CHAPTER XVIII
HARVEST TIME.
The September days were exceptionally warm ones, but no one seemed tomind them because the evenings were cool. The two pilgrims continuedtheir progress, advancing rapidly and in such a rosy atmosphere that themillennium seemed close at hand. Whatever Homer Forbes' plans were, andas yet only he and Eleanor seemed to know much about them, theyevidently met the entire approval of the lady in the question, for shethrew herself into the process of perfecting them with an ardor thatnearly drove her family frantic. No matter where they turned, they foundplans and specifications lying about, and Eleanor's room resembled anarchitect's drafting-office. Not long after that walk up the mountainthere had been a closeted hour's talk with Mrs. Carruth, and when HomerForbes came out of the library at the end of it he was in such aperturbed state of mind that he nearly fell over Mammy as he rushedthrough the hall, out of the front door and across the piazza, to vanishdown the road and leave the family staring after him; at least, thatportion of the family which happened to be seated there. Hard upon hisheels followed Mammy, crying:
"Gawd bress ma soul! what Miss Jinny done ter dat man? 'Pears lak hegone plum loony." Then, turning to Mrs. Carruth, who followed not farbehind, Mammy continued: "Miss Jinny, is dat man gone cl'ar crazy?"
Mrs. Carruth smiled as she replied:
"They sometimes call it 'a very mid-summer madness,' Mammy, butmid-summer has passed, hasn't it? It's not dangerous, however. You wouldbetter go upstairs and ask Miss Nornie. I am sure she can tell you moreabout Mr. Forbes than I can. At all events, she has decided to let himguide her through life, so she must have an abiding faith in him, and Ihave told him he may do so if she wishes it. By the spring you will haveto climb to the top of Mt. Parnassus if you wish to see your MissNornie, I think."
"Whar _dat_ place at?" demanded Mammy, while Hadyn gave a low whistle,and Constance cried, "What did I tell you, Mumsey?" as Jean jumped upand down in her excitement.
"You had better go upstairs and ask Miss Nornie, Mammy," and straightwayMammy whirled about and started upstairs to Eleanor's room, where shefound her buried neck-deep in a pile of drafting papers, triangles,compasses and pencils; though just what she was drawing plans for Mammycould not guess. When questioned of late Eleanor had given negative,abstracted replies which more than once nearly convulsed her hearers,and upon one occasion she had brought consternation upon the family byemptying a brimming washbowl of water into her scrap-basket instead ofher slop-jar. Evidently the scrap-basket had figured more prominently inher thoughts of late than had her washbowl.
As Mammy appeared at the door Eleanor was bending over a great blueprintplan which she had spread upon the floor. It was a tremendous affair,fully two by four feet, and Eleanor was down upon her knees, handsoutspread and locks flying, too absorbed to be aware of Mammy'spresence.
"Peripatos, peristyle penetralia," murmured the engrossed one, tracingwith a slender forefinger the lines upon her plan, then repeating,"Penetralia, penetralia. How interesting."
"What in de name o' man is you jabberin' about, anyway, Miss Nornie?"
Eleanor came to an upright position with a start, crying:
"Goodness, Mammy, how you startled me!"
"Yo' better had git up f'om dat floor 'stid o' bendin' ober dat sky-bluesheet o' paper what done look lak it got Chinee writin' an' drawin' onit. Yo' face make out de res' ob de colors fer de hull 'Merican flag:red, white an' blue alltergedder. 'Taint no kynd ob a day fer ter bebendin' ober lak yo' is. Nex' t'ing yo' know yo' gwine git rush o' bloodter de haid, an' dat's bad, I tells yo'! Wha' yo' gwine do wid all datblue stuff, anyway? Yo' ain' tell me one single t'ing 'bout it, an' Iain' know wha' 'tis. An' I wants fer ter know, too, if yo' gwine be hometer lunch ter day." Mammy's sharp eye scrutinized the rosy face beforeher.
"O, you needn't bother about me, Mammy. Mr. Forbes will be over shortlyand we are going for a tramp."
"Tromp! tromp!" echoed Mammy. "Tromp on sich a hot day as dis hyar widde fermom'ter jist nachelly climbin' cl'ar out er sight? Is you donegone silly, yo' an' dat Perfesser Fo'bes? Yo' stay ter home in dis coolhouse what I done darken up fer ter keep out de sizzlin', billin' heat.It fa'r scoch de very skin off yo' body. Don' yo' let dat man drag yo'up dat mountain on sich a day, I tells yo'."
"Oh, we don't mind it, and the woods are so cool. Just put up one ofyour delicious little luncheons for us, and we'll be more thansupplied."
"Cool in de woods! Yis, when yo' gits to em, but yo's got right smartter walk fo' yo' comes ter dem, an' I ain' pinin' fer no sich 'xertionon such a frazzlin'-out day. But I reckons I jist better save ma' brefdan spend it a-talkin'. Yo' lunch gwine be ready fo' yo' when yo' readyfo' it; but what I wants ter know now is, what all _dat_ meanin'," andMammy pointed again to the big blueprint.
Eleanor was not given to emotion but there come times in every life whenone's emotions are more easily played upon than at others. The past weekhad held such moments for Eleanor. Of all Mammy's children Eleanor hadbeen the least demonstrative. She rarely caressed the old woman asConstance and Jean did. Now, however, she bounded to her feet and,rushing to Mammy, cried:
"Oh, Mammy! Mammy! Do you believe in dreams? Don't you think they cometrue sometimes?"
"A heap o' times!" interjected Mammy.
Eleanor sighed ecstatically. I _knew_ you would say so, Mammy. "And_ours_ will, won't it?"
"Who 'ours?'" demanded Mammy, her lips pursed up, and distrust in hereyes.
"Homer's and mine! Homer! Isn't that a name to inspire one? Fate musthave ordained that he should bear such a name. Only a classic poet'scould be in harmony. It must be the purest, the best, the finest, themost perfect," rhapsodized Eleanor.
Mammy looked at her a little anxiously, and asked:
"Isn't yo' better lay down on dat baid yonder? Yo's been a bendin' oberdose papers twell yo' haid's achin', I'se feered."
"Ah, no, Mammy, but think of it! To live in a Grecian dwelling! Aperfect reproduction of an Athenian temple. With the fountain ofHippocrene in it's center, from which a rill will flow murmuring all theday. Helicon's harmonious stream. We shall call it Helicon Hall, andthere we shall train the youthful mind to a deep appreciation of truebeauty. In the central court, overroofed with glass and filled withtropical plants, will be our hearth stone, our altar, on either side ofwhich will stand our lares and penates. Could any other mind haveconceived this wonderful dream in this prosaic age? See, see our plans,Mammy? How clear, how concise, how graphic. Ah, I can picture itall--all."
"Well den I cyant!" cried Mammy, losing patience, "and I don' reckon yo'Ma nor none ob de yethers kin. At any rate, I got sumpin else ter do'sides standin' hyar listenin' at what I sets down as jist foolishness;an' ef I was yo' Ma I'd tell yo' not ter go a-climbin' up dat mountainno mo' twell de wedder done cool off some," and with this admonitionMammy left the dreamer to her dreams. But before we take a long leave ofher, we will add, by the way, that in the course of time this dreamcrystallized into a large building, in the form of the Parthenon,wherein this modern Socrates, Professor Homer Forbes, and a charmingHypatia, his wife, led the minds of affluent youths, whose parents werewilling to indulge them in such luxuries, along paths of learningliterally flower-strewn. Reclining at length upon the green sward of thecourt of Helicon Hill, they drank in the words of wisdom falling fromthe lips of their preceptors. Eleanor had achieved her ideals: HomerForbes his. What more could mortals ask?
And the lares and penates? Well, Jean was rather practical. Those oldGreek fireside gods might be all very well in their way, but Greece hadseen _her_ day. In the present one there was a quaint little grinning"god of things, as they ought to be," to which Jean pinned greaterfaith; and when, one beautiful April day, Homer Forbes and his bridereturned from their wedding journey, and entered the inner court ofHelicon Hall, where the (let us hope) sacred fire burned upon thehearth, the first thing upon which Eleanor's eyes rested in theseclassic surroundings was "Billykin," perched above the blazing logs.
And in the i
nterval between that warm September day and the lighting ofthat hearth by loving hands for the home-coming of the idealists? Ah,life holds some sweet moments, and this old world is not such a bad one,after all. But we anticipate.
October came again, and all the world was beautiful in its golden haze.With Eleanor's engagement to Homer Forbes, and her complete absorptionin her demi-god, who had changed her plans so completely, her future soentirely, Eleanor plunged headlong into consummating his dreams so faras in her power lay. This left Constance largely to herself and her ownplans. All had gone well with her, and, with the beginning of the socialseason in Riveredge and elsewhere, Constance's business grew very brisk.She was kept busy from morning to evening. It was a wonderfully happylife for her. To be the chief support of her family, to give to hermother the thousand little luxuries she had known in earlier life, togive to Jean every possible advantage, both educational and social, andstill have time to enjoy life at its heyday herself--why--surely, no morecould be asked.
Mary and Fanny Willing were as happy and content as two girls well couldbe, and worked and sang from dawn to twilight. With the autumn even morehelp became necessary to keep abreast of the orders; and, through Hadyn,Constance secured the services of a man in whom Hadyn was deeplyinterested. He had known him in college days, but days of adversity hadovertaken him, and for two years he had seemed to be the very toy of anadverse fate. In that interval his family had slipped into the GreatBeyond, and the small nest-egg left him had been swept from him by thefailure of the company in which it was invested, throwing Edward DeLaneyupon his own resources.
Upon Hadyn's advice he was engaged by Constance as bookkeeper and a sortof general superintendent, dividing his time between the Candy Kitchen,the Arcade, and the other booths, which, in the course of time had beenestablished elsewhere. He was only twenty-five, but an able, manlyfellow, quick-witted and resourceful. He took firm hold of affairsinstantly, and, during the course of the ensuing winter, Constance morethan once thanked the lucky star which had guided this tall, clear-eyed,finely-set-up six-foot laddie to her Candy Kitchen. No one could lookinto those fine, hazel eyes without trusting them instantly, nor see thelines of that resolute, yet tender mouth without reading the man'scharacter. His skin was as fair and as clear as a child's, and his smileas winning. He speedily found his way into the home circle, and just thedegree of happiness it brought to him few guessed.
But this is dipping into the future by several months. At present we arein October's golden glow.
"What a day!" cried Hadyn, as he and Constance came out upon the piazzaone beautiful afternoon when luncheon was over.
"Isn't it simply heavenly? It seems to me we never have such daysexcepting during October. Look at the coloring over on that mountain andon our own hills. It is perfectly intoxicating. It makes me feel likedoing something out of the usual order, and yet I ought to go out yonderto the Candy Kitchen and lend a hand with the thousand and one things tobe attended to. I tell you, Hadyn Stuyvesant, I am rapidly becoming apower in the commercial world," laughed Constance.
"You are a greater power already than you guess. Before you know it thatbusiness will have grown beyond its boundaries again, and even greaterexpansion will be necessary. But just now let's 'forget it,' and go fora ride up that glorious mountain. I'll 'phone down to Pringle's forLightfoot, and we'll have an afternoon fit for the gods."
"Done! I'm only human, and the call of the woods on such a day as thisdrowns the call of duty. But I hate to take Comet from you; you seem somuch a part of each other."
"Since he came to live here he has become a part of you all, and morenearly _human_ than ever. Jean has seen to that. How that child lovesanimals! I've a little scheme in the back part of my head which I meanshall take tangible form when her next birthday comes around."
"Oh, what is it?" cried Constance, for everything concerning Jean heldthe keenest interest for her.
"Tell you after we've had our ride. I'm off now for my togs. See youinside half an hour. Tell Parsons to saddle Comet for you," and with awave of his hand Hadyn hurried away to get into his riding clothes. Anhour later they rode away from the house, as bonny a pair as eyes couldrest upon, and upon which one pair did rest with the love and devotionone often sees in the eyes of a dog; Mammy raised her apron, wiped atear from her lids, and said softly to herself:
"_Dem's ma chillen._ Yis, jist ma own God-blessedest ones what ever _is_live! Him, too. Miss Nornie kin tek up wid dat Perfesser man ef shewanter, but _gimme dat one ridin' 'way yonder_. He's de very cream oball creation, an' he gwine be mighty good ter ma baby, too. I ain't needno secon' sight fer ter read _dat_ writin'. An' he gwine fin' out what apearl o' price he gettin', too, dough I reckons he got some notion o'dat a'reddy. An' he gwine git somepin' he ain' countin' 'pon a mite, an'would be clar _'bove_ countin' 'pon anyhow; he gwine git a wife wha' gother _own nes'aig_. Charles an' me ain' run dat ar' lunch counter all distime jist fer fun an' de reppitation it done give us; no, sir-ee! Wedone put 'side 'nough fer ter give each o' ole Massa's gran'chillen dey_dots_, as dose French folks calls it. Yis, we is, an' I's proud ob it,too. It's de onlies' way we kin eber show em dat dey's ours, an' we'sdeirs. Mebbe Massa Stuyvesant got a-plenty, an' mebbe Massa Fo'bes isgot, too, a-plenty fer 'em bofe--I dunno--but I knows dis much: A 'omans amighty sight mo' self-respectin' an', an' sort o' stan'in' firm on herown foots ef she knows dars a stockin'full o' gol' wha' she kin turninside-out ef she want ter 'thout axin' 'by yo' leave, Mr. Man,' nomatter how she love him or he love her. An' me an' Charles done fix datall right, so we has. Gawd bress ma chillen! Gawd bress em! Dey's filledma soul wid joy all de days of ma life, and dey's made Charles' footsfer ter walk in de green past'ers endurin' his declinin' years. Oh, we'shappy, we is, wid de Gawd-blessedes' white folks two ol' cullered folksever is know."