第35章 LITTLE LUCY ROSE(3)

His father owned an old violin. He had been in-clined to music in early youth, and Jim got per-mission to practise on it, and he went by himself in the hot attic and practised. Jim's mother did not care for music, and her son's preliminary scra-ping tortured her. Jim tucked the old fiddle under one round boy-cheek and played in the hot attic, with wasps buzzing around him; and he spent his pennies for catgut, and he learned to mend fiddle-strings; and finally came a proud Wednesday after-noon when there were visitors in Madame's school, and he stood on the platform, with Miss Acton playing an accompaniment on the baby grand piano, and he managed a feeble but true tune on his violin.

It was all for little Lucy, but little Lucy cared no more for music than his mother; and while Jim was playing she was rehearsing in the depths of her mind the little poem which later she was to recite; for this adorable little Lucy was, as a matter of course, to figure in the entertainment. It therefore happened that she heard not one note of Jim Patterson's pain-fully executed piece, for she was saying to herself in mental singsong a foolish little poem, beginning:

There was one little flower that bloomed Beside a cottage door.

When she went forward, little darling blue-clad figure, there was a murmur of admiration; and when she made mistakes straight through the poem, saying, There was a little flower that fell On my aunt Martha's floor, for beginning, there was a roar of tender laughter and a clapping of tender, maternal hands, and every-body wanted to catch hold of little Lucy and kiss her.

It was one of the irresistible charms of this child that people loved her the more for her mistakes, and she made many, although she tried so very hard to avoid them. Little Lucy was not in the least brilliant, but she held love like a precious vase, and it gave out perfume better than mere knowledge.

Jim Patterson was so deeply in love with her when he went home that night that he confessed to his mother. Mrs. Patterson had led up to the subject by alluding to little Lucy while at the dinner-table.

"Edward," she said to her husband -- both she and the rector had been present at Madame's school entertainment and the tea-drinking afterward -- "did you ever see in all your life such a darling little girl as the new cashier's daughter? She quite makes up for Miss Martha, who sat here one solid hour, hold-ing her card-case, waiting for me to talk to her.

That child is simply delicious, and I was so glad she made mistakes.""Yes, she is a charming child," assented the rector, "despite the fact that she is not a beauty, hardly even pretty.""I know it," said Mrs. Patterson, "but she has the worth of beauty."Jim was quite pale while his father and mother were talking. He swallowed the hot soup so fast that it burnt his tongue. Then he turned very red, but nobody noticed him. When his mother came up-stairs to kiss him good night he told her.

"Mother," said he, "I have something to tell you.""All right, Jim," replied Sally Patterson, with her boyish air.

"It is very important," said Jim.

Mrs. Patterson did not laugh; she did not even smile. She sat down beside Jim's bed and looked seriously at his eager, rapt, shamed little boy-face on the pillow. "Well?" said she, after a minute which seemed difficult to him.

Jim coughed. Then he spoke with a blurt.

"Mother," said Jim, "by and by, of course not quite yet, but by and by, will you have any objection to Miss Lucy Rose as a daughter?"Even then Sally Patterson did not laugh or even smile. "Are you thinking of marrying her, Jim?"asked she, quite as if her son had been a man.

"Yes, mother," replied Jim. Then he flung up his little arms in pink pajama sleeves, and Sally Patterson took his face between her two hands and kissed him warmly.

"She is a darling, and your choice does you credit, Jim," said she. "Of course you have said nothing to her yet?""I thought it was rather too soon."

"I really think you are very wise, Jim," said his mother. "It is too soon to put such ideas into the poor child's head. She is younger than you, isn't she, Jim?""She is just six months and three days younger,"replied Jim, with majesty.

"I thought so. Well, you know, Jim, it would just wear her all out, as young as that, to be obliged to think about her trousseau and housekeeping and going to school, too.""I know it," said Jim, with a pleased air. "Ithought I was right, mother."

"Entirely right; and you, too, really ought to finish school, and take up a profession or a busi-ness, before you say anything definite. You would want a nice home for the dear little thing, you know that, Jim."Jim stared at his mother out of his white pillow.

"I thought I would stay with you, and she would stay with her father until we were both very much older," said he. "She has a nice home now, you know, mother."Sally Patterson's mouth twitched a little, but she spoke quite gravely and reasonably. "Yes, that is very true," said she; "still, I do think you are wise to wait, Jim."When Sally Patterson had left Jim, she looked in on the rector in his study. "Our son is thinking seriously of marrying, Edward," said she.

The rector stared at her. She had shut the door, and she laughed.

"He is very discreet. He has consulted me as to my approval of her as daughter and announced his intention to wait a little while."The rector laughed; then he wrinkled his forehead uneasily. "I don't like the little chap getting such ideas," said he.

"Don't worry, Edward; he hasn't got them,"said Sally Patterson.

"I hope not."

"He has made a very wise choice. She is that perfect darling of a Rose girl who couldn't speak her piece, and thought we all loved her when we laughed.""Well, don't let him get foolish ideas; that is all, my dear," said the rector.

"Don't worry, Edward. I can manage him,"

said Sally.

But she was mistaken. The very next day Jim proposed in due form to little Lucy. He could not help it. It was during the morning intermission, and he came upon her seated all alone under a haw-thorn hedge, studying her arithmetic anxiously.