for a whole week dr. dudley’s automobile was active in professional work; then word was brought polly that the car would be at her disposal for three hours that afternoon. her plans were already made, and as soon as her morning tasks were completed, leaving her mother in charge of paradise ward, polly started on her way to prattsboro and dolly merrifield.
the little girl was at the window. “come in!” she called when polly lifted the old brass knocker.
the broad kitchen was alive with sunshine, but the bareness of the big room struck the girl disagreeably as she opened the door. at first the child at the window was not visible. then a winsome little voice said, “aunt sophie isn’t home.”
polly peeped around the door, and smiled.
“i want to see miss dolly merrifield,” she said.
“oh! me?” exclaimed the little voice.
“if ‘me’ is dolly,” dimpled polly, taking the small, thin hand in hers.
“oh, yes, of course, i’m dolly! are you the lady who took gay to ride?” she asked shyly.
“the very one,” polly nodded. “now, what do you say to a ride yourself this afternoon?”
the little pale face was pink with surprise and[59] a kind of awed joy. “oh!” she breathed, “oh!—this afternoon?”
“i can have father’s car this afternoon,” polly explained. “it has been busy since the day that i made gladys guinevere’s acquaintance.”
the little girl smiled. “what a long, funny name she’s got! mine is dorothy, but ’most everybody calls me dolly. sometimes sardis does; just once in awhile, you know.”
“and who is sardis?”
“why, don’t you know sardis? his name was in the paper, sardis elisha merrifield. he was the valedictorian of his class.” the long word fell easily from the small lips.
“at the grammar school?” asked polly.
“oh, no, at yale college! he graduated two years ago. he is a minister, you know. this summer he is preaching up in raineville, or he calls it ‘learning to preach.’ i guess it’s preaching all right.” the curl-crowned head wagged confidently. “you see, he has been two years in the theological school, and he’s got one more year before he can be a full-fledged minister. then i’m going to live with him!” her face glowed with radiant delight. “he says i am going to live with him if he has to take me to kamchatka.”
polly joined in her laugh.
“is he the only brother you have?” she questioned.
“yes, he and me and aunt sophie are all there[60] is. there used to be father and mother and grandpa and james and israel and little dorcas; but they’ve all gone to heaven. i’ve lived with aunt sophie almost ever since i can remember. queer, you don’t know sardis! seem ’s if everybody ought to know him, he’s so nice.”
“perhaps i shall know him some day,” smiled polly.
“perhaps,” echoed dolly wistfully. “he isn’t here much. i know you’d like him—you just couldn’t help it.”
polly had to make her visit a very short one, for she would be needed by her little charges. she went back to the house of joy, her heart full of sympathy for the wee girl who had never walked and who had been waiting a long year for the ride that had not come. “she shall go as often as i can take her,” she promised herself as she rode home in the trolley-car.
clementina, muriel, jeffy, and little duke were selected by polly for the afternoon’s pleasure, and dr. dudley sanctioned her choice.
aunt sophie was at home when the automobile stopped in front of the low-roofed house in prattsboro. the little maid was at the window, hat and coat on, and at once all smiles when she saw polly.
while the chauffeur was carrying his light burden out to the car polly found time for a moment’s talk with dolly’s aunt, and the quiet, wise-eyed little woman pleased her mightily.
[61] the small guest of honor let her tongue play freely, and sympathetic polly was sorrowed by her glimpse of the shadow of such an affliction. a barren, sad little life it must be, yet the tiny maid was seemingly not yet conscious of any poverty or pathos in her surroundings.
“my brother’s coming home for a day or two sometime this summer,” she informed polly. “he said in his last letter that he was going to give me a ride when he came. but you have got ahead of him,” she chuckled. “he wanted to take me to hear his valedictory when he was here two years ago in june; but it rained that day, and i couldn’t go.” for an instant a shade dulled the little face, then it made way for a smile. “what do you think!” she broke out, “he delivered his address to me—with all the motions, too! wasn’t that lovely of him? aunt sophie said she guessed not many boys would have done it just to please a little sister. oh, he’s the nicest brother in the world! and he wouldn’t have a new suit after all! we wanted him to; but he said his old suit was good enough. of course, he’d look better than the rest, anyway—he’s just lovely!”
behind polly a ceaseless stream of lively chatter told her that clementina was enjoying herself. jeffy, too, was puncturing the air with wild exclamations. presently was heard the voice of little duke.
“she will, too, you little stick-in-the-mud! my good boy!—mi’ duddy! mi’ duddy!”
[62] the girl looked round.
little duke almost tumbled towards her in his eagerness.
“mi’ duddy, my want to lie down out there.” he pointed to the field of mossy rocks and lush clover.
“oh, dearie, i’m afraid it’s damp!”
“no, mi’ duddy! dear mi’ duddy, my is good boy! my won’t be damp.”
polly laughed, but asked evan to stop while she went on a trip of investigation. “all right,” was her verdict, on returning to the car. and instantly there was a clamor of voices from the back seat.
“oh, may i go, too!”—“i want to lie on the grass, miss dudley!”—“please, can i go?”—“do let us, miss dudley.”
“we’ll all go,” polly agreed. and in evan’s arms the children were carried, from little duke to dolly merrifield, to bask among the sunny clover-blossoms.
little duke sucked the sweet blooms, gazing contentedly up at the white sails on the deep blue sky. presently he spoke.
“my will stay here all night. my won’t be ’fraid. my will hold you’ hand, mi’ duddy.”
“but i shan’t be here,” smiled polly. “i must go home.”
“my will stay alone. stars will be here. my will hold clover’s hand.”
[63] still, even clover-blossoms lose their attractiveness after awhile, especially when there is a cushioned automobile in waiting; and after a quarter-hour of the sunny couch little duke was ready to relinquish present sweets for the swift-rolling car.
“did you like it?” polly smiled down into the white little face beside her. she fancied it held a faint reflection of the clover’s own color.
“oh, it seemed as if it must be heaven!” sighed dolly merrifield softly.
it was a very tired little girl that evan laid carefully on the couch in aunt sophie’s living-room. but her eyes were shining with joy. she put out a small hand and caught one of polly’s.
“may i kiss you?” she whispered. “i want to because you have given me such a lovely, lovely time. i’m going to tell sardis all about it and how good you’ve been to me.”
“thank you, darling,” polly whispered back. “i think outdoors is what you need, and just as soon as i can get the car again you shall have another ride.”
dolly looked her thanks, but said not a word beyond a softly breathed “o-h!”
