Jewel: A Chapter in Her Life

by Clara Louise Burnham

  "Oh, thank you!" exclaimed the child.

  They now sped through the gates of the park and by the porter's lodge,and began the ascent of a winding road. Handsome residences were setamong the fine trees, and at sight of each one Jewel looked expectantand eager.

  "I expect mother'll be kind of looking out for us," continued Zeke."Poor kid!" he added mentally.

  "Grandpa said something about your mother."

  "His housekeeper, Mrs. Forbes."

  "Oh yes, of course I know about Mrs. Forbes," returned Jewel hastily andpolitely. "He told me your name too," she added suggestively.

  "Yes, I'm Zeke. And you just remember," emphatically, "that I come whenI'm called. Will you?"

  "Yes," replied the child, laughing a little. "Do you know my name?"

  "It's Julia, isn't it?"

  "Yes, but if you called me by it perhaps I shouldn't come, for I'm usedto the name of Jewel."

  "Pretty name, all right," returned Zeke sententiously. "Now you can seeyour grandpa's house. The one with the long porch."

  Jewel jumped up and down a little in the seat and held Anna Belle to geta good view. The brown horse trotted with a will, and in a minute morethey had passed up the driveway and paused beneath the _porte-cochere_.

  Mrs. Forbes threw open the door and stood unsmiling.

  "Where is Mr. Evringham?" she asked, addressing her son.

  "Stayed in town."

  The housekeeper stepped forward and helped down the little girl, who hadrisen and was looking brightly expectant.

  "How do you do, Julia," she said. "Did you come out alone on the cars?"

  "No. Dr. Ballard came with me."

  "Oh, that was the way of it. Zeke, hitch up the brougham. The ladies aregoing out to lunch."

  "Why didn't they let me know?" grumbled Zeke. "Could have hitched up thebrougham just as well in the first place."

  "Don't ask _me_," returned his mother acidly. "Where is your bag, Julia?I hope you haven't left it in the train?"

  "No, I didn't have any. I used mother's. She knew I'd have my trunkto-night."

  "Then come in and I'll show you where your room is."

  The child looked eagerly and admiringly from side to side as shefollowed Mrs. Forbes up two flights of broad shallow stairs and into anapartment which to her eyes seemed luxurious.

  "Was this ever my father's room?" she asked.

  "Why yes, I believe it was," returned Mrs. Forbes, to whom thatcircumstance had not before occurred.

  "How kind of grandpa to let me have it!" said Jewel, highly pleased.

  "He wasn't in it much, your father wasn't. Away at school or some otherplace mostly. Where's your trunk?"

  "It's coming. Zeke said he'd attend to it." Jewel looked up happily. "Ihave a"--she was intending to communicate to Mrs. Forbes the excitingdetail of her wardrobe when the housekeeper interrupted her.

  "My son's name is Ezekiel," she said impressively.

  "Oh," returned Jewel abashed. "He told me Zeke." She still stood in themiddle of the large white room, Anna Belle in her arms, and with thesurprised look in her serious face drew upon herself an unflatteringmental comment.

  "The image of Harry," thought Mrs. Forbes.

  "Can I see aunt Madge and cousin Eloise?" asked the child, beginning tofeel some awe of the large woman regarding her.

  "They're getting ready to go out to lunch. They can't be disturbed now.You can sit here, or walk around until lunch time. You'll know whenthat is ready, because the gong will sound in the hall. Now when you godownstairs be careful not to touch the tall clock on the landing. Thatis a very valuable chiming clock, and you mustn't open its doors, forfear you would break something. Then if you go into the parlor you mustnever play on the piano unless you ask somebody, for fear Mr. Evringhammight be trying to take a nap just at that time; then you mustn't gointo the barn without permission, for it's dangerous where the horsesare, and you might get kicked. If you're tired from your journey you canlie down now till lunch time; but whenever you do lie down, be sure toturn off this white spread, for fear you might soil it. Now I'm verybusy, and I shan't see you again till lunch."

  Mrs. Forbes departed and Jewel stood for half a minute motionless,feeling rather dazed by a novel sensation of resentment.

  "As if we were babies!" she whispered to her doll. "She's the mostafraid woman I ever saw, and she looks so _sorry_! She isn't ourrelation, so no matter, dearie, what she says. This is father's room,and we can think how he used to run around here when he was a littleboy."

  Tiptoeing to the door, Jewel closed it and began to inspect her newapartment.

  The sweet smelling soap on the marble stand, the silver mountings of thefaucets, the large fine towels, the empty closet and drawers, all lookedinviting. Throughout her examination the little girl kept pausing tolisten.

  Surely aunt Madge and cousin Eloise would look in before they went outto their engagement. Mother had so often said how nice it was that theywere there. Surely they didn't know that she had arrived. That was it,of course; and Mrs. Forbes was so sorry and anxious she would probablyforget to tell them.

  Some altercation was just then going on in the apartments of thoseladies.

  "We ought to speak to her before we go," said Mrs. Evringhampersuasively. "Father would probably resent it if we didn't."

  "I have told you already," returned Eloise, "that I do not intend doingone thing henceforward that grandfather could interpret as being done toplease him."

  "But that is carrying it ridiculously far, not to greet your cousin, whohas come from a journey and is your guest."

  "My guest!" returned the girl derisively. "We are hers more likely. Iwill not go to her. The sooner grandfather sends us away the better."

  Mrs. Evringham looked worried.

  "This is mania, Eloise!" she returned coaxingly. "Very well, I shall goand speak to the child. She shan't be able to tell her grandfather ofany rudeness."

  In a few minutes Jewel, sitting by her window, Anna Belle in her lap,heard the _frou-frou_ of skirts in the hall, and with a knock at thedoor, a lady entered. She was arrayed in a thin black gown and wore alarge black hat, that was very becoming.

  Jewel's admiration went out to her on the instant and she started up.

  The lady swept toward her, and bending, a delicate perfume wafted aboutJewel as she felt a light touch of lips on her cheek.

  "So this is Julia Evringham," said the newcomer.

  "And you are aunt Madge," returned the child gladly, clinging to thegloved hand, which endured for a moment, and then firmly disengageditself.

  "Your father and mother got off all right I hope?" went on the airyvoice. "I'm always afraid of winds at this season myself, but they maynot have them. Your cousin Eloise and I are hurrying away to a luncheon,but we shall see you at dinner. You're very comfortable here? That'sright. Good-bye."

  She swept away, and the light again faded from Jewel's face as she wentslowly back to her seat.

  "Aunt Madge is afraid, too," she said to the doll. "We know there won'tbe winds, don't we, dearie? God will take care of father and mother."

  An uncomfortable lump rose towards the child's throat.

  Mrs. Evringham followed Eloise into the brougham, smiling.

  "It couldn't be better," she announced with much satisfaction as theydrove away.

  "What?"

  "She is plain--oh, plain as possible. Small eyes, large mouth,insignificant nose. She will never get on with father. He nevercould endure ugliness in a girl or woman. I have heard him say it wasunpardonable. If it hadn't been that we were what we are, Eloise, Ishould never have dreamed of doing as I have done. Now if only some goodfairy would open your eyes to see which side your bread is buttered on!You could do marvels with such a foil for contrast."