Bonnie Brentwood was awake and expecting him, the nurse said. She lay
propped up by pillows, draped about with a dainty, frilly
dressing-sacque that looked too frivolous for Nurse Wright, yet could
surely have come from no other source. The golden hair was lying in two
long braids, one over each shoulder, and there was a faint flush of
expectancy on her pale cheeks.
"You have been so good to me!" she said. "It has been wonderful for a
stranger to go out of his way so much."
"Please don't let's talk about that!" said Courtland. "It's been only a
pleasure to be of service. Now I want to know how you are. I've been
expecting to hear that you had pneumonia or something dreadful after
that awful exposure."
"Oh, I've been through a good deal more than that," said the girl,
trying to speak lightly. "Things don't seem to kill me. I've had quite a
lot of hard times."
"I'm afraid you have," he said, gravely. "Somehow it doesn't seem fair
that you should have had such a rotten time of it, and I be lying around
enjoying myself. Shouldn't everybody be treated alike in this world? I
confess I don't understand it."
Bonnie smiled feebly. "Oh, it's all right!" she said, with conviction.
"'In the world ye shall have tribulation, but fear not, I have overcome
the world,' you know. It's our testing-time, and this world isn't the
only part of life."
"Well, but I don't see how that answers my point," said Courtland,
pleasantly. "What's the idea? Don't you think I am worth the testing?"
"Oh, surely, but you may not need the same kind I did."
"You don't appear to me to have needed any testing. So far as I can
judge, you've showed the finest kind of nerve on every occasion."
"Oh, but I do," said Bonnie, earnestly. "I've needed it dreadfully! You
don't know how hard I was getting--sort of soured on the world! That was
the reason I came away from the old home where my father's church was
and where all the people I knew were. I couldn't bear to see them. They
had been so hard on my dear father that I thought they were the cause of
his death. I had begun to feel that there weren't any real Christians
left in the world. God had to bring me away off here into trouble again
to find out how good people are. He sent you to help me, and Nurse
Wright; and now to-day the most wonderful thing has happened! I've had a
letter from an utter stranger, asking me to come and visit. I want you
to read it, please."
While Courtland read Mother Marshall's letter Bonnie lay studying him.
And truly he was a goodly sight. No girl in her senses could look a man
like that over and not know he was a _man_ and a fine one. But Bonnie
had no romantic thoughts. Life had dealt too hardly with her for her to
have any illusions left. She had no idea of her own charms, nor any
thought of making much of the situation. That was why Gila's
insinuations had cut so terribly deep.
"She's a peach, isn't she?" he said, handing the letter back. "How soon
does the doctor think you'll be able to travel?"
"Oh, I couldn't possibly _go_," said the girl, relapsing into sadness;
"but I think it was lovely of her."
"Go? Of course you must go!" cried Courtland, springing to his feet, as
if he had been accustomed to manage this girl's affairs for years. "Why,
Mother Marshall would be just broken-hearted if you didn't!"
"Mother Marshall!" exclaimed Bonnie, sitting up from her pillows in
astonishment. "You know her, then?"
Courtland stopped suddenly in his excited march across the room and
laughed ruefully. "Well, I've let the cat out of the bag after all,
haven't I? Yes, then, I know her! It was I who told her about you. And I
had a letter from her two days ago, saying she was crazy to have you
come. Why, she's just counting the minutes till she gets your telegram!
You _haven't_ sent her word you aren't coming, have you?"
"Not yet," said Bonnie. "I was going to ask you what would be the best
way to do. You see, I have to send back that money and the mileage.
Don't you think it would do to write? It costs a great deal to
telegraph, and sounds so abrupt when one has had such a royal
invitation. It was lovely of her, but of course you know I couldn't be
under obligation like that to entire strangers."
There was a little stiffness in Bonnie's last words, and a cool
withdrawal in her eyes that brought Courtland to his senses and made him
remember Gila's insinuations.
"Look here!" he said, calming down and taking his chair again. "You
don't understand, and I guess I ought to explain. In the first place get
it out of your head that I'm acting fresh or anything like that. I'm
only a kind of big brother that happened along two or three times when
you needed somebody--a--a kind of a Christ-brother, if you want to call
it that way," he added, snatching at the minister's phrase. "You believe
He sends help when it's needed, don't you?"
Bonnie nodded.
"Well, I hadn't an idea in the world of interfering with your affairs at
all, but when I heard you ought to rest, I began to wish I had a mother
of my own, or an aunt or something who would know what to advise. Then
all of a sudden I thought I'd just put the case up to Mother Marshall.
This is the result. Now wait till I tell you what Mother Marshall has
been through, and then if you don't decide that God sent that invitation
I've nothing else to say."
Courtland had a reputation at college for eloquence. In rushing season
his frat. always counted on him to bowl over the doubtful and difficult
fellows, and he never failed. Neither did he fail now, although he found
Bonnie difficult enough. But he had her eyes full of tears of sympathy
before he was through with the story of Stephen.
"Oh, I would love to see her and put my arms around her and try to
comfort her!" she exclaimed. "I know just how she must feel. But I
really couldn't use the money of a stranger, and I couldn't go away with
all this debt, the funeral, and everything!"
Then he set carefully to work to plan for her. He read Mother Marshall's
letter over again, and asked what things she would need to take if she
should go. He wrote out a list of the things she would like to sell, and
promised to look after them.
"Suppose you just leave that to me," he said, comfortingly. "I'll wager
I can get enough out of your furniture to pay all the bills, so you
won't leave any behind. Then if I were you I'd just use that check
they've sent for your expenses, and trust to getting a position, in
that neighborhood when you are strong enough. There are always openings
in the West, you know."
"Do you really think I could do that?" asked Bonnie, excitedly. "I'm a
good stenographer, I've had a really fine musical education, and I could
teach a number of other things."
"Oh, sure! You'd get more positions than you could fill at once!" he
declared, joyously. Somehow it gave him great pleasure to be succeeding
so well.
"Then I could soon pay them back," said Bonnie, reflectively.
"Sure! You could pay back in no time after you got strong. That would be
a cinch! It might even be that you could help Mother Marshall about
something in the house pretty soon. And I'm sure you'll find she just
needs you. Now suppose we write up that telegram. There's no need to
keep the dear lady waiting any longer."
"He thinks I really ought to go," said Bonnie to the nurse, who had just
returned.
"Didn't I tell you so, dear?" said the nurse.
"How soon would the doctor let her travel?" asked Courtland.
"Why, I'll go ask him. You want to put it in your message, don't you?"
"She's a dear!" said Bonnie, with a tender look after her.
"_Isn't_ she a peach!" seconded Courtland, enthusiastically.
The nurse was back almost at once, reporting that Bonnie might travel by
the middle of the week if all went well.
"But could I get ready to go so soon?" said the girl, a shade of trouble
coming into her eyes. "I must go back and pack up my things, you know,
and clean the room."
Courtland and the nurse exchanged meaningful glances.
"Now look here!" began Courtland, with his engaging smile. "Why couldn't
the nurse and I do all that's necessary? How about to-morrow afternoon?
Could you get off awhile, Miss Wright? I don't have any basket-ball
practice till Tuesday, and I could get off right after dinner. Miss
Brentwood, you could tell the nurse just what you want done with your
things, and I'll warrant she and I have sense enough to pack up one
little room."
After some persuasion Bonnie half consented, and then they attended to
the telegram.
Your wonderful invitation accepted with deep gratitude. Will
start as soon as able. Probably Wednesday night. Will write.
ROSE BONNER BRENTWOOD.
was what they finally evolved. Bonnie had been divided between a desire
to save words and a longing to show her appreciation of the kindness.
But the strangest thing of all was that, in his eagerness, the paper
Courtland fumbled out from his pocket to write it upon was Gila Dare's
unopened letter, reeking with violets. He frowned as he realized it, and
stuffed it back in his pocket again.
Courtland enjoyed sending that telegram. He enjoyed it so much that he
sent another along with it on his own account, which read:
Three cheers for the best mother in the United States! She's
coming and you ought to see her eyes shine!
It was on the way back to the university that he happened to remember
Gila's letter.