Drusilla with a Million — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Drusilla with a Million
John Stuart Mill · en
Poor Drusilla heard the flood of questions in amazement, and answered
them quite frankly; and the keen young newspaper man read much between
the answers that showed the loneliness of her life, her bewilderment in
her new surroundings, and he congratulated himself that he would have
an article for his Sunday paper that not only would be filled with
facts but also would have "heart interest."
When he rose to go he asked her if she had a photograph of herself.
She laughed.
"No, I ain't never had my pictur' took since I was a young girl and had
it on a tintype."
Nothing daunted, the young man asked for it; but she had to tell him
that she had lost it years ago; and then he asked if he might take her
photograph as she sat there in her high-backed chair. Drusilla was a
little awed by this very confident young man, so she sat still while he
took her photograph, and then when he was ready to depart, she
hesitatingly said:
"Young man, you have asked me a lot of questions. May I ask you one?"
He laughed.
"Certainly! As many as you want."
"Well, why have you asked me so many things?"
"I represent the New York _Times_, a newspaper, and we want to tell the
people all about you."
"About _me_? Why should they want to know about _me_?"
The man laughed again, pleasantly, and said:
"You know we like to know about our neighbors, and you are the newest
neighbor."
"But are you going to write all I said?"
"Well, nearly all; but, Miss Doane, if there is anything you don't want
written, I'll cut it."
Drusilla was embarrassed.
"Have I said anything that I shouldn't? If I had known you was from a
paper, I'd 'a' waited until Mr. Thornton come."
"I'm jolly glad you didn't. Little copy could have been squeezed from
that old lawyer. But don't you worry, Miss Doane. There won't be
anything that will hurt you. It's kind of you to see me. I have been
trying for several days to get in, but couldn't get past that butler of
yours. He sure is a wonder."
"Did the butler stop you?"
"Well, yes; he stood at the door like an armored cruiser. I wouldn't
have made it to-day if I hadn't waited until I saw him go out. I knew
the second man was at his home and only a maid in charge of you."
Drusilla was unhappy.
"Perhaps I shouldn't have seen you. It must have been Mr. Thornton's
orders, and he knows what is best for me."
She crossed over to the young man and looked rather pitifully up into
his face.
"You look like a nice young man," she said; "I like your eyes. You
won't say nothing that'll make Mr. Thornton unhappy?"
The reporter took the half-outstretched hand and smiled down into the
kindly, wrinkled face. When he spoke there was almost a touch of
tenderness in his voice.
"I don't care about making Mr. Thornton unhappy, Miss Doane, but I
wouldn't do anything to make _you_ unhappy for the world; and if you
ever want anything of the papers, here is my card. Just you send for me
and I'll do anything for you that I can."
And so ended Drusilla's first interview.