HESTER AT HOME
If Hester had arrived at the Grimes's house in two cabs instead of one
it would have aroused her mother to little comment; for, for some
years now, her daughter had grown quite beyond her control and Mrs.
Grimes had learned not to comment upon Hester's actions. Yet, oddly
enough, Hester was neither a wild girl nor a silly girl; she was
merely bold, bad tempered, and wilful.
Mrs. Grimes was a large, lymphatic lady, given to loose wrappers until
late in the day, and the enjoyment of unlimited novels. "Comfort above
all" was the good lady's motto. She had suffered much privation and
had worked hard, during Mr. Grimes's beginnings in trade, for Hester's
father had worked up from an apprentice butcher boy in a retail
store--was a "self-made man."
Mr. Grimes was forever talking about how he had made his own way in
the world without the help of any other person; but he was,
nevertheless, purse-proud and arrogant. Hester could not fail to be
somewhat like her father in this. She believed that Money was the
touchstone of all good in the world. But Mrs. Grimes was naturally a
kindly disposed woman, and sometimes her mother's homely virtues
cropped out in Hester--as note her interest in the Doyles. She was
impulsively generous, but expected to find the return change of
gratitude for every kindly dollar she spent.
They had a big and ornate house, in which the servants did about as
they liked for all of Mrs. Grimes's oversight. The latter admitted
that she knew how to do a day's wash as well as any woman--perhaps
would have been far more happy had she been obliged to do such work,
too; but she had no executive ability, and the girls in the kitchen
did well or ill as they listed.
Now that Hester was growing into a young lady, she occasionally went
into the servants' quarters and tried to set things right in imitation
of her father's blustering oversight of his slaughter house--without
Mr. Grimes's thorough knowledge of the work and conditions in hand. So
Hester's interference in domestic affairs usually resulted in a
"blow-up" of all concerned and a scramble for new servants at the
local agencies.
Under these circumstances it may be seen that the girl's home life was
neither happy nor inspiring. The kindly, gentle things of life escaped
Hester Grimes. She unfortunately scorned her mother for her "easy"
habits; she admired her father's bullying ways and his ability to make
money. And she missed the sweetening influence of a well-conducted
home where the inmates are polite and kind to one another.
Hester was abundantly healthy, possessed personal courage to a
degree--as Dr. Agnew had observed--was not naturally unkind, and had
other qualities that, properly trained and moulded, would have made
her a very nice girl indeed. But having no home restraining
influences, the rough corners of Hester Grimes's character had never
been smoothed down.
Her friendship with Lily Pendleton was not like the "chumminess" of
other girls. Lily's mother came of one of the "first families" of
Centerport, and moved in a circle that the Grimeses could never hope
to attain, despite their money. Through her friendship with Lily, who
was in miniature already a "fine lady," Hester obtained a slight hold
upon the fringe of society. But even Lily was lost to her at times.
"Why ain't I seen your friend Lily so much lately?" asked Mrs. Grimes,
languidly, the evening of the day Hester had plunged into the sewer
and rescued little Johnny Doyle.
"Oh, between dancing school and Purt Sweet, Lil has about got her
silly head turned," said Hester, tossing her own head.
"My goodness me!" drawled Mrs. Grimes, "that child doesn't take young
Purt Sweet seriously, does she?"
"Whoever heard of anybody's taking Pretty seriously?" laughed Hester.
"Only Pretty himself believes that he has anything in his head but
mush! Last time Mrs. Pendleton had an evening reception, Purt got an
invite, and went. Something happened to him--he knocked over a vase, or
trod on a lady's dress, or something awkward--and the next afternoon
Lil caught him walking up and down in front of their house, trying to
screw up courage enough to ring the bell.
"'What's the matter, Purt?' asked Lily, going up to him.
"'Oh, Miss Lily!' cries Purt. 'What did your mother say when you told
her I was sorry for having made a fool of myself at the party last
night?'
"'Why,' says Lil, 'she said she didn't notice anything unusual in your
actions.'
"Wasn't _that_ a slap? And now Lil is letting Purt run around with her
and act as if he owned her--just because he's a good dancer."
"My dear!" yawned her mother. "I should think you'd join that dancing
class."
"I'll wait till I'm asked, I hope," muttered Hester. "Everybody
doesn't get to join it. We're not in that set--and we might as well
admit it. And I don't believe we ever will be."
"I'm certainly glad!" complained her mother, rustling the leaves of
her book. "Your father is always pushing me into places where I don't
want to go. He had a deal in business with Colonel Swayne, and he
insisted that I call on Mrs. Kerrick. They're awfully stuck-up folks,
Hess."
"I see Mrs. Kerrick's carriage standing at the Beldings' gate quite
often, just the same," muttered Hester.
"Yes--I know," said her mother. "They make a good deal of Laura. Well,
they didn't make much of me. When I walked into the grounds and
started up the front stoop, a butler, or footman, or something, all
togged up in livery, told me that I must go around to the side door if
I had come to see the cook. And he didn't really seem anxious to take
my card."
"Oh, Mother!" exclaimed Hester.
"You needn't tell your father. I don't blame 'em. They've got their
own friends and we've got ourn. No use pushing out of our class."
"You should have gone in the carriage," complained Hester.
"I don't like that stuffy hack," said her mother. "It smells of--of
liv'ry stables and--and funerals! If your father would set up a
carriage of his own----"
"Or buy an automobile instead of hiring one for us occasionally,"
finished Hester.
For with all his love of display, the wholesale butcher was a thrifty
person.
With Lily so much interested for the time in other matters, Hester
found her only recreation at the athletic field; and for several days
after the mysterious raid upon the girls' gymnasium there was not much
but talk indulged in about the building. Then new basketballs were
procured and the regular practice in that game went on.
In a fortnight would come the first inter-school match of the fall
term--a game between Central High girls and the representative team of
East High of Centerport. In the last match game the East High girls
had won--and many of the girls of Central High believed that the game
went to their competitors because of Hester Grimes's fouling.
There was more talk of this now. Some of the girls did not try to hide
their dislike for Hester. Nellie Agnew did not speak to her at all,
and the latter was inclined to accuse Nellie of being the leader in
this apparent effort to make Hester feel that she was looked upon with
more than suspicion. The mystery of the gymnasium raid overshadowed
the whole school; but the shadow fell heaviest on Hester Grimes.
"She did it!"
"She's just mean enough to do it!"
"She said she hated us!"
"It's just like her--she spoils everything she can't boss!"
She could read these expressions on the lips of her fellow students.
Hester Grimes began to pay for her ill-temper, and the taste of this
medicine was bitter indeed.