The Novels of Faith – Premium 7 Book Collection. Finley Martha

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ mother, in her office, holds the key

       Of the soul; and she it is who stamps the coin

       Of character, and makes the being who would be a savage,

       But for her gentle cares, a Christian man."

       —Old Play.

      The striking of the town clock, the ringing of bells, the blowing of whistles and "the schoolboy's glad shout" announced the noontide hour.

      A sound of coming footsteps, of gay, young voices, an opening of doors, letting in fresh breezes from without, and with them two bright, blooming, merry little girls and a lad between them and Mildred in age, in whose great black eyes lurked a world of fun and mischief.

      "Softly, softly, children!" the mother said looking up with a smile as they came dancing and prancing in. "Rupert, are you not old enough to begin to act in a rather more gentlemanly way?"

      "Yes, mother, I beg your pardon. Yours too, Aunt Wealthy, I didn't know till this moment that you were here."

      "Mother, he's always teasing," complained the younger of the girls, "he says we'll have to live in wigwams like the Indians and perhaps grow to be as black and ugly as they are."

      "But they're not black, Ada," exclaimed the other, "my g'ography calls 'em red men."

      "Well, that's 'most worse, I'd as lief be black as red."

      "If you're careful to wear your sunbonnets when you go out, you won't grow to be either," remarked Mildred, while Mrs. Keith said with a look of mild reproof,

      "Rupert, my son, was it quite truthful to tell your sisters such things?"

      "I was only making fun," he answered, trying to turn it off with a laugh, but blushing as he spoke.

      "Innocent fun I never object to, but sport is too dearly bought at the sacrifice of truth.

      "My boy," she added with energy, "one should go to the stake rather than tell a falsehood; though it were no more than to say that two and two do not make four."

      "Mother, I believe you would!" he said, gazing with loving admiration into her earnest face. "I've never known you to swerve a hair's breadth from the truth in any way," and coming close to her side and speaking almost in a whisper, "I mean to try to be worthy of you in the future."

      She looked at him with glistening eyes, and dropping her work took his hands in hers for a moment.

      The others were not listening; Zillah and Ada had caught sight of the new dresses, were admiring them and asking eager questions of their aunt and sister.

      "My boy," Mrs. Keith said in moved tones, "I would rather be the mother of a poor hard working man of whom it could be said that he had always been perfectly honest and true, than of one who had amassed his millions and attained to the highest worldly honors by fraud or questionable deeds or words. Remember that all your life."

      "Mother, I will; I have my father's example to help me as well as yours," the lad replied with a proud glance at the noble, kindly, intellectual face of a gentleman who came in at that instant with Fan in his arms and the two little boys gamboling about him.

      "Ah, Aunt Wealthy, good morning!" he said in a cheery tone, sitting down beside her, putting Fan on one knee, and lifting the babe, who was laughing and crowing with delight at sight of him, to the other. "I suppose you have heard the news?"

      "That you are going to Indiana, Stuart! Yes. You are not contented to let well enough alone?"

      "Can't consider it well enough to be barely making the two ends meet while a growing family must be constantly increasing my expenses."

      "How is this removal to help you? It will cost a good deal."

      "'Nothing venture, nothing have.' I'm going to a new country where land is cheap. I shall invest something in that and hope to see it increase largely in value as the town grows.

      "Then lawyers are not so plenty there but that some more will be needed as people move in, and I hope by being on the spot in good season, to secure extensive practice.

      "It will cost the sundering of some very tender ties," he continued, his face growing grave almost to sadness, "but we are willing to bear that for our children's sake. Is it not so; wife?" and he turned to her with a smile that spoke volumes of love and confidence.

      "Yes indeed, Stuart," she answered with cheerful heartiness. "I shouldn't have hesitated for a moment if I had been quite sure it would be the best thing for them; but, as you know, I'm afraid we can not give them as good an education there as we might here. However we have now decided to go, and I can only hope for the best.

      "And do you know," she went on with a smile directed to the corner where Miss Stanhope sat, "that since you left us this morning something has happened that takes away more than half the pain of the thought of leaving Lansdale?"

      "No; what may that be?"

      "Oh, I know!" shouted Cyril, turning a somersault on the carpet. "Aunt Wealthy's goin' along! Aunt Wealthy's goin' along!"

      And then such raptures of delight as were indulged in by those who had not heard the news before!

      These were interrupted by a summons to the dinner-table; but when the blessing had been asked and the plates filled, the talk went on again, though in a somewhat more subdued fashion.

      "Is there absolutely no danger from the Indians, Stuart?" asked Miss Stanhope.

      "None whatever; most of the tribes have been removed to the far west; all but one, I think, and that will probably be taken soon."

      "What tribe is it? the Wottapottamies?"

      "Pottawottamies; yes."

      "Father, will we have to live in wigwams and dress in skins?" asked Ada, anxiously.

      "No; we'll have a house; if it is only a log-cabin, and we'll carry plenty of clothes along."

      "P'raps dey might det losted on the way," suggested Fan.

      "Well, pussy, I think we'll find some stores out there; and if everything else fails we can always fall back on deerskins."

      Lansdale was but a small town; everybody in it knew the Keiths or knew of them, and by the next day after their removal had been decided upon, everybody knew that.

      Many regrets were expressed and there were some offers of assistance with their preparations; but these were declined with thanks: "with Aunt Wealthy's good help, and that of the seamstress already engaged," Mrs. Keith said "she and Mildred would be able to do all that was necessary."

      They were very busy cutting, fitting and sewing, day after day, from morning to night with occasional interruptions from the little ones who were too young to go to school but old enough to roam over house and grounds; and being adventurous spirits, full of life and energy, were constantly getting into mischief, thus furnishing, gratis, a change of works to mother and eldest sister, who, spite of a hearty affection for the young rogues, was often sorely tried by their pranks.

      "Have you any cord, Mrs. Keith?" asked the seamstress, one morning.

      "Yes," СКАЧАТЬ