"The people around here seem a-plenty stuck on you, Merry," observed Badger, who was in the carriage with him.
"Oh, I have lots of friends in Bloomfield," answered Frank. "I had enemies enough at the start, but my worst enemies--the most of them--have turned into friends."
"Same old story," said the Kansan. "It was that way at college. You always made your strongest friends out of your bitterest enemies.
Browning, for instance, was an enemy at the start, and I certain didn"t cotton to you any at all. We had some hot old times in those days, Merry. That"s whatever!"
"Hot old times! Grand old times!" came from Frank"s lips. "I often think of them. You"ll find Browning, Diamond, Hodge, and Carson at the house.
And away back in the days at Fardale, long before I met you, Buck, Bart Hodge was a bitter enemy. Browning and Diamond are two of my instructors in the A. S. of A. D. Hodge is my overseer at the mines. Bruce and Jack have had their hands full this afternoon rushing the boys through the regular work in order that they might get off for the afternoon. Hodge and Carson have been helping. I"ve kept Carson at work during the last week or so. It was necessary. Certain unpleasant affairs of his put him in a bad way, and the only thing was to take up his mind by work. I haven"t given him much time to think and brood."
"I opine we"ve got a brooder with us in the carriage behind," said Badger, in a low tone. "Carker shows it in his face and eyes."
"Oh, he"s still suffering mentally over the troubles of the ma.s.ses, I suppose," said Frank.
"There"s something beyond that--something that has affected him still worse," explained Buck. "You noticed Winnie"s chum, Mrs. Morton?"
"Of course I noticed her," smiled Frank. "Didn"t you introduce me? She"s rather pretty."
"Well, to the surprise of both Winnie and myself, we discovered on the train when Madge and Greg met that there had been some sort of an old love affair between them. I reckon that"s two-thirds the trouble with Carker."
Over the bridge rumbled the carriages. As they rolled past Applesnack"s store the grocer and several of his friends stood on the steps and waved a salute at them. All these villagers were smiling as if the reunion gave them almost as much enjoyment as it gave Frank and his old flock.
After leaving the village they soon came in sight of the buildings of Farnham Hall. These structures, located on a splendid site, brought exclamations of astonishment and pleasure from all who had not seen them before.
Then they saw Merry Home setting back amid the tall trees which surrounded it. The old Colonial house seemed to open its arms to them in welcome.
And on the veranda were Inza, Elsie, Jack Diamond, Bruce Browning, Bart Hodge, and Berlin Carson.
It"s impossible to describe adequately the meeting as the newcomers left the carriages and were greeted by those waiting for them. The chatter and laughter of the girls made merry music, but for the most part the young men shook hands in silence, looking deep into one another"s eyes and letting the grasp of their fingers express the emotions their lips could not speak.
The two colored men, Toots and Jumbo, together with the young Irish man of all work, who had also acted as a driver, took the turnouts round to the stables, where the three of them joined hands and did a crazy dance.
"Bah golly, Jumbo, you big stiff," cried Toots, as he struck the huge darky a resounding blow on the back, "Ah"ze the happiest n.i.g.g.e.r in dis hull unumverse! Wasn"t dat de finest-looking bunch ob people yo" eber set yo" homely eyes on, Jumbo? Bah golly! dat"s de kind ob folks Marsa Frank trains round wid. Ain"t dem gals jes" de slappinest good-lookers yo" eber see?"
"Now don" yo" git familiar talkin" "bout Marsa Frank"s lady friends!"
warned Jumbo. "Ah"ze a friend to you, Toots, but dis familumarity don"
sot well on mah stomach."
"Aw, go on dar, you big brack jollier!" yapped Toots. "Ah"ze known Marsa Frank eber since he was knee high to a gra.s.seshopper. Ah guess Ah knows mah place. He"s tol" me more"n once, "Toots, yo"se a gemman distinctive ob yo" color." Dar ain"t no udder n.i.g.g.e.r dat could gib Marsa Frank a piece of device de way Ah can. He"d took it off"n me when he"d up and slam any udder brack sa.s.sbox right ober de crannyum whack-o! Don" yo"
git no notion, Jumbo, jes" beca"se Ah injuiced Marsa Frank to gib yo" a job, dat yo" ken hab de same familiar acquaintance wid him dat Ah has.
Now back up an" look arter dem hosses! Git onto yo" job befo" Ah discharges yo"!"
"Well, wouldn"t dat ar gib a ring-tailed elephant a cramp!" muttered Jumbo warmly, as he went about his work.
An hour after the arrival at Merry Home the visitors were ushered into the large, light, airy dining room, where they found seats at a long table. There were servants enough for the occasion, and everything was served promptly.
Mrs. Morton sought to secure a seat at Greg Carker"s side, but in a clever manner Carker had avoided such proximity to her, without seeming to do so intentionally. Instead of having her at his elbow, it was Juanita who sat there.
"Well, senorita," said Carker, smiling on her, "what do you think of Frank Merriwell"s home and his friends?"
"Oh, eet ees the most splendeed theeng I evaire see," she murmured. "Eet makes me feel so happy for you all."
"Happy?" said Carker, regarding her closely. "Why, I fancied you were looking rather unhappy. To me you seemed downcast. Has anything occurred to make you sad?"
"Oh, eet ees that I am so far from home--perhaps," she answered. "Why deed you not seet by the beauteeful lady you meet again one time more on the train?"
"Whom do you mean?"
"The friend of Senorita Badgaire. I theenk she ees so veree pretty. She ees marreed, eh?"
He shrugged his shoulders.
"Yes, she"s married," muttered Carker.
"You are sorree?"
"Sorry?"
"_Si, senor._ Eef she was not marreed, perhaps you would beside her seet."
"I don"t think so--at least, knowing her as I do now. Still, I don"t blame her. I"m the cause of it all."
"You feel veree, veree bad?"
"I"ll be honest with you, senorita--I can"t tell whether I feel very bad or not. I have felt rather upset, I confess. But, my dear girl, human nature is peculiar. It"s a strange thing, but I believe most men and most women take melancholy delight in feeling themselves to be martyrs.
We all delight to moan over lost loves. That is the poetry in our natures. Occasionally we spend our time grieving over some lost love that reason and good judgment tells us would have come to naught under any circ.u.mstances. I hope Mrs. Morton is happy and satisfied. Perhaps you"ll think me fickle, senorita, but let me confess to you the fact that I"m not feeling as much like grieving as I was--before I met you."
For a few moments Juanita did not seem to grasp his meaning, but when she did the soft, warm color mounted to her cheeks, and her confusion was plainly evident.
On the opposite side of the table Gallup nudged Teresa, who had been placed at his left.
"Hey, Teresa," he whispered, "get onto Carker. Gol rap him! He"s making hay in a hurry."
"What ees eet you mean to make the hay?" questioned Teresa, puzzled. "To me it seem that he make the love. He talk so verree low that n.o.body except Juanita hear what he say, and Juanita she blush."
"That"s right," chuckled Ephraim, "and, by Jim! Mrs. Morton is looking daggers and hoss pistols."
Then he lifted his voice and addressed Carker.
"Hold on there, Greg!" he called. "You can"t eat your soup with your fork! Why don"t you use a spoon?"
It was Carker"s turn to be confused, but he forced a laugh.
"I have a lamentable habit of becoming abstracted in pleasant company,"
he said.
"Evidently you find your company extremely pleasant, Mr. Carker,"
observed Mrs. Morton, with a little toss of her head.