Stranger within the Gates by Hill Grace Livingston;

Author:Hill, Grace Livingston;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2016-08-22T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

There were crisp brown hot sausages and buckwheat cakes with maple syrup for breakfast; fried potatoes, too, with brown edges and tasty dashes of pepper, just the way they all liked them. Applesauce, amber coffee, and a great pitcher of milk for those who preferred it. A real old-fashioned breakfast. Just the thing for a cold winter morning on the day before Christmas.

Mary Garland had ordered the hour to be a little later than usual, because they had all been up late the night before, and she wanted the air of good cheer to prevail. It was going to be a hard day, of course, both for the family and for the new member of it who seemed to have entered with such a belligerent spirit.

"You'd think we were the ones who were forcing ourselves in where we have no right to be, instead of the bride," remarked Paul, as they waited around at the door of the dining room for Rex and Florimel to appear. But he said it in a low tone with a comical grin. He had no intention of making any more trouble than they had already.

"Perhaps she thinks we ought to hand over Rex root and branch to her and keep out of their affairs," suggested Sylvia with a wry smile.

"There, now, children!" said Mary Garland. "Don't foster such thoughts."

Then they heard Rex open the door upstairs and come out and shut it with a slam. Paul gave a glance up and saw he was coming alone.

"Aha!" said Paul comically in a whisper to Sylvia. "The bride is not going to favor us with her presence!"

"Hush up!" said the sister. "You don't want to hurt Rex's feelings."

"Don't I?" growled Paul. "Well, mebbe not, but that's not saying he doesn't deserve it!"

Mary Garland was at the foot of the stairs now, looking up toward her son, as Rex came slowly down, his brows in a heavy frown, a haunted, terribly worried, half-frightened look upon him.

Mary Garland's eyes searched her son's keenly. She didn't ask the question "Where is your wife?" but her eyes demanded kindly to understand her absence.

"Florimel doesn't want to come down," he said haltingly. "I guess she's pretty well all in."

"Yes?" said his mother. "That's too bad. Could I do anything for her? Does she want a doctor?"

"Oh my, no!" said Rex in alarm. "She'll be all right. She just wants to lie still awhile. I just thought I'd take her up a cup of coffee, if you don't mind."

"Why, of course!" she said. "Sylvia, go and get a tray with some breakfast for Rex to take up."

"Just coffee would do, I guess," said Rex with a worried look.

"You fix a nice tray, Sylvia."

Sylvia vanished and was back in an astonishingly short time with a well-laden tray. They all felt deep and humble relief that the stranger was not coming down to breakfast. Rex, too, looked relieved.

He took the tray and hurried up the stairs, calling back, "I'll be right with you!"

So they all sat down at once, to make him feel more at his ease, and he was soon back.

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