The Water Goats, and Other Troubles
Page 8
Whatshall I do?"
For answer I felt in the card pocket of the automobile and drew out theaddress of her lover, and without hesitation I gave the address to thechauffeur. In a few minutes we were there. Leaving the young woman inthe car with the poor woman, I got out and surveyed the house. It wasunpromising. Evidently all the family but the young man were away forthe summer, and the doors and windows were all boarded up. There was nota bell to ring. I pounded on the boards that covered the door, but itwas unavailing. The young woman called to me that the young man livedin the front room of the topmost floor, and could not hear me, and Iglanced up and saw that one window alone of all those in the house wasnot boarded up. Instantly I hopped upon the seat beside the driver andsaid, "Central Park."
We dashed up Fifth Avenue and into the Park at full speed, and when wewere what I considered far enough in I ordered him to stop, and hurryingup a low bank I began to grope among the leaves of last year underthe trees. I was right. In a few minutes I had filled my pockets withacorns, was back in the car, and we were hurrying toward the houseof the lover, when I saw standing on a corner a figure I instantlyrecognized as Lemuel, the elevator boy, and at the same time Iremembered that Lemuel spent his holidays pitching for a ball nine, Hewas just the man I needed, and I stopped and made him get into the car.In a minute more we were before the house again, and I handed Lemuela fistful of acorns. He drew back and threw them with all his strengthtoward the upper window.
My dear, will you believe it? Those acorns were wormy! They were light.They would not carry to the window, but scattered like bits of chipswhen they had travelled but half-way. I was upset, but Lemuel was not.He ordered the chauffeur to drive to lower Sixth Avenue with all speed,in order that he might get a baseball. With this he said he couldhit any mark, and we had started in that direction when, passing arestaurant on Broadway, I saw emerge Henry and Madge.
"Better far," I said to myself, "put this young woman in charge of herbrother and his new wife than leave her to elope alone," and I made thechauffeur draw up beside them. Hastily I explained the situation, andwhere we were going at that moment, and Henry and Madge laughed inunison.
"Madge," said Henry, "we had no trouble making wormy acorns travelthrough the air, had we?" And both laughed again. At this I made themget into the automobile, and while we returned to the lover's houseI made them explain. It was very simple, and I had just tied a dozenacorns tightly in my handkerchief, making a ball to throw at the window,when the poor woman with the baby noticed that the window was partlyopen. I asked Lemuel if he could throw straight enough to throw thehandkerchief-ball into the window, and he said he could, and tookthe handkerchief, but a brighter idea came to me, and I turned to theeloping young lady.
"Let me have your handkerchief, if it has your initials on it," I said;"for when he sees that fall into his room he will know you are here. Hewill not think you are forward, coming to him alone, for he will knowyou could never have thrown the handkerchief, even if loaded withacorns, to such a height. It will be your message to him."
At this, which I do pride myself was a suggestion worthy of myself,all were delighted, and while I modestly tied twelve acorns in thehandkerchief on which were the initials "T. M. C.," all the otherscheered. Even the woman from whom I had received the three auburn-redcurls cheered, and the baby that was half-filled out of the patentnursing-bottle crowed with joy. But the chauffeur honked his honker.Lemuel took the handkerchief full of acorns in his hand and drew backhis famous left arm, when suddenly Theodora Mitchell Corwin--for thatwas the eloping young lady's name--shrieked, and looking up we saw herlover at the window. He gave an answering yell and disappeared, andLemuel let his left arm fall and handed me the handkerchief-ball.
In the excitement I dropped it into my pocket, and it was not until Iwas on the car for Westcote that I discovered it, and then, not wishingto be any later in getting home, I did not go back to give it toTheodora Mitchell Corwin; in fact, I did not know where she had elopedto. Nor could I give it to Madge or Henry, for they had gone on theirwedding journey as soon as they saw Theodora and her lover safelyeloped.
I had no right to give it to the poor woman with the baby, even ifshe had not immediately disappeared into her world of poverty, and itcertainly did not belong to Lemuel, nor could I have given it to him,for he took the ten dollars the lover gave him and stayed out so latethat he was late to work this morning and was discharged. He said he wasgoing back to Texas. So I brought the handkerchief and the twelve acornshome, knowing you would be interested in hearing their story.
When Mr. Billings had thus finished his relation of the happenings ofhis long evening, Mrs. Billings was thoughtful for a minute. Then shesaid:
"But Rollin, when I spoke to you of the handkerchief and the twelveacorns you blushed, and said you had reason to blush. I see nothing inthis kind action you did to cause a blush."
"I blushed," said Mr. Billings, "to think of the lie I was going to tellTheodora Merrill Corwin--"
"I thought you said her name was Theodora Mitchell Corwin," said Mrs.Billings.
"Mitchell or Merill," said Mr. Billings. "I cannot remember exactlywhich."
For several minutes Mrs. Billings was silent. Occasionally she wouldopen her mouth as if to ask a question, but each time she closed itagain without speaking. Mr. Billings sat regarding his wife with what,in a man of less clear conscience, might be called anxiety. At lengthMrs. Billings put her sewing into her sewing-basket and arose.
"Rollin," she said, "I have enjoyed hearing you tell your experiencesgreatly. I can say but one thing: Never in your life have you deceivedme. And you have not deceived me now."
For half an hour after this Mr. Billings sat alone, thinking.