Part 69 (2/2)
”Mother, Mother!” she stumbled, ”oh, I want her, Sister Ann! I want her!
Will you take me to her? She's sweet and--and mine!” She made the last statement in a low voice directly to Vandecar.
”Yes, and I'm your father, Fledra,” he whispered. He longed for her to be glad in him--longed now as never before.
Fledra's eyes sought Cronk's. He had forgotten her; Katherine alone held his attention. Timidly she raised her arms and drew down her father's face to hers.
”I'm glad, I'm awful glad that you're mine--and you're Floyd's, too. Oh, I'm so glad! And you say--my mother--”
”Yes, Dear,” Vandecar murmured, deeply moved; ”a beautiful mother, who is waiting and longing for her girl. Dear G.o.d, how thankful I am to be able to restore you to her!”
The governor held her close, while he told her of her babyhood and the story of the kidnapping, refraining from mentioning Cronk's name. It took sometime to impress upon her that all need of apprehension was past, that her future cast with her own dear ones was safe, and that Lem and Lon were but as shadows of other days.
Katherine, weeping with despair, was sitting close to Lon. She knew without being told that the father she had just found had lost from his memory all of the bitterness of the years gone by. He had gone back to his Midge, and now centered upon his newly found child the ident.i.ty of this dead woman. It was better so, even Katherine admitted; for he was meek and tender, wholly unlike the sullen, ugly man they had seen earlier in the evening. The squatter's condition made it impossible to allow Katherine to be with him, and they dared not leave him alone in the hut. Later, when they were making plans for Cronk's future, Vandecar said:
”We can't leave him here, Ann dear. Can't we take him with us, Katherine?”
”It's the only thing I can see to do,” replied Ann, with catching breath.
”You'll come with him and me, Katherine, and we'll take him to the car, while he is subdued. You, Ann, dress that child, and wait here for Horace. I'll come back directly. I must place Cronk with the conductor, for fear--”
”Don't be long,” begged Ann. ”I'm so afraid!”
”No, only long enough to signal the train and get them aboard. You must be brave, dear girl, and we must all remember what he has suffered. His heart is as big as the world, and I can't forget that, indirectly, I brought this upon him.” He turned his glance upon the squatter, and Katherine's eyes followed his. The lines about Lon's mouth had softened with tenderness, his eyes were filled with adoration. Katherine flashed him back a sad smile.
”The little Midge!” murmured Lon. ”I'll never steal ag'in--never! And I'll jest fish and work fer my little woman--my pretty woman!”
Vandecar rose and went to the squatter.
”Lon,” he said, placing a hand upon the rough jacket, ”will you bring your little--” He was about to say daughter, but changed the word to ”Midge,” and continued, ”Will you bring Midge to my car and come to Tarrytown with us?”
Cronk stared vacantly.
”Nope,” he drawled; ”I'll stay here in the hut with Midge. It's dark, and she's afraid of ghosts. I'll never steal ag'in, Mister, so I can't get pinched.”
Vandecar still insisted:
”But won't you let your little girl come back and get her clothes? And you, too, can come to our home, for--for a visit.” His face crimsoned as he prevaricated.
But Lon still shook his head.
”A squatter woman's place be in her home with her man,” he said.
Vandecar turned helplessly upon Katherine.
”You persuade him,” he entreated in an undertone.
Katherine whispered her desire in her father's ear.
”We'll go only for a few days,” she promised.
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