AN "EXTRAORDINARY" GIRL.
After breakfast Vinnie left Lill to "do the dishes," and went with her box of salve to fulfil her promise to Mrs. Peakslow. Dud and Zeph were off at work with their father; and she was glad to find the mother alone with the younger children.
"Oh! you ag'in?" said Mrs. Peakslow, by the chimney, looking up from a skillet she was stooping over and scraping. "Ye need n't 'a' took the trouble. Guess Bubby's burns 'll git along."
But Vinnie was not to be rebuffed.
"I have brought some linen rags to spread the salve on. Will you let me do it myself? I wish you would; the poor thing is suffering so."
And Vinnie knelt down beside the girl who was holding Bubby in her arms.
"Is 't any o' the Betterson folks's sa'v'?" Mrs. Peakslow inquired, scraping away at her skillet.
"No; it is some I brought from the East with me, thinking I should find a use for it in my sister's family; it is good for various things."
"Better keep it for her family!" snarled Mrs. Peakslow. Scrape, scrape.
"There's plenty and to spare," said Vinnie, unrolling her rags. "And my sister will be only too glad if it can be of any service to you."
"Think so?" Mrs. Peakslow stopped her scraping and scowled at Vinnie. "Her folks hain't never showed us none too much good-will."
"They have never known you,—you have never understood each other," said Vinnie. "It is too bad that the troubles between the men should prevent you and her from being on neighborly terms. Can I use a corner of this table to spread the salve? And can I see the little thing's burns, so as to shape the plasters to cover them?"
"He tol' me not to use the sa'v', if ye brought it," said Mrs. Peakslow doubtfully, laying down the skillet.
"When he sees the good effect of it I am sure he won't complain; he is too fond of his little boy," said Vinnie, placing rags and salve on the table. "Will you let me take a case-knife and a pair of scissors?"
"Got rags enough of my own. Needn't trouble yourself to cut and spread plasters. Try the sa'v', 'f ye say so."
Vinnie did say so, and dressed Bubby's burns with her own hands, doing the work so deftly and tenderly, talking now to the child, now to the mother, who had taken him into her lap, and showing in every look and tone so cheerful and sweet a spirit that poor Mrs. Peakslow's peevish heart warmed and softened toward her.
"I do declare," she said, as the outer bandages were going on, "Bubby feels comforted a'ready. Must be dreffle good sa'v'! Much obleeged to ye, I'm sure. How is yer sister?"
"Much better than she was; and the baby is better too. Indeed," said Vinnie, "I think the baby will get well as soon as the mother does."
"And Cecie—how's Cecie?" Mrs. Peakslow timidly asked.
"O, Cecie is in very good spirits! She is the most gentle, patient, beautiful girl you ever saw! She never complains; and she is always so grateful for any little thing that is done for her!"
"S'pose the folks feel hard to our Zeph; don't they?"
"I believe the boys do, and you can hardly wonder at it, Mrs. Peakslow," said Vinnie; "their own dear sister! crippled for life, perhaps. But Cecie won't allow that your son meant to hurt her; she always takes his part when the subject is brought up."
"Does she?" exclaimed Mrs. Peakslow, surprised into sudden tears. "I wouldn't 'a' believed that! Must be she's a good gal. Truth is, Zeph hadn't no notion o' hurtin' on her. It's re'ly troubled me,—it's troubled all on us, though I don't s'pose her folks'll believe it."
And Mrs. Peakslow, not finding it convenient to get at her apron, with Bubby in her lap, wiped her eyes with a remnant of Vinnie's rags.
"Isn't it too sad that this quarrel is kept up?" said Vinnie.
"O dear me! nobody knows," said Mrs. Peakslow, in a quavering voice, "what a life it is! Our folks is some to blame, I s'pose. But the Bettersons have been so aggravatin'! Though I've nothin' ag'in the gals. They're as perty gals as I'd ask to have play with my children. My children is sufferin' for mates. I want society, too, for it's a dreffle life,—a dreffle life!" And the quavering voice broke into sobs.
Vinnie was surprised and pained at this outburst, and hardly knew what reply to make.
"Lyddy, wipe them dishes!" Mrs. Peakslow went on again, sopping her eyes with the remnant of rags. "Lecty Ann! here, take Bubby. Scuse me, miss; I d'n' know what sot me goin' this way; but my heart's been shet up so long; I've so wanted sympathy!" And now the apron did service in place of the rags.
"Yes, I know," said Vinnie. "This is a lonesome country, unless you have friends around you. There seem to be a few nice people here,—people from the East; you are from the East, I suppose?"
"O yes; but he ain't a very social man, an' he's dreffle sot in his way. He don't go out nowheres, 'thout he has business, an' he don't think there's any need of a woman's goin' out. So there it is. The Wiggetts, our neighbors on one side, ain't our kind o' people; then there's the Bettersons on t'other side. An' there's allus so many things a wife has to put up with, an' hold her tongue. O dear! O dear! Keep to your work, gals! hear?"
There was something almost comical in this sharp and shrill winding-up of the good woman's pathetic discourse; but Vinnie never felt less like laughing.
"I am glad you can speak freely to me," she said. "I'll come and see you again, if you will let me; and I want you some time to come and see my sister."
"I d'n' know! I d'n' know!" said Mrs. Peakslow, still weeping. "You may come here,—like to have ye,—only it'll be jest as well if you time your visits when me an' the gals is alone; you know what men-folks be."
"You are really an extraordinary girl, Lavinia dear!" Caroline said, when Vinnie went home and told her story. "Did you know it?"
Vinnie laughed.
"Why, no; I never thought of such a thing; what I do comes so very natural."
"Extraordinary!" Caroline repeated, regarding her admiringly. "I'm proud of such a sister. I always told Mr. Betterson there was good blood on our side too. I wonder what Radcliff would think of you."
Vinnie sincerely believed that so fine a young gentleman would not think anything of her at all, but feared it might seem like affectation in him to say so.
"And I wonder," Caroline continued, with the usual simper which her favorite theme inspired, "what you would think of Radcliff. Ah, Lavinia dear! it is a comfort for me to reflect that it was a Betterson—nobody less than a thoroughbred Betterson—who took the place in our family which you would otherwise have filled."
Evidently Caroline's conscience was not quite easy on the subject of her early neglect of so "extraordinary" a sister; for she often alluded to it in this way. Vinnie now begged her not to mention it again.
"And you really cherish no hard feelings?"
"None whatever."
"You are very good. And pretty; did you know it? Quite pretty."
Vinnie laughed again.
"Mrs. Presbit brought me up to the wholesome belief that I was quite plain."
"That was to prevent you from becoming vain. Vanity, you know," said Caroline, with her most exquisite simper, "spoils so many girls! I'm thankful it doesn't run in our family! But didn't your glass undeceive you?"
"On the contrary, I used to look in it and say to myself, 'It is a very common face; I wish it was pretty, but Aunt Presbit is right; I'm a homely little thing!'"
"And you felt bad?"
"I never mourned over it; though, of course, I should have much preferred to be handsome."
"And hasn't anybody ever told you you were handsome?"
Vinnie blushed.
"Of course I've heard a good deal of nonsense talked now and then."
"Lavinia dear, you are extraordinary. And handsome, though not in the usual sense of the word. Your face is rather common, in repose, but it lights up wonderfully. And, after all, I don't know that it is so much your face, as the expression you throw into it, that is so enchanting. What would Radcliff Betterson say to you, I wonder?"