The Softening of Miss Cynthia by Lucy M Montgomery

Books at Bedtime by Calming Anxiety The Softening of Miss Cynthia by Lucy Montgomery I wonder if I'd better play this cake with lemon or vanilla It's the most perplexing thing I've ever heard of in my life Miss Cynthia put down the bottles with a vexed frown Her perplexity had nothing whatsoever to do with flavoring the golden mixture in her cake bowl Mrs. John Joe knew that The latter had dropped in a flurry of curiosity concerning the little boy whom she had seen out about with Miss Cynthia's place for the last two days Her daughter Kitty was with her They both sat close together on the kitchen sofa It is too bad said Mrs. John Joe sympathetically I don't wonder you are mixed up So unexpected too When did he come? Tuesday night said Miss Cynthia She had decided on the vanilla and was whipping it in briskly I saw an express wagon drive into the yard with a boy and a truncant And I went out just as he got down Are you my aunt Cynthia? He said Who in the world are you? I asked and he says I'm Wilbur Merervale and my father was John Merervale He died three weeks ago and he said I was to come to you because you were his sister Well, you could have just knocked me down with a feather I'm sure Said Mrs. John Joe But I didn't know you had a brother And his name Merervale Well He wasn't any relation really I was about six year old when my father married his mother The widow Merervale John was just my age And we were brought up together just like brother and sister He was a real nice fellow I must say But he went out to California years ago And I haven't heard a word of him for fifteen years I didn't know if he was alive or dead But it seems from what I can make out from the boy That his mother died when he was a baby And him and John roughed it along together Pretty poor too I guess Till John took a fever and died And he told some of his friends to send the boy to me The hid note relations there and not a scent in the world And the child came all the way from California And here he is I've been just distracted ever since I've never been used to children And to have the house kept in perpetual uproar Is more than I can stand He's about twelve and a born mischief He'll tear through the rooms with his dirty feet And he smatched one of my blue vowses And torn down a curtain And set Towsar on the cat half a dozen times already I never was so worried I've got him out on the veranda Shelling peas now Well, to keep him quiet for a little spell I'm really sorry for you Said Miss John Joe But, poor child I suppose he's never had anyone to look after him And come all the way from California alone too He must be real smart Too smart I guess He must take after his mother Whoever she was For the reign to be a bit of mererville in him And he's been brought up pretty rough Well It'll be a great responsibility for you Cynthia of course But he'll be company too And he'll be real handy to run errands in I'm not going to keep him Said Miss Cynthia determinedly Her thin lips set themselves firmly And her voice had a hard ring Not going to keep him Said Miss John Joe blankly You can't send him back to California I don't intend to But as for having him here to worry my life out And keep me in perpetual stew I just won't do it Do you think I'm going to trouble myself about children at my age And all he'd cost for clothes and schooling Too I can't afford it I don't suppose his father expected it either I suppose he expected me to look after him for a bit And of course I will A boy of his age ought to be able to earn his keep anyway If I look out at place for him somewhere where he can do odd jobs And go to school in the winter I think it's all anyone can expect of me When he ain't really no blood relation Miss Cynthia flung the last sentence At Mrs John Joe rather defiantly Not liking the expression on that lady's face I suppose nobody could expect more Cynthia Said Mrs John Joe depreciatingly He would be an awful brother I know doubt And you've lived alone so long with no one to worry But you wouldn't know what to do with him Boys are always getting into mischief My four just keep me on the dead jump Still It's a pity for him Poor little fellow No mother or father It just seems hard Mrs Cynthia's face grew grimmer than ever As she went to the door with her callers And watched them down the garden path As soon as Mrs John Joe saw the door shut She unburdened her mind to her daughter Did you ever hear her tell of the like I thought I knew Cynthia Henderson well If anybody in Wilmott did But this beats me Just think kitty There she is No one knows how rich And not a soul in the world belonging to her And she won't even take in her brother's child She must be a hard woman But it's just meanness Pure and simple She grudges him What he'd eat and wear The poor might doesn't look as if he'd need much Cynthia didn't used to be like that But it's growing on her every day She's got harder rocks That afternoon Miss Cynthia Hanisd Her fat great pony Into the faten herself She kept neither man nor maid But lived in her big immaculate house In solitary state And drove away down the dusty But a cup-borted road Leaving Wilbur sitting on the veranda She returned in an hours' time And drove into the yard Shutting the gate behind her With a vigorous snap Wilbur was not inside And fearful less he should be a mischief She hurriedly tied the pony to the railing And went in search of him She found him sitting by the well His chin in his hands He was pale And his eyes were red Miss Cynthia's hardened her heart And took him into the house I'd been down to see Miss Robbins this afternoon Wilbur She said, pretending to brush some invisible dust From the bottom of her nice black cashmere skirt From excuse to avoid looking at him And he's agreed to take you on On a trial It's a real good chance But then you could expect He says he'll board and clothe you And let you go to school in the winter The boy seemed to shrink Daddy said that I would stay with you He said, "Wistfully, he said that you were so good and kind And would love me for his sake For a moment, Miss Cynthia Soffan She'd been very fond of her step-brother It seemed that his voice appealed to her Across the grave and behalf of this child But the crust of years Was not to be so easily broken Your father meant that I would look after you She said, "And I mean to But I can't afford to keep you here You'll have a good place at Miss Robbins If you behave yourself I'm going to take you down now Before I unharmed Mr. Pony So go and wash that face While I put up your things Don't look so woe begun For pity's sake I'm not taking you to prison Wilbur turned And went silently to the kitchen Miss Cynthia thought she heard us of She went with a firm step into the little bedroom off the hall And took out a purse from the drawer I suppose I all, she said doubtfully I suppose He's a cent I dare say he'll lose or waste it She counted out 75 cents carefully When she came out, Wilbur was up the door She put the money awkwardly into his hand See that you don't spend it on any foolishness Miss Cynthia's actions made a good deal of talk in Wilma The women headed by Mrs. John Jo Who said behind Cynthia's back what she did not dare say to her face condemned her The men laughed and said that Cynthia was a shrewd one There was no getting around her Miss Cynthia herself was far from easy She could not forget Wilbur's whisper lies And she had heard that Robbins was a hard master A week after the boy had gone She saw in one day at the store He was lifting heavy bags from a cart The work was beyond his strength And he was flushed and panting Miss Cynthia's conscience gave her a hard stab She brought a roll of peppermints and took them over to him He thanked her timidly and drove quickly away Robbins has in any business putting such work on her child She said to herself indignantly I'll speak to him about that And she did And she got an answer that made her ears tingle Mr. Robbins bluntly told her he guessed he knew what was what about his hands He weren't no slave driver If she wasn't satisfied she might take the boy away as soon as she liked Miss Cynthia did not get much comfort out of life that summer Almost everywhere she went she was sure to meet Wilbur engaged in some hard task She could not help seeing how miserably pale and thin he had become The worry had its effect on her The neighbours said that Cynthia was sharper than ever Even her church going was imbited She had always enjoyed walking up the aisle with her rich silk skirt rustling over the carpet Her cashmere shawl folded correctly over her shoulders And her lace bonnet set precisely on her thin shining crimps But she could take no pleasure in that or in the sermon now When Wilbur sat right across from her pew Between halfed featured Robbins and his sulky looking wife The boy's eyes had grown too large for its thin face The softening of Miss Cynthia was a very gradual process But it reached a climax one September morning When Mrs. John Jo came into the former's kitchen with an important face Mrs. Cynthia was preserving plums No thank you, I'll not sit down, I'll only run in I suppose you've heard it Bat little mererville boy has took awful sick with fever they say He's been worked half to death this summer Everyone knows what Robbins is and with his help And they say he has fretted a good deal for his father and been homesick And he's run down I suppose anyway Robbins took him over to the hospital that Stanford last night could crash us Cynthia, are you sick? Miss Cynthia, it's staggered to a seat by the table Her face was pallid No It's only on news gave me a turn It came so suddenly, I didn't know I must hurry back and see to the men's dinners I thought I'd come and tell you though I didn't know as you didn't care This parting shock was unheeded by Mrs. Cynthia She laid her face in her hands It's a judgment on me she moaned He's going to die and I'm his murderous They says the account, I'll have to give John Mererville of his boy I'd been a wicked selfish woman and I'm justly punished It was a humbled Miss Cynthia who went the doctor at the hospital that afternoon He shook his head at her eager questions It's a pretty bad case The boy seems run down every way No It is impossible to think of moving him again Bringing him here last night did him a great deal of harm Yes, you may see him But he will not know you I fear he is delirious and raves of his father in California Miss Cynthia followed the doctor down the long ward When he paused by a cot she pushed past him Will belay tossing restlessly on his pillow He was thin to amaciation But his cheeks were crimson and his eyes burning bright Miss Cynthia stooped and took the hot dry hands in her Will belay she sobbed Don't you know me, aren't Cynthia You are not my aren't Cynthia said, Will belay Daddy said aren't Cynthia was a good and kind You are a cross bad woman I want daddy, why doesn't he come? Why doesn't he come to little will belay?

Miss Cynthia got up and faced the doctor He's got to get better, she said stubbornly Spare no expense will trouble If he dies, I will be a murderous He must live and give me a chance to make it up for him And he did live But for a long time it was a hard fight And there were days when it seemed that death must win But Miss Cynthia got so thin and wan that even Mrs John Joe pitted her The earth seemed to miss Cynthia to laugh out In prodigal joyousness on the afternoon she drove home When Wilbur had been pronounced out of danger How tranquil the hills look With warm October sunshine, sleeping on their sides And faint blue hazes on their brows How gallantly the maples flaunted their crimson flags How kind and friendly was every face she met Afterwards, Miss Cynthia said she began to live that day Wilbur's recovery was slow Every day Miss Cynthia drove over with some dainty And her loving gentleness sat nonetheless gracefully on her because of its newness Wilbur grew to look for and welcome her coming When it was thought safe to remove him Miss Cynthia went to the hospital with a feet and load of shores and pillows I have come to take your way she said Wilbur shrank back not to Mr Robbins he said pitiously Oh not there on Cynthia Of course not Miss Cynthia said