CHAPTER XXVI.
THE MOTHER'S WOE.
The experienced eyes of this motherly woman soon saw that the lovelyyoung stranger was ill of fever, and in a very serious condition; buthaving successfully raised a family of nine stalwart sons by her ownskill and without aid from the doctors, she "was not feazed," as herhusband quaintly said, "by the case." She simply put Dainty to bed, andwhile she was getting breakfast, brewed a decoction of herbs, which shesaid would do her a world of good.
Meanwhile, she gladdened the drummer's heart by a delicious breakfast ofbroiled mountain trout, country ham, fresh butter, sweet corn pone, andstrong coffee with thick cream, and he presently went on his wayrejoicing after his night in the camp, and expressing the hope that thelovely stranger would soon be well again and restored to her friends.
But those cordial hopes did not seem likely of fulfilment soon, forDainty continued quite ill for weeks in the lonely logging camp; and, tothe surprise of the loggers, none of her friends came in search of her,and no inquiry was made for a missing sick girl.
In the stupor of her fever, she continued for weeks to be unconscious ofher surroundings, and the busy, stolid family, who cared for her, didnot think it their business to seek out her friends. They simplyaccepted the duty of caring for her as Heaven-sent, and left the restto a gracious Providence.
As for Mrs. Ellsworth, she was struck with consternation when no deadbody was found the next morning where Sheila had placed it beneath thetree; but on viewing the swollen, brawling stream, she concluded that itmust have swept Dainty's corpse away during the storm, and she lived indaily expectation of its discovery, and the great sensation it wouldcreate in the neighborhood.
Thus the summer days passed away, bringing the bright cool Septemberweather, and still the waters did not give up their beautiful dead; butno search was made for Dainty, though Lovelace Ellsworth had astonishedhis doctors and disappointed his step-mother by clinging to life inspite of his grievous hurt, and was now on the road to recovery, so thatthe trial of Vernon Ashley for his attempted murder soon took place, andthe prisoner received sentence of a term of years in the penitentiary.
Olive and Ela were now domesticated at Ellsworth as the acknowledgedheiresses of their aunt, who, by the failure of her step-son to marry onhis twenty-sixth birthday, now claimed to be the mistress of his wealth,and took credit to herself for her charitable spirit in caring for theunhappy invalid, who was now fast regaining health and strength.
As for Mrs. Chase, she had been virtually driven from Ellsworth by thecaprices of the two proud, heartless girls who had received so muchkindness at her hands in the days when they were poor school-teachers inRichmond.
Olive and Ela, who had so vigorously persecuted Dainty, with the ableassistance of their aunt, rejoiced without stint when they learned thattheir machinations had driven their envied cousin to a premature death;and they regretted that the young girl's body had been swept away by thehigh waters, longing for her death to be made public, that they mightexult in secret over the poor mother's woe.
So bitterly had they hated and envied Dainty that it extended to hergentle mother, and even the sight of her pale, sorrowful face, as shemoved unobtrusively about the place, giving the most motherly care toLove in his affliction, goaded them to futile rage, until in the maliceof their natures they decided that she should no longer remain atEllsworth.
To further their purpose, they made secret complaints to their aunt thatMrs. Chase was maligning them behind their backs to the servants, andridiculing them as "beggars on horseback," who had forgotten theirformer poverty and toil in the sudden accession of riches.
No doubt Mrs. Ellsworth was glad of a pretext for ridding herself of onewhose sweet, sad face must have been a constant silent reproach to herfor driving her loved daughter to death; for she hastened to assail theastonished creature with reproaches, dismissing her denials withincredulous scorn, and declaring that under the circumstances the roofof Ellsworth could no longer be her shelter.
"I will go this evening, madame," her sister-in-law answered with gentlepride, her pale face flushing as she added: "I should not havetrespassed so long on your hospitality but I thought I was making myselfuseful by nursing Mr. Ellsworth."
"There is a trained nurse," Mrs. Ellsworth said, loftily.
"Yes; but she has been both careless and incompetent."
"I shall dismiss her to-morrow. He will only need his man Franklin now,"Mrs. Ellsworth returned; and they parted with cold bows on either side,the heartless woman to return to her nieces with the news of Mrs.Chase's banishment, and the latter to take a sorrowful leave of LovelaceEllsworth, and pack her trunk and Dainty's for immediate departure.
The hot tears that fell on each dainty piece of clothing as she packedit away only the angels knew, for the mother's heart was breaking overthe loss of her child.
She could not bring herself to believe that Dainty had fled with anotherman, for having accidentally made the acquaintance of the old blackmammy, she had been favored with a thrilling narration of all that herdaughter had suffered from the persecution of ghosts and the attempt atkidnapping.
It was a terrible shock to the mother's heart, and after that she couldnot believe that Dainty had eloped. She was sure that the girl had beenstolen away, and perhaps murdered.
Oh, the curse of poverty! How it goaded the poor mother's heart!
Too poor to spend a penny in search of the beloved only child who hadmet such a mysterious fate, alone in the world, and almost friendless,she journeyed sorrowfully back to Richmond, only to find that a fire onthe previous night had destroyed the cottage where her furniture wasstored, and that she had no shelter for her head and no work for herhands. Was it any wonder her poor brain went wild?