CHAPTER FORTY-THREE THE UNEXPECTED GUEST
Dixie, a mixing-spoon in her hand, and Carol, still holding the flowers,darted to the open door and peered up the trail that led toward thehighway.
Ken had placed the pail of milk on the ground and was racing toward thenewcomer, shouting his joy. Jimmy, not to be outdone, was hopping up anddown, uttering shrill cries of glee, though he had not the least ideawho might be coming.
Miss Bayley stood by the table, her hand pressed to her heart. All daythere had been within her a prophetic feeling of some joy in store forher. She listened breathlessly until she heard the name that Dixieannounced. "It's Mr. Edrington, as sure as anything!" she called indelight. Although the young engineer was Ken's particular friend, theother three Martins loved him dearly.
The young man threw his knapsack to the ground and held out both arms toreceive all four of them. Even Dixie, unconscious of the mixing-spoonthat she held, ran down the trail to meet him. The young teacher alonestayed within the cabin.
"Oh-ee, Uncle Ed, but we're glad you've come home," Carol said. That wasthe name the young man had suggested that they call him.
"Home," he thought. "What a wonderful word that is!" He had never reallyhad a home, for, although his aunt had seemed to care for him, she hadbeen too nervous to have children around, and so he had been sent to amilitary academy, and from then, until he became a full-fledgedengineer, nine months of every year he had been in a school of somesort, and even the three months of vacation had been spent in hotels atfashionable resorts. This log cabin in the Nevada mountains had beenmore of a home than he had ever before known.
"Where's Miss Bayley?" Carol asked, looking back at the open door insurprise. "Why didn't she come out?"
The girl-teacher heard. She couldn't have explained to herself why shehad remained in hiding when she so longed to greet her good friend.
"Here I am," she called gayly, appearing at that moment on the porch.With a glad exclamation the young engineer leaped forward, both handsoutstretched. "Josephine," he said in a low voice, "have you decided?Did you miss me?"
Miss Bayley had become mistress of her emotions. "Of course we allmissed you," she said, looking frankly into the fine, gray eyes thattold her so much. Then she added, turning to the older Martin girl,"Dear, hadn't we better have supper now?" Then, to the younger, "Yousee, Carol, I did well to set out a sixth plate."
The young man smiled as he followed the young woman indoors, and beganto wash at the kitchen pump, as he had been wont to do in the days whenhe was one of the family, for, try as she might to appear indifferent,Josephine Bayley's manner and expression had assured him that his lovewas returned.
Such a merry supper followed. Mr. Edrington had many an adventure torelate. He had met interesting and queer characters in the Rockies,where he had been inspecting the putting-through of a tunnel.
The meal was half over when Dixie suddenly thought of something. "Mr.Edrington," she exclaimed, "there was a very fine-looking old lady onthe stage-coach to-night. I forgot to mention, it. Your coming sort ofdrove all my other thoughts away. Do you think that maybe it might beyour aunt?"
To the surprise of the two older Martin children, the young man beamedhappily upon them. "I hope it is!" he declared. Then, reaching out hisstrong brown hand, he placed it on the slender white one that was lyingon the table near him. "If it is my aunt, then without delay I shall beable to introduce to her my future wife, Josephine Bayley."
Children take wonderful things quite as a matter of course. Why not,since they can believe in fairies?
"Oh! Oh! I am so glad! Then we can call our dear teacher Aunt Josephine,can't we?" eagerly asked glowing-eyed Dixie.
That night as the young couple walked up the canyon road together,Frederick Edrington for the first time told of the fortune that hisfather had left him.
"I am glad that I have it, for your sake," he said to the girl at hisside, "for it will enable me to give you many luxuries. Whatever thingsyou have desired through the years, now you shall have."
"Thank you Frederick," the girl replied, realizing fully for the firsttime that her fiance believed her to be a poor young person who had towork for a living. As they passed the inn, they could look into thebrightly-lighted parlor. There they saw several people, but only one wasnear enough to the window to be recognized.
"It is my aunt," the young man said, "and I suspect that Marlita Ardenis with her."
At the doorstep of the cabin they paused. The young man held out hishand. "Josephine," he said, "will you go with me in the morning to theinn, that I may introduce to my aunt and her friends the sweetest littlewoman in the world, who is soon to be my wife?"
The girl-teacher could not have told why she replied, "But, Frederick,your aunt will be so disappointed because you are to marry some one whodoes not belong to her world, some one who is obscure and--"
Earnestly the young man interrupted: "It is for me to say what manner ofmaid I shall marry; but, dear, if you would rather not go,--if it willplace you in an unpleasant position,--I will not ask you to accompanyme. I will go alone."
The girl looked up at him radiantly, and there was an amused expressionin her lovely eyes that he could not understand.
"I shall be glad to go, Frederick," she said. "I'll be ready early.Good-night."