Early next day I cornered Jane privately and told her of the
conversation I had overheard the night before and the visitor I was
expecting, adding, "This is Orphan Asylum day. I can't go, but take Zura
with you. I don't want her to see that Chalmers boy again. He's too
friendly, too highly colored to suit my ideas."
If my tones were sharper than the occasion demanded, it was because of
the combination of a shriveled cash account, and an undesirable male
around. The general disturbance of mind made me say, not quite honestly:
"He may be all right, but so far I can see not one good quality in Mr.
Chalmers's make-up."
"Oh! yes, there is, Miss Jenkins," said Jane, quick to defend. "He can
whistle beautifully. Last night as he went down the street you should
have heard, 'Oh! Promise Me!' It was so pretty I almost cried."
"Spare your tears, Jane; the prettiest whistle that ever grew never made
a real man. Mr. Chalmers will have to shine in another direction before
I am convinced. Now get Zura and clear out, and don't you dare to take
more than one basket of gingerbread Johnnies to the orphans."
* * * * *
When Mr. Tom Chalmers walked in at ten o'clock he barely concealed his
regret at there being only an elderly hostess to receive him. The garden
where I conducted my visitor, might have added joy to its symbol of
peace on this perfect day of early spring. In each flower, in every leaf
a glad spirit seemed to dwell. The feathered tribe that made its home
among the branches madly rejoiced in a melody of song and twitterings. A
white mother pigeon sheltered her young in a gnarled old plum tree,
full-blossomed and crimson, while in a lofty pine old man crow scolded
all birdkind as he swayed on the topmost branch, a bit of ebony against
the matchless sky of blue.
There is only one effectual way of dealing with things one does not want
to do--make past history of them as fast as possible. Very soon after
entering the garden I asked Mr. Chalmers, who was mildly interested in
the beauties before him, to sit down with me. Without further dallying,
I went straight to the point of the interview. I told him I had heard
him make the appointment with Zura the night before and he seemed to
have forgotten to mention the matter to me, though I was close by. For a
time at least I was responsible for Zura, and I thought it best to call
his attention to a few facts which could not be overlooked.
"I wonder, Mr. Chalmers, if you realize that in this country it is
impossible for a boy and a girl to associate together alone. It is
barely permissible for you to see her in the company of others. Already
your attentions have caused Zura to be talked about and there is very
serious trouble with her grandfather. Further than that, the excursion
you are planning for to-night is not only improper in any country, but
it means actual disgrace here."
"It does? Well, I'll be hanged! Can't take a girl out and give her a
good time! I knew these Japs were fools, but their laws are plain rot."
"Possibly, from your standpoint, Mr. Chalmers; but you see these laws
and customs were in good working order in Japan long before Columbus had
a grandfather. They can't be changed on the spur of the moment."
"That's all right," he responded hotly. "What you can't change you can
sometimes break; I'm good at that kind of game."
Something in the boy's resentful face said that I was an impudent old
meddler, an officious interloper. It made my voice as sharp as pins.
"Very well, young man," I said, "there will be just one time in your
life's history when you have encountered both an old law and an old
woman that you will neither break nor change. Your attentions to Zura
Wingate have got to be stopped and at once."
"Stopped!" he retorted. "Who's going to make me? I come from a free
country where every fellow is his own boss. I'll do as I please. What do
I care about the laws of these little brown monkeys! Where would they be
anyhow if it wasn't for America? Didn't we yank 'em out of their
hermits' nest and make them play the game whether they wanted to or not?
They had better lay low! Don't they know there are ninety millions of
us? Why, with one hand tied behind we could lick the Rising Sun clean
off their little old flag!"
If it ever happened, I wondered about what point in the battle I could
locate Mr. Pinkey Chalmers. The more he talked, the less I was sure of
my pet belief in the divine right of the individual. Then my heart
jumped; I saw Page Hanaford coming.
"The maid was unable to find the book I came for. She directed me here.
Do I interrupt?" he asked on reaching us, bowing slightly and looking
inquiringly from my frowning face to Pinkey Chalmers's wrathful one.
"Interrupt? No," said that youth. "Welcome to our prayer-meeting! I've
planned a picnic and a sail for Zura and me to-night. This lady says it
shall not be and I'm speculating who's going to stop it."
Page stepped quietly up to the defiant Pinkey. "I will, Mr. Chalmers, if
necessary. I know nothing of your plans, but in this place Miss
Jenkins's word is law. You and I are here to obey it as gentlemen."
Tommy blazed. "Gentlemen! Who are you, I'd like to know, pushing in and
meddling with my affairs," he said.
At the challenge the old look of confusion momentarily clouded Page's
eyes. Then with an effort he found himself. "My ancestry would not
appeal to you, sir. But"--half good-humoredly--"the punch of my fist
might."
[Illustration: Page started forward. A sound stopped him]
"Oh h--h--ho!" stuttered Pinkey, angry and game. "You want to fight, do
you! Light in! I'm ready."
Page started forward. A sound stopped him. It was voices singing an
age-old nursery tune:
"Skip to my loobyloo,
Skip to my loobyloo,
Skip to my loobyloo
All of a Saturday morning."
It was a strange and curious sight in that wonderful old garden. Down
the sandy path under the overhanging blossoms came Jane and Zura,
skipping and bowing in time to the game's demands. The last line brought
them to us. Hand in hand they stopped, Zura dishevelled, Jane's hat
looking as if it grew out of her ear, but old maid and young were
laughing and happy as children.
"We were practising games for the 'Sylumites,'" explained Zura. "I'm
premier danseuse to the Nipponese kiddies and Lady Jenny is my
understudy. What's the argument?" she asked, observing first one face,
then the other, keenly alive to some inharmony.
Mr. Chalmers started to speak.
I cut him short. "Zura, take Mr. Hanaford with you and give him the book
he wants. You'll find it on my desk. You go too, Jane, and help; Mr.
Hanaford is in a hurry. I'll bring Mr. Chalmers later."
"Lovely!" exclaimed Jane; "and everybody will stay to lunch. Come on,
let's have a feast."
A feast! Jane knew well enough it was bean soup and salad day, and not
even a sweet potato in the pantry. Miss Gray and Zura started
house-ward, slowly followed by Page. He had looked very straight at Mr.
Chalmers, who returned the gaze, adding compound interest, and a
contemptuous shrug.
They were barely out of hearing when he began, "Brave soldier of
fortune, that! Where did he come from?" Without waiting for me to answer
he went on: "I didn't know you were a missionary, else you couldn't have
tied me with a rope and made me listen to a sermon and a peck of golden
texts 'à la Japanese.'"
"Unfortunately, Mr. Chalmers, I'm not a missionary. If I were, I would
leave off teaching the so-called heathen at once and be head chaplain to
some of the ninety millions you were talking about. Speaking of golden
texts, I know my Bible too well to cast pearls. Now, young man, once for
all let me say, this thing simply cannot be. Zura is a lonely girl in a
strange land. She must live under her grandfather's roof. Your slightest
attention will make mountains of difficulty for her, and she is not
going with you to-night even if you mean to marry her to-morrow."
Pinkey turned nearly white. "Marry her!" he exclaimed, "Why, I'm engaged
to a girl back home."
"Why, I never intended to marry her," he went on, more concerned than at
any time before. "I was just having a little flirtation."
A little flirtation! By the powers that be! My country had progressed if
it had come to the place where a man could swear allegiance to one
woman, then blithely sail the seas to find heaven in another woman's
eyes!
My few days' experience with a girl had set me more problems than I ever
found in arithmetic. This boy was a whole algebra, and they both
belonged to my country where I thought rearing children was like growing
flowers. Not only were things happening, I was learning new lessons
faster than I really cared for. I asked him if Zura knew of his
engagement.
"No," he replied as he walked restlessly about, "I just met her coming
over. She isn't in love with me and I don't trouble others with my
private affairs."
"Really! I am afraid your manly self-control will cause Zura many a
heart ache. I know of nothing more contemptible than being engaged to
one girl and flirting with another."
"Most men do it," he answered sullenly.
"I don't believe you, boy, and it will take more proof than you can
furnish to convince me that the men of my country have so low a standard
of honor." I put a heavy accent on "men."