CHERRY PICKING
Henry meditated awhile all to himself early the next morning as towhether he ought to take any one with him for the cherry picking. "Hecertainly said he could use more than one," he mused.
Failing to decide the question, he laid it before his sisters as theyate bread and milk for breakfast.
"I can't see any reason, except one, why we shouldn't all go," saidJess.
"What's that?" asked Henry.
"Well, you see there are four of us, and supposing grandfather islooking for us, it will be easier to find four than one."
"True," agreed Henry. "But supposing we went down the hill and throughthe streets two by two? And you took Watch?"
It was finally agreed that Henry and Benny would attract very littleattention together; Violet and Jess would follow with the dog, who wouldtrace Henry. And so they set out. They took down the clothesline andclosed the car door. Everything instantly looked as lonesome as heartcould wish. Even the merry little brook looked deserted.
When the children arrived at the McAllister orchard they soon saw thatthey were not the only workers. Two hired men and the young doctorhimself were carrying ladders and baskets from the barn, and the Irishcook was bringing piles of square baskets from the house--the kind thatstrawberries are sold in.
"The girls can pick cherries as well as I can," said Henry, introducinghis sisters. "Benny ought not to climb very tall trees, but we had tobring him."
"Benny can carry the baskets, perhaps," suggested the doctor, muchamused. "You see, this is a cherry year, and we have to work quicklywhen we once begin. Perhaps he could fill the small baskets from the bigones."
It was a "cherry year," certainly. There were two varieties in theorchard, the pale yellow kind with a red cheek, and the deep crimsonones which were just as red in the center as they were on the outside.The red ones were huge, bursting with juice, and the trees were ladenfull with the luscious fruit. Even the air was perfumed.
It was a pretty sight that the doctor finally turned his back upon whenhe went on his calls. Henry, slim, tanned, and graceful, picked rapidlyfrom the tallest ladder in the largest tree. The two girls in theirsensible bloomer suits could climb like cats. They leaned against theladders easily about halfway up, their fluffy short hair gleaming in thesun. Benny trotted to and fro, waiting upon the busy pickers, his cheeksas red as the cherries themselves.
"Eat all you want," Dr. McAllister called back. They did not really obeythis command, but occasionally a set of white teeth bit into one of theglorious oxhearts.
In less than an hour Benny had made five firm friends. The hired menjoked with him, the cook petted him, the young doctor laughed at himdelightedly, and sweet Mrs. McAllister fell in love with him. Finally heseated himself comfortably at her side under the trees and filled squareboxes with great care under her direction.
"I never had such a cheerful crowd of cherry pickers before," Mrs.McAllister said at last. "I'd much rather stay out here than go into thehouse where it is cool."
Evidently Mary the cook felt the same way, for she kept coming to theorchard for some reason or other. When the doctor returned at lunch timehis orchard was ringing with laughter, and good-natured barks from Watchwho could not feel easy in his mind with his mistress so high up in atree where he couldn't follow.
Dr. McAllister paused in the garage long enough to give a sniff to theboiling cherries in the kitchen, and then made his way to the orchard,where he received a warm welcome.
"There's no use in your going home to lunch," he smilingly observed, atthe same time watching Henry's face carefully. "You can eat right herein the orchard, unless your mother will be worrying about you."
This remark met with an astounding silence. Henry was the first tocollect his wits. "No, our mother is dead," he said evenly, withoutembarrassment.
It was the doctor who hastened to change the subject he had introduced."I smelled something when I came in," he said to Benny.
"What did it smell like?" inquired Benny.
"It smelled like cherry slump," replied the doctor with twinkling eyes.
"Cherry _what_?" asked Jess, struggling down her ladder with a fullbasket.
"I think that's what they call it--slump," repeated Dr. McAllister. "Doyou care to try it?"
At this moment Mary appeared in the orchard with an enormous tray. Andat the first sight of her cookery, nobody cared the least what its namewas. It was that rare combination of dumpling beaten with stonedcherries, and cooked gently in the juice of the oxheart cherries in areal "cherry year." It was steaming in the red juice, with the leastsuspicion of melted butter over the whole.
"Do get two more, Mary," begged Mrs. McAllister, laughing. "It tastes somuch better under the cherry trees!"
This was another meal that nobody ever forgot. Even the two hired mensitting under another tree devouring the delicious pudding, paused tohear Benny laugh. Nowadays those two men sometimes meet Henry--butthat's another story. Anyway, they never will forget that cherry slumpmade by Irish Mary.
Almost as soon as lunch was over Benny rolled over on the grass and wentto sleep, his head, as usual, on the dog's back. But the others workedon steadily. Mrs. McAllister kept an eye on them from the screened porchwithout their knowledge.
"Just see how those children keep at it," she said to her son. "There isgood stuff in them. I should like to know where they come from."
Dr. McAllister said nothing. He sauntered out into the orchard when hethought they had worked long enough. He paid them four dollars and gavethem all the cherries they could carry, although they tried to object.
"You see, you're better than most pickers, because you're so cheerful."
He noticed that they did not all leave the yard at the same time.
When the cherry pickers returned to their little home they examinedeverything carefully. Nothing had been disturbed. The door was stillshut, and the milk and butter stood untouched in the refrigerator. Theymade a hilarious meal of raw cherries and bread and butter, and beforethe stars came out they were fast asleep--happy and dreamless.
That evening, very much later, a young man sat in his study with theevening paper. He read the news idly, and was just on the point oftossing the paper aside when this advertisement caught his eye:
Lost. Four children, aged thirteen, twelve, ten and five. Somewhere around the region of Middlesex and Townsend. $5000 reward for information.
JAMES HENRY CORDYCE
"Whew!" whistled the young man. "James Henry Cordyce!"
He sat in perfect silence for a long time, thinking. Then he went tobed. But long after he had gone upstairs he whistled again, and couldhave been heard to say-if anyone had been awake to hear it--"James HenryCordyce! Of all people!"