Speaker 1: Chapter eight of Wired Love by Ellachieva Thayer. This LibriVox
Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. The feast pondering discontentedly
Speaker 1: over the perplexities of life, a habit she had allowed
Speaker 1: herself to indulge in quite frequently. Of late one day,
Speaker 1: not long after the final exit of the once interesting
Speaker 1: but now obnoxious See, Natty suddenly became aware of a
Speaker 1: pair of merry brown eyes belonging to a fine looking
Speaker 1: young gentleman, observing her critically and with apparently no intention
Speaker 1: of discontinuing their scrutiny, at which, in her present state
Speaker 1: of temper, Natty turned very red and very angry. I
Speaker 1: am not on exhibition, she thought, indignantly, and rising majestically,
Speaker 1: went towards him with the curt inquiry, did you wish
Speaker 1: to send a message? Sir? The young gentleman hesitated and
Speaker 1: appeared slightly embarrassed, but did not take his eyes from
Speaker 1: her face. Nevertheless, I merely wished to ask the tariff
Speaker 1: to Washington, he replied at length. Forty cents. Natty answered shortly,
Speaker 1: Thank you, he said, but without moving, and after a moment,
Speaker 1: as if desirous of opening a conversation, he continued, smiling,
Speaker 1: I hardly think I will send a message to day.
Speaker 1: I presume you will not object to being spared the trouble. Natty,
Speaker 1: having been quarreling all day with intangible somethings, was rather
Speaker 1: glad than otherwise to find a real object upon which
Speaker 1: she could vent the unamiability resulting from her surplus discontent.
Speaker 1: The young man's evident desire to talk more than circumstances
Speaker 1: warranted was displeasing to her, as she rejoined very stiffly,
Speaker 1: is a matter of perfect indifference to me, and turned
Speaker 1: away with an amused smile. He looked at the back
Speaker 1: thus presented to his view, opened his lips to speak, hesitated,
Speaker 1: and finally walked away. Natty, looking after him out of
Speaker 1: the corners of her eyes, saw him glance back as
Speaker 1: he opened the door, and had a remorseful feeling that
Speaker 1: perhaps she had been crosser to him than he really deserved,
Speaker 1: for he was certainly very fine looking, but what was
Speaker 1: done could not be undone, and with no expectation of
Speaker 1: ever seeing him again, she dismissed the matter from her mind.
Speaker 1: The best, perhaps the only, really pleasant part of Natty's
Speaker 1: life now was her evenings passed almost invariably with Sin. Indeed,
Speaker 1: Sin seemed to be a magnet around which all gathered quimby,
Speaker 1: although of course Sin herself was not his chief attraction.
Speaker 1: Celeste Fishblade, who determinedly pushed herself into an intimacy, and
Speaker 1: Joe Norton, who, had it not been for the fact
Speaker 1: so loudly proclaimed by himself of his having no sentiment
Speaker 1: in his soul, would have been suspected of being on
Speaker 1: the road to falling in love with Sin. So strangely
Speaker 1: was he attracted to her company. This, of course, was
Speaker 1: impossible for him. It will not do, dear Sin, remarked,
Speaker 1: and Natty related her little adventure with the young gentleman.
Speaker 1: You knew you have been in a dreadful steed of
Speaker 1: mind ever since c intruded his personality. Natty colored a little,
Speaker 1: she replied, discontentedly, Oh, it isn't that, I assure you.
Speaker 1: The truth is I am ambitious, Sin. I suppose I
Speaker 1: forgot it slightly while I was so interested in Sea.
Speaker 1: But I cannot be content with a mere working on
Speaker 1: from day to day in the same old routine and
Speaker 1: nothing more. Syn looked at her scrutinizingly as she asked,
Speaker 1: but in what particular way you are ambitious to be
Speaker 1: rich or what? Oh? Not for money? Natty answered with
Speaker 1: a slight contempt for that necessary and convenient article. I
Speaker 1: am ambitious for fame. I want to be a writer.
Speaker 1: But when I think of the obstacles in my way
Speaker 1: to an opening, even in that direction, I am daunted.
Speaker 1: I have a tax of energy, it is true, but
Speaker 1: I fear it is fitful. It comes and goes, I understand,
Speaker 1: Sin replied with more than wanted seriousness. Your ambition is
Speaker 1: great enough to render you useless and discontented, but you
Speaker 1: need something to stimulate your energy, else it will waste
Speaker 1: itself in idle dreams. Perhaps love may come to be
Speaker 1: their motive power. Perhaps, and her shade crossed her sunny
Speaker 1: face some great disappointment. There was a moment's silence, Natty
Speaker 1: pondering thoughtfully on these words, and then sen continued, But
Speaker 1: in the meantime, since you can at present accomplish nothing,
Speaker 1: why not get all the enjoyment you can out of
Speaker 1: life as it goes, So when the opportunity comes and
Speaker 1: you seese it, you will not have to look back
Speaker 1: on years wasted in vain longings. For the then unattainable.
Speaker 1: That is my philosophy, and I too am ambitious. A
Speaker 1: philosophy is cheery at least, said Natty smiling. But I'm
Speaker 1: afraid it is very hard for ambitious people to take
Speaker 1: life easy. And that is not all of my troubles.
Speaker 1: She continued gaily. I can't get anything good to eat,
Speaker 1: poor child, said Syn with mock seriousness. This ear is
Speaker 1: coming from the sublime to the ridiculous. What is the
Speaker 1: cause of the lamentable fact? Oh, I am so tired
Speaker 1: of both boarding houses and restaurants. In the former they
Speaker 1: never have what one likes and ah such steak, while
Speaker 1: in the latter you have to pick out all the
Speaker 1: cheap dishes or ruin yourself at a meal, Syn laughed.
Speaker 1: I assure you I can appreciate your feelings from sur experience. Yea,
Speaker 1: I myself from positively longing for a nice sirloin steak.
Speaker 1: Then a sudden thought striking her, Nay, I would tell
Speaker 1: you what we will do, Ned, you will have a
Speaker 1: little feast. Feast, repeated Natty, not exactly comprehending. Yes, I
Speaker 1: have a little guest of lo be it said lest
Speaker 1: missus Simonson. Here in being in a terrific bill for
Speaker 1: extra gas. I use it sometimes to cook my dinner
Speaker 1: when I do not feel like going out. And why
Speaker 1: should we not have a feast all to ourselves some day?
Speaker 1: And the sirloin steaks will be forthcoming? And what did
Speaker 1: you say to Charlotte Rousse? In short, we will have
Speaker 1: everything we can think of, and you shall be assistant cook.
Speaker 1: That would be splendid, cried Natty delightedly. Only it will
Speaker 1: have to be some Sunday, as that is my only
Speaker 1: leisure day. You know, all the better for then we
Speaker 1: will be less liable to intrusion, responded sin gaily. So
Speaker 1: make a memorandum to that effect for next week. We
Speaker 1: must not let missus Simonson know, however, on account of
Speaker 1: the guestove and I pay her too much rent. Now,
Speaker 1: I am afraid we shall have a little difficulty about dishes.
Speaker 1: The few I have are not exactly real severed china,
Speaker 1: or even decently conventional. But oh never mind the dishes, interrupted, Natty,
Speaker 1: anything will do? I have myself a cracked tumbler and
Speaker 1: a spoon that would perhaps be useful for something, Agreeing
Speaker 1: therefore to hold dishes and strict contempt the following Sunday
Speaker 1: found the two girls with closed doors in the midst
Speaker 1: of great preparations for a truly bohemian feast, as Sin
Speaker 1: termed it, nat with their crimps tied down in a
Speaker 1: blue handkerchief, and Sin with her sleeves rolled up and
Speaker 1: an old skirt of her dress doing duty his apron.
Speaker 1: Let me see, said Natty, merrily taking account of stock.
Speaker 1: Two pounds of steak, the first cut of the serline.
Speaker 1: I think you, said, waiting, expectant of making glad our
Speaker 1: hearts on the rocking chair, Potatoes in plebeian lowliness under
Speaker 1: the table, tomatoes and two pies on your trunk, Charlotte
Speaker 1: rous delicious, Charlotte roofs where ah on your bonnet box
Speaker 1: in her plate ordinarily used as a card receiver, and sugar, butter,
Speaker 1: et cetera, and et cetera, lying round almost everywhere, under figs,
Speaker 1: oranges and homely but necessary bread. Where are they? I
Speaker 1: see a top of domby and sun. And our dishes
Speaker 1: will not quarreled because there are none of the many
Speaker 1: relations to each other, laughed Sin as she piled the tomatoes.
Speaker 1: I fear goblets will have to take upon themsel of
Speaker 1: the duties of cups, and that a correct tumbler at
Speaker 1: yours must be used for something. I am sorry that
Speaker 1: saucepan is so dilapidated, but it is the best I owne.
Speaker 1: And in that surcepen, we must both boil the potatoes
Speaker 1: and stew the tomatoes. Weren't one cool while the other
Speaker 1: is doing, queried Natalie, hovering lovingly over the steak. I
Speaker 1: think not, sin answered. You won't mind the coffee being
Speaker 1: boiled in a tin can once the repository of preserved peaches,
Speaker 1: will you? Ah? No, replied Natty, emphatically and soaring at
Speaker 1: the steak with a very dull knife without a handle.
Speaker 1: It will be just as good when it's poured out.
Speaker 1: I head a coffee pot once, but I melted the
Speaker 1: nose off and forgot to buy another yesterday. Since said
Speaker 1: putting on the potatoes, you'll call our contrivance a coffee urned.
Speaker 1: It sounds aristocratic, suggested Natty, as she cleared the books
Speaker 1: from the least shaky table and spread it with three
Speaker 1: towels in lieu of a tablecloth. But what shall we
Speaker 1: do for plates to put the pies on? Take those
Speaker 1: two wooden box covers in the closet, promptly, responded Sin.
Speaker 1: It is right, and see here is we're are so
Speaker 1: for the coffee. Pardon me, I'd almost said, commonplace coffee pot.
Speaker 1: But the tomato? What can we pour that in? Suddenly
Speaker 1: exclaimed Natty with great concern. Sin scanned every object in
Speaker 1: the room with dismay. The the washbowl, she insinuated at last,
Speaker 1: determined not to be daunted. Don't you think it rather large?
Speaker 1: To say nothing of its being too suggestive? To Natty? Laughing,
Speaker 1: Sin did not press the point, but shook her head dubiously.
Speaker 1: I have it, cried Natty. There is a fruit dish
Speaker 1: in my room, just the thing, interrupted syn ecstatically. I
Speaker 1: will run and bring it if you will attend with cooking.
Speaker 1: Look out for miss Kling, said Natty, warningly. If she
Speaker 1: catches a glimpse of you making off with my fruit dish,
Speaker 1: she will never rest until she finds out everything. Rely
Speaker 1: on me, as he could see in despatch, said Sin, going,
Speaker 1: if she sees me, I will mention nuts and reasons.
Speaker 1: Merely mention them, you knew. But Miss Cling for once
Speaker 1: was napping, perhaps dreaming of him. Sin called the torpedo.
Speaker 1: Celeste's father as she obtained the dish, reached her own
Speaker 1: door again without being seen by anyone except the Duchess,
Speaker 1: and was congratulating herself on her good luck. And suddenly,
Speaker 1: like an apparition, Quimby stood before her. Sin started murmured
Speaker 1: something about oranges, slipped the soap dish she had also
Speaker 1: confiscated into her pocket, and tried to make the big
Speaker 1: fruit dish appear as small as possible. She might, however,
Speaker 1: have spared herself any uneasiness, but this always, the most
Speaker 1: unobservant of mortals, was too much, ever burdened with some
Speaker 1: affair of his own, to notice even a too quart dish.
Speaker 1: Oh ah, I beg your pardon. I was coming with
Speaker 1: a request to your room, he said eagerly. I would
Speaker 1: it be too much to bring a friend? He knows
Speaker 1: no one here, and I am sure you would flatenize
Speaker 1: at once if I might bring him, you know. Suddenly, yes,
Speaker 1: replied Sin, too anxious to get away to pay much
Speaker 1: attention to his words, particularly as an odor of steak
Speaker 1: reached her nostrils. Thank you, I never knew anyone who
Speaker 1: understood me as well as you, he said, with a
Speaker 1: grateful bow, and without more words, Sinn left him. How
Speaker 1: long you have been gone, Natty remarked, looking up, her
Speaker 1: cheeks very red and her nose embellished with a streak
Speaker 1: of smut. As Sinn entered, do you see any one?
Speaker 1: No one except Quimby has stopped me to ask about
Speaker 1: being a friend to call some evening, Syn replied, displaying
Speaker 1: the fruit and producing the soap dish. Mercy on us,
Speaker 1: Natty said, looking wider aghast. It is rather large, isn't it?
Speaker 1: And what you to bring that soap dish for? NEI
Speaker 1: thought it might come handy, laughed Sin. We will make
Speaker 1: a potato holder of it for the time, to what
Speaker 1: basis as we may come. At last? Why, in a
Speaker 1: tone of surprise, here is the Duchess. And sure enough
Speaker 1: up by the window sat that sagacious animal, winking and
Speaker 1: blinking complacently and evidently determined to be a third in
Speaker 1: the feast. She came in unnoticed under the shadow that
Speaker 1: fruit dish, threw, said Natty teasingly. Syn shook an oyster
Speaker 1: fork at her, threateningly, say another such word, and shall
Speaker 1: have no stick, she said tragically. Instead, a dundrance shall
Speaker 1: be your doom. We will let the Duchess remain as
Speaker 1: a receiver of odds and ends. I suppose her suspicions
Speaker 1: were excited by the side of these articles. A rare cat,
Speaker 1: a learned cat. Now please set the table for I
Speaker 1: feast will soon be prepared. And Sin bent over the
Speaker 1: sizzling steak that emitted a most appetizing odor. Setting that
Speaker 1: table was no such easy matter as might appear. For
Speaker 1: what with the big fruit dish, wooden covers, different sizes
Speaker 1: of plates, and other incongruous articles, considerable management was necessary.
Speaker 1: I shall have to put the sugar on in the bag,
Speaker 1: Natty said, incautiously, backing to view the general effect, and
Speaker 1: so stumbling over the saucepan of potatoes that sat on
Speaker 1: the floor, but luckily doing no damage. Now, well, eccentricity
Speaker 1: is quite the rage, now, you know, responded the philosophical
Speaker 1: sin In. Certainly, a sugarbol so closely resembling a brown
Speaker 1: paper bag as not to be distinguishable from the real thing,
Speaker 1: is quite a rishar shape. But my dear, that where
Speaker 1: am I to set the steak? If you have that
Speaker 1: big fruit dish in center the table, taking up all
Speaker 1: the room, I shall have to put it on the floor. Then,
Speaker 1: Natty answered despairingly. I have tried it in all parts
Speaker 1: of the table. If you set it on the edge,
Speaker 1: she added, hastily, seeing Sin about to do so, you
Speaker 1: will tip the whole thing over. Then we must have
Speaker 1: a sideboard, Sin announced, with a plate of steak in
Speaker 1: one hand and the big fruit dish in the other.
Speaker 1: Put my writing desk on a chair. Please spread a
Speaker 1: towel over it, and there you have it. But what
Speaker 1: are quantity of eatables? We have two pounds of steak,
Speaker 1: ten big potatoes, a two quart dish of tomatoes, two
Speaker 1: large pies, two Charlotte rouses, an urn of coffee, a
Speaker 1: dozen oranges, and a box of figs. Good gracious, think
Speaker 1: of two people eating all that, exclaimed Natty, decidedly dismayed
Speaker 1: at the prospect. It is considerable, Sin confessed, surveying the
Speaker 1: array with a slightly daunted expression. You see, I'm not
Speaker 1: used to buying for the family, and now is afraid
Speaker 1: of getting too little brightening. There isn't more than one
Speaker 1: quart of the tomatoes, and there are three of us,
Speaker 1: you know, the duchess. To be sure I had forgotten her,
Speaker 1: Natty said, recovering her equanimity and glancing at the purring animal,
Speaker 1: who was looking on approvingly and evidently appreciated the difference
Speaker 1: between sirloin and her usual rations around then lid. The
Speaker 1: revels commenced at once, cried Syin, rolling down her sleeves,
Speaker 1: while Natty wiped the smart from her face. But now
Speaker 1: another difficulty presented itself. The chairs were all too low
Speaker 1: to omit of feasting with the anticipated rapture. This was
Speaker 1: soon overcome, however, by piling a few books on the
Speaker 1: highest chair and appropriating the music stool. Now for the feast,
Speaker 1: exclaimed Natty exultantly as they sat down, triumphant, and she
Speaker 1: brandished her very big knife and extremely small fork, while
Speaker 1: Syn poured the coffee from the urn. An undertaking attended
Speaker 1: with some difficulty and requiring caution, and the Duchess looked
Speaker 1: on expectantly, And then the goal almost reached. Upon their
Speaker 1: startled ears, came a dreadful sound sound of a knock
Speaker 1: at the door. Down to the ground went Natty's knife
Speaker 1: and fork, the coffee urn narrowly escaped to similar fate.
Speaker 1: Up went the back of the Duchess, and two dismayed
Speaker 1: bohemians and one impatient cat gazed at each other end
Speaker 1: of Chapter eight,