A Little Mother to the Others, L. T. Meade [readict .txt] 📗

this before the company to-morrow," called out the manager; "and now, no more of that easy sitting still. You jest scramble to your feet and stand on the 'orse's back."

"I can't! I'll be killed!" cried the child, whose face was white to his very lips.

Crack went the great whip.

"Stand up this minute, or you'll have a taste of this about your legs," said the man, in a brutal tone.

In deadly fear the little fellow struggled to his feet; he looked wildly round him, the horse trotted forward, the child fell on his face and hands and clutched[206] hold of the black mane. This enraged the spirited beast, who began to dance and curvet about, and the next moment, but for the speedy interference of Susan Jenkins, little Orion would have measured his length upon the floor. Even as it was he was hurt and shaken, and lay weeping and trembling in her arms.

"Now, Susan, you jest listen to me," said Holt, in an enraged voice. "I aint a-goin' to stand this sort of thing. That little chap has got to learn his lesson or he don't stay here; he is not a patch on his sister, but he shall learn his part. I has it all arranged that them two children is to appear in public to-morrow, and the boy must help the gal. The gal will do her work right well, but the boy must help her. It's the look of the two, and they so young, that I reckon on to fill the house. I'm determined that a mite of that sort shan't beat me. He could have stood on the horse's back if he had had a mind. He has disobeyed me and he shall be punished. You take 'im and lock 'im up in the black cage."

The black cage was a terrible place, in which some of the fiercer animals were put from time to time to train them. It really consisted of a huge box without windows, but with one or two small ventilating shafts in the door. On rare occasions, when thoroughly enraged, the manager had been known to lock a refractory member of the troupe up there; but such a punishment had never been given to a child before.

"Oh, no, Ben Holt! You can't mean that," said Susan. "Why, it'll frighten him awful, and it do smell so bad of the last leopard."

But for this answer the poor girl only got a crack of the whip round her ankles.

What might have really happened at the end is not[207] known; but suddenly at this juncture the swing door was flung open and little Diana marched in. She held her head well back, and trotted boldly into the center of the arena.

"Dear, dear, what's all this fuss?" she cried out in her frank, hearty voice. "Uncle Ben, is anybody a-vexing of you?"

"Yes, my dear; that little brother of yours. You jest tell him to do his duty."

"Oh, Diana, Diana! he's killing me!" sobbed little Orion. He struggled out of Susan's arms, flew to his sister, flung the whole weight of his little body against her, and gave way to a fresh agony of howling and weeping.

Diana's black eyes flashed.

"You stay k'iet. Orion; 'member you is a giant," she said, speaking in a whisper to the boy. "I's here, and I'll look after you. You stay k'iet. Now, Uncle Ben, what's all this?"

"Only that silly boy won't ride Greased Lightning. He won't even stand on the 'orse, let alone leap through the rings and the balloons."

"Is that all?" said Diana, her eyes gleaming. "But I can do all that; I can do all that beautiful. Dear G'eased Lightning!" She unclasped Orion's arms from her neck and trotted across the stage. She ran up to the great chestnut and began to stroke its nose. The creature licked her little hand and looked affectionately down at her small figure.

"Uncle Ben," she said suddenly, "I isn't going to have Orion punished; you isn't to do it; give him to me. You can't do anything with a little sild like that if you fwighten him. Give him to me, Uncle Ben; I'll manage him."[208]

"But what are you but a little child yourself?" said Uncle Ben.

"Yes, but I is made different. Nothing fwightens me. I aren't afeared of nothing, and I aren't afeared of you, Uncle Ben, so don't you begin to think I is."

"Never seed sech a child," said Uncle Ben, once more restored to good humor. "Jest notice that perfect demon of a 'orse, how 'e takes to 'er. Never seed anything like it afore. Well, missy, and if you can manage your brother I'm sure I'll be only too pleased, but jest you remember this—you are both to go before the footlights to-morrow for the public to see. I has never had that young 'un on the stage yet, but he's to ride with you to-morrow."

"So he shall, Uncle Ben; course you will, won't you, Orion?"

"With you, Di," sobbed Orion; "if you are close to me, Di."

"Course I'll be close to you, Orion. I is the gweat Diana. Well, Uncle Ben, you isn't going to punish him. If you punish him he can't wide, 'cos he'll be ill. He's a giant."

"A pigmy I call him," said Uncle Ben.

"You talk silly," replied Diana; "he's a giant, 'cos mother said he was, and on starful nights you can see him shining in the sky."

"Bless you, child, don't take up any more of my time talking that gibberish."

"Well, he's not to be punished, 'cos I say he isn't. He's coming with me now to his dinner. Come 'long, Orion, this minute; I has come to fetch you. Good-by, Uncle Ben."

Uncle Ben did not utter a word. Orion and Diana left the arena, hand in hand.[209]

"What about the black cage now, mister?" said the circus girl, with a sneer.

"Hang me, if I know what the world's coming to!" said Uncle Ben, scratching his head. "I can do nothing agen that little gal—she's the 'cutest, sharpest, bravest little cuss I ever come across."

"She's got the upper hand of you, leastways," said Susan, with a laugh; "and, for my part," she added, "I am right glad. I don't want that pore little kid to be used hard."

[210]

CHAPTER XX. "LET'S PERTEND," SAID DIANA.

The circus was crowded that evening, but neither Diana nor Orion put in an appearance. They were to make their grand début together on the following day, for hitherto only Diana had ridden in public. They were left now in the little room, all alone, but as they were together that did not matter at all to them. Orion's weary head rested against his sister's shoulder. Her stout little arm was flung round his waist; he was fast asleep, but there were traces of tears on his pale cheeks. It seemed a very long time now to little Orion since all the world had altered for him. From being a beautiful place, full of lovely gardens, and lovely homes, and kind people—from being full of snug little beds to sleep in, and nice food to eat, and loving services of all sorts—it had suddenly turned and shown its black face to the tenderly nurtured little boy. Rough words were now his portion; he had a hard bed to lie on, very insufficient and very poor food to eat, and in addition to these things, blows and kicks were measured out to him with a very liberal hand. Besides these fearful things, he was expected to do what terrified him into the very core of his somewhat timorous heart. Until he had been kidnaped by Mother Rodesia he had never known that he was really timid, but now this side of his nature had come to the fore. Day by day he grew[211] more and more frightened, and for the last fortnight he really lost his appetite, and his health began to fail. He refused to eat the coarse and insufficient food, and when he slept his sleep was broken by bad dreams. Little Diana knew that there was something very wrong the matter, but she could not quite tell what. She had a very energetic little brain, however, and it was working now hard in Orion's behalf.

The noise and shouts made by the circus people were distinctly audible to the two little children. Orion raised his head, looked around him with a terrified glance, and began to cry feebly.

"Is Uncle Ben coming? Have I got to ride Greased Lightning? Di, are you there? are you close to me?"

"Course I is," answered Diana. "Orion, don't you be such a silly; I is with you. There's nothing going to happen."

"Nothing? Are you certain sure?" asked the child.

"K'ite. I is with you, Orion; don't you be fwightened; there's nothing going to happen."

Orion leaned comfortably back against the fat little shoulder.

"P'w'aps you is a bit hung'y," said Diana. "There's bwead and milk on the table; Aunt Sawah left it. Shall we eat our supper afore we talks?"

"I can't eat," replied Orion. "I'm not a scrap hungry; I am never hungry now. I wonder you can eat, Diana."

"Course I can eat," replied Diana; "I aren't a silly. I has got to wide G'eased Lightning. I love G'eased Lightning. Don't know why you is fwightened of him."[212]

"But I am to ride Pole Star, and he's worse than Greased Lightning," replied Orion.

"Well, you listen to me," said Diana, speaking in a very firm and authoritative voice. "See, I am eating up my supper, and you had best have some with me. I'll sit by you on the floor, if you like, and feed you same as if you was a baby."

"But you are younger nor me," said Orion, with a little laugh; "seems, though, as if you were much older."

"Can't help that," answered Diana; "can't help feelin' old, whether we is nor not. You is almost a baby—I is k'ite a big girl. Now, open your mouth; I am going to pop in some food. Here's a vedy nice piece of bwead."

Orion did what Diana wished, but he could scarcely eat. Tears came suddenly into his eyes.

"I wish I was dead, like poor Rub-a-Dub," he said, after a pause; "I wish I was lying in the beautiful garden, in the cemetery part with Rub-a-Dub."

"Oh, don't be such a silly!" said Diana. "You has a lot to do afore you is deaded. Don't forget that you is a star and a giant."

"No, that I aren't," said the child. "Oh, Di! if mother was here she would be disappointed, for I am not a star, nor yet a giant. I'm just the frightenest little boy in the world."

"I has thought of a plan," said Diana very calmly. "You shan't wide Pole Star to-morrow; you shall wide G'eased Lightning."

"But I am nearly as frightened of one horse as the other."

"I know G'eased Lightning k'ite well by this[213] time," continued Diana, "and if I are there he'll be gentle. You shall wide him, and I'll wide Pole Star."

"But I heard Uncle Ben say that I was to have the other horse."

"Never you mind that. What does that si'nify? I'll manage. I'm not fwightened of any horse that ever walked. If I are there, and if I look at G'eased Lightning, he'll be as good as good can be, and you must just keep looking at me, Orion, and do the things that I do. When you see me standing on Pole Star you must stand on your two foots on G'eased Lightning, and when we fly faster and faster you must still keep looking at me, and when I jump through the wings you must do the same, and then, Orion, then, why, it will be over. Now, bend down; I'm going to whisper something to you."

Orion bent his ear with deep interest.

"You don't mean it?" he said, when Diana had said some very energetic words in a low voice.

"Yes, I does. Does I say things I doesn't mean? I means it twuly, twuly. You wide G'eased Lightning, and then—then it'll all be over."

"Oh, I really think I can, if you are quite sure," said Orion. His little face brightened up, two fever spots came into his cheeks; his eyes shone.

"Are you quite sure, Di?" he said.

"Pos'tive certain. Now, lie down if you like, and go to s'eep."

"I could eat a bit more supper," said Orion. "I'm kind of hungry now that you has told me you is positive, Di."

"All wight," answered Diana. "There's a teeny dwop of milk left. Course I was hungry and thirsty,[214] and my trof was dry, but you shall drink