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Page 4
"I'll bet a cooky, Mess Rylands, you've done forgot the vanillar,"
said the girl, with a certain domestic and confidential familiarity.
Mrs. Rylands started guiltily. She made a miserable feint of
looking in her lap and on the table. "I'm afraid I did, Jane, if I
didn't bring it in HERE."
"That you didn't," returned Jane. "And I reckon ye forgot that 'ar
pepper-sauce for yer husband."
Mrs. Rylands looked up with piteous contrition. "I really don't
know what's the matter with me. I certainly went into the shop,
and had it on my list,--and--really"--
Jane evidently knew her mistress, and smiled with superior
toleration. "It's kinder bewilderin' goin' in them big shops, and
lookin' round them stuffed shelves." The shop at the cross roads
and post-office was 14 x 14, but Jane was nurtured on the plains.
"Anyhow," she added good-humoredly, "the expressman is sure to look
in as he goes by, and you've time to give him the order."
"But is he SURE to come?" asked Mrs. Rylands anxiously. "Mr.
Rylands will be so put out without his pepper-sauce."
"He's sure to come ef he knows you're here. Ye kin always
kalkilate on that."
"Why?" said Mrs. Rylands abstractedly.
"Why? 'cause he just can't keep his eyes off ye! That's why he
comes every day,--'tain't jest for trade!"
This was quite true, not only of the expressman, but of the butcher
and baker, and the "candlestick-maker," had there been so advanced
a vocation at the cross roads. All were equally and curiously
attracted by her picturesque novelty. Mrs. Rylands knew this
herself, but without vanity or coquettishness. Possibly that was
why the other woman told her. She only slightly deepened the lines
of discontent in her cheek and said abstractedly, "Well, when he
comes, YOU ask him."
She dried her shoes, put on a pair of slippers that had a faded
splendor about them, and went up to her bedroom. Here she
hesitated for some time between the sewing-machine and her
knitting-needles, but finally settled upon the latter, and a pair
of socks for her husband which she had begun a year ago. But she
presently despaired of finishing them before he returned, three
hours hence, and so applied herself to the sewing-machine. For a
little while its singing hum was heard between the blasts that
shook the house, but the thread presently snapped, and the machine
was put aside somewhat impatiently, with a discontented drawing of
the lines around her handsome mouth. Then she began to "tidy" the
room, putting a great many things away and bringing out a great
many more, a process that was necessarily slow, owing to her
falling into attitudes of minute inspection of certain articles of
dress, with intervals of trying them on, and observing their effect
in her mirror. This kind of interruption also occurred while she
was putting away some books that were lying about on chairs and
tables, stopping midway to open their pages, becoming interested,
and quite finishing one chapter, with the book held close against
the window to catch the fading light of day. The feminine reader
will gather from this that Mrs. Rylands, though charming, was not
facile in domestic duties. She had just glanced at the clock, and
lit the candle to again set herself to work, and thus bridge over
the two hours more of waiting, when there came a tap at the door.
She opened it to Jane.
"There's an entire stranger downstairs, ez hez got a lame hoss and
wants to borry a fresh one."
"We have none, you know," said Mrs. Rylands, a little impatiently.
"Thet's what I told him. Then he wanted to know ef he could lie by
here till he could get one or fix up his own hoss."
"As you like; you know if you can manage it," said Mrs. Rylands, a
little uneasily. "When Mr. Rylands comes you can arrange it
between you. Where is he now?"
"In the kitchen."
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