the obliging operator at the telegraph office was almost at her wits’ end. she had never been besieged so early in the morning and required to send so many lengthy messages, nor have them come crowding one another so confusingly. the strange part of it all was that although they were intended for one person, a mr. ebenezer stark of boston, there were three persons telegraphing him.
one was a stout lady of exceedingly fashionable appearance and most peremptory manner. as seemed fitting the first reply of mr. ebenezer stark was for her, and assured her that he would meet her at the wharf, with a carriage, upon the arrival of the first steamer out from yarmouth. it also informed her that he had already sent her word by post—that letter could follow her home—of the dangerous illness of her mother and that she should make all possible haste. thus far her message suited him exactly. he made no mention of their son nor did she. it went without saying that monty would accompany his mother upon her return trip.
[pg 172]judge breckenridge was also an early riser. he had met monty hurrying down the back street toward the little railway station and the office in its corner, and had greeted him with gay surprise:
“heigho, lad! whither so fast and so early?”
“trying to get ahead of mamma.”
“why, montmorency!” cried the gentleman, with an assumed sternness yet a twinkle in his eye.
“fact. she’s on the road somewhere, but she had to wait for them to hitch up a rig first. thinks she can’t walk these few blocks alone, i suppose, and didn’t suspect i could have escorted her. but ‘lovey’ didn’t tell her his plans till he knows if he can carry them out. but i’m glad to see you. i didn’t want to do anything sort of underhand with you, you know. say, judge, does your invitation to go camping still hold good? after my looking such a muff and acting it?”
“certainly. if your parents permit, i shall be glad to have you. i think that a few weeks’ association with men like my friends would give you a new idea of true manliness; and i can promise you to hear more good stories from the ‘boys’ than you ever heard in your life.”
“thank you, sir. i’m going to wire papa to let me stay. what he says goes, even with mamma. he lets her have her way about my school, and clothes and all that stuff, but he hasn’t ever quite let go of me himself. if it hadn’t been for papa i’d be a bigger muff than i am now. only he’s so awfully absorbed in business that he never takes a [pg 173]vacation himself or does anything except pile up the cash and shove it out for mamma to spend. beg pardon, i’ve no business to tell you, or bother you, with our affairs. i only wanted to know in case he says ‘yes.’”
they were almost at the end of their short walk and the judge’s face lightened with a whimsical expression, as he answered:
“well, monty lad, muffs are mighty handy sometimes. i heard lucretia say they wore them large last winter! if i take a muff into camp i shall expect it to add to the general comfort of the party. ready to warm the heart of anybody who happens to get lonely or out of sorts.”
“this muff will do its duty, sir. you’ll see; if—”
he left his sentence unfinished and although his response was delayed till after mrs. stark’s had been received he did not complain of it, but smilingly handed it to the judge to peruse.
his outward telegram had been:
“papa, let me stay;” and the incoming one was: “all right. stay.”
he did not inform his mother why he was there at the office so early and she did not inquire. she attributed it to his filial affection and was accordingly touched by it. she petted him as usual, and carried him back to the hotel in her phaeton, while she thrilled with satisfaction at the knowledge she could at last get away from a benighted region where no sunday trains were run.
[pg 174]the judge’s messages were last, and the longest. his outgoing one gave mr. ebenezer stark a sketchy outline of his vacation plans, announced the gentlemen who would share it with him, and added a formal invitation for montmorency to be of the party, if agreeable to the lad’s friends. mr. stark’s reply was heartily grateful, expressed his appreciation of the judge’s courtesy and good nature in “loading himself with a boy of the calf age. a calf of good enough pedigree, but needed turning out to pasture away from the mother,” and a little more to that nature.
the rub came when trunks were being packed and montmorency announced that his “things” needn’t be put in; except the “dudish” ones which he wouldn’t want in a vacation camp.
mrs. stark was so astonished that she was silent and during that interval her son talked and explained with a rapidity that left her no chance for reply. “father says so,” was the final argument that clinched the matter; and she wisely refrained from further controversy, reflecting that “father” might alter his opinion when she had met him and reported the true state of things. then he would, of course, promptly recall his son and heir from a region so fraught with dangers and temptations as this province.
therefore, the parting was effected with less friction than monty had anticipated, and he watched the train that bore his too-solicitous mother out of sight with a delight that, for the present, knew no [pg 175]regret. he was fully in earnest to “make a man” of himself, and felt that he would be better able to succeed if freed from the indulgence which had surrounded him from his cradle.
after allowing himself the relief of one “pigeon-wing” on the station-platform, he sprang up to the steps at the rear of the hotel stage which had brought departing guests to the train and hugged tommy, perched there, till the little fellow squealed.
“good enough, tommy boy! i’m to rough it now to my heart’s content. ever been hunting or fishing in the woods, younker?”
“yep. go most every year—that is, i’ve been once—with the boss. he’s the best hunter anywhere’s around. it was him got all those moose and caribou heads that are in the lobby. oh! you bet it’s cracky! i’m going this fall if—if i’m let, and my mother don’t make me go to school.”
“mothers—well, mothers have a bad way of spoiling a fellow’s fun, eh, lad? but after all, they’re a pretty good arrangement. i hope my mother’ll have a good trip over to boston; and see? look there?”
with that he pulled from his pocket a handful of silver, explaining that when she traveled mrs. stark always provided herself with a large quantity of “change” expressly for “tips,” and that she had generously handed the amount on to her son, since she was simply “going home” and wouldn’t need it.
“more in my suit-case, too, tommy. but—i’m [pg 176]going to give it all away the minute i get back to the hotel.”
tommy’s eyes almost bulged from his head, as he ejaculated in intense amazement:
“you never!”
“fact. i’m going to begin right now.”
tommy nearly fell off the step. there in his own small hand lay the greater part of what had been in montmorency’s, but he couldn’t believe in his own good fortune. despite the tips he received at the hotel—they were neither many nor generous—master thomas ransom was a very poor little fellow. he held his position at the inn by the fact that he was willing to work “for his board” and whatever the guests might chance to bestow upon him. the landlord had the name of a “skin-flint,” whether justly or not the boarders didn’t know.
it was to his interest, however, to serve them well and he did it; but it was rumored that the “help” fared upon the leavings of the guests’ plates, and in that atmosphere of healthy appetites such leavings were scant. anyway, tommy was always hungry, and the fact showed in his pinched, eager little face.
“you’re foolin’. here ’tis back;” he finally gasped, extending his hand toward monty with a pitiful attempt at a smile.
“fooling? not one bit. you put that where it’s safe, and the first chance you get run into the village to some restaurant and get yourself a good [pg 177]square meal. then go to the circus, if you want. i see by the placards that one is coming.”
“oh! pshaw! i don’t know what to say. but, if you do mean it, i ain’t going to no restaurant. i’m going home to my mother the first leave off i get and give it to her. she can’t make her rent hardly, sewing, and she’ll cook a dinner for me to the queen’s taste! wish you’d come and eat it with us.”
“wish i could,” answered monty, with a warm glow in his heart. he hadn’t often had such a look of rapturous gratitude turned upon him and it gave him a most delightful sensation. “but you see we’re off by the afternoon train. going to hurry along now till we get into camp. see you later, maybe.”
then they were at the hotel entrance and master tommy made haste to bestow his treasure in the safest place he knew until his brief hour of recreation should arrive and he could take it home. but how he worked that day! even the keen-eyed proprietor could find no manner of fault with the nimble little fellow, who answered bells like a flash, so smilingly trotted about with pitchers of ice-water, and so regretfully watched the departure of the breckenridge party from the house. and in justice to him be it said this regret was after all and most sincerely for the courteous treatment all of them had given him.
“some folks—some folks think a bell-boy hain’t no feelings, but i might ha’ been—why, i [pg 178]might ha’ been them, their own folks, so nice they all were to me;” thought the lad, watching the afternoon train bearing them all away, and secretly wiping the tears from his eyes. however, even for him, deserted as his childish heart felt then, there was comfort. the circus was coming to-morrow! it would be his day off and he had the money to pay for his ticket and one for ma!
the train was nearing wolfville where the travelers were to leave it for a brief visit to “evangeline land” before proceeding to halifax whence the campers would set out. aunt lucretia had checked off the various stations from her time-table and now announced:
“better get your things together, everybody. next stop will be ours.”
then montmorency vavasour-stark got his courage to the sticking point and went forward to where the judge stood looking through the car door at the landscape whirling by.
“judge breckenridge will you do me a favor? another one, i mean, for you’ve done a lot already.”
“certainly, if it’s within my power.”
“it is, easy enough. i want you to take this and keep it for me. i want to actually give it away, or put it beyond my reach. i’ve been thinking it’s the boys without money that amount to something. i want to make myself poor and see if i’m worth ‘shucks’ aside from my father’s cash.”
he held out a fat pocketbook but, for a moment, [pg 179]the judge did not appear to see it. he looked the lad critically over, his keen, but kindly eyes interested and yet doubtful. then he said:
“i don’t like whimsies. a person who makes a resolution and doesn’t keep it weakens rather than strengthens his character. have you the slightest idea what it means to be ‘poor,’ or even like melvin back yonder, who has but a very small wage to use for his own?”
“i don’t suppose i have. but i’d like to try it during all the time i’m over here in the province. what i mean is that you should pay all my necessary expenses just as you pay for the others; and beyond that i don’t want a cent.”
“melvin will earn a little for his work in camp. he is to cook and do whatever is needed. there will be an indian guide with us, and he, of course, will have his regular price per day, or week. beyond these two helpers we ‘boys’ will do everything else ourselves. it is our custom. i can’t hire you and pay you, as an extra. if that were done it would have to be by some other of the party and it’s not likely.”
the gentleman’s tone was more grave than the lad felt was necessary, but it made him reflect a little deeper himself. at last he again offered the purse, saying:
“i mean it. it’s my chance. the first one i ever had to see if i can deny myself anything. please try me.”
“very well, lad, and i congratulate you on the [pg 180]pluck that makes the effort. however—your last chance! once made, once this pocketbook passes into my care it becomes mine for the rest of our stay together.”
“all right, sir. that’s exactly what i want.”
“do you know how much is in it?”
“to a cent. and it’s a great deal too much for a good-for-nothing like me.”
“don’t say that, montmorency. i wouldn’t take a ‘good-for-nothing’ under my care for so long a time. you forget i already have a ‘muff’ on hand. i congratulate myself, this time, on having secured a ‘good-for-something.’ ah! here we are!”
the judge took the purse and coolly slipped it into his own pocket, merely adding:
“i will also count the contents and make a note of them as soon as i can. as your expenses have been paid by yourself until now we’ll begin our account from this moment. when we part company, soon or late, you shall have an itemized account of all that is used from your store.”
then the conductor came through the car calling:
“wolfville! all out for wolfville!”
“out” they were all, in a minute, and again the “flying bluenose” was speeding on toward the end of its route.
“this is the nearest, or best, point from which to make our excursion to grand pré and old acadia, which our beloved longfellow made famous by his poem. you’ll find yourselves ‘evangelined’ on [pg 181]every hand while you’re here. glad it’s so pleasant. we won’t have to waste time on account of the weather.”
they found comfortable quarters for the night and longer if desired and were early to bed. the girls to dream of the hapless maid whose story thrilled their romantic souls; and molly went to sleep with an abridged copy of the poem under her pillow.
early in the morning she and dorothy took a brisk walk through the pretty village and peered into the shop windows where, indeed, the name “evangeline” seemed tacked to most articles of commerce. so frequently was it displayed that when they met a meditative cow pacing along the dewy street molly exclaimed:
“i wonder if that’s evangeline’s ‘dun white cow,’ whatever ‘dun white’ may be like. she looks ancient enough and—oh! she’s coming right toward us!”
molly was afraid of cows and instinctively hid herself behind dolly, who laughed and remarked:
“poor old creature! she looks as if she might have lived in the days of the acadians, she’s so thin and gaunt. yet the whole street is grass-bordered if she chose to help herself. but isn’t this glorious? can you hardly wait till we get to grand pré? it’s only a few miles away and i’d almost rather walk than not.”
“you’ll not be let to walk, mind that. my father has had enough of things happening to us youngsters. [pg 182]i heard him tell auntie lu that none of us must be allowed out of sight of some of them, the grown-ups, till we were landed safe on that farm, and auntie laughed. she said she agreed with him but she wasn’t so sure about even a farm being utterly safe from adventures. so we’ll all have to walk just niminy-piminy till then. we shouldn’t be here if miss greatorex hadn’t said she too wanted to ‘exercise.’ now, she’s beckoning to us and we must turn back. come away from staring over into that garden! that hedge of sweet-peas is not for you, honey, badly as you covet it!”
“all right, i’ll come. but i wish, i wish father john could see them. i never saw any so big and free-blooming as they are in this beautiful province.”
“it’s the moisture and coolness of the air, auntie lu says. now, miss greatorex, do make dolly doodles walk between us, else she’ll never tear herself away from the lovely gardens we pass.”
but they were not late to breakfast, nevertheless. they had learned at last that nothing so annoyed the genial judge as want of punctuality. he planned the hours of his day to a nicety and by keeping to his plans managed to get a great deal of enjoyment for everybody.
already carriages to take them on the drive to grand pré and the old acadian region had been ordered and were at the door when they had breakfasted and appeared on the piazza. the two girls were helped into the smaller open wagon where [pg 183]melvin sat holding the reins and visibly proud of the confidence reposed in him, and on the front seat of this the judge also took his place. the ladies with monty and a driver occupied the comfortable surrey; and already other vehicles were entering the hotel grounds, engaged by other tourists for the same trip.
monty looked back with regret at the other young folks and longed to ask the judge to exchange places; then laughed to himself as he remembered that it was no longer his place to ask favors—a penniless boy as he had become!
that was a never-to-be-forgotten day for all the party. no untoward incident marked it, but so well-known is the story of that region that it needs no repetition here. of course they visited the famous well whence “evangeline” drew water for her herd, and almost the original herd might have fed in the meadow surrounding it, so peaceful were the cattle cropping the grass there. they saw the “old willows” and the ancient covenanter church, wherein they all inscribed their names upon the pages of a great book kept for that special purpose.
the church especially interested dorothy, with its quaint old pulpit and sounding board, its high-backed pews and small-paned windows; and when she wandered into the old burying ground behind, with its periwinkle-covered graves, a strange sadness settled over her.
the whole story had that tendency and the talk [pg 184]of “unknown graves” roused afresh in her mind the old wonder:
“where are my own parents’ graves, if they are dead? where are they if they are still alive?”
with this in mind and in memory of these other unknown sleepers whose ancient head-stones had moved her so profoundly, she gathered from the confines of the field a bunch of that periwinkle, or myrtle which grew there so abundantly. thrusting this into the front of her jacket she resolved to pack it nicely in wet moss and send it home to alfaretta, with the request that she would plant it in the cottage garden. then she rejoined the others at the gate and the ride was continued to another point of interest called “evangeline beach.” why or wherefore, nobody explained; yet it was a pretty enough spot on the shore where a few guests of a near-by hotel were bathing and where they all stopped to rest their horses before the long ride home.
dorothy was full of thoughts of home by then, and something in the color of the horse which had drawn her hither awoke tender memories of pretty portia, now doubtless happily grazing on a dear mountain far away. with this sentiment in mind she stooped and plucked a handful of grass and held it under the nose of the pensive livery-nag.
but alas, for sentiment! not the few blades of sea-grass appealed to the creature who, while dorothy’s head was turned, stretched forth its own and pulled the myrtle from the jacket and was contentedly [pg 185]munching it when its owner discovered its loss.
“dolly doodles, whatever are you doing?” cried molly, running up.
“she’s got—he’s got my ‘evangeline’ vines! i’m getting—what i can!”
molly shouted in her glee and the rest of the party drew near to also enjoy. they had all alighted to walk about a bit and stretch their limbs, and now watched in answering amusement the brief tussle between maid and mare. it ended with the latter’s securing the lion’s share of the goodly bunch; but myrtle vines are tough and dorothy came off a partial victor with one spray in her hand. it had lost most of its leaves and otherwise suffered mischance, yet she was not wholly hopeless of saving that much alive; and in any case the incident had banished all morbid thoughts from her mind, and she was quite the merriest of all during that long drive homeward to the hotel.
as they alighted monty stepped gallantly forward and offered:
“when we get to halifax i’ll buy you a slender vase and you can keep it in water till you go home yourself. or i’ll send back to that graveyard and pay somebody to send you on a lot, after you get back to your own home.”
“oh! thank you. that’s ever so kind, and i’ll be glad of the vase. but you needn’t send for any more vines. they wouldn’t be the same as this i gathered myself for darling father john.”
[pg 186]“but you shall have them all the same. they’d be just as valuable to him if not to you and some of those boys that hung around the church would pack it for a little money. i’ll do it, sure.”
“will you, montmorency? how?” asked a voice beside him and the lad looked up into the face of the judge.
“no, sir, i won’t! i’ll have to take that offer back, dorothy, take them both back,” and he flushed furiously at her surprised and questioning glance. it was the first test he had made of his “poverty” and he found it as uncomfortable as novel.
