CHAPTER XVIII
WHEREIN MRS. COMSTOCK EXPERIMENTS WITH REJUVENATION, AND ELNORA
TEACHES NATURAL HISTORY
For the following week Mrs. Comstock and Elnora worked so hard there
was no time to talk, and they were compelled to sleep from physical
exhaustion. Neither of them made any pretence of eating, for they
could not swallow without an effort, so they drank milk and worked.
Elnora kept on setting bait for Catacolae and Sphinginae, which,
unlike the big moths of June, live several months. She took all
the dragonflies and butterflies she could, and when she went over
the list for the man of India, she found, to her amazement, that
with Philip's help she once more had it complete save a pair of
Yellow Emperors.
This circumstance was so surprising she had a fleeting thought of
writing Philip and asking him to see if he could not secure her
a pair. She did tell the Bird Woman, who from every source at her
command tried to complete the series with these moths, but could
not find any for sale.
"I think the mills of the Gods are grinding this grist,"
said Elnora, "and we might as well wait patiently until they
choose to send a Yellow Emperor."
Mrs. Comstock invented work. When she had nothing more to do, she
hoed in the garden although the earth was hard and dry and there
were no plants that really needed attention. Then came a notification
that Elnora would be compelled to attend a week's session of the
Teachers' Institute held at the county seat twenty miles north of
Onabasha the following week. That gave them something of which to
think and real work to do. Elnora was requested to bring her violin.
As she was on the programme of one of the most important sessions
for a talk on nature work in grade schools, she was driven to prepare
her speech, also to select and practise some music. Her mother turned
her attention to clothing.
They went to Onabasha together and purchased a simple and appropriate
fall suit and hat, goods for a dainty little coloured frock, and
a dress skirt and several fancy waists. Margaret Sinton came down
and the sewing began. When everything was finished and packed, Elnora
kissed her mother good-bye at the depot, and entered the train.
Mrs. Comstock went into the waiting-room and dropped into a seat
to rest. Her heart was so sore her whole left side felt tender.
She was half starved for the food she had no appetite to take. She
had worked in dogged determination until she was exhausted. For
a time she simply sat and rested. Then she began to think. She was
glad Elnora had gone where she would be compelled to fix her mind
on other matters for a few days. She remembered the girl had said
she wanted to go.
School would begin the following week. She thought over what Elnora
would have to do to accomplish her work successfully. She would
be compelled to arise at six o'clock, walk three miles through varying
weather, lead the high school orchestra, and then put in the remainder
of the day travelling from building to building over the city, teaching
a specified length of time every week in each room. She must have
her object lessons ready, and she must do a certain amount of practising
with the orchestra. Then a cold lunch at noon, and a three-mile
walk at night.
"Humph!" said Mrs. Comstock, "to get through that
the girl would have to be made of cast-iron. I wonder how I can
help her best?"
She thought deeply.
"The less she sees of what she's been having all summer, the
sooner she'll feel better about it," she muttered.
She arose, went to the bank and inquired for the cashier.
"I want to know just how I am fixed here," she said.
The cashier laughed. "You haven't been in a hurry," he
replied. "We have been ready for you any time these twenty
years, but you didn't seem to pay much attention. Your account is
rather flourishing. Interest, when it gets to compounding, is quite
a money breeder. Come back here to a table and I will show you your
balances."
Mrs. Comstock sank into a chair and waited while the cashier read
a jumble of figures to her. It meant that her deposits had exceeded
her expenses from one to three hundred dollars a year, according
to the cattle, sheep, hogs, poultry, butter, and eggs she had sold.
The aggregate of these sums had been compounding interest throughout
the years. Mrs. Comstock stared at the total with dazed and unbelieving
eyes. Through her sick heart rushed the realization, that if she
merely had stood before that wicket and asked one question, she
would have known that all those bitter years of skimping for Elnora
and herself had been unnecessary. She arose and went back to the
depot.
"I want to send a message," she said. She picked up the
pencil, and with rash extravagance, wrote, "Found money at
bank didn't know about. If you want to go to college, come on first
train and get ready." She hesitated a second and then she said
to herself grimly, "Yes, I'll pay for that, too," and
recklessly added, "With love, Mother." Then she sat waiting
for the answer. It came in less than an hour. "Will teach this
winter. With dearest love, Elnora."
Mrs. Comstock held the message a long time. When she arose she was
ravenously hungry, but the pain in her heart was a little easier.
She went to a restaurant and ate some food, then to a dressmaker
where she ordered four dresses: two very plain every-day ones, a
serviceable dark gray cloth suit, and a soft light gray silk with
touches of lavender and lace. She made a heavy list of purchases
at Brownlee's, and the remainder of the day she did business in
her direct and spirited way. At night she was so tired she scarcely
could walk home, but she built a fire and cooked and ate a hearty
meal.
Later she went out beside the west fence and gathered an armful
of tansy which she boiled to a thick green tea. Then she stirred
in oatmeal until it was a stiff paste. She spread a sheet over her
bed and began tearing strips of old muslin. She bandaged each hand
and arm with the mixture and plastered the soggy, evil-smelling
stuff in a thick poultice over her face and neck. She was so tired
she went to sleep, and when she awoke she was half skinned. She
bathed her face and hands, did the work and went back to town, coming
home at night to go through the same process.
By the third morning she was a raw even red, the fourth she had
faded to a brilliant pink under the soothing influence of a cream
recommended. That day came a letter from Elnora saying that she
would remain where she was until Saturday morning, and then come
to Ellen Brownlee's at Onabasha and stay for the Saturday's session
of teachers to arrange their year's work. Sunday was Ellen's last
day at home, and she wanted Elnora very much. She had to call together
the orchestra and practise them Sunday; and could not come home
until after school Monday night. Mrs. Comstock at once answered
the letter saying those arrangements suited her.
The following day she was a pale pink, later a delicate porcelain
white. Then she went to a hairdresser and had the rope of snowy
hair which covered her scalp washed, dressed, and fastened with
such pins and combs as were decided to be most becoming. She took
samples of her dresses, went to a milliner, and bought a street
hat to match her suit, and a gray satin with lavender orchids to
wear with the silk dress. Her last investment was a loose coat of
soft gray broadcloth with white lining, and touches of lavender
on the embroidered collar, and gray gloves to match.
Then she went home, rested and worked by turns until Monday. When
school closed on that evening, Elnora, so tired she almost trembled,
came down the long walk after a late session of teachers' meeting,
to be stopped by a messenger boy.
"There's a lady wants to see you most important. I am to take
you to the place," he said.
Elnora groaned. She could not imagine who wanted her, but there
was nothing to do but find out; tired and anxious to see her mother
as she was.
"This is the place," said the boy, and went his way whistling.
Elnora was three blocks from the high school building on the same
street. She was before a quaint old house, fresh with paint and
covered with vines. There was a long wide lot, grass-covered, closely
set with trees, and a barn and chicken park at the back that seemed
to be occupied. Elnora stepped on the veranda which was furnished
with straw rugs, bent- hickory chairs, hanging baskets, and a table
with a work- box and magazines, and knocked at the screen door.
Inside she could see polished floors, walls freshly papered in low-toned
harmonious colours, straw rugs and madras curtains. It seemed to
be a restful, homelike place to which she had come. A second later
down an open stairway came a tall, dark-eyed woman with cheeks faintly
pink and a crown of fluffy snow- white hair. She wore a lavender
gingham dress with white collar and cuffs, and she called as she
advanced: "That screen isn't latched! Open it and come see
your brand-new mother, my girl."
Elnora stepped inside the door. "Mother!" she cried. "You
my mother! I don't believe it!"
"Well, you better!" said Mrs. Comstock, "because
it's true! You said you wished I were like the other girls' mothers,
and I've shot as close the mark as I could without any practice.
I thought that walk would be too much for you this winter, so I
just rented this house and moved in, to be near you, and help more
in case I'm needed. I've only lived here a day, but I like it so
well I've a mortal big notion to buy the place."
"But mother!" protested Elnora, clinging to her wonderingly.
"You are perfectly beautiful, and this house is a little paradise,
but how will we ever pay for it? We can't afford it!"
"Humph! Have you forgotten I telegraphed you I'd found some
money I didn't know about? All I've done is paid for, and plenty
more to settle for all I propose to do."
Mrs. Comstock glanced around with satisfaction.
"I may get homesick as a pup before spring," she said,
"but if I do I can go back. If I don't, I'll sell some timber
and put a few oil wells where they don't show much. I can have land
enough cleared for a few fields and put a tenant on our farm, and
we will buy this and settle here. It's for sale."
"You don't look it, but you've surely gone mad!"
"Just the reverse, my girl," said Mrs. Comstock, "I've
gone sane. If you are going to undertake this work, you must be
convenient to it. And your mother should be where she can see that
you are properly dressed, fed, and cared for. This is our--let me
think--reception-room. How do you like it? This door leads to your
workroom and study. I didn't do much there because I wasn't sure
of my way. But I knew you would want a rug, curtains, table, shelves
for books, and a case for your specimens, so I had a carpenter shelve
and enclose that end of it. Looks pretty neat to me. The dining-room
and kitchen are back, one of the cows in the barn, and some chickens
in the coop. I understand that none of the other girls' mothers
milk a cow, so a neighbour boy will tend to ours for a third of
the milk. There are three bedrooms, and a bath upstairs. Go take
one, put on some fresh clothes, and come to supper. You can find
your room because your things are in it."
Elnora kissed her mother over and over, and hurried upstairs. She
identified her room by the dressing-case. There were a pretty rug,
and curtains, white iron bed, plain and rocking chairs to match
her case, a shirtwaist chest, and the big closet was filled with
her old clothing and several new dresses. She found the bathroom,
bathed, dressed in fresh linen and went down to a supper that was
an evidence of Mrs. Comstock's highest art in cooking. Elnora was
so hungry she ate her first real meal in two weeks. But the bites
went down slowly because she forgot about them in watching her mother.
"How on earth did you do it?" she asked at last. "I
always thought you were naturally brown as a nut."
"Oh, that was tan and sunburn!" explained Mrs. Comstock.
"I always knew I was white underneath it. I hated to shade
my face because I hadn't anything but a sunbonnet, and I couldn't
stand for it to touch my ears, so I went bareheaded and took all
the colour I accumulated. But when I began to think of moving you
in to your work, I saw I must put up an appearance that wouldn't
disgrace you, so I thought I'd best remove the crust. It took some
time, and I hope I may die before I ever endure the feel and the
smell of the stuff I used again, but it skinned me nicely. What
you now see is my own with a little dust of rice powder, for protection.
I'm sort of tender yet."
"And your lovely, lovely hair?" breathed Elnora.
"Hairdresser did that!" said Mrs. Comstock. "It cost
like smoke. But I watched her, and with a little help from you I
can wash it alone next time, though it will be hard work. I let
her monkey with it until she said she had found `my style.' Then
I tore it down and had her show me how to build it up again three
times. I thought my arms would drop. When I paid the bill for her
work, the time I'd taken, the pins, and combs she'd used, I nearly
had heart failure, but I didn't turn a hair before her. I just smiled
at her sweetly and said, `How reasonable you are!' Come to think
of it, she was! She might have charged me ten dollars for what she
did quite as well as nine seventy-five. I couldn't have helped myself.
I had made no bargain to begin on."
Then Elnora leaned back in her chair and shouted, in a gust of hearty
laughter, so a little of the ache ceased in her breast. There was
no time to think, the remainder of that evening, she was so tired
she had to sleep, while her mother did not awaken her until she
barely had time to dress, breakfast and reach school. There was
nothing in the new life to remind her of the old. It seemed as if
there never came a minute for retrospection, but her mother appeared
on the scene with more work, or some entertaining thing to do.
Mrs. Comstock invited Elnora's friends to visit her, and proved
herself a bright and interesting hostess. She digested a subject
before she spoke; and when she advanced a view, her point was sure
to be original and tersely expressed. Before three months people
waited to hear what she had to say. She kept her appearance so in
mind that she made a handsome and a distinguished figure.
Elnora never mentioned Philip Ammon, neither did Mrs. Comstock.
Early in December came a note and a big box from him. It contained
several books on nature subjects which would be of much help in
school work, a number of conveniences Elnora could not afford, and
a pair of glass-covered plaster casts, for each large moth she had.
In these the upper and underwings of male and female showed. He
explained that she would break her specimens easily, carrying them
around in boxes. He had seen these and thought they would be of
use. Elnora was delighted with them, and at once began the tedious
process of softening the mounted moths and fitting them to the casts
moulded to receive them. Her time was so taken in school, she progressed
slowly, so her mother undertook this work. After trying one or two
very common ones she learned to handle the most delicate with ease.
She took keen pride in relaxing the tense moths, fitting them to
the cases, polishing the glass covers to the last degree and sealing
them. The results were beautiful to behold.
Soon after Elnora wrote to Philip:
DEAR FRIEND:
I am writing to thank you for the books, and the box of conveniences
sent me for my work. I can use everything with fine results. Hope
I am giving good satisfaction in my position. You will be interested
to learn that when the summer's work was classified and pinned,
I again had my complete collection for the man of India, save a
Yellow Emperor. I have tried everywhere I know, so has the Bird
Woman. We cannot find a pair for sale. Fate is against me, at least
this season. I shall have to wait until next year and try again.
Thank you very much for helping me with my collection and for the
books and cases.
Sincerely yours,
ELNORA COMSTOCK.
Philip was disappointed over that note and instead of keeping it
he tore it into bits and dropped them into the waste basket.
That was precisely what Elnora had intended he should do. Christmas
brought beautiful cards of greeting to Mrs. Comstock and Elnora,
Easter others, and the year ran rapidly toward spring. Elnora's
position had been intensely absorbing, while she had worked with
all her power. She had made a wonderful success and won new friends.
Mrs. Comstock had helped in every way she could, so she was very
popular also.
Throughout the winter they had enjoyed the city thoroughly, and
the change of life it afforded, but signs of spring did wonderful
things to the hearts of the country-bred women. A restlessness began
on bright February days, calmed during March storms and attacked
full force in April. When neither could bear it any longer they
were forced to discuss the matter and admit they were growing ill
with pure homesickness. They decided to keep the city house during
the summer, but to return to the farm to live as soon as school
closed.
So Mrs. Comstock would prepare breakfast and lunch and then slip
away to the farm to make up beds in her ploughed garden, plant seeds,
trim and tend her flowers, and prepare the cabin for occupancy.
Then she would go home and make the evening as cheerful as possible
for Elnora; in these days she lived only for the girl.
Both of them were glad when the last of May came and the schools
closed. They packed the books and clothing they wished to take into
a wagon and walked across the fields to the old cabin. As they approached
it, Mrs. Comstock said to Elnora: "You are sure you won't be
lonely here?"
Elnora knew what she really meant.
"Quite sure," she said. "For a time last fall I was
glad to be away, but that all wore out with the winter. Spring made
me homesick as I could be. I can scarcely wait until we get back
again."
So they began that summer as they had begun all others --with work.
But both of them took a new joy in everything, and the violin sang
by the hour in the twilight.