Jewel: A Chapter in Her Life Part 30

The child's face brightened, and she left the table with alacrity. Mr.

Evringham stood back to allow his guests to pa.s.s out. They went on to the drawing-room, where Mrs. Evringham's self-restraint was loosed.

"The plot thickens, Eloise!" she said.

"And we are not going away," returned the girl.

"Decidedly not," declared her mother with emphasis.

"There is no hope of our catching anything that Jewel has now," went on Eloise.

Her mother glanced at her suspiciously. "What, for instance?"

"Oh," returned the girl, shrugging her shoulder, "faith, hope, and charity."

Mrs. Evringham laughed. "Indeed! Is the wind in that quarter? Then with the Christian Science microbe in the house, there's no telling what may happen to you. Something more serious than a fever, perhaps." She nodded knowingly. "This sudden recovery looks very queer to me. I'd keep the child in bed if I were in authority. Some diseases are so treacherous.

There's walking typhoid fever, for instance. She may have it for all we know. I shall have a very serious talk with Dr. Ballard when he comes."

An ironical smile flitted over the girl's lips as she drifted toward the piano. "I judge from the remarks at the table, that the less you say to Dr. Ballard on the subject of to-day's experiences the better."

"I know it," indignantly. "I'm sure that child must have played some practical joke on him. I want to get to the bottom of it. What a strange little monkey she is! How long will father stand it? What did you think, Eloise, when she swooped upon him so suddenly?"

"I thought of just one sentence," returned the girl. "'Perfect love casteth out fear.'"

"Why in the world should she love him?" protested Mrs. Evringham.

"She would love us all if we would let her," returned Eloise, the phrases of "Vogel als Prophete" beginning to ripple softly from beneath her fingers. "I saw it from the first. I felt it that first evening, when we behaved toward her like a couple of boors. Any one can see she has never been snubbed, never neglected. She got out of the lap of love to come to this icebox. No wonder the change of temperature made her ill!"

"Why, Eloise, what has come over you? You never used to be disagreeable.

It's a good thing the child is amiable. It's the only thing left for a plain girl to be."

"No one will ever remember that she is plain," remarked Eloise.

Her mother raised her eyebrows doubtingly. "Perhaps your perceptions are so keen that you can explain how Jewel managed to telegraph to Chicago to-day," she said. "It reminded me of Dooley's comments on Christian Science. Do you remember what he said about 'rejucin' a swellin' over a long distance tillyphone'?"

"I can't imagine how she managed it," admitted Eloise.

Neither could Mr. Evringham. He had taken Jewel into his study now with the intention of finding out, deeming a secluded apartment more desirable for catechism which might lay him liable to personal attack.

As they entered the library he turned on the light, and Jewel glanced about with her usual alert and ready admiration.

"Is this your own, own particular room, grandpa?" she asked.

"Yes, where I keep all my books and papers."

The child's eye suddenly lighted on the yellow chicken, and she looked up at Mr. Evringham with a pleased smile. He had forgotten the chicken, and took the seat before his desk, glancing vaguely about to see which chair would be least heavy and ponderous for his guest. She settled the matter without any hesitation by jumping upon his knee. Jewel had a subject on her mind which pressed heavily, and before her companion had had time to do more than wink once or twice in his surprise, she proceeded to it.

"Do you know, grandpa, I think it's hard for Mrs. Forbes to love people very much," she said in a lowered voice, as if perhaps the walls might have ears. "I wanted to ask her yesterday morning if she didn't love me whom she had seen, how could she love G.o.d whom she hadn't seen. Grandpa, would you be willing to tie my bows?"

"To tie"--repeated Mr. Evringham, and paused.

The child was gazing into his eyes earnestly. She put her hand into her pocket and took out two long pieces of blue ribbon.

"You see, you're my only real relation," she explained, "and so I don't like to ask anybody else."

The startled look in her grandfather's face moved her to proceed encouragingly.

"You tie your neckties just beautifully, grandpa; and Mrs. Forbes does her duty so _hard_, and she wants to have my hair cut off, to save trouble." Jewel put her hand up to one short pigtail protectingly.

"And you don't want it cut off, eh?"

"No; and mother wouldn't either. So it would be error, and I'm sure I could learn to fix it better than I did to-night, if you would tie the bows. Just try one right now, grandpa."

"With the house full of women!" gasped Mr. Evringham.

"But none of them my real relatives," replied Jewel, and she turned the back of her head to him, putting the ribbons in his hands.

His fingers fumbled at the task for a minute, and his breathing began to be heavy.

"Is it hard, grandpa?" she asked sympathetically. "You can do it.

You reflect intelligence." Then in an instant, "Oh, I've thought of something." She whisked about, took the ribbons and tied one tightly around the end of each braid, then ducking her forehead into his s.h.i.+rt front, "Now put your arms around my neck and tie the bow just as if it was on yourself." Eureka! The thing was accomplished and Mrs. Forbes outwitted. The broker was rather pleased with himself, at the billowy appearance of the ribbon which covered such a mult.i.tude of sins in the way of bad parting and braiding. He took his handkerchief and wiped the beads of perspiration from his brow, while Jewel regarded him with admiring affection.

"I knew you could do just _anything_, grandpa!" she said. "You see,"

looking off at a mental vision of the housekeeper, "we could come in here every morning for a minute before breakfast, and she'd never know, would she?" The child lifted her shoulders and laughed softly with pleasure at the plot.

Mr. Evringham saw his opportunity to take the floor.

"Now Jewel, I would like to have you explain what you meant by saying that you telegraphed to Chicago to-day, when you didn't leave your bed."

She looked up at him attentively. "Ezekiel took it for me," she replied.

Mr. Evringham unconsciously heaved a sigh of relief at this commonplace information. His knowledge of the claims of Christian Science was extremely vague, and he had feared being obliged to listen to a declaration of the use of some means of communication which would make Marconi's discoveries appear like clumsy makes.h.i.+fts.

"But I think, grandpa, perhaps you'd better not tell Mrs. Forbes."

"How did you manage to see Zeke?"

"I asked his mother if he might come to see me before he took you to the train."

Mr. Evringham pulled his mustache in amus.e.m.e.nt. "Did he pay for the telegram?"

"Why no, grandpa. I told you I had plenty of money."

"And you think that Mrs. Somebody in Chicago cured you?"

"Of course not. G.o.d did."