|"happy house '
By Jane D. Abbott
U COPYRIGHT, 1920. BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
.. .. .■
Nancy's face was alight with
enthusiusm. With tier vivid im
agination she pictured a glorious
army of Peter Hydes going out
over the land, rescuing the poor
farmers, putting new weapons
into their hands!
{ "It's wonderful! And it’s
■—brave!” she ailded, “because
it isn't as if you went off with a
whole lot of others with bands
and flags flying!”
Stic was suddenly struck with
remorse that she had, in tier
heart, so wronged Peter Hyde!
fmie had thought him a slacker
when tie had shouldered the
hardest task! Something in the
earnestness still reflected on his
face made her own her guilt.
“I can’t be glad enough
you’ve told me all this! I didn’t
lomvv ! 7 nnunr livnd in tho pniin.
try. I just thought, things to eat
grew up any old way. And all
this time 1 have been thinking
horrid things about you because
I thought you hadn’t gone to
war! 1 thought, maybe, you
were way off up here to escape
the feeling everyone had for
slackers I You can imagine, now,
when 1 see what you really are
doing, how ashamed I feel! Will
you forgive met”
Peter’s frank amusement made
Nancy feel very uncomfortable
and small. But then she de
served it ! Ife held out his hand
as a sign of his forgiveness.
There was still laughter in his
eyes as he regarded her.
“I suppose that was very na
tural! Most of the young fel
lows you know must have gone
over!” he said, seriously enough.
She wanted very much to tell
him of her father—how he had
followed the men over the top;
how he had worked day after day
getting the stories hack to the
people nl. home and spent night
after night tracing the “miss
ing”, m- writing letters for the
boys who never got further buck
than t.he first dressing stations
and who wanted mothers and
fa tilt i r% arttf N\vpp( fl OH rfs fa know
that they’d had their chance and
had made the most of it! But
she couldn’t, for s}ie was sup
posed to be Anne and Anne’s
father had died when she was a
little girl.
She told him of a few of the
college men she had known, who
had gone, eagerly, at the first
call.
“They didn’t even want to
wait to get. commissions! They
just wanted to fight!”
i ne reveumon oi reier liyite
made her think of Claire’s broth
er. Hhe told him about Claire
and Anne—she called Anno,
vaguely, ‘another girl.”
"Claire’s a darling and we just
love her, but we can’t abide her
brother! Of course it’s not rea
sonable, because we’ve never laid
eyes on him, but we've heard
enough from Claire to know just
what lie’s like. I suppose the
war made a few like him—he was
brave enough over there and
lucky to have all his recommen
dations recognized, but it made
him so conceited! He came back
here and just strutted around,
everywhere. Cialre says lior
mother’s friends used to have
teas for him—he’d go to them
and speak and show his medals!
Claire was mad over him. She
was so disappointed because I
came here instead of going to
Merrycliffe. But I couldn’t see
myself spending my time petting
her beloved lion! I knew I’d be
rude and say just what I
thought."
Nancy and Peter were sitting
upon the stump of a tree near the
cliff. Peter suddenly rose and
walked to the edge—-his back
square to Nancy. After a mom
ent ho turned.
"Thought I heard something
down there,” he explained, at
her questioning glance. "Don’t
blame you for disliking that sort
—like Claire’s brother! They’re
a rummy kind! I had a friend a
lot like him. But—maybe, it
wasn’t all his fault—about the
teas and things! Maybe his
mother got. ’em started and he
didn’t want to hurt her!”
It was like Peter Hyde, so
gentle with children and animals,
to stand up now for even Barry
Wallace’s kind.
"You’re just like dad,” Nancy
cried warmly, then stopped a
little frightened. But of course
Peter lmd not been in Freedom
long enough to know anything
about the Leavitts.
He bowed with great cere
mony, one hand over his heart.
"If Dad’s like daughter, I
11
thank you for the compliment.
Nbw, if you will linger longer
with me I’d like to show you Mrs.
Sally and her babies. Sally is
my experimental pig. I’ve built
a piggery for her with a plunge
and a sunken garden, and if you
don’t declare that Sally enjoys
such improved surroundings, I’ll
know my whole summer’s work’s
a failure.”
Nancy walked over the rough
ground toward the barns with a
light heart. She had a delight
ful sense of being “pals” with
tins new reter JLytle—wno, wnue
the Barry Wallaces were swag
gering around with their medals,
was up here in an out of the way
corner of the nation, fighting a
new sort of a fight! He actually
wanted her approval of his new
piggery 1
CHAPTER XVI.
It was quite natural that
Nancy should take her problems
to Peter Hyde.
More correctly, she did not
take them—Peter Hyde discov
ered them when, a few days later,
lie found Nancy alone in her
birdsnest, completely surrounded
by sheets of paper, a frown
wrinkling her entire face, furi
ously chewing one end of her
pencil.
There had, of course, to be
some explanation of the manu
script. Nancy told him of the
play she was writing, how she
had really come to North Hero
. to finish itl
‘‘I thought I’d have hours and
hours to work. And T was so glad
when I found this hiding place.
I’ve been here, now, weeks and
weeks, and have done scarcely a
thing!”
‘‘Is it, because the Muse will
not come?” asked Peter, eyeing
the scattered sheets with awe.
‘‘Oh, it Would come—if it had
a chance! My head’s just, burst
ing with things l want to write
and I dream about them in my
sleep. But—it sounds silly—I’m
so busy. Maybe the things I do
don’t seem important but I just
can't escape them.”
She made room for Peter on
the seat beside her. Then she
told him of Aunt Milly; of that
first trip to the orchard, how it
had been the beginning of a new
life for the little woman.
‘‘1 bring her downstairs every
day now, right after breakfast,
and she’s one of the family. I’m
going to coax Webb to make an
other sort of a chair; one she can
wheel herself—I’ve seen them.
She's learned to knit beautifully;
she s so proud because she is
working on a sock for the Bel
gian children—she says it’s the
first time she’s ever felt useful!
She helps B’lindy, too. It makes
you want to cry to see how happy
she is. But with all her independ
ence she wants me all the time.
When I start to leave her there’s
something in the way she looks at
me that is just as though she
reached out and caught me by
the hand!”
Nancy described, too, how
B’lindy was constantly finding
little tasks for her that would
keep her in the kitchen or on the
back porch withiit sound of her
voice.
“You see talking’s the joy of
B’lindy’s life and my cars are
new—they haven’t heard all the
things she has to say. dust when
1 think l can escape she begins
telling me of the cake her mother
baked for Miss Sabrina’s mother
the day the governor of Vermont
came to Happy House—or some
thing like that!’’
Anxious that Peter should un
derstand everything Nancy made
a vivid wmrd picture of Miss Sa
brina and of the difficulties she
had had in winning her. “I be
lieve she’s fond of me now, but
she just doesn’t know how to
show it! She’s never displayed
one bit of affection in her whole
life, I’m sure. She’s stone. But
sometime she’s going to break—
I’m doing my best to make her!
I know she enjoys having dear
little Aunt Milly around, but do
you think she’d say sot Good
ness no. But there’s a lot of good
in Aunt Sabrina and I’m bound
to know it all, so I make it my
duty to sit with her just so long
each day while she tells me about
the Leavitts and the other fami
lies of this Island. And there is
something heroic about them all!
“So here l am, just tingling to
finish the last act of my play and
not a moment to myself! If it
isn’t precious Aunt Milly or Aunt
Sabrina or B’lindy or even dear
I old Jonathan, it’s Nonie or Havy
or-’’
“Or me,’’ finished Peter Hyde,
glancing significantly at the ne
glected work. “You’re hands
are full!”
Nancy went on earnestly.
“And it all seems so worth while!
Look at Nonie—she’s a different
creature already. I don’t believe
she pretends as much, either—
her little body is catching up
with her spirit. And Davy doesn’t
hang his head when he looks at
you I ’ ’
Peter Hyde could understand
her feeling toward the children.
They had planned together to
bring something more into those
two starved young lives. Like
Nancy, he was delighted at the
»*Ci 111 Li filnAn/1*p ft* ** n MAn f T♦ vvrft* ft*
work too worth while to be aban- '
doned—for anything. i
“Nonie fairly eats up the books
I give her but she always wants 1
to read them with me—it’s so i
that she can ask questions. And ]
the questions she asks! Every i
new thing she learns she immedi
ately adapts to her own life, i
We’ve begun‘Little Women’and
of course she plays Amy I Poor
little flower, sometimes I think i
of old Dan’l and Liz and wonder
from where on earth the child
got her gift. And what a preci- ‘
ous blessing it is to her!”
Recalling Davy’s contempt for ;
his sister’s “actin’ lies,” they 1
both laughed. 1
“How could anyone think bad 1
things of Davy,” cried Nancy, in
dignantly. “lie’s the soul of 1
truth and honor! But up here ;
he won’t have a chance.”
“Oh, yes, he will!” Peter con
tradicted. “If I’m any good 1
reading character in a 10-year- 1
old he’ll make a chance. He’s i
a leader, now. Look at the way i
the other boys follow his slightest ‘
suggestion 1” l
Davy’s “club” was flourish- t
ing. The attractions that Peter
and Nancy had added to its pro- 1
gram had made it boom. Sev
eral new “fellars” had come in.
The meetings were even more fre
quent than Liz cleaned the meet- i
ing house, and now, because it
had become known that Miss Sa
brina’s niece was a member of
the club, no lickings awaited the
members upon their return, rath
fer impatient mothers eager to
hear “what that girl at Happy
House was up to now.” There
was some talk about turning the
club into a Boy Scout troop; Mr.
Peter had promised to organize
them and train them.
“Oh, dear,” Nancy sighed,
perplexed and torn, “it’s like
having a dream you’ve dreamed
crumble all to pieces! I wanted
to have niy play done before my
—I mean, I wanted to finish it
up here and then send it straight
to Theodore Hoffman himself. Of ]
course you don’t know him. He’s
one of the greatest dramatists
and play producers in the world.
I know it’s daring in me and may
be he won’t even give a minute
to my little insignificant effort,
but—whatever he may say. I 11
know it is the best criticism I
can get I”
To Nancy’s surprise Peter dis
played a considerable knowledge
of plays and actors, critics and
producers. He could see her
problem, too—how she was torn
between the claims of Happy
House and her beloved work.
Nancy was grateful for his
sympathy and because he did
not laugh at her.' But of course,
why should anyone who could
find music in waving corn not
understand her own dreams!
Peter’s face looked very much
as though he was tackling some
problem of drainage—or a new
incubator.
“When you get right down to
plain facts, it’s a question of
conserving time. You’re wast
ing it—somewhere. I believe you
can double up a bit. Let Aunt
Milly listen to Belinda, and
teach Aunt Milly to help Nonie.
I’ll take care of Davy. You say
Aunt Milly likes to feel she’s
useful—if you start her she can
help Nonie a lot and Nonie’ll
give her something to think
about, too.”
Nancy considered this with
brightening eyes. “I believe
you’re right 1 I’ve jus^been sel
fish, trying to do everything my
self just becauso I loved to, and
stupid—to think no one else
could do itl Of course Aunt
Milly can read with Nonie—and
play with her, too. I’ll begin
this very day. I’ll have a school
here in the orchard and Nonie
and B’liudy and Aunt Milly
shall come. It’ll be the funniest
school you ever heard of,”
Nancy laughed. “I’ll teach
B’lindy the joy of seeing Hop
worth ‘young ’uns’ eat her best
molasses cookies!”
Nancy’s face showed that she
was mentally leaping far ahead
in her plans. Peter felt that he
bad been left out.
“Let me be the head taskmas
ter or whatever you call it.
You’ll doubtless need a strong
hand now and then. Anyway,
you don’t know how much it
helps my work mixing a little
fun with it!”
Now that her problems were
straightening Nancy felt very
kindly and gracious and happy.
‘‘Of course, you may come to
the orchard—whenever you
ivant! Oh, you have helped mo
so much,” she (fried, with a smile
hat brought a sudden gleam in
Peter Hyde’s eyes. ‘‘Now, if
you’ll give me a hand putting
hese pages together, I’ll run in
nid prepare Aunt Milly and
d’lindy.”
ta _ 11_:__ i_i~ ~ o
X V11V •* l/JXVs 1111VU w*.
Peter’8 suggestion, Nanny's
‘school” developed rapidly. She
iovered sheet after sheet of pa
ler with “schedules” and final
y to her satisfaction, blocked off
:very waking moment of her pu
lils’ day. Aunt Milly fall
leartily in with her plans; she
was proud to know that she
:ould help. The books for
'Jonie that Nancy had spirited to
Imppy House were as fascinat
ng to her as to Nonie.
After the first day Aunt Milly
bought of a great many new
‘lessons” they could begin for
'Jonie. With the promise that
ifter awhile she could make for
lerself a “pinky” dress, like
fancy’s, Aunt Milly taught her
0 hem and seam and tuck. At
he same time Nonie learned
hat it was quite as bad to wear
1 torn, soiled dress as to say
‘him and me” or “I ain’t.”
“You’re wonderful, Aunt Mil
y,” Nancy had declared, after
his innovation in the school. “I
lever would have thought of it,
nyself.” She laughed, ruefully.
‘I’d better study with Nonie, I
press, and learn to mend, my
ielf.”'
Nancy had told Aunt Milly,
oo, of Nonie’s pretend mother.
Perhaps that was why Aunt Mil
y’s voice was very sweet and
;ender as she and Nonie talked
tnd played and read together.
sJonie liked to wheel the chair;
die began to look forward to
voider excursions beyond the
pate to the village.
B’lindy, in her heart still a
ittle distrustful that “no good
lould come from encouragin’
diem Hopworths,” nevertheless
found countless excuses to join
;he little group under the apple
;rees, sometimes bringing some
rideous lace crocheting that had
jeen years in the making but
would some day—if B’lindy lived
.oiig enough to complete it—
jover a bed. Sometimes she
wrought a basket of goodies and
jther times came empty handed
ind just sat idle with a softened
ook in her old eyes as they rested
>11 the purple rim of mountains
icross the water.
“I guess it makes a body work
>etter for restin’ a spell,” she
mid. after one of these intervals.
But with the success of
fancy’s new plans were two lit
;le clouds—small at first but
growing with each day. One was
Ihe realization that very soon her
(vork for these dear people could
go on without her. And though
in one breath she told herself
diat this was fortunate, because
iier stay at Happy House must
uid with her father’s return, in
the next she was swept with a
sharp jealousy that, after she had
gone, Aunt Milly and B’lindy
md Nome and Davy would still
gather under the apple tree.
Since the afternoon Peter
Hyde had found her with the
manuscript she had not laid eyes
upon him!
A sense of hurt at his neglect
did not grow less when she
learned from old Jonathan, after
Dne or two questions, that he had
gone over to Plattsburg; rather
it gave way to a resentment that
Peter, considering what good
chums they had grown to be and
the “school” and everything,
Bhould have gone off on any such
trip without one word of parting I
“He’ll see how well we can
get along without him,” she had
declared to herself after the third
day. After all he probably was
hiding something; this sudden
disappearance must have some
connection with it.
His comradeship had grown
very pleasant, she admitted, but,
she told herself, it belonged to
the real Anne Leavitt, like Aunt
Milly and Nonie and the others,
he must drop out of her life when
she left Happy House.
So that he might not even be
missed by Davy and his cronies,
Nancy devoted one entire after
noon to teaching the boys of the
club how to build a fire without
matches. When, after repeated
and discouraging failures, the
last one had joyfully succeeded,
Nancy had promised to teach
them to wigwag at the very next
meeting. _
(To be Continued Next Week.)
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