Chapter 18
recording by sonny dawn by eleanor h porter chapter eighteen miss stuart it was just after christmas that another letter came from keith it was addressed as usual to susan keith had explained in his second letter that he was always going to write to susan so that she might read it to his father thus saving him the disagreeableness of seeing how crooked and uneven some of his lines were his father had remonstrated feebly but keith still wrote to susan keith had been improving in his writing very rapidly however since those earliest letters and most of his letters now were models of even lines and carefully formed characters but this letter susan saw at once was very different it bore unmistakable marks of haste agitation and lack of care it began abruptly after the briefest of salutations why didn't you tell me you knew miss stuart she says she knows you real well and father too and that she's been to the house lots of times and that she's goin back to hinesdale next week and that she's goin to school there this year and will graduate in june
oh she didn't tell me all this at once you bet your sweet life i had to worm it out of her little by little but what i want to know is why you folks didn't tell me anything about it that you knew her and all that but you never said a word not a word neither you nor dad but she says she knows dad real well funny dad never mentioned it miss stuart sure is a peach of a girl all right and the best ever to me she's always hunting up new games for me to play she taught me too this time and she's read two books to me there's a new fellow here named hentley and we play a lot together i'm well and getting along all right guess that's all for this time love to all keith p s now don't forget to tell me why you never said a thing that you knew miss stewart k well now i guess the kettle's in the fire all right ejaculated susan folding the letter with hands that shook a little what do you mean asked daniel burton why about that girl of course he'll find out now she's dorothy parkman he can't help finding it out
but what if he does demanded the man a bit impatiently what if he does repeated susan with lofty scorn i guess you'll find out tis when that boy does find out she's dorothy parkman and them won't have nothing more to do with her nor her father nor her father's new doctor nor anything that's hers nonsense susan don't be silly snapped the man still more irritably nor her father nor her father's new doctor nor anything that's hers indeed you sound for all the world as if you were chanting a catechism what's the matter doesn't the boy like miss dorothy why daniel burton you know he don't i told you long ago all about it when i explained how we got to give her father a resumed name so keith wouldn't know oh that what she said about not wanting to see blind people nonsense susan that was years ago when they were children why keith's a man nearly you're forgetting he'll be eighteen next june susan that's all right mr burton susan's lips snapped together grimly and her chin assumed its most defiant tilt i ain't sayin he ain't but there's some cases where age don't make a mite of difference and you'll find this is one of em
You mark my words, Daniel Burton. I've seen just as big a fool's at 18, and 80, for that matter, as I have at 8. Tain't a matter of decree at all. Keith Burton got it into his head when he was going blind that Dorothy Parkman would hate to look at him if he ever did get blind, and he just vowed and determined that if he ever did get that way, she shouldn't see him.
Well, now he's blind, and if you think he's forgot what Dorothy Parkman said, you ought to be with me when she came to see him at mazie sanborn one day or even when they just called up to him on the piazza one morning well well very likely conceded the man irritably but i must still remind you susan that all that was some time ago keith's got more sense now maybe and then again maybe not however we'll see what we will see she mumbled as she left the room with a little defiant toss of her head susan did not answer keith's letter at once just how was she going to answer that particular question concerning their acquaintance with miss stuart she did not know nor could she get any assistance from daniel burton on the subject why tell em the truth of course was all that daniel burton would answer with a shrug in reply to her urgent appeals for aid in the matter this susan in utter horror refused to do but surely you don't expect to keep it a secret forever who she is do you demanded daniel burton scornfully one day of course i don't but i'm going to keep it just as long as i can
avowed susan doggedly an mebbe i can keep it till he gets his blessed eyes back i shan't care if he does find out then i don't think will any of us mind anything then susan said the man softly and a little brokenly and susan looking into his face turned away suddenly to hide her own that evening susan heard that dorothy parkman was expected to arrive in hinesdale in two days i'll just wait then and intervene the young lady my own self she mused as she walked home from the post office this trying to settle dorothy parkman's affairs without dorothy parkman is like having an omelet with the omelet left out she finished nodding to herself all in the dark as she turned in at the burton's gateway dorothy parkman came two days later as was usual now she came at once to the house susan on the watch met her at the door before she could touch the bell come in come in my but i'm glad to see you exclaimed susan fervently fairly pulling her visitor into the house now tell me everything every single thing
why there isn't much to tell susan mr keith is about the same and-no no i mean about you interrupted susan motioning the girl to a chair and drawing her own chair nearer about you being in hindsdale and knowing us and all that and his finding out oh that the color flew instantly into miss dorothy's cheeks then he's written you written us i should say he had and he wants to know why we hadn't told him we know you and land sakes miss dorothy what can we tell him i-i don't know susan but how did you get in such a mess how'd he find out to begin with demanded the woman miss dorothy drew a long sigh oh it was my fault of course i forgot still it's a wonder i hadn't forgotten before you see inadvertently i happened to drop a word about mr burton "'Do you know my dad?' he burst out.
Then he asked another and another question. Of course I saw right away that I mustn't turn it off, as if I supposed he'd known all the time. It wouldn't do to make a secret of it and act embarrassed because he'd found out, for of course then he'd suspect something wrong right away.
"'Yes, yes, I suppose so,' admitted Susan worriedly. "'But, land's sakes, look at us. What are we going to say? now he wants to know why we hadn't told him about knowing you i don't know susan i don't know the girl shook her head and caught her breath a bit convulsively of course when i first let it go that i was miss stuart i never realized where it was going to lead nor how-how hard it might be to keep it up i've been expecting every day he'd find out from some one there but he hasn't yet of course aunt hattie who keeps our house for father
is in the secret and she'd never give it away most of the patients don't know much about me anyway you see i've never been there much they just know vaguely of the doctor's daughter and they just naturally call me miss stuart yes yes i see i see nodded susan again still worriedly but what i'm thinking of is us miss dorothy how are we going to get around not mentioning you all this time without him finding out who you be and demanding a full exposition of the whole affair say look here would it be very bad if he did find out you was dorothy parkman i'm afraid it would be susan the girl spoke slowly and a bit unsteadily she had gone a little white at the question has he said anything nothing only when we were talking that day and he was finding out those questions one after another about hinesdell and what i knew of it he asked if i knew dorothy parkman miss dorothy he didn't but he did it was awful susan i felt like-like of course you did interposed susan her face all sympathy in sailing under false premises like that and when you were perfectly innocuous too of any sinfulness
and was jest doin it for his best good and peace of mind land sakes what a perediction to be in what did you say why i said yes of course i had to say yes and i tried to turn it off right away and not talk any more about it but that was easy anyway for mr keith himself dropped it but i knew by the way he looked and said yes i know her too in that quiet stern way of his that i had better not let him find out i was she not if i wanted to stay in the room she finished laughing a little hysterically sakes you don't say frowned susan yes and so that's what makes me know that whatever you do you mustn't let him know that i'm dorothy parkman cried the girl feverishly not now not until he's seen the paris doctor for there's no knowing what he'd do he'd be so angry you'd see he'd never forgive me for on top of all the rest of the deceit that i've been with him all these different times and let him call me miss stuart
but how can we do that demanded susan why just turn it off lightly say of course you know me and seem surprised that you never happened to mention it before tell him oh yes i come quite often to tell you and mr burton how he's getting along and all that just make nothing of it take it as a matter of course not worth mentioning see then go on and talk about something else that'll fix it all right i'm sure susan maybe so and then again maybe not observed susan with frowning doubt as i was telling mr burton this morning we've got to be especially careful about keith just now it's the most hypocritical time there can be with him waiting to see that big doctor and all and he mustn't be upset no matter what happens nor many how many white lies we have to prognosticate here at the home i guess that's so susan miss dorothy's eyes were twinkling now and by the way where is mr burton i haven't seen him yet he ain't here you don't mean he's gone out of town the girl had looked up in surprise at the crisp terseness of susan's reply
oh no he's in hinesdale painting any new pictures these days miss dorothy was on her feet to go she asked the question plainly not for information but to fill the embarrassing pause that susan's second reply had brought into the conversation no he ain't spoke up susan with a vehemence and disconcerting as it was sudden he ain't paintin nothin and he ain't drawin nothin neither only molasses and vinegar and kerosene he's clerking down at mcguire's grocery store if you want to know that's where he is why susan yes i know you don't have to say nothing miss dorothy besides i won't let you say it if you did i won't let nobody say it but me but i will say this much when folks has set one foot in the cemetery an lame one at that an can't see nor hear nor think straight i don't think it's no hilarious offence to wish they'd hurry up an get to where they could have all them handy facilities back again and leave their money to folks who has got their full complaint of senses ready to enjoy life if they get the chance oh yes i know you don't know what i'm talking about and perhaps it's just as well you don't miss dorothy i hadn't had her said it anyhow
well i suppose i've got to go write that letter to keith now seeing as you've come and i can't put it off no longer goodness only knows though what i'm going to say she sighed as her visitor nodded back a wistful-eyed good-bye chapter eighteen recording by sonny
