CHAPTER XVII
JINNIE DISCOVERS HER KING'S THRONE
Two years and almost half of another had passed since Jinnie firstcame to live with Lafe and Peggy Grandoken. These two years had meantmore to her than all the other fifteen in her life. Lafe, in hiskindly, fatherly way, daily impressed upon her the need of herstudying and no day passed without planting some knowledge in theeager young mind.
Her mornings were spent gathering shortwood, her afternoons in sellingit, but the hours outside these money-earning duties were passedbetween her fiddle and her books. The cobbler often remarked that hermumbling over those difficult lessons at his side taught him more thanhe'd ever learned in school. Sometimes when they were havingheart-to-heart talks, Jinnie confided to him her ambitions.
"I'd like to fiddle all my life, Lafe," she told him once. "I wonderif people ever made money fiddling; do they, Lafe?"
"I'm afraid not, honey," he answered, sadly.
"But you like it, eh, Lafe?"
"Sure!... Better'n anything."
One day in the early summer, when there was a touch of blue mist inthe clear, warm air, Jinnie wandered into the wealthy section of thetown, hoping thereby to establish a new customer or two.
Maudlin Bates had warned her not to enter his territory or to trespassupon his part of the marshland, and for that reason she had in thepast but turned longing eyes to the hillside besprinkled with handsomehomes.
But Lafe replied, when she told him this, "No section belongs toMaudlin alone, honey.... Just go where you like."
She now entered a large open gate into which an automobile had justdisappeared, and walked toward the house.
She paused to admire the exterior of the mansion. On the front, theporches were furnished with rocking chairs and hammocks, but no personwas in sight. She walked around to the back, but as she was about toknock, a voice arrested her action.
"Do you want to see somebody?"
She turned hastily. There before her was her King, the man she had meton that memorable night more than two years before. He doffed his capsmiling, recognizing her immediately, and Jinnie flushed to the rootsof her hair, while the shortwood strap slipped slowly from hershoulders.
"Ah, you have something to sell?" he interrogated.
Jinnie's tongue clove to the roof of her mouth. She had nevercompletely forgotten him, and his smile was a delightful memory. Nowas he watched her quizzically, all her former admiration returned.
"Well, well," laughed the man, "if this isn't my little violin girl.It's a long time since I saw you last.... Do you love your music asmuch as ever?"
Her first glance at him brought the flushing consciousness that shewas but a shortwood gatherer; the strap and its burden placed a greatbarrier between them. But his question about the fiddle, her fiddle,placed her again on equal footing with him. She permitted herself tosmile.
"I play every day. My uncle loves it, but my aunt doesn't," sheanswered naively.
"And you're selling wood?"
"Yes, I must help a little."
She made the assertion proudly, offering no excuse for her chosentrade.
"And this is all for sale?" indicating the wood.
"Yes," said Jinnie, looking down upon it.
"I'll take it all," Theodore offered, putting his hand into hispocket. "How much do you want for it?"
The girl gave him a puzzled glance. "I don't just know, but Iwish----I wish I could give it to you without any pay."
She moved a little closer and questioned eagerly:
"Won't you please take it?"
An amused expression crossed the man's handsome face.
"Of course not, my child," he exclaimed. "That wouldn't be business. Iwant to buy it.... How about a dollar?"
Jinnie gasped. A dollar, a whole dollar! She made but little moreduring an entire week; she had made less. A dollar would buy----Then athought flashed across her mind.
"I couldn't take a dollar," she refused, "it's too much. It's onlyworth about twenty cents."
"But if I choose to give you a dollar?" pursued the man.
Again the purple black curls shook decidedly.
"I couldn't take more'n it's worth. My uncle wouldn't like me to. Hesays all we can expect in this world's our own and no more. Twentycents is all."
Mr. King studied her face, thoughtfully.
"I've an idea, a good one. Now what do you say to furnishing me woodevery morning, say at fifty cents a day. We use such a lot! You couldbring a little more if you like or--or come twice."
Jinnie could scarcely believe she'd heard aright. Unshed tears dimmedher eyes.
"I wouldn't have to peddle to any one else, then, would I?" shestammered.
"No! That's just what I meant."
Then the tears welled over the drooping lids and a feeling ofgratitude surged through the girl's whole being. Fifty cents a day! Itwas such a lot of money--as much as Lafe made five days out of six.
Jinnie sent the man a fleeting glance, meeting his smiling eyes withpulsing blood.
"I'd love to do it," she whispered gratefully. "Then I'd have a lot oftime to--to--fiddle."
Mr. King's hand slipped into his pocket.
"I'll pay you fifty cents for to-day's wood," he decided, "and fiftyfor what you're going to bring to-morrow. Is that satisfactory?"
As if in a dream, Jinnie tumbled out the contents of the shortwoodstrap. As she took the money from Mr. King's hand, his fingers touchedhers; she thrilled to the tips of her curls. Then she ran hastily downthe long road, only turning to glance back when she reached the gate.Mr. King stood just where she had left him, and was looking after her.He raised his cap, and Jinnie, with burning face, fled on again.
She wondered what Lafe would say about her unexpected good fortune.She would tell _him_ first, before she saw Peggy. She imagined how thesweet smile would cross his lips, and how he would put his arm gentlyaround her.
Lafe heard her open the side door and called,
"Come in, honey!... Come on in."
She entered after one hasty glance proved the cobbler was alone.
"You sold quick to-day, lass," said he, holding out his hand.
Jinnie had planned on the way home to make great rehearsing ofTheodore King's kindness, but in another instant she broke forth:
"Lafe, Lafe! I've got something to tell you! Oh, a lovely something! Isold all the wood to one man, and I'm going to take him a load everyday, and get fifty cents for it. Regular customer, Lafe!... Here's adollar for Peg."
Lafe did just what Jinnie expected he would, slipped an arm about herwaist.
"The good God be praised!" he ejaculated. "Stand here an' tell me allabout it."
"It was Mr. King----"
"Theodore King?" asked Lafe. "Why, he's the richest man in town. Heowns the iron works."
Jinnie nodded. "Yes! He's the one I played for in the train when Ifirst came here. You remember my telling you, Lafe? And he wants woodevery day from me. Isn't it fine?"
"'Tis so!" affirmed Lafe. "Jinnie, lass, them angels come in shapes ofhuman bein's--mostly so. Now go tell Peggy. It'll take a load off'nher heart."
As Jinnie told her story to Mrs. Grandoken and handed her the money,the woman's lips twitched at the corners, but she only said,warningly:
"Don't get a swelled head over your doin's, lass, for a brat ain'tresponsible for her own smartness."
One morning, about a week afterward, Jinnie rapped at the back door ofthe King mansion.
"Is Mr. King in?" she asked timidly of the servant.
The girl stared hard at the flushed, pretty face.
"He's in, but you can leave the wood if you want to."
"No," refused Jinnie. "I want to see him."
The maid turned away, grumbling, and Jinnie backed from the door withbated breath.
Mr. King appeared immediately, seemingly embarrassed. He took both herhands.
"Why, my dear child!" he exclaimed. "I'd completely forgotten to leavethe money for the wood, and you've be
en bringing it every day."
"Peggy made the dollar go a long ways--that and Lafe's money. Wedidn't need any till to-day.... So--so I asked for you."
"I'm glad you did," responded King, counting and giving her themoney.
Then his glance fell upon the bulging shortwood strap.
"I'm afraid you carry too much at a time," he admonished, gravely."You mustn't do that."
Jinnie dropped her eyes.
"I was talking to my uncle about it," she explained embarrassedly,"and he thought same's I, that you were paying too much for thatlittle wood. I'm goin' to bring more after this."
"I'm satisfied, though, and I can't have you hurting yourself by beingtoo strenuously honest.... I might--yes, I will! I'll send for youevery day or every other----"
Jinnie's eyes lighted up with happiness.
"Oh, sir,----" she began entreatingly.
"Wait----" said Mr. King. "It's this way! If you brought it up here inone of my cars, it would save a lot of your time, and you wouldn'thave to come every day."
"I could fiddle more," Jinnie blurted radiantly. She remembered howsympathetically he had listened to her through the blizzard. He likedthe fiddle! She went a little nearer him. "I'm trying to make a tunedifferent from any I've ever done, and I can't always play well afterlugging shortwood all day.... I'd love to deliver it the way yousaid."
King stood gazing at her. How strangely beautiful she was! Somethingin the wind-browned face stirred his heart to its depths.
"Then that's settled," he said kindly. "You tell me where to have myman and what time, and to-morrow he'll meet you."
Jinnie thought a moment.
"I wonder if he knows where Paradise Road ends near the edge of themarsh."
"He could find it, of course."
"There's a path going into the marsh right at the end of the road.I'll meet him there to-morrow at twelve o'clock, and--and I'm so muchobliged to you."
When Jinnie told Lafe of the new arrangement, she gurgled with joy.
"Lafe, now I'll make that tune."
"Yes, honey," murmured Lafe contentedly. "Now get your fiddle andpractice; after that you c'n study a while out of that there grammarbook."
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