"H"m, I"m "fraid I scared off our long-haired friend," said Roger, as Cromer rose and drifted away. "Never mind, I want to talk to you a little myself. I say, Patsy, don"t you let these men flatter you till you"re all puffed up with pride and vanity."
"Now, Roger, AM I that kind of a goose?"
"Well, you"re blossoming out so, and getting so growny-uppy looking, I"m "fraid you won"t be my little Patty-friend much longer."
""Deed I shall! Don"t you worry about that. How do you think Mona is looking?"
"Fine! Lots better than when I saw her in May. She dresses better, don"t you think?"
"Yes, I guess she does," said Patty, demurely, with no hint as to WHY Mona"s appearance had improved. "She"s an awfully nice girl, Roger."
"Yes, I always said so. And you and she help each other. Sort of reaction, you know. What do we do down here?"
"Oh, there are oceans of things planned. Parties of all sorts, and picnics, and dances, and motor trips, and every old thing. How long can you stay?"
"I"m invited for a week, but I may have to go home sooner. Isn"t that Western chap immense?"
For some ridiculous reason, Patty blushed scarlet at the mere mention of Mr. Farnsworth.
"What the--oh, I say, Patty! You"re not favouring him, are you? Why, you"ve only just met him to-day, haven"t you?"
"Yes, certainly; I never saw him before. No, I"m not favouring him, as you call it."
"Then why are you the colour of a hard-boiled lobster? Patty! quit blushing, or you"ll burn up!"
"Don"t, Roger; don"t be silly. I"m NOT blushing."
"Oh, no! You"re only a delicate shade of crimson vermilion! Well, if you want him, Patty, I"ll get him for you. Do you want him now?"
"No! of course I don"t! Do be still, Roger! And stop that foolish smiling! Well, then, I"m going to talk to Adele Kenerley."
Patty ran away from Roger, who was decidedly in a teasing mood, and seated herself beside the pretty young matron.
"Such a GOOD child," Mrs. Kenerley was saying; "she NEVER cries, and she"s SO loving and affectionate."
"Oh, she"s a heavenly baby!" cried Mona, in raptures of appreciation, and then along came the baby"s father, fresh from his ocean dip.
"You must choke off my wife," he said, smiling, "if she gets started on a monologue about that infant prodigy! She can keep it up most of the hours out of the twenty-four, and go right over it all again next day!"
"And why not?" cried Mona. "SUCH a baby deserves appreciation. I can hardly wait till to-morrow to wake her up and play with her."
"She"s a good enough kiddy," said the proud young father, trying to hide his own enthusiasm.
"Now, Jim," cried his wife, "you know perfectly well you"re a bigger idiot about that child than I am! Why, would you believe, Mona--"
"There, there, Adele, if you"re going to tell anecdotes of my parental devotion, I"m going to run away! Come on, Farnsworth, let"s go for a stroll, and talk over old times."
The two men walked off together, and the party generally broke up. Most of them went to their rooms to rest or dress for dinner, and Patty concluded that she would grasp the opportunity to write a letter to Nan, a task which she enjoyed, but rarely found time for.
"The house party is upon us," she wrote, "and, though they"re really very nice, they ARE a little of the west, westy. But there"s only one girl, Daisy Dow, who"s MUCH that way, and I rather think I can manage her. But already she has warned me not to interfere with her young man!
As if I would!"
Just here, Patty"s cheeks grew red again, and she changed the subject of her epistolary progress.
"The baby is a perfect darling, and her parents are very nice people.
TERRIBLY devoted to the infant, but of course that"s to be expected.
Roger is a comfort. It"s so nice to have an old friend here among all these strangers. Oh, and there"s an artist who, I know, spells his art with a big A. He wants to paint me as "Cherry Ripe" or something, I forget what. But I know his portraits will look just like magazine covers. Though,--I suppose I AM rather of that type myself. Oh, me! I wish I were a tall, dark beauty, with melting brown eyes and midnight tresses, instead of a tow-headed, doll-faced thing. But then, as the poet says, "We women cannot choose our lot." I"m in for a good time, there"s no doubt about that. We"ve parties and picnics and pageants piled up mountain high. So if I don"t write again very soon, you"ll know it"s because I"m a Social b.u.t.terfly for the time being, and these are my b.u.t.terfly Days. Aunt Adelaide is rather nicer than when I last wrote. She gets on her "company manners," and that makes her more amiable."
"My goodness gracious!"
This last phrase was spoken aloud, not written, for the low, open window, near which Patty sat writing, was suddenly invaded by a laughing face and a pair of broad, burly shoulders, and Big Bill"s big voice said, "h.e.l.lo, you pretty little poppet!"
CHAPTER X
JUST A SHORT SPIN
"Stop! Look! Listen!" cried Patty, gaily, as the unabashed intruder calmly seated himself on the broad, low window-sill. "Do you consider it good manners to present yourself in this burglarious fashion?"
"Well, you see, my room opens on this same veranda,--indeed the veranda seems to run all around the house on this story,--and so I thought I"d walk about a bit. Then I chanced to spy you, and--well, I"m still spying. Is this your d.i.n.ky boudoir? How fussy it is."
"I like it so," said Patty, smiling.
"Of course you do. You"re fussy yourself."
"I am not! I"m NOT fussy!"
"Oh, I don"t mean that the way you think I do. I mean you"re all dressed fussy, with pink ribbons and lace ta.s.sels and furbelows."
"Yes; I do love frilly clothes. Now, I suppose your ideal girl wears plain tailor-made suits, and stiff white collars, and small hats without much tr.i.m.m.i.n.g,--just a band and a quill."
"Say, that"s where you"re "way off! I like to see girls all dollied up in squffly lace over-skirts,--or whatever you call "em,--with d.i.n.ky little bows here and there."
"Is this frock all right, then?" asked Patty, demurely, knowing that her summer afternoon costume was of the very type he had tried to describe.
"Just the ticket! I"m not much on millinery, but you look like an apple blossom trimmed with sunshine."
"Why, you"re a poet! Only poets talk like that. I doubt if Mr. Cromer could say anything prettier."
""Tisn"t pretty enough for you. Only a chap like Austin Dobson could make poetry about you."
The earnest sincerity in the big blue eyes of the Westerner robbed the words of any semblance of impertinence, and Patty spoke out her surprise.
"Why, do you read Austin Dobson? I never thought--"
She paused, lest she hurt his feelings by her implication, but Farnsworth went on, quietly: