CHAPTER XII
NATHALIE'S LIBERTY BOYS
On and on she rode, peering through the gloaming until her eyes ached,ever conscious of the "throb, throb," of the car directly behind her.What a mistake, she thought dismally, to have ventured on these lonelyroads alone. And, O dear! how her mother would worry when she failed toarrive home on time.
Suddenly she stopped and stared fixedly through the gray light, and thenher heart leaped, for down the road a little distance, trudging slowlyand uncertainly beside the mountain-ditch, were four little figures. Oh,they must be those boys, but she had sent for only three.
With a glad thrill of hope urging her forward, the machine responded toher touch, and in a moment she had reached the boys, one of whom, at thesound of the oncoming car, had swung around, and was staring at her withlarge, liquid brown eyes. The girl suddenly decided that he must be theItalian lad, who the ticket-agent had said wore an embroidered vest, andcarried a violin under his arm. Yes, there was the violin!
Nathalie brought her car to a sudden stop, and called out, "Hello there,boys; hello!"
At the sound of the girl's call all four swung about and faced her,while a boyish, gruff voice answered: "Hello yourself. What do youwant?"
Nathalie laughed happily, for a sudden intuition told her that hersearch was over. And then she said: "Why, I am looking for some littleboys, who were to have come from New York on the White Mountain express.Are you the ones?"
A chorus of trebles piped excitedly, "Yes, mum; we comed off the train,"while the tallest lad, to whom a smaller child of six or seven wasnervously clinging, stepped forward. As he lifted his ragged cap hecried politely, "Be you Miss Nathalie Page?" The girl, as she stareddown at the questioner, saw a close-cropped head of reddish hair, and afreckled face of an unhealthy pallor, from which two sharp blue eyeswere anxiously peering.
"Yes, I'm Miss Nathalie Page," responded the girl, with a note of reliefin her voice, not only glad that she had found the boys, but at thesudden thought that her tormentor would now let her alone, for, withfour boys to keep her company, he would not dare to molest her.
"I'm awfully sorry not to have met you at the station," she went onregretfully, "but something happened to my machine and I was detained onthe road. But I did not know that there would be four of you," she addeda little doubtfully. But before she could finish her sentence, the ladwho had constituted himself the spokesman for the group, silently handedher a letter.
Nathalie tore it open, and then hastily read it. She was so excited,however, by the many events that had crowded one upon the other that shedid not sense its full meaning. Recognizing the signature, "ElizabethVan Vorst," she cried hastily, "Well, it's all right, boys; jump intothe car," as she stuffed the letter into the pocket of her coat.Nathalie immediately saw that a second invitation would not be needed,as the boys made a wild lunge forward, scrambling and pushing eachother, as if to see which one would get there first, all but the littlechap, who stood whimpering by the side of the car.
"Now, boys, no pushing or pulling," cried Nathalie with a laugh in hervoice, "for there's plenty of room, and you're all going home with me.But here, you big one, get out and put that little kid up by me, for thepoor tot must be hungry and tired."
"Sure, he is, Miss," replied the older lad, who evidently was hisbrother, jumping down and lifting him up into the seat by Nathalie,despite his kicks and protests that he wanted to sit with Danny.
"Ah, there, kid," coaxed the bigger boy softly, "don't be a girl. Showyou're a boy. Sit up there nice-like. Sure the leddy won't eat yer."This suggestion of being a girl had a magical effect upon the child, forhe immediately ceased to whimper, and settled back in the seat with arepressed sniffle.
Nathalie turned the car around,--the man who had been following her hadlong since disappeared in the darkness,--and was soon speeding towardshome. She glanced every now and then at the three figures on the backseat, who sat as still as three blind mice, snuggling up to each otherfor warmth, while the little chap at her side clutched her franticallyas he lurched forward every time the car swung around a corner, orbumped over a "thank-you-ma'am."
"Here, kiddie," cried the girl presently, suddenly looking down at thechild, whose big, reddish-brown eyes were staring up at her halffearfully from out of a wan, white face. "Put your head on my lap!There, that's it," as the child, to her surprise snuggled up to her, andthen silently obeyed. "Now look up," she added laughingly, "and countthe stars."
Although this injunction brought forth a chuckle from the back seat, itsufficed to keep the little one quiet, and the girl, as she droverapidly on, could hear him droning, "One, two, three,--" until, with adrowsy little sigh, the counting ceased, and the girl saw that he wasasleep.
It was almost nine o'clock when Nathalie whirled under the dimly burninglantern of the porte-cochere at Seven Pillars, where, on the veranda,Janet and her mother were anxiously watching for her.
"Oh, Nathalie, I have been so worried about you," began her motherplaintively. "I will never let you go off this way again." But herlamentations were cut short as her daughter cried, "Oh, it's all right,mumsie; something happened to the car and detained me. But do help meget these hungry boys into the house, for the poor things are just deadwith the long ride and for something to eat."
Several minutes later, as the girl came hurrying from the kitchen, whereshe had been to see if the boys' supper was ready, she found them linedup in the hall, four pathetically weary little figures. Their pale faceswere smeared with railroad dust, and their foreheads oozed perspiration,but their eyes were bright and expectantly keen, on the alert for thesomething good that they knew was coming.
As her eyes swept smilingly down the line, the smile suddenly wavered,as her glance was arrested by the thin, emaciated face of a strangegrayish whiteness,--of a peasant lad, who, bewildered with dumbamazement, was staring at her with a dogged look, his dark eyes haunted,as it were, by an expression of fear.
He was huddling something in his right arm, a yellowish-brown thing thatsquirmed and twisted uneasily, while the left sleeve of his soiledshirt-waist, strapped with one suspender, was pinned to his shoulder inan empty, flat way that was infinitely pathetic, for the little lad hadonly one arm!
The girl stared back at the boy with a suppressed cry, as into memoryflashed the many stories she had heard of the Belgian and Frenchchildren who had been so mercilessly ill-treated and maimed by theGerman soldiers. Oh, this must be one of those refugees. Yes, she dimlyremembered now, seeing the word "Belgian" in Mrs. Van Vorst's letter,which she had read so quickly. With sudden effort, her naturalkindliness coming to her aid, she smiled into the fear-haunted eyes,crying gently, as she softly touched him on the one arm, "Is that yourdog? Oh, I love dogs. What is his name?"
A sudden flash of joyful relief radiated from the boy's face,momentarily driving away that dulled, cowlike bewilderment from hiseyes. It was a look that caused Nathalie's heart to quiver with pain,for it was the look of some dumb animal that had been wantonly punishedor brutally hurt by the hand it loved; a look that haunted her for manydays, constantly urging her to try and say something, or do something,so as to drive it away.
The next moment a little yellow-brown terrier was crouching on the floorat his master's feet, while thumping the floor with his tail, andlicking his hand, then trying to crawl up his trousers' leg, as if toget back to the shelter of that one lonely arm.
"Is that your dog? Oh, I love dogs!"--_Page 184_.]
"Oh, the poor animal must be hungry," exclaimed Mrs. Page, just as theboy had given his name as Tige. "But come, children," she added, "andget your suppers; and the dog, too," patting the brown head of therefugee, while a look of infinite pity shone from her kindly eyes.
The boys needed no further urging, as Danny, with a wild hoot ofdelight, yelled, "Come on, fellers; it's eats." And then,notwithstanding Nathalie's well-laid plans that each one should have agood wash-up before eating, they made a strai
ght run for the kitchen.
Here they were soon putting down everything in sight in a way thatalmost frightened the girl, as she suddenly realized the care andresponsibility she had taken upon herself. And that _one-armed boy_! Odear! she had never thought of such a thing as _that_.
But if they didn't have their wash before supper, they had it very soonafter, as the girl marched each one separately to the washbowl in thebathroom, and, after making him duck his head in the water, proceeded togive it a vigorous shampoo, notwithstanding sundry squirms and twists,for Nathalie believed in taking things by the forelock, and they just_must be clean_.
Then the scrubbed one, after being supplied with towels and soap, wasinformed that he must give himself a good scrubbing in the tub, and ifhe failed to do it properly, he would have to do it all over again.Nathalie's somewhat severe admonition was met with stony silence on thepart of her victims, unless it was a rather loud, "Gee whiz, fellers;here's me for a swim!" that involuntarily escaped Danny, the older boy,when he found himself before the well-filled bath-tub.
When it came to the little chap's turn, Nathalie's young heart revoltedat letting him go through the washing process all by himself, as he wasso little, tired, and sleepy, so she said that she would give him hisbath. To her surprise he began to whimper, while his older brotherprotested most vehemently that he could bathe him.
"Oh, no," returned the young lady decidedly; and a few moments later hercharge was standing in the bath-tub, ready for his scrubbing, Nathaliemeanwhile talking to him gently, as if to quiet his fears.
Some time later, with a red, heated face, the young girl emerged fromthe room, dragging a little white-robed figure by the hand, whose facewas, strange to say, wreathed in dimples. "Here, dear, you get into MissNatty's bed," said the girl, leading the child into her room, "andbrother will stay with you until I return," motioning to Danny, who hadbeen waiting outside the bathroom, with a strange, worried look on hisface.
"Oh, mother," exclaimed Nathalie a moment later, as she came rushing outto the porch. "What do you think? Oh, I never was so surprised in mylife!"
"Why, Nathalie, what is the matter with you?" ejaculated Janet, as sheplaced her arm caressingly around the girl. "You are as white as aghost, and you're all of a tremble."
"Oh, I've had such a scare,--such a _terrible_ surprise," stammered thegirl. And then she broke into a little laugh as she cried: "Oh, mother,you know the littlest chap? Well, he isn't a boy at all; he's a girl!"
"A girl!" echoed three voices simultaneously, and then Mrs. Page gave alaugh, a laugh in which every one joined.
It did not take Nathalie long to relate her experiences in the bathroom,and then she remarked: "I wonder if Mrs. Van Vorst knew he was a girl.It's awfully funny. Oh, I'll read her letter again."
The next moment, with the letter opened before her, she was slowlyreading aloud:
"Dear Nathalie:
"I am sending you four boys instead of three. The fourth lad is a one-armed Belgian refugee, and his story is so pitiful I am sure, when you come to learn it, you will be glad I sent him to you. A Buffalo lady sent word to the Belgian Relief Committee that she would take one of a number of refugees recently arrived from France. But when she found that the poor lad had been mutilated by the Germans, her heart weakened. She claimed that she could not stand unpleasant things--what about the sufferings of the boy?--and returned him to the committee.
"A member of the committee, hearing that I was looking for some boys, and being greatly distressed over the cruelty of the case, begged me to send him to you, if only for a little while, so as to give them a chance to place him later. I, of course, will be responsible for any expense he will be to you. I am sorry, but I had no opportunity to clothe him. He seems a strange, docile child. I think he is still living in the horrors of hell, from those terrible eyes of his. Oh, it is heart-breaking, but I know that you love children, dear, and I am sure that you are just the one to bring something of the child in him back to his face again.
"His story is one of many. His village was overrun by the German soldiery, and the brave little lad, while trying to defend his mother from the atrocity of a German officer, was bayoneted, and finally lost his arm. His mother was carried away into Germany, but the boy believes her dead. I will not tell you the rest of the story, for some day he may want to unburden his child mind and tell you his pitiful take himself. His little yellow dog has been his comrade through all of his weary wanderings, the _only thing_ that remains to him of his once happy home, and no one had the heart to take it from him.
"The Italian lad was found wandering in the streets on the East Side, making an effort to support himself by playing on his violin, as his aged grandfather,--he seems to have been an orphan,--who was a hurdy-gurdy man, had just died. The two brothers were found living in a cellar, where Danny, the older one, had been trying to support his brother, after the death of the aged woman who had had charge of them. He sold papers, but, when sick and unable to do so, was found half-starved in the cellar. It is hoped that the bracing breezes of the mountain air, with good healthy food, will make new children of these boys.
"Dear Nathalie, if you could only realize the bigness of the work you have undertaken in taking these slum children into a wonder-land of healthy living, the beauties and wonders of which will mean to them a new and glorified world. God bless you, dear, is all I can say and pray.
"Your friend, "Elizabeth Van Vorst."
"No, this letter proves that Mrs. Van Vorst did not know that the childwas a girl," said Nathalie, as she tucked the letter in her shirt-waist."But, mother, what _shall_ I do about it?" she continued, in such adejected voice that her mother burst out laughing.
"Don't do anything about it, daughter," Mrs. Page replied, stilllaughing. "A girl is as good as a boy any day, and we will just set towork, this very minute, and rig up some clothes from some of your oldthings, for the child to wear."
"Oh, I think she will make a lovely girl, with those great brown eyes ofhers," cried Janet, enthusiastically. "And she has dimples, too. I knowwe can make the sweetest thing of her, and--"
But Nathalie didn't wait to hear the rest. She was so overjoyed to thinkit had turned out all right, that she was in a hurry to reassure Danny,whom she realized had been greatly worried over the circumstance. Buthow did they come to dress the child as a boy? she queried as shehurried into the room, where the now little girl had fallen fast asleepin Nathalie's bed, while her brother watched beside her with a white,frightened face.
"Tell me, Danny," inquired Nathalie gently, as she laid her hand on theboy's head, "how did you come to make a boy of your sister?"
A quick sob broke from the lad. And then, with a stiffening of his chin,as if with the resolution that he would not give way, while furtivelywiping his eyes with the back of his hand, he told how, when GrannyMaguire died, and his little sister's clothes, after a time, wore out,he had been compelled to clothe her in his cast-off rags, because he hadno others, and he didn't know where to get them.
"She didn't like it no way at first," the lad's blue eyes twinkled, "butshe got kind o' used to it, an' then I promised that when she growed bigI'd let her be a girl. And whin the leddy that does the settlement workcomed round and wanted me to go ter the country I couldn't leave thekid, and when she said he could come too, I didn't squeal on meself, butjest kept mumlike, for they wouldn't have let her come wid me if theyknowed she was a girl. Sure, marm, we'll have ter wait till morning togo back," the lad tried to steady his voice, "fur the boss wid the brassbuttons on the train told me there ain't no train till then. Can we walkto the station, do yer think?" he inquired pleadingly.
"But you're not going back, Danny," replied Nathalie. "You're going tostay right here with me, as long as you're good and mind me. It doesn'
tmake a bit of difference if your sister is not a boy. I wrote for threeboys, for I thought boys could take care of themselves in a way. Then,as we have no servants here, and I get tired sometimes with so much todo, I thought that boys would be more of a help. But we'll dress yoursister as a girl, and--Oh, don't cry, Danny," for the boy had turned hishead aside, and was silently struggling with his sobs.
But they were sobs of joy, as Nathalie soon discovered, as, with a finalshake of his thin shoulders, he faced about and cried: "Oh, thank you,ma'am. No, I ain't no blubberin' calf, but sure I just couldn't let thekid go back alone--and--But Gee, leddy, it sure is heaven up here withthese big hills--and the green trees--and the flowers--And, leddy," hepulled at Nathalie's sleeve as she turned to go away, "I kin be a sighto' help ter yer, for I knows how to wash dishes, and I kin cook too, agood bit."
"Oh, that will be just fine, Danny," enthused Nathalie, "for I am wildto have a man chef, and I'll let you wash all the dishes you want to,for that's a job I hate. And, Danny," said the girl, patting the boy'sshoulder gently, "we are going to make it as near like Heaven up here aswe can. But come, son, you must be tired." And then she led the boyup-stairs to the upper floor, where, in a large corner-room, she hadtaken the other boys, who were undressed and ready to tumble into thethree beds.
After directing Danny to sleep in the double bed, as he was the largest,so that each one of the smaller boys could have a bed to himself, sheshowed them the closet and how to hang up their clothes,--what littlethey had, they had brought tied up in handkerchiefs, or on theirbacks,--she turned to go. "Yes, and you must be sure to get up, _everyone of you_, when you hear the big bell ring in the morning."
She had reached the door, after bidding them goodnight, when a suddenthought turned her back. And then Nathalie had her first solemn momentswith her boys, as she told each one that, before getting in bed, he mustsay his prayers, so as to thank God for the good things that had beengiven them that day. The little Italian lad immediately drew out hisrosary and began to say his beads, but Danny scratched his head in adubious sort of way, and mumbled that it was so long since he had saidhis prayers that he couldn't remember what he was to say.
But this forgetfulness on Danny's part was soon remedied, as the girlmade him kneel by her in the moonlight that streamed through the window,and solemnly repeat, "Now I lay me down to sleep," adding a few words asa suggestion to the boy as to what he should add to the prayer. Danny,with a brighter face, now began to prepare for bed, and Nathalie, as sheagain turned to leave the room, stopped to speak with the refugee. Andthen the girl's eyes grew moist, for he had stolen into the darkestcorner of the room, and, with his one hand solemnly upraised, wasrepeating a prayer softly to himself, while the little yellow cur stoodat attention by his side.