GI Brides (7 page)

“I am!” said Angelica. “I’m
very
quiet.”

“Me, too!” said the little boy in a subdued tone.

“Very well, then,” said Lexie. “Rule number one is that everything must proceed very quietly, no running nor pushing nor shoving. Rule number two—no dropping shoes noisily, nor fighting for hairbrushes. Rule number three—you must not leave your clothes on the floor. Lay them nicely on the chairs at the foot of the beds. You will find your nightclothes each lying on your cots. Put them on smoothly and get quietly into bed. I will watch the clock and see which gets in first, and afterward if you are still quite quiet I will award the two prizes. Angelica gets the first chance to wash while Gerry takes off his shoes and stockings and puts them nicely by the chair. Then Gerry takes his turn washing, and the hands and faces must be clean, and I mean
clean
, you know. Now, are you ready? If you are, go stand on the edge of that board in the floor and watch my raised hands. When I drop them, you may start. Ready?”

The two children scuttled across the room and toed the crack in the floor, watching her eagerly, silently. Lexie thrilled as she saw their interested faces. Then she dropped her hands.

“Go!” she said quietly.

Gerald dropped silently to the floor and went at the knot in his shoestring, while Angelica scurried to the bathroom. Silently, swiftly, earnestly they worked. Lexie was astonished that her game had interested them. From what she had seen of the children so far, she had not dared to hope that it would.

Angelica was back in a trice, and Gerald gave a last yank to his shoestring and dashed to take his place at the washbowl.

In five minutes those two children were snuggled in their cots under the blankets awaiting the prizes with eagerness, and there hadn’t been a single argument about which cot should be occupied by which child!

Lexie brought a large chocolate drop to Angelica, and gave the little boy his choice between another and a date. He chose the chocolate, and both lay happily licking their chocolates while their tired young eyes blinked into quick sleepiness, and it wasn’t many minutes before both were sound asleep.

“Well,” said Elaine jealously, “what in the world did you do to them? I never saw them succumb so quickly. Did you give them a box of candy apiece, or administer a sleeping tablet?”

“Neither,” whispered Lexie, laughing. “We played a game of going to bed. I’ll teach you how tomorrow. Now, do you want anything yourself before you go to sleep? Do you want something more to eat or drink, or are you going right to sleep?”

“No, I don’t want anything more to eat. I want you to go out somewhere and telephone to that lawyer. That’s the first thing on the docket. And next I want you to go wherever you keep such things, and bring me all of Mamma’s private papers. I want to look them over before the lawyer gets here.”

Lexie stood still a moment and faced her sister quietly. Then she said: “Sorry! That’s impossible! I will not ever telephone that man! I can’t stop
your
trusting him, but I can refuse to have anything to do with the matter. And if you persist in it, I shall simply have to go away and leave you. I cannot have anything to do with Bettinger Thomas.”

“Oh, how silly and unkind and prejudiced you are! I didn’t think you’d be unkind when I’m so ill! I can’t see why you couldn’t call him up and just say I wanted to see him. He’ll understand. He knew I was going to call him. I sent him a telegram and told him I would call. You needn’t let him know who you are.
Please,
Lex, do it
for me
!”

“No, Elaine, it’s for your sake that I can’t do it. I know him to be a bad, unprincipled man, and I’ll save you from him if I can.”

“You mean you’ll do everything to save the money for yourself,” sneered Elaine. “Well, if you won’t do that, please go somewhere and telephone for a nurse. I’ve got to have one
tonight
.”

“No, Elaine, I can’t do that either. The only place near here where they have a telephone is down at Mrs. Hadley’s, and she has gone to stay a week with her daughter in New York.”

“Well, surely you can go down to the drugstore and phone.”

“Elaine, if you were dying and the only thing that would save you was a nurse, I’d go at the risk of my life. But you’re not dying, and what you need is some sleep. No nurse could get out here anyway tonight. You know we are a long way out, and—really, Elaine—I’m just about all in. I feel as if I couldn’t drag another step.”

“Oh really?” I don’t see what you’ve done to make you tired. You’ve simply been loafing here all day, haven’t you? I didn’t think you were so selfish! Well, anyway, if you’ll go wherever you keep such things and find Mamma’s papers right now, I’ll be satisfied. I couldn’t sleep until I have a chance to look them over.”

Lexie looked at her sister sadly.

“I’ve told you twice that there are no papers. The only paper I know anything about is the deed of this house, and that is in a safe-deposit box in the bank out where my college is. It is absolutely the only paper I have that has anything to do with any financial matters. If you don’t believe me you’ll have to do what you want to, but I’m going to bed! I’m just done out!”

Lexie walked out of the room to her own, and wrapping the only unused blanket about her she dropped wearily down on her bed, a few steps from the sleeping Bluebell.

A
lthough the relaxation was grateful to Lexie’s weary body, she did not fall asleep at once. She realized that her hard day was not yet over. There were things she must decide, many questions that she must settle now in the silent night while all her tormentors were asleep. In the morning she would have to have a settlement with her sister, and she must make up her mind beforehand just what attitude she was going to take and stick to it. That was the only way to manage Elaine. She knew that from her girlhood days.

First, there was the question of finances. Elaine must have some money—perhaps not much—or she would never have come all this way home. But she must have a
little
or she would not have produced some for that nurse and driver. If she had none at all, what were they to do? They had the house, of course, but could they even afford to keep the house going if there was no money to run it and nothing to buy food with? Elaine would have to consider that. She wasn’t altogether devoid of common sense when she could be gotten down to facts, but at present her mind seemed to be filled with the idea that there was a large sum of money that her father had left and to which she had a right. Until she got over that obsession, there wasn’t much she could hope to do with her. But must she go on this way from day to day and wait until Elaine came to her senses? Definitely the question of money was first. She must settle with Elaine the first thing in the morning. But above all, she must
not
give up her college and her job unless it became absolutely necessary.

Before dawn began to creep into the window and lay rosy fingers on the old wallpaper above the bed, Lexie had fallen into an uneasy sleep. In the near future, there was still a relentless sister and three terrible infants who were determined to bend the earth to their wishes. But a new day was coming that undoubtedly would be tempestuous, with decisions to be made that would be difficult, yet in spite of them all she
must
go on, through whatever was in store for her reluctant feet. She must go on and
conquer,
doing what was in the Almighty’s plan for her life. She must not be blinded by darkness, nor fire, nor opposition of any sort. It was a war perhaps between her sister and herself, but she must remember that Elaine was the daughter of her own father, and there was a certain obligation upon her as the daughter of a beloved father to treat his other daughter with all kindness and unselfishness, even if Elaine persisted in being selfish toward her. It was what was
right
, not what she
wanted.
It was—it
had
to be—what God, if He cared about such things at all, must expect of her! Just why she felt that way, she didn’t know. But she did, and so she must go on. Even if it meant eventually that she would have to come back and nurse Elaine, and try to get along with those terrific children! Of course it wouldn’t be so hard to get along with the children if she had a right to order their lives and make them behave, but Elaine would never stand for that.

When Lexie at last awoke and adjusted her mind to the present day with its problems, she got up hurriedly and tiptoed out of the room. Bluebell was still asleep and looked very sweet without the petulance of the new day upon her yet. But Lexie couldn’t afford to stop and admire her young niece. She went downstairs, started some cereal, fixed a tray for Elaine, and set the table with as little ceremony as she possibly could. Whatever this new day turned out to be, it was certain it would be very full, and she must not be lavish with dishes that would have to be washed.

The family was tired and had not been used to arising early, so Lexie had a chance to get a real breakfast herself. Toast and scrambled eggs, the lunch she had prepared for herself the day before and hadn’t eaten. It would taste good now, and give her a new heart of hope for the day’s worries. Besides, she would have opportunity to go over quietly her resolves of the night before and check up on them. See if they were really wise in the light of day.

Lexie had washed her own cup and plate and written a list of a few things she ought to get at the grocery when she heard the children waking up. She hurried upstairs and endeavored to greet them and enthuse them with the game-spirit that had worked so well the night before, but they were cross and utterly alien again. So with a mere bright word for them to get quickly dressed and come down to breakfast, she hurried back to the kitchen and prepared a generous dish of cereal and another of scrambled eggs, got out the bottle of milk she had saved for morning, squeezed orange juice enough for four glasses, finished the tray for Elaine, and took it upstairs, setting it beside Elaine’s bed. She seemed to still be sleeping; so she summoned the half-dressed children in a whisper, and they all went down to breakfast.

While they were eating she talked to them.

“Your mother is sick,” she said gently.

“Naw, she ain’t sick,” announced Gerald. “She’s just kidding you. She gets up and walks around whenever you go downstairs.”

“I wouldn’t say that, Gerry. She’s probably trying to help all she can. Now listen. There is a great deal to do today. I wonder if you three couldn’t help a bit? Will you try?”

“What are we to do?” inquired Angelica coldly.

“Well, first, trying to be as quiet about everything as possible so you won’t make your mother worse. She doesn’t feel at all well, you know.”

“Will there be a prize?” asked the little girl.

“Well, there might be,” said Lexie thoughtfully. “I hadn’t thought of that. I felt you would like to do this for your mother’s sake.”

“Why?”
asked the child with a hard look in her eyes.

Lexie was startled. Did any children feel such an utter lack of care for their mother that the thought of doing anything for her sake made no appeal? What should she say? But Angelica was waiting with hard impish eyes for an answer.

“Why, just because she’s your mother, you know.”

“Oh!
That!
” said the Angel-child. “That’s no reason at all.” But suddenly the conversation was interrupted by a sharp call from Elaine.

“Here are some apples and pears you can have when you finish your scrambled eggs and toast,” said Lexie. “Now, sit quietly while I’m gone, and we’ll see what will come next. I’ve got to go to your mother.”

She hurried upstairs.

“Have you sent for a nurse, Lexie? Or have you changed your mind and called my lawyer? I want to get him before he goes out. And you better give an order to have a phone put in right way, then we won’t have to bother you to go downtown every time we turn around.”

For answer, Lexie quietly closed the door and sat down.

“Elaine, there are a few things we have got to talk about before I do anything more.”

“Oh
indeed
! Well, make it snappy! I’ve got my mind on important matters.”

“
This
is important. It’s about money, Elaine. Have
you
got any? You know we can’t do anything without money. Not even telephone. I told you last night how much money I had, and I spent nearly all of it to get those things for supper and breakfast. Now I think we ought to have an understanding. How much money have you got?”

Elaine stared at her disagreeably.

“That’s none of your business!” she said angrily. “We’ll have money enough when you fork over what your mother salted down. And until then you can
charge
things.”

“I’m afraid not,” said Lexie. “People are not giving charge accounts much anywhere, not new ones anyway, and if you have had them a long time you have to pay your bills every month
on time
or the government steps in and closes your account for you.”

“Oh
really
? I doubt it. I think we can get by!” said Elaine in a superior tone. “You just charge whatever I ask you to get, and I’ll take the consequences.”

“Does that mean you haven’t any money, Elaine? Because
I
really haven’t. My ticket is bought back to college. I got a round-trip. And my board is paid at college. That is, I have a job working so many hours in the dining room that covers my board and room till commencement is over. And I have a job, a good one, as I told you, after I graduate, but it is dependent upon my graduation. So, you see, it is important that I get back to college as soon as possible. That is why I am asking about money. Have you enough to take care of yourself and the children and look out for your nurse and everything if go back right away? I could of course wait till I could get somebody to stay with you and act as nurse.”

Elaine looked at her in amazed disgust.

“Do you mean that you would actually
desert
your poor sick sister and her poor little orphaned children and go running back to your old school, just so you can
graduate
? I never heard of such an unnatural girl as you have developed into!”