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Under the Lilacs

L >> Louisa May Alcott >> Under the Lilacs




Charmed with the brilliant light and the crackle of
the tindery fuel, Miss Bab refilled her apron, and fed
the fire till the chimney began to rumble ominously,
sparks to fly out at the top, and soot and swallows'
nests to come tumbling down upon the hearth. Then,
scared at what she had done, the little mischief-maker
hastily buried her fire, swept up the rubbish, and ran
off, thinking no one would discover her prank if she
never told.

Everybody was very busy, and the big chimney
blazed and rumbled unnoticed till the cloud of smoke
caught Ben's eye as he festooned his last effort in the
flag line, part of an old sheet with the words "Father
has come!" in red cambric letters half a foot long
sewed upon it.

"Hullo ! I do believe they've got up a bonfire.
without asking my leave. Miss Celia never would
let us, because the sheds and roofs are so old and
dry; I must see about it. Catch me, Daddy, I'm
coming down! " cried Ben, dropping out of the elm
with no more thought of where he might light than a
squirrel swinging from bough to bough.

His father caught him, and followed in haste as his
nimble-footed son raced up the avenue, to stop in the
gate-way, frightened at the prospect before him, for
falling sparks had already kindled the roof here and
there, and the chimney smoked and roared like a
small volcano, while Katy's wails and Randa's cries
for water came from within.

"Up there with wet blankets, while I get out the
hose!" cried Mr. Brown, as he saw at a glance what
the danger was.

Ben vanished; and, before his father got the garden
hose rigged, he was on the roof with a dripping
blanket over the worst spot. Mrs. Moss had her wits
about her in a minute, and ran to put in the fireboard,
and stop the draught. Then, stationing Randa
to watch that the falling cinders did no harm inside,
she hurried off to help Mr. Brown, who might not know
where things were. But he had roughed it so long,
that he was the man for emergencies, and seemed to
lay his hand on whatever was needed, by a sort of
instinct. Finding that the hose was too short to
reach the upper part of the roof, he was on the roof
in a jiffy with two pails of water, and quenched the
most dangerous spots before much harm was done.

This he kept up till the chimney burned itself out,
while Ben dodged about among the gables with a
watering pot, lest some stray sparks should be over-
looked, and break out afresh.

While they worked there, Betty ran to and fro with
a dipper of water, trying to help; and Sancho barked
violently, as if he objected to this sort of illumination.
But where was Bab, who revelled in flurries? No
one missed her till the fire was out, and the tired,
sooty people met to talk over the danger just escaped.

"Poor Miss Celia wouldn't have had a roof over
her head, if it hadn't been for you, Mr. Brown," said
Mrs. Moss, sinking into a kitchen chair, pale with the
excitement.

"It would have burnt lively, but I guess it's all
right now. Keep an eye on the roof, Ben, and I'll
step up garret and see if all's safe there. Didn't you
know that chininey was foul, ma'am?" asked the
man, as he wiped the perspiration off his grimy face.

"Randa said it was, and I 'in surprised she made a
fire there," began Mrs. Moss, looking at the maid,
who just then came in with a pan full of soot.

"Bless you, ma'am, I never thought of such a
thing, nor Katy neither. That naughty Bab must
have done it, and so don't dar'st to show herself,"
answered the irate Randa, whose nice room was in
a mess.

"Where is the child?" asked her mother; and a
hunt was immediately instituted by Betty and Sancho,
while the elders cleared up.

Anxious Betty searched high and low, called and
cried, but all in vain; and was about to sit down in
despair, when Sancho made a bolt into his new
kennel and brought out a shoe with a foot in it while
a doleful squeal came from the straw within.

"Oh, Bab, how could you do it? Ma was frighened
dreadfully," said Betty, gently tugging at the
striped leg, as Sancho poked his head in for another
shoe.

"Is it all burnt up?" demanded a smothered voice
from the recesses of the kennel.

"Only pieces of the roof. Ben and his father put
it out, and I helped," answered Betty, cheering up a
little as she recalled her noble exertions.

"What do they do to folks who set houses afire?
asked the voice again.

"I don't know; but you needn't be afraid, their
isn't much harm done, I guess, and Miss Celia will
forgive you, she's so good."

"Thorny won't; he calls me a 'botheration,' and I
guess I am," mourned the unseen culprit, with sincere
contrition.

"I'll ask him; he is always good to me. They
will be here pretty soon, so you'd better come out
and be made tidy," suggested the comforter.

"I never can come out, for every one will hate
me," sobbed Bab among the straw, as she pulled in
her foot, as if retiring for ever from an outraged
world.

"Ma won't, she's too busy cleaning up; so it's a
good time to come. Let's run home, wash our hands,
and be all nice when they see us. I'll love you, no
matter what anybody else does," said Betty, consoling
the poor little sinner, and proposing the sort of
repentance most likely to find favor in the eyes of the
agitated elders.

"P'raps I'd better go home, for Sanch will want
his bed," and Bab gladly availed herself of that excuse
to back out of her refuge, a very crumpled, dusty
young lady, with a dejected face and much straw
sticking in her hair.

Betty led her sadly away, for she still protested
that she never should dare to meet the offended
public again; but in fifteen minutes both appeared
in fine order and good spirits, and naughty Bab
escaped a lecture for the time being, as the train
would soon be due.

At the first sound of the car whistle every one
turned good-natured as if by magic, and flew to the
gate smiling as if all mishaps were forgiven and
forgotten. Mrs. Moss, however, slipped quietly away,
and was the first to greet Mrs. Celia as the carriage
stopped at the entrance of the avenue, so that the
luggage might go in by way of the lodge.

"We will walk up and you shall tell us the news as
we go, for I see you have some," said the young lady,
in her friendly manner, when Mrs. Moss had given
her welcome and paid her respects to the gentleman
who shook hands in a way that convinced her he was
indeed what Thorny called him, "regularly jolly,"
though he was a minister.

That being exactly what she came for, the good
woman told her tidings as rapidly as possible, and the
new-comers were so glad to hear of Ben's happiness
they made very light of Bab's bonfire, though it had
nearly burnt their house down.

"We won't say a word about it, for every one must
be happy to-day," said Mr. George, so kindly that
Mrs. Moss felt a load taken off her heart at once.

"Bab was always teasing me for fireworks, but I
guess she has had enough for the present," laughed
Thorny, who was gallantly escorting Bab's mother up
the avenue.

"Every one is so kind! Teacher was out with the
children to cheer us as we passed, and here you all
are making things pretty for me," said Mrs. Celia,
smiling with tears in her eyes, as they drew near the
great gate, which certainly did present an animated
if not an imposing appearance.

Randa and Katy stood on one side, all in their
best, bobbing delighted courtesies; Mr. Brown, half
hidden behind the gate on the other side, was keeping
Sancho erect, so that he might present arms promptly
when the bride appeared. As flowers were scarce,
on either post stood a rosy little girl clapping her
hands, while out from the thicket of red and yellow
boughs, which made a grand bouquet in the lantern
frame, came Ben's head and shoulders, as he waved
his grandest flag with its gold paper "Welcome
Home!" on a blue ground.

"Isn't it beautiful!" cried Mrs. Celia, throwing
kisses to the children, shaking hands with her maids,
and glancing brightly at the stranger who was keeping
Sanch quiet.

"Most people adorn their gate-posts with stone
balls, vases, or griffins; your living images are a
great improvement, love, especially the happy boy
in the middle," said Mr. George, eying Ben with
interest, as he nearly tumbled overboard, top-heavy
with his banner.

"You must finish what I have only begun," answered
Celia, adding gayly as Sancho broke loose and came
to offer both his paw and his congratulations. "Sanch,
introduce your master, that I may thank him for coming
back in time to save my old house."

"If I'd saved a dozen it wouldn't have half paid
for all you've done for my boy, ma'am," answered
Mr. Brown, bursting out from behind the gate quite
red with gratitude and pleasure.

"I loved to do it, so please remember that this
is still his home till you make one for him. Thank
God, he is no longer fatherless!" and her sweet face
said even more than her words as the white hand
cordially shook the brown one with a burn across the
back.

"Come on, sister. I see the tea-table all ready, and
I'm awfully hungry," interrupted Thorny, who had
not a ray of sentiment about him, though very glad
Ben had got his father back again.

"Come over, by-and-by, little friends, and let me
thank you for your pretty welcome, -- it certainly is
a warm one;" and Mrs. Celia glanced merrily from
the three bright faces above her to the old chimney,
which still smoked sullenly.

"Oh, don't!" cried Bab, hiding her face.

"She didn't mean to," added Betty, pleadingly.

"Three cheers for the bride!" roared Ben, dipping
his flag, as leaning on her husband's arm his dear
mistress passed under the gay arch, along the
leaf-strewn walk, over the threshold of the house which
was to be her happy home for many years.

The closed gate where the lonely little wanderer
once lay was always to stand open now, and the path
where children played before was free to all comers,
for a hospitable welcome henceforth awaited rich and
poor, young and old, sad and gay, Under the Lilacs.

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