“There aren’t so many of them. Two groceries, and the shoe store; Johnny had to have his shoes fixed or he couldn’t go to school. A small bill at the hardware. The ax broke and we had to have another to cut down a tree for a fire. There’s a gas bill, too, and electric light, but they’ve been cut off for three weeks.”
“There, now, don’t think anything more about it,” said Paige. “These don’t add up to so much. We’ll be able to get enough to cover these, so don’t worry. Now, let’s go over them again and see if we’ve missed anything.”
Paige’s matter-of-fact tone seemed to give a new kind of strength to the discouraged man.
“Now, are you sure there isn’t anything else?”
“The bread man,” murmured the poor man.
“Yes. But that’s not so much. I can get you money enough to cover all these, and a little more to keep you going until you get your job. It won’t pay to starve yourself or your family. It only makes more bills. So now, let’s get this thing straight. You are to eat some more soup and bread and coffee, and then you’re to go to sleep and put all your troubles out of your mind. That’s the first step to righting things. The doctor says your little girl is not going to die at present and will get well soon if you brace up and get well yourself. The doctor is getting a nurse tonight, too, so your wife can get some rest. And now I’ll go and see if there is anything else I can do. Where is that son of yours? It’s time he had something to eat, too.”
So Paige went in search of the boy and to find out from June what plans she had.
“I’m staying here till the nurse comes,” she said, “but I think you should go home and tell my folks what has happened. Dad will come after me. And tell him to bring some more coffee and a loaf of bread. Now please, go. I’ve taken enough of your time already, and I surely am obliged to you. I didn’t know I was getting you into such an extended performance, but it certainly has been wonderful to have you along. You’ve done wonders with that poor discouraged man. Now go, do. Your mother will be worried about you.”
Paige looked at her amusedly.
“So that’s the kind of softy you think I am, is it? Leave you here to face all this music and go home to save myself? Not on your life, I don’t do that. But I’ll tell you what I will do. I’ll go to the store and get some groceries. There’s a store over near our house that stays open late, and even if they’ve gone to bed, I know them well enough to wake them up. So you wait here till I come back. I won’t be long.” And with that, Paige vanished out into the darkness.
Chapter 5
All the way back to the village, Paige had a vision in his mind of the lovely girl he had left behind him, serving the poor and forlorn, and doing it so fully and so joyously. She must be an extraordinary girl. A girl worth knowing and having for a friend. He was glad he had been called aside from his own pursuits to have this brief experience with her in rescue work.
Knowing there was little time before the store closed, he hurried there first.
The grocer was surprised to see him.
“Why, Paige, your mother got her usual supply this morning,” he said. “Are you sure she wants more butter? And eggs? Or has she got unexpected company?”
“No, Mr. Brand,” said Paige, “these are for some friends who couldn’t do their ordering today, and as I was coming this way, I offered to bring some things for them. They have sickness in the family and got pretty well cleaned out of supplies. Give me two loaves of bread, please, and some crackers. Some of that cheese. About two pounds of butter, if you can spare that much. Is butter still scarce?”
“Well, she ain’t so plenty,” responded the grocer, “but I guess I can spare you a little. I can let you have a half pound. Will that do? Our butter man comes in the morning. And did you say you wanted some meat? Lucky I got a good-sized pot roast left. And how about potatoes and carrots and onions and cabbage and a bag of flour?”
“That will be fine,” said Paige. He found himself fascinated by the number of things he might purchase to replenish that poor empty cupboard. Why, this was almost as good as Christmas, getting all these things where they were so sorely needed.
At last, with a big flour sack deeply loaded, and several smaller packages, and a box of oranges, apples, and bananas, he hurried to his own home and June’s to explain what they had been doing, and to pick up a few things from each household to take back with him, and then he started.
As he turned onto the highway, he sighted the unmistakable Chalmers car, in all its shining glory. As they passed at the intersection, the big spotlight above the street brought out the faces of the people in the car sharply. A large party of young people, with Reva and an attentive young man in the front seat, into whose eyes she was adoringly gazing, while her laugh rippled out on the night. A moment more and they had passed by, but the startling image of the beautiful girl lingered with him. Complexion of roses and cream, vivid lips stretched wide in laughter, great eyes accentuated with artistic care. Dressed in something airy and soft and glittering, with lovely flesh appearing. The spotlight full on her face made a picture that could not easily be forgotten. There was a girl with whom he might easily have spent the evening if he had chosen, a girl so marked as a beauty, especially in evening array, that anyone who companioned with her would always be envied. And yet, there was not a twinge of regret in his heart. He was glad he had escaped this affair, wherever it was that the young people were bound. Far rather would he have been helping June.
He stepped on the gas and turned off to the side road, out of the path of the so-called fortunate of the world, and as he sped toward the little back road and the quiet little house with the small candles in the three windows, he began to think over what he must do when he got there.
Of course, if the nurse had not come, or the doctor had not been able to get one, he supposed June would feel that she must stay, perhaps all night. In which case he felt that he should stay, too, to help her out in any trying situation.
And in any case he must help the sick man into a comfortable bed. He was thankful that his thoughtful mother had put in a few clean sheets and pillowcases and a couple of blankets. They could be used of course, and who but his mother would have thought of that?
The nurse had come and taken over with Nannie, and June was engaged in getting some supper on the table. She received the addition to their stores with great delight.
Paige hunted up the boy, and together they got some beds made up and the father stowed comfortably in one, with an admonition to waste no time getting to sleep so he would be able to go to town in the morning. The doctor returned while they were talking and added his word and a sleeping powder.
The little Nannie by this time was sleeping comfortably, and the mother, under June’s care, was eating the first comfortable meal she had had for several days.
Yet, in spite of all this, it was almost two hours before June was ready to leave and everything in shape for the early morning.
The nurse was capable and willing, and at last they started home.
“You must be almost dead,” said Paige sympathetically. “You haven’t had a bit to eat either, of course. Being the unselfish person you are, you wouldn’t stop for even a mouthful.”
June laughed.
“And how about you? I suppose you sat down and ate a turkey dinner during that five minutes you spent in your home getting those supplies.”
He laughed.
“Not a chance. I didn’t even let Mother pour down a drop of her nice hot coffee that she tried to choke me with. So, how about our stopping at the Sterling on our way home? It isn’t but half a block out of our way, and I confess, I could easily eat a whole cow if one was cut up into steaks.”
“All right,” said June. “I’m hungry, too. But why do you have to choose such a swell place as the Sterling? Don’t you think perhaps the sharp contrast might affect us badly? It certainly would be going from poverty to riches.”
“I know,” Paige said grinning, “but I’m no
t sure that any other decent place would be open at this hour, and I really think we rate a good meal, don’t you?”
“Well, that’s all right with me, only isn’t the Sterling a pretty swell place? And I’ve only a plain little gingham dress on. All the high and mighties will be in evening dress.”
“What difference does that make?” said Paige with a grin. “And besides, that’s a pretty dress and very becoming. It just matches your eyes.”
June rippled a laugh.
“I don’t see where you’ve had time to see what color my eyes are, or my dress either, but if you don’t mind taking a rather crumpled nurse to the swellest place in town, it’s all right with me.”
“Okay with me. I rather enjoy shocking some people. But we’ll have fun.”
“Well, I think you are a pretty good sport after all we’ve been through, that you can talk about having fun.”
“Well, we had to do that in war, you know. Take a bit of fun in between the desperate situations. And besides, things are coming out for our protégés pretty well. I think I can enjoy a bit of fun. By the way, how is Nannie, really? Did the doctor give you any more light?”
“Yes, he thinks she’ll come out of this in a few days. She’s undernourished, of course, but we can remedy that in time. But you, how did you make out with that poor discouraged father? It’s his pride that has made all this trouble.”
“Yes, he is proud, but I’m inclined to think the troublemaker goes further than that. The mortgage people are cruel and have scared him out of his senses. Do you know he’s spent the last two days tramping everywhere trying to borrow money enough to pay the interest and a pitiful little sum on the principal? Of course, he is shabbily dressed, and he probably went to strangers and they wouldn’t let him have it. But I told him I would arrange it for him, and he finally succumbed, ate some soup and coffee, and dropped off to sleep like a babe.”
“Do you mean you really can get a loan for him?”
“Yes, of course.”
“But won’t it cost him a horrible amount of interest these days?”
“No, I’ll fix that all up for him.”
“I think you are wonderful, Mr. Madison.”
“Call me Paige, please. I’ll feel more natural that way, and after all the things we’ve been through together this afternoon, I don’t see that we should be formal, should we—June?”
“Of course not,” said June with satisfaction, “but I can’t get over it that you went along with me and did all that,” she added softly. “It was God who sent you, of course.”
Paige grew a bit sober.
“Well, perhaps, though I wasn’t conscious of heavenly direction. There was a telephone message that obviously was important, a little girl dying, and you had no car to go. Why shouldn’t I take you? It wasn’t a great thing to do.”
“No, of course not. And it wasn’t anything to lend that man the money to hold his house, and all the rest that you did. Only a true servant of the Lord would have done all that, I am sure.”
She gave him a bright look that had in it a question, and was almost embarrassing to him.
“Well, I don’t know that I can exactly claim that title,” he said with some hesitancy. “Of course, I’m a church member, have been since I was a child, but that doesn’t necessarily mean all that. You know, in the army you learn to look facts in the face, and you don’t rate yourself in the face of death the way you did at home where everything was calm and serene and it was the respectable thing to serve the Lord. But out among the men, who were many of them cursing and swearing and taking death as a part of the game, one got lax. I admit I did. I’m not just altogether sure what the Lord thinks of me now.”
“Oh!” said June. Then after a pause, “But you’ll be finding out pretty soon, I’m sure. After all, the world is alike everywhere, and there are too many risks in every day for a thinking person to let the really important things go.”
Paige was silent for a full minute, and then he said in a serious voice, “I guess you’re right about that.”
They were coming into town now and presently came to the crossroads. Paige turned and looked down at the girl beside him, while the spotlight touched her lovely, earnest face, and thought how charming she was. Somehow the words she had just spoken went deep into his heart. He would be thinking about them again.
And now on the highway the traffic took his attention, so that they did very little talking until they swept into the curved drive before the imposing hotel.
June gave a little gasp as she watched a grand car disgorge a merry throng of passengers.
“Are you sure you want to take me into a place like that, looking this way?”
“I am sure!” said the young man firmly.
“But I haven’t even a hat on!”
Paige gave attention to the people who were going in.
“Neither have a lot of them. But if it’s a hat you want, we’ll soon remedy that.”
He drew up at the sidewalk and motioned to a man who was standing there, conspicuously offering flowers for sale.
“Got any gardenias?” Paige asked nonchalantly.
“Sure thing,” said the man, and he produced a white box with three enormous lovely blooms.
“That’s the thing,” said Paige. “Got any pins to fasten them on with?” The vendor handed over a little bunch of invisible hairpins.
“I see you are ready for all emergencies,” said Paige. “There, June. Put them on, and you’ll be as well fixed as any of the other patrons. Those who pretended to have hats had nothing but a couple of big sunflowers or roses or something of the sort. Put them on.”
“But, Paige! With a gingham dress? Such lovely things! It wouldn’t be suitable.”
“But I say it would, and you’re my girl tonight. I want to see them on. And who is to know your dress is gingham? And what if it is?”
“All right,” laughed June, and presently the skillful fingers that had recently been soothingly bathing little Nannie’s hot forehead fastened the beautiful gardenias with a grace that could vie with any of the modern outlandish hats. She gave one glance into the little mirror over the windshield, patted one flower a little more to the right, and then looked up.
“Is that all right?” she asked amusedly.
“Perfect,” said the young man. “I can recommend you as a milliner any time you want a new job.”
“All right,” she said. “Then let’s go. But I warn you, someone will laugh at me.”
“Let them laugh!” said Paige, helping her out of the car and watching her admiringly. To his man’s eyes there was nothing incongruous in her costume. And perhaps even a woman looking at her casually would notice nothing out of the way.
So they entered the building and followed the crowd to the great dining room.
Paige, with quiet sense, selected a small table unobtrusively placed where they could see without being too much in the public eye, and when they were seated he turned his admiration on the girl he had brought with him. How lovely she looked with those fresh gorgeous flowers nestled in her pretty hair! She might be conscious that her costume would not bear close inspection by the critical, but certainly she was beautiful and was in no way conspicuous.
An obsequious waiter provided them with menus and they soon selected their orders, for they were both hungry, now that they were in the neighborhood of food.
June was not a girl to sit and brood over her unsuitable garb. She promptly forgot it and entered into the festive time with pleasure.
“It seems like another world, doesn’t it? So different from that forlorn little house where we’ve been this afternoon.”
“Yes, it does. That’s the way I felt when I got home from war zones. It was incredible that the same universe could contain both merriment and misery. It didn’t seem right somehow to be in a place of quiet restfulness and plenty, when some of my buddies were just starting off to go into death and pain and frightfulness.”
“Yes, I understand,”
said June, with sweet thoughtfulness, “and yet it must have been necessary that you should change your viewpoint from time to time, or human flesh could not endure and keep on doing the work of a fighter.”
“Yes, of course, there was that side, too. Although we didn’t get to see much merriment when we were in the actual fighting zone. People over there had seen fright and suffering enough so that they never got entirely away from the thought of it, the fear of it. But what got me was when I came home and found so-called decent, respectable men with pleasant incomes and palatial homes, gypping some of the poor returned men who hadn’t anywhere to lay their heads.”
“Yes,” said June, with a blaze of indignation in her eyes. “Like the man who is grinding down those poor protégés of ours. They tell me he is a very religious man and gives large sums to worthy causes. But look what he’s done to these poor Shambleys. Do you suppose he knows them personally? Does he understand how desperate they are?”
“Probably not.”
“Well, do you suppose it would do any good if somebody were to go and tell him? Could we possibly get him to go and see for himself?”
“Probably not. He would say he was too busy and that they were likely good-for-nothings.”
“No, they aren’t. They have self-respect and a certain kind of pride. It may not be the wisest kind, that shrinking out of sight that doesn’t venture to push one’s self into notice, but after all, some of those so-called decent, respectable people don’t even have that much dignity and self-respect. If they see a chance to make a penny by squeezing an unfortunate, it wouldn’t take much of their kind of philosophy to make them yield to the temptation. I’m beginning to conclude that that is how a good many of them got wealthy and influential.”
“Yes, I suppose it is,” sighed Paige.
And then the waiter appeared with their delicious-looking dinner, and they settled themselves to enjoy it.