“Good!” she said, heartily. “But do Ray and Kendall need a great deal of money before they can marry?”
“I don’t know how much, not being a marrying man, myself; but, anyhow, it takes more than Kendall has; or at least Ray thinks it does. It isn’t Ken’s fault; he would get married to-morrow if he could coax Ray into it; it isn’t the fault of either, I suppose; I guess it is just plain common-sense prudence. Sometimes I think I hate common sense, and prudence, too.”
“Don’t; they are too rare not to be treated with respect.”
“But they are so awfully unhandy,” he said, whimsically. “You see, it’s this way with Ken; he’s got a mother that he wants to do everything for, and then some; I like him for that. She is jolly, too, and good pluck; things were sailing along pretty smoothly until she got sick, all of a sudden, and stayed sick. Oh, she got better, you know, but not well; and she won’t ever be well again; and they have a little house, comfortable and nice for well people, but not large enough for three when one of them is sick; see? That is what Ray thinks; Kendall doesn’t agree with her; he is tired of doing without Ray, you know; and he has planned everything out dozens of times, he told me so; but Ray won’t. It isn’t that she wants a big house and all that, for herself; not she! you know Ray—but she says if they get married, his mother will insist on giving up her own nice big room to them, and going into a little, tucked-up one, and doing without dozens of things that she ought to have, and all that. I just believe she is right; sickness costs a lot of money, you know, and she doesn’t think Ken ought to have any more expense than is necessary.”
“Oh, no, the house isn’t his, they rent; but it is as large as Ken can afford at present. He gets a pretty good salary, and they think the world of him; everybody says he is bound to rise, and in time he will be a partner; but he has had an awfully hard time. He took care of that sick brother of his; you know about him? Well, he did everything for him for years and years; just at the time when he might be expected to have his hands full doing for his mother and himself. It has taken him three years to get the bills paid up; hospital, you know, and the funeral, and all the rest of it; Ken has been splendid. Besides all that, I guess Ray feels that father couldn’t—” Just here the loyal Derrick came to a full stop. It would never do to tell Aunt Elsie that Ray didn’t think father ought to have another cent added to his present burden. “Gee whiz!” he said to himself, “I almost told her that father couldn’t afford a wedding; I ought to be muzzled! But it can’t do any harm to talk to her about Ken’s puzzles.” Suddenly he launched forth again:
“I tell you what, Aunt Elsie, s’pose, just for the fun of it, that I had money to toss about wherever I liked; couldn’t I do a big thing right now! It makes my mouth water to think what fun I should have. I know a house where Ray would rather live than in a palace. You’ve heard about our old home on Dupont Circle? But you’ve never been out there, have you? It’s a dandy place, all right; trees, you know, and a big lawn, right in town! The house is nice; lots of rooms, and it’s for sale, don’t you think! Dirt cheap, too, they say, for anybody who can pay money down; the man who owns it has lost his wife, and has a sick daughter, and is going to break up and go to England, where his son lives; so he wants to get rid of the house—turn it into money, because he doesn’t want the bother of looking after it. Jimmie Breese told me all about it; I was out there with him to-day; went through the house; I don’t remember it from living there; I was just a little kid, you know, when we moved. Jimmie’s aunt wants to buy it; Jimmie says if she could raise the money she would take it; but she can’t; and it’s only to be had for cash down. I asked Ken why he didn’t buy it, and he laughed and said he was thinking of buying up the moon, instead. Now, you see, what I would do if I were rich. I should plank down the whole big lump, and say to Ray and Kendall, ‘Bless you, my children; sail right in and get married next week if you want to; there’s your house waiting for you.’ Wouldn’t that be jolly fun?”
He had talked on rapidly, with a touch of recklessness, eager, especially, to make his aunt forget his blundering reference to his father. But he did not succeed; as soon as he paused for breath she asked a direct question:
“Is it Ray’s delayed marriage that is making your father look so grave and troubled, just now?”
The boy flushed and hesitated. In his mind was the question: “How is a fellow who means to be always on the square to answer that?”