Part 53 (1/2)
What say?” Grant tried to get it to the Captain that Kenyon's real job in the world was composing music, and that sometimes he tired of cities and came down to Harvey to get the suns.h.i.+ne and prairie gra.s.s and the woods and the waters of his childhood into his soul. But the Captain waved the idea aside, ”Nothing in the fiddling business, Grant--two dollars a day and find yourself, is all the best of 'em make,” protested the Captain. ”Let him do like I done--get at something sound and practical early in life and 'y gory, man--look at me. What say?”
Grant did not answer, but when the Captain veered around to the subject of his party, Grant promised to bring the whole Adams family. A moment later the Captain saw the Sands's motor car on the road before them, and said:
”Excuse me, Grant--here are the Sandses--I've got to invite them--Hi there, Dan'l, come alongside.” While the Captain was inviting Daniel Sands, the Doctor's electric came purring up the hill to the club house driven by Laura Van Dorn. Grant was trotting ahead to join the other carpenters who were going to the street-car station, when Laura pa.s.sing, hailed him:
”Wait a minute, Grant, till I take this to father, and I'll go with you.”
As Laura Van Dorn turned her car around the club house, she stopped it under the veranda overlooking the golf course and the rolling prairie furrowed by the slowly winding stream. The afternoon sun slanting upon the landscape brought out all its beauty--its gay greens, its somber, contrasting browns, and its splas.h.i.+ng of color from the fruit trees across the valley that blushed pink and went white in the first unsure ecstasies of new life. Then she saw Kenyon and Lila slowly walking up the knoll to the road. The mother noted with quick instinct the way their hands jostled together as they walked. The look that flashed from their eyes when their hands touched--the look of proprietors.h.i.+p in each other--told Laura Van Dorn that her life's work with Lila was finished.
The daughter's day of choice had come; and whatever of honesty, whatever of sense, and sentiment, whatever of courage or conscience the mother had put into the daughter's heart and mind was ready for its lifelong test. Lila had embarked on her own journey; and motherhood was ended for Laura Van Dorn.
As she looked at the girl, the mother saw herself, but she was not embittered at the sad ending of her own journey along the road which her daughter was taking. For years she had accepted as the fortunes of war, what had come to her with her marriage, and because she had the daughter, the mother knew that she was gainer after all. For to realize motherhood even with one child, was to taste the best that life held. So her face reflected, as a cloud reflects the glory of the dawn, something of the radiance that shone in the two young faces before her; and in her faith she laid small stress upon the particular one beside her daughter.
Not his growing fame, not his probable good fortune, inspired her satisfaction. When she considered him at all as her daughter's lover, she only reflected on the fact that all she knew of Kenyon was honest and frank and kind. Then she dismissed him from her thoughts.
The mother standing on the hillock looking at the youth and maiden sauntering toward her, felt the serene reliance in the order of things that one has who knows that the worst life can do to a brave, wise, kind heart, is not bad. For she had felt the ruthless wrenches of the senseless wheels of fate upon her own flesh. Yet she had come from the wheels bruised, and in agony, but not broken, not beaten. Her peace of mind was not pa.s.sive. It amounted to a militant pride in the strength and beauty of the soul she had equipped for the voyage. Laura Van Dorn was sure of Lila and was happy. Her eyes filled with grateful tears as she looked down upon her daughter.
Her father, toddling ahead of Mrs. Nesbit a hundred paces, reached the car first. She nodded at the young people trudging up the slope. ”Yes,”
said the Doctor, ”we have been watching them for half an hour. Seems like the voice of the turtle is heard in the land.”
The daughter alighted from the runabout, her father got in and waited for his wife. The three turned their backs on the approaching lovers and pretended not to see them. As Laura walked around the corner of the house, she found Grant waiting for her at the car station, and the two having missed the car that the other carpenters had taken, stood under the shed waiting.
”Well--Laura,” he asked, ”are you leaving the idle rich for the worthy poor?” She laughed and explained:
”The electric was for father and mother, and so long as I have to go down to my girls' cla.s.s in South Harvey this evening for their picnic, I'm going to ride in your car, if you don't mind?”
The street car came wailing down on them and when they had taken a rear seat on the trailer together, Grant began: ”I'm glad you've come just now--just to-night. I've been anxious to see you. I've got some things to talk over--mighty big things--for me. In the first place--”
”In the first place and before I forget it, let me tell you the good news. A telegram has just come from the capital to father, saying that the State supreme court had upheld his labor bill--his and your bill that went through the referendum.
”'Referendum J.' probably was the judge who wrote the opinion,” said Grant grimly. He took off his hat, and the cooling breeze of the late afternoon played with his hair, without fluttering the curly, wiry red poll, turning light yellow with the years. ”Well, whoever influenced the court--I'm glad that's over. The men have been grumbling for a year and more because we couldn't get the benefits of the law. But their suits are pending--and now they ought to have their money.”
As the car whined along through the prairie streets, Grant, who had started to speak twice, at last said abruptly, ”I've got to cut loose.”
He turned around so that his eyes could meet hers and went on: ”Your father and George Brotherton and a lot of our people seem to think that we can patch things up--I mean this miserable profit system. They think by paying the workmen for accidents and with eight hours, a living wage, and all that sort of thing, we can work out the salvation of labor. I used to think that too; but it won't do, Laura--I've gone clean to the end of that road, and there's nothing in it. And I'm going to cut loose.
That's what I want to see you about. There's nothing in this step-at-a-time business. I'm for the revolution!”
She showed clearly that she was surprised, and he seemed to find some opposition in her countenance, for he hurried on: ”The Kingdom--I mean the Democracy of labor--is at hand; the day is at its dawn. I want to throw my weight for the coming of the Democracy.”
His voice was full of emotion as he cried:
”Laura--Laura, I know what you think; you want me to wait; you want me to help on the miserable patchwork job of repairing the profit system.
But I tell you--I'm for the revolution, and with all the love in my heart--I'm going to throw myself into it!”
No one sat in the seat before them, as they whirled through the lanes leading to town, and he rested his head in his hand and put his elbow on the forward seat.
”Well, what do you think of it?” he asked, looking anxiously into her troubled face. ”I have been feeling strongly now for a month--waiting to see you--also waiting to be dead sure of myself. Now I am sure!” The mad light in his eye and the zealot's enthusiasm flaming in his battered face, made the woman pause a moment before she replied:
”Well,” she smiled as she spoke, ”don't you think you are rather rus.h.i.+ng me off my feet? I've seen you coming up to it for some time--but I didn't know you were so far along with your conviction.”
She paused and then: ”Of course, Grant, the Socialists--I mean the revolutionary group--even the direct action people--have their proper place in the scheme of things--but, Grant--” she looked earnestly at him with an anxious face, ”they are the scouts--the pioneers ahead of the main body of the troops! And, Grant,” she spoke sadly, ”that's a hard place--can't you find enough fighting back with the main body of the troops--back with the army?”