Part 6 (1/2)

”I think I have met Miss Everett before.”

And, to the utter mystification of the boys, they burst out laughing, and laughed as if they would never stop.

CHAPTER VI.

MARJORIE'S PARTY.

”O Allie,” said Marjorie suddenly; ”did you know that next Thursday is going to be mamma's birthday?”

”No, is it?” asked Allie, as she stooped to pick up the long, lean gray cat that was wandering aimlessly around them, and rubbing her hollow sides against their ankles. ”I thought you gave Waif away, Marjorie.”

”We did,” responded Marjorie, laughing. ”She was a stray cat that came to us, you know, and she was so homely that mamma didn't want her in the house, so we gave her to Dr. Hornblower, a month ago.”

”Where'd she come from, then?” queried Allie, while she stroked the cat as she stood pawing and purring in her lap. ”Wouldn't she stay with him?”

”Didn't I tell you? How queer, for we we've been laughing about it ever since! You see,” Marjorie continued, ”the doctor was lonesome, and wanted a cat for company, and we didn't want Waif, so we gave her to him. He was perfectly delighted with her, and carried her off home in a paper sack, with her head poking out through a hole in one side, and her tail sticking out the other. Two days later he stopped papa in the post-office and told him, 'Your kitty's caught a mouse.' The next week he met mamma and told her 'Kitty's caught three mice.' Then we didn't see anything more of him for ever so long, and we supposed that was the last of it; but, day before yesterday morning, he came to the door and handed a bundle to mamma, and said he didn't like the kitty as well as he thought he was going to, after all, so he'd brought her back. So here she is. Don't you want her?”

”I wouldn't take such a looking cat as a gift,” returned Allie disdainfully. ”But wasn't that just like Dr. Hornblower? He's very good; but he's as stupid as he can be, and I don't s'pose it ever occurred to him that he could pa.s.s the cat along to somebody else. Did you ever notice the way Mrs. Pennypoker always calls him 'good old Dr.

Hornblower,' when she's ten years older than he is? I wonder how he'd like it, if he could hear her.”

”I don't believe he'd mind, for he likes her so well; at least, he's there ever so much,” said Marjorie innocently.

”H'm! you needn't think he goes to see Mrs. Pennypoker,” said Allie scornfully. ”It's Miss Lou that he likes.”

”Not that old man!” And Marjorie stared at her friend in amazement.

”He isn't so very old; and I don't know as I wonder if he does,” replied Allie, with an air of great enjoyment in her small gossip. ”I should think anybody might like Miss Lou, she's so pretty; and I just believe Mrs. Pennypoker is helping him on. You wait and see.”

The two girls were sitting alone in the open front door of the Fishers'

house, enjoying the late afternoon sun of a warm spring day. They had been off for a long ride with the boys, as was their frequent custom.

The children all had their saddle ponies, and it was their delight to canter off, soon after lunch, for an hour or two among the pleasant mountain roads surrounding the town. On their return, they had stopped for a moment at Marjorie's door, to find that Mrs. Fisher had gone out to make some calls; and Marjorie had begged Allie to stay and keep her company until Allie had at length yielded and allowed the boys to go on without her.

There was a pause after Allie's last words; then Marjorie returned to her original charge.

”Yes,” she resumed; ”Thursday is going to be her birthday, and I want to celebrate. What can I do?”

”I don't know, I'm sure,” answered Allie vaguely. ”What do you want to do?”

”That's the worst of it,” responded Marjorie thoughtfully. ”I want it to be something that she'd like, and I don't know just what. I might--Let me see. I'll tell you,” she added, with sudden inspiration, ”I'll give her a surprise party.”

”What?” And Allie looked at her friend, in astonishment at so daring a proposal.

”Yes, I'll give her a party,” repeated Marjorie, nodding her head with decision.

”But do you suppose she'd like it?” inquired Allie dubiously.

”Of course she will. She 'most always has one for me on my birthday, you know,” returned Marjorie; ”and she wouldn't do that, if she didn't like them. She never had one herself; but that's only because she didn't have anybody to give her one.”