THE CACTUS BLOOMS
"I tell thee love is nature's second sun,
Causing a spring of virtues where he shines."
It was June again, and once more Lovey Mary stood at an up-stairs
window at the home. On the ledge grew a row of bright flowers, brought
from Miss Viny's garden, but they were no brighter than the face that
smiled across them at the small boy in the playground below. Lovey
Mary's sleeves were rolled above her elbows, and a dust-cloth was tied
about her head. As she returned to her sweeping she sang joyfully,
contentedly:
"Can she sweep a kitchen floor,
Billy boy, Billy boy?
Can she sweep a kitchen floor,
Charming Billy?"
"Miss Bell says for you to come down to the office," announced a
little girl, coming up the steps. "There's a lady there and a baby."
Lovey Mary paused in her work, and a shadow passed over her face. Just
three years ago the same summons had come, and with it such heartaches
and anxiety. She pulled down her sleeves and went thoughtfully down
the steps. At the office door she found Mrs. Redding talking to Miss
Bell.
"We leave Saturday afternoon," she was saying. "It's rather sooner
than we expected, but we want to get the baby to Canada before the hot
weather overtakes us. Last summer I asked two children from the
Toronto home to spend two weeks with me at our summer place, but this
year I have set my heart on taking Lovey Mary and Tommy. They will see
Niagara Falls and Buffalo, where we stop over a day, besides the
little outing at the lake. Will you come, Mary? You know Robert might
get choked again!"
Lovey Mary leaned against the door for support. A half-hour visit to
Mrs. Redding was excitement for a week, and only to think of going
away with her, and riding on a steam-car, and seeing a lake, and
taking Tommy, and being ever so small a part of that gorgeous Redding
household! She could not speak; she just looked up and smiled, but the
smile seemed to mean more than words, for it brought the sudden tears
to Mrs. Redding's eyes. She gave Mary's hand a quick, understanding
little squeeze, then hurried out to her carriage.
That very afternoon Lovey Mary went to the Cabbage Patch. As she
hurried along over the familiar ground, she felt as if she must sing
aloud the happy song that was humming in her heart. She wanted to stop
at each cottage and tell the good news; but her time was limited, so
she kept on her way to Miss Hazy's, merely calling out a greeting as
she passed. When she reached the door she heard Mrs. Wiggs's voice in
animated conversation.
"Well, I wish you'd look! There she is, this very minute! I never was
so glad to see anybody in my life! My goodness, child, you don't know
how we miss you down here! We talk 'bout you all the time, jes like a
person puts their tongue in the empty place after a tooth's done
pulled out."
"I'm awful glad to be back," said Lovey Mary, too happy to be cast
down by the reversion to the original state of the Hazy household.
"Me an' Chris ain't had a comfortable day sence you left," complained
Miss Hazy. "I'd 'a' almost rather you wouldn't 'a' came than to have
went away ag'in."
"But listen!" cried Lovey Mary, unable to keep her news another
minute. "I'm a-going on a railroad trip with Mrs. Redding, and she's
going to take Tommy, too, and we are going to see Niag'ra and a lake
and a buffalo!"
"Ain't that the grandest thing fer her to go and do!" exclaimed Mrs.
Wiggs. "I told you she was a' angel!"
"I'm right skeered of these here long trips," said Miss Hazy, "so many
accidents these days."
"My sakes!" answered Mrs. Wiggs, "I'd think you'd be 'fraid to step
over a crack in the floor fer fear you'd fall through. Why, Lovey
Mary, it's the nicest thing I ever heared tell of! An' Niag'ry Fall,
too. I went on a trip once when I was little. Maw took me through the
mountains. I never had seen mountains before, an' I cried at first an'
begged her to make 'em sit down. A trip is something you never will
fergit in all yer life. It was jes like Mrs. Reddin' to think about
it; but I don't wonder she feels good to you. Asia says she never
expects to see anything like the way you shook that candy outen little
Robert. But see here, if you go 'way off there you mustn't fergit us."
"I never could forget you all, wherever I went," said Lovey Mary. "I
was awful mean when I come to the Cabbage Patch; somehow you all just
bluffed me into being better. I wasn't used to being bragged on, and
it made me want to be good more than anything in the world."
"That's so," said Mrs. Wiggs. "You can coax a' elephant with a little
sugar. The worser Mr. Wiggs used to act, the harder I'd pat him on the
back. When he'd git bilin' mad, I'd say: 'Now, Mr. Wiggs, why don't
you go right out in the woodshed an' swear off that cuss? I hate to
think of it rampantin' round inside of a good-lookin' man like you.'
He'd often take my advice, an' it always done him good an' never hurt
the woodshed. As fer the childern, I always did use compelments on
them 'stid of switches."
Lovey Mary untied the bundle which she carried, and spread the
contents on the kitchen table. "I've been saving up to get you all
some presents," she said. "I wanted to get something for every one
that had been good to me, but that took in the whole Patch! These are
some new kind of seed for Miss Viny; she learned me a lot out of her
garden. This is goods for a waist for you, Miss Hazy."
"It's rale pretty," said Miss Hazy, measuring its length. "If you'd
'a' brought me enough fer a skirt, too, I'd never 'a' got through
prayin' fer you."
Mrs. Wiggs was indignant. "I declare, Miss Hazy! You ain't got a
manner in the world, sometimes. It's beautiful goods, Lovey Mary. I'm
goin' to make it up fer her by a fancy new pattern Asia bought; it's
got a sailor collar."
"This here is for Chris," continued Lovey Mary, slightly depressed by
Miss Hazy's lack of appreciation, "and this is for Mrs. Schultz. I
bought you a book, Mrs. Wiggs. I don't know what it's about, but it's
an awful pretty cover. I knew you'd like to have it on the parlor
table."
It was the "Iliad"!
Mrs. Wiggs held it at arm's-length and, squinting her eyes, read:
"Home of an Island."
"That ain't what the man called it," said Lovey Mary.
"Oh, it don't matter 'bout the name. It's a beautiful book, jes
matches my new tidy. You couldn't 'a' pleased me better."
"I didn't have money enough to go round," explained Lovey Mary,
apologetically, "but I bought a dozen lead-pencils and thought I'd
give them round among the children."
"Ever'thing'll be terrible wrote over," said Miss Hazy.
The last bundle was done up in tissue-paper and tied with a silver
string. Lovey Mary gave it to Mrs. Wiggs when Miss Hazy was not
looking.
"It's a red necktie," she whispered, "for Billy."
When the train for the North pulled out of the station one Saturday
afternoon it bore an excited passenger. Lovey Mary, in a new dress and
hat, sat on the edge of a seat, with little Robert on one side and
Tommy on the other. When her nervousness grew unbearable she leaned
forward and touched Mrs. Redding on the shoulder:
"Will you please, ma'am, tell me when we get there?"
Mrs. Redding laughed. "Get there, dear? Why, we have just started!"
"I mean to the Cabbage Patch. They're all going to be watching for me
as we go through."
"Is that it?" said Mr. Redding. "Well, I will take the boys, and you
can go out and stand on the platform and watch for your friends."
Lovey Mary hesitated. "Please, sir, can't I take Tommy, too? If it
hadn't 'a' been for him I never would have been here."
So Mr. Redding took them to the rear car, and attaching Lovey Mary
firmly to the railing, and Tommy firmly to Mary, returned to his
family.
"There's Miss Viny's!" cried Lovey Mary, excitedly, as the train
whizzed past. "We're getting there. Hold on to your hat, Tommy, and
get your pocket-handkerchief ready to wave."
The bell began to ring, and the train slowed up at the great water-
tank.
"There they are! All of 'em. Hello, Miss Hazy! And there's Asia and
Chris and ever'body!"
Mrs. Wiggs pushed through the little group and held an empty bottle
toward Lovey Mary. "I want you to fill it fer me," she cried
breathlessly. "Fill it full of Niag'ry water. I want to see how them
falls look."
[Illustration: "Lovey Mary waved until she rounded a curve."]
The train began to move. Miss Hazy threw her apron over her head and
wept. Mrs. Wiggs and Mrs. Eichorn waved their arms and smiled. The
Cabbage Patch, with its crowd of friendly faces, became a blur to the
girl on the platform. Suddenly a figure on a telegraph pole attracted
her attention; it wore a red necktie and it was throwing kisses. Lovey
Mary waved until the train rounded a curve, then she gave Tommy an
impulsive hug.
"It ain't hard to be good when folks love you," she said, with a
little catch in her voice. "I'll make 'em all proud of me yet!"