Jimmy, Lucy, and All Part 17

"Oh, Adam and Eve and all those old people," was the careless reply.

"And didn't they have any clocks?"

"Of course not. What do you suppose?"

There was a knock at the door. Nate had come to find Jimmy and go with him to see the blind canary.

"We were just talking about you," said Aunt Vi. "Are you willing to be Katharine's grandson in the play?"

Nate replied laughing that he would do whatever was wanted of him, and he could send home and get some knee-buckles and a c.o.c.ked hat.

Aunt Vi said "Capital!" and gave Jimmy a look which said, "Everything seems to be going on famously for our new play."

Jimmy led the way to Mrs. McQuilken's room, his face wreathed with smiles.

"Ah, good morning; how do you all do?" said the lady, meeting the children with courteous smiles. "I see you've brought your kitten, Edith."

"Yes, ma'am; will you please look at her wounds again?"

"They are pretty well healed, dear. I've never felt much concerned about Zee's wounds. She makes believe half of her sufferings for the sake of being petted."

"Does she, though? I'm so glad."

"Yes; that 'prize tail' will soon be waving as proudly as ever. But I suppose you all came to see the canary. Mag, you naughty girl," she added, turning to the magpie, "hide under the bed. They didn't come to see you. Here, Job, you are the one that's wanted."

Little Job, the canary, was standing on the rug. He came forward now to greet his visitors, putting out a foot to feel his way, like a blind man with a cane. Then he began to sing joyously.

"Don't you call that good music?" asked his mistress, knitting as she spoke. "He came from Germany; there's where you get the best singers.

Some canaries won't sing before company and some won't sing alone; they are fussy,--I call it _pernickitty_. Why, I had one with a voice like a flute; but I happened to buy some new wall-paper, and she didn't like the looks of it, and after that she never would sing a note."

"Are you in earnest?" asked Kyzie.

"Yes, it's a fact. But Job never was pernickitty, bless his little heart!"

She brought a tiny bell and let him take it in his claws.

"Now, I'll go out of the room, and you all keep still and see if he'll ring to call me back."

She went, closing the door after her. No one spoke. Job moved his head from side to side, and, apparently making up his little mind that he was all alone, he shook the bell peal after peal. Presently his mistress appeared. "Did you think mamma had gone and left you, Job darling? Mamma can't stay away from her baby."

The cooing tone pleased the little creature, and he sang again even more sweetly than before.

"Let me show you another of his tricks. You see this little gun? Well, when he fires it off that will be the end of poor Job!"

The gun was about two inches long and as large around as a lead pencil.

Inside was a tiny spring; and when Job's claw touched the spring the gun went off with a loud report. Job fell over at once as if shot and lay perfectly still and stiff on the rug. Lucy screamed out:---

"Oh, I'm so sorry he is dead!"

But next moment he roused himself and sat up and shook his feathers as if he relished the joke.

The children had a delightful half hour with the captain's widow and her pets; only Lucy could not be satisfied because Bab was away.

"Too bad you went off riding yesterday," said she as they sat next morning playing with their dolls. "You never saw that blind canary that shoots himself, and comes to life and rings a bell."

"But can't I see him sometime, Auntie Lucy?"

"You can, oh, yes, and I'll go with you. But, Bab, you ought to have heard our talk about the play! Kyzie is going to be as much as a hundred years old, and I guess Uncle James will be a hundred and fifty. And they've got a pair of old gla.s.ses with sand inside--the same kind that Adam and Eve used to have."

"Why-ee! Did Adam and Eve wear gla.s.ses? 'Tisn't in their pictures; _I_ never saw 'em with gla.s.ses on!"

"No, no, I don't mean gla.s.ses _wear_! I said gla.s.ses with sand inside; _that's_ what Uncle James has got. Runs out every hour. Sits on the table."

"Oh, I know what you mean, auntie! You mean an _hour-gla.s.s!_ Grandpa Hale has one and I've seen lots of 'em in France."

Lucy felt humbled. Though pretending to be Bab's aunt, she often found that her little niece knew more than she knew herself!

"Seems queer about Adam and Eve," said she, hastening to change the subject; "who do you s'pose took care of 'em when they were little babies?"

"Why, Auntie Lucy, there wasn't ever any _babiness_ about Adam and Eve!

Don't you remember, they stayed just exactly as they were made!"

"Yes, so they did. I forgot."

Lucy had made another mistake. This was not like a "truly auntie"; still it did not matter so very much, for Bab never laughed at her and they loved each other "dearilee."

"You know a great many things, don't you, Bab? And _I_ keep forgetting 'em."

"Oh, I know all about the world and the garden of Eden; _that's_ easy enough," replied the wise niece.

And then they went back to their dolls.

Half an hour later Kyzie Dunlee was standing in the schoolhouse door with a group of children about her when Nate Pollard appeared. As he looked at her he remembered "Jimmy's play," and the parts they were both to take in it; and the thought of little Kyzie as his poor old grandmother seemed so funny to Nate that he began to laugh and called out, "Good morning, grandmother!"

He meant no harm; but Kyzie thought him very disrespectful to accost her in that way before the children, and she tossed her head without answering him.

Nate was angry. How polite he had always been to her, never telling her what a queer school she kept! And now that he had consented to be her grandson in Jimmy's play, just to please her and the rest of the family, it did seem as if she needn't put on airs in this way!

"Ahem!" said he; "did you hear about that dreadful earthquake in San Diego?"

There had been a very slight one, but he was trying to tease her.

"No, oh, no!" she replied, throwing up both hands. "When was it?"

"Last night. I'm afraid of 'em myself, and if we get one here to-day you needn't be surprised to see me cut and run right out of the schoolhouse."

The children looked at him in alarm. Kyzie could not allow this.