CHAPTER VIII
SOUL-UPLIFTING
IT was the next morning about eleven o'clock.
"You see," said Jane, sitting in the Crofts' sitting-room opposite KatieCroft who, whatever else she might or might not be, was certainly notpleasant of expression, "you see, my aunt has been an invalid so muchthat she appreciates what a change means to both the sick one and theone who cares for her, and so we thought that it would be so nice ifyou'd let me wheel your mother--"
"She ain't my mother--she's my mother-in-law," broke in Mrs. KatieCroft, instantly indignant over so false an imputation. "Good lands, thevery idea! My mother! And never one single stroke of paralysis nornothing in my family, and all reading the Bible without glasses right uptill they died."
"You see, it would give you a little rest, too," Jane continued, "and itwould do Aunt Susan good to feel that she was helping a weaker--"
"She ain't weak," broke in Katie Croft, again; "my lands, she's strongas a lady-ox. Anything she makes up her mind to keep she lays hold ofwith a grip as makes you fairly sick all up and down your back. Youdon't know perhaps, Miss Grey, as my husband died in our youth, and Icome to live with his mother as a sacred duty, and I tell you franklythat I wish I'd never been born or that he'd never been born, fortytimes an hour--I do."
"You'll like a week alone, I'm sure," said Jane serenely, "and we'lllike to have your mother-in-law. Perhaps she'll get a few new ideas--"
"She's stubborn as a mule," interrupted the daughter-in-law.
"But may I see her and ask her? I do so want to help you a little. Lifemust have been so hard for you these last years."
"Hard!" said Katie Croft, with emphasis. "Hard! Well, I'll tell you whatit is, Miss Grey,--to marry a young man as was meek as Moses and thenhave him just fade right straight out and get a mother-in-law like thatold--that old--that old--well, I'll tell you frankly she's a siren andnothing else." (Young Mrs. Croft probably meant "vixen," but Jane didnot notice.) "My life ain't really worth a shake-up of mustard andvinegar some days. What I have suffered!"
"I know more than you think," said Jane sympathetically; "nurses takecare of so many kinds of people. But do let me ask her. If she likes tocome to us, it'll be a great rest to you, and perhaps it'll do her alittle good, too."
"I can't understand you're wanting her," said Katie. "It's all over townhow queer you are, but I never thought that anybody could be as queer asthat!"
"Do let us go to her," Jane urged.
Katie rose and forthwith conducted the caller to old Mrs. Croft's room,a large, square place adorned with no end of black daguerreotypes andfaded photographs.
"Mother, it's Miss Grey. You know?--she's Mrs. Ralston's niece."
Old Mrs. Croft received her visitor with acutely suspicious eyes."Well?" she said tartly.
Jane took her hand, but she jerked it smartly away.
"Sit down anywhere," said Katie; "she hears well."
"Hear!" said old Mrs. Croft. "I should say I did hear. There ain't a panfell in the neighborhood for the last ten years as hasn't woke me out ofa sound sleep, dreaming of my husband--"
"Miss Grey's come to see you about something," interrupted Katie;"she--"
"I had a husband," continued old Mrs. Croft, raising her voice from Doto Re, "and such a one! Wednesday he'd go to sleep and Thursdays he'dwake, so regular you could tell the days of the week just from hishabits. He--"
"Miss Grey wants--" interrupted Katie.
"I came to--" said Jane.
"I had a husband," continued old Mrs. Croft, going from Re to Mi now;"oh, my, but I did have a husband. In May I had him and in December Ihad him, but he was always the same to me. You can see his picturethere, Miss Grey; it's all faded out, just from being looked at; butI'll tell you where it never fades, Miss Grey--it never so much as turnsa hair in my heart. My heart is engraved--"
"You'd better go on and say what you've got to say," said Katie to Jane."I often put her to bed talking, and she talks all the night through."
"I want to ask you--" Jane began.
"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies," sang Mrs. Croft. "Oh, Ihad--"
"--I want you to come and stay with us," Jane said, with forcefulaccents.
There was a sudden tense hush.
"My aunt and I want you to come and make us a little visit," the calleradded.
The hush grew awful.
"A little change would be so good for you--you've been shut up so long."
Old Mrs. Croft lifted her two hands towards the ceiling.
"What do you want to take me out of my own house for? Going to dosomething to it that I wouldn't approve, I expect. Oh, I see it all.There was Macbeth and there was Othello, and now there's my house--Whatare you going to do to it, anyhow?" The question was pitched so high andsharp that Jane jumped.
"We just want to give you a little change."
"Change! I had a change once. Went to Cuba with my husband and nearlydied. I don't want no change of _house_," with deep meaning in theemphasis; "the change that I want is another change. Change is a greatthing to have. My husband never changed. Only his collars. Never noother way."
"You and Aunt Susan are old friends--" suggested Jane.
"Never nothing special," broke in old Mrs. Croft. "My goodness, I dohope your aunt ain't calling me her friend, because if she is, it's athing I can't allow."
Jane thanked her stars that her powers of mental concentration forbadeher mind to wander. "I'm sure if you came to us, you'd enjoy it," shesaid persuasively; "we've such a pretty bedroom down-stairs, and I'llsleep on the dining-room sofa, so you won't feel lonely."
"Lonely. I never feel lonely. I'd thank Heaven if I could be let alonefor a little, once in a while. I don't want to come, and that's a fact.If that be treason, make the most of it."
"Oh, but you must come," said Jane; "you'll like it. We want you, andyou must come."
"Well, get me my bonnet then," said old Mrs. Croft. "Run, Katie, I'vebeen sitting here waiting for it for over an hour."
Katie and Jane regarded one another in consternation. They hadn't quitecounted on this.
"I'm going visiting," said Mrs. Croft gaily. "Oh, my, and how I shallvisit. Years may come and years may go, and still I shall sit therevisiting away, and when I hear the door-bell, I shall know it's time forChristmas dinner."
Katie took Jane's hand and drew her out of the room. "I don't believeyou'd better take her," she said; "she's so flighty. I know how tomanage her, and you don't. Just give it up."
"No, I won't," said Jane, smiling. "I know that it's a kind thing to doand that I must do it. I'm going to take her."
"Seems so odd you're wanting to," said Katie. "You're very funny, Ithink. People are saying that you think that everything's for the best.Do you really believe that?"
"Of course. We can't get outside of God's plan, whatever we may do. Ifwe do wrong, we have to bear the consequences because it's as easy to_see_ the right thing to do as the wrong, but the great Plan neverwavers."
"Oh, my," said Katie. "I'm glad to know that."
Jane pressed her hand. "I'll get things all ready, and we'll bring herover tomorrow night," she said; "that'll be best. Then she can go rightto bed and get rested from the effort."
So it was arranged, and the Sunshine Nurse went home to tell Susan thatMrs. Croft had consented to come. She felt quite positive that now theywould both attain unto a higher plane without any difficulty, if theykept such a guest in the house for a week.
"It isn't going to be easy, Auntie," she said, a bit later, "but it willteach you and me a lot, and if one wants to voyage greatly, one must getout into the deep water."
"I'll do anything to get hold of some different way of getting on withMatilda," said Susan, "and I begin to see what you mean when you saythat if I change _me_, I'll change it all. If you could make flour intosugar, you'd have cake instead of biscuit, but, oh, my! Old Mrs. Croft!"
"It won't be for so very long," said Jane, "and think of Katie Croftthrough all t
hese years! She's been splendid, I think."
"Well, she didn't have any other place to live, you know," Susanpromptly reminded her niece.
"Work's work, no matter why you do it," Jane said, "and all the big lawswork greatly. This having old Mrs. Croft is a pretty big step for youand me to take, and you'll see that when Aunt Matilda returns, we'll beso strongly settled in our new ways that she can't unsettle us. We'll beabsolutely different people."
"Y--yes," said Susan, confidence fighting doubt stoutly. "I'm willing totry, although left to myself I should never have thought of old Mrs.Croft as a way of getting different."
"Anything that we do with earnest purpose is a way of getting better,"said Jane. She looked out of the window for a minute, and her lip almostquivered. Susan didn't notice. "Everything is always for the best, ifwe're sure of it," she then said firmly.
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