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Read Ebook: The Carter Girls' Mysterious Neighbors by Speed Nell Scott A O Arthur O Illustrator
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Ebook has 491 lines and 19759 words, and 10 pages
n a d?butante and might have made the hit of the season."
"Oh, Mumsy, I'm a much better district school teacher!" and Douglas blushed with pleasure at her mother's rare praise.
The girl had seen a subtle difference in her mother's manner to her ever since she had felt it her duty to take a stand about their affairs. Mrs. Carter was ever gentle, ever courteous, but Douglas knew that she looked upon her no longer as her daughter somehow,--rather as a kind of taskmistress that Fate had set over her.
The young men were gathered in the living-room waiting for the girls and when they burst upon them in all the glory of ball gowns they quite dazzled them.
"Douglas!" gasped Lewis in an ill-concealed whisper, "you somehow make me think of an Easter lily."
"Well, I don't feel like one a bit. I can't fancy an Easter lily's dancing, and I mean to dance every dance I get a chance and all the others, too."
"I reckon I can promise you that," grinned her cousin.
Bill Tinsley made no ado of taking the pretty Tillie in his arms and opening the ball with a whistled fox trot.
"I'm going to get the first dance with you, and to make sure I'll just take it now, please."
"Don't you like my dress?" asked Helen, twirling around on her toe before Dr. Wright, whose eyes plainly showed that he not only liked the dress but what was in the dress rather more than was good for the peace of mind of a rising young nerve specialist.
"Lovely!" he exclaimed, not looking at the dress at all, but at the charming face above the dress.
"Douglas gave it to me for a birthday present,--it was her extravagance, not mine. I think she is about the sweetest thing in all the world. The only thing that worries me is mashing it all up in the Suttons' hay wagon."
"Are the roads so very bad? Why not go in my car?"
"They are pretty bad, but no worse than the road from Richmond. It certainly is strange how that road changes. It was fine when the agent brought us out here to see the place. Wasn't it?"
"It was, but I don't think it is such a very bad road now. It may be because I like to travel on it. But come on and go with me in my car. If you will trust your dress and neck to me."
"I will, since you put my dress first! Somehow that makes me feel you will be careful of it and respect it."
A rattle of wheels and Billy Sutton came driving up in a great hay wagon filled with nice, clean straw, and close on his heels were Mr. and Mrs. Sutton in their carriage, which was to take Mr. and Mrs. Carter sedately to the ball.
"Helen and I are going in my car. Does anyone want to occupy the back seat?" asked George Wright, hoping he would be paid for his politeness by a refusal.
"No indeed, I adore a hay wagon! It's so nice and informal," cried Tillie.
Douglas did want to go, but felt perhaps it was up to her to chaperone the youngsters in the hay wagon, so for once Dr. Wright thought he was to get Helen for a few moments to himself.
"Chloe must go with us," declared Helen. "She wants to stop in Paradise to see her mother."
Dr. Wright cracked a grim joke to himself which concerned Chloe and the antipodes of Paradise, but he smothered his feelings and opened the door for the delighted colored girl, who had never been in an automobile before.
What a gay crowd they were in that hay wagon! Billy Sutton had contrived to get Nan on the front seat with him, where she was enthroned high above the others, looking down on the horses' backs as they strained and pulled the great wagon through the half-frozen mud. Billy had some friends out from town who immediately attached themselves to Tillie Wingo, who was to beaux just as a honey-pot to bees. They stopped and picked up two families of young folks on the way to the count's, and by the time they got them all in, the wagon was quite full.
"I am glad Helen didn't trust her new dress to this," Douglas whispered to Lewis.
"Well, I am glad you didn't have on such fine clothes and came this way," he whispered back. "Wright is too reckless for me on these country roads. Not that I am afraid myself, but I certainly should hate to see you turned over."
"Whar Miss Ellanlouise?" asked Chloe, when she could get her breath after the first mad plunge into the delights of motoring.
"Oh, there! How selfish of me! I should have thought of it and asked them to go with us," said Helen.
"We can go back for them," suggested the doctor, who had begun to feel that he never would have a chance to see Helen alone.
"Oh, no, we needn't mind. They are coming in their phaeton, and no doubt have started long before this. They are so good to me, I should have thought of them."
Chloe was put out at Paradise, assuring her mistress she would come up through the woods in a few moments and no doubt be at her post in the dressing-room before the guests should arrive.
Paradise was very dark and lonesome. The few scattered cabins showed not a gleam. There was a dim light trickling from the windows of the club, but as they approached that rickety building, that disappeared. Helen saw some dark forms up close to the wall when she looked back after passing that place of entertainment.
"I reckon they are going to initiate someone tonight," she thought.
"Chloe had such a strange talk with me today," she told her companion and then repeated the conversation she had had with the colored girl. "I can't quite understand her."
"Perhaps this count is instilling some kind of silly socialistic notions in their heads," suggested the doctor, who held the same opinion Lewis Somerville did of the gentleman who was to be their host for the evening. Indeed, he so cordially mistrusted him that only the fact he was to be with Helen had reconciled him to spending an evening under his roof.
"Oh, no, I can hardly think that, and besides, the count does not do the teaching. That is done by a Mr. Herz, his secretary. He is an American, born in Cincinnati. He seems to be very intelligent and certainly has taken a shine to Douglas. I don't know just what she thinks of him, but she lets him walk home from school with her every now and then."
"I don't like the name much!"
"Well, the poor man can't help his name. You speak as though we were already at war with Germany. I am trying to preserve our neutrality until war is declared."
"My neutrality has been nothing but a farce since I have realized that Germany is at war with us."
"You sound just like Douglas and Father. Will you go to war if it comes?"
"Why, of course! Would you have me do otherwise?"
"I--I--don't know," and Helen wished she had not asked the question that had called forth this query. This night was to be one of pleasure, feasting and dancing. War had no place in her thoughts when she had on her new dress and the music was coming from Richmond.
THE BALL
"Music and lights put me all in a flutter!" exclaimed Helen as they approached the broad and hospitable mansion.
Already there were several buggies and carriages in the gravelled driveway. The guests were arriving early, as sensible country people should. Let the city folks wait until far in the night to begin their revels, but those living in the country as a rule feel that balls should start early and break up early.
"Do you care so much for parties?"
"I think I must. I have not been to very many balls, because you see I am not out in society yet. I reckon I'll never make my d?but now," and Helen gave a little sigh.
"Does it make so very much difference to you?"
"Well, not so much as it would have a year ago. I used to feel that making one's d?but was a goal that was of the utmost importance, but somehow now I do feel that there are things a little bit more worth while."
"What for instance?"
"And what?"
"You might think I am silly if I tell you,--silly to talk about it."
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