WHEN ELSIE ARRIVED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 179, 21 August 1909, Page 3

WHEN ELSIE ARRIVED.

I was in the butlers .panfoy puttinj away the family's napkin-rings. Fo of course I knew we had to.have clcai napkins for every meal as long as Els': stayed. And if she were with us i week that would make a hundred an sixty-eight napkins in all, countin, three meals a day and eight people a the table." We owned 1 just four dozoi napkins, aad that meant—l figured i all out on a piece of paper—that til whole four dozen would haye to b' washed every other day. I went ou into the kitchen and explained it li Jt was enough, she said, all ill extra style I was 1 planning, without jiling on a week's .washing for ever; other morning. She sp.jd she's neve heard of >such tomniyrot, and if a nap kin wan clean enough for Tom am Tom's family, she guessed it was cleai enough for Tom's wife, whoever she was I was' simply incensed. "We won'i discuss it," I said with much dignity But I don't believe she heard me,' s!k was slamming the kettles about 6fl But I held my head up high and left the room, and I guess she knew I didn'l like her behaviour very much. Of course being housekeeper, I ought to have shown a little courage and not let a servant abuse. T would know enougl now. But that was a voa r ago. anil 1 ivas only fifteen. Besides. I was in holy ;error that Delia might at any moment ip and go. So I went straight to the idephose and called up the local stores ind ordered ten dozen napkins to be lent at once, Md *ll the rest of the lfternoon I.sat at -Ht'e sewing machine Kmining like rnadj though of coarse 1 cnew they should be done by hand. Before 'I go any further I might as veil explain who Elsie is. She's Tom's ,-oung wife, and up to this time we'd lot one of us laid eyes On her. Tom s the eldest in our big family and the irst to be married. So when he brought lis young bride home with him to see iis family you oan» imasriae the exciteaent we were alt fa. I'd bee# at work ixing up the old.houae for two -weeks. r inallv, father had let jne have the rawing-room "papered especially', and or three days now I had had the sati?Hoiinn of knowing that every last touch md been completed, my bes't kimono reshlv Iniitideml in tlie cupboard, the our hand-embroidered towels that w 1 iwn in place on the waslistand, and a rand-new cake of French fasn't woing to have Tom ashamed of iis old home, and I wasn't going to have Clsie get the idea it ivae a case of liPck to .ttie innd/'

They were <l«e Ht ei«hi o'clock thfltl nisrht. I had ft alt planned Uiat fathor and Alec would mwt HieJii at Hie station. n*id I'd stav at flie hoHse «nd rradr to srcpf thorn there. 1 did wi*h had ? ennohmnn then and fc'ome jiood horses. U do«s sppm sneh n shf\nie 1o have such a T»i<j stnble with all the stalls *tnpt\' and the fine old enrriaues standins/ H-rotmd all out of j=Mp. jyathpr* in<t dii Q t. Thev' used to he {jrent to t»lhv hou*'p'in. -Jmt 'T do wish we could Hoor them out now and fHI the place up with sftmeMn? new. Fnthe r fceons one horse out ami t«kes care of it, himsolf. Tlie twins. Oliver and Malcolm, my rounarer hrothers. vere tn the dininof* room the dnrV. Iteeninff vr«to1». Aid! when Oliver hollered out. "They're comin?. Boh." T felt positively weal: all pver. However, I went out into the

I hall and turned up the light that hadn't been working for a year, and waited with the door open. 'Go on down and help theui with the, bags," 1 said, to the twins as goon asi the carriage drew up to the kerb, and! then in a minute we were all in th«s! narrow, hall in a confused bunch. Oliver and Malcolm with the suit-eases, audi Ruth (she's the youngest and only ten)' and Alec and father, and the same old | Tom saying, "Hello, Bobbie, old girl," j to me, and last of all, Elsie, tall and, ! quiet and pale, just as I knew she'd be, I | and exactly like her picture. . •'Well, here they all are, Eleie," 1 heard Torn say. "Malcolm" and Oliver, and Bobbie, who is the mother of us,' and Toots, the baby" She came fur-j ward and shook hands with the boys, and when she got to me she kissed me. j I'd never been so near such a beautiful set of Russian sables in my life, \ad somehow > all her grace and composure teemed to swoop down upon me, and. honestly, I never felt quit so awkward. After she kissed Ruth she tuned around and said in the quietest, lowest voice I ( ver heard. '*l know you a.l already, for Lester has told me all about you."

.Lester! That sounded too absurd. No one ever called Tom anything but just plain Tom, although his middle name is Lester and he writes under the name of T. Lester Val's. The pause tfter her remark about Lester was •simply deathly, but Alec, who always comes to the rescue, said easily enough, "Let's come in ami sit down." But there was none of the Vara hail-fellow's-well-met air about it. We all distributed ourselves somehow about the sit-ting-room and began talking in the £>tifi'est, most formal way imaginable about the trip, and the wedding which none of us could go to because Elsie lived so far away. X don't know wny we couldn't be natural, but Elsie, jitting there so perfectly at case and smiling and talking to gracefully, made us appear like great awkward creatures before a princess. I was simply furious ?vi k Ol . * or making us appear that way. in the world couldn't Tom have married someone like ourselves? Whenever. he came home before we had such a ripping good time, all talking and laughing at once. But I knew if we acted in our usual hilarious way this delicate little flower would think we were perfect Indians.

I was very much surprised at Tom when he said, as if -we were all alone, "Come on, Bibbie, bring on the apples." You see, it is one of our customs whenever Tom came home to sit up awfully late and eat apples, father paring them with an old kitchen knife. But, of course, I wasn't going to have apples, to-night of all times', passed around in quarters on the end of a knife. So when Tom asked me that, I said as quietly ae possible for I really was catching Elsie's manner "Not apples to-night, Tom. I ordered a little chocolate. , I'll speak to Nellie." I had got out our best chocolate cups and told Delia to make some cocoa and whipped cream, and had oipened a tin of dess'ert biscuits. Everything was all ready on a tray in the dining-room, so I went out and told Nellie to bring it in. When she appeared, holding the"big tray oiit before her, I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. She looked terribly funny, for she had never worn a cap before, and it didn't seem to go with her style. It was sticking straight up on the top of her grey tuft of hair, like a bird on the end of a flagpole. I saw Malcolm and Oliver begin to giggle. I simply killed them with a look, and began stirring my chocolate. When Nellie came to Tom he said to ■her, "Hello, Nellie," and though I'd told her to be sure to address him as,' Mister (Tom, she got it mixed up somehow, and said, "How do you do, Mr. Vara?" and father, who heard her come out with his name, said, "Did you 6 peak to me, Nellie?" "Mr. Vars," she replied, "I didn't. I was speaking to Tom." Nellie never woul'd call us Mister and MisJs. To this day she calls me plain Lucy. It's really awfully embarrassing. But it couldn't be helped, and I thought Elsie might as well get the shock over first as last.

, Late that night as I was turning out my light, and after I had set my alarm clock for a quarter to six (for I thought I'd better get up early and see how things were going), Malcolm and Oliver pushed open my door and'came in, and behind them Alec on hi* way up to bed. "Hello, Bobbie," they said, grinning. "Close the dooT," I whispered. And then I wrapped myself up in my dress-ing-gown and crawled up on the bed. They came over and all sat down around me. "Well,"- I said, "what do you think of her?" "Did you see the diamond pendant?" Malcolm began. "It was a ripper." "Tom gave her that for a weddi.ig present," Oliver explained.

"He did!" "I was amazed. "Plain Tom throwing about diamond pendants like Mint!' 1

"He'l! have to, to live iif> to being called Lester. Did you hear that?" "Did I? Isn't it too silly? I hate slidi airs! We sta-nd for good, plain things, and why couldn't Tom get something plain?" "It's probably rough on her," said Oliver, "coming here and finding us such a common lot."

I flared .right up at that. "Don't you dare talk like that, Oliver. Don't you dare humiliate yourself. We're just as good as she is. It's brains that count." "She's not so tad on the looks'." Malcolm went on, "but, golly, I'd like to see her play a game of hockey." * ! oh, come- to bed," said Alec, who hadn't said a word, and hardly ever does unless it's a good one; "come on to bed aTid let the general manager here get a little rest. Good-night, Bobbie," he said, coming up to inc and giving ine a ittle good-natured push so that I toppled over on the lied. Jfalcolm and Oliver each grabbed a pillo\y. "Good-night, angel!" they sang out cheerfully as t|iey jammed them at nir hard. I heard them dasfy out of the room ijid slam the door wit)i a liang. Xice old brothers I We Vars never waste much time 111 kissing, but we understand each other all right. In the morning "before breakfast, about -eight o'clock, when I was out in the kitchen supervising tilings, there suddenly broke upon us a very queer noise. It sounded like a cat trying to meow when it had a fearful cold. It startled me awfully, and Delia gave a terrible jump. "Good heavens'! what's that?" said

she. T investigated, ami after a ]ititle I discovered the cause. Years ago we had some sort of a boll system that conrcetefl all the i-pom* 171 the.house with an indicator in the kitehoji. Wo hadn't used it for a long time, and T supposed tlie whole svstem was' just a<s dilapidated as tlie stable.

"Ivlsio has ru.i# for you." T said f o Vellie. thankful 'with nil my heart that the old thing had worked. I knew that Tom was already downstairs. so of course he wasn't there lo tell iCWie that tlie old bell didn't mean anything. And I was glad of that. There was enough eis'e to apologise fop. "JYhen Nellie came back, I arid t "What did she want?' 1 I "She w'anted me to button up liar I blouse, rthl also to give me her IflUOI dry."

"laundry!" jraspcd Delia. T never could understand why Delia liat-ed washing so.

"Yes," T sail, turning to her. "laundry. T ,told 'lll's. I went on with .much nnthorjty, "- to put anv, soiled clothing she might have in ft yellow bag which I made to match the spare room, for this express purpose, for her to put to Jnundry in. That's only hospitality.'' I crossed the room. ' "And now yeu may put breakfast <jn, Delia," I finished, and went out,

After breakfast Nellie camo to me and said. "Delin wishes, to speak to you in the kitchen." My heart sank. T feit as X do a,t school when the principal sends for me to come to his office. I left Elsie in the study talkin" in hev lovely soft wav to father and Alee, and went quickly to the kitchen T found Beiia in the scullerv surrounded with a pile of filniv lacev tilings. She wns [holding up the most* sunerb lace sliirt. rows uiioii rows of insertion, simply I beautiful.

"T iust wanted to sqv." slic l>err,m. and h«r voice terrible, "that T ' lr "i't j stav if T hnve to wash these. Thcv aren-'t dirtv, .in the first nlace, and what's more. T'lll not WnpJovcd to wai'h company's' dollies, and what's more. J won't. And what's more still, T think v'nnM better look out for anothpr girl." T 'couldn't have received more depressing news. I hated licim ruled by a servant and T hated Josing her. "The wasbin" niiisi be dpne." T said: "(hit's settled." Del in dropped the skirt. "All risfht. T'lt do the waybill" to-dav," she said o'UMioiisly. "and I'll leave to-morrow ni"ht."

T iust wanted to sit down anrl en* and snv. "Oh. plenco he nice ahout it nnd Jieb> us out. Please <;tnv. oh. nlenc. nlease." "But T didn't do pnv such thine. T h ; .t m v lio h"rd nnd "-lid siot-lnnf. And -vhen T joined <he othorc in tho J 'Vst-; ni)t»orenMv Ujonvh within T conhl feel a Trent HU^ivhnvt'o. Tli n<i hntte I *. T me°n didn't eeem -to fit in. Father didn't

i for his slippers and lie in his big chair and smoke. The boys didn't rush in and romp with Ruth* and me. Alec didn't go around whistling as he always does,' out of tune. The first evening, about .mx, she came in from a drive that Tom had taken her.

"Lester lias been showing me everything." That name was enough ti dampen any ardour. "So I'm afraid I'm late for dinner," she went on. "Bat 111 hurry. It won't take me ten minutes! to dress."

f Dinner indeed! I wondered if she called the meal we had at noon just 'lunch. We've always had supper at night, and I hadn'.t intended changing I lor Elsie. But if she'd gone .upstairs to dress for it, I'd got to prepare something besides tea and sliced meat and toast, for all the trouble she was taking. I llew to the kitchen. We had a can of beef extract, and I told Delia to make soup out of that. Then I sent Ruth for some beefsteak, and got down a. can of peas for vegetables, and the sliced otanges which were already fixe,l would have to do for dessert. I rushed to my room and put oil my light-blue cashmere, which I only wear Saturday nights at dancing-school. An awful thing happened at dinner, in the lirst place, juvuig uinner u.l nigiii added to the strain tne laiuuy were ui< under, and I think mat's what lmiue Kellie so stupid and careless, i uun c know how it ever happened, but wneii she was passing the tyaat lo Elsie during the soup course, her cap got louae somehow, and I saw it witn my open eyes tall right on to tidies uread-anu-uuuer plate. Oliver, who just at nut moment had his mouth lu.l of soup, exploded, and, cougmng and shoking into lus napkin, had to get up and leave the table. Of course, tnat sent Malcolm oil' into on awful spasm,.and little Ruth •began to giggle, ,too. 1 could feel myself growing red, but no one laughed outright. Elsie was the first one to break; thi awful pause. This is what she said: "I've had the loveliest drive this afternoon, Lester took me around the reservoir. How old are the ruins' of that old mill on it»" '

Perhaps that was the most graceful way' to meet the situation, but I was longing to laugh, and so was everyone else. We couldn't think of old mills with that cap sticking on Elsie's butter. 1 heard father at the other end of the table answering her though, and we all of us somehow stuffed our emotions back into ourselves, and went on with the meal, Nellie, red in the face, carried the bread-and-butter plate away, Oliver slinked back into his place, and ' not one word was said about the terrible accident. ,

W'ljen I got him alone I said, "I'm sorry, Tom. Everything seems to be going entirely, wrong." It was the first time I'd been alone with him. He'd the oldest, and though he's gone away and got famous, he had always come home, just the same old sort of iperson. But this time we hadu't any of us seen him. He hadn't asked us how we liked Elsie, and I understood it was 'because he didn't have to.

"It's all right, Bobbie," he said, "only I wish she could see us as we really are." I could have cried somehow. I did so want Tom's 'wife to be the same splendid person Tom was. The crisis came the next day. At eleven o'clock in the morning 1 found Delia putting on her coat and hat, actually preparing to go. "What does this mean!" I asked.

"It means I'm going," she announced. "But the washing. Have you—!'' "No, 1 haven't, and what's more, I'm I not goinjj to." She was awfully mad. | I stood there just helpless before her. I "I have sent up to all the registry of-1 fices," I said, "and I can't get anyoue , to come until to-morrow night. I j thought, to accommodate us, you might be willing " She cut me right off. "Well,' I'm not. | No one accommodates me here, and I'mi not used to being treated like this. Two ' dinners a day, and up until all hours!" | It didn't seem to me that she had, half so mucji to stand as I had. I wished! I could clear out, too. I thought she! was very small and mean to leave me in j the lurch that way. I was on my way upstairs to break (lie news to Nellie, when Elsie called to me from the study. "Oh, Lucy," she said in her musical voice, "will there be time for me to run down to the post office with some letters before lunch!" I 'stalked into the room.. She was sitting at the desk, in her graceful, easy way, with a beautiful fine Frencli-ein-broidered lingerie blouse on that I'd be glad to own for very best, and gold beads about her,neck, and her hair, even in the morning, so soft and pretty and wavy. She had 'her feet crossed, and I took in the silk stockings and the patent leather shoes. I had a sudden desire to tear down all her beautiful appearance of ease and grace. "We don't have lunch at noon," I said bluntly. "We have dinner, just dinn;r. We've alwavs had dinner."

"Yes, I know," she began in her pleas, unt way. "People do very often in tin country." I couldn't bear her unruffled composure.

"Oh." [ said, bound to shock her, "it isn't because we're living in the coin-1 ivy. It's because we've plain people, I Ti|e rich families have dinner at night I 'f they live in the country or In Tendon.; But we," I said, glorying in it, "are not one of the ,-idi families. We have porridge fov breakfast, and bacon anil brown bread Saturday nights, and Saturday noons a boiled dinner, and we tove meat pie. Father came from . a favm. His was a good deal poorer than we ave now when he started. You see, tve're just common people. And so's Tom, Tom comes from just .neommon; j common, common family," 1 sqid, loving to repeat the word. . ■ j She was sitting with her arm thrown carelessly oyer the hack of tl|e cl|air, j and her gaze was opt of the west window, When I stqpped to see what ejfect my words had had, «'l|e just laughed a quiet, pleased laugh, and, mixed up with If, J beard her say, "Why, Lestej-'s the most uncommon man J ever met," 'And she blushed like eighteen. I went right on. < "We don't call him Lester, either," I said. • "We cut off all such He's plain Tom to us. 1 know how the plain way w« live must impress you, Who have been used to French maids and ringing the bell for everything you want, icnd I'm sorry for yon. But you inight as well wake up to the truth. • You see what a mess the house is in, and 'how Xollie won't call us Mister and Hiss', and how, if I'm on the third floor and she wants me she just yells. "And," I said, pointing out pj the window, "there goes Delia now, ■iiid there isij't a sign of a cook left in the house."

At that Elsie sat up straight. "Yfiu mean the cook is leaving von atone?" she asked. "Why, how horrid of her!" "Well, I tiling'/so,' top- J?!lt tl]erc she goes." "What wil| you dp?" Elsie was really excited. "Go?" I laughed. "Oh, I'll haye to

set to a[td cook, I suppose." > ]S[sie puf dfnvn l|er pen. "I can make vplondid pastry." she Said.' "Lot's"—her eyes fairly danced— I 'lot's get (Jin—supper ourselves. Telegraph to ilia men not to etime home this noon, and we'il he ready for t'liem to-night. I know how 10 make delicious cake." That'* the way it came about. I took lier out into the kitchen, and didn't try to cover i:p a tiling. She could see [■vervthing just as it was. I tore down all I 'had put up for appearances, and | let lier go to tile bottom of the flour: 'aire! if she wanted to. And she did. Covered with an old apron and her 'leeves rolled up, she was first in the iitclien-pantry looking into every cup-. ',<)afc!'\ind"box for currants, and then ■ailing to nip in tier 1 ' mps'ica] voice tfl oine here and taato some dough nnd see f I thought it needed more sugar; and ctually underneath the shelves of the eullery drawing out some old greas'v ish for u ])ie she was making. I took grim pleasure in it all. ■\Vc had supper at half-past six as sual. I don't know what made everything sp (li|fcre)jt : awfnl strain that, e'd ail felt the samo diiy'at fitcakta'it ad suddenly disappeared. I didn't tell hem Delia had gone. "These biscuits arc good, Lucy." father nid suddenly. ITe generally speaks of he food, but he hadn't once since Elsie :ad come. *

"Oh, do you think so?" said Elsie, all excitement. SJp'd made them. "I'm Ho glad-you'do." il«n she stopper], "There!" T'said. "I knew you.'d let it out. Elsie made them," I announced.

"Delia's gone." Elsie hurried to «ay. "4nd we-—" I put ii). "We got slimier." she finished proudly. "You and Bobbie?" gasped Alec. "Bobbie and you?" exclaimed Tom. i'Yes, yes." she said. "Tfia'l it nice! Bobble pealed the potatoes." "I'll take another biscuit," sang out Oliver.

"When do we gel to thr> pie?" asked Tom.

"Oh," said Buth. "make Malcolm st<v>. lie took a bun. and it isn't time for them."

JJntJicv iust chwUlcd and said. "Pre*f - 000(1. nrrltv moil!" and we nil lin-rlied

-Elsie'too. 1 tell yg|j jt good io be oatural agaist,

"Don't eat too much," said Elsie, "for the pie's coming." "This is a good deal' better than last night," said Alec, "when Nellie's cap foil iiuu your butter."

We" all, roared, and Elsie gasped: "Oh, I know—wasn't it funny? I was so frightened by you all then—l didn't know what to say. But now—oh, dear!" she said, and suddenly she turned to Kuth, who sat next to her, and put her arms right around her and kissed her. "Oil, lluthio," she said, "isn't it nice to know them all?" and I didn't know whether tile tears in her eyes were from laughing or crying. ' "Run and get my slippers'," said i'uther to Ruth, after supper; and all the evening he lay back in his cliaii and smoked and watched us all while we played and sang old school songs, and made fun of Malcolm and Oliver because they'd just 'bought their first bowler liats. It was eleven-thirty wh«n we went up to bed.

"Come here a minute, Bobbie," whispered Elsie to me, and I went into the spare room, "Do unbutton the back of this blouse," When I had finished she said, "I'll be down at six-thirty" (we were going to get breakfast, too), "and don't you dare to be late. I'm going to cook the bacon. You can make the porridge. Isn't it nice Delia left?" And slip kissed me as well as Ruth. That night the boys all came to my room again, I wrapped myself up in my dressing-gown, and we were just heiinning to talk when Tom'appeared. "Hello," he said, smiling all over. He came in and closed the door. "Well," he said, "what do you think of her?" And I knew he asked us because lie so well knew what we did think. But just the same I wanted to tell him. I shot out my bare, skinny arm at him. "Tom," I said, "I think she's a ripper." He first took my hand and then suddenly, very unlike the Vars, he put both arms around me tight. "Bobbie," he said, m a kind of- choked voice, "you're a little forick." And my goodness, I just had to kiss Tom then!—By Olive Prouty.