Part 16 (1/2)

Isn't it lonely for you all by yourself? I was going to ask Aunt Kate to make you some beef tea but perhaps you'd rather have Jenny Lind stay with you. She's splendid company and I'd be glad to loan her to you.”

She crossed the room to put the cage down beside Mr. Wells. Jenny Lind began to sing immediately as if to show Mr. Wells what splendid company she could be.

Mr. Wells raised himself on his elbow and shook a threatening fist at the canary.

”Take that d.a.m.n bird away!” he shouted. His face was red and Mary Rose was sure she could see flames darting from his eyes.

”Yes, sir! Yes, sir!” She s.n.a.t.c.hed Jenny Lind at once. ”I s-suppose she is too noisy for you yet. Mrs. Mason didn't like her when she had the nerves. But you shouldn't be alone. It's bad for you. I'm sure you need friendly company. Oh, I know the very thing!” And before the astonished and indignant invalid could say a word she had dashed out of the room.

He could hear her stumble in the hall but he did not hear her exclaim hurriedly when a door across the way opened: ”Oh, Mrs. Rawson, will you take Jenny Lind for a minute? I'll be right back for her.” She pushed the hook of the cage into the hands of the startled Mrs. Rawson and flew down the stairs.

She was back in an incredibly short time with a small gla.s.s globe that she carried very carefully. Her face shone as she tiptoed in and placed it on the table beside the invalid.

”There!” she said proudly. ”There! The perfect pets for the sickroom.

When you said Jenny Lind was too disturbing I remembered that Mr.

Jerry's Aunt Mary had these two little goldfish. Wasn't it lucky? She was glad to loan them to you and hopes you'll find them pleasant friends. They won't be any care at all. I'll come up every day and feed them if you don't feel well enough. I'd like to. Aren't they beautiful? Do you suppose all the fish in Heaven are like that, all gold and glisteny? Won't you just love to watch them? They can't sing or make any noise to annoy you. They'll be splendid company.”

”G.o.d bless my soul!” murmured Mr. Wells helplessly, when he could find breath to murmur anything. He stared at her as if he really had never seen her before.

An exclamation, like the pop of a gun, made them look at the doorway where Sako was staring at them as if he could not believe his eyes.

”Sako!” shouted Mr. Wells, angrily. ”Why did you leave the door open when you went out?”

”Wasn't it lucky he did?” asked Mary Rose, standing before him and rocking on her heels and toes as she often did when she was pleased.

”I might never have come in, if he hadn't. If there's anything I can do for you, Mr. Wells, any time, don't you hesitate to ask me. Just send the j.a.panese gentleman right down. I live in the cellar, I mean the bas.e.m.e.nt, with Aunt Kate and Uncle Larry and we'll all be only too glad to do anything to help you get well. It's horrid to be sick. You look better, I think,” critically, and indeed he was not at all pale how. He had so much color in his face that he was almost purple. ”I must go now and get Jenny Lind. I left her with Mrs. Rawson. I expect she thought I was crazy,” with a giggle as she remembered Mrs. Rawson's amazed face.

”I'll bet she did!” Mr. Wells stared after her as if he, too, thought Mary Rose was crazy. She turned in the doorway to wave her hand to him and he watched her out of sight. Then he looked at the goldfish. He had half a mind to tell Sako to throw them out. What did he want with a couple of d.a.m.ned goldfish? The child was a nuisance, an unmitigated nuisance. Children always were. That was why he lived in the Was.h.i.+ngton where they were forbidden. He would have to ask the agents what they meant by letting the place be overrun with children when there was a clause in every lease forbidding it. Mary Rose might be a friendly little soul, she might mean well, but she was an unmitigated nuisance. The Lord only knew what she would do next if she remained in the building. And she had dared to talk back to him in front of people. No, he would see that the lease was lived up to. It was his right. If he demanded protection against Mary Rose, an impudent interfering chit, he fumed, the agents would have to protect him.

”Sako!” he called sharply. ”Take these d.a.m.ned goldfish down to the Donovans. And tell Donovan to keep his niece at home. I won't have her here!”

CHAPTER XIV

Through Bob Strahan, Jimmie obtained a paper route. Mr. Jerry's Aunt Mary insisted that was work enough for him at present.

”A growing boy has to have plenty of time to eat and sleep,” she said, ”and no one is using that attic bedroom.”

”You can earn your board taking care of the lawn and lending a hand with the car. The paper route 'll stand you in for clothes and spending money,” suggested Mr. Jerry. ”Might as well take it easy while you can.”

”He's a prince, that's what he is!” Jimmie told Mary Rose somewhat chokingly, when she came over to see how George Was.h.i.+ngton and Solomon and Jimmie were doing. ”I never knew such a man.”

”Didn't you?” Mary Rose was surprised. ”Mr. Jerry is splendid but there are lots and lots of splendid people in the world, Jimmie Bronson.”

”Oh, are there!” snorted Jimmie. ”Well, I haven't seen so many of them, and that's straight. Judging from what I saw and heard that first day I was in Waloo, you've run across at least one of the other sort, too.”

Mary Rose blushed. Her inability to make friends with Mr. Wells annoyed her. ”He's got dyspepsia,” she said, as if that were an excuse. ”To tell you the truth, Jimmie Bronson, when I first came here I nearly died. I had an awful time remembering that daddy said when there were so many people in the world there were friends for everybody. The people were so different and it was so funny to have them live up and down instead of side by side. At first I thought I'd never get used to it but I did. And I have lots of friends here now.

But Waloo isn't Mifflin.” And she sighed because it wasn't.

”Mifflin!” jeered Jimmie. ”Mifflin! You can be mighty good and glad it isn't. I don't know where you got your idea of Mifflin, Mary Rose, for it's about the deadest one-horse town I ever ran across. And the people. Huh! A collection of boneheads.”