Abbott, Jane - Keineth

by Keineth(Lit)

  that door for Mr. Grandison.

  "I'm Keineth Randolph. I must see him, please!" "He never sees anyone,

  miss, but you can go in. Only I wouldn't advise you to bother him very

  much because he's bad this morning with his rheumatism!"

  He was telling her this in a whisper as he led her through the long

  hall. Keineth thought it quite the longest, widest hall she had ever

  seen and she walked very fast past the big doors that opened into dark

  empty rooms that looked like great caverns! If a giant, bending his

  great head, had leaped through one of the heavy door-frames she would

  have thought it quite to be expected!

  The servant drew back a door and Keineth saw a long room full of books.

  At the other end, close to a table, sat an old, old man. Then she saw

  something move suddenly and Pilot dashed at her from a corner and

  leaped upon her with great whimpering, licking her hands and face and

  even her shoes.

  "What's this? Come here, Jacky! Who are you? Who let you in here?"

  roared the old man, glaring at Keineth.

  Keineth, terribly frightened, advanced slowly towards him, one hand on

  the dog's head. "I live at the bees' where you found Pilot. We all miss

  him so terribly, especially Billy, that I came to buy him back!"

  "You did, did you? Well, nobody has money enough to buy him."

  Keineth was so indignant at his disagreeable manner that she forgot her

  fright.

  "I know the Lees haven't money enough, because they have so many

  children and buy lots of things for them and give them a good time! But

  I'm going to buy Pilot for them! I know Pilot couldn't be happy here,

  anyway, it's so--so big and horrid and you're so--cross--after having a

  happy home with the Lees!"

  Pilot, as though to tell her that was very true, snuggled his nose

  under her arm and wagged his tail.

  "I've got twenty-five dollars," finished Keineth triumphantly, "and I

  can spend all of it because I earned it myself--writing music!"

  He turned and looked hard at her. Her fury seemed to have amused him.

  "Music--you write music! A child like you!"

  Keineth stepped closer to him. "Yes. Do you like music?"

  The old man answered very slowly. "It was all I cared for once upon a

  time! Let me see your eyes!" He reached out a wrinkled hand and drew

  her towards him. "They are blue--like hers were! Child, years and years

  ago I loved a young girl very much--and she taught me to love music!

  But she went out of my life and left me with nothing but loneliness!"

  Keineth thought of the great empty house and felt very sorry for him.

  "What was her name?" she asked softly.

  "A pretty name--like she was!" he muttered, his eyes fastened on the

  child's face. It was as if something he saw there was awakening the

  memories. "It was Keineth."

  "Why, that is my name!"

  "Keineth--Keineth what?" he cried.

  "Keineth Randolph."

  "You are John Randolph's girl--her son's girl."

  "You mean my grandmother? That--lady--you loved was my daddy's mother?"

  The old man was half laughing, half crying. He held Keineth's arms with

  his trembling fingers.

  "Of course--the same blue eyes--and music! How your grandmother loved

  music! How her fingers could play, make sounds that'd tear the heart

  right out of you!" He shook his head. "And she wouldn't have me--my

  money couldn't buy her! After she died I stood in the Square and

  watched them take her away from the house--saw the flowers I had sent

  go with her! I saw the man she had chosen instead of me walk out, too.

  He had two children by the hand--the little fellow was your father. I

  went away from New York then--" He drew his hands across his eyes as

  though to brush away the haunting pictures. "And you're Keineth!" he

  finished.

  Keineth told him of her daddy and of her coming from New York to live

  with the Lees until her father returned. She had almost forgotten Pilot

  in her deep sympathy for this lonely old man who had loved her father's

  mother--and had loved her for so many, many years! But Pilot suddenly

  barked!

  "Pilot thinks he belongs to us because he once saved my life," Keineth

  explained, going on, then, to tell the story of her narrow escape from

  drowning. Perhaps the old man heard her, though his face still wore a

  far-away look as if he had not yet been able to bring himself back from

  that dear past the child's eyes had awakened.

  "And so I'd like to buy him, please," Keineth finished, laying her

  check before him.

  For a long time the old man stared at it, while Keineth and Pilot

  waited.

  "He loves you better than he does me! You're right--he wasn't happy

  here--he's cried and cried! I can't keep even a dog's love! Take him."

  He slowly lifted the check, read it, turned it over, folded it and put

  it in his pocket.

  Then Keineth felt very sorry for the old man. She felt, too, that now

  in some way or other he belonged to her, though not exactly related.

  "Won't you come home to lunch with me? Then you can meet Peggy and the

  others and see how glad they are to get Pilot back! They'll be awfully

  glad to see you, really! Please don't be lonely any more--for--I'll be

  your friend!"

  He had risen slowly to his feet, towering over her. He looked down at

  the bright face. Keineth slipped her hand into his.

  "Oh, please come--it'll be such fun," and she gave his fingers a

  coaxing, friendly squeeze.

  The sour-faced servant muttered, "Well, I never!" under his breath,

  when he saw his master walk through the door to his waiting car,

  holding the little girl's hand and listening to her chatter with a

  smile! It was the strangest sight he had ever beheld in this very

  strange house!

  But it was a stranger sight for the Lees when the big limousine drew up

  at their curb and Pilot dashed from its door, followed by Keineth and a

  very, very old man who leaned one hand upon Keineth's shoulder.

  "Pilot!" cried Billy, who had seen them through the window.

  "And that old man!" echoed Peggy.

  In the hall Billy was on his knees with his arms around Pilot's neck.

  "Dear, dear old Pilot!" he was saying over and over.

  Mrs. Lee, concealing her amazement when Keineth quaintly introduced "my

  friend, Mr. Grandison," greeted him cordially and by her smile and

  gracious manner made the old man immediately feel at home. At the table

  she placed him between Keineth and Peggy, and Peggy found that he was

  not such a cross old man after all!

  "It's just like a story, Ken," she said after he had gone away and

  Keineth had given them an account of her morning's adventure. "You have

  found a fairy grandfather! But wasn't it scrumptious to see His Aged

  Grandness eating hash?"

  "Well, I guess Keineth's money has been well spent," added Mrs. Lee,

  looking fondly at the little girl. "For I think--besides making Billy

  very happy, it has opened a new life to a very lonely old man!"

  "I'll never forget what Ken has done," said Billy solemnly, as though

  he was taking a vow. "She's just all right and I'd li
ke to see anyone

  that says she ain't!"

  "Billy--your English!" pleaded his mother.

  But Keineth blushed with pleasure. She knew she had won Billy's

  everlasting friendship! That evening a boy brought to the door a huge

  package addressed to Miss Keineth Randolph. It was a set of beautifully

  bound books, "The Lives of the Masters," and with them came a little

  note written in a queer, old-fashioned handwriting.

  May these books give instruction, inspiration and courage to one whose

  feet are on the threshold. They are bought with the money you

  unselfishly spent to give a boy back his dog.

  Your devoted friend,

  WILFRED GRANDISON.

  CHAPTER XXIII

  SURPRISES

  "Why, I just can't believe that I'm Peggy Lee!" Peggy stood in the

  aisle of a sleeping car and looked up and down its length. Keineth,

  from her superior knowledge of sleeping cars, was pointing out to Peggy

  its arrangements. Both girls were dressed in new coats and hats and

  carried with them the bag Aunt Josephine had given Keineth and in which

  they had packed their nightgowns and toilet articles.

  For they were starting for Washington!

  Two days before Mr. Lee had come home and asked the children what would

  be the biggest surprise they could imagine! Of course they had guessed

  all sorts of things and he had teased them for quite a little while

  over it! Then, very quietly, he had said:

  "Do you think you would like to make a little trip to Washington?"

  Keineth had not been able to speak. Peggy, jumping from her chair,

  rushed at her father and threw both arms about his neck.

  "All of us?" she cried between hugs.

  "No, this time we'll leave mother home with Billy and Alice. Then the

  next time they'll go."

  Peggy's eyes swept over Billy's and Alice's disappointed faces.

  "Oh, I wish we could all go!"

  "Mother'll make it up to them, my dear. I'll wager right now all sorts

  of nice plans are floating around in her head. Well, can you be ready?"

  "Can we--!" they cried in chorus.

  The hours then were full of excited preparations. The new clothes had

  to be purchased. "Keineth may be invited to meet the President," Mrs.

  Lee had laughingly explained, as she held two pretty hats, one in each

  hand, and considered them carefully.

  "Oh, wouldn't that be _wonderful!_" Keineth whispered. She wanted to

  ask him so many questions about Daddy--she would tell him that she

  could keep a secret!

  Billy gave them a thousand instructions. They must remember everything

  they saw to tell him! They must climb the big monument and walk up the

  Capitol steps and hear the echo in the rotunda of the Capitol Building.

  They must go to Camp Meyer and to Arlington and to Mount Vernon and be

  sure to see Washington's swords!

  "And the White House china," Mrs. Lee added. "It must be as good as a

  lesson in history to look at that exhibit in the White House! They'd

  tell the tastes of the different ones who used them! I can picture

  pretty Dolly Madison ordering all new china because the pattern of the

  old did not please her!"

  Billy broke in: "I'd want to go to the Treasury Building and see all

  the money and the watchmen that guard the building from little

  watch-houses! And the big machine where they destroy all the old money!

  Four men have keys and they go and unlock it and put the money in it

  and it gets ground and ground by sharp knives until it's just a pulp!

  And then they sell the pulp! I wish I had one of those keys!" Billy was

  very excited.

  "And I want to see the Indian Exhibit at the National Museum," declared

  Peggy.

  "You will, my dear, and a great many other things of interest." Little

  wonder that she could scarcely believe that she was Peggy Lee! As the

  train pulled away Keineth was very quiet. She was recalling how often

  her Daddy had told her of the interesting places in the National

  Capital and how often he had said, "Some day we'll go there together!"

  And now she was really going, but Daddy was far away.

  "Well, aren't you children going to take off your things and stay

  awhile?" asked Mr. Lee, coming in from a smoke on the platform.

  They laughed and began to lay aside their wraps. "I can't picture

  myself sleeping on that funny little shelf," Peggy declared. "What if I

  should roll out!"

  There were a number of other people on the car. The children watched

  them closely and tried to do whatever they did. Peggy's eyes grew round

  with interest as she saw the porter deftly spread out mattresses and

  blankets and make cosy beds where nothing but seats had been. The girls

  insisted upon sharing the same berth and drew lots "for position," as

  Peggy put it. Keineth drew the place by the window and was soon cuddled

  there. And though they had declared that they were going to lie awake

  for a long time watching out of the window, their heads had scarcely

  touched the pillow when the motion of the train lulled them to sleep.

  Then the night would have passed like any night at home, only that

  Peggy _did_ fall out of bed!

  She awakened suddenly to find herself in a heap in the aisle of the car

  with the brakeman, a swinging lantern in his hand, bending over her.

  "Well, bless my stars!" he was saying.

  It took a moment or two for Peggy to realize where she was and what had

  happened! Then, torn between a desire to laugh at herself and to cry

  with chagrin, she clambered back into the berth and snuggled very close

  to Keineth.

  It was too funny not to tell Keineth, who had wakened, but after she

  told her she made Keineth promise, crossing her heart over and over,

  that she would never, never, never tell Billy that Peggy had rolled out

  of bed!

  "Where are we? It isn't a bit different from home," the girls cried as

  they stood the next morning with Mr. Lee viewing from the platform the

  country through which they were speeding.

  "This is Maryland. In just half an hour we'll be in Washington. We'll

  wait and eat breakfast at the hotel there."

  Mr. Lee was acting curiously excited and impatient. He looked at his

  watch several times. "On time," the girls heard him say once or

  twice--as if it made any difference. Before they were in the city he

  told them to put on their wraps.

  "We'll be the first ones off," he said.

  It was only a moment then before they had rolled into the station shed.

  They stepped from the train and walked a long way down between rows of

  cars. A great many people seemed hurrying in every direction. There was

  a dull roar echoing through the vaulted smoky space pierced by the loud

  voices of the trainmen giving their orders and the occasional clang of

  a bell. Then they passed through a little iron gate into the station.

  Keineth, clinging to Mr. Lee's arm, thought it quite the biggest place

  she had ever seen! Every step made an echo and though there were crowds

  of people there did not seem to be many because there was so much room!

  Mr. Lee gave some checks to a porter, then stood looking up and down

  th
e great space as though expecting to see someone. Peggy was just

  whispering something in Keineth's ear when Keineth gave a clear, joyous

  cry.

  For there, stepping out from a little group, walking straight toward

  them, a smile on his tanned face, both arms extended as though they

  could not reach her quickly enough, was her dear, dear daddy!

  CHAPTER XXIV

  MR. PRESIDENT

  Her own dear father!

  Keineth had not realized until then how very dear he was to her! She

  clung to him as though she could not bear to ever lose her hold. A

  woman waiting in the station was watching the little scene, and turned

  away, wiping her eyes. And Keineth did not know whether she wanted to

  laugh or to cry!

  So this was Mr. Lee's big surprise! He had known John Randolph was in

  Washington!

  "This is Peggy," Keineth managed finally to say. At which John Randolph

  put his arm about Peggy and kissed her, too!

  Mr. Lee said something about breakfast, and Keineth's father hurried

  them into a waiting taxicab. And as they drove away Keineth was so busy

  looking at her father's dear face that she did not notice the Capitol,

  its noble dome outlined against the blue morning sky. But Peggy gave an

  excited little shriek. "Oh--look--look!"