Jewel: A Chapter in Her Life

by Clara Louise Burnham

  CHAPTER XI

  DR. BALLARD

  Mr. Evringham looked about, half in apprehension, half in anticipation,as he entered the dining-room the following morning. Jewel had notarrived, so he settled himself to read his paper. Each time there wasa sound he glanced up, bracing himself for the approach of light feet,beaming face, and an ardent embrace. His interest in the news graduallylessened, and his expectancy increased. She did not come. At last hebegan to suspect that the unprecedented had happened, and that Mrs.Forbes herself was late.

  He looked at his watch with suddenly rising amazement. It was tenminutes past the appointed time. He began feeling around with his footfor the electric bell. It was an unaccustomed movement, for his wisheswere usually anticipated. By the time he found it, he had become aseriously injured man, and the peal he rang summoned Sarah suddenly.

  "Bring me my coffee at once, if you please. What is the matter?"

  The maid did not know. He was drinking his first cup when thehousekeeper entered the room, flushed of countenance.

  "You'll have to excuse me, Mr. Evringham. I couldn't come a minutesooner. Julia is sick."

  "Sick! I should like to know why?"

  "Why, she got sopping wet in that brook yesterday, and here, just as Iknew it would be, she's got a fever."

  "A fever, eh?" repeated Mr. Evringham in a startled tone.

  "Yes, sir, and what's more, when I told her you would send for thedoctor, it was worse than about the rubbers. She talked all the rubbishyou can think of. I'm sure she's flighty--said she never had a doctor,that she always got well, and even cried when I told her that that wasnonsense."

  "Was she ill all night, do you think?"

  "I don't know. I found her trying to get up when I went to her room, andI saw at once that she wasn't able to.

  "Well, Mrs. Forbes, all I can do is to ask your pardon for adding somuch to your cares. Let Sarah bring me my eggs, and then, if you please,telephone for Dr. Ballard to come over before his office hour."

  "I will, sir, but I'll ask you to see the child before you go to townand make her promise to behave about the doctor. You'd have thought Iwas asking to let in a roaring lion."

  "Shy, probably."

  "Shy! That child shy!" thought Mrs. Forbes.

  "She knows Dr. Ballard," continued the broker, "and if you had thoughtto mention him, she wouldn't have made any fuss."

  "If you'll excuse me differing with you, Mr. Evringham, I don't thinkthat child's got a shy bone in her body. In the trolley car yesterday,didn't she make up to a perfect stranger! She eyed him and fingered thatlittle gold pin she wears, till he smiled and touched one of the samepattern in his own cravat. Young as she is, she's some kind of a freemason or secret society, you may be sure. I actually saw him take herhand and give her the grip as he got out of the car. Why you know who itis, it was Mr. Reeves of Highland Street."

  "H'm. You are imaginative, Mrs. Forbes. Mr. Reeves is fond of children,and Jewel has a friendly way of looking at people."

  The housekeeper bridled. "Well, all is, I guess, you'll find I ain'timaginative when you come to talk with her about the doctor," was thefirm response. "When I said medicine she looked as scared as if I'd saidpoison."

  "H'm. Been dosed then. Mother an allopath probably. Burnt child dreadsthe fire. I think homeopathy is the thing for children. Guy will do verywell. Call him up at once, please. He might go out."

  When Mr. Evringham had finished his breakfast, he climbed to thewhite room, planning as he went a short and peremptory speech to therebellious one; for he had less time left than usual for his daily talkwith his housekeeper before catching the train.

  The curtains in the room were half drawn as he entered, and the child'sfigure looked small in the big white bed. She exclaimed as he drew near,and seizing his hand, kissed it.

  "You'd better not kiss me, grandpa, because I'm so hot anduncomfortable," she said thickly. "Oh, how I wanted to see you allnight!"

  The little hands clinging to his were burning. He sat down on the edgeof the bed.

  "I'm very sorry for this, Jewel. It's your own fault, I understand, mygirl."

  "Yes, I know it is. When I first called the house Castle Discord andtalked to Anna Belle about the error fairy, and the enchanted maiden,and the giantess, I didn't see it was hate creeping in and making me notcareful to deny it all. I know it is all my fault."

  Mr. Evringham gazed at the flushed face with startled eyes. "Dearme, this is really very bad!" he thought. "Delirious so early in themorning. I wish Guy would come!"

  "Well, we'll soon have Dr. Ballard here," he said aloud, trying to speaksoothingly. "He'll set you all right very soon."

  "Oh, grandpa, dear grandpa," with the utmost earnestness, "would youplease not send for the doctor? I won't be any trouble. I don't wantanything to eat, only a drink of water, and I'll soon be well."

  Her beseeching tone and her helplessness touched some unsuspected chordin her listener's breast.

  "Jewel, don't you want to go out to the stable with me and feed EssexMaid with sugar?" he asked.

  "Yes, grandpa," with a half sob.

  "You don't want me to be unhappy and worried about you when I get intomy office?"

  "No, grandpa."

  "And you liked Dr. Ballard, I'm sure, when you came out with him on thetrain day before yesterday."

  "Day before yesterday! Oh, _was_ it? It seems a year ago! But I wantedto come and see you so much I was willing to let father and mother goaway, and I never thought that I wouldn't know when error was gettinghold of me.

  "Well, never mind now, Jewel. Dr. Ballard will help you, and as soon asyou get well I'll take you for a fine long drive, if you'll be good. I'msure you don't want to trouble me."

  "No." Another half sob caught the child's throat. "Here is somethingI bought for you yesterday, grandpa." She drew from under the furtherpillow the yellow chicken, somewhat disheveled, and put it in his hand."I meant to give it to you last night, but Mrs. Forbes kept me upstairsbecause she thought she ought to make me sorry, and so I couldn't."

  The stockbroker cleared his throat as he regarded his new possession."It was kind of you, Jewel," he returned. "I shall stand it on my desk.Now--ahem"--looking around the big empty room, "you won't be lonely, Ihope, until the doctor comes?"

  "No, I'd like to be alone, I have so much work to do."

  "Dear me, dear me!" thought Mr. Evringham, "this is very distressing.She seems to have lucid intervals, and then so quickly gets flightyagain."

  "Besides, I like to think of the Ravine of Happiness," continued thechild, "and the brook. Supposing I could lay my cheek down in thebrook now. The water is so cool, and it laughs and whispers such prettythings."

  "Now if you would try to go to sleep, Jewel," said Mr. Evringham,"it would please me very much. Good-by. I shall come to see you againto-night." He stooped his tall form and kissed the child's forehead, andher hot lips pressed his hand, then he went out.

  At the foot of the stairs he encountered Mrs. Forbes waiting, andhastily put behind him the hand that held the chicken.

  "Well, sir?"

  "She's very badly off, very badly off, I'm afraid."

  "I hope not, sir. Children are always flighty if they have a littlefever. What about dinner, sir?"

  "Have anything you please," returned Mr. Evringham briefly. "I wish tosee Dr. Ballard as soon as he arrives. Tell Zeke I shall not go untilthe next train." With these words the broker entered his study, and hishousekeeper looked after him in amazement. It was the first time she hadever seen him indifferent concerning his dinner.

  "I wonder if he thinks she's got something catching," she soliloquized.Then a sudden thought occurred to her. "No great loss without some smallgain," she thought grimly. "'T would clear the house."

  She watched at the window until she saw Dr. Ballard's buggy approaching.Then she opened the door and met him.

  "Your little visitor do you say?" asked the young doctor as he greetedher and entered. "What mischief has she been u
p to so soon?"

  "Oh, the usual sort," returned Mrs. Forbes, and recounted hergrievances. "She's the oddest child in the world," she finished, "andher last freak is that she doesn't want to have a doctor."

  "Dear me, what heresy!" The young man smiled. "Which room, Mrs. Forbes?"

  "Please go into the library first, Dr. Ballard. Mr. Evringham is waitingto see you."

  The broker was sitting before his desk as the doctor entered, and heturned with a brief greeting.

  "I'm glad you've come, Ballard. I'm very much troubled about thechild. Her father and mother abroad you understand, and I feel theresponsibility. She seems very flighty, quite wild in her talk atmoments. I wished to warn you that one of her feverish ideas is that shedoesn't want a doctor. You will have to use some tact."

  The physician's face lost its careless smile. "Delirious, you say?"

  "Yes, go right up, Guy. I'll wait for you here. It's so sudden. She wasquite well, to all appearances, yesterday."

  "Children are sensitive little mortals," remarked Dr. Ballard, and thenMrs. Forbes ushered him up to the white room. He asked her to remainwithin call, and entered alone.

  The child's eyes were open as he approached the bed, the black caseshe remembered in his hand. By her expression he saw that her mind wasclear.

  "Well, well, Jewel, this isn't the way I meant you to receive me thefirst time I called," he said pleasantly, drawing up a chair beside thebed. The child put out her hand to his offered one and tried to smile.As he held the hand he felt her pulse. "This isn't the way to behavewhen you go visiting," he added.

  "I know it isn't," returned Jewel contritely.

  "The next time you go wading in the brook, take off your shoes andstockings, little one, and I think you would better wait until laterin the season, anyway. You've made quick work of this business." Ashe talked the doctor took his little thermometer out of its case. "Nowthen, let me slip this under your tongue."

  "What is it?" asked Jewel, shrinking.

  "What! Haven't you ever had your temperature tried? Well, you have beena healthy little girl! All the better. Just take it under your tongue,and don't speak for a minute, please."

  "Please don't ask me to. I can't."

  "There's nothing to be afraid of. It won't hurt you." The doctor smiled.

  "I know what that is now," said Jewell, regarding the little tube. "Aman was cured of paralysis once by having a thing like that stuck in hismouth. He thought it was meant to cure him. I haven't paralysis."

  The doctor began to consider that perhaps Mr. Evringham had notexaggerated. "Come, Jewel," he said kindly. "I thought we were such goodfriends. You are wasting my time."

  A moment more of hesitation, and then the child suddenly opened hermouth and accepted the thermometer. She kept her eyes closed duringthe process of waiting, and at last Dr. Ballard took out the littleinstrument and examined it.

  "Let me see your tongue."

  The child stared in surprise.

  "Put out your tongue, Jewel," he repeated kindly.

  "But that is impolite," she protested.

  He changed his position. The poor little thing was flighty, and nowonder, with such a temperature. He took her hand again. "I'll overlookthe impoliteness. Run out your tongue now. Far as you can, dear."

  The child obeyed.

  Presently she said, "I feel very uncomfortable, Dr. Ballard. I don'tfeel a bit like visiting, so if you wouldn't _mind_ going away until Ifeel better. You interrupted me when you came in. I have lots of workto do yet. When I get well I'd just love to see you. I'd rather see youthan almost anybody in Bel-Air."

  "Yes, yes, dear. I'll go away very soon. Where does your throat feelsore? Put your finger on the place."

  Jewel looked up with all the rebuke she could convey. "You ought not toask me that," she returned.

  Dr. Ballard rose and went to the door. "Get me a glass of water, please,Mrs. Forbes."

  "Not a glass. I want a whole pitcher full right side of me," said Jewel.

  "Yes, a pitcher full also, if you please, Mrs. Forbes. Just let the maidbring them up."

  The doctor returned to the bedside. "Now we'll soon forget that you wetthose little feet," he said.

  "That didn't do me any harm, that clean sweet brook. Mrs. Forbes didn'tknow what was the real matter."

  "What was it, then?"

  "My own fault," said Jewel, speaking with feverish quickness andsqueezing the doctor's hand. "When I came here I found that nobody lovedone another and everybody was afraid and sorry, and instead of denyingit and helping them, I began voicing error and calling them names.I didn't keep remembering that God was here, and I called it CastleDiscord and called Mrs. Forbes the giantess, and aunt Madge the errorfairy, and cousin Eloise the enchanted maiden, and of course how could Ihelp getting sick?"

  Dr. Ballard leaned toward her. Was this an impromptu tale, or was it afact that this child had been coldly treated and unhappy? "You have asensitive conscience, Jewel," he returned.

  Here Sarah entered, set down the tray with pitcher, glasses, and spoon,and departed. The doctor loosed the little hand he had been holding,took up his case, and opened it.

  Jewel watched him with apprehension. "That's--medicine isn't it?" sheasked with bated breath.

  "Yes." The doctor carefully selected a bottle of liquid and set it onthe table. "I think this one will do us."

  Jewel's remark on the train about materia medica recurred to him, and hesmiled.

  "Dr. Ballard, aren't you a Christian?" she asked suddenly.

  He glanced up. "I hope so."

  "Then you'll forgive me if I won't take medicine. I put out my tongue,and I sucked the little glass thing because I didn't want to troubleyou; but I have too much faith in God to take medicine." The childlooked at the doctor appealingly.

  He began to see light, and in his surprise, for a moment he did notreply.

  "Jesus Christ would have used drugs if they had been right," she added.

  "But He isn't here now," returned the astonished young man.

  "Why, Dr. Ballard," in gentle reproach, "Christ is the Truth of God.Isn't He here now, healing us and helping us just the same as ever?Didn't He say He would be? You will see how much better I shall beto-night."

  Dr. Ballard met the heavy eyes with his own kind, clear ones. "I see youhave been taught in new ways, Jewel," he said seriously, "but you areonly a little girl, and while you are in your grandfather's house youought to do as he wishes. He wishes you to let me prescribe for you. Noone who is ill can help making trouble. You have no right not to try toget well in the way Mr. Evringham and Mrs. Forbes wish you to."

  Jewel felt herself in a desperate position. The corners of her lipstwitched down. Dr. Ballard thought he saw his advantage, and leaned hisfine head toward her. She impulsively threw her arms around his neck.

  "You don't want to hurt my feelings, Jewel," he said. She was cryingsoftly.

  "No--it would make me--very--sorry, but it would be--worse--tohurt--God's. Please don't make me, please, please don't make me, Dr.Ballard!"

  She was increasingly excited, and he feared the effect.

  "Very well then, Jewel," he returned. "I don't want to do you more harmthan good."

  "Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed fervently, through her tears.

  "But Mrs. Forbes must think you have the medicine. You haven't told herthat you are--ahem--a Christian Scientist. I suppose that is what youcall yourself."

  "Yes, sir. A Christian Scientist. Oh, you're the kindest man," pursuedthe relieved child. "I realized in my prayer that you didn't know it waswrong to believe in material medica, for you reflect love all the time."

  While she was talking and wiping her eyes the doctor took the pitcherand one of the glasses to the window, and stood with his back to her.

  "Now then," he said, returning, "we'll put this half glass of water onthe table. I put the spoon across it so, and when Mrs. Forbes is next inthe room you take a couple of spoonfuls and that will satisfy her. Youmay tell her that I
wanted you only to take it about four times duringthe day. If you are better when I come back this evening, I will notinsist upon your taking any pellets on your tongue. Here is the otherglass for you to drink from."

  With a few more kind words Dr. Ballard took his departure, and goingdownstairs met Mrs. Forbes. "The little girl has a heavy feverish cold.She understands how to take her medicine. She will probably sleep a gooddeal. Let her be quiet."

  He went on to the study, where Mr. Evringham was waiting, sitting at thedesk, his head on his hand, frowning at the yellow chicken. He looked upexpectantly as the doctor entered.

  "Well?" he asked.

  Dr. Ballard came forward and seated himself in a neighboring chair.

  "Do you know what you have upstairs there?" he asked in a low tone.

  "For heaven's sake, Guy, don't tell me it's something serious--somethinginfectious!" Mr. Evringham turned pale.

  The doctor's sudden smile was reassuring. "It does seem to be infectiousto some degree," he returned, "but I don't believe you'll catch it."

  "What are you grinning at, boy?" asked the broker sharply.

  "Don't be alarmed, Mr. Evringham, but the fact is, that you have in yourhouse a small and young but perfectly formed and well-developed specimenof a Christian Scientist."

  "What, man!" The broker grew red again.

  Dr. Ballard nodded deliberately. "Your little granddaughter belongs tothe new cult; and I can assure you she is dyed in the wool, and moreoveris all wool and a yard wide."

  "The devil you say!" ejaculated Mr. Evringham. "But," he added witha sudden thought, "that may be a part of the poor child's feverishnonsense. She was full of talk of castles and giantesses and fairies andwhat not when I was up there."

  "Yes. She is no flightier than you are this minute. All these titles arethose she has given to your house and household in the last two days,and according to her diagnosis, it is that indulgence from which sheis suffering now, and not from too much brook. She says she has 'voicederror.'"

  The doctor looked quizzically at his friend, who returned his gaze,nonplussed.

  "That's it--'error,'" rejoined Mr. Evringham, "that's what she isoften saying. This explains her vocabulary, in all probability. Shehas sometimes the strangest talk you ever listened to. Well, that's themother's doing, of course, and not the child's fault. I maintain it isnot the child's fault. With it all, Ballard, I tell you she's a verywell meaning child--a rather winning child, in fact. Good natureddisposition. I hope she's not very ill. I do, indeed. Ha! That, then, iswhy she was so excited at the thought of having a doctor. Tomfoolery!"

  "Yes, that was it. We've had some argument." The young doctor smiled."She doesn't consider me hopeless, however. She told me that she hadmentioned to the Lord that she was sure I didn't know it was wrong tobelieve in materia medica."

  No one for years had heard Mr. Evringham laugh as he laughed at this.The doctor joined him.

  "I'm not surprised," said the broker at last. "If there is anything shedoes not mention to her Creator, I have yet to learn what it is. How didyou get around her, Ballard?"

  "Oh, I used a little justifiable hocus-pocus about the medicine. That'sall."

  "And you think it's not anything very serious, then?"

  "I think not. Where there's so much temperature it is a little hard totell at first with a child. This evening I shall make a more thoroughexamination. The ice is broken now, and it will be easier. She will beless excited. I see," glancing at the yellow chicken, whose beady eyesappeared to be following the conversation, "the little girl has foundher way even into this sanctum."

  Mr. Evringham cleared his throat as he followed the doctor's glance."No," he responded shortly. "She has not found her way in here yet. Thatis--my chicken. She bought it for me."

  Dr. Ballard lifted his eyebrows and smiled as he arose.

  "Come back before dinner if possible, Ballard. I shall be uneasy."