this plump, white-haired, bright-eyed old lady, in awide-spreading, rustling black silk dress, was not Letty. She was Mrs.North.
The Captain came across the street, waving his newspaper, and saying,"So you've cast anchor in the old port, ma'am?"
"My daughter is not at home; do come in," she said, smiling and nodding.Captain Price hesitated; then he put his pipe in his pocket andfollowed her into the parlor. "Sit down," she cried, gayly. "Well,_Alfred_!"
"Well--_Mrs. North_!" he said; and then they both laughed, and she beganto ask questions: Who was dead? Who had so and so married? "There arenot many of us left," she said. "The two Ferris girls and TheophilusMorrison and Johnny Gordon--he came to see me yesterday. And MattyDilworth; she was younger than I--oh, by ten years. She married theoldest Barkley boy, didn't she? I hear he didn't turn out well. Youmarried his sister, didn't you? Was it the oldest girl or the secondsister?"
"It was the second--Jane. Yes, poor Jane. I lost her in 'forty-five."
"You have children?" she said, sympathetically.
"I've got a boy," he said; "but he's married."
"My girl has never married; she's a good daughter,"--Mrs. North brokeoff with a nervous laugh; "here she is, now!"
Mary North, who had suddenly appeared in the doorway, gave a questioningsniff, and the Captain's hand sought his guilty pocket; but Miss Northonly said: "How do you do, sir? Now, mother, don't talk too much and gettired." She stopped and tried to smile, but the painful color came intoher face. "And--if you please, Captain Price, will you speak in a lowtone? Large, noisy persons exhaust the oxygen in the air, and--"
"_Mary!_" cried poor Mrs. North; but the Captain, clutching his old felthat, began to hoist himself up from the sofa, scattering ashes about ashe did so. Mary North compressed her lips.
"I tell my daughter-in-law they'll keep the moths away," the oldgentleman said, sheepishly.
"I use camphor," said Miss North, "Flora must bring a dust-pan."
"Flora?" Alfred Price said. "Now, what's my association with that name?"
"She was our old cook," Mrs. North explained; "this Flora is herdaughter. But you never saw old Flora?"
"Why, yes, I did," the old man said, slowly. "Yes. I remember Flora.Well, good-bye,--Mrs. North."
"Good-bye, Alfred. Come again," she said, cheerfully.
"Mother, here's your beef tea," said a brief voice.
Alfred Price fled. He met his son just as he was entering his ownhouse, and burst into a confidence: "Cy, my boy, come aft and splicethe main-brace. Cyrus, what a female! She knocked me higher thanGilroy's kite. And her mother was as sweet a girl as you ever saw!" Hedrew his son into a little, low-browed, dingy room at the end of thehall. Its grimy untidiness matched the old Captain's clothes, but it washis one spot of refuge in his own house; here he could scatter histobacco ashes almost unrebuked, and play on his harmonicon withoutseeing Gussie wince and draw in her breath; for Mrs. Cyrus rarelyentered the "cabin." "I worry so about its disorderliness that I won'tgo in," she used to say, in a resigned way. And the Captain accepted herdecision with resignation of his own. "Crafts of your bottom can'tnavigate in these waters," he agreed, earnestly; and, indeed, the roomwas so cluttered with his belongings that voluminous hoop-skirts couldnot get steerageway. "He has so much rubbish," Gussie complained; but itwas precious rubbish to the old man. His chest was behind the door; ablow-fish, stuffed and varnished, hung from the ceiling; two coloredprints of the "Barque _Letty M._, 800 tons," decorated the walls; hissextant, polished daily by his big, clumsy hands, hung over themantel-piece, on which were many dusty treasures--the mahogany spoke ofan old steering-wheel; a whale's tooth; two Chinese wrestlers, in ivory;a fan of spreading white coral; a conch-shell, its beautiful red lipserving to hold a loose bunch of cigars. In the chimney-breast was alittle door, and the Captain, pulling his son into the room after thatcall upon Mrs. North, fumbled in his pocket for the key. "Here," hesaid; "(as the Governor of North Carolina said to the Governor of SouthCarolina)--Cyrus, she handed round _beef tea_!"
But Cyrus was to receive still further enlightenment on the subject ofhis opposite neighbor:
"She called him in. I heard her, with my own ears! 'Alfred,' she said,'come in.' Cyrus, she has designs; oh, I worry so about it! He ought tobe protected. He is very old, and, of course, foolish. You ought tocheck it at once."
"Gussie, I don't like you to talk that way about my father," Cyrusbegan.
"You'll like it less later on. He'll go and see her to-morrow."
"Why shouldn't he go and see her to-morrow?" Cyrus said, and added amodest bad word; which made Gussie cry. And yet, in spite of what hiswife called his "blasphemy," Cyrus began to be vaguely uncomfortablewhenever he saw his father put his pipe in his pocket and go across thestreet. And as the winter brightened into spring, the Captain went quiteoften. So, for that matter, did other old friends of Mrs. North'sgeneration, who by-and-by began to smile at one another, and say, "Well,Alfred and Letty are great friends!" For, because Captain Price livedright across the street, he went most of all. At least, that was whatMiss North said to herself with obvious common-sense--until Mrs. Cyrusput her on the right track....
"What!" gasped Mary North. "But it's impossible!"
"It would be very unbecoming, considering their years," said Gussie;"but I worry so, because, you know, nothing is impossible when peopleare foolish; and of course, at their age, they are apt to be foolish."
So the seed was dropped. Certainly he did come very often. Certainly hermother seemed very glad to see him. Certainly they had very long talks.Mary North shivered with apprehension. But it was not until a week laterthat this miserable suspicion grew strong enough to find words. It wasafter tea, and the two ladies were sitting before a little fire. MaryNorth had wrapped a shawl about her mother, and given her a footstool,and pushed her chair nearer the fire, and then pulled it away, andopened and shut the parlor door three times to regulate the draught.Then she sat down in the corner of the sofa, exhausted but alert.
"If there's anything you want, mother, you'll be sure and tell me?"
"Yes, my dear."
"I think I'd better put another shawl over your limbs?"
"Oh no, indeed!"
"Mother, are you _sure_ you don't feel a draught?"
"No, Mary; and it wouldn't hurt me if I did!"
"I was only trying to make you comfortable--"
"I know that, my dear; you are a very good daughter. Mary, I think itwould be nice if I made a cake. So many people call, and--"
"I'll make it to-morrow."
"Oh, I'll make it myself," Mrs. North protested, eagerly; "I'd reallyenjoy--"
"Mother! Tire yourself out in the kitchen? No, indeed! Flora and I willsee to it."
Mrs. North sighed.
Her daughter sighed too; then suddenly burst out: "Old Captain Pricecomes here pretty often."
Mrs. North nodded pleasantly. "That daughter-in-law doesn't half takecare of him. His clothes are dreadfully shabby. There was a button offhis coat to-day. And she's a foolish creature."
"Foolish? she's an unladylike person!" cried Miss North, with so muchfeeling that her mother looked at her in mild astonishment. "And coarse,too," said Mary North; "I think married ladies are apt to be coarse.From association with men, I suppose."
"What has she done?" demanded Mrs. North, much interested.
"She hinted that he--that you--"
"Well?"
"That he came here to--to see you."
"Well, who else would he come to see? Not you!" said her mother.
"She hinted that he might want to--to marry you."
"Well--upon my word! I knew she was a ridiculous creature, butreally--!"
Mary's face softened with relief. "Of course she is foolish; but--"
"Poor Alfred! What has he ever done to have such a daughter-in-law?Mary, the Lord gives us our children; but _Somebody Else_ gives us ourin-laws!"
"Mother!" said Mary North, horrified, "you do say such things! Butreally he oughtn't to c
ome so often. People will begin to notice it; andthen they'll talk. I'll--I'll take you away from Old Chester rather thanhave him bother you."
"Mary, you are just as foolish as his daughter-in-law," said Mrs.North, impatiently.
And, somehow, poor Mary North's heart sank.
Nor was she the
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