The Prince
Miss Upton's accounts were still in a muddle when she reached Keefe. Try
as she might her unruly thoughts would wander back to the golden hair
and dark, wistful eyes of that forlorn girl.
"I was such a fool to lose her!" she kept saying to herself. "Such a
fool."
Arrived at her station she left the car, encumbered by her bulging bag
and the umbrella which had performed a nobler deed to-day than keeping
off the rain.
"I don't know, though," soliloquized Miss Mehitable. "If I hadn't had my
umbrella I couldn't have stopped him and he'd have sat with her and I
shouldn't be havin' a span-tod now."
From the car in front of her she saw descend a young man with a bag. He
was long-legged, lean and broad-shouldered, and Miss Upton, who had
known him all his life, estimated him temperately as a mixture of
Adonis, Apollo, and Hercules. He caught sight of his friend now and a
merry look came into his eyes. Miss Mehitable's mental perturbation and
physical weariness had given her plump face a troubled cast, accented by
the fact that her hat was slightly askew. The young man hurried forward
and was in time to ease his portly friend down the last step of her car.
"Howdy, Miss Mehit?" he said. "You look as if the great city hadn't
treated you well."
"Ben Barry, was you on this train?" she asked dismally.
"I was. My word, you're careful of your complexion! An umbrella with
such a sky as this!"
"You don't know what that umbrella has meant to me to-day," returned
Miss Upton with no abatement of the portentous in her tone. "Let me have
my bag, Ben. The top don't shut very good and you might drop something
out."
"You must let me take you home," he said. "You don't look fit to walk.
You have certainly had a big day. Anything left in the shops? The Upton
Emporium must be going to surprise the natives."
As he talked, the young man led his friend along the platform to where a
handsome motor waited among the dusty line of vehicles. "Gee, I'm off
for a vacation and I'm beginning to appreciate Keefe, Miss Upton. The
air is great out here."
"That's nice for your mother," observed Miss Mehitable wearily.
They both greeted the chauffeur, who wore a plain livery. Miss Upton
sank back among the cushions. "It's awful good of you to take me home,
Ben. I'm just beat out."
"Miss Upton's celebrated notions, I suppose," returned the young fellow
as the car started. "They get harder to select every year, perhaps."
"I've come home with just one notion this time," returned his companion
with sudden fierceness. "It is that I'm a fool."
"Now, Mehit, don't tell me you've fallen a prey in the gay metropolis
and lost a lot of money."
"That's nothin' to what has happened. I'm poor and I don't know what I'd
do if I lost money, but, Ben Barry, it's much worse than that."
"Look here, you're scaring me. I'm timid."
"If I'd seen you on the train I could have told you all about it; but
there isn't time now." In fact the motor was rapidly traversing the
short distance up the main street and was now approaching a shop on the
elm-shaded trolley track which bore across its front a sign reading:
"Upton's Notions and Fancy Goods."
Before Miss Mehitable disembarked, and this was a matter of some
moments, she turned wistfully to her companion.
"Ben, do you think your mother ever gets lonely?"
"I've never seen any sign of it. Why? What were you thinking of--that I
ought to give up the law school and come home and turn market-gardener?
I sometimes think I'd like it."
Miss Upton continued to study his clean-cut face wistfully.
"Don't she need a secretary, or a sort of a--a sort of a companion?"
"Why? Have you had about as much of Bright-Eyes as you can stand? Do you
want to make a present of her to some undeserving person?"
Miss Upton shook her head. "No, indeed, it ain't poor Charlotte I'm
thinkin' of, Ben," again speaking impressively. "Can you spare time to
come over and see me a little while to-morrow afternoon? I know your
mother always has a lot of young folks in for tea for you Sundays."
"She won't to-morrow. I told her I wanted to lie in the grass under the
apple-blossoms and compose sonnets; but your feelings will do just as
well."
"I must tell somebody, and you know Charlotte isn't sympathetic."
"No, except perhaps with a porcupine. You might try her with one of
those. Tether it in the back yard, and when she is in specially good
form turn her out there and let them sport together.--Easy now,
Mehit--easy." For Miss Upton's escort had jumped out and she was
essaying to leave the car.
"If I ever knew which foot to put first," she said desperately,
withdrawing the left and reaching down gingerly with her right.
"Let me have the bag and the umbrella," suggested her companion. "Now,
then, one light spring. Steady!" For clutching both the young man's
hands she made him quiver to the shock as she fell against him.
"I'm clumsy when I'm tired, Ben," she explained. "I'm so much obliged to
you, and you will come over to-morrow afternoon?"
"To hear about the umbrella? Yes, indeed! Look at its fine open
countenance. You can see at once that it has performed some great deed
to-day." He shook the capacious fluttering folds and handed it to its
owner.
"Thank you so much, Ben, and give my love to your mother."
The young fellow jumped into the car and sped away and Miss Upton
plodded slowly up to her door whose bell pealed sharply as it was pulled
open by an unseen hand, and a colorless, sour-visaged woman appeared in
the entrance. Her hay-colored hair was strained back and wound in a
tight, small knot, her forehead wore a chronic scowl, and her one-sided
mouth had a vinegary expression.
"Think you're smart, don't you?" was her greeting; "comin' home in a
grand automobile with the biggest ketch in the village."
"Yes, wasn't I lucky?" responded Miss Upton nasally. "I hope the
kettle's on, Charlotte. I'm beat out."
"Well, what did you stay so long for? That's what you always do--stay
till the last dog's hung and wear yourself out." The speaker snatched
the bag and umbrella and Miss Mehitable followed her into the house,
through the shop, and into the little living-room at the back where an
open fire burned in the Franklin stove and the tea-table was neatly set
for two.
Miss Upton regarded the platter of sliced meat, the amber preserve, and
napkin-enfolded biscuit listlessly.
"How nice you always make a table look," she said.
"Well, set right down and give me your hat and jacket. Drink some tea
before you talk any more. I should think you'd have some sense by this
time."
Scolding away, Charlotte poured the tea and Miss Mehitable drank it in
silence. Her companion's monotonous grumbling was like the ticking of
the clock so far as any effect it had upon her. The autumn before, this
woman's drunken husband, Whipp by name, had passed out of her life. She
was penniless, not strong, and friendless as much by reason of her
sharp tongue as by her poor circumstances. Miss Upton hired her one day
a week for cleaning and once upon a time fell ill herself, when this
unpromising person developed such a kindly touch in nursing and so much
common sense in tending the little shop, that Miss Mehitable, seeing
what a godsend it would be to the poor creature, asked her to stay on;
since which time, though no gratitude had ever been expressed in words,
Mrs. Whipp had taken upon herself the ruling of the small establishment
and its mistress with all the vigor possible. Miss Upton had told her to
bring with her anything she valued and the widow had twisted her thin,
one-sided mouth: "There ain't a thing in that shanty I don't wish was
burned except Pearl," she said. "I'll bring her if you'll let me. She's
a Malty cat."
"Oh, bring her along," Miss Mehitable had replied. "I suppose I won't
really sense that I'm an old maid until there's a cat in the house."
So Pearl came, and to-night she sat blinking at the leaping flame in the
open stove while the two women ate their supper in the long spring
evening.
"I brought some things home in my bag," said Miss Upton, "but most o'
them are comin' out Monday."
"Put in a good day, did you?" asked Charlotte, who, now that her mind
was relieved of rebukes, was ready to listen to the tales she always
expected when Miss Mehitable returned from her trips.
"Yes, I think I did pretty well," was the answer.
But the widow regarded her friend with dissatisfaction. This dispirited
manner was very different from the effervescence which usually bubbled
over in anecdote.
"Well, next time don't stay till you're worn to a frazzle," she said.
"I missed the train, Charlotte. That was what happened."
"Well, didn't Mr. Barry have anything to say comin' out on the train?"
asked Mrs. Whipp, determined to get some of her usual proxy satisfaction
from Miss Upton's outing.
"I never saw him till we got to Keefe. Oh, Charlotte, if I'd ever met a
boy like him when I was young I wouldn't be keepin' a store now with
another woman and a cat."
"H'm, you're better off as you are. Ben Barry's young yet. He'll be in
plenty of mischief before he's forty. His mother was in the shop to-day.
With all her money it's queer she never married again."
"Oh, she's just wrapped up in her flowers and chickens," remarked Miss
Mehitable.
"Well," returned Charlotte, "seems to me if I had a big house and
grounds like that, I'd want somebody around besides servants."
Miss Mehitable lifted her eyes from her meat and potato and gazed at her
companion.
"Queer you should say that," she returned. "I was speakin' of that very
thing to Ben to-day. I should really think his mother would like
somebody; somebody young and--and pleasant, you know."
"Well," returned Charlotte, breaking open a biscuit, "I suppose havin'
got rid of her husband she thinks she'll let well enough alone. She's
the happiest-lookin' woman in town. Why not? She's got the most money
and no man to bother her."
"Why, Charlotte Whipp, you don't know what you're sayin'. Ben's father
was a fine man. For years after he died Mrs. Barry couldn't hardly
smile. Yes"--Miss Upton's thoughtful manner returned--"Ben's away so
much I should think she'd like to have somebody, say a nice young girl
with her. Of course, to folks with motors Keefe ain't much more'n a
suburb to the city now, and Mrs. Barry, with her three months in town
and three months to the port and six months here, has a full, pleasant
life, and I s'pose that fine son fills it. Wasn't she fortunate to get
him out o' the war safe? You'd ought to 'a' seen him in his Naval
Aviation uniform, Charlotte. He looked like a prince; but he could 'a'
bitten a board nail because he never got to go across the water. I
s'pose his mother's average patriotic, but I guess she thanked Heaven he
couldn't go. She didn't dare say anything like that before him, though.
It was a terrible disappointment. Oh, Charlotte"--Miss Upton bent a
wistful smile on her table-mate--"I can't help thinkin' what a
wonderful home the Barry house would be for some needy girl--a lady, you
know."
"H'm!" Charlotte's twisted mouth contracted further as she gave a dry
little sniff. "She'd probably fall in love with Ben, and he wouldn't
give a snap for her, so she'd be miserable anyway."
Miss Mehitable shook her head. "If all your probablys came true,
Charlotte, what a world this would be."
"What a world it _is_!" retorted the other. "Have some more tea"--then
as Miss Mehitable demurred--"Yes, have some. It'll do you good and maybe
brighten up your wits so's you can remember somethin' that's happened to
you to-day."
Miss Upton cudgeled her brain for the small occurrences of her shopping
and managed to recall a few items; but she was not in her usual form and
Charlotte received her offerings with scornful sniffs and silence.
Miss Upton's dreams that night were troubled and the sermon next morning
fell on deaf ears. Ben and his mother were both in the Barry pew near
the memorial window to his father. She could not resist the drawing
which made her head turn periodically to make certain that Ben was
really there. Miss Mehitable respected men in general, especially in
time of trouble, and in this case the legal mind attracted her. Ben was
going to be a lawyer even if he wasn't one yet. The Barrys had money and
influence, they were always friendly to her, and while she could not
impart poor little Geraldine's story to Mrs. Barry direct without
appearing to beg, it might reach and interest her via Ben.
When the last hymn had been sung and the benediction pronounced, Miss
Upton watched with jealous eyes the various interruptions to the Barrys'
progress down the aisle. Everybody liked to have a word with them. All
the girls were willing to make it easy to be asked to the hospitable
house for Sunday tea. Miss Mehitable glowered at the bolder and more
aggressive of these as she moved along a side aisle.
When mother and son finally reached the sunlit out-of-doors they found
Miss Upton waiting beside the steps.
"Why, if here isn't the fair Mehit," remarked Ben as they approached,
and his mother smiled and shook her regal head and Miss Upton's hand
simultaneously.
"I don't understand why you allow Ben to be so disrespectful," she said.
"Law, Mrs. Barry," replied Miss Upton, "you must know that women don't
care anything about bein' _respected_. What they want is to be _liked_;
and Ben's a good friend o' mine."
"Sure thing," remarked the young fellow, something in Miss Mehitable's
eyes reminding him of her portentous yesterday and his promise. "Oh, I
forgot to tell you, mother, Miss Upton is going home to dinner with us
to-day."
"No, no, I'm not, Ben," put in Miss Mehitable hastily. "I couldn't leave
Charlotte alone for Sunday dinner; but"--she looked at Mrs. Barry--"I do
want to see Ben about something and he promised me a little time this
afternoon."
"Mehit got into trouble yesterday," Ben explained to his mother.
"Somebody tried to rob her of her notions and she beaned him with her
umbrella. She's scared to death and she wants to consult the law." The
speaker delivered a blow on his chest.
"I know you hate to spare him the little time he's home, Mrs. Barry,"
said Miss Upton apologetically; "but I'll keep him only a short time
and--and I couldn't hardly sleep last night, though it ain't any o' my
business, _really_."
"It's a good business if you're in it, I know that," said Mrs. Barry
kindly, "and I'll lend you Ben with pleasure if he can do you any good!"
"Then when will you be over, Ben?" asked Miss Mehitable anxiously. "I'd
like to know just when to expect you."
"You don't tr-r-ust me, that's what's the matter," he returned. "Will
you promise to muzzle Merry Sunshine?"
"I--I think perhaps Charlotte will go out to walk," returned Miss Upton,
somewhat troubled herself to know how to insure privacy in her
restricted domain. "She does, sometimes, Sundays."
"How does it affect the Keefe springtime to have her walk out in it?"
inquired Ben solicitously.
"I'll tell you, Ben," said his mother, sympathetic with the anxiety in
Miss Mehitable's face, "bring Miss Upton over to see our
apple-blossoms, and you can have your talk at our house."
Relief overspread Miss Upton's round countenance.
"Certainly. I'll call for you at three," said Ben, "Blackstone under my
arm. If Merry Sunshine attacks me it will be a trusty weapon. Hop into
the car, Mehit, and we'll run you home."
Mrs. Barry laughed. "The sermon doesn't seem to have done him any good
this morning, Miss Upton. We shall be glad to take you home."