CHAPTER XIII
AT LAST
It was about six weeks after this, that one day, Clover and Elsie werebusy down stairs, they were startled by the sound of Katy's bell ringingin a sudden and agitated manner. Both ran up two steps at a time, to seewhat was wanted.
Katy sat in her chair, looking very much flushed and excited.
"Oh, girls!" she exclaimed, "what do you think? I stood up!"
"What?" cried Clover and Elsie.
"I really did! I stood up on my feet! by myself!"
The others were too much astonished to speak, so Katy went onexplaining.
"It was all at once, you see. Suddenly, I had the feeling that if Itried I could, and almost before I thought, I _did_ try, and there Iwas, up and out of the chair. Only I kept hold of the arm all the time!I don't know how I got back, I was so frightened. Oh, girls!"--and Katyburied her face in her hands.
"Do you think I shall ever be able to do it again?" she asked, lookingup with wet eyes.
"Why, of course you will!" said Clover; while Elsie danced about, cryingout anxiously: "Be careful! Do be careful!"
Katy tried, but the spring was gone. She could not move out of the chairat all. She began to wonder if she had dreamed the whole thing.
But next day, when Clover happened to be in the room, she heard a suddenexclamation, and turning, there stood Katy, absolutely on her feet.
"Papa! papa!" shrieked Clover, rushing down stairs. "Dorry, John,Elsie--come! Come and see!"
Papa was out, but all the rest crowded up at once. This time Katy foundno trouble in "doing it again." It seemed as if her will had beenasleep; and now that it had waked up, the limbs recognized its ordersand obeyed them.
When Papa came in, he was as much excited as any of the children. Hewalked round and round the chair, questioning Katy and making her standup and sit down.
"Am I really going to get well?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
"Yes, my love, I think you are," replied Dr. Carr, seizing Phil andgiving him a toss into the air. None of the children had ever beforeseen Papa behave so like a boy. But pretty soon, noticing Katy's burningcheeks and excited eyes, he calmed himself, sent the others all away,and sat down to soothe and quiet her with gentle words.
"I think it is coming, my darling," he said, "but it will take time, andyou must have a great deal of patience. After being such a good childall the years, I am sure you won't fail now. Remember, any imprudencewill put you back. You must be content to gain a very little at a time.There is no royal road to walking any more than there is to learning.Every baby finds that out."
"Oh, Papa!" said Katy, "it's no matter if it takes a year--if only I getwell at last."
How happy she was that night--too happy to sleep. Papa noticed the darkcircles under her eyes in the morning, and shook his head.
"You must be careful," he told her, "or you'll be laid up again. Acourse of fever would put you back for years."
Katy knew Papa was right, and she was careful, though it was by nomeans easy to be so with that new life tingling in every limb. Herprogress was slow, as Dr. Carr had predicted. At first she only stoodon her feet a few seconds, then a minute, then five minutes, holdingtightly all the while by the chair. Next she ventured to let go thechair, and stand alone. After that she began to walk a step at a time,pushing a chair before her, as children do when they are learning theuse of their feet. Clover and Elsie hovered about her as she moved,like anxious mammas. It was droll, and a little pitiful, to see tallKaty with her feeble, unsteady progress, and the active figures of thelittle sisters following her protectingly. But Katy did not consider iteither droll or pitiful; to her it was simply delightful--the mostdelightful thing possible. No baby of a year old was ever prouder ofhis first steps than she.
Gradually she grew adventurous, and ventured on a bolder flight.Clover, running up stairs one day to her own room, stood transfixed atthe sight of Katy sitting there, flushed, panting, but enjoying thesurprise she caused.
"You see," she explained, in an apologizing tone, "I was seized with adesire to explore. It is such a time since I saw any room but my own!But oh dear, how long that hall is! I had forgotten it could be so long.I shall have to take a good rest before I go back."
Katy did take a good rest, but she was very tired next day. Theexperiment, however, did no harm. In the course of two or three weeks,she was able to walk all over the second story.
This was a great enjoyment. It was like reading an interesting book tosee all the new things, and the little changes. She was foreverwondering over something.
"Why, Dorry," she would say, "what a pretty book-shelf! When didyou get it?"
"That old thing! Why, I've had it two years. Didn't I ever tell youabout it?"
"Perhaps you did," Katy would reply, "but you see I never saw it before,so it made no impression."
By the end of August she was grown so strong, that she began to talkabout going down stairs. But Papa said, "Wait."
"It will tire you much more than walking about on a level," heexplained, "you had better put it off a little while--till you are quitesure of your feet."
"I think so too," said Clover; "and beside, I want to have the house allput in order and made nice, before your sharp eyes see it, Mrs.Housekeeper. Oh, I'll tell you! Such a beautiful idea has come into myhead! You shall fix a day to come down, Katy, and we'll be all ready foryou, and have a 'celebration' among ourselves. That would be justlovely! How soon may she, Papa?"
"Well--in ten days, I should say, it might be safe."
"Ten days! that will bring it to the seventh of September, won't it?"said Katy. "Then Papa, if I may, I'll come down stairs the first timeon the eighth. It was Mamma's birthday, you know," she added in alower voice.
So it was settled. "How delicious!" cried Clover, skipping about andclapping her hands: "I never, never, never _did_ hear of anything soperfectly lovely. Papa, when are you coming down stairs? I want to speakto you _dreadfully_."
"Right away--rather than have my coat-tails pulled off," answered Dr.Carr, laughing, and they went away together. Katy sat looking out of thewindow in a peaceful, happy mood.
"Oh!" she thought, "can it really be? Is School going to 'let out,' justas Cousin Helen's hymn said? Am I going to 'Bid a sweet good-bye toPain?' But there was Love in the Pain. I see it now. How good the dearTeacher has been to me!"
Clover seemed to be very busy all the rest of that week. She was "havingwindows washed," she said, but this explanation hardly accounted for herlong absences, and the mysterious exultation on her face, not to mentioncertain sounds of hammering and sawing which came from down stairs. Theother children had evidently been warned to say nothing; for once ortwice Philly broke out with, "Oh, Katy!" and then hushed himself up,saying, "I 'most forgot!" Katy grew very curious. But she saw that thesecret, whatever it was, gave immense satisfaction to everybody exceptherself; so, though she longed to know, she concluded not to spoil thefun by asking any questions.
At last it wanted but one day of the important occasion.
"See," said Katy, as Clover came into the room a little before tea-time."Miss Petingill has brought home my new dress. I'm going to wear it forthe first time to go down stairs in."
"How pretty!" said Clover, examining the dress, which was a soft,dove-colored cashmere, trimmed with ribbon of the same shade. "But Katy,I came up to shut your door. Bridget's going to sweep the hall, and Idon't want the dust to fly in, because your room was brushed thismorning, you know."
"What a queer time to sweep a hall!" said Katy, wonderingly. "Why don'tyou make her wait till morning?"
"Oh, she can't! There are--she has--I mean there will be other thingsfor her to do to-morrow. It's a great deal more convenient that sheshould do it now. Don't worry, Katy, darling, but just keep your doorshut. You will, won't you? Promise me!"
"Very well," said Katy, more and more amazed, but yielding to Clover'seagerness, "I'll keep it shut." Her curiosity was excited. She took abook and tried to read, but t
he letters danced up and down before hereyes, and she couldn't help listening. Bridget was making a mostostentatious noise with her broom, but through it all, Katy seemed tohear other sounds--feet on the stairs, doors opening and shutting--once,a stifled giggle. How queer it all was!
"Never mind," she said, resolutely stopping her ears, "I shall know allabout it to-morrow."
To-morrow dawned fresh and fair--the very ideal of a September day.
"Katy!" said Clover, as she came in from the garden with her hands fullof flowers, "that dress of yours is sweet. You never looked so nicebefore in your life!" And she stuck a beautiful carnation pink underKaty's breast-pin and fastened another in her hair.
"There!" she said, "now you're adorned. Papa is coming up in a fewminutes to take you down."
Just then Elsie and Johnnie came in. They had on their best frocks. Sohad Clover. It was evidently a festival-day to all the house. Cecyfollowed, invited over for the special purpose of seeing Katy walk downstairs. She, too, had on a new frock.
"How fine we are!" said Clover, as she remarked this magnificence. "Turnround, Cecy--a panier, I do declare--and a sash! You are getting awfullygrown up, Miss Hall."
"None of us will ever be so 'grown up' as Katy," said Cecy, laughing.
And now Papa appeared. Very slowly they all went down stairs, Katyleaning on Papa, with Dorry on her other side, and the girls behind,while Philly clattered ahead. And there were Debby and Bridget andAlexander, peeping out of the kitchen door to watch her, and dear oldMary with her apron at her eyes crying for joy.
"Oh, the front door is open!" said Katy, in a delighted tone. "How nice!And what a pretty oil-cloth. That's new since I was here."
"Don't stop to look at _that_!" cried Philly, who seemed in a greathurry about something. "It isn't new. It's been there ever and ever solong! Come into the parlor instead."
"Yes!" said Papa, "dinner isn't quite ready yet, you'll have time torest a little after your walk down stairs. You have borne it admirably,Katy. Are you very tired?"
"Not a bit!" replied Katy, cheerfully. "I could do it alone, I think.Oh! the bookcase door has been mended! How nice it looks."
"Don't wait, oh, don't wait!" repeated Phil, in an agony of impatience.
So they moved on. Papa opened the parlor door. Katy took one step intothe room--then stopped. The color flashed over her face, and she heldby the door-knob to support herself. What was it that she saw?
Not merely the room itself, with its fresh muslin curtains and vases offlowers. Nor even the wide, beautiful window which had been cut towardthe sun, or the inviting little couch and table which stood there,evidently for her. No, there was something else! The sofa was pulled outand there upon it, supported by pillows, her bright eyes turned to thedoor, lay--Cousin Helen! When she saw Katy, she held out her arms.
Clover and Cecy agreed afterward that they never were so frightened intheir lives as at this moment; for Katy, forgetting her weakness, let goof Papa's arm, and absolutely _ran_ toward the sofa. "Oh, Cousin Helen!dear, dear Cousin Helen!" she cried. Then she tumbled down by the sofasomehow, the two pairs of arms and the two faces met, and for a momentor two not a word more was heard from anybody.
"Isn't a nice 'prise?" shouted Philly, turning a somerset by way ofrelieving his feelings, while John and Dorry executed a sort ofwar-dance round the sofa.
Phil's voice seemed to break the spell of silence, and a perfect hubbubof questions and exclamations began.
It appeared that this happy thought of getting Cousin Helen to the"Celebration," was Clover's. She it was who had proposed it to Papa,and made all the arrangements. And, artful puss! she had set Bridgetto sweep the hall, on purpose that Katy might not hear the noise ofthe arrival.
"Cousin Helen's going to stay three weeks this time--isn't that nice?"asked Elsie, while Clover anxiously questioned: "Are you sure that youdidn't suspect? Not one bit? Not the least tiny, weeny mite?"
"No, indeed--not the least. How could I suspect anything so perfectlydelightful?" And Katy gave Cousin Helen another rapturous kiss.
Such a short day as that seemed! There was so much to see, to ask about,to talk over, that the hours flew, and evening dropped upon them alllike another great surprise.
Cousin Helen was perhaps the happiest of the party. Beside thepleasure of knowing Katy to be almost well again, she had theadditional enjoyment of seeing for herself how many changes for thebetter had taken place, during the four years, among the littlecousins she loved so much.
It was very interesting to watch them all. Elsie and Dorry seemed toher the most improved of the family. Elsie had quite lost her plaintivelook and little injured tone, and was as bright and beaming a maiden oftwelve as any one could wish to see. Dorry's moody face had grown openand sensible, and his manners were good-humored and obliging. He wasstill a sober boy, and not specially quick in catching an idea, but hepromised to turn out a valuable man. And to him, as to all the otherchildren, Katy was evidently the centre and the sun. They all revolvedabout her, and trusted her for everything. Cousin Helen looked on asPhil came in crying, after a hard tumble, and was consoled; as Johnniewhispered an important secret, and Elsie begged for help in her work.She saw Katy meet them all pleasantly and sweetly, without a bit of thedictatorial elder-sister in her manner, and with none of her old,impetuous tone. And best of all, she saw the change in Katy's own face:the gentle expression of her eyes, the womanly look, the pleasantvoice, the politeness, the tact in advising the others, without seemingto advise.
"Dear Katy," she said a day or two after her arrival, "this visit is agreat pleasure to me--you can't think how great. It is such a contrastto the last I made, when you were so sick, and everybody so sad. Do youremember?"
"Indeed I do! And how good you were, and how you helped me! I shallnever forget that."
"I'm glad! But what I could do was very little. You have been learningby yourself all this time. And Katy, darling, I want to tell you howpleased I am to see how bravely you have worked your way up. I canperceive it in everything--in Papa, in the children, in yourself. Youhave won the place, which, you recollect, I once told you an invalidshould try to gain, of being to everybody 'The Heart of the House.'"
"Oh, Cousin Helen, don't!" said Katy, her eyes filling with suddentears. "I haven't been brave. You can't think how badly I sometimes havebehaved--how cross and ungrateful I am, and how stupid and slow. Everyday I see things which ought to be done, and I don't do them. It's toodelightful to have you praise me--but you mustn't. I don't deserve it."
But although she said she didn't deserve it I think that Katy did!
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