SETTLING THE PUZZLE.
MRS. HAMMOND herself boarded at the hotel, but it suited her best to
have little Ethel sit in her high chair at the table in the tent, and
take her oatmeal and milk and other wholesome dainties, in company
with Jeannette and Dilly. It also suited her to come often, before the
meal was concluded, and sit beside Ethel and watch her pretty attempts
to feed herself. It was when Ethel was eating one by one, great ripe
blackberries, that her mother came, and drawing a chair to her side,
watched the plump cheeks and pretty little mouth with a sigh of relief.
Whatever might be said of her son, certainly her baby was thriving on
Monteagle.
The mother had dark rings under her eyes, and traces of sleeplessness
on her face. Dilly, looking at her compassionately, wanted to ask
if she had seen Mr. Hart that morning, but, did not dare. While she
studied over the trouble which she felt sure was making wrinkles in
this beautiful mother's face, and wondered if there wasn't something
she could do to help her, the tent curtains parted slightly and a
familiar face looked in.
"Any room in here for me?" questioned Hart's pleasant voice, and his
mother answered eagerly:
"O, Hart! Come in; I thought you were away down the mountain before
this time. Weren't you very late last night?"
"On the contrary, I was early." He came in, and stopping beside his
mother, bent and kissed her on each cheek. "That is to say I was
'inside the tent,' early; I stayed with a young man who runs a tent
down near the tabernacle. I happened to call on him, and we became so
engaged in a talk we were having, that it grew late before I knew it,
and as I received a cordial invitation to spend the night with him,
I decided to do so, rather than go prowling about the grounds after
regulation hours. I hope I did not worry you, mother; I supposed you
would think me safe in my tent."
"It is all right," the mother said, cheerily; "I noticed that your tent
door was tied, early in the evening, and did not see you untie it; and
I was a little afraid you had deserted us and run home."
"I would not do that without telling you, and saying good-by," he
answered gently, and some way his voice seemed more tender than Dilly
had ever noticed before. He lifted Effie, whose blackberries were gone,
from her chair, and gave her such a frolic that she shouted for joy,
then putting her on Dilly's shoulder, walked away with his mother's
hand drawn through his arm, and a happy look on her face; a look which,
while it lasted, nearly always hid the wrinkles which were gathering
there.
"I wonder that boy can't see that he's killing his mother; he 'pears to
think enough of her, when he thinks about her at all." It was Jeannette
who said this. It was the first time she had made a remark to Dilly
about any of the family.
Dilly was silent for a minute, struggling with a sense of honor which
she had, about talking people over, when they were not present, but at
last she ventured to ask one question she knew the object she had in
view was good:
"Does she—I mean, does Mr. Hart do things which trouble her?"
"Oh! He doesn't do anything so very dreadful; not more than they all
do; he's a little wild, most boys without fathers have their wild
times; his father died when this baby wasn't but four days old; and
he's got in with a set down in the city that don't do him much good.
The fact is, he takes a drink of their wine, now and then, and that
scares his mother. But then, she isn't half so scared as a body would
think she would be; if she was, do you suppose she would go to hotels
and stop for weeks at a time, where they had the stuff on the table at
every meal? I've seen her do it; last summer she went to the Mountain
House, and when they sat down to their stylish dinners, if I'd go past
the room on my way to the piazza, the smell of all kinds of fancy
liquors would almost take my breath away; I've got a kind of a natural
liking for the stuff, and I could be a drunkard as well as not, if I
had time and money; and Hart, he used to sit there and see gentlemen
whom his mother rode and walked and talked with, and thought was fine,
drinking their champagne and their claret and I dunno what other fancy
names they've got for it, and why in the world shouldn't he think
it was nice and manly, and that he was getting old enough to do so
himself? I'm free to confess I ain't got much patience with mothers;
s'posin' she took him every day where there was a mad dog or two,
within easy reach of him, and s'posin' the bite of a mad dog felt kind
of pleasant, at first; and then she whined around him and begged him
not to get bitten; what kind of a way to manage would you think that
was?"
"But they don't have such things at this hotel, do they?" Dilly's voice
was shocked; if there was a thing in this world she had been brought up
to fear and hate, it was alcohol; no matter by what name it was called.
"Here, inside the grounds? O, no! They don't allow nothing of the kind;
but then he is as uneasy as a fish out of water up here; you can't take
a boy where the air is poisoned, till he gets the poison into him,
and then make things all straight by carrying him off to a mountain."
Jeannette banged the breakfast dishes a little as she talked; she felt
very much wrought up on this subject. The fact is, her home had been
ruined by this same poison; and she knew what she was talking about.
Dilly sat still, and let Effie's busy fingers pull her neat ruffle all
awry; she felt very much dismayed. If Hart really had some of this
dreadful poison in his veins, how could she hope to help him in the
least?
All day her mind was busy with these thoughts. I am afraid Effie found
her a very grave companion. That young lady was not by any means
neglected; her milk and her oatmeal and her fruit were ready at the
moment as usual; and no insolent fly was allowed to walk over her
pretty face while she slept out of doors in her borrowed cradle, with
the birds and the flowers to keep her company. But for the rest, she
was obliged to plan her own entertainments to a great extent, while
Dilly hemmed a ruffle for her dress and thought and "thought." Was
there any possible way in which she could help Mr. Hart, and so help
Mr. Hart's mother?
Effie's early supper was nearly all disposed of before Dilly saw the
young man again. Then he called to her pleasantly as he was passing the
tent:
"Halloo, little woman, have you been to Table Rock yet, to see the
sunset?"
"No, sir," said Dilly, smiling, and appearing in the tent door in her
pretty white dress, a gift from Mrs. Hammond, and looking as fresh and
bright as a little girl need. "I don't know where Table Rock is; and
besides, I don't think Mrs. Hammond would like to have me take Miss
Effie there, if there are very high places."
"I imagine not. 'Miss Effie' will do well to wait a few years before
she climbs those rocks; but you ought to go. I'm just starting on a
trip, and I'll show you the way."
Dilly hesitated; Jeannette was busy with some fine ironing, and it was
nearly Mrs. Hammond's tea hour; she had an idea that it would be a very
inconvenient time to leave her little charge; she opened her mouth to
speak this thought, then closed it again, mindful of Mrs. Hammond's
directions.
"Thank you," she said at last; "I'll take Effie to her mamma and ask if
she can spare me." And she sped away before Hart could reply.
"I can take care of her as well as not," said Mrs. Hammond with her
pleasantest smile. "I don't feel tired at all; and you have been busy
with the little girlie all day; I'm glad to have you go and get rested."
What a pretty walk it was! Dozens of others were moving in the same
direction; ladies in beautiful summer toilets, and fine-looking
gentlemen who nodded pleasantly to Hart; and presently a party of
merry girls and boys all older than herself, joined them, and chatted
pleasantly with her, making Dilly feel as though she "belonged." It was
all very delightful. When they reached the rocks, Hart gave his hand to
Dilly and guided her carefully over the rough places, out to the very
centre of the wonderful rocky table itself, and said:
"Now, turn to the right, and 'look.'"
Dilly up to this moment had been busy only with the thought of where
she should step next, and whether she could take that leap across that
yawning chasm to the next rock, and what would happen if Mr. Hart's
foot should slip; but now, feeling more secure, she turned at his
bidding and looked toward the glowing west. One little exclamation
escaped her, then she was entirely still. That wonderful ball of fire
surrounded by its train of red and gold and purple clouds! Who would
try to describe it? Who that has not seen it on Table Rock itself can
imagine it? Certainly Dilly had no words; there was a sudden rush of
tears to her eyes; she could not have told why; and she put up her hand
quickly and wiped them away; it would not do to have the view obscured
by tears. Something in the scene had hushed other voices as well as
hers; the group stood for the most part silent and watchful, with eager
faces turned toward the vision of glory in the west, watchful until the
glowing world dropped out of sight.
"The door is shut!" said Hart, breaking the hush and drawing a long
breath.
One of the girls turned and looked at him curiously. "The door?" she
said in an inquiring tone.
Hart laughed, and pointed toward the purple bank of clouds.
"Yes; didn't you see the angels troop out and throw open the castle
door for the king of day, and then swing it slowly to again? I saw it."
Dilly flashed an appreciative glance at him. "I thought I saw it,"
she said in a low tone, while the others laughed and told him he was
growing poetical.
On the way home, as they neared the grounds of the Association, the
others dropped off into their own paths, and left the young man and the
little girl alone.
"Have you settled that puzzle which you were having with yourself last
night?" he asked her with a very bright look.
"Puzzle?" repeated Dilly.
"Yes; wasn't it a sort of puzzle as to who was keeping you from trying
to settle something of importance?"
"Oh!" said Dilly. "Yes, I was puzzled a little; at least I wanted to
make myself think I was; I guess I knew all the time it was Satan
trying to manage me."
"And you don't like to be managed?"
"Not by Satan."
"O, well! Didn't I advise you to give him the slip?"
"Yes, sir," said Dilly, speaking very gravely. She did not know but
Mr. Hart was making light of all her talk, nevertheless she resolved
to stand up bravely for her colors. "Yes, sir, you did; and I mean to.
I don't belong to him any more, Mr. Hart; I've gone over to the Other;
and promised to belong to Him forever."
"That is good." There was no laughter in the young man's tones now;
they were hearty and pleasant.
Dilly stole a glance at his eyes, which helped her; they were kind
eyes; not full of sparkles of mischief, as she had feared.
"You have quite settled the question as to being old enough?"
"O, yes, indeed! I believe I knew all the time that I was; but
something seemed trying to make me give that excuse to myself. I don't
want any excuses now, Mr. Hart; I 'like' to belong to the Lord Jesus."
"Yes," he said heartily; "I can well understand that. And what next,
Dilly?"