GI Brides (24 page)

“
Helping
her!” Lexie complained to herself. “As if she ever lifted a finger for those children, except to scold them, or protect them against others’ protests!”

But what was the use of protesting? Elaine always won in the end, unless, as on a few occasions when there was a great stress in her own work, she simply ignored Elaine’s request and went on with her study. But she always paid bitterly for this in reprisals and sharp words that scorched her very soul. Oh, it was not easy to live this kind of a life, and so far as she could see, she was getting nowhere in making any impression on her sister. She only grew sharper day by day, and more exacting. She complained continually, and Lexie’s nerves were on edge all the time. Oh, would this ever be over?

The one bright spot now in the happenings of the day was the occasional letters that came from abroad, from Benedict Barron.

Sometimes Lexie wondered what her mother would say to her keeping up a correspondence with an utter stranger. Yet somehow she couldn’t help but feel that it was all right and her mother would approve of the letters that passed between them. He was so very respectful, and he was a Christian. He seemed so sincere, and so sort of lonely, just as she was. And yet she sensed through it all that there was danger in such sort of blind friendships. He was lonely now, and so was she, but sometime, when he would perhaps come home, and meet his old friends, and get into his old life again, would he forget her, and was she laying the foundation for sadness and disappointment in her life?

Well, suppose she was. People had to have some sorrow in their lives. Hadn’t God sent her this friendship? She wasn’t counting great things on this, just a nice, pleasant—perhaps passing—friendliness. As free on the one side as on the other. No lovemaking nor any foolishness. Why should she not enjoy it? Why not be glad about it? She hadn’t much else of earthly pleasure to enjoy. Even her college where she had a number of casual friends and acquaintances had been taken away from her. Had that been right? Ought she not to have fought to keep that college life until it was over? And yet Elaine had seemed so helpless, and it had been borne in upon her that for their father’s sake she must stay here for a while. Perhaps Elaine wasn’t really sick. Perhaps she was perfectly able to work, to keep house and care for her children, to even get a job to support them. But it had seemed so heartless to charge her with that, yet continually it came to her that her sister was acting a part and wasn’t really sick at all.

But, sick or well, she couldn’t leave the house and all its sweet belongings to Elaine’s heartless rule. There were things so inextricably connected with her mother that she could not bear to have them mishandled by her sister, who had never cared for any of the old family furniture, and she had no other place to store them if she tried to go away. Besides, it would make endless complications. Elaine would probably sell half of her mother’s things if there was any way to get money out of them. And if she tried to take them away, there again would be trouble. Also, this continual threat of a lawsuit was something that must be settled before she dared go away anywhere. She must be there near her friends. Judge Foster and Mr. Gordon had promised to help in case Elaine really carried out her threats, but they advised her to stay by the house and try to carry on in a sane and quiet way, as if nothing of the sort was proposed.

There had been a cessation of hostilities along these lines from Elaine for the past five or six weeks while Lexie had been studying so hard. But the real cause was that Bettinger Thomas was absent on a business trip, and he had promised to get the evidence in shape while he was gone. So Elaine had relaxed and was waiting. She had written all the suggested sentences into the little book that the lawyer had selected for her, which was a very good match in size, shape, and color to the original book belonging to Lexie’s mother. She had done her part and been highly commended for the delightful way in which she had imitated her stepmother’s handwriting. She had produced several letters written to herself during the years by her stepmother, and these had been good examples of the script. The lawyer had had an expert’s advice on the subject, or said he had. So Elaine felt she had done her part and had only to rest now and wait until her expert lawyer should arrive and produce results.

“Lexie, can you spare ten dollars for me?” she asked one afternoon when Lexie arrived home after her final examination, tired to death, and very much in doubt as to whether she had passed the test because the ways of the university were somewhat different from her college life.

“Ten dollars?” said Lexie, wearily lifting tired eyes to her sister’s face. “I’m afraid not. I had to use the last ten I had for college fees and I’m just about cleaned out. I didn’t know there were any big necessities ahead. We have enough in the house to eat for the rest of the week. What is the matter, Elaine? Is it anything I can do for you?”

“No! Certainly not!” said Elaine. “I wouldn’t have asked you for ten dollars if anything else would have done. I’ve
got
to have ten dollars, and if you don’t fork it over, I’ll go upstairs and take some of your mother’s old rattletraps, send for a secondhand man, and
sell
them, for I just
must
have it!”

“Elaine! What is the matter?” asked Lexie, really alarmed, and trying to think what of her mother’s precious relics would be pitched upon for this sacrifice. “Has something happened I don’t know anything about? Some bill that has to be paid at once?”

“Don’t be absurd!” sneered Elaine wearily. “Of course not. But my lawyer is coming back early next week and I’ve got to get a permanent and a wave and a manicure, and get myself in some shape so that I won’t be a disgrace in court. Then I can sit up and feel some self-respect again. I thought I would send for a taxi and get them to take me into town and go to my old beauty parlor. They always turned me out looking like a million dollars!”

“I see!” said Lexie sadly. “Well, I’m sorry. I really haven’t the ten dollars. You’ll have to go to some of our other friends to borrow it, for I don’t know how to get it.”

“Oh, now, Lexie! Have a heart! You know I haven’t any friends around here now, and you needn’t pretend you haven’t any money, for I know you have. You see, we are almost to the time, and you better get over your nonsense and come across. You can have your choice. Hand me over that ten dollars, or go up in the attic and bring down that quaint little writing desk of your mother’s and take it down to Nerokian’s. I sent for him last week and told him about it; he’s very much interested in buying it. So you can run down to him with it and bring me back the ten dollars. If you can get any more out of him, you can keep the extra for yourself. You see, I’m quite generous.”

Lexie stood still a moment looking at her sister, and her lips began to tremble. Two tears formed in her eyes, and she turned quickly away from her sister and walked out of the room with her head up. Gently she closed the door into the dining room and turned toward the stairs. She hurried up to her own room and closed and locked the door, thankful that the children were still outside playing hopscotch on the sidewalk. She dropped on her knees beside the bed and turned her heart to her Lord. It was the only source of help she knew.

“Oh, my heavenly Father! Show me what to do! Don’t let me have to lose Mother’s dear lovely desk, the one her mother gave her when she was a girl. Please help me, dear Lord.”

One moment she paused to get quiet, and then it came to her what to do. She had no doubt but that the Lord had put the thought in her mind.

Quietly she got up, unlocked her door, and went up to the attic. Far over in the corner under the eaves she had hidden the desk. Now she saw it had been pulled out and the contents spread over the floor. She had locked it when she put all the things away, and taken the key downstairs with her. But the lock had been broken, smashed in with a hatchet. The hatchet lay near at hand as if in defiance of decency.

Tenderly she picked up the desk, gathered up the papers and letters, put them safely inside, and then found an old straw suitcase, of the type that used to be called a “telescope,” put the desk inside, covered it, and fastened the leather strap firmly about it. Then she went down, stopping long enough at her room to get her hat and purse. As she passed through the kitchen she said in a low tone to Cinda: “You need not say anything about where I’ve gone, not to anybody. I probably won’t be back in time for supper, but it’s all right. Can you carry on while I’m gone?”

“Sure thing, Miss Lexie! I’ll carry on! She been putting the screws on you again? I thought so! Okay. You can depend on me.”

So Lexie slipped out the back door and made her way down through the meadow and off to Mr. Gordon’s house, first stopping to telephone and ask if he was at home and could see her.

His cordial voice encouraged her, and helped to still her wildly beating heart as she hurried along to the bus that would take her within a couple of blocks of the Gordon city house.

She would much rather have asked this favor of Judge Foster, but Judge Foster had been taken away to the mountains for a thorough change and rest before he returned to his duties at court. She would not trouble his family. They probably knew nothing of her affairs. So she went with great temerity to explain, deciding on the way that she must tell him everything that happened since she last saw him. She must tell him of that Mr. Perrine, and find out if that complicated the situation, and whether she ought to go away for a time until this was over, or what she ought to do.

Of course if he said she ought to sell the little writing desk and give the money to Elaine, she would do it, but she sincerely hoped he would not. It didn’t seem as if even God would want her to do that. It seemed a desecration of her mother’s property, and being a Christian didn’t mean that one had to lie down on the floor and be a doormat for someone to walk over. Or did it? She was troubled about that. Of course if she was sure it was right she should give it up, if she thought God wanted to do so, she would do it. But it did not seem the right thing to do.

It was a great relief to her to find Mr. Gordon at home ready to see her, and glad to take charge of her precious package. Moreover he told her absolutely not to give up her mother’s treasures for any such foolish reason. Also he asked some very pertinent questions concerning the man whom Elaine said was going to testify about her mother’s disposal of money that was falsely charged against her. He said he would investigate, but he was almost certain a Harry Perrine had been involved before in false witnessing.

And when the interview was over—for Lexie had sense enough not to stay long—Mr. Gordon said: “You’ll be glad to learn, I know, that Judge Foster is much better and that a letter received from him today asked after you and made some suggestions concerning your affairs that may put a decided crimp in Bettinger Thomas’s plans.”

So Lexie went gravely back home, just as dark was coming down, and found Cinda had fed the family, put the children to bed, and happified Elaine with a new magazine. She was keeping Lexie’s supper hot, and insisted on her eating it before she answered Elaine’s imperative demand for her presence.

So Lexie ate a nice supper and then went quietly in to find her sister trying on some of her dresses, and deciding what alterations were necessary to bring them up to date.

“You wanted to see me, Elaine?” she asked, coming in quietly.

Elaine turned with a smirk on her face from the mirror, and held an artificial flower in her hair, as her eyes demanded admiration from the despised Lexie.

“Becoming, eh, don’t you think, Lexie?”

“Very nice,” said Lexie, trying to keep her voice from being cold and disapproving. “You wanted to see me, Elaine?” she asked again.

For answer Elaine turned and slowly, amusedly surveyed her sister. When she spoke her voice was derisive.

“Well, naturally I did, of course. What report have you to give me? You certainly took long enough. How much did you succeed in getting for that desk?”

“Desk?” said Lexie slowly. “Oh, I wouldn’t care to sell the desk, it was very precious to Mother and is therefore precious to me.”

Elaine shrugged her shoulders.

“As you please, of course. I’m sure I don’t see what good old, outdated, worn-out rattletraps are, if that’s your idea, and you have other resources. Hand over my ten dollars, please. I want to use it in the morning. And while you’re about it, you better make it fifteen. There are one or two other items I forgot to mention.”

“I’m sorry, Elaine. I told you I hadn’t any money. Was that all you wanted of me? If it is, I think I’ll go to bed. I’m rather tired. I had my last examination today, and it was a hard one.”

“So silly and useless!” sneered Elaine. “But Lexie, I’ve simply
got
to have that money. You can get it whatever way you please, but I’ll only give you till ten o’clock tomorrow morning, and then if you don’t hand it over I’ll take some treasures of yours in the attic and sell them myself. The desk will be the best bet because I really have a buyer for that.”

Lexie was still for a minute, and then she said sadly: “Good night, Elaine. It really seems useless for me to talk to you. Perhaps it would have been better for me to have stayed at college and the job I had. I don’t seem to be of much use to you here.”

“No, you don’t!” said the older sister. “You certainly have changed. I used to think you were very kind and accommodating, but you have grown utterly selfish and insolent.”

Then into the electric atmosphere of the house came Angelica’s voice, sharply like her mother’s, complaining: “Aunt Lex, I wish you would come up to bed. Bluebell is crying herself sick for you. She says you are the only one who can tell bedtime stories and get her to sleep, and she keeps getting out of bed and coming over and pulling my hair and pinching me.”

Lexie smiled.

“All right, I’ll come, Angel. Tell her I’ll be with her right away!”

“Yes, go! Steal the love of my children away from me, too, with all the rest you are doing,” sneered Elaine, “but you get that money for me in the morning or you’ll wish you had.”