Read Ebook: Greycliff Wings by Grove Harriet Pyne

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Ebook has 1259 lines and 55241 words, and 26 pages

"Oh yes. You and Isabel told Dr. Norris or somebody about it, but I guess nobody thought much about it."

"Everybody had too much to do. Do you suppose Captain Holley is still at the military school? He's an 'enemy alien' now."

"Yes, he is there. Louise is back, you know, and I heard her say that her brother was coming over to dinner with her Sunday. Louise is a lot nicer to the girls than she used to be, and I heard her say that she was very unhappy to think that her country and her adopted country were at war."

"Oh, well, let's not think about them!"

"I suppose this man is some one who lives around here. But it is funny that he did not want you to look at him. It looks as if there were something out of the way going on, that time at the cave."

"It does indeed! Isn't there a pretty view from here? There come Hilary and Lil. Let's go on to the woods. The birds are in the fall migration now, perhaps we'll find something different. Think of it, Cathalina, only one more beautiful spring here! Do you suppose we'll like it as well at college?"

"It will be different. I don't believe any place could be to us what dear old Greycliff has been. I can't realize yet that we are seniors. Wouldn't it be fine if they would add the two more years of a college course?"

"They don't want that kind of a school here. Have you any idea where you will go?"

"Yes, in New York, but whether I get right into Columbia or not I don't know. Perhaps I'll just take what I want. But mother wants me there. She pretty nearly kept me at home this time. It is hard on her, you know, with Philip away at camp. But Aunt Katherine was strong for having me finish up this course here, and Father said, 'Your Aunt Knickerbocker's idea of sending Cathalina to Greycliff worked out pretty well'!"

"He usually calls her that, doesn't he?"

"Yes. Then Aunt Katherine reminded Mother that she would be head over heels--she didn't say that--in war work, and Mother is on about forty committees more or less, so it was decided."

"How about little Cathalina? Didn't she have any voice in the matter?"

"Yes indeed. But I thought if Mother really needed me I would stay without a word. I've been so upset in plans myself, as all of us have been, and I thought I'd like to be where I'd see Phil if he is sent over very soon. But they are to telegraph, and Lilian and I will go on. And say, Betty, the last letter I had from Captain Van Horne said that it will not be very long until the Rainbow Division goes over."

"Is he with that?"

"Yes."

"Does he write often?"

"Donald joined the marines! I never was so surprised."

"Why, did he know anything about the navy?"

"Not a thing, but it seems he always has been crazy about ships and things. You must read some of his letters,--they are so interesting."

"I'd love to, if you don't mind."

"Oh, I always tell you anything flattering that he says in them anyway. Do you ever hear from Bob Paget, or Lawrence Haverhill?"

"Yes, both boys have written since I came here. Lawrence is in a different camp, it seems, and is sorry not to be with the other boys."

"That was such a lovely house-party that we had last year, just a year ago, after camp."

"The next one will probably be for Lil's wedding, after the war."

"Yes, the wedding is chiefly the bride's, I guess. I wish I had another brother or cousin for you, Betty, though the future Admiral Hilton wouldn't thank me for that, I suppose. But to have you 'way off in Chicago!"

"Don't you think that we are going ahead just a little too fast, Cathalina?"

"I guess we are, especially if the war lasts for years and years!"

"Donald says it can't after he and the other boys from Grant Academy get over there! He is always joking that way."

"I wonder where the farm ends," said Cathalina, looking through the woods which seemed to stretch endlessly along the bluff above the shore.

"We'd better not go too far. I don't see Hilary and Lilian now. Let's go back. That looks like another shack or cabin ahead of us. Perhaps it belongs to some other farm."

The girls retraced their steps, finding other girls strolling about, and joining some of them to go where some fine stock was grazing. Betty leaned over a fence to snap some pictures of the cattle. "Nice old bossies," she said. "I guess this place is where that grand cream we're having now comes from. Come on, let's get the farmer to pose for us with some of the horses, or the family, if they, want to."

"There isn't any family there yet, but the tenants live back in that little bit of a house. See?" Eloise was pointing as she spoke. "And it's no use to ask the farmer. Some of the girls did, and he acted as if he were mad about it. I don't believe he likes to have the girls come here. Listen! That's the dinner bell. Doesn't it make you think of Merry-meeting Camp?"

"Where do we have our lunch?--O, yes, of course, in the little summer house they made on purpose. Say, Eloise, wouldn't it be fun to snap the farmer when he wasn't looking? Where is he?" Betty was looking all around to find the new farmer of whom she had had a glimpse as they went up to the wood. "He's such a straight, fine-looking man that he would make a good picture for our memory books, if we could get him with a good background of the woods and lake, or the vineyard, or some of the pretty surroundings here."

"He doesn't look as if hard work had broken him down, does he?" said Diane.

"No, he doesn't," said Betty. "I tell you, some of you girls stop and talk to him, and I'll get behind some bushes or something and watch for a good chance to snap him. There he is now, bringing out that handsome black horse from the barn. Come on."

The black horse was restive, and Betty, hurrying on, caught an excellent picture of both horse and man, while the farmer was too busy with the horse to observe anything else. When he did observe her and her camera he took pains to keep his face turned away.

"Funny folks around here," remarked Betty to Cathalina. "One man does not want to be seen at all, and another can't bear to have his picture taken and doesn't like girls much, I guess. Now I must get a picture of the beach and some of the birds, if Lilian is going to call the place White Wings. I wonder if they won't let the seniors name it. I suppose that shed or something down there is where the hydroplane is. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could get that, too. Perhaps we can when it's finished."

"And name it White Wings, too," suggested Eloise.

"Some of the girls started to peek in a while ago, and the crossest man, worse than the farmer, told them that they weren't to come around there at all."

"I imagine it upsets them to have us all over the place like this," said Cathalina, "but they'll get used to it, unless they make a rule that picnic parties have to keep to the picnic ground. But the girls were told not to break off any of the fruit or do anything 'destructive' and I don't think any of the senior girls would. My, Diane, do you see that wonderful basket of grapes that man is carrying across the road for us!"

"Who wouldn't be a senior girl at Greycliff Farm?" inquired Eloise of the squirrels or birds or anybody who happened to be listening, as they hurried to the little summer house.

"Really, this is the best part of the place for us," said Hilary. "There isn't a better beach anywhere along than this, and about two or three o'clock we can have a fine swim. Have you noticed the swings and seats in that grassy spot under those old trees?--over in that direction. I'm going to get out my knitting as soon as lunch is over and go there to rest my bones."

"I didn't bring my knitting," said Betty, "but have a good story, one that I bought to read on the train, but didn't read it there, nor have I had any time since. If you like I can read aloud a while. I move that we offer resolutions of thanks to whoever got up all these things."

"Miss Randolph thought it up, I imagine," said Lilian. "She hasn't liked the Island very well, though I suppose they will go there sometimes still."

"The Island is very romantic," said Helen Paget, in her pretty Southern way. "There is the cave, you know, and the rocks, and the place where the water rushes through. I'm glad we had it."

"Speaking of caves," said Diane, "you girls never took me to that one you told such wonderful tales about last year. Didn't you and Isabel, Betty, explore one the year that I wasn't at Greycliff?"

"We didn't exactly explore it," replied Betty. "We must go there before it gets cold. As senior girls, we ought to be able to get permission to go beyond the place where the breakwater is."

"In boats?"

"O, no; just around the cliffs toward Greycliff Heights, you know, where all those big rocks are. But I want to have a lot of the girls along."

Fruit and rich cream were the chief contributions of the farm to the lunch of the seniors. Sandwiches and other good things had been brought from the school. After the lunch, the girls really rested for some time. Senior days are strenuous at times, with many activities and the home stretch of studies, and a day of freedom from lessons is welcomed.

The sun was warm when the girls splashed in the cool waters, swimming out as far as Mickey permitted, or diving from the new diving board.

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