THE OLD MAN
The chaplain was getting uneasy. His time was up, he ought to get back
to Shoreham that night, and there was no sign of Pippin. Of course he
could go back without seeing him, but--but he _wanted_ to see the boy.
Lawrence Hadley was at heart as romantic as his sister, and had built
his own modest air castle for Pippin and Mary. There was a
misunderstanding between them; he might be able to clear it up if he
could have a good talk with them both. Well, there was an afternoon
train; he would get back late, but still--
So the good man spent the morning at Cyrus Poor Farm, and enjoyed
himself extremely. He had an interview with Mr. Blossom, a brief one.
The old man was consistent; spiritual matters did not interest him in
the least. All he cared for was the sight of Mary in her blue dress and
white apron; he brushed the chaplain away with a feeble but definite,
"Sky pilot? Nix! Lemme 'lone!" Hadley, wise and kind, said a few cheery
words, nodded to Mary, and went away. But for the other inmates that
morning was marked with a white stone. He talked with each one; better
still, he listened to each one, not plucking out the heart of his
mystery but recognizing it with a friendly and appreciative nod and
leaving it where it was. He sympathized with every individual ache in
Miss Pudgkins' j'ints, prescribed hot water and red pepper for her
dyspepsy, and promised a bottle of his favorite liniment. He heard all
about the Whetstones and the Flints (Aunt Mandy's mother was a Flint,
and _her_ mother was a Cattermole; he probably knew what the Cattermoles
were), he heard the number of rooms in the Whetstone homestead, and the
cost of the Brussels carpet laid down at the time of Aunt Mandy's Aunt
Petunia's wedding. She married a traveling man, and had _everything_.
All this with much bridling, and drawing down of an upper lip already
sufficiently long. Hadley reflected that this poor soul could never have
been anything but a fright, and his manner grew even kindlier.
He received the husky confidences of Mr. Wisk, who assured him, as
between man and man, that this was no place for a gen'leman to stay any
len'th of time. Good people in their way, good people, they meant well;
but not, you understand, what a gen'leman was accustomed to. He, Mr.
Wisk, was just waiting till his folks sent for him out West, that was
all. Mr. Hadley didn't happen to have a drop of anything about him? A
gen'leman was used to a drop after breakfast, and it came hard--all
right! all right! No offense!
All this the chaplain took with cheerful friendliness; it was all in the
day's work, all interesting; everything was interesting. But the talk he
really enjoyed was one with Jacob Bailey and Brand, the blind man. They
sat in the barn doorway, wide and sunny; Brand on his stool, finishing
his two-bushel basket; Hadley on an upturned bucket beside him; Bailey
leaning against the door jamb. They talked of stock and crops, of seeds
and basketry and butter. Then some one said, "Pippin," and the other
things ceased to exist. First, Jacob Bailey must tell his story, of how
he had seen that young feller steppin' out along the road, who but he!
steppin' out, sir, and talkin' nineteen to the dozen, all alone by
himself; of their making acquaintance, and all it had led to. "Brand is
like one of the fam'ly! I've but few secrets from Brand. Pippin saved my
boy, sir; my wife's nevy, that's been a son to us both, and was goin'
astray. Pippin saved him! Lemme tell you!" He told; the chaplain
listened with kindling eyes, and then in his turn told of Pippin's life
in the prison, of his influence over this man and that, of the help he
had been as a trusty this past year, of how he had been missed.
"Why, actually, the place seems darker without him!"
The blind man, who had been listening intently, spoke for the first
time.
"Yes!" he said slowly. "He is like light!"
The others turned to him.
"How's that, Brand?" asked Bailey, kindly.
"I have never seen light," said the man who was born blind, "but when
this young man comes in, he brings something that seems to me like what
light must be. 'Tis warm, but more than that; 'tis--" he shook his head.
"I cannot put it into words!" he said. "I have never seen light!"
"You are right, sir!" the chaplain spoke with conviction. "You have
described it exactly. Pippin is one of the light-bringers. They are a
class by themselves, and--to judge by my own experience--Pippin is in a
sub-class by himself. But, Mr. Bailey, this light must be focused; to do
all it can do, all it is meant to do, it must burn steadily; must be a
trimmed lamp, not a wandering flame. Do you take me?"
Bailey leaned forward, almost stammering in his eagerness.
"That's right! That's right!" he cried. "That's what I've been wantin'
to say! That's what I want to go over with you, before he comes, Mr.
Hadley. I've been itchin' to, ever since you come. Here's the way it
looks to me!"
The other two men bent toward him; the talk went on in low, earnest
tones. The sun poured in at the wide barn door; the hens and chickens
clucked and scratched in the golden straw; from her loose box Polly, the
black mare, whinnied a request for sugar. Past the farmyard gate went
the road, a white, dusty ribbon stretching far into the distance; but
look and listen as they might, the three men caught no glimpse of a gay
figure swinging along, a wheel at its back, a song on its lips.
Mary was doing her duty, thoroughly and faithfully, as she did all
things. The old man had been well taken care of before she came; the
little room had been neat as wax, the old rag and tatter of humanity had
been kept clean and wholesome as might be; but Mrs. Bailey had no time
for the little touches, the scientific generalities, so to speak, that
appeared wherever Mary went. The little trays, by whose daintiness gruel
was made to appear a feast for sybarites; the tidy screen, fashioned
from a clotheshorse and a piece of cheesecloth; the glass of flowers on
the light-stand by the bed: all these said, "Mary-in-the-kitchen," as
plain as things can speak; and Mary, sad and steadfast, found
satisfaction in them. But Old Man Blossom cared for none of these
things; dirt was good enough for him, he said, he was made of it,
anyways; let Mary stop wieldin' that duster and set down by him, she'd
been bustlin' the entire mornin'; he wanted to look at her. Mary sat
down patiently, and took out her tatting--but the nerveless hand groped
and groped till it touched hers, and clutched and held it. Then he lay
quiet, gazing his fill, asking nothing more of earth or Heaven; and
Mary sat patiently, seeing her duty plain, doing it thoroughly.
Loving it? No! She would not lie to herself. Her flesh would cringe and
shrink at the touch of that other flesh, flaccid, lifeless, yet clinging
so close it seemed to be sucking her clean young strength as a leech
sucks blood. The visions would come, try as she might to banish them;
visions of the old, dreadful days, of this face, now so peaceful on the
pillow, purple and sodden, with glazed eyes and hanging mouth; of her
mother, with the watchful terror in her eyes; mingled with these
visions, inseparable from them, the smell of liquor and musty straw.
Then, as she fought with herself, striving to drive away the sight and
the smell, lo! all would change. She would see a dark face glowing with
a warmth of tenderness and compassion which--she told herself--her cold
heart could never know.
"Poor old mutt!" said the voice that was like a golden bell. "He's on
the blink, you see, and he wants his kid. Wouldn't that give you a pain?
Honest, now!"
Then Mary would bend over the bed in an agony of self-reproach.
"Father, are you easier? Father, would you like a drink? Let me lift
your head--so!"
And through it all, something at the back of her brain knew that along
the white ribbon of road a figure was striding, lithe, alert, a wheel at
its back and a song on its lips. Yes, a song! All would come right, it
couldn't help but. The Lord was Pippin's shepherd, e'en as He was
Mary's. He would make her see, make her understand. Glory be!
"Dinner's ready, Mary! Can you come?" Mrs. Bailey, opening the door
softly, spoke under her breath, with a glance at the still figure in the
bed, at the hand clutching Mary's with feeble, clinging grasp. Mary
nodded and her lips shaped the words,
"Presently! He's dropping off asleep."
Five minutes passed; ten minutes. At last the fingers loosed their hold,
the eyes closed, the lines faded, and the ugly old wax mask lay still on
the pillow.
Quietly Mary rose, her soft dress making no sound. Quietly she stole to
the door, quietly opened it, so quietly that no one saw or heard her,
for at that moment another door was flung wide open from outside, and a
gay "Hello! hello! hello!" brought every one to their feet. Pippin stood
in the doorway, laughing, glowing, his wheel at his back; in his arms--a
child--a little, dark, bright-eyed child, who clung to him and gazed
wide-eyed at the strange faces, for all were clustering about him now
with greetings and questions.
"Where have you been, Pippin? We've been looking for you all day. How
are you? What you been doing? Whose child is that?"
"Easy, folks, easy!" laughed Pippin. "You're scaring the kiddy out of
his boots--if he had any!" with a glance at the brown toes that were
curling frantically round him. "Mis' Bailey, you come--"
"Whose child is it?" asked Lucy Bailey again, as she came forward.
"Well!" Pippin laughed again, as he tried to unwind the clinging brown
arms from his neck. His face was alight, there was a ring of triumph in
his voice. "He calls me Daddy. What do you know about that? I expect
he's mine, ain't he?"
Mary! Mary! Stop! Wait and listen! This child is six years old, and
Pippin two and twenty. Use the reason on which you pride yourself!
But Mary is gone, closing the door softly. Gone to fling herself on her
knees beside the dying reprobate, to tell him--silently, be sure! His
sleep must not be broken--tell him over and over that he is all she has
in the world, that she is a wicked, wicked girl; that she will try to
love him; she will, she will!
"Mother! mother! I will try!"
No one sees; no one hears.
Pippin, after a wistful glance round the room, sat down at the table and
tucked the child comfortably away under his left arm.
"Set down, please, everybody!" he said. "I'm right sorry I disturbed you
all. Seemed so good to get here! No, Mis' Bailey, full as much obliged,
seein' he holds so to me, I'll keep him right here. If you'd pass me
some bread and milk; he can eat by himself," proudly; "can't you, old
sport? There now! Fall afoul of that, what say? Elder, I am proper glad
to see you, I sure am. I was scared to death you'd got out of patience
and gone. Mary--Miss Blossom--well? The Old Man--she got here in time?"
Reassured on this point, he drew a long sigh of relief. "That's good!
That's good! I kep' on thinkin' and thinkin', what if she come too late?
She comin' in soon?"
"Pretty soon, Pippin; he can't bear to have her out of his sight, so
she's waiting till he drops asleep. If you don't tell us about that
child, Mrs. Bailey won't give you a morsel to eat, will you, Mrs.
Bailey? And it's the best corned beef hash you ever tasted."
Pippin threw back his head and laughed again, the gay, triumphant laugh
that rang through the kitchen.
"Got you all guessin', ain't I? Now I'll tell you all about it.
Yesterday I was slammin' along the ro'd--it's been a long trip, twice as
long as gettin' there, 'cause I didn't stop any place excep' I had
to--slammin' along to beat the band, when I heard a kid hollerin',
hollerin' like he was hurt. Come round the corner, and there--green
grass! there was a big Dago guy with an organ, and he was layin' into
this kid. Layin' into him, you understand, with a stick--little kid like
this! Wouldn't that give--Well! I guess I went sort of dotty. I--well,
you'll excuse me, ladies! I done what appeared the right dope--in that
case, you understand. I give him his, in good shape! And then I dumped
his organ atop of him, and took the kid and _e_-loped. That's all there
is to it, really." He swept the table with a smile as confident as it
was appealing. "Guess you'd all done the same, wouldn't you? The gents,
I would say."
There was a doubtful murmur, which might mean assent or dissent; the
chaplain alone spoke out.
"I don't know, Pippin! Of course you were right to stop the man's
beating the child; but if he was his father--"
"Father nothin'! He was one of them Pat Rooneys."
"Pat Rooneys? What do you mean?"
"That's what they call 'em!" with an assured nod. "Never knew why they
give 'em an Irish name, for they're I-talian dagoes, every man Jack of
'em. _Buy_ kids, they do, or as good as buy 'em, and learn 'em--"
A light broke on the chaplain. "Oh! _padrone_, you mean!"
"That's what I say. Pat Roney or Rooney: Rooney's a more common name.
There's Rooneys every place, I guess, but they're mostly Irish. Well!
Now you see, Elder, this kiddo--lemme tell you! Say, kiddo! Where's
Puppa?"
"Papagondaiddo!" replied the child, burrowing his head into Pippin's
shoulder.
"Where's Mamma?"
"Mammagondaiddo!"
"Want to go back to Pat Rooney?"
The boy screamed, and clung frantically round Pippin's neck, half
choking him.
"There! You see, Elder, and folks! And you see this!" he added gravely,
pulling the ragged shirt from the little shoulders. The women cried out
in pity and horror; the men grew red and muttered. Pippin pulled the
shirt up again, gently as a woman. "I know the way that feels!" he said
simply. "I've been there!"
There was a moment's silence, while he stroked the curly head absently.
Then Lucy Bailey, the tears running down her cheeks, held out her arms.
"Come to me, little lamb!" she said. "Come and have a nice warm bath and
some clean dry clothes! Then we'll go out and see the chickabiddies and
the ducks! Come to Auntie!"
The child resisted at first, but after a long look at her, put his hand
in hers and trotted off obediently. Pippin drew a breath of relief, and
turned eagerly to the chaplain.
"Glory!" he cried. "Glory to God! Wa'n't that a leadin', Elder? Honest,
now, did ever you see a leadin' made clearer? I set out to find that
little gal, allowin' soon as I'd found her, to do thus and so--You
know, to get some boys and give 'em the glad hand, help 'em up. And the
very day after I find that gal--" again that wistful glance round the
room; she was long in coming--"the _very day_, sir, the Lord sends this
kid right in my road. And--" Pippin's eyes brightened; he brought his
hand down with a resounding smack on the table--"green grass! _before_
that, Elder!--there's another kid, all ready to come and start right in,
waitin' up there to the Orphan joint till I tip him the signal, and then
just watch him make tracks for Cyrus! I--I guess I'll have to sing,
Elder; I feel like I was bustin'. Shall we praise the Lord a spell in
song?"
He was springing to his feet, but the chaplain, exchanging a glance with
Jacob Bailey, laid a quiet hand on his shoulder.
"Not just yet, Pippin!" he said. "You are going too fast; we must talk
this over. Come out with me--why, you foolish fellow, you haven't eaten
any dinner!"
"That's right! I haven't. And I'm holler as a pail, too. Trouble you for
a mite of that hash, Mr. Bailey? Gee! it _is_ good, no two ways about
that!"
Absurd that they should all sit and watch Pippin eating his dinner, but
they did. He drew them like a magnet. Some of them lingered because it
put off a little longer the return to work; this was the case of Mr.
Wisk, who did not like to dig potatoes. Others, like Brand and Miss
Whetstone, pricked eager ears for the scraps of gay talk that alternated
with Pippin's mouthfuls; while Miss Pudgkins watched the mouthfuls
themselves with mournful interest, and while admiring the skill with
which Pippin handled his knife (his formative years had not known
forks), saw with dismay the dwindling pile of savory hash. She had
counted on a portion for her supper; she must say he was a master hand
at eating. The chaplain for his part watched the meal with mingled
amusement and impatience. It was pleasant to see a perfectly healthy
creature enjoying his food, but, with a third mountain of hash just
begun upon, and kindling glances thrown toward the custard pie and
doughnuts, what was to become of the "heart-to-hearter" which he must
have with his "wandering flame"? The moments were passing, the afternoon
train looming larger and larger.
But the chaplain was not to take the train that afternoon. Just as
Pippin had flung himself joyously on the pie, the inner door opened, and
Mary, pale and grave, appeared.
"Mr. Hadley," she said, "will you come? Father isn't so well!"