CHAPTER XVII
MRS. HOPKINS GOSSIPS
The home of Representative Hopkins was not a very imposing edifice. Itwas a modest frame building standing well back in a little yard at theoutskirts of the village, and Mrs. Hopkins did the housework, unaided,to save the expense of a maid. It never occurred to the politician, whohad risen from the position of a poor stable-boy to one of affluence, tosave his wife from this drudgery. To him poor Mary was merely one of hispossessions, and it would have astonished him to know that her sharptongue and irritable temper were due to overwork and neglect. TheHonorable Erastus was not averse to champagne dinners and other costlyexcesses while at the state capital, and his fellow legislatorsconsidered him a good fellow, although rather lax in "keeping his endup." Moreover, he employed a good tailor and was careful to keep up anappearance of sound financial standing. But his home, which he avoidedas much as possible, had little share in his personal prosperity. MaryHopkins's requests for new and decent gowns were more often refused thanacceded to, and he constantly cautioned her to keep down expenses or shewould drive them both to the poor-house.
The woman well knew that Erastus could afford to keep her in luxury, ifhe would, but some women are so constituted that they accept their faterather than rebel, and Mary Hopkins lived the life of a slave,contenting herself with petty scoldings and bickerings that did nothingto relieve her hard lot.
She had little interest in politics and resented the intrusion of themany who came to the house to see and consult with her husband duringthe tiresome political campaigns. On these occasions Mr. Hopkins usedthe sitting-room as his office and committee headquarters, but this didnot materially interfere with his wife's comfort, as she was usuallybusy in the kitchen.
On this Saturday evening, however, they had an early supper and shefinished her dishes betimes and sat down to darn stockings in thesitting-room. Erastus had hurried away to a meeting of his henchmen inthe town, and would not be home until after his wife was in bed.
So she was rather surprised when a timid knock sounded upon the door.She opened it to find a little, lean man standing upon the porch.
"Mrs. Hopkins?" he asked, quietly.
"Yes. What do you want?"
"Your husband asked me to come here and wait for him. It's important orI wouldn't disturb you."
"Well, then; come in," she replied, tartly. "Thank the Lord this thingis nearly over, and we'll have a few weeks of peace."
"It is rather imposing on you," remarked the man, following her to thesitting-room, where he sat down with his hat in his hands. "A politicalcampaign is trying to everybody. I'm tired out and sick of the wholething myself."
"Then why don't you chuck it," she retorted, scornfully, "and go to workmakin' an honest living?"
"Oh, this is honest enough," he said, mildly.
"I don't believe it. All them secret confabs an' trickery to win votescan't be on the square. Don't talk to me! Politics is another name forrascality!"
"Perhaps you're right, ma'am; perhaps you're right," he said, with asigh.
She looked at him sharply.
"You don't belong in Elmwood."
"No, ma'am; I'm from beyond Fairview. I've come to see your husband onbusiness."
She sniffed, at that, but picked up her darning and relapsed intosilence. The little man was patient. He sat quietly in his chair andwatched her work.
His mildness disarmed Mary Hopkins. She was not especially averse tohaving him sit there. It relieved the loneliness of her occupation. Onoccasions she loved to talk, as Erastus had long ago discovered; andthis visitor would not try to shut her up the way Erastus did.
"You don't often get out, ma'am; into society, and such like," venturedthe caller, presently.
"What makes you think that?" she demanded.
"A woman can't keep a house neat and trim like this, and be a socialgadder," he observed.
"You're right about that," she returned, somewhat mollified. "If I waslike them girls up at Elmhurst, fussin' round over politics all thetime, this house would go to rack an' ruin."
"Oh, them!" he said, with mild scorn. "Them girls 'll never behousekeepers."
"Not for a minute," she affirmed.
There was another pause, then; but the ice was broken. A subtle sympathyseemed established between the two.
"What do you think of 'Rast's chances?" she asked, presently, as shethreaded new cotton into her needle.
"I guess he'll win. He's worked hard enough, anyhow."
"Has he?"
"Yes; 'Rast's a good worker. He don't leave any stone unturned. He's upto all the tricks o' the trade, is 'Rast Hopkins!"
Here he began shaking with silent laughter, and Mrs. Hopkins looked athim curiously.
"What are you laughing at?" she inquired, with a sniff of disdain.
"At--at the way he come it over the gals up at Elmhurst. 'Rast's apretty slick one, he is!"
"What do you mean?"
"Why, settin' that 'Liza to watch 'em, and tell all they does. Who'd athought of it but 'Rast Hopkins?"
"I don't see anything mighty funny about that," declared Mrs. Hopkins,contemptuously. "The girl's too pert and forward for anything. I told'Rast not to fool with her, or she'd make him trouble."
"Did you, now!" exclaimed the man, wonderingly.
"Yes, indeed," said Mrs. Hopkins, pleased to have made an impression. "Isuspected there was something wrong about her the morning she came tothe house here. And she changed her name, too, as brassy as you please."
"Well, I declare!" said the visitor. "Did you know her before that, Mrs.Hopkins?"
"Why, I didn't exactly know her, but I seen her workin' around MissSquiers's place many a time, and she didn't seem to 'mount to much, eventhen. One day she stole a di'mond ring off'n old Miss Squiers and dugout, and I told Nancy then--Nancy's young Miss Squiers--that I'd alwayshad my suspicions of the hussy. She hid the ring in a vase on the mantleand they found it after she was gone."
"Well, well! I didn't know that about her," said the man, looking withadmiration at Mrs. Hopkins.
"That's why I told 'Rast not to have any truck with her, when she camehere bright and early one morning and asked for work."
"Oh, she came here, did she?"
"While I was gettin' breakfast. She said her name was Eliza Parsons, an'she was looking fer a job. I told her I knew her record an' to get out,and while we was arguin' 'Rast come out and took a hand in the talk. Shelaughed and flirted with him outrageous, and said she was a stranger inthese parts, when I'd seen her many a time at Miss Squiers's."
"What was her name then?" asked the man.
"I think it was Rosie--or Lucy, or something--. Anyhow, it wasn't Eliza,and that I'll swear to. But the girl laughed at me and made such sillysmiles at 'Rast that he told me to shut up, 'cause he had a use for herin politics."
"Well, well!" repeated the visitor. "Just see how stories get twisted. Iheard you gave the girl a letter to your cousin Martha."
"Well, I did. 'Rast wanted to get her in at Elmhurst, to watch whatForbes was doing to defeat him, so he made me write the letter. Buthow'd you know so much about this girl?" she inquired, with suddensuspicion.
"Me? I only know what Mr. Hopkins told me. I'm one of his confidentialmen. But he never said how he happened to find the girl, or what he knewabout her."
"He didn't know nothing. He'd never seen her 'till that morning when shecame here. But he said she was clever, and she is, if pertness and aready tongue counts for cleverness. I suppose he pays her for what shetells him about Forbes, but he'd better save his money and fight on thesquare. I don't like this tricky politics, an' never did."
"I don't either," declared the man. "But I'm in it, and can't get out."
"That's what 'Rast says. But some day they'll put him out, neck andcrop, if he ain't careful."
"Is the girl Eliza much use to him?"
"I can't say. He drove her over to Elmhurst that morning, and he drivesover two or three evenings a week to meet her on
the sly and get herreport. That may be politics, but it ain't very respectable, to mynotion."
"Well, the campaign is nearly over, Mrs. Hopkins."
"Thank goodness for that!" she replied.
The visitor sat silent after this, for he had learned all that the poorgossiping woman could tell him. Finally he said:
"I guess your husband's going to be late."
"Yes; if he ain't more prompt than usual you'll have a long spell ofwaiting."
"Perhaps I'd better go over to the hotel and look him up. I have to getback to Fairview tonight, you know."
"Do as you please," she answered carelessly.
So Mr. Burke, for it was the detective, bade her good-night and took hisleave, and it was not until after he had gone that Mary Hopkinsremembered she had forgotten to ask him his name.
"But it don't matter," she decided. "He's just one o' 'Rast'spoliticians, and I probably treated the fellow better than he deserved."