THE SHOWER
She continued to be thoughtful until after lunch, when, upon the sun's disappearance behind a fat cloud, Jane and the heavens exchanged dispositions for the time--the heavens darkened and Jane brightened.She was in the front hall, when the sunshine departed rather abruptly, and she jumped for joy, pointing to the open door.``Look! Looky there!'' she called to her brother.Richly ornamented, he was descending the front stairs, his embellishments including freshly pressed white trousers, a new straw hat, unusual shoes, and a blasphemous tie.``I'm goin' to get to sail my boat,'' Jane shouted.``It's goin' to rain.''
``It is not,'' said William, irritated.``It's not going to anything like rain.I s'pose you think it ought to rain just to let you sail that chunk of wood!''
``It's goin' to rain--it's goin' to rain!'' (Jane made a little singsong chant of it.) ``It's goin'
to rain--it gives Willie a pain--it's goin' to rain --it gives Willie a pain--it's goin' to--''
He interrupted her sternly.``Look here!
You're old enough to know better.I s'pose you think there isn't anything as important in the world as your gettin' the chance to sail that little boat! I s'pose you think business and everything else has got to stop and get ruined, maybe, just to please you!'' As he spoke he walked to an umbrella-stand in the hall and deliberately took therefrom a bamboo walking-stick of his father's.Indeed, his denunciation of Jane's selfishness about the weather was made partly to reassure himself and settle his nerves, strained by the unusual procedure he contemplated, and partly to divert Jane's attention.In the latter effort he was unsuccessful; her eyes became strange and unbearable.
She uttered a shriek:
``Willie's goin' to carry a CANE!''
``You hush up!'' he said, fiercely, and hurried out through the front door.She followed him to the edge of the porch; she stood there while he made his way to the gate, and she continued to stand there as he went down the street, trying to swing the cane in an accustomed and unembarrassed manner.
Jane made this difficult.
``Willie's got a CANE!'' she screamed.``He's got papa's CANE!'' Then, resuming her little chant, she began to sing: ``It's goin' to rain--Willie's got papa's cane--it's goin' to rain--Willie's got papa's cane!'' She put all of her voice into a final effort.``MISS PRATT'LL GET WET
IF YOU DON'T TAKE AN UMBERELLER-R-R!''
The attention of several chance pedestrians had been attracted, and the burning William, breaking into an agonized half-trot, disappeared round the corner.Then Jane retired within the house, feeling that she had done her duty.It would be his own fault if he got wet.
Rain was coming.Rain was in the feel of the air--and in Jane's hope.
She was not disappointed.Mr.Genesis, so secure of fair weather in the morning, was proved by the afternoon to be a bad prophet.The fat cloud was succeeded by others, fatter; a corpulent army assailed the vault of heaven, heavy outriders before a giant of evil complexion and devastating temper.
An hour after William had left the house, the dust in the streets and all loose paper and rubbish outdoors rose suddenly to a considerable height and started for somewhere else.The trees had colic; everything became as dark as winter twilight; streaks of wildfire ran miles in a second, and somebody seemed to be ripping up sheets of copper and tin the size of farms.The rain came with a swish, then with a rattle, and then with a roar, while people listened at their garret doorways and marveled.Window-panes turned to running water;--it poured.
Then it relented, dribbled, shook down a few last drops; and passed on to the countryside.
Windows went up; eaves and full gutters plashed and gurgled; clearer light fell; then, in a moment, sunshine rushed upon shining green trees and green grass; doors opened--and out came the children!
Shouting, they ran to the flooded gutters.
Here were rivers, lakes, and oceans for navigation;
easy pilotage, for the steersman had but to wade beside his craft and guide it with a twig.Jane's timely boat was one of the first to reach the water.
Her mother had been kind, and Jane, with shoes and stockings left behind her on the porch, was a happy sailor as she waded knee-deep along the brimming curbstones.At the corner below the house of the Baxters, the street was flooded clear across, and Jane's boat, following the current, proceeded gallantly onward here, sailed down the next block, and was thoughtlessly entering a sewer when she snatched it out of the water.Looking about her, she perceived a gutter which seemed even lovelier than the one she had followed.It was deeper and broader and perhaps a little browner, wherefore she launched her ship upon its dimpled bosom and explored it as far as the next sewer-hole or portage.Thus the voyage continued for several blocks with only one accident--which might have happened to anybody.It was an accident in the nature of a fall, caused by the sliding of Jane's left foot on some slippery mud.This treacherous substance, covered with water, could not have been anticipated; consequently Jane's emotions were those of indignation rather than of culpability.
Upon rising, she debated whether or not she should return to her dwelling, inclining to the opinion that the authorities there would have taken the affirmative; but as she was wet not much above the waist, and the guilt lay all upon the mud, she decided that such an interruption of her journey would be a gross injustice to herself.
Navigation was reopened.
