Read Ebook: Princess Sukey: The story of a pigeon and her human friends by Saunders Marshall

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Ebook has 2505 lines and 85375 words, and 51 pages

"Mother Tingsby," he said, pulling at the woman's gown, and drawing down her ear to his small mouth, "is this the husband of the good third mother?"

"Yes, lamb, yes," said the woman, nodding her head a great many times, "an' your second mother bids you go. Be good an' clever."

The child gave her an anguished glance. He did not wish to go with these strangers. However, he had been trained to look forward to just such an event, and he made no protest. Putting his little hand in the one that Titus held out, he followed the Judge to the street.

No one spoke on the way home. The Judge and Titus on the back seat of the sleigh scarcely took their eyes from the serious, little face of the strangely pale, quiet child opposite.

He was not sleepy now. They could see the two large brown eyes shining with the steady light of two solemn stars.

When they reached their home on the avenue, Titus politely assisted the child to alight, and took his hand as they went up the long steps.

Higby had gone to bed, and the parlor-maid's face as she opened the door was a study. Nobody explained matters to her, and in a complete state of mystification she was sent to request Mrs. Blodgett's immediate presence in the parlor.

Titus had lifted the little stranger to a chair, and was drawing off his cap and mittens.

"Mrs. Blodgett," said the Judge, when that good woman appeared, "I wish you to take charge of this child. Put him to sleep at once. If he is nervous, some one must sleep in the room with him. Don't give him a bath to-night. He is very tired. In the morning dress him and bring him down to breakfast."

Mrs. Blodgett, in amazement, looked down at the shabby child. Who was this? She was not fond of children, except her own--and poor and dirty children she detested.

However, a little hand was stealing into hers. A tired, unhappy face was looking trustfully up at her, seeking the kind glances of a third mother.

Mrs. Blodgett would have been less than a woman if she could have resisted. This was probably some child who was here only for the night.

"Yes, sir," she said, respectfully, and with the little boy clinging closely to her, instead of bestowing glances on the Judge and Titus, she went upstairs.

The Judge and his grandson did not talk much that night. The Judge slowly sipped his glass of hot milk and then went to bed. He lived a quiet life, and the adventure of the evening had given him many problems to think over.

Titus was quite excited. Ordinarily the approach of Christmas Day did not stir him very much, but now that there was another young person in the house he felt his pulse quickened. This strange boy must have some presents. Should he give him some of his new ones, or would old ones be sufficient? He would consult his grandfather about it. He had a lot of old toys up in the attic. To-morrow morning he would ask Higby to get them down, or, better still, he would take the youngster up there. Poor little chap--how mean to make him work, and with some hitherto unknown generous impulses animating his sturdy young breast Titus fell asleep.

He was late for breakfast the next morning. His grandfather had already had prayers, the servants had scattered to their various employments, and Higby was just taking in a second supply of coffee to the dining room.

"B-b-beg pardon, grandfather," said Titus, hurrying in after the man. "I-I-I fell asleep again after Higby knocked at my door. M-merry Christmas and many of them!" and seating himself at the table he looked around in great approbation.

The long handsome room was flooded with sunlight.

"G-g-good old sun," ejaculated Titus, approvingly. "I-I-I can dress better when he shines on me. I-I-I hate the dark, early part of the morning. W-where's the child, sir?"

The Judge looked toward the door. Higby was just throwing it open for Mrs. Blodgett and her charge.

Then an amusing scene took place. In the doorway stood Mrs. Blodgett, and a pale, pretty little girl dressed in a dainty white cloth dress trimmed with gold braid.

The Judge and Titus looked at Mrs. Blodgett. They both knew that she possessed a little granddaughter of whom she was inordinately proud. This child sometimes came to the house, and she often presented her to the Judge for a word or a kind glance.

Just now he gave both--"A merry Christmas, little one. Come here and get an orange. Mrs. Blodgett, how is the boy this morning?"

Mrs. Blodgett pushed the child, who did not seem inclined to leave her, toward the Judge, then she said in a puzzled way, "The boy, sir?"

"Yes--the boy I brought home last night," replied the Judge.

"The boy, sir," she repeated in amazement, while an additional flood of color swept over her rubicund face. "There weren't no boy, sir."

The Judge gazed patiently at her. Mrs. Blodgett was getting older. He had noticed several times lately that she seemed a little stupid and did not understand quickly what was said to her.

"You surely remember the little boy I brought home with me last evening?"

Mrs. Blodgett gazed up at the ceiling, down at the floor, under the table, and behind her out into the hall as if seeking a lost child.

Then she said, faintly, "As I am a mortal woman, sir, I didn't see no boy, sir. He must have slipped off on the doorstep. I know these poor children. They're sneaky as foxes."

"No, he did not slip away," said the Judge, with a quiet smile. "I brought him in and gave him to you."

Mrs. Blodgett's face was purple, and she turned to Higby in quiet exasperation. "Now, if you'd been about, instead of bein' in bed, I'd have said it was some of them queer tricks of yours."

"Do not make a scapegoat of Higby," said the Judge, decidedly, "but let your memory go back to last evening. This is a serious matter, Mrs. Blodgett. I had a young boy in my charge. I am answerable for his safety. I brought him in the house and gave him into your care. Now, what has become of him?"

"Lawks-a-massy!" exclaimed Mrs. Blodgett, joining her hands in embarrassment and staring wildly about her, "Is it you, Judge Sancroft, speakin', and am I, Dorinda Blodgett, a-listenin'?"

"You seem to be listening," remarked the Judge, dryly, "but you certainly are not understanding. Please go away and search your memory and the house for that boy. Titus, what is the matter with you?"

"Are you crazy, too?" the Judge felt like adding, but fortunately for himself he did not do so. While he had been speaking the child had been creeping shyly toward him, and Titus's eyes were glued on her. The Judge turned his eyes quickly on the little girl. Now that he examined her more closely he saw that this was no offspring from the Blodgett stock. Where had he seen before that thin band of curls, those big, solemn eyes?

"Sir," Mrs. Blodgett was sniffling miserably, while she made a ball of her pocket handkerchief, "you aint never doubted my word afore. It's time for me to quit your service."

"I am not doubting your word," he said, absently, "only--" and he again stared at the child.

"Where did you get this little girl?" he asked, shortly.

"'Tis the same little girl you brought in last evenin', sir, the same little girl what weren't accompanied by no boy, sure as I'm alive. Jennie, she saw her--ask her if there were a boy too."

"Upon my word!" exclaimed the Judge, bringing his hand down on the table. "Upon my word!"

Titus's eyes were absolutely sticking out of his head. Then he began to cough, then to laugh, then to choke.

"Sir," said Mrs. Blodgett, uneasily, "she were dressed something like a boy outside, but inside was such a miserable little frock that I took the liberty of putting on her one of my grandchild, Mary Ann's, outgrown party ones that I'm goin' to give to an orphan asylum."

Still the Judge did not speak, and Mrs. Blodgett went on. "'Pears to me, now I think of it, you did tell me to take this little boy an' put him to bed. I didn't pay no attention, sir. As much as I honors you, I couldn't think to change my Maker's decrees by makin' a little girl a little boy."

"O, grandfather!" gasped Titus, half under the table. "O! O! grandfather!"

The Judge's face relaxed, then he looked about him and began to smile. Then he laughed--laughed so heartily that Mrs. Blodgett, who was no simpleton, and who was beginning to understand, joined in. Higby, delighted to find no share of mismanagement attributed to him, snickered agreeably, and even the maids who had just come up from the kitchen and were going to their work in different parts of the house, hearing the sound of enjoyable laughter, echoed it light-heartedly.

"This is a good Christmas joke on you and me, Titus," said the Judge at last, putting his handkerchief to his face to wipe his eyes. "It is said that one finds what one looks for. We were looking for a boy, and we persuaded ourselves that we had found one."

"Did that woman try to deceive you, sir?" asked Titus, drawing his head from under the table and casting a comical glance at his grandfather, then at the little girl.

"No, she had the appearance of an honest woman, but her deafness prevented her from hearing us fully. Now that I think of it, she did not once say that the child was a boy. We jumped to that conclusion. Why did you not tell us what you were?" and he turned to the child.

She gave him a quiet smile that assured him that she had not intentionally deceived him, and then he saw that her mouth was parched and open, and that her lips moved slightly as she looked beyond him toward the table.

"You are hungry," he said, courteously. "Higby, lift her to her seat."

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