"All right, then, I'll go out and begin packing my things, and see
about moving this afternoon. I'll leave my stoves, and beds, and
tables, and chairs for you; you can use your wedding things, and
be downright comfortable. I'll like living in town a spell real
well."
So once more Kate saw hope a beckoning star in the distance, and
ruffled the wings of the spirit preparatory to another flight:
only a short, humble flight this time, close earth; but still as
full of promise as life seemed to hold in any direction for her.
She greeted George casually, and as if nothing had happened, when
she was ready to see him.
"You're at the place where words are not of the slightest use to
me," she said. "I'm giving you one, and a final chance to ACT.
This seems all that is open to us. Go to work like a man, and we
will see what we can make of our last chance."
Kate was so glad when she sat in the carriage that was to take her
from the house and the woman she abominated that she could
scarcely behave properly. She clasped Adam tightly in her arms,
and felt truly his mother. She reached over and tucked the
blanket closer over Polly, but she did not carry her, because she
resembled her grandmother, while Adam was a Bates.
George drove carefully. He was on behaviour too good to last, but
fortunately both women with him knew him well enough not to expect
that it would. When they came in sight of the house, Kate could
see that the grass beside the road had been cut, the trees
trimmed, and Oh, joy, the house freshly painted a soft, creamy
white she liked, with a green roof. Aunt Ollie explained that she
furnished the paint and George did the work. He had swung oblong
clothes baskets from the ceiling of a big, cheery, old-fashioned
bedroom for a cradle for each baby, and established himself in a
small back room adjoining the kitchen. Kate said nothing about
the arrangement, because she supposed it had been made to give her
more room, and that George might sleep in peace, while she
wrestled with two tiny babies.
There was no doubt about the wrestling. The babies seemed of
nervous temperament, sleeping in short naps and lightly. Kate was
on her feet from the time she reached her new home, working when
she should not have worked; so that the result developed cross
babies, each attacked with the colic, which raged every night from
six o'clock until twelve and after, both frequently shrieking at
the same time. George did his share by going to town for a bottle
of soothing syrup, which Kate promptly threw in the creek. Once
he took Adam and began walking the floor with him, extending his
activities as far as the kitchen. In a few minutes he had the
little fellow sound asleep and he did not waken until morning;
then he seemed to droop and feel listless. When he took the baby
the second time and made the same trip to the kitchen, Kate laid
Polly on her bed and silently followed. She saw George lay the
baby on the table, draw a flask from his pocket, pour a spoon
partly full, filling it the remainder of the way from the
teakettle. As he was putting the spoon to the baby's lips, Kate
stepped beside him and taking it, she tasted the contents. Then
she threw the spoon into the dishpan standing near and picked up
the baby.