No one cared to cross St. George"s Channel and arrive in Dublin at night, for they had been hearing too much about the Irish riots, to deliberately choose to stay at any hotel where bricks and shot might strike innocent heads at any time.
It was during the evening spent at Bangor, that Jimmy beheld Eleanor Maynard with different eyes. Ruth had suddenly palled on him, and his heart grew cold towards her charm and beauty. But Ruth paid no attention to his change of tactics. She had smilingly accepted homage, and she as smilingly waived it again. Jimmy"s ardent protests of enduring faith and love were empty words to her. The candy and tokens were tangible delights.
What opened Jimmy"s "love-eyes" to Eleanor"s apparent value was her remark about b.u.t.terfly lovers.
"I never could stand a man who buzzed about from one blossom to another like a b.u.t.terfly," commented Eleanor.
"Nor I. But then, you and I, Nolla, always knew real _men_," added Polly.
"If other girls had the advantages we western girls have, of knowing great big heroes of the plains, they"d soon sicken of society idiots,"
declared Dodo.
Ruth and Nancy were the audience to these remarks, but Angela was having a tete-a-tete with Mrs. Alexander. Jimmy stood eagerly watching the five girls, comparing notes on each other.
"Well, I never was west, so I only know the kind of a beau that Jimmy Osgood represents," giggled Ruth. "As long as they are not serious, and are useful in giving you candy and flowers, they answer a certain purpose."
Ruth had been so cloyingly sweet and responsive to all his (Jimmy"s) advances, that this speech from her suddenly broke the spell he had been under. From that moment on, Jimmy had no eyes for a girl who could be so unkind.
"Poor Jimmy! Ruth, you will break his heart if he ever hears of what you said," remarked Eleanor, and that sympathetic rejoinder to Ruth"s heartless chatter drew Jimmy to a new star in the firmament of his hopes.
No one knew that Jimmy had been accidentally eaves-dropping, so when they began to climb into the cars the next morning, to go to Dublin, everyone was surprised to find how carefully Jimmy a.s.sisted Eleanor to the front seat-the place he considered a seat of honor.
CHAPTER VI-POLLY TAKES A HAND TO CURE JIMMY
Quite unabashed, and giggling at the incident, Ruth took a back seat with Polly and Dodo. But Polly felt jealous of Jimmy"s demands on Eleanor"s time. She felt that her chum and dear friend should divide her thoughts and attentions with others, and not sit in front listening to a boy"s foolishness, all day long!
The road from Dublin, northwards, was rutty, and with wild vines over-growing the steep banks on both sides. But the blossoms seemed paler than those in England, and their perfume much less sweet. Even in size, they appeared poorly-nourished, when compared to their large robust English brethren.
The cottages they pa.s.sed on this ride bore all the marks of neglect, poverty and dirt. Pigs were as much at home inside the house, as were the tenants, while troops of dirty children rolled around in front of the houses, mingling with the chickens, dogs, pigs and other domestic live-stock, in cases where the owner could afford them.
"Oh, let"s get away from this part of Ireland," cried Angela, with disgust.
"It seems a waste of valuable time to have come here at all," declared Polly, holding a handkerchief to her nose as they pa.s.sed a dreadful hovel where unkempt children played and fought.
The roads were so bad, however, that the cars could not speed very fast, so they had to stop at Belfast, that night, and resume the journey in the morning. The second day in Ireland they managed to travel as far as Port Rush, merely going aside before reaching that place, in order to see the "Giant"s Causeway" and its rugged cliffs along the coast-line.
Another night was spent in Port Rush, as the boat for Scotland had left before the tourists reached the port. Jimmy had gone headlong into the new affair with Eleanor, and apparently had continued his love-making where he had suddenly terminated it with Ruth. There were no romantic beginnings for Eleanor, in his approaches to a declaration. So that when they were crossing from Ireland to Androssan, in Scotland, the infatuated lover managed to get Eleanor away from the others and hide her in a steamer-chair, found in a nook, where he could give full expression to his gift of romance.
The others in the party saw the Giant"s Causeway and the famous cliffs, from the sea, as they pa.s.sed by in the steamer, but Eleanor never saw the least bit of them, because of Jimmy"s screening form and his refusal to permit her to leave him.
Angela was delighted to find her brother had finally appreciated the recklessness of his attachment to Ruth, when there were far richer girls in the party. She would have selected Dodo or Polly, had he asked _her_ to decide for him, but Eleanor was better than Ruth. So she seconded all her brother"s attempts to kidnap Eleanor whenever the entire party wished to go anywhere or do a thing.
"It"s a wonder your brother did not fall in love with these four pretty girls at one time-and save trouble," said Nancy Fabian, laughingly to Angela.
"Now, Nancy, don"t show your jealousy," returned Angela.
"Me-jealous! Why, Angie, you know I refused Jimmy three or four times before these girls ever put in an appearance. To accuse me of jealousy when I hail the deliverance from his attentions is ridiculous of you."
Polly overheard these remarks and determined that she would spare her friend any further annoyances from Jimmy. "Here Nolla was losing all the wonderful sights they came expressly to Europe to see, and a foolish boy was using that time for a flirtation." Polly mentioned this to Eleanor the first time she got her away from Jimmy.
"Oh, but he heaps such good candies on one, Poll," laughed Eleanor, apologetically. "Let his love die a natural death, and then there will be no danger of its ghost ever bobbing up to frighten me."
"But you"re giving this precious time to a bally fool, and missing Mr.
Fabian"s rare lessons on information you"ll need to know," declared Polly, angrily.
"I can"t help it, Poll. You"ll see how it is when your turn comes with Jimmy," laughed Eleanor, teasingly.
Polly"s eyes snapped fire. Then she threatened something that had been alluded to before, between Eleanor and herself. "I plan to write letters home tonight when we stop at Glasgow. I"m going to tell Paul Stewart what a dreadful flirt you have turned out to be!"
Eleanor gasped, but was brave. "Oh yes, and also tell him what a wonderful girl his old playmate, Dodo Alexander, is, and how, with all her money, he can easily win her and live in ease the rest of his life!"
Eleanor turned away shortly after that, and Polly felt like crying. This was the first time, in years, that Eleanor and she had had words, and that horrid little fop was the cause of it!
But Polly"s threat, although vain, served to startle Eleanor in her pa.s.sive acceptance of Jimmy"s attentions. She sat in the same seat on the road to Edinburgh, it is true, but she was a dull companion and never as much as glanced at her admirer.
Polly and she had not spoken to each other since the words they had had, but both girls revenged themselves on Jimmy-the cause of their quarrel.
And he, unaware of what had caused the sudden change in Eleanor"s feelings for him, tried all the more to win her back to that former sweet companionship with him.
At Edinburgh, Mr. Fabian conducted his party through the fifteen famous castles and numerous other places of interest to lovers of the antique, and Eleanor was a member of the group in every instance. In order to be near his heart"s desire, Jimmy had to trail along, too, sighing in anguish and rolling his eyes in desperation, when Eleanor ignored him completely.
"He acts and looks like a comedian in the Movies," said Nancy, impatiently.
Angela smiled wisely and tossed her head when she heard the remark.
Nancy cared naught for that, but turned her attention to Polly who was flushing and fuming to herself.
"What"s the matter, Poll dear?" asked Nancy, softly.
"Oh, he makes me so mad! I could just slap his face for him! There"s your father giving us all this wonderful information on architecture and antiques, and poor Nolla not hearing a word of it, because of that fortune-hunting fool!"
"S-sh! Not so loud, dear! I feel as you do about him, but I have learned that it is best not to interfere in the matter. Let Jimmy and his sister "have rope enough." You know the rest."
"Why, Nancy! I thought you were devoted to Angela?" gasped Polly.
"I was-once, dear, but don"t speak of it to anyone else. I thought Angie the most wonderful girl in the world until these past few days when I found that her entire heart and mind is set on getting wealth by some means or other. Her art, her friends, and her very self-respect, are being sacrificed to that one ambition. Hence I have had to crucify my friendship, too, and try to feel indifferent to the past."
"Dear Nancy!" condoled Polly. "I know just how I would feel if Nolla proved to be unworthy of my love and friendship."
"But she won"t-she is a true American, Polly, and that makes a difference. Much depends on the way you have been trained to think, and poor Angie thinks society and wealth mean heaven."
Having visited the princ.i.p.al points of interest in Edinburgh, Mr. Fabian took his party to Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott. Here the collection of wonderful objects and the interest created in them by the names of the donors to the famous novelist, gave the tourists much pleasure.
Polly saw that Jimmy still tormented Eleanor and kept her from enjoying the visit to Abbotsford as she should have done. So she waylaid the young man, as he followed Eleanor from the place.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "I"LL TELL YOU SOMETHING THAT OUGHT TO DO YOU GOOD!"
SAID POLLY.]