PIGS, CABBAGES, AND--MR. ROBERT GREY
The day following the arrival of Pearl and Periwinkle at their Aunt
Hetty's home was Sunday. But the children were not permitted to attend
the church service since the time had been too short to procure suitable
clothing for Pearl. Miss Maise, feeling that she would be setting a poor
example in remaining at home herself, determined at least to attempt the
instruction of the children in their Sunday-school lesson. Immediately
then after the breakfast dishes were washed she called them into the
living room.
Miss Hetty did not know just how to begin. The children sat quietly,
regarding her with wide-open eyes, and under their questioning gaze she
felt rather uneasy. A cloth-covered catechism was lying on the table and
this she finally took up. Glancing at the first page opened she abruptly
asked her niece:
"Are you a Christian?"
Pearl gazed at her inquiringly, but gave no answer. Miss Hetty was
prepared for the worst now.
"Do you believe in God?" she continued.
"Yes," answered the child in a surprised tone.
"Who is He?" was the next question asked.
Pearl pointed a little forefinger upward. "Up there," she said in that
awed tone in which little children speak of God, no matter how limited
their knowledge concerning Him. And all of Miss Hetty's questions
convinced her that Pearl's religion was limited to the knowledge that
God lives "up there."
Periwinkle admitted that he knew little more except that their mother
had told them that God always sees them.
"And don't you know any Scripture passages, nor Bible stories, nor your
Catechism? and don't you know that God punishes children who do not love
His Word?" asked their aunt in much surprise.
"But we never heard him speak a word," cried Pearl in reply.
Miss Hetty gazed at the child in eloquent silence. Then she arose,
unlocked the bookcase and selected two books.
"Learn the first two pages by the time I come back," she said. "I'll
leave you for half an hour. I know no other way of helping you."
There was silence for five minutes after their aunt with an indignant
swish of skirts had left the room. Pearl was the first to break the
silence.
"Do you think this is much fun, Peri?" she inquired, looking up with a
puzzled frown.
"No, I don't. I don't understand it. The Fat Woman never gave us a
lesson unless she explained it first."
"Let's not study any more then. It's dreadfully hot in here and the air
smells awful nice comin' through the window. Just like tulips and roses
and several brands of perfume jumbled together. Say, Periwinkle, if you
opened that window ever so little I could just fly right out to that
yellow butterfly that's wiping his feet on Aunt Hetty's flowers."
Pearl's wish was always law to her adoring brother. He set her free, and
as soon as he saw her "flying away," he daringly raised the window still
higher and jumped out quietly himself.
Hand in hand they skipped down the street as noiselessly as snowbirds in
the snowdrift and as gracefully as two windblown leaves. Many people
were walking along the street, all dressed in their best clothes and all
going in one direction. Suddenly Periwinkle clutched his sister's hand.
"Look, Pearl," he exclaimed excitedly, "there's that tall man with the
nice brown eyes, and the tan shoes who looked at Aunt Hetty so funny at
the station yesterday. Should we speak to him?"
"It would be nice of us," Pearl replied, and always accustomed to act on
the impulse, she called, "Howdy do, Mister! Why is everybody going this
way this morning?"
The man, thus addressed, stopped and, looking down on them with one of
those smiles of comradeship that won their hearts at once, replied:
"Why, hello! It's Sunday, you know, and we are all going to church.
Don't you want to come along?"
"Oh, Aunt Hetty wouldn't--she don't like my clothes, you know."
"I think they're real pretty," replied their new-found friend, smiling a
little because of their answer. "Silk aren't they?"
"Yes, trimmed with satin and snow-flake chiffon. I guess we'll go with
you, Mister."
"Good!" There was a ring in his voice that the children could not
understand. To walk to church hand in hand with the niece and nephew of
Hetty Maise would be a novel experience not unattended with some
humor--that appealed to him: to win their love would be the victory he
most desired.
"Won't you tell me your names, please," he whispered as they entered the
church.
"Periwinkle and Pearl Toddles, relatives of Miss Hetty Maise," was the
whispered reply.
Having introduced himself as Robert Grey, their new acquaintance led
them down the broad aisle of the church. As soon as the organ began to
sound its sonorous tones Pearl forgot her strange surroundings entirely
and sat between her brother and Mr. Grey as if in a trance. Not until
the sermon was well under way did she move, and then only to lean
against Periwinkle and whisper, "Isn't this fun, Peri?" "Not fun
exactly," he whispered in reply, "but awfully nice. Hush, Pearl, and if
you get tired just practice on your multiplication table."
It was not until after the doxology had been sung and they had come out
into the open air that the children spoke again.
"Wasn't it wonderful?" asked Periwinkle dreamily. "Do you know what I
thought of, Mr. Grey, when the man was speaking? He said we should do
good to all people. How I wish I'd have heard him say that before I hit
that boy that sneaked around the tent at Higginsport. That man makes you
feel like you want to be good, doesn't he?"
"Will you bring us again?" asked Pearl, with a wistful look on her
anxious face. "I like music even better than riding around the ring."
"Your aunt, Miss Maise--will bring you next Sunday," was the only
promise that Mr. Grey could hold out for them.
"We wish you could go with us too. Thank you for taking us," they called
as they left him.
The hands of the clock on the school-house were pointing to twelve when
Pearl and Periwinkle crawled quietly into the parlor through the still
open window. Their books were on the floor where they had dropped them,
but before they could have picked them up, had they so desired, Miss
Hetty came in. "Came in" is expressing it very mildly. Even Periwinkle
with his extensive vocabulary could not think of an adequate word to
describe the manner of her entrance.
"You have been disobedient. Don't tell me you haven't. You've been
playing on the street. Don't tell me--"
The children, however, did not attempt to interrupt her or defend
themselves until she had finished her scolding. Then her nephew let his
thunderbolt fall.
"We've been to church with Mr. Robert Grey."
"To church--with--Mr. Grey!" gasped Miss Maise, sinking into the nearest
chair and staring at the two young culprits as if she thought that the
heat had affected their minds. "To church--with--Robert Grey!"
"Yes, Aunty Hetty. Mr. Robert Grey with the brown eyes. I should think
if anybody was named Grey their eyes ought to be grey,--"
"Periwinkle Toddles! Did Mr. Grey have the nerve to come to my house and
steal you away to be made a laughing stock of in church?"
The boy flushed but tried to be courteous in his answer.
"I didn't see anybody laugh at us, Aunt Hetty. And Mr. Grey didn't steal
us away. We got tired of sitting here and so we ran out in the street
and he saw us and took us with him. Some children sang, and a man talked
and we had a dandy time. I'm sorry that I disobeyed you, but I'm glad I
went and I don't know whether I'm gladder or sorrier. So I don't much
care what you do to me."
"You will be punished severely," replied their aunt, "for running away
and going to church with that man."
"Why, what is wrong with him?" queried the niece, remembering Mr. Grey's
wonderful smile and how nicely he had treated them.
Miss Hetty was silent for a moment. She was uncertain just which was the
best way to answer this question. Finally she said, "Pearl, Periwinkle!
There is something I must tell you; something that you must find out
before you begin school the week after next. It may be hard for you to
understand this but you must know it so that you will not make any
mistakes again. You know there are only two families in this village,
two families that have any influence, I mean. They are the Maises and
the Greys and their relatives. They used to be good friends; in fact,
such good friends that two of them promised to become even more to one
another. Three years ago a quarrel began. My father had a very fine pig,
a Poland China, very fat--I remember. One night it strayed into neighbor
Grey's cabbage patch, and being a pig, did much damage. Mr. Grey came to
father who promised to keep Glenny--the pig--at home. That same night it
got out again and Mr. Grey who was rather hot tempered sicked his dog
on it. The big fellow killed our finest pig. Father went to law about
it, but died before it came to court, and the lawsuit was dropped. But
the quarrel kept on just the same. The Greys clung together and so did
the Maises. Every one else in the village sided with one or the other. I
thought I'd better tell you this before you started to school. The
Maises and Greys pass each other without speaking now."
"Why, I think that's silly," said Peri energetically "and Mr. Grey don't
look like a fellow to get sore over a pig."
"He did his best to avoid getting mixed up in the trouble," admitted
Miss Maise, "but it was his father's dog that killed the pig, and he
just couldn't help himself perhaps. Everyone got mixed up in it somehow,
and I don't believe any power under the sun can make the Maises and the
Greys friends again. But if you think I've forgotten how disobedient
you've been, you are much mistaken!"
"It's a shame, Periwinkle, to tie a big boy like you to a chair, but I
see I can't trust you." With these words she drew a ball of twine from
her pocket and to his great shame began securing him. Then she fastened
little Pearl in a like manner.
"I'll bring you bread and milk for your dinner," she said, "and perhaps
you won't be so anxious to run away the next time."
"But just the same," said Pearl when her aunt had left, as if she at
least had found much consolation in the thought, "we went to a good
place."
Her brother however did not reply; he was thinking of a Poland China pig
in a cabbage patch and comparing its loss with that of Mr. Grey's
priceless friendship.