CHAPTER XI.
A COMPLETE SUCCESS.
THIS man was a friend of Jerry's; it was only two weeks ago that hehad done him a good turn, in finding and bringing home his stray cow.He was perfectly good-natured, and found no fault at all with Norm'sleaving the shop at five; in fact he said he was glad to have the boyleave in such good company.
"Would the others go?" Nettie questioned eagerly, and Norm, laughing,said he reckoned they would go quick enough if they got a chance;invitations to take boat rides were not so plenty that they couldafford to lose them.
Then was time for Nettie's great surprise.
"And, Norm, will you bring them all home to supper with you? I'll haveeverything ready to cook the fish in a hurry as soon as you get intothe house, and you can visit in the new room until they are ready."
Now indeed, I wish you could have seen Norm! It never happened to himbefore to have a chance to invite anybody home to supper with him. Helooked at Nettie in silent bewilderment for a minute; he even rubbedhis eyes as though possibly he might be dreaming; but she looked soreal and so trim, and so sure of herself standing there quietly waitinghis answer, that at last he stammered out:
"What do you mean, Nannie? You aren't in dead earnest?"
"Why, of course," said Nettie, deciding in a flash upon her plan ofaction; she would do as Jerry had, and take all this as a matter ofcourse. "I'm going to make a lovely johnny-cake for supper, and somenew-fashioned potatoes, and we have cream for the coffee. You shallhave an elegant supper; only be sure you catch lots of fish."
It was all arranged at last to their satisfaction, and the twoconspirators turned away to get ready for their part of the business.
"Norm liked it," said Jerry. "Couldn't you see by his face that he did?I believe we can get hold of him after awhile, by doing things of thiskind; things that make him remember he has a home, and pleasant times,like other boys."
If Jerry had waited fifteen minutes he might have been surer of thateven than he was. Norm's second invitation followed hard on the first;and Norm, who felt a little sore over certain meannesses of the nightbefore, and who knew his foreman was within hearing and would be sureto object to this young fellow who had come to ask him to go to theisland, answered loftily: "Can't do it; I've promised to go out fishingwith a party; and besides, our folks are going to have company to tea."
Company to tea! He almost laughed when he said it. How very strange thesentence sounded.
"O, indeed," said Jim Noxen from the saloon. "Seems to me you aregetting big."
"It sounds like it," said Norman. "I wonder if I am?" But this he saidto himself; for answer to the remark, he only laughed.
"If I had a chance to keep company with a young fellow like Jerry, anda trim little woman like that sister of yours, I guess I wouldn't oftenbe found with the other set."
This the foreman said, with a significant nod of his head toward theyoung fellow who represented the other set. And this, too, had itsinfluence.
Jerry and Nettie had a glimpse of one of Norm's friends as they passedhis shop on their homeward way.
"He has a good face," said Nettie. "Poor fellow! Hasn't he any home atall? Don't you wish we could get hold of him so close that he wouldhelp us? He looks as though he might."
Then she stepped into the boat and floated idly around, while Jerry ranfor the oars; and while she floated, she thought and planned. There wasa great deal to be done, both then and afterwards.
"I wish you could go with us and catch a fish," said Jerry, as he sawhow she enjoyed the water, "but maybe it wouldn't be just the thing."
"I know it wouldn't," said Nettie; "besides, who would make thejohnny-cake, and the potato balls? There is a great deal to be done tomake things match, when you are catching fish."
The fishing party was a complete success. Jerry said afterwards thatthe very fish acted as though they were in the secret and were boundto help. He had never seen them bite so readily. By seven o'clock, theboat was headed homeward, with more fish than even four hungry boyscould possibly eat.
"Now for supper," said Norm, who with secret delight had thoughtconstantly of the surprise in store for Alf and Rick. "Boys, I'm goingto take you home with me and show you what a prime cook my littlesister is. We'll have these fish sizzling in a pan quicker than youhave any notion of; and she knows how to sizzle them just right;doesn't she, Jerry?"
But Jerry was spared the trouble of a reply, for Alf with incredulousstare said, "You're gassing now."
"No, I'm not gassing. You can come home with me, honor bright, and youshall have such a supper as would make old Ma'am Turner wild."
Old Ma'am Turner, poor soul, was the woman who kept the wretchedboarding house where these homeless boys boarded, and she really didknow how to make things taste a little worse, probably, than any oneyou know of.
"What'll your mother say to your bringing folks home to supper?"questioned Rick, looking as incredulous as his friend. "She'll give usa hint of broomstick, I reckon, if we try it."
"Well," said Norm, unconcernedly, dipping the oar into the water, "tryit and see, if you are a mind to, that's all I've got to say. I ain'tgoing to force you to eat fish; but I promise you a first-class meal ofthem if you choose to come."
"Oh! we'll go," said Alf, with a giggle; "if we are broomed out thenext second, we'll try it, just to see what will come of it. Things isqueerer in this world than folks think, often; now I didn't believea word of it, when you said we was going out in a boat to-night; Ithought it was some of your nonsense; and here the little fellow hastreated us prime."
The "little fellow" was Jerry, who smiled and nodded in honor of hiscompliment, but said nothing; he resolved to let Norm do the honorsalone.
They went with long strides to the Decker home, Jerry waiting to fastenthe boat and pay his bill. Each boy carried a fine string of fish ofhis own catching; and appeared at the back door just as Nettie came outto look.
"O, what beauties!" she said, gleefully; "and such a nice lot of them!I'm all ready and waiting. You go in, Norm, with your friends, andwe'll have them cooking as soon as we can."
"Not much," said Norm, coming around to the board which she hadevidently gotten ready for cleaning the fish, and diving his hand inhis pocket in search of his jack-knife. "Let's fall to, boys, and cleanthese fellows. I know how, and I think likely you do, and they'll tastethe better, like enough."
"Just so," said Rick Walker, who owned the face that Nettie had decidedwas a good one. "I'm agreeable; I know how to clean fish as well as thenext one; used to do it for mother, when I was a little shaver."
Did the sentence end in a sigh, or did Nettie imagine it? All threewent to work with strong skilful hands, and Nettie hopped back andforth bringing fresh water, and fresh plates, and feeling in her secretheart very grateful to the boys for doing this, which she had dreaded.
They were all done in a very short time, and each boy in turn hadwashed his hands in the basin which shone, and then, the shining, orthe smoothness and beautiful cleanness of the great brown towel, orsomething, prompted Rick to take fresh water and dip his brown faceinto it, and toss the water about like a great Newfoundland dog.
"I declare, that feels good!" he said. "Try it, Alf." And Alf tried it.
Then Norm led the way to the new room. It would have done Nettie'sheart good if she had known how many times he had thought of that roomduring the last hour. He knew it would be a surprise to the boys. Theyhad never seen anything but the Decker kitchen, and not much of that,standing at the door to wait a minute for Norm, but the few glimpsesthey had had of it, had not led them to suppose that there was any suchplace in the house as this in which he was now going to usher them.Their surprise was equal to the occasion. They stopped in the doorway,and looked around upon the prettiness, the bright carpet, the delicatecurtains, the gay chairs! nothing like this was to be found at Ma'amTurner's, nor in any other room with which they were familiar.
"Whew!" said Rick, closing the word with a shrill whistle; "I think
asmuch!" said Alf. "Who'd have dreamed it. I say, Norm, you're a sly one;why didn't you ever let on that you had this kind of thing?"
How they entertained one another during that next hour, Nettie didnot know. Eyes and brain were occupied in the kitchen. Jerry came,presently, but reported that they were getting on all right in thefront room, and he believed he could do better service in the kitchen;so he set the table with a delicate regard for nicety which Nettie hadbeen taught at Auntie Marshall's, and which she knew he had not learnedat Mrs. Job Smith's. Sarah Jane was rigidly clean, but never whatNettie called "nice."
"We'll take the table in the front room," decreed Nettie as shesurveyed it thoughtfully for a few minutes. "It is very warm out here,and they will like it better to be quite alone; we can put all thedishes on, with the leaves down, and set them in their places in atwinkling, after we have lifted it in there. Won't that be the way,mother?"
"Land!" said Mrs. Decker, withdrawing her head from the oven, whitherit had gone to see after the new-fashioned potato balls, "I shouldthink they could eat out here; you may depend they never saw so cleana kitchen at old Ma'am Turner's. But it is hot here, and no mistake;and I should not know what to do with myself while they was eating.Please yourself, child, and then I'll be pleased. I'm going to save oneof these potatoes for your pa; I never see anything in my life lookprettier than they do."
Mrs. Decker's tones told much plainer than her words, that she likedNettie's idea of putting the table in the front room for Norm'scompany. She would not have owned it, but her mother-heart was gladover a "fuss" being made for her Norm.
So the table went in; Jerry at one end, and Nettie at the other. Theyhushed a loud laugh by their entrance, but Jerry went immediately overto Rick Walker to show a new-fashioned knife, and Nettie's fingers flewover the table, so by the time the knife had been exhausted, she wasready to vanish.
Confess now that you would like to have had a seat at that table whenit was ready. A platter of smoking fish, done to the nicest brown,without drying or burning; a bowl of lovely little brown balls, each ofthem about the size of an egg, a plate of very light and puffy-lookingJohnny-cake, and to crown all, coffee that filled the room with such anaroma as Ma'am Turner perhaps dreamed of, but never certainly in thesedays smelled. Mrs. Job Smith at the last minute had sent in a pat ofgenuine country butter, and Sate had flown to the grocery for a pieceof ice with which to keep it in countenance.
Jerry set the chairs, and Nettie poured the coffee, and creamed andsugared it, and then slipped away.
She knew by the looks on the faces of the guests, that they wereastonished beyond words, and she knew that Norm was both astonished andpleased. There was another supper being made ready in the kitchen. Mrs.Decker had herself tugged in the box which had been lately set up as awashbench, and spread the largest towel over it, and was serving threelovely fish, and a bowl of potato balls for "Decker" and herself.
"I guess I'm going to have company too," she said to Nettie, her facebeaming. "Your pa has gone to wash up, and I thought seeing there wasonly two chairs, and two plates left, you wouldn't mind having him andme sit down together, for a meal, first."
"Yes, I do mind," said Nettie; "I think it is a lovely plan; I'm soglad you thought of it, and Jerry and I will keep watch that they haveeverything in the other room, while you eat." If you are wondering inyour hearts where those important beings, Sate and Susie, were at thismoment, I should have told you before, that Sarah Jane had a brilliantthought, but an hour before, and carried them out to tea. So all theDecker family were visiting that evening, save Nettie, and I thinkperhaps she was the happiest among them all. Every time she heard aburst of fresh fun from the front room, she laughed, too; it was sonice to think that Norm was having a good time in his own home, andnothing to worry over.
It is almost a pity that, for her encouragement, she could not haveheard some of the conversation in that room.
"I say, Norm," said his friend Alf, his tones muffled by reason of alarge piece of johnny-cake, "what an awful sly fellow you are! Younever let on that you had these kind of doings in your house. Who'dhave thought that you had a stunning room like this for folks, andpotatoes done up in brown satin, to eat, and coffee such as they get upat the hotels! It beats all creation!"
"That's so," said Rick, taking in a quarter of a fish at one mouthful,"I never dreamed of such a thing; what beats me, is, why a fellow whohas such nice doings at home, wants to loaf around, and spend eveningsat Beck's, or at Steen's. Hang me if I don't think the contrast alittle too great. 'Pears to me if I had this kind of thing, I shouldlike to enjoy it oftener than Norm seems to."
Norman smiled loftily on them. Do you think he was going to own that"this kind of thing" had never been enjoyed in his home before, duringall the years of his recollection? Not he; he only said that folksliked a change once in awhile, of course, and he only laughed when Rickand Alf both declared that if they knew themselves, and they thoughtthey did, they would be content never to change back from this kind ofthing to Ma'am Turner's supper table so long as they lived.
How those boys did eat! Nettie owned to herself that she wasastonished; and privately rejoiced that she had made four johnny-cakesinstead of three, though it had seemed almost extravagant until sheremembered that it would warm up nicely for breakfast. Not a crumbwould there be for breakfast. She had one regret and she told it toJerry as she went out to him on the back stoop, having poured the thirdcup of coffee around, for the three in the front room.
"Jerry, I am just afraid there won't be a speck of johnny-cake left foryou to taste. Those boys do eat so!"
"Never mind," laughed Jerry. "We will eat the tail of a fish, if anyof them have a tail left, and rejoice over our success; this thing isgoing to work, I believe, if we can keep it going."
"That's the trouble," said Nettie, an anxious look in her eyes. "Howcan we? Fish won't do every time; and there are no other things thatyou can catch. Besides, even this has cost a great deal. I paideight cents for lard to fry the fish, and the butter and milk andthings would have cost as much as fifteen cents certainly. Mrs. Smithfurnished them this time, but of course such things won't happen again."
"A great many things happen," said Jerry, wisely. "More than you cancalculate on. 'Never cross a bridge until you come to it, my boy.'Didn't I tell you that was what my father was always saying to me? Ihave found it a good plan, too, to follow his advice. Many a time I'veworried over troubles that never came. Look here, don't you believethat if we are to do this thing and good is to come from it, we shallbe able to manage it somehow?"
"Why, y-e-s," said Nettie, slowly, as though she were waiting to seewhether her faith could climb so high; "I suppose that is so."
"Well, if good isn't going to come of it, do we want to do it?"
"Of course not."
"All right, then," with a little laugh. "What are we talking about?"And Nettie laughed, and ran in to give her father his last cup ofcoffee, and to hear him say that he hadn't had so good a meal in sixyears.
It was a curious fact that Susie and Sate were the chief movers in thenext thing that these young Fishers did to interest the particular fishwhom they were after.
It began the next Sabbath morning in Sabbath-school. There, the littlegirls heard with deep interest that on the following Sabbath therewas to be a service especially for the children. A special feature ofthe day was to be the decoration of the church with flowers, whichthe children were to bring on the previous Saturday. Susie and Satepromised with the rest, that they would bring flowers. Promised in theconfident expectation of childhood that some way they could join theothers and do as they did; though both little girls knew that not aflower grew in or about them. During the early part of the week theyforgot it, but on Saturday morning they stood in the little front yardand saw a sight which recalled all the delights of the coming Sundayin which they seemed to be having no share. The little girls from theOrphanage on the hill were bringing their treasures. Even fat littleKarl who was only five, had a potted
plant in full bloom, which he wasproudly carrying. Little Dutch Maggie, in her queer long apron, carrieda plant with lovely satiny leaves which were prettier than any bloom,and behind her was Robert the Scotch gardener with his arms full; thenyoung Rob Severn, Miss Wheeler's nephew, had a lovely fuchsia justaglow with blossoms, and Miss Wheeler herself, who was the matron atthe Orphanage, was carrying a choice plant. All these the hungry eyesof Sate and Susie took in, as the procession passed the house, thenthey ran wailing to Nettie who had already become the long sufferingperson to whom they must pour out their woes.
"We promised, we did," explained Sate, her earnest eyes fixed onNettie, while her arms clasped that young lady just as she was in theact of throwing out her dishwater. "We did promise, and they will'spect them, and they won't be there."
"Well, but, darling, what made you promise, when you knew we had noflowers? Mrs. Smith would give you some in a minute if hers were inbloom. Why didn't they wait a little later, I wonder? Then Mrs. Smithcould have given us such lovely china-asters."
"We must have some to-morrow," said the emphatic Susie, and shefastened her black eyes on Nettie in a way that said: "Now youunderstand what must be, I hope you will at once set about bringing itto pass."
Nettie could not help laughing. "If you were a fairy queen," she said,"and could wave your wand and say, 'Flowers, bloom,' and they wouldobey you, we should certainly have some; as it is, I don't quite seehow they are to be had. We have no friends to ask."
"I can't help it," said Susie, positively, "we _promised_ to bringsome, and of course we must. You said, Nettie Decker, that we mustalways keep our promises."
"Now, Miss Nettie Decker, you are condemned!" said Jerry, with graveface but laughing eyes; "something must evidently be done about thisbusiness. Dandelions are gone, except the whiteheads, and they wouldblow away before they got themselves settled in church, I am afraid.Hold on, I have a thought, just a splendid one if can manage it; wait abit, Susie, and we will see what we can do."
Susie, who was beginning to have full faith in this wise friend oftheirs, told Sate in confidence that they were going to have someflowers to take to church, as well as the rest of them; she did notknow what Jerry was going to make them out of, but she knew he would_make_ some.
After that, Jerry was not seen again for several hours. In fact itwas just as the dinner dishes were washed, that he appeared with atriumphant face. "Have you made some?" asked Sate, springing up fromher dolly and going toward him expectantly.
"Made some what, Curly?"
"Flowers," said Sate, gravely. "Susie said she knew you would."
Jerry laughed. "Susie has boundless faith in impossibilities," he said."No, I haven't made the flowers, but I have the boat. That old thingthat leaked so, you know, Nettie; well, I've put it in prime order, andgot permission to use it, and if you and the chicks will come, we willsail away to where they make flowers, and pick all we want; unless somewicked fairy has whispered my bright thought to somebody else, and Idon't believe it, for I have seen no one out on the pond to-day."
Then Sate, her eyes very large, went in search of Susie to tell herthat this wonderful boy had come to take them where flowers were made,and to let them gather for themselves.
"I suppose it is heaven," said Sate, gravely, "because the real trulyflowers, you know, God makes, and he has his things all up in heaven towork with, I guess."
"What a little goosie you are!" said Susie, curling her wise lip; "asif Jerry Mack could take us to heaven!"
However, she went at once to see about it, and was almost as muchastonished to think that they were really going out in a boat, as shewould have been if they were going to heaven. "I s'pose it's safe?"said Mrs. Decker doubtfully, watching the light in the little girls'eyes, and remembering how few pleasures had been offered them.
"O, yes'm," said Jerry, "as safe as the road. I could row a boat,ma'am, very well indeed, father said, when I was six years old; and youcouldn't coax that clumsy old thing to tip over, if you wanted it to;and if it should, the water isn't up to my waist anywhere in the pond."
Mrs. Decker laughed, and said it sounded safe enough; and went back toher ironing, and the four happy people sailed away. If not to where thepond lilies were made, at least to where they grew in all their wildsweet beauty.
"How very strange," said Nettie, as they leaned over the great rude,flat-bottomed boat and pulled the beauties in; "how very strange thatno one has gathered these for to-morrow. Why, nothing could be morelovely!"
"Well," said Jerry, "only a few people row this way, because it isn'tthe pleasantest part of the pond, you know, for rowing; and I guess noone has remembered that the lilies were out; there don't many people,only fishermen, go out on this pond, you know, because the boats areso ugly; and fishermen don't care for flowers, I guess. Anyhow, theyhaven't been here, for the buds are all on hand, just as I thought theywould be by this time, when I was here on Tuesday. But I never thoughtof the church; so you see how little thinking is done."
Well, they gathered great loads of the beauties, and rowed home intriumph, and put the lilies in a tub of water, and sat down to considerhow best to arrange them. It was curious that Mrs. Job Smith shouldhave been the next one with an idea.
"I should think," she said, standing in the doorway of her kitchen, herhands on her sides, "I should think a great big salver of them laidaround in their own leaves, would be the prettiest thing in the world."
"So it would," said Nettie, "the very thing, if we only had the salver."
"Well, I've got that. Mrs. Sims, she gave me an old battered andbruised one, when they were moving. It is big enough to put all thecups and saucers on in town, almost; when I lugged it home, Job, hewanted to know what on _earth_ I wanted of that, and says I, I don'tknow, but she give it to me, and most everything in this world comesgood, if you keep it long enough. Sarah Ann, you run up to the cornerin the back garret and get that thing, and see what they'll make of it."
So Sarah Ann ran.