第112章

It had been a chill morning in early spring when Charlie Phillips went to Boston to enlist.Now it was a balmy evening in August and Jed sat upon a bench by his kitchen door looking out to sea.The breeze was light, barely sufficient to turn the sails of the little mills, again so thickly sprinkled about the front yard, or to cause the wooden sailors to swing their paddles.The August moon was rising gloriously behind the silver bar of the horizon.From the beach below the bluff came the light laughter of a group of summer young folk, strolling from the hotel to the post-office by the shore route.

Babbie, who had received permission to sit up and see the moon rise, was perched upon the other end of the bench, Petunia in her arms.A distant drone, which had been audible for some time, was gradually becoming a steady humming roar.A few moments later and a belated hydro-aeroplane passed across the face of the moon, a dragon-fly silhouette against the shining disk.

"That bumble-bee's gettin' home late," observed Jed."The rest of the hive up there at East Harniss have gone to roost two or three hours ago.Wonder what kept him out this scandalous hour.Had tire trouble, think?"Barbara laughed.

"You're joking again, Uncle Jed," she said."That kind of aeroplane couldn't have any tire trouble, 'cause it hasn't got any tires."Mr.Winslow appeared to reflect."That's so," he admitted, "but Idon't know as we'd ought to count too much on that.I remember when Gabe Bearse had brain fever."This was a little deep for Babbie, whose laugh was somewhat uncertain.She changed the subject.

"Oh!" she cried, with a wiggle, "there's a caterpillar right here on this bench with us, Uncle Jed.He's a fuzzy one, too; I can see the fuzz; the moon makes it shiny."Jed bent over to look."That?" he said."That little, tiny one?

Land sakes, he ain't big enough to be more than a kitten-pillar.

You ain't afraid of him, are you?"

"No-o.No, I guess I'm not.But I shouldn't like to have him walk on me.He'd be so--so ticklesome."Jed brushed the caterpillar off into the grass.

"There he goes," he said."I've got to live up to my job as guardian, I expect.Last letter I had from your pa he said he counted on my lookin' out for you and your mamma.If he thought Ilet ticklesome kitten-pillars come walkin' on you he wouldn't cal'late I amounted to much."For this was the "trust" to which Major Grover had referred in his conversation with Jed.Later he explained his meaning.He was expecting soon to be called to active service "over there." Before he went he and Ruth were to be married.

"My wife and Barbara will stay here in the old house, Jed," he said, "if you are willing.And I shall leave them in your charge.

It's a big trust, for they're pretty precious articles, but they'll be safe with you."Jed looked at him aghast."Good land of love!" he cried."You don't mean it?""Of course I mean it.Don't look so frightened, man.It's just what you've been doing ever since they came here, that's all.Ruth says she has been going to you for advice since the beginning.Ijust want her to keep on doing it."

"But--but, my soul, I--I ain't fit to be anybody's guardian....

I--I ought to have somebody guardin' me.Anybody'll tell you that....Besides, I--I don't think--""Yes, you do; and you generally think right.Oh, come, don't talk any more about it.It's a bargain, of course.And if there's anything I can do for you on the other side, I'll be only too happy to oblige."Jed rubbed his chin."W-e-e-ll," he drawled, "there's one triflin'

thing I've been hankerin' to do myself, but I can't, I'm afraid.

Maybe you can do it for me."

"All right, what is the trifling thing?"

"Eh?...Oh, that--er---Crown Prince thing.Do him brown, if you get a chance, will you?"Of course, the guardianship was, in a sense, a joke, but in another it was not.Jed knew that Leonard Grover's leaving his wife and Babbie in his charge was, to a certain extent, a serious trust.

And he accepted it as such.

"Has your mamma had any letters from the major the last day or so?"he inquired.

Babbie shook her head."No," she said, "but she's expecting one every day.And Petunia and I expect one, too, and we're just as excited about it as we can be.A letter like that is most par-particklesome exciting....No, I don't mean particklesome--it was the caterpillar made me think of that.I mean partickle-ar exciting.Don't you think it is, Uncle Jed?"Captain Sam Hunniwell came strolling around the corner of the shop.

Jed greeted him warmly and urged him to sit down.The captain declined.

"Can't stop," he declared."There's a letter for Maud from Charlie in to-night's mail and I want to take it home to her.Letters like that can't be held up on the way, you know."Charlie Phillips, too, was in France with his regiment.

"I presume likely you've heard the news from Leander Babbitt, Jed?"asked Captain Sam.

"About his bein' wounded? Yes, Gab flapped in at the shop this afternoon to caw over it.Said the telegram had just come to Phineas.I was hopin' 'twasn't so, but Eri Hedge said he heard it, too....Serious, is it, Sam?""They don't say, but I shouldn't wonder.The boy was hit by a shell splinter while doin' his duty with exceptional bravery, so the telegram said.'Twas from Washin'ton, of course.And there was somethin' in it about his bein' recommended for one of those war crosses."Jed sat up straight on the bench."You don't mean it!" he cried.

"Well, well, well! Ain't that splendid! I knew he'd do it, too.