LYNCH-LAW.
Mamie looked considerably startled. Provoking little imp as she was, the
girls had never actually touched her.
“You dassent,” she said, unbelievingly, after a moment. “You dassent
tetch me.”
“Yes, I do dare, and I will,” said Eunice, firmly.
The children had been walking on through the orchard, during the
dispute, Mamie keeping along by the fence. They were close to the corner
now, where a gate opened.
“Don’t you follow us one step beyond that gate.” Eunice looked so
determined that Mamie thought she had better try to make terms.
“If I don’t go no further,” she said, hanging on to the gate, “will you
give me candy when you come back?”
“No, I won’t. We’re not coming back this way.”
“Then I’ll come, too,” said Mamie, suddenly deciding to risk it.
Cricket and Eunice went slowly through the gate. Eunice looked like a
high executioner.
Mamie hesitated a moment, then slowly followed after.
“I’m a-comin’,” she called, rashly, bringing her fate on her own head.
Eunice turned around very promptly.
“Cricket, please hold my eggs for me. Now, Mamie Hecker, if you step
over that stick,—you’ll see.”
Mamie immediately took a step forward, keeping her eye on Eunice,
intending to dodge at the last moment. Eunice stood perfectly still. She
was a tall, strongly-built girl, for her age, and quite capable of
carrying out her threat. Mamie Hecker had always been a thorn in her
flesh, and there were a thousand provoking things in the past to punish
her for.
Mamie took another step. Eunice looked indifferent. Another stop, and
she stood by the stick that was her Rubicon. Eunice looked up at the
sky. Mamie put her foot cautiously over the stick, ready to fly at
Eunice’s first movement. Eunice seemed not to see her. Mamie took
another step and was fairly over.
[Illustration: CRICKET AND EUNICE THREATEN TO PUNISH MAMIE.]
Eunice swooped down upon her like a hawk, and grabbed her skirt, as the
child dodged, shrieking. She caught her, struggling, and, with a deft
sweep of her arm, a trick learned in playing foot-ball with the boys,
she brought Mamie into approved spanking position, and then and there
gave her a punishment which she always richly deserved, but which it was
her mother’s place, not Eunice’s, to give her.
Mamie shrieked at the top of her lungs, “Eunice is killin’ me! Eunice is
killin’ me!”
“Do hold her mouth, Cricket,” said Eunice, spanking on. “Horrid little
thing! I’ll give her something to cry for, for once.”
Cricket came nearer, with her eggs still in her hand. Mamie’s wildly
kicking feet gave her a vigorous thump in the stomach, that unexpectedly
doubled her up like a jack-knife, crushing her eggs which she still held
in her hand.
“Children!” suddenly came a well-known voice behind them. “What does
this disgraceful scene mean?”
There stood Doctor Ward and Archie. Eunice’s hand dropped instantly, and
she released her kicking victim. Mamie righted herself, and flew at her,
screaming. Cricket rose slowly out of the dust, pushing back her hair,
with egg-stained hands, that left a yellow plaster on her curly pate.
Her blue cambric was smeared from neck to hem with rivers of egg.
Eunice’s hat was off, her hair streaming wildly over her shoulders, her
cheeks scarlet, and her eyes flashing. Mamie had torn her dress badly,
and both girls were a spectacle.
Doctor Ward caught Mamie by the shoulder, with a strong hand.
“Be quiet, child,” he said, sternly. “Girls, what does all this mean?
Have you been to Mr. Barnes?”
“No, papa,” faltered Cricket, suddenly conscience-smitten. In her
excitement, she had entirely forgotten that they had been sent on an
important errand.
“Not _yet_? And I sent you two hours ago. Where is the note?”
“Here it is,” and Cricket produced from her pocket a very crumpled
envelope, which looked as if it had seen hard service.
“This? Do you mean to tell me that this is the note I gave you? I
certainly can’t send this. Archie, will you go to Mr. Barnes for me, and
tell him—no, I must write him again. He should have had this an hour
ago, for he will be gone to town, and he should have had it before he
left. Cricket, you have put me in a very unpleasant position.”
“Oh, papa, I am so sorry!” said Cricket, miserably. “First we forgot
this note, and had to go back.”
“That’s a baby trick. I thought you were getting over that. Go on.”
“Then we thought we’d get the eggs and go to the store first, so as to
have the candy to eat on the way; and Mamie said she’d go, and I said
she shouldn’t, and Eunice said she’d spank her if she did,—horrid little
thing; and she did, and Eunice spanked her, and she kicked me and broke
my eggs,” finished Cricket, rapidly.
Doctor Ward’s mouth twitched a little under his moustache, although he
was seriously annoyed that the note had not reached its destination in
time. He knew very well what a torment Mamie was to everyone, and he did
not in his heart blame the girls for taking the law into their own
hands. However, he said:
“You have disobeyed me, children. I told you to go _directly_ with the
note, and get your candy afterwards. Your disobedience is the cause of
your very unladylike display of temper. You can both go to the house.
Mamie, you may go home also. See that hereafter you do not follow or
tease the girls, and I will see that they never touch you again.”
Cricket and Eunice walked soberly up to the house, meek enough in
appearance, but really deeply indignant. To be sent away in disgrace
before that horrid little Mamie Hecker! She was dancing around at a safe
distance, calling after them, jeeringly,—
“Oh, ho! Who’s caught it now! Spank me again, will yer?”
Dr. Ward marched the two little girls into the house, and ordered them
both off to be made presentable again, and then to come to the library.
Fifteen minutes later, two clean, but very solemn-looking children
presented themselves at the library door.
“Children,” began Dr. Ward, sternly, as they stood before him, “you have
disobeyed me. I told you to go _immediately_ on an errand, and you
loitered. The fact that the note happened to be important, does not
render your disobedience any more serious, remember, although it makes
the consequences more serious for me. You also gave way, both of you, to
a very unladylike display of temper. As a punishment, I shall keep you
apart all day. You must not even speak to each other. Eunice, you may go
to your mother, and she will give you something to do, and Cricket may
stay here in the library till dinner-time. You may learn something to
occupy your time. Let me see. You may sit down and learn your
Sunday-school lesson for to-morrow.”
“Oh, papa!” groaned Cricket, at the thought of really losing that
beautiful day out-of-doors. “Please, _please_ do something to us and let
us go! I’d truly rather you’d give me three hard slaps with your ruler.”
“My dear little girl,” said the doctor, “you know I could not possibly
give you three hard slaps, or even one hard slap, with the ruler; for
that would hurt me rather more than it would you, and I think it is you
two that deserve punishment.”
“I’ll go to bed earlier to-night, then, a whole hour,” pleaded Cricket,
“if you will only let us speak to each other. I know we were dreadfully
careless about the note, but I won’t forget again, truly, at least not
for a long time.”
“No, it must stand as I said, my dear. Besides, you know you lost your
tempers disgracefully with that little Mamie.”
“You needn’t take the trouble to punish us for spanking that Mamie,”
Cricket burst out, on this, fairly swelling with wrath at the
remembrance. “She just needed it, papa, for she’s such a horrid little
thing, and such a tag-tail, and her mother never spanks her.”
“And anyway, papa,” struck in Eunice, her eyes flashing still, “I don’t
mind if you do punish me for that, for it was such a satisfaction.”
“Well, well,” said papa, coughing behind his hand. “I really think you
won’t do that again. And the next time you think that Mamie needs
punishment, don’t try lynch-law, but refer to the higher powers.”
“I will, papa. What is lynch-law?”
“Lynch-law, my dear, is the process of inflicting punishment, by
private persons, for crimes or offences, without reference to law.
That is, you know, that however disagreeable Mamie may be, and however
much she annoys you, you really had no right to touch her. You should
have consulted your mother or me long ago, before things came to this
pass. We are the law, in this case. Instead of this, you took the law
into your own hands, and the consequence is that the law now takes you
in hand. However, I am willing to consider the mitigating
circumstances—that means what excuse you had—and we will say that you
two must remain apart till dinner-time, and meditate on the beauty of
the virtue of instant obedience.”
“Oh, papa,” cried Cricket, hugging him well, willing to take her
punishment now that the merited lecture was over, “next time that you
send me with a note I’ll go like a little spider, you’ll see!”
But I regret to say that Cricket even after this had a very hard lesson
before she learned to be perfectly trustworthy where her memory was
concerned. But this story comes later.