CHAPTER VI
LETTY
Letty spent a restless night. At first she had been much excited byseeing the twins again and looked forward to their return in the morningwith much impatience. Jane and Christopher had wanted her to go homewith them that afternoon, to let Mrs. Hartwell-Jones see the ponies andsettle the matter at once.
But Mr. Drake could not allow this for two reasons. To begin with, along country trip would be too much for the ponies, together with theirmarch in the procession and two performances. For there was to beanother performance of the circus in the evening, and Mr. Drake’s secondreason was that Letty might not get back in time for it if she went outto Sunnycrest. Jane was disappointed, for she had not known about thesecond performance, and was hoping to keep Letty overnight. But it wassettled that they should all return very early in the morning and tothat time Letty looked forward eagerly until all at once it came overher that she had no cause for rejoicing.
“Of course I shall be awfully glad to see Jane and Christopher again,”she told herself, lying wide awake and thoughtful on her cot in thesmall tent in which she slept as guardian of the fat Drake baby, “butafter all what good will it do me? They will be here with me for alittle while and then will go away again, and I shall probably never seethem again. And they will probably take Punch and Judy, too. Oh, oh, Iam to lose my dear little friends and what will become of me?” And shebegan to cry softly.
Poor little Letty! She had not had a happy life since her mother’sdeath. It was not from lack of kindness, for Mrs. Drake in her quiet,dull way, had been as kind as possible. And dear Ben had been hersplendid, good big brother, gay and kind and thoughtful to her always.
But everything had been so different. The winter after her mother’sdeath had been a time of desolation to Letty.
Letty sat out on the front steps of the boarding-house where she livedwith Mrs. Drake whenever the weather permitted, or walked drearily aboutthe Square. She made no friends and had no pleasure except her Sundayattendance at church, where the soft music and wonderful stained glasswindows never failed to soothe and comfort her. These stained glasswindows represented the only paintings she had ever seen. But it was themusic that comforted her most. She learned some of the hymns after awhile and ventured to join sometimes in a voice that had a surprisingquality in its untrained cadences.
The summer was easier to bear as the traveling about from place to placebrought diversion; and she loved her work with the ponies. But longbefore the summer was over she had grown tired of the roving life andwas glad to be back in winter quarters again.
She was happier that second winter, for she had grown more resigned tothe loss of her mother and the dreadful, aching desire for hermercifully had lessened. But the restless, moving life of the circusgrew more and more distasteful and after her brother’s death—by afrightful accident—she felt that she could endure the life no longer.
But the poor child had no other home, no other friends, and stayed onwith the Drakes for want of another home. Her little friend, EmmaHaines, lived over in a small town in New Jersey, but her family weretoo poor to take in and care for another child. The rich Miss Reese who,together with her little cousin, Clara Markham, had been so kind toLetty one winter, had passed out of her life completely, and even Mrs.Goldberg, with the amusing parrot, had not been heard from since herremoval to California.
So Letty lived on, a sad, dull, monotonous life. She attended school inthe winters but was never happy there, as she was invariably behind herclasses and was too shy and sad to try to make friends among the otherscholars. Another baby came to Mrs. Drake, which proved a source of muchcomfort to Letty. He was a big, jolly, lusty baby—the same she had beenholding in her arms when she had first caught sight of the twins at therailway junction. And her happiest, or rather her least sad hours werethose she spent at church and in nursing Mrs. Drake’s baby.
And now, what did the future hold for her? Mr. Drake had met with lossesand failure in his business and the circus was broken up. What was tobecome of her? Small wonder that Letty wept despairingly as she layawake in her little canvas bedroom.
But Jane and Christopher were all gay excitement and happy anticipation.
“I am sure Mrs. Hartwell-Jones means to buy the ponies,” Jane confidedto Christopher, “and I’m so glad, because, you see, sometimes she maytake us for rides.”
“And let me drive,” added Christopher.
And Mrs. Hartwell-Jones really did mean to buy the ponies. She askedgrandfather to attend to the matter for her when he returned to thecircus grounds to see about his own business; for grandfather had aboutdecided to buy one or two of Mr. Drake’s horses for work on the farm.But Mr. Baker was too businesslike to buy without being sure of the sortof horse he was getting, and arranged with Joshua to have Mr. Drakedrive or ride out such horses as grandfather thought of getting,together with the Shetland ponies, to Sunnycrest, for Joshua’sinspection and judgment.
The twins were in a whirl to get started and gave grandfather no peaceuntil the phaeton—a low, wide-seated vehicle with plenty of room forthree on the seat when two of them were only nine—was brought round.There was an instant scramble for the outside place and a quarrelthreatened; but grandfather settled the whole matter by saying quietly:
“Ladies first, Kit, my boy. Janey shall have the outside place for thefirst half of the way.”
They started off in high spirits, Jane quiet and absorbed, bendingenough to watch the revolving wheel crunch the bits of dust and dryclay, lost in her own happy thoughts or listening to Christopher’schatter and storing up bits of knowledge. Christopher’s tongue was notquiet a moment and he asked question after question.
It had always been like that with the twins from the time they hadlearned to talk. Jane seldom asked questions, but Christopher must knowthe meaning of everything that came to his notice. Not that Jane wasstupid because she did not ask questions. She generally listened toChristopher’s continual “why” and learned from the answers given to him.And very often she would speak out unexpectedly some piece ofinformation that surprised every one. Indeed, an uncle of the twins hadonce said:
“Kit talks the most, but Jane says the most.”
“See that squirrel running across the road?” said grandfather. “Did yousee him, Janey? A pretty red one.”
“I could have shot him, if I’d had a gun,” boasted Christopher.
“Oh, Kit, that would have been mean! He wasn’t doing any one any harm.”
“How do you know he wasn’t? Perhaps he was doing something hateful tosome other animal. Animals do that, you know; they’re such beasts.”
“Well, anyway, you couldn’t have shot it; squirrels run so fast,”replied Jane with satisfaction.
“I could have if I’d had any practice. When I get my gun I shallpractice on the rabbits. They’re no good, anyhow.”
“They are some good. They’re sweet, dear, gentle things and you justshan’t hurt them.”
“They haven’t got as much sense as squirrels and they’re lots greedier.”
Then followed a discussion between the children concerning the habits ofsquirrels, rabbits and other creatures of the forest, in which eachdisplayed a goodly stock of knowledge of natural history. Grandfatherchuckled proudly as he listened, but made no comment.
“Well, well, well,” he remarked, when the subject of red squirrels hadbeen exhausted and he thought he saw another “why” trembling on the tipof Christopher’s tongue, “here we are, half-way to town and nobody hasyet offered to relieve me of the hard task of driving.”
There was instant strife for possession of the reins.
“Tut, tut, play fair. Kit, my boy, remember your manners. Ladies first.”And grandfather handed the reins to triumphant Jane.
“Aw, she’s not a lady, she’s only a girl,” growled Christopher inchagrin. “Anyhow, it’s my turn to sit on the outside. I’m sure it is,and I’m going to have my turn. Move over, Jane, you needn’t think youcan have everything. She ne
edn’t be a pig, just because she’s a lady,”he added to his grandfather, who had laid a restraining hand upon hissleeve. “Move over, you!”
“Grandfather didn’t say to. Don’t push so, you rude boy. Ow! You’ll makeme drop the lines.”
“Pig!”
“Rude-y!”
“Prude-y!”
“Grandfather, Kit——”
“Telltale!”
“I don’t care. You’re a rude, horrid boy,” said Jane, beginning to cry.
“And you are a stingy, tattling cry-baby. I just wish——”
“Children!” cried grandfather sternly. “I’m astonished! Why, do yourealize what you are saying to each other? Jane, give me those reins.Christopher, stay quiet. I should not allow you to sit on the outsidenow, for any consideration.”
The children succumbed meekly. When his grandfather called him“Christopher” the boy felt doubly crushed. Jane’s tender little heart atonce began to ache. She felt that it had all been her fault. It wasChristopher’s turn to sit on the outside and there was no real reasonwhy she should have been given the privilege of driving first. She wouldhave liked to tell Christopher that she was sorry, to whisper to him tomake up. But she glanced at his face and saw that it would do no good tospeak for the present. Christopher was in the sulks and she knew that ifshe apologized now he would only say “shucks” and shove her. Yet, if shewaited until he was amiable again, he probably would have forgotten allabout it and call her silly.
But she herself soon forgot the quarrel in the excitement of arriving atthe field again. Letty was not in sight and grandfather was engaged withMr. Drake, so the children went on a tour of investigation. They visitedthe menagerie and stared at the blinking, sleepy looking animals for atime and then went in search of the ponies, which they found stabled ina small tent placarded as containing the marvelous fat lady and thinnestliving skeleton.
As they stood feeding grass to the ponies and chattering, Letty joinedthem. She came up so softly over the thick turf that they did not knowshe was there until she spoke.
“Do you think your grandmother’s friend will take the ponies?” she askedslowly.
The twins turned, and stared. Letty’s eyes were swollen and red withweeping and her lip trembled as she spoke of the sale of Punch and Judy.
“I guess you hate to give ’em up,” observed Christopher sympathetically.
“Is that why you’ve been crying so, Letty?” asked Jane.
“Not altogether, though I shall miss the ponies. But I have to go away,and I haven’t anywhere to go.”
The sadness of this state of affairs touched the happy, well-cared fortwins faintly.
“I guess you’ll find another circus to go with,” comforted Christophercheerfully, after a little pause.
“Oh, I don’t want to go to another circus! I hate ’em!”
“Then why do you cry because you are leaving this one?” demandedmatter-of-fact Christopher.
“Because I haven’t any home. Oh, Jane, do you suppose your grandmotherknows of any one who wants a maid? I’d be willing to do anything to helpand have a home.” And the tears rushed to her eyes again.
“Do you mean to say you’d give up a circus to do housework!” ejaculatedChristopher in great astonishment.
“Oh, I should be so happy to! And maybe I should get time to studysome.”
Christopher stared. Here was a curiosity indeed; a girl who likedhousework and study better than traveling around with a circus!
“Mrs. Hartwell-Jones is staying at our house while her ankle gets well,”put in Jane. “She will be awfully good to Punch and Judy.”
“Is she the lady that wants to buy them?” asked Letty.
“Yes,” answered Jane, “and she was on the train when we were coming toSunnycrest, and saw you. And oh, Letty, she writes books, lots and lotsof them.”
“But she’s awfully nice,” added Christopher reassuringly. “Not a bitprosy or stuck up.”
Two red spots came into Letty’s cheeks.
“To think that you know somebody who writes books! Oh, how I wish Icould see her!” she exclaimed impulsively.
Jane stared thoughtfully for a moment at the ponies and then saidquickly:
“Oh, Kit, let’s ask grandfather if Letty mayn’t drive the ponies out toSunnycrest herself. Then she can see Mrs. Hartwell-Jones.”
“And we can show her the farm, too. That would be jolly,” agreedChristopher. “I speak to ride with Letty in the chariot.”
Letty burst out laughing. She was feeling very much excited over thechildren’s plan.
“I shouldn’t have to drive the chariot,” she said. “Mr. Drake still hasthe little carriage I used to use at Willow Grove. Do you remember?”
“And I’ll ask grandmother about getting you a place,” said Janeconfidentially to Letty, with a little air of importance. “PerhapsHuldah would like somebody to help her in the kitchen. It would be niceif you could stay with us, wouldn’t it?”
“Oh, that would be too good to be true!” cried Letty, bursting intotears again at the very thought of such happiness.
“Oh, shucks!” exclaimed Christopher, turning his back.
Crying always embarrassed him.