CHAPTER IXThe Gray Kitten
CHAPTER IXThe Gray Kitten
Itwas a very subdued and wan little Adele who was helped into the house by the doctor, who remained to explain the situation, while Ezra took Jessie home. Poor Miss Betty was overcome at sight of her niece with her arm in splints and looking so pale. “Child! child!” she cried. “What has happened? We have been so anxious about you. At first we thought you had gone home with Jessie, but Otto said he saw you driving in an opposite direction.” She turned to the doctor. “What has happened?” she asked tremulously.
“It seems the young ladies were crossing the track just there by the cut and the wheel caught in the track, upsetting their cart and throwing them out. Fortunately there is no worse damage done than a broken arm and a broken cart.”
“The horse ran away!” exclaimed Miss Betty.
“Not a bit of it. Fine little beast that he is,he stood stock still. Little Loomis girl was thrown into some bushes. She was stunned by the fall, but seems all right otherwise except for a few bruises. She was a little Trojan, Ezra Limpett tells me, and tramped across that dangerous railroad bridge to get help. You’d better have this child put to bed, Miss Hallett, and I see you look rather the worse for wear yourself.”
“I’ve had one of my headaches,” replied Miss Betty, passing her hand over her forehead.
“Humph! Fine time to take for explorations. I gather that’s what the youngsters were doing. At least my wife says so.” The doctor spoke as if he had no patience with such doings.
Miss Betty turned a troubled face upon Adele. “Oh, my child, how could you?” she exclaimed. “Didn’t you know we do not allow you to go out of sight of the house?”
Adele burst into loud sobs. “There, there,” said Miss Betty, soothingly; “I am sure you have had punishment enough, and I won’t scold, but I wish your father had never bought you that pony. I shall never have an easy day after this.”
“The pony is all right,” declared the doctor. “He had the good sense not to run when he feltthe wheel going. He is a fine little fellow and it is due to his good behavior that the children came to no worse mishap. I’ll leave a quieting draught for the child, Miss Hallett, and something for that head of yours.”
“My head was better,” said Miss Betty weakly.
“This won’t come amiss,” replied the doctor, putting a few tablets into a small phial. “Get the child to bed and go yourself. I’ll come again in the morning.”
So while those in the yellow house were looking after Adele, Jessie was being driven home behind Ezra’s old white horse and was delivered safe, if not quite sound, into her mother’s arms.
As it was getting late Mrs. Loomis was getting anxious, and was about to send Max to the Halletts’ after his little sister. Ezra had not waited for thanks, but as soon as he had set Jessie safely down before her own door he drove off at as rapid a pace as his old horse could travel. At Jessie’s sudden appearance looking as if she had been through the wars her mother cried out: “Why, my child, what is the matter? How did you get such a scratched face? and look at your stocking torn to shreds.”
“Well, I vow!” exclaimed Walter, “you do look a sight! Been climbing trees, I bet.”
“Indeed I’ve not,” returned Jessie. “I can climb trees, but I haven’t done it to-day. I’ll tell you, mother, but I don’t want to before Walter.”
“Oh, all right,” said that person indifferently, “I don’t want to know.”
Jessie slipped her hand into her mother’s.
“Come up-stairs,” she said in a whisper, “and I’ll show you my leg.”
“Your leg?” Mrs. Loomis began to look alarmed, and led Jessie up-stairs. “My dear child,” she said when they had entered Jessie’s little room, “what has happened?”
“It wasn’t my fault, indeed it wasn’t,” began Jessie trying to be brave, but now that she was in the safe harbor of her mother’s arms, feeling that she could not keep back the tears. “I tried to make Adele stop, and not go out of sight, but she just would and would go further and further. She was bent and determined to go as far as she could, and I was afraid to let her go off by herself, and yet I knew it wasn’t right for us to be driving out of sight. I truly didn’t know whatto do, mother. She wouldn’t let me drive nor get out nor anything and she wouldn’t go back, so all I could do was to sit still. Then she drove bias across the railroad truck, and the wheel caught, and we were tipped out. I fell down into some bushes and got an awful bruise. Just see.” She displayed a large black and blue surface to her mother.
“Why, you poor child, that certainly is a bruise. I must bathe it after a while. But now go on with your story.” Mrs. Loomis’s hands trembled as she held Jessie closer.
“Then,” continued the little girl, “when I came to my senses I didn’t see Adele at first, but I saw Dapple Gray standing quite still by the railroad track. A cart-wheel was off and the cart was tipped down the bank. But wasn’t Dapple Gray good not to move?”
“He was indeed, but oh, my little daughter, I dare not think what might have happened. Suppose a train had been coming along.”
“One did whistle. It was a freight train, I think, but it must have passed before we got there. Well, I picked myself up and found Adele sitting there crying about her arm. She hasbroken it, mother, but we didn’t know it then and there wasn’t any house nearer than Ezra’s so I went there.” She hesitated for a moment before going on. “It was so much nearer not to go across the foot-bridge, so I went the other way.”
“Oh, Jessie!” Mrs. Loomis turned pale.
“Yes, I did. I knew that perhaps I ought not, but it would save time, you see. I did get awfully dizzy just in the middle, but I shut my eyes and said,
“‘God shall charge His angel legionsWatch and ward o’er thee to keep,’
“‘God shall charge His angel legionsWatch and ward o’er thee to keep,’
“‘God shall charge His angel legions
Watch and ward o’er thee to keep,’
and presently I felt all right, so I got over safely and found Ezra—oh, dear, he hasn’t had his supper. Isn’t that too bad!—and Kitty washed my face and fixed me up while Ezra and Mark went for Adele and took her to the doctor. Then they stopped for me and we all took Adele home and then Ezra brought me.”
“My darling child, what a dreadful time you have had,” exclaimed Mrs. Loomis.
“I haven’t told any one but you about Adele, mother, truly I haven’t. I never said to any onethat it was her fault. Could I help it happening? What ought I to have done?”
Mrs. Loomis was silent for a moment. “It was a very hard position for a little girl, so hard that I do not see how I can consent to your being thrown with so wilful a child as Adele. I am afraid for the consequences.”
“Oh, mother!” There were surprise and regret in Jessie’s tones. “Am I never to play with her again, poor Adele! And am I never to go to the yellow house? Not for lessons or anything? Oh, mother!”
“I shall have to think it over, dear, and have a talk with your father before we can decide. It is a very serious matter for us to have our only dear little girl placed in such danger as you were in to-day. So far as you were concerned I really do not see how you can be blamed, and you tried to be brave and noble for Adele’s sake, but we must make it impossible for such a thing to happen again. Now, come down and have some supper, and then I think you’d better go to bed, for it has been a very exciting day for you. There will be no lessons to-morrow and you’d better not get up very early.” She did not say thatshe still felt anxious lest Jessie had suffered more from the accident than at once appeared.
The next morning Jessie woke up feeling stiff and sore, and was glad when Max came up with her breakfast. He had added some ripe persimmons to her bill of fare and was so kind and solicitous that Jessie quite enjoyed the reputation of invalid. Walter, too, poked his head in the door and asked how she was feeling, blundering out a half apology by saying, “Why didn’t you tell a fellow what was the matter when you came in?” Then he tossed a little pale pink rose on the bed and ran away. The rose was the last of the season and he had found it braving the frost which had sweetened the persimmons. Minerva, also, came up with a plate of tiny hot biscuits which she had baked especially for the little girl.
Later in the day Max was sent over to inquire how Adele was, and brought back the report that she was doing very well but had had a feverish night. By the time Max had returned Jessie had found bed rather a tiresome place and so had begged to be allowed to get up and come down.
Her father looked her over, asked many questions and finally decided that the big bruise washer worst hurt and that she could go out and in as she pleased. “Run out-of-doors all you want to,” he said, “but don’t get tired out,” so Jessie availed herself of this permission and concluded to go hunt up the boys.
She found them in the barn amusing themselves with Eb. He had learned to say, “Hallo!” and was walking back and forth on a beam, cocking his eye and looking down at the boys below.
“He’s a funny fellow,” said Max as Jessie came in. “I’d like to take him back to school. We’re going Monday. Carl is all right, they say.”
“It certainly would make the children laugh and playTo see a crow at school,”
“It certainly would make the children laugh and playTo see a crow at school,”
“It certainly would make the children laugh and play
To see a crow at school,”
said Jessie laughing.
“Jessie had a little crowAs black as you can think.It followed her to school one dayAnd drank up all the ink,”
“Jessie had a little crowAs black as you can think.It followed her to school one dayAnd drank up all the ink,”
“Jessie had a little crow
As black as you can think.
It followed her to school one day
And drank up all the ink,”
said Max.
“Ho, I can do better than that,” boasted Walter.
“Jessie had a little crowAs black as any sloeAnd everywhere that Jessie wentThe crow was sure to go.”
“Jessie had a little crowAs black as any sloeAnd everywhere that Jessie wentThe crow was sure to go.”
“Jessie had a little crow
As black as any sloe
And everywhere that Jessie went
The crow was sure to go.”
“What is a sloe?” asked Jessie.
“I’m sure I don’t know,” said Walter. “Ask Max. He is the walking dictionary.”
“It is a kind of plum, I believe,” Max told them.
“I never saw a plum as black as Ebon is,” said Jessie, stroking the shining feathers of the bird who had flown down and was sitting on her wrist.
“And I suppose you never saw a green rose, but I have,” returned Max.
“Where did you see it?” Jessie asked.
“In a greenhouse, Mr. Atkinson’s.”
“Well, I suppose plums could be black,” said Jessie persuaded that Max knew what he was talking about.
“Look at Eb pecking at your buttons, Jess,” said Walter. “He has one almost off.”
Jessie wore a red jacket whose bright buttons pleased Ebon’s fancy. “He is getting to be a great mischief,” she said. “He tried to carry off mother’s thimble yesterday. Go ’long, Eb. Gopretend you are a chicken or something. Max, will you go with me to Effie Hinsdale’s to get my kitten? It is big enough now, and if I am not to go to Adele’s any more I shall need the kitten.”
“Let’s go with her,” proposed Walter. “Then we can see Jack and some of the other boys. We’ll go, Jess.”
Walter was very amiable to-day, Jessie thought. He really loved his little sister, and the fact that she had been in great danger the day before made him realize what it would be to lose her.
“We might get both kittens,” said Jessie, “and then we could leave Adele’s for her on our way home. She will be so glad to have it now that she has a broken arm and no one to play with.”
“Do you suppose her father will sell Dapple Gray?” said Walter. “I wish our father could buy him.”
“Adele would feel awfully to have him sold,” said Jessie. “Oh, dear!” she drew a long sigh.
“What’s the matter?” asked Max anxiously.
“Nothing much. I was only thinking what a pity it is that things can’t always go right.”
“I don’t see what possessed you two to go off that way,” said Walter reading her thoughts.
“I don’t either,” returned Jessie turning away. “I’m going up to the house now to get a basket for the kittens.”
“I don’t believe she had a thing to do with it,” said Max to his brother when Jessie was out of hearing. “I’ll bet it was the Hallett girl that wanted to have her way, and Jess won’t tell on her.”
“That’s pretty decent of Jess then,” said Walter, “and it was pretty fine of that pony not to bolt when the wheel came off. I’ll tell you a pony like that is worth having. Ezra said he stood as still as a post till they led him away.”
“I reckon Mr. Hallett won’t want to give him up,” returned Max.
“But he’ll not let those two kids go driving off by themselves again,” remarked Walter with the superiority of his years, which were but two more than Jessie’s.
Jessie with her two brothers made the visit to the Hinsdales, and Jessie bore away the gray kitten in triumph, but her pleasure was marred by finding that the black kitten had been given to a cousin of the cook’s, so there was none for Adele.
“I am so sorry,” said Effie, “but Adele shall have first choice of the next batch.”
“She’ll be dreadfully disappointed,” said Jessie sadly.
“I am so sorry,” repeated Effie, “and if there were one left she should have it, but we never take the last one from Tippy, you see; that wouldn’t be right, and yours is the last one left to give.”
Jessie hugged her own furry darling to her, and, the boys having called out that they couldn’t wait any longer, she was obliged to join them, but all the way home she was struggling with a problem. Ought she to give up the gray kitten to Adele? Poor Adele had no brothers and no mother, and, if Jessie must give her up, she would have no playmate. Although Adele had been the means of getting them both into serious trouble, Jessie felt the sorrier for her on account of her very naughtiness, and somehow could only think of her friend as she was in her most charming moods. When she chose, Adele could be the most fascinating of companions, and Jessie believed that her love was very genuine, so the more she thought of it the more she felt that she ought to give up the kitten.
However, she decided not to make up her mind right away, and in the meantime she need not let Adele know that the gray kitten had been taken away from Effie’s. But while she was weighing the matter in her own mind came a note from Adele that settled the question. It arrived the next morning, and was the outcome of a visit from Effie who had literally let the cat out of the bag when she went to see how Adele was. The note ran thus:
“You don’t love me, for you haven’t been to see me and I suppose you think I am too bad to play with. You can go to your old Polly and stay with her all the time. I shall not trubble you, but I want my Peter Pan and I know Polly has stoled him to spite me. Efy says you have your kiten. What made you take it when there wassent any for me? Oh, I am verry miserble with nobuddy to play with. If Polly dossent send back my Peter Pan I am going to burn her up. Her scraggy hair would make a luvly blaze.“Your forsakened frend,“Adele.”
“You don’t love me, for you haven’t been to see me and I suppose you think I am too bad to play with. You can go to your old Polly and stay with her all the time. I shall not trubble you, but I want my Peter Pan and I know Polly has stoled him to spite me. Efy says you have your kiten. What made you take it when there wassent any for me? Oh, I am verry miserble with nobuddy to play with. If Polly dossent send back my Peter Pan I am going to burn her up. Her scraggy hair would make a luvly blaze.
“Your forsakened frend,“Adele.”
At the end was a tear-stained postscript which read: “I did love you. I did, I did.”
Evidently Adele was in one of her worstmoods and was feeling very remorseful and unhappy. This Jessie knew, but at the same time she was indignant that Adele should still harp upon Polly’s wickedness. Of course it was very absurd for her to say such things, for how could Polly steal anything? Yet the note quite decided Jessie not to give up the gray kitten, and her pity for Adele suffered a change.