Miss Theodosia's Heartstrings Part 19

The gently stroking hand ceased its work. John Bradford caught the sweet face between his great palms and turned it upward to his.

"Dear!" he cried. He was a boy, she a girl. Love has no age. It swept over them, a young sweet tide. This man--this woman. There was no one else in the world then.

"Dear!" she whispered, matching her love-word to his, "and I never knew till a minute ago!"

"I always knew. The shirt had no part in it! I have loved you since the world began and the morning stars sang! You were made for me to love; all these years I have been waiting for you, dear."

"All these years!" she repeated a little sadly--"that reminds us. But we are not old! I won't be--I won't have you be! What is time, anyway?"

"Nothing!" He blew it away in a whiff of scorn. "What is anything but that I love you and you love me? We are just born now--this is our birthday! May I kiss you on your birthday, dear? Will you kiss me on mine?"

The clock must have stopped in very astonishment at this scandal of grown love playing young love. At any rate, there was only the sound of the young love in the room. The room sang with the beautiful sound of it.

It seemed a very long time afterward that John Bradford asked his man-question: "When?"

"When your book is written--the love story. Not till then."

"It's getting on beautifully!" he pleaded. "It never will be done.

There's going to be no end to the chapters."

"Mercy gracious! Where are you now?"

"The heroine has just said yes. The hero has just kissed her--he is just going to kiss her ag--"

"Mercy--mercy gracious!" Miss Theodosia's fair cheeks flooded pink. She held up a staying hand.

"Wait--till I get--get used to being a heroine! Am I? Was _that_ the love story?"

"That was the love story. I have been working on it every day. Some days I had set-backs--when the heroine flung things in my face about reformed doctors, and times like that."

"She took them back again, those things. She was a kind sort of a heroine."

"She was a dear. He wanted to kiss her when she took them back, those things. I had all _I_ could do to keep him from it. He was a tough sort of a hero to work with. I had my hands full."

"Did you love--did the hero love the heroine when they sat drinking cups of tea?"

"A little harder every cup."

"When they nursed the measles?"

"A little more every measle."

"When they went to the circus?" She drew a long, happy breath. "I like to have been that heroine! Dear, is it right to be as happy as this? For old folks, I mean--near-olds? Oughtn't we to knock on wood? Oh, I've just thought of Evangeline. What will Evangeline say?"

"Something Evangelical," he laughed. "I hope I'll be there."

CHAPTER VIII

Evangeline had excitements of her own. As though prizes for Best Babies were not enough, a new excitement began the very next day. Two excitements--one on the lovely heels of the other. Evangeline, gasping in the joyous throes of the first-comer, raced over to Miss Theodosia, as she had learned to race with troubles as well as joys. All the way she emitted sounds approximating steam-whistles. The very nature of the news she was carrying suggested the sounds she made carrying it.

"The elegantest thing has happened--I mean's goin' to!" She could not wait to get quite there, but sent her news ahead of her through the transmitting medium of air. Miss Theodosia, on her porch, sat dreaming her love's young dream--young, not old; not old!

"The elegant elegantest! He's goin' to be cured! He won't be deaf o'

hearin' any more! I mean he thinks he won't--I mean _he_--"

"Sit down on the step, dear. Count ten, then start again."

"Onetwothreefour--oh, I can't wait to get to ten! If your little brother had always been deaf o' hearin' an' a doctor looked into him with a spy-gla.s.s an' said I think this boy can be cured, I'm goin' to take him to a hospital an' have him operated when his mother is willin' if she gets home--I mean if she gets home when she's willin'--oh, I mean--"

"Yes, dear. Sit still. I understand, and I think she will be willing when she gets home, don't you? Oh, Evangeline, won't we all be happy to have Carruthers cured of his poor little deafness o' hearing! I know the doctor, and he knows ears! We'll trust him, Evangeline. He will do everything in the world there is to be done. And we'll stay at home and pray."

"Pray!" cried Evangeline. Her little thin face lifted to the blue heavens. "I've woke up right slap in the middle o' nights an' prayed: 'Oh, Lord, that made a little children an' forgot his ears, do somethin'

now--don't you think you'd ought to, O Lord? It don't seem fair not to.

He ain't ever heard Elly Precious crow, nor laugh--think o' that, dear Lord.'" The shrill voice dropped suddenly. "But He never." Evangeline sighed.

"Till now, dear--we hope He will now. He and the doctor who knows ears.

I thought you were so pleased and that you were--"

"Oh, yes'm, oh, I am! It was just--I was thinkin' how lovely Elly Precious's laugh sounds an' Carruthers not ever hearin' it. So far, I mean." Evangeline caught her courage again in both hands. "But he'll laugh 'nough more times when he can hear--I mean when Carruthers can.

Won't it be puffectly elegant!"

It was later in the same day when the second excitement struck the little House of Flaggs. Evangeline raced again across the separating green gra.s.s to Miss Theodosia. This time she went at reduced speed because she had Elly Precious over her shoulder. Miss Theodosia saw them coming and smiled.

"More news! I know it is puffectly elegant by Evangeline's face. Well, Evangeline?"

"Mercy gracious! Take him before I spill him! I'm so happy I joggle.

She's knittin' an' she's comin' home! I mean knittin' _enough_. She said 'my--dear--children--I--expect--to--be--home--to-morrow --Aunt--Sarah--is--better--an'--I--can't wait--to--see--you--your--mother--' Mercy gracious, when Stefana got to your mother, seemed as if I'd burst! We hollered it to Carruthers, an'

he burst! An' Elly Precious knows she's comin', I know he knows. Tickle him an' see how pleased he is!" Without comma or semicolon, to say nothing of periods, Evangeline panted on. Out of breath at last, her voice sat down an instant, as it were, to rest. It was up again in a moment.

"To-morrow is most to-day! It'll be to-day to-morrow! Oh, mercy gracious me! We're goin' to sweep under everything an' behind--every las' thing, under 'n' behind. She won't find a grain o' dust. An' Stefana's makin'

starch."

"Mercy gracious!" softly e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Miss Theodosia.

"I mean to eat in the dessert--corn-starch. We've begun to skim Elly Precious's bottles. You can eat thin bottles, can't you, darlin' dear, when Mother's comin' home? Corn-starch has to have cream on it--when Mother's comin' home!" She laughed joyously. All past and creamless corn-starches were a joke. Laughing at them was easy at this happy moment.

"Isn't it splendid Aunt Sarah went to knittin'? Mercy gracious, I hope she won't--won't drop a st.i.tch for Mother to have to stay an' pick up!"

Evangeline's laugh trilled out once more.

"Do you suppose you'd da.s.s to cut Elly Precious's hair, Miss Theodosia, while I danced like everything an' made faces? Dutchy, you know, in the back o' his neck--he's straggly now. I'd make awful faces--"

"I wouldn't 'da.s.s,' dear," smiled Miss Theodosia. "I never could cut fast enough and you never could dance hard enough--we'd hurt him."

"Well, she'll look at the front o' him first--never mind. We're goin' to put on that darlin' little ni'gown you made, for a dress--belt it in, you know, with a ribbon off the handle o' the clo'es-basket; Stefana's ironed it out. An' we're goin' to pin on his blue ribbon prize."