Phoebe Deane (17 page)

But she was in the road now with nothing to hinder her, and her light feet fairly flew over the ground, treading on the grassy spots at the edge so she would make no sound, and never turning her head to listen even if he were following. Somehow she felt he was coming nearer and nearer every step she took. Her heart beat wildly, and great tears started to her eyes. She tried to pray as she fled along. Added to her fear of Hiram was her dread of what he would think if he found her out there in the dark alone, and a third fear for the secret of the letter she carried, for instinctively she felt that of all people to find out a secret Hiram Green would be among the most dangerous. She put her hand upon the letter and clenched it fast as though it might be spirited away unless she held it. She was glad it was dark, and yet, if he had seen her, and were pursuing, how dreadful it would be to be captured by him in the dark! If she might but reach the village streets where others would be near to help, her heart would not be so frightened.

When she passed the silent, sleeping school-house she turned her head as she hurried along, and felt sure she heard him coming. The sky was growing luminous. The moon would soon be up, and then she could be seen. Then quite distinctly she heard a man's heavy tread running behind her.

Her heart nearly stopped for an instant, and then, bounding up almost to bursting, she leaped ahead, her lips set, her head down, her hands clenched over the letter. A few more rods. She could not hold out to run like this much further. But at last she reached the village pavement, and could see the blessed friendly lights of the houses all about her.

She hurried on, not daring to run so fast here, for people were coming ahead, and she tried to think and to still the wild fluttering of her heart. If Hiram Green were behind and really following her it would not do for her to go to Judge Bristol's at once. She could scarcely hope to reach there and hide from him now, for her strength for running was almost spent and not for anything must he of all people know where she was going.

This thought gave new wings to her feet, and she fled past the houses, scarcely stopping to realize where she was. She could hear the man's steps on the brick pavement now and his heavy boots rang out distinctly on the frosty air. She felt as if she had been running for years with an evil fate pursuing her. Her limbs grew heavy, and her feet seemed to drag behind. She half closed her eyes to stop the surging of the blood. Her ears rang, her cheeks were burning and perspiration was standing on her lips and brow. Her breath came hard and hurt her.

And then, quite naturally, as if it had all been planned, Miranda, with a little shawl around her shoulders and over her head, stepped out from behind the lilacs in the Spafford garden by the gate, and walked along beside her, fitting her large easy gait to Phoebe's weary, flying steps.

" I heard yeh comin' an' thought I'd go a piece with yeh!" she explained, easily, as if this were a common occurrence. " D'ye hev to hurry like this, 'r was yeh doin' it fer exercise ? "

'' Oh, Miranda! " gasped Phoebe, slowing down her going, and putting a plaintive hand out to reach the strong red friendly one in the dark, " I am so glad you are here!"

" So'm I! " said Miranda, confidently, " but you jest wait till you git your breath. Can't you come in and set a spell 'fore you go on ? "

" No, Miranda, I must hurry. I had an errand and must get right back,—but I'm almost sure some one is following me. I don't dare look behind, but I heard footsteps and— I'm—so—frightened." Her voice trailed off, trembling into another gasp for breath.

" Well, all right, we'll fix 'em. You jest keep your breath fer walkin' an' I'll boss this pilgrimage a spell. We'll go down to the village store fer a spool o' cotton Mis' Spafford ast me t' get the fust thing in the mornin' to sew some sprigged calico curtains she's ben gettin' up to the spare bed, an' while we're down to the store we'll jest natcherally lose sight o' that man till he don't know where he's at, an' then we'll meander on our happy way. Don't talk 'r he'll hear you. You jest foller me."

CHAPTER XIII

Phoebe, too much exhausted to demur, walked silently beside the self-reliant Miranda, and in a moment more they were safely in the store.

" Say, Mr. Peebles, is Mis' Peebles to home ? 'Cause Phoebe Deane wants t' git a drink o' water powerful bad. Ken she jest go right in and get it whilst I get a spool o' cotton?"

" Why certainly, certainly, young ladies, walk right in," said the affable Mr. Peebles, arising from a nail keg.

Miranda had Phoebe into the back room in no time, and was calmly debating over the virtues of different spools of thread when Hiram Green entered puffing and snorting like a porpoise, and gazed about him confidently. Then suddenly a blank look spread over his face. The one he was searching for was not there? Could he have been mistaken?

Miranda, innocently paying for her thread, eyed him furtively, and began her keen putting of two and two together, figuring out her problem with a relish. " Hiram Green, to be sure—Ah! It was Hiram who had tried to walk beside Phoebe on Sunday. Hiram Green"—contemptuously—"of all men! Umph! "

These were something like her thoughts. Then with wide-eyed good nature she paid for her thread, said good- evening to Mr. Peebles, and deliberately went out the door of the store to the street. Hiram had watched her suspiciously, but she held her head high as if she were going straight home, and slipped in the dark around to the side door where she walked in on Mrs. Peebles and the astonished Phoebe without ceremony.

"Did yeh get yer drink, Phoebe? Ev'nin' Mis' Peebles. Thank yeh, no I can't set down. Mis' Spafford needs this thread t' oncet. She jest ast me wouldn't I run down and git it so's she could finish up some piller-slips she's makin'. Come on, Phoebe, ef yer ready. Ken we go right out this door, Mis' Peebles; there's so many men in the store, an' I can't bear 'em to stare at my pretty red hair, you know." And in a moment more she had whisked Phoebe out the side door into the dark yard, where they could slip through the fence to the side street.

" Now, which way ? " demanded Miranda, briefly, in a low tone, as they emerged from the shadow of the store to the sidewalk.

" Oh, Miranda, you're so kind," said Phoebe, hardly knowing what to do, for she dared not tell her errand to her. " I think I can go quite well by myself now. I'm not much afraid, and I'll soon be done and go home."

" See here, Phoebe Deane, d'yeh think I'm goin' t' leave a little white-faced thing like you with them two star eyes t' go buffetin' round alone in the dark when there's liable to be lopsided nimshies follerin' round? Yeh can say what yeh like, but I'm goin' to foiler yeh till I see yeh safe inside yer own door."

" Oh, you dear, good Miranda!" choked Phoebe, with a teary smile, clasping her arm tight. " If you only knew how glad I was to see you."

" I knowed all right. I cud see you was scared. But come 'long quick er that hound in there'll be trackin' us again. Which way ? "

" To Judge Bristol's," breathed Phoebe, in low frightened whisper.

" That's a good place to go," said Miranda, with satisfaction. " I guess you won't need me inside with you. I'm not much on fancy things, an' I'll fit better outside with the fence-posts, but I'll be there to take you home. My! but you'd orter a' seen Hiram Green's blank look when he got in the store an' seen you want there. I'm calculatin' he'll search quite a spell 'fore he makes out which way we disappeared."

Phoebe's heart beat wildly at the thought of her escape. She felt as if an evil fate were dogging her every step.

"Oh, Miranda!" she shivered. "What if you hadn't come along just then!"

" Well, there ain't no use cipherin' on that proposition. I was thar, an' I generally calculate to be thar when I'm needed. Jest you rest easy. There ain't no long-legged, good- fer-nothin' bully like Hiram Green goin' to gather you in, not while I'm able to bob 'round. Here we be. Now I'll wait in the shadow behind this bush while you go in."

Phoebe timidly approached the house, while Miranda, as usual, selected her post of observation with discernment and a view to the lighted window of the front room where the family were assembled.

Janet did not keep Phoebe waiting long this time, but swept down upon her in a frock of ruby red with a little gold locket hung from a bit of black velvet ribbon about her neck. Her dark hair was arranged in clusters of curls each side of her sparkling face, and the glow on her cheek seemed reflected from the color of her garments. Phoebe almost spoke her admiration, so beautiful did this haughty girl seem to her.

" I am afraid my cousin is too busy to see you," she said, in a kindly, condescending tone. " He is very busy preparing to leave on the early stage in the morning. He finds he must go to New York sooner than he expected."

" I will not keep him," said Phoebe, earnestly, rising, " but I must see him for just a minute. Will you kindly tell him it is Phoebe Deane, and that she says she MUST see him for just a moment ? "

" You will find he will desire you to send the message by me," said Janet, quite confidently. " It does not do to say must to my cousin Nathaniel."

But contrary to Janet's expectation Nathaniel came down at once, with welcome in his face. Phoebe was standing with her hand upon the letter over her heart waiting for him breathlessly. The watching Miranda eyed him jealously through the front window-pane to see if his countenance would light up properly when he saw his visitor, and was fully satisfied. He hastened to meet her, and take her hand in greeting, but she, alarmed for her mission, did but hold out the letter to him.

" I found this, Mr. Graham, spread out in the road, and read the one sentence which showed it was private. I have not read any more, and I shall never breathe even that one of course. After I had read that sentence I did not dare give it into any hands but yours. I may have been wrong, but I have tried to do right. I hope you can explain it to your cousin, for I can see she thinks it very strange."

He tried to detain her, to thank her, to introduce her to his cousin, who had by this time entered and was watching them distantly, but Phoebe was in haste to leave; and Janet was haughtily irresponsive.

He followed her to the door and said in a low tone: " Miss Deane, you have done me a greater service than I can possibly repay. I have been hunting frantically for this letter all day. It is most important. I know I can trust you not to speak of it to a soul. I am deeply grateful. You may not know it, but not only my life and safety but that of others as well has been in your hands to-day with the keeping of that letter."

" Oh, then I am glad I have brought it safely to you. I have been frightened all day lest something would happen that I could not get it to you without its being found out. And if it has been of service I am more than glad, because then I have repaid your kindness to me in the woods that day."

Now that she was away from Janet’s scrutinizing eyes Phoebe could dimple into a smile.

" Oh, what I did that day was a little, little thing beside your service," said he.

"A kindness is never a little thing/' answered Phoebe, gently. " Good-night, Mr. Graham. Miranda is waiting for me," and she sped down the path without giving him opportunity for a reply. Miranda had wandered into the shaft of light down by the gate that streamed from the candle Nathaniel held, and Phoebe flew to her as if to a rock of refuge. They turned and looked back as they reached the gate. Nathaniel was still standing on the top step with the tall candle held above his head to give them light, and through the window they could dimly see Janet's slim figure standing by the mantelpiece toying with some ornaments. Phoebe gave a great sigh of relief that the errand was accomplished, and grasping Miranda's arm clung lovingly to her, and so they two walked softly through the village streets and out the country way into the road that was white with the new risen moon; while Hiram Green, perplexed and baffled, searched vainly through the village for a clue to Phoebe's whereabouts, and finally gave it up and dragged his weary limbs home. Excitement of this sort did not agree with his constitution and he was mortally tired.

Nathaniel turned back into the house again, his vision filled with the face of the girl who had just brought his letter back to him. His great relief at finding it was almost lost in his absorption in the thought of Phoebe Deane, and the sudden pang that came to him with his remembrance of Hiram Green. Could it be? Could it possibly be that she was bound in any way to that man ?

Janet roused him from this thought by demanding to know what on earth the message was that made that girl so absurdly secretive.

Nathaniel smiled. " It was just a letter of mine she had found. A letter that I have searched everywhere for."

"How did she know it was your letter?" There was something offensive in Janet's tone. Nathaniel felt his color rising like a girl. He wondered what was the matter with Janet that she should be so curious.

" Why, it was addressed to me of course!"

" Then why in the world couldn't she give it to me ? She was here in the morning and we had a long argument about it. She said it was a private message and the person who sent it did not wish anyone but you to see it, and yet she professed not to know who the person was who sent it. I told her that was ridiculous; that of course you had no secrets from your family; but she was quite stubborn and went away. Who is she, anyway, and how does she happen to know you ? "