Dawn Eleanor Porter (free novels to read txt) 📖

Keith stirred restlessly.

"I was up this morning."

"Ho!" Susan tossed her head disdainfully. "I don't mean THAT way. Imean up—really up with your clothes on."

The boy shook his head again.

"I couldn't. I—I'm too tired."

"Nonsense! A great boy like you bein' too tired to get up! Why Keith,it'll do you good. You'll feel lots better when you're up an' dressedlike folks again."

The boy gave a sudden cry.

"That's just it, Susan. Don't you see? I'll never be—like folksagain."

"Nonsense! Jest as if a little thing like bein' blind was goin' tokeep you from bein' like folks again!" Susan was speaking very loudly,very cheerfully—though with first one hand, then the other, she wasbrushing away the hot tears that were rolling down her cheeks. "Why,Keith, you're goin' to be better than folks—jest common folks. You'regoin' to do the most wonderful things that—-"

"But I can't—I'm blind, I tell you!" cut in the boy. "I can't do—anything, now."

"But you can, an' you're goin' to," insisted Susan again. "You jestwait till I tell you; an' it's because you ARE blind that it's goin'to be so wonderful. But you can't do it jest lyin' abed there in thatlazy fashion. Come, I'm goin' to get your clothes an' put 'em right onthis chair here by the bed; then I'm goin' to give you twenty minutesto get into 'em. I shan't give you but fifteen tomorrow." Susan wasmoving swiftly around the room now, opening closet doors and bureaudrawers.

"No, no, Susan, I can't get up," moaned the boy turning his face backto the wall. "I can't—I can't!"

"Yes, you can. Now, listen. They're all here, everything you need, onthese two chairs by the bed."

"But how can I dress me when I can't see a thing?"

"You can feel, can't you?"

"Y-yes. But feeling isn't seeing. You don't KNOW."

Susan gave a sudden laugh—she would have told you it was a laugh—butit sounded more like a sob.

"But I do know, an' that's the funny part of it, Keith," she cried."Listen! What do you s'pose your poor old Susan's been doin'? You'dnever guess in a million years, so I'm goin' to tell you. For the lastthree mornin's she's tied up her eyes with a handkerchief an' thenDRESSED herself, jest to make sure it COULD be done, you know."

"Susan, did you, really?" For the first time a faint trace of interestcame into the boy's face.

"Sure I did! An' Keith, it was great fun, really, jest to see howsmart I could be, doin' it. An' I timed myself, too. It took metwenty-five minutes the first time. Dear, dear, but I was clumsy! ButI can do it lots quicker now, though I don't believe I'll ever do itas quick as you will."

"Do you think I could do it, really?"

"I know you could."

"I could try," faltered Keith dubiously.

"You ain't goin' to TRY, you're goin' to DO it," declared Susan. "Now,listen. I'm goin' out, but in jest twenty minutes I'm comin' back, an'I shall expect to find you all dressed. I—I shall be ashamed of youif you ain't." And without another glance at the boy, and before hecould possibly protest, Susan hurried from the room.

Her head was still high, and her voice still determinedly clear—butin the hall outside the bedroom, Susan burst into such a storm of sobsthat she had to hurry to the kitchen and shut herself in the pantrylest they be heard.

Later, when she had scornfully lashed herself into calmness, she cameout into the kitchen and looked at the clock.

"An' I've been in there five minutes, I'll bet ye, over that fool cryin'," she stormed hotly to herself. "Great one, I am, to take care ofthat boy, if I can't control myself better than this!"

At the end of what she deemed to be twenty minutes, and after afruitless "puttering" about the kitchen, Susan marched determinedlyupstairs to Keith's room. At the door she did hesitate a breathlessminute, then, resolutely, she pushed it open.

The boy, fully dressed, stood by the bed. His face was alight, almosteager.

"I did it—I did it, Susan! And if it hasn't been more than twentyminutes, I did it sooner than you!"

Susan tried to speak; but the tears were again chasing each other downher cheeks, and her face was working with emotion.

"Susan!" The boy put out his hand gropingly, turning his head with thepitiful uncertainty of the blind. "Susan, you are there, aren't you?"

Susan caught her breath chokingly, and strode into the room with abrisk clatter.

"Here? Sure I'm here—but so dumb with amazement an' admiration that Icouldn't open my head—to see you standin' there all dressed likethat! What did I tell you? I knew you could do it. Now, come, let's gosee dad." She was at his side now, her arm linked into his.

But the boy drew back.

"No, no, Susan, not there. He—he wouldn't like it. Truly, he—hedoesn't want to see me. You know he—he doesn't like to seedisagreeable things."

"'Disagreeable things,' indeed!" exploded Susan, her features workingagain. "Well, I guess if he calls it disagreeable to see his sondressed up an' walkin' around—"

But Keith interrupted her once more, with an even stronger protest,and Susan was forced to content herself with leading her charge out onto the broad veranda that ran across the entire front of the house.There they walked back and forth, back and forth.

She was glad, afterward, that this was all she did, for at the far endof the veranda Daniel Burton stepped out from a door, and stood for amoment watching them. But it was for only a moment. And when shebegged mutely for him to come forward and speak, he shook his headfiercely, covered his eyes with his hand, and plunged back into thehouse.

"What was that, Susan? What was that?" demanded the boy.

"Nothin', child, nothin', only a door shuttin' somewhere, or awindow."

At that moment a girl's voice caroled shrilly from the street.

"Hullo, Keith, how do you do? We're awfully glad to see you outagain."

The boy started violently, but did not turn his head—except to Susan.

"Susan, I—I'm tired. I want to go in now," he begged a little wildly,under his breath.

"Keith, it's Mazie—Mazie and