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Dear Enemy

Page 137

Thank Jervis for his letter. He's a dear man, and I'm glad to see him

getting his deserts. What fun we are going to have when you get back to

Shadywell, and we lay our plans for a new John Grier! I feel as though I

had spent this past year learning, and am now just ready to begin. We'll

turn this into the nicest orphan asylum that ever lived. I'm so absurdly

happy at the prospect that I start in the morning with a spring, and go

about my various businesses singing inside.

The John Grier Home sends its blessing to the two best friends it ever

had!

ADDIO!

SALLIE.

THE JOHN GRIER HOME,

Saturday at half-past six in the morning!

My dearest Enemy:

"Some day soon something nice is going to happen."

Weren't you surprised when you woke up this morning and remembered the

truth? I was! I couldn't think for about two minutes what made me so

happy.

It's not light yet, but I'm wide awake and excited and having to write

to you. I shall despatch this note by the first to-be-trusted little

orphan who appears, and it will go up on your breakfast tray along with

your oatmeal.

I shall follow VERY PROMPTLY at four o'clock this afternoon. Do you

think Mrs. McGurk will ever countenance the scandal if I stay two hours,

and no orphan for a chaperon?

It was in all good faith, Sandy, that I promised not to kiss your hand

or drip tears on the counterpane, but I'm afraid I did both--or worse!

Positively, I didn't suspect how much I cared for you till I crossed the

threshold and saw you propped up against the pillows, all covered with

bandages, and your hair singed off. You are a sight! If I love you now,

when fully one third of you is plaster of Paris and surgical dressing,

you can imagine how I'm going to love you when it's all you!

But my dear, dear Robin, what a foolish man you are! How should I ever

have dreamed all those months that you were caring for me when you acted

so abominably S C O T C H? With most men, behavior like yours would

not be considered a mark of affection. I wish you had just given me a

glimmering of an idea of the truth, and maybe you would have saved us

both a few heartaches.

But we mustn't be looking back; we must look forward and be grateful.

The two happiest things in life are going to be ours, a FRIENDLY

marriage and work that we love.

Yesterday, after leaving you, I walked back to the asylum sort of dazed.

I wanted to get by myself and THINK, but instead of being by myself,

I had to have Betsy and Percy and Mrs. Livermore for dinner (already

invited) and then go down and talk to the children. Friday night-social

evening. They had a lot of new records for the victrola, given by

Mrs. Livermore, and I had to sit politely and listen to them. And, my

dear--you'll think this funny--the last thing they played was "John

Anderson, my jo John," and suddenly I found myself crying! I had to

snatch up the earnest orphan and hug her hard, with my head buried in

her shoulder, to keep them all from seeing.

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