Far through the memory shines a happy day.
--LOWELL.
Magnus meanwhile went speeding on; leaping over space, and chafing at
the lost minutes in terms not very flattering to his fair disturbers.
But he was in good time, after all. The stage had waited for a West
Shore train, and when Magnus reached the furthest and nearest point
to which he might go, the horses with their light load were but just
nearing the riding hall.
Slowly, slowly--how that stage did creep along. Magnus crossed the
road, went back again, darted from one point to another; if only he
could get a good glimpse inside! Now the lumbering thing turned a
little; ah, it was just empty. No; surely that was a bonnet on the
further seat; and now at this window looking out for him! And surely if
ever a forage cap went high in air, one went then. But the moment it
was within reach again Magnus pulled it far down over his own eyes. He
had been at West Point more than a year, looking at tactical officers,
professors, dignitaries of all sorts; with wild cadets and all kinds
of girls; and now this was his mother's face, and like nothing else in
all the world. The boy's heart gave a bound fit to burst something less
elastic than a young heart always is.
As for poor Mrs. Kindred, when she saw that cap go up in the air, of
course you know what happened to her. But she would not look away,
even to cry, and sat gazing at that tall figure in grey and drawing
the long sobbing breaths that bear such a very mixed freight. She even
forgot to pull the check string, and would have been driven straight
on if Magnus, in a voice stern enough for the first captain, had not
bidden the driver stop. And it seemed so natural and fitting that her
boy should pay her fare that when he pulled out a hidden quarter and
passed it up to the driver no qualms of fear that he might be "skinned"
for so doing disturbed her mind. Of course cadets have no more business
with pocket money than they have with pockets, but she did not know
that.
Magnus got one hand on his arm, gripping it with the other hand as if
he thought she might run away; and drew her rapidly along through the
nearest byways to a nook among rocks and trees that he deemed his own
private discovery. Once there, hidden away in the sweet, cool shadow,
with the river plashing softly far below, and a wood thrush ringing his
chimes near by, Cadet Corporal Kindred threw his cap down on the grass,
put his arms round his mother, and hid his face in her neck as if he
had been six years old.
It was just what the mother needed. For at first sight, this tall,
splendid fellow with braid and buttons and chevrons, straight as a
line, and with all the saucy curls cut away, laid her under a spell.
Except the first meeting kiss she had had hardly a sign from him unless
that grip of her hand. But now, with her boy in her arms, he was her
boy still, and she quite too happy for this lower world.
"Child," she said at last, "what have they done with your hair? Have
you been sick?"
Then Magnus looked up and laughed; the old shine in his eyes making her
heart leap.
"Regulations," he said. "I am nothing any more but a bundle of
regulations, mother. Might about as well be a convict labeled 379."
"Regulations!" Mrs. Kindred repeated. "I wish I had the making of them."
"I wish you had, mother. And there are some three hundred and odd more
boys here, who would confidingly hand the job over to you. Then we'd
have pie every day for dinner and cake for supper, Saturday in the
middle of the week, and no Monday morning recitations."
"But Magnus," said Mrs. Kindred, bewildered over this very mixed lot of
grievances, "don't you have cake for supper?"
"Now and then a mysterious compound which goes by that name," said
Magnus. "We are having it scientifically analysed to see whether it is
all new-process granite, or whether one part mud comes in."
But here the innocent, perplexed face was too much for him. He almost
shouted with fun, tossing his cap up higher than it had ever been.
"You blessed mother!" he said. "You haven't changed one bit--not a
pin's point. There was one on your shoulder just now to scratch me,
exactly as there always used to be."
"Oh, my dear!" cried poor Mrs. Kindred. "I did not mean to leave that
pin there. I just stuck it in last night in the sleeping car."
"But you always did 'just stick it in,' you know," said Magnus
disrespectfully; "and I never remember the time when it didn't just
stick out. It wouldn't be you without a pin on your shoulder."
"It wouldn't be you if you were not a saucy boy," said the mother, and
then they looked in each other's eyes and laughed; how happy they were!
"All right, mammy," said Magnus. "That pin gave me a welcome nothing
else could. How are the girls?"
"The girls are lovely," said Mrs. Kindred. "Cherry has tried to fill
your place, Magnus, ever since you came away."
"H'm, I don't know about that," said Magnus. "Tell her she can't have
but half of it, fair and square."
"Oh, well, you know how I talk," said Mrs. Kindred. "She could not
really, dear, nor anybody else. But she is the dearest girl, Magnus,
and so wise. We have to get her to explain all the queer things in your
letters."
"Do I write queer things?"
"Very; or they sound so to us. And I get quite worried sometimes.
And then Cherry will say in that pretty way of hers, 'You know it is
Magnus, Mrs. Kindred, so he could not mean _that_.'"
If two sparks flew from Cadet Kindred's eyes at these words, only the
green moss at his feet was witness thereto. But, then, a very grave
look came over his face. His mother watched him anxiously.
"You do not think I really _meant_ that, dear?" she said. "No one on
earth could fill my boy's place with me, Magnus."
"No, no; I understand," he said, without looking up. "But she deserves
it so. Cherry is a great deal better than I am, mother."
The mother smiled contentedly. Very small improvement did her boy need
for her. But she would not say that; just as well for him not to know
how high he stood on the general merit roll. And it was a fine new
West Point development, if Magnus was inclined to underrate his own
perfections. Which, by the way, was not at all what that young man was
doing. But Cherry's simple, unquestioning faith in him suddenly touched
up his memory of certain things which (in spite of being "Magnus") he
had done, and the recollection was not pleasant. Not very bad things,
Oh, no! but by no means up to Cherry's standard.
"It's not worth while for her to come on before furlough," he said,
thinking aloud.
"Her?" Mrs. Kindred repeated questioningly.
"Yes, any one of the girls," said Magnus. "You see, the winter journey
is one thing; and then in the winter there's such a beastly lot of
studying to do. And in the spring I shall be boning every minute. But
wait till first-class camp. Or you might all come back with me from
furlough--just for a first sight of the place."
"But my dear!" said Mrs. Kindred. "Why Magnus, you talk as if we had
the Bank of England at our back."
"No, only me in front," said Magnus with a gleam of his bright eyes.
"You don't suppose I am going to worry through the last two years here
without a sight of you all? Wouldn't pay to bone rank if nobody came to
see my chevrons. Just as well go on and get rattled like some of the
rest of them."
"But my dear!" said poor Mrs. Kindred. "'Rattled' and 'bone' you've
said twice. And you called your studies 'beastly.' I thought they
taught English at West Point."
How Magnus laughed!
"There are Tacs over yonder," he said, "with a party of summer girls;
and one of the girls offered me a lot of boodle. And the Com.'s out
riding, and the Supe's gone to town, and the Arch-fiend is at the
seaside."
"Now Charlemagne, stop!" said Mrs. Kindred. Magnus gave her another
delighted hug.
"Oh mammy!" he said; "this is you, and no mistake. I didn't quite
believe it was at first." And kissing first one hand and then the
other, Magnus put them both back in her lap, and laid his cheek down
upon them. The mother got one hand away and softly stroked the fine
head.
"I do not understand about your hair, yet," she said.
"Regulations."
"And why do you wear such a thick coat this warm day, Magnus?"
"Regulations."
"Why my dear! Well, you might unbutton it at least," said Mrs. Kindred.
"Regulations."
Mrs. Kindred was silent a minute.
"I took my dinner in Poughkeepsie," she said, "because I was not sure
of getting here in time for yours; and I know it is not good for you to
wait."
"No ma'am, it isn't--here," said Magnus.
"But we can have supper at any time you like."
Magnus, without raising his head, gave a groan and wished they could.
"Well, we can," said Mrs. Kindred. "I can wait till late, or have it
early, Magnus, just as suits you. What do you mean by sighing like
that? What is in the way?"
"Regulations."
"Oh well!" said the mother, trying to smother her disappointment; "you
have some other thing on hand? Never mind, dear, then we'll be together
at breakfast."
"No, we sha'n't."
"Why not?"
"Regulations. We cannot have one single meal together while you are
here, mammy."
And now, indeed, Mrs. Kindred had no more to say; the bands of red
tape seemed to be winding all about her heart, and drawing very tight
indeed. She had so pictured to herself the joy of once more handing her
boy his cup of coffee. But it must be best for him, she said bravely to
herself; or else they would not make such rules. And, whatever was best
for him--
"What _can_ you do, dear?" she said aloud, but with a plaintiveness
that went to the boy's heart. He sat up and took her in his arms.
"I can do lots, mammy!" he said. "Never you worry one bit. I can't
do it for breakfast, and I can't do it to-night, but some other day
I'll cut supper, and we'll have it down here together. And we'll have
picnics instead of dinner. And I'll walk with you every minute of
release from quarters."
"Release!" The word jarred on the mother's ear; to what had she sent
her boy? But then, whatever it was, it agreed with him splendidly;
never had she seen Magnus in more jocund health and strength; life at
its best was in every look and motion. And the eyes that flashed and
sparkled at her were not the least in the world careworn or overworked.
So Mrs. Kindred locked up all her dismayed pangs and questionings, and
once more stroking her boy's cropped head, remarked that it was said to
make the hair grow to cut it.
"I'll have a mop when I come out, then," said Magnus. "How does Cherry
wear her hair now? same old way?"
"Oh yes!" said Mrs. Kindred; "only it's never twice just the same. You
know her curls arrange themselves--as yours used to, Magnus."
"Disarrange was the word for me. If anybody cuts hers off, I'll shoot
him."
"I think somebody did cut one off once, without being shot," said Mrs.
Kindred. Magnus coloured.
"That was only one," he said. "Why didn't you bring them all along? The
girls, I mean."
"Why, you unreasonable boy," said his mother; "you expressly bade me
not."
"I had been here so long, I forgot that you always minded," said
Magnus, with a saucy look.
"Well, I did _not_ always," said Mrs. Kindred; "but the girls could not
have come off in such a moment, Magnus; they were not ready."
"Girls never are. They'd learn, if they had a week or two in camp.
Bang goes the reveille gun--and in just two minutes you have to be
dressed and out in line, swearing that 'Kindred, C.' is present and
accounted for."
"Swearing, Magnus?"
"Well, some of the men make the statement pretty loud. I am one of the
mild kind, and 'roar gently.'"
"Yes, I know what your gentle roars amount to," said his mother
derisively. "But Magnus, do they really make you dress in two minutes?"
"By my watch."
"But you haven't got a watch," said the perplexed mother.
"And therefore am subject now and then to miscalculations."
"Well, West Point has not changed you yet, to hurt," said the mother,
smiling at him. Magnus took her tender hands and put one on each side
of his face.
"Mammy," he said, "it is the jolliest thing to see you sitting there,
puzzling your dear head over my grinds. I could cry, if I wanted to.
But I say, when you do bring the girls, don't give 'em time to get
ready. They shan't come here looking as if they'd never had anything
before, but had got it now, sure."
"But our girls have always had enough, you know, Magnus, and they are
not likely to have any more," said Mrs. Kindred, cutting both knots.
"They are worth all the girls I have seen here, multiplied by twelve
dozen," said Magnus. "Oh, mother, why didn't they come! But I tell you,
you'll have your hands full when they do. Violet will make a sensation.
And Rose--I think True will be fathom deep at first sight of Rose; he
likes quiet, sweet, strong girls."
"I should think most people would," said Mrs. Kindred. "And how about
Cherry?"
"I said nothing about Cherry."
"Am I not to bring her?"
"Oh yes! she had better come too," said Magnus. "Mammy, it is as good
as a month of Saturdays just to look at you. You are the handsomest
woman on the Post."
And now pink tinges came upon the sweet pale face; and Mrs. Kindred was
certainly the happiest woman anywhere about.