The Merryweathers
Page 18
CHAPTER XVII.
THE SNOWY OWL
"I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
"Willy Merryweather! aren't you ashamed of yourself? I never heardanything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is soperfectly lovely. I don't see what you mean."
"I don't care, it _is_ a bother. Nothing is the way it used to be; it'sall nothing but spooning, all over the lot."
"I should not think you would use vulgar expressions, anyhow, Willy."
"'Spooning' isn't vulgar," said Willy, sulkily. "I've heard Pa say it,so there! And--look here, Kitty! Of course, it's all corking, and so on,and anyhow, girls like that kind of fuss; but it does spoil everything,I tell you. Why, Pa couldn't get a crew for the war canoe yesterday. Hewanted to go to Pine Cove--at least I did, awfully, and he said allright, so we would; and then Jerry was off with Margaret in the_Keewaydin_, and Bell and Jack were out in the woods fiddling, and Peggyand Phil--I say, Kitty! You don't suppose _they_ are going to getspoony, do you?"
Kitty looked very wise, and pursed her lips and nodded her head with anair of deep mystery.
"You don't!" repeated Willy, looking aghast.
"Hush, Willy!" said Kitty. "Don't say a word! don't breathe it toanybody! I hope--I _think_ they are!"
"What a mean, horrid shame!" cried Willy, indignantly. "I do think it isdisgusting."
His sister turned on him with flashing eyes. "It is you that is theshame!" she cried. "It is you who ought to be ashamed, Willy. Do youwant poor Phil to be all alone when Jerry is married? Do you know thattwins sometimes pine away and _die_, Willy Merryweather, when the otherof them dies?"
"Jerry isn't going to die," said Willy, uncomfortably. "What nonsenseyou talk, Kitty."
"Well, marries. I should think very likely they would, then, if theydidn't get married themselves. I think you are perfectly heartless,Willy. And dear Peggy, too, so nice and jolly! and if she goes away backout West _without_ falling in love with Phil, we may never, never seeher again; and she has promised me a puppy of the very next litterSimmerimmeris has. So there!"
Willy was silent for a moment, kicking the pebbles thoughtfully.
"Do you think she is--that?" he asked at length, shamefacedly.
"Of course I don't _know_!" said Kitty, judicially. "Of course verylikely nothing is positively decided yet; but I am sure she likes himvery, very much, and he takes her out whenever he has a chance."
"There's nobody else for him to take out," put in Willy; "the others areall spoon--"
"Willy, don't be tiresome! and just think! if they should get marriedand go to live out West, then you and I could both go out to see them,and ride all the ponies, and punch the cows, and have real lassoes,and--and--"
The children were coming home through the wood. Kitty's voice hadgradually risen, till now it was a shrill squeak of excitement; but atthis moment it broke off suddenly, for there was a rustling of branches,and the next moment Gertrude stood before them with grave looks.
"My dear chicks," she said, "you must not talk so loud. I was in thepine parlor, and could not help hearing the last part of what you weresaying. And anyhow, I would not talk about such things, if I were you.Suppose Peggy had been with me! How do you think she would have felt?Mammy would not like to have you gossiping in this foolish way."
The children hung their heads.
"Oh! Toots," said Kitty, "I am sorry! I didn't realize that we weregetting anywhere near the house. We were only thinking--at least Iwas--how lovely it would be if Peggy and Phil should--"
"Kitty dear, hush!" said Gertrude, decidedly. "You would better notthink, and you certainly _must not_ talk, about anything of the kind.There are enough real love-affairs to interest you, you littlematch-maker, without your building castles in the air. Let Peggy andPhil alone!"
"I should think there were!" said Willy. "That's just what I was saying,Toots; it's nothing but spooning, all over the place. There's no funanywhere; this wretched love-making spoils everything. _I_ think it'sperfectly childish."
"Do you, Willy dear?" said his sister; and her smile was very sweet asshe laid her hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Yes, I do. Here are the white perch rising like a house afire, and Ican't get a soul to go with me. It was just the same yesterday, and it'slike that almost every day now."
"Oh, Willy! I'll go with you," cried Kitty, eagerly. "Why didn't youtell me the perch were rising? Let's come right along this minute. Tootswill help us with the boat, won't you, Toots?"
"Yes, I'll help!" said the Snowy Owl.
Ten minutes later the white boat was speeding on her way to thefishing-ground, the little rowers bending to their oars, chatteringmerrily as they went.
"That's one comfort!" Willy was saying. "We've got Toots. Nobody willget her away from us."
"I should hope not," said Kitty. "There's nobody good enough, in thefirst place; and besides, of course somebody must stay with Papa andMamma."
"I suppose you will be grown up yourself some day!" said Willy, gruffly.
"I shall be likely to marry very young," said Kitty, seriously. "I heardAunt Anna say so."
Gertrude stood on the wharf, looking after the retreating boat. "PoorWilly!" she said, with a smile; "it _is_ hard on him!"
She looked around her. It was afternoon, a still, golden day. The lakewas as she loved best to see it, a sheet of living crystal, here deepblue, here glittering in gold and diamonds, here giving back shades ofcrimson and russet from the autumn woods that crowded down to thewater's edge. Far out, her eye caught a white flash, the gleam of apaddle; there was another, just at the bend of the shore; and was thatdark spot the prow of a third canoe, moored in the fairy cove of BirchIsland? Gertrude smiled again, and her smile said many things.
Presently she raised her arms above her head, and brought them downslowly, with a powerful gesture. "How good it would be to fly!" shesaid, dreamily. "To fly away up to the iceberg country, where the snowyowls live!"
She stood for a long time silent, gazing out over the shining water. Atlast she shook herself with a little laugh, and turned away. The whitecanoe, her own especial pet, was lying on the wharf. She launched itcarefully, then taking her paddle, knelt down in the bow. A few long,swift strokes, and the canoe shot out over the lake, and rested like agreat white bird with folded wings, then glided slowly on again. It wasa pity there was none to see, for the picture was a fair one: thestately maiden kneeling, her golden hair sweeping about her, her whitearms rising and falling slowly, rhythmically, in perfect grace.
"Tu-whoo!" said the Snowy Owl.
But only the loon answered her.
THE END.
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Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Page 10, "Bellville" changed to "Belleville" (Mr. Claud Belleville)
Page 11, "282" changed to "281" (See page 281)
Page 45, "develope" changed to "develop" (symptoms develop which)
Page 78, double word "and" removed (must go and tell) Original read(must go and and tell)
Page 132, "Limavady" changed to "Limavaddy" (Peg of Limavaddy!")