AN ENCOUNTER
Mr. Pinckney had been away on a business trip to San Francisco and
his return was hailed with joy by all the girls, Jack especially. To
see his rotund figure approaching, to see the smile dawning upon his
pleasant face as the four tumultuously rushed to welcome him was enough
to warm the heart of a less amiable individual. Nan, with her long dark
braids swinging, was in the lead, she being the tallest; Jack never
failed to be a close second as she pushed her unruly locks from her
eyes or clutched an escaping hair ribbon; Mary Lee, neat and orderly
came next, and little Jean, whose ribbons were always in place, brought
up the rear.
"Well, well, well," cried Mr. Pinckney as welcoming shouts of "Mr. St.
Nick! Mr. St. Nick!" greeted his ears, "here you all are and here I am
back again."
Jack precipitated herself into his arms. "I am so glad to see you," she
cried.
"So are all of us," chimed in the rest.
"We have so much to tell you," began Nan.
"What do you think? Miss Dolores is here. She lives with us now," Mary
Lee informed him.
"We have a pet _paisano_; Mr. Roberts gave him to us," announced Jean.
"Dear me," returned the old gentleman, "so much news. Who is Miss
Dolores, by the way?"
"Our governess. Why, don't you remember about her?" said Mary Lee in an
aggrieved tone.
"Oh, yes, yes, Miss de Garcia; I had forgotten her first name, and I
was scarcely thinking of her at all, to tell you the truth, for I only
saw her once, you may remember, and as I returned only last night Mrs.
Roberts has not had time to tell me all that has been going on."
"Well, come in and we will tell you everything," said the girls.
"This is Saturday and we don't have any lessons except music," Mary Lee
told him. "I am not taking music anyhow, for I like drawing better,
and I am so interested in trying to draw the wild flowers, and after a
while Miss Dolores will show me how to color them."
"I am going to learn to play the guitar or the mandolin when I am
bigger," said Jack. "I'd rather do that than play the piano. You don't
know what lovely songs the señorita sings."
"Dear, dear, I must see this teacher of yours again, for I am beginning
to get jealous," returned Mr. Pinckney; "I can't sing songs to the
accompaniment of a guitar, and the first thing I know I shall see you
all running off and leaving me while you crowd around this new teacher.
I think I shall have to try to pick the banjo and learn some coon songs
to keep you with me."
The picture of Mr. Pinckney singing coon songs to a banjo was enough
to evoke shouts of laughter, and they all proceeded toward the veranda
in high spirits, Jack hanging on one arm of her friend and Mary Lee
having gained possession of the other. "Don't you think the señorita is
beautiful?" asked the latter. "Her hair is brown, dark brown with reddy
gold streaks through it that make it look much lighter."
"As if you had poured light taffy on black and hadn't mixed it up
much," volunteered Jack.
Mr. Pinckney laughed. "A romantic comparison, kid."
"I should say it was like brown silk shot with gold," remarked Nan.
"That is better," said Mr. Pinckney.
They had arrived at the veranda now, where the three ladies were
sitting, Miss Helen with a Spanish book in her hand, Mrs. Corner with a
piece of sewing, and the señorita employed in doing a square of Mexican
drawn work which she did beautifully, and which she called _callado_.
Mary Lee was very anxious to learn how to imitate some of the beautiful
things her teacher did. She had already begun a simple piece of work
which she now took up that she might have the excuse of sitting next
her beloved Miss Dolores and getting directions from her. Mr. Pinckney
was established in a comfortable chair in the midst of the group. Nan
rushed off to make some lemonade, Jean went to find the _paisano_, and
Jack perched herself upon the arm of their visitor's chair that she
might make whispered remarks from time to time.
In the midst of the merry-making the señorita's laugh was heard as some
funny speech was made. At the first sound of it, Mr. Pinckney turned
suddenly and looked at her with a puzzled expression, and every little
while he regarded her with the same look. "Miss Garcia's face is not
familiar, but surely I have heard that laugh often before. I cannot
place it, but it seems strangely familiar," he said to Miss Helen.
"Such resemblances are very puzzling," returned Miss Helen, "but I
don't think they always mean anything."
"Where did you find such a _rara avis_ as the young lady seems to be?"
"Quite accidentally," Miss Helen told him. "She is a very lovely girl,
quite alone in the world, and we feel ourselves very fortunate in
having secured her services. I am thinking of asking her to go back
with us when we return, for even if it should seem best to send the
girls to school, I am sure I could find a good position for her in the
family of some one of my friends. She is very pretty, don't you think?"
"Rather an unusual type, and yes, she is pretty. I should not call
her beautiful but singularly attractive." He looked earnestly at the
señorita who was now watching Jean and Jack performing some gymnastic
feats to the possible peril of limbs and frocks. "If I had had a
granddaughter," Mr. Pinckney went on musingly, "she might have looked
something like that."
Just here Jean's attempt to poise herself on one foot like a flying
Mercury ended in a fall from the veranda's railing which fortunately
brought about no worse hurt than a bumped forehead, but for the moment
she was the centre of attraction, and after Mr. Pinckney had taken his
leave, Jack, finding herself deprived of Jean's society, because her
twin preferred to stay and be coddled, went off to discover some new
entertainment. Mary Lee still industriously pulled threads, Nan devoted
herself to picking out chords on Miss Dolores's guitar, and sang in an
undertone a little Spanish melody her teacher had taught her. It went
rather haltily because of the groping for an accompaniment, but Nan
enjoyed it.
Jack's eye roved over the immediate neighborhood, and caught sight of
Li Hung's blue jacket down in the vegetable garden. She would go and
see what he was doing.
Li Hung was close to the hedge, his head bent over his basket. As
Jack approached he looked up, attempted to rise and failed; his long
queue was in some mysterious way, attached to the hedge. Jack at once
took in the situation and at the same moment she heard a suppressed
giggle. Without attempting to rescue Li Hung from his uncomfortable
position she flew out upon the sidewalk, bent upon vengeance, for she
had espied a small boy crouching outside. Before he had time to flee
or to recover from his surprise at her sudden appearance, she pounced
upon him, tumbled him over, sat upon his prostrate form and began to
pommel him with her fists. Li Hung finding that he could not extricate
himself, went on placidly picking tomatoes till Jack should return to
set him free. "Me waitee, you come plitty soon," he called out in his
high-pitched voice as Jack continued her pommeling.
The boy was squirming under her fists and was making powerless efforts
to rise when an automobile whizzed around the corner. At the sound of
the "Honk! honk!" the boy lifted up his head and shouted "Help! help!"
The single occupant of the automobile stopped his car and sprang out to
observe the singular spectacle of a nice looking little girl, sitting
on a boy's prostrate form which she violently pounded with her fists.
"Here, here," cried the young man, "what's all this? See here, boy, how
do you happen to let a girl do you up this way?"
"He is a bad boy," said Jack tossing back her refractory locks. "He
tied poor Li Hung's queue to the hedge so he can't get away. Won't you
please sit on the boy and hold him down till I come back? I want to
untie Li Hung, and I'm not through with the boy yet; he won't say he is
sorry."
"Don't you think he has had enough?" asked the young man. "How long
have you been at it?"
"Oh, not very long," said Jack looking down at her victim and pounding
more gently.
"Will you say you're sorry, boy?" asked the newcomer.
"No, I won't," said the boy. "Say, help me up, mister, and I'll show
you how I can give it to her. I'll do her up good if she is a girl."
"You'll do nothing of the kind," replied the young man sternly. "I'll
tell you what I'll do," he went on addressing Jack; "I'll go in and
unfasten the Chinaman while you finish up the boy; he deserves it, I'm
convinced."
At this encouragement Jack proceeded more vigorously with her
punishment of the boy who kicked and squirmed, but could not unseat his
chastiser. In a few minutes the young man reappeared. "He's all right,"
he said nodding toward Li Hung who stood at the gate, basket on arm.
"Shall we let the Chinaman have a whack at you, boy, or have you had
enough? I've a mind to give you one or two myself for saying you would
pitch into a girl when you know she was in the right. Here now, young
lady, I reckon we'll call time. Now, get out, youngster," he gave the
boy a little touch with his foot, "and if you ever get into any such
trouble again when I am around I'll do the punishing myself. Get out,
quick." He lifted Jack up bodily and the boy staggered to his feet,
stood for a second, then as Li Hung made a lunge at him, took to his
heels and was out of sight in a moment.
"Missee plitty fine gallee; plunis boy allee lite," said Li Hung with a
beaming smile. "Li Hung likee lil gallee Jack." He trotted back to the
house while Jack brushed from her frock the dust of the fray.
"I'm awfully glad that you came along," she said to her new
acquaintance. "I didn't dare get up, you see, because I was afraid the
boy would pitch into me and Li Hung couldn't get free to go tell any
one."
"It was an awkward predicament," said the young man. "It seems to me
you are a spunky young lady to start this thing when you didn't know
how you'd get out of it."
"Oh, but I didn't think about that part; I was so mad. It was such a
mean scurvy trick. I can't bear to see anybody do another so mean. It
certainly was mighty low-down of that boy."
"Say," said the young man, "where are you from? Old Verginny, I'll bet
a sixpence."
"Why yes, but how did you know?"
"By the way you speak. Shake hands, won't you? I'm a native of the Old
Dominion myself and it is good to see home folks."
Jack stretched out a grimy paw which was heartily shaken by her
friend. "What's your name?" she asked.
"Well, I suppose a Chinaman might call me One Lung, though at home I am
Carter Barnwell. Cart, some call me; Barn others. You see we put the
cart before the barn, not before the horse, in my case. What's your
name? It ought to be Amazon."
"That's a river in Brazil," returned Jack, "I am not named after any
river. My name is Jacqueline Corner, but everybody calls me Jack, and I
like it because it was my father's name." She was always very ready to
give this explanation. "Is that your automobile?" she inquired.
"Yes, would you like to take a ride?"
"Oh, I'd love it, but perhaps I ought to ask my mother if I may go; she
doesn't know you, you see." Jack paused in perplexity, then she said
confidentially, "You know I shouldn't like to have her find out that I
was fighting a boy in the street, at least not just yet."
The young man laughed. "Suppose I go up and interview her myself. I
can find satisfactory references as to who I am, I think, and I reckon
I can explain how I came to make your acquaintance without giving you
away. I'll go around to the front gate, shall I?"
"Oh, please, and I'll go in the back way and tell Li Hung not to say
anything about the fight. Come slowly so I will have time to tell
him." She started toward the gate, then came back. "Will it be very
deceitful," she said, "not to tell mother all about it at once? She
mightn't let me go with you if she thought I had done wrong. I am
trying not to do anything like that since Mr. St. Nick told me it was
mean."
The young man looked down at her with a contemplative smile that had
something of sympathy and something of admiration in it. "Suppose you
don't come just yet," he said. "Perhaps if you stay back I can put
the matter in such a way as to tell the truth and yet not make your
part seem too dreadful. How will that do? Suppose you give me fifteen
minutes."
"All right." Jack accepted the proposition thankfully and went in at
the gate while her friend returned to his automobile whose "Honk!
honk!" was presently heard as he turned the corner.
A moment later Mrs. Corner was surprised to see a lad, of eighteen or
so, dismount from his car and come toward the house. "Some friend of
Helen's," she said to herself and was about to call her sister from the
other side of the veranda when the young man mounted the steps and
bowed before her. "Mrs. Corner?" he said inquiringly.
"I am Mrs. Corner." The answer was given with an expectant look.
"I am Carter Barnwell, from Richmond, Virginia. I happened to be coming
along when a boy was playing a trick on your Chinaman. He fastened
his queue to the hedge by slipping his hand through and getting hold
of the end while the man was busy at work in the garden. Your little
girl, Jack, was so outraged that she was bent on serving the boy as
he deserved. I happened to come up in time to take sides, and--I say,
Mrs. Corner, she's a dandy. She never thought of herself and I wish
you could see the way she gave it to the boy. She had him down and he
couldn't budge."
Mrs. Corner looked shocked. "Jack fighting in the streets, Mr.
Barnwell? I am distressed to hear such a thing."
"Oh, but she wasn't exactly fighting. There wasn't a chance for the boy
to get in a stroke. He was flat down, you see, and she was sitting on
him. She pounded him well, I tell you. She is afraid you will think she
really was fighting, but I think it was mighty fine of her to champion
the Chinaman."
Miss Helen had come up during the recital. A smile played about her
mouth. "What was the Chinaman doing all this time?" she asked.
"Just placidly going on with his work," returned Carter. Then catching
the twinkle in Miss Helen's eye he burst into a boyish laugh in which
the others could but join.
"It was funny, Mary, you must admit," said Miss Helen.
"It was, of course, but I don't like Jack to precipitate herself into
street quarrels with hoodlum boys."
"Of course you don't, but her motives were good we cannot deny."
"I acknowledge that. She should have been a boy, for she is so
impetuous and does get into such scrapes in her efforts to help some
one else."
"She got out of this scrape all right," returned Mr. Barnwell.
"Thanks to you," returned Mrs. Corner. "Helen, this is Mr. Carter
Barnwell, from Richmond. My sister, Miss Corner, Mr. Barnwell."
Miss Helen gave a pleased exclamation. "I wonder if you could, by
any chance, be the son of my old friend Molly Carter. She married a
Barnwell, Jethro Barnwell, and lives in Richmond."
"I don't know of but one Jethro Barnwell in Richmond," said the lad
smiling, "and I happen to be his son. If you know my mother, Miss
Corner, I am a lucky fellow to have this chance of meeting you all."
"And it is a great pleasure to me," returned Miss Helen. "Come right up
and sit down, Mr. Barnwell."
"Oh, call me Carter, won't you? It is so good to see home folks and
to hear my name called as it is at home. Why, I know I have heard my
mother speak of you, Miss Corner. Weren't you schoolmates, and didn't
you meet in Europe some years ago and travel about together for awhile?"
"Why, yes, of course we did. Carter be it, then. I _am_ glad to have
this chance of seeing Molly's boy."
"I'm out here for my health," said Carter. "Oh, I'm not in such bad
shape, but the doctor said one of my lungs was a bit wrong after
pneumonia, and I had better not take any risk. He advised my dropping
college for a year, and so I've come out here for the winter. I say,
it's a great place, isn't it? I was sort of homesick at first, for I
didn't know a soul, but I'm getting used to it now. Hotels are such
beastly places, you know."
"They are when one is alone. You must consider us old friends,
however," said Miss Helen. "I am so pleased to find out you are
Molly's son, and if there is a moment's homesickness, Carter, come
right here and we will drive it away."
"You are good, Miss Corner. Won't mother be happy when she knows you
are here. I say, I am in luck."
"So are we," said Miss Helen, smiling. "There comes Jack, Mary."
Jack, with hanging head, sidled out the door and came hesitatingly
forward as her mother held out her hand. "Don't scold her," begged
Carter in an undertone.
Mrs. Corner nodded reassuringly. "It wasn't very nice for a little girl
to be fighting in the streets, was it?" she whispered, as she drew Jack
to her.
"It wasn't nice," Jack honestly admitted, "but I was so mad. Not a soul
saw us, mother, till Mr. Barnwell came along, and he didn't count."
Carter laughed. "Oh, she's great, Mrs. Corner. I've not had so much fun
since I left home. How is your Chinaman, Miss Jack?"
"He's all right. He's going to make me a cake and bring me a present,
he says."
"I should think he would want to," said Carter. "I should under like
circumstances."
"May I go with him?" Jack asked her mother, nodding toward Carter.
"Go where?" Mrs. Corner looked puzzled.
"Why, in his automobile for a ride." Jack gave Carter a reproachful
look.
Mrs. Corner shook her head doubtfully. "Do you think it is just the
time to give you a treat, Jack?"
Jack looked down a little abashed.
"Do let her go, Mrs. Corner," said Carter eagerly. "It was really her
kind-heartedness that made her pitch into the youngster. He wasn't a
real hoodlum, either, for he was well-dressed, and I fancy he lives
somewhere about here. I'll be very careful of her and won't stay too
long if you'll let her go."
Jack raised imploring eyes to her mother's face. To have such a treat
possible and not to be allowed to enjoy it was tragic. She went over to
her Aunt Helen and whispered: "Please tell her to let me go."
Miss Helen nodded reassuringly. "I don't think it was an ordinary piece
of misbehavior, Mary," she remarked. "I must confess that I should have
felt much as Jack did under the circumstances, and then, too, we must
consider that Jack was the family benefactor, for Li Hung might be
sitting there still if she had not come to his rescue, and where would
our next meal be?"
"There is something in that," returned Mrs. Corner. "You will not go
far, Mr. Barnwell, will you? I may be overcautious, but I don't know
yet how expert a chauffeur you may be."
"Oh, I am very careful," Carter assured her. "I expect, or rather
I expected to be an engineer, and so of course I know machines and
things. I think you can trust me, Mrs. Corner."
Jack was gazing anxiously into her mother's face. All this precaution
seemed very unnecessary, she thought. "May I go?" she again asked.
Her mother looked down with a smile at the anxious little face. "Well,
yes, you may," she said after a pause which seemed very long to Jack.
With a little squeal of delight Jack danced down the steps only to be
called back. "Here, here," cried her mother, "you can't go looking like
that." And Jack returned crestfallen, to be led away while her mother
administered a few words of counsel, brushed her disordered locks and
freshened her up generally.
Ten minutes later Jack appeared radiant, and in an ecstasy of delight
went whizzing off by Carter's side, watched by the envious eyes of a
little boy skulking around the corner. Here he was lying in wait for a
belligerent little girl when she should appear. Completely foiled by
circumstances, he slowly walked away muttering: "Little old wild-cat,
jumping on a feller 'fore he can turn 'round. I'll fix her."