Girl to Come Home To (19 page)

And so for the time being the subject was changed, but Louella kept turning wistful eyes toward the mantel shelf where the yellow envelope stood. Twice she tried strategy, inventing reasons for her hostess to go into the kitchen and see who was at the back door, after she had heard Hetty go upstairs, so she would have an opportunity to get nearer to the address on that envelope. She was consumed with a desire to know whose name it bore. But Margaret Graeme was canny and could explain every noise at the back door and did not leave her trying guest alone with that letter. At last Louella got discouraged and decided that it was high time for her to get home and telephone Jessica if she expected to catch her before she went out for the afternoon. But she felt that she had at least
some
progress to report. And then of course she was never at a loss for filling in from her prolific imagination what facts did not give her. And there was that mysterious telegram on the mantel for a start.

And so at last Louella departed. Making excuse, however, to return to search the floor and her chair for a possible dropped handkerchief she was sure she had with her when she came. And during her careful search she had opportunity to see that the telegram was still on the mantel, and Margaret Graeme had been as good as her word and had not taken opportunity to open the envelope as soon as she had left. That was what she had hoped to catch her doing, and then surely she might be able to discover to whom it had been sent.

But Margaret was sitting there serenely where she had left her, still thoughtfully, almost wearily, knitting. Louella always did make her very weary. Her mind had to be so keenly on the alert to avert disasters of one sort and another, especially the leaking out of private family matters that Louella ached to discover and broadcast.

So at last Louella was gone, and Margaret might draw a free breath. She walked to the window to see her going down the hill toward her hotel—just to make sure she would not be returning within the minute.

Rodney came in a little while later and read his telegram. “Has Chatty been here yet today, Mom?” he asked as he cast his eye about the room and noted Louella’s favorite chair brought in from the other room and placed to good advantage for conversation.

“Chatty” was the nickname given the unloved cousin in derision. The mother smiled. “Why yes, how did you know?”

“Isn’t that her ball of yarn under the chair and a handkerchief with red cherries around the border? They could belong to none other than our garrulous relative.” He grinned, and the mother smiled sympathetically back again.

“Well, Mom, that telegram is my bid to come down to Washington next week and broadcast, but don’t tell her, in case she comes back to find out what it was.”

“Oh no, of course not,” said the mother with a twinkle. “I’ve already had my troubles to keep her from opening the envelope and discovering for herself what it was.”

“Brave woman. I’ll pin a medal on you for that,” said the boy, stopping over and planting a kiss on his mother’s smiling lips.

Jeremy stood at one side grinning and watching them. “What do you suppose she wants to know for?” he asked. “Is she just curious, or did she have some ulterior motive?”

“I’m sure it would have been ulterior, whatever the reason,” said Rodney with a wry grin.

“Well, if you ask me, Rod,” said Jeremy, “
I
think she was gathering fodder to feed to your old flame, Jessica.”

“
What?
” said Rodney, looking at his brother sharply. “What makes you say that? Have you got some information you haven’t told me about?”

“Not definitely, but I know the habit of the woman—or perhaps I should say
women
. What do you suppose your former fiancée is hanging around here all this time for, anyway? I understood she was only here for a day or two, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t understand anything about it,” grouched Rodney. “I wasn’t interested.”

Afterward, upstairs in their room together, Jeremy said loftily, “Well, if I might advise, I should say it might be to your advantage to find out what’s going on, brother. You know that baby isn’t one who ever does anything without reason, and it’s just as well to find out and take the sting out of it before she gets in any of her deadly work.”

“Hm!” said Rodney thoughtfully. “Perhaps you’re right. I’ll look into it. But you understand, Jerry, I don’t want to be connected with Jessica in
any
way. I’ll look into it, but it will have to be through you or somebody else. I simply
will not
have anything more to do with that double-crossing, slippery little sneak. She is not to be trusted for an instant, and I want nothing more to do with her. Not even to stop her connivances. However, I’ll take some means to let her understand that it is of no use to try anything more with me, and I feel it in my soul she’s plotting something of that sort and is trying her best to make that silly cousin of ours help her get it across.”

“Well,” said Jerry, “I’m glad you see that much. I certainly am. I was afraid there one time you were going to feel sorry for the poor little brat, the way you used to do sometimes when you caught her in one of her flirtations in high school, and then she turned weepy on you and you made up with her.”

“Yes, I know,” said Rodney with his brow in a heavy frown. “I was a fool then, but I’ve found it out now. I didn’t spend all those days and nights up in the sky with nobody but God and the enemy around for nothing. I found out a lot of things about myself, even besides my sins. But Jerry, you were only a little kid in those high school days, just in the freshman class. How did you know anything about all that?”

“What do you think I was? Dumb? I reckon I saw a whole lot that you didn’t even know. I saw, and I heard, and I watched, and I grew up watching. And maybe I did worry a lot about my big brother. For I didn’t trust that sleek hypocrite of a girl, not one little bit. I saw and heard a lot more than you thought I would, and I’m not meaning mebbe.”

Rodney studied his brother’s face searchingly for a minute, and then he said, “I’ll bet you did, kid, and the more fool I was that I didn’t see it, too. Yes, with the kind of mother I’ve got, I ought to have seen it myself, first off the bat. Thanks, awfully, kid, for having seen it and stuck by me and kept your mouth shut. But now I hope I can get by without any more contacts.”

“Well, it may be so,” mumbled Jeremy, half whistling as he talked, “but knowing that gal as I’ve watched her, I think not. I think she means to get it back on you yet, unless you’re mighty cautious, lad.”

“I guess you’ve forgotten something, haven’t you, buddy? I’ve got a Lord now, and He’s keeping guard over me. ‘He’ll not let my soul be lost,’ you know, ‘He will hold me fast.’ ”

“That’s right, brother, I forgot you had that now. The enemy may be strong, but he can’t get by that defense. I say, Rod, it’s something great, isn’t it, to be at home again and to live this new life together, with a Savior like ours? Able to keep, and to present us faultless! Sometimes I just revel in that thought, ’able to keep’ and to present us ‘
faultless
.’ ” And then in the dimness of the hall as they started downstairs for lunch, the two brothers felt for each other’s hands in a strong happy clasp of rejoicing.

B
ut the next day there were letters and phone calls, some of which sought to change the bright future and good times the young people had planned.

The letters were for Diana. One from her mother, saying she was so glad that her daughter was having a delightful visit with her old college mate, but wasn’t she almost ready to come home? Didn’t she realize how many lovely affairs she was missing, how many old friends were home on furloughs, who would be going back again overseas, perhaps for a longer stay? And they were being given parties. There were even a few weddings, unexpectedly soon, weddings in which of course Diana must participate. There was Rush Horrmann’s and Lannie Freeman’s wedding. She mustn’t miss that, and Lannie had just called to say she wanted Diana for her maid of honor. And there was a simply huge affair for the Red Cross Drive. She mustn’t miss that on any account. She owed that to her mother who was president, even if she were not interested on her own account.

“And then my dear,” went on the mother, coming gently to the crux of the matter in her last few sentences, “do you realize at all how you are treating poor dear Bates Hibberd? Does that seem quite fair to him that you should go flying off after an old college mate, just at the time when Bates was coming home with new honors? And he has always been so devoted to you. Why, he confided to me only yesterday that he had hoped to get you to name the day while he is home this trip and was planning to coax you to get married right away. And just think, my dear, how much you’ll be missing of pomp and ceremony if you should happen to wait so long that the war would be over and you couldn’t have a real military wedding. Uniforms do make a wedding so picturesque, you know, and it would be simply calamitous if you were to miss that. I could never forgive you. I was looking at Bates yesterday while he was talking with me, and he did look so handsome in his new officer’s uniform. It is just gorgeous. And so, my dear, I wish you would bid good-bye to your fascinating new friends and come home not later than Monday, but really I suggest that you come Saturday. Say to your friends there that it is
imperative
. After all, you’ve certainly outstayed your invitation, I am sure, and we all are getting quite hungry to see you again. The house seems terribly empty without you.”

The other letter was from Bates Hibberd, perfect of diction, impeccable of stationery, demanding of tone, as if he had a perfect right to demand and didn’t understand why she hadn’t come home of her own desire days ago.

There was more in this general line, in a most possessive tone, indicating that the young officer felt that she was virtually his to order around and that his usually reasonable temper was roused beyond further endurance.

Diana sat pondering this letter for a few moments with a frown of worry on her lovely face, and then she went to her room and wrote an answer to that letter.

The answer to her mother’s letter was not so easy to write, because she knew her mother would be terribly disappointed at her decision.

These letters were dispatched special delivery, air mail, and Diana drew a long breath and took courage. She felt that she had taken a very decided step in her new life and that she was being honest with her own heart for the first time since Bates Hibberd had begun to pester her to marry him. In the light of the new life she had, she was surprised to find how such questions fell into place and were clear and plain before her. For one thing, Bates Hibberd wouldn’t be in sympathy with her living a Christian life, that she knew definitely. He did not go to church and hated religious things. But clearest of all came the knowledge to her that she did not love him and that she could not enter into a close relation like marriage with one whom she did not love. Yes, he was handsome and rich and influential and could give her a fine social position, but those things did not count now. She had found a Savior, a Redeemer, a Guide, and she had found a joy that no royal social position could give her. She was content.