A California Girl Part 7

One day a little later there was started in the most sacred room in the house a vibration by the doctor which reached the auditory nerve of the nurse conveying to the brain a most joyous statement, "It is a boy." The nurse carried it to the kitchen, "It is a boy." The Chinaman cook carried it to the j.a.p ch.o.r.e boy, "It is a boy." The j.a.p ch.o.r.e boy carried it to the teamsters, "It is a boy." The teamsters carried it to the men on the ditches, "It is a boy." The ditch men carried it to the men in the orchard, "It is a boy." The prune trees took up the glad news and whispered it to the apricot trees, "It is a boy." The apricot trees whispered it to the peach trees, "It is a boy." The peach trees whispered it to all the other fruit trees, "It is a boy."

When Pet, Bell, Blanche and Daisy, with their large udders full of rich lacteal fluid, heard the news, "It is a boy," they gave forth an extra flow of milk that night. When the frisky mules in the barn lot heard the joyful tidings, "It is a boy," they just cut up and threw their hind feet higher than ever. You could not see them for the dust they made.

The roosters crowed, "It is a boy," and the hens cackled, "It is a boy."

The orioles in the mulberry trees warbled out the song, "It is a boy."

The dogs, Dash and Rover, in their play that evening barked at each other, "It is a boy." The cats Tom and Malty purred, "It is a boy." It seemed as if the vibrations in all the buildings and all over the ranch rang out the glad tidings, "It is a boy."

In the evening when all Mr. Herne's men congregated in their fine quarters to have some music, Osborn sat down to the piano and played while all the men sang, that old negro song:

"Give 'em more children, Lord, Give 'em more children; Give 'em more children, Lord, Give 'em more children."

Osborn said to the boys when retiring, "What a feeling of joy the advent of a little boy has brought to us all on the ranch. Mr. and Mrs. Herne have got their wish now, for they both wanted a son."

Barnes said: "What a fine time we will have with the little fellow, when he is old enough to toddle. We will have him over here most of the time."

One day after dinner when the baby was about a month old, a man standing six feet three inches and weighing two hundred and twenty-five pounds, came on the porch where Mrs. Herne was sitting with the baby, and said: "Mrs. Herne, the boys want me to take the baby to them. They are all sitting under the mulberry trees."

Mrs. Herne said: "All right, Frank." But the nurse seemed to be alarmed lest he might hurt the infant, as he was so large and awkward, not used to handling a baby four weeks old, so she followed Frank and the baby to where the boys were. Frank said: "Here boys, each one of you can hold him just long enough to pa.s.s your opinion upon him." The men seemed to take as much pride and interest in the child as if he were their own.

After the boy had been in each of the men's arms and they had pa.s.sed their judgment on him, the nurse wanted to take the child back, but tall Frank said: "No, I took the baby from Mrs. Herne and I am going to see the child in her arms safe again." When putting the baby in her lap he said: "The boys all think he is the brightest baby they ever saw."

After he was gone the nurse said: "You ought to see how gentle those great men handled that baby."

Every day the men always inquired and talked about the baby, and were eager to watch its growth.

If you entered the house of an evening about the time the baby was put to bed, you would hear a very sweet, soft voice singing:

"Hus.h.!.+ my child, lie still and slumber, Holy angels guard thy bed.

Heavenly blessings without number Cl.u.s.ter round thy sacred head."

There is great talk made among many persons about catching different kinds of disease and sickness, but how seldom you hear people talk about the contagious qualities of hope, joy and love. Supposing on a ranch the owner gets up in the morning and starts the vibrations going, "That All is life, All is love, All is joy, and All is G.o.d," and there is a hearty response by his wife who takes up the invocation, "All is life, All is love, All is joy, and All is G.o.d." And carrying them into the kitchen, she adds to them by singing this song:

"The thorns that pester and vex my life Have changed to the flowers in June, All sounds, disorders, pain and strife Have rounded into tune."

From the kitchen the ch.o.r.e boy takes up the sayings to the teamsters, "All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d." The teamsters take up those life-giving words, and instead of swearing at their teams all day, and talking about h.e.l.l, their thoughts and talk is, "All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d." The men on the ditches and in the orchards echo the glad thought, "All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d." And the birds in the trees sing with gladness, "All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d," and that very interesting ring-neck bird, the kildee, as it runs along the ditches and moist places in the orchards, speaks in its peculiar way that, "All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d." And the music of the waters as it flows along, rippling in the ditches, sings "All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d." The winds talk it to the trees, "All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d." The trees whisper it to each other, "All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d," and the music of the insects say the same thing, "All is life, All is love, All is joy, and All is G.o.d." When the G.o.d of day, with his effulgent brightness, rises over the hills in the morning and scatters his luminous rays on the ranch, and writes in lights and shadows his hieroglyphics that "All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d."

And the one grand anthem that is being sung in the hearts and lives of all on the ranch is, "All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d."

With an aspiration like that on the ranch, all cursing and swearing would disappear; smallness, meanness, jealousy, covetousness and greed could not live in that atmosphere. That spiritual air in circulation would kill out all l.u.s.tful thoughts, pride, vanity, love of strong liquors, and of coa.r.s.e animal food. Everything would manifest the fruits of the Spirit, which are peace, joy and love. All sickness and disease would disappear, because those life-giving, purifying thoughts would become incorporated and a.s.similated in the mind, nerve force, and enter into the blood, flowing through its veins and arteries all over the whole system, making the entire organism sound and pure, a fit temple for the dwelling of the Eternal One.

CHAPTER X.

MRS. MARSTON.

In the last three years the beautiful little city of Roseland with its avenues of palms and magnolias had a boom. Large substantial brick and granite blocks were erected. Very many new and handsome residences were built, besides putting a new appearance on some of the old buildings.

The commercial, professional and mechanical cla.s.ses were all doing well, and living in expectation of doing still better.

Among those who had prospered by the rise in real estate was a Mrs.

Marston, who owned one of the finest residences in Roseland. At the time that she enters our story her age was about forty and she had a son who was twenty years old, a month before he left for Paris, and he had been gone away four months. Why he had gone to Paris, the stories concerning his mission to that gay city did not quite harmonize. His father came to the conclusion ten years ago that his mother was too much like himself, in being a positive, dominant character; that she was a little too masculine in her makeup, and he thought he would prefer a lady for a wife who did not weigh quite as much, and one that was a little sweeter in disposition, and more playful. When he reflected that he was worth one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, he thought that some of the joys of having a sweet wife should be his, and particularly when he had seen Josephine Stearns, whom he thought would more than meet his most sanguine expectations, for to his mind, she seemed to possess all those very desirable qualities of disposition which he so much admired. In a very indirect way he made his mind known to Mrs. Marston, who pretended she did not like such a proposition, but if he would give her fifty thousand dollars and let her have the boy, she would consent to a divorce. Her husband thought it over in this way. He said, "I am not happy in living with my wife, don't like my home at all, and what good does it do a man to be worth one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, if he is not enjoying some of the greatest pleasures in life. Better have only a hundred thousand dollars with a pretty sweet young lady like Josephine, than a hundred and fifty thousand dollars with my present wife." Next morning he scratched his head, and said in a slow kind of a way, "I think fifty thousand dollars rather steep, but I do not wish to have any fuss or quibbling, and you can have the boy, and I will give you twenty-five thousand dollars in cash, and twenty-five thousand in real estate," which she accepted. To look at her you could not tell what her feelings were, but way down deep in her heart she was overflowing with gladness to think she was free.

The rise in real estate made her worth in all as much as her husband was when he left her. She was known in Roseland as being a lady that was fond of young people's company, and she was great on entertaining. She was one of those ladies who are proud, fond of dress and style, very particular about moving in the upper circles of society, but she had no interest or sympathy with plain, poor people. She loved to dress young for her years, was fond of going with young ladies and gentlemen bicycle riding. She generally had as guests one or two very pretty young ladies, and another of her fads was to make pets of a few sons of rich men. As she had a fine large house and loved to entertain, the leading young men in Roseland, and some of the prettiest and most stylish young ladies, were very often seen in her parlors and on her well-kept lawn. The lunches and suppers she served to her guests were the talk of the town.

She had a sister who lived in Orangeville, but who was so different in her tastes and circ.u.mstances that there was nothing in common between them.

One day she was out driving, and her eyes caught the sight at a little distance of two persons walking on the sidewalk. She made the team walk slow when she saw them. They did not see her, but she took in at a glance what a clear complexion, bright eyes, and lovely form the young lady had. She said to herself, "How beautiful Stella has grown, but what plain clothes she has on." She reined the team towards the sidewalk and said, "Why, Stella, I did not know you had returned from school. Good morning, David," she said to her sister's husband. "Wont you both come to the house?" David said that Stella had just come in on the train and they had been doing a few errands and were expected back by Bertha at a certain time and could not stop now.

Mrs. Marston said to Stella, "I want you to come and make me a long visit. I will be out to-morrow at your house and arrange with your mother for your coming to visit me." She thanked her aunt for her invitation and said she would tell her mother.

Mrs. Marston had remarked on more than one occasion to her sister Bertha, that she would die if she had to stay in a place like Orangeville over night. As that lady did not feel she was ready to quit her material form with all its attachments and desires, she decided to leave Roseland at eight in the morning and that would give her ample time to have a long chat with her sister, and she could then be home by five in the evening in time to dress for dinner and receive whoever might call. She telephoned to her caterer to have ready next morning at eight, one quart of orange sherbet and one quart of vanilla ice cream, put into two nice dishes and packed in a box with ice, then put two wet sacks over the box and set it in another box with a cover. She telephoned to the livery stable to have her span of handsome chestnuts brought to her house next morning at eight. The next morning she was up bright and early and put on just a good plain dress, and was ready to take the lines promptly at eight from the man who had brought her team.

She drove round to the caterer's and got her box, then she went to the meat market and told the man to put up six pounds of steak, she called at the bakery and had the man put in her buggy one frosted fruit cake, one plain cake, one lemon pie, and a peach cobbler, and one dozen fresh baked Astor House rolls. After she had got a little way out from Roseland she stopped at a Chinaman's garden and purchased a few early vegetables. When she reached her sister's home it was about ten, and after a few minutes' chat she said to her sister, "Bertha, I have come out to have a visit with you and Stella, and I did not want you to be giving yourselves a lot of work in the way of getting up a big dinner, so I bought a few things on my way out, and all they need is to set them on the table, except the vegetables and meat, and I will attend to the vegetables; the pies and rolls may need just a little warming."

Mrs. Marston was one of those ladies of skill and ability who could do anything in the kitchen equal to any hired help when she wished, and this morning she seemed to be so different to what she generally was, that her sister Bertha thought she either had improved greatly, or she had not judged her rightly. She seemed this morning so kind and thoughtful and so sisterly in her conversation and so ready to a.s.sist in getting dinner. Bertha said to Mrs. Marston, "Why, Helen, you have more steak here than we can eat in a week." To which Mrs. Marston replied, that she had brought lots of ice to keep it.

When David was called to dinner, it certainly did his eyes and stomach good to see on the table such a spread of luxuries and dainties, which were so seldom partaken of by the Wheelwright family, as they lived very simply. All enjoyed the new bill of fare very much, and the repast was seasoned by a very pleasant family conversation. David seemed to open his eyes several times at the turn things were taking, because there had been times when his wife and her sister did not harmonize at all.

During the morning when not observed, Mrs. Marston feasted her eyes on Stella's beautiful form in her new cut wrapper, and mentally said to herself, "When I get some new stylish gowns on that handsome figure, and that beautiful face under a becoming hat wont those Roseland dudes just go wild over her?" She laughed to herself and thought what fun she would have with her pets.

After dinner was through they sat at the table resting and talking, when David said he would like to have Stella come out and help him a few minutes.

Mrs. Marston spoke up and said, "Yes, dear; you go out and help your father. Your mother and I will wash the dishes."

Mrs. Marston thought now is the time to speak to Bertha about Stella making me a visit. She opened the conversation by saying: "Bertha, I have seen so little of Stella for several years, that I do wish you would let her come next week and make me a visit. Not having a daughter, I feel as if I would like to do something for Stella, that is to give her a good chance. She is a bright girl and has an exceedingly fine form, and about all she has ever seen of society are cow-boys and ranch men, and may be a few ordinary respectable fellows; but I want to introduce her to bankers' sons, young lawyers, and rich merchants' sons, and give the girl a show. You see, she is going on eighteen, and if ever she is going to have an opportunity now is the time. After a young lady gets past twenty, her chances with the young bloods are not so good."

"Well," said her sister, "you are very kind, Helen, and I don't know but what it might be a chance that she needs. You have my consent for her to make you a visit, and when you give her the invitation you can tell her what I say."

"There is one matter, Bertha, that you will pardon me for speaking to you about, and I hope you will let me do as I wish, and that is in the matter of fixing up Stella's wardrobe."

Bertha said: "Helen, she is your girl while she is with you, and you can do whatever you think best."

So when Stella came in from helping her father, Mrs. Marston said: "Stella, I have been talking to your mother about your coming to make me a visit next week, and she has given her consent and I do hope you will come and be my daughter for awhile. We will have a fine time, I can a.s.sure you. Only bring the clothes you come in. I will rig you out from head to foot."

Stella in her own mind felt this way: that she never had any personal experience of the circle that her aunt was a prominent figure in, and all she knew about the young men and young ladies connected with the swim, was only what she had heard and read. She felt that by personally coming in contact with those of different environments, it would widen her experience and give her a better knowledge of the world. So she very kindly thanked her aunt and it was decided that she would come on Thursday of the following week.

When she arrived Stella was warmly welcomed into the elegantly furnished home of Mrs. Marston. Her aunt kissed her and seemed delighted to have her niece with her. The bedroom that her aunt said would be hers was a gem of beauty, being furnished with one of those fine enameled bra.s.s bedsteads, a fine dresser with a long bevel plate French mirror, and on the dresser was an elegant toilet set. The curtains, carpets and draperies matched the tints of the ceiling and walls. Fine costly pictures hung on the walls representing mostly scenes of festivities in baronial halls and castles, also in modern Fifth Avenue palaces; showing up so well the gay brilliant throng of ladies and gentlemen in the height of their enjoyment. The decorations and furnis.h.i.+ngs of the room were well in keeping with the lovely figure that was to occupy it.

Mrs. Marston had a great deal of personal pride, and she did not care about taking Stella out till her wardrobe had been replenished. After breakfast next morning the door-bell rang and a minute or two afterwards Mrs. Rogers, the dressmaker, was announced by the servant to Mrs.

Marston. When Mrs. Marston went in to see her she said: "Good morning, Mrs. Rogers; my niece is here and I would like you to see her so you can help me to select what you think would be suitable in the way of dresses and other garments for her."

Mrs. Marston called Stella in and introduced her to Mrs. Rogers and said: "Mrs. Rogers will go with me to do some shopping, and we want you to leave entirely to us the matter of selecting your dresses. I am sure you will be pleased when we get through."

Stella laughed and said: "If you show as much good taste in selecting my dresses as you have in the furnis.h.i.+ng and decorating of my very pretty room, I am sure I shall be more than pleased." Her aunt was delighted with the compliment.

Mrs. Marston said to Mrs. Rogers: "Did you come over on your bicycle?"

"Yes," said that lady.

"Well," said Mrs. Marston, "I will get mine and we will go now and do the shopping."