Читать книгу Blue Ruin (Musaicum Romance Classics) - Grace Livingston Hill - Страница 3

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Lynette went singing around the kitchen like a happy bird let loose, spreading delicate slices of bread, folding them together with mysterious delectable concoctions, cutting them in hearts and stars and diamonds, wrapping them in waxed paper, each fold creased down with firm fingers, gladly, as if the task were joy.

In the dining room her mother crumbed the breakfast table and set the extra dishes away in the rare old ancestral cupboard. She smiled tenderly and sighed in the same breath. How happy Lynnie was! The dear child! Life’s morning, and the world before her! Would the realization satisfy her anticipations?

This was Lynette’s first day at home after practically four years away at college. Oh, of course there had been vacations, blessed, blissful respites from the terror of the long, long loneliness without her. But now she was at home, really at home, come to stay. She asserted it with a glad ring to her voice and a light in her eyes that met an answering light from her mother’s eyes whenever she said it. Yet the mother knew in her heart of hearts that she had not really come to stay. This was only another vacation, possibly a few days or weeks longer than the others had been, but really after all just a time to get ready to go forever out of the brightness of her girlhood into the goal of every maiden’s life a home of her own. Out of childhood forever, into a woman’s life.

The mother’s lips trembled at the thought, even while she smiled. How was she going to stand it when it really came? She had not ever definitely faced the thought even yet, though there had been no lack of reminders in the way of eager admirers among the young men and boys of her daughter’s acquaintance, ever since Lynette’s primary days.

But Lynette had eyes for only one.

The mother’s troubled glance went out of the window, down the sunny road toward a large white house set back from the street, with nasturtiums bordering the path to the gate. A young man came out of the door at that moment and went down the path and out the gate. He was coming with steps that were as glad as Lynette’s voice.

Was Dana Whipple the right mate for Lynette, her pearl of a girl, heart of gold, spirit of fire and dew?

The trouble grew in the mother’s eyes as she watched the young man swing joyously along toward her door, a fine specimen of manhood, noticeable even at a distance for his grace of carriage and his supple symmetrical form. As he entered the gate he took off his hat and lifted his head with a toss as if he enjoyed the play of the breeze with his heavy, waving crest of dark hair; his well-chiseled features; his great, dark eyes under straight, fine brows; the facile lips that could so lightly curve into a smile and show the perfect white teeth that helped to make his expression so vivid. Yes, there was no fault to find with his appearance. “Perfectly stunning!” one of Lynette’s college friends had called him last summer when she met him.

Looking at him now, as she had never looked before, with the light of sudden premonition in her heart, Lynette’s mother was forced to admit that he was a young man of great charm. Nor was his charm all of personal appearance. He had a mind of unusual vigor. He had taken high rank in college and come off with more honors than she knew how to name, and in seminary was considered the most promising member of his class. It was generally understood that he was in line for a pretty good thing in his chosen profession as a minister of the Gospel. Indeed he was spoken of everywhere as being something most rare and unusual in these days when so few were choosing to devote their lives to things religious.

But of course, Lynette’s mother told herself as she watched the oncoming young man, Dana had a reputation to maintain. There was something in the fact that he was named for a grandfather who had been famous as a preacher and orator in his denomination. It was expected of Dana that he would carry on the tradition of the family which went with the name. One must remember that in trying to make a fair estimate of his character. Then as quickly as the thought had come, Lynette’s mother rebuked her own soul.

Nevertheless, as she stood there while he came briskly up the walk to the door, she felt that something she had been evading and trying to forget for years, some sudden possibility of peril or grave mistake was approaching swiftly. Somehow she felt that this day was a crisis, a kind of turning point. Today Dana and Lynette would probably settle their future irrevocably. All through the years they had drifted and played, carefree and joyous, taking their friendship as a matter of course, the future all roseate with possibilities, content to go through the college days with zest and earnestness. But now at last it was over, and the inevitable time had come when this friendship between the boy and girl must have its reckoning, its final consummation, and the mother’s heart contracted with sudden fear and anxiety over the thought. Had she been wrong to let these two be so close during the years, encouraging their friendship because it seemed so safe a thing for her girl? It seemed that all was as it should be. But was it? Was Dana Whipple the kind of man who could make her daughter happy? Had she perhaps laid overzealous hands upon God’s sacred plans for the lives of these two and thought to help them on to please herself?

That the boy and girl had something more than friendship in their eagerness this morning she could not doubt. Her fearful heart caught the knowledge of it in the lilt of Lynette’s voice, in the joyous call of the boy upon the doorstep now. She ought to be glad at this joy that was coming to them today, Lynette’s birthday, her first day at home after the college yearsyes, she ought to be glad, but there was a sudden sinking of her heart, a fearful realization that what she had done was done, and she could not face the boy, not yet.

She made a stealthy retreat toward the stairs and vanished as Dana opened the door. From the upper hall she opened the back stair door and called down softly.

“He’s come, Lynnie. You go to the door. I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Where are you all?” Dana called in his glad, boyish voice that yet had taken on a new manly tone of command. “Lynn! Oh, I say! Aren’t you ready yet? I expected to see you waiting for me out on the porch. I’m late. I had to send a telegram for mother after I was ready to start.”

There was an instant of utter silence while the mother’s heart stood still and seemed to count a million. Then Lynette’s cheerful girl voice, just as always only for that lilt of joy, rang out a saucy welcome, and the mother drew a breath. She closed her eyes for an instant with a hurried prayer, “O Father, take care of my little girl!” and hastened down. The note of naturalness had been such a relief! After all, things were just as they always had been yet! She wanted to hold the moment and go down and talk to them just as they always had been once more, at least.

“There you are, Mother Brooke,” called Dana cheerfully as she appeared. “I almost thought you weren’t glad to see me you were so long in coming. Isn’t it great for us both to be back again? I declare it doesn’t seem real, we’ve waited for it so long!”

The mother drew a deep breath, and life moved on again as it had been going for years. After all, who could be like Dana? Reassurance surrounded him and permeated the air. Her doubts vanished. How handsome he was standing there with his soft panama hat in his hand and the light of the morning on the crest of his dark hair, his eyes flashing joyous welcome, his whole attitude like a nice big boy out for a lark. She beamed upon him as of old. Who could help it? Everybody loved Dana, and he seemed really to care for her welcome. He was an unusual fellow to be interested in an old woman, even though she was the mother of the girl he loved. Young men nowadays didn’t stop to pay much attention to their elders.

Putting aside her misgivings, Mrs. Brooke hurried out to the kitchen to help her daughter put the final touch to the glorified lunch basket that was prepared for the day’s feast. After all, if one must give up a daughter it was less like giving up to hand her over to a son who loved you. And it would be easy to love Dana. She could just let her natural feelings go and Dana would be like her own boy. She realized that she had never quite done this in the past, for always there had been this dim shadowy possibility ahead of her, that perhaps Dana would not be the right one. Some passing expression, something lax about the handsome lips now and then, a shade of weakness from some thrice-removed ancestor possibly what was it made her feel so? She could not tell. Only a mother’s natural dread perhaps of the man who should finally call her one daughter his own.

There was nothing left to be done to the lunch basket except to tuck in a bottle of olives and the salt and pepper. Lynette had not forgotten anything. She folded the waxed paper over the whole and smoothly covered it with an old piece of tablecloth she kept for such occasions, which could be turned into a towel after the picnic when they went down to the brook to wash their hands. Then as if to make up for her sad thoughts of a few minutes before, she slipped out of the back door and, stooping, picked a few stalks of cool, waxen lilies of the valley from the lush green leaves that grew by the old doorstep. Coming in quickly with a Madonna look upon her face she tucked them down against the snowy cloth, half hidden by a sheathing leaf. Her child must not go forth today without her blessing even though her soul shrank back with premonitions. Lynette would understand. She always had understood.

She watched the two as they went forth happily carrying the basket between them, Lynette insisting upon talking her share, their hands together on the willow handle, her face looking up laughing, all the dimples playing shyly, a sparkle in her eyes; his eyes smiling down. Did he see how lovely Lynette was? Yes, he seemed to. There was deep admiration, almost reverencealmost reverence in his eyes. Why was it she was possessed to put that almost in? Was it just that a mother could never be quite satisfied-satisfied for such a girl as Lynette at least? And what more could she desire? How utterly silly and foolish of her!

“What’s become of Dana’s fine new car they’ve talked so much about?” It was the fragile little grandmother’s spritely voice, as the old lady stood just behind her daughter looking out after the two.

Mrs. Brooke turned with a start.

“Why, Mother, are you here? I thought you were still asleep!”

“You wouldn’t expect me to stay asleep on Lynnie’s birthday, would you?” she asked playfully.

“Oh,” said the daughter self-reproachfully, “she wanted to come in and kiss you good-morning, but I wouldn’t let her. I told her you had sat up so late last night waiting for her to arrive, that you ought to sleep. I’m sorry I didn’t let her come anyway.”

“That’s all right,” said the little old lady with a cheery smile. “I’ll see her when she gets back. Why didn’t Dana take his grand new car? I’ve been trembling all the week thinking Lynnie had to go out in it with him driving. He ought to get used to it before he takes her out. She’s too precious. I hate those automobiles anyway. The papers are just full of accidents. I believe they’re a device of the devil.”

Her daughter smiled.

“Oh, Mother, you and I will have to get used to the modern things. You know our fathers felt just that way about riding on the steam cars.”

“That was different,” said the old lady with dignity. “But why didn’t Dana take it? Seems as if he ought to when he had it.”

“Why, I heard him say something about its being at the garage being fixed some way, or washed or something. They’re having company down at Whipples’ this afternoon, and oh, yes, that was it, he said his aunt wanted it washed before they came. He did suggest that he and Lynnie wait till it came home about ten o’clock, but Lynnie said she would rather walk this time; it would be more like old times.”

The old lady smiled a quivering smile.

“Old times!” she said half jocosely. “They’re gone!” Then in a change of tone, “But of course, if Aunt Justine wanted the car washed it had to be washed even if it was Lynnie’s birthday and she just home from college! It’ll always be that way. So many to please! That’s what I don’t like about it. But I’m glad they didn’t go in the car. I won’t have to worry about that anyway.”

“No, Mother, let’s not worry about anything!” said the daughter with a wistful smile. “Let’s just be glad. Lynnie’s home! Come, sit down and eat your breakfast now, I’ll bring it right in. There are some of those little honey peaches you like so much, and the coffee is on the back of the stove nice and hot.”

She bustled about, glad to have something to do just now to keep the feeling of tears out of her throat, unaccountable, glad tears that choked her while she could not explain them.

There were eager rushing steps outside, and Elim Brooke burst into the kitchen, a fishing pole in his hand.

“Muth, where’s Lynn? Isn’t she up yet?”

“Yes, up and gone. She and Dana went off on a hike, Elim. What became of you, son? We tried to wait breakfast, but Dana telephoned and Lynnie had to hurry.”

“Shucks!” said the boy, the light of eagerness suddenly going out of his eyes. “That Dana makes me tired! What does he always have to be around for? I was going to take Lynn out fishing. I been down to the store to get a new line. The old one broke. I got Lynn’s line all fixed up, too. Gee! I didn’t think she’d go off like that! The first day! Gee! Now I s’pose it’ll always be like that, won’t it? A fella can’t have his own sister, ever fer a day. Not even fer her birthday! Gee, I’d like to wring his neck!”

“Why son! That’s terrible language! I thought you liked Dana.”

“Oh, I useta! Before he went off and got ta high-hatting! He makes me tired! Met me down by the garage last night, and when I yelled at him he turned around with that weary air he puts on sometimes and gave me the once over before he spoke, and then he said, just as if I was a toad in the mud he hadn’t noticed before, ‘H’warya, Brooke,’ as cool as an icicle. Aw, he’s a pain in the neck! I don’t see what Lynn sees in him! Did he take her in the car?”

“No, they wanted to walk,” said the mother, feeling a sudden necessity of defending Dana. “Lynn thought it would be nice. The car is down at the garage being washed, and they would have had to wait for it.”

“Wait! What for? Why’n’t Dana get up early and wash it himself? I ask you, why did he hafta send it to the garage to be washed? They gotta hose downta Whipples’. He oughtta wash his own car himself. He hasn’t got too lily-fingered for that, has he? Isn’t it respectable for a preacher to wash his own car? I’ll bet Dana suggested they walk. I’d be willing to bet my last cent on that and win!”

“Why, Elim! You distress me!” said his mother anxiously. “You don’t sound like yourself. You shouldn’t be so hard on people. You must remember that Dana is growing up. It isn’t in the least likely he realized he was speaking that way to you. He has always been very fond of you. You know how he used to play ball with you when you were a little fellow.”

“Aw, bah, that was nothing! He wanted to keep in practice during vacation that was all! I don’t see why Lynn wanted to go off with him the first day anyway. When I gave up the tournament just to take her off fishing and show her the new swimming hole, and a lot of things. I thought it was her birthday and I oughtta kinda make her have a good time.”

The boy’s face was all aquiver with disappointment and anger.

“Well, there, son, that’s too bad, and if Lynnie had dreamed you had any such plan she’d have fixed it, I know. She’d have asked you to go with themor”

“Go with ’em! You suppose I’d go with ’em! Not on yer life! I don’t care fer kid-glove expeditions. Fat chance I’d have fer a good time with that Dana Whipple along! Last time I went along with those two all he did was read poetry! Never again fer mine! Got any cake? I’ll go get Pard Wilkins. You tell Lynn I’m off her fer life!” And he dove into the pantry and came out with his hands and his mouth full of gingerbread and disappeared out the back door across the lot toward Pard Wilkins’ house.

His mother looked up to see her mother standing in the kitchen door with pitiful eyes.

“It’s too bad,” she said, looking suddenly frail and tired. “It’s hard to grow up. If they only didn’t have to get separated!”

“Yes,” sighed the mother, “it’s hard to see it. They were always so close to each other I wonder” But she did not say what she wondered.