Blue Robin, the Girl Pioneer Part 17

"How is it that you are all alone?" asked Nathalie, taking out an orange from the basket; "where are Mother and Mammy?"

"Mamma went to de town, and Mammy-she's doin' de wash," and then her eyes expanded with joy as she spied the orange.

The orange was soon demolished, and then, as Nathalie started to show her the two picture-books, she realized that Miss I Can confronted her again, for a sticky mouth and hands revealed the fact that she had an unpleasant task to perform. For a moment she hesitated, but quickly overcoming her disinclination, she plunged in, got a basin of water, and finding no wash-cloth, dipped her own dainty handkerchief in it, and amid sundry squeals and protests gave the little face and hands a good scrubbing.

This performed, the picture-books were brought forth and she was soon busy explaining the pictures to the pleased little girl. But this diversion she soon tired of and then came the cry, "Oh, Story Lady, won't yo' please tell me er story?"

"Why, I don't think I know any now-" Nathalie had meant to look up a fairy book so as to be prepared, but the pleading look in the black eyes upturned to hers won its way and she said, "All right, I'll see what I know? How would 'The Babes in the Woods' do?"

As this t.i.tle was mentioned, a cry of protest came from the child, "No, I don't want to hear about de woods. I'se afraid of de woods."

"Of course you don't, you poor little chickie," answered Nathalie contritely, and then her face lightened up as a streak of sunshine at that moment glancing in the window proved an inspiration. So she began to tell about Sunshine Polly, who had been told that if she could get some sunshine in her heart she would always be happy, and how she forthwith set out for this golden country, and after many adventures found it. Indeed it proved to be a most beautiful place, with a king, very round and bright, and a lot of sunshine fairies flying all about throwing some of their sunny treasure into the eyes of every one they saw.

By the bright eyes watching her, Nathalie knew that she had made a good selection this time, and the story progressed. She told how Polly got the sunbeams, with a breathing spell every now and then to think up some more, and the cries, "Oh, dat's a lubly story! Oh, I likes dat story!"

But at last Polly returned from the land of sunshine with a crown of sunbeams on her head and a big bundle of it in her heart.

Nathalie smiled as she finished, for it seemed as if she too, had been to the sunshine land and had put some of it into Rosy's little heart.

"Ah, now I will get a chance to slip away," she thought, picking up her basket as a prelude to her departure.

But Rosy, surmising by her movement that she contemplated leaving, began to wail plaintively, begging her so hard to tell just one more "lubly story." As Nathalie stood, trying her best to think of another story, she heard a slight noise, and looked up to see three little black faces with big shiny eyes staring at her from over the ledge of the window.

The girl broke into a merry laugh, for really it was funny to see those three round faces-like a row of flower-pot saucers on a shelf. "Why, how did you get there?" she cried and then again burst into laughter. The laughter proved contagious, for the three little pickaninnies immediately joined in her merriment, and then, evidently thinking this was an invitation to come in, one after the other slid over the sill and trotted up to the bed, to the great delight of Rosy. Here they climbed up, sitting on the edge with their naked black feet hanging down, looking for all the world like monkeys' claws as they swung them to and fro, anxiously waiting for the story to begin.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "Why, how did you get there?"]

"Oh, what shall I tell them?" worried Nathalie, but in a flash she remembered, and was soon in the mysteries of that beloved of all fairy tales, "Jack and the Bean Stalk." The interested glow in four pairs of eyes was inspiring, and amply repaid her for the time that she had so reluctantly given the little hearers.

The tale was soon ended, and again Nathalie sprang to her feet, feeling that now she must go, for there was that dessert she had to make for dinner. She gathered up her basket and had just turned to say good-by to her audience of four, when she saw Dr. Morrow, who was standing by the door, smiling down at her with his kindly eyes.

"Oh, were you there all the time?" she asked in dismay. The doctor nodded as he said, "Yes, Blue Robin, I have enjoyed your story very much. You had such an appreciative audience," smiling at the little black faces, "that I was reluctant to disturb their bliss. Our little friend Rosy has well named you, 'The Story Lady.'"

He turned towards his patient, and then with a kindly word for each of her little friends, he began to inquire as to how Rosy was. As Felia at this moment entered the room, Nathalie waved a good-by to Rosy, and surrounded by the three pickaninnies, each one eager to carry her basket, hurried out of the room and into the sunshine she had been telling about. The many comments made by her body-guard of three, showed how eager they were for the joys of story-land-a rare treat to them.

Realizing how much can be taught a child through story-telling, as she had found when she was a child, Nathalie fell to thinking. By the time she reached home she had planned a story club-oh, it would be just the thing-if the Pioneers would agree to it. They could take turns, only an hour once or twice a week, in telling stories to these new friends of hers, and who knows, if the cla.s.s grew they might eventually do a great deal of good? Still somewhat timid of taking the initiative, she planned to lay it before Helen and let the suggestion come from her.

Nathalie was trilling softly to herself little s.n.a.t.c.hes of song, for somehow on that bright June day she felt very happy. She had started, as she told Helen, on a new career. Of course her mother had objected at first to her taking Felia's place, but when she found that Nathalie was determined, she had consented, feeling that perhaps it would not harm her for a while. And then, too, she would learn many things she needed to know, and this was her opportunity to learn them. So Nathalie had won her consent, and with the help of Dorothy, who had been pressed into service, and the few things she allowed her mother to do, she had found her work slip along more easily than she had antic.i.p.ated, and the thought that she was earning a mite towards a great object, as Helen said, had proved the glory.

And so she sang away, doing the week's stint of darning, as the stocking drill at the Pilgrim Rally had helped her wonderfully, and now she was quite a.s.sured that her mother did not have to do her work over.

As she glanced up from her work to watch a tiny humming bird that was flitting among the leaves of the honeysuckle trellis, she heard the throb of an engine, and looked up to see Dr. Morrow's car coming up the road. To her surprise, instead of running his car in through his gate to the garage, he brought it to a standstill in front of their house, alighted, and a moment later was coming briskly up the path.

His cheery greeting broke in upon her surprise as he cried, "Well, Blue Robin, so you are at home!" O dear! every one seemed to be calling her that nowadays, the girl thought a little ruefully.

"Good morning," she cried; then her face paled apprehensively. "Oh, have you come about d.i.c.k-do you think his knee is worse?" she faltered, suddenly remembering that her brother had complained quite a little the last three days with the pain in his knee.

"No, I have not come about d.i.c.k," was the rea.s.suring answer. "I have come to see you on important business. d.i.c.k is doing as well as can be until he is operated on."

Nathalie sighed, and then said, "Oh, Doctor, I do wish you would explain to me about d.i.c.k's operation! Mother told me a little, but you see I don't know much about these things."

The doctor raised his eyebrows in pretended surprise and then he said in a serious tone, "I should say not. Such things as operations are not for little Blue Robins. They are supposed to trill little tru-al-lee songs, or tell fairy tales to children, as I hear some of them have been doing lately."

The girl's eyes grew bright. "Oh, we are all doing it. Has Mrs. Morrow told you about the Pioneer Story Club we have formed? Helen suggested it, in a way." Nathalie was modest, for the suggestion had really come from herself, and also the planning with the aid of Helen's wise head.

"We go down to the colored settlement," she continued, "every Sat.u.r.day morning and take turns in telling stories to the little children. Don't you think it a fine idea?" She spoke animatedly.

"Indeed I do, but now for the business."

"Oh-but please tell me about the operation first!" Nathalie was afraid the doctor intended to put her off. "Tell me, will d.i.c.k really be good and strong again after he has the operation?"

The doctor gazed at her a moment with serious eyes and then said slowly, "Yes, Miss Nathalie, I believe that if your brother could have that operation he would be just as well as if this unfortunate accident had not happened."

"But what makes the operation necessary, and what would you do to him?"

she insistently demanded.

"Well, I am not going to tell you exactly what we would do to him. We shall not make hash of him-"

"Oh, Doctor!" exclaimed Nathalie with a shiver.

"But we will remove an unhealthy bone in his leg and replace it with a new one. I saw an infected finger joint removed the other day and replaced with a joint taken from one of the patient's toes."

"Oh, Doctor Morrow," cried the distressed girl, "you are kidding, as the boys say."

The doctor shook his head. "No, some years ago I might have been indulging in a yarn, but surgery has made great strides these last few decades, and cripples nowadays may be restored to health and strength by transplanting entire bones with their joint surfaces. This discovery was announced a short time ago by an eminent surgeon before the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery. Tests were made on dogs first, and the results were so satisfactory that the same methods have since been applied to the human body with like results.

"Hitherto bone transplantation had been attended with great stiffness and lack of power in the members treated, but now an infected hip joint may be removed in the same way, and replaced by healthy bones, and the functions work properly. But, young lady, I came here not to deliver a lecture on the transplantation of bones, but to ask you to do something for me."

CHAPTER XI-THE PRINCESS IN THE TOWER

"Do something for you? Oh, Doctor, I should just love to!" Surprise and pleasure caused Nathalie's eyes to light expectantly. And then, "Do tell me what it is; perhaps it is something I can't do!" she said doubtfully.

"Oh, you can do it all right," a.s.serted the doctor confidently.

"Remember the old adage, 'Where there's a will, there's a way.'" His eyes twinkled humorously as he watched the girl's face. "But let's get at the beginning of things. The other day as I was hastening to my little African friend, Rosy, I heard some one talking to her. I stood still, for it was some one telling the fairy tale of Jack and the Bean Stalk.

"Now when I was a wee laddie," continued the doctor, "that fairy tale was the star one to me, so I plead guilty, I was tempted and listened.

And then when I discovered that the Story Lady, as Rosy says, was a sometime friend of mine, I found that old tale doubly interesting. A few days ago, when talking to a patient, I happened to relate this little incident in connection with something else I was telling, and then my troubles began."

The doctor pretended dismay. "That lady has a crippled child who rarely goes out, never meets children of her own age, but is compelled a good part of the time to lie on a couch suffering more or less pain. This little girl was injured in an accident which her mother, poor creature, believes was her fault."

"Oh, how dreadfully she must suffer!" burst from Nathalie involuntarily.

"Yes, I sometimes think the poor mother suffers more than the child. Now this mother, from a mistaken idea, believes it best to keep her child secluded, thinking that the comments of strangers would hurt the child's feelings and cause more suffering. So you see what a miserable life the little one leads. Well, I must cut my tale short-" taking out his watch and glancing at it; "perhaps it was something I said, I don't know, but this lady asked me if I thought the young lady who was so good at story-telling would be willing to come and amuse her child with stories.

You see I was in for it, but all I could do was to say I would ask her,"

the doctor's eyes sobered, "for I believe that this Story Lady girl is not only a worth while girl-is that the way my wife puts it when she lectures you?" the doctor's face had wrinkled into a smile again, "but that she has one of the kindest hearts in the world."

"Oh, Doctor, Mrs. Morrow never lectures," answered Nathalie enthusiastically; "she just talks to us in the sweetest way; we just love to hear her. But, Doctor, why did you not tell the lady I would be only too glad to tell her little girl stories, but if she suffers so much it might tire her." This was all said in one breath.