CHAPTER XIII
LOST AND FOUND AT THE LINIMENT WAGON
WITH Mrs. Triplett back in bed again on account of the rheumatism whichcrippled her, and Belle going about white of face and sick of soul, homeheld little cheer for Georgina. But with Mrs. Triplett averse to companyof any kind, and Belle anxious to be alone with her misery, there wasnothing to hinder Georgina from seeking cheer elsewhere and she soughtit early and late.
She had spent her birthday dollar in imagination many times before shetook her check to the bank to have it cashed. With Richard to lend hercourage, and Manuel, Joseph and Rosa trailing after by specialinvitation, she walked in and asked for Mr. Gates. That is the way Barbyalways did, and as far as Georgina knew he was the only one to apply tofor money.
The paying teller hesitated a moment about summoning the president ofthe bank from his private office at the behest of so small a child, sosmall that even on tiptoe her eyes could barely peer into the window ofhis cage. But they were entreating eyes, so big and brown and sure oftheir appeal that he decided to do their bidding.
Just as he turned to knock at the door behind him it opened, and Mr.Gates came out with the man with whom he had been closeted in privateconference. It was Richard's Cousin James. The children did not see him,however, for he stopped at one of the high desks inside to look at somepapers which one of the clerks spread out before him.
"Oh, it's my little friend, Georgina," said Mr. Gates, smiling inresponse to the beaming smile she gave him. "Well, what can I do foryou, my dear?"
"Cash my check, please," she said, pushing the slip of paper towards himwith as grand an air as if it had been for a million dollars instead ofone, "and all in nickels, please."
He glanced at the name she had written painstakingly across the back.
"Well, Miss Huntingdon," he exclaimed gravely, although there was atwinkle in his eyes, "if all lady customers were as businesslike inendorsing their checks and in knowing what they want, we bankers wouldbe spared a lot of trouble."
It was the first time that Georgina had ever been called MissHuntingdon, and knowing he said it to tease her, it embarrassed her tothe point of making her stammer, when he asked her most unexpectedlywhile picking out twenty shining new nickels to stuff into the littlered purse:
"All of these going to buy tracts for the missionaries to take to thelittle heathen?"
"No, they're all going to--to----"
She didn't like to say for soda water and chewing gum and the movies,and hesitated till a substitute word occurred to her.
"They're all going to go for buying good times. It's for a sort of aclub we made up this morning, Richard and me."
"May I ask the name of the club?"
Georgina glanced around. No other customer happened to be in the bank atthe moment and Richard had wandered out to the street to wait for her.So tiptoeing a little higher she said in a low tone as if imparting asecret:
"It's the _Rainbow_ Club. We pretend that everytime we make anybodyhappy we've made a little rainbow in the world."
"Well, bless your heart," was the appreciative answer. "You've alreadymade one in here. You do that every time you come around."
Then he looked thoughtfully at her over his spectacles.
"Would you take an old fellow like me into your club?"
Georgina considered a moment, first stealing a glance at him to see ifhe were in earnest or still trying to tease. He seemed quite serious soshe answered:
"If you really _want_ to belong. Anybody with a bank full of money oughtto be able to make happy times for the whole town."
"Any dues to pay? What are the rules and what are the duties of amember?"
Again Georgina was embarrassed. He seemed to expect so much more thanshe had to offer. She swung the red purse around nervously as sheanswered:
"I guess you won't think it's much of a club. There's nothing to it butjust its name, and all we do is just to go around making what it says."
"Count me as Member number Three," said Mr. Gates gravely. "I'm proud tojoin you. Shake hands on it. I'll try to be a credit to theorganization, and I hope you'll drop around once in a while and let meknow how it's getting along."
The beaming smile with which Georgina shook hands came back to him allmorning at intervals.
Cousin James Milford, who had been an interested listener, followed herout of the bank presently and as he drove his machine slowly past thedrug-store he saw the five children draining their glasses at thesoda-water fountain. He stopped, thinking to invite Richard and Georginato go to Truro with him. It never would have occurred to him to give thethree little Portuguese children a ride also had he not overheard thatconversation in the bank.
"Well, why not?" he asked himself, smiling inwardly. "It might as wellbe rainbows for the crowd while I'm about it."
So for the first time in their lives Manuel and Joseph and Rosa rode inone of the "honk wagons" which heretofore they had known only assomething to be dodged when one walked abroad. Judging by the blissfulgrins which took permanent lodging on their dirty faces, Cousin Jameswas eligible to the highest position the new club could bestow, if everhe should apply for membership.
If Mrs. Triplett had been downstairs that evening, none of the birthdaynickels would have found their way through the ticket window of themoving picture show. She supposed that Georgina was reading as usualbeside the evening lamp, or was out on the front porch talking to Belle.But Belle, not caring to talk to anyone, had given instant consent whenGeorgina, who wanted to go to the show, having seen wonderful postersadvertising it, suggested that Mrs. Fayal would take her in charge. Shedid not add that she had already seen Mrs. Fayal and promised to providetickets for her and the children in case she could get permission fromhome. Belle did not seem interested in hearing such things, so Georginahurried off lest something might happen to interfere before she wasbeyond the reach of summoning voices.
On the return from Truro she had asked to be put out at the Fayalcottage, having it in mind to make some such arrangement. Manuel hadseen one show, but Joseph and Rosa had never so much as had their headsinside of one. She found Mrs. Fayal glooming over a wash-tub, notbecause she objected to washing for the summer people. She was used tothat, having done it six days out of seven every summer since she hadmarried Joe Fayal. What she was glooming over was that Joe was home froma week's fishing trip with his share of the money for the biggest catchof the season, and not a dime of it had she seen. It had all gone intothe pocket of an itinerant vendor, and Joe was lying in a sodden stuporout under the grape arbor at the side of the cottage.
Georgina started to back away when she found the state of affairs. Shedid not suppose Mrs. Fayal would have a mind for merry-making under thecircumstances. But, indeed, Mrs. Fayal did.
"All the more reason that I should go off and forget my troubles andhave a good time for a while," she said decidedly. Georgina recognizedthe spirit if not the words of her own "line to live by." Mrs. Fayalcould bear up and steer onward with a joyful heart any time she had theprice of admission to a movie in her pocket. So feeling that as a memberof the new club she could not have a better opportunity to make good itsname, Georgina promised the tickets for the family even if she could notgo herself. She would send them by Richard if not allowed to take themin person.
It was still light when Georgina fared forth at the end of the longsummer day. Richard joined her at the foot of the Green Stairs with theprice of his own ticket in his pocket, and Captain Kidd tagging at hisheels.
"They won't let the dog into the show," Georgina reminded him.
"That's so, and he might get into a fight or run over if I left himoutside," Richard answered. "B'leeve I'll shut him up in the garage."
This he did, fastening the door securely, and returning in time to seethe rest of the party turning the corner, and coming towards the GreenStairs.
Mrs. Fayal, after her long day over the wash-tub, was resplendent inlavender shirt-waist, blue serge skirt and white tennis shoes, with longgold
ear-rings dangling half-way to her shoulders. Manuel and Josephwere barefooted as usual, and in overalls as usual, but their lack ofgala attire was made up for by Rosa's. No wax doll was ever moredaintily and lacily dressed. Georgina looked at her in surprise, wishingTippy could see her now. Rosa in her white dress and slippers and withher face clean, was a little beauty.
Mrs. Fayal made a delightful chaperon. She was just as ready as anyonein her train to stop in front of shop windows, to straggle slowly downthe middle of the street, or to thrust her hand into Richard's bag ofpeanuts whenever he passed it around. Cracking shells and munching thenuts, they strolled along with a sense of freedom which thrilledGeorgina to the core. She had never felt it before. She had just boughtfive tickets and Richard his one, and they were about to pass inalthough Mrs. Fayal said it was early yet, when a deep voice roaringthrough the crowd attracted their attention. It was as sonorous as amegaphone.
"Walk up, ladies and gentlemen. See the wild-cat, _Texas Tim_, broughtfrom the banks of the Brazos."
"Let's go," said Richard and Georgina in the same breath. Mrs. Fayal,out for a good time and to see all that was to be seen, bobbed her longear-rings in gracious assent, and headed the procession, in order thather ample form might make an entering wedge for the others, as sheelbowed her way through the crowd gathered at the street end of Railroadwharf.
It clustered thickest around a wagon in which stood a broad-shoulderedman, mounted on a chair. He wore a cow-boy hat. A flaming torch set upbeside the wagon lighted a cage in one end of it, in which crouched awild-cat bewildered by the light and the bedlam of noisy, pushing humanbeings. The children could not see the animal at first, but pushednearer the wagon to hear what the man was saying. He held up a bottleand shook it over the heads of the people.
"Here's your marvelous rheumatism remedy," he cried, "made from the fatof wild-cats. Warranted to cure every kind of ache, sprain and miseryknown to man. Only fifty cents, ladies and gentlemen, sure cure or yourmoney back. Anybody here with an ache or a pain?"
The children pushed closer. Richard, feeling the effect of thegun-powder he had eaten, turned to Georgina.
"I dare you to climb up and touch the end of the wild-cat's tail."
Georgina stood on tiptoe, then dodged under someone's elbow for a nearerview. The end of the tail protruded from between the bars of the cage,in easy reach if one were on the wagon, but those furtive eyes keepingwatch above it were savage in their gleaming. Then she, too, rememberedthe gun-powder.
"I'll do it if you will."
Before Richard could put the gun-powder to the test the man reached downfor a guitar leaning against his chair, and with a twanging of chordswhich made the shifting people on the outskirts stand still to see whatwould happen next, he began to sing a song that had been popular in hisyouth. Or, rather, it was a parody of the song. Georgina recognized itas one that she had heard Uncle Darcy sing, and even Tippy hummed itsometimes when she was sewing. It was, "When you and I were young,Maggie."
"_They say we are aged and gray, Maggie, As spray by the white breakers flung, But the liniment keeps us as spry, Maggie, As when you and I were young._"
Several people laughed and passed on when the song was done, but thegreater part of the crowd stayed, hoping to hear another, for the voicewas a powerful one and fairly sweet.
"Anybody here with any aches or pains?" he called again. "If so, stepthis way, please, and let me make a simple demonstration of how quicklythis magic oil will cure you."
There was a commotion near the wagon, and a man pushed his way throughand climbed up on the wheel. He offered a stiff wrist for treatment. Thevendor tipped up the bottle and poured out some pungent volatile oilfrom the bottle, the odor of which was far-reaching. He rubbed the wristbriskly for a moment, then gave it a slap saying, "Now see what you cando with it, my friend."
The patient scowled at it, twisting his arm in every possible directionas if skeptical of any help from such a source, but gradually letting alook of pleased surprise spread across his face. The crowd watched inamusement, and nearly everybody laughed when the patient finallyannounced in a loud voice that he was cured, that it was nothing shortof a miracle and that he'd buy half a dozen bottles of that witch stuffto take home to his friends.
The vendor began his speech-making again, calling attention to the curethey had just witnessed, and urging others to follow. As the subject ofthe cure stepped down from the wheel Richard sprang up in his place.Georgina, pressing closer, saw him lean over the side of the wagon andboldly take hold of the end of the beast's tail.
"There. I did it," he announced. "Now it's your turn."
Georgina gave one glance at the wild-cat's eyes and drew back. Theyseemed to glare directly at her. She wondered how strong the bars were,and if they would hold the beast in case it rose up in a rage and sprangat her. But Richard was waiting, and she clambered up on the hub of thewheel. Luckily its owner was turned towards the other side at thatmoment or she might have been ordered down.
"There! I did it, too," she announced an instant later. "Now you can'tcrow over me."
She was about to step down when she saw in the other end of the wagon,something she had not been able to see from her place on the groundunder the elbows of the crowd. In a low rocking chair sat an elderlywoman, oddly out of place in this traveling medicine show as far asappearance was concerned. She had a calm, motherly face, gray haircombed smoothly down over her ears, a plain old-fashioned gray dressand an air of being perfectly at home. It was the serene, unconsciousmanner one would have in sitting on the door-step at home. She did notseem to belong in the midst of this seething curious mass, or to realizethat she was a part of the show. She smiled now at Georgina in such afriendly way that Georgina smiled back and continued to stand on thewheel. She hoped that this nice old lady would say something about thevirtues of the medicine, for it cured two more people, even while shelooked, and if she could be sure it did all that was claimed for it shewould spend all the rest of her birthday money in buying a bottle forTippy.
The placid old lady said nothing, but her reassuring presence finallymade Georgina decide to buy the bottle, and she emptied the red purse ofeverything except the tickets. Then the man embarrassed her until hercheeks flamed.
"That's right, little girl. Carry it to the dear sufferer at home whowill bless you for your kindness. Anybody else here who will imitatethis child's generous act? If you haven't any pain yourself, show yourgratitude by thinking of someone less fortunate than you."
Georgina felt that her blushes were burning her up at thus being madethe centre of public notice. She almost fell off the wheel in her hasteto get down, and in doing so stumbled over a dog which suddenly emergedfrom under the wagon at that instant.
"Why, it's Captain Kidd!" she exclaimed in astonishment. "How ever didhe get here?"
"Must have scratched under the door and trailed us," answered Richard."Go on home, sir!" he commanded, sternly, stamping his foot. "You knowthey won't let you into the show with us, and you'll get into trouble ifyou stay downtown alone. Go on home I say."
With drooping tail and a look so reproachful that it was fairly human,Captain Kidd slunk away, starting mournfully homeward. He sneaked backin a few minutes, however, and trailed his party as far as the door ofthe theatre. Somebody kicked at him and he fled down the street again,retracing the trail that had led him to the wagon.
A long time after when the performance was nearly over he went swingingup the beach with something in his mouth which he had picked up fromnear the end of the wagon. It was a tobacco pouch of soft gray leatherthat had never been used for tobacco. There was something hard and roundinside which felt like a bone. At the top of the Green Stairs he laydown and mouthed it a while, tugging at it with his sharp teeth; butafter he had mumbled and gnawed it for some time without bringing thebone any nearer the surface, he grew tired of his newfound plaything.Dropping it in the grass, he betook himself to the door-mat on the frontporch, to await his master's return.