“My little girl!” she whispered softly with her face against the soft hair. “You’re sure you’re all right?”
“All right, mother dearie, only so hungry—and a little tired—” and she put her arm down on the white table and laid her head upon it. “Cakes! I’m so glad there are cakes! It didn’t hurt them to wait, did it? I’m so sorry I troubled you. I just know you have been all worried up.”
Mrs. Chapparelle smiled and poured a foaming glass of milk.
“Drink some of this quick, dearie. It will hearten you up, and I’ve got the griddle on back keeping warm. It won’t be a second now till I’ll have a piping hot cake for you.”
Bessie drank the milk slowly, and the color began to steal into her cheeks faintly, but there was a sad, troubled look about her eyes. Her mother watched her furtively as she went briskly about getting the supper on the table. She knew something unusual had happened.
“But she’s here, dear Lord, safe and sound!” she said in her heart thankfully, as she felt the glad tears come into her eyes.
Mrs. Chapparelle did not ask questions. They talked, not much, about the little occurrences of the mother’s day. Yes, the man came to take the ashes, and he only charged fifty cents. He was coming every week now, and they were to pay by the month. And Mrs. Herron called up and wanted some more towels initialled for Lila’s hope chest. She wanted the script letters, and they were worth more to embroider. The little girl next door had been taken to the hospital to have her tonsils taken out, and the milk man had left an extra pint of milk by mistake, so there was plenty to drink with the buckwheats. “And there! I meant to shut that window,” the mother added as she hurried over to the corner of the kitchen. “Do you know I thought I saw a man’s face looking in a while ago, just before I began to get worried about you.”
“Well, I’ve often told you, mother, I think you should shut that blind before dark, especially when you’re alone.”
Bessie’s color was better now. She was sitting up and eating cakes with a relish. The droop was going out of her slender figure.
“Oh, yes, and a very rude boy brought some packages here this afternoon which he insisted belonged to Miss Elizabeth Chapparelle. You didn’t buy anything today, did you?”