Astra (25 page)

“Well, I should say!” exclaimed Cameron, glancing at his watch. “It’s after half past two! Rosamond said she had ordered dinner for us at exactly one. I wonder where that snoring cook is!”

He went into the kitchen and found disorder, and a great, black, empty bottle on the floor beside the chair where the cook had been when he entered the apartment, but no cook, and not even a smell of dinner anywhere. Further investigation showed the turkey in the refrigerator with its hands helplessly folded, not even a smell of fire on its cold, dead skin, and the cook on her bed in the maid’s room, sound asleep.

There was another black bottle on the floor beside the bed, and it was plain to be seen that there would be no Christmas dinner in that house that day if it depended on Becky to cook it.

Cameron frowned, stood watching old Becky for a minute or two, then stepped out of the room, removed the key from the inside of the door, and put it in the lock on the outside, locking the door with decision. This was no creature to be allowed to waken in the night and go madly about the house among the children. She was dead drunk, and there was no mistake about that. By and by, when he had time to think it out, he would decide what to do with Becky, send her to a hospital, or to the lock-up, or get a doctor and try to get her sober. But for the present she was safe, and so were they.

He came back to the kitchen, locking the door that led from kitchen to the maid’s quarters, and studied the possibilities of an immediate dinner from the standpoint of the refrigerator and pantry. There was a large fruit cake in the cake box, several mince pies ranged on the pantry shelf, another tin box of fancy cake. They wouldn’t starve, of course, but that was no dinner for three healthy, hungry little children—cake and pie was not a Christmas dinner. So he stalked into the front hallway and took up the telephone.

“Oh Uncle Charlie, you’re
not
going to telephone that old egg, are ya? I’m off yer fer life if you do.” This in a wail from Harold.

“Uncle Charlie, we’re
hongery
!” sobbed Brenda.

“When we gonta have dinnee, Unca Sharlie?” wailed Mary Lou.

“Right away, kitten. Hush a minute! I’m telephoning.”

“Not to that nassy voman, Unca Sharlie! Her not gonta come here ’gin, is her?”

“No, no, Mary Lou! Hush! Is this the restaurant? Send a boy up with your Christmas dinner menu right away to Apartment C. How soon can you serve a dinner for five? All right. Send the menu at once.”

Then he hung up and, catching the little girl, pranced into the living room.

“How about you ladies and gentlemen setting the table in the dining room? The cook seems to be sick. She’s been drinking too much medicine out of a black bottle, and she’s in her room asleep now, so we’re not waiting on her. The boy is coming up with the menu from the downstairs restaurant, and you are each to pick out just what you want, so be ready to decide right away and not keep him waiting.”

“I want turkey,” said Brenda, “with stuffings, an’ cramb’ry sauce, an’ smashed potato, and green peas! No, ’pinnage, an’ no carrots t’day! It’s Christmas! Then I want punkum—no, mince pie, ’n’ ice cream!”

“Okay, that goes for me, too!” said Harold.

“Me, too,” said Mary Lou. “An’ I want my dwink o’ milk!”

“Well, I shouldn’t wonder if you could have that right now,” said Uncle Charlie, making a quick raid on the refrigerator and producing a glass of milk.

Then the boy came up with the menu and took the order while Astra was helping the children get the dining room table ready for the dinner.

“Aren’t we having fun?” said Brenda, with a radiant little face lifted to Astra. “I wish my mother would ever do this wif us.”

“Oh, you’re crazy, you silly!” scorned the little boy. “Our mother would never have time. She has too many old bridge parties.”

“Well, there might be sometime, somewhere,” said Brenda wistfully.

They had a wonderful Christmas dinner. It was quite new and delightful to have strange, different things sent up from the restaurant, and the children enjoyed it immensely.

But at last their keen appetites were satisfied, and they lagged with the final spoonfuls of ice cream.

“What’er we goin’ ta do now, Astra?” asked Brenda. “When Daddy an’ Mothah are home, they always have presents and we can play with ’em, but we didn’t have any presents yet.”

“No, but your father and mother are going to give you their presents when they get back, so you’ll have another Christmas tomorrow,” said Uncle Charlie hopefully, and wondered, as he looked at the slow, lazy flakes that were going idly past the window, whether they really
would
get back when they had promised.

“Okay!” said Harold with a deep young sigh.

“Oh,” said Astra, “I brought some little presents. Perhaps they will do for today! There is one for each of you.”

“Yes,” said Cameron, “and I think I have some packages, too. I had forgotten them, but since you’ve mentioned it, I guess I can contribute to the gift-bringing performance, too.”

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Aren’t we having a lovely time!” squealed Mary Lou.

Then the boy from the restaurant came to get the dishes, and Astra gathered up the crumbs from the tablecloth, folded it nicely, and put it away, and they all adjourned to the living room.

They put the presents in a pile in the center of the room, and Uncle Charlie distributed them. The first one was for Mary Lou! A lovely dolly, looking like a real baby, with a soft, pliable body; big blue eyes; and a sweet cap of gold curls. Mary Lou was wild about it. Her other dolls had been freak rag dolls that were unbreakable, and she slung them around and was always trying to get Brenda’s dolls, which were more sophisticated. But she recognized this as a doll of the upper classes and truly appreciated it.

“You know what a wittle girl wikes!” she said with a sweet, grateful glance at Astra. Then as second thought, with the new dolly in a careful arm, she came and climbed into Astra’s lap, kissed her, and then made the doll kiss her.

The next was Brenda’s turn. And she had a delightful little croquet set that could be played on the carpet. This was from Uncle Charlie. Brenda promptly took the whole box in her arms and tried to climb into her uncle’s lap to kiss him.

Then came Harold’s turn, and he opened a big box that looked like a hat box and said “From Uncle Charlie” on its top, and there was a pair of boxing gloves for him. He shouted with joy and all but broke up the gathering by his demand to have a boxing match then and there.

“Not till all the presents have been given out,” said Uncle Charlie.

Then Brenda had a lovely doll, not very large, but with a beautiful face and eyes that moved sideways, and turned, and made her look very real and human. She wore a lovely blue dress the color of her eyes, a little knitted coat and cap, and real little mittens. Brenda took her in her arms and cooed and kissed her, and then frantically rushed to Astra and kissed her. It was a very loving time indeed, and Cameron, watching Astra, noted how lovely she was and how delightful with the children!

There was a little swing for Mary Lou from her uncle, which he promptly set up in the corner, and Mary Lou retired to it to swing her new dolly and presently to fall asleep quite happily, while the rest of the program went on without her.

Then came the darling little pony for Harold, and he was wild with delight.

“I shall keep this on the mantelpiece in my own room,” he announced. “Mother needn’t think she can have it in the parlor. It’s my own horse. And someday when I get grown up, I shall have a live one just like it!”

He went over and took Astra’s hand and kissed it with the low bow that he learned in his dancing class, and then he retired to get acquainted with his horse.

But there were two more packages on the floor. One of goodly size for Astra, and a small, neat package for Cameron.

He made her open her package first. A large, fine box of candy, in all sorts of shapes and sizes. So after she had thanked him, she made him take the first piece out and then passed it around, to the great delight of the children, and they sat there enjoying everything, till Harold discovered that his uncle hadn’t opened the little package yet.

Cameron opened his package slowly, with many comical remarks about what it could possibly be and who would send it to him.

He untied the ribbon slowly, turned back the paper very deliberately, stopping for a word between each turn, and then just as he got to the last soft tissue paper cover, he fixed Harold with a stern eye and said, “Boy, I’ll bet you know who gave this present to me.”

“Uh huh!” said Harold with a grin.

“Well boy, I’ll just bet it is from that person that you described a little while ago as a bad lady! If it is, you can just take it out and put it in the trash can!”

“Oh no, Uncle Charlie. It isn’t from her! She didn’t bring any presents for anybody. And she didn’t send anything!”

“Then who can have given it to me?” asked Cameron, with great curiosity written on his face.

“Whyn’tcha open it and find out?” asked the boy.

“Well, that’s an idea! Do you suppose it will tell inside?”

“I bet it will,” said the boy.

So at last Cameron opened the paper, uncovering a neat little box, and inside, the beautiful Testament. Suddenly his eyes went to Astra’s shy watching eyes, and a great light came into his own. She needed no other thanks than that look he gave.

But the children gathered around as he turned to the flyleaf and read, “Charles from Astra,” and below, “To help with the next assignment.”

The day went quickly after that. Harold had to try out his boxing gloves, and Brenda insisted they should all play croquet—excepting the sleeping Mary Lou. And then it suddenly grew dark in the room, and they turned the lights on and found it was quite a bit after the children’s usual bedtime.

They fed the sleepy Mary Lou a glass of milk, and Astra got her into her nightclothes and tucked her in bed with a kiss and a bit of a prayer she was too sleepy to say herself. Then Astra made some nice hot cereal and fed the others and got them to bed.

“We’ve had a wonderful Christmas,” said Harold, as he sank down carefully into his pillow. “We’ll have another one tomorrow, perhaps, but it won’t be half as nice. The Bethlehem was great! Can we keep it here a few days?”

“Oh yes,” said Astra, smiling. “That is your Bethlehem. And when the holidays are over, you’ll find a nice box in the guest room under the bed in which you can pack Bethlehem away for another year. I’ll leave that to your care, Harold.”

“But won’t you be here, Astra?”

“Well, I couldn’t be sure of that, Harold. But you won’t forget, will you, little boy?”

“No, I won’t forget. But Uncle Charlie, won’t she be here again?”

“Well, if you ask me, boy, I think she will! Now, good night!”

So they kissed the children good night and went out into the living room.

“And now,” said Astra, “it’s time for me to go home. I’ve had a lovely party, mister, and I thank you for inviting me. I hope you have a pleasant evening, and your children all behave well. But I’m sure they’re all just about asleep, so I’m safe in leaving you. Good night!”

He looked at her so tenderly that the tears almost came into her eyes, but she blinked them back hard and managed to smile.

Then his hands went out to her shoulders and lay gently there for an instant while he looked deep into her soul before he spoke.

“You
dear
!” he said softly, as if the words were too precious to be heard aloud. “You’ve been just
wonderful
!”

Then suddenly he put his face down closer to hers.

“I love you!” he said most tenderly. “I love you with all my soul! I know I ought not to tell you yet, because you’ve had so little time to know me, you wouldn’t be sure if you could ever love me or not. But it has seemed to me all day that I had to tell you now, even if you won’t ever marry me. I had to let you know how deeply I love you! I had to tell you on Christmas Day! Even if I have to go lonely all my days, I had to have the joy of telling you how much I love you and want you for my own. Astra, will you marry me?”

Astra looked up with a great wonder and joy growing in her face.

“Oh
my dear
!” she breathed softly.

And then his strong arms went around her and drew her close, and he stooped and laid his lips on hers in a kiss that seemed to unite their souls!

He had her in his arms, drawing her face close to his breast, and she rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes to let the beauty of his love roll over her.

“Oh
my love
! My precious little love!” he whispered.

And just that moment the telephone rang out sharply. They both started and drew apart, as if an alien presence had entered the room, and then they laughed. But Astra came to her senses at once and, pushing open the door of the guest room, snatched her hat and coat from the bed where they had lain and began to put them on rapidly.

“It’s likely to be that woman who came this morning, and she mustn’t find me here, you know,” she said, with a twinkle in her eyes.

“I shall not answer the telephone if you think it is she! Don’t go yet. She couldn’t get here right away.”

“Oh, but I
must.
She might be only downstairs in the office. What will she think of me, staying here with you alone?”

“I shall not answer that telephone!” he said with dignity.

“Oh, but you’ll
have
to. It might be your sister, you know, calling to say they were detained or something. Good-bye!” She lifted her lips for a quick kiss and drew away from his detaining arms, her happy face full of joyous light.

He sprang to the door and shouted along the hall, “Call me up the minute you get there and let me know you are all right!” But his answer was the clang of the elevator door as it slipped its way down to the first floor, and when he pressed his tense hands on his eyeballs, he had the vision of a twinkling merry face framed in golden hair, laughing back at him. When he got back into the room again, the telephone was still ringing more madly than ever.