Carolina Lee

by Lilian Bell

  CHAPTER XXV.

  BOB FITZHUGH

  Even Carolina was satisfied with the expression on Judge Fanshaw Lee'sface when he was whirled up the great avenue of live-oaks, and the newGuildford burst upon his view. He had snow-white hair, a pale olivecomplexion, and piercing black eyes. His eyebrows were still black, andhe had a ferocious way of working them back and forth very rapidly whenhe was moved. This was one sign by which Carolina could tell; anotherwas that the unusual colour came into his face.

  Even before the guests had been to see their own rooms, Carolina wasimplored to lead the way and let them explore Guildford. This she wasas eager to do as a young bride, and yet, in spite of her natural pridein her achievement, her modesty was so sincere and delightful that JudgeLee and Mr. Howard were obliged to ply her with questions.

  The exclamations of delight were perfectly satisfactory, even to Mrs.Winchester, who moved with majestic mien in their midst, listening witha jealous ear for praises of her idol, and, by her questioning eyes,plainly demanding more of the same kind.

  Mrs. Goddard's eyes were dewy with gratitude, and Carolina whispered toher that she--Mrs. Goddard--was Guildford's fairy godmother.

  When they had all returned to the drawing-room, Mr. Howard turned toJudge Lee and said:

  "Well, judge, what is your opinion? Isn't this pretty good for onelittle girl to accomplish all by herself?"

  "Mr. Howard," said Judge Lee and his eyebrows, "it is the mostmarvellous thing I ever heard of a young girl achieving. Why, sir, tous Southerners, it is nothing short of miraculous. Here are scores ofmy own dear friends, similarly situated,--land poor, they callthemselves,--yet, as I cannot doubt Carolina's word or your figures, andyou both assert that Guildford has paid for itself, each and every oneof them might restore their property in a similar manner. I had no ideaof the value of this new turpentine company of yours."

  "Aren't you sorry now, Cousin Fanshaw," said Carolina, mischievously,"that you wouldn't invest when we wanted you to?"

  Judge Lee cleared his throat and reddened slightly. He did not relishbeing jested with.

  "I think I am, Carolina," he said. "God knows I needed the money, but,if you will allow me, under the circumstances of your great triumph, tobe ungallant, I will tell you that I did not have any faith in a woman'shead for business."

  "Few of us have, I think," said Mr. Howard, coming to his rescue. "Atfirst, I did not, but Carolina was so sure that I began it as anexperiment which was likely to cost me dear. I have ended by believingin it with all my heart."

  "Of course I have had a great deal of help," said Carolina, generously."Mr. La Grange is very influential, and I am sure I could not have gotthe telephone and electric light without him. They were carryinglanterns in Enterprise when we first came down here, and I expected tohave to get along with acetylene, which I greatly dislike. But he toldme that for the last ten years the subject of electric lighting had beenagitated, and that he believed a little new blood and ready money wouldstart the thing. That was easily managed, but the cost of bringing thewires to Guildford was greater than I expected. However, in anotheryear several other estates will need lighting, and I shall carry it forthem over my wires, and thus reduce my initial expense materially."

  "Who owns the control in the electric company?" asked Judge Lee.

  "Why, Carolina does, of course!" said Mr. Howard. "You don't suppose mylittle Napoleon of Finance would commit such an error of judgment as notto keep that? Nevertheless, she put up the poles from Enterprise toGuildford at her own expense. She wouldn't take any unfair advantage ofher control."

  Judge Lee glanced at his cousin in half-way disapproval. He greatlydisliked a woman who understood finance, and he privately consideredCarolina unsexed. If she had not been beautiful, he would have said so,but her girlish loveliness saved her.

  Judge Lee looked around. On every side familiar objects met his eye.It was the same Guildford of his ancestors, yet enlarged, dignified,engrandeured. His gaze clung affectionately to the heavy, quaintfurnishings, so cunningly reproduced that they might well pass as theancient pieces they represented. He began to realize the enormousamount of hard work this indicated,--of the hours and days ofunremitting toil,--of the discouragements overcome,--the obstaclessurmounted,--the love this mirrored.

  Finally he turned to Carolina, with his keen eyes softened.

  "I do not understand how you accomplished it, little cousin. It is amarvellous achievement for any one!"

  "I did not accomplish it of myself," said Carolina, gravely. "I neverin the world could have done it if--"

  "If what?"

  "I hear that it annoys you even to hear the words," said Carolina."Nevertheless, I must tell you that the whole of Guildford is ademonstration of Christian Science."

  A deep silence fell, and the eyes of the two men met. Judge Lee's fellbefore the corroboration he met in Mr. Howard's. A sudden softeningtook place in his heart.

  "I begin to believe that there is something in this thing, after all,"he said, slowly.

  A babel of voices broke in upon their conversation just here, as theguests trooped down from their rooms, exclaiming with admiration onevery hand. Sherman and Addie were particularly delighted, but theylooked at Carolina wonderingly, as if uncertain whether this were thesame sister they had known before.

  Carolina bloomed like a rose under all the admiration her work received,but she was too busy to drink it all in. She had, for one thing, thechildren to amuse. Emmeline Yancey, a serious-browed child with graveeyes, was her right hand, and to Emmeline and Bob Fitzhugh she confidedher plans. Hardly had the children learned of the delights in store forthem, when the guests began to arrive.

  Then, such a rushing to and fro! Such a calling for servants! Suchhurried dressing! Such a gathering up of children, and a generalhastening of duties which should have been performed before!

  Introductions to the few who had not met before seemed like a meeting ofold friends, so warm was the welcome and so well known the existingfriendships.

  Carriage after carriage rolled up the drive and deposited Fitzhughs, LaGranges, Manigaults, Pringles, and Yanceys, until Guildford resembledthe palmiest days of its predecessors.

  Peachie and Sir Hubert Wemyss and Noel and Kate were receiving sub rosacongratulations, and beaming faces were everywhere. Moultrie's eyesfollowed Carolina wherever she was, and none noticed it more jealouslythan a slim, blue-eyed boy who would not mingle with the other children,even when Emmeline begged him to. He only shook his head, and continuedto watch his divinity.

  Then old Israel, who had been a rascally boy in the days of Carolina'sgrandfather, flung open the doors and the guests trooped out to thedining-room.

  Every one stood and exclaimed with delight at the sight which met theireyes. The majestic dinner-table of Guildford, which would seat forty,stood in the centre of the room, flanked by side-tables groaning underthe glorious old Lee silver and glass and china, such as nocontemporaneous eye had seen, but so often had those gathered here heardits beauty described that it seemed a familiar sight.

  The children had a table to themselves, and this was set across one endof the room. Emmeline was to be the mother and Bob Fitzhugh the father,and actually carve the turkey.

  "He'll spill the gravy and drop the turkey on the floor, Carolina,"cried his mother.

  "Let him," said Carolina. "Who cares? But this turkey will be so goodthat he will stay on the platter, as I shall bid him, and Bob shallcarve him, and Emmeline shall serve the plum pudding!"

  Shrieks of joy went up from the children at this daring announcement,and all the parents were made radiant by their babies' happiness.

  The table was long and low, with chairs to match, and the children sawwith jealous delight that it was copied exactly from the big table, evento the bowls of flowers and pyramids of fruit. They even had their tinychampagne glasses, in which 'Polyte, who was their butler, pouredfoam
ing ginger ale, so that they could join in the toasts which JudgeFanshaw Lee proposed. They wriggled with an ecstasy they never had feltbefore, and never, never did they have such a time as at CousinCarolina's Thanksgiving dinner at Guildford.

  The climax came to their awe when, at the end of everything, Mr. Howardarose, glass in hand, and announced--what everybody knew--the engagementof his daughter Kate and Noel St. Quentin, and gave them his blessing,and everybody cried and laughed and drank their health. The children'sround eyes almost popped out of their heads. To be present at a realbetrothal! It was more exciting to the little Southerners than a negrobaptism.

  Bob Fitzhugh's face was seen to grow very red, and then suddenly hepushed back his chair and strode to where Carolina sat, and said, in asturdy voice:

  "Cousin Carolina, why can't we announce our engagement? You know youpromised to marry me."

  He stood crimson but dauntless under the shrieks of laughter whichfollowed his speech. Carolina's face was very rosy also, and she wasseen to steal a mischievous glance at Moultrie La Grange, which somehowset his heart to beating with hope.

  She put her arm around Bob and kissed him on the forehead before themall.

  "Bob, dear, it is too soon," she whispered, consolingly. "You know Isaid if you wanted me in ten years and I was still unmarried--"

  "Oh, but Cousin Carol!" cried the boy, "you are so beautiful that unlessyou promise to wait for me you are sure to be snapped up. Father saidso."

  An added wave of colour flew to Carolina's face, and she hid her face inthe boy's shoulder, when, to her surprise, she heard the voice of Col.Wayne Yancey saying:

  "Bob, my boy, if she should promise you, you'd have to fight me, andfight me to the death."

  Bob looked at him, and stiffened.

  "Are you after her, too?" he cried, angrily.

  "I've been after her longer than you have. And I'm not the only one."

  Bob turned despairingly to his father.

  "How many does that make?" he roared.

  The laughter of the grown people passed unheeded.

  "Never mind, son," said his father. "Colonel Yancey's name completesthe list. There isn't another bachelor or widower left in SouthCarolina. It's just the way the girls used to treat me, son, butafterward I met your mother and she made everything all right."

  The boy flew to his father's side, and hid his head.

  "Girls are all alike, son. You'll have to bear it. We all have to.Turn around here and ask your Uncle De Courcey why he is a bachelor.Ask your mother how many boys she flirted with before I came along. Bea man. Look there at Emmeline and Gladys and--"

  Bob burst away with a roar of pain.

  "Emmeline is about right for Teddy!" he exclaimed, in wrath. "I want agrown woman. I don't want anybody but Miss Carolina Lee. Moultrie knowshow it is, don't you, Moultrie? When you've once loved a girl likeCarolina, how would you like it to be told to take up with anybodyelse?"

  "I just wouldn't do it, that's all!" said Moultrie, looking squarely atCarolina.

  "Bob," said Carolina, severely, "you are embarrassing Mr. La Grange andme dreadfully. Won't you please go back to your place and make me feelthat I can depend upon you to protect me instead of exposing me tolaughter like this?"

  The boy's eagle glance flew from one convulsed face to another. Then heshowed his blood. He came to Carolina's side, and put his arms aroundher neck and kissed her cheek, whispering:

  "I'll never speak of it again. They can laugh if they want to, but someday you'll remember that I behaved when you asked me to."

  He went back to his seat and Carolina looked at Emmeline, and bothlittle ladies rose from the heads of their tables and led the way to thedrawing-room.

  But Carolina was uneasy. She could not forget the look that Moultrie LaGrange shot at her, when Bob said, "After you have once loved a girllike Carolina, how would you like to be told to take up with anybodyelse?"

  She knew the time was approaching when he would ask his question overagain, and she was not prepared yet to give an answer. She was sure hewas on the right track, but she was not sure that he would persevere.

  The chill of autumn always manifests itself in November days in SouthCarolina after the sun goes down, and when the guests repaired to thelibrary, they found a great log fire, the size of which they had neverseen before. For weeks Carolina's servants had scoured the woods for abacklog of sufficient girth to please their mistress, but it was 'Polytewho finally secured the prize.

  Around this glorious fire they all gathered, and something of the wayGuilford had been restored, as well as the gentle tranquillity of thetwilight hour, crept into their hearts and tinged the conversation withan intimacy which years of ordinary social intercourse could not haveaccomplished. Christian Scientists all over the world will recognizethis as a fact peculiar to themselves. If church-member meetschurch-member of any other denomination, they are forced to becomeacquainted as is usual in society, because there is no unanimity ofthought, and each is bound for his or her particular goal by independentand widely diverse routes. But in Christian Science instantaneousintimacies are possible, because it is the one religion which requirescomparative unanimity of thought, and all are travelling in theidentical path which leads to the ultimate perfection of harmony.

  Thus, with no other light than the firelight and with no furtherintroduction to the dear people of the Southland, than that they wereeither Christian Scientists or Carolina's beloved kinfolk, no one wassurprised when Doctor Colfax said:

  "You showed no astonishment this morning, Miss Carolina, when you saw meamong the guests Mr. Howard was bringing to your beautifulhouse-warming. And as I know the type of your mind, I know that youwill ask no questions. Therefore, I owe it to you to tell you, andbelieve me, I am delighted to include your friends.

  "You, Mrs. Winchester, remember meeting me on the train as you werecoming from Boston. You thought I had been to take a rest. I had. Butit was a rest in a hospital from an operating-table. It was my secondoperation for cancer of the throat. My inexcusable show of anger at yourhouse, Mrs. Howard, the night I saw the miracle of Miss Carolina'shealing, was induced and aggravated by the knowledge of the ordealbefore me and of the futility of it. My brutal words against Mrs.Goddard, this dear, dear woman, whom I have learned to revere and loveas my best friend, were uttered because I longed to go and fling myselfat her feet and ask her if she could cure me. If any of you men whowere there that night--if you, St. Quentin, had knocked me senseless andtaken my unconscious body to a Christian Scientist for treatment, Ishould have thanked you on my knees. But none of you knew.

  "Well, I went through this second operation, and it proved as futile asthe first had done. Within six months I was confronted by the certaintyof the third, and this I felt sure would be fatal.

  "With the horrible fear of death before my mental vision, and no faithin surgery, I one day made up my mind to call on Mrs. Goddard, to tellher the ungentlemanly, unmanly words I had used against her in public,to beg her pardon, and if she forgave me, to implore her help for myhideous malady.

  "Dear friends, you, who know her, know how she received me. But none ofyou know that under her treatment I was entirely cured. Nor does sheknow what I am about to say, for only since I came down here and livedamong you and saw your beautiful lives, have I decided. Mrs. Goddard, Iowe it to you to tell you first. I have decided to give up the practiceof materia medica, which failed me in the hour of my greatest need, andI intend to study to be a Christian Science practitioner."

  A startled murmur ran through the group. Even with all their faith,this came as a surprise, for the name of Doctor Colfax stood for so muchin the medical world. Few men would have dared to show so much moralcourage. Only Mrs. Goddard seemed to understand, for she reached outher hand to him, and he bent and kissed it before them all.

  "I give up!" cried Colonel Yancey, to relieve the tension. "CousinLois, look at all these lovers holding hands, and thinking we don't seethem, and s
ay whether you and I shall be left out."

  "Wayne Yancey," said Mrs. Winchester, "I'm not going to be left out ofanything. I have come to the point where I don't believe in the Churchof England the way I did, and, if I decide to become a ChristianScientist, there is no telling but that I may forget what a rascal youused to be in what they call 'the old thought' and decide to marry youin the new!"

  Thus Guilford began at once to take her proper place as the mystic spotwhere lovers' vows were plighted almost before they knew it, so repleteit was with all that goes to make a home, and, as the dancing flamesdied down, Carolina felt a soft hand steal into hers, and looked downinto the wide eyes of her niece, little Cynthia Lee.

  "What is it, darling?" she asked.

  "I feel," whispered the child, "that strange things are going to happenat Guildford, and that you and I shall always be in the midst of them!"

  Carolina, instinctively realizing that this was a psychic moment for theimaginative child, slipped her arm around Cynthia's delicate waist,saying:

  "Why do you feel it, Cynthia?"

  "Listen, Aunt Carolina. Something of all the queerness I have heardsince I came down here makes me feel that I shall lead a stormy life,and that I shall need this thing and want it and be unable to accept ituntil I am beaten by everything else. Do you understand me?"

  "Only too well," sighed Carolina.

  "Then I shall want you, and want you terribly."

  "I shall always be here, dearest."

  "That is what comforts me," said the child, the mystic light dying outof her eyes. "It is what comforts me about the whole thing. I know itwill always be there when I want it. I have talked to Emmeline aboutit. Even little Gladys taught me her hymn."

  And the child and the woman looked into each other's eyes, knowing thattheir souls were akin, and that the witchery of the twilight hour hadopened floodgates closed by day, but which opened when the soul felt theneed of speech.

  "I am glad you told me, Cynthia," said Carolina. "The only answer to allof life's puzzles, I have found in this awakened sense of mine, whichwill surely come to you some day. Remember it when the waters grow toodeep."

  "The answer to all life's puzzles," echoed Cynthia.

  "Sing, child," said Carolina.

  And Cynthia, whose voice was like the rippling water and the sounding ofsilver bells, began to sing what Gladys called her hymn:

  "'And o'er earth's troubled, angry sea I see Christ walk, And come to me and tenderly, Divinely talk!'"

  As the child sang, every feeling in every heart melted, until only loveremained, and, when she finished, Kate cried out:

  "It's all over! I d-don't hate Mrs. Eddy any more. I--I've been healedof it by Cynthia's singing."

  The child's lovely voice had so sadly shaken Carolina's composure that,under cover of the half-darkness, she rose and made her way quietly to alittle hall which led to a private staircase, intending to gain her ownroom and recover herself before her guests began to take leave.

  As the voices rose and fell, she moved nearer and nearer the door, toointent upon her own ends to notice that Moultrie La Grange had likewisedetached himself from the fireside group and disappeared.

  As she finally stepped behind a group of palms which concealed the door,she sprang lightly into the dark passage and flung herself headlong intothe arms of Moultrie La Grange, who had come in that way to intercepther flight.

  He was not slow to take advantage of the very opportunity he had come toseek, and, after one brief struggle, so slight that it was like thefluttering of a bird, she hid her face in his shoulder, with a littlesob in which relief and joy and love were mingled.

  He said nothing, only held her close and kissed her hair, until her armsstole upward and curled around his neck, and she whispered:

  "Moultrie, dear, dear Moultrie, will you forgive me for what I said toyou that day?"

  "I have nothing to forgive, dear heart. You only said it because youloved me."

  Tears filled her eyes, and she drew closer to him, whispering:

  "I knew that first night in New York at the opera--that this hour wouldcome--and just now, while Cynthia was singing, I knew that--you wouldunderstand--everything!"

  "I would not have dared to speak to you again, dearest," he answered,"if I had not emptied my soul of self and got rid of that whichseparated us. But--I have been working since you showed me where I stoodwith you, and I, too, under the spell of that child's voice, have cometo the point where I can say that, if you think I am capable of it,--andworthy to be the successor of such a man as your idolized father,--Iwould be proud to complete his work on Abraham Lincoln, and, with yourconsent, we will call it 'The Debt of the South to Lincoln.'"

  For reply, Carolina lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it. Shecould make no reply to such a surrender as that, but in that hour shelifted her hero to a pinnacle, whence he never was dislodged.

  THE END.