III.
THE DAISY TRANSPLANTED.
"BETTY," said General Forster, stopping the next morning at thefruit-woman's stall, "could you make up your mind to give up thatlittle girl if you were sure it was for her good?"
Betty sighed and shook her head mournfully as she answered,--
"I've always looked to give her up, sir, if them Saacyfuts, or whatevertheir name'll be, turned up, and if it was for her good, sorra a wordwould they hear out of me, though I won't say but it would go hard withme and Jack. But ye'll not be tellin' me ye've been findin' her friendssince last night, sir?"
"Not the people she belongs to, certainly, Betty; but I have foundthose who will be friends to her, and provide for her, if you willconsent. She should go to school and be well taught: do you not thinkso?"
"Indade, an' there's none knows that better nor meself, sir. An' is ityerself that's the friend ye're spakin' of?" and Betty gave a searchinglook into the gentleman's face.
He smiled. "Yes," he said: "I would like to put her to school and takecare of her. She seems a sweet child, and a good one. And you see,Betty, I have it in my power to do more to find her friends than youare able to do, and we may trace them yet. If we never find them, Iwill promise to provide for her as long as it may be necessary. Are youwilling?"
Betty again stared into the face of her questioner as if she would lookhim through.
"I'm sinsible of your kindness, sir," she answered; "but ye see I'min a way risponsible for the child, not to say that she is as dear tome as me own flesh and blood, and I'd say 'yis,' and thank ye kindly,but--ye'll excuse me plain spakin'--ye're a stranger to me, and Icouldn't be partin' wid Marga_ret_ widout I was certified as to yerka_rac_ter. For if I didn't think she'd be brought up right, nivera foot should she stir to go wid ye. I seen Miss Gertrude Allston awalkin' wid ye once last summer, sir, jist after I set up me standhere, but she niver heeded me wid her swate face. But I used to belaundress in her mother's house afore I was married, and a swate childwas Miss Gertrude and a good as ye're sayin' of Marga_ret_, and she'llniver go far wrong, I'll answer for it. So, if ye'll jist bring me aline from her and she says ye're all right, I'll not say ye nay."
General Forster laughed heartily, not one whit offended at Betty's"plain spakin'."
"Miss Gertrude Allston, as you call her, will give me all the lines youwant, Betty; and she thought me right enough to marry me. She is mywife,--Mrs. Forster."
"An' is it so, sir?" said Betty, dropping the rosy-cheeked apple shewas polishing, and gazing at the gentleman with a mixture of curiosityand admiration that was droll to see. "Well, but ye're in luck; andif it's Miss Gertrude that has the managin' of ye, that's ka_rac_terenough of itself, an' I'll say take the child an' my blessin' on allof yees. But when she gets among yer fine folks, ye'll not let her beforgettin' the woman what cared for her when there was none else to doit: will ye, sir? An' ye'll be lettin' me see her once in a while?"
There is no need to say that this was readily promised, and the Generalwent on to tell Betty what plans he and his wife had for Daisy. Shewas to be taken for a while to his home, where Mrs. Forster wouldprovide her with proper clothing; and then send her to Miss Collins'boarding-school to be taught and trained in a way to satisfy herfriends if they should ever find her, or that she might one day be ableto earn her own living, if it should be needful.
"An' I'm glad she should have the bringin' up of a lady which is what Icouldn't give her," said Betty, with another sigh, for it went to herheart to part with her darling; "but ye'll not be able to make her moreof a lady nor she is now; no, not if ye dress her in gould and jewels,an' silks an' satins. Niver a rough word nor way has she with her, ifshe has been with me and Jack more nor two year, nor ye couldn't find apurtier behaved child in all the land."
An hour or two later, Betty, having found a friend to "mind" her stallfor her, guided General Forster to the tiny house in the suburbs of thecity where she lived with Daisy and Jack.
The two children were out in the little garden gathering the flowerswhich were to be tied up in bouquets for Daisy's afternoon sale; andgreat was their surprise, when the sound of the gate-latch causing themto look up, they saw Betty coming home at this unusual hour of the day,and the gentleman with her. Their business was soon told; but althoughDaisy flushed and smiled with astonishment and delight when she heardwhat the "gentleman who looked so like papa" meant to do for her, thelittle face soon shadowed over again, and she shook her head gently butfirmly when she was asked if she would go.
"An' why for no, dear?" asked Betty. "Sure ye'd niver be for throwin'away a chance the likes of that, not to spake of it's bein' ongratefulto the gintleman's kindness, an' he no more nor less than the husbandof Miss Gertrude."
But Daisy shook her head again; and then first begging the gentleman'spardon, as a polite little girl should do, stepped up to her faithfulfriend, and putting her arms about her neck whispered something in herear.
The tears she had before with trouble kept back now started to Betty'seyes.
"Och, an' is it that, honey?" she said in her broadest brogue, "an'ye'll not let that be thrubblin' yer dear heart. What a tinder,grateful little sowl it is! Ye see, sir," she went on, turning to theGeneral, while she smoothed with her loving hand the little head whichlay upon her breast, "ye see, sir, it's just as I tellt ye. She's alady, every inch of her, an' has feelin's that's jist oncommon. An'there's a matter of back rint jew, it's more'n a year, though melandlord he's as good as gould, an' a bill at the poticary's, an'little scores at the baker's an' grocers what I niver got paid off yet,not since the child was sick an' I couldn't rightly make things go; an'she says she won't be lavin' us now that she can turn a penny wid herposies an' help along."
Drawing the child to him, General Forster whispered to her in histurn, promising that the "back rint" and other "scores" should be paidoff without delay if she would but come with him; and Daisy, feelingherself nearer home and friends than she had ever done since thedreadful day of the shipwreck, when she was parted from "mamma," puther hand trustingly in his to be led where he would.
But the parting went hard. Daisy could not leave those who had beenso kind, and shared their little all with her, without many a bittertear. Betty kissed her and clung to her and called down all heaven'sblessings on her head; and Jack hung over the gate, uttering frantichowls as he watched the sobbing child led away by her new protector.Not one thought gave Jack to his fourteen years; not one to the"fellers from beyant the lot," who, drawn by his cries, came flockingto see what ailed him who was all their terror and admiration: theiradmiration, because he was bigger, stronger, braver than any other boyof his age among their crew; their terror, because of late he allowedno bad word to be used in his presence, banishing all who offendedin that way from their games, choosing as his favorites and chiefcompanions those who were most careful not to take God's name in vain.So cursing and swearing had come to be much less frequent than of oldamong the lanes and lots lying around the humble house where the littleDaisy had bloomed and grown during the last two years, dropping uponthe path which God had chosen for her good seed of which she knew notherself.
Betty went back to her stand with a heavy heart, knowing that whenshe went home that night she should miss the sweet little face whichhad brightened and cheered her after many a hard day's work; but shewas half-consoled for her own loss when she saw Daisy coming down thestreet holding General Forster's hand. For the General's first care hadbeen to take the little girl to a place where children's clothes couldbe had ready-made; and where he had her fitted out, as Betty said, "asnice as a new pin and as became the little lady she was by right."
But Daisy was as much a lady in the coarse but clean calico frockand patched shoes she had worn yesterday, as she was now in the niceclothes provided for her by General Forster; for it was the sweetmanners and pretty ways she had never lost which made her so, and thenew garments covered as warm and loving a little heart as the oldones had done. And so Betty found, and knew that
pride would have noplace there, when, as she reached the stand, Daisy drew her hand fromthe gentleman's, and running behind the stall as she had many a timedone when she was eager to show Betty what a good afternoon's sale shehad made with her flowers, threw her arms about her neck and kissedher again and again as lovingly as she had done when she had no otherfriend in the world.
Gentle Mrs. Forster gave Daisy a warm welcome to her new home; and themanner in which the child fell at once into the ways and habits ofthose about her plainly showed that they were not new to her, but thatshe had at some time been well accustomed to a different life than thatshe had led for the last two years.
She had ways of her own, too, that were very charming: a pretty, daintygrace in her behavior and speech; a thoughtfulness and care for others,surprising in any child of her age,--for Daisy could not be more thaneight years old,--and particularly so for one who had had littleteaching for some time. It was easy to see that Daisy had receivedcareful training at one time, and that the lessons then learned hadtaken deep root and were not yet forgotten in spite of the longseparation from her home and friends.
It had been intended, as General Forster told Betty, to send the littlegirl to boarding-school at Miss Collins'; but she soon grew so closelyto the hearts of her new friends that they felt as if they could notbear to part with her; and it was at last settled that her home was tobe with them for the present, at least, and that she should only goto Miss Collins for the morning, as most of the other little girls inGlenwood did.
Mrs. Forster could not bear to send from her this loving child, whosegreatest happiness seemed to be in making others happy, and she grewevery day more and more interesting as the familiar objects and customsabout her called up past recollections of the home and parents shehad lost. She would watch the General for hours at a time, as he satreading or writing, or follow him with wistful eyes as he mounted hishorse and rode down the broad avenue "just like papa;" would hang overthe lesser Daisy as she lay sleeping, "'cause she looks just as ourbaby at home used to," and delighted to wait upon her and Mrs. Forsterin a dainty, neat-handed manner, which showed that such loving servicecame quite naturally to her.
She never called the infant "baby," as the rest of the family did.With her it was always "little Daisy." She seemed to love the prettyname, either given to herself or another; and all the variety of choiceflowers with which General Forster's garden was filled could not winher chief affection from her old favorite daisies, "'cause mamma lovedthem so and named me after them."
But though she remembered so much, the child could not recall the nameof her parents, or where they had lived. Their name "was not what Bettycalled it," she was sure; but none the less had it passed from her mind.
"Francine," the French bonne, used to call mamma "Madame," and herself"Mademoiselle Marguerite;" but when she was asked what other peopleused to call mamma and papa, the little face grew clouded and painedwith the effort to remember; and when name after name was mentioned toher, she shook her head at each one.
The General tried by every means in his power to discover the friendswho must still be mourning the loss of their sweet little daisyblossom, but all in vain; and as week after week went by, he and hiswife decided that they could not send her forth from their own roofunless her relations came to claim her. She was an added ray of lightwhere all had been brightness and sunshine before,--a lovely, preciouslittle flower, lending new fragrance and beauty to the home where sheblossomed.
DAISY'S SISTER FLOWERETS.
Daisy's Work: The Third Commandment Page 3