Part 23 (1/2)

”It ain't no matter fer discussion,” he said, ”but she's been into my pockets, an' thet's what I can't stand.”

”What do you steal her money for, then?” demanded Nannie.

He stared at her in stupid astonishment.

”It's you who steal!” continued Nannie in ringing tones. ”There she is, earning more than you do, and----”

”I don't know how you make that out,” said the man in a sulky tone.

”Try to hire some one to take her place, and you'll learn. She could hire your work done fast enough, but there never has been and there never will be money enough in all your horrid pockets put together to hire what she does for you and the children; and then you are so nasty, and mean, and dishonest as to clutch the money and pretend you have the right to dole out what belongs to her. I wonder you aren't ashamed to be alive!”

He certainly did look ashamed now. He had probably never before viewed matters from this point.

”Well, I don't suppose I done just the right thing. I'm not going ter deny it, but money comes hard, anyhow.”

”And her life is hard enough, anyhow, without your making it harder by tyrannizing over her.”

Here one of the five little ones began to cry, and the mother started forward to take it, but Nannie intercepted her.

”You go and get your dinner,” she said. ”I'll look after the children.”

And taking the two youngest in her arms she coaxed the others along, and they all went out into the warm, pleasant sunlight, and there Nannie sang to them, told them stories, washed their dirty little faces, and mothered them generally until their own poor mother could recover herself and their father had time to see the error of his way and repent.

The sun was setting when Nannie wended her way homeward. She dreaded to see Steve, but found relief in the thought that he would probably appear as usual. When she learned that he had not returned she felt surprised, but decided not to wait dinner, and so ate alone.

She spent the evening at her cousin's house. She did not quite dare to go to Constance's, for she instinctively felt that Constance would heartily disapprove of her leaving home in that way at a time when her husband was likely to be alone.

Returning, she found the house dark. Steve had probably retired, and she remembered she had given Bridget permission to go to the city for the night to look after a sick cousin. Something impelled her to do an unusual thing--open Steve's door a crack and peep in. He was not there.

The shock of this discovery was so great that for a moment Nannie was almost too bewildered to know what she did, and was half frightened when she found herself at the front door calling ”Steve! Steve!”

The leaves rustling on the trees in the soft night wind was her only answer, and she closed the door with a feeling of desolate misery new to her experience.

At no time was she afraid. The fact of her being alone in the house merely served to emphasize her realization of her loss, for she had no doubt that Steve had left her. There was no resentment in her att.i.tude now; she felt that she deserved her fate. None the less she also felt that she could not endure it--could not live without Steve. And yet she had told him that very day that she had neither love nor respect for him. How could he stay with her after that?

The night pa.s.sed somehow, and morning found Nannie with a white face, save where the shadows rested 'neath her large eyes.

Bridget had not yet come home, and she could not endure to stay alone any longer, so she wrapped a little parcel and started over to Constance's. The parcel was one of a set of articles she was learning to make. Some weeks before this she had appeared at Constance's one day, and unrolling a large bundle she carried, had spread upon the latter's bed a quant.i.ty of tiny clothing, cut and made in most original fas.h.i.+on.

”Why, Nannie!” exclaimed Constance, who had no other idea than that they were meant for little baby Chance. ”How lovely of you! Thank you ever so much!”

”They're not for you,” said Nannie in her crude way. ”They're mine.”

The chagrin and embarra.s.sment Constance might have felt over her mistake was swallowed up now in her amazement and delight.

”Yours! Oh, Nannie, I'm so glad.”

”I haven't any use for them,” said Nannie, bluntly, ”but”--and here there was a hardly perceptible quiver of her lips--”I just wanted them around.”