CHAPTER II.
“THIS is Harold Evans,” Mrs. Ford said, tactfully drawing her husband’s attention from Mabel. “Harold’s father is in the army, and has gone to Cuba, so we are trying to make our little neighbor feel less lonely.”
“Mr. Evans? oh, yes,” said Mr. Ford, looking up; “I know him. That’s right, Alice, make the boy feel at home. Come here, son, and sit by me.” And the cloud blew over, much to Mabel’s relief. But the hurt of her remorse and shame still lingered. She did like to appear well before her friends, and to be shown up as a naughty, meddlesome little girl, was very hard. Besides, she really was greatly distressed at having spoiled thebook, for she knew how her father loved his library, and treasured his rare books and papers.
“Papa,” she faltered, “I’m dreadfully sorry. I thought it was just an old book you didn’t care for; and—yes, I knew it wasn’t right to touch it. Is it one of your very preciousest books?”
“Yes,” replied her father; “I am afraid it is. See, Mabel; not only is this old print marred by those dreadful glaring colors, but you upset the glass of water I left here, and it has soaked through the book and carried the stain of the fresh paint with it. Then, where you were painting the pages are stuck together; and, well, you can see that destruction has followed your meddling. I must forbid you coming into this room again until your mother or I have given you permission.”
“Oh!” Mabel stood the picture of distress. “I am so sorry, papa,” she repeated. “I’ll never do so again. What can I do to myself?”
A little smile flickered around her father’s mouth. “I’m afraid nothing you could do would restore my book. Another copy would be almost impossible to find.”
“Where did you get this one?”
“I came across it at an auction. It was in a lot of books which were lumped together, and went very cheap.”
“Was it an auction like that at Harold’s house this afternoon?”
“Yes.”
“How much is very cheap?”
“Oh, five dollars for the lot, I think I paid.”
Mabel was very thoughtful for a few moments. Several plans were at work in her mind. Finally, seeing that herfather wanted to return to his work, she said: “I came to tell you how sorry I am, papa, and to say good-night. I think maybe, if you don’t kiss me I’d feel worse.”
“Do you want to feel worse?”
“I don’t want to, but I suppose it would do me good, and make me remember.”
“Well, my small philosopher, you completely disarm me. I confess I was very angry at first, and still feel annoyed, but if I can help your memory by withholding my usual good-night kiss, go to bed without it. Good-night, daughter.”
Mabel lingered wistfully. It was very hard to make her up mind to go without that good-night kiss, and her lips quivered as she turned away, seeing that her father meant to follow out her suggestion. But on the spot she formed a resolution to tryto replace the book if ever she could. Five dollars! that was a lot of money; more than she ever had at once, but she would save up every penny. She wondered if there were any books sold at Harold’s house that afternoon. She would ask him.
The next morning, while the family were at breakfast, Drake appeared with rather a perturbed countenance. “I’d like your advice, Mr. Ford,” he began, “So long as your lady was so good as to invite little Harold to come over here, sir, I thought, perhaps you wouldn’t mind helping me out in getting him fixed. You see, sir, when the Captain went away he said the boy was to go to his aunt, and that I was to take him as soon as I heard from her. Now she writes, or rather a nurse does, and says she’s laid up to a hospital, sannytorum, they call it, andit’ll be weeks before she’s out again, and will I look after the boy till she’s well. She seems to think I’m some sort of kin-folks to him. But you see, sir, me and my wife has a chance to go to the country to a good place, and how’ll we take the boys, we being hired help like?”
“Humph!” Mr. Ford glanced up at his wife.
Mabel slipped down from her chair and went close to her mother.
“Mamma, let him come here,” she whispered. “He hasn’t any mamma nor any sisters and brothers, nor anything. I’ll give up my room if Alice will let me sleep with her.”
“Mabel proposes that we invite Harold here,” said Mrs. Ford. “She will give up her room to him, Phillip.”
“Well, but how about you? It is somethingof a charge to take a boy into the family where there are only girls.”
“I’ll take the charge willingly.”
Mr. Ford nodded with a satisfied air. “It’s settled then, Drake. We’ll take care of the lad. Captain Evans and I are acquaintances, and I do not think he would object to the arrangement.”
“He’d be that thankful, sir,” said the old man feelingly, but he looked at Mabel, who at once understood.
“There’s the dear doggie, too. Do you mind him, mamma? He is such a darling, and Harold loves him so.”
“Let’s have the whole combination,” laughed Mr. Ford, who loved animals. “He’s a collie, isn’t he? I’ve seen him on the street and he seemed a fine fellow.”
And so it was settled that Harold and Don should enter the family for thetime being, and Mabel proceeded, forthwith, to lay her plans and to get her room ready for this newcomer. She took her dolls, her specially girly books, and certain little knicknacks into her sister’s room.
“What do boys like in their rooms?” she asked Alice.
“Oh, all sorts of funny things. Bows and arrows, and guns, and swords, and oars and fishing tackle and such things.”
“Oh!” Mabel opened her eyes at the idea of such queer taste, and she went out of the room wondering how she could supply these things.
Then she remembered that there was in the garret a hammock, which had fallen into disuse; it was something like a net, she reflected, and she dragged it forth. After many efforts, and finally resorting to a chair placed on top of atable, she managed to climb up high enough to drape the hammock in some sort of fashion over the door, viewing the result of her labors with much satisfaction. But she thought the room needed some further decoration, and she returned to the garret. After fumbling around, she discovered a pair of old boxing gloves, and a pair of foils, and at last found leaning against the wall, a dust-covered picture representing a hunting scene.
“There!” she exclaimed, “that is exactly what I want. I wonder if papa will let me have these.”
Down stairs she trudged again, and reported to her sister, who good-naturedly went to the library, since Mabel was forbidden there, and came back with her father’s consent to use the things for decoration.
Mabel was repaid for all her work when Harold, upon being ushered into the room, exclaimed: “Why this doesn’t look like a girl’s room. See those foils and those boxing gloves. It looks like some of the officer’s rooms. This is great!”
“And where is Don going to sleep?” asked Alice.
Harold’s countenance fell. “He always sleeps at the foot of my bed,” he replied, fondling his dog, who looked up wistfully, not understanding all these changes.
Mrs. Ford looked a little dubious.
“He’s very good and quiet,” said Harold, eagerly. “He never makes any noise or gives a bit of trouble. He minds every word I say to him.”
“Well, we will let him try it for a night;” agreed Mrs. Ford, “and if he behaves well there is no reason why he shouldn’t do as he has been in the habitof doing.” And Harold’s heart was completely won.
Indeed, a few days after this, Don proved himself entirely worthy of the confidence placed in him; for Mrs. Ford, hearing Alice cry out: “Oh, mother, come quick!” ran to the nursery, where she found her eldest daughter sitting on the floor, one arm around little Louie, and the other around Don, while she alternately kissed Louie’s golden head and Don’s black one, murmuring in an agitated voice: “Oh, dear little sister! Oh, Don! oh, Don!”
“Why, Alice, what in the world is the matter?” exclaimed Mrs. Ford.
“Oh, mother, mother, that blessed dog has saved our darling baby’s life,” said Alice, looking up with tears in her eyes. “Maria left Louie just for a moment, while she went down to get her milk, andasked me if I would watch her till she came back, and when I had come in she had climbed up to the window.” There was a catch in Alice’s voice and she hugged the little one closer, then she went on: “Louie had climbed up to the window, and was hanging half way out with Don holding tight to her dress with his teeth. But for him, she must fallen out and have been killed. Oh, good, brave doggie!”
Mrs. Ford caught up her baby girl, and hers were not the only tears that fell on Don’s head.
So, from that time forth, the good dog’s place was sure, and he was allowed access to any room in the house, many a time finding his way into the library, where Mr. Ford permitted him to remain, without so much as a word of protest.
All this, of course, made Harold veryhappy and he soon felt so much at home that he really dreaded the time when he should have to go to his aunt. Meanwhile, he and Mabel became the best of friends, for, as Mabel said, she liked boy’s play better than girl’s, and a bag of marbles, a top, or a ball, took her fancy much more than a doll, and the games the two children had in the garden were something beyond imagination, so exciting were they.
“Oh, it’s such fun to have a boy to play with,” Mabel would say. And the highest compliment she could receive from Harold, was: “You did that as well as any boy, Mabel.”
To be sure, it was hard, on rainy days, that Harold should be allowed the freedom of the library from which she was still barred; but Harold was very good about this, and delicately refrained from spending much time among the fascinatingbooks, even though he liked nothing better than to curl up in one of the big chairs, and pore over some old chronicles of war or history.
Mabel was very grateful to him for his consideration, although, once in a while, she did desert him for her school friends, Marie Lewis and Ethel Morris, for there was quite enough girl about Mabel for her to enjoy certain plays which Harold didn’t endorse because they were too tame. But for all this new element which furnished her with a playmate at home there was some trouble ahead for Mabel, all on account of that unfortunate book.