Read Ebook: Mary Louise Stands the Test by Sampson Emma Speed Armstrong Harry W Illustrator

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Ebook has 914 lines and 44422 words, and 19 pages

Said one among them--'Surely not in vain My substance of the common Earth was ta'en And to this figure, moulded to be broke Or trampled back to shapeless Earth again.'

Then said a Second--'Ne'er a peevish Boy Would break the Bowl from which he drank in joy; And He that with his hand the Vessel Made Will surely not in after Wrath destroy.'

After a momentary silence spake Some vessel of a more ungainly make: 'They sneer at me for leaning all awry: What! Did the hand then of the Potter shake?'

Whereat some one of the loquacious Lot-- I think a Sufi pipkin--waking hot-- 'All this of Pot and Potter--Tell me then Who is the Potter, pray, and who the Pot?'

'Why,' said another, 'Some there are who tell Of one who threatens he will toss to Hell The luckless Pots he marr'd in making--Pish! He's a Good Fellow, and 'twill all be well.'"

"That expresses what I want to say better than I ever could," said Mary Louise. "I can't blame anybody very much because he or she may have been marred in the making."

"Right dangerous doctrine for us to practice in regard to ourselves," said Josie. "It's all right to feel that way about the other fellow, but, if we get to feeling that way about ourselves and excusing our every fault because we were made that way, we'd be a mighty lopsided bunch. For my part, I'd rather think of myself as wet clay--never dried and baked--always wet and pliable, and with it my own job to mould myself into some kind of useful and even beautiful shape. I don't want to blame a soul but myself for my shortcomings." She put a book back in place with a vigorous push.

Mary Louise had come to the Higgledy Piggledy Shop to try to throw off some of the misery and gloom she felt enveloping her. She longed to tell Josie about her predicament, but Elizabeth Wright was present and Irene had just come gliding in her wheel chair from the dumb waiter, an arrangement Danny had perfected so that the lame girl could come to the shop whenever she wanted to and not be dependent on anyone to be carried up stairs. Entering from the rear of the building, she merely wheeled herself into the large dumb waiter and, with a few pulls of the rope, landed on the second floor.

Mary Louise shrank from discussing her trouble concerning her grandfather with Irene because of the fact of her living next door and of Uncle Peter Conant's being such a friend of Grandpa Jim. The poor girl had become very sensitive and, because of Colonel Hathaway's feeling against Danny, feared perhaps his friends were sharing that feeling. She was sure her grandfather quite freely expressed his opinion of Danny to anyone who would listen to him. That in itself was very unlike Grandpa Jim, who had always been reticent about his affairs even with an old and tried friend like Mr. Peter Conant.

Josie has such a level head. Perhaps she could suggest something to do. At least, it would be a relief to talk it over with her. It seemed strange and wrong for anything to have come into her life that she could not discuss with Danny, but she felt that it would be rank disloyalty to poor Grandpa Jim if she mentioned the trouble to him. It was plain to see that the young man was puzzled and hurt by the Colonel's treatment of him and now was becoming irritated and impatient. It seemed absurd to accuse Colonel Hathaway of being not quite himself since the stand he had taken in regard to his grandson-in-law was the only evidence of it. He attended to his affairs as usual, looking after his investments with punctilious care, clipping coupons, seeing that his property was kept up with all repairs necessary, and reinvesting his money as bonds matured. He had even made quite an extensive sale of real estate, selling at a large profit and investing the money to great advantage, so he declared, in some mines. This particular investment had caused Mary Louise more sorrow than she had known before in all her life. It seemed to the girl that even the death of her mother had not brought such intense suffering.

The Colonel had come home after selling a large number of bonds, loudly proclaiming, "I'll tie it up, too, so that rascal can't get his clutches on it. The worthless fellow!"

Mary Louise did not understand that her Danny was the rascal and worthless fellow and had asked in some astonishment "What rascal, Grandpa Jim?"

And he had answered sadly, "You poor child, I mean your husband."

She had burst out crying and Colonel Hathaway had taken her action as proof that she was being abused by Danny and had continued his invectives against that innocent and long suffering young man. Vainly Mary Louise had endeavored to stem the flow of his abuse.

"Women always take up the defense for their worthless husbands," he had said, "but it makes no impression on me. He is a rascal and I don't care who knows I think so."

Danny had overheard the remark and it had added fuel to the fires of his resentment. He had rushed from the house without waiting for dinner, and Mary Louise regretted the fact that he had given the front door an ear-splitting slam. This gave Colonel Hathaway a real grievance which be aired during the miserable meal that followed. As soon as it was over, Mary Louise had fled to the Higgledy Piggledy Shop.

"How is everybody?" called Irene as her chair rolled smoothly across the floor. It was the best one of its kind that could be bought and moved so easily that the girl could wheel herself many city blocks without the least fatigue. It was a present from Colonel Hathaway, with whom the lame girl was a great favorite. He was constantly doing something kind for her.

"We are fine," answered Josie, "and glad to see you. A job of mending has come in that must be done immediately. It beats me how rich people wait until the last minute to attend to their own affairs and then come with a great rush for poor people to do their part. It is a set of real lace curtains--exquisite things--but there are many small breaks to be darned and Mrs. Sears wants it rushed through as fast as possible so they can be hung in time for the reception she is giving next week. She might just as well have brought them six weeks ago," grumbled Josie.

"Well, I guess I can do them in time," laughed Irene. "Let me see them. Why, I'll have to appliqu? these corners on net. Just see how shot with holes they are! Anyhow, it is easier to appliqu? than to darn."

"It all seems terribly hard to me. I can mend only with hammer and nails and a glue-pot," declared Josie. "I suppose you want me to go out and match the net. Let me see the mesh."

"That would be mighty good of you," said Irene. "Do you want me to give you a tiny sample? I could snip it off under the casing at the top."

"No, I can remember it! That's the kind of memory I have and so had my father. He had a photographic mind and I seem to have one too. Come on, Mary Louise, and go with me."

Josie's keen eye had seen from the first that something was worrying her dear friend and she divined that her advice and sympathy were wanted and that Mary Louise had been disappointed to find Elizabeth in the shop. She had also detected a shade of annoyance at Irene's entrance. It had taken sharp perception indeed to realize this, for Mary Louise's manner had been as courteous as ever with the other girls and her greeting as affectionate. But little escaped the sharp eyes and ears of Josie. The warp and woof of the lives of her acquaintances were as clearly defined in her mind as the net of the curtains she was to match. Something was wrong with the tapestry Fate was working on the life of dear Mary Louise. Josie knew it for sure and she determined to find out if possible and to help her if she could.

JOSIE INTERVENES

"What is it, honey?" asked Josie as they left the rickety old building, the second floor of which was occupied by the Higgledy Piggledy Shop.

"What's what?" asked Marie Louise.

"What's the matter?"

"The matter?"

"Yes, honey, you can't fool your great-aunt Josie! There is something that is making you pale and thin and sad-eyed--something that keeps your eyes swimming in tears half the time. There is no use in pretending you didn't come down to the shop to see me alone if possible and talk over something that is worrying you to death. Now is there?"

Mary Louise smiled, "Well--y-e-e-s! But how did you know?"

Mary Louise breathed a sigh of relief. It was rather nice to have Josie be so direct and uncompromising and businesslike. She had come to see her in hope of getting a word alone with her, but, when the opportunity arose, she had half determined not to take advantage of it. She had not known just how to begin and now Josie had taken the bit between her teeth and there was nothing to do but sit tight and let Josie have her way.

"I know you hate to start but you'll feel better when once you begin. Is it something about Danny?"

"Partly!"

"Anyone else?"

"Grandpa Jim!"

"Aren't they getting along as well as they used to?"

"Oh, Josie--I am nearly dead about the way Grandpa Jim is treating Danny. I can't make it out at all. He used to be crazy about Danny and wanted me to marry him and seemed to love him like a real son--but lately he is so strangely unkind to him."

"How does Danny take it?"

"At first, his feelings were hurt and he didn't know what to do about it, but now he is angry and impatient and just sees as little of Grandpa Jim as possible. He hardly ever comes home to dinner and, when he does come home, it is awful because Grandpa Jim makes the most terrible insinuations about money and all kinds of things and Danny just flings himself out of the house and then Grandpa Jim says he is neglecting me. Whenever I go anywhere with Danny, Grandpa Jim gets furious with him and says Danny monopolizes me so that I have no time to give to my poor old grandfather who has made every sacrifice for me."

"The Colonel is nutty, just plain nutty, I think," suggested Josie without mincing matters in the least.

"Oh don't say it! Please don't say it!" cried Mary Louise. "He is as clear headed as can be and attends to his business just as he always has and he plays chess with Uncle Peter and can beat him as often as he gets beaten. A man who was not quite in his right mind couldn't do that."

"Well, honey, I should think you would rather your old grandfather was off his bean a bit than just plain mean and cantankerous. I fancy you think I put it pretty baldly," noticing how her friend winced at her words, "but I see no other way to put it. Have you talked it over with Danny?"

"Oh, Josie, I just can't talk it over with him because it would be so disloyal to poor Grandpa Jim! Think of all he has done for me! Think of what he sacrificed for my mother and how he was willing to go on and sacrifice himself forever for me if it had not been for the wisdom of your dear father."

"Yes, honey, I am thinking of that. Don't you know your grandfather loves you better than anybody in the world and he would die rather than hurt you, that is, if he is in his right mind? Don't you realize that this poor old man who is deliberately wounding you every moment of the day--because he would ordinarily know that there can be no wound deeper than the one he is inflicting when he says hard things about your husband--don't you know that this is not your real grandfather but a sick man, your grandfather with his brain not functioning properly? Just as my father refused to let your grandfather go on sacrificing himself uselessly for your poor mother, who had passed beyond his care and solicitude, so I am trying to make you see that you must not let your dear Danny be sacrificed just because you refuse to face the truth."

"Josie, you are hard on me!"

"So I am, but not as hard on you as you are on yourself. Can't you see, Mary Louise, you are being as unfair to Grandpa Jim as you are to Danny? Can't you see that the real Colonel Hathaway would die before he would do what he is doing if he had his senses about him? He really should see a doctor. Why don't you get that young Dr. Coles to look in on him?"

"It would make him furious. He likes Dr. Coles but, if he should come to see him professionally when he had not sent for him, he might be rude to him."

"Well a little rudeness isn't going to kill a nerve specialist. That's what Coles is I believe. Get him to come in a kind of friendly way and see if he thinks your grandfather is normal."

"You don't think it would be underhanded?"

"Sure it would be underhanded! But sometimes being underhanded isn't such a bad thing to be."

So persuaded by the astute Josie, Mary Louise agreed to stop at Dr. Coles's office and have a little talk with him concerning her grandfather.

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