Connie"s single bed was hastily brought downstairs, and Prudence deposited upon it. "There"s no use to put me up-stairs," she a.s.sured them. "I won"t stay there. I want to be down here where I can boss the girls."
The doctor came in, and bandaged the swollen purple ankle. Then they had dinner,--they tried to remember to call it luncheon, but never succeeded!
After that, the whole parsonage family grouped about the little single bed in the cheery sitting-room.
"Whose coat is this, Prudence?" asked Connie.
"And where in the world did you get these towels and silk shirts?" added Fairy.
Prudence blushed most exquisitely. "They are Mr. Harmer"s," she said, and glanced nervously at her father.
"Whose?" chorused the family. And it was plain to be seen that Lark was ready to take mental notes with an eye to future stories.
"If you will sit down and keep still, I will tell you all about it. But you must not interrupt me. What time is it, Fairy?"
"Two o"clock."
"Oh, two. Then I have plenty of time. Well, when I got to that little cross-cut through the hickory grove, about four miles out from town, I thought I would coast down the long hill. Do you remember that hill, father? There was no one in sight, and no animals, except one h.o.a.ry old mule, grazing at the bottom. It was irresistible, absolutely irresistible. So I coasted. But you know yourself, father, there is no trusting a mule. They are the most undependable animals." Prudence looked thoughtfully down at the bed for a moment, and added slowly, "Still, I have no hard feelings against the mule. In fact, I kind of like him.--Well, anyway, just as I got to the critical place in the hill, that mule skipped right out in front of me. It looked as though he did it on purpose. I did not have time to get out of his way, and it never occurred to him to get out of mine, and so I went Bang! right into him.
And it broke Mattie Moore"s wheel, and upset me quite a little. But that mule never budged! Jerry--er Harmer,--Mr. Harmer, you know,--said he believed an earthquake could coast downhill on to that mule without seriously inconveniencing him. I was hurt a little, and couldn"t get up.
And so he jumped over the fence,--No, Connie, not the mule, of course!
Mr. Harmer! He jumped over the fence, and put his coat on the ground, and made a pillow for me with the shirts and towels in his bag, and carried me over. Then he wanted to go for a wagon to bring me home, but I was too nervous and scared, so he stayed with me. Then Mr. Davis came along with his cart, and Jerry--er--Harmer, you know, helped put me in, and the cart was so small they both had to walk."
"Where is he now?" "Is he young?" "Is he handsome?" "Did he look rich?"
"Don"t be silly, girls. He went to the hotel, I suppose. Anyhow, he left us as soon as we reached town. He said he was in a hurry, and had something to look after. His coat was underneath me in the wagon, and he wouldn"t take it out for fear of hurting my ankle, so the poor soul is probably wandering around this town in his shirt-sleeves."
Already, in the eyes of the girls, this Jerry--er--Harmer, had taken unto himself all the interest of the affair.
"He"ll have to come for his coat," said Lark. "We"re bound to see him."
"Where does he live? What was he doing in the hickory grove?" inquired Mr. Starr with a strangely sinking heart, for her eyes were alight with new and wonderful radiance.
"He lives in Des Moines. He was just walking into town, and took a short cut through the grove."
"Walking! From Des Moines?"
Prudence flushed uncomfortably. "I didn"t think of that," she said.
"But I do not see why he should not walk if he likes. He"s strong and athletic, and fond of exercise. I guess he"s plenty able to walk if he wants to. I"m sure he"s no tramp, father, if that is what you are thinking."
"I am not thinking anything of the kind, Prudence," he said with dignity.
"But I do think it rather strange that a young man should set out to walk from Des Moines to Mount Mark. And why should he be at it so early in the morning? Doesn"t he require sleep, as the rest of us do?"
"How should I know? I guess if he likes to be but in the morning when it is fresh and sweet, it is all right. I like the morning myself. He had as much right out early as I had. His clothes were nice, and he is a Harvard graduate, and his shoes were dusty, but not soiled or worn.
Anyhow, he is coming at four o"clock. If you want to ask if he is a tramp, you can do it." And Prudence burst into tears.
Dramatic silence in the cheerful sitting-room! Then Fairy began bustling about to bathe the face and throat of "poor little Prudence," and her father said sympathetically:
"You"re all nervous and wrought up, with the pain and excitement, Prudence. I"m glad he is coming so we can thank him for his kindness.
It was mighty lucky he happened along, wasn"t it? A Harvard graduate!
Yes, they are pretty strong on athletics at Harvard. You"d better straighten this room a little and have things looking nice when he gets here," said Father Starr, with great diplomacy. And he was rewarded, and startled, by observing that Prudence brightened wonderfully at his words.
"Yes, do," she urged eagerly. "Get some of the roses from the corner bush, and put them on the table there. And when you go up-stairs, Fairy, you"d better bring down that little lace spread in the bottom drawer of our dresser. It"ll look very nice on this bed.--Work hard, girls, and get everything looking fine. He"ll be here at four, he said. You twins may wear your white dresses, and Connie must put on her blue and wear her blue bows.--Fairy, do you think it would be all right for you to wear your silk dress? Of course, the silk is rather grand for home, but you do look so beautiful in it. Father, will you put on your black suit, or are you too busy? And don"t forget to wear the pearl cuff b.u.t.tons Aunt Grace sent you."
He went up-stairs to obey, with despair in his heart. But to the girls, there was nothing strange in this exactness on the part of Prudence.
Jerrold Harmer was the hero of the romance, and they must unite to do him honor. He was probably a prince in disguise. Jerrold Harmer was a perfectly thrilling name. It was really a shame that America allows no t.i.tles,--Lord Jerrold did sound so n.o.ble, and Lady Prudence was very effective, too. He and Prudence were married, and had a family of four children, named for the various Starrs, before one hour had pa.s.sed.
"I"ll begin my book right away," Lark was saying. She and Carol were in the dining-room madly polishing their Sunday shoes,--what time they were not performing the marriage ceremony of their sister and The Hero.
"Yes, do! But for goodness" sake, don"t run her into a mule! Seems to me even Prudence could have done better than that."
"I"ll have his automobile break down in the middle of the road, and Prudence can run into it. The carbureter came off, and of course the car wouldn"t run an inch without it."
"Yes, that"s good," said Carol approvingly. "It must be a sixty cylinder, eight horsepower--er--Ford, or something real big and costly."
"Twins! You won"t be ready," warned Prudence, and this dire possibility sent them flying upstairs in a panic.
While the girls, bubbling over with excitement, were dressing for the great event, Mr. Starr went down-stairs to sit with Prudence. Carol called to him on his way down, and he paused on the staircase, looking up at her.
"Lark and I are going to use some of Fairy"s powder, father," she said.
"We feel that we simply must on an occasion like this. And for goodness"
sake, don"t mention it before Him! It doesn"t happen very often, you know, but to-day we simply must. Now, don"t you say anything about falling in the flour barrel, or turning pale all of a sudden, whatever else you do. We"d be so mortified, father."
Mr. Starr was concerned with weightier matters, and went on down to Prudence with never so much as a reproving shake of the head for the worldly-minded young twins.
"Father," began Prudence, her eyes on the lace coverlet, "do you think it would be all right for me to wear that silk dressing-gown of mother"s? I need something over my nightgown, and my old flannel kimono is so ugly.
You know, mother said I was to have it, and--I"m twenty now. Do you think it would be all right? But if you do not want me to wear it----"
"I do want you to," was the prompt reply. "Yes, it is quite time you were wearing it. I"ll get it out of the trunk myself, and send Fairy down to help you." Then as he turned toward the door, he asked carelessly, "Is he very good-looking, Prudence?"
And Prudence, with a crimson face, answered quickly, "Oh, I really didn"t notice, father."
He went on up-stairs then, and presently Fairy came down with the dainty silk gown trimmed with fine soft lace. "I brought my lavender ribbon for your hair, Prudence. It will match the gown so nicely. Oh, you do look sweet, dearest. I pity Jerrold Harmer, I can tell you that. Now I must hurry and finish my own dressing."
But with her foot on the bottom stair, she paused. Her sister was calling after her. "Send father down here, quick, Fairy."
Father ran down quickly, and Prudence, catching hold of his hands, whispered wretchedly, "Oh, father, he--he is good-looking. I--I did notice it. I didn"t really mean to lie to you."
"There, now, Prudence," he said, kissing her tenderly, "you mustn"t get excited again. I"m afraid you are too nervous to have callers. You must lie very quietly until he comes. That was no lie, child. You are so upset you do not know what you are saying to-day. Be quiet now, Prudence,--it"s nearly time for him to come."
"You are a dear good father," she cried, kissing his hands pa.s.sionately, "but it was a lie. I did know what I was saying. I did it on purpose."
And Mr. Starr"s heart was heavy, for he knew that his fears were realized.
CHAPTER XII
ROUSED FROM HER SLUMBER