Cloudy Jewel (Romance Classic). Grace Livingston Hill
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now, Leslie, you’re chattering again,” broke in Allison, looking very tall and efficient in his blue bath-robe. “You said you would talk business, and not bleat.”
“Well, so I am,” pouted Leslie. “I guess Cloudy has got to understand about our family.”
“Well, now let’s get down to business,” said her brother. “Cloudy, what have you got to do before you leave? You know it isn’t very long before the colleges open, and we’ve got to start out and hunt a home right away. Do you have to pack up here or anything?”
“Oh, I don’t know!” gasped Julia Cloud, looking around half frightened. “I suppose I ought to ask Ellen. She will be very much opposed to anything I do, but I suppose she ought to be told first.”
Allison frowned.
“Gee whiz! I don’t see why Aunt Ellen has to butt into our affairs. She’s got her own home and family, and she never did like us very much. I remember hearing her tell Grandma that we were a regular nuisance, and she would be glad when we were gone back to California.”
“That was because you hid behind the sofa when Uncle Herbert was courting her, and kidded them,” giggled Leslie.
A stray little twinkle of a dimple peeped out by the corner of Julia Cloud’s mouth. It hadn’t been out for a number of years, and she knew she ought not to laugh at such pranks now; but it was so funny to think of Herbert Robinson being kidded in the midst of his courting!
The dimple started the lights dancing in Leslie’s eyes.
“There! now you dear old Jewel, you know you don’t want to talk to Aunt Ellen about us. She’ll just mess things all up. Let’s just do things, and get ’em all fixed up, and then tell her when it’s too late for her to make a fuss,” gurgled Leslie down close to Julia’s ear, finishing up with a delicious bear-hug.
“I suppose she’ll be mortally offended,” murmured Julia Cloud in troubled hesitancy.
“Well, suppose she is; she’ll get over it, won’t she?” growled Allison. “And anyhow you’re old enough to manage your own affairs, Cloudy Jewel. I guess you’re older than she is, aren’t you? I guess you’ve got a right to do as you please, haven’t you? And you do want to go with us, don’t you?” His voice was anxious.
“I certainly do, dear boy,” said Julia Cloud eagerly; “but you know your guardian may not approve at all when he sees what a foolish ‘young’ aunt I am, allowing you to sit up late and talk fairy stories all the time.”
They smothered her in kisses, compliments, and assurances; and it was some time before the conversation swung around again to the important subject of the morning.
“You don’t have to do anything to the house but just shut it up, do you?” asked Allison, looking anxiously about in a helpless, mannish way. “Because, if you do, we ought to be getting to work.”
“There’s a man over at Harmony Village that wanted to rent a house here,” said Julia Cloud thoughtfully. “I might write a letter to him. I don’t know whether he’s found anything or not. He’s the new superintendent of the high school. But it’s time we got dressed and had breakfast.”
“Write to him nothing!” said Allison eagerly. “I’ll get the car, and we’ll drive over to Harmony in no time, and get the thing fixed up. Hustle there, Leslie, and get yourself togged up. We don’t need to wait for breakfast; we can eat cookies. Hurry everybody!” And he slammed over to his own room and began to stir about noisily.
Julia Cloud arose and made a hasty toilet, with a bright spot of excitement on each cheek; but she had no time to think what Ellen would say, for she meant that these children should have a real old-time breakfast before they began the day; and now that she was up her little round black clock on the bureau told her that it was high time the day had begun. She looked fearfully out of the window, half expecting to see Ellen’s Ford bobbing down the hill already, and then hurried down to the kitchen. Allison soon came down, calling out to her to be ready when he came back with the car; but the delicious odors that had already begun to float out from the old kitchen made him lenient toward the idea of breakfast; and, when he came back with the full cut-out roaring the announcement of his arrival to the Perkinses, he was quite ready to wait a few minutes and eat some of Julia Cloud’s flapjacks and sausages with maple-syrup and apple-sauce.
Julia Cloud herself ate little. She was in a tremor of delightful uncertainty and dread. Ought she to go ahead this way and manage her own affairs, leaving her own sister out of the question? But then, if she consulted with Ellen that meant consulting with Herbert; for Herbert ran his wife most thoroughly, and Herbert could make things very unpleasant when he took the trouble.
So, when the children, unable at last to eat any more, pleaded with her to leave the dishes and go to see the man about the house at once, she gave one swift, apprehensive glance about, and assented. If Ellen should come to the house while they were away, and should look in at the window and see the breakfast dishes standing! It would be appalling! But, as the children said, why worry? Somehow she felt like a little schoolgirl playing hookey as she carefully drew down the dining-room and kitchen window-shades that looked on the back porch, and locked the front door behind her. Well, perhaps she had earned the right to take this bit of a holiday, and wash her dishes when she liked. Anyhow, hadn’t God sent these blessed children to her in answer to her earnest prayer that He would show her what to do and save her if possible from having to spend the remainder of her days under Herbert Robinson’s roof? Well, then she would just accept it that way and be grateful, at least until He showed her otherwise. So she drew a long breath of delight, and climbed into the luxurious back seat of the great blue car, utterly oblivious of the prying eyes behind the parlor shade across the way.
CHAPTER IV
Down the little village street, past the station, and across the railroad toward Harmony swept the great blue car, with the villagers turning to stare at Miss Cloud taking a ride so early in the morning in so gaudy a car, so soon after the funeral, and even without a veil!
A few minutes later Ellen in her Ford rattled up to the door and got out with the air of one who had come to do things. She walked confidently up to the front door and tried it, rattled it, knocked, and then went angrily around to the back, trying all the doors and windows. Mrs. Perkins from her parlor window watched a minute; and, when she saw Ellen come around to the front again and look up at the second story, she threw a shawl around her shoulders and ran across the street to impart faithfully her story.
“For the land’s sake!” said Ellen indignantly. “What can Julia be about? Mother always said she never would grow up, and I believe it. I was afraid when I went away she had some scheme in her mind. She’s always getting up fool ideas. I remember that time when Mrs. Marsh died she wanted to adopt the twins and bring them up. The idea! When there was a county poorhouse and no reason why they shouldn’t go to it! But she’ll have to come down off her independence and be sensible. Herbert says we can’t have any of her foolishness. It’s us that would have to suffer if she got into trouble and lost what little she’s got, and I suppose I’ve got to have it out with her once and for all and get this thing settled. It’s getting on all our nerves, and I’ve got the fall house-cleaning and jelly to do, and I can’t fool around any longer. Well, I suppose I better try to get into this house. Have you got any keys that might fit?”
Mrs. Perkins hurried over for all her keys, including trunk-keys; and soon they had tried every door and every key with no effect, and had to call in the youngest Perkins and boost him up to the upper-hall window.
Under the guise of looking after Julia Cloud the two good ladies invaded her home and proceeded to investigate. The parlor and the hall gave forth no secrets except for a couple of handsome raincoats slung carelessly upon chairs. But the dining-room, oh, the dining-room! If Julia Cloud could have seen their faces as they swung open that carefully