CHAPTER XI
THE WOOF OF DAILY THINGS
"Dilly, you're not worth shucks since you came back!" exclaimed theboy in a severely upbraiding tone. "You don't do nothin' as you used,you just sit and moon. Do you want to go back to that old man? I sh'dthink you'd been awful dull."
"Do you talk that way at school?"
"Oh, well, a fellow needn't be so fussy at home."
"What would you like me to do? You are off with the boys----"
"That's because you're no good. You don't run races nor climb treesnor wade in the brook to catch frogs, nor jump--I'll bet you don'tknow how to jump any more. And you were a staver!"
"Girls leave off those things. And you are a good deal younger, andought to have a boy's good times. I must sew and spin and help keephouse and work in the garden to take care of the flowers and learn tocook."
"My! I wouldn't be a girl for anything! Dilly, who will you marry?"
Her face was scarlet. Must a girl marry? She understood now the driftof the talk she had unwittingly overheard. And her cheek burnedthinking that she had been offered and declined.
"I'm not going to marry any one in a good while," she returnedgravely.
"Tim Garvin asked me----" he looked at her hesitatingly.
"Well?"
"If he might come round. He thinks you sing like a mocking bird. Andhe says he likes yellow hair. I don't. I wish yours was black and thatyou had red cheeks and that you'd laugh real loud, and want to playgames."
"There are plenty of little girls, Felix, who are ready for any sortof fun."
He spun round on his heel and went off. It had been one of theresplendent early autumn days with a breath of summer in the air andthe richness of all ripening things. The call of the wood thrush camesoftly through the trees with a lingering delicious tenderness. She saton a large boulder nearly at the foot of a great sycamore tree. Sheused to have a play-house here. What had changed her so? She did notwant to go back to Philadelphia. She would never want to see Mr.Bartram again. In a way she was content. Her father loved her verymuch, it was a stronger love in one way, a man's love, though hermother was tender and planning a nice future for her.
She did not understand that it was the dawning of womanhood, theopening of a new, strange life different from what had gone before.There was a sort of delicious mystery about it and she stood intremulous awe. It was going to bring her something that she halfdreaded, half desired.
She had gone down by the schoolhouse one afternoon. They had built anew one, really quite smart, and now they had taken off an hour of thelast session. The children were out at play, racing, screaming,wrestling, here playing ring around a rosy, here London bridge isfalling down, here a boy chasing a girl and kissing her roughly, sheslapping his face and being kissed half a dozen times more. Had sheever been one of this boisterous, romping group?
The French blood had brought in more refinement, like the Quakerelement. And she had been rather diffident. At home they were moredelicate, while they had too much good breeding and kindliness to holdthemselves much above their neighbors.
The marriage of Janie Byerly was quite an event. It took place at tenin the morning and there was a great wedding cake with slices for thegirls to dream on. Then they went down to the boat in a procession andthere was a merry time as the boat made ready to push out. Rice hadnot come in yet, but old shoes were there in abundance.
There were other marriages and the little girl went to them becauseshe did not want to slight her old companions. Some of the couplesset up housekeeping in a two-roomed cabin and the new wife went onwith her spinning or weaving and some of them were quite expert attailoring. There was plenty of work getting ready for winter.
Tim Garvin had been as good as his word and came on Sunday evening.Daffodil sheltered herself behind her father's protecting wing. Theytalked of the whiskey question, of the Ohio trade, and then there wasa lagging, rather embarrassing time. Four elderly people sataround--they generally retired and gave the young folks a chance, butit was Daffodil who disappeared first. And Tim did not make a secondattempt.
The Langdale boys had better luck in establishing friendliness. Nedcame over in high feather one afternoon. Daffodil was practising arather intricate piece of lace making. He looked manly and proud. Hewas tall and well filled out, very well looking.
"I hope you'll all congratulate me," he began in a buoyant tone. "I'veenlisted. I'm going to live up at the Fort and begin soldier life inearnest."
"And I do most heartily wish you success," declared grandmere, hereyes lighting up with a kind of admiration at the manly face in thepride of youth. "We shall need soldiers many a day yet, though I hopethe worst is over. Still the Indians are treacherous and stubborn."
"And we may have another fight on our hands;" laughing. "For we arenot going to be ridden over rough shod."
"But you must belong to the government side now."
"I suppose so;" flushing.
The delinquent distillers had been summoned to Philadelphia and hadrefused to go.
"This is our very living," declared grandad, who was one of the mostfiery insurgents. "Then they will tax our grain, our crops of allkinds. A king could do no worse! What did I tell you about these men!Why, we'll have to emigrate t'other side of the Mississippi and starta new town. That's all we get for our labor and hard work."
"I ought to have waited until this thing was settled," Ned said ratherruefully, studying Daffodil's face. "But I had hard work to coaxfather, and when he consented I rushed off at once. He thinks there'sgoing to be fortunes in this iron business, and Archie won't be worthshucks at it. He hates it as much as I do, but he's all for books, andgetting his living by his brains. Maybe he'll be a lawyer."
Daffodil flushed. She held Archie's secret.
"You don't like it," Ned began when he had persuaded her to walk alittle way with him. "You said once you didn't like soldiering. Yet itis a noble profession, and I'm not going to stay down at the bottom ofthe line."
"No," with a sweet reluctance as if she was sorry to admit it. "Itseems cruel to me, why men should like to kill each other."
"They don't like it in the way of enjoyment, but do their duty. Andthey are for the protection of the homes, the women and children. Wemay have another Indian raid; we have some"--then he paused, he wasgoing to say, "some French to clear out," but refrained. The Frenchstill held some desirable western points.
"Father talks of the war occasionally, and mother shivers andsays--'My heart would have broken if I had known that!' And to be awaythree years or more, never knowing if one was alive!"
No, she wouldn't do for a soldier's wife. And Archie had prefiguredhimself a bachelor; he really had nothing to fear there, only wouldshe not take more interest in his brother? There were other youngfellows in the town, but not many of her kind. Well, he wouldwait--she seemed quite like a child yet.
Somehow she had not made the same impression as she had inPhiladelphia. No one praised her hair or her beautiful complexion orher grace in dancing. It did not hurt her exactly, but she felt sorryshe could not please as readily. Only--she did not care for that kindof florid approbation.
Grandmere looked up from her work when they had gone out. "He is afine lad," she commented. "And they are of a good family. Daffodil isnearing sixteen. Though there doesn't seem much need of soldiers--itis a noble profession. It seems just the thing for him."
"She is such a child yet. I don't know how we could spare her. And herfather is so fond of her."
Mrs. Bradin had a rather coveting regard for the young man. And apretty girl like Daffodil should not hang on hand.
Ned Langdale made friends easily at the Fort. And during the secondmonth, on account of a little misbehavior in the ranks, he wasadvanced to the sergeantship.
Meanwhile feeling ran higher and higher. Those who understood that thepower of the general government must be the law of the land werecompelled to keep silence lest they should make matters worse. Eventhe clergy were forced to hold th
eir peace. Processes were served andthrown into the fire or torn to bits. Then the government interferedand troops were ordered out.
Bernard Carrick had tried to keep his father within bounds. It did notdo to protest openly, but he felt the government should be obeyed, orPittsburg would be the loser. Bradford and several others ordered thetroops to march to Braddock's field, and then to Pittsburg. The townwas all astir and in deadly terror lest if the insurgents could notrule they would ruin. But after all it was a bloodless revolution.Governor Mifflin, after a temperate explanation, softening some of theapparently arbitrary points, commanded the insurgents to disperse.Breckenridge thought it safest to give good words rather than powderand balls. So they marched through the town in excellent order andcame out on the plains of the Monogahela where the talking wassoftened with libations of whiskey, and a better understandingprevailed, the large distillers giving in to the majesty of the law.
Some of the still disgruntled insurgents set fire to several barns,but no special damage was done. And thus ended the year's turmoil andbusiness went on with renewed vigor. There was also an influx ofpeople, some to settle, others from curiosity. But the West wasawakening a new interest and calling for immigrants.
Mrs. Janie Sanders came back with glowing accounts of the town on theOhio. And now trade was fairly established by the line of boats. Andfrom there down to New Orleans continual traffic was established.
The older log houses were disappearing or turned into kitchens with afiner exterior in front. People began to laugh at the old times whenthere was much less than a thousand inhabitants.
And though Bernard Carrick still called his daughter "Little Girl,"she was quite grown up with a slim lissome figure and her golden hairwas scarcely a shade darker. She was past sixteen, and yet she hadnever had a lover. Young men dropped in of a Sunday afternoon orevening, but she seemed to act as if they were her father's guests.After two or three attempts they dropped out again.
Archie had gone to Philadelphia for a year at a preparatory school,then was to enter college. Ned now was first lieutenant, having beenpromoted for bravery and foresight in warding off an Indian sortiethat might have been a rather serious matter.
The little girl had vanished with the old Pittsburg. She hardly knewherself in these days. Something seemed to touch her with a magicwand. She was full of joy with all things of the outside world, andthe spring and the early summer, nature seemed to speak in all mannerof wooing tongues and she answered. She took long walks in the woodsand came home with strange new flowers. There was not much to read, itwas not a season of intellectuality but a busy, thrifty time layingthe foundation for the great city of industry and prosperity that wasto be.
Barbe Carrick made pretty garments with fine needlework and lace andlaid them by in an old oaken chest. Grandmere was sometimes a littleimpatient over the dreaming child. Another year was going and she hadcounted on Daffodil being married before the next generation of girlscame to the fore. Plain ones, loud, awkward ones were married and hada jollification. Some of them at twenty had three or four children.
She was very sweet, charming and helpful. Grandad had taken the"knuckling down," as he called it, rather hard, but it seemed as ifthe tax and more came back in increased sales. He was very fond ofsmall Sandy, now a fast-growing boy, but there was a different lovefor Daffodil, who looked over his accounts, read the paper to him, andlistened to his stories as well as his complaints.
"I wish it wasn't so much the fashion for girls to marry," he said oneday to Norah. "I don't know how we could spare Dilly."
"And keep her an old maid!" with scorn in her voice. "But it's queer!One would think lovers would buzz about her like bees."
Now and then there came a letter from Philadelphia that she answeredwith a good long one, yet she wondered afterward what she found tosay. That visit seemed such a long, long while ago, almost in anotherlife. And Mistress Betty Wharton had married and gone to Paris, as herhusband was connected with the embassy. There were many questions yetto settle.
"Don't you want to go over to the Fort with me, Daffodil?" her fatherasked one afternoon. He had a fondness for Lieutenant Langdale, andnot the slightest objection to him as a future son-in-law.
"Oh, yes," eagerly, and joined him, smiling under the great hat withits flaring front filled in with gathered silk, her white frock shortenough to show the trim ankles and dainty feet, and her green silkparasol that had come from Philadelphia that very spring. Shegenerally wore her hair in curls, though it was cut much shorter inthe front and arranged not unlike more modern finger puffs. A verypretty girl of the refined type.
Fort Pitt was then in all its glory though the old block house ofColonel Bouquet was still standing, up Duquesne way, and there weresoldiers strolling about and a few officers in uniform.
Langdale was on duty somewhere. Captain Forbes came to greet them.
"You'll find the general in his office, Mr. Carrick. May I take chargeof Miss Carrick, meanwhile?"
"Yes, I shall be glad to have you."
Captain Forbes was a Philadelphian, so they were not at loss forconversation. Here two or three men were in earnest discussion, thereone deeply interested in a book, who touched his cap without lookingup. In a shady corner two men were playing chess, one a civilian, theother a young private.
"Well, Hugh, how goes it?" asked the captain.
"Why, I am not discouraged;" laughing and bowing to Daffodil.
"He is going to make a good, careful player, and I think a finesoldier."
"Allow me--Mr. Andsdell, Miss Carrick."
There had come with General Lee and his body of soldiers sent to quellthe insurgents, a number of citizens out of curiosity to see the place.Among them a young Englishman, who had been in the country severalyears seeking his fortune and having various successes. He had triedthe stage at Williamsburg, Virginia, and won not a little applause. Hewas an agreeable well-mannered person and always had excellent luck atcards without being a regular gamester. He made no secret of belongingto a titled family, but being a younger son with four lives betweenhim and the succession he had come to America to try his fortune. Yeteven in this new world fortunes were not so easily found or made.
Daffodil watched them with interest. M. de Ronville had played it withan elderly friend.
"You have seen it before?" Andsdell asked, raising his eyes andmeeting the interested ones.
"Oh, yes; in Philadelphia. I spent a few months there."
Her voice had a charm. She seemed indeed not an ordinary girl.
"I have been there part of the last year. I was much interested."
He kept a wary eye on the young fellow's moves.
Once he said--"No, don't do that; think."
The other thought to some purpose and smiled.
"You are improving."
A flush of pleasure lighted the boyish face.
"Check," said Andsdell presently. "I had half a mind to let you win,but you made two wrong moves."
The young man glanced at his watch. "Now I must go and drill," heexclaimed. "Can we say to-morrow afternoon again?"
"With pleasure;" smiling readily.
He bowed himself away. Andsdell rose.
"I wonder if I might join your walk? I have met a Mr. Carrick----"
"That was my father likely. Grandfather is quite an old man."
"And figured in the--what shall we call it--_emeute_?"
Captain Forbes laughed. "That was about it. Yet at one time I was agood deal afraid there would be a fierce struggle. Better counselsprevailed, however. When the army arrived those who had not reallydared to say the government was right so far as obedience wasconcerned came out on the right side. A thousand or so soldierscarried weight," with a half sarcastic laugh.
Andsdell stole furtive glances at the girl the other side of Forbes.What a graceful, spirited walk she had; just what one would expectwith that well poised figure.
Then she stopped suddenly and the captain paused in his talk as shehalf turned.
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br /> "There's father," she exclaimed with a smile that Andsdell thoughtenchanting.
He had met the Englishman before and greeted him politely. After alittle talk he slipped his daughter's arm through his and said mostlyto her--"I am ready now."
She made her adieu with a kind of nonchalant grace in which there wasnot a particle of coquetry. He followed her with his eyes until theyhad turned the corner of the bastion. Then again he saw her as theywere going out.
"I should think that girl would have half the men in the town at herfeet," he said.
"Oh, Miss Carrick?" as if he was not quite certain. Then with a halfsmile--"Do you think so? Well, she hasn't."
"She is very lovely."
"In a certain way, yes. I believe our people like more color, moredash and spirit. We are not up on a very high round, pioneers seldomare. It takes a generation or so to do the hard work, then comes theembellishment. They are rather dignified and have some French ways.An old grandfather, the fourth generation back, might have stood for aportrait of the grand Marquis. It is on the mother's side."
"She doesn't favor the French."
"No, but the boy does, a bright, handsome fellow, wild as a deer andfull of pranks. It will be hard to tell what race we do favor most. Ahundred years hence we will be going back with a sort of pride,hunting up ancestors. At present there is too much to do."
Andsdell went his way presently. He was comfortably well lodged. Hehad a bountiful supper and then he went out for a walk. There was ayoung moon over in the west just light enough to bring out the silverybeech trunks and touch the tips of the grasses. The woodthrush stillgave his long sweet call at intervals. This path led into the town. Hewould not go that way. He wished he knew just where these Carrickslived. He fancied her sitting on the porch drinking in the lovelinessof the evening.
How absurd! He had seen pretty girls before, danced with them, flirtedwith them. There were the imperious belles of Virginia, who bewitcheda man's fancy in one evening. There were the fair seductive maids ofPhiladelphia, and so far he had not been specially impressed with thegirls of this town. A crowd were coming this way--he heard thestrident laughter and loud voices, so he stepped aside.
Dilly was not sitting out in the fragrant air, but trying to explain alesson to Felix. Neither did she give one thought to the youngEnglishman. She was glad in her inmost heart that Ned Langdale hadbeen engaged elsewhere. Something in his eyes troubled her. She didnot want to make him unhappy. She hated to be cold and distant to herfriend, yet when she warmed a little he seemed to take so much forgranted that she did not feel inclined to grant. Why couldn't one besatisfied with friendship? Occasionally she heard from Archie. Theywere eager, ambitious letters and she always read them aloud.
But if there could come any warmer interest Archie never would becontent with this busy, bustling, working town, and then they wouldlose her. Every day she grew dearer to the mother. Geoffrey Andsdelldecided he did not like the place very well either. He could not bewinning money all the time from the garrison, and no business openinghad been really thrust upon him, though he felt it was high time heturned his attention to the fact of making an honest living. He hadwasted four years since he left England. It would be folly to return,and when that thought crossed his mind he bit his lip and an ugly looksettled in his eyes. He had come to the New World to forget all that.
Yes, he would go back to Philadelphia. There were genteelopportunities there, and he was not a dullard if he had not beenbusiness bred.
He was asking a little advice of Mrs. Forbes as they had beensauntering about the hills that were showing bits of autumnal sceneryand scattering the fragrance of all ripening things on the air. Thejocund song of the birds had settled into a sort of leisurelysweetness, their summer work was done, nest building and caring forthe young was over with for the season, and they could review theirlosses and gains. Somewhere along the stream that wound in and out agreat frog boomed hoarsely and the younger ones had lost their finesoprano in trying to emulate him. Insects of all kinds were shrillingand whirring, yet underneath it all there was a curious stillness.
Then a human voice broke on their ear singing a merry Irish lilt.
"Oh, that's Daffodil Carrick. I could tell her voice from fiftyothers. It is never loud but it carries so distinctly. Let's see whereshe is."
They turned into the wider path zigzagging through the woods. Yes,there she sat on the limb of a tree she had bent down and was gentlyswaying to and fro. Her sun-bonnet was held by the strings serving todrive troublesome insects away. Her golden hair clustered about hertemples in rings and then floated off by the motion of the swinging, alovely bewildering cloud. She did not notice them at first; then shesprang up, her face a delicate rosy tint.
"Oh, Mrs. Forbes! And--Mr. Andsdell!"
She looked a startled woodland nymph. He thought he had never seen amore lovely picture.
"Are you having a nice time to yourself in your parlor among thehills? Can't we sit down and share it with you? I am tired. We havebeen rambling up hill and down dale."
A great hollow tree had fallen some time and Mrs. Forbes seatedherself waving her hand to Mr. Andsdell, who looked a littleuncertain.
"Oh, yes," Daffodil said. "I have been roaming around also. It is justthe day for it. Now the sun comes out and tints everything, then it isshade and a beautiful gray green."
"You were singing," he said, thinking what compliment would not be tooornate. Out here in the woods with nature and truth one could not useflattery.
"Yes." She laughed softly a sound that was enchanting. "When I waslittle I was a devout believer in fairies. Grandfather Carrick'ssecond wife came from Ireland when she was fifteen, and she knew themost charming stories. You know there are stories that seem true andhers did. I used to feel sure they would come and dance in the grass.That was the song little Eileen sang, and they carried her off, butthey couldn't keep her because she wore a cross that had been putround her neck when she was christened."
"And did you want to be carried off?" he asked.
"Yes, I think I did. But I had a cross that I made of beads and namedthem after the saints. We are not Catholics, but Huguenots. I took mycross out in the woods with me, but the fairies never came."
"There is a great deal of really beautiful faith about those things,"said Mrs. Forbes. "And some of the Indian legends as well. OldWatersee has stores of them. Some one ought to collect the best ofthem. Fairy stories go all over the world, I think, in differentguise. They are the delight of our early lives. It's sad to lose thatchildhood faith."
"Oh, I don't want to lose it all," Daffodil said earnestly. "I justsay to myself it might have been true somewhere."
Then they branched off into other matters. The sky grew grayer and thewind moaned through the trees, shaking down a cloud of ripe leaves.
"Is it going to rain?" asked Andsdell.
"I think it will storm by to-morrow, but not now. You see, evening iscoming on. We might go down;" tentatively, not sure she was the one topropose it.
The path was beautiful, winding in and out, sometimes over the pile ofrichest moss, then stirring up the fragrance of pennyroyal. But thestreets and houses began to appear.
Barbe Carrick sat on the porch waiting for her daughter, alwaysfeeling a little anxious if she loitered, though these woods were freefrom stragglers. She came to meet them now, she knew Mrs. Forbes andinvited them to rest awhile, and they cheerfully accepted. Then shewent for some cake and grapes and brought some foaming spruce beer.Even grandmere came out to meet the guests. Andsdell was delighted andpraised everything and Mrs. Bradin said with her fine Frenchcourtesy--"You must come again."
"I shall be most happy to," he replied.
They finished their walk almost in silence. Andsdell was recalling themany charms of the young girl. Mrs. Forbes was looking upon him in thelight of a lover. She could understand that the ordinary young man ofthe town could not make much headway with Daffodil Carrick. There weresome nice men in the garrison, but after al
l----And it was high timeDaffodil had a lover. All women are matchmakers by instinct anddelight in pairing off young folks. She was a happy wife herself, butshe recalled the fact that the girl was not in love with soldiers.
A Little Girl in Old Pittsburg Page 11
