Page:Czecho-Slovak Student Life, Volume 18.djvu/17

Gertie Kolbasa had had a hard mother. . . . Lurline’s own died shortly after her child was born. Only Aunt Sue had never been hard. She was sincere, sympathetic, and understanding—a nature far too great to admit of snobbishness or indifference.

Then “Sh!” she whispered, “Aunt Sue has company. I’ll bet it’s Mrs. Heinl from next door. I’ll surprise ’em. They’re in the kitchen, having tea as usual. Come close behind me, Gerald.”

They tiptoed swiftly to the kitchen door and looked in.

And there, in Sue’s unspotted kitchen, murmuring softly over their cups of tea, sat Aunt Sue and—the Hottentot! There she was, unicorn and all; and what was more, the Hottentot looked as if she had been crying.

And not until Lurline gasped her customary “Oh!” did either of the two women glance up. When they did, the Hottentot looked what Gerald described later as “all fussed”.

“Oh, it’s you!” said Sue, seeing the two wondersticken faces in the doorway.

“I—I thought it was Mrs. Heinl—” began Lurline.

“Well, it isn’t; it’s my niece, Gertie,” chuckled Sue, as she arose. But the Hottentot had already advanced toward them. She grasped each by the hand, and said, “I wish you happiness” . . . that was all. The steel reinforcements were gone from her voice. Another tear trickled down her well-molded cheek. Then she turned away, and sat down.

Aunt Sue spoke next. “Probably you children don’t know she is my only niece,” said she. But Lurline knew. And for her Sue’s tale was merely a repetition of known facts. When Sue had finished, the Hottentot rose to go.

“You’re not going, are you, Cousin?” stammered Lurline.

“Yes, dear, for I don’t know how Steve fared with Mr. Bruce,” again it was the softer voice.

“Oh, Auntie—Steve’s out in my car. I forgot.” And the Hottentot laughed such a merry laugh that the rest had to join in.

“And Auntie Sue,” she called from the door, “I’ll send the car for Gerald at seven, but I don’t care when he comes in. And some day after the wedding I’ll come and pay you that longed-for visit.”

Gerald’s coupe served another master that day.

When the Markos and Gerald were at supper, Susan was asked how she ever got “that” across to the Hottentot.

“I knew all my life I was her aunt, only her mother forbade me to ever own up to that. When Gertie came here today, all I did was to say, ‘Hello, Gertie, how’s my little patient’?”

And when Susan Marko went to answer a telephone call from “some pesky agent or other” a minute later, Gerald said:

“Well, Lurline, all we’ve got to do is get engaged.”

And it was over half an hour before our wise old Sue decided to re-enter the dining room.