CHAPTER IV
LITTLE FLOWER GIRLS
In the hot room, high up under the eaves of the little brown house,Peace sobbed out her anguish of soul, and then faced the problem ofshoes with a dauntless spirit.
"We'll _have_ to have new ones when school begins again, and if we couldjust get some of these canvas things to wear during the summer, our oldones would last quite a while longer. Mercy, where does the money go?Seems as if there never was any to buy things we need with. Wish mytramp would come back and leave us another bill. Wish--why didn't Ithink of that before? The woods are full of flowers yet. I'll get Hopeand Cherry to help me make a lot of birch bark baskets and then Alleeand me will sell them in the city. My tramp said lots of folks would buythem if they got a chance. Oh, Cherry, let's go down to the creek andget some more bark. Tomorrow's Sunshine Club day and we will take MissDunbar some baskets for her flowers."
Glad to distract Peace's thoughts from her great woe, Cherry agreed, andthe two made a hurried trip to the woods for material, getting not onlya big armful of bark, but also quite a bunch of moccasin flowers andtiger lilies, which they had chanced upon in an unexpected nook.
"These will be lovely for tomorrow, and ought to sell better than theviolets would, 'cause they aren't so common," said Peace, as she lookedlovingly down at the mass of red, gold and pink.
"Ought to what?" asked Cherry.
"Oh, dear, what have I said?" thought Peace in dismay; but quicklyconcealing her confusion, she replied, "They ought to look nice--makebetter dec'rations, 'cause these are the first I've seen this year."
"Oh! I thought you said _sell_, and I wondered if you thought MissDunbar would pay us for them."
"Oh, mercy, no!" laughed Peace, and Cherry questioned no further.
But she would have been surprised had she seen this young sisterstealing out of the house the next morning with baskets and flowers inher arms, headed in the opposite direction from Miss Dunbar's villagehome. Once out of sight of the house, Peace broke into a wild run andnever stopped until the old stone bridge was reached. Here Allee waswaiting for her--a queer little figure in a faded blue gown of long,long ago, hatless, barefooted, but looking oh, so sweet, with hersparkling blue eyes and her mop of tangled yellow curls crowned with awreath of fragrant clover blossoms. "How long you've been!" she greetedPeace. "I thought you would never come. Where's Cherry?"
"I came as soon as I could," was the panting reply, as Peace dropped herburden on the grass and smoothed out a rumpled pink dress of as ancienta style as Allee's. "I had to help with the dishes, and then Faith mademe take the milk to Abbott's so's Hope could do something for her. Ididn't want Cherry. It takes such a long time to knock any sense intoher head that we never would get into town today if she had to becoaxed. Besides, I thought if there were three of us, folks might thinkthe whole family was out peddling, and maybe wouldn't buy like theywould of just two. There, don't those boats look lovely? The only thingis, our basket won't hold as many as I hoped it would. I couldn't jam inbut fifteen. That will be enough, though, if we can sell them at tencents each. Oh, I've got a scheme! We will lay our flowers in the basketon the moss and hitch these horns on our dresses. I've got as many asten pins in my dress which I don't need for anything else." While shespoke she emptied the birch bark boats of their brilliant cargo again,and deftly pinned the quaint devices to their gowns, so they dangledfantastically from their ribbon handles.
"Now are we ready?" asked Allee, as the last flower was tucked carefullyaway in its bed of moss, and covered over with newspapers.
"Yes, and well have to hurry or miss the car. It's quite a ways throughthe woods to the track. I wish they would run clear into Parker, don'tyou?"
They scrambled down the bank of the creek and scurried away through thetrees to the little clearing where the city cars stopped at the end ofthe line.
"There's a car just ready to start," panted Peace, and she waved herhand frantically at the conductor who was lustily shouting, "Allaboard!" and jangling the bell to hurry up any belated passengers.
"Nearly missed it, didn't you, kids?" he said genially, as theyclambered up the steps and the car moved slowly away toward the city.
"Yes," breathed the older girl, settling her luggage on the seat andsitting down beside it. "I am very glad you waited for us. We're anxiousto get down town while our flowers are fresh."
"Going to sell 'em?"
"Yes. You better buy a basketful. You can have a horn or a boat, andchoose your own kind of flowers. We've got pink and yellowlady's-slippers, tiger lilies, Johnny-jump-ups, baby's tears, and a fewJack-in-the-pulpits."
As she made her explanation, she drew aside the paper protecting herprecious blossoms, and the man exclaimed in delight, "The woods! My,aren't they scrumptious? I'll take a boat. What is your price?"
"Ten cents."
"Ten cents? Why, child, that isn't enough! Here's a quarter. Gimmelady's-slippers. And say, the motorman would like one, too. He's got agirl. Give him something swell--a little of everything. There, that'sright! Stick a tiger lily right in the middle and plaster up the edgeslike you did mine. Whee! ain't that gorgeous? I'll bring you the doughright away." Snatching up the mass of vivid colors, he dashed up thelength of the car, thrust his head into the motorman's vestibule, andafter a moment's conversation came back and dropped a half-dollar intoPeace's trembling hand, saying, "That's his contribution. It's worth it.Why, there ain't a florist in the city who can show such beauties!"
"Mercy!" exclaimed the bewildered Peace, looking at her money and tryingto figure out how much more was needed for her wants. "That means a pairof shoes and one over. Why, Allee, if everybody would just pay likethat, we will get through quick, won't we? But I 'xpect lots of 'em willtry to make us take only a nickel. Just s'posing we get enough money tobuy shoes for the whole family! Wouldn't they be s'prised? Thank you,Mister Conductor, and thank the motorman, too. We would like to know hisgirl. Does she ever ride on his car and do you s'pose he would bringher over to play with us some day? We'd meet her at the end of the line.Or maybe she is too big for us."
The conductor laughed in boyish delight, "Yes, I am afraid she is toobig. In fact, she is quite a lady--" Here the car stopped forpassengers, and their new friend went out on the platform where hestayed most of the time until they reached the heart of the city. But ashe helped them off the car at the busy corner nearest Cameron's ShoeStore, he said, "If I was you, I would go right over there in the doorof that big building. I think you can sell all the flowers you have."
So they took up their stand as he had suggested, and waited forcustomers; but though many passers-by idly wondered at the odd littlefigures so overhung with birch bark trifles, no one stopped to inquiretheir business until a big, burly policeman, who had been watching thewistful, almost frightened little faces, strolled up to them and kindlyasked, "Are you lost, little girls?"
"No, sir," promptly responded Peace, jerking aside the cover of herbasket and briskly beginning to fill one of the birch bark canoeshitched to Allee's dress. "We are selling flowers. Would you like achance to buy some that grew in the real woods? We've got money enoughnow for three shoes, but we need three more to have enough to go around.They are only ten cents each unless you want to pay more, but we won'tsell them for a nickel."
Seeing the blue-coated officer talking with such odd little waifs, acrowd had quickly gathered about the trio, and a host of friendly voicesechoed the policeman's hearty laugh at the jumbled recital.
"I'll take one," shouted a fashionably dressed man, elbowing his way tothe front. "Give me a horn and fill it up with those little pansies. Ihaven't seen any of them since I was a kid."
"Those are Johnny-jump-ups," responded Peace gravely, detaching a hornfrom Allee's gown and heaping it up with the tiny flowers. "It's tencents or more."
He laughed. "How much does 'or more' mean?"
"Much as you think they're worth. They came from the woods, you know."
"And you think that makes them more valuable--
worth more, I mean?" Andhe dropped a shining dollar into the small, brown hand.
"Oh, yes! City folks can't often get wild flowers, my tramp says, andthey ought to be glad for a chance to pay high for them."
The crowd shouted, and the policeman ventured to ask, "So you think lotsof the woods, do you?"
"You bet!" was the emphatic reply. "It's next best to heaven. Justs'posing the whole world was made up of these great, high, dirtyhouses, without any woods or flowers or trees anywhere. Wouldn't it bedreadful?" The dismal picture she painted was singularly effective, andother purchasers gathered around, clamoring for her wares.
"I will give you a dime for one of those pink lady's-slippers," said abent, old man.
"Here's a quarter for a spray of those white blossoms," another voicebroke in; and very quickly the fresh, beautiful, woodland flowerschanged hands, while the pile of coins in Peace's lap grew amazingly.
A little, ragged, wan-looking bootblack edged through the crowd, andstood with wistful eyes fixed on the rapidly diminishing bouquets,drinking in their beauty, and wishing with all his heart that one ofthem might be his. He fingered the few pennies in his pocket longingly,and finally, unable to curb his desire longer, he touched Peace's armand timidly faltered, "Say, lady, will ye gimme one o' them red fellersfor a cent? I--I'd like one mighty well, and I ain't got no more moneyto spare."
Peace lifted her big eyes to the pale, drawn, wistful face of the boy,possibly as old as Cherry, but no older, and a great wave of pity sweptthrough her heart. "You can have it for nothing. Here, take this wholebunch," she said, emptying her basket and thrusting the last handful ofgorgeous bloom into his trembling hands. "I am sorry all the birch barkis gone, but I am sold out. You haven't any shoes, either. Cameron's areselling canvas shoes today at forty-nine cents a pair. We've got lotsmore'n enough money for Cherry and Allee and me--you can have this toget yourself some with." And before her interested audience couldrealize what she was doing, she had selected a silver dollar from thejingling mass in her apron, and pressed it into the bootblack's grimyfist, while he stood like one turned to stone, staring at the money,unable to believe his senses. Then he took a step toward the littleflower girl, but a gentleman in the throng, deeply touched by theunusual scene, said, "Keep it, sonny, and thank the good God for suchsweet spirits as hers. Here is another dollar to keep it company. Betterrun home now and take a little vacation. You are sick."
Then how the men cheered! And to Peace's utter bewilderment, one tall,dignified old gentleman, whose face looked strangely familiar, slipped ashining gold coin into her hand and another into Allee's, sayingreverently, "For the Peace which passeth understanding!"
She sat in puzzled silence for a moment, gazing first at the glitteringheap in her lap, and then at the sea of friendly faces about her, whilethe crowd waited in curious expectancy to hear what she had to say. Herlips opened once or twice as if to speak, then closed again; but at lastshe said simply, "You've paid lots better'n I thought you would, andnot a single once has anyone tried to buy a boat for a nickel. I--I wishwe could have brought you the whole woods, birds and all. You would haveliked it better. I b'lieve I said 'thank you' to every one who hasbought any flowers, but if I did forget, Allee hasn't. That was to beher part--just to say 'thank you,' so folks would know we had somemanners and were glad to have you buy. But somehow, it feelshere"--putting her hand over her heart--"as if that wasn't enough, andso we will sing you a little song--that is, Allee will sing, and I'llwhistle. I can't really sing anything, Faith says, 'cept the tune theold cow died on. But Mike taught me how to whistle, and our ministersays I do real well for a girl. I tried to think of some thankful songto sing, but I can't remember a one just now, so we'll sing a lullabye.Are you ready, Allee?"
"Yes."
"Then begin!" Peace puckered her rosy lips, Allee opened her baby mouth,and this is the song they sang:
"Baby-bye, bye-oh-bye, Baby-bye, baby-bye, Mother's darling, don't you cry, Close your eyes for night is nigh; Baby-bye, oh, baby, Baby-bye, oh, bye."
"Amen," said Peace reverently. "Now we are going to Cameron's Shoe Storefor canvas shoes. What size do you s'pose a girl two years older'n Iwould wear? I forgot to ask Cherry."
"The clerk will know," suggested someone; and the crowd went theirseparate ways with smiles on their lips, while the two odd, childishfigures trudged around the corner to Cameron's Shoe Store to make theirimportant purchases. An obliging young man fitted the little feet withthe precious canvas slippers, and sent them away rejoicing with a pairfor Cherry, promising to exchange them for others if they failed to fit.
"Now we'll go home," said Peace, as they stepped out onto the sidewalkagain. "Won't Gail and Faith be s'prised? I guess we've got 'most moneyenough left to get shoes for the whole family after all. Well, sir, ifthey haven't changed those cars since we went into the shoe store! Wecame down on a big yellow one that said, 'Twentieth Avenue North' on it,and here they are running two little bits of cars hitched together thatsay, 'Onion Depot!'" Peace employed the phonetic method of pronouncingwords, and to her young eyes u-n-i-o-n was easily _onion_.
"What are you going to do about it?" asked puzzled Allee.
"Sit down here on the sidewalk and wait till they change them backagain," was the reply; and Peace plumped herself down in a bunch on thecurbing to watch for the yellow car which did not come. One hour draggedby,--two, three. Allee was getting restless. Dinner hour had long sincepassed, and she was very hungry. "It's getting pretty late, I guess,"she ventured at last. "When do you s'pose the car will come?"
"I s'pect there's been a fire somewhere and stopped it. That happenedonce when Gail was in town."
"Maybe we better start to walk, then," quavered the little voice. "I amtired of sitting here, and Gail will fret if we don't come prettyquick."
"Well, perhaps we better--"
"Peace Greenfield! What on earth are you doing here?"
The two children flew to their feet with a cry of relief, "Oh, Mrs.Grinnell, our car is never coming!"
"No, I guess it won't on these tracks," she replied grimly, guessingfrom the children's appearance something of the truth. "Does your motheror Gail know you are here? Pile in and ride home with me. Like as notyour folks are half crazy with fright."
So the weary duet climbed thankfully into the buggy and were drivensafely back to Parker, where they were met by four white-faced sistersand a swarm of anxious neighbors.
"Got shoes for the whole outfit!" cried Peace by way of greeting; "andif Cherry's don't fit, the clerk said bring 'em back and he'd change'em. We've sold all our flowers, and one man gave each of us some funnyyellow quarters--or I guess they are half dollars. It says on one side,'Five D.' and I suppose that means five dimes, doesn't it? Why, Gail,what are you crying for? I sh'd think you'd laugh to think there arethree pair of shoes already bought, and money enough for the rest ofyou."