"No, I don"t want to cook dinner. Luncheon seems different, somehow.
But I do believe if I take Camilla, and scour all the plains around Spring Beach, I can catch something that can cook."
"I"d hate to have a poor cook."
"Yes, I know; I mean a first-cla.s.s cook, though, perhaps not a chef."
"Well, go ahead, Patty, but you"ll have to start at once. Your cook ought to be here by four, and it"s almost three now."
""I slip, I slide, I gleam, I glance,"--what comes next? Never mind, I"ll just scoot."
Throwing on a white pongee dust cloak over her pretty frock, Patty declared herself ready to start, and Mona ordered an electric runabout brought from the garage.
But Miss Patricia Fairfield had no intention of going alone upon her quest. Walking up to a group of men talking on the veranda, she paused in front of Farnsworth.
"I want you," she said, calmly.
"I am yours," he responded with equal calm, and throwing away his cigar, turned to go with her.
"Don"t you want me?" asked Captain Sayre, eagerly.
"And me?" added Cromer.
"I know you want me," put in Roger, "but you"re too shy to say so."
"I want you all," said Patty, beaming on the group, "but I like you one at a time, and this is Little Billee"s turn."
"What"s up, my lady?" said Farnsworth, as he started the swift little car.
"Why, just this. Turn toward the main road, please. We"ve simply got to find a cook for Mona within an hour. I KNOW we can do it,--but, YOU tell ME how."
"Dead easy, child. We"ll just go out and kidnap one."
"But cooks aren"t found sitting in deserted baby carriages, to be tempted with candy. Now be sensible. Can"t you think of any plan?"
"Not a plan! Can you?"
"Well, all I can think of is to go to see Susan."
"Susan it is! Where does the lady reside?"
"Down this way two blocks, then turn to the right."
"She is won! We are gone! Over bank, bush and scar, They"ll have fleet steeds that follow!" quoth young Lochinvar.""
"I know Susan wouldn"t come, but she may know of some one else," went on Patty. "Here we are; stop at this house."
"No, Miss Patty," said Susan, when the case was laid before her, "I don"t rightly know of anny wan for the place. I"d go mesilf,--for I"m a good, fair cook,--but I can"t be afther makin" them fiddly-faddly contraptions Miss Galbraith has."
"Well, Susan, if we can find a cook, will you come as helper? Just for a few days, till Miss Galbraith can get some people down from New York."
"Yes, Miss Patty; I"ll do that. Now, I"m bethinkin" me, there"s the Cartwrights" cook. She"s a perfessional, and the family has gone away for three days, sure. Cuddent she do ye?"
"Fine!" cried Patty. "Where do the Cartwrights live?"
"Up the road a piece, an" thin down beyant a couple o" miles. Don"t ye know the big grey stone house, wid towers?"
"Oh, yes; I know where you mean. And is the cook there? What"s her name?"
"Yes, she"s there. An" her name is...o...b..ien. It"s Irish she is, but she knows more cookin" than manny Frinch jumpin"-jacks! If she"ll go wid yez, I"ll go."
"Well, I"ll tell you, Susan. You go on over to Miss Galbraith"s now.
Tell her I sent you, and that I"ll bring Mrs. O"Brien in about half an hour. Then you go to the kitchen and get things started."
"My, it"s the foine head ye have on ye, Miss Patty! That"s a grand plan!"
Susan turned back to her sister"s house, and the motor-car darted forward.
"So far, so good," said Patty. "But now to get the O"Brien. Suppose she won"t come?"
"Don"t borrow trouble, Apple Blossom. Let"s suppose she WILL come, and meanwhile let"s enjoy our ride. It was dear of you to ask me to come with you."
"Well, you see, I didn"t know but it might require force to persuade a cook to go back with us, and,--and you"re so big, you know."
"Then I"m glad I"m so big, since brawn and strength win favour in my lady"s sight."
"You ARE strong, aren"t you?" and Patty looked at the giant beside her.
"I think," she went on slowly, "your strength must be as the strength of ten."
"I hope so," and Farnsworth"s voice took or a graver note, "and for the right reason."
Just then they came in sight of the Cartwright place.
"Good gracious!" cried Patty, as they drove in. "Here are four thousand dogs coming to meet us!"
Patty"s estimate of their number was extravagant, but there WERE five or six dogs, and they were large and full-lunged specimens of their kind.
"I"m frightened," said Patty. "They"re watchdogs, you know, turned loose because the people are away. Don"t get out, Billee, they"ll bit you! They"re bloodhounds, I"m sure!"
"Then I"ll play I"m Eliza crossing the ice, and you can sit here and be Little Eva."
Patty had to laugh at his foolishness, but the dogs WERE fierce, and she was glad when at last his repeated rings at the doorbell were answered.
"n.o.body at home," said a voice, as the door opened only a narrow crack, and but part of a face could be seen.
"Is that so?" said Bill, pleasantly. "But you"re at home, aren"t you?
And perhaps you"re the very one I want to see. Are you Mrs. O"Brien?"
"Yes, I am," and the door opened just a trifle wider; "but the family is away, an" me ordhers is to admit n.o.body at all, at all."