The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-06-20
CHAPTER vi

Ernestine Asks a Favor

When Ernestine reached her mother
in-law's house, she was astonished to
find a crowd of people standing about
the door, and to see a taxi just driving
away, and another car at the curb.
When she came into the group, every
one fell silent, and Ernestine looked
at the faces with curiosity and sense
of fear.
"What's the matter?" she said
nervously to a big housewife who
opened the door for her.
"Wills been trying to find you
they just brought his pa home. He's
dead-dropped dead at his work to-
day, and his mas real bad. got Will
on the telephone, at the paper, and
he came right out here, but he didn't
know where you was"
Ernestine stood staring at her, and
her hand went up to her heart in
frightened gesture.
"Where's WHIP" she asked wildly.
"He's in with his ma. Go still-the
doctors working with her. She's
been awful bad the last few days.
I've been with her all the time"
'But she didn't tell u.s."
''She thought she'd be better-she's
been sick so long"
Will looked up as she came in and
called her name softly. She went
straight to him and put her arms
around him. His face was wet with
tears-he was not the positive, fiery
creature with whom she had quarreled
so bitterly the night before, but little
boy, lost and confused. She kissed him
quickly, several times, and he said to
her:
''Tm glad you got here-Mrs. Ben
nett didn't know where you were. Oh,
Ernestine-mom's so sick-the doctor
doesn't know whether she'll ever be
better-and dad gone like that-just
like breath. I haven't seen him for
three weeks"
"Darling-he'd want to go-quickly,"
said Ernestine, feeling the futility of
words-the emptiness Of comfort. It
wasn't her father, her conscience told
her. She and Will had been neg
iectful.
The doctor came out of the bedroom
and asked Ernestine crisply to get him
some hot water. Ernestine took off
her fur coat and her little red hat and
went into the kitchen. There was
fire in the small range, and awkwardly
she put some coal upon it and set the
teakettle on to heat. The doctor
asked her for towels. She waited on
him as well as she could and accepted
in silence his sharp reprimand when
she was clumsy.
The neighbOrs had dissolved. Mrs.
Schluss, who lived next door, came in
and made little supper. She put it
on the kitchen table and said to
Ernestine:
'See if you can get VIII to eat
he's in there crying"
ST WILL" said Ernestine, and Mrs.
Schluss went on:
"Youll have to stay here, now, I
guess. Wills ma shouldn't have been
left alone, and now, his pas dead,
there's nobody to look out for her but
you and WILL"
''Of course I'll come" said Ernes-
tine. "Td have come before. If I had
known that I was needed. We didn't
want to be burden"
She found this phrase in her mind
as she coaxed VIII to eat little sup
per. Had their motives been entirely
unselish, in going to Erie street?
Hadn't they wanted to be alone-away
from his people? Should she have
stayed with Wills mother, and nursed
her, and done the work? There was
no question but that Mrs. Schluss, and
probably other neighbors as well,
thought that she should. Her heart
ached with remorse.
Will stayed In the kitchen with her,
and Ernestine washed the dishes and
put them all away, going to him at
times and patting or caressing him.
The undertaken came, the doctor left
and returned about nine o'clock. He