Dawn Eleanor Porter (free novels to read txt) 📖

 Worry never led a horse to water.

 Worry never cooked a meal,

 Worry never darned a heel,

 Worry never did a thing you'd think it oughter!"

"Yes, yes, I know, I know," sighed Mrs. McGuire again. "But John isso—well, you don't know my John. Nobody knows John as I do. He'd havemade a big man if he'd lived—John would."

"'If he'd lived'!" repeated Susan severely. "Well, I never, Mis'McGuire, if you ain't talkin' already as if he was dead! You don'thave to begin to write his obliquity notice yet, do you?"

"But he is dead," moaned Mrs. McGuire, catching at the one word inSusan's remark and paying no attention to the rest. "He's dead toeverything he was goin' to do. He was ambitious,—my John was. He wasalways studyin' and readin' books nights an' Sundays an' holidays,when he didn't have to be in the store. He was takin' a course, youknow."

"Yes, I know—one of them respondin' schools," nodded Susan. "John's aclever lad, he is, I'm free to confess."

Under the sunshine of Susan's appreciation Mrs. McGuire drew a stepnearer.

"He was studyin' so he could 'mount to somethin'—John was," declaredMrs. McGuire. "He was goin' to be"—she paused and threw a hurriedlook over her shoulder—"he was keepin' it secret, but he won't mindmy tellin' NOW. He was goin' to be a—writer some day, he hoped."

Susan's instantly alert attention was most flattering.

"Sho! You don't say! Poems?"

"I don't know." Mrs. McGuire drew back and spoke a little coldly. Nowthat the secret was out, Mrs. McGuire was troubled evidently withqualms of conscience. "He never said much. He didn't want it talkedabout."

Susan drew a long breath.

"Yes, I know. 'Tain't so pleasant if folks know—when you can't sell'em. Now in my case—"

But Mrs. McGuire, with a hurried word about the beans in her oven, hadhastened into the house.

Mrs. McGuire was not the only one with whom Susan was having longtalks. September had come bringing again the opening of the schools,which in turn had brought Miss Dorothy Parkman back to Hinsdale.

Miss Dorothy was seventeen now, and prettier than ever—in Susan'sopinion. She had been again to her father's home; and Susan nevercould hear enough of her visit or of Keith. Nor was Miss Dorothyevidently in the least loath to talk of her visit—or of Keith.Patiently, even interestedly, each time she saw Susan, she wouldrepeat for her the details of Keith's daily life, telling everythingthat she knew about him.

"But I've told you all there is, before," she said laughingly one dayat last, when Susan had stopped her as she was going by the house."I've told it several times before."

"Yes, I know you have," nodded Susan, drawing a long breath; "but Ialways get somethin' new in it, just as I do in the Bible, you know.You always tell me somethin' you hadn't mentioned before. Now, to-day—you never told me before about them dominoes you an' him playedtogether."

"Didn't I?" An added color came into Miss Dorothy's cheeks. "Well, weplayed them quite a lot. Poor fellow! Time hung pretty heavily on hishands, and we HAD to do something for him. There were other games,too, that we played together."

"But how can he play dominoes, an' those others, when—when he can'tsee?"

"Oh, the points of the dominoes are raised, of course, and the boardhas little round places surrounded by raised borders for him to keephis dominoes in. The cards are marked with little raised signs in thecorners, and there are dice studded with tiny nailheads. The checker-board has little grooves to keep the men from sliding. Of course, wealready had all these games, you know. They use them for all father'spatients. But, of course, Keith had to be taught first."

"And you taught him?"

"Well, I taught him some of them." The added color was still in Miss

Dorothy's cheeks.

"An' you told me last week you read to him."

"Yes, oh, yes. I read to him quite a lot."

The anxiously puckered frown on Susan's face suddenly dissolved into abroad smile.

"Lan' sakes, if that ain't the limit!" she chuckled.

"Well, what do you mean by that?" bridled Miss Dorothy, looking notexactly pleased.

"Nothin'. It's only that I was jest a-thinkin' how you was foolin'him."

"Fooling him?" Miss Dorothy was looking decidedly not pleased now.

"Yes, an' you all the time Dorothy Parkman, an' he not knowin' it."

"Oh!" The color on Miss Dorothy's face was one pink blush now. Thenshe laughed lightly. "After all, do you know?—I hardly ever thoughtof that, after the very first. He called me Miss Stewart, of course—but lots of folks out there do that. They don't think, or don't know,about my name being different, you see. The patients, coming and goingall the time, know me as the doctor's daughter, and naturally call me'Miss Stewart.' So it doesn't seem so queer when Mr. Keith does it."

"Good!" exclaimed Susan with glowing satisfaction. "An' now here's tohopin' he won't never find out who you really be!"

"Is he so very bitter, then, against—Dorothy Parkman?" The girl askedthe question a little wistfully.

"He jest is," nodded Susan with unflattering emphasis. "If you'd heardhim when he jest persisted that he wouldn't have anybody that wasDorothy Parkman's father even look at his eyes you'd have thought so,I guess. An'—why, he even wrote about it 'way back last Christmas—Imean, when he first told us about you. He said the doctor had adaughter, an' she was all right; but he didn't like her at all atfirst, 'cause her voice kept remindin' him of somebody he didn't wantto be reminded of."

"Did he really write—THAT?"

"Them's the identifyin' words," avowed Susan. "So you'll jest have tokeep it secret who you be, you see," she warned her.

"Yes, I—see," murmured the girl. All the pretty color had quite gonefrom her face now, leaving it a little white and strained-looking."I'll try—to."

"Of course, when he gets back his sight he'll find out—that is, MissDorothy, he IS going to get it back, ain't he?" Susan's own face nowhad become a little white and strained-looking.

Miss Dorothy shook her head.

"I don't know, Susan; but I'm—afraid."

"Afraid! You don't mean he AIN'T goin' to?" Susan caught Miss

Dorothy's arm in a vise-like grip.

"No, no,