"WHEN BUDS AND BLOSSOMS BURST"
The planning of the toilets took considerable time, and Miss Howard felt
that she had made no mistake when she asked the girl's advice. Like her
father's, Toinette's taste was unerring, and when she said:
"Wouldn't it be pretty to have the girls represent flowers?" Miss Howard
was delighted with the idea.
"What flowers would you suggest, dear?" she asked.
"Let me think just a moment, please," said Toinette, and she rested her
chin upon her hands, a favorite attitude of hers when thinking seriously
of anything. "How would a lily, a violet, a pansy, a daffodil, a
narcissus, and a snowdrop do?"
"How pretty!" exclaimed Miss Howard. "What put such a picturesque idea in
your head? It is beautiful, and can be carried out admirably. You must be
my fair and lovely lily; then shall come my violet and daffodil; then my
narcissus and lilac; then my pansy and modest little snowdrop. That will
exactly suit Helen."
"Who are to be the bridesmaids?"
"Edith, May, Ruth, Marie, Natala and Helen."
"How nice of you to choose all the younger girls; it makes us feel so
important. Now, let's plan just what the dresses are to be," said
Toinette, becoming quite excited, and looking at Miss Howard as though all
must be completed ere they left the summer-house.
"I am waiting for your suggestions," said she.
"Wouldn't it be pretty to have all the dresses made of white chiffon, or
something soft like that, and have white, violet and yellow slips under
them? Then have the hats trimmed with the flowers they represent. Would
you like that, Miss Howard?"
"Yes, immensely; but now I want to think about Helen. You know she has
very limited means, and what might seem a small outlay for the others
would probably be a large one for her, and I do not want to tax her
resources, much as I wish to have her for one of my bonny maids."
"Yes," said Toinette, meditatively, "I suppose the dresses will be rather
expensive, but it would be too bad not to have Helen; she is so sweet and
is so fond of you, Miss Howard."
"Yes, she is a dear child, and I have felt a great interest in her from
the moment she entered the school. I wish I knew of some way of bettering
her circumstances. Mr. Burgess is a most estimable man, but not one liable
to advance rapidly through his own efforts, I fear. He is most reliable
and capable, but seems to lack the push so essential in this bustling day
and age. He would prove invaluable in any position of trust, but would
never secure such if it depended upon his own efforts to do so."
Toinette had listened very attentively while Miss Howard was talking, and
when she finished said:
"When papa was out here for the dance I spoke to him about Helen, and we
had such a nice little talk. The next day he spoke with Miss Preston about
those very things, but I do not know what came of it. I wish I did. His
business affairs bring him into contact with so many large firms of
different kinds that I am almost sure he could secure something for Mr.
Burgess. Do you know what I am going to do?" said Toinette, eagerly, "I am
going to write to him right off, tell him all about our plans; may I?
About the wedding, the bridesmaids, and everything; then I am going to ask
him if he has heard of anything that he thinks would help Mr. Burgess,
and, who knows, maybe, by the first of June all will be fixed up so nicely
that Helen can have things as nice as the other girls--and, oh, Miss
Howard!--wouldn't it be _lovely_ if she could go abroad with Miss
Preston?" and Toinette clasped her hands in rapture at the very thought.
Miss Howard laughed a happy little laugh, and, taking Toinette's face in
both her hands, kissed her cheeks very tenderly, saying as she did so:
"I see that I made no mistake in my estimate of your character, dear,
although I did not bargain for quite such a wise, resourceful little head
and efficient helper as you have proved. How did you manage to think out
so much in so short a time?"
"I suppose it is because my brains have never been overburdened with
thoughts for other people," said Toinette, with an odd expression
overspreading her face, "and so the part of them devoted to that sort of
thing has had time to develop to an astonishing degree. But I guess I'd
better begin to use the power before it becomes abnormal; Miss Preston
says that abnormal development of any sort is dangerous," and she gave a
funny little laugh as she glanced slyly into Miss Howard's eyes.
Miss Howard understood the quaint remark, and, rising from her seat, said:
"I shall not soon forget our little talk, but must leave you now for the
'school ma'am's' duties. One of them will be to endeavor to persuade
Pauline that it was _not_ Henry VIII. who sought to reduce the American
Colonies to submission, nor Lafayette who won the battle of Waterloo.
Good-bye," and away tripped Miss Howard over the soft green lawn.
Toinette sat for a few moments, and then, springing up, said to herself:
"I might as well go and write that letter this very minute, and I do hope
papa will know of something right off. How lovely it would be!"
The letter was soon written, and within two hours was speeding upon its
way to New York. Toinette had reasoned well, and, as good luck would have
it, the letter arrived at a most auspicious moment. As Mr. Reeve sat
reading it, his face reflecting the happiness he felt at receiving it so
close upon the one which came to him every Monday morning, a client was
shown into his office.
It happened to be one who was about to embark upon a new line of business
in which he was venturing large sums of money, and which required capable,
trustworthy men to carry out his plans. He had consulted with Mr. Reeve
many times before, and nearly all details were completed; the few that
remained dealt with minor matters, so Mr. Reeve felt considerable
satisfaction at the thought of having brought all arrangements through so
successfully. But it was certainly anything but a contented face he saw
before him when he glanced up from Toinette's letter upon Mr. Fowler's
entrance, and his first words were: "Well, for a prosperous capitalist,
you bear a woeful countenance, Ned."
"If mine is woeful, yours certainly is not," was the prompt answer. "You
look as though you had been the recipient of some very pleasing news."
"A pretty good sort," said Mr. Reeve, smiling. "The sort that makes a man
feel old and young at the same time. Ever get any of that?"
"Don't know as I do; it must be a rare specimen," said Mr. Fowler, dryly.
"Better let me know the kind it is; perhaps it will counterbalance the
kind I have for you this morning; confound it!"
Seeing that Mr. Fowler was really disturbed about something, Mr. Reeve
dropped his bantering tone, and went to serious matters. He then learned
that the bookkeeper whom Mr. Fowler had engaged for the new line of
business, and who would also act as his confidential clerk and office
manager, would be unable to accept the position, as he was called to
England by the death of his father, and would in future make his home
there. This was a serious loss to Mr. Fowler, for he had known this man
for years, and felt deep satisfaction at the thought of having such an
efficient assistant.
"And now," he said, when he had told Mr. Reeve all the facts, "who under
heavens am I to find to fill his place at such short notice, I'd like to
know? Such men are not to be picked up at every corner."
"Read that letter," was all Mr. Reeve said, and handed him Toinette's
letter.
Mr. Fowler took the letter, and began reading with a very mystified
expression, as though he could not for the life of him understand what a
letter from Mr. Reeve's daughter had to do with his private affairs. But,
as he read, his expression changed, and when he came to the end he said:
"Well, it may be Kismet; can't say. Funnier things have happened. Look
into it, will you, Clayton? I'm sick and tired of the thing, particularly
when I thought all important details settled."
And Clayton Reeve did "look into it" very thoroughly, leaving no stone
unturned which would help him to learn all that it was necessary to know
about Mr. Burgess, and nothing could possibly have been more gratifying
than what he learned. As a result of it, Mr. Burgess was offered the
position from June first, and the salary offered with it seemed a princely
one to him as compared to the one he had received as clerk in the bank in
Montcliff. It would be hard to understand the happiness which that
schoolgirl letter brought to one family, or how the writing of it changed
two lives very materially, and a third completely.