SUSPENSE
It was very quiet in the Randalls' apartment one warm spring afternoon.
For nearly two hours the only sounds to break the utter stillness had
been the ticking of the clock and an occasional movement from the
kitchen, where Mrs. Flynn tiptoed softly about, preparing dinner. Mrs.
Randall sat in the armchair by the open window. Her face was white and
set, and sometimes her lips moved, but no sound came from them. Betty
felt sure that her mother was saying her prayers. It seemed to Betty as
though a month must have passed since the morning. She had tried to
read, to sew, to do anything to pass the terrible hours of suspense, but
it was of no use, and now she sat on a stool at her mother's feet
resting her head against Mrs. Randall's knee. She was trying very hard
to be brave, but she knew that if she dared glance even for a moment at
Jack's empty sofa, she would no longer be able to choke down the rising
sobs, or keep back the tears which seemed so near the surface.
Early that morning Jack had been taken away to the hospital, and even as
they sat there in silence, Betty and her mother knew the work was being
done which was to decide the fate of the little boy for life.
The doctors had decided that it would be best to perform the operation
before hot weather set in, and besides, as Dr. Bell wisely explained to
Mrs. Randall, it would never do to keep the child in suspense any longer
than necessary, now that he knew what was impending. Mrs. Randall was
not yet strong enough to leave the house, but Dr. Bell had come himself
for Jack, and Mrs. Hamilton had gone with them to the hospital,
promising to remain until the operation was over. Jack had been very
brave and cheerful, and the excitement had helped every one up to the
last moment. Dr. Bell had told funny stories to make them all laugh, and
Mrs. Hamilton had talked about the nice things they would bring Jack
when they came to the hospital to see him. No one had cried, only, just
as the last good-byes were being said, Jack had suddenly thrown his arms
round his mother's neck and clung to her, and Mrs. Randall had clasped
him close to her heart, and held him there in a silence that was far
more expressive than any words. And now it was afternoon, and Betty and
her mother were waiting, in silent, breathless suspense, for the news
that they both knew must come before long. Mrs. Hamilton had promised to
let them know the moment the operation was over.
The door creaked softly and Mrs. Flynn came in with a cup of tea in her
hand.
"Take a drop of tea, dearie, do," she whispered soothingly, bending over
Mrs. Randall's chair; "it'll put heart into ye."
Mrs. Randall shook her head impatiently.
"Not now, Mrs. Flynn; I couldn't touch anything now, it would choke me.
Perhaps by and by----"
Mrs. Flynn turned away with a sigh, and went back to the kitchen,
beckoning to Betty to follow her.
"Can't you do nothin' to cheer her up a bit, darlin'," she whispered,
when Betty joined her in the kitchen. "Not a mouthful of anything has
she touched this whole blessed day, and it's awful to see her sittin'
lookin' like that, her that's just off a sick bed too."
"She's thinking about Jack," said Betty sadly; "she can't eat till she
knows; I couldn't eat either, Mrs. Flynn."
Mrs. Flynn sighed again, and set down the teacup.
"Well, you'll hear pretty soon now, I guess," she said, with an air of
resignation, "and I've got some nice strong chicken soup on the stove. A
cup of that'll do yez both good by and by."
"Oh, Mrs. Flynn," whispered Betty, drawing close to the kind-hearted
Irish-woman, "I'm so frightened. I don't know why, but I am. You don't
think, do you, that anything dreadful is going to happen?"
"Not a bit of it, darlin'," said Mrs. Flynn reassuringly. "Jack'll be
all right, the little angel, and we'll have him back, and runnin' about
like any one else in just no time at all. Why, I shouldn't wonder if
we'd see him ridin' one of them bicycles on Fifth Avenue next month."
"But people don't always get over operations, you know, Mrs. Flynn,"
said Betty, with a choke in her voice.
"Nonsense," retorted Mrs. Flynn, with an indignant toss of her head.
"Sure, didn't me brother-in-law's first cousin have the two legs of him
took off wid a trolley-car on Lexington Avenue, and ain't he walkin'
around now 'most as good as ever on two cork stumps, as they give him
at the hospital? There ain't nothin' them doctors can't do, barrin'
raisin' the dead."
A ring at the door bell at this moment put an end to the Irish-woman's
hopeful predictions. Betty uttered a little half-frightened cry, and
Mrs. Flynn flew to open the door. Mrs. Randall sprang from her chair,
and was in the hall before Mrs. Flynn had left the kitchen. Next moment,
however, there was a little sigh of disappointment from every one; the
visitor was only Winifred.
"I thought I'd come to see you for a little while," she explained to
Betty, who was trying to smile, and not show the disappointment she
felt. "It's lonely downstairs without mother, and I've done all my
lessons. I've brought Miss Mollie; I thought you might like to have
her."
"I am very glad to have her," said Betty, taking the doll in her arms.
She was not very fond of dolls, but she wanted to show Winifred that she
appreciated her kindness. "Let's go into my room, where we can talk and
not disturb mother."
They were moving away, but Mrs. Randall called them back.
"Stay here, children," she said, and her voice sounded sharp from
anxiety. "I like to hear you talk, and you don't disturb me."
So the two little girls went into the parlor, and sat down side by side
on Jack's sofa, Betty still holding Miss Mollie in her arms. They were
both very silent at first, and Winifred kept casting sympathetic glances
towards Mrs. Randall, who had now left her seat, and was standing with
her back to them, looking out of the window. But after a little while
they began to talk in whispers.
"I guess mother will be back pretty soon now," said Winifred, giving
Betty's cold little hand an encouraging squeeze. "She'll be sure to come
and tell you about Jack the very first thing."
Betty said nothing, and after a little pause Winifred went on.
"Won't it be lovely when Jack gets well? Just think, he may be a soldier
after all when he grows up. You know Dr. Bell always calls him a little
soldier boy."
"He'd like to be one," said Betty, brightening at the thought; "our
grandfather was a general, you know."
"Yes, and even if he never goes to war, I think he is much braver now
than a great many real soldiers are. Father says there are not many
little boys only nine years old who would be willing to go away and
stay all by themselves in a big, strange hospital."
"Don't let's talk about that," said Betty, beginning to cry. "I can't
bear to think of his being all by himself."
"Oh, but he won't be, not really. Lulu has been to that hospital to see
the children and take them things, and she says the nurses are very
kind. One of them took care of Lulu's aunt when she broke her knee last
year, and they all liked her very much. And then, you know, Dr. Bell
goes there every day, and we shall go too, just as soon as Jack is well
enough to see us. Oh, Betty, dear, I'm sure God is going to let Jack get
well and be just like other people. I've been saying little prayers to
Him all day about it."
"So have I," said Betty, who was beginning to find Winifred's society
very cheering. "He'll be so happy if he can walk, and mother says Dr.
Bell wants us all to go to the country as soon as Jack is strong
enough."
Winifred heaved a little sigh.
"I think almost every one is going to the country pretty soon," she
said. "School closes the end of next week, and all the girls are going
away the first part of June. I shall miss them all, especially Lulu."
"Dr. Bell said they were going to the seashore the first of June."
"Yes, they're going to Navesink; Lulu says it's a lovely place. There's
the ocean, you know, and a river, where they can fish and catch crabs.
I've never seen the ocean; Aunt Estelle doesn't like sea air, so we
always went to the mountains."
"Wouldn't you like to go to Navesink too?" Betty asked.
"I should just love it. Lulu wants me to come and visit her, but of
course I can't leave mother."
"New York isn't so bad in summer," said Betty cheerfully. "We were here
last year. It's nice in the park and on the Riverside, but of course the
real country must be much nicer."
"I think any place is nice where mother is," said Winifred, with simple
conviction. "Oh, Betty, there's the door bell, and it's mother's ring."
Betty sprang to her feet, and darted out into the hall. Mrs. Randall
took a few quick steps towards the door, but then her strength failed
her, and, with a low cry, she sank on her knees on the floor beside
Jack's sofa, trembling from head to foot, and covering her face with her
hands.
Mrs. Hamilton came straight into the room. She passed the two little
girls without a word, but there was a look on her sweet face that
somehow kept them both silent, eager as they were for news. For one
second she paused beside the sofa, and then dropping on her own knees,
took the trembling, swaying figure right into her kind arms.
"Oh, my dear, my dear," she sobbed, the happy tears streaming down her
cheeks, "I don't know how to tell you, but it is all as we wished. The
operation is over; it was a great success, the doctors say,
and--and--don't tremble so, dear--there is nothing to grieve over, but,
oh, so much to make you glad. I have just come from the hospital, and
Dr. Bell has sent you this message. 'Tell Mrs. Randall,' he said, and
there were tears in his eyes, 'tell Mrs. Randall that everything is
going on splendidly,' and--and--oh, think of it, my dear,--'that her
little boy will walk.'"