Dawn Eleanor Porter (free novels to read txt) 📖

Dorothy," caroled the high-pitched voiceagain.

But Keith, with a tug so imperative that Susan had no choice but toobey, turned his head quite away as he groped for the door to go in.

In the hall he drew a choking breath.

"Susan, I don't want to go out there to walk any more—NOT ANY MORE! Idon't want to go anywhere where anybody'll see me."

"Shucks!" Susan's voice was harshly unsteady again. "See you, indeed!Why, we're goin' to be so proud of you we'll want the whole world tosee you.

      You jest wait

      An' see the fate

      That I've cut out for you.

      We'll be so proud

      We'll laugh aloud,

      An' you'll be laughin', too!

I made that up last night when I laid awake thinkin' of all the finethings we was goin' to have you do."

But Keith only shook his head again and complained of feeling, oh, sotired. And Susan, looking at his pale, constrained face, did not quoteany more poetry to him, or talk about the glorious future in store forhim. She led him to the easiest chair in his room and made him ascomfortable as she could. Then she went downstairs and shut herself inthe pantry—until she could stop her "fool cryin' over nothin'."

CHAPTER VIII

AUNT NETTIE MEETS HER MATCH

Mrs. Nettie Colebrook came at half-past five. She was a small,nervous-looking woman with pale-blue eyes and pale-yellow hair. Shegreeted her brother with a burst of tears.

"Oh, Daniel, Daniel, how can you stand it—how can you stand it!" shecried, throwing herself upon the man's somewhat unresponsive shoulder.

"There, there, Nettie, control yourself, do!" besought the manuncomfortably, trying to withdraw himself from the clinging arms.

"But how CAN you stand it!—your only son—blind!" wailed Mrs.

Colebrook, with a fresh burst of sobs.

"I notice some things have to be stood," observed Susan grimly. Susan,with Mrs. Colebrook's traveling-bag in her hand, was waiting withobvious impatience to escort her visitor upstairs to her room.

Susan's terse comment accomplished what Daniel Burton's admonition hadbeen quite powerless to bring about. Mrs. Colebrook stopped sobbing atonce, and drew herself somewhat haughtily erect.

"And, pray, who is this?" she demanded, looking from one to the other.

"Well, 'this' happens to be the hired girl, an' she's got somebiscuits in the oven," explained Susan crisply. "If you'll be so good,ma'am, I'll show you upstairs to your room."

"Daniel!" appealed Mrs. Colebrook, plainly aghast.

But her brother, with a helpless gesture, had turned away, and Susan,bag in hand, was already halfway up the stairs. With heightened colorand a muttered "Impertinence!" Mrs. Colebrook turned and followedSusan to the floor above.

A little way down the hall Susan threw open a door.

"I swept, but I didn't have no time to dust," she announced as she putdown the bag. "There's a duster in that little bag there. Don't lockthe door. Somethin' ails it. If you do you'll have to go out thewindow down a ladder. There's towels in the top drawer, an' you'llhave to fill the pitcher every day, 'cause there's a crack an' itleaks, an' you can't put in the water only to where the crack is. Isthere anything more you want?"

"Thank you. If you'll kindly take me to Master Keith's room, that willbe all that I require," answered Mrs. Colebrook frigidly, as sheunpinned her hat and laid that on top of her coat on the bed.

"All right, ma'am. He's a whole lot better. He's been up an' dressedto-day, but he's gone back to bed now. His room is right down here,jest across the hall," finished Susan, throwing wide the door.

There was a choking cry, a swift rush of feet, then Mrs. Colebrook, onher knees, was sobbing at the bedside.

"Oh, Keithie, Keithie, my poor blind boy! What will you do? How willyou ever live? Never to see again, never to see again! Oh, my poorboy, my poor blind boy!"

Susan, at the door, flung both hands above her head, then plunged downthe stairs.

"Fool! FOOL! FOOL!" she snarled at the biscuits in the oven. "Don'tyou know ANYTHING?" Yet the biscuits in the oven were puffing up andbrowning beautifully, as the best of biscuits should.

When Susan's strident call for supper rang through the hall, Mrs.Colebrook was with her brother in the studio. She had been bemoaningand bewailing the cruel fate that had overtaken "that dear boy," andhad just asked for the seventh time how he could stand it, when fromthe hall below came:

     "Supper's ready, supper's ready,

      Hurry up or you'll be late.

      Then you'll sure be cross an' heady,

      If there's nothin' left to ate."

"Daniel, what in the world is the meaning of that?" she interruptedsharply.

"That? Oh, that is Susan's—er—supper bell," shrugged the man, with alittle uneasy gesture.

"You mean that you've heard it before?—that that is her usual methodof summoning you to your meals?"

"Y-yes, when she's good-natured," returned the man, with a still moreuneasy shifting of his position. "Come, shall we go down?"

"DANIEL! And you stand it?"

"Oh, come, come! You don't understand—conditions here. Besides, I'vetried to stop it."

"TRIED to stop it!"

"Yes. Oh, well, try yourself, if you think it's so easy. I give you myfull and free permission. Try it."

"TRY it! I shan't TRY anything of the sort. I shall STOP it."

"Humph!" shrugged the man. "Oh, very well, then. Suppose we go down."

"But what does that poor little blind boy eat? How can he eat—anything?"

"Why, I—I don't know." The man gave an irritably helpless gesture.

"The nurse—she used to—You'll have to ask Susan. She'll know."

"Susan! That impossible woman! Daniel, how DO you stand her?"

Daniel Burton shrugged his shoulders again. Then suddenly he gave ashort, grim laugh.

"I notice there are some things that have to be stood," he observed,so exactly in imitation of Susan that it was a pity only Mrs. NettieColebrook's unappreciative ears got the benefit of it.

In the dining-room a disapproving Susan stood by the table.

"I thought you wasn't never comin'. The hash is gettin' cold."

Mrs. Colebrook gasped audibly.

"Yes, yes, I know," murmured Mr. Burton conciliatingly. "But we'rehere now, Susan."

"What will Master Keith have for his supper?" questioned Mrs.

Colebrook, lifting her chin a little.

"He's already had his supper,