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Page 45
"No," said Elizabeth, weakly, "not many miles; but I hadn't any more
bread. I used it all up yesterday, and there wasn't much money left. I
thought I could wait till I got here, but I guess I'm hungry."
"Fer the land sakes!" ejaculated Mrs. Brady as she hustled out to the
kitchen, and clattered the frying-pan onto the stove, shoving the boiler
hastily aside. She came in presently with a steaming cup of tea, and made
the girl drink it hot and strong. Then she established her in the big
rocking-chair in the kitchen with a plate of appetizing things to eat, and
went on with her washing, punctuating every rub with a question.
Elizabeth felt better after her meal, and offered to help, but the
grandmother would not hear to her lifting a finger.
"You must rest first," she said. "It beats me how you ever got here. I'd
sooner crawl on me hands and knees than ride a great, scary horse."
Elizabeth sprang to her feet.
"The horse!" she said. "Poor fellow! He needs something to eat worse than
I did. He hasn't had a bite of grass all this morning. There was nothing
but hard roads and pavements. The grass is all brown, anyway, now. I found
some cornstalks by the road, and once a man dropped a big bundle of hay
out of his load. If it hadn't been for Robin, I'd never have got here; and
here I've sat enjoying my breakfast, and Robin out there hungry!"
"Fer the land sakes!" said the grandmother, taking her arms out of the
suds and looked troubled. "Poor fellow! What would he like? I haven't got
any hay, but there's some mashed potatoes left, and what is there? Why,
there's some excelsior the lamp-shade come packed in. You don't suppose
he'd think it was hay, do you? No, I guess it wouldn't taste very good."
"Where can I put him, grandmother?"
"Fer the land sakes! I don't know," said the grandmother, looking around
the room in alarm. "We haven't any place fer horses. Perhaps you might get
him into the back yard fer a while till we think what to do. There's a
stable, but they charge high to board horses. Lizzie knows one of the
fellers that works there. Mebbe he'll tell us what to do. Anyway, you lead
him round to the alleyway, and we'll see if we can't get him in the little
ash-gate. You don't suppose he'd try to get in the house, do you? I
shouldn't like him to come in the kitchen when I was getting supper."
"O no!" said Elizabeth. "He's very good. Where is the back yard?"
This arrangement was finally made, and the two women stood in the kitchen
door, watching Robin drink a bucketful of water and eat heartily of the
various viands that Mrs. Brady set forth for him, with the exception of
the excelsior, which he snuffed at in disgust.
"Now, ain't he smart?" said Mrs. Brady, watching fearfully from the
door-step, where she might retreat if the animal showed any tendency to
step nearer to the kitchen. "But don't you think he's cold? Wouldn't he
like a--a--shawl or something?"
The girl drew the old coat from her shoulders, and threw it over him, her
grandmother watching her fearless handling of the horse with pride and
awe.
"We're used to sharing this together," said the girl simply.
"Nan sews in an up-town dressmaker's place," explained Mrs. Brady by and
by, when the wash was hung out in fearsome proximity to the weary horse's
heels, and the two had returned to the warm kitchen to clean up and get
supper. "Nan's your ma's sister, you know, older'n her by two year; and
Lizzie, that's her girl, she's about 's old 's you. She's got a good place
in the ten-cent store. Nan's husband died four years ago, and her and
me've been livin' together ever since. It'll be nice fer you and Lizzie to
be together. She'll make it lively fer you right away. Prob'ly she can get
you a place at the same store. She'll be here at half past six to-night.
This is her week to get out early."
The aunt came in first. She was a tall, thin woman with faded brown hair
and a faint resemblance to Elizabeth's mother. Her shoulders stooped
slightly, and her voice was nasal. Her mouth looked as if it was used to
holding pins in one corner and gossiping out of the other. She was one of
the kind who always get into a rocking-chair to sew if they can, and rock
as they sew. Nevertheless, she was skilful in her way, and commanded good
wages. She welcomed the new niece reluctantly, more excited over her
remarkable appearance among her relatives after so long a silence than
pleased, Elizabeth felt. But after she had satisfied her curiosity she was
kind, beginning to talk about Lizzie, and mentally compared this thin,
brown girl with rough hair and dowdy clothes to her own stylish daughter.
Then Lizzie burst in. They could hear her calling to a young man who had
walked home with her, even before she entered the house.
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