Gloria sat in her favorite chair on the broad veranda. The shadow of the
vines made a delicate tracery over her white dress. Gloria was lazily
content. She had been comfortable and content for seventeen years.
“There's that queer little thing again, going off with her queer little
bag!” Gloria's gaze dwelt on the house across the wide street. Down its
steps a small, neat figure was tripping. Gloria recognized it as an old
sight-acquaintance.
“I wish I could find out where she goes at just the same time every day!
In all the blazing sun--ugh! I'll ask Aunt Em sometime. And that makes
me think of what I want to ask Uncle Em!” It was natural that Aunt
Em should remind one of Uncle Em. Gloria's thought of the two as the
composite guardian of her important young peace and happiness--as well
as money. For Gloria was rich.
“I suppose I might go down and ask him this morning. It's a bore, but
perhaps it will pay. Abou Ben Adhem, I'll do it!”
Abou Ben Adhem, the great silver cat in her lap, blinked indifferently.
He was Gloria's newest pet, so named with the superstitious fancy that
it might have the effect of making “his tribe increase,” and Abou Ben
Adhem's “tribe” was exceedingly valuable. Gloria set the big, warm
weight gently down upon its embroidered cushion.
“Good-by, old dear. Be glad you aren't a human and don't have to go down
town in a blazing sun!”
A few moments later the dainty girlish figure came out again, gloved and
hatted. Aunt Em followed it to the door.
“Walk slowly, dear--just measure your steps! And be sure to take the car
at the corner. Perhaps you can bring Uncle Walter back with you.”
It was only Gloria who called him Uncle Em. He was not really uncle
anyway to Gloria, being merely her kind, good-natured, easily-coaxed
guardian. But for ten years he and this sweet-faced elderly woman in the
doorway had been father and mother to the orphaned girl.
“Of course he'll come, if I tell him to!” laughed back Gloria from the
sidewalk. “Auntie, please ask Bergitta to come out and move Abou Ben's
cushion into the shade when the sun gets round to him. He'd never
condescend to move without the cushion.”
At the corner no car was in sight and Gloria proceeded at a leisurely
pace to the settee that offered a comfortable waiting-place a block
above. The small, neat person of the House Across the Street was there
with her big, shabby bag. She moved over invitingly.
“But you'd better not sit down!” she said laughingly. “If you do, no car
will ever come! I've been here a small age.”
The shabby bag between them attracted Gloria's curious gaze. It might
contain so many different things--even a kit of unholy tools, jimmies
and things! It looked decidedly like that kind of a bag.
“A fright, isn't it? If I ever got time, I could black it, or ink it, or
something, but I never shall get the time. I don't wonder you look at
it--everybody does.” “Oh!” Gloria hurried apologetically, “I didn't
mean to be rude! I was just trying to make up my mind what was in it.”
[Illustration: “I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DO SEE.”]
“Well, did you?” The face of the small, neat person bubbled with
soft laughter. Her hand went out and stroked the old bag's sides
affectionately. “Give you three guesses!”
“I don't need but one!” laughed Gloria. A pleasant little intimacy
seemed already established between the two of them.
“Well, guess one, then?”
“A--jimmy!”
“Gracious!” laughed the Small Person. “Do I look as bad as that? No,”
growing suddenly quite grave, “you will have to guess again. I'll give
you a cue--absorbent cotton.”
“Absorb--” began Gloria in surprise, but stopped. The bag was open
under her eyes. She caught a confused glimpse of bottles and rolls of
something carefully done up in white tissue, of a dark blue pasteboard
box with a red cross on the visible end, of curiously-shaped scissors.
“See any jimmy?” queried the one beside her.
“No, but I don't know what I _do_ see.”
“My dear--there's our car! Let me introduce you. The workbag, if you
please, of the District Nurse, Mary Winship. I have not the pleasure--”
“Gloria Abercrombie,” bowed Gloria politely, but her eyes danced. She
liked this small, neat Mary Winship. They got into the car together.
“I live right across the street,” Gloria added, when they were safely
seated.
“So do I! I've seen you over there rocking a magnificent gray cat. Does
it feel good?”
“The cat--Abou Ben Adhem? He's the warmest, softest thing!”
“No, sitting. I hardly ever do it, so I'm not a good judge. You always
look so rested over there--it rests me to see you.”
The pleasant laugh jostled with the lurching of the car; it had the
effect of being tremulous with some emotion, but there was nothing
tremulous about the placid face beside Gloria.
“You poor dear!” Gloria burst out impetuously. “How tired to pieces you
must get! I've pitied you every one of these hot days.”
“Don't!” smiled the other. “Pity my poor folks. Why, here's my street so
soon!” She clambered down with her heavy bag and nodded back.
Gloria watched her trip away. The street she had stopped at was not a
pleasant looking one; Gloria had time to see that it was lined with
houses that leaned toward each other in an unattractive manner. And the
children--the swift impression Gloria got was of a street lined, too,
with little unattractive children.
“Not a tree on it,” she mused as the car jolted her on to Uncle Em's.
“Think of no trees! And whole mobs of children, and such a day as this!”
It was terribly hot. “I wonder what a District Nurse is? Well, I like
'em!”
Arrived at the great building among whose offices was that of Walter
McAndrew, Attorney-at-Law, Gloria's thoughts were turned into a new
channel. She remembered that she had come down town on important
business, and it was up two flights in this office building where she
was to transact it. Uncle Em was Walter McAndrew, Attorney-at-Law.
She took the elevator and was presently at the right door. She went
in unceremoniously; it was one of her favorite visiting-places. Mr.
McAndrew looked up and gravely bowed.
“Take a seat, madam, and I will be at liberty in a few moments,” he
began politely. But “Madam's” small, white hand, placed over his lips,
interrupted. “You are at liberty now--this minute, Uncle Em!” said
Gloria.
The man at the desk shrugged his shoulders, then, helping her to a
comfortable seat on the arm-chair, said:
“All right. What is it, Rosy Posie?”
“Uncle Em, am I rich?”
“Er--what's that? Oh, well,” judiciously, “you'll do.”
“Very rich? How rich, Uncle Em?”
The big swing-chair revolved with rapidity, to the peril of the young
lady on its arm. The face of Walter McAndrew, Attorney-at-Law, expressed
surprise.
“What's the drive?” he asked.
“That's what I want to know. How am I to drive? Uncle Em, see here. I
want a runabout--wait, please wait! A nice, shiny runabout, that I can
'run' myself. I'll take you some of the time. Now, when can I have it?”
“You talk as if I had one concealed about me somewhere, and could
produce it at a moment's notice.”
“All right, hand over my nice, shiny little auto!” laughed the young
woman. “Honest, I'm in earnest, Uncle Em. I dreamed I had one last
night, and I intended to ask you at breakfast, but I was sound asleep.
Don't say anything for answer just now. Just think about it, then drop
into the place where they keep 'em, on your way to supper, and order
one! That's all--I'll let you off easy!”
Gloria got up and wandered about the little room. Its barrenness
reminded her of Treeless Street, lined with little children, and her
busy thoughts traveled back to that.
“What's a District Nurse, Uncle Em?” she asked suddenly; “with a
rusty-black bag full of bottles and absorbent cotton? There's one across
the street from us.”
“Bag or nurse?”
“Both. She's a dear, but what does she do?”
“Why,” explained Uncle Em, “she visits the poor and takes care of them
if they are sick, you know. It's rather a new institution here in
Tilford, but seems to be working finely. The city pays the nurse's
salary, or else it's done by private subscriptions.”
“But I don't see how one nurse gets time to take care of a whole
city--mercy!” Gloria's personal experience with nurses had been two to
one girl. She remembered them now--the gentle day-nurse and the gentle
night-nurse, who had moved soft-footedly about her bed, performing
soothing little offices. Uncle Em smiled at her puzzled face.
“No wonder you don't 'see,'” he said, interpreting her thoughts. “But in
this case the sick person gets but an hour's care, perhaps, a day. The
nurse goes from house to house, doing what she can in a little time.
She has to divide up her care, you see. But it is a merciful work--a
merciful work.”
Gloria's face was thoughtful. Treeless Street haunted her.
“Do you know a street that hasn't a single tree on it, Uncle Em? The
awfulest street! Just children and children and children and tenement
houses. I suppose I've been by it hundreds of times, but I never saw it
till to-day. It must have a name to it.”
“What do you want to know its name for, my dear? It isn't the kind of
a street to run about on!” Uncle Em laughed. To Gloria the note of
uneasiness in his voice was not noticeable.
She nodded a gay little good-by and was gone.