IX ALL ABOUT THE POOR BRAKEMAN
Mr. Potter was very miserable indeed on the edge of his chair, andtwirling his hat dreadfully; and for the first moment after the handsomeold gentleman spoke to him, he had nothing to say.
Old Mr. King was asking him for the third time, "You found out all aboutpoor Jim's family, eh?"
At last he emerged from his fit of embarrassment enough to reply, "Yes,sir."
"Now that is very good," the old gentleman cried approvingly, and wipedhis face vigorously after his effort, "very good indeed, Mr. Potter."
Hiram Potter now followed up his first attempt to find his voice; andtrying to forget the handsome surroundings that had so abashed him, hewent on now quite glibly.
"You see, sir, there's six of 'em--Jim's children."
"Dear me!" ejaculated old Mr. King.
"Yes, sir, there are." Mr. Potter's hat began to twirl uneasily again."And the wife--she ain't strong, just got up from rheumatic fever."
"That's bad--very bad," said Mr. King.
"Those three boys of his are good," said Mr. Potter, brightening up abit in the general gloom; "and the biggest one says he's going to be abrakeman just like his father. But the mother wants 'em all to go toschool. You see, that's what Jim was working for."
"And the girl who wanted to play on the piano?" broke in Polly eagerly.Then she blushed rosy red. "Oh, forgive me, Grandpapa, forinterrupting," and she hid her face on old Mr. King's arm.
"I was just going to ask about that girl, myself," said Grandpapapromptly. "Tell us about her, Mr. Potter, if you please."
Hiram Potter set his hat carefully on the floor beside his chair. It washis Sunday hat, and evidently that, with his best clothes which he haddonned in honor of the occasion, were objects of great care. Hescratched his head and thought deeply. "Well, now, you see, sir," hesaid slowly, "that's almost a hopeless case, and I wish, as sure as Isit here, that girl hadn't never thought of piano music. But it's bornin her, the mother said; the girl's grandfather was a musician in theold home in Germany, and so she can't help it. Why, she's just so crazyabout it, she'll drum all up and down the kitchen table to make believethat----"
"Oh Grandpapa!" cried Polly in the greatest excitement, and hopping upand down by his side, "that's just as I used to do in the little brownhouse,--the very same way, Grandpapa, you know."
"Yes, she did, father," cried Jasper, bobbing his head scarcely lessexcited, just as if old Mr. King hadn't heard the story many times.
Mr. Potter, for want of something to do to express his amazement, pickedup his hat, stroked it, and set it down again, staring with all hismight.
"So you did, Polly; so you did, my child," cried Grandpapa, taking herhands in both of his, and looking down into her shining eyes; "well,well, to be sure. Now, Jasper, get the tablet, and write down theaddress of Jim's family as quickly as you can, my boy."
So Jasper ran over to the library table, and brought back the tablet andpencil hanging to it; and pretty soon Jim's home was all describedthus: "Mrs. James Corcoran, 5 Willow Court--third house from HavenStreet."
"It's kinder hard to find," observed Mr. Potter slowly, "because WillowCourt runs into Haven Street criss-cross, and this number isn't on thehouse; it's got rubbed off; but if you follow up No. 3, and come upcarefully, why, there you'll be where No. 5 was."
"Oh dear me!" said Mr. King. "Well, you may describe the house, for I amgoing down there to-morrow, and I certainly do not wish to waste my timewalking about."
Polly and Jasper looked so very decidedly "Oh, may we go too?" that theold gentleman added quickly, "And my young people will accompany me,"which really left nothing more to be desired at present.
"Well, it's a yellow house," said Mr. Potter, thinking very hard, "thatis, it is in spots, where the paint is on; and it's low, and runs downto the back, and sets sideways. But I tell you how you'll know it. She'sgot--Mrs. Jim Corcoran has--the greatest lot of flowers in her window.They're chock full, sir."
"I shall know it, then," cried Polly in great satisfaction.
"I think there's no danger, sir, but what we will find the place allright." Old Mr. King was fumbling in his pocket in great perplexity. "Itnever would do," he decided, pulling his hand out. "No, I must contriveto send him something. Well, now--hem--Mr. Potter," he said aloud, "andwhere do you live? Quite near, I presume?"
"Oh, just the other end of the town, sir," said Mr. Potter. "I live onAcorn Street."
"Acorn Street?" repeated Mr. King, wrinkling his brows, "and where maythat be, pray tell?"
"It's over at the South End, sir; it runs off from Baker Street andHighland Square."
"Oh yes, yes," said the old gentleman, without much more idea thanbefore.
"I know where it is, father," said Jasper. "Dear me! You've had to takea good bit of time to get all this information, Mr. Potter."
Mr. Potter looked down busily on the carpet, trying not to think howtired his feet were, saving some car-fare for their owner.
"Well, now what number?" The old gentleman seeming to desire his wholeaddress, that was soon given too,--"23 Acorn Street, South End."
"And I suppose you have a family?" went on the old gentleman, determinedto find out all there was to it, now he had commenced.
The little clerk began to hem and to haw, behind his hand. "No, sir, Ihaven't; that is, yes, I have considerable--I mean my four sisters, sir;we all live together."
"Oh--ah!" replied Mr. King. "Well, now thank you very much, Mr. Potter;and as your time is valuable, and should be paid for,"--he tucked a billwithin the nervous hands.
"Oh, I couldn't take it, sir," cried Hiram Potter, greatly distressed.
"But it's your due. Why, man, I shouldn't have asked you to take allthis trouble, and spend so much time after I've found you had so far togo." Mr. King was really becoming irate now, so that the little clerkdidn't dare to say more. "Bless me! Say no more--say no more!"
The little clerk was too much frightened to think of another word; andfinding that the interview was considered closed, he picked up his hat,and in some way, he could never remember how, he soon found himself outof the handsome house, and skipping off nimbly in the fresh air, whichquite revived him.
"I could offer him only a trifle," old Mr. King was saying, "only whatmight repay him for his trouble and time to-night. But I shall speak toFraser about him to-morrow, Jasper. That agent of mine is, curiouslyenough, in want of a clerk just at this time, and I know this little mancan fit in very well, and it will get him away from that beastly office.Four sisters--oh my goodness! Well, Fraser must give him enough to takecare of them."
"Oh, how fine, father!" exclaimed Jasper with kindling eyes. "And thenthe girl that wants to learn to play on the piano."
"Oh dear me, yes!" Old Mr. King burst into a merry laugh. "I must lookafter that little girl, or Polly won't speak to me, I am afraid. Willyou, Polly, my child?" He drew her close to him, and kissed her bloomingcheek.
"I am so very glad you are going to look out for her, Grandpapa," shecried, "because you know I did feel so dreadfully when I used to drum onthe table in the little brown house," she confessed.
"I know--I know, child." Grandpapa's face fell badly, and he held hervery close. It always broke him up to hear the Peppers tell of the hardtimes in the little brown house, and Polly hastened to add brightly,"And then you came, Grandpapa dear, and you made it all justbeautiful--oh Grandpapa!" and she clung to him, unable to say more.
"Yes, yes, so I did--so I did," cried the old gentleman delightedly,quite happy again, and stroking the brown hair. "Well, Polly, my girl,it isn't anything to the good times we are always going to have. Andto-morrow, you and I must go down to see after poor Jim's family."
"And Jasper?" cried Polly, poking up her head from old Mr. King'sprotecting arm; "he must go too, Grandpapa."
"And Jasper? Why, we couldn't do anything without him, Polly," said theold gentleman in such a tone that Jasper threw back his head veryproudly; "of course my boy must go too."
And the next day, Pickering Dodge, who thought he had some sort of aclaim on Jasper for the afternoon, came running up the steps, two at atime. And he looked so horribly disappointed, that old Mr. King said,"Why don't you take him, Jasper, along with us?"
Jasper, who would have much preferred to go alone with his father andPolly, swallowed his vexation, and said, "All right;" and when he sawPickering's delight, he brightened up, and was glad it all happened injust that way after all.
"Now see here," said old Mr. King suddenly. They were turning out ofWillow Court, after their visit, and Thomas had a sorry time of it,managing his horses successfully about the old tin cans and rubbish, tosay nothing of the children who were congregated in the narrow,ill-smelling court. "Why don't you boys do something for those lads inthere?" pointing backward to the little run-down-at-the-heel house theyhad just left.
"We boys?" cried Pickering faintly. "Oh dear me! Mr. King, we can't doanything."
"'Can't' is a bad word to use," said the old gentleman gravely, "and Ididn't mean that you all alone should do the work. But get the otherboys interested. I'm sure you can do that. Phew! Where are the healthauthorities, I should like to know, to let such abominations exist?Thomas, drive as fast as you can, and get us out of this hole;" and heburied his aristocratic old face in his handkerchief.
Pickering looked over at Jasper in great dismay.
"We might have our club take it up," said Jasper slowly, with a glanceat Polly for help.
"Yes, why don't you, Jasper?" she cried. "Now that's what I'm going topropose that our club of Salisbury girls shall do. We're just finishingup the work for a poor Southern family."
"You've had a bee, haven't you," asked Pickering, "or something of thatsort? Although I don't really suppose you do much work," he saidnonchalantly, "only laugh and play and giggle, generally."
"Indeed we don't, Pickering Dodge," cried Polly indignantly, "laugh andplay and giggle, the very idea!"
"And if you say such dreadful things I'll pitch you out of thecarriage," cried Jasper in pretended wrath.
"Ow! I'll be good. Take off your nippers," cried Pickering, cringingback down into his corner as far as he could. "Goodness me! Jasper,you're a perfect old tiger."
"Take care, and keep your tongue in its place then," said Jasper,bursting into a laugh.
"And we work--oh, just dreadfully," declared Polly with her mostpositive air. "We cut out all the clothes ourselves. We don't want ourmothers to do it; and sew--oh dear me!"
"You ought to see our house on club day when Polly has the bee," saidJasper. "I rather think you'd say there was something going on for thosepoor little Southern darkies."
"Well, I don't see how you can work so for a lot of disgustingpickaninnies," said Pickering, stretching his long figure lazily. "Thewhole bunch of them isn't worth one good solid afternoon of play."
Polly turned a cold shoulder to him, and began to talk with Jasper mostbusily about the club of boys.
"Yes, and oh, Jasper, let's have one meeting of all you boys with usgirls--the two clubs together," she cried at last, waxing quiteenthusiastic.
"Yes, let us," cried Jasper, just as enthusiastic; "and oh, Polly, I'vethought of something. Let's have a little play--you write it."
"Oh Jasper, I can't," cried Polly, wrinkling her brows.
"Oh, yes, Polly, you can," cried Jasper; "if it's one half as good as'The Three Dragons and the Princess Clotilde,' it will be just fine."
"Well," said Polly, "I'll try; and what then, Jasper?"
"Why, we'll give it for money--father, may we, in the drawing-room? Andperhaps we'll make quite a heap to help those boys with. Oh Polly!" Heseized both of her hands and wrung them tightly. "Oh, may we, father,may we?"
"Eh--what's that? Oh, yes." The old gentleman took down hishandkerchief. "Dear me! what a mercy we are where we can breathe!" asThomas whirled them dexterously past a small square. "What _are_ thehealth authorities about, to allow such atrocious old holes? Oh, yes, myboy, I'm sure I'd be delighted to have you help along those three lads.And it's really work for boys. Polly's going to start up something forthe girl."
"How perfectly fine!" exclaimed Jasper and Polly together, now that theconsent was really gained. Then they fell into such a merry chatter thatPickering, left out in the cold, began to wriggle dreadfully. At last hebroke out:
"Yes, I think it would be fine too," trying to work his head into theconference, where Polly and Jasper had theirs together buzzing over theplans.
But nobody paid him the slightest attention; so he repeated his remark,with no better success.
"I should think you might turn around," at last he said in a dudgeon,"and speak to a body once in a while."
"Why should we?" cried Jasper over his shoulder. "You don't think it'sworth while to work for any of those people. No, Polly, we'll let himseverely alone." Then he fell to talking again, busier than ever.
"Yes, I do," cried Pickering in a high, wrathful key, "think it's worthwhile too, so there, Jasper King!"
"Oh, he does, I do believe, Jasper," cried Polly, looking at Pickering'sface.
"Why, of course I do," said Pickering.
"And so we must let him into the plans." So Polly turned around to drawPickering in, and old Mr. King leaned forward in his seat, and thecommittee of ways and means got so very busy that they didn't even knowwhen Thomas turned in at the big stone gateway, until Polly looked upand screamed out, "Why, we are home! Why, we _can't_ be!"
"Well, we are, Polly, my child," said old Mr. King, getting out to helpher with his courtliest air. "We've been gone just three hours and ahalf, and a very good afternoon's work it is too. For Jim's childrenwill care twice as much for what you young folks are going to do forthem as for anything I may do. Yes, Polly, they will," as he saw herface. "And I'm sure if I were in their places, I'd feel just the sameway."