The Shed Chamber
When a girl goes away from home for the first time, she doesn't expect to hear, 'Courage, brave girl!' "
"Well, I once answered an advertisement in the Farmer's Friend,girls, and I have always been glad I did. It was that summer whenfather broke his arm and the potato crop failed, and everythingseemed to be going wrong on the farm. There were plenty of girls todo the work at home, and I thought I ought to get something outsideto do if I could. I tried here and there, but without success; atlast my eye caught a notice in the Farmer's Friend, just the samekind of notice as that you are speaking of, Lottie: 'Wanted, acapable, steady girl to assist in housework and take care of children.Address, with reference, A. B. C., Dashville.' I talked it over withmother, and she agreed with me; father didn't take so kindly to theidea, naturally; he likes to have us all at home, especially insummer. However, he said I might do as I pleased; so I answered thenotice and sent a letter from our pastor, saying what he thought ofme. I was almost ashamed to send it, too; he has always been morethan kind to me, you know; if I'd been his own daughter he couldn'thave said more. Well, they wrote for me to come, and I went."Girls, it was pretty hard when it came to that part, leaving thehouse, and mother standing in the doorway trying not to look anxious,and father fretting and saying it was all nonsense, and he shouldn'thave hands enough to pick the apples. Of course he knew I knew better,but I was glad he didn't want me to go, after all. Sister Nell andSister Margie had packed my trunk, and they were as excited as I was,and almost wished they were going instead, but not quite, I think;and so Joe whistled to old Senator, and I waved my handkerchief, andmother and the two girls waved their aprons, and off I went."I didn't really feel alone till I was in the train and had lostsight of Joe standing and smoothing Senator's mane and nodding at me;then the world seemed very big and Tupham Corner a very small cornerin it. I will not say anything more about this part; you'll find itout soon enough yourselves, when you go away from home the first time."It was a long journey, or it seemed so then; but everything comesto an end some time, and there was plenty of daylight left for me tosee my new home when I arrived. It was a pleasant-looking house,long and rambling, painted yellow, too, which made me more homesickthan ever. There were two children standing in the doorway, andpresently Mr. Bowles came out and shook hands with me and helped medown with my things. He was a kind, sensible-looking man, and hemade the children come and speak to me and shake hands. They wereshy then and hung back, and put their fingers in their mouths; Iknew just how they felt. I wanted to hang back, too, when he took meinto the house to see Mrs. Bowles. She was an invalid, he told me,and could not leave her room."Girls, the minute I saw that sweet, pale face, with the look ofpain and patience in it, I knew what I had come for. I do think weunderstood each other from the first minute, Mrs. Bowles and I; forshe held my hand a good while, looking into my face and I into hers,and she must have seen how sorry I was for her, and how I hoped Icould help her; for when I went into the kitchen I heard her say,with a little sigh, as she lay back again, 'O John, I do believethis is the right one at last!' You may believe I made up my mindthat I would be the right one, Lottie!"That kitchen was in a scandalous condition. It was well I had seenMrs. Bowles first or I should have wanted to run away that veryminute. The eldest little girl--it seems strange to think that thereever was a time when I didn't know Barbara's name!--followed me out,--I think her father told her to,--and rubbed along against the wall,just exactly as I used to when I felt shy. When I asked her a littleabout where things were, and so on--they were everywhere and nowhere;you never saw such a looking place in your life!--she took herfinger out of her mouth, and pretty soon I told her about our yellowcoon kittens, and after that we got on very well. She said they hadhad one girl after another, each worse than the last. The shoefactory had taken off all the good help and left only the incapableones. The last one, Barbara said, had almost starved them, and beensaucy to Mrs. Bowles, and dirty--well, there was no need to tell methat. It was a shame to see good things so destroyed; for the thingswere good, only all dirty and broken, and--oh, well! there's no usein telling about that part."I asked when her mother had had anything to eat, and she said notsince noon; I knew that was no way for an invalid to be taken care of,so I put the kettle on and hunted about till I found a cup and saucerI liked, and then I found the bread-box--oh, dear! that bread-box,girls! But the mold scraped right off, and the bread wasn't reallybad; I made some toast and cut the crust off, and put just a thinscrape of butter on it; then I sent Barbara in with a little trayand told her to see that her mother took it all. I thought she'dfeel more like taking it from the child than from a stranger, if shehadn't much appetite. My dears, the child came out again in a fewminutes, her face all alight."'She drank it all, every drop!' she cried. 'And now she's eatingthe toast. She said how did you know, and she cried, but now she'sall right. Father 'most cried, too, I think. Say!'"'Yes, dear.'"'Father says the Lord sent you. Did he?'""I nodded, for I couldn't say anything that minute. I kissed thelittle girl and went on with my cleaning. Girls, don't ever grudgethe time you spend in learning to cook nicely. Food is what keeps thebreath of life in us, and it all depends upon us girls now, and later,when we are older women, whether it is good or bad. No, Sue, I'm notgoing to preach, but I shall never forget how that tired man andthose hungry children enjoyed their supper. 'Twas mother's supper,every bit of it, from the light biscuit down to the ham omelette; Ifound the ham bone in a dark cupboard, all covered with mold, likethe bread, but 'twas good and sweet underneath. I only wish motherhad been there to see them eat. After supper Mr. Bowles came andshook hands with me. I didn't know then that he never used any morewords than he had to; but I was pleased, if I did think it funny."I was tired enough by the time bedtime came, and after I had putthe children to bed and seen that Mrs. Bowles was comfortable, andhad water and crackers and a candle beside her--she was a very poorsleeper--I was glad enough to go to bed myself. Barbara showed me myroom, a pretty little room with sloping gables and windows down bythe floor. There were two doors, and I asked her where the other ledto. She opened it and said, 'The shed chamber.' I looked over hershoulder, holding up the candle, and saw a great bare room, withsome large trunks in it, but no other furniture except a highwardrobe. I liked the look of the place, for it was a little likeour play room in the attic at home; but I was too tired to explore,and I was asleep in ten minutes from the time I had tucked upBarbara in her bed, and Rob and Billy in their double crib."I should take a week if I tried to tell you all about those firstdays; and, after all, it is one particular thing that I started totell, only there is so much that comes back to me. In a few days Ifelt that I belonged there, almost as much as at home; they werethat kind of people, and made me feel that they cared about me, andnot only about what I did. Mrs. Bowles has always been the bestfriend I have in the world after my own folks; it didn't take us aday to see into each other, and by and by it got to be so that Iknew what she wanted almost before she knew, herself."At the end of the week Mr. Bowles said he ought to go away onbusiness for a few days, and asked her if she would feel safe tostay with me and the children, or if he should ask his brother tocome and sleep in the house."'No, indeed!' said Mrs. Bowles. 'I shall feel as safe with Nora asif I had a regiment in the house; a good deal safer!' she added, andlaughed."So it was settled, and the next day Mr. Bowles went away and I wasleft in full charge. I suppose I rather liked the responsibility. Iasked Mrs. Bowles if I might go all over the house to see howeverything fastened, and she said, 'Of course.' The front windowswere just common windows, quite high up from the floor; but in theshed chamber, as in my room, they opened near the floor, and therewas no very secure way of fastening them, it seemed to me. However, Iwasn't going to say anything to make her nervous, and that was theway they had always had them. If I had only known!"After the children went to bed that evening I read to Mrs. Bowlesfor an hour, and then I went to warm up a little cocoa for her; sheslept better if she took a drop of something hot the last thing. Itwas about nine o'clock. I had just got into the kitchen, and wasgoing to light the lamp, when I heard the door open softly."'Who's there?' I asked."'Only me,' said a girl's voice."I lighted my lamp, and saw a girl about my own age, pretty, andshowily dressed. She said she was the girl who had left the house afew days ago; she had forgotten something, and might she go up intothe shed chamber and get it? I told her to wait a minute, and wentand asked Mrs. Bowles. She said yes, Annie might go up. 'Annie wascareless and saucy,' she said, 'but I think she meant no harm. Shecan go and get her things.'"I came back and told the girl, and she smiled and nodded. I did notlike her smile, I could not tell why. I started to go with her, butshe turned on me pretty sharply, and said she had been in the housethree months and didn't need to be shown the way by a stranger. Ididn't want to put myself forward, but no sooner had she runup-stairs, and I heard her steps in the chamber above me, thansomething seemed to be pushing, pushing me toward those stairs,whether I would or no. I tried to hold back, and tell myself it wasnonsense, and that I was nervous and foolish; it made no difference,I had to go up-stairs."I went softly, my shoes making no noise. My own little room was dark,for I had closed the blinds when the afternoon sun was pouring inhot and bright; but a slender line of light lay across the blacknesslike a long finger, and I knew the moon was shining in at thewindows of the shed chamber. I did a thing I had never done beforein my life; that silver finger came through the keyhole, and it drewme to it. I knelt down and looked through."The big room shone bare and white in the moonlight; the trunkslooked like great animals crouching along the walls. Annie stood inthe middle of the room, as if she were waiting or listening forsomething. Then she slipped off her shoes and went to one of thewindows and opened it. I had fastened it, but the catch was old andshe knew the trick of it, of course. In another moment somethingblack appeared over the low sill; it was a man's head. My heartseemed to stand still. She helped him, and he got in without makinga sound. He must have climbed up the big elm-tree which grew closeagainst the house. They stood whispering together for a few minutes,but I could not hear a word."The man was in stocking feet; he had an evil, coarse face, yet hewas good-looking, too, in a way. I thought the girl seemed frightened,and yet pleased, too; and he seemed to be praising her, I thought,and once he put his arms round her and kissed her. She went to thewardrobe and opened it, but he shook his head; then she opened thegreat cedar trunk, and he nodded, and measured it and got into itand sat down. It was so deep that he could sit quite comfortablywith the cover down. Annie shut it and then opened it again."I had seen all I wanted to see. I slipped down-stairs as I heardher move toward the door; when she came down I was stirring my cocoaon the stove, with my back to her. She came round and showed me abundle she had in her hand, and said she must be going now. I keptmy face in the shadow as well as I could, for I was afraid I mightnot be able to look just as usual; but I spoke quietly, and askedher if she had found everything, and wished her good night aspleasantly as I knew how. All the while my head was in a whirl andmy heart beat so loud I thought she must have heard it. There was agood deal of silver in the house, and I knew that Mr. Bowles haddrawn some money from the bank only a day or two before, to pay alife-insurance premium."I never listened to anything as I did to the sound of her footsteps;even after they had died away, after she had turned the corner, agood way off, I stood still, listening, not stirring hand or foot.But when I no longer heard any sound my strength seemed to come backwith a leap, and I knew what I had to do. I told you my shoes madeno noise. I slipped up-stairs, through my own room, and into the shedchamber. Girls, it lay so peaceful and bare in the white moonlight,that for a moment I thought I must have dreamed it all."It seemed half a mile to the farther end, where the great cedartrunk stood. As I went a board creaked under my feet, and Iheard--or fancied I heard--a faint rustle inside the trunk. I beganto hum a tune, and moved about among the trunks, raising andshutting the lids, as if I were looking for something. Now at last Iwas beside the dreadful chest, and in another instant I had turnedthe key. Then, girls, I flew! I knew the lock was a stout one andthe wood heavy and hard; it would take the man some time to get itopen from the inside, whatever tools he might have. I wasdown-stairs in one breath, praying that I might be able to control myvoice so that it would not sound strange to the sick woman."'Would you mind if I went out for a few minutes, Mrs. Bowles? Themoonlight is so lovely I thought I would like to take a little walk,if there is nothing you want.'"She looked surprised, but said in her kind way, yes, certainly Imight go, only I'd better not go far."I thanked her, and walked quietly out to the end of the garden walk;then I ran! Girls, I had no idea I could run so! Strength seemedgiven me, for I never felt my body. I was like a spirit flying or awind blowing. The road melted away before me, and all the time I sawtwo things before my eyes as plain as I see you now,--the evil-facedman working away at the lock of the cedar chest, and the sweet ladysitting in the room below with her Bible on her knee. Yes, I thoughtof the children, too, but it seemed to me no one, not even thewickedest, could wish to hurt a child. So on I ran!"I reached the first house, but I knew there was no man there, onlytwo nervous old ladies. At the next house I should find two men,George Brett and his father."Yes, Lottie, my George, but I had never seen him then. He had onlylately come back from college. The first I saw of him was twominutes later, when I ran almost into his arms as he came out of thehouse. I can see him now, in the moonlight, tall and strong, withhis surprised eyes on me. I must have been a wild figure, I suppose.I could hardly speak, but somehow I made him understand."He turned back to the door and shouted to his father, who camehurrying out; then he looked at me. 'Can you run back?' he asked."I nodded. I had no breath for words but plenty for running, Ithought."'Come on, then!'"Girls, it was twice as easy running with that strong figure besideme. I noticed in all my hurry and distress how easily he ran, and Ifelt my feet, that had grown heavy in the last few steps, light asair again. Once I sobbed for breath, and he took my hand as we ran,saying, 'Courage, brave girl!' We ran on hand in hand, and I neverfailed again. We heard Mr. Brett's feet running, not far behind; hewas a strong, active man, but could not quite keep up with us."As we neared the house, 'Quiet,' I said; 'Mrs. Bowles does not know.'"He nodded, and we slipped in at the back door. In an instant hisshoes were off and he was up the back stairs like a cat, and I afterhim. As we entered the shed chamber the lid of the cedar trunk rose.I saw the gleam of the evil black eyes and the shine of white,wolfish teeth. Without a sound George Brett sprang past me; withouta sound the robber leaped to meet him. I saw them in the white lightas they clinched and stood locked together; then a mist came beforemy eyes and I saw nothing more."I did not actually faint, I think; it cannot have been more than afew minutes before I came to myself. But when I looked again Georgewas kneeling with his knee on the man's breast, holding him down,and Father Brett was looking about the chamber and saying, in hisdry way, 'Now where in Tunkett is the clothes-line to tie this fellow?'"And the girl? Annie? O girls, she was so young! She was just my ownage and she had no mother. I went to see her the next day, and manydays after that. We are fast friends now, and she is a good, steadygirl; and no one knows--no one except our two selves and twoothers--that she was ever in the shed chamber."
The Shed Chamber is featured in Short Stories for High School II
If you enjoyed Ms. Richard's' story, you may also like reading Maine to the Rescue.
zpostcode
Recruit
weather
mreligion
Yellowpages
sport
constellation
shopping
name
game
directory
literature
Word
tour
furnish
Lottery
tftnews
lyrics
News
digital
car
dir
Edu
Finance
