T was as wild an evening as the afternoon had seemed to presage; the rain was falling in fitful dashes, and the mountain wind was piercingly keen. Frances, however, did not follow her inclination and hasten on to the warm solitude of her cabin; but with her mission firmly in mind, turned up the road toward the home of Mrs. Evans.
After she had knocked at the door and been admitted by one of the children, she found to her relief that Mrs. Evans had also just reached home after her trip to the station and was divesting herself of the heavy wraps she had worn as a protection against the weather. This emotion was speedily mitigated by the sight of Mrs. Thomas, Mrs. Landvetter, and Mrs. Nitschkan sitting comfortably about the stove, sipping coffee and engaged in the pleasure of unrestrained and unhampered conversation possible to such well-cemented intimacies.
"Why, Miss Benson!" called Mrs. Evans from an inner room, overhearing the polite and even effusive greeting accorded Frances by the ladies about the fire. "This is sure good of you to come in such a day. Eolanthe, set up a chair for Miss Benson. I'll be out in a second."
"Well, if this ain't a sight for sore eyes," cooed Mrs. Thomas affectionately. "Let me help you off with your gums, Missioner."
"It sure is," agreed Mrs. Nitschkan breezily. "What you want's a steamin' cup of coffee, Missioner; sugar an' cream?" proceeding to pour the strong coffee into a cup, with a necessary accompaniment of noise.
"It vas an awful day, vasn't it?" asked Mrs. Landvetter, looking up from her lace needles and adding her mite to the general cordiality.
"Pretty bad," replied the Missionary, taking a seat, and picking up the baby who had toddled to meet her; "but it's so cheerful in here that you soon forget the weather outside."
"My! I just got soaked to the skin driving up from the station," continued the voice from an inner chamber. "Wait till I get some of these duds off and some dry ones on, and I'll be right out. Celora, did you keep up the fire in the kitchen while I was gone? I wisht you'd stay for supper, Miss Benson; not that there's anything to tempt you, Lord knows; but why can't you stay and take potluck with me and the children? The other ladies say they got to go on."
Frances reflected a moment. This was evidently her opportunity. "I will be glad to," she replied, "if you won't go to any trouble for me."
"It's no trouble, I assure you, Miss Benson." Mrs. Evans, trim as a neat brown wren, appeared and took her place in the circle about the fire. "How would you like some muffins? Now, I'm ready to sit down and chat. Celora, you can break some eggs for mommie."
"Missioner, I seen you goin' to Walt Garvin's this afternoon. What did that big doctor say about Lutie?" asked Mrs. Nitschkan eagerly.
"Yes, dat's vat ve all vant to know," muttered Mrs. Landvetter.
"I didn't see the doctor," returned Frances noncommittally.
The ladies understood that further questioning was
unnecessary.
"I'm a givin' her about a month more," affirmed Mrs. Nitschkan, with finality.
"I guess." Mrs. Landvetter slowly shook her head.
Mrs. Thomas sighed heavily. "Ethel says she ain't made no preparations at all. She don't think of one thing but clothes and such, and you all know that nothin' could be perishinger. Ethel feels awful about her unpreparedness; she says she can't sleep at night for thinkin' of it, and she feels all the time like she's called to be a instrument; so the other day, she drug old man Campbell to see Lutie. She reasoned that if he could do what he done for her, he could save a stick or a stone.
"Well, that very same evening, she come into our house cryin' to beat the band. She says that one of Campbell's despairin' spells was comin' on, only she didn't know it, and that after she got him in that red room of the Garvin's he seemed kind o' dazed. He just set there with his wild eyes fixed on Lutie, an' never so much as sayin' one word of comfort or exhortation, jus' every once in a while, he'd hiss out somethin' about Jezebel, or the daughters of Babylon, an' 'wailin' an' gnashin' of teeth.'