AFTER THE STORM.
Jack who had gathered up the fragments and swept the crumbs from the
floor, now looked about him in alarm.
The sense of having been wrongly treated was overpowered by the thought
that he was the cause, however innocent, of plunging Aunt Nancy into new
troubles.
It seemed just then as if he was pursued by some unkind fate which
brought to him and those who befriended him all manner of misfortune.
During fully a minute after Mrs. Souders drifted so majestically from
the room, not a word was spoken.
Aunt Nancy stood leaning against the table, a vivid red spot glowing on
either cheek, and holding her hand over her heart as if to repress its
beatings.
The guests gathered around her, each trying at the same time to express
her opinion of what had occurred,--a proceeding which resulted only in
a perfect Babel of confusion.
The little woman soon recovered her composure sufficiently to remember
her duties as hostess, and said to Jack in a low tone,--
"Do you think you can harness Mrs. Souders's horse? We mustn't forget
the courtesy we owe a guest, no matter what has happened."
"I can do it if she will show me which wagon an' harness is hers. You
see there were so many teams comin' all at once I couldn't keep run of
'em."
"Go out and do the best you can. Very likely she will be at the stable
by the time you get there."
Jack hurried away feeling rather uncertain as to what the result would
be when he was alone with the angry woman, but determined to remain
silent whatever she might say.
On reaching the barn he had but little difficulty in deciding upon the
carriage he believed belonged to Mrs. Souders, and was backing it into
the yard when that lady arrived.
"Are you so stupid that you can't tell one wagon from another?" she
asked sharply.
"Isn't this yours, ma'am?"
"No, it isn't, and you know as well as I do."
"I never saw it but once, an' that was when there were a good many here.
If you'll pick it out, an' show me the harness, I'll soon have the horse
hitched up."
"I suppose Nancy Curtis told you to get rid of me as soon as possible;
what you did in the dining-room wasn't enough, eh?"
"Indeed she didn't; an', if you please, ma'am, I couldn't tell where you
was goin' to step when I had my arms full of dishes."
"You needn't talk to me. If Nancy Curtis is fool enough to put you above
your place, it's no reason why you should think others haven't good
sense. That is my carriage, and the sooner it is ready the better I'll
be pleased."
Jack wheeled out the vehicle she designated, and then asked,--
"Now will you tell me which is your harness an' horse?"
"You're a bigger fool than I took you to be," was the reply, as the lady
rushed like a small-sized tornado into the barn, and, after some
difficulty, succeeded in finding the animal, which was hitched with the
others on the thrashing-floor. "Couldn't even find a stall for him! I
don't know what's come over Nancy Curtis since you brats arrived at this
place!"
Then she examined the pile of harness, expressing her opinion very
forcibly because Jack had laid them on the floor instead of hanging each
set on pegs; but to find her own was more than she could do.
"Take any one of them," she finally said in an angry tone, wiping the
perspiration from her flushed face.
Jack obeyed without a word, but, thanks to the efforts of Bill Dean and
his partners, neither he nor Mrs. Souders could gear the horse.
One set of harness was much too large, and another so small a goat could
hardly have worn it, while all were strapped together in the oddest
fashion.
This Mrs. Souders believed was owing to Jack's carelessness or ignorance
while unharnessing the horses, and the more she struggled to fit one
without regard to ownership the greater became her anger, until it was
almost beyond bounds.
"My husband shall hear of this," she said wrathfully. "Put that horse
right back, and he will come over to undo your wicked tricks. Don't
speak to me, you little pauper," she cried as the cripple was about to
reply; and dealing him a blow on the ear which sent him reeling against
the animal, the lady walked rapidly out of the barn.
Jack rubbed the injured member an instant, looked about ruefully,
wondering what could have happened to the harness, led the horse back to
his place, and went out of the barn just in time to see Mrs. Souders
sailing around the corner of the lane into the main road.
He walked slowly to the house, arriving there as the guests had seated
themselves at the table, and Aunt Nancy, who looked as if she had been
crying, asked,--
"Why didn't Mrs. Souders go with her team?"
Jack told the story of the bewitched harness, adding in conclusion,--
"I took every piece off as carefully as I knew how, and laid them on the
floor, because there wasn't any pegs or nails to hang them on. Now it
seems like as if nothing was right, an' in the whole lot we couldn't
find a single thing which would fit."
The guests looked at each other in surprise and alarm, probably thinking
if Mrs. Souders didn't succeed in getting her team with the entire
collection to choose from, their chances of leaving Aunt Nancy's save by
walking were exceedingly slim.
A flood of questions were poured forth on the hapless Jack, who could
only repeat his former statement.
The matter was now becoming so serious that Aunt Nancy's inviting meal
no longer had sufficient charms to command their attention, and the
entire party insisted on visiting the barn at once to ascertain for
themselves the true condition of affairs.
With the baby in her arms, Aunt Nancy led the way.
Bill Dean and his friends, seeing the procession coming, were not at a
loss to divine the meaning of this sudden exodus from the house.
"This is gettin' too hot for us," Bill said in a whisper. "With all them
old women around we'll be found for certain, an' the quicker we skin out
of here the safer we'll be."
His partners were of the same opinion, only a trifle more frightened,
and their terror caused them to do a very foolish thing.
Instead of crawling under shelter of the grass until they were at a safe
distance, Sam and Jip leaped to their feet, running at full speed toward
the road.
As a matter of course Bill was bound to follow the example, thinking how
pleased he would be to have his hands on Jip for a single moment in
order to punish him for his cowardice, and thus the conspirators stood
revealed.
"I think we can understand now what has happened to the harness," Mrs.
Hayes said as she pointed towards the fugitives, "and I for one say it's
time that Dean boy was made to believe it is dangerous to play such
tricks."
The red spots came on Aunt Nancy's cheeks again as she gazed after the
retreating figures, and from the nervous working of her fingers Jack
understood she was using every effort to "rule her spirit."
As she stood silent and motionless, heeding not the fact that Louis was
pulling her ringlets out of shape, some of the other ladies continued on
to the barn, and a single glance at the mismated harness convinced them
it was useless to attempt straightening matters.
"It is foolish to stand here while the biscuit are getting cold," Mrs.
Hayes finally said. "Let us go and get supper, after which there will be
plenty of time to think over what should be done."
The majority of the party shared this opinion, and Aunt Nancy was
literally led back to her own home, while the guests divided their
attention between the bountiful supper and a discussion as to how Bill
Dean and his associates could best be suppressed.
None of the party had had more than three cups of tea when Mr. Souders
arrived looking very warm because of his long walk, and decidedly angry
in consequence of the report made by his wife.
He first demanded an interview with Jack, who was sitting in the kitchen
fully occupied with his mournful thoughts; but when the ladies began to
explain matters relative to the mischief done, he could not but believe
the hunchback was innocent of the charges brought against him by Mrs.
Souders.
"I'll take Bill Dean in hand myself," he said with an ominous gesture.
"There is plenty of time for that; but I reckon fixing things in the
barn will last longer. Can you lend me the cripple for a while, Aunt
Nancy?"
The little woman called Jack, explained that he was to assist the
gentleman, and as the two went toward the barn she said feelingly,--
"It makes very little difference what people may say, although I would
rather have the good will of a dog than his ill will; but if I can
prevent it that boy shall not leave this farm unless relatives come
forward to claim him."
Several united with Aunt Nancy in praising Jack, and since the others
remained silent there was no opportunity for a disagreeable argument.
It did not require many seconds for Mr. Souders to see that the harness
had been tampered with, and he said in a cheery tone, which was a
delightful contrast to the one used a short time previous by his wife,
as he pulled off his coat,--
"I reckon you an' I have a big contract ahead of us, my boy. It would
puzzle a lawyer to fix all these as they should be, and the most we can
hope for is to put the sets together so the old women may go home. We'll
begin with mine, an' see what can be made of the job."
It was a long and tedious task, and before it had been half completed
Jack was so well pleased with the gentleman that he said
confidentially,--
"Mr. Souders, I don't want you to think I tried to insult your wife. It
was an accident which I couldn't prevent, an' you see for yourself I
wasn't to blame for this muss."
"Don't worry about it, my boy. Mother is a leetle hot-headed with a
powerful dislike to youngsters 'cause she hain't got any of her own; but
I'll venter to say she's sorry as a cat this very minute for what's been
said an' done. If you knowed her little ways you wouldn't mind anything
about it; but I'm put out to think she laid her hands on a poor cripple
like you."
"It wasn't that which made me feel so bad as to have her think I would
act mean."
"She don't believe a word of what she said by this time, an' for that
I'll go bail. There's no use talkin' 'bout it now; I allow you'll see
her ag'in mighty soon. Have you been havin' a great deal of trouble with
Bill Dean?"
Jack was not disposed to tell very much lest it should be thought he was
complaining; but Mr. Souders finally succeeded in drawing from him a
full account of the threats made.
"You sha'n't be troubled any more, my boy, that I'll answer for. Bill is
pretty wild, but I reckon we can tame him down a bit before another day
goes by."
"I wouldn't like any of the fellows to say I'd been carryin' tales,
sir."
"Neither have you. Aunt Nancy's life is bein' worried pretty nigh out of
her, an' that's enough to give me a right to interfere."
Jack did not think it proper to tell anything more regarding his
experiences with the village boys, and, as a matter of fact, would have
preferred saying nothing whatever to Mr. Souders until he had talked
with Aunt Nancy.
Before the gentleman left the barn he so far sorted out the harness that
it was possible to gear up his own team, and Jack thought best to get
each one ready while he had the opportunity to call upon such a valuable
assistant.
When the two returned to the house the supper was ended, and one of the
ladies held Louis in her arms while Aunt Nancy and several of the guests
washed the dishes.
Then Jack milked old crumple-horn, and when the last of the visitors
departed all of the chores had been done, therefore nothing prevented he
and Aunt Nancy from discussing the events of the day.
"I can't say I'm sorry William Dean cut up as he did," the little woman
said, "for it has given Mr. Souders a chance to see what he really would
do, and there is reason to believe the boy will be obliged to mend his
ways."
Jack had very little interest in Bill Dean at that moment.
He was thinking only of the conversation he heard from the "fore-room,"
and had determined the matter should be settled finally before he
retired.
"It seems as if most of the folks think I oughtn't to stay here makin'
you feed me," he began.
"Bless my soul, what has put that idea into your head, my child?"
"I heard what Mrs. Souders said in the front-room before supper."
Aunt Nancy looked around quickly as a shade of displeasure passed over
her face.
"I'm sorry you did hear it, Jack dear; but you must not be so foolish as
to let it worry you. I am old enough to attend to my own affairs, and,
even if I wasn't, Sarah Souders is not the one to whom I should go for
advice."
"But, Aunt Nancy, my being here makes trouble for you with your
neighbors, and I have been thinking it would be better for Louis an' I
to go away at once."
"Your being here has very little to do with the trouble I may have. It
is my own wicked self. I began by telling a lie to that man from
Scarborough, and one sin surely leads to others. You are of great
assistance to me, and I should be more sorry than I can say if you went
away."
Jack was about to make some reply, but before the words could be spoken,
Aunt Nancy checked him by laying her hand on his shoulder as she said,--
"Don't argue the matter, Jack dear. We are all tired enough to go to
bed, and we'll make ready by searching the house again. After what has
happened since noon it wouldn't surprise me the least little mite, if we
found half a dozen burglars in hiding."