The Corner House Girls

by Grace Brooks Hill

  CHAPTER XX

  MR. HOWBRIDGE IS PERPLEXED

  Tess and Dot went out that morning, when the sun had dried the grass,to play with the lonely little Creamer girl, and they did not inviteLillie Treble to go with them.

  Nobody could blame them for that breach of politeness. Dot could notoverlook the dreadful thing Lillie had done to the Alice-doll.Fortunately, the doll was not wholly ruined--but "no thanks toLillie," as Agnes said.

  She never _would_ look like the same doll again. "She is so pale now,"said Dot, hugging the doll tightly; "she looks as though she had beenthrough a dreadful illness. Doesn't she, Tess?"

  "And her beautiful dress and cap all ruined," groaned Tess. "It wasawfully mean of Lillie."

  "I don't care so much about the dress," murmured Dot. "But the colorran so in her cheeks, and one of her eyes is ever so much lighter bluethan the other."

  "We'll play she _has_ been sick," said Tess. "She's had the measles,like Mabel's sisters."

  "Oh, no!" cried Dot, who believed in the verities of play-life. "Oh,no! it would not be nice to have all the other dolls quarantined, likeMabel is."

  Mabel was not very happy on this morning, it proved. Her face wasflushed when she came to the fence, and she spoke to the Kenway girlshoarsely, as though she suffered from a cold.

  "Come on over here and play. I'm tired of playing so at arm's lengthlike we've been doing."

  "Oh, we couldn't," said Tess, shaking her head vigorously.

  "Why not? _You_ haven't quarantine at your house," said Mabel,pouting.

  "Mrs. McCall says we mustn't--nor you mustn't come over here."

  "I don't care," began Mabel, but Tess broke in cheerfully, with:

  "Oh, let's keep on using the make-believe telephone. And let's makebelieve the river's in a flood between us, and the bridges are allcarried away, and----"

  "No! I won't play that way," cried Mabel, passionately, and with astamp of her foot. "I want you to come over here."

  "We can't," said Tess, quite as firmly.

  "You're mean things--there now! I never did like you, anyway. I wantyou to play in my yard----"

  "_I'll_ come over and play with you," interposed a cool, sweet voice,and there was Lillie Treble, looking just as angelic as she couldlook.

  "Oh, Lillie!" gasped Tess. But Mabel broke in with:

  "Come on. There's a loose picket yonder. You can push it aside. Comeon over here, little girl, and we'll have a good time. I never didlike those stuck-up Kenway girls, anyway."

  Lillie turned once to give Tess and Dot the full benefit of one of theworst grimaces she could possibly make. Then she joined the Creamergirl in the other yard. She remained over there all the morning, andfor some reason Mabel and Lillie got along very nicely together.Lillie could be real nice, if she wanted to be.

  That afternoon Mabel did not appear in her yard and Lillie wanderedabout alone, having sworn eternal enmity against Tess and Dot. Thenext morning Mrs. Creamer put her head out of an upstairs window ofthe cottage and told Mrs. McCall, who chanced to be near theline-fence between the two places, that Mabel had "come down" with themeasles, after all the precautions they had taken with her.

  "It's lucky those two little girls over there didn't come into ouryard to play with her," said Mrs. Creamer. "The other young ones arejust beginning to get around, and now Mabel will have to have a spell.She always was an obstinate child; she couldn't even have measles at aproper and convenient time."

  Mrs. Treble, meantime, was feeling herself more and more at home inthe old Corner House. She did not offer to help in the generalhousework in the least, and did nothing but "rid up" her own room.There could be nothing done, or nothing talked of in the family, thatMrs. Treble was not right there to interfere, or advise, or change, orin some way "put her oar in," as Agnes disrespectfully said, to thecomplete vexation of the person most concerned.

  In addition, morning, noon and night she was forever dinning the factinto the ears of the girls, or Mrs. McCall, or Aunt Sarah, or UncleRufus, that her husband's mother was Uncle Peter Stower's own sister."John Augustus Treble talked a lot about Uncle Peter--always," shesaid. "I had a little property, when I married John Augustus. It wascash money left from my father's life insurance.

  "He wasn't a very good business man, John Augustus. But he meantwell," she continued. "He took my money and started a little storewith it. He took a lease of the store for three years. There was ashoe factory right across the street, and a box shop on one hand and aknitting mill on the other. Looked like a variety store ought to payin such a neighborhood.

  "But what happened?" demanded Mrs. Treble, in her most complainingtone. "Why, the shoe factory moved to Chicago. The box shop burneddown. The knitting mill was closed up by the sheriff. Then thelandlord took all John Augustus' stock for payment of the rent.

  "So he had to go to work in the powder mill, and that finally blew himup. But he always said to me: 'Now, don't you fuss, Emily, don't youfuss. When Uncle Peter Stower dies, there'll be plenty coming to us,and you'll live like a lady the rest of _your_ life.' Poor fellow! IfI hadn't seen him go to work that morning, I'd never have believed itwas the same man they put into his coffin."

  When she told this version of the tale to Aunt Sarah, and many moredetails, Aunt Sarah never said a word, or even looked as though sheheard Mrs. Treble. The old lady's silence and grimness finally riledMrs. Treble's temper.

  "Say!" she exclaimed. "Why don't you say something? John Augustus'mother came from Milton when she was a girl. You must have known her.Why don't you say something?"

  At last Aunt Sarah opened her lips. It was the second time in theirlives that the Kenway girls had ever heard the old lady say more thantwo sentences consecutively.

  "You want me to say something? Then I will!" declared Aunt Sarah,grimly, and her eyes flashing. "You say your husband's mother wasPeter Stower's sister, do ye? Well! old Mr. Stower never had but onechild by his first wife, before he married my mother, and that childwas Peter. Peter didn't have any sister but these gals' mother, andmyself. You ain't got no more right in this house than you would havein the palace of the King of England--and if Ruth Kenway wasn'tfoolish, she'd put you out."

  Agnes was delighted at this outbreak. It seemed that Aunt Sarah mustspeak with authority. Ruth was doubtful; she did not know which ladyto believe. Mrs. Treble merely tossed her head, and said it was nomore than she had expected. Of course, Aunt Sarah would back up theseKenway girls in their ridiculous claim to the estate.

  "Oh, dear me! I do wish Mr. Howbridge would return home," groanedRuth.

  "I'd put them both out," declared Agnes, who could scarcely controlher dislike for the lady from Ypsilanti and her bothersome littlegirl.

  The neighbors and those acquaintances whom the girls had made beforebegan to take sides in the matter. Of course, Miss Titus had spreadthe tidings of the coming of Mrs. Treble, and what she had come for.The lady herself was not at all backward in putting her story beforeany person who might chance to call upon the Corner House girls.

  Some of these people evidently thought Mrs. Treble had the betterright to Uncle Peter's property. It was well known by now, that nowill had been offered for probate. Others were sure, like Aunt Sarah,that Uncle Peter had had no sister save the girls' mother.

  The minister's wife came to call--heard both sides of theargument--and told Ruth she was doing just right. "It was a kindlything to do, Ruth," she said, kissing the girl, warmly. "I do notbelieve she has any claim upon the estate. There is a mistakesomewhere. But you are a good girl, and Mr. Howbridge will straightenthe matter out, when he comes--never fear."

  But before the lawyer came, something occurred which seemed to make itquite impossible for Ruth to ask Mrs. Treble to go, even had she sodesired. Lillie came down with the measles!

  She had caught the disease that morning she had played with MabelCreamer, and to Dot's horror, "quarantine" came into the old CornerHouse. Ruth was dreadfully afraid that Dot and Tess might catch thedisease, too, for neither o
f them had had it. Although the doctor saidthat Lillie had the disease in a light form, Ruth kept the youngergirls as far away from the Trebles' apartment as she could, and eveninsisted upon Mrs. Treble taking her meals up stairs.

  Mr. Howbridge came home at last. Ruth had left a note at his officeexplaining her trouble, and the lawyer came over to the old CornerHouse the day following his return.

  He listened to Ruth's story without comment. Then he went up stairsand talked with Mrs. Treble. From the sound of Mrs. Treble'shigh-pitched voice, that must have been rather a stormy interview. Mr.Howbridge was quite calm when he came down to the girls again.

  "Oh, sir!" Agnes cried, unable to restrain herself any longer. "Youare not going to let her put us out of this dear old house, are you!"

  "I wouldn't worry about that, my dear. Not yet, at least," returnedMr. Howbridge, kindly. But to Ruth he said: "It is an utterlyunexpected situation. I am not prepared to give an opinion upon thewoman's claim.

  "However, I think you are a brave girl, Miss Kenway, and I approve ofall you have done. You have made a good impression upon the peoplehere in Milton, I am sure. Yes; you did quite right. Don't worry aboutmoney matters. All the bills shall be paid.

  "But, my dear, I wish more than ever that we could find that will.That would settle affairs immediately, and unless she tried to breakthe will in the courts, she would have no standing at all. Of course,it is for the little girl she claims a part of Mr. Peter Stower'sproperty. She, personally, has no rights herself, even if her tale istrue."

  Ruth knew that he was perplexed, however, so her own heart was butlittle relieved by the lawyer's visit.