Part 15 (1/2)
”So we kin, Mother, so we kin”; he nodded his head, surprised. He plunged his hands into his pockets, as if expecting to find them filled with gold. ”Wonder ef Sam'l wouldn't lend me a dollar or so in small change. Ef I only had somethin' ter jingle, mebbe I could git closer to this fac'.” He drew her to him, and gave her waist a jovial squeeze.
”Hy-guy, Mother, we're rich! Hain't it splendid?”
Their laughter rang out together--trembling, near-to-tears laughter.
The old place, the old chair, the old way, and--plenty! Plenty to mend the s.h.i.+ngles. Aye, plenty to rebuild the house, if they chose. Plenty with which to win back the smiles of Angy's garden. The dreadful dream of need, and lack, and want, of feeding at the hand of charity, was gone by.
Plenty! Ah, the goodness and greatness of G.o.d! Plenty! Abe wanted to cry it out from the housetops. He wanted all the world to hear. He wished that he might gather his wealth together and drop it piece by piece among the mult.i.tude. To give where he had been given, to blossom with abundance where he had withered with penury!
The little wife read his thoughts. ”We'll save jest enough fer ourselves ter keep us in comfort the rest of our lives an' bury us decent.”
They were quiet a long while, both sitting with bowed heads as if in prayer; but presently Angy raised her face with an exclamation of dismay:
”Don't it beat all, that it happened jest tew late ter git in this week's 'Sh.o.r.eville Herald'!”
”Tew late?” exclaimed the new-fledged capitalist. ”Thar hain't nothin'
tew late fer a man with money. We'll hire the editor tew git out another paper, fust thing ter-morrer!”
XXI
”OUR BELOVED BROTHER”
The services of the ”Sh.o.r.eville Herald,” however, were not required to spread the news. The happiest and proudest couple on Long Island saw their names with the story of their sudden accession to wealth in a great New York daily the very next morning.
A tall, old gentleman with a real ”barber's hair-cut,” a s.h.i.+ning, new high hat, a suit of ”store clothes” which fitted as if they had been made for him, a pair of fur gloves, and brand-new ten-dollar boots; and a remarkably pretty, old lady in a violet bonnet, a long black velvet cape, with new shoes as well as new kid gloves, and a big silver-fox m.u.f.f--this was the couple that found the paper spread out on the hall table at the Old Ladies' Home, with the sisters gathered around it, peering at it, weeping over it, laughing, both sorrowing and rejoicing.
”This'll be good-by ter Brother Abe,” Aunt Nancy had sniffed when the news came over the telephone the day before; and though Miss Abigail had a.s.sured her that she knew Abe would come to see them real often, the matriarch still failed to be consoled.
”Hain't you noticed, gals,” she persisted, ”that thar hain't been a death in the house sence we took him in? An' I missed my reg'lar spell o' bronchitis last winter an' this one tew--so fur,” she added dismally, and began to cough and lay her hands against her chest. ”That was allus the way when I was a young 'un,” she continued after a while; ”I never had a pet dog or cat or even a tame chicken that it didn't up an' run erway sooner or later. This here loss, gals, 'll be the death o' me!
Naow, mark my words!”
Then followed a consultation among the younger sisters, the result of which was that they met Abe in the morning with a unanimous pet.i.tion.
They could neither ask nor expect him to remain; that was impossible, but--
”Hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!” cried Abe, waving an imaginary flag as he entered. ”Sam'l dropped us at the gate. Him an' Blossy went on ter see Holmes tew d.i.c.ker erbout buyin' back the old place. Takes Blossy an'
Sam'l tew dew business. They picked out my clothes between them yist'day arternoon deown ter Injun village, in the Emporium. Haow yew like 'em?
Splendid, eh? See my yaller silk handkerchief, tew? We jest dropped in ter git our things. We thought mebbe yew'd want ter slick up the room an' git ready fer the new--”
He was allowed to say no more. The sisters, who had been kissing and hugging Angy one by one, now swooped upon him. He was hugged, too, with warm, generous congratulation, his hands were both shaken until they ached, and his clothes and Angy's silently admired. But no one said a word, for not one of the sisters was able to speak. Angy, thinking that she divined a touch of jealousy, hastened to throw off her wrap and display the familiar old worn silk gown beneath.
”I told Abe I jest wouldn't git a new silk until you each had one made tew. Blossy sent for the samples. Blossy--”
”All I need's a shroud,” interrupted Aunt Nancy grimly.
Angy and Abe both stared at her. She did look gray this morning. She did seem feeble and her cough did sound hollow. The other sisters glanced also at Aunt Nancy, and Sarah Jane took her hand, while she nudged Mrs.
Homan with her free elbow and Mrs. Homan nudged Ruby Lee and Ruby Lee glanced at Lazy Daisy and Lazy Daisy drawled out meaningly:
”Miss Abigail!”