Martha By the Day by Julie M. Lippmann

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"You won't miss anything," said Claire reassuringly, "but you mustn't
say a word to Sam. And you mustn't ask any questions yourself, for what
is going to happen is to be a _wonderful_ surprise!"

"You betcher life it is!" murmured Martha complacently to herself, after
Claire had hastened off to confer with the children and plan a program
for the great day.

Ma to make the wedding-cake! Cora to recite her "piece." Francie and
Sammy to be dressed as pages and bear, each, a tray spread with the
gifts it was to be her own task and privilege to contrive. Sabina to
hover over all as a sort of Cupid, who, if somewhat "hefty" as to
avoirdupois, was in all other respects a perfect little Love.

It seemed as if the intervening days were winged, so fast they flew.
Claire never could have believed there was so much to be done for such a
simple festival, and, of course, the entire weight fell on her
shoulders, for Ma was as much of a child in such matters as any, and
Martha could not be appealed to, being the _bride_, and, moreover, being
away at the great house, where tremendous changes were in progress.

But at last came the wonderful day, and everything was in readiness.

First, a forenoon of small explosive delights for the children--then, as
the day waned, a dinner eaten outdoors, picnic-fashion on the grass,
under the spreading trees, beneath the shadows of the mighty
mountain-tops.

What difference if Ma's cake, crowning a perfect feast, had suffered a
little in the frosting and its touching sentiment, traced in snowy
lettering upon a bridal-white ground, _did_ read

FIFTEEN YEARS OF MARRED LIFE.

It is sometimes one's ill-luck to misspell a word, and though a
wedding-cake is usually large and this was no exception, the space was
limited, and, besides, no one but Sam senior and Miss Lang noticed it
anyhow.

A quizzical light in his eye, Mr. Slawson scrawled on a scrap of paper
which he passed to Claire (with apologies for the liberty) the words:

"She'd been nearer the truth if she'd left out the two _rr_s while she
was about it, and had it:

FIFTEEN YEARS OF MA'D LIFE."

Then came Cora's _piece_.

Her courtesy, right foot back, knees suddenly bent, right hand on left
side (presumably over heart, actually over stomach), chin diving into
the bony hollow of her neck--Cora's courtesy was a thing to be
remembered.

LADY CLARE

She announced it with ceremony, and this time, Martha noticed, the
recalcitrant garter held fast to its moorings.

"''Twas the time when lilies blow
And clouds are highest up in air,
Lord Ronald brought a lily-white doe--'"

_"His!"_ prompted Martha in a loud stage-whisper. _"His_--not 'a'--"

Cora accepted the correction obediently, but her self-confidence was
shaken. She managed to stammer,

"'Give t-to--his c-cousin, L-Lady C-Clare,'"

and then a storm of tears set in, drowning her utterance.

"Well, what do you think o' _that_?" exclaimed Martha, amazed at the
undue sensitiveness of her offspring. "Never mind, Cora! You done it
grand!--as far as you went."

To cover this slight mishap, Claire gave a hurried signal to the pages,
who appeared forthwith in splendid form, if a little overweighted by the
burdens they bore. In some strange way Claire's simple gifts had been
secretly augmented until they piled up upon the trays, twin-mountains of
treasure.

When the first surprise was past, and the wonders examined and exclaimed
over, Martha bent toward Claire, from her seat of honor on the grass.

"Didn't I think to tell you Mr. Blennerhasset come up on the early
train? Sammy, he drove down to the station himself to meet'm. Mr.
Blennerhasset brought up all them grand things--for Mr. Ronald. Ain't
he--I mean Mr. Ronald--a caution to 've remembered the day? I been so
took up with things over there to the great house, I musta forgot to
tell you about Mr. Blennerhasset. Ain't everything just elegant?--

"It's pretty, the way the night comes down up here. With the sharp
pin-heads o' stars prickin' through, one by one. They don't seem like
that in the city, do they? An' the moon's comin' up _great_!"

Claire's eyes were fixed on the grassy slope ahead.

"Who are those three men over there?" she asked. "What are they doing? I
can't make out in the dusk anything but shadow-forms."

"Sam, an' Mr. Blennerhasset, an'--an'--another fella from the
neighborhood. Mr. Blennerhasset he brought up some fire-works to
surprise the young uns, an' they're goin' to set 'em off. It's early
yet, but the sooner it's over the sooner to sleep. An' the kids has had
a excitin' day."

Up shot a rocket, drawing the children's breaths skyward with it in
long-drawn "A-ahs!" of perfect ecstasy.

Then pin-wheels, some of which, not to belie their nature, balked
obstinately, refusing to be coerced or wheedled into doing their duty.

"Say, now, mother," cried Francie excitedly--"that pin-wheel--in the
middle of it was a cork. When it got over spinning fast, I saw the
cork."

"Don't you never do that no more," cautioned Martha. "Never you see the
cork. It's the _light_ you want to keep your eye on!" which, as Claire
thought it over, seemed to her advice of a particularly shrewd and
timely nature.

She was still pondering this, and some other things, when she felt Mrs.
Slawson's hand on her shoulder.

"It's over now, an' I'm goin' to take the young 'uns in, an' put 'em to
bed. But don't you stir. Just you sit here a while in the moonlight, an'
enjoy the quiet in peace by yourself. You done a hard day's work, an'
you give me an' Sammy what we won't forget in a hurry. So you just stay
out here a few minits--or as long as you wanter--away from the
childern's clatter, an'--God bless you!"

Claire's gaze, following the great form affectionately, saw it pass into
the darker shadows, then forth--out into the light that shone from the
open door of the lodge.

"She's _home_--and they're _together_!" Unconsciously, she spoke her
grateful thought aloud.

"Yes, she's _home_--and they're _together_!"

The words were repeated very quietly, but there was that in the
well-known voice, so close at hand, that seemed to Claire to shake the
world. In an instant she was upon her feet, gazing up speechless, into
Francis Ronald's baffling eyes.

"You are kind to every one," he said, "but for me you have only a sting,
and yet--I love you."

* * * * *

Martha was still busy wrestling with the pyramid of dishes left over
from the feast, when at last Claire came in alone.

"Did you get a chance to compose yourself, an' quiet down some under the
stars?" inquired Mrs. Slawson. "It's been a noisy day, with lots doin'.
I don't wonder you're so tired--your cheeks is fairly blazin' with it,
an' your eyes are shinin' like lit lamps."

"You knew--you knew he was here!" said Claire accusingly.

"_He?_ Who? O, you mean Mr. Ronald? Didn't I think to tell you, he come
up along with Mr. Blennerhasset? I been so flustrated with all the
unexpected surprises of the day, it musta slipped my mind."

"I've seen Mr. Ronald!" Claire said." I've spoken with him!"

"Now, what do you think o' that! Wonders never cease!"

"Do you know what I did?"

"Search me!"

"I told him--the _truth_."

"We-ell?"

"And--_I'm going to marry him!"_

Mrs. Slawson sat down hard upon the nearest chair, as if the happy shock
had deprived her of strength to support her own weight.

"No!" she fairly shouted.

"_Yes!" _cried Claire. "And, O, Martha! I'm _so_ happy! And--did you ever
_dream_ such a thing could possibly happen?"

"Well, you certaintly have give me a start. I often thought how I'd
_like_ to see Mr. Ronald your _financiay_ or your _trosso_, or whatever
they call it. But, that it would really come to pass--" She paused.

"O, you don't know how I dreaded next winter," Claire said, as if she
were thinking aloud. "I went over it--and I went over it, in my
mind--what I'd do--where I'd go--and now--_Now!_... I couldn't take that
fine job you had your eye on for me, not even if it had come to
something. Don't you remember? I mean, the splendid job you had the idea
about, that first night I was sick. I shan't need it now, shall I,
Martha?"

"You got it!" said Martha.

Claire's wide eyes opened wider in wonderment. She stared silently at
Mrs. Slawson for a moment. Then the light began to break in upon her
slowly, but with unmistakable illumination.

"You--don't--mean?" she stammered.

"Certaintly!" said Martha.

THE END

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