CHAPTER XXV
THE FIRST FRUITS
By Friday of that week you would hardly have known any of them. The fatones were thinner and the thin ones fatter, and Miss Julia Summers couldput her whole hand inside her belt.
And they were pleasant. They'd sit down to a supper of ham and eggs andapple sauce, and yell for more apple sauce, and every evening in thebilliard room they got up two weighing pools, one for the ones whowanted to reduce, and one for the people who wanted to gain. Everybodyput in a dollar, and at gymnasium hour the next morning the ones who'dgained or lost the most won the pool. Mr. Thoburn won the losing pool onThursday and Friday--he didn't want to lose weight, but he was compelledto under the circumstances. And I think worry helped him to it.
They fussed some still about sleeping with the windows open, especiallythe bald-headed men. However, the bishop, who had been bald for thirtyyears, was getting a fine down all over the top of his head, and thisencouraged the rest. The bishop says it is nature's instinct to protectitself from cold--all animals have fur, and heavier fur in winter--andhe believed that it was the ultimate cure for baldness. Men lose theirhair on top, he said, because they wear hats, and so don't need it.But let the top of the head need protection, and lo, hair comes there.Although, as Mr. Thoburn said, his nose was always cold in winter, andnature never did anything for IT.
Mr. von Inwald was still there, and not troubling himself to beagreeable to any but the Jennings family. He and Mr. Pierce carefullyavoided each other, but I knew well enough that only policy kept themapart. Both of them, you see, were working for something.
Miss Cobb came to the spring-house early Friday morning, and from theway she came in and shut the door I knew she had something on her mind.She walked over to where I was polishing the brass railing around thespring--it had been the habit of years, and not easy to break--and stoodlooking at me and breathing hard.
"Minnie," she exclaimed, "I have found the thief!"
"Lord have mercy!" I said, and dropped the brass polish.
"I have found the thief!" she repeated firmly. "Minnie, our sins alwaysfind us out."
"I guess they do," I said shakily, and sat down on the steps to thespring. "Oh, Miss Cobb, if only he would use a little bit of sense!"
"He?" she said. "HE nothing! It's that Summers woman I'm talking about,Minnie. I knew that woman wasn't what she ought to be the minute I seteyes on her."
"The Summers woman!" I repeated.
Miss Cobb leaned over the railing and shook a finger in my face.
"The Summers woman," she said. "One of the chambermaids found my--myPROTECTORS hanging in the creature's closet!"
I couldn't speak. There had been so much happening that I'd cleanforgotten Miss Cobb and her woolen tights. And now to have them comeback like this and hang themselves around my neck, so to speak--it wastoo much.
"Per--perhaps they're hers," I said weakly after a minute.
"Stuff and nonsense!" declared Miss Cobb. "Don't you think I know myown, with L. C. in white cotton on the band, and my own darning in theknee where I slipped on the ice? And more than that, Minnie, where thosetights are, my letters are!"
I glanced at the pantry, where her letters were hidden on the uppershelf. The door was closed.
"But--but what would she want with the letters?" I asked, with myteeth fairly hitting together. Miss Cobb pushed her forefinger into myshoulder.
"To blackmail me," she said, in a tragic voice, "or perhaps to publish.I've often thought of that myself--they're so beautiful. Letters froma life insurance agent to his lady-love--interesting, you know, andalliterative. As for that woman--!"
"What woman!" said Miss Summers' voice from behind us. We jumped andturned. "I always save myself trouble, so if by any chance you arediscussing me--"
"As it happens," Miss Cobb said, glaring at her, "I WAS discussing you."
"Fine!" said Miss Julia. "I love to talk about myself."
"I doubt if it's an edifying subject," Miss Cobb snapped.
Miss Julia looked at her and smiled.
"Perhaps not," she said, "but interesting. Don't put yourself out to befriendly to me, Miss Cobb, if you don't feel like it."
"Are you going to return my letters?" Miss Cobb demanded.
"Your letters?"
"My letters--that you took out of my room!"
"Look here," Miss Julia said, still in a good humor, "don't you supposeI've got letters of my own, without bothering with another woman's?"
"Perhaps," Miss Cobb replied in triumph, "perhaps you will say that youdon't know anything of my--of my black woolen protectors?"
"Never heard of them!" said Miss Summers. "What are they?" And then shecaught my eye, and I guess I looked stricken. "Oh!" she said.
"Miss Cobb was robbed the other night," I explained, as quietly as Icould. "Somebody went into her room and took a bundle of letters."
"Letters!" Miss Summers straightened and looked at me.
"And my woolen tights," said Miss Cobb indignantly, "with all this coldweather and military walks, and having to sit two hours a day by an openwindow! And I'll tell you this, Miss Summers, your dog got in my roomthat night, and while I have no suspicions, the chambermaid foundmy--er--missing garment this morning in your closet!"
"I don't believe," Miss Julia said, looking hard at me, "that Arabellawould steal anything so--er--grotesque! Do you mean to say," she addedslowly, "that nothing was taken from that room but the--lingerie and abundle of letters?"
"Exactly," said Miss Cobb, "and I'd thank you for the letters."
"The letters!" Miss Julia retorted. "I've never been in your room. Ihaven't got the letters. I've never seen them." Then a light dawned inher face. "I--oh, it's the funniest ever!"
And with that she threw her head back and laughed until the tears rolleddown her cheeks and she held her side.
"Screaming!" she gasped. "It's screaming! But, oh, Minnie, to have seenyour face!"
Miss Cobb swept to the door and turned in a fury.
"I do not think it is funny," she stormed, "and I shall report to Mr.Carter at once what I have discovered."
She banged out, and Miss Julia put her head on a card-table and writhedwith joy. "To have seen your face, Minnie!" she panted, wiping her eyes."To have thought you had Dick Carter's letters, that I keep rolledin asbestos, and then to have opened them and found they were to MissCobb!"
"Be as happy as you like," I snapped, "but you are barking up the wrongtree. I don't know anything about any letters and as far as that goes,do you think I've lived here fourteen years to get into the wrong roomat night? If I'd wanted to get into your room, I'd have found your room,not Miss Cobb's."
She sat up and pulled her hat straight, looking me right in the eye.
"If you'll recall," she said, "I came into the spring-house, andArabella pulled that--garment of Miss Cobb's off a table. It wasearly--nobody was out yet. You were alone, Minnie, or no," she saidsuddenly, "you were not alone. Minnie, WHO was in the pantry?"
"What has that to do with it?" I managed, with my feet as cold as stone.
She got up and buttoned her sweater.
"Don't trouble to lie," she said. "I can see through a stone wallas well as most people. Whoever got those letters thought they werestealing mine, and there are only two people who would try to steal myletters; one is Dick Carter, and the other is his brother-in-law. Itwasn't Sam in the pantry--he came in just after with his little snip ofa wife."
"Well?" I managed.
But she was smiling again, not so pleasantly.
"I might have known it!" she said. "What a fool I've been, Minnie, andhow clever you are under that red thatch of yours! Dicky can not appearas long as I am here, and Pierce takes his place, and I help to keep thesecret and to play the game! Well, I can appreciate a joke on myself aswell as most people, but--Minnie, Minnie, think of that guilty wretch ofa Dicky Carter shaking in the pantry!"
"I don't know what you are talking about," I said, but she only winkedand went to
the door.
"Don't take it too much to heart," she advised. "Too much loyalty isa vice, not a virtue. And another piece of advice, Minnie--when I findDicky Carter, stand from under; something will fall."
They had charades during the rest hour that afternoon, the overweightsheaded by the bishop, against the underweights headed by Mr. Moody. Theyselected their words from one of Horace Fletcher's books, and as Mr.Pierce wasn't either over or underweight, they asked him to be referee.
Oh, they were crazy about him by that time. It was "Mr. Carter" here and"dear Mr. Carter" there, with the women knitting him neckties and themen coming up to be bullied and asking for more.
And he kept the upper hand, too, once he got it. It was that day, Ithink, that he sent Senator Biggs up to make his bed again, and nobodyin the place will ever forget how he made old Mr. Jennings hang hisgymnasium suit up three times before it was done properly. The old manwas mad enough at the time, but inside of twenty minutes he was offeringMr. Pierce the cigar he'd won in the wood-chopping contest.
But if Mr. Pierce was making a hit with the guests, he wasn't so popularwith the Van Alstynes or the Carters. The night the cigar stand wasclosed Mr. Sam came to me and leaned over the counter.
"Put the key in a drawer," he said. "I can slip down here after thelights are out and get a smoke."
"Can't do it, Mr. Van Alstyne," I said. "Got positive orders."
"That doesn't include me." He was still perfectly good-humored.
"Sorry," I said. "Have to have a written order from Mr. Pierce."
He put a silver dollar on the desk between us and looked at me over it.
"Will that open the case?" he asked. But I shook my head.
"Well, I'll be hanged! What the devil sort of order did he give you?"
"He said," I repeated, "that I'd be coaxed and probably bribed to openthe cigar case, and that you'd probably be the first one to do it, butI was to stick firm; you've been smoking too much, and your nerves aregoing."
"Insolent young puppy!" he exclaimed angrily, and stamped away.
So that I was not surprised when on that night, Friday, I was told to beat the shelter-house at ten o'clock for a protest meeting. Mrs. Sam toldme.
"Something has to be done," she said. "I don't intend to stand muchmore. Nobody has the right to say when I shall eat or what. If I want toeat fried shoe leather, that's my affair."
We met at ten o'clock at the shelter-house, everybody having gone tobed--Miss Patty, the Van Alstynes and myself. The Dickys were on goodterms again, for a wonder, and when we went in they were in front of thefire, she on a box and he at her feet, with his head buried in her lap.He didn't even look up when we entered.
"They're here, Dicky," she said.
"All right!" he answered in a smothered voice. "How many of 'em?"
"Four," she said, and kissed the tip of his ear.
"For goodness sake, Dick!" Mrs. Sam snapped in a disgusted tone, "stopthat spooning and get us something to sit on."
"Help yourself," he replied, still from his wife's lap, "and don't bejealous, sis. If the sight of married happiness upsets you, go away. Goaway, anyhow."
Mr. Sam came over and jerked him into a sitting position. "Either you'llsit up and take part in this discussion," he said angrily, "or you'll goout in the snow until it's over."
Mr. Dick leaned over and kissed his wife's hand.
"A cruel fate is separating us," he explained, "but try to endure ituntil I return. I'll be on the other side of the fireplace."
Miss Patty came to the fire and stood warming her hands. I saw hersister watching her.
"What's wrong with you, Pat?" she asked. "Oskar not behaving?"
"Don't be silly," Miss Patty said. "I'm all right."
"She's worked to death," Mrs. Sam put in. "Look at all of us. I'll tellyou I'm so tired these nights that by nine o'clock I'm asleep on myfeet."
"I'm tired to death, but I don't sleep," Miss Patty said. "I--I don'tknow why."
"I do," her sister said. "If you weren't so haughty, Pat, and would justown up that you're sick of your bargain--"
"Dolly!" Miss Patty got red and then white.
"Oh, all right," Mrs. Dicky said, and shrugged her shoulders. "Only, Ihate to see you make an idiot of yourself, when I'm so happy."
Mr. Dick made a move at that to go across the fireplace to her, but Mr.Sam pushed him back where he was.
"You stay right there," he said. "Here's Pierce now."
He came in smiling, and as he stood inside the door, brushing the snowoff, it was queer to see how his eyes went around the circle until he'dfound Miss Patty and stopped at her.
Nobody answered his smile, and he came over to the fire beside MissPatty.
"Great night!" he said, looking down at her. "There's somethinginvigorating in just breathing that wind."
"Do you think so?" Mrs. Sam said disagreeably. "Of course, we haven'tall got your shoulders."
"That's so," he answered, turning to her. "I said you women should notcome so far. We could have met in my sitting-room."
"You forget one thing," Mr. Dick put in disagreeably, "and that isthat this meeting concerns me, and I can not very well go to YOURsitting-room."
"Fact," said Mr. Pierce, "I'd forgotten about you for the moment."
"You generally do," Mr. Dick retorted. "If you want the truth, Pierce,I'm about tired of your high-handed methods."
Mr. Pierce set his jaw and looked down at him.
"Why? I've saved the place, haven't I? Why, look here," he said, andpulled out a couple of letters, "these are the first fruits of thosethat weep--in other words, per aspera ad astra! Two new guests comingthe last of the week--want to be put in training!"
Well, that was an argument nobody could find fault with, but theirgrievance was about themselves and they couldn't forgive him. Theyturned on him in the most heartless way--even Miss Patty--and demandedthat he give them special privileges--breakfast when they wanted it, andMr. Sam the key to the bar. And he stood firm, as he had that day in thelobby, and let the storm beat around him, looking mostly at Miss Patty.It was more than I could bear.
"Shame on all of you!" I said. "He's done what he promised he'd do, andmore. If he did what he ought, he'd leave this minute, and let you findout for yourself what it is to drive thirty-odd different stomachs andthe same number of bad dispositions in one direction."
"You are perfectly right, Minnie," Miss Patty said. "We're beastly,all of us, and I'm sorry." She went over and held out her hand to him."You've done the impossible," she told him. He beamed.
"Your approval means more than anything," he said, holding her hand.Mrs. Dick sat up and opened her eyes wide.
"Speaking of Oskar," she began, and then stopped, staring past hersister, toward the door.
We all turned, and there, blinking in the light, was Miss Summers.