DISAPPOINTMENT
Miss Twining was worse. Dr. Gunnip had been called late in the
afternoon. It was now nearly six o'clock, and the third-floor
corner room was discussing the situation.
"I guess you'd better see Mr. Randolph to-morrow," Mrs. Albright
was saying.
"Why not make it this evening?" returned Polly. "She may not live
till morning!" Tears were in her voice.
"No, the Doctor didn't think she'd give out right away; he said she
might last a good while."
"Little he knows about it!" scorned Polly.
"Well, he said it right up and down!" put in Miss Crilly.
"It is too bad!" Polly drew a long, sighing breath. "I don't
believe she'd have had any heart trouble at all, if Miss Sniffen
hadn't made this fuss!"
"The excitement has no doubt aggravated it," commented Mrs.
Albright.
"Is that all Dr. Gunnip said, that she had heart disease?" queried
Polly.
"He didn't stay long enough to say anything!" sputtered Miss
Crilly. "He walked in and walked out--I wish I'd timed him!"
"You'd have had to look in a hurry," remarked Mrs. Albright quietly.
"Guess he's like a doctor my mother used to tell about," observed
Miss Crilly. "You had to catch hold of his coat-tails if you
wanted to ask him a question. And he never would have
consultation, no matter how sick anybody was. He said, one could
play on a fiddle better than two."
A quick little smile ran round the group; but nobody laughed. The
present question was too serious.
"Miss Twining didn't tell me much," resumed Mrs. Albright. "The
Doctor had just gone, and I was in a fidget for fear Miss Sniffen
would come back. But I could see that he had upset her completely.
I don't think, from what she did say, that he gave her any
particulars. He said she had got to be extremely careful. She
feels as if it was about over with her."
"I wish father could see her," fretted Polly. "He wouldn't
frighten her so, even if he did have to tell her that her heart was
in bad shape! I hate Dr. Gunnip worse than ever! Did he leave her
any medicine?"
"Oh, yes! I saw two little piles of tablets on the table."
"Likely as not they'll make her worse!" Polly got up. "I'm going
to see Mr. Randolph to-night!" she announced determinedly.
"No, no!" objected Mrs. Albright. "Wait until morning! It would
only excite her more to have another doctor now. She'd think she
was in a worse condition than she is."
"I'd wait if I were you," agreed Miss Sterling. "I think it will
be better all round."
"Well," yielded Polly reluctantly, and sat down again.
"What you going to tell him, anyway?" questioned Miss Crilly a bit
anxiously.
"Why--everything!" Polly's hands flew apart with expressive
gesture.
"I'm afraid he won't want to interfere."
"He isn't a fool!" retorted Polly. "And when I've told him all I'm
going to tell him, if he doesn't interfere--if he isn't aching to
interfere--he will be one!"
Miss Crilly giggled. "You're the greatest!" she said admiringly.
The next morning Polly awoke with the vague consciousness that
something of importance was at hand. Then she remembered. To-day
she was to see Mr. Randolph!
During breakfast the matter was discussed.
"You seem suddenly to have become a woman of affairs," playfully
remarked Dr. Dudley.
"There isn't anybody else to do things," said Polly plaintively.
"Miss Crilly wouldn't amount to anything if she went. She'd get
scared first thing and make a regular fizzle of it. Mrs. Albright
has pluck enough in some ways; but she couldn't be hired to see Mr.
Randolph. Of course, Miss Nita'd do it all right; but she just
won't! And somebody must!"
"It is full time," the Doctor agreed; "but it looks a big load for
your shoulders."
"Oh, I don't mind this!" Polly said brightly. "It was hard, going
to Mr. Parcell's; but this is--different, you know."
"Decidedly different."
Polly glanced up from under her eyelashes. She knew what he
thought of her visit to the minister's, and now she sighed a little
in remembrance of his fatherly comments.
"Of course, Mr. Randolph will be surprised--shocked, I guess; but
he isn't to blame, and he's a lovely man to talk to. I think I'm
going to enjoy it."
Mrs. Dudley caught the twinkle in her husband's eyes, and laughed.
"What have I said out of the way now?" Polly laid down her fork.
"Nothing," her father answered gravely.
"I don't see why mother was laughing, then." She glanced from one
to the other.
They sipped their coffee in silence, but the girl detected a
lingering bit of a smile on her mother's lips.
As soon as she had put her room in trim for the day, Polly ran over
to the Home for a final talk with Miss Sterling before making her
appointment with Mr. Randolph.
She found both Mrs. Albright and Miss Crilly in the corner room. A
little excitement was in the air.
"Have you heard?" asked Miss Crilly.
Polly's eyes went frightened.
"No--what?" she said weakly.
"Don't be scared, child! It is nothing!" Mrs. Albright put an arm
around her. "It is only that Mr. Randolph is sick."
"O-o-h!" mourned Polly.
"It's in the morning paper," added Miss Crilly. "It says,
'seriously ill.'"
"Yet he may not be," interposed Miss Sterling. "The papers seldom
get it right."
"It is too bad!" Polly sat down. "Our paper was late," she
explained, "and father didn't have time to read it,--he was called
off from breakfast,--and I was thinking so much about going that I
forgot the paper. Is that all it says?"
"Yes. It doesn't tell what the matter is."
"Now we shall have to wait!" said Polly dismally. "How is Miss
Twining?"
"A little brighter, I think," answered Mrs. Albright.
"Dear me! I hope Mr. Randolph won't die!" Miss Crilly's face was
despairing. "There isn't another one we'd dare tell!"
"No," agreed Polly, "he's the only man we can trust. We can't do a
single thing till he gets well."