CHAPTER XVII--THE BLACK DOUGLASS
"Oh, don't frighten her, Mr. Steele!" begged Ruth, still holding thehalf wild girl. "You would not send her back to those awful people?"
"Tut, tut! I am no ogre, I hope," exclaimed the gentleman, rather putout of countenance at this outburst. "I only mean the child well.Doesn't she understand?"
"I won't go back to them Perkinses, I tell you!" cried Sadie, with astamp of her foot.
"It is not my intention to send you back. I mean to look up your recordand the record of the people you were placed with--Perkins, is it? Theauthorities of the institution that had the care of you, should be madeto be more careful in their selection of homes for their charges.
"No. I will keep you here till I have had the matter sifted. Ifthose--those Perkinses, as you call them, are unfit to care for you, youshall certainly not go back to them, my girl."
Sadie looked at him shrewdly. "But I don't want to stay here, Mister,"she blurted out.
"My girl, you are not of an age when you should be allowed to choose foryourself. Others, older and wiser, must choose for you. I would not feelthat I was doing right in allowing you to run wild again----"
"I gotter see the twins--I jest _gotter_ see 'em," said Sadie, faintly.
"And whether that Caslon is fit to have charge of you," bitterly addedMr. Steele, "I have my doubts."
"Oh, surely, you will let her see her little brothers?" cried Ruth,pleadingly.
"We will arrange about that--ahem!" said Mr. Steele. "But I willcommunicate at once--by long distance telephone--with the matron of theinstitution from which she came, and they can send a representative hereto talk with me----"
"And take me back there?" exclaimed Sadie. "No, I sha'n't! I sha'n't go!So there!"
"Hoity-toity, Miss! Let's have no more of it, if you please," said thegentleman, sternly. "You will stay here for the present. Don't you tryto run away from me, for if you do, I'll soon have you brought back. Weintend to treat you kindly here, but you must not abuse our kindness."
It was perhaps somewhat puzzling to Sadie Raby--this attitude of the verysevere gentleman. She had not been used to much kindness in her life,and the sort that is forced on one is not generally appreciated by thewisest of us. Therefore it is not strange if Sadie failed to understandthat Mr. Steele really meant to be her friend.
"Come away, Sadie," whispered Ruth, quite troubled herself by the turnaffairs had taken. "I am so sorry--but it will all come right in theend----"
"If by comin' right, Miss, you means that I am goin' to see them twins,you can jest _bet_ it will all come right," returned Sadie, gruffly,when they were out in the hall. "For see 'em I will, an' _him_, nornobody else, won't stop me. As for goin' back to them Perkinses, or tothe orphanage, we'll see 'bout that," added Sadie, to herself, andgrimly.
Ruth feared very much that Mr. Steele would not have been quite so sternand positive with the runaway, had it not been for his dislike for theCaslons. Had Sadie's brothers been stopping with some other neighbor,would Mr. Steele have delayed letting the runaway girl go to see them?
"Oh, dear, me! If folks would only be good-natured and stop being sohateful to each other," thought the girl of the Red Mill. "I just _know_that Mr. Steele would like Mr. Caslon a whole lot, if they really oncegot acquainted!"
The rain had ceased falling by this time. The tempest had rolled awayinto the east. A great rainbow had appeared and many of the householdwere on the verandas to watch the bow of promise.
It was too wet, however, to venture upon the grass. The paths anddriveway glistened with pools of water. And under a big tree not farfrom the front of the house, it was discovered that a multitude oflittle toads had appeared--tiny little fellows no larger than one'sthumbnail.
"It's just been rainin' toads!" cried one of the younger Steelechildren--Bennie by name. "Come on out, Ruthie, and see the toads thatcomed down with the rainstorm."
Tom Cameron had already come up to speak with Sadie. He shook hands withthe runaway girl and spoke to her as politely as he would have to any ofhis sister's friends. And Sadie, remembering how kind he had been to heron the occasion when the tramps attacked her near Cheslow, responded tohis advances with less reluctance than she had to those of some of thegirls.
For it must be confessed that many of the young people looked upon therunaway askance. She was so different from themselves!
Now that she was clean, and her hair brushed and tied with one of Ruth'sown ribbons, and she was dressed neatly, Sadie Raby did not _look_ muchdifferent from the girls about her on the wide porch; but when shespoke, her voice was hoarse, and her language uncouth.
Had she been plumper, she would have been a pretty girl. She was tannedvery darkly, and her skin was coarse. Nevertheless, given half the carethese other girls had been used to most of their lives, and Sadie Rabywould have been the equal of any.
Ruth came strolling back to the veranda, leaving Bennie watching thetoads--which remained a mystery to him. He was a lively little fellow ofsix and the pet of the whole family.
As it chanced, he was alone out there on the drive, and the others werenow strolling farther and farther away from him along the veranda. Theboy ran out farther from the house, and danced up and down, looking atthe rainbow overhead.
Thus he was--a pretty sight in the glow of the setting sun--when a suddenchorus of shouts and frightened cries arose from the rear of the house.
Men and maids were screaming. Then came the pounding of heavy hoofs.
Around the curve of the drive charged a great black horse, a frayed andbroken lead-rope hanging from his arching neck, his eyes red andglowing, and his sleek black body all a-quiver with the joy of hisescape.
"The Black Douglass!" ejaculated Tom Cameron, in horror, for the greathorse was charging straight for the dancing child in the driveway.
It was the most dangerous beast upon Sunrise Farm--indeed, almost theonly savage creature Mr. Steele had retained when he bought out theformer owner of the stock farm and his stud of horses.
The Black Douglass was a big creature, with an uncertain temper, and washandled only by the most careful men in Mr. Steele's employ. Somehow, onthis occasion, the brute had been allowed to escape.
Spurring the gravel with his iron shod hoofs, the horse gallopedstraight at little Bennie. The child, suddenly made aware of his perilby the screams of his brothers and sisters, turned blindly, staggered afew steps, and fell upon his hands and knees.
Mr. Steele rushed from the house, but he was too far away. The menchasing the released animal were at a distance, too. Tom Cameron starteddown the steps, but Helen shrieked for him to return. Who was there toface the snorting, prancing beast?
There was a flash of a slight figure down the steps and across the sod.Like an arrow from a strong bow, Sadie Raby darted before the fallenchild. Nor was she helpless. The runaway knew what she was about.
As she ran from the veranda, she had seized a parasol that was leaningagainst one of the pillars. Holding this in both hands, she presented itto the charging horse, opening and shutting it rapidly as she advanced.
She leaped across Bennie and confronted the Black Douglass. The flightyanimal, seeing something before him that he did not at all understand,changed his course with a frightened snort, and dashed off across thelawn, cutting out great clods as he ran, and so around the house againand out of sight.
Mr. and Mrs. Steele were both running to the spot. The gentleman pickedup the frightened Bennie, but handed him at once to his mother. Then heturned and seized the girl by her thin shoulders.
"My dear girl! My dear girl!" he said, rather brokenly, turning her soas to face him. "That was a brave thing to do. We can't thank youenough. You can't understand----"
"Aw, it warn't anything. I knowed that horse wouldn't jump at us when heseen the umbrel'. Horses is fools that way," said Sadie Raby, rathershamefacedly.
But when Mrs. Steele knelt right down in the damp gravel beside her, andwith one arm around Bennie, put the other arou
nd the runaway and huggedher--hugged her _tight_--Sadie was quite overcome, herself.
Madge Steele was crying frankly. Bobbins came rushing upon the scene,and there was a general riot of exclamation and explanation.
"Say! you goin' to let me see my brothers now?" demanded the runaway,who had a practical mind, if nothing more.
"Bob," said his father, quickly, "you have the pony put in the cart anddrive down there to Caslon's and bring those babies up here."
"Aw, Father! what'll I tell Caslon?" demanded the big fellow,hesitatingly.
"Tell him--tell him----" For a moment, it was true, that Mr. Steele wasrather put to it for a reply. He found Ruth beside him, plucking hissleeve.
"Let me go with Bobbins, sir," whispered the girl of the Red Mill. "I'llknow what to say to Mr. and Mrs. Caslon."
"I guess you will, Ruth. That's right. You bring the twins up here tosee their sister." Then he turned and smiled down at Sadie, and therewere tears behind his eyeglasses. "If I have my way, young lady, yourcoming here to Sunrise Farm will be the best thing--for you and thetwins--that ever happened in your young lives!"