The Wooing of Calvin Parks

He turned hastily to the tree, for Miss Fidely was crying, and Calvin did not know what the mischief got into women-folks to make 'em act that way. Drawing a ball of pink string from his pocket, he proceeded to hang his menagerie, talking the while.

"I've had quite a time to-day. Any one sees a good deal of human natur' drivin' a candy route, yes sir, I would say ma'am! Hossy and me has come a good ways to-day, and seen 'most all kinds. Are you acquainted any with a woman name of Weazle, down the ro'd about four mile from here? Ain't? Well, she's a case, I tell you. Long skinny kind of woman, looks like she'd bleed sour milk – skim – if she scratched her finger. She made up her mind I was goin' to cheat her, and she warn't goin' to be cheated, not she. Quite a circus we had.

"'How much is them marshmallers?' she says.

"'Twenty cents a pound,' I says.

"'It's too much!' she says.

"'Is that so?' I says.

"'It's scandalous!' she says.

"'I want to know!' I says.

"'You won't sell none at that price!' she says.

"'Is that a fact?' I says.

"'Well, what'll you take for em?' she says.

"'Twenty cents a pound,' I says.

"'I tell you it's too much!' she says.

"'I know it's too much for you,' I says, 'and so is the marshmallows. They might give you the dyspepsy!' I says. 'Gitty up, hossy!' and I druv off and left her standin' there with her mouth open. There! now they're all up and I must be ramblin' along, or I sha'n't get nowheres by the end of time."

Miss Fidely had dried her eyes, but the look she fixed on Calvin disturbed him almost as much as the tears.

"I won't say nothin' more," she said; "I see the kind you are; but I wish you could come in to-morrow and see the children. I expect their faces will be a sight, when they see them elegant presents; yes, sir, I do! I expect you'd never forget this Christmas, as I'm certin I never shall. Oh!" she cried with a sudden outburst. "You good man, I hope you'll get your heart's desire, whatever it is."

"I hope I shall!" said Calvin Parks gravely.

"And now," said Miss Fidely, brightening up, "we'll settle. If you'll just lift the lid of that old teapot standin' on the mantel-shelf, you'll find three one-dollar bills and a two. I wish 'twas a hundred!" she cried heartily.

Calvin Parks stepped to the mantelpiece and lifted the lid of the teapot.

"I guess you made a mistake this time," he said cheerily; "where'll I look next?"

Miss Fidely turned very pale. "What – what do you mean?" she faltered.

Calvin handed her the teapot; it was empty.

"You forgot and put it somewheres else!" he said. "Anybody's liable to do that when they have a thing on their mind. I've done it myself time and again. How about a bureau drawer; what? We'll find it; don't you be scared!"

"No!" said Miss Fidely faintly. "No, sir! it was there. I counted it last night the last thing, and there ain't no one – my Lord! that tramp!"

"What tramp?"

"He came here this morning and asked for some breakfast. He seemed so poor and mis'able, and he told such a pitiful story, I went out to get him a drink of milk – he must have taken it. I remember, he was standin' over there when I come in, but I never mistrusted – "

Her voice failed, and she covered her eyes with her hands. Calvin Parks cast a rapid glance behind him, and ascertaining the position of the door, began to edge quietly toward it.

"Don't you fret!" he said soothingly. "I shall be round this way again some time; mebbe you'll find it some place when you least expect. I've known such things to happen, oftentimes."

"No! no!" cried the cripple, her distress increasing momentarily. "It's gone, sir! The look in that man's face comes back to me, and I know now what it meant. Oh! he must have a hard heart, to rob a cripple woman of her one pleasure, and on Christmas Eve!"

She flung her hands apart with a wild gesture, but the next moment controlled herself and spoke quietly but rapidly. "I am ashamed to trouble you, sir, but if you'll take down the bags I'll empt 'em as careful as I can. I wouldn't trouble you if I could help myself."

"I – I'm afraid I can't stop!" muttered Calvin; and he hung his head as he spoke, for a dry voice was saying in his ear, "Put this straight to yourself; are you running a candy route or an orphan asylum?"

"Oh! if Mittie May would only come!" cried the lame woman. "I'll have to trouble you, sir; it won't take you long."

Calvin mumbled something about calling again.

"No!" cried Miss Fidely. "There'd be no use in your calling again; that's all I can save in a year, and there's no more – "

She stopped short, and the blood rushed into her thin face.

"No!" she said after a pause. "I can't take the burial money, even for the children. Oh! you kind, good man, take down the bags, and take your candy back!"

"I've got to see to my hoss!" cried Calvin irritably. "Hear him hollerin'? Jest wait a half a minute – " he sneaked out of the door, closed it carefully behind him, and bolted for his sleigh. He snatched the nose-bag from Hossy's nose, the robe from his back; clambering hastily in, he cast a guilty glance around him, and saw – Mittie May, standing a few paces off, staring at him round-eyed.

"Here!" he cried. "You tell her I ain't feelin' real well, and I've got to get home. Tell her – tell her my name's Santy Claus, and my address is the North Pole. And – look here! tell her Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and the same to you! Gitty up, hossy! gitty up!" and laying his whip over the astonished flanks of the brown horse, Calvin Parks fled down the road as if Blücher and the Prussians were after him.

CHAPTER XIII

MERRY CHRISTMAS

"But that ain't the end of the story, Miss Hands!" said Calvin Parks, after telling as much as he thought proper of the foregoing events. "That ain't the end. This mornin' I stopped down along a piece to wish Merry Christmas to Aaron Tarbox's folks, and I left hossy standin' while I ran into the house. I stayed longer than I intended – you know how 'tis when there's children hangin' round – and when I come out, you may call me mate to a mud-scow if there warn't a feller with his head and shoulders clear inside the back of my cart. I can't tell you how, but some way of it, it come over me in a flash who the feller was. I don't know as ever I moved quicker in my life. I had him by the scruff of his neck and the slack of his pants, and out of that and standin' on his head in a snow-drift before he could have winked more than once, certin.

"'Have you got three ones and a two,' I says, 'belongin' to a lady as sits in a cart, 'bout four mile from here? 'cause if you have, and was keepin' them for the owner, I'll save you the trouble,' I says. He couldn't answer real well, his head bein' in the drift, so I went through his pockets, and sure enough there they was, three ones and a two, just as she said."

"My goodness!" cried Mary Sands. "What did you do?"

"Well, I give him his Christmas present, a good solid one, that'll last him a sight longer than the money would have, and then I hove him back into the drift to cool off a spell, – he was some warm, and so was I, – and come along. So now I've got the money, and that lady can rest easy in her mind; only I've got to let her know. Now, Miss Hands, I'm no kind of a hand at writin' letters; I've been studyin' all the way along the ro'd how to tell that lady that she ain't owin' me a cent; and I don't know as I've hit it off real good."

He felt in his pockets, and produced a scrap of paper; with an anxious eye on Mary Sands, he read aloud as follows.

"Dear Ma'am; – I got that money and give the feller one instead, so no more and received payment from yours respy C. Parks."

"How's that, Miss Hands? Will it do, think?"

Mary's eyes twinkled. "It's short and sweet, Mr. Parks," she said; "it tells the story, certin, though I don't doubt but she'd be pleased to hear more from you."

"That's all I've got to say!" said Calvin simply; "I'm glad to get it off my mind. How's the boys this morning?"

"That's why I made an errand out here before you went into the house!" said Mary Sands.