The Carter Girls' Mysterious Neighbors

  CHAPTER XVIII

  ANGEL'S FOOD

  Not a sound or glimmer of light in Paradise as they speeded silentlythrough the settlement! The club, too, was deserted.

  "I think you are splendid to be willing to give up this ball to go tothe aid of these old ladies," said Dr. Wright, drawing the rug moreclosely around Helen, as the air was quite nipping.

  "Why, the idea of my not doing it! You must think I'm nothing but aheartless butterfly."

  "I think you are anything but one. You love dancing, though, so much.I should have come alone. Somehow I couldn't make up my mind to foregothe ride alone with you. Isn't it a beautiful night?"

  The stars were shining brightly but the lazy moon had not yet gotten up.

  "If we find the poor old lady not too ill, I'll take you back to thedance after we have made her comfortable. There will be a moon to lightour way later on."

  "That will be fine! Maybe they won't even miss us. But somehow I have afeeling that Miss Ella is very ill."

  "Five minutes more will decide the question. Hasn't my new car eaten updistance, though? Just think, in old days what a time sick persons hadto wait for a physician without telephones and without cars!"

  "Dr. Allison still drives a fast horse to a light buggy. Page says hewill none of horseless carriages. I believe it is only recently that hehas submitted to a telephone."

  "It is a good thing his medical theories have not kept pace with hismeans of locomotion, or he would be a back number sure."

  Valhalla was very quiet, peacefully sleeping under the stars. What ahaven of refuge it had been to the Carters! Helen looked lovingly at thepicturesque roof lines as the car glided rapidly past.

  "Do you know, I think that must be the most restful place in all theworld? I have grown so attached to the little tumbledown house, leaksand cracks, smoking stove and all."

  "Hasn't it been awfully hard on you?"

  "Not any harder on me than on the others!"

  "I can't tell you what I think of all of you Carter girls for the wayyou have grappled with the winter in the country. I think you have hadthe hot end of it, too."

  There flashed through Helen's mind a picture of the first time she sawthe young doctor, in the library of their pretty home in Richmond. Therehad been no approval in his cold glance then, nothing but censure andseverity. She had deserved it all. Did she deserve the praise he gaveher now?

  "The hot end is better than the cold end during the winter months," shelaughed. "At least I can stay snugly in the kitchen and not have to goout in all weathers like poor Douglas and the other girls."

  Miss Louise met them at the door, tears rolling down her fat cheeks.She still was dressed in her stiff black silk but had tied on a greatgingham apron over her best dress.

  "How good of you to come to us!" was all she could sob out.

  "You should have sent for us immediately," said Helen, putting her armsaround the trembling old woman.

  "Ella always wants Dr. Allison, and I hated so to break up the pleasureof the young people."

  "Where is your sister?" asked Dr. Wright, taking off his gloves andgreat coat, and extracting a small leather case from its pocket.

  "I got her to bed after she came to."

  "She is conscious then?"

  "Yes, but very low, very low. She has been so docile I am afraid she isgoing to die," and the poor lady began to weep anew.

  "Let me go in with the doctor," insisted Helen. "I can do what isnecessary and you might scare Miss Ella. She mustn't be made to thinkshe is so ill."

  The tall form of Miss Ella was stretched on the great four-posted bed,and so still was it that for a moment Helen was afraid to go near.

  "She might be dead! She might be dead!" her heart cried out, but sheshut her mouth very tight and advanced bravely up to the bedside.

  "Miss Ella, Dr. Wright has come to see you. Dr. Allison will be herelater on perhaps."

  "I'll be better in a few moments. I must have fainted," she said weakly."I ought not to have tried the angel food cake. It is so tedious. Louisetold me not to, but I was very headstrong."

  Helen looked up apprehensively at the doctor, who was feeling thepatient's pulse. It did seem rather ominous for Miss Ella to be sohumble and to confess that Louise's judgment was of any importance.

  "What did you eat for dinner?" asked the doctor.

  "I--I--don't remember."

  "Think!"

  "I reckon I ate some bread."

  "Nothing else?"

  "I can't remember."

  At a nod from the doctor Helen went out to seek this information fromMiss Louise, whom she found huddled up on the hall sofa.

  "Eat for dinner! I am sure I don't know. She wouldn't eat when I did andI do believe she didn't eat anything."

  "How about supper?"

  "Oh, we neither one of us ate any supper. We felt it would bediscourteous to the count after all the trouble and expense he musthave gone to, with caterers from Richmond and all."

  Helen flew back to the bedside of Miss Ella.

  "She ate no dinner that Miss Louise can remember and neither one of themate any supper," she cried.

  "Well, of course she fainted then. Can you take the matter in hand andget some toast and tea for both of them? Miss Louise will be topplingover next."

  Helen was intimate enough with the old sisters to know just where theykept everything and in short order she had a tray ready for poorhalf-starved Miss Ella.

  "It was not a stroke at all," Dr. Wright assured the anxious sister."Nothing but hunger."

  "I told her to eat," and Miss Louise looked venomously at the invalid.

  "I came to get my dinner and you had taken all the breast of thechicken. I wasn't going to eat your leavings," declared Miss Ella, colorcoming back into her wan cheeks and the fire of battle to her fadedeyes. Helen laughed happily. The sisters were quarreling again andeverything was assuming a more normal aspect.

  "Now both of you ladies must get to bed," insisted the doctor, afterMiss Louise had been persuaded to eat some of Helen's good toast.

  "I think you have had ball enough for tonight." He looked at his watch."I will take you back to Weston," he whispered to Helen.

  Helen would not go until both of her old friends were tucked peacefullyin their great bed and then, kissing them good-night, she stole quietlyfrom the room. She was greatly relieved that things had turned out sowell and delighted that she was to be taken back to the ball.

  "It's pretty nice to do your duty and still have a good time," she saidto herself.

  Dr. Wright was waiting in the hall for her. He silently bundled her upin her cape and hood and together they stepped on the gallery.

  The lazy moon was up now and outshining the faithful stars. The greatbox bushes and thick hedge cast deep shadows across the lawn. The twostood for a moment in silence, drinking in the beauty of the scene.

  "We can't lock the front door," said Dr. Wright finally. "I see it hasan old-fashioned great brass key and the only way to lock it is tofasten the old ladies in the house."

  "Why, nothing will ever hurt those dear old folks," laughed Helen."There are as safe as can be. They tell me they often go to bed withoutlocking doors. They usually have a quarrel about whether the front doorhas been locked or not, and get so excited they both forget to do it."