Part 11 (1/2)
Thus it happened that Pearlie Watson, aged twelve, began her journey into the big unknown world, fully satisfied in body and soul, and with a great love for all the world.
At the corner of the street stood Mrs. McGuire, and at sight of her Pearl's heart stopped beating.
”It's bad luck,” she said. ”I'd as lief have a rabbit cross me path as her.”
But she walked bravely forward with no outward sign of her inward trembling.
”Goin' to Sam Motherwell's, are ye?” the old lady asked shrilly.
”Yes'm,” Pearl said, trembling.
”She's a tarter; she's a skinner; she's a d.a.m.ner; that's what she is.
She's my own first cousin and I know HER. Sa.s.s her; that's the only way to get along with her. Tell her I said so. Here, child, rub yer j'ints with this when ye git stiff.” She handed Pearl a black bottle of home-made liniment.
Pearl thanked her and hurried on, but at the next turn of the street she met Danny.
Danny was in tears; Danny wasn't going to let Pearlie go away; Danny would run away and get lost and runned over and drownded, now! Pearl's heart melted, and sitting on the sidewalk she took Danny in her arms, and they cried together. A whirr of wheels aroused Pearl and looking up she saw the kindly face of the young doctor.
”What is it, Pearl?” he asked kindly. ”Surely that's not Danny I see, spoiling his face that way!”
”It's Danny,” Pearl said unsteadily. ”It's hard enough to leave him widout him comin' afther me and breakin' me heart all over again.”
”That's what it is, Pearl,” the doctor said, smiling. ”I think it is mighty thoughtless of Danny the way he is acting.”
Danny held obstinately to Pearl's skirt, and cried harder than ever. He would not even listen when the doctor spoke of taking him for a drive.
”Listen to the doctor,” Pearl commanded sternly, ”or he'll raise a gumboil on ye.”
Thus admonished Danny ceased his sobs; but he showed no sign of interest when the doctor spoke of popcorn, and at the mention of ice-cream he looked simply bored.
”He's awful fond of 'hoo-hung' candy,” Pearlie suggested in a whisper, holding her hand around her mouth so that Danny might not hear her.
”Ten cents' worth of 'hoo-hung' candy to the boy that says good-bye to his sister like a gentleman and rides home with me.”
Danny dried his eyes on Pearl's skirt, kissed her gravely and climbed into the buggy beside the doctor. Waterloo was won!
Pearl did not trust herself to look back as she walked along the deeply beaten road.
The yellow cone-flowers raised their heads like golden stars along the roadside, and the golden glory of the approaching harvest lay upon everything. To the right the Tiger Hills lay on the horizon wrapped in a blue mist. Flocks of blackbirds swarmed over the ripening oats, and angrily fought with each other.
”And it not costin' them a cent!” Pearl said in disgust as she stopped to watch them.
The exhilaration of the air, the glory of the waving grain, the profusion of wild flowers that edged the fields with purple and yellow were like wine to her sympathetic Irish heart as she walked through the grain fields and drank in all the beauties that lay around, and it was not until she came in sight of the big stone house, gloomy and bare, that she realised with a start of homesickness that she was Pearl Watson, aged twelve, away from home for the first time, and bound to work three months for a woman of reputed ill-temper.
”But I'll do it,” Pearl said, swallowing the lump that gathered in her throat, ”I can work. n.o.body never said that none of the Watsons couldn't work. I'll stay out me time if it kills me.”
So saying, Pearl knocked timidly at the back door. Myriads of flies buzzed on the screen. From within a tired voice said, ”Come in.”
Pearl walked in and saw a large bare room, with a long table in the middle. A sewing machine littered with papers stood in front of one window.