“they held a council, standing
before the river gate.
short time was there, ye well may guess
for musing or debate.
out spake the council roundly
‘the bridge must straight go down,
for since janiculum is lost,
naught else can save the town.’”
t
he sun had risen early to get a good start, and at nine o'clock was shining down with relentless fury on cherry street. theodore was wont to declare that the rain was wetter and the dew damper and the sun hotter on this street than in any other portion of the inhabited globe; and it was certainly true that the rows of small houses, unprotected by trees or-87- awnings, did look unusually torrid in the broad glare of light.
in the lee house the shutters were closed and the green shades drawn down, but the heat seemed to radiate from the painted door, on the south porch, where a small red-headed boy was trying to ring the door bell. it was a long reach for the little arms, and after raising himself so high upon his tiptoes that he nearly lost his balance, he gave up the attempt, and thumped lustily upon the panel. there was no response. he waited a moment, his small bare feet squirming about uneasily upon the hot floor, and then rapped a second time and a third. at the last knock another small red-roofed boy appeared over the top of the board fence that separated the canary yard from the lee home.
"try it again," advised the owner of red head number two.
"i have tried it lots of agains."
"but ye ain't makin' no noise. mis' lee might be deef. kick 'er a little."
-88-
"ain't got no shoes on," protested the little messenger.
he had just raised his hand for a final rap when the door was opened, and mrs. lee appeared upon the threshold.
"good-morning, fridoline," she said pleasantly.
fridoline delivered himself of his message speedily: "ma's got an indisposhun and says please will you come over to wunst."
"what is the matter with your mother?" inquired mrs. lee, puzzled by the queer statement.
"she's got rigours," responded red head number one.
"and her stummick's upset," added red head number two, across the fence.
mrs. lee was already untying her apron. "tell her i'll be over there right away," she said, as she left the door to explain her absence to beatrice.
miss billy, coming in from an errand some time afterward, stopped short at the sight of-89- holly belle, who, with tear-stained cheeks and red eyes, was emptying ashes into the street.
"why what's the matter, holly belle?" she asked.
"ma's sick," said holly belle, rubbing her sleeve across her eyes.
"very sick?"
"i dunno. i guess she's pretty bad. she had highstericks this morning at dawn, but she wouldn't let me call your mother until she was sure by the smell of the coffee that you'd had your breakfast. i don't know what's the matter with her. i gave her all the kinds of medicine we had in the house, and there ain't none of 'em that seemed to do her a mite of good. your ma's here now, and she seems to be a little better. but you know i heard the death tick in the wall, and i'm scaret to death." and the tears rose again.
"what's a death tick?" inquired miss billy, putting her arm reassuringly about the sorrowing little girl.
"it's a bug in the wall that always ticks-90- when people are goin' to—to die," sobbed holly belle.
"pshaw!" exclaimed miss billy. "you don't believe that nonsense, do you? i can't think your mother is as sick as that, anyway. is the doctor there?"
holly belle shook her head.
"well then!" said miss billy triumphantly. "mother would have had him there long ago if your mother was dangerously ill. she'll probably be all right in a day or two. now cheer up, holly belle, and tell me what there is that i can do for you."
a loud shriek from the back of the house answered the question.
"it's the children," said holly belle. "they've been going on that way for an hour steady. i could make 'em behave, if it wasn't for launkelot. but he's got up a new game, an' of course they're all bound to see it through."
"may i borrow them for a while?" asked miss billy.
-91-
holly belle gave a visible sigh of relief. "i sh'd say you can," she responded heartily.
there was no difficulty in finding the children, for a great hubbub in the back yard indicated that the small canarys were having a decidedly hilarious and enlivening time during their mother's enforced retirement. miss billy went around the walk to the back of the lee house, and surveyed her charges over the fence.
the back yard in the canary premises had been partitioned off into little squares by means of a boot-heel which had grooved the hard dirt. in the first square sat ginevra
"with raven ringlets unconfined,
and blowing madly in the wind."
her face and arms and bare legs were adorned with fantastic designs in coloured chalk; and a frayed rope, attached by means of a safety-pin to the hem of her dress, gave unmistakable evidence of a tail. she was waving her arms violently, and giving vent to wild, unearthly-92- screams. fridoline, in the next compartment, had wound his fat body with coils of rope, which he was painstakingly chewing. tightly wedged into a dishpan in the third square, sat "mixy" murphy, in an airy costume of shirt and drawers; while mike, the baby, and the other baby were crawling about the ground in an abandonment of delight.
miss billy waited for a lull in the proceedings. when it came she made haste to ask:
"what in the world is all this?"
launcelot, who was strutting through the enclosure, armed with a whip, took it upon himself to reply:
"we're havin' a street carnival," he explained. "fridoline is playin' he's bosco the snake eater, jinny's minnie the wild girl, an' mixy is the high diver. you have to pay five pins to see him dive from the fence to the tank. the kids is camels, an' i'm boss o' the hull outfit. frid, jest show miss billy how much rope you can swaller without gettin' black in the face."
-93-
miss billy hastened to prevent the heroic exhibition.
"oh, no," she said, "you needn't mind, friddie. i've got something else for you to do. wouldn't you all like to come over and see me this morning?"
the street carnival company gave vent to a wild yell of delight.
"well, pick up your things first," cautioned miss billy, "and then come quietly so you won't disturb your mother. i'll be waiting for you."
"picking up the things" was accomplished with neatness and dispatch, and five little canarys, two murphys, and leo and pius coffee, picked up on the way, were seated in the shade of the lee woodshed in solemn and somewhat embarrassed silence when miss billy appeared to welcome her guests. her arms were full of scarlet and white reeds, a big basket swung from one arm, and a mysterious-looking cloth bag from the other. she glanced around the augmented group with-94- such surprise that launcelot felt called upon to explain.
"i brung 'em along," he said, with a lordly motion of his hand toward the unexpected guests. "if you was goin' to give us something to eat, an' there ain't enough to go round, they kin go home."
"launkelot!" exclaimed jinny.
"the levis wanted to come, too," said fridoline. "their mother's goin' to the sin an' god."
"goosey!" jeered launcelot. "sin an' god! he means synagogue. that's one on you, frid."
fridoline, moved to tears by his brother's taunts, set up such a wrathful outcry that miss billy began to fear for her reputation as a hostess.
"never mind, friddie," she said consolingly. "you may go and invite the levi children to come now, if you want to. hurry up, and we'll have something nice planned for you when you get back." miss billy depos-95-ited her burden on the ground. "i'm going to let you all help with my work," she said,—"every one of you, from ginevra down to the baby. these long strips are for baskets, and i'm going to show you how to make them for yourselves. the big basket is for a pattern, and the bag is full of flower seeds for the little ones to sort out, and take home for gardens of their own."
the guests fell upon the work with great alacrity.
"wait a minute," protested miss billy. "we're not ready yet. we must always wash our hands before we begin to work."
this announcement dampened the ardour of the children.
"them as sorts seeds don't need to wash, do they?" asked fridoline.
"i choose to sort seeds!" came in a chorus from the smaller guests.
"oh, yes, they do," responded miss billy decidedly. "why not, friddie?"
"dirt makes seeds grow," argued fridoline.
-96-
"not till they're in the ground," returned the hostess. "we'll all go up to the back porch to wash. i've got some cool water up there."
a thorough and painstaking scrubbing took place on the back porch, for jinny, who was appointed inspector of persons, performed her duties with impartial vigour and energy. her delight in the toilet soap was extreme, and she modestly requested a bit of it "to take home for a sample."
beatrice and maggie watched the proceedings with disgust, and the children themselves did not look upon the occasion as one of unalloyed pleasure; but miss billy was resolute, and the entire throng were at least clean down to their necks and up to their wrists when they took their places on the grass.
fridoline surveyed his hands gloomily. "if i'd 'a' known i had ter wash i wouldn't have came," he said.
"friddie!" exclaimed ginevra reproachfully.
-97-
"fridoline doesn't think that's a very nice way to treat company," laughed miss billy. "he's like horatius.
"'and see,' he cried, 'the welcome,
fair guests, that waits you here!'"
"what's hurashus?" asked ginevra shyly.
"oh, he's a man in a story," responded miss billy. "the man who fought so bravely."
launcelot pricked up his ears at the word "fought." "who did he fight? tell us about him," he commanded.
"yes, please do," begged ginevra.
"as soon as i get your work started for you," promised miss billy.
her nimble fingers wove the bright reeds in and out for a few minutes. the children gathered near; ginevra settled the baby on her lap, and pulled the other baby close to her side. then slowly and carefully, as if to find words suitable for her childish audience, miss billy began:
"it happened many years ago when rome-98- was the biggest and the finest and the richest city in the world, that there was a brave soldier and gallant knight named lars porsena."
"two of 'em?" questioned fridoline.
"no, only one. lars porsena was the soldier and the knight too. and because he was angry at one of the romans he decided to lead a great army against them. you know what an army is?"
"hoh! i sh'd say so! soldiers!" replied launcelot.
"i know you do," said miss billy, "but i thought the other children might not know."
"i'll explain it to 'em," said launcelot loftily. "kids, you remember buffalo bill's men that was to the shooting park?"
the little canarys loudly proclaimed the excellence of their memory.
"well, them's soldiers," said launcelot. "go on, miss billy."
"so he gathered his troops from everywhere—north and south and east and west—till he had a great big army. there were ten-99- thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand men on foot. and with music playing and banners flying and the sunlight glittering on their spears, they set off towards rome with lars porsena at the head."
"just like buff'lo bill," said fridoline.
"sh," admonished ginevra.
"sh, yourself," retorted fridoline defiantly.
"in the meantime the romans knew they were coming, and they went down by the river gate to talk it over. the tiber river flowed by the city, and there was a big bridge——"
"how bid?" inquired little mike.
"i don't know how big, but it was very large indeed," went on miss billy, "so that the enemy had to cross it before they could get into the city. and there they waited until a messenger came flying up the hill to tell them that lars porsena and his great army were very near. they looked over to the west, and they saw the great cloud of dust coming up from the road."
-100-
"what was they goin' to do?" asked jinny.
"why bust into the city an' kill the romans," answered launcelot. "go on, miss billy."
"and the romans knew that they would kill them all if they once got across the bridge," continued the historian. "and they hurriedly talked about what it was best to do. and then one of them had a plan. he was a wonderfully brave and noble man, and he wasn't afraid of anything."
"bet he'd been scaret of a hyena," said the oldest levi boy.
"he was not afraid of anything. and this was his plan. he told the romans that he would get two other men and alone they would cross the bridge and meet the enemy on the other side. this is what he said:
"'hew down the bridge, sir consul,
with all the speed ye may;
i, with two more to help me
will hold the foe in bay,—
in yon straight path a thousand-101-
may well be stopped by three.
now who will stand on either hand
and keep the bridge with me?'"
"did they talk in po'try?" inquired ginevra with awe.
"sometimes," said miss billy. "and two other brave men volunteered to go with him. the three crossed the bridge together, and boldly faced the army on the other side." the little canarys showed signs of restlessness, and the young murphys yawned, so miss billy went on hastily. "of course there was a terrible battle there. every time a man set foot on the bridge horatius or one of his companions would rush upon him and slay him."
"how? with a spearer?" inquired aaron levi with interest.
the story teller nodded. "till seven men lay dead, and horatius himself was wounded in the shoulder. the big army stood still. their chief was killed, and no soldier dared to move. meanwhile the romans had been at-102- work at the bridge with their axes, and it hung over the river just ready to fall. the three men knew they must get back before it dropped. they started, but the great bridge cracked, and went down with a crash like thunder. two of the men had time to get over safely, but horatius was too late. he had darted back, and stood all alone on the bank of the river, with the enemy before him, and the broad river behind him. and then what do you think he did?"
"speared 'em some more," suggested aaron levi.
"died fer his country," quavered ginevra.
"waded home," said fridoline.
"no, the water was too deep. he sheathed his sword, and faint and weary though he was, plunged into the raging flood."
"gee!" ejaculated launcelot.
"the water was very high, his armour was heavy, and his wound pained him severely; but he kept on. the blood ran down upon his hands, and he sank again and again; but he-103- still swam on till not only the romans, but the great army on the other bank cheered him and prayed for him.
"and when he finally clambered out upon the shore, weary and weak and worn, they shouted and clapped their hands for very joy." the ringing words came involuntarily to miss billy's lips:
"'and still his name sounds stirring
unto the men of rome,
as the trumpet-blast that cries to them
to charge the volscian home;
and wives still pray to juno
for boys with hearts as bold
as his who kept the bridge so well
in the brave days of old.'"
"and the big army didn't ever get in?" asked frank murphy.
"no, never."
"what did they do to horashuss?" inquired launcelot.
"oh, they gave him a lot of land, for his-104- own, and they set up a great statue of him."
"i seen statutes already," said abraham levi.
"you did not," said his brother aaron.
"i did too. i seen 'em in the summitery."
"he means the grave yard," explained ginevra. "aaron, stop hitting your little brother."
"he's a-swipin' my seeds," complained aaron.
"well, stop it, both of you," said launcelot decidedly, "or miss billy'll give you a bat in the eye."
the threat had the desired effect. both of the little levis subsided suddenly.
"you may take the seeds home and plant them yourselves," said miss billy. "there are nasturtiums and petunias to put into a bed and morning glories and flowering beans to train over porches. we'll all have gardens of our own."
"you've got a pretty yard," said ginevra wistfully.
-105-
"it's getting green," responded miss billy. "the grass seed is all coming up over the bare spots. now if you had a green lawn extending to ours, and that shabby old fence between us was down——"
"why don't you pull it down?" inquired launcelot.
"i know mr. schultzsky would never let me," said miss billy. "i wouldn't dare ask him. but it's so old and rotten that some day it will just fall down itself, and then we'll have a barberry hedge there, and the yard will begin to look like something."
"what's a berbarry haige?" inquired launcelot.
"a nice little row of bushes trimmed evenly, so that it makes a low fence," explained miss billy. "listen, children, some one is calling."
mrs. lee, who had come around the walk, smiled down at the little group on the grass, whose full hands and happy faces bore testimony of a pleasant morning. "your mother-106- will be all right in a day or two," she said, "and holly belle wants you to come home for dinner."
the children rose with reluctance.
"kin we come again?" asked ginevra wistfully, as she gathered her little charges.
"of course you can," said miss billy. "i'd love to have you here, if you like to come. how would you like to spend two hours with me every saturday morning?"
"what 'ud we do?" inquired launcelot.
"oh, lots of pleasant things: we can sew and read, and play games, and sing. i can find enough for you to do, never fear."
"how much do we have to pay?" inquired aaron levi cautiously.
"not a cent," laughed miss billy. "the only price is clean hands and face. we'll meet out here in the yard, and i'll raise children as well as flowers. you'll be my child garden, you see. come at nine next saturday, and we'll have another good time."
the children filed happily around the corner-107- of the house, all talking at the same time, but their voices lowered as they passed out of vision. they held a whispered conversation as they passed the rickety fence, launcelot expressing some iconoclastic sentiments in a husky undertone. they were still whispering as they entered the canary yard, and edged mysteriously along the side of the house between the porch and the fence.
"it'll be just like playing horashuss," urged launcelot.
"but what would miss billy think?" asked ginevra doubtfully.
"you heard what she said. she'd think it was brave!" said launcelot in his most lordly tones.
"but s'pose some one would see?" quavered ginevra.
"aw pshaw! they ain't no one a-goin' to see. and if they do, what then? go in if you're afraid."
ginevra hesitated.
"miss billy'd like it," went on the tempter.-108- his sister flung prudence to the winds. "i'll help," she said.
holly belle's voice rang out impatiently a second time:
"child-run, din-ner."
"we'll be there in a minute," called launcelot impatiently. "now hurry up, kids. take a-hold, here. no, not so near together. now, i'm going to count. when i say three, you all pull like the dickens, and then run, lickety split. get out of the way there, mike."
the children grasped the rotten palings.
"one—two—three," counted launcelot.
the little army gave a mighty tug. the rotten wood splintered, split, yielded; the fence fell with a crash, and a sorry mass of decayed boards covered the yard.
the children waited to see no more, but rushed about the house as though old mr. schultzsky himself was in their wake.
launcelot and ginevra turned at the basement steps to help little mike, who had fallen-109- upon his face in the stampede. from his place of vantage launcelot glanced around to see if they were being pursued. there was no one in sight, and all was still.
"now," said launcelot boldly, "miss billy can have her berbarry haige."
