Kate was the last one in. As she climbed on
the seat beside her mother and took the lines, she
handed Mrs. Bates a small china mug to hold for her.
It was decorated with a very fat robin and on a banner
floating from its beak was inscribed: “For
a Good Girl.”
As they drove into Hartley, Mrs. Bates drew
forth the deed.
“You are right about the bank being a safe place
for this,” she said. “I’ve
had it round the house for two years, and it’s
a fair nervous thing to do. I wish I’d
a-had sense to put it there and come after you the
day I made it. But there’s no use crying
over spilt milk, nor fussin’ with the grease
spot it makes; salt it down safely now, and when you
get it done, beings as this setting is fairly comfortable,
take time to run into Harding’s and pick up
some Sunday-school clothes for the children that will
tally up with the rest of their relations’;
an’ get yourself a cheap frock or two that will
spruce you up a bit till you have time to decide what
you really want.”
Kate passed the lines to her mother, and climbed from
the wagon. She returned with her confidence partly
restored and a new look on her face. Her mother
handed her two dimes.
“I can wait five minutes longer,” she
said. “Now get two nice oranges and a
dime’s worth of candy.”
Kate took the money and obeyed orders. She handed
the packages to her mother as she climbed into the
wagon and again took the lines, heading the horse
toward the old, familiar road. Her mother twisted
around on the seat and gave each of the children an
orange and a stick of candy.
“There!” she said. “Go on
and spoil yourselves past redemption.”
Kate laughed. “But, Mother,” she
said, “you never did that for us.”
“Which ain’t saying I never wanted
to,” said Mrs. Bates, sourly. “You’re
a child only once in this world; it’s a little
too rough to strip childhood of everything.
I ain’t so certain Bates ways are right, that
for the rest of my time I’m goin’ to fly
in the face of all creation to prove it. If
God lets me live a few years more, I want the faces
around me a little less discontenteder than those
I’ve been used to. If God Almighty spares
me long enough, I lay out to make sure that Adam and
Polly will squeeze out a tear or two for Granny when
she is laid away.”
“I think you are right, Mother,” said
Kate. “It didn’t cost anything,
but we had a real pretty Christmas tree this year,
and I believe we can do better next time. I
want the children to love you, but don’t buy
them.”
