Part 16 (2/2)
”Well,” and Drusilla laughed, ”he didn't exactly mention your name, but he said I should have a doctor for the baby.”
”I thought Mr. Thornton wasn't recommending me. Didn't he mention Dr. Rathman?”
”Perhaps he did, but Miss Daphne seemed to feel that he was too old to answer a hurry call like this, so we sort of compromised, at least Daphne and me did, on you.”
There was a slight flush on the young man's face that did not miss the keen eyes of Drusilla.
”Oh,” he said, ”I see.” And then, in an attempt to change the subject: ”Is this a new baby of Donald's? I haven't seen him around here before.”
”No,” said Drusilla; ”this is _my_ baby.”
Dr. Eaton looked at her, and then laughed with her.
”Now what should I say, Miss Doane--many happy returns of the day, or--”
”You jest say, Dr. Eaton, 'This _is_ a fine baby.' But come up to the house and have breakfast with me. I clean forgot it. And we'll talk it all over.”
They went slowly up the graveled walk to the breakfast-room, and over the coffee and the cakes Drusilla explained the unexpected arrival of the baby.
”Now you know as much about it as I do,” she ended; ”and I suppose you'll say with Mr. Thornton that I'm a foolish old woman to say I'll take it. But it won't do you no good. I'm goin' to have my way, and I've found out in the last few weeks that I can get it, and I'm afraid it's spoilin' me. I'm goin' to keep the baby.”
The doctor leaned back in his chair. ”May I light a cigarette?
Thanks. That breakfast was corking. Now, about the baby. I think you are right. Why shouldn't you keep the baby?”
”That's what I said--why shouldn't I?”
”No reason in the world why you shouldn't.”
”I like you, Dr. Eaton. I like you more and more; and I see you understand how I feel. Here I am, an old woman all alone in this big house, with nothin' to do, and a lot of pesky servants that stand around and don't earn their salt, jest a-waitin' on me. I've always wanted babies, but never had a chance to have 'em, and I've jest spent my heart lovin' other people's, and seein' 'em in other people's arms and mine empty. Now I git a chance to have a baby most my own and I ain't goin' to lose it.”
The doctor looked at her face for a few moments in silence, and beneath the lines he saw the loneliness of the heart-hungry little old woman and he understood.
”You are perfectly right, Miss Doane. There's nothing like a baby in all the world. It'll give you something to do and think about and it'll bring suns.h.i.+ne into the house. I envy you. Every time I go down to the 'home' where I look after the health of some kiddies, I wish I could bundle every one of them up and take them to a real home with me.”
”That's what Mr. Thornton wanted me to do with it--put it in a home.
I've lived in a home, Dr. Eaton, and though I wasn't treated bad and had all the comforts of four walls and enough to eat, such as it was, it ain't a place to die in, and it sure ain't a place to grow up in.”
”You're right again, Miss Doane. The kiddies up at our place get a bed and clothes and plenty of food; but there's something they don't get and that something is going to count in their life. They grow up without love, and are turned out on the world just little machines that have been taught that the world goes round at the tap of a bell.
They've missed something that they can never get, and if they win out in life it's because they've got something pretty big inside of them which they've had to fight for all by themselves. And any fight is hard when it is made alone without a little tenderness to help over the hard places. Why, when I see the girls all in checked ap.r.o.ns, hair braided in two braids tied with a blue cord, all the boys in blue with hats just exactly alike with blue bands on them--all going to dinner at a regular time--all eating oatmeal out of a blue bowl, all just part of a thing that turns babies into a lot of little jelly-molds like a hundred other little jelly-molds--well, Miss Doane, it hurts something way deep inside of me. Keep the baby, Miss Doane, for your own sake and for the baby's.”
”I'm glad you see it my way. I'd made up my mind already, but you make it easier for me. I wonder that I'll do with it at first?”
”Why don't you let the gardener's wife keep it until you can find out what you really want to do. You can pay her and she'll be glad to earn the extra money. It won't cost much.”
”I ain't thinkin' about the cost. I'm jest glad to get a chance to spend some money. Mr. Thornton come to me the other day and talked most an hour about the investment of my income, and when I got it through my head what he meant, I learnt that he has to hunt up ways to put out the money that's comin' to me all the time, so's it'll make more money. Now I don't want to invest my income, or save it. I want to spend it, and I don't see no better way than taking babies.”
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