Mary's Rainbow Part 9

"My Lucy doll! My mos' beauty chile! Oh, oh, oh!" And she sank to the floor, hugging the doll to her and rocking back and forth in her grief. "My chile, my mos' beauty chile!" she moaned. "Your face is all in seven, five, _ten pieces_, and your eyes---- _Berta_! my Lucy's eyes are all _gone_!" Great sobs shook her frail, little form.

Berta flung her arms about her sister, doll and all, while d.i.c.k s.h.i.+fted uneasily from one foot to the other.

"Don't----don't cry, Beth. I'll ask Mother to get you another doll 'zactly like that one. It's all my fault, 'cause I told you to jump on the box. Mother'll get you a doll _'zactly_ like that one. I'll go with her to show her the kind."

"Oh, d----dear----m----m----me!" the little mother sobbed. "But she'll b----b----be some other d----dollie, n----not my Lucy d----doll what I love most of all. A----and 'sides----it isn't your fault----'c----'cause I jumped right----on t----top of her, so I d----did,----and----now she's d----deaded, so sh----she is! Oh, my poor little chile! M----my most beauty chile!"

"Oh, I say, Beth, don't cry like that! I'll tell you what we'll do.

Let's have a fun'ral. You and Berta dress Lucy in her best white dress and put her in a nice white box with lace and s.h.i.+ny soft stuff and flowers all around her, and I'll dig a grave under that big rose bush in the garden, and we'll bury her. That's what they did with my little cousin when she died. My, she looked mighty pretty, only she was too white. And you two ought to wear black dresses and black veils hanging down behind, and----and----"

The little girls listened, eyes and mouths wide open.

"But what _is_ a grave what you said you is going to dig, d.i.c.k?"

"It's a big hole in the ground, Berta, and----"

With a frightened scream, Beth sprang to her feet, and holding the doll close, ran from the room just as Aunt Mandy appeared at one door and Mary and Wilhelmina at the other.

"Don't let him! don't let him, Mary! Oh, my poor little chile, my Lucy doll is deaded, Mary!" Beth clung sobbing to her sister.

Wilhelmina's eyes flashed. "d.i.c.k, you ought to be ashamed of yourself----"

"Wait a minute, Wilhelmina. I'm sure d.i.c.k wouldn't break Beth's doll on purpose."

"Course I wouldn't, Mary."

"No, w.i.l.l.y-mean, it was a ac'cent; and Mother says ac'cents _will_ happen in the very _best_ famblies, and Aunt Mandy says we is the _very_ best fambly in the land--and so is you, w.i.l.l.y-mean, I'se quite sure." And Berta gave an account of what had happened. "But Beth doesn't like to play fun'ral with Lucy, 'cause we has to put her in a hole in the ground----"

"But perhaps Lucy isn't quite dead, Bethy, and Uncle Frank may be able to cure her, you know. Let me look at her a minute."

At sight of the broken face, Mary's heart sank. She saw that no amount of glue would restore poor Lucy to health; but she did not tell Beth so, for another thought had entered her head. "I am afraid she is a very sick child. Let us put her to bed in my room until Uncle comes home. I think it will take a long, long time to cure her, Beth; so don't you think you had better have one of my dolls instead? Come, let us look in my little trunk where they are all packed away."

She led the sobbing child into her own room, Wilhelmina and three very sober little folks following; but though Mary gave Beth her choice, even placing the lovely Amelia Anabelle in her arms, the little girl could find no doll to take the place of her "most beauty chile."

Then another thought came to Mary. "Why, I do believe Lucy looks a little better. Don't you think so, Wilhelmina? We shall pull down the shades and let her take a long nap, and I am sure Uncle will be able to make her well very soon, Beth. Now, children, you mustn't come into this room again until Uncle has seen Lucy. She must be kept very quiet, you know. I shall take good care of her, Beth, so don't worry any more about her, precious."

Mary followed the little ones out into the hall and watched them as they went slowly down the stairs; then she returned to her own room, where Wilhelmina was trying to fit the pieces of the doll's face together.

"I don't blame Beth one bit for making a fuss over this doll, Mary.

You know I have never had any use for dolls, but this one must have been dear with her brown eyes and fair, bobbed hair. I fished her eyes up out of her neck."

"She was a darling doll, Wilhelmina. The only thing that we can do is to go to the same store and try to get another exactly like her."

"Let me take another look at those dolls in the trunk, Mary."

Wilhelmina had just succeeded in piecing Lucy's face together and stood with it between her hands. "There--that one with the long brown curls.

Hold her beside this one and cover her hair."

"Wilhelmina! She is the image of Lucy! Oh, I'm so glad! We shall put Lucy's wig and clothes on her, and Beth will never know the difference."

CHAPTER IX.

MONDAY--CONTINUED.

Meanwhile, Berta had led the way to the door of the parlor, where the packers were at work. For some minutes the children watched them; then Berta asked her usual question: "Does you s'pects you would like us to help you?"

The men stopped work and straightened up to get a better view of the four. Some of them turned away to hide a smile; but one man pushed back his cap and thoughtfully scratched his head.

"Seems to me the boss did say something about needing more help; but you'll have to settle it with him. Wait, I'll ask him." With a chuckle, he went to the door of the next room.

"More help? I should say we do need it. But how did Gus get them here so soon? It's not ten minutes since I 'phoned to him to send me four more men."

The boss entered the parlor.

"There's your four to a man." And the packer, shaking with laughter, turned again to the chair he had been wrapping.

"Very happy to make your 'quaintance, Mr. Boss." Berta stepped forward and offered her hand.

"Eh? What's this? Oh, to be sure! And I'm delighted to make yours."

The boss made up his mind that the other men should find him equal to the occasion. "So you're looking for a job, eh? Well, now, what kind of a one would you prefer?"

"We prefer ev'y kind they is, Mr. Boss, 'cept ones that's too big and heavy for us. But d.i.c.k's very strong. He has mushes in his arms, so he has. Show them to Mr. Boss, d.i.c.k."

The little fellow promptly rolled up his sleeve and proudly doubled up his arm.

"Well, well, who'd ever believe it! But you see how things are in here. The pictures have to come down next. Do you think you are equal to that job?"

"I guess I've got muscle enough; but you girls haven't any, and Jack's only a baby; and maybe Uncle Rob and Aunt 'Lisbeth won't like it so very well if you drop the pictures when I hand them down to you."

"No, d.i.c.k, I s'pects they won't. What does you think about it, Beth?"

"I'se quite sure they won't, Berta. But----but, Mr. Boss, isn't they anything else that won't break when we drop it? rugs or all things same as that?"

"Well, now, I'm sorry, but the rugs are all rolled up ready to put in the van when it comes. But hold on! Let me take another look at those muscles of yours, young man. Hm! There's a box on the front porch that has to come in here, and it doesn't matter how many times you drop it on the way----"

"We'll bring it! We'll bring it!" was the joyful shout; and the four raced for the front door. Just outside it they came to a sudden halt and looked in dismay at the box meant for the grand piano. Then Berta's sharp eyes turned toward the parlor window, and she drew the others around behind the box. "They's peeking out the windows and laughing at us, so they is! They's not nice gemmans at all to s'pect little folkses like us to carry such a drefful 'mense, 'normous, big box same as this. Let's go into the liberry and see if Daddy hasn't nenny of those things he said we could carry."

They scrambled through one of the long windows opening into the library, where they found Mr. Selwyn on the top of a ladder.

"Has you nenny of those things for us to carry yet, Daddy?"

"What things, pet?"

"Those things you said at breakfus. Doesn't you 'member?"

"Oh, messages. No, I have no messages to send to anyone just now. How about your own books and games? You may pack them in that nice low box if you like."