THE OLD ASTRONOMER
One Saturday night Mildred was awakened from time to time by the
wailing of a child. The sounds came from the rooms of the Ulphs,
which were directly overhead, and by morning she was convinced that
there was a case of serious illness in the German family. Led by
her sympathies, and also by the hope of thawing the reserve of the
eccentric old astronomer, she resolved to go and ask if she could
be of any help.
In response to her light knock a shock-headed, unkempt boy opened
the door and revealed a state of chaos that might well have driven
mad any student of the heavenly bodies with their orderly ways.
There seemed to be one place for everything--the middle of the
floor--and about everything was in this one place. In the midst
of a desolation anything but picturesque, Mrs. Ulph sat before the
fire with a little moaning baby upon her lap.
"I heard your child crying in the night," said Mildred gently, "and
as we are neighbors I thought I would come up and see if I could
help you."
The woman stared a moment and then asked, "You Miss Schoslin?"
"Yes, and I hope you will let me do something, for I fear you've
been up all night and must be very tired."
"I'm shust dead; not von vink of schleep haf I had all der night.
He shust cry und cry, and vat I do I don't know. I fear he die. Der
fader gone for der doctor, but he die 'fore dey gets here. Schee,
he getten gold now."
Truly enough, the child's extremities were growing chill indeed,
and the peculiar pinched look and ashen color which is so often
the precursor of death was apparent.
"Let me call my mother," cried Mildred, in much alarm. "She knows
about children."
Mrs. Jocelyn soon became convinced from the mother's account that
the child's disease was cholera infantum, and some previous experience
with her own children taught her just what to do. Before very long
the little one gave evidence of a change for the better. After the
crisis of danger was past, and while her mother and Mrs. Ulph were
working over the infant, Mildred began quietly to put the room into
something like order, and to dress the other children that were in
various transition stages between rags and nakedness. As the German
woman emerged from a semi-paralyzed condition of alarm over her
child she began to talk and complain as usual.
"It vas von shudgment on der fader," she said querulously. "He care
more for der schpots on der sun dan for his schilder. For der last
veek it's all peen schpots on der sun, notting put schpots. Vat
goot dey do us? Dare's peen light to vork py, put efry minit he
schtop vork to run to der roof und see dem schpots vot he says on
der sun. He says dere ish--vat you call him--pig virl-a-rounds up
dere dat vould plow all der beoples off der earth in von vink, und
ven I tells him dat he ish von pig virl-a-round himself, runnin'
und runnin', und lettin' der vork schstand, den von of der schpots
come outen on him und I dink he plow my hed offen."
By and by she began again: "If it ish not schpots it ish someding
else. Von year he feel vorse dan if I die pegose vat you call
a gomet did not gome ven he said it vould gome. He near look his
eyes outen for it, und he go efry morning 'fore preakfast for der
bapers to get vord of dat gomet. I dought we all schtarve 'fore
he got done mit dot gomet, and ven he give oup all hope of him, he
feel vorse dan he vould if dis schild die. He vas so pad to me as
if I eat der gomet oup, and we had not mooch else to eat till he
sure der gomet gone to der duyvil. It might haf been vorse if der
gomet come; vat he done den der goot Lord only know--he go off mit
it if he gould. He tink notting of sittin' oup mit a gomet, put he
get der schpots on him ven I ask to nurse der schild in der night."
Mrs. Jocelyn and Mildred paid little attention to her plaints; and
the former, having done what she could, returned to her own family
cares. Mildred took the little sick boy in her arms, saying that
she would hold him while Mrs. Ulph prepared breakfast.
It was at this stage of affairs that the door opened, and the
pinched and grizzled visage of Mr. Ulph appeared, followed by the
burly form of a German physician whom he had insisted on finding.
The former stopped short and stared at Mildred, in grim hesitation
whether he should resent an intrusion or acknowledge a kindness.
His wife explained rapidly in German, with a deferential manner,
but in a sub-acidulous tone.
"I do not wish to intrude, but only to help as a neighbor should,"
Mildred began, during a lull between Mrs. Ulph's shrill notes.
"I fear your little boy was very ill when I first came--indeed
my mother thought he was dying. She knows, I think, for my little
brother nearly died of an attack like this."
Beyond her explanation of Mildred's presence he seemingly had given
no heed to his wife's words, but now he started and exclaimed,
"Mein Gott! Vat you say? Die?" and he turned with intense anxiety
to the doctor, who without ceremony began to investigate the case,
asking the mother questions and receiving answers that Mildred
did not understand. The woman evidently claimed all the credit she
deserved for her care of the patient in the night, and suggested
that Mr. Ulph had been very oblivious until the child seemed
sinking, for the old man grew excessively impatient during the
interrogations. As if unconscious of Mildred's ignorance of their
language, he said earnestly to her, "I did not know--I vould gif
my life for der schild--der boor leedle poy--I no dink dat he vas
so sick," and his eager words and manner convinced Mildred that
his wife misrepresented him, and that his interest in the mystery
of the comet's fate would be slight compared with that which centred
in his son.
The phlegmatic physician continued his investigations with true
German thoroughness and deliberation. It was well that the child's
worst symptoms had been relieved before he came, for he seemed bent
on having the whole history of the case down to the latest moment
before he extended his heavy hand to the aid of nature, and
he questioned Mildred as minutely as he had Mrs. Ulph, while she,
unlike the former, did not take any credit to herself.
If the doctor was a little slow, he was sure, for he said something
emphatically to the father, who in turn seized Mildred's hand,
exclaiming, with explosive energy, "Gott pless you! Gott pless
you!"
"But it was mamma who did everything," protested the young girl.
"Yah, I know, I know; put who prought mamma? Who listen ven der
boor leetle poy gry in der night? Who gome in der morning? Mine
paby vould haf been ded if you haf not gome. Gott pless you; Gott
pless your moder. I vant to dank her mooch."
The grateful father had called down God's blessings so lavishly
that Mildred very naturally said, "You have more reason to thank
God than any one else, Mr. Ulph, for no doubt it was His blessing
on our efforts that has made your child better. The disease is such
a dangerous one that the best human skill is often in vain."
The physician shrugged his shoulders and looked significantly at
Mr. Ulph, whose visage wrinkled into an odd grimace.
"You may dink vat you please and say vat you please, Miss Schoslin.
Men dink different off dese dinks vrom vomans. I haf a vay off saying
Gott pless beoples ven I feels goot dowards 'em, put I means 'em
no harm. Vat you American beoples somedimes say--dank my schtars?
Dat will do shust so vell for me. It vas dis vay: der schild vas
seek; you und your moder gome, und you make gauses und dere are der
evvects. I perlieve in gause und evvect, und you vas a very goot
gause."
"We certainly should be very poor neighbors had we not come and
done all we could, and with your permission mother and I will help
your wife to-day so she can get some rest."
"I dank you vrom mine heart. You make me dink off der heafenly
podies--you make order put no noise. I vill do for you vatefer you
vish und pe honest."
Mildred now believed that she had gained the key to the old German's
character, and such a hold upon his feelings that he would eventually
permit her to become his companion in his star-gazing on the roof.
Denied so much of the beauty she craved on the earth, she believed
that she could find in an intelligent study of the skies a pleasure
that would prove an antidote for the depressing circumstances of
her lot. She had often longed with intense curiosity to look through
his telescope, and to penetrate some of the bright mysteries that
glittered above her with such tantalizing suggestion. She was
adroit, however, and determined that the invitation should come
unsolicited from him, so that his suspicions and cynical nature
could give no sinister interpretation to her kindness.
The physician evidently shared in Mr. Ulph's estimate of the mother
of the child, for he explained to Mildred how the remedies he left
should be used. She and Mrs. Jocelyn acted as nurse most of the
day, and the patient improved steadily. After her return from the
chapel in the afternoon, Mildred found the old German smoking his
pipe in quite a placid mood, and she skilfully led him to talk on
his favorite theme. He soon became so interested and so confidential
that he unlocked a small, closet-like room and showed her his
treasures--the telescope and other instruments, Argelander's maps,
and many books written by the most eminent authorities.
"I haf gone mitout mine dinner many und many der day to puy dese.
Mine pody schtays in dis hole in dis old house, put mit dese vat I
gather since ven I vas young, I go to heafen every night. Hah, hah,
hah! dot Engleesh voman on der virst vloor dink she know a petter
vay off going to heafen; und she dalk her reeleegious schargou to
me, ven she know notting at all put vat der briests dell her. If
dey dell her de moon von pig green scheese she swar it ish so; put
dese dings dell der druf, und der great laws vork on for efer no
matter vat voolish beoples perlieve. It vas all law und vorce, und
it vould be von pig muddle in der heafens if it vas all vat der
briests say."
Mildred was in a dilemma, for she felt that she could not be silent
under his outspoken scepticism, and yet if she revealed her mind
she doubted whether there would be any result except the alienation
of the man whose friendship she was bent on securing. After a
moment's hesitation she saw but one honorable course, and so said
firmly, "Mr. Ulph, I believe you are an honest man, but I want you
to think of me as an honest girl, also. If I wanted to know about
astronomy--and I do want to know very much--I would come to you. If
I wanted to know about some other things I would go to my minister.
I believe in law as truly as you do, but I believe God made the
laws--that they are simply His will. If I respect your unbelief,
you must respect my faith--that is fair; and I think you are one
who would deal fairly and do justice to all. Mrs. Wheaton knows
little of astronomy and many other things, no doubt, but she has
known how to be a very kind, good neighbor to us, and her religion
is mine."
The old German stared at her a moment, then scratched his head as
he replied, half apologetically and half pityingly, "You vas notting
put a leedle schild, put you haf a goot heart. You vas honest,
und you schtands oop vor your vriends, und I likes dot. You may
perlieve all der vables you vish; und I vill dells you more vables
apout der schtars dat ish shust so goot und shust so old."
"But you will tell me the truth about them, too, won't you?" pleaded
Mildred, with a smile that would have thawed a colder nature than
Mr. Ulph's. "I want to learn a wee bit of what you know. I have so
little that is bright and pretty in my life now that I just long to
catch some glimpses of what you see in the skies. Perhaps I could
help you by writing down your observations. I would ask questions
only when you said I might."
"Veil, now, dot's a good idea. Mine eyes vas getten old, und you
vas young, put it von't last; you vas a young ding, und girls vas
vlighty and vant--vat you call him?--peaux und vrolics ven der
nights vas goot and glear."
"Try me," said Mildred, with a little emphatic nod.
"Veil, you don't seem likes von silly girl, und I vill dry you; put
you moost pe very schteady und batient, und but down shust vhat I
say. Von leedle schlip, und I vas all vrong in mine vigures. Von
preadth off hair down here ish oh--so vide oop dere. Und now, gome,
I tells you apout der schpots--der sun schpots," and with many odd
gesticulations and contortions of his quaint visage he described
the terrific cyclones that were sweeping over the surface of the
sun at that time, and whose corresponding perturbations in the
astronomer's mind had so exasperated his wife. She and the sick
child were now sleeping, and the other children, warned by the
threatening finger of the father, played quietly in a corner. It
was an odd place to conjure up images of whirling storms of fire so
appallingly vast that the great earth, if dropped into one of them,
would be fused instantly like a lump of ore in a blast furnace; but
the grotesque little man was so earnest, so uncouth, yet forcible,
in his suggestions as he whirled his arms around to indicate the
vast, resistless sweep of the unimaginable forces working their
wild will millions of miles away, that their truth and reality grew
painfully vivid to the young girl, and she trembled and shuddered.
The roar of the wildest storm, he told her, and the bellowing of
mountainous waves combined, would be but a murmur compared with the
far-reaching thunder of a sun hurricane as it swept along hundreds
of times faster than clouds are ever driven by an earthly tornado.
There was nothing in her nature which led her to share in his
almost fierce delight in the far-away disturbances, and he suddenly
stopped and said kindly, "Vy I vrighten you mit sooch pig gommotions?
You shust von leedle schild off a voman; und I likes you pegause
you haf prain so you see und know vat I say. You see him too mooch,
und so you dremble. Dot's goot. If you vas silly you vould giggle.
Der schpots ish a goot way offen, und vill nefer virl you away;
und next dime I dells you someding schmooth und britty."
Mildred was glad to hasten through the gathering dusk to her own
natural and homelike abode, for the old man's strong descriptions
and vivid manner had oppressed her with a vague terror, and it was
a long time before she could escape from the spell of his words.
Indeed they followed her into her dreams, and in one of these
dreadful visions she imagined herself shot by the old astronomer
through his telescope straight into the centre of a "sun schpot."
Whom should she find there in her uncurbed imagination but Roger
Atwood? He seemed to be standing still, and he coolly remarked
that "a man had no business to be whirled about by any force in
the universe." She, however, was carried millions of miles away--a
fact she did not so much regret, even in her dream, since he was
left behind.