The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine Part 20

"Where is he, then?" asked Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne.

"He's at your house, ma'am," replied the c.o.xswain.

"An' what, in the name of common sense, is he doin' at my house?"

exclaimed Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne, her eyes sparkling with amazement and indignation.

"Well, ma'am, for one thing," said the c.o.xswain, "he's had the front door painted."

"What!" cried Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne, in one breath.

"Yes," continued the c.o.xswain; "the parson said he hated to see men hangin' around doin' nothin'. An' then he looked about, an' said the paint was all wore off the front door, an' we might as well go to work an' paint that; an' he sent Jim to a shop to git the paint an'

brushes--"

"An' have 'em charged to me?" cried Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne.

"Yes, ma'am," continued the c.o.xswain. "An' Jim an' Bill holystoned all the old paint off the door, an' I painted it, havin' done lots of that sort of thing on s.h.i.+pboard; an' I think it's a pretty good job, ma'am--red at top and bottom, an' white in the middle, like a steamer's smoke-stack."

Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne looked at each other. "An' he told you to do that?" said Mrs. Lecks.

"Yes, ma'am," answered the c.o.xswain. "The parson said he never liked to be nowhere without doin' what good he could. An' there was some other paintin' he talked of havin' done, but we ain't got at it yet. I s'posed he was actin' under your orders, an' I hope I haven't done no wrong, ma'am."

"You're not a bit to blame," said Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne; "but I'll look into this thing. No fear about that! An' how did he come to go to my house?

An' how did he get in, I'd like to know?"

"All I know about that," said the c.o.xswain, "is what the gal that's livin' there told me, which she did along of askin' us if we was comin'

to live there too, an' if she should rig up beds for us somewhere in the top-loft; but we told her no, not havin' no orders, an' payin' our own way at the tavern. She said, said she, that the parson come there, an'

'lowed he was a friend of Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne's an' travelin' with her, an'

that if she was at home she wouldn't let him stay at no tavern; an'

that, knowin' her wishes, he'd come right there, an' 'spected to be took care of till she come. She said she felt uncertain about it, but she tuck him in till she could think it over, an' then we come an' certified that he was the parson who'd been along with Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne an' the rest of us. Arter that she thought it was all right, an', beggin' your pardon if we was wrong, so did Jim an' Bill an' me, ma'am."

"Now," exclaimed Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne, "if that isn't exactly like Elizabeth Grootenheimer! To think of Elizabeth Grootenheimer thinkin'! The Grootenheimers always was the dumbest family in the towns.h.i.+p, an'

Elizabeth Grootenheimer is the dumbest of 'em all! I did say to myself, when I went away: 'Now, Elizabeth Grootenheimer is so stone dumb that she'll jus' stay here an' do the little I tell her to do, an' hasn't sense enough to get into no mischief.' An' now, look at her!"

[Ill.u.s.tration]

She waved her hand in the direction of the invisible Elizabeth Grootenheimer.

Mrs. Lecks had said very little during this startling communication, but her face had a.s.sumed a stern and determined expression. Now she spoke:

"I guess we've heard about enough, an' we'd better be steppin' along an'

see what else Mr. Enderton an' Elizabeth Grootenheimer is doin'."

The homes of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne were not far from each other, and were situated about midway between the station and the village inn, and in the direction of these our party now started. Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne, contrary to her custom, took the lead, and walked away with strides of unusual length. Mrs. Lecks was close behind her, followed by the two Dusantes and myself, while the three mariners, who insisted upon carrying all the hand-baggage, brought up the rear. We stepped quickly, for we were all much interested in what might happen next; and very soon we reached Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne's house. It was a good-sized and pleasant-looking dwelling, painted white, with green shutters, and with a long covered piazza at the front. Between the road and the house was a neat yard with gra.s.s and flower-beds, and from the gate of the picket-fence in front of the yard a brick-paved path led up to the house.

Our approach had been perceived, for on the piazza, in front of the gaily painted door, stood Mr. Enderton, erect, and with a bland and benignant smile upon his face. One hand was stretched out as if in welcome, and with the other he gracefully held the ginger-jar, now divested of its wrappings.

At this sight Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne made a simultaneous dash at the gate; but it was locked. The two women stamped their feet in fury.

"Put down that jar!" shouted Mrs. Lecks.

"Elizabeth Grootenheimer! Elizabeth Grootenheimer!" screamed Mrs.

Ales.h.i.+ne. "Come here and open this gate."

"Break it down!" said Mrs. Lecks, turning to the sailors.

"Don't you do it!" exclaimed Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne, throwing herself in front of it. "Don't you break my gate! Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"

"My friends," said Mr. Enderton, in clear, distinct tones, "be calm. I have the key of that gate in my pocket. I locked it because I feared that on your first arrival you would hurry up to the house in a promiscuous way, and give heed to irrelevant matters. I wished to address you in a body, and in a position where your attention would not be diverted from me. I hold here, my friends, the receptacle containing the money which, under a misapprehension, was paid for our board while on a desert island. This money I have taken care of, and have carefully guarded for the benefit of us all. Unfortunately, objections have arisen to this guardians.h.i.+p, which were forwarded to me by telegraph; but I have not heeded them. If you cannot see for yourselves the propriety of my a.s.sumption of this trust, I will not now undertake to enlighten you.

But I hope there is no necessity for this, for, having had time to give the matter your fullest attention, I doubt not that you entirely agree with me. I will merely add, for I see you are impatient, that the sum which will fall to the share of each of us is comparatively insignificant and in itself not worth striving for; but what I have done has been for the sake of principle. For the sake of principle I have insisted that this money should be received by its rightful owners; for the sake of principle I a.s.sumed the custody of it; and for the sake of principle I shall now empty the contents of this jar--which by me has not been examined or touched--upon the floor of this piazza, and I shall then proceed to divide said contents into five suitable portions--the three mariners, as I understand, having paid no board. The gate can then be opened, and each one can come forward and take the portion which belongs to him or to her. The portion of my daughter, whom I saw pa.s.s here in a carriage, going, doubtless, to the inn, will be taken charge of by myself."

"You man!" shrieked Mrs. Lecks, shaking her fist over the fence, "if you as much as lift that paper of fish-hooks from out the top of that ginger-jar, I'll--"

Here she was interrupted by the loud, clear voice of Mr. Dusante, who called out: "Sir, I require you to put down that jar, which is my property."

"I'll let you know," said Mrs. Lecks, "that other people have principles!"

But what more she said was drowned by the voice of Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne, who screamed for Elizabeth Grootenheimer, and who was now so much excited that she was actually trying to break open her own gate.

I called out to Mr. Enderton not to make trouble by disturbing the contents of the jar; and even Miss Lucille, who was intensely amused at the scene, could be heard joining her voice to the general clamor.

But the threats and demands of our united party had no effect upon Mr.

Enderton. He stood up, serene and bland, fully appreciating the advantage of having the key of the gate's padlock in his pocket and the ginger-jar in his hand.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "'YOU MAN!' SHRIEKED MRS. LECKS."]

"I will now proceed," said he. But at that moment his attention was attracted by the three mariners, who had clambered over the pointed pales of the fence, and who now appeared on the piazza, Bill to the right hand of Mr. Enderton, Jim to the left, and the red-bearded c.o.xswain at his back. They all seemed to speak at once, though what they said we could not hear, nothing but a few hoa.r.s.e mutterings coming down to us.

But in consequence of what Bill said, Mr. Enderton handed him the key of the gate; and in consequence of what Jim said, Mr. Enderton delivered to him the ginger-jar; and in consequence of what the c.o.xswain said, he and Mr. Enderton walked off the piazza; and the two proceeded to a distant corner of the yard, where they stood out of the way, as it were, while the gate was opened. Bill bungled a little, but the padlock was soon removed, and we all hurried through the gate and up to the piazza, where Jim still stood, the ginger-jar held reverently in his hands.

The c.o.xswain now left Mr. Enderton, and that gentleman proceeded to the open gate, through which he pa.s.sed into the road, and then turned, and in a loud and severe tone addressed Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne:

"I leave your inhospitable house, and go to join my daughter at the inn, where I request you to send my valise and umbrella as soon as possible."

Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne's indignation at this invasion of her home and this trampling on her right to open her own gate had entirely driven away her accustomed geniality, and in angry tones she cried:

"Jus' you stop at that paint-shop, when you git to the village, an' pay for the paint you had charged to me; an' when you've done that you can send for your things."

"Come, now, Barb'ry," said Mrs. Lecks, "don't let your feelin's run away with you. You ought to be thankful that he's let you off so easy, an'

that he's gone."

"I'm all that," said Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne; "an', on second thoughts, every whip-st.i.tch of his bag and baggage shall be trundled after him as soon as I kin git it away."

We all now stood upon the piazza, and Mrs. Ales.h.i.+ne, in calmer tones, but with her face still flushed from her recent excitement, turned to us and said: "Now, isn't this a pretty comin' home? My front gate fastened in my very face; my front door painted red and white; the inside of the house, as like as not, turned upside down by that man jus' as much as the outside; an' where in the world, I'd like to know, is Elizabeth Grootenheimer?"

"Now don't you be too hard on her," said Mrs. Lecks, "after havin' been away from her so long. I haven't a doubt she's feedin' the pigs; and you know very well she never would leave them as long as she felt they needed her. You needn't mind if your house is upset, for none of us is comin' in, havin' only intended to see you to your door, which I must say is a pretty blazin' one."

"And now, Mrs. Lecks," said Mr. Dusante, taking, as he spoke, the ginger-jar from the hand of Jim, "I think this is a suitable opportunity for me to accomplish the object for which my present journey was undertaken, and to return to you the contents of this jar."