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Updated: June 26, 2025
One morning at breakfast, Frederick being absent, Madelene was alone with Ebenezer and his wife. "Put down your paper a minute, Eb," said Madelene, "will you?" Scowling, Waldstricker let the paper rattle to the floor. "What do you want now?... I can't have a minute's peace. What is it?... More money?" "No, nor nothing to do with it, Ebenezer.
Thankful to be a few minutes by himself, the young man went away to stable the horses and his wife entered the house. Madelene found her brother sitting before the grate fire. Helen looked up and smiled at her sweetly. "Come and get warm, dear," she said. "You've had a long ride, haven't you?... Why, what's the matter, Madelene?" Mrs. Graves dropped into a chair.
"I just dropped in to annoy you with my idle self or, maybe, to please you. You know we're taught at church that a large part of the joy of the saved comes from watching the misery of the damned." But Madelene had the instinct of the physician born. "She has something on her mind and wants me to help her," she thought. Aloud she said: "I feel idle, myself.
"I have something to say to you." At the touch of his fingers, Madelene went white and swayed toward him. Her head fell forward on his chest, and his arms closed around her, as if to keep her from falling. Of a sudden, a flushed face was lifted to his, and a smile flashed around a rosy mouth. "Oh, I'm so happy, oh, so happy!" whispered pursed lips.
Thus, Arthur assumed again with his "grande toilette" the feeling of the caste from which he had been ejected. Madelene, come herself to open the door for him, was in a summer dress of no pretentions to style other than that which her figure, with its large, free, splendid lines, gave whatever she happened to wear.
No, surely not that! Yet there was Madelene! How could he face her, after all that had happened. He bitterly regretted his weakness in permitting the girl to avow her love for him, in engaging himself to her. And worst of all, that harrowing debt! He groaned at the thought of it. Madelene had told him, "Your mother won't have to worry any more, dear.
He'd scarcely slept, and when weariness had at last overcome him, his dreams had been filled with visions of a red haired girl, and a sturdy, handsome boy playing about upon the ragged rocks. When he came down to breakfast, Ebenezer told him he'd better see the doctor that day. "You might go while Madelene and I are out this morning," suggested Helen.
The lake place is mortgaged to Ebenezer Waldstricker for more than it's worth, and I've borrowed a lot of money from him and from Madelene." Frederick's hands fell from his face. "Good God! My God!" he exclaimed hoarsely. "Why didn't you tell me before?" "I couldn't I couldn't, Fred, but now you see why you must do this for all our sakes. I haven't any money at all only what they let me have.
The slurring words brought a hot blush of shame to Ebenezer's face. "I'm sorry, Fred," he stammered at length. "I was so angry I must've forgotten you're not well. I'm glad I didn't strike you. But what are we going to do, now?... If we don't tell Madelene, how about the Skinner girl?... Won't she make trouble for us?" "No, she won't say anything, I'm sure!"
"Look at here, Eb," exclaimed the boy, "why don't you let Madelene and me fight out our own quarrels? I don't interfere with you and Helen." "Huh! I should hope not!" growled Waldstricker. "But quarrels are not what we're talking about.... Why were you in the Skinner hut?... Are you in love with that girl?" "God! No! Are you mad? What's the matter with everybody?"
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