to fairly pierce thought. A Roman-candle burst forth on the right with a great spluttering, and the people, shrieking with delight, rushed in that direction. Then a rocket shot high in the air with a splendid curve, and there was a sea of faces watching with speechless admiration the dropping stars of violet and gold and rose. Ellen kept on, moving as nearly as she could in the direction in which her party had gone. Then suddenly she came face to face with Robert Lloyd. She would have passed him without a word, but he stood before her. "Won't you speak to me?" he asked. "Good-evening, Mr. Lloyd," returned Ellen. Then she tried to move on again, but Robert still stood before her. "I want to say something to you," he said, in a low voice. "I was coming to your house to-night, but I saw you on the car. Please come to that seat over there. There is nobody in that direction. They will all go towards the fireworks now." Ellen looked at him hesitatingly. At that moment she seemed to throw out protecting antennae of maidenliness; and, besides, there was always the memory of the cut in wages, for which she still judged him; and then there was the long neglect. "Please come," said Robert. He looked at her at once like a conqueror and a pleading child. Ellen placed her hand on his arm, and they went to the seat under the clump of birches. They were quite alone, for the whole great company was streaming towards the fireworks. A fiery wheel was revolving in the distance, and rockets shot up, dropping showers of stars. Ellen gazed at them without seeing them at all. Robert, seated beside her, looked at her earnestly. "I am going to put back the wages on the old basis to-morrow," he said. Ellen made no reply. "Business has so improved that I feel justified in doing so," said Robert. His tone was almost apologetic. Never as long as he lived would he be able to look at such matters from quite the same standpoint as that of the girl beside him. She knew that, and yet she loved him. She never would get his point of view, and yet he loved her. "I have waited until I was able to do that before speaking to you again," said Robert. "I knew how you felt about the wage-cutting. I thought when matters were back on the old basis that you might feel differently towards me. God knows I have been sorry enough for it all, and I am glad enough to be able to pay them full wages again. And now, dear?" "It has been a long time," said Ellen, looking at her little hands, clasped in her lap. "I have loved you all the time, and I have only waited for that," said Robert. Later on Robert and Ellen joined Fanny and the others. It was scarcely the place to make an announcement. After a few words of greeting the young couple walked off together, and left the Brewsters and Tennys and Mrs. Zelotes standing on the outskirts of the crowd watching the fireworks. Granville Joy stood near them. He had looked at Robert and Ellen with a white face, then he turned again towards the fireworks with a gentle, heroic expression. He caught up Amabel that she might see the set piece which was just being put up. "Now you can see, Sissy," he said. Eva looked away from the fireworks after the retreating pair, then meaningly at Fanny and Andrew. "That's settled," said she. Andrew's face quivered a little, and took on something of the same look which Granville Joy's wore. All love is at the expense of love, and calls for heroes. "It'll be a great thing for her," said Fanny, in his ear; "it'll be a splendid thing for her, you know that, Andrew." Andrew gazed after the nodding roses on Ellen's hat vanishing towards the right. Another rocket shot up, and the people cried out, and watched the shower of stars with breathless enjoyment. Andrew saw their upturned faces, in which for the while toil and trial were blotted out by that delight in beauty and innocent pleasure of the passing moment which is, for human souls, akin to the refreshing showers for flowers of spring; and to him, since his own vision was made clear by his happiness, came a mighty realization of it all, which was beyond it all. Another rocket described a wonderful golden curve of grace, then a red light lit all the watching people. Andrew looked for Ellen and Robert, and saw the girl's beautiful face turning backward over her lover's shoulder. All his life Andrew had been a reader of the Bible, as had his father and mother before him. To-day, ever since he had heard of his good fortune, his mind had dwelt upon certain verses of Ecclesiastes. Now he quoted from them. "Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which He hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity, for that is thy portion in this life and in thy labor which thou takest under the sun." Ellen saw her father, and smiled and nodded, then she and her lover passed out of sight. Another rocket trailed its golden parabola along the sky, and dropped with stars; there was an ineffably sweet strain from the orchestra; the illuminated oaks tossed silver and golden boughs in a gust of fragrant wind. Andrew quoted again from the old King of Wisdom--"I withheld not my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and that was my portion of labor." Then Andrew thought of the hard winter which had passed, as all hard things must pass, of the toilsome lives of those beside him, of all the work which they had done with their poor, knotted hands, of the tracks which they had worn on the earth towards their graves, with their weary feet, and suddenly he seemed to grasp a new and further meaning for that verse of Ecclesiastes. He seemed to see that labor is not alone for itself, not for what it accomplishes of the tasks of the world, not for its equivalent in silver and gold, not even for the end of human happiness and love, but for the growth in character of the laborer. "That is the portion of labor," he said. He spoke in a strained, solemn voice, as he had done before. Nobody heard him except his wife and mother. His mother gave a sidewise glance at him, then she folded her cape tightly around her and stared at the fireworks, but Fanny put her hand through his arm and leaned her cheek against his shoulder. [THE END] _ |
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