Miss Billy by Eleanor Hodgman Porter (best ebook reader for surface pro TXT) đ
- Author: Eleanor Hodgman Porter
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âWhy not take him at his word and telegraph? I fancy you wonât have to say âcomeâ but once before you see him. He doesnât seem to be a bashful youth.â
âHm-m; I might do that,â acquiesced William, slowly. âBut wasnât there somebodyâa lawyerâgoing to write to me?â he finished, consulting the letter by his plate. âYes,â he added, after a moment, âa Mr. Harding. Wonder if heâs any relation to Ned Harding. I used to know Ned at Harvard, and seems as if he came from Hampden Falls. Weâll soon see, at all events. Maybe Iâll hear tomorrow.â
âI shouldnât wonder,â nodded Bertram, as he rose from the table. âAnyhow, I wouldnât do anything till I did hear.â
James Hardingâs letter very promptly followed Billyâs, though it was not like Billyâs at all. It told something of Billyâs property, and mentioned that, according to Mrs. Neilsonâs will, Billy would not come into control of her fortune until the age of twenty-one years was reached. It dwelt at some length upon the fact of Billyâs loneliness in the world, and expressed the hope that her fatherâs friend could find it in his heart to welcome the orphan into his home. It mentioned Ned, and the old college friendship, and it closed by saying that the writer, James Harding, was glad to renew his acquaintance with the good old Henshaw family that he had known long years ago; and that he hoped soon to hear from William Henshaw himself.
It was a good letterâbut it was not well written. James Hardingâs handwriting was not distinguished for its legibility, and his correspondents rejoiced that the most of his letters were dictated to his stenographer. In this case, however, he had elected to use the more personal pen; and it was because of this that William Henshaw, even after reading the letter, was still unaware of his mistake in supposing his namesake, Billy, to be a boy.
In the main the lawyer had referred to Billy by name, or as âthe orphan,â or as that âpoor, lonely child.â And whenever the more distinctive feminine âherâ or âherselfâ had occurred, the carelessly formed letters had made them so much like âhisâ and âhimselfâ that they carried no hint of the truth to a man who had not the slightest reason for thinking himself in the wrong. It was therefore still for the âboy,â Billy, that William Henshaw at once set about making a place in the home.
First he telegraphed the single word âComeâ to Billy.
âIâll set the poor ladâs heart at rest,â he said to Bertram. âI shall answer Hardingâs letter more at length, of course. Naturally he wants to know something about me now before he sends Billy along; but there is no need for the boy to wait before he knows that Iâll take him. Of course he wonât come yet, till Harding hears from me.â
It was just here, however, that William Henshaw met with a surprise, for within twenty-four hours came Billyâs answer, and by telegraph.
âIâm coming tomorrow. Train due at five P. M.
âBILLY.â
William Henshaw did not know that in Hampden Falls Billyâs trunk had been packed for days. Billy was desperate. The house, even with the maid, and with the obliging neighbor and his wife who stayed there nights, was to Billy nothing but a dismal tomb. Lawyer Harding had fallen suddenly ill; she could not even tell him that the blessed telegram âComeâ had arrived. Hence Billy, lonely, impulsive, and always used to pleasing herself, had taken matters in hand with a confident grasp, and had determined to wait no longer.
That it was a fearsomely unknown future to which she was so jauntily pledging herself did not trouble the girl in the least. Billy was romantic. To sally gaily forth with a pink in the buttonhole of her coat to find her fatherâs friend who was a âBillyâ too, seemed to Billy Neilson not only delightful, but eminently sensible, and an excellent way out of her present homesick loneliness. So she bought the pink and her ticket, and impatiently awaited the time to start.
To the Beacon Street house, Billyâs cheerful telegram brought the direst consternation. Even Kate was hastily summoned to the family conclave that immediately resulted.
âThereâs nothingâsimply nothing that I can do,â she declared irritably, when she had heard the story. âSurely, you donât expect ME to take the boy!â
âNo, no, of course not,â sighed William. âBut you see, I supposed Iâd have time toâto get used to things, and to make arrangements; and this is soâso sudden! I hadnât even answered Hardingâs letter until to-day; and he hasnât got thatâmuch less replied to it.â
âBut what could you expect after sending that idiotic telegram?â demanded the lady. ââCome,â indeed!â
âBut thatâs what Billy told me to do.â
âWhat if it was? Just because a foolish eighteen-year-old boy tells you to do something, must you, a supposedly sensible forty-year-old man obey?â
âI think it tickled Willâs romantic streak,â laughed Bertram. âIt seemed so sort of alluring to send that one word âComeâ out into space, and watch what happened.â
âWell, heâs found out, certainly,â observed Cyril, with grim satisfaction.
âOh, no; it hasnât happened yet,â corrected Bertram, cheerfully. âItâs just going to happen. Williamâs got to put on the pink first, you know. Thatâs the talisman.â
William reddened.
âBertram, donât be foolish. I shaânât wear any pink. You must know that.â
âHowâll you find him, then?â
âWhy, heâll have one on; thatâs enough,â settled William.
âHm-m; maybe. Then heâll have Spunk, too,â murmured Bertram, mischievously.
âSpunk!â cried Kate.
âYes. He wrote that he hoped we wouldnât mind his bringing Spunk with him.â
âWhoâs Spunk?
âWe donât know.â Bertramâs lips twitched.
âYou donât know! What do you mean?â
âWell, Will thinks itâs a dog, and I believe Cyril is anticipating a monkey. I myself am backing it for a parrot.â
âBoys, what have you done!â groaned Kate, falling back in her chair. âWhat have you done!â
To William her words were like an electric shock stirring him to instant action. He sprang abruptly to his feet.
âWell, whatever weâve done, weâve done it,â he declared sternly; âand now we must do the restâand do it well, too. Heâs the son of my boyhoodâs dearest friend, and he shall be made welcome. Now to business! Bertram, you said youâd take him in. Did you mean it?â
Bertram sobered instantly, and came erect in his chair. William did not often speak like this; but when he didâ
âYes, Will. He shall have the little bedroom at the end of the hall. I never used the room much, anyhow, and what few duds I have there shall be cleared out tomorrow.â
âGood! Now there are some other little details to arrange, then Iâll go downstairs and tell Pete and Dong Ling. And, please to understand, weâre going to make this lad welcomeâwelcome, I say!â
âYes, sir,â said Bertram. Neither Kate nor Cyril spoke.
The Henshaw household was early astir on the day of Billyâs expected arrival, and preparations for the guestâs comfort were well under way before breakfast. The center of activity was in the little room at the end of the hall on the second floor; though, as Bertram said, the whole Strata felt the âupheaval.â
By breakfast time Bertram with the avowed intention of giving âthe little chap half a show,â had the room cleared for action; and after that the whole house was called upon for contributions toward the roomâs adornment. And most generously did most of the house respond. Even Dong Ling slippered upstairs and presented a weird Chinese banner which he said he was âvelly much gladâ to give. As to PeteâPete was in his element. Pete loved boys. Had he not served them nearly all his life? Incidentally it may be mentioned that he did not care for girls.
Only Cyril held himself aloof. But that he was not oblivious of the proceedings below him was evidenced by the somber bass that floated down from his piano strings. Cyril always played according to the mood that was on him; and when Bertram heard this morning the rhythmic beats of mournfulness, he chuckled and said to William:
âThatâs Chopinâs Funeral March. Evidently Cy thinks this is the death knell to all his hopes of future peace and happiness.â
âDear me! I wish Cyril would take some interest,â grieved William.
âOh, he takes interest all right,â laughed Bertram, meaningly. âHe takes INTEREST!â
âI know, butâBertram,â broke off the elder man, anxiously, from his perch on the stepladder, âwould you put the rifle over this window, or the fishing-rod?â
âWhy, I donât think it makes much difference, so long as theyâre somewhere,â answered Bertram. âAnd there are these Indian clubs and the swords to be disposed of, you know.â
âYes; and itâs going to look fine; donât you think?â exulted William. âAnd you know for the wall-space between the windows Iâm going to bring down that case of mine, of spiders.â
Bertram raised his hands in mock surprise.
âHereâdown here! Youâre going to trust any of those precious treasures of yours down here!â
William frowned.
âNonsense, Bertram, donât be silly! Theyâll be safe enough. Besides, theyâre old, anyhow. I was on spiders years agoâwhen I was Billyâs age, in fact. I thought heâd like them here. You know boys always like such things.â
âOh, âtwasnât Billy I was worrying about,â retorted Bertram. âIt was youâand the spiders.â
âNot much you worry about meâor anything else,â replied William, good-humoredly. âThere! how does that look?â he finished, as he carefully picked his way down the stepladder.
âFine!âerâonly rather warlike, maybe, with the guns and that riotous confusion of knives and scimiters over the chiffonier. But then, maybe youâre intending Billy for a soldier; eh?â
âDo you know? I AM getting interested in that boy,â beamed William, with some excitement. âWhat kind of things do you suppose he does like?â
âThereâs no telling. Maybe heâs a sissy chap, and will howl at your guns and spiders. Perhaps heâll prefer autumn leaves and worsted mottoes for decoration.â
âNot much he will,â contested the other. âNo son of Walter Neilsonâs could be a sissy. Neilson was the best half-back in ten years at Harvard, and he was always in for everything going that was worth while. âAutumn leaves and worsted mottoesâ indeed! Bah!â
âAll right; but thereâs still a dark horse in the case, you know. We mustnât forgetâSpunk.â
The elder man stirred uneasily.
âBert, what do you suppose that creature is? You donât think Cyril can be right, and that itâs aâmonkey?â
ââYou never can tell,ââ quoted Bertram, merrily. âOf course there ARE other things. If it were you, now, weâd only have to hunt up the special thing you happened to be collecting at the time, and that would be it: a snake, a lizard, a toad, or maybe a butterfly. You know you were always lugging those things home when you were his age.â
âYes, I know,â sighed William. âBut I canât think itâs anything like that,â he finished, as he turned away.
There was very little done in the Beacon Street house that day but to âget ready for Billy.â In the kitchen Dong Ling cooked. Everywhere else, except in Cyrilâs domain, Pete dusted and swept and âputteredâ to his heartâs content. William did not go to the office at all that day, and Bertram did not touch his brushes. Only Cyril attended to his usual work: practising for a coming concert, and correcting the proofs of his new book, âMusic in Russia.â
At ten minutes before five William, anxious-eyed and nervous, found himself at the North Station. Then,
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