Chapter XXII: More Letters

From Miss Jane Cox to Mr. Jeffry Tucker.

My dear Jeff:

I feel it my duty to write you in regard to your
daughter Virginia. I told you I would look after
your girls and I have tried to, but since the
holidays Dum has been very difficult and the
teachers hardly know how to cope with her. My
private opinion is that the child is longing so
for you that she is in a fair way to be made sick
by it. A vacation of three weeks seems to be very
upsetting and a great many of the pupils find it
hard to get back into line, but Dum does not even
want to, so far as I can see.

I do not mean to complain of Dum. You surely
understand that, but I want to let you know the
state of affairs. I am writing entirely on my own
hook as your friend and the friend of the other
little Virginia, companion of my youth. I fancy
Miss Peyton would not approve of my doing it, as
she feels able to master poor Dum by kindness; but
I have studied her closely and feel that I
understand her temperament better than our beloved
principal. I have been afraid the child might take
it into her head to run away from school. It is
not that she does not like Gresham. I believe she
likes it very much. She is popular with the whole
school and has many friends. She is a good student
and has done well up to the time she returned from
Richmond. Since that time her marks have been
zero.

Page Allison, who has a very good influence on all
the girls with whom she comes in contact, is
looking after her and she may be able to bring her
to reason; but in the meantime, my dear Jeff, I
want you to write to Dum very often,--of course
not mentioning the fact that you have heard from
me,--and give her hopes of a visit from you in the
near future. That would mean everything to her.

Of course, an attempt to run away from school
would be a very serious fault if discovered,
because of the effect on the rest of the pupils. I
don't want to alarm you, but I feel that I would
be a poor friend indeed if I did not let you know
of the trouble your little daughter is in a fair
way to get herself into. Dee is back at work and
doing finely, although as a rule she is not a
better student than Dum. I am told that during
study hall this evening Dum made no effort to
concentrate on her lessons, but spent the whole
time modeling grotesque little figures in colored
clay.

Hoping you will take this information as it is
meant, not thinking that I am a "tattle tale tit,"
but that I have the welfare of the children of my
old friends very much at heart, and that it would
be a cowardly and selfish act for me to hold back
for fear of being misunderstood, I am,

Your sincere friend,
JINNY COX.

From Mr. Jeffry Tucker to Miss Jane Cox.

Jinny dear:

You always were a trump, and I can never express
to you the gratitude I feel for the letter you
have written me about my poor little headstrong
Dum. She was particularly docile about returning
to school, but as I told her good-by at the
station she had a kind of smoldering look in her
eyes that bodest no good. She has the most
generous and kind heart in the world, but has
always been the more difficult of the twins to
manage. The matter is she has an artistic
temperament, but I have been trying to conceal
this fact from her all her life, as I think when a
person once discovers he has an artistic
temperament, he can commit any crime in the name
of his temperament and feel that the world must
forgive him. I want my little Virginia to
understand that it is up to her to behave just as
well as the ordinary folks who have no temperament
to speak of. I am writing to her by this mail, but
of course she is never to know you wrote to me. I
am coming up to Gresham for a little visit just as
soon as my strenuous duties will permit, and then
I hope we can have another Lobster Quadrille.

I am very thankful that Tweedles has such a
delightful companion as Miss Page Allison. She has
improved them more than all the schooling in the
world would. I am also thankful beyond measure
that they have found such a friend as you are,
dear Jinny. Keep on being good to them and if Dum
shows further signs of insubordination, please
telegraph me. I'll come, if no newspaper is
published from this office for a month! Thanking
you again, dear friend, in my name and also for
the little Virginia, companion of your youth,

Very truly yours,
JEFFRY TUCKER.

From Page Allison to Mr. Jeffry Tucker.

Dear Mr. Tucker:

I can't bear to worry you, but I think you ought
to know that Dum wants to see you mighty bad. She
has been very restless since we got back to
Gresham; and while she is quieter now and says she
is going to study hard and be a model pupil
henceforth, I am afraid she will break down
because she has so many demerits to work off. Miss
Peyton has been very kind and patient, but of
course it would not be fair to the other students
to let up on Dum; and I believe she has enough
demerits to keep her in bounds for about three
weeks.

Now please don't think I am bossy, but if you
could write her and tell her that you think you
might get up to Gresham in about three weeks, that
would give her some ambition to work off those
marks and not get any others. You see, if she is
in bounds when you come, she can't see much of
you.

I don't want Tweedles to know I am writing this to
you, but if you should mention having got a letter
from me, you can call it a "bread and butter
letter."

You were so kind to me on my visit to the girls. I
had about the gayest and best time I ever had in
my life, and I do want to thank you for it.

Very sincerely,
PAGE ALLISON.

Miss Page Allison, from Mr. Jeffry Tucker.

My dear Miss Page:

Your word is law! In three weeks' time I will be
in Gresham. I don't consider you a bit bossy but
very sweet and kind and wise. Thank God, my poor
little Dum has made such a friend. I wish I could
flatter myself that I could call you friend as my
girls can. I thank you from my soul for your
interest in Tweedles.

Most gratefully,
JEFFRY TUCKER.

Mr. Jeffry Tucker to his daughters, Virginia and
Caroline.

Dearest and best beloved Tweedles:

Surely "'tis an ill wind that blows nobody any
good!" Know you that there has been a big
shooting scrape up in the mountains, and it is of
such importance that I have decided to cover the
trial myself instead of sending a reporter. This
trial comes off in a little over three weeks, and
as Gresham is on the way, I am going to stop off
to see my babies, and hope they will be glad to
have their old Zebedee with them for a day or so.
I'll manage to get there on Saturday afternoon and
stay until Monday night. Be good girls until then,
so you will not have any hateful demerits to work
off.

I miss you so much, more than I did at first, but
I'm trying to be a very good boy and stick to
business. I can hardly wait to see you. Give my
kindest regards to Miss Page, and tell her not to
get any demerits between now and the time of my
visit, as she must do whatever the Tuckers do on
that visit.

YOUR OWN ZEBEDEE.