The Carter Girls' Mysterious Neighbors

  CHAPTER IX

  GOLDILOCKS' CHAIRS

  "Miss Hell-e-en! Miss Hell-e-en! Yo' popovers is done popped over!"came in a wailing shriek from the kitchen.

  Helen went so fast her pink bungalow apron looked like a rosy streak.Dr. Wright, fearing some dire calamity had befallen someone and his"first aid to the injured" might be in demand, ran after her. Thepopovers had popped just right, however, but must be devouredimmediately; so luncheon was served as quickly as possible.

  "Bring those two chairs from the kitchen, Chloe," commanded Douglas asshe deftly rearranged the table for ten persons instead of eight.

  "Now, Miss Douglas, don't you know 'bout dem cheers in de kitchen? Th'ain't got no mo' seat to 'em dan a rabbit."

  "Bring them anyhow," laughed Douglas. "I can sit in one and Miss Helenin the other."

  In the confusion of placing family and guests, Douglas forgot all aboutthe bottomless chairs. After everyone was seated she suddenly rememberedthem with horror.

  "Suppose the count got one of them!" It made very little differenceabout anyone else. But the count! All of that charm and elegance in achair with no seat!

  As soon as grace was said, Bobby, with a shriek of delight, suddenlycollapsed and disappeared.

  "One chair accounted for!" thought Douglas.

  Bobby's heels were sticking up and he peered saucily through his feet atthe astonished company.

  "I done got a Goldilocks' cheer," he announced. "'An' Goldilocks sat,an' sat, an' sat, an' sat 'til she sat the bottom out of the littlebar's cheer.'"

  "Bobby, take your seat!" commanded Mr. Carter, trying to look stern.

  "I done took it!"

  "Get up!"

  Easier said than done! Bobby was fast stuck, "I reckon my 'ployer'llhave to op'rate on me," he said plaintively, "'fo' I kin eat."

  There was a roar of laughter at this and Dr. Wright, who was sittingbetween Helen and Bobby, extricated the youngster and then changedchairs with him, whereupon they proceeded to the business of eatingpopovers and creamed mushrooms and the other good things that Helen hadplanned for the repast.

  Douglas then laughingly told of their predicament in having only eightwhole straight chairs in the house and of her intention of sitting onone of the decrepit ones herself and of having Helen sit on the other.

  "It is rather like playing 'Thimble, thimble! Who's got the thimble?'"she laughed. "I hope whoever has it is comfortable."

  "Don't all speak at once!" said Lucy. "Of course some of the company'sgot it, because home folks would put you out of misery at once."

  Still silence and Douglas was mortally certain the count had it and wastoo polite to say so.

  "He certainly has beautiful manners," she said to herself, and turningfrom Lewis, who was endeavoring to monopolize her, she smiled hersweetest on the courteous foreigner. She felt she must make up to himanyhow for telling him his moustache turned up like the Kaiser's.

  "Isn't it strange, Cousin Robert," said Lewis to Mr. Carter, "I wroteDouglas I was coming and she never got my letter?"

  The count's manner was a little distrait. Evidently he was trying tohear what Douglas was saying and to listen to the conversation betweenLewis and Mr. Carter at the same time.

  "Is that so? I am afraid our postman is careless. He seems to get themail mixed sometimes. Every now and then our letters get left atGrantly."

  "But the ladies up there would send them down, I am sure," said Mrs.Carter.

  "You got my telephone message all right, didn't you?" Dr. Wright askedDouglas.

  "What message?"

  "Why, I telephoned Grantly I would be out today!"

  "No, they did not deliver it."

  "Perhaps they will send the letter with the message," suggested thecount in an amused tone.

  Just then Chloe fell down the steps into the dining-room with a plate ofhot popovers, which she adroitly caught before they reached the floor.

  "Miss Ellanlouise done sent Sis Tempy down with the news that you allsis gonter hab some comply. They done dis'greed whether they is a-comin'yesterday or tomorrow."

  "Who is it coming?" laughed Helen.

  "They done 'sputed whether it is a doctor or a lywer, an' they ain'table t' agree what his name is, but Miss Ella thinks it is Stites an'Miss Louise she holds that it is Bright. Both on 'em was a-tryin' terlisten at the 'phome ter onct so they done got kinder twis'ed like."

  "When was the message sent?" asked Douglas.

  "Sis Tempy said Miss Ella said it come of a Chuseday an' Miss Louisecalled her back an' tol' her not ter pay no 'tention ter Miss Ella, thatshe knows it come of a Thursday."

  "Why, that must be my message I sent on Wednesday!" exclaimed Dr.Wright. "I am either Lawyer Stites or Dr. Bright."

  "Of course!" and everyone laughed heartily over the mistake of thepeculiar old sisters.

  "Well, it doesn't make any real difference since you are here, does it?"asked Helen.

  "Not a bit! Being here is what is important to me. Does it make anydifference to you?"

  Dr. Wright was able to say this in a whisper to Helen. It seemed verydifficult for him to have many words in private with this girl, whoseemed to him to become more charming every day. Certainly adversity hadimproved her in his eyes. The character and determination she had shownwhen once the gravity of her father's condition had been explained toher were really remarkable in one so young, and one who had up to thattime never done a single thing she had not wanted to do. Tete-a-teteswith Helen were made difficult for him by reason of his popularity withthe whole Carter family. Mr. Carter had various questions to discusswith him; Mrs. Carter must always tell him her symptoms; Douglas wantedhis advice about many things; Nan found him very sympathetic and alwayshad something to confide in him; Lucy, realizing that Helen no longerlooked upon him as an enemy to the family, had come over to his camp andnow considered him her company just as much as anybody's and demandedhis attention accordingly. Of course Bobby knew he belonged exclusivelyto him. Was he not his 'ployer?

  "Does it make any difference to you?" he repeated.

  Helen was on the point of answering him very kindly when Count de Lestisleaned over and engaged her attention.

  "Miss Helen, do not forget the promise you made me to come to Westonsome morning with your father. There are many things I want to showyou. I want your advice, too, about some pantry arrangements I amcontemplating. What does mere man know of pantry shelves?"

  "Oh, I'd love to come!" exclaimed Helen, and the kind answer she waspreparing to give Dr. Wright never was spoken.

  That young physician looked at the Hungarian count as though he wouldcheerfully throttle him. Helen's advice about pantry shelves, indeed!What business had this foreigner to draw Helen into his householdarrangements?

  During that luncheon de Lestis managed to antagonize both LewisSomerville and George Wright. Douglas had smiled entirely too many timeson this stranger to suit Lewis, and Helen had been much too eager topass on the housekeeping arrangements to accord with George's ideas ofUnited States' relations with Hungary.

  "Why is he not fighting with his country?" each young man asked himself.

  Chloe was waiting on the table remarkably well, much to Helen'sgratification. Only once had she fallen down the steps, and, thanks toher teacher's vigilance, she usually remembered to pass things to theleft.

  "You must try to show the Count de Lestis how much you have learned,"Helen had told her while she was preparing the lunch; "remember howinterested he is in educating colored people."

  Helen, seated at the head of the table, was pouring the tea, Mrs. Carterhaving resigned her place to her daughter when she resigned herself tobe a semi-invalid.

  "Hand this to Count de Lestis," Helen said, having put in sugar to histaste.

  "Here's yo' C-U-P, CUP of T-E, TEA," shouted Chloe, as she balanced thecup precariously on the tray.

  "Beg pardon!" exclaimed the honored guest in amazement.

  "C-U-P, CUP! H-O-T, HOT! T-E, TEA!"

  The c
ount took the tea with a puzzled look on his handsome countenanceand Chloe fled from the room, not in embarrassment but to impart to SisTempy how she had done made Miss Helen proud by showing the count howmuch she done learned her to spell.

  Everybody roared, even Mrs. Carter, who had come to the realization thatthe most dignified way to treat Chloe was to recognize her as a joke.

  "It is this way," said Helen when she could speak. "You see, I have beentrying to teach the poor thing to read and spell. She told me of thewonderful work you are doing," to the count.

  "I am doing?"

  "Yes, in your night school at Weston! It made me ashamed to think you,a foreigner, should be doing so much for the colored race, and I doingnothing, so I determined to do what I could with my own servant atleast. I can't tell you how splendid I think it is of you and yoursecretary to give so much time to the poor country darkies."

  The count flushed a dark red. He seemed actually confused by this girl'spraise.

  "All of us think it is fine," said Nan.

  "Speak for yourself!" whispered Lucy. "Mag and I think it is smart Alecof him and we bet he does it 'cause he wants to, not to help the coloredpeople."

  "I beg your pardon! Did you speak to me?" asked the count, recoveringhimself from the evident confusion into which Helen's and Nan'sapprobration seemed to have plunged him.

  "I--I--said--er--I said you and your kind secretary must enjoy thework," stammered Lucy.

  "Do you find they learn easily?" asked Dr. Wright, trying to hide hisfeelings and wishing he had put in his spare time in altruistic workamong the colored brethren.

  "The truth of the matter is I do no teaching myself. This night schoolis a fad of Herz, my secretary."

  "Ah, but I know you do some, because Chloe tells me of how kindly youspeak to the darkies," insisted Helen. "She says you make beautifultalks to them sometimes and they are crazy about you."

  "They exaggerate!" shrugged the count. "They seem a simple, kindly folk,grateful for any crumb of learning."

  "Aren't there any district schools here for the colored people?" askedGeorge Wright.

  "Yes, but no place for the older ones to learn. It is quite pathetic howthey yearn for knowledge,--so Herz tells me."

  "Well, my opinion is that too much learning is bad for them," blurtedout Lewis.

  "Oh, Lewis!" exclaimed Douglas. "How can you say such a thing? Too muchlearning can't be bad for anybody."

  "What I mean is too much and not enough. They get just enough to makethem big-headed and not enough to give them any balance."

  "'A little learning is a dangerous thing-- Drink deep or taste not the Pierian Spring,'"

  murmured Nan.

  "Exactly!" said Lewis gratefully. "I don't want to hold the darky down,but I do think he should be taught very carefully or he will get wrongnotions in his head, social equality with the whites and such stuff."

  "I find Americans very strange when one gets them on the subject ofsocial equality," and de Lestis suddenly seemed very superior and quiteconscious of his own station in life. "There is much talk of beingdemocratic but not so much practice. Your Declaration of Independenceplainly states that all men shall be free and equal, and still, whileyou grant the black race freedom, you deny it equality."

  "I reckon you don't understand the South very well," answered Lewis, hisblue eyes flashing.

  "Ah!" was all the count said, but he said it with a toploftical mannerthat irritated Lewis.

  "The colored soldiers are excellent, so I have heard," put in Douglas,hoping to get the subject changed, if not too abruptly.

  "Yes, they are good," said Lewis, "but that is because they are trainedwell. That is drinking deep of Nan's Pierian Spring. I think a militarytraining in colored schools is almost more important than in the whiteones. It gives them the kind of balance they don't get in any otherway."

  "Why don't you give the pupils in your night school some drilling?"asked Helen.

  "Thank you for the suggestion!" and the count bowed low over Helen'shand as they arose from the table at a signal from Mrs. Carter, whobegan to think the conversation was getting entirely too serious and notat all social. "I shall profit by it immediately and introduce a kind ofsetting-up exercise at least."

  "Now we'll find out who had the other busted cheer!" cried Bobby.

  It was the count, and his tact and good manners in patiently sittingthrough the meal on what must have been a rather uncomfortable perchmade the females of the party, excepting Lucy, admire him just that muchmore, but it did not make George Wright and Lewis Somerville think anymore highly of the good-looking foreigner.

  "He had much better be fighting for his country," grumbled Lewis to hiscompanion in misery, "even if it would be on the wrong side." Which wasnot the proper remark for a soldier in the army of a neutral nation.