CHAPTER XXII Saying Farewell to the Cabin
"For my part," announced Polly O'Neill, "I am not so heart-broken as Iexpected at having to say farewell to Sunrise cabin. It is so differentfor us all, with the Princess not here and having to think of her backhome in their big house with only her mother and one little maid of allwork. To think that I used to tell the Princess I thought she ought to bepoor a little while just to find out what it felt like! I could cry myeyes out now when I realize that it has actually come true."
It was the May meeting of the Sunrise Council Fire and because it was tobe the last meeting for some time which might be held on their oldcamping grounds, the girls and their guardian had decided that it shouldtake place outdoors and that at the close of their regular program thereshould be, a general talk over the history of the past year.
Esther rose quietly at this speech of Polly's, partly because she seemedto wish to find relief in action and then because the May night was cold,and put several fresh pine logs on their already glowing fire.
"You must not think I am ungrateful, Rose dear," Polly continued. "Thiswinter has been to me the most wonderful one, sometimes I think theturning point in my whole life, but if Betty is going to be trying totake boarders in that big Ashton house to support herself and her motherand let Dick finish his medical studies, why I think Mollie and motherand I had better be back in our own tiny cottage to give her our valuableadvice."
"But Betty won't be keeping boarders herself, will she? I thought it wasMrs. Ashton who was to look after things with Betty to help," Nan Grahamspoke in a kind of awed tone. "Still it wouldn't seem very nice of us tokeep on living here in our cabin, which Betty did a great deal moretoward building than the rest of us, if she were not here to share it."
Mollie shook her head decidedly, so that the feathers of her Indianhead-dress made fantastic small shadows on the ground. "I don't thinkthat would matter in the least and certainly not to Betty," she said inher sensible, far-seeing fashion. "Betty would love to think of our beinghere and she would come and visit us whenever it were possible, butcircumstances seem to have changed for all of us. Here is mother cominghome from Ireland and Polly and I will want to keep house for her andlook after things while she is at work just as we have always done, andthen Mrs. Meade says she isn't willing for Eleanor to be away from herany longer, and Nan feels she ought to go home and help her mother withthe younger children, and Esther going away after a while to New York tostudy. Dear me, what changes a few months can bring! I am glad they havenot brought such big ones to us, Polly."
Sylvia Wharton had been in the act of wrapping a white woolen shawl aboutthe small Faith, who was cuddled close to Rose Dyer, but now she stoppedand stared hard at Mollie and then at Polly with an apparently woodenexpression of face.
"What makes you feel things won't be different for you and that yourmother will go back to work?" she stammered, feeling their guardian givea little warning tug at her dress but unable to change the form of herquestion once it had taken a start in that way in her mind.
However, both the sisters only laughed, Polly exclaiming in an amusedtone: "Of course we don't know anything definitely, oh Sylvia, in thisworld of surprises, but merely that present indications point the wayMollie has just mentioned." Fortunately, Polly, who was usually quick asa flash to follow up any suggestion, had her mind on other than her ownaffairs to-night.
"Esther," she continued the next moment, "this is a kind of confessionalto-night, or at least it may be if we girls decide that we are willing toconfide in one another (autobiography is so much more interesting thanhistory anyhow), so I wonder if you would mind telling us why you changedyour mind so suddenly about going away from Woodford to study. At firstyou said nothing in the world would persuade you to go and then all of asudden, after Betty's misfortune, when it looked as though you might be ahelp to her, you determined to leave. Don't answer me if you don't like,Esther, I know you have a perfectly good reason. Of course _I_ change mymind without a reason, but you don't."
Esther now felt that the eyes of all the members of the Camp Fire circlewere fixed upon her and that many of them held the same question thatPolly had just so frankly asked.
For a moment she hesitated, looking a little appealingly at Miss McMurtryand then at Rose Dyer. Rose nodded her head.
"I would tell just what I felt, Esther, as far as you can," Roserecommended. "It is only fair to you that Betty's dearest friends shouldunderstand your position, even though you would rather that Betty herselfshould not know. I feel you can trust them to keep your secret."
Esther wound the seven strings of honor beads into a single chain beforeshe spoke. "It sounds rather absurd of me and pretentious I know," shebegan slowly; "of course I have a great many reasons in my mind why Ifeel it best for me to go away from Woodford right now and the mostimportant one I cannot tell, but there is another which perhaps I havethe right to let you try to understand. I am not deserting Betty justwhen she seems to need me most; it is because Betty now is poor and someday I may be able to help her if I do go away and succeed with my musicthat I am willing to go. You see Betty has done such a lot for me and haswanted to do so much more and--and--" Esther could not continue with herconfession, but it was hardly necessary, for rising from her place Pollymarched solemnly around their circle and sitting down by Esther put herarm about her neck.
"I understand you perfectly now, Esther, though I want you to believethat no one of us has ever doubted you. You are too unselfish and toounworldly to care to make a big success in the world with your talent ifit is only for yourself, but the thought that maybe you can some daybring back wealth and happiness again to the Princess makes most anyeffort worth while?"
Esther bowed her head, too full of emotion to answer Polly's question inwords.
"I supposed I cared for Betty a lot, I have known her so much longer thanyou have," Polly went on thoughtfully, "but I don't half love her as youdo, Esther, even in this little while. I suppose it is because youhaven't any relatives of your own and your father is still so new to you.But didn't you have a baby brother or some one long years ago----?"
Polly's remark was never finished because Miss Dyer now got up quickly.Because the evenings were so cool the May Council Fire had started earlyand though it was well nigh over, there was still a faint reflection ofdaylight.
"I thought I heard the wheels of a wagon several moments ago," sheexplained, "and now I think I can see Dr. Barton's buggy being driventhis way. I wonder what in the world he can want with us at this time ofthe evening? Polly, will you come back to the cabin with me to see."
The Council Fire was being held at no great distance from the Sunrisecabin, but perhaps it was Rose Dyer's purpose at this moment to separatePolly and Esther.
Of course Polly followed with entire willingness, but a few feet fromtheir door, seeing Dr. Barton's buggy draw nearer and that it held twooccupants instead of one, her face crimsoned and she bit her lips tocontrol her vexation. She was returning to join the girls when Dr.Barton's voice called after her: "Don't go away, Miss O'Neill, please,our call is upon your sister and you. I was driving through the woods andfound Mr. Webster with a telegram which had been telephoned to the farmand which he was bringing out to you and I offered to give him a lift."
Although neither of the two young men had received any invitation toalight, they both got out of the buggy and both wearing somewhatcrestfallen expressions, stood gazing at the two young women.
"I will call Mollie," Polly declared stiffly, drawing back from Billy'shand which held a square of paper in it.
"You need not speak to me, Miss O'Neill, simply because I happen to beyour messenger boy," the young man said as haughtily as Polly could havespoken. "And you need not feel any contamination at accepting thismessage from me. The telegram was telephoned out to our farm and mymother wrote it down, so I haven't the faintest idea what the papercontains."
Without showing any further signs of
recognizing the speaker, Pollyreached for the paper, but the next instant her frightened cry for Molliebrought her sister, Sylvia Wharton, and half a dozen other persons to herside. "I must have read it wrong, it is so dark, or your mother must havemade some mistake!" Polly cried, forgetting her policy of silence in heragitation. And then standing with a white face and clenched teeth shewatched Mollie read the message.
Mollie did not betray any great grief or anger, only a considerableamount of surprise, so that Polly for an instant believed her own eyesmust have deceived her.
"Why, I can't quite understand it," Mollie said aloud, seeing the puzzledgroup of faces around her. "Mother telegraphs that she and Mr. Wharton,Sylvia's father, have been engaged to be married for the past few monthsand that she was coming home to tell us about it and to ask us if we werewilling, but something has happened or else Mr. Wharton has justpersuaded her, for they are married already and are sailing for hometo-morrow. Mother says she is very happy and hopes we will forgive herand be almost as overjoyed as she is in coming home to us. At least thatis what I think the cablegram means. Billy was mistaken in thinking it atelegram. How do you feel, Polly dear? I am too dazed to take it all in."
"I feel," said Polly, with a return to her old passionate, uncontrolledmanner, "that I shall never be happy again as long as I live." And thenobserving a slow, hurt look in Sylvia Wharton's usually unmoved face, sheturned for an instant toward her. "I don't mean to hurt your feelings,Sylvia, or to say anything against your father, but it just isn'tpossible for you to understand what this means to me." And with thisthoroughly Polly-like point of view she ran away and hid herself insidethe cabin.
Billy Webster walked off with Mollie and the other Camp Fire girls totalk things over, giving Dr. Barton a chance to linger for a few momentswith Rose Dyer.
"I don't know why you seem so offended with me these days, Miss Rose,"that young man was soon saying in rather an humble voice for so stern andupright a judge of other people's duties, "but may I say that I thinkyour work among the Camp Fire girls this winter has been quite wonderfuland that I never dreamed you could or would be interested in anythingoutside of society? Oh, Rose----"
"Rose of the World," Rose Dyer finished in a slightly mocking tone, whichdid not show whether or not she had forgiven the young man's formeropinion of her.
However, he _was_ obstinate and so would not be interrupted. "Oh, Rose ofa Thousand Leaves," he ended for himself.