Through These Fires (Musaicum Romance Classics). Grace Livingston Hill
clothes on the floor. Lay them nicely on the chairs at the foot of the beds. You will find your nightclothes each lying on your cots. Put them on smoothly and get quietly into bed. I will watch the clock and see which gets in first, and afterward if you are still quite quiet I will award the two prizes. Angelica gets the first chance to wash while Gerry takes off his shoes and stockings and puts them nicely by the chair. Then Gerry takes his turn washing, and the hands and faces must be clean, and I mean clean, you know. Now, are you ready? If you are, go stand on the edge of that board in the floor and watch my raised hands. When I drop them, you may start. Ready?"
The two children scuttled across the room and toed the crack in the floor, watching her eagerly, silently. Lexie thrilled as she saw their interested faces. Then she dropped her hands.
"Go!" she said quietly.
Gerald dropped silently to the floor and went at the knot in his shoestring, while Angelica scurried to the bathroom. Silently, swiftly, earnestly they worked. Lexie was astonished that her game had interested them. From what she had seen of the children so far, she had not dared to hope that it would.
Angelica was back in a trice, and Gerald gave a last yank to his shoestring and dashed to take his place at the washbowl.
In five minutes those two children were snuggled in their cots under the blankets awaiting the prizes with eagerness, and there hadn't been a single argument about which cot should be occupied by which child!
Lexie brought a large chocolate drop to Angelica, and gave the little boy his choice between another and a date. He chose the chocolate, and both lay happily licking their chocolates while their tired young eyes blinked into quick sleepiness, and it wasn't many minutes before both were sound asleep.
"Well," said Elaine jealously, "what in the world did you do to them? I never saw them succumb so quickly. Did you give them a box of candy apiece, or administer a sleeping tablet?"
"Neither," whispered Lexie, laughing. "We played a game of going to bed. I'll teach you how to-morrow. Now, do you want anything yourself before you go to sleep? Do you want something more to eat or drink, or are you going right to sleep?"
"No, I don't want anything more to eat. I want you to go out somewhere and telephone to that lawyer. That's the first thing on the docket. And next I want you to go wherever you keep such things, and bring me all of Mamma's private papers. I want to look them over before the lawyer gets here."
Lexie stood still a moment and faced her sister quietly. Then she said: "Sorry! That's impossible! I will not ever telephone that man! I can't stop your trusting him, but I can refuse to have anything to do with the matter. And if you persist in it, I shall simply have to go away and leave you. I cannot have anything to do with Bettinger Thomas."
"Oh, how silly and unkind and prejudiced you are! I didn't think you'd be unkind when I'm so ill! I can't see why you couldn't call him up and just say I wanted to see him. He'll understand. He knew I was going to call him. I sent him a telegram and told him I would call. You needn't let him know who you are. Please, Lex, do it for me!"
"No, Elaine, it's for your sake that I can't do it. I know him to be a bad, unprincipled man, and I'll save you from him if I can."
"You mean you'll do everything to save the money for yourself," sneered Elaine. "Well, if you won't do that, please go somewhere and telephone for a nurse. I've got to have one to-night."
"No, Elaine, I can't do that either. The only place near here where they have a telephone is down at Mrs. Hadley's, and she has gone to stay a week with her daughter in New York."
"Well, surely you can go down to the drugstore and phone."
"Elaine, if you were dying and the only thing that would save you was a nurse, I'd go at the risk of my life. But you're not dying, and what you need is some sleep. No nurse could get out here anyway to-night. You know we are a long way out, and—really, Elaine—I'm just about all in. I feel as if I couldn't drag another step."
"Oh really?" I don't see what you've done to make you tired. You've simply been loafing here all day, haven't you? I didn't think you were so selfish! Well, anyway, if you'll go wherever you keep such things and find Mamma's papers right now, I'll be satisfied. I couldn't sleep until I have a chance to look them over."
Lexie looked at her sister sadly.
"I've told you twice that there are no papers. The only paper I know anything about is the deed of this house, and that is in a safe-deposit box in the bank out where my college is. It is absolutely the only paper I have that has anything to do with any financial matters. If you don't believe me you'll have to do what you want to, but I'm going to bed! I'm just done out!"
Lexie walked out of the room to her own, and wrapping the only unused blanket about her she dropped wearily down on her bed, a few steps from the sleeping Bluebell.
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