Entangled Hearts

Chapter 35

It was a bright day in May when Mrs. Chatterton and Laura Mae took little Laura Gene's hand and went out into the flower garden to look at the early blooms. The tulips and lilacs were opening beautifully with the warm breath of spring upon them.

"Aren't they lovely? I thought John would surely have been here by the time these bloomed this spring," Mrs. Chatterton said as she picked a bouquet of purple pansies from their bed. "In his last letter, he said he would be back here in time to spend Decoration Day with us."

"It has been three months since he came back from France, and he is not home yet," Laura Mae said. "It's been nice that you could go back and visit him each month."

"Yes, I have told him so much about you and Baby here, that he thinks of you now as part of the family."

"Perhaps he will change his mind when he comes and sees us for himself," the young woman said, returning the smile.

"He says that it has given him a lot of peace of mind to know that I have not been lonesome while he has been away. I do not know what on earth I would have done without you two being here to cheer me up."

"Who's John?" the baby girl asked.

"Why, he is Gamma's soldier boy, don't you remember? We are waiting for him to come home."

"Oh..." Laura Gene said, looking down the walk. "Lookie!" She pointed at boy with a brown leather satchel coming up the walk.

"A messenger boy?" Mrs. Chatterton asked as she hurried in the direction of the boy. She signed the book the boy held out for her, and when he had turned and was going back down the walk, she opened the envelope and read the message.

"Mother, will be home on 4:10 train, May 20th, am well. Love, John."

"My, the twentieth," the mother said excitedly. "Why, today is the twentieth! He will be home this very afternoon! In just two more hours, he will be here! Oh, I am so happy I could cry!" Tears glistened in her eyes as she spoke.

She ran into the house and then hurriedly gave orders to the servants. John's room must be dusted and made ready for him. The cook must prepare a special feast for dinner. Carlos must shine the car with special care, while she dressed ready to meet John at the station.

Everything in the spacious house was spotlessly clean by four o'clock. Carlos and his mistress had driven away in the car. Laura Mae dressed in her prettiest afternoon dress. She was excited, for soon, she was to be introduced to Mrs. Chatterton's wonderful Soldier Boy. Little Laura Gene's golden ringlets were made with special care, and a pretty pink satin bow was tied high up on one of them. She was dressed like a doll in a pretty crepe de chine dress of the same color pink as the satin bow in her hair. She could not grasp the whole meaning of all that was taking place about the house, but she was sure that something great was about to happen. The maid, the butler, and the cook were all anxiously waiting. They had all worked for Mrs. Chatterton for years before the war broke out, and they had all missed John very much.

At four-thirty, the long shining car purred up the drive and stopped. The anxious group in the house stepped out to give John an informal but very hearty welcome. The young man greeted the servants with a happy smile.

"May, this is John," Mrs. Chatterton said, holding proudly her son's arm.

"How do you do, John?" Laura Mae extended her soft white hand to him. She had a radiant smile on her face. John took the hand courteously.

"I am surely pleased to meet you, May," he said in all earnestness.

Mrs. Chatterton picked up the pretty little girl and held her tenderly in her arms. "And John," she said with the pride of a real grandmother, "This is our baby girl, isn't she sweet?"