Julia The Apostate Read online

Miss Trueman explained, "and they goback before Thanksgiving."

  "Yes. Well, I didn't know that."

  He waited again for a few seconds, and Miss Trueman sat in respectfulsilence till he should continue.

  "You see, I'd been East once before, eight years ago, but I didn't seethe farm then," he said finally.

  "I got married while I was West."

  His audience of one started slightly.

  "She's dead now," he added abruptly.

  "Oh, Cousin Lorando--"

  "You needn't bother about the sympathy, my dear, for there's noneneeded. I hadn't been with her for a good while. I saw her in aconcert-hall out there, and she had curly hair and a kind of taking waywith her, and so I married her. I'd just made a big hit, and she wantedto come to New York, and we came. We went to a big hotel, and it wasdress-suits for me and diamonds for her, and we drove in a carriage inthe park in the afternoon. She liked it, but I soon got enough. I don'tcare much for that sort of thing. She wanted to go to the theatre andsee the girls that she'd been one of, you see, from the other side ofthe curtain. And she saw a man there she used to know, and--well, itturned out she liked him better, that's all."

  "Oh, Cousin Lorando, how terrible--for her!"

  "Um, yes. She didn't think it was specially terrible, I guess, though.She just packed up and went."

  "Went?"

  "Yes--with him, you see. Diamonds and all. I got a divorce, of course.And she wasn't such a bad lot, after all, for he hadn't any money tospeak of, compared to me. It was the man she wanted. Well, she got him."

  "How awful!" Miss Trueman murmured.

  "Oh, yes, I felt pretty sick for a while. But we hadn't been any toohappy before she saw him, you see. It was a big mistake. She wasn'texactly the kind of woman you'd be apt to know, you see. So perhaps Igot off easier than I deserved. But I never would have married while shewas alive. Not but what I had a right to, you understand, but I guessI'm old-fashioned more ways than one. I read about her death a year orso ago. I don't believe she had any too good a time herself. She hadan awful temper. But she certainly did have pretty hair," he concludedthoughtfully.

  Miss Trueman gasped.

  "So I didn't want to see New York again; I just hated the place. Andthis time I only came because I found out you and the girls were here,and you were about all there was left. People die so. And I wanted tofind out about the old place. I wanted to buy it, if I could, when Ithought it was sold."

  "But, Cousin Lorando, I couldn't sell it!"

  "Oh, no, I s'pose not. Still, I might buy out the girls' thirds and rentyours, couldn't I? I'd pay you as much and more than anybody else would,I guess. And you could keep your interest. And keep half of the house,for that matter, to use when you wanted--it's big enough."

  "Why, yes, I don't see why I couldn't do that," she said thoughtfully."That would be nice."

  "You see, I'm willing to make any arrangement, Cousin Jule. It's aboutall there is that I'm fond of now, that old place. I haven't any folksof my own, and not a chick nor child, and I love every stick and stoneof that farm. I love the country, and I love Connecticut country bestof all, I don't care if it is rocky. You can't make farming pay in NewEngland any more. But I don't need to make it pay; I'm willing to payfor the pleasure of it. And I want to do something for the town, too. Iwant 'em to be glad I came to settle there. Who's got the keys?"

  "I have, right here," she answered. "The furniture is all ours, you see;they haven't brought much, only they've changed things all around. Ihaven't renewed the lease yet for this year."

  "Well, now, look here, Jule," Mr. Bean cried eagerly, dropping the endof his cigar into a bonbon-dish on the little side-table, "why don't yourun right up there with me to-night, and we'll look it all over andsort of plan it out? We can go up on the six-thirty, and get there byhalf-past ten, and stop at the hotel, and be there all ready to look itover to-morrow. Now, how's that?"

  "Why, but, Cousin Lorando--I--there isn't time--I hadn't planned--"

  "Lord, neither had I, but what's the difference? If you want a thingdone, go and do it yourself. Wouldn't you like to go? It's lovelyup there; the spring's coming on fast, you know. I got lots ofpussy-willow, and some little fellows told me there were May-flowerssomewhere. You'll see more grass in a minute there than you can hunt uphere in a week. Come on, Cousin Jule!"

  "I believe I will!" said Miss True-man, with conviction.

  "Just pack up a bag for your aunt, Carrie, while I get a cab," said Mr.Bean from the doorway. "We're going up to the old place--I'm thinking ofbuying it. I expect we'll be back tomorrow."

  "Your cousin appears to be a person of decision," Mrs. Ranger suggestedto the still dazed Elise, as the cab rolled away.

  "I don't understand Aunt Ju-ju at all," Carolyn interpolated crossly.She had not been in the habit of packing her aunt's bag. "She usuallymakes such a fuss about starting to go anywhere--days ahead, in fact.And now at fifteen minutes' notice! And her best gown!"

  "It makes a difference, having a man to run it," said the novelistsagely.

  When two days had passed and their aunt had not yet appeared, her nieceswere not unnecessarily alarmed, for her attachment to her old home wasgreat, and it required no unusual degree of imagination to pictureher delighted lingering over the old things, her purposely prolongedtransaction of business details. But four days of unexplained absencehad its effect upon their own little menage; and when a week's visit hadbeen accomplished and their beseeching letters had elicited only vaguepostal cards explaining nothing, but suggesting their presence at thefarm, they became convinced of the necessity for action on their part,and went, more or less in the presumable spirit of the mountain insearch of the fractious Prophet.

  Tired and cross after four hours' travel on an incredibly hot 1st ofApril, they walked sternly up the board walk that led to the old-styleporch, to be greeted by their cousin, who sat in snowy shirtsleeves,tilted back in his chair against the house, smoking his fat, dark cigar.

  "Welcome home, girls--glad to see you!" he called cheerily. "Here theyare, Jule! Now don't be afraid, but come right out and see them!"

  "Why, bless your heart, Lorando, I'm not afraid," a familiar voiceanswered; and Aunt Julia appeared before them, cool in blue checkedgingham, with an enveloping white apron and familiarly floury hands.

  "I'm just beating up some biscuit for tea," she explained, "but I guessyou can shake hands with me, girls "; and as she extended both armshospitably they saw upon her floured left hand an unmistakable shininggold band.

  "Aunt Jule!" they gasped together. "Are you--is it--"

  "That's it exactly," said Cousin Lorando Bean. "She is. And I hopeyou'll congratulate her, girls, though nobody knows better than I what agood housekeeper you've lost! I'll tell you the facts of the matter, andyou can judge for yourself. If ever two people were made for each other,those two are your Aunt Jule and me. We love the country, and we lovethis farm, and what's very important, we love the same way of living."

  "That's quite true, Carrie--lyn," Aunt Julia interposed, the tears inher eyes, but a new decision in her voice.

  "I like my tea at night, and so does your Cousin Lorando. And I shouldhave wanted gravy on my potato if I lived to be a hundred. And, Carrie,I _could not live_ without a cellar!

  "And if you knew how nervous I got when that old dumb-waiter in thekitchen used to whistle for the things to be put on it! I used to hateit so--sometimes I'd wake up in the night and think I heard it! Once Ilost my temper at it, and I answered it back: 'I haven't anything to godown, and I wouldn't give it to you if I had!'"

  "Why, Aunt Jule!" they cried.

  "And I tell you, Carrie, when you have cleaned house regularly, springand fall, for forty years, ever since you were born, it makes an awfulbreak to give it up! And I do love a good crayon portrait."

  They looked at each other in silence.

  "And when you have a set of furniture, it makes me nervous not to haveit set together," Aunt Julia went on determinedly.

 
; "And I will _not_ have a woman smoking in my house!

  "And oh, Carrie, if you knew how I suffered with that dirty darky girl!"

  "But--but, Aunt Jule, why didn't you--"

  "You see, Carrie and Lizzie, it was this way," said Mr. Bean soothingly.

  "Your aunt and I got talking old times, and we found that we both feltabout the same. And after