A Modern Cinderella, Amanda Minnie Douglas [free ereaders .txt] 📗

them out."

Then one night Pansy had the croup and there was a great scare.

"You've let her get cold some way, Marilla; you mustn't let the wagon stand while you keep looking at books and pictures in store windows. You better go straight over to the park, and don't talk to other girls. You're old enough now to have a little judgment."

Marilla made the babies ready. They were very fond of walking up and down stairs. Now she lifted them in the carriage, tucked them in with the pretty robe and they did look picturesque in their fluffy white hoods and fur cloaks. They uttered shrieks of delight as they went along. The Brant's were moving in the Jamreth house; she would remember hereafter to turn off at State street and not pass it. Somehow she felt very tired. At times there was such a fluttering somewhere inside of her that for a moment things went round and she had to gasp for breath. She would like to tell Dr. Richards about it. She had seen him twice, both times in the street and it had kept her happy for days.


CHAPTER X

ON THE BORDER OF TRAGEDY

For two days Jack had been out of school with a sore throat. Today it was better. The ladies wanted to go out to match some trimming and view some elegant new party frocks that might do for a wedding gown.

"Now don't tear the house down while we are gone. And if you are good Jack, I'll bring you home that new top you wanted. Remember the noise disturbs Aunt Hetty."

But the children enjoyed the noise. Aunt Hetty's bell rang.

"Oh, Marilla, can't you keep those children in a little better order," said the fretful voice. "And get me a drink of cold tea, I feel so queer."

"I'm so sorry," answered the child, "I'll try my best. If only Jack wasn't home."

Jack was throwing the ball at the babies who made vague efforts to catch it.

"I'm so afraid you'll hurt them."

"Oh, you old fraid cat! You can't let a fellow have any fun! I'll give it to you."

It was not a heavy ball but he sent it with all his angry might. It struck against her heart and she went down in a little heap.

"I fixed you that time! Come, you can't play possum over me, get up!"

He touched her with his foot. Pansy ran and fell over her.

"Get up, you little clumsy skunk! You'll half kill her!"

"Poor Illa. Det up, Illa. Did bad Jack hurt 'ou?"

Jack turned her partly over. Her face was ghastly, with the eyes rolled up.

Aunt Hetty's bell rang. Jack ran down stairs.

"O, come up Bridget, Marilla's killed!"

"Ah, now you want to frighten a body out of her wits! You ought to be skinned alive."

"Oh, come quick!" Jack began to cry.

Bridget walked up stairs very deliberately, "Oh, Holy Mother of God! Get up, children. Marilla, dear--Oh, what have you done to her?"

She took the limp figure in her arms.

"Oh, me darlint! Wurra! wurra! And that bell! As if no one wanted anything but that old body with one foot in the grave. Jack run in next door and ask Mrs. Seymour to come at once; quick, or I'll bat you with a stick."

Then she went up stairs. The poor old body was lying in the reclining chair, her face distraught with fright.

"Send for the doctor at once, something has happened to me, I can't stir. My legs are heavy as lead. Where's Marilla? I've rung and rung!"

"Marilla's fainted dead away. Yes, I'll get the doctor," and down Bridget flew to open the front door.

"Oh for the love of heaven, will you come and talk to that thing in the wall an' get the doctor! Why, I'm most crazy."

"Yes, what doctor?" Mrs. Seymour went to the telephone.

"Doctor Baker, and then to Miss Armitage in Loraine place."

"Dr. Baker would come at once."

They found the lady's number. She was just going out but would stop there first.

Then she took Mrs. Seymour through to the nursery. The children were patting and petting Marilla.

"Get away, children, you've had her smothered."

"Does she faint often? She seems so well and merry."

"She did that time last summer. She was out with the babies and fell off of a stoop, I believe, an' she kept looking like a ghost for ever so long. That Miss Armitage took her to her house an' took care of her. She's a good woman, that she is. An' it's just my belief that Marilla isn't strong enough for the rough an' tumble of life. Some ain't you know, an' she's tugged these fat babies about often; there isn't but one nurse kept."

"Oh, they were too heavy for her to lift."

"Mrs. Borden didn't want her to, much. I'll say that for her. She was afraid the babies backs might get out of shape some way by a bad fall. She's a fair dealin' woman or I wouldn't have staid with her all these years. But Marilla isn't strong enough for the work, and the old Aunt wants a good deal of waiting on. It's run up an' down until you'd think her legs would just fall out."

Mrs. Seymour had been trying various restoratives. Now Marilla gave a long shuddering sigh, opened her eyes but closed them again.

"What beautiful long lashes she has! And such silky hair--"

"Oh, the saints be praised! I began to think she was dead! Poor darlint! 'Rilla dear--its Bridget who'd do anything in the world for you."

Dr. Baker arrived. He entered the room, looked at Marilla, felt of her pulse, and listened to the faint heart beats. "Give her a little brandy," he said. "Where's Mrs. Borden? I thought the old lady--"

"Oh, she is!" interrupted Bridget, "she can't stir her legs one bit. She's rale poorly, now I tell you, an' this child's been looking after her as well as the babies."

"That's twice too much." He ran lightly up the stairs to meet with a torrent of up-braidings.

"I thought I'd have to die here all alone! Where's Marilla? I've rung and rung."

"The girl has been in a dead faint. She's worn out. And you must have a regular nurse."

"Oh, dear!" Aunt Hetty began to cry, "couldn't I have her? 'Twouldn't be as bad as them two young ones. And I'd pay her well, too. She's so nice and good tempered with her face full of smiles and sunshine. Oh, if she's going to be ill what shall we all do?"

The brandy revived Marilla a little. She tried to speak but her lips felt stiff. They took her up carefully and laid her on the old lounge. The babies started to climb up over her at once, and howled fearfully when Bridget pulled them down with an ungentle shake and sat them on the floor. Then she went to answer the door bell and ushered in Miss Armitage.

Dr. Baker came down at the same moment. "Can't you shut those children up in some dungeon? They've voices like a foghorn. Ah, Miss Armitage. How is this patient?"

"Oh, I'm--better," raising up suddenly then falling back in a half faint.

"Don't stir, keep as still as you can. You've no strength to throw away on make believes. See here, babies," and he disgorged a paper of peppermints that at once soothed broken hearts.

"When will Mrs. Borden return?"

"Well, she'll be home to dinner," and Bridget grinned. "Things were all well enough when she went out. You see there's some weddin' fixings goin' on, and sure Miss Borden deserves a good husband when she's waited five years. How's the old lady?"

"It's pretty bad with her, though there's no immediate signs of her dying. But it's paralysis. Her limbs are cold and useless and I think it is creeping up her left side. She'll be another baby added to the family, unless she will go to a hospital which would be far better for her. She must have a steady nurse. I've been rather afraid of this."

"I must go and see to my dinner. Miss Armitage won't you stay until the ladies come home?"

Miss Armitage signified her willingness and laid aside her hat.

The babies were fairly gorging themselves.

"I'll be in again presently. I'll leave this for the child, to be given every half hour and she is to lie perfectly still."

Miss Armitage smiled down in the pallid face. It had grown quite thin again, but it seemed to hold an ethical sweetness. Marilla put out one slim hand.

"It seems too bad the old lady should be taken ill at this juncture," said Mrs. Seymour. "And Manila's been such a faithful child. She's been growing tall this summer and autumn and I suppose has run ahead of her strength. Then with the two children to look after--well a little nurse girl has rather hard lines--they seldom have more than one, or if they do the others are older. My two boys are in boarding school. I've wished one was a girl, they are so much more company for the mother. But I'd wanted _her_ to be pretty," she cast a sidelong glance at the twins. "It's a pity Jack should have taken all the beauty."

The twins felt so comfortable over the candy that they went to playing with their blocks. Miss Armitage gave her patient the second dose of her medicine and she closed her eyes.

There was almost a shriek as Bridget opened the hall door with--"the merciful saints preserve us! Has Jack been run over by one of them fury things?"

Jack was crying and the blood was streaming from his nose all over his blouse.

"He's been fighting, the bad boy, with a nasty, dirty tramp!"

Bridget in her inmost heart hoped he had the worst of it. "Whist!" she exclaimed, "there's two sick folks in the house, the doctor's been an' he's coming again!"

"Sick! Oh, what has happened?"

"Well, the old lady's had a stroke, an' Marilla had a bad faint again. I thought sure she was dead."

Mrs. Borden dropped into the hall chair and began to cry hysterically.

"Jack, go straight up to the bath room," said his aunt.

"And the neighbors came in, Mrs. Seymour to talk through that funnel, and then Miss Armitage and the doctor," went on Bridget.

"It's a pity one can't stir out of the house without something happening," sobbed the mistress. "And we're both so tired."

"There dear, come up stairs." Florence took Mrs. Borden by the arm, and they ascended together. "Now I'll go and look after Jack."

She put a big apron over her dress. Jack sat on the bath room floor crying.

"Get up and take off those dirty things. Come, your father will soon be home and I don't know what he'll do to you," said his aunt.

"He may strap me if he likes, but I ain't going to be called a snotnosed scabby sneak of a devil--"

"Hush! hush! I won't listen to such a talk--"

"--And he slapped me in the face, and I kicked his shins good, and then we fit and I give him a punch in the belly and a good bunk in the eye--"

"Stop