"Is it that this lovely Mademoiselle Sue does not like gentlemen save my Uncle, the General Robert?" I asked with great interest. I was glad in my heart that I was soon to see and speak with a nice girl even if it had to be in character of a man.
"Oh, she loves us--all," answered that Mr. Buzz with the greatest gloom. "_All_ of us--every blamed son-of-a-gun of us."
"Oh, I comprehend now that it is your wish that she love only you, Mr.
Clendenning, and are sad that she does not," I said as I looked at him with much sympathy.
"That is about it, Prince, but don"t say I said so. Everybody chases Susan. She even wins an occasional ice cream smile from His Excellency. I bet she"d go up against that august iceberg itself in a try-out for a "First Lady of the State" badge if Mrs. Pat Whitworth hadn"t got the whole woman bunch to believe she has a corner on his ice. Mrs. Pat is some little cornerer, believe me."
"Oh, I did like that Madam Whitworth, and I hope that it will be my pleasure to see her again soon," I said with an ice in my voice as I caught my breath while Mr. Buzz Clendenning drove between two cars and a wagon with not so much as an inch to spare on all three sides of the car. It is as I like to drive when at the wheel, but sitting beside another--
"You"ll see her at the Governor"s dinner for you Tuesday, if not sooner, and just watch her and the General war dance with each other.
He opens his eyes when Mrs. Pat attacks and he imagines he is the whole Harpeth Valley Militia defending His Excellency of Iceland from her wiles. Just watch him!" And this time it was three wagons that we slid between and beyond.
"Why is it that the great Gouverneur Faulkner has such a coldness for ladies?" I asked of that Mr. Buzz. "I did find him to be of such a beautiful kindness."
"He"s been too much chased. He"s got his fingers crossed on them, they tell me. Just watch him in action at his dinner. He side-steps so gently that they never know it."
"Why is it then that he gives to me this dinner of honor when he so dislikes all--that is, I mean to ask of you why is it that I am so honored by that very great Gouverneur Faulkner of the State of Harpeth?" I asked, and I had a great fright that I had again so nearly betrayed Robert Carruthers to be one of the s.e.x so hated by that n.o.ble gentleman, the Gouverneur Faulkner. "I must think of myself as a man in future," I commanded myself.
"Didn"t the General tell you about it? It is to introduce you to the flower and chivalry of your native land. Believe me, it will be some dinner dance. The General wanted it to be a stag, but Sue fought to the last trench, which was tears, and he gave in. These days the Governor loses no chance to honor his Secretary of State for--for political reasons," and as he spoke that good Mr. Clendenning looked at the wheel for steering, and I could see that there was deep concern in his eyes.
"Is it that--that trouble of mules, Monsieur Clendenning?" I asked of him softly in a woman"s way for administering sympathy for distress but without the masculine discretion that I was to learn swiftly thereafter to employ.
"Don"t talk about it, for I don"t know how much either of us knows or our chief wants us to know, but Governor Williamson Faulkner is a man of honor and I"d stake my life on that. He"s being pushed hard and--Gee! Here we are at the General"s and I can smell Kizzie"s cream gravy with my mind"s nose. I understand that your father was the last Henry Carruthers of five born up in the old mahogany bedstead that the General inhabits between the hours of one and five A.M. Some shack, this of the General"s, isn"t it? Nothing finer in the State." And as he spoke that Mr. Buzz Clendenning stopped the car before the home of my Uncle, the General Robert, and we alighted from it together.
I do not know how it is that I can put into words the beautiful feeling that rose from the inwardness of me as I stood in front of the home of my fathers in this far-away America. The entire city of Hayesville is a city of old homes, I had noticed as I drove in the gray car so rapidly along with Mr. Buzz Clendenning while he was speaking to me, but no house had been so beautiful as was this one. It was old, with almost the vine-covered age of the Chateau de Grez, but instead of being of gray stone it was of a red brick that was as warm as the embers of an oak fire with the film of ashes crusting upon it.
Thus it seemed to be both red and gray beneath the vines that were casting delicate green traceries over its walls. Great white pillars were to the front of it like at the Mansion of the Gouverneur, and many wide windows and doors opened out from it. Two old oak trees which give to it the name of Twin Oaks stood at each side of the old brick walk that led from the tall gate, and as I walked under them I felt that I had from a cruel world come home.
CHAPTER VII
THE GIRL BUNCH
And, if I felt in that manner as I entered the house, I felt it to a still greater degree when I was welcomed by that most lovely old black slave woman of the high temper and good cookery. She opened the door for us herself, though a nice boy the color of a chocolate bonbon stood in waiting to perform that office. She had a spoon in her hand and upon her head was a spotless white turban, as also was an ap.r.o.n of an equal spotlessness tied around her very large waist.
"You, Mas" Robert, you done come home from the heathen land to keep my food waiting jest like yo" father did from the minute I ontied him from my ap.r.o.n string. Come right into the dining room "fore my gravy curdles and the liver wing I done saved for you gits too brown in the skillet," was all of the introduction or greeting that she gave to me as she waddled along behind Mr. Buzz Clendenning and myself, driving us down the hall and into the dining-room. "Mas" Buzz, how is yo"
mother? I "lowed to git over to see her soon as this ruckus of young Mas" coming home is over. Now, here"s the place fer you both and that no "count boy will bring in yo" dinner proper to you or he"ll be skunt alive." With which she departed through a door, from which came an aroma that led to madness of hunger, and left the bonbon servant to attend us.
"Gee, I hope Kizzie killed by the half dozen last night; if there aren"t three chickens apiece you"ll be hungry, L"Aiglon," said Mr.
Buzz Clendenning with a laugh as he seated himself beside me and unfolded his napkin.
"I wish that you might call me Robert, Mr. Clendenning," I said with a great friendliness as I ate a food that I had not before tasted and that I did so much like that I was tempted to steal some to put in my pocket for fear I would come to believe that I had dreamed it to exist. It is called corn pone and is made of maize, and it will be found in some form at every meal upon my Uncle, the General Robert"s, table, good Kizzie a.s.sured me as I made her a compliment about it.
"Though the name of that son of our great Napoleon is very dear to me," I added at his quick glance, fearing he might think me offended at what is called a nickname.
"Sure, Bobbie, and you"ll forget that I wouldn"t let you kiss me, won"t you?" he answered as he drew back from the table and lit a cigarette after pa.s.sing me the case. "Everybody calls me Buzz the b.u.mble Bee because of a historic encounter of mine with a whole nest of b.u.mblebees right out here in the General"s garden. It is a t.i.tle of heroism and I"d like to have you use it as if we"d been kids together as we were slated to have been. Gee, I bet you could have beat the bees down some. You looked all soft to me when I first saw you but you are so quick and lithe and springy that you must be some steel. What do you weigh out, stripped?"
"Er--er, about one-thirty," I answered, and I made a resolve not to blush or show anything of embarra.s.sment, no matter what was to be said to me in my estate of a young gentleman.
And I make this note to myself that it is a great pleasure and interest to sit beside a nice young man with a cigarette in his mouth and one in my hand as if for smoking, which I do not like to do from its bitterness, and converse with him about matters of good sense without having in any way to use that coquetry which breaks into small sections the usual conversation between a man and a woman of enthusiastic youngness.
"I tip at one fifty-two, but I"m an inch and a half taller. Do you run? You"re good and deep chested," he further inquired and it was with difficulty that I again controlled the blush.
"I fence and I"m large of lung," I answered quickly.
"Ride?"
"Anything ever foaled," I answered in words I had heard my father use about my horsemanship.
"Don"t smoke?"
"Don"t like it."
"Golf?"
"Some--wild."
"I play a hurry game myself," he laughed. "Dance?"
"With a greatness of pleasure," I answered.
After that for a time he puffed at his cigarette and I looked around the long dining room that was almost as large as the dining-hall at the Chateau de Grez and which was dark and rich and full of old silver on the sideboard and old portraits on the walls. Finally my Buzz put out the stub of his cigarette in his saucer and looked me keenly in the face as I raised my eyes to his.
"Booze?" he asked quietly.
"No!"
"That"s good, old top. Me neither! Say, let"s go call on Sue and you can get a nice little initiation into the girl bunch before the General stops you by locking you away from them."
"I wish that I might, but I must unpack my bags and write the letters to small Pierre and my nurse Nannette; also be ready for translations for my Uncle, the General Robert, when he arrives. Will you persuade the lovely Mademoiselle Sue that she save one little dance for me on that evening of Tuesday?" I said as we rose and walked down the long hall towards the wide door under the budding rose vine.
"She"ll dead sure give you one--of mine," he answered me with a laugh, "but come along with me now, L"Aiglon. The General won"t be home until night. I laid some letters on his desk that will hold him and Governor Bill until sunset. They"ll have pie and milk sent in and work it all out together. What"s the use of having them to watch the affairs of the State of Harpeth for us if we don"t use the time they are on watch in having some joy life? Come on!"
"I go," I made answer with a great pleasure.
Then we descended to the gray car of much speed and did use that speed in turning many streets until we came to another very fine old house, where, I was informed by my Mr. Buzz Clendenning, resides that Mademoiselle Susan of so much loveliness.
And it is of a truth that I discovered that loveliness to be as great as was told to me by her true lover. When I raised my head from the kiss of presentation I gave to her hand I looked into very deep and very wonderful girl eyes that had in their depths tears that were for a sympathy for me, I knew. My heart of an exile beat very high in my own girl"s breast that ached for the refuge of her woman"s arms, and I must have partly betrayed my yearning to her, for I saw an expression of confused question come into her eyes that looked into mine; then the beautiful thing that had come into my Mr. Buzz Clendenning"s eyes for me came also into hers in place of the question. I saw then in those eyes a sister born to the boy Robert Carruthers of a great French strangeness.
"I"ve been thinking about you all morning, Mr. Carruthers, and hoping Buzz would bring you with him to see me first of all. I wanted to be the first one of the girls to say, "Welcome home" to you." And as she spoke those words of much tenderness I again bent over her hand in salutation because I could give forth no words from my throat.
"Sue, you are the real sweet thing--and now notice me a bit, will you?" said my fine Mr. Buzz Clendenning with both emotion and a teasing in his voice. "I know I haven"t got French manners and don"t look like L"Aiglon, but I"m an affectionate rough jewel."
"Please don"t mind Buzz, Mr. Carruthers--he just can"t help buzzing.
Isn"t it great about the dance Tuesday night? I fought hard to save you from a horrid long banquet with a lot of solemn men. I ought to be the belle of that ball and you and Buzz will be ungrateful if you neglect me," and as she made these remarks for laughter, I liked still more this new friend.