Part 41 (1/2)

To save Tunis! She was fairly obsessed by that thought. Her vow before the picture of Tunis' mother in the _Seamew's_ cabin must be in Sheila's view to the very end. She had a sufficient share of that vision of the Celt to be deeply impressed by a promise made as that had been made--though in secret. It was a sacred pledge.

It was no easy matter for any of the Ball household to consider the coming of Ida May with serenity. Prudence, at heart, shrank from the claimant on her hospitality almost as much as Sheila did. If Cap'n Ira hid his perturbation better than the others, he nevertheless hobbled about with a very solemn countenance.

”I swan!” he muttered within Sheila's hearing. ”It's most like there was a corpse in the house. This ain't no way to live. I do wish Elder Minnett could have minded his own business and let well enough alone. Let the girl talk, and other folks, too. Trying to stop gossip is like trying to put your finger on a drop of quicksilver.

There won't be no good come o' that girl being here. That's as sure as sure.”

The elder's car came wheezing up the hill again about the middle of the forenoon. He did not alight himself, but Ida May needed the presence of n.o.body to lend her a.s.surance. She hopped out of the car with her bag and flaunted her cheap finery through the gate and in at the front door.

Her reception at this end of the house marked the unmistakable fact that Prudence and Cap'n Ira received her as a stranger rather than in a confidential way.

”Well, Aunt Prue! For you are my aunt whatever you may say,” was Ida May's prologue. ”And you are my uncle,” she added, her greenish-brown eyes flas.h.i.+ng a glance at the grimly observant captain. ”I must say it's pretty shabby treatment I've got from you so far. But I don't blame you--not at all. I blame that girl and Tunis Latham.”

”Avast there!” put in Cap'n Ira so sternly and with so threatening a tone of voice and visage that even Ida May was silenced. ”We've let you come here, my girl, because Elder Minnett asked us to; and not at all because our opinion of you is changed. Far from it. You're here on sufferance and you'd best be civil spoken while you remain.

Ain't that the ticket, Prudence?”

His wife nodded, in full accord with his statement of the situation, although she could not bear to look so sternly on any person as Cap'n Ira now looked at Ida May.

”Well! I like that!” sniffed the girl, tossing her head, but she actually shrank from the captain.

”Furthermore, as regards Tunis Latham, you was to say nothing about him outside of this house if you was let come here. And I warn you, we don't care to hear nothing in his disfavor _in_ this house.”

”Oh! I can see he's a favorite with you,” muttered Ida May.

”Then trim your sails according,” admonished the old man. ”In addition, you mentioned the young woman we already got here in a way we don't like none too well. I want to impress on your mind that it was only through her saying she was agreeable to your coming here that we agreed to the elder's request and let you come.”

”She did, eh?” cried Ida May, flouncing in her chair. ”Well, I don't thank her.”

”No. I cal'late you ain't of a thanking disposition,” said Cap'n Ira. ”But you like enough won't drop your bread b.u.t.ter-side down.

That's all.”

Ida May, startled by his speech, stared with less impudence at the old man. For his part, the captain watched her pretty closely, and he had met and judged too many people in his day not to form gradually, as the hours pa.s.sed, a decided opinion regarding Ida May.

Nor did he cling to his first impression--the one made in haste and some vexation, when she had first tried to thrust herself into the Ball household and demanded the place filled by Sheila Macklin. This girl certainly was not insane. But with all her apparent smartness, Cap'n Ira easily saw that she was not intelligent--that she had scarcely ordinary understanding. Beside the newcomer's shallow nature and even more shallow endowments, Sheila seemed to be from a different world.

”I swan!” whispered Cap'n Ira to Prudence some time later. ”The difference between them two girls! They ain't to be spoke of in the same county, I declare. Look at that one, Prudence,” he said, with a side glance at the newcomer. ”Ain't she a sight with them thin and flashy clothes?”

”I can't see anything about her that looks like any of the Honeys, let alone Sarah.”

”Huh! No. Only that her hair's sorter red,” returned Cap'n Ira, ”like Sarah's was.”

The visitor proved her position in the household by sitting idly in a rocking-chair looking over some pictures which were on the table or staring out of the window. She offered to do nothing for Prudence. But, of course, Ida May was not very domestic. Living in a furnished room and working behind the counter in a department store does not develop the domestic virtues to any appreciable degree.

She did not see Sheila until dinner was on the table and she was called to the meal with Cap'n Ira and the old woman. The stiff, little bow with which Ida May favored the girl in possession was returned by the latter quite as formally.

Sheila had regained complete control of voice and face now. Although she did not actually address Ida May, her manner was such that there was no restraint put upon the company. It was the newcomer's manner, if anything, that curtailed the usual friendly intercourse at the Ball table.

Ida May possessed some powers of observation. She would have said herself that she was able to ”put two and two together.” The way the meal had been cooked, the way it was served, and the work entailed in doing both these things, were matters not overlooked by the visitor.

She knew that Prudence had given neither thought nor attention to getting the dinner. The girl the b.a.l.l.s had received in Ida May's name and supposed ident.i.ty had done it all herself. It seemed to be expected of her!