“Why yes, Mother,” said Corliss eagerly. “Dale and I talked it over, and we thought we would just go around all the halls and see if we could discover a room that wasn’t occupied, so we did. You see, we thought perhaps somebody was being moved home or something, and we went all around and looked in all the rooms, for you see, this was the time when most of the doors are standing wide open, or if they are not we could ask a nurse. But Mother, there wasn’t a single one empty, and all of them had two beds and sometimes three in them. And there were three emergency cases this morning, accidents, and they don’t know where to put them. There isn’t another spot where they can put another bed, and I heard the head nurse say there was nothing else to do but to send a few cases home before they were supposed to go. That’s the reason I asked you whether the doctor had any idea of sending you home today.”
“Well, I certainly am not going to let them send me home until it’s time. I’m not going to be cheated out of my rights by some petty accident case. That certainly wouldn’t be fair. Besides, I haven’t any home to go to. I couldn’t, of course, go back out west when I am not about to take care of myself yet, could I? And I’ve no other place to go. I have been distinctly told by Dale that I’m no longer welcome in what she calls her house, so until I can get some sort of settlement about that house from my lawyer, I couldn’t leave here at present.”
“Oh, but Aunt Blanche,” said Dale earnestly, “you are mistaken. I did not ask you to leave. I told you I was going to have a school, and I was afraid it would not be comfortable for you with a lot of children in the house. But that is all changed now. I have given up the idea of having the school for the present. I have found another girl who has taken it over, and so we shall have plenty of room for you as long as it is convenient for you to stay, and we will, of course, do our best to take care of you and make you as comfortable as possible. And I have only been waiting until you were feeling a little better and able to make your plans to tell you this. My cousins and I have been getting on very pleasantly together, and I’m sure we have all been looking forward to your coming back to us as soon as you are able. There will be room for a nurse, too, as long as you need her. I thought maybe we should be inquiring about that, for they say nurses are very hard to get, and I know they have been terribly short on nurses here. Of course if worse come to worst, Corliss and I might be able to make you comfortable. I’m not exactly ignorant about nursing, for I’ve had a short course in it, and then I’ve had a good deal of experience taking care of Grandmother. But I suppose you will be a little happier if you can persuade one of the regular nurses here to be with you, at least for the first few days of your homecoming. Have you spoken to your nurse yet to see if that would be possible?”
“Spoken to her? No, certainly not. I wouldn’t have one of these nurses on any account. They are abominable. But of course you would be no better. I fancy that taking care of your grandmother was a very trifling matter compared with my case. And in any event, I shouldn’t think of troubling you. Not after what you said. I certainly could not be comfortable there, not after the way you have treated me and my children.”
“Mother! You mustn’t say that,” put in Corliss. “Dale has been perfectly wonderful to us all through this horrible experience. She has been just lovely. She’s played games with us and bought jigsaw puzzles for us, and we’ve had a grand time. If it hadn’t been for you being sick and us not knowing what was going to happen, we would really have had a lovely time. I like this place; I really do.”
“That will do, Corliss. Don’t go into hysterics about this. If you could enjoy yourself while I was suffering I suppose I ought to feel glad, but I can’t say I relish your attitude. And no, certainly I’m not coming to that house! As soon as the doctor comes, I will ask him if he can’t send us up to your Aunt Evelyn’s in Connecticut. We’ll take a nurse along, maybe two, for the journey. I’ll risk it, but I can get plenty of nurses when I get up, and I think I shall get up today. I’m not going to be kept down any longer!”
Corliss gave Dale a frightened look. What had she done by starting this subject? But perhaps the doctor would be able to straighten her mother out on a few things.
Then the nurse came in and announced that it was time for the patient to take a nap.
“But I’m expecting my lawyer,” snapped the patient. “I simply can’t take a nap till I get my business settled. After that I’m going away, and you can’t tell me anymore when to take a nap, for I’ll be my own mistress again.”
But the nurse went quietly about her duties, gave the patient her medicine, arranged the blanket, plumped up the pillows, and adjusted the screen around the bed. And in the meantime Dale and Corliss slipped away and went home.
Chapter 17
Very solemnly the two girls walked along, not talking until they were some distance from the hospital. At last Corliss spoke. “Why do you suppose my mother acts like that, Dale? Is she sort of out of her head, do you think?”
Dale gave a troubled sigh. “No, I don’t think so, dear. I think she’s probably just hurt and worried with a lot of things. I’m afraid I hurt her by telling her about my school. I didn’t mean to, of course, but I just didn’t know how to plan, and I had promised the committee I would start the school.”
“Of course,” said Corliss. “And now you have given it all up just for us, and Mamma talked that way to you! I can’t bear to think my mother would be that way to you after you’ve been so nice and kind to us.”
“Well, don’t worry any more about it, dear. I guess I must have been to blame the way I spoke. I should have waited till she got ready to tell me what she was going to do, only I had to tell the ladies before they had their next meeting. I guess I didn’t tell the Lord about it and ask Him to look out for it. When I don’t do that, I usually get into trouble.”
Corliss looked at her in wonder. “Do you always talk to God about everything you do?” she asked.
“I should,” said Dale, “but sometimes I get going my own plans and forget that the Lord knows better what He wanted me to do. I’ll have to ask Him to straighten this out for me.”
“I suppose that would be a wonderful way to live,” said Corliss thoughtfully. “I always plan to do what I want and not bother about anything else. But I guess maybe that’s why I always get into so much trouble. I wonder if my mother knows how to live this way. Sometime maybe I’ll tell her about it, but I don’t know. It might only make her furious. She never likes me to know anything she doesn’t know.”
“Well, but we can pray for her, that God will show her. After all, that might be better than telling her about it now, though sometime God may show you a way to tell it. And now I’m wondering how George got along with his errand. I wonder if he got hold of the lawyer and persuaded him to come to your mother. If he didn’t, I’m afraid George will have a pretty bad time when he gets back. But never mind. We’ll pray about that, too.”
“Do you think my prayers would do any good?” asked Corliss after a minute of silence. “I’ve never been very good myself, and I’m sure God doesn’t think much of me.”
“Oh yes, God loves you. He wants you to take what He has done for you in dying on the cross and taking your sins on Himself, and if you’ll take Him as your Savior that means you are born again and are His child. Surely, pray, but first pray for yourself; tell Him that you are sorry for your sins and that you will accept Him as your Savior. Then when you are His child you can ask Him for other things. Now, here we are home, and probably lunch is ready. Shall we wait for George, or do you think he will get lunch in the city?”
“He won’t bother to wait for lunch. He’ll get back to the hospital and then come home. And perhaps Mother’ll be asleep when he gets there so he won’t have to wait. I think he’ll be here soon. But let’s sit down when Hattie is ready. I can save something for him if he doesn’t come in time.”
But George arrived soon after they had sat down. He was breathless from a rapid walk, and his eyes were troubled. ??
?I didn’t go back to the hospital,” he said worriedly. “That lawyer is not to be found. They say he is gone up to Canada on business and won’t be back for several weeks. I don’t much believe it. I think he doesn’t want to talk with Mom anymore, and he just tells his secretary to say that. I even went to his apartment, but the housekeeper had the same tale, and they wouldn’t even give me his address. They said he was off for his health and couldn’t be bothered with business. So there! What was I to do? I knew if I went back to the hospital, I’d have all kinds of time with Mom, so I just telephoned the nurse and told her about it. Told her to ask Mom what I should do. But she said Mom was asleep and she shouldn’t wake her now, but she would tell her after she had her lunch and phone us if there was any message. I don’t know if I did the right thing or not, but I couldn’t help being glad that bum wasn’t there. I don’t trust him. I think he is putting it all over on Mom.”
“Yes,” said Dale. “He hasn’t a very good reputation. But perhaps your mother will forget about it this afternoon and there will be a little more time to work this out.”
“She says she is going to write Aunt Evelyn, George, and we are all going there as soon as she is able to get up.”
“Not me!” said George. “That’s an aunt I never want to see again if I can help it. She is worse than Mom about finding fault, and she thinks I’m the world’s worst. I simply won’t go there!”
“Well, don’t worry about that now, George. Wait till the time comes and maybe there’ll be a way to work it out,” said Dale.
“There sure will as far as I’m concerned,” said George.
“What if we go upstairs for an hour or so and see how we can fix up a nice room for your mother to come back to as soon as she is done at the hospital. Then we can tell her it’s all arranged, and maybe she will be pleased,” Dale suggested.
“Oh yeah?” said George unbelievingly. “I never saw her pleased yet at anything anybody did for her. But of course we can try it.”
“George, you ought not to be so hard on your mother,” said Dale, with a troubled look. “After all, she’s your mother, and she’s sick and suffering.”
“Okay, I know it,” said George penitently. “I guess I’m sort of a heel, but it certainly makes me mad the way she finds fault with everybody. That pretty little nurse at the hospital was almost in tears about her when I talked to her on the phone. But I guess I shouldn’t act this way, of course. Only nobody is going to make me go to Aunt Evelyn’s, not on your life they aren’t.”
“No,” said Corliss, “and I won’t go either. But we’ll have to wait till Mamma is better before we can say anything about that. Maybe she’ll be pleased after all if we fix up a room here, only it will be hard on Dale.”
“No,” said Dale, “I want her to come. I wouldn’t feel right if she didn’t, and perhaps if she comes we can make her have a nice time and get a better feeling between us all.”
George grinned. “Wishful thinking!” he commented, and then added, “Well, mebbe! I sure hope so.”
“Listen!” said Dale. “Let’s make a game of this and get really interested in it. Let’s go upstairs right away and see what you think about which room we should prepare.”
“Oh, I know which room she will want, if she takes any,” said Corliss. “She’ll want the room you gave to me, the one where she used to take her naps, and George’s room would be just right for the nurse while she is here. George and I can park anywhere, down in the living room on the couches, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” said Dale. “You can come in my room with me, Corliss, and George can go up in the front third-story room, if he doesn’t mind. It isn’t very large, but there is a comfortable bed up there. I used to sleep there myself sometimes when Grandmother had company. There is a bureau, too, and a chair, so I guess you could be comfortable.”
“Sure I can. I’ll get along anywhere. That will be swell.”
“Well, come on up and see what you think,” said Dale, and they trooped happily upstairs.
“You can put your things in the hall closet, Corliss. It’s all empty. I took everything out of it yesterday and packed them away in trunks in the storeroom upstairs, and Hattie cleaned it, so it’s all ready for you. Do you want to move your things now? I think it might cheer your mother up if she knew we had everything ready for her and the nurse.”
“Sure, I’ll move them right away. I think this is going to be fun,” said Corliss. “Are you going to move upstairs now, George?”
“Okay,” said George. “It might have some effect on Mom if she knew everything was all fixed. And we could get used to it. Then Hattie can get everything ready for Mom and the nurse.”
“All right, but here is something else I want to tell you first,” said Dale. “There is Grandmother’s room, of course, and if you think your mother would rather have that I can take Grandmother’s things out of the room and pack them away, and I will if you think your mother would prefer that. Or, if either of you would rather have it than the other plans I suggested.”
“But I thought you said you didn’t want anybody to have that room, Dale. I thought you said you wanted to keep everything just as she had left it.” This came from Corliss, spoken thoughtfully.
“I know. I did want to keep it just as she left it for a while,” said Dale. “But perhaps I was wrong to feel that way. If you think I should give it up, I’ll be glad to do so. I want your mother to be comfortable. Or, Corliss, if you still would like to have that room, I can arrange that. I don’t want to be selfish.”
“No,” said Corliss sharply. “I don’t want the room, and I don’t much think mother would. Anyway, I don’t think she should have it, not after the way she’s acted to you.”
“No,” said George. “She shouldn’t, and neither should Corliss. You have been awfully good to us, and you have a right to do what you want to with your own house. No, I think the other arrangement is much better.”
“Wait,” said Dale, taking a key out of her breast pocket. “I want to show you the room, and perhaps you will understand why I felt almost as if it was a sacred place. But I guess that was silly, and if Grandmother’s room is going to make things easier, why here it is, and it shall be up to you who is to have it.”
Dale put the key into the lock and flung the door open, and the two cousins stood solemnly in the doorway and looked around, wide eyed and interested.
“Why, it’s sweet,” said Corliss, two great tears gathering in her eyes. “I don’t wonder you didn’t want me to come barging into this room. It looks just like I remember Grandmother.”
Suddenly Dale reached over and kissed Corliss softly on her forehead. “You’re a dear!” she said. “I’m so glad you feel that way. I was afraid you would want to make fun of the quaint old-fashioned things, and I just couldn’t stand that. And now since you feel this way, I don’t mind if you come in here to sleep. I really don’t, Corliss. And I think Grandmother would like it, too. That will likely be more comfortable for you than sleeping in my room me.”
“No,” said Corliss, shrinking back. “I’d love to share your room. I really would. I’d like it a lot. But I’m glad you let me see this room. It somehow seems to be a real place, and I think I understand you better for seeing it.”
“Yes,” said George, huskily. “I’m glad you showed it to us. And I don’t blame you for wanting to keep it as she left it. I know just how you feel about it. And I’m glad Corrie thinks so, too. If anybody sleeps there, it ought to be you, Dale. Grandmother would like that better, I’m sure. But anyway, Mom wouldn’t choose it for herself, I know, because she told me that other room where she took her naps was the nicest in the house, she thought. It wasn’t as noisy as Grandmother’s. That fronts on the street, and she said you could hear all the children crying and shouting and playing. No, Dale, you better just keep that room as it was. Open it up sometimes if you want to, but don’t give it to any of us. Not now. Come on and let’s get Mom’s room fixed. Anyth
ing you want carried anywhere, Dale? I’m strong and able.”
“Thank you,” Dale said, smiling. “We’ll see. Now, let’s fix your mother’s room first. What needs moving out? Corliss, have you heard your mother say she didn’t like anything in this room?”
Corliss looked around with troubled eyes. “Well yes,” she said reluctantly. “Mother never liked that bureau. She said the one in the room you intend for the nurse was much larger and more roomy. She liked the big mirror, too.”
“Why, that is easily changed,” said Dale. “Come on, George, let’s get to work. We’ll move the other one out of the way and then there will be a place to put this. And Corliss, what else did she want changed?”
“Well, she said she’d rather have one of the overstuffed chairs from the living room, instead of that straight-up-and-down one that had long rockers to fall over. But I don’t think you ought to change that. The big chair belongs in the living room, and this rocker wouldn’t fit there.”
“Oh, nonsense,” said Dale. “What difference does that make? A chair is a chair, and they are easily changed. Anything else?”
“No,” laughed Corliss, “only that engraving of the Lord’s Prayer in the gold frame. She said she didn’t like it, and she always turned it around to face the wall when she lay down. She said she didn’t want to always be confronted by religion. I’m ashamed to tell you this, but you asked me.”
“That’s all right, Corliss. We’ll have those things changed in a jiffy. Are you sure there was nothing else she didn’t like?”
“No, that’s all, except the big pincushion. She said it was all out of style to have cushions like that.”
“Well,” said Dale, laughing, “if that’s all, I guess we can get by.”
“But I don’t think this is right, Dale,” said George, “to make all this trouble for you, and when she may not come after all. I don’t think it is a bit polite of Mom to want it.”