Part 13 (2/2)
Grandma looked about her with a keen interrogative eye, and was much impressed, as, indeed, were they all. She voiced their feelings justly when, the true inwardness of this pleasant home bursting fully upon them, she exclaimed:
”Well, of all things! A man keeping house!”
”Why not?” asked Dr. Hale with his dry smile. ”Is there any deficiency, mental or physical, about a man, to prevent his attempting this abstruse art?”
She looked at him sharply. ”I don't know about deficiency, but there seems to be somethin' about 'em that keeps 'em out of the business. I guess it's because women are so cheap.”
”No doubt you are right, Mrs. Pettigrew. And here women are scarce and high. Hence my poor efforts.”
His poor efforts had bought or built a roomy pleasant house, and furnished it with a solid comfort and calm attractiveness that was most satisfying. Two Chinamen did the work; cooking, cleaning, was.h.i.+ng, waiting on table, with silent efficiency. ”They are as steady as eight-day clocks,” said Dr. Hale. ”I pay them good wages and they are worth it.”
”Sun here had to go home once--to be married, also, to see his honored parents, I believe, and to leave a grand-'Sun' to attend to the ancestors; but he brought in another c.h.i.n.k first and trained him so well that I hardly noticed the difference. Came back in a year or so, and resumed his place without a jar.”
Miss Elder watched with fascinated eyes these soft-footed servants with clean, white garments and s.h.i.+ny coils of long, braided hair.
”I may have to come to it,” she admitted, ”but--dear me, it doesn't seem natural to have a man doing housework!”
Dr. Hale smiled again. ”You don't want men to escape from dependence, I see. Perhaps, if more men knew how comfortably they could live without women, the world would be happier.” There was a faint wire-edge to his tone, in spite of the courteous expression, but Miss Elder did not notice it and if Mrs. Pettigrew did, she made no comment.
They noted the varied excellences of his housekeeping with high approval.
”You certainly know how, Dr. Hale,” said Miss Orella; ”I particularly admire these beds--with the sheets b.u.t.toned down, German fas.h.i.+on, isn't it? What made you do that?”
”I've slept so much in hotels,” he answered; ”and found the sheets always inadequate to cover the blankets--and the marks of other men's whiskers! I don't like blankets in my neck. Besides it saves was.h.i.+ng.”
Mrs. Pettigrew nodded vehemently. ”You have sense,” she said.
The labor-saving devices were a real surprise to them. A ”chute” for soiled clothing shot from the bathroom on each floor to the laundry in the bas.e.m.e.nt; a dumbwaiter of construction large and strong enough to carry trunks, went from cellar to roof; the fireplaces dropped their ashes down mysterious inner holes; and for the big one in the living-room a special ”lift” raised a box of wood up to the floor level, hidden by one of the ”settles.”
”Saves work--saves dirt--saves expense,” said Dr. Hale.
Miss Hale and her niece secretly thought the rooms rather bare, but Dr. Bellair was highly in favor of that very feature.
”You see d.i.c.k don't believe in jimcracks and dirt-catchers, and he likes sunlight. Books all under gla.s.s--no curtains to wash and darn and fuss with--none of those fancy pincus.h.i.+ons and embroidered thingummies--I quite envy him.”
”Why don't you have one yourself, Johnny?” he asked her.
”Because I don't like housekeeping,” she said, ”and you do. Masculine instinct, I suppose!”
”Huh!” said Mrs. Pettigrew with her sudden one-syllable chuckle.
The girls followed from room to room, scarce noticing these comments, or the eager politeness of the four pleasant-faced young fellows who formed the doctor's present family. She could not but note the intelligent efficiency of the place, but felt more deeply the underlying spirit, the big-brotherly kindness which prompted his hospitable care of these nice boys. It was delightful to hear them praise him.
”O, he's simply great,” whispered Archie Burns, a ruddy-cheeked young Scotchman. ”He pretends there's nothing to it--that he wants company--that we pay for all we get--and that sort of thing, you know; but this is no boarding house, I can tell you!” And then he flushed till his very hair grew redder--remembering that the guests came from one.
”Of course not!” Vivian cordially agreed with him. ”You must have lovely times here. I don't wonder you appreciate it!” and she smiled so sweetly that he felt at ease again.
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