Chapter Eleventh.
"Zeal and duty are not slow: But on occasion's forelock watchful wait." --MILTON.
"THE impudent thing!" exclaimed Mildred to her mother with a flushed andangry face; "putting us and our maid of all work on the same level!Visit her? Not I, indeed, and I do hope, mother, that neither you norAunt Wealthy will ever cross their threshold."
"My dear, she probably did not mean it," said Mrs. Keith.
"And now let us go on with our story. You have all waited quietly andpolitely like good children."
"Gotobed Lightcap! Lightcap! Gotobed Nightcap!" sang Cyril, tumblingabout on the carpet. "O Don, don't you wish you had such a pretty name?"
"No, I wouldna; I just be Don."
"There, dears, don't talk now; sister's going to read," said theirmother. "If you don't want to be still and listen you may run out andplay in the yard."
"Somebody else tumin'," whispered Fan, pulling at her mother's skirts.
Mildred closed again the book she had just resumed, rose and invitingthe new comer to enter, handed her a chair.
She was a tall, gaunt, sallow-complexioned woman of uncertain age, withyellow hair, pale watery blue eyes, and a sanctimonious expression ofcountenance.
Her dress was almost austere in its simplicity; a dove-colored calico,cotton gloves of a little darker shade, a white muslin handkerchiefcrossed on her bosom, a close straw bonnet with no trimming but a skirtof plain, white ribbon and a piece of the same put straight across thetop, brought down over the ears and tied under the chin.
"My name is Drybread," she announced with a slight, stiff courtesy; thenseating herself bolt upright on Mildred's offered chair, waited to beaddressed.
"Mrs. or Miss?" queried Mrs. Keith pleasantly.
"Miss. And yours?"
"Mrs. Keith. Allow me to introduce my aunt, Miss Stanhope, and mydaughter Mildred. These little people too belong to me."
"Gueth we do so?" said Don, showing a double row of pearly teeth, "cauthyou're our own mamma. Ain't she, Cyril?"
"Do you go to school, my little man?" asked the visitor, unbendingslightly in the stiffness of her manner.
"Ain't your man! don't like dwy bwead, 'cept when I'se vewy hungwy."
"Neither do I," chimed in Cyril. "And we don't go to school. Papa sayswe're not big enough."
"Don! Cyril! my little boys must not be rude," reproved the mamma. "Runaway now to your plays."
"They're pretty children," remarked the caller as the twain disappeared.
"Very frank in the expression of their sentiments and wishes," themother responded smiling.
"Extremely so, I should say;" added Mildred dryly.
"Is it not a mother's duty to curb and restrain?" queried the visitor,fixing her cold blue eyes upon Mrs. Keith's face.
"Certainly; where she deems it needful."
Mrs. Keith's tones were perfectly sweet-tempered; Mildred's not quiteso, as she added with emphasis, "And no one so capable of judging whenit is needful as my mother."
"Quite natural and proper sentiments for her daughter, no doubt. How doyou like Pleasant Plains?"
The question was addressed more particularly to Miss Stanhope, and itwas she who replied.
"We are quite disposed to like the place Miss Stalebread; the streetsare widely pleasant and would be quite beautiful if the forest trees hadbeen left."
"My name is _Dry_bread! a good honest name; if not quite so aristocraticand fine sounding as Keith."
"Excuse me!" said Miss Stanhope. "I have an unfortunate kind of memoryfor names and had no intention of miscalling yours."
"Oh! then it's all right.
"Mrs. Keith, I'm a teacher; take young boys and girls of all ages.Perhaps you might feel like entrusting me with some of yours. I see youhave quite a flock."
"I will take it into consideration," Mrs. Keith answered; "What branchesdo you teach?"
"Reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and English grammar."
"I've heard of teachers boarding round," remarked Mildred, assailed by asecret apprehension; "is that the way you do?"
"No; I live at home, at my father's."
Miss Drybread was scarcely out of earshot when Ada burst out vehemently.
"I don't want to be distrusted to her! she doesn't look distrusty, doesshe, Zillah? Mother please don't consider it!"
"But just say yes at once?" asked mother playfully, pressing a kiss uponthe little flushed, anxious face.
"Oh no, no, no! please, mamma dear;" cried the child returning thecaress and putting her arms lovingly about her mother's neck. "Youdidn't like her, did you?"
Mrs. Keith acknowledged laughingly that she had not been very favorablyimpressed, and Zillah joining in Ada's entreaties, presently promisedthat she would try to hear their lessons at home. A decision which wasreceived with delight and a profusion of thanks and caresses.
Mildred was glad to find herself alone with her mother that evening fora short time, after the younger ones were in bed; for she had a plan tounfold.
It was that she should act as governess to her sisters, and the littleboys, if they were considered old enough now to begin the ascent of thehill of science.
"My dear child!" the mother said with a look of proud affection into theglowing animated face, "I fully appreciate the love and self-devotion tome and the children that have prompted this plan of yours; but I am byno means willing to lay such heavy burdens on your young shoulders."
"But mother--"
"Wait a little, dearie, till I have said my say. Your own studies mustbe taken up again. Your father is greatly pleased with an arrangement hehas just made for you and Rupert and Zillah to recite to Mr. Lord.
"The English branches, Latin, Greek and the higher mathematics, are whathe is willing to undertake to teach."
Mildred's eyes sparkled. "O mother, how glad I am! Will he open aschool?"
"No; only hear recitations for a couple of hours every week-day exceptSaturdays, which he says he must have unbroken for his pulpitpreparations.
"Your father thinks he is very glad of the opportunity to add a littleto his salary; which, of course, is quite small."
"Then we study at home? I shall like that. But he won't take littleones?"
"No; none that are too young to learn Latin. Your father wants Zillah tobegin that now; and he hopes that a few others will join the class--someof the Chetwoods, perhaps."
Mildred's face was all aglow with delight; for she had a great thirstfor knowledge, and there had seemed small hope of satisfying it in thislittle frontier town where the means for acquiring a liberal educationwere so scant and poor.
"So you see, daughter, you will have no lack of employment," Mrs. Keithwent on; "especially as with such inefficient help in the kitchen andwith general housework, I shall often be compelled to call upon you; orrather," she added, with a slight caress, "to accept the assistance youare only too ready to give."
"It is too bad!" cried the girl, indignantly; "that Viny doesn't earnher salt! I wonder how you can have patience with her, mother, if I wereher mistress I'd have sent her off at a moment's warning long beforethis."
"Let us try to imitate God's patience with us, which is infinite;" Mrs.Keith answered low and reverently; "let us bear with her a littlelonger. But indeed, I do not know that we could fill her place with anyone who would be more competent or satisfactory in any way."
"I'm afraid that is quite true; but it does seem too hard that such awoman as my gifted, intellectual, accomplished mother should have tospend her life in the drudgery of housework, cooking, mending and takingcare of babies."
"No, dear; you are taking a wrong view of it. God appoints our lot; hechooses all our changes for us; Jesus, the God-man, dignified manuallabor by making it his own employment during a great part of his life onearth; and 'it is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master, andthe servant as his Lord.'
"Besides, what sweeter work can a mother have tha
n the care and trainingof her own offspring?"
"But then the cooking, mother, and all the rest of it!"
"Well, dear, the health, and consequently the happiness and usefulnessof my husband and children, depend very largely upon the properpreparation of their food; so that is no mean task."
"Ah, mother, you are determined to make out a good case and not tobelieve yourself hardly used," said Mildred, smiling, yet speaking in ahalf petulant tone.
"No, I am not hardly used; my life is crowned with mercies, of the veryleast of which I am utterly unworthy," her mother answered, gently.
"And, my child, I find that any work is sweet when done 'heartily as tothe Lord and not unto men!' What sweeter than a service of love! 'Be yefollowers of God as dear children.'"
"Yes," said Aunt Wealthy, coming in at the moment; "'as dear children,'not as servants or slaves, but doing the will of God from the heart; notthat we may be saved, but because we are saved; our obedience not theground of our acceptance; but the proof of our love to Him, our faith inHim who freely gives us the redemption purchased for us by His ownblood. Oh what a blessed religion it is! how sweet to belong to Jesusand to owe everything to him!"
"I feel it so," Mrs. Keith said, with an undertone of deep joy in hersweet voice.
"And I," whispered Mildred, laying her head in her mother's lap as sheknelt at her side, as had been her wont in childish days.
They were all silent after that for many minutes, sitting there in thegloaming; Mrs. Keith's hand passing softly, caressingly over herdaughter's hair and cheeks; then Mildred spoke.
"Let me try it, mother dear; teaching the children, I mean. You knowthere is nothing helps one more to be thorough; and I want to fit myselffor teaching if ever I should have my own living to earn."
"Well, well, my child, you may try."
"That's my own dear mother!" exclaimed the girl joyfully, starting up tocatch and kiss the hand that had been caressing her. "Now, I mustarrange my plans. I shall have to be very systematic in order to do allI wish."
"Yes," said Miss Stanhope, "one can accomplish very little withoutsystem, but often a great deal with it."
Mildred set to work with cheerfulness and a great deal of energy anddetermination, and showed herself not easily conquered by difficulties;the rest of that week was given to planning and preparing for her work,and on the following Monday her long neglected studies were resumed andher duties as family governess entered upon.
These took up the morning from nine to twelve, but by early rising anddiligence she was able to do a good deal about the house before the hourfor lessons to begin.
Her mother insisted that she must have an hour for recreation everyafternoon, taking a walk when the weather permitted; then another forstudy, and the two with Mr. Lord left but a small margin for anythingelse; the sewing and reading with mother and sisters usually filled outthe remainder of the day.
Sometimes her plans worked well and she was able to go through the roundof self-imposed duties with satisfaction to herself and to that of hermother and aunt, who looked on with great interest and were ever on thewatch to lend a helping hand and keep hindrances out of her way.
But these last would come now and again, in the shape of callers,accidents, mischievous pranks on the part of the little ones ordelinquencies on that of the maid of all work, till at times Mildred'spatience and determination were sorely tried.
She would grow discouraged, be nearly ready to give up, then summon allher energies to the task, battle with her difficulties and for a timerise superior to them.
But a new foe appeared upon the field and vanquished her. It was theague, attacking now one, and now another of the family; soon they wereseldom all well and it was no uncommon thing for two or three to bedown with it at once. Viny took it and left, and they hardly knewwhether to be glad or sorry.
Governessing had to be given up, nursing and housework substituted forthat and for sewing and reading, while still for some weeks longer thelessons with Mr. Lord were kept up; but at length they also had to bedropped, for Mildred herself succumbed to the malaria and grew too weak,ill and depressed for study.
Mildred Keith Page 12