A FRIEND IN NEED.
There was such excitement in school that it overflowed its boundaries,
and reached the quiet chamber of that little pupil who had left its
walls forever, to be taught by the sterner teaching of pain and
patience. There was to be a play during Thanksgiving week, and Inez was
selected for the principal part. She and Nellie came home one afternoon
with burning cheeks and dilated eyes, and ran to Marcy’s room, followed
by Grace, and seriously annoying Lucy, who was sitting in her favorite
position on the foot of Marcy’s bed, “’musing her” with one of her
wonderful tales.
“Oh, what do you think?” burst out Inez when scarcely inside the door.
“O Marcy, really it’s the sweetest thing!” added Nellie.
“And I’m to be the princess. You ought to see how mad the Hales are,
though they try to act as if they didn’t care,” said Inez.
“They’re court ladies on the bad side,” cried Nellie. “And I’m to be
the queen’s counsellor, sort of a good fairy.”
“Yes, and Madeleine Greene is my first maid of honor, who helps it all
out,” added Inez.
“What is it all?” cried Marcy. “The play?”
“Yes, it’s the nicest play; one of the nuns wrote it,” said Nellie.
“Just think that I’ve the principal part!” cried Inez. “It makes me so
nervous, I’m just about sure I’ll spoil it, but I love to do it.”
“You won’t spoil it,” said Marcy; “you always do well. What is the
play? I can’t understand.”
“It’s a princess,” began Inez. “Oh! you tell, Nellie; I’m too crazy to
remember it.”
“It’s a princess who has been put out of her kingdom, and she has to
try to get it back. It’s kind of an alle--alleglory. Isn’t that what
you call the things that mean something deeper than the story?”
“Allegory,” corrected Marcy, thinking of the one Father Glenn had read
her.
“Well, allegory then. The princess kind of stands for a soul, and the
kingdom is the right, and all her enemies and misfortunes stand for
temptations, and she has to win her kingdom back herself. And the
counsellor and maid of honor--that’s I and Madeleine Greene--they stand
for conscience, and the guardian angel, or something like that.”
“Yes, and in the end, Marcy--oh, it’s fine!” Inez burst out. “You see,
the princess wins back her kingdom, and all her foes are conquered,
and she’s been dressed as poorly as poor can be, but here all her old
things fall off, and she steps out in the most beautiful clothes, and
puts a crown on her head, and there’s a cross on the crown, and the
nuns say they’re going to have it beautiful, and have the cross all
rhine stones, and a little electric light behind it, right on my head.
And there’s to be a chorus, and a nice song behind the scenes, and then
all the characters rush on, and the good ones dance with joy around
the princess, and the bad ones fall on their knees and crouch down,
like this,” and Inez struck an attitude of terror, shading her eyes
from an imaginary ray.
“Oh, dear, it will be lovely!” sighed Marcy, realizing that she should
never again have part in such joys.
Inez saw the pain on the face growing so thin and pathetic in its
patient sweetness, and tears of sympathy arose in her eyes. With a
gentleness taught by new sisterly love and pity, she kissed Marcy,
saying:
“I would never have dared be the princess, only I knew you would help
me. Nellie and I are going to practise in this room, and you can tell
us just how to act, because you can act so well, and it will be most as
if you did it; won’t it, Marcy?”
Marcy kissed her back, and answered, “Yes,” quite cheerily.
“And I’m something too, Marcy,” Grace remarked meekly, taking advantage
of a pause.
“Why, of course you are, Gracie,” cried Nellie. “Grace is one of the
little girls chosen to be the good fairies who dance before the
princess in the second act, and try to lead her in the right path to
her kingdom.”
“But, Marcy, you never saw any one so provoked as the Hales are,” said
Inez. “Why, they show they care like anything. Jennie Hale was just as
mean to me as she could be after the nuns had said who were to have
the parts, and Rose Hale said to May Vanderberg, as they passed me in
the corridor, just when she knew I couldn’t help hearing: ‘I’m glad I
haven’t got to do it, because I hate to put myself forward; but I’m
sorry she’s got it, because she can’t act, and she’ll spoil the whole
play.’ And May said: ‘It’ll be fun seeing the Wild West show trying to
act like a court lady.’”
“Well, you won’t spoil it, and you can act,” said Marcy, her pale face
flushing. “Who is the Wild West show--Nellie?”
Inez nodded.
“The impertinent, hateful girls,” cried Marcy, losing her temper.
“Don’t get mad, Marcy,” said Nellie coolly, though her cheeks were
redder than usual. “I don’t mind very much now; I did at first,
because I wasn’t used to things, and they scared me, but now I see
they’re not really worth minding. They put me in mind of the Indian ma
used to tell us about that came to her house selling things when she
first went to Kansas. She had a bottle of cologne one day when he came
that she was using for headache, and the next time he came she said he
was full of all kinds of strong things--musk, and mint, and grease, and
everything--and he said, ‘H’m, Indian just as good as white woman, heap
better than white woman! She got one little weak smell-bottle, Indian
got quarts big, strong, many smell-bottles.’ And some way when I see
the Hales trying to be fine ladies, and doing such disagreeable things,
I always think of ma’s Indian.”
“Well, if that isn’t just it,” cried Inez.
From that day till the great event Marcy’s room was turned into
a green-room and a stage. Grace did her dance for her, and tried
heroically to give in her one small person the effect of twelve little
girls dressed in different colors, dancing the most complicated, mazy
figures, and if she did not succeed it was not for lack of trying.
Inez and Nellie rehearsed their parts before Marcy, until she was quite
able to prompt them without a book, and proved so ambitious for their
success, that when she said she was satisfied with their performance
they felt quite sure of pleasing their audience.
Their costumes were really beautiful, for Mrs. Merrick had done her
utmost to have them so. Nellie’s was a silvery, grayish blue, with
pearl trimming, a court train, and silver satin petticoat, laced with
silver, and Inez’s was ivory white, with gold trimming, and such a
profusion of stage gems on the rose-colored bodice as to make one blink
at their splendor.
The rehearsals at school went on perfectly, and there seemed no doubt
that the affair was an assured success, but for the ill-concealed
malice of Jennie and Rose Hale. Either the nuns were blind to this, or
thought it best to appear so, for they seemed quite unconscious of the
spirit of opposition in the air; but Nellie and Madeleine Greene were
aware of it, and worried over it in secret, for they both felt these
girls were capable of making Inez taste their spite.
The dress rehearsal on the last day went off without a hitch, and the
final scene in which right triumphed, and Inez, throwing off her ragged
garments, shone forth resplendent in her glittering gown, and placed
the blazing crown on her head, was so dramatic and effective, and so
well acted, that all the community and pupils gathered to see it burst
into applause.
The black look of anger and jealousy that passed between the Hale
sisters did not escape Nellie, and she went home with Inez full of
anxiety, yet not liking to disturb her by uttering her fears. Inez
herself walked on air, and no happier little girl than she laid her
head on her pillow the night before the play.
The hall was crowded when the curtain rose to the chorus of girls’
voices singing in the wings. Nellie quite astonished her friends by
her performance; the Hales were clever as the leaders of the enemies
of the princess, while Inez was so excited that her acting amazed
her mother and father and Bob, all of whom were present at Marcy’s
especial request. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but Nellie
and Madeleine kept a sharp look-out, feeling that the day would not be
safe till the curtain should have fallen for the last time.
The crown was in the dressing-room, and it was the duty of one of
the smaller girls to fetch it in the beginning of the third act, and
stand with it in the wings, until the moment when the stage should be
darkened, when she was to carry it on the stage and lay it on a table,
the reason for all this being that the crown was so brilliant that if
it were on the stage before it was to be used it would be seen, and the
dramatic effect spoiled. The moment was almost come, and Nellie was
standing in the wings, watching the play, when some one touched her
elbow. She turned, and saw the frightened face of the little girl who
was to bring the crown.
“It’s gone,” whispered the child. “I can’t find the crown.”
Nellie gathered up her train and ran for dear life. There was not
a moment to be lost. If the crown were not ready when needed, all
the effect of the scene would be ruined, and Inez would surely be so
shocked that she would break down, and her moment of triumph be turned
into defeat.
“Those Hales!” gasped Nellie. “Have you seen them?”
“Yes, they came out of the dressing-room as I went in,” said the little
girl wonderingly. “Did they take the crown?”
“Which way did they go, Lillie?”
“Into the hall,” said the child, and Nellie turned and ran swiftly down
the corridor.
A pink and a green dress whisked across the end, and Nellie felt sure
she had the right clew.
“Where are you going?” said Jennie Hale as she passed her.
Nellie never paused to answer.
“Stop!” said Rose Hale, putting out her hand.
Nellie pushed it down, saying breathlessly, “You’ll be sorry if you try
to stop me,” and ran on.
Opening the door of the closet where the girls’ wraps were hung, with
little Lillie’s help she threw them all on the floor, and, as she
expected, the crown rolled out among them.
The Hales saw her snatch it and start back; they put themselves in her
path.
“Here goes,” thought Nellie, who had played football with her brothers.
Running with all her might, she put her head down just as she
reached her foes, swung one of the sisters round by the force of the
concussion, and before they could rally sufficiently to seize her, was
beyond the reach of their hands, and flying for her life down the long
hall.
“The Western savage!” exclaimed Jennie Hale, white with anger and shame
as she realized they were found out and disgraced before the school.
Nellie made her best speed to get to the stage before it should be too
late, and Lillie was left far behind. She got to the wings in time to
see the darkened stage light up again, and Inez turn to take the crown,
which was not there. Inez grew white. There was no time for Nellie to
hesitate. She went swiftly on the stage, and knelt, saying, “Here,
most gracious lady,” which was all she could think of at the moment,
and more than she had breath for. Inez stared, but fortunately was not
thrown off her balance. She took the crown, Nellie retired, and the
play went on to the end amid great applause.
It had been an exciting ten minutes, and had taken no small amount of
courage and presence of mind in the heroine of them, but she had saved
the day, and only a few in the audience were the wiser.
“Now, what do you suppose possessed the Prairie Chicken to do that?”
whispered Bob, but his mother, who had seen Inez’s face and the absence
of the crown, and had trembled lest her girl was going to fail, after
all, shook her head, and felt grateful for an evident rescue.
Inez sat on the edge of the bed that night thoughtfully unbuttoning her
shoes. She had asked Nellie to let her share her room, for she wanted
to discuss the events of the evening, and felt besides that she could
not sufficiently show her affection for her once despised cousin, who
had saved her from a mortification that it seemed to her only death
could wipe out.
“I think I’m getting a little sense,” she remarked, with one shoe
dangling in her left hand, while her right one absently smoothed the
wrinkles out of the heel of her stocking.
“Isn’t that nice?” said Nellie sleepily from the pillow, where she had
preceded Inez.
“You see,” explained Inez, “I’m beginning to find out what Marcy
always knew about being a real lady. It’s not because these girls were
mean to me to-night, but I see it’s all part of their being humbugs
and pretending. Madeleine Greene and you and Marcy, though you’re
so different, are all ladies, because you’re honest and polite, and
never squirm around to try to seem what you are not. I’m through with
imitation ladies forever.”
“Much obliged for my part of the compliment,” laughed Nellie, giving
her pillow a few pokes and pulls. “_Squirm_ around is good, Inez, but
I’m glad if you’ve had enough of imitation people, because they’re
not much good. I suppose the Hales can’t help being plated ware, poor
things. Still they needn’t have taken the crown,” added candid Nellie,
who found it hard to forgive such a contemptible trick.