The Little Red Chimney: Being the Love Story of a Candy Man
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CHAPTER FOUR
_In which the Candy Man again sees the Grey Suit, and Virginiacontinues the story of the Little Red Chimney._
It was Saturday afternoon, possibly the very next Saturday, or at mostthe Saturday after that, and the Candy Wagon was making money. The dayof the week was unmistakable, for the working classes were getting homeearly; fathers of families with something extra for Sunday in paper bagsunder their arms. And the hat boxes! They passed the Candy Man's cornerby the hundreds. Every feminine person in the big apartment houses mustbe intending to wear a new hat to-morrow.
There was something special going on at the Country Club--the Candy Manhad taken to reading the social column--and the people of leisure andsemi-leisure were to be well represented there, to judge by the machinesspeeding up the avenue; among them quite probably Miss Bentley and Mr.Augustus McAllister.
This not altogether pleasing reflection had scarcely taken shape in hismind, when, in the act of handing change to a customer, he beheld MissBentley coming toward him; without a doubt his Miss Bentley this time,for she wore the grey suit and the felt hat, jammed down any way on herbright hair and pinned with the pinkish quill. She was not alone. Byher side walked a rather shabby, elderly man, with a rosy face, whosepockets bulged with newspapers, and who carried a large parcel. She waslooking at him and he was looking at her, and they were both laughing.Comradeship of the most delightful kind was indicated.
Without a glance in the direction of the Candy Wagon they passed. Well,at any rate she wasn't at the Country Club. But how queer!
Earlier in the afternoon Virginia had gone by in dancing-school array,accompanied by an absurdly youthful mother. "I've got something to tellyou," she called, and the Candy Man could see her being reproved forthis unseemly familiarity.
His curiosity was but mildly stirred; indeed, having other things tothink of, he had quite forgotten the incident, when on Monday shepresented herself swinging her school bag.
"Say," she began, "I have found out about her Ladyship and the LittleRed Chimney."
"Oh, have you?" he answered vaguely.
Virginia, resting her bag on the carriage block, looked disappointed."I have been crazy to tell you, and now you don't care a bit."
"Indeed I do," the Candy Man protested. "I'm a trifle absent-minded,that's all."
Thus reassured she began: "Don't you know I told you I could seethat chimney from our dining-room, and that I was going to watch it?Well, the other day at lunch I happened to look toward the window, andI jumped right out of my chair and clapped my hands and said, 'It'ssmoking, it's smoking!' There was company, and mother said, 'Goodgracious, Virginia! what's smoking? You do make me so nervous!' ThenI was sorry I'd said anything, because she wouldn't understand, youknow. Well, after lunch I took one of Ted's balls, and went over toUncle Bob's, and I got a little darkey boy to throw it in the yard, andthen I went in to look for it. You see if Uncle Bob wasn't there andanybody asked me what I was doing, I could say I was looking for mybrother's ball."
"I fear you are a deep one," remarked the Candy Man.
"No, I'm not, but I'm rather good at thinking of things," Virginia ownedcomplacently. "And then," she continued, "I poked around the rose bush,and peeped in at the window, and sure enough she was there, brushing thehearth. She saw me and came to the window, and when I ran away, 'causeI thought maybe she was mad, she rapped, and then opened the window andcalled: 'Come in, little girl, and talk to me.' And now who do you thinkshe turned out to be?"
A suspicion had been deepening in the Candy Man's breast for the lastfew moments. His heart actually thumped. "Not--you don't mean----?"
Virginia nodded violently. "Yes, the lady who fell and got muddy. Andshe's perfectly lovely, and I'm going there again. She asked me to."
Why, oh, why should such luck fall to the lot of a long-legged,freckle-nosed little girl, and not to him, the Candy Man wondered.He burned to ask innumerable questions, but compromised on one. DidVirginia know whether or not she had come to stay?
"Why, I guess so. She didn't have her hat on, and she was cleaningup--dusting, you know, and taking things out of a box."
"What sort of things?"
"Books and sofa pillows and pictures. I helped her, and by and by UncleBob came in."
"And what did he say?" asked the Candy Man, just to keep her going.
"Why, he said, didn't he tell me so? And wasn't it great to have herladyship there?"
"And what did her ladyship say?"
"She said he was a dear, and I forget what else. Oh, but listen! I'llbet you can't guess what her name is."
He couldn't. He had racked his brain for a name at once sweet enough andpossessing sufficient dignity. He had not found it for the good reasonthat no such name has been invented.
"It's a long name," said Virginia, "as long as mine. I am named formy grandmother, Mary Virginia, but they don't call me all of it." Shepaused to watch two white-plumed masons on their way to the commanderyon the next block.
"Well?" said the Candy Man.
She laughed. "Oh, I forgot. Why, it is Margaret Elizabeth. The doctorcame in; she's a lady doctor, you know, and said, 'Margaret Elizabeth,there'll be muffins for tea.' And she said, 'All right. Dr. Prue.' AndDr. Prue said, 'And cherry preserves, if you and Uncle Bob want them,'and Margaret Elizabeth said, 'Goody!' And I must go now," Virginiafinished. "There's Betty looking for me."
Virginia might go and welcome. He had enough to occupy his thought forthe present. Margaret Elizabeth! Such a name would never have suggesteditself to him, yet it suited her. Beneath her young gaiety and charmthere was something the name fitted. Margaret Elizabeth! He loved italready.
Why had he not guessed that the Little Red Chimney belonged to her?Had not the sight of it stirred his heart? And why should that have beenso, except for some subtle fairy godmother suggestion? The picture ofMargaret Elizabeth and Uncle Bob eating cherry preserves was a pleasantone. It brought her nearer. The Candy Man was inclined to like UncleBob, to think of him as a broad-minded person whose prejudices againstCandy Men, granting he had them, might in time be overcome.
From being a bit low in his mind, the Candy Man's mood became positivelyjovial. When the sad grey man known to the children as the Miser, andinvested with mysterious and awful powers, stopped to buy some hoarhounddrops, he wished him a cheery good afternoon.
The Miser was evidently surprised, but responded courteously, andrecalling the accident of two weeks ago, asked if the Candy Man hadheard anything of the injured chauffeur.
It chanced that he had heard the Reporter say, only yesterday, that theman was doing well and likely to recover.
"And the young lady? I think I saw her the other day going into a houseacross the street from my own."
"The house with the Little Red Chimney?" asked the Candy Manindiscreetly, forgetting himself for the moment.
A smile slowly dawned on the face of the sad man, but quickly faded, asa flock of naughty pigeons tore by, screaming, "Lizer, Lizer, look outfor the Miser!" If he had been about to make a comment, he thoughtbetter of it, and turned away.
Having identified the Little Red Chimney as the property of the Girlof All Others, the Candy Man now made a new discovery. He had a roomin one of the old residences of the neighbourhood, so many of which inthese days were being given over to boarding and lodging. Its windowsoverlooked a back yard, in which grew a great ash, and he had beeninterested to observe how long after other trees were bare this one keptits foliage. He found it one morning, however, giving up its leaves bythe wholesale, under the touch of a sharp frost; and, wonder of wonders!through its bared branches that magical chimney came into view, with acorner of grey roof.
Not far away rose the big smoke stack belonging to the apartment houses,impressive in its loftiness, but to his fancy the Little Red Chimneyheld its own with dignity, standing for something unattainable by greatsmoke stacks, however important.
The Candy Man, it will be seen, did not attempt to reconcile conflictingevidence
. He took what suited him and ignored the rest. Was Miss Bentleythe niece of Mrs. Gerrard Pennington? She was also the niece of UncleBob. Did she ride in haughty limousines? She also rode in street cars.Was she wined and dined by the rich? She also ate muffins and cherrypreserves, and brushed up the hearth of the Little Red Chimney.