Those Dale Girls

  CHAPTER XVIII

  Julie was in bed, but not asleep, when Hester came in that night, andpropped herself up on her elbow to listen with absorbed interest whileshe gave an account of herself.

  "Julie dear," the younger girl began, "never urge me again to goanywhere where I am to be confronted by the fruit of our labor. I can'tstand it. I thought I should die when I first saw the boxes of cakepiled up in the hall--of course in a way it was a relief to know theywere safely there, but it gave me an actual pain to remember how wenearly killed ourselves over them. Then a man I met nearly dragged meout to see the bride cut the cake. That was too much and Mr. Landor cameto the rescue."

  "How nice of him!"

  "Yes," admitted Hester, "he _was_ nice and we were having a jolly timewhen that awful man pounced down upon us, bride cake in hand, and I wasactually forced to eat some of it!"

  "Poor child! Couldn't you have intimated that you had tasted it just afew times before?"

  JULIE WAS IN BED WHEN HESTER CAME IN THAT NIGHT]

  "I was tempted to, but out of consideration for Mrs. Lennox I spared himthe shock. And then what do you suppose? I got the gold dollar! I wouldnot have bothered to put such a polish on it yesterday if I had known itwas coming back to me!"

  "Did you throw it out of the window in your best high-tragedy style?"

  "No, I gave it to Mr. Landor. He looked so cross when Mr. Bemis joinedus that he was absolutely funny, so I thought I'd just give him a littlepresent--'for a good boy on his birthday' or something of that sort, youknow, only he wasn't so alarmingly good and it wasn't his birthday,--atleast I don't suppose it was, do you?"

  "Hester, you do talk the most idiotic nonsense!"

  "Do I? Well, I've been pretty serious the past hour," she said soberlyas she slipped off her gown and seated herself on the edge of the bedpreparatory to taking down her hair. "Julie, we are going to have war!"

  To Julie, who could not be expected to know her sister's train ofthought, this announcement seemed so irrelevant that she looked at herwonderingly.

  "It was not in to-night's paper," she said.

  "No, but it is in the air. Mr. Landor thinks it is inevitable. He talkedwith me to-night about a friend of his who's crazy to go. I did notsuspect a thing at first but afterward I did--it's himself, Julie--hemeans to volunteer with the first call for troops."

  "That is just what I should expect of him, Hester."

  "Y-e-s," reluctantly, "but do you know from things he said it isevidently going to be a tussle for him to make up his mind to leave. Heis all upset about it and oh! Julie dear, how I did wish you were thereto talk to him--you always say such beautiful, helpful things. It issome one he cares about--perhaps it is his father. Do you suppose it_could_ be any one else, Julie?"

  "I don't know, dear"--certain suspicions in regard to Landor gainingground every minute--"perhaps it is Jessie Davis," wickedly, for Juliecould do her share of teasing too.

  "That fashion plate!" scornfully. "I don't believe a word of it! She'snot fit to button his shoes!"

  "Probably she would not care to," remarked Julie, intensely amused atthis taking up of the cudgels in Landor's behalf; and then, thinking itbest--this wise Julie!--not to prolong the jest, she said, "It isprobably his father. He is old, you know, and Mr. Landor may hesitate togo off and leave him. I am glad he talked with you, dear, about anythinghe had so much at heart, for it shows how much he appreciates and valuesyour opinion and you probably talked to him twice as well as I could,you funny little baby owl!"

  Hester's reply to this was to fling herself down on the foot of the bedand cry in a muffled tone, "I'm so tired--so dead tired! I didn'trealize it until I kept so still coming home and then I ached so Iwanted to scream while Mr. Landor was talking to me!"

  Julie's arms were around her in a moment. "The strain has been too much,dear. You cannot stand the work and play too,--it is no use trying."

  "But I like to play," cried Hester rebelliously, "and sometimes I feelso wicked--as if I couldn't keep up my end another minute, and then Iwant to run away--all of us run away--to have 'The Hustle' again and goracing out of all this, and then,"--her voice broke,--"Oh! then Juliedarling, I am so ashamed of such thoughts--so humiliated to think Ican't be as patient as you are!"

  "I know, dear," stroking her sister's hair softly, "and I am notpatient--not half as patient as I try to be--only I hold myself with afearfully tight rein for fear I'll go all to pieces. We are both prettymuch knocked out now, dear, with the strain of the winter, the newnessof things and--"

  "Not to mention being half fed," inserted Hester.

  "But we have paid all our expenses as we've gone along and kept out ofdebt even if we have half starved to do it. You see, dear, up to now,"said Julie, the accountant, "we have had to put such a large amount ofour earnings back into the business for all sorts of things."

  "Imagine what cousin Nancy would say if she knew how we wriggled alongon almost nothing, you and I!"

  "She'd say we were fools not to have accounts with the butcher, thebaker and candlestick-maker but we do not agree with her, and Daddy,bless his heart! does not want for anything. Thank heaven, we'veaccomplished that much! Isn't it a mercy, dear, that he does not realizethings? It would break his heart!"

  "Oh! yes, but how I do long to have our darling old Daddy back!"

  Julie said nothing. Her chin was very rigid but in a few moments shesaid cheerfully, "I think the spring promises a good deal. Our workincreases every day and we can soon begin to live better. Bridget saysmarketing is much cheaper in the summer, and if we only make enough nowto carry Daddy comfortably through the dull season when people are awayand we are not earning much, we'll get on famously. Just think whatmagnificent times we'll have this summer just loafing around Daddy'sroom!"

  Hester, who seldom allowed herself such luxury of woe as she had justbeen indulging in, sat up, wiped her eyes on the corner of the sheet andsaid emphatically, "I'm a fiend and I ought to be cow-hided!"

  "I'll paddle you instead," said Julie, picking up the hair-brush Hesterhad dropped and making as if to apply the back of it vigorously.

  Hester dodged but Julie caught her and, springing out of bed, plantedher firmly in a chair and said, "I'll brush that crazy head of yours andhelp you to bed or you'll never get there! It must be all hours of thenight."

  "You'll catch your death of cold," remonstrated Hester.

  "I won't, and if you'll keep as still as a mouse and not scream when Icomb your hair--"

  "You pull like the dickens; you know you do!"

  "I do not and I wish you'd stop talking and give me a chance. I declareyou get worse every day--I tremble to think what you're coming to!--andI've, oh! such a piece of news to tell you!"

  She was wholly unprepared for the clutch of Hester's arms about her neckas she cried, "Don't tell me to-night, Julie dear, I--Iknow--all--about--it!"

  "Do you?" holding her fast. "Then aren't you glad it has all come outthis way?"

  "Yes, Julie darling," stifling a sob.

  "Why, Hester, what is it? You must not cry, dear. I can't think what isthe matter!"

  "I'm a selfish brute, but oh, I'm not really, Julie--not really. I thinkit is the most beautiful thing!"

  "What is 'the most beautiful thing'?" wondering if the child were losingher mind.

  "That he's been here. I knew it the moment you spoke. As if he'd fail tocome!"

  "Hester! do you mean you think that I--I--"

  Hester nodded.

  "But I don't dear, not the least little bit in the world!"

  "Oh, Julie!"

  For a moment they clung together. Then Julie gave a hysterical laugh.

  "What a silly old goose you were to go having absurd thoughts about me,and how dared you, how _dared_ you think I was in love with any one?"

  "I did not know," penitently, "you kept so still about Monsieur Gremondand he _was_ in love with you, wasn't he?"

  "Yes dear. He came this afternoon and I sent him away. We do not want toh
ave secrets from each other, do we, old girl, but I never talked to youmuch about him because there was a time when I did not quite knowwhether I cared for him or not. Perhaps back in the old days, if he hadasked me, I might have said yes, but I doubt it--it was more a sort offascination he exercised over me for awhile and now I am truly thankfulhe has come and gone. He has removed every particle of doubt as to myattitude toward him."

  "Oh, I am so glad. I couldn't bear the thought of his carrying you offto France."

  Julie's eyes opened wide. "Did you suppose I'd go away and leave you andDaddy and the rest?" in a tone of astonishment.

  "Some Prince Charming is coming along to carry you off some day, Juliedear," said Hester, who could bring herself to regard such an event withsome degree of complacency now that it was not an immediate fact. "I'mnot quite such a selfish pig" (she never spared herself in the matter ofepithets), "as to expect to have you always."

  "I think we are sufficient unto each other now, dear," said Julieseriously, "and we may always be, for all the years to come; but if someday our lives should change--a new interest enter in--we'll share it andmake it beautify the lives of both of us just as we've always sharedevery joy and sorrow ever since we were babies." She kissed her sistersolemnly.

  "You blessed Julie!" was the response.

  When the gas was out and Hester, the irrepressible, finally in bed, thelight of the full moon came streaming into the little room. Andlingering with a caressing touch it fell upon a white pillow on which acurly golden head and a sleek dark one lay pressed close together. Inthe solemn stillness the breathing of two slender forms told that theexcitement of the past forty-eight hours had at last ended in muchneeded sleep.