CHAPTER V.
AT THE BEECHES
"HOW good it feels to be free!" exclaimed the Little Colonel, as shepushed open the high green picket gate in front of the seminary, andheld it ajar for Ida to pass through.
"This is the first time that I have been out on the road without ateachah and a flock of girls, for a whole month. I despise the way wehave to line up two by two and go mah'ching through the Valley as if wewere pah't of a circus parade, or inmates of an asylum, out for anairing."
Ida laughed as they started down the path, along the road leading to TheBeeches. It was one of those perfect days in mid-October when it is easyto laugh; when all outdoors seems filled to the brim with a greatcontent, and even the woods and fields, all autumn-clad, are keepingholiday. Besides it was Saturday afternoon, and they were on their wayto their first club meeting.
This was their first appearance together since the night of theirstolen visit to the apple orchard, a week ago. It had cost Lloyd many apang to give up her intimacy with Ida, but she had never shown suchunselfishness as she did in this devotion to her friend. Since Ida'sinterests demanded that she should go off with the other girls no matterhow much she longed to stay, she went obediently. Although Ida no longerwore her violets, she kept her room sweet with fresh bunches of them.Although her name was constantly in her thoughts, she rarely mentionedit, even to Betty. A few whispered words in the hall, an adoring glancetoward her now and then at the table, was all she could snatch in thedaytime. She even allowed the school to surmise what it pleased; thatIda had quarrelled with her or had grown tired of her; for her love wasof the kind that "endureth all things." But every night she lay awake,living over that scene in the moonlit orchard, happy in theconsciousness that she was making Ida happy, and dreaming of the romancethat she was helping on its way.
Betty had hurried on up the road to call by for Katie Mallard, with theagreement that the couple which reached the post-office first shouldwait there for the other.
"Let's cut through Clovercroft," suggested Lloyd.
"Mrs. Marks won't care, and it is much shortah that way. The path belowher ice-house will bring us out at her woodland gate, just across theroad from the depot."
"Anything to get to the post-office first," agreed Ida. "I'm sure thatthere'll be a letter in your box for me to-day. I can just _feel_ thatthere's one there."
From the depot it was but a few steps to the post-office. One had onlyto cross the road, pass the country store, and stroll a short distancealong the shady avenue. There it sat by the wayside, a little box of aroom, that always made Lloyd think of a dove-cote; for the first timeshe had been taken there her grandfather had explained that all thelittle square places where Miss Mattie was putting the letters werepigeonholes. Presently when Miss Mattie opened the window and handed hima letter from one of those places, she cried out with a little squeal ofdelight which made every one smile, "Oh, white pigeon wing flied out fo'you, grandfathah!"
Afterward it grew to be a byword that they always used betweenthemselves, when one carried home a letter for the other. "Pigeon wingfor grandpa's baby," he would call fondly, even when she had grown tobe a tall girl; and "White pigeon wing flied out fo' you, grandfathahdeah," was the cry if she were the bearer of the missive.
From the post-office door, looking across the road to a grassy ridgebeyond, one could see the big inn that the year before had been turnedinto a home for old Confederate soldiers. Farther on was the wide greenslope of the churchyard, and the little stone church with itsivy-covered belfry. The manse stood just behind it. Next to that was thecottage with the high green gables and diamond-shaped window-panes,where the Waltons had lived one summer while their new house was beingbuilt. And next to the cottage was the new house itself, set away backin the great grove of trees which gave to the place the name of "TheBeeches."
Ida stood outside the door while Lloyd went in for the mail. She wasafraid that Miss Mattie might suspect that she had an interest in theletters if she went in too, so she busied herself in looking forfour-leaf clovers along the path. She could not have seen one, however,had they been growing on every grass-blade, she was in such a nervousflutter of expectancy. When Lloyd came out with two letters in her hand,her face flushed crimson at sight of the familiar handwriting on oneenvelope.
"This is mine," she exclaimed, in a low tone, snatching it eagerly."Let's sit down here on the step while I read it."
"I'm mighty glad it wasn't the only one," said Lloyd, glancing back overher shoulder to see if Miss Mattie still stood at the delivery-window.Peeping through the glass which covered the partition wall ofpigeonholes, Lloyd saw that she had gone back to her desk by the rearwindow. So she continued, in a low tone:
"Suppose that had been the only letter, and Betty had asked me if I gotone?"
"You would have said no, of course," said Ida, looking up from the page,impatient at the interruption. "This is not for you."
"But it is addressed to me," persisted Lloyd. "Suppose Miss Mattie heardme say no to such a question, or that Betty saw me take it out of thebox?"
Again Ida looked up impatiently, but seeing the distressed expression ofLloyd's face, said, soothingly, "I know what you are thinking, Princess.It has just occurred to you that your helping me to carry on thiscorrespondence under cover of your name seems a little bit underhanded.But if you could just read this letter you'd never be troubled by such athought again. It makes me feel that I am carrying out the motto of ourclub in the very highest way possible.
"'Our shadow-selves--our influence--may fall Where we can never be.'"
she quoted, softly, looking dreamily away toward the ivy-grown belfry.
"I cannot be with Edwardo, but at least half of this letter is taken upwith telling me how much my letters have helped and influenced him. Thatthe thought of me off here, true to him in spite of all that has beendone to separate us, is keeping him straight as nothing else could do.Somehow it seems a good omen for the club that I should get such aletter on my way to the first meeting."
Ida's manner was convincing, and Lloyd's face brightened as shelistened, but she breathed more freely when she saw the envelope bearingher name torn into little bits too small to tell tales, and dropped downthe crack behind the doorstep.
Betty and Katie joined them presently, and two by two they rustled alongthrough the fallen leaves which filled the path, to The Beeches. Longbefore three o'clock the six members of the Shadow Club were assembledaround the big table in the dining-room, with their materials spread outfor Mrs. Walton's inspection. Piles of brightly coloured tissue-paper,embroidery silks, zephyr, and ribbon, made a gay showing. Mrs. Waltonentered into their plans for the fair enthusiastically, as she helpedwind a skein of Iceland wool for Katie's crocheting.
"The beauty of this club," remarked Kitty, as she opened her paint-boxand carefully selected a brush, "is that there's no fuss and feathersabout it. No election of officers, no dues, no rules, no tiresomeminutes to read. All we have to do when we begin is to begin."
"And to remember our motto," suggested Betty, to whom the purpose of theclub appealed strongly.
"Ida has made something to help us do that," said Lloyd. "Give them tous now, Ida, while Mrs. Walton is here to see them, please," she urged.
Ida, who had delayed showing them for that very reason, glanced shylytoward her hostess, and then hesitatingly opened the case which held herpyrography outfit.
"It's only some little blotting-pads for your writing-desks," she said,with a blush. "It seems to me that the verse is especially appropriateat letter-writing time, when we consciously cast our shadow-selveswhere we cannot be."
There was a chorus of delighted exclamations as she passed the packagesaround. Only two narrow slips of white blotting-paper held together by awhite silken cord, but the cover was of soft gray kid, on which she hadburned with her pyrography needle the club's motto in old Englishletters. Mrs. Walton leaned over the table to read the one on Allison's:
"=This learned I from th
e shadow of a tree That to and fro did sway upon a wall, Our shadow-selves--our influence--may fall Where we can never be.="
"It is beautifully done, my dear," she exclaimed, smiling down into theshy violet eyes raised gratefully to hers in acknowledgment of herlavish praise. "The club is certainly to be congratulated on having amember who can not only make such pretty things, but who can think ofsuch sweet, suggestive ways in which to keep its purpose always inview."
Lloyd's hand, groping along under the table, found Ida's and gave it asqueeze of sympathetic delight.
"There's something to write to your aunt," she whispered. While thegirls were still admiring their blotters, the maid came in to announcea visitor for Mrs. Walton in the library.
Several minutes after she had left them to themselves, Kitty exclaimed,"Oh, mamma forgot to give me those little brass clamps to fasten thecandle-shades, and now she has company, and I haven't the faintest ideawhere to look for them."
"They may be in the hat-rack drawer in the hall," suggested Allison. "Ithink I saw them in there this morning, but I am not sure."
Kitty skipped out of the room to look for them, and a few minutes latercame back, her black eyes shining teasingly.
"I have a trade-last for you, Ida," she said. "Mrs. Mallard is in thelibrary, discussing our club, and I heard mother say something awfullynice about you."
"Tell it!" demanded Lloyd.
"No, I said a trade-last."
"Oh, fishing for a compliment!" sang Katie. "Don't tell her, Ida, evenif you have heard one. It will make her vain."
"Besides," put in Allison, "Miss Bina McCannister said it was common andsilly to play trade-last."
"Oh, bother old Miss Bina!" said the disrespectful Kitty. "Well, I'lltell you, anyhow. I heard mother tell Mrs. Mallard that she thought youwere a charming girl, one of the sweetest that she had met in a longtime. She said she was glad we had chosen you in the club instead of ayounger girl, for she thought you would have a quieting, refininginfluence on us, especially _me_! Think of that now! Me! And she said onthat account she would like to have you here often."
Again Lloyd's hand met Ida's under the table in a quick squeeze."Something else to write to your aunt," she whispered.
Several pretty candle-shades, two doll tam-o'-shanter caps, and threecalendars in water-colours were laid aside finished, as the result ofthat afternoon's work. Besides, Lloyd and Betty had each madeconsiderable progress on the centrepieces they had undertaken toembroider, and the magazine-cover Ida was burning in an elaborate designof dragons was half-done. Allison packed the finished articles away in ahat-box after supper, and put them up on a shelf in her closet.
"Our first meeting has surely been a success," she exclaimed. "At thisrate we'll have enough things made by Easter to hold a splendid bigfair. We ought to be able to cast our shadows quite a distance with themoney we'll make, if we do this well every time."
"Come cast your shadows on this sheet, girls," called Mrs. Walton fromthe next room, where she had pinned some strips of white paper to asheet hung on the wall, and placed a lamp at the proper distance formaking silhouettes. "The name of your club suggested an old amusement ofours. Come, see how clever you are at drawing each other's shadows."
It proved to be an amusing undertaking, for whenever they laughed duringthe process, it changed their profiles into all sorts of ridiculousoutlines. But finally some very creditable silhouettes were made, andeach member of the club carried home her own shadow as a souvenir of thefirst meeting.
Katie's father called for her at half-past eight, and escorted theseminary girls as far as the high green gate.
"What a perfectly lovely time we've had!" exclaimed Betty, as she andLloyd and Ida strolled slowly on toward the house, when they had biddenKatie and Mr. Mallard good night.
"And what a delicious suppah we had!" sighed Lloyd. "Oh, if we couldonly have shaded candles, and pretty silvah, and flowahs atbo'ding-school! I'm so tiahed of that long bare table. Everythingtasted so good to-night. Those deah little beaten biscuit made mehomesick. I haven't had any since I left Locust."
"The club is certainly an inspiration to do something and be somethingworth while," said Betty. "What Mrs. Walton said at supper, andafterward when she was showing us the general's sword, made me feel thatway. Somehow, to-night, the world seems so much lovelier to be in thanever it did before; so full of opportunities, when one little person cancast such a tremendously long shadow." She looked back at hers,stretching down the path behind her, in the light from the hall lamp,till it seemed the length of a giant.
They passed on into the house, and up the stairs together. As Betty wentahead to light the lamp in their room, Ida caught Lloyd impetuouslyaround the waist and gave her a grateful hug.
"Oh, Princess," she exclaimed, "I've had such a happy day, and I owe itall to you! If it hadn't been for you I'd have had neither the visit toThe Beeches nor Edwardo's letter. You're _such_ a comfort!"
The Little Colonel at Boarding-School Page 8