Dawn Eleanor Porter (free novels to read txt) 📖

More than that, she has refused a betterposition with higher wages—I know that. The pictures I had hoped tosell—"He stopped, tried to go on, failed obviously to control hisvoice; then turned away with a gesture more eloquent than any wordscould have been.

Mrs. Colebrook stared, frowned, and bit her lip. Nervously she tappedher foot on the floor as she watched with annoyed eyes her brothertramping up and down, up and down, the long, narrow room. Thensuddenly her face cleared.

"Oh, well, that's easily remedied, after all." She sprang to her feetand hurried from the room. Almost immediately she was back—a roll ofbills in her hand. "There, I thought I had enough money to do it," sheannounced briskly as she came in. "Now, Daniel, I'LL pay Susan herback wages."

"Indeed you will not!" The man wheeled sharply, an angry red staininghis cheeks.

"Oh, but Daniel, don't you see?—that'll simplify everything. She'llbe working for ME, then, and I—"

"But I tell you I won't have—" interrupted the man, then stoppedshort. Susan herself stood in the doorway.

"I guess likely you was talkin' so loud you didn't hear me call you todinner," she was saying. "I've called you two times already. If youwant anything fit to eat you'd better come quick. It ain't gettin' anyfitter, waitin'."

"Susan!" Before Susan could turn away, Mrs. Colebrook detained herperemptorily." Mr. Burton tells me that he owes you for past wages.Now—"

"NETTIE!" warned the man sharply.

But with a blithe "Nonsense, Daniel, let me manage this!" Mrs.Colebrook turned again to Susan. The man, not unlike the little Danielof long ago who fled to the attic, shrugged his shoulders with agesture of utter irresponsibility, turned his back and walked to thefarther side of the room.

"Susan," began Mrs. Colebrook again, still blithely, but with just ashade of haughtiness, "my brother tells me your wages are past due;that he owes you at least fifty dollars. Now I'm going to pay them forhim, Susan. In fact, I'm going to pay you sixty dollars, so as to besure to cover it. Will that be quite satisfactory?"

Susan stared frankly.

"You mean ME—take money from you, ma'am,—to pay my back wages?" sheasked.

"Yes."

"But—" Susan paused and threw a quick glance toward the broad back ofthe man at the end of the room. Then she turned resolutely to Mrs.Colebrook, her chin a little higher than usual. "Oh, no, thank you. Iain't needin' the money, Mis' Colebrook, an' I'd ruther wait for Mr.Burton, anyway," she finished cheerfully, as she turned to go.

"Nonsense, Susan, of COURSE you need the money. Everybody can make useof a little money, I guess. Surely, there's SOMETHING you want."

With her hand almost on the doorknob Susan suddenly whisked about, herface alight.

"Oh, yes, yes, I forgot, Mis' Colebrook," she cried eagerly. "There issomethin' I want; an' I'll take it, please, an' thank you kindly."

"There, that's better," nodded Mrs. Colebrook. "And I've got it righthere, so you see you don't have to wait, even a minute," she smiled,holding out the roll of bills.

Still with the eager light on her face, Susan reached for the money.

"Thank you, oh, thank you! An' it will go quite a ways, won't it?—forKeith, I mean. The—" But with sudden sharpness Mrs. Colebrookinterrupted her.

"Susan, how many times have I told you to speak of my nephew as'Master Keith'? Furthermore, I shall have to remind you once more thatyou are trying to interfere altogether too much in his care. In fact,Susan, I may as well speak plainly. For some time past you have failedto give satisfaction. You are paid in full now, I believe, with someto spare, perhaps. You may work the week out. After that we shall nolonger require your services."

The man at the end of the room wheeled sharply and half started tocome forward. Then, with his habitual helpless gesture, he turned backto his old position.

Susan, her face eloquent with amazed unbelief, turned from one to theother.

"You mean—you don't mean—Mis' Colebrook, be you tryin' to—dismissalme?"

Mrs. Colebrook flushed and bit her lip.

"I am dismissing you—yes."

Once more Susan, in dazed unbelief, looked from one to the other. Hereyes dwelt longest on the figure of the man at the end of the room.

"Mr. Burton, do you want me to go?" she asked at last.

The man turned irritably, with a shrug, and a swift outflinging of hishands.

"Of course, I don't want you to go, Susan. But what can I do? I haveno money to pay you, as you know very well. I have no right to keepyou—of course—I should advise you to go." And he turned away again.

Susan's face cleared.

"Pooh! Oh, that's all right then," she answered pleasantly. "Mis'Colebrook, I'm sorry to be troublin' you, but I shall have to giveback that 'ere notice. I ain't goin'."

Once again Mrs. Colebrook flushed and bit her lip.

"That will do, Susan. You forget. You're not working for Mr. Burtonnow. You're working for me."

"For YOU?"

"Certainly. Didn't I just pay you your wages for some weeks past?"

Susan's tight clutch on the roll of bills loosened so abruptly thatthe money fell to the floor. But at once Susan stooped and picked itup. The next moment she had crossed the room and thrust the money intoMrs. Colebrook's astonished fingers.

"I don't want your money, Mis' Colebrook—not on them terms, even forKeith. I know I hain't earned any the other way, yet, but I hain'ttried all the magazines. There's more—lots more." Her voice faltered,and almost broke. "I'll do it yet some way, you see if I don't. But Iwon't take this. Why, Mis' Colebrook, do you think I'd leave NOW, withthat poor boy blind, an' his father so wrought up he don't have evenhis extraordinary common sense about his flannels an' socks an' whatto eat, an' no money to pay the bills with, either? An' him bein'pestered the life out of him with them intermittent, dunnin' grocersan' milkmen? Well, I guess not! You couldn't hire me to go, Mis'Colebrook."

"Daniel, are you going to stand there and permit me to be talked tolike this?" appealed Mrs. Colebrook.

"What can I do?" (Was there a ghost of a twinkle in Daniel Burton'seyes as he turned with