“I shall not have time for that and for the organ, too; besides, I don’t believe Cousin Rindy ever could stand hearing me squeaking out scales and exercises every day.”
“Humph!” The doctor nodded thoughtfully. “Didn’t I hear something about it having belonged to your father?”
Ellen’s lip trembled, and she did not trust herself to do more than nod affirmatively as the doctor shot her a keen glance. But she soon controlled herself and spoke steadily as she asked, “How long will it be before Cousin Rindy can leave the hospital?”
“In about a couple of weeks, I should say, but don’t you worry any about that; she is better off there than she would be anywhere else, and the longer you make your visit to Caro the better she and the rest of us will like it.”
“That’s mighty nice for you to say, but I know Cousin Rindy will be fretting till she gets back home; she does so hate to be idle.”
“A good rest won’t hurt her, and as for you, it isn’t to be supposed that you can take on housekeeping and nursing, too.”
“But I shall have to, for a while.”
“We’ll see about that. Are you ready to go?”
Miss Rindy’s face brightened as Ellen entered the room. These daily visits meant everything to her. Ellen saved up bits of gossip to tell her, cut out jokes from the newspapers, brought some interesting story to read to her, and cudgelled her brains for some new means of entertainment.
“Well, here’s the useless old hulk still cumbering the earth,” was Miss Rindy’s greeting on this special day. “If Sam Rowe doesn’t get me out of this room pretty quick, I’ll have to mortgage my house and sell my old carcass to the doctors for what it would bring after I’m gone, though, being damaged goods, it wouldn’t bring much.”