Part 8 (2/2)

Ordinarily, a part of Mrs. Pantin's society manner was a vivacious chirp, but now she said coldly between her teeth:

”I haven't that pleasure.” She gave Kate her extreme finger tips with such obvious reluctance that the action was an affront.

Disston glanced at Mrs. Sudds in the hope of finding friendliness. That lady had drawn herself up like an outraged tragedy queen. No one would have dreamed, seeing Mrs. Sudds at the moment with her air of royal hauteur, that in bygone days she had had her own troubles making twelve dollars a week as a stenographer.

His glance pa.s.sed on to Mrs. Neifkins, who was picking at a French knot in a spasm of nervousness lest Kate betray the fact that they had met.

Disston was aware that Mrs. Neifkins knew Kate and his lip curled at her cowardice. He raised his head haughtily; he would not subject his partner to further rebuffs.

”Come on, Katie,” he said, curtly, and they pa.s.sed into the dining room.

The girl's cheeks were flaming as they sat down on the chairs ranged against the wall.

”Hughie,” her fingers were like ice as she clasped them together in her lap. ”What's the matter? Do I look--queer?”

He answered shortly:

”You're all right.”

They sat watching the crowd file in. Suddenly Hughie exclaimed in obvious relief:

”There's Teeters, and Maggie Taylor and her mother! Wait here--I'll bring them over.”

He went up to them with a.s.surance, for their friendliness and hospitality had been marked upon the several occasions that he had accompanied Teeters, who always had some transparent excuse for stopping at their ranch.

Mrs. Taylor, with her backwoods' conceit and large patronizing manner, had been especially amusing to Hughie, but now in this uncomfortable situation she looked like a haven in a storm as he saw her towering by nearly half a head above the tallest in the crowd.

It was Mrs. Taylor's proud boast that she came of a race of giants. Even upon ordinary occasions she bore a rather remarkable resemblance to a mountain sheep, but to-night the likeness was further increased by a grizzled bunch of frizzled hair that stood out on either temple like embryo horns. Mrs. Taylor looked, as it were, ”in the velvet.” She wore a brown sateen basque secured at the throat by a brooch consisting of a lock of hair under gla.s.s. It was observed, also, that for the evening she had removed the string which she commonly wore around her two large and widely separated front teeth, and which were being drawn together by this means at about the rate the earth is cooling off.

Mrs. Taylor dated events from the time ”Mr. Taylor was taken,” though there was always room for doubt as to whether Mr. Taylor was ”taken” or quite deliberately went.

Miss Maggie was tall and sallow and was antic.i.p.ating matrimony with an ardor that had made the maiden one of the country's stock jokes, since the sharer of it seemed to be of secondary importance to the fact. All her spare change and waking hours were spent buying and embroidering linen for the ”hope chest” that spoke of her determined confidence in the realization of her ambition.

The three greeted Hughie warmly. Miss Maggie flashed her dazzling teeth; Teeters reached out and smote him with his fist between the shoulder blades; Mrs. Taylor laid her hand upon his arm with her large smug air of patronizing friendliness, and, stooping, beamed into his face.

”We were not looking for you here. Did Mr. and Mrs. Toomey come? Are you alone?”

”I brought Katie Prentice--she's sitting over there.”

”Oh!” Mrs. Taylor's expression changed.

The boy looked at her pleadingly as he added:

”She has so few pleasures, and she would so like to have acquaintances--to make friends.”

”I dare say,” dryly.

”She--she doesn't know any one. Won't you--all come and join us?” There was entreaty in the boy's voice.

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