by Nell Speed
CHAPTER XV.
WELLINGTON AGAIN.
"Oh, it is nice to be back home," sighed Molly, settling herselfluxuriously in the sleepy-hollow chair that was supposed to be setaside for the master of the house. With the girlish habit she had neveroutgrown, she slipped off her pumps and stretched out her slender feetto the wood fire, that felt very comfortable in the crisp autumnweather.
"That's what you said when we arrived in Kentucky in the spring," teasedher husband.
"Well, so it was nice. The migratory birds have two homes and they arealways glad to get to whichever one is seasonable. I reckon I am with mytwo homes as Mother is with her seven children. I love them just thesame. Thank goodness, I haven't seven of them, homes, I mean."
"Yes, I think two are enough."
"Which home do you love best, Wellington or the Orchard Home?" askedMolly, smiling fondly at her husband, who was dandling little Mildred onhis knees with awkward eagerness.
"Why, neither one of them is home to me unless you are there, andwhichever one you grace with your presence is for the time being the oneI like the better."
"And the baby, too, whichever one she is in makes it home!"
"Oh, certainly!" exclaimed Edwin Green with a whimsical expression onhis face. "I see that when I make love now it is to be to two ladies andnot to one."
"Don't you think Mildred has grown a lot? And see, her eyes have reallyturned brown, just as Mother said they would. Don't you think she lookswell?"
"Yes, honey, I think she looks very well, but I don't think you do."
"Me! Nonsense! I am as well as can be, just a little tired from thetrip."
"Yes, I know. Of course that was fatiguing, but I think you are thinnerthan you have any right to be. I am afraid you have been doing toomuch."
"Oh, not at all. I have had simply nothing to do but take care of thebaby, and that is just play, real play."
"Humph, no doubt! But maybe you have played too hard and that is whathas tired you. I thought you were going to bring Kizzie along to nurse."
"Oh, that was your and Mother's plan! I never had any idea of doing it.'Deed and um's muvver is going to take care of 'ittle bits a babyherself," and Molly reached out and snuggled the willing Mildred down inthe sleepy-hollow chair. Daddy's knee was not the most comfortable spotin the world, and a back that has only been in the world about fourmonths cannot stand for much dandling.
"But, Molly darling, Kizzie is a good girl and it would help you ever somuch to have her. You know we can well afford it now, so don't let thefinancial side of it worry you."
"But, Edwin, I can't give up taking care of the baby. I just love to doit."
"All right, my dear, but please don't wear yourself out."
The fact was that the long strain of waiting for news from Kent had toldon Molly, and she was looking quite wan and tired. It was not just thetrip from Kentucky, which, of course, was no easy matter. Twenty-fourhours on the train with an infant that needed much attention and gotmuch more than it really needed was no joke, but the long hours and daysof waiting and uncertainty had taken Molly's strength. She did feeltired and had no appetite, but she felt sure a night's rest wouldrestore her. She rather attributed her lack of appetite to the poor foodthat the new Irish maid, whom Edwin had installed in her absence, wasserving.
"I'll take hold of her to-morrow and see what can be done," she saidrather wearily to herself. "I wish Mother could train her for me. Ishould much rather do the cooking myself than try to train some one whois as hopelessly green as this girl."
That night little Mildred decided was a good time to assert herself.The trip had not tired her at all; on the contrary, it had spurred heron to a state of hilarity, which was very amusing at first but as thenight wore on, ceased to be funny. She had come to the delightfulknowledge of the fact that she had feet and that each foot had fivetoes. The cover did not stay on these little pigs one moment. Everytime Molly would settle her tired bones and begin to doze, there wouldbe a crow from Mildred, a gurgle, and straight in the air would go thebed clothes, tucked in for the millionth time by the patient youngmother. Then the pink tootsies would leap into sight and soon findtheir way to a determined little mouth.
"Darling, you must go to sleepsumby!" Molly would remonstrate. "And youwill catch your death if you don't keep covered up!"
But the four months' old baby had been too busy in her short lifelearning other things to bother her head about a mere language. Thebusiness of the night was feet and feet alone. There was too much to doabout those wonderful little feet for her to think of sleep. FinallyMolly gave up. She closed the windows, as too much fresh air on barefeet and legs might not be best and already the little limbs were icycold. Then she kindled a fire in the grate, the furnace not yet havingbeen started, and gave herself up to a night of sleeplessness. Early inthe action, Edwin had been banished to the guest chamber, as he must getsleep no matter what happened, for he had a busy day ahead of him.
Toward morning little Mildred mastered her pedagogy, as her father hadcalled it, and then she dropped off into a deep and peaceful sleep. Theweary Molly slept, too.
Before he went to his lectures, Edwin crept into the room to look at hissleeping treasures. The chubby baby still had a toe clasped in her handbut from very weariness had fallen over on her side and was covered upall but the pink foot, which was asserting itself in the remarkableposition that only the young can take. Molly looked very pale and tiredbut was sleeping peacefully. Edwin smiled at them. He had given thegreen maid from the Emerald Isle strict orders not to awaken them. Hedevoutly hoped that Molly would not know what a very mean breakfast hehad endeavored to choke down; burnt bacon and underdone biscuit washeddown with very weak coffee and flanked by eggs that had been cooked toolong and not long enough, thereby undergoing that process that thechemist tells us is of all things the most indigestible: half hard andhalf soft. The burnt bacon had been cold and the underdone biscuit stillcooking, seemingly, when the poor young husband and father had tried tonourish himself on them.
He had rather hoped when Molly once got back to Wellington that his foodwould be better; no doubt it would as soon as she, poor girl, could getrested up. He was thankful, indeed, now that she was asleep and tiptoedout of the room and house without making a sound.
She slept until late in the morning and then the business of the daybegan, getting little Mildred fed and washed and dressed and fed againand then to sleep. The good-natured, if wholly incapable, Katy hungaround and waited on the pretty young mistress. Katy had never been outin service in the "schtates," but had come from New York in answer to anadvertisement in a newspaper inserted by the despairing professor whenhe had come back to Wellington alone while his wife waited in Kentuckyfor news of her brother. He had had kindly visions of getting a goodIrish cook and having the housekeeping all running beautifully beforeMolly's return.
Immigrant Katy proved rosy and willing but with no more conception ofhow to cook than she had how to clean. She was great on "scroobing,"but walls and furniture and carpets were not supposed to be scrubbed.The kitchen floor and pantry shelves were alike beautiful after heradministrations, but gold dust and a stiff brush had not improved theappearance of the piano legs. Edwin had come home in the nick of timeto stop her before she vented her energies on Molly's own Persianrug, the pride of her heart because of the wonderful blue in it.
"What time is it, Katy?" asked Molly after the baby was absolutelyfinished and tucked in her carriage to stay on the porch.
"'Tis twilve of the clock, Miss, and I haven't so much as turned a handbelow schtairs."
"Oh, it can't be that late! Lunch at one! What are we to have?"
"And that I am not knowing, Miss. Sure and there is nothing in thehouse."
"Oh, Katy, and I have been dawdling up here for hours! I forgot aboutkeeping house, I was so taken up with the baby."
"Yes, and no doubt your man will be sour about it, too."
Molly, still in her kimono, flew to the regions below and beg
anfrantically to search for something to concoct into luncheon. A forlornpiece of roast veal was excavated and half a loaf of stale baker'sbread. A can of asparagus, a leftover from the housekeeping of thespring, was unearthed. Olive oil was in the refrigerator, also, butter,milk and eggs. The veal looked very hopeless, evidently having reposedfor hours in a half cold oven before it had furnished forth a miserabledinner for the poor professor.
"Now I'll 'form a miracle on the vituals,' as dear Aunt Mary would say,"declared Molly to herself. "Katy, get the dining room straight. Don'tscrub anything but just clear off the table and then set it again aswell as you can. Put on a fresh lunch cloth and clean napkins; then seethat the fire in the library is all right."
The veal, run through the meat chopper, came out better than was to beexpected, and croquettes were formed and frying in deep fat before thedazed Katy had cleared off the breakfast table.
"Katy, you must hurry or we won't have the master's luncheon ready whenhe gets in."
"Faith, and, Mrs. Green, you do be flying round so schwift like, that Ican't get me breath. I feel like the wind from your schkirts was sindingme back. All I can do is schtand schtill and breast the wind."
"Well, I tell you what you do then," laughed Molly: "You come fly withthe wind," and she caught the Irish girl by the hand and ran her aroundthe dining room table just to show her how fast she could go ifnecessary. Katy, having got wound up, kept on going at a rate of speedthat was astonishing. To be sure, she broke a cup and a plate, but whatwas a little chaney to the master's luncheon being served on time?
The faithful can of asparagus was opened and heated; toast was made fromthe half loaf of stale bread, and a cream sauce prepared to pour overthe asparagus on toast. Popovers were stirred up and in the oven beforeKaty got the table set, although she was going with the wind instead oftrying to breast it. A few rosy apples from the orchard at Chatsworth,unearthed from the depths of the unpacked trunk, formed a salad with amayonnaise made in such a hurry that Molly trembled for its quality; butluck being with her that day, it turned out beautifully.
"No lettuce, so we'll put the salad on those green majolica plates andmaybe he won't notice," she called to Katy, just as the professoropened the front door.
"Mol--ly!" he called.
"Here I am."
The mistress of the house emerged from the kitchen in a state ofmussiness but looking very pretty withal, her red-gold hair curling upin little ringlets from the steam and her cheeks as rosy as though shehad joost come over wid Katy. Her blue kimono was very becoming buthardly what she would have chosen to appear in at luncheon.
"I am so sorry not to be dressed, but I had to hustle so as to get lunchready in time. The clock struck twelve when I thought it was about ten."
"Did you have to get luncheon? Where was Katy?"
"She helped, but I wanted to have a finger in it. If you will wait aminute, I will get into a dress."
"Why, you look beautiful in that loose blue thing; besides, I have toeat and run. A faculty meeting is calling me."
The luncheon was delicious, and Edwin gave it all praise by devouringlarge quantities of it. Molly could not eat much as she was too hot, andhurrying is not conducive to appetite. Mildred, who was sleeping on theporch, awoke when the meal was half over and Molly could not trust Katyto take her up.
"She might hold her upside down. I will bring her to the table and shecan talk to you while you are finishing!"
So Molly flew to the porch and picked up her darling. She had intendedto take her to the dining room but she remembered it was time forMildred to have her food and so the patient Edwin had to finish his mealalone.
He found his wife and baby on the upper back porch. The color had leftMolly's cheeks and she was quite pale, and there was a little wan,wistful look in her countenance that Edwin did not like.
"Molly, honey, you are all tired out. You did not eat your luncheon andyou got no sleep last night. What are we going to do about it?"
"Oh, I'm all right! Please don't bother about me! Did you like the applesalad? They were apples from Kentucky."
"Fine! Everything was delicious. But I don't want you to wear yourselfout cooking. If Katy can't cook, we must get some one who can. If shecan't cook and you won't let her nurse, why what is the use of her?"
Molly, worn out with the sleepless night and the record breaking gettingof a meal out of nothing, felt as though she would disgrace herself in aminute and burst into tears. She could not discuss the matter with Edwinfor fear of breaking down. Edwin kissed her good-by and tactfullywithdrew.
"You goose, Molly Brown!" she scolded herself. "And what on earth areyou so full of tears over? I know Edwin thinks I ought to have a nurseand I just can't trust Mildred to any one. I am going to try so hard tohave everything so nice that he won't think about it any more."
A grand telephoning for provisions ensued, and a dinner was planned forsix-thirty that would have taxed the culinary powers of a real chef andbefore which Katy bowed her head in defeat. It meant that by four Mollymust be back in the kitchen to start things.