Aunt Crete's Emancipation (12 page)

But
Aunt Crete's quavering voice stopped suddenly in mild affright, for Luella sprang toward her like some mad creature, shaking her finger in her aunt's face, and screaming at the top of her voice:

"It's a lie! I say
it's
a lie! Aunt Crete, you're a liar; that's what you are with all the rest."

And
the high-strung, uncontrolled girl burst into angry sobs.

No one heard the gentle knock that
had been twice repeated
during the scene, and no one saw the door open until they all suddenly became aware that Donald stood in the room, looking from one face to another in angry surprise.

Donald had not retired at once after bidding Aunt Crete good night. He found letters and telegrams awaiting his attention, and he had been busy writing a letter of great importance when the
maid
gave him the hint of Aunt Crete's late callers. Laying down his pen, he stepped quietly across the private parlor that separated his room from his aunt's, and stopped a moment before the door to make sure he heard voices. Then he had knocked, and knocked again, unable to keep from hearing the most of Luella's tirade.

His indignation knew no bounds, and he concluded his time had come to interfere
;
so he opened the door, and went in.

"What does all this mean?" he asked in a tone that frightened his Aunt Carrie, and made Luella stop her angry sobs in sudden awe.

No one spoke, and Aunt Crete looked a mute appeal through her tears. "What is it, dear aunt?" he said, stepping over by her side, and placing his arm
protectingly
round the poor, shrinking little figure, who somehow in her sorrow and helplessness reminded him strongly of his own lost mother. He could not remember at that moment that the other woman, standing
hard and cold
and angry across the room, was also his mother's sister. She did not look like his mother, nor act like her.

Aunt Crete put her little curled white head in its crisping-pins down on Donald's coat-sleeve, and shrank into her pink and gray kimono appealingly as she tried to speak.

"It's just as I told you, Donald, you dear boy," she sobbed out. "I—oughtn't to have come. I knew it, but it
wasn't
your fault. It was all
mine
. I ought to have stayed at home, and not dressed up and come off here.
I've
had a beautiful time; but it wasn't for me, and I oughtn't to have taken it. It's just spoiled Luella's nice time, and she's blaming me, just as I knew she would."

"What does my cousin mean by using that terrible word to you, which I heard as I entered the room?"

Donald's voice was keen and scathing, and his eyes fairly piercing as he asked the question and looked straight at Luella, who answered not a word.

"That wasn't just what she'd have meant, Donald," said Aunt Crete apologetically. "She was most out of her mind with trouble. You see I had to tell her what you told me about that Clarence
Gandon
being engaged to another girl"

"Aunt Crete, don't say another word about that!" burst out Luella with flashing eyes and crimson face.

"For mercy's sake, Crete, can't you hold your tongue?" said Luella's mother sharply.

"Go on, Aunt Crete; did my cousin call you a liar for saying that? Yet it was entirely true. If she is not disposed to believe me either, I can call Mr.
Grandon
in to testify in the matter. He will come if I send for him.
But
I feel sure, after all, that that will not be necessary. It is probably true, as Aunt Crete says, that you were excited, Luella, and did not mean what you said; and after a good night's
sleep
you will be prepared to apologize to Aunt Crete, and be sorry enough for worrying her. I am going to ask you to leave Aunt Crete now, and let her rest. She has had a wearying day, and needs to be quiet at once. She is my mother's sister, you know, and I feel as if I must take care of her."

"You seem to forget that I am your mother's sister, too," said Aunt Carrie coldly, as she stood stiff and disapproving beside the door, ready to pass out.

"If I do, Aunt Carrie, forgive me," said Donald courteously. "It is not strange when you remember that you forgot that I was your sister's child,
and ran away from me.
But
never mind; we will put that aside and try to forget it.
Good night, Aunt Carrie.
Good night, Cousin Luella.
We will all feel better about it in the morning."

They bowed their diminished heads, and went with shame and confusion to the fourth floor back; and, when the door
was closed
upon them, they burst into angry talk, each blaming the other, until at last Luella sank in a piteous heap upon the bed, and gave herself over to helpless tears.

"Luella," said her mother in a business-like tone, "you stop that bawling, and sit up here and answer me some questions. Did you or did you not go riding with Mr. Clarence
Grandon
last winter in his automobile?"

Luella paused in her grief, and nodded assent hopelessly.

"Well, how'd-it come about?
There's
no use sniffing. Tell me exactly."

"Why, it was a rainy day," sobbed out the girl, "and I met him on the street in front of the public library the day I'd been to take back 'The Legacy of Earl Crafton,' and that other book by the same author"

"Never mind what books; tell me what happened," said the exasperated mother.

"Well, if you're going to be cross, I
sha'n't
tell you anything," was the filial reply; and for a moment nothing was heard in the room but sobs.

However, Luella recovered the thread of her story, and went on to relate how in company with
a lot of
other girls she had met Mr.
Grandon
the day before at the golf-links, where a championship game was being played. She did not explain the various maneuvers by which she had contrived to
be introduced
to him, nor that he had not seemed to know her at first when she bowed in front of the library building. She had called out, "It's a fine day for ducks, Mr.
Grandon
; isn't it good the game was yesterday instead of today?" and he had asked her to ride home with him.

That was her version. Her mother by dint of careful questioning finally arrived at the fact that the girl had more than hinted to be taken home, having loudly announced her lack of rubbers and umbrella, though she seldom wore rubbers, and had on a
rain-coat
and an old hat.

"But how about the big box of chocolates he sent you, Luella? That was a very particular attention to show you if he was engaged."

"O
," pouted Luella, "I don't suppose that meant anything either, for I caught him in a
philopena
on the way home that day. We said the same words at the same time, something like 'It's going to clear off,' and I told him, when we girls did that, the one that spoke first had to give the other a box of chocolates; so the next day he sent them."

"Luella, I never brought you up to do things like that. I don't think that was very nice."

"O
, now, ma, don't you preach. I guess you
weren't
a saint when you were a girl. Besides, I don't think you're very sympathetic." She mopped her swollen eyes.

"Luella, didn't he ever pay you any more attention after that? I kind of thought you thought he liked you, by the way you talked."

"No, he never even looked at me," sobbed the girl, her grief breaking out afresh. "He didn't even know me the next time we met, but stared straight at me till I bowed, and then he gave me a cold little touch of his hat.
And
down here he hasn't even recognized me once. I suppose that lady mother of his didn't like my looks."

"Look here, Luella; I wish you'd act sensible. This has been
pretty expensive
trying to run around after the
Grandons
.
Here's
the hotel bills, and all that dress-making, and now no telling how
Aunt Crete will act after we get home. Like as not
she'll
think she's got to have a maid, and dress in silks and satins.
There's
one comfort; probably some of her clothes will fix over
for you when s
he gets off her high horse and comes down to every-day living again.
But
I wish you'd brace up and forget these
Grandons
.
It's
no use trying to get up in the world higher than you belong. There's that nice John Peters would have been real devoted to yo
u if you'd just let him; and he
owns a house of his own already, and has the name of being the best plumber in Midvale."

Luella sighed.

"He's only a plumber, ma, and his hands are all red and rough."

"Well, what's that?" snapped her practical mother. "He may have his own automobile before long, for all that. Now dry up your
eyes,
and go to sleep; and in the morning do you go down real early, and apologize to your silly Aunt Crete, and make her understand that she's not to disgrace us under any consideration by going in bathing while she's here.
My land!
I expect to see her riding round on one of those saddle-ponies on the beach next, or maybe driving that team of
goats
we saw to-day, with pink ribbon reins. Come now, Luella,
don't
you worry. Set out to show your cousin Donald how nice you can be, and maybe some of the silk dresses will come your way. Anyhow, this can't last forever, and John Peters is at home when we get there."

So Luella, soothed in spirit, went to bed, and arose very early the next morning, descending upon poor Aunt Crete while yet the dreams of sailing alone with Donald on a moonlit sea were mingling with her waking thoughts.

CHAPTER VIII

AUNT CRETE'S PARTNERSHIP

Luella did her work quietly, firmly, and thoroughly. She vanished before Marie had thought of coming to her morning duties.

At
breakfast-time
Donald found a sad, cowed little woman waiting for him to go down to the dining-room. He tried to cheer her up by telling her how nice a time they were to have in
bathing that morning, for the water was sure to be delightful; but Aunt Crete shook her head sadly, and said she guessed she had better not go in bathing any more. Then she sighed, and looked wistfully out on the blue waves dancing in the sunshine.

"Don't you feel well, Aunt Crete?" asked Donald anxiously.

"O
, yes, real well," she answered.

"Did it hurt you to go in yesterday, do you think?"

"No, not a mite," she responded promptly.

"Then why in the name of common sense don't you want to go in to-day? Has Luella been trying to talk some of her nonsense?"

"Well, Luella thinks my
figger
looks so bad in a bathing-suit. She says of course you want to be polite to me, but you don't really know how folks will laugh at me, and make her ashamed of belonging to me."

"Well, I like that!" said Donald. "You just tell Miss Luella we're not running this vacation for her sole benefit. Now, Aunt Crete,
you're
going in bathing, or else I won't go, and you wouldn't like to deprive me of that pleasure, would you? Well, I thought not. Now come on down to breakfast, and
we'll
have the best day yet. Don't you let Luella worry
you.
And
, by the way, Aunt Crete, I'm thinking of taking a run up to Cape Cod, and perhaps getting a glimpse of the coast of Maine before I get through. How would you like to go with me?"

"Oh!" gasped Aunt Crete in a daze of delight. "Could I?" Then, mindful of Luella's mocking words the night before: "But I
musn't
be an expense to you.
I'd
just be a burden. You know I haven't a cent of my own in the world; so I couldn't pay my way, and you've done a great deal more than I ought to have let you do."

"Now, Aunt Crete, once for all you must get that idea out of your head. You could never be a burden to me. I want you for a companion. If my mother were here,
shouldn't
I just love to take her on a journey with me, and spend every cent I had to make her happy? Well, I
haven't
mother here; but you are the nearest to mother I can find, and I somehow feel she'd like me to have you in her place. Will you come?
Or
is it asking too much to ask you to leave Aunt Carrie and Cousin Luella?
They've got
each other, and they never really needed you as I do.
I've got
plenty of money for us to do as we please, and I mean it with all my heart. Will you come and stay with me? I may have to take a flying trip to Europe before the
summer's
over; and, if I do, it would be dreadfully lonesome to go alone. I think
you'd
like a trip on the ocean, wouldn't you?
and
a peep at London, and perhaps Paris and Vienna and old Rome for a few days?
And
in the fall I'm booked for work in my old university. It's only an assistant professorship yet, but it means a big thing for a young fellow like me, and I want you to come with me and make a cozy little home for me between whiles and a place where I can bring my friends when they get homesick."