That Little Girl of Miss Eliza's: A Story for Young People

by Jean K. Baird

  CHAPTER VIII.

  Mrs. Burtsch remained away all the remainder of the summer and untillate in the fall. Rose, of course, was prohibited from visiting Beth.For her own part, Eliza was better pleased than otherwise with thearrangement of affairs. She regretted that Beth was cut off fromintimate companionship with those of her own age, yet Rose had neverbeen the most desirable acquaintance. Being alone was preferable toundesirable friends.

  Eliza made a point of inviting Helen Reed from Friday until Sundayevening. The two little girls had the best of times. There were bushelsof pop-corn and barrels of apples. When the weather was not too cold,they spent hours playing in the attic. Eliza had given them each a playskirt which could trail behind, and they were happy.

  There was a box of antiquated hats in the attic. Beth and Helen at onceset up a millinery shop and sewed braids and trimmed hats until theirfingers were sore. They had quite a fine assortment before they hadfinished. It was only too bad that they had no customers and were forcedto buy their own goods.

  Winter months in the country are never propitious for visiting unlessone is able to keep a driving horse. The people at Shintown had only thework horses. During the coldest months these were taken to town to haulice from the river to the big store houses, and so were unavailable. Sothe folks of Shintown ploughed their own way through the snow to churchor Sunday-school which was always held in the school-house.

  Eliza caught glimpses of Mrs. Burtsch and tried to speak to her, but theoffended lady would accept no overtures. She took her place oppositeEliza and never looked in her direction. When Beth after services wouldhave run after Rose, Mrs. Burtsch drew her offspring away with, "Come,Rose, this instant. Hain't I told you that I want you to be particularwho you are friends with."

  Even at the sauer-kraut supper, which was the annual event for the lastweek in November, when money was raised to pay the minister's salary,Mrs. Burtsch ignored her neighbors of the old Wells place. Eliza waswashing dishes and Mrs. Burtsch carrying plates heaped with pork,sauer-kraut and mashed potatoes.

  After several attempts, Eliza gave up and accepted Mrs. Burtsch'sattitude as a matter of course. Since the day when Beth had fluffed herhair and stuck sweet peas in it, Eliza had kept it so. The gardenflowers had all gone. There were plenty of house plants at the Wellsplace, however. The evening of the supper, Beth stuck a pink geranium inher foster-mother's hair.

  "You'll be the very sweetest one at the party Adee," said Beth.

  She was a true prophet. Eliza's work and the overheated room had givenher cheeks the same tint as the flower in her hair.

  "Eliza Wells haint so bad looking," said Sam Houston to some one nearhim. "It's wonderful how she does keep her looks. She's thirty-five ifshe's a day."

  More than one pair of eyes were attracted toward her. Mrs. Kilgoresighed when she overheard some one mention Eliza's fine coloring. Sheshook her head sadly. "I don't like the looks of it," she said. "OldSally Caldwell, her great aunt by marriage on her father's side, hadjust such high coloring and she was took off sudden as could be withgalloping consumption. You can't tell me. Such things are inherited.Mark my words, Eliza Wells will be took off before the year is out. Ithain't natural. A woman ought to look a little faded by the time she'sEliza's age. It's only natural that she should."

  "Don't let that worry you none," laughed Mrs. Burtsch in her bitter,cynical fashion. "Those red cheeks won't have nothing to do with Eliza'sgoing off unless she goes off with just plumb foolishness. We could allbe blooming out and looking like young colts if we wanted to spend ourmoney at a drug-store. Pink cheeks! Buy them at twenty-five cents abottle at Swain's drug-store."

  Sleet set in before the supper was over. It was almost nine o'clockbefore the social event of the season was over and the lights in theschool-house were ready to be turned off. The weather had moderated andthe sleet had become a rain. The walking was bad. Slush with pools ofwater had filled the road.

  Old Squire Stout had come over with his three-seated "carry-all".

  "I'll carry you and Beth home," he said to Eliza. "You'uns folks isfarthest out and you hain't got no men folks with you. You'd better ridealong."

  "I should like to. Beth's so tired that she can barely keep on herfeet."

  They were ready to start when Mrs. Burtsch came out of the school-housewith her basket over her arm. "I most forgot my potato-kettle," sheexplained. "I never could get along without that."

  "Oh, is that you, Livia," cried the squire in his way. "Better climb inand we'll carry you home. Always room for one more. Crowd in somewhere.Let the youngsters sit on the floor."

  Mrs. Burtsch was about to comply when she saw that the only seat notalready crowded to its full capacity, was occupied by Eliza and thesquire's wife. They had moved closer to make room for her.

  "Not to-night, but I thank you kindly just the same, squire. I'll keepto Shank's mare yet awhile. I'll trot on alone and I'll be sure to be ingood company."

  "Suit yourself, Livia," said the squire, touching his whip to the flanksof the off horse. "It's a right fool thing to walk two miles on a nightlike this when you could just as well ride. But I hain't no wayresponsible for your foolishness. You always was plumb set in yourways."

  Later events proved that Mrs. Burtsch was foolish. Sam Houston broughtthe news to Eliza. Sam and his wife had the best intentions in theworld. They were "chock-full" to the throat with fine theories about howto run a farm and anything else that came up for discussion. They meantto put their theories into practice, but somehow they never got aroundto it. He knew when sauer-kraut should be made and just how it should bemade. He got as far in working it out as to have his cabbage piled onthe back porch with bran sacks over it to keep it from freezing. His"working germ" took a vacation there. The week following the sauer-krautsupper, he came around to Eliza's back door. He was careful to "stomp"the snow from his boots before he entered the kitchen.

  "Why--you, Sam?" exclaimed Eliza. "I hope nothing has happened to MaryJane." Sam was not one to make early calls.

  "No, the missis is all right. She just sent me over to get the lend ofyour kraut-cutter. You hain't using it, I calculate."

  "Mercy, no. I've got mine made long ago. The cutter's out in thewash-house. You'll find it hanging up behind the door."

  "We're a little slow somehow about making ours. 'Pears to be so much todo. There's chores, and then I had some carpenter work to do on thechicken-coop. But last night, the cold nipped the top layer of thecabbage heads, so Mary Jane said we'd better make the kraut right off orit would all be spoiled. She spoke to set up with Livia Burtschto-night."

  "Livia Burtsch?" exclaimed Eliza. "What's wrong with her?"

  "Got water-soaked the night of the church-supper and took 'monia'.They've had the doctor from the Bend. The parson's been to see her.She's right bad. Somebody's had to set up with her every night now forthree days. She gets out of her head."

  Sam moved on to get the sauer-kraut cutter. There was no question inEliza's mind as to her duty.

  "I'm going over to see Mrs. Burtsch, Beth," she said. "I'm not sure thatI'll be back in time for dinner. You can take some bread and milk. Idon't want you to fuss with the fire and try to cook while I'm away.Mrs. Burtsch is sick and may need me."

  There were more ways than one in which Mrs. Burtsch would need help.Eliza knew that. Olivia was not one to "cook up" anything. She wasgenerally out of bread and never made jelly, or canned what she called"truck". Eliza knew how she would find matters in the Burtsch household,so she took her biggest basket and filled it with some fresh bread, somejelly and several bottles of home-made grape-juice.

  She wasted no time in apology or explaining when she entered the Burtschhousehold.

  "Well Livia, this is too bad that you're laid up. Have you had anybreakfast yet?"

  "Lem did bring me in some, but I couldn't eat," she said.

  "A man's cooking! It wouldn't be expected of you. I'll get something foryou."

  The kitchen was not the sight to please the eye of
a housekeeper. Lemueland Rose had made a shift at cooking but had made no attempt at cleaningup. Dishes were piled high on every available space of the table. Thefloor was slippery with grease. The frying pan with bits of what hadbeen intended for the patient's breakfast was on the back of the stove.Eliza sniffed at it. Salt pork! Scarcely a tempting breakfast for aninvalid.

  She prepared toast with an egg and a cup of tea. The neighboring womenhad been kind, but they had their families and households to see to, andhad not been able to accomplish all they wished.

  When the breakfast was disposed of, Eliza cleared away the accumulationof dishes. She pressed Rose into service. She put the house into somesemblance of order in the very few hours she had and prepared dinner forLemuel Burtsch. She knew what his meals must have been if he had had thepreparation of them himself. She was a slow, deliberate worker. Shecould not rush about and do much in a little time. But she was notirritating in her efforts. Her serene, calm way soothed Olivia.

  Rose was of little help. She whined and cried when matters went askew.Mrs. Burtsch worried about the child's doing without her meals.Altogether Rose was of little value in the house.

  "Does Rose help you? Is there anything she can do?" Eliza asked Lemuelas he sat at the dinner table. He looked about bewildered. He had neverbeen the head of his own house, and now with his wife sick, he was likea canoe with the paddle gone.

  "She hain't much good. She's not very old yet Miss Eliza, and her motheralways calculated not to make her work until she was considerableolder."

  "She's really too much of a baby yet to help anyone. If she is no help,I'll take her home with me and take care of her until Olivia getsaround, or until you can find a good woman."

  "That's powerful good, Miss Liza. Your folks was always great hands forhelping other folks out and you're a chip from the old block. I'll berelieved a heap if you'll sort of look after her."

  It was evident that the child's mother was quite as relieved as Lemuelhimself.

  It was long after the dinner hour when Eliza set forth with Rose. Mrs.Houston had come over to "set" for a spell and promised to see to thepatient until the evening when some one else would relieve her.

  Beth was watching at the window. When she saw Eliza and Rose coming, sheran from the house and down to the gate to meet them. She flung her armsabout Adee's neck and then hugged Rose who stood as stiff andirresponsive as an iron post.

  "I'm dreadful glad, Rose. Now, we can play. Helen and I made about amillion hats. They're up in the attic. We'll play millinery store."

  "Run along and play until I call you to supper. We'll have it early.Beth has had only a bowl of milk since breakfast. Run along; I'll callyou."

  They needed no encouragement. Eliza went to the kitchen and began herpreparation. Meanwhile the girls had examined the hats in the attic andcommented on the grace and elegance of several. Rose's tongue was goingclickety-clack. She talked more freely when her elders were not present.

  "Mrs. Kilgore got a new hat before the church supper. She thought shewouldn't get it at first. It cost an awful lot," and so on and so on,petty details of other people's affairs which she had heard her eldersdiscuss, and which was really no business of hers, or theirs either.

  "Let's play store. You be selling hats and I'll be the Queen of Shebacome to buy," suggested Beth. She had learned this particular "stunt"from Helen Reed who would have no dealings with anybody but royalty whenshe played make-believe.

  "I'll have a train. This one is too short and don't rustle." Bethproceeded to pin a half of a curtain to the tail of her gown. Then shepranced forward where the gable was highest and trailed her gown afterher.

  "You'll be the shop-keeper and I'll be the Queen," said Rose.

  "No, I'll be the Queen first. You've never played the game and you don'tknow how a queen is supposed to act. They don't act like just common,every-day people." Beth paraded up and down, spreading her train andlooking back over her shoulder to see the effect. So the discussioncontinued for several minutes.

  "Much you know about queens. You'd better play like you was a tramp."There was more than childish teasing in the speaker's voice. There wasthe keen cutting desire to hurt which marked her mother's conversation.

  "I don't know nothing about tramps. I never saw one in all my life. Oh,ain't this train perfectly 'kertish'?" and she cavorted about to showoff to the best advantage.

  "You don't! You never saw one! Then you'd better look in thelooking-glass. For you're a tramp yourself. You were found--"

  Eliza had come to bring the little girls to supper. She caught the lastremark. Quick as a flash, she stepped into the room and, seizing Rose bythe arm, silenced her. She held her thus while she turned to Beth.

  "Go down and eat your supper, Beth, dear. Rose and I will have a littletalk."

  Sending Beth ahead, Eliza held Rose, cringing and shaking, by the armand led her to a bedroom on the second floor, where she took her in andsat down with her and tried to show how contemptible and mean her actwas.