 Chapter 5 of The Little Colonel's Chum, Mary Ware. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Shasta Oakland, California. The Little Colonel's Chum, Mary Ware, by Anne Fellows Johnston. Chapter 5 A FAD and a Christmas Fund For a freshman to start a FAD popular enough to spread through the entire school was an unheard of thing at Warwick Hall, but A.O. Miggs had that distinction early in the term. Her birthday was in October, and when she appeared that morning with a zodiac ring on her finger set with a brilliant fire opal there was a mingled outcry of admiration and horror. Oh, I wouldn't wear an opal for worlds, cried one superstitious girl. They're dreadfully unlucky. Not if it is your birthstone, announced A.O. calmly turning her hand to watch the flashing red and blue lights in the heart of the gym. It's bad luck not to wear one if you were born in October. It says on the card that came in the box with this, October's child is born of woe, and life's vicissitudes must know unless she wears the opal's charm to ward off every care and harm. And they say, too, that you are beloved of the gods and men as long as you keep your faith in it. Then I'll certainly have to get one, laughed Jane Ridgway, who had joined the group, for I am October's child. Let me see it, A.O. She adjusted her glasses and took the plump little hand in hers for inspection. I always have thought that opals are the prettiest of all the stones. Write the verse out for me, A.O. That's a good child. I'll send it home for the family to see how important it is that I should be protected by such a charm. This, from a senior, the dignified and exclusive Miss Ridgway put the seal of approval on the passion, and when, a week later, she appeared with a beautiful Hungarian opal surrounded by tiny diamonds with her zodiac signs engraved on the wide circle of gold. Every girl in school wanted a birth month ring. Elise wrote home asking if agates were expensive and if she might have one. Not that she thought they were pretty, but it was the stone for June, so of course she ought to wear one. The answer came in the shape of an old heirloom, a scotch agate that had been handed down in the family almost since the days of Malcolm II. It had been a small brooch worn on the bosom of many a MacIntyre dame, but never had it evoked such interest as when, set in a ring, it was displayed on Elise's little finger. After that there was a general demand for a jeweler's catalogue, which appeared in their midst about that time. One page was devoted to illustrations of such stones with a rhyme for each month. The firm which issued the catalogue would have been surprised at the rush of orders had they not had previous dealings with girls' schools. The year before there had been almost as great a demand for tiny gold crosses, and the year before, for huge silver horseshoes. This year the element of superstition helped to swell the orders. When the verse said, the August born without this stone, this said must live unloved and lone. Of course no girl born in August would think of living a week longer without a sardinix, especially when the catalogue offered the genuine article as low as $2.75. The daughters of April and May, July and September had to pay more for their privileges, but they did it gladly. When Corning Dean read, Who wears an emerald all her life shall be a loved and honored wife. She sold her pet-bangled bracelet that afternoon for $10 and added half her month's allowance to buy an emerald large enough to hold some potency. Mary poured over the catalogue longingly when it came to her turn to have it. She liked her verse, who, on this world of ours, their eyes in March first open shall be wise, in days of peril firm and brave and wear a bloodstone to their grave. When she had considered sizes and prices for a while, she took out her bank book and Christmas list and began comparing them anxiously. Betty, coming into the room presently, found her so absorbed in her task that she did not notice the open letter Betty carried and the gay samples of chiffon and silk fluttering from the envelope. She looked up with a little puckered smile as Betty drew a chair to the opposite side of the table, asking, as she seated herself, What's the matter? You seem to be at some difficulty. It's just the same old wolf at the door, said Mary soberly. I have enough for this term's expenses, all the necessary things, but there's nothing for the extras. There isn't a single person I can cut off my Christmas list. I've put down what I've decided to make for each one and what the bear materials will cost and although I've added it up and added it down, it always comes out the same. Nothing left to get the ring with. She sat jabbing her pencil into the paper for a moment. I wish there were ways to earn money here as there are at some schools. There are so many things I needed for. They'll expect me to contribute something to the mock Christmas tree fund and I want to get Jack something nice. I couldn't take his own money to buy him a present even if there were enough, which there isn't. I've already made him everything I know how to make that he can use and men don't care for things they can't use but that are just pretty, as girls do. Just look what a beauty bright of a watch fob I've found in this catalog. She turned the pages eagerly. It's a bloodstone, the very thing for Jack for his birthday is in March, too and it is such a dark, unpretentious stone that he would like it but it costs eight dollars. She set it with an odd tone as if she were naming a small fortune. Maybe we can think of some way for you to earn it said Betty, encouragingly. I'll set my wits to work this evening as soon as I've finished looking over the A-class themes because none of the girls has ever done such a thing before in this school is no reason why you should not. Look, this is what I came in to show you. It was several pages from Lloyd's last letter and the samples of some new dresses she was having made. For a little space, the wolf at the door drew in its claws and Mary forgot her financial straits Early in the term, Betty had defined how much the sharing of this correspondence meant to Mary. She could not fail to see how eagerly she followed the winsome princess through her gay social season in town, rejoicing over her popularity, interested in everything she did, and wore and treasuring every mention of her in the home papers. The old colonel sent Betty the courier journal and the society page was regularly turned over to Mary. There was a corner in her scrapbook marked My Chum, rapidly filling with accounts of balls, dinners, and house parties at which she had been a guest. This last letter had several passages in it for Mary, so Betty left the page containing them with her, knowing they would be folded away in the scrapbook with the samples as soon as her back was turned. I was out at Anchorage for this last weekend, ran one of the messages, and it rained so hard one night that what was to have been an informal dance was turned into an old-fashioned candy pole. Not more than half a dozen guests managed to get there. Tell Mary that I tried to distinguish myself by making some of that Mexican pecan candy that they used to have such success with at the wigwam, but it was a flat failure, and I think I most have left out some important ingredient. Ask her please to send me the recipe if she can remember it. Probably it failed because she didn't have real Mexican sugar, said Mary at the end of the reading. It comes in a cone wrapped in a queer kind of leaf, so I'm sure she didn't have it. I'll write out the recipe as soon as I get back from my geometry recitation and add a footnote explaining about the sugar. Somehow it was hard for Mary to keep her mind on lines and angles that next hour. She kept seeing a merry group in the wigwam kitchen. Lloyd and Jack and Phil Tramont were all ranged around the white table, cracking pecans and picking out the firm full kernels while Joyce presided over the bubbling kettle on the stove. She wondered if Lloyd had enjoyed her grown up party as much as she had that other one when Jack said such utterly ridiculous things in pigeon English like the old Chinese vegetable man and Phil walked and aridied funny coon songs till their sides ached with laughing. At the close of the recitation a hastily scribbled note from Betty was handled to her. I have just found out, it ran, that Mammy Easter will be unable to furnish her usual preleens to her what we call customers this year. Why don't you try your hand at that Mexican candy Lloyd mentioned. If the girls once get a taste it will be advertised by its loving friends and you can sell quantities. I am going to the city this afternoon and can order the sugar for you. If they wire the order you ought to be able to get it within a week. E S. Mary went upstairs two steps at a bound stepping on the front of her dress at every jump and only saving herself from sprawling headlong as she reached the top by catching an AO who ran into her down. She could not get back to her bank book and her Christmas list soon enough to see how much cash she had on hand and compute how much she dared squeeze out to invest in material. A week later the domestic science room was turned over to her during recreation hour and presently delicious odor began to steal out into the halls which set every girl within range to sniffing hungrily. Betty explained it to several and there was no need to do anything more. Everyone was on hand for her share when the samples were passed around and the new business venture was set in every room. Wouldn't you like to know Jack Ware as Doreen of Corny her mouth so full of the delicious sweets that she could only mumble? Any man who can inspire such adoration in his own sister must be nothing short of a wonder. I feel that I do know him responded Corny that I am quite well acquainted with him in fact and I quite a proof of my brother Jack it's queer too for usually when you hear a person quoted morning noon and night you get so that you want to scream when his name is mentioned. Now there's Babe Meadows will you ever forget the way she bring the changes in my Uncle Willie. I used to quote that line from Tennyson under my breath a Quincy Choke thy cursed note it was Uncle Willie says this isn't good form and Uncle Willie says they don't do that in England till you get worn to a frazzle having that old Anglo maniac eternally thrown at your head the more Mary quotes Jack the better you like him I wonder how he feels about Mary taking this way to earn his Christmas present oh of course he doesn't know she is doing it and of course he wouldn't like it if he did but he'd have hard work stopping her she is as full of energy and determination as a locomotive with a full head of steam on and I imagine he's exactly like her she finally imagines that he will be governor of Arizona someday. There exclaimed Doreen that suggests the dandiest thing for us to put on the mock Christmas tree for her a jack in the box she's always bringing him on an unsuspecting public and just about as unexpectedly as those little mannequins bob up she has used him so often to point her morals and adorn her tails that every girl in school will see the joke well the future governor of Arizona will get his bloodstone fob all right as far as my patronage will help said Corny when she had laughingly applauded Doreen's suggestion she carefully picked up the last crumb I shall speak for three pounds of this right off Papa has such a sweet tooth that he'd a thousand times rather have a box of this than a dozen silk mufflers and shaving cases and such things that usually fall to a man's lot at Christmas if the girls in this exclusive school thought it's strange that one of their number should start a money making enterprise no whisper of it reached Mary 30 independents forbade any air of patronage and she was such a general favorite that whatever she did was passed over with a laugh the few who might have been inclined to criticize found it an unpopular thing to do the object for which she was working enlisted everyone's interest Jack would have ground his teeth with mortification had he known that every girl in school was interested in his getting a bloodstone watch fob in his Christmas stocky and daily discuss the means by which it was being procured orders came in rapidly and Mary spent every spare moment in cracking pecans and picking out the kernels so carefully that they fell from the shells in unbroken halves it was a tedious undertaking and even her study hours were encroached upon not that she over neglected a lesson for the sake of the pecans for as she said to Elise I've set my heart on taking the valid victory for Jack's sake and of course I couldn't sacrifice that ambition for all the watch pobs in the catalog he wouldn't want one at that price but I've found that I can pick out nuts and learn French verbs at the same time if you and AO will come up to the dumb sigh this afternoon at 4.30 and not let any of the other girls know I'll let you scrape the kettle and eat the scraps that crumble from the corners when I cook the squares but I cannot let anyone in while I'm measuring and boiling I couldn't afford to make a mistake promptly at the time set the girls tapped for admission for there was no denying the drawing qualities of Mary's wares the pun was common property in the school Elise said AO pausing in her critical tasting when they had been at it some time I really believe that this is better than Heiler's hot fudge sunballs and it's lots better than the candy that Lieutenant Logan sent you last week Elise made a face expressing both surprise and reproof considering that you ate the lion's share of it this migs that speech is neither pretty nor polite I wonder continued AO paying no attention to her if the lieutenant knows what a public benefactor he is and he sends you bonbons and books and things she had enjoyed his many offerings to Elise as much as the recipient and thought it wise to follow her first speech with a compliment well Agnes Olive if you feel that you have profited so much by his benefactions then you are not playing fair if you don't invite some of us down to meet your special when he comes next week Mary, what do you think? AO has a suitor a boy from home he is to come next week armed with a note from her fond parents giving him permission to call after talking about him all term and getting my curiosity up to fever heat about such a paragon as she makes him out to be she blasts all my hopes by flatly refusing to let me meet him pay she made a grimace of mock disgust at AO I wouldn't care if you weren't such an awful tease admitted AO but I know how you will criticize him afterward you'll make a byword of everything he said and quote it to me till kingdom come you know how it would be don't you Mary turning to her you wouldn't want her taking notes on everything he said if you had a friend oh, call it by some better name or friendship sounds too cold interrupted Elise well, I haven't any uh uh whatever it is, Elise wants to call it said Mary, laughing I only wish I had I've always thought it would be nice to have one but I suppose I'll have to go to the end of my days singing every lassie has her laddie name they say, hey I that has always seemed such a sad song to me oh, oh, quite Elise perversely who seemed to be in a mood for teasing everybody she pointed an accusing spoon at her before putting it back in her mouth what about Phil Tramont I'd like to know he saved her from an Indian once a oh, out on the desert it was dreadfully romantic and when he was best man at Eugenia Forbes' wedding and Mary was flower girl Mary got the shilling that was in the bride's cake it was an old English shilling coined in the reign of Bloody Mary with Phillips and Mary's heads on it that is a sure sign they were meant for each other Phil said right out at the table before everybody that fate had ordered that he should be the lucky man Mary has that shilling blessed minute put away in her purse for a pocket piece and she carries it everywhere she goes I saw it yesterday when she was looking at her purse for a key and she got as red as she is this minute Elise finished gleefully elated with the success of her teasing am I how you are blushing Mary look at her a-all her dark eyes twinkled mischievously as she sang in a meaning tone am I the train there is a swan ideally though myself but what's his name or where's his hang I'd better choose Goutel I'm not blushing Mary hotly and it is silly to talk that way when everybody knows that Phil Tremont never cared anything for any girl except Lloyd Sherman maybe not at one time insistent Elise and neither did Lieutenant Logan care about any girl but my beloved sister Allison at one time I'm not mentioning names but you know very well that she's not the one he is crazy about now just wait till fate brings you and Phil together again you'll probably meet him during the Christmas vacation if you go to New York Mary made no answer only thrust a knife under the edge of the candy in the largest plate as if her sole interest in life was testing its hardness then she spread out several sheets of Perathan paper with a great show of indifference it had its effect on Elise and she promptly changed her target back to a O there was no fun in teasing her arrows made no impression usually they all enjoyed it but she had tangled herself in a web of her own weaving lately and for the last few days had been in terror lest Elise should find her out inspired by the picture of the handsome young Lieutenant on Elise's desk not wanting to seem behind her roommate in romantic experiences silly little A.O. had drawn on her imagination for most of the confidence as she gave in exchange when Elise talked of the Lieutenant A.O. talked of shimming adding this trait and that grace well she had built up a beautiful ideal but a being so different from original on which she based her tales that Jimmy himself would never have recognized her dashing hero as the bashful fellow he was accustomed to confront in his mirror he had carried her lunch basket when they went to school together he had patiently worked the sums on her slate with his big clumsy fingers when she cried over the mysteries of subtraction later when shy and overgrown and too bashful to speak his admiration he had followed her around at picnics and parties with a dog-like devotion that touched her he had sent her valentines and Christmas cards and at the last high school commencement when the graduating exercises marked the parting of their ways he had presented her with a photograph album bound in celluloid with a bunch of atrociously gaudy pansies and forgot-me-nots painted there on and matching stories with a lease the album and his awkwardness and his plotting embarrassed speech somehow slipped into the background and it was his devotion and his chivalry he enlarged upon the lease impressed by her hints and allusions believed in the idealized Jimmy as thoroughly as A. O. intended she should for several days A. O. had been in a quandary for her mother's last letter had announced a danger which had never entered her thoughts as being imminent Jimmy Woods will be in Washington soon he is going up with his uncle who has some business at the patent office I have given him a note to Madam Chartley granting him my permission to call on you he is in an agony of apprehension over the trip to Warwick Hall he is so afraid of meeting strange girls but I tell him it will be good for him it is really amusing to see how interested everybody in town is over Jimmy's going do be kind to the poor fellow for the sake of your old childish friendship no matter if he does seem a bit contrived and odd he is a dear good boy and it would never do to let him feel slighted or unwelcome when A. O. read that much as she liked Jimmy Woods she wished that the ground would open and swallow him before he could get to Washington or else that it had opened and swallowed her before she drew such a picture of him for at least to admire him there were only two ways out of the dilemma that she could see or a persistent refusal to let her see him she must not even be allowed to hang over the banister and watch him pass through the hall as she had proposed doing the more she persisted in her refusal the more determined a lease was to see him A. O. imagined she could feel herself growing thin and pale from so much lying awake of nights to invent some excuse to circumvent her if she only knew what day Jimmy was to be in Washington she could arrange to meet him there so she could plan a trip to the dentist with Miss Gilmer, the trained nurse as chaperone she wouldn't have find it introducing him to Elise if she had never painted him to her in such glowing colors as her hero she wished she hadn't told her it was Jimmy who was coming she could have called him by his middle name Gordon, Mr. Gordon and passed him off as some ordinary acquaintance in whom Elise could have no possible interest it was a relief when Elise turned her attention to Mary's affairs and when she saw that her turn was coming again she set her teeth together grimly determined to make no answer presently, to her surprise Elise relapsed into silence and stood looking out of the window tapping on the kettle with her spoon in a preoccupied way then she laughed suddenly as if she saw something funny and being questioned refused to give the reason I just thought of something she said laughing again something too funny for words I'll have to go now she added as if the cause of her mysterious mirth was in some way responsible for her departure thanks mightily for the candy, Mary it's the best ever you're going to be overflowed with orders, I'm sure well, farewell friends and fellow citizens I'll see you later what do you suppose it was that made her laugh so asked A.O. suspiciously there's always some mischief brewing when she acts that way I don't dare leave her by herself a minute for fear she'll plot something against me I'll have to be going too, Mary left to herself Mary began washing the utensils she had used by the time she had removed every trace of her candy making the confections set out on the window sill in the wintry air were firm and hard all ready to be wrapped in the squares of paraffin paper and packed in the boxes waiting for them she whistled softly as she drew in the plates but stopped with a start when she realized that it was Elise's song she was echoing amang the train there is a swing I dearly know myself it must be awfully nice she mused to have somebody as devoted to you as the Lieutenant is to Elise and Jimmy is to A.O. if I were A.O. I wouldn't care if the whole school came down to meet him I'd want them to see him I made up my mind at your genius wedding that it was safer to be an old maid but I'd hate to be one without ever having had an affair like other girls it must be lovely to be called the Queen of Hearts like Lloyd and to have such a train of admirers as Mr. Robb and Mr. Malcolm and Phil and all the others there was a wistful look in the grey eyes that peered dreamily out of the window after the gathering of the December twilight but it was not the wintry landscape that she saw it was a big boyish figure cake walking in the little wigwam kitchen a handsome young fellow turning in the high road to wave his hat with a cheery swing to the disconsolate little girl who was flapping a farewell to him with her old white sunbonnet and then the same face older grown smiling at her through the crowds at the Lloydsboro Valley depot as he came to her without stretched hands disclaiming goodbye little vicar think of the best man whenever you look at the Phillip on your shilling she was thinking of him now so intently that she lost count of the pieces she had packed into the box she was filling with the squares of sweets and had to empty them all out and begin again but as she recalled other scenes especially the time she had overheard a conversation not intended for her about a turquoise he was offering Lloyd she said to herself he is for Lloyd they are just made for each other and I am glad that the nicest man I ever knew happens to like the dearest girl in the world and I hope if there ever should be a swan aming the train for me he'll be as near like him as possible I don't know where I'd ever meet him though certainly not here and most positively not in lone rock not like other girls she laughed presently recalling the title of the book Ethelinda was reading that fits me exactly no lieutenant no Jimmy and no birthstone ring and no prospect of ever having any but I don't care much a candy is a success and Jack is going to have his bloodstone fob with her arms piled full of boxes she started down to her room as she opened the door a burst of music came floating out from the gymnasium where the carol singers were practicing for the yearly service this one was a new carol to her she did not know the words but to the swinging measures other words fitted themselves some lines which she had read that morning in a magazine she sang them softly in time with the carol singers as she went on down the stairs for should he come not by the road and come not by the hill and come not by the far sea way yet come he surely will close all the roads of all the world love's road is open still End of Chapter 5 Chapter 6 of The Little Colonel's Chum Mary Where This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org The Little Colonel's Chum, Mary Where by Annie Fellows Johnson Chapter 3 Jack's Watchfab Elise spent Saturday and Sunday in Washington with the Claiborne family and Ayo almost prayed that Jimmy would make his visit in her absence on her return she had so much to tell that she did not mention his name and Ayo hoped that he was forgotten all Monday afternoon she went around in a flutter of nervousness feeling in her bones she prayed that Elise would find some way in which to carry out her threat of seeing him at all hazards one of the ways she had suggested trying was to sound a burglar or fire alarm so that everyone would rush out into the hall but when the dreaded moment actually arrived and Ayo stood in the middle of the floor with his card in her hand Elsie merely looked up from her book with a provoking grin oh, haven't I had you going for the last week? she exclaimed really made you believe that I wanted to see your dear Jimmy boy Ayo, you are dead easy I haven't had so much fun out of anything for ages almost giddy with a sense of relief Ayo hurried away leaving Elise pouring over her French lesson at the lower landing she paused to tear Jimmy's card to Adams and drop them in a wastebasket which was standing there even his card might betray him for it was not an elegant correct bit of engraved board like the lieutenants it was a large square card inscribed by a professional penman the kind who sets up stands on street corners or in convenient doorways and executes showy scrolls and tendrils in the way of initial letters while you wait as the door closed behind Ayo Elise sent her book flying across the room and the next moment was cropping under the bed for a dress box which she had hidden there a blonde wig that she had bought while in Washington for next week's tableau tumbled out first with a motley collection of borrowed articles which she had been at great pains to procure laughing so that she could hardly dress Elise began to make a hurried change five minutes later she stood before the glass completely disguised Corny Dean's long black skirt trailed around her Ayo's own jacket fitted her snugly with Margaret Elwood's new black feather boa which had just been sent her from home hiding the cut from its familiar collar Jane Ridgway's second best spectacles covered her mischievous eyes and a black veil was draped over the small toque and blonde hair in such a way that its broad band of crepe hid the lower part of her face her long touch, a piece of gold leaf pressed over part of an upper front tooth gave the effect of a large gold filling whenever she smiled she had provided herself with a pair of black gloves but at the last moment the left hand glove could not be found when all her frantic overturnings failed to bring it to light she gave up the search not wanting to lose any more valuable time the little flat feather muff which went through the boa would hide the fact that she had only one glove thrusting her bare hand into it she stopped for only one thing more which bore the name in old English type Mrs. Robertson Redmond it was one which had been sent up to her by one of her mother's friends who called it the Claiborne's and was partly responsible for this disguise it had suggested the black veil with the crepe border dodging past several open doors she reached the south corridor in safety and raised the window that opened on a long black court she stepped out onto the fire escape corny's long skirt nearly tripped her and it was no easy matter to cling to the rounds of the iron ladder with a muffin one hand and her skirts constantly wrapping around her luckily she had only one flight to descend stopping a moment to smooth the ruffled plumage and get her breath she walked around to the front of the house climbed the steps and boldly lifted the great knocker it was a dark and cold night in the sudden appearance of a lady on the doorstep so far from the station astonished the footmen who opened the door he had heard no sound of wheels and he peered out past her expecting to see her emerge from the night none came but she was unmistakably a lady and her morning costume seemed to furnish the necessary credentials when she handed him a black bordered card and asked for Miss Merry Ware of Arizona with an air of calm assurance and with the broadest of English accents he bowed obsequiously and ushered her into the drawing room in the far end of it here Vogelbaum was talking lustily in German to two young men evidently fellow musicians otherwise it was deserted except for A.O. and a bashful overgrown boy of 17 who sat opposite her on a chair far too low for him it gave him the effect of sprawling and he was constantly drawing in his long legs and thrusting them out again the teacher who was to be drawing room chaperone for the evening had not yet come down the lady in black glided into the room with an air of being so absorbed in her own affairs that she looked upon the other occupants as she did the furniture without even a direct glance at the young people in the corner she swept up to a chair within a few feet of them and sat down to wait Jimmy in the midst of some tale about a prank that the high school invincibles had played on a rival baseball team faltered grew confused and finished haltingly for all her spectacles and crepe the golden haired stranger was fascinatingly young and pretty A.O. was provoked that her visitor should show to such a disadvantage even before this unknown lady was making no notice of them but when he paused she could think of nothing to say herself for a moment or two then to break the silence which was growing painful she plunged into an account of one of the last escapades of her wicked roommate who she pictured as a most fascinating but a desperately reckless creature it was funny the way she told it and it sent Jimmy off into a spasm of mirth but she would almost rather have bitten her tongue out than to have caused Jimmy to explode in that wild bray of a laugh he slapped his knee repeatedly and doubled up as if he could laugh no longer only to break out in a second bray louder than the first made the gentleman in the other end of the room look around inquiringly A.O. was so mortified she could have cried Jimmy feeling the instant change in her manner and not able to account for it grew self-conscious and ill at ease the conversation flagged and presently stopped for such a long time that the lady in black turned a slow glance in their direction Mary Ware up in the domestic science room was anxiously watching a kettle which refused to come to the proper boiling point where it could be safely left what was to be the last batch of her Christmas candy was in that kettle for she had emptied the last pound of Mexican sugar into it if it wasn't cooked exactly right it would turn to sugar again when it was cold and not be of the proper consistency to hold the nuts together she did not know what effect it might have on the mixture to set it off the fire while she went down to receive her unknown visitor and then bring it to the boiling point again after it had once grown cold she was afraid to run any risks if the watch fob was to reach jack on time it would have to be started on its way in a few days and on the success of this last lot of candy depended the getting of the last few dollars necessary for its purchase she wished that she had ordered more of the sugar in the first place there wouldn't be time now she had twice as many orders as she had been able to fill it would have been so delightful to have gone shopping with a whole pocket full of money which she had earned herself she looked at the clock and then back again at the black bordered card on the table Mrs. Robertson Redmond she had never heard of her burning with curiosity she tried to imagine what possible motive the stranger had for calling it was unpardonable that a mere schoolgirl should keep a lady waiting so long a lady in mourning too who since she could not be making social calls must have a very important reason for coming fidgeting with impatience she bent over the kettle testing the hot liquid once more by dropping a spoonful into a cup of cold water still it refused to harden finally with a despairing sigh she slipped off her apron and turned down the gas solo that only a thin blue circle of flame flickered under the kettle in that way it can't boil over and can't get cold she thought then she washed her hands and hurried down to the drawing room until that moment she had forgotten that AO was there with her suitor but one hasty glance was all she had time to give him the tall lady in black was rising from her chair was trailing forward to meet her was exclaiming in that low full voice which had so impressed the footmen ah! Joyce wears own little sister you've probably never heard of me, dear but I've heard of you often and I knew that Joyce would want me to take back some message direct from you so I just came out tonight for a glimpse not giving the bewildered Mary an opportunity to speak a word she drew her to a seat beside her and went on rapidly talking about Joyce and the success she was making in New York and the many friends she had among famous people Mary grew more and more bewildered she had not heard that at the studio receptions which Joyce and her associates in the flat gave fortnightly that all these world-known artists and singers and writers were guests it was strange Joyce had never mentioned them but Mrs. Redmond named them also glibly and familiarity that she could not doubt her almost petrified at seeing Mary walk into the room AO had relapsed into a silence which could not break Jimmy too sat tongue-tied staring in fascination at the strange blonde lady whose fluent soft modulating speech seemed to exert some kind of hypnotic influence over him even through Mary's absorbing interest in Mrs. Robertson Redmond's tales came the consciousness that AO and her friend were sitting there perfectly dumb and she stole a curious glance in their direction wondering why and I have just learned said Mrs. Redmond her gold tooth gleaming through her smile overheard it in fact quite by accident that a dear little friend of mine is in the school General Walton's youngest daughter Elise I should be so glad to see her also this evening I should have sent up a card for her too had I known would it be too much trouble for you to send a word to her now AO blushed furiously knowing full well how and where the stranger had overheard that Elise was in the school she tried frantically to recall just what it was she had said about her in her endeavor to amuse Jimmy something extravagant she knew or he would not have laughed so horribly loud as Mary rose to send the message to Elise the lady dropped her muff they both stopped to pick it up Mary was the first to reach it and as she gave it back two things met her astonished glance one on the little finger of the bare hand held out for the muff shun the agate that none but McIntyre's had owned since the days of Malcolm II and through the parted lips where an instant before a gold crowned tooth had gleamed shun only perfect little white teeth with not a glint of dentist's handiwork about them the gold leaf had slipped off Mary gasped but before the others had a chance to see her amused face the lady had risen and linked her arm through hers and was drawing her towards the door saying let me go with you I am sure Elise will not mind receiving such a very old friend as I am up in her room although the lady in black clung to her shaking hysterically with repressed laughter behind the crepe bordered veil it was not until they had passed the footman climbed up the stairs and paused at Elise's door that Mary was sure of the identity of her guest the disguise had been so complete that she could not believe the evidence of her own eyes until the blonde wig was torn off and the spectacles laid aside then Elise threw herself across her bed laughing until she gasped for breath her mirth was so contagious that Mary joined in laughing also until she was weak and breathless and could only cling to the bedpost wiping her eyes and wasn't Jimmy a whole menagerie Elise exclaimed as soon as she could speak you should have been there to have heard him howl and tear at his hair at something Ayo would have told him about me and I sat there with a perfectly straight face through the whole of it while she made up dreadful things about me off in the pasture tomorrow and practiced that bray all by myself till I can do it to perfection then when Ayo begins to sing his praises again I won't say a word I'll just give her Jimmy's laugh won't she be astonished she's bound to recognize it for it's the only one of its kind in the world I shall keep her guessing until after Christmas where I heard it don't you tell her then she exclaimed sitting up on the side of her bed she would be so furious she wouldn't speak to you after the holidays it won't be so fresh in her mind promise you won't tell her still laughing Mary promised and Elise began to gather up the various articles of her disguise saying it was worth a five pound box of chocolates to hear her describe me as a reckless scapegrace in that sorority racket we had the mention of candy had the effect of an electric shock on Mary mercy she cried I forgot all about the stuff I left upstairs instantly sobered she hurried away to its rescue she had intended to go down only long enough to discover the caller's errand and then excuse herself until the candy could be safely let but more than a quarter of an hour had gone by somewhere about the premises and for some reason unknown to her a greater pressure of gas had been turned on and the thin blue flame under the kettle had shot up to a full blazing ring a smell of burnt sugar greeted her as she opened the door there was no need to look into the kettle she knew before she did so that the candy was burnt black and Jack's fob was no longer attainable her first impulse was to run to Betty for comfort it would be easy enough to borrow the money she needed from her and pay it back after the holidays but a sober second thought stopped her probably the girls wouldn't want her candy then each of the boxes had been ordered as a special Christmas offering for some relative with a well-known sweet tooth and Mary had a horror of debt that was part of her heritage from her grandfather where it was this frequent remark that who goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing and laid heavy on the conscience of every descendant of his who stepped aside even for a moment from that path of his teachings she felt that it would be dishonest to send Jack a present that wasn't fully paid for and yet the disappointment of not being able to send it was so deep that she could not keep the tears back they splashed down like rain into the kettle as she scraped away at the scorched places on the bottom it was a long time before she went back to her room Ethelina looked up curiously where's your candy she asked spoiled I had to throw it out her face was turned away under pretense of searching for her book but her voice was subdued and not altogether steady too bad was the indifferent answer and Ethelina went on with her lesson but presently a faint sniff made her glance up to see that Mary was not studying only staring at her books with big tears dropping quietly on the page in all the weeks they had been together she'd never seen Mary in this mood before and it seemed as strange that she should be crying as the rain should drop from a cloudless sky the sight of Mary in trouble awakened a feeling that seldom came to the surface in Ethelina she felt moved to pick her up and comfort her and put her out of harm's way as she would have done to a helpless little kitten but she didn't know how to begin naturally undemonstrative any expression of sympathy was hard for her to make they had grown into very friendly relations in the last month Warwick Hall had widened Ethelina's horizon until she was able to take an interest in things now outside of her own narrow self-centered circle as they started to undress she managed to ask well have you sent for the watch fob yet? Mary shook her head trying hard to swallow a sob as she bent over an open bureau drawer I've decided not to order it then Ethelina putting two and two together guessed the reason if Mary could have known how long she lay awake that night devising some scheme to help her out of her difficulty she would not have been so surprised the next morning Ethelina hesitating voice spoke up from the opposite bed just after the rising bell Mary will you promise not to get mad and throw things at me if I ask you something? she went unhurriedly for they both recalled a scene when such a thing had happened she felt she had blundered by alluding to it I wouldn't dare ask at all if I didn't know that you had failed with your candy you might want to raise your Christmas funds some other way no I I guess I'd better not ask you after all I can't make you furious Mary sat up in bed not only curious to know what it is Ethelinda was afraid to ask but wondering at her hesitancy heretofore she had stopped at nothing the most cutting allusions to Mary's appearance behavior and friends they had both been appallingly frank at times their growing friendship seemed to thrive on this outspokenness oh go on big Mary I'd rather you'd make me furious than to keep me so curious and I'll give you my word of honor I won't get mad well then began Ethelinda slowly you know I had such a cold last week when the hairdresser came that I couldn't have my usual shampoo and she always charges a dollar when she makes an extra trip for just one head she wouldn't come this week anyhow no matter how much I paid her because she is so busy and I simply must have my hair washed before the night of the tableau so I thought if you don't mind doing a thing like that for me you might as well have the dollar but there was a pause a long one Ethelinda knew that Mary was recalling her speech about a lady's mind and felt that the silence so long and oppressive was ominous if she'd ask it as a favor Mary would not have hesitated an instant the other girls often played barber for each other making a frolic out of the affair but for Ethelinda and for money that made a menial task of it and her pride rose up in arms at the thought that who you'd be came in anxious tones from the other bed I wish I had kept my mouth shut no I'm not asserted Mary Stoutly I'm making up my mind I was just thinking that you wouldn't do it if you were in my place and I wouldn't do it to keep myself from starving if it were just for myself but it's for Jack I get down and black the shoes of my worst enemy for Jack and under the circumstances I'm very glad to accept her offer and I think it is very sweet of you to give me such a chance to love the best shampoo in my power to give you as soon as you are ready for it later she paused in her dressing thinking maybe she had not been gracious enough in expressing her appreciation and said emphatically Ethelinda that was awfully good of you to think of a way to help me out of my difficulty last night I was so down in the dumps and so disappointed over Jack's Christmas present that I thought I could never smile again but now I'm so sure that it's coming out alright that I am as lighthearted as a bit of thistle down Ethelinda made some trivial reply but immediately began to hum in a happy undertone she was feeling surprisingly lighthearted herself the role of benefactor was an unusual one and she enjoyed the sensation for all her appreciative speeches Mary approached her task that afternoon with inward reluctance only a grim determination to do her best to earn that dollar was her motive at first and she helped herself by imagining it was the princess winsome sunny hair which she was lathering and rubbing so vigorously Ethelinda closed her eyes enjoying the touch of the light fingers and wishing the operation could be prolonged indefinitely somehow this intimate personal contact seemed to be creating a friendliness for each other that they had never known before presently Mary was chatting away almost as cordially as if it were Elise's dusky curls she had in her fingers or A.O.'s brown braids under promise of secrecy she told of Elise's masquerade the night before and of A.O.'s wild curiosity about the lady in black she had persecuted them all morning with questions and they were almost worn out trying to evade them and to baffle her Ethelinda appreciated being taken into her confidence for she had been more lonely than her pride would allow her to admit her patronizing errors and ill-guarded speech about being exclusive in the choice of her friends had offended most of the lower-class girls slowly she was learning that her old standards would not bear comparison with Madame Charley's and Lady Evelyn's and that she must accept theirs if she would have any friends at Warwick Hall her friendship with Mary took a long stride forward that afternoon the rest of the money came in various ways Mary found appropriate quotations for a set of unique dinner cards to fit the pen and ink illustrations which one of the seniors bought to give her sister a prominent club woman whose turn it was to give the yearly club dinner she did some indexing for the librarian and some copying for Miss Chilton and by the end of the week not only was Jack's fob on its way to Arizona with presents for the rest of the family but there was enough left in her purse to pay her share towards the mock Christmas tree it gave her a thrill to think that out of the entire school she had been chosen as one of the committee of nine for the delightful task of tying up the parcels for that tree it was such bliss to share all the secrets and anticipate the surprise and laughter each ridiculous gift would call forth and when all the joking and rollicking was over there was the carol service on the last night of the term so sweet and solemn and full of the real Christmas gladness that it was something to remember always as the crowning beauty of that beautiful time Old Bishop Charlie came down as usual for the service and the chapel, fragrant with pine and spicy cedar boughs and lighted only by tall white candles was just as Lloyd had described it when she told of the bishops talk about keeping the white feast on the birthday of the king when the great door swung wide for the white robe choir to enter Mary knew that it was only the Dardell twins leading in the processional with the flute and cornet but as they came slowly up the dim aisle under the arches of the Christmas greens their wide flowing sleeves falling back from their arms they made her think of two of fra and jelikos trumpet blowing angels and she clasped her hands with a quick in drawing of breath the high silvery flute notes and the mellow alto of the deep horn were like the voices of seraphine leading all the others in their peen of glad tidings of great joy oh it was good to be at a school like this she thought with the throb of deep thankfulness and it was so good to know that all her plans had worked out happily and her Christmas gifts for the girls were just what she wanted them to be her thought straight away from the service a moment to recall the little bundles she had hidden in Elyse's and AO's suitcases and the packages she had ready for Ethelinda a pretty scalloped linen cover for her dressing table with her initials worked in handsome block letters in the center no regrets clouded her face next morning when she stood at the door watching the last busload of merry girls start home for the holidays she was not going home herself Arizona was too far away but she had something more thrilling than that in prospect a visit to Joyce in New York she and Betty and Christmas Day with Eugenia at the beautiful Tremont home out on the Hudson she had been hearing about it for the last two years and there was Eugenia's baby she was eager to see the mischievous little year old Patricia as beautiful as her father and as bad as her naughty uncle Phil Eugenia had written in her letter of invitation and Phil himself would be there maybe he was trying to get his work in shape so that he could be at home at Christmas time Mary did not realize how much her anticipations of this visit were tinged by the glow of that maybe her thoughts ran ahead to that day of Eugenia's oftener than any other part of the grand outing there was to be a whole week of sightseeing in New York sandwiched in between the cozy hours at home with Joyce in her studio and then on the roundabout way back to school over at Annapolis a few hours with Holland filled with such an ineffable spirit of content that she would not have exchanged places with anyone in the whole world she watched the last busload drive away waving their handkerchiefs all down the avenue and singing a war we call, dear war we call the joys of Yule, now homeward call yet still will keep the trist with you though for a time we say adieu adieu, adieu End of Chapter 6 Chapter 7 of The Little Colonel's Chum, Mary Ware This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org The Little Colonel's Chum, Mary Ware by Annie Fellows Johnson Chapter 4 in Joyce's Studio The short winter day was almost at an end High up in the top flat of a New York apartment house Joyce Ware sat in her studio making the most of those last few moments of daylight In the downstairs flats the electric lights were already on She moved her easel nearer to the window thankful that no skyscraper loomed between it and the fading sunset for she needed a full half hour to complete her work There were a number of good pictures on the walls among them some really fine old Dutch interiors but any artist would have turned from the best of them to study the pictures silhouetted against the western window The figure, envelope and a long loose working apron was all in shadow, but the light slanting across the graceful head bending towards the easel touched the brown hair with a glimpse of gold and gave the profile of that earnest young face the distinctive effect of a Rembrandt painting Only unconscious of the fact Joyce plied her brush with capable practice fingers so absorbed in her task that she heard nothing of the clang and roar of the streets below seething with holiday traffic as it was seized up and down unheeded She did not even notice when it stopped on her floor and someone walked across the corridor with a heavy tread but the roar of her doorbell brought her to herself with a start and she looked up impatiently half inclined to pay no attention to the interruption then, thinking it might be some business message which she could not afford to delay she hurried to the door, brush and pallet still in hand Why Phil Tramont, she exclaimed so surprised at sight of the tall young man that she stood for an instant in open-mouthed wonder Where did you come from? I thought you were in the wilds of Oregon or some such Borland Come in I only got in a few hours ago, he answered following her down the hall and into the studio I've only been in town long enough to make my report to the office I'm on my way to Stewart's to spend Christmas with him and Eugenia but I couldn't resist the temptation of staying over a train to run in and take a peep at you It has been nearly six months, you know since I've had such a chance Joyce went back to her easel as he slipped off his overcoat Don't think that because I keep on working that I'm not delighted to see you but my orders are like time and tide they wait for no man This must be finished and out of the house tonight and I've no more than 15 minutes of good daylight left So just look around and make yourself at home and take my hospitable will for the deed till I get through In the meantime, you can be telling me all about yourself I expressed just little to tell no adventures of any kind just the plain routine of business But you've had changes, he added looking around the room with keen interest This isn't much like the bare barn of a place I saw you in last You must have struck oil Have you taken a partner? Several of them, she replied although I don't know whether they should be called partners or boarders or adopted waves They are all three of these things in a way It began with two people who sat at the same table with me those first miserable months when I was boarding One was a cheerful little red of a woman from a little western town, a Mrs. Boyd that is, she's cheerful now Then she was like a bird in a cage pining to death for the freedom she had been accustomed to and moping on her perch She came to New York to bring her niece, Lucy who is all she has to live for Some art teacher back home told her that Lucy is a genius has the makings of a great artist in her and they believed it She'll never get beyond fruit pieces and maybe a dab at china painting but she's happy in the hope that she'll be a world wonder someday Neither of them have a practical bone in their body whereas I have always been a sort of Robinson Crusoe at furnishing up desert islands So I propose to these two castaways that we go in together and make a home to suit ourselves We were so dead tired of boarding about that time we picked up Henry and as Henry has a noble bank account we went into the project on a more lavish scale than we could have done otherwise Henry ejaculated Phil who was watching the silhouette against the window with evident pleasure Yes, Miss Henrietta Robbins a bachelor maid of some, well I won't tell how many summers but she's passed the freakish bounds of youth and a real artist She's studied abroad and she's done things worthwhile That group of fishermen on the Normandy coast is hers nodding toward the opposite wall and that old woman peeling apples and those three portraits Oh, she's the real thing and a constant inspiration to me and she's brought so much towards the beautifying of our Crusoe Castle all these elegant Persian rugs and those four old masters and the bronzes and the teakwood carvings You can see for yourself Lucy wasn't quite satisfied with the room at first She missed the fishnet draperies and cozy corners and the usual claptrap of amateur studios but she's educated up to it now and it's a daily joy to me On the other hand, my broiled steaks and featherweight waffles and first class coffee are a joy to poor Henry who can't even boil an egg properly and who hasn't the first instinct of home-making You don't mean to say that you do the cooking for the sappy family Joyce laughed at his surprised tone That's what makes it a happy family No domestic service problems With a gas range, a fireless cooker and all the conveniences of our little kitchenette it's mere play after my wigwam experiences We have a woman come several times a week to clean and do extras so we don't get more exercise than I need to keep me in good condition But doesn't all this devotion to the useful interfere with your pursuit of the beautiful? Where do you find time for your art? Oh, my art is useful, side Joyce I used to dream of great things to come but I've come down to earth now practical designing, magazine covers and book plates and illustrating I can do things like that and it is work I love and work that pays Of course, I'd rather do Madonna's than posters but since the pot must boil I am glad there are book covers to be done and someday, well I may not always have to stay tied to the earth My wings are growing in the shape of a callow bank account When it is full-fledged then I shall take to my dreams again Already Henry and I are talking of a flight abroad together to study and paint In two years more, I can make it, if all goes well The striking of a clock made her glance up exclaiming over the lateness of the hour Phil, she asked, would you mind telephoning down to the station to find out if that Washington train is on time? That's a good boy That little sister of mine will think the sky is fallen if I'm not at the station to meet her You don't mean to tell me that Mary's on our way here exclaimed Phil as he rose to do her bidding Then I certainly have something to live for Her first impressions of New York will be worth hearing He scanned the pages of the telephone directory for the number he wanted Yes, she and Betty are to spend their vacation time with me We are going out to Eugenia's tomorrow afternoon to spend Christmas Eve and part of Christmas Day Then that was a surprise that Eugenia wrote about, said Phil taking out his watch She wouldn't tell what it was but said that it would be worth my while to come Yes, the train is on time He hung up the receiver I won't be able to wait for it if I get out to Eugenia's for dinner but I can see you safely to the station on my way It is about time we were starting if you expect to reach it Joyce made a final dab at her picture dropped the brush and hurried into the next room for her wraps It seemed to Phil that he had scarcely turned around until she was back again, hatted and gloved The artist in the long apron had given place to a stylish tailor-made girl in a brown street suit Phil looked down at her approvingly as they stepped out into the wintery air together The great show windows were ablaze with lights by this time and the rush of the crowds almost took her off her feet Phil, at her elbow, piloted her along to a corner where they were to take a car I'm glad that I happened along to take you under my wing, he said You ought not to be out alone on the streets at night It isn't six o'clock yet, she answered and this is the first time that I had no escort arranged for Mrs. Boyd always comes with me She's little and meek, but her white hair counts for a lot She would have gone to the station with me but she and Lucy are dining out We girls will all be alone tonight I wish they were not expecting you out at Eugenia's to dinner I'd take you back with me I've prepared quite a company spread things that you especially like There's a telephone out to the place, he suggested I could easily let them know if I missed my train and I could easily miss it if my invitation were pressing enough Then do miss it, she insisted Smiling up under him so cordially that he laughed and said in a complacent tone Well, consider it done I'll telephone Eugenia from the station that I'll not be out till morning Really, he added a moment later It'll be more like a sure enough homecoming to come back to you in that little chatterbox of a Mary than to go to my brothers Eugenia is a deer, but I've never known her except as a bride or dignified young matron So of course we have no useful experiences in common to hark back together That is the very backbone of a family reunion in my opinion Now that you're in Arizona when you all took me in as one of yourselves is about all that I can remember of real home life and somehow, when I think of home it is the wigwam that I see and the good cheer and jolly times that I always found there Joyce looked up again, touched and pleased at you feel that way, for we always count you in right after Jack and the little boys Mama always speaks of you as my other boy and as for Mary she quotes you on all occasions and thinks you are very near perfection She's going to be so delighted when she sees you that I'd not be a bit surprised if she should jump up and down and squeal right in the station The mention of this old habit of Mary's brought up to each of them the mental picture of the child as she had looked on various occasions when her unbounded pleasure was forced to find expression in that way and the year that Joyce had been away from her she had been in her thoughts oftener as that quaint little creature of eight than the sixteen year old school girl she had grown into Phil too, accustomed to thinking of Mary as he had known her at the wigwam could hardly believe what he saw, right when the train pulled in and she flew down the steps to throw her arms around Joyce it was the same lovable eager little face that looked up into his the same impetuous unspoiled child yet a second glance left him puzzled there was some intangible change he could not label and it interested him to try and analyze it she was taller of course almost as tall as Joyce with skirts almost as long but it was not that which impressed him with the sense of change it was a certain girlish winsomeness something elusive which cannot be defined but which lines a charm like nothing else in the world to the sweet unfolding of early maidenhood if Phil had been asked to describe the girl that Mary would grow into she never would have pictured this development he'd expected her desert experiences to give her a strong forceful character she would be like the pioneer woman of early times he imagined rugged and energetic and full of resources but he not expected this gentleness of manner this unconscious dignity and a certain poise that reminded him of he was puzzled to think of what it did remind him later it came to him as he continued to watch her not for not had Mary set up a shrine to her idolized princess Princess Winsome and striven to grow like her in every way possible not in feature of course but often in manner there was a fleeting shadowy undefinable something that recalled her in a younger day she would have appropriated Phil as a rightful audience and would have swung along beside him amusing him with her original and unsolicited opinions of everything they passed but a strange shyness seized her when she looked up and saw how much older he was in reality than he had been in her recollections she had no answer already when he began his accustomed teasing instead she clung to Joyce when they left the streetcar leaving Betty to walk with Phil as they threaded their way through the crowded thoroughfares it was so good to be with her again and as they hurried along she squeezed the arm linked in hers to emphasize her delight for the time Joyce found no change in her for with childlike abandon she exclaimed over strange sights oh Joyce snow she cried when a falling flake brushed her face after all these years of orange blossoms and summer-sun at Christmas how good it seems to have real old Santa Claus weather I can almost see the reindeer and smell the striped peppermint and popcorn and oh oh look at that shop window it's positively dazzling and the racket she put her hands over her ears an instant I feel that I've never really heard a loud noise till now Joyce laughed indulgently and stopped with her whenever she wanted to gaze in at some particularly attractive show window when they reached the flat Mary still kept nearer tagging after her as she would have expressed it in her early days so much like the little sister of that time that Joyce still failed to see how much she had changed during their separation you see it's just like a dollhouse Joyce said as she led them through the tiny rooms on a tour of inspection all except the studio we had a partition taken out and two rooms thrown together for that now the company will have to go in there and entertain themselves and I put on the finishing touches to the dinner the kitchenette will only hold one at a time Betty and Phil obediently went into the studio to renew their acquaintance of two years before began at Eugenia's wedding and wandered around the room looking at the various specimens of Joyce's handicraft pinned about on the walls one of the first pauses was before a sketch of Lloyd done from memory a little wash drawing of her Mary standing in the doorway heard Phil say tell me about her Miss Betty that I can only imagine her conquests for a moment Mary watched him as he studied the sketch intently then she turned away to the kitchenette to help Joyce thinking how lovely it must be to have a handsome man like that bend over your picture so adoringly and speak to you in such a fashion it was a merry little dinner party and afterwards it was almost like old times at the wigwam for Phil insisted on helping wipe the dishes and was so boyish and jolly with his teasing reminiscences that she almost forgot her new awe of him but afterward when they sat around the wood fire in the studio a piece of Henry's much-enjoyed extravagance Joyce explained and only lighted on gala occasions like this they were suddenly all grown up and serious again Joyce talked about her work and the friend she had made among the editors and illustrators and ambitious workaday people whose acquaintance was both a delight and an inspiration it was Henrietta who brought them to the studio along with a Persian rugs and the old masters and Joyce could never get done being thankful that she had found such a friend in the beginning of her career Phil told of his work too and his travels and in the friendly shadows cast by the flickering firelight talked intimately of his plans and ambitions and what he hoped ultimately to achieve Betty confessed shyly some of her hopes and dreams worn to doubt by the success of several short flights in an essay writing and verse and then Phil said laughingly to remember what Mary's dearest wish used to be how we roared the day she gravely informed us that it was her highest ambition to be the toast of two continents is it still that Mary no she answered laughing with the rest but blushing furiously I had just been reading the biography of great Baltimore Bell who was called that and it appealed to me as the most desirable thing on earth to be honored with such a title but that was a way back in the Dark Ages of course I wouldn't wish such a silly thing now but aren't you going to tell us what is your greatest ambition? persisted Phil, we have all confessed it isn't fair for you to withhold your confidence when we've given ours Mary shook her head I've had my lesson she declared you'll never have the chance to laugh twice and this one is such a skyscraper it would astonish you when she spoke she was thinking of that moment on the stair under the amber window when through the music she heard the king's call and was first awakened to the knowledge that a high destiny awaited her what it was to be was still unrevealed to her but of the voice and the vision she had no doubt whatever it was she was sure it would be higher and greater than anything anyone she knew aspired to yet somehow sitting there in the friendly shadows with the firelight shining on the earnest manly face opposite she'd not care so much about a Joan of Arc career as she had it would be glorious of course but it might be lonesome people on pedestals were shut off from dear delightful intimacies like this and then those lines began running through her head that she had not been able to get rid of since the morning she read them in the magazine for if you come not by road and come not by hill and come not by the far seaway she wished that she was certain that she could add that last part of the line yet come he surely will just then to have one strong true face not towards her in the firelight with the devotion all for her seemed worth the lifetime of public plots and having one's name handed down to posterity on monoliths and statues for if you come not by the road and come not by the hill and come not by the far seaway yes it certainly would be lonesome she decided she would miss the best that the earth holds for a home loving hero worshipping woman end of chapter 7 chapter 8 The Little Colonel's Chum, Mary Ware by Annie Fellows Johnston this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Christina Maria Wint chapter 8 Christmas Day at Eugenius although this is only the 24th of December my Christmas has already begun wrote Mary and her diary next day I was thinking when I looked out of the window everything was white with snow it has been so long since I've seen such a sight all the roofs and chimney tops the glisten that I could hardly keep away from the window long enough to dress they stayed quite late last night just as he was leaving Mrs. Boyd and Miss Lucy came home and of course we had to stay up a little while longer to meet them by the time Joyce had turned the Davenport in the studio into a bed for me it was past midnight there was so much to think about the next thing I knew I smelled coffee and heard Joyce whistling just as she used to at home when she was getting breakfast and I didn't waste many minutes in going out to her in that cunning kitchenette it was all white tiling and shining nickel plate as easy to keep clean as a china dish and just a delight to work in I never thought so before but now it seems to me that it is just as nice to know how to serve a delicious meal as easily as Joyce does as it is to put a picture on a canvas I can see now what a good thing it was for both of us that we had to serve such a long apprenticeship in work and housekeeping even if it did seem hard at the time it gives a girl a sort of mightest touch Phil said last night makes her able to gild even a garret and to turn any old place into a home he was so charmed with everything about the flat that he said he wanted to move into one right away and make biscuits himself on the glass top table and do stunts with the fireless cooker like Joyce he has had a surfeit of cafes and hotels and boarding houses while we were at breakfast the postman came and there were letters and packages for everybody Lloyd sent a present to each of us mine was a darling little lace fan all spangled like a cobweb with dew drops caught in its meshes we opened everything then and there as we already had part of our presents Jack's to me was this holiday trip I traveled in from Washington Joyce got a check that she hadn't expected before next month and another one that she hadn't expected at all it was from some initial letter sketches and tail pieces that had been traveling around to different magazines for months besides there was an order for a frontispiece for a child's magazine she was so happy she could hardly finish her breakfast and said now she could give me the present she had planned to give me in the beginning she had been disappointed about the other work she had counted on and thought she would have to cut my present down to some gloves in a book but now she could play Santa Claus in fine style and carry out her original intention just as soon as things were in order she would take me down and let me choose it it was so exciting not knowing what it was going to be and hurrying along with the crowds of shoppers everybody so smiling and happy and good-natured no matter how much they were bumped into I felt Christmassy down to my fingertips until they were nearly frozen last night's cold snow was almost a blizzard and it left it stinging cold at last after buying a lot of little things to put on the tree at Eugenius and keeping me guessing for over an hour about my present Joyce took us into a fur hearse and bought me a beautiful set of furs a lovely long boa and a muff like the one Lloyd had her picture taken in the first year she was at Warwick Hall I've always wanted furs like them they look so opulent and luxurious maybe I wasn't proud and happy when I saw myself in the mirror they just make my costume and they made a world of difference in my comfort when we went out into the icy air again I certainly would have squealed if I hadn't remembered that we were on Broadway when Joyce told me that I looked so stunning that she could not keep her eyes off me I just knew how happy it made her to be able to give me a present for I remembered what pleasure I had in sending Jack the watch fob that I had earned all myself then we went to Wanamakers and by that time it was so late she said we'd better go upstairs and take lunch there there wouldn't be time to go home and prepare it ourselves there was music playing and it was so gay and lively that I kept getting more and more excited every moment finally while we were waiting for our orders to be filled Betty said it is so festive I believe I'll give Mary my present now instead of waiting till we get to Eugenius then she took a jeweler's box from her shopping bag and behold when I opened it the little blood stone ring that I had been longing for all these weeks I was so happy and nearly cried after lunch we came back to the flat to get our suitcases Joyce is packing hers now in just a few minutes she will be ready and then we will turn the key in the door and be off for Eugenius Mrs. Boyd and Miss Lucy have gone to Brooklyn to spend Christmas and Miss Henrietta is away on a month's vacation the suburban train was crowded when the girls reached it even the aisles were full of bundled laden passengers until the first few stations were passed then Betty and Joyce found seats together and a fat old lady, good naturedly drew herself up as far as possible in order that Mary might squeeze past her to the vacant seat next to the window I can't sit there myself on account of the cold coming in the cracks so she wheezed apologetically but young people don't feel droughts and anyway you can put your mouth up between you if you do Mary has a traveling companion after her own heart laughed Joyce to Betty as they watched the old lady's bonnet bobbing an energetic accompaniment to her remarks she's always picking up acquaintances on the train she can get more enjoyment out of a day's railroad journey than some people get in a trip around the world it is the same way at school and to Betty you have no idea how popular she is just because she's interested in everybody in that sweet friendly way they went on to talk of other things so absorbed in their own conversation that they thought no more about Mary's so they did not see that presently she turned away from her gorillus companion and wrapped in her own thoughts at gazing at the flying landscape it was not at the snowy fields she was smiling with that happy light in her eyes nor at the gleaming river she was only dimly conscious of them and forgotten entirely that it was the famous Hudson following for once she was finding her own thoughts more interesting than the conversation of the unexplored stranger although the old lady had taken her generously into her confidence during those first quarter of an hour indeed it was one of those very confidences which had sent Mary off into a reverie I tell Silas that no one ever does Christmas just right till they get to be grandparents like us and have the children bringing their children home peered like that first Christmas that Silas and me spent together in our own house couldn't be happier but it didn't hold a candle to them that came afterwards when there was little Si and Amy and Joe to buy toys for Silas says we get a triple extract out of the day now because we not only have our enjoyment of it but what we get watching our children enjoy watching their children's fun she reached forward with some difficulty and extracted a toy from the covered basket on the floor at her feet a wooden monkey on a stick I'm just looking forward to seeing Pa's face when he drops that into Joe's baby's little sock her own kindly old face was as she slid the grotesque monkey up and down the rod chuckling in pleased anticipation and Mary with her readiness to put herself in another's place smiled with her sharing sympathetically the anticipation of her return she herself was a grandmother going home to some enduring old Silas who had shared her joys and troubles for over half a century up to this moment she had been thinking that it could not be possible for anyone to have a happier Christmas than she was having a dozen times she had smoothed the soft fur of her bower with a caressing hand and slipped back her glove to delight her eyes with the sight of her blood stone ring while her thoughts ran on ahead to the house party towards which they were speeding up a vista that sent her to daydreaming if by the road or by the hill or by the far seaway he should really come someday then of course the Christmases they would spend together would be happier than this Jack had always said that she would have her innings when she was a grandmother all her life Mary had been dreaming romances about other people now in a vague sweet way those dreams began to center around herself it was almost dark when they left the train Phil was at the station to meet them with the sleigh and a team of spirited black horses oh sleigh bells sighed Joyce ecstatically as she climbed into the back seat beside Betty I haven't been behind any since I left Plainsville I wish we had 40 miles to go nothing makes me feel so larky as the sound of sleigh bells Phil glanced back over her shoulder it is a bare mile and a half to the house but I told Eugenie I'd bring you home about way to make the drive longer if you were all not cold what do you say? the long way by all means cried Joyce and Betty in the same breath Phil laughed, the eyes have it even Mary's eyes, even though she doesn't say anything he added, seeing the beaming smile that crossed her face at the prospect of a longer drive they were shining like two stars he went on mischievously I'm used to see the color flame up into her cheeks and noticing how becoming was then his meddlesome horses his attention for a while later, as he looked back from time to time in conversation with older girls his gaze rested on Mary sitting beside him as contented and happy as a kitten in those becoming first and he thought with satisfaction that the little of the car was growing up to be a pretty girl after all her eyes were positively starry into her long curling lashes that Eugenie regarded their coming as a great event they felt from the moment the sleigh drew up to the house from every window streamed a welcoming light and the front door flung open at their approach showed the wide reception hall had been transformed into a bower of Christmas greens Eugenie radiant in her most becoming dinner ground of holly red came running down the steps to meet them ever since she had been established as a mistress of this beautiful country place she had longed for them to visit her guests she had in plenty for young Dr. Tremont and his wife noted for their lavish hospitality but the welcome accorded her new friends and neighbors was nothing to the ones reserved for those old friends of her girlhood she had wanted them to see for themselves that she had made no mistake in her weaving and that marriage and indeed brought her the diamond leaf that Abdullah found only in paradise Patricia has just dropped asleep she told them as she led the way upstairs not that it was proper time but she was always doing unexpected things that very day surprised them with four new words which they had not dreamed she could say Elliot had orders to bring her in the moment she had awakened so they could soon see the most remarkable child in the world yes Elliot was still with her gold old Elliot she intended to keep her always not as a maid however she had earned the position of guardian angel to Patricia by all her years of devoted service and she played her part to perfection while the girls opened their suitcases changed their dresses to costumes more suitable for the evening Eugenia stood in the door between the two rooms turning first one way and then the other to answer the questions rapidly compounded Mary thankful that her white Pongee had not wrinkled divided her attention between the dawning of that and the information that Eugenia was imparting she had named the baby for steward's great Aunt Patricia who for so many years had been like a mother to the boys in Alcine she felt that she owed the dear prim old lady that much as a sort of reparation for all she had suffered at the hands of the boys whom she had loved so dearly in spite of her inability to understand them Father Tremont had been so touched and pleased when she had proposed it no he could not be with them this Christmas he had taken Elsie to the south of France she was not very strong yes Phil approved of her choice of names but he said just as soon as she was old enough he intended to buy her a monkey and name it daco so there would be one Patricia who was not afraid of such a pet Mary who had watched with keen interest the unwrapping of the dozens of beautiful wedding gifts at the locusts took a peculiar pleasure in looking around for them now and recognizing them among the handsome furnishings of the different rooms here too for the locusts had been her ideal of all that a home should be but this far surpassed anything she'd ever seen in luxurious fittings as the girls followed their hostess over the house with admiring exclamations for each room Mary thought with inward amusement of the cold shivers she had had as she stood with a bridal party between the rose gate and the flower crown altar listening to the solemn bow I Eugenia take thee Stuart for better for worse there had been no worse it was all better infinitely better and the shivers had been entirely unnecessary Stuart came in presently from a long round of professional visits the young doctor had nearly as large a practice as his father and had been writing all afternoon Mary caught a glimpse of his meeting with Eugenia in the hall when he came in cordial as a boy in his welcome and by numberless little curtsies showing himself the most considerate of hosts and husbands she thought again this is one time that it was certainly all for better where is Pat's pill he asked looking around for Phil that is Patricia's name for him as near as she can say it wouldn't you know that she was a doctor's daughter by giving her doting uncle a pill for a name Phil and Mr. Forbes came together to Betty one of the pleasantest parts of her visit was this meeting with cousin Carl who had added such vistas of delight to her life by taking her to Europe the year she was threatened with blindness his hair was grayer now than then and the earth had added a few lines to his kind face but he was not nearly so great his smile oftener and she noticed with satisfaction his evident pride in Eugenia since she had blossomed to such a happy enthusiastic housewife and his devotion to little Patricia when she was brought in for a while just after dinner she was a fascinating little creature all smiles and dimples and croquette shrugs as she held royal court the few moments she was allowed to monopolize the attention of the company it was her second Christmas Eve and she had been brought down for the first public ceremony of hanging her stockings with the great chimney corner even after she was carried away it was plain to see how the interest of the house centered around her there was a tender glow in Eugenia's eyes every time she looked at that tiny white stocking hanging from the holly wreath mantle and it was also plain to be seen that the little stocking gave a deeper meaning to the words carved underneath to everyone gathered around the fire east or west home is best again it was found that each member of the household had brought her enough toys to stock a show window there's really too much for one kid said Phil Gravely surveying his own lavish contributions what can she do with them when it's all over Eugenia glanced from the long row of dolls she was counting to the assortment of stuffed animals and toys already weighing the tensile decked branches she shall keep them only a day I have made up my mind that she shall be a selfish child that I was before Betty came along with her to a sitala story and her road to the loving heart she is to begin to build one now even before she's old enough to understand this is her first Christmas tree tomorrow she shall choose one gift from each person's assortment of offerings tomorrow night the tree and all the rest of the presents are to be turned over to the little orphans of St. Boniface refuge daddy's name for her is blessing explains Stuart so you can see she is in a fair way to be trained up to fit it since the tree was for children only no gifts for the older people appeared among its branches but in the night some silent footed Chris Kringle made it stealthy rounds and left a gay little red and white stalking by every bedside Mary discovered hers early in the morning after the maid had been in to turn on the heat in the radiator and close the windows she wondered how it could have been placed there without her knowledge and this motion of the tiny bells on heel and toe jingling she touched it several times just to start the silvery tinkle then sitting up in the bed emptied its treasures out on the counter pain and was filled with bonbons and many inexpensive trifles but down in the toe was a little gold thimble from Patricia it was in the chair under the stalking that she found the gloves from Eugenia the book from cousin Carl and a long box that she opened with breathless interest because she lay atop it was scribbled the best man's wishes for a merry Christmas to marry tearing off the ribbons and the tissue paper wrapping she lifted the lid and then drew a long rapturous breath explaining roses American beauty roses the first flowers a man ever sent me and from the best man she later faced down among the cool velvety petals and closed eyes drinking in the fragrance then she lifted each perfect bud separately reveling the sweetness and color then the uncomfortable thought occurred to her that she was happier over this gift then she had been over the furs or the long wished for ring and she began to make excuses to herself maybe if I'd always had them sent to me as Lloyd and Betty and all the other girls have it wouldn't seem such a big thing but this is the first time of course it doesn't mean anything as it would if he had sent them to Lloyd he's in love with her that he chose roses she touched the last one to her lips it was so cool and sweet that she held it there a moment before she slipped out of bed ran across the room to thrust the long stems into the water pitcher she would ask the maid for a more fitting receptacle after a while but in the meantime she'd keep them as fresh as possible when she went down to breakfast she wore one thrust into her belt and some of its color seemed to have found its way onto her cheeks when she thanked Phil for his gift and when later in the morning they went to a Christmas service at St. Boniface the little stone church in the village a mile away Eugenia suggested they're going she said it would be such a picture with the snow when I recovered Belfry and the icicles hanging from the eaves some noted singer was to be in the choir and would sing several solos the walking would be fine through the dry crunching snow and as they had right of way through all of the neighboring estates between them and the village it would be like going through an English part Stewart had an urgent round of professional visits to make and could not join them and at the last moment some message came from the orphanage in reference to the tree which kept Eugenia at home to make some alteration in her plan so when the time came to start only the four guests set out across the snowy lane down the woodland path leading to the village they went Indian file at first in order that Phil might make a trail until they reached the beaten path it was colder than they had expected to find it and presently Mary dropped back to the rear so she might hold her mouth up unobserved to shield the rose she wore she could not bear to have its lovely petals take on a dark purplish tinge at the edges where the frost curled them in the church the steam heated atmosphere brought out its fragrance till it was almost overpoweringly sweet but when she glanced down she saw that it was no longer crisp and glowing it had wilted in the sudden change and hung limp and dying on its stem I'll put it away in an envelope when I get back to the house stop Mary when they all fade I'll save the leaves and make potpourri out of them like we made at Eugenia's Reading Roses and put them away in my little Japanese rose jar to keep always then the music began and she entered heartily into this beautiful Christmas service the offering was to be divided among the various charities of parish it had been announced and Mary was the first person with God she had earned that bit of silver herself it made so much more of a personal offering than if she had saved it from her allowance she slipped the purse out of her jacket pocket as the prelude of the offeratory fell to the aisles and rose to the arches of the vaulted roof the man who carried the plate was slowly making his way towards the peon when she sat and with her gaze fixed on him she began fumbling with the clasp of her purse under cover of her mouth she had never seen such a Rubicund Portley gentlemen with two double chins an expansive bald spot on his crown she held the coin between her fingers awaiting his slow approach just as he reached the end of their pew where Phil was sitting she sneezed, not a loud sneeze but one whose inward convulsions that made the whole body twitch spasmodically it sent a handful of petals from the wilted rose showering down into her lap the coin dropped back into her purse she had made an extensive grab and saved them from going to the floor then blushing and embarrassed as the plate paused in front of her she fumbled desperately in her purse to regain the dropped quarter the instant the coin left her finger she saw the mistake she had made and reached out her hand as if to snatch it back but it was too late even if she had the courage to reclaim it she had dropped her English shilling into the plate instead of the quarter her precious tailsman from the bride's cake that she had carried as a pocket piece Betty who sat next to her was the only one who saw her confusion in her sudden movement towards the plate after it passed she glanced at her curiously wondering at her agitation but the next moment forgot it in listening to the wonderful voice that took up the solo the solo as far as Mary was concerned might have been a siren whistle or a steam colo she was watching the man of the bald head in the double chins who had walked off with her shilling down the central aisle there was this gentleman at last in company with two others and the three plates were received by the rector and blessed and deposited on the altar all in the most deliberate fashion while Mary twisted her fingers and thought of desperate but impossible plans to rescue her shilling if she had been alone she would have hurried to the front at the close of service and watched to see what became of the custodian of the alms then she could have pounced on him begged to be allowed to rectify her mistake but fill in the girls would think she had lost her mind to see her do such a thing unless she explained to them somehow she shrank from letting anybody know how highly she valued that shilling all at once she had grown self-conscious she had not known herself just how much she cared for it until it was gone beyond recall aside from the sentiment for which she had cherished it she had a superstitious feeling that her fate was bound up with it in such a way that the gods would cease to be preposterous if she lost the tailsman that influenced them however the choir passed out in slow recessional the congregation is slowly followed Mary loitered as long as possible even going back for her handkerchief which she had purposely dropped in the pew to give her an excuse to return but her anxious glances revealed nothing the vestry door was closed and nobody was inside the chancel rail as they passed down the steps filled her into glance at the small bulletin board outside the door on which the hours of the service were printed were filled with false letters Dudley Eames, rector he read in the low tone strange, I never can remember that man's name when steward is always quoting him they are both great golf players and were eternally making engagements with each other over the phone when I was here last summer I heard often enough to remember it I'm sure he did not see the expression of relief which his remark brought to Mary's face and held a suggestion to the rector about it