Part 15 (2/2)

”Sit quietly and watch a bullfight!” Adair MacKenzie had heard Nan's counsel to Bess. ”Never heard of such a thing. Never saw such a thing happen. Couldn't possibly sit quietly and watch a bullfight. Too exciting. Too much blood and gore. No place to bring a woman.”

Adair had been upset by Grace's fainting spell and now he was sorry he had ever brought the girls here. Already he was casting about in his mind for something else to do that would wipe the memory of the unpleasantness of the spectacle out of their minds. He was oblivious of the fact that none of them outside of perhaps Nan and Amelia had witnessed the fight with their whole attention. He didn't yet know the story of Linda. The fact that her presence distracted them consequently had gone un.o.bserved.

”Got your things? Come on. We're going now.” Abruptly he made up his mind and plunged into action without further ado.

”But father,” Alice demurred.

”Don't 'but' me,” Adair answered. ”We're going to get out of this outlandish place right away. Can't have you all fainting on my hands.

Ready?” He was already halfway out the row and effectively blocking the view of the ring of all the people who had seats behind his party. But it didn't matter to him. In fact, he was so concerned with his own immediate problem that no one else in the world existed. Now he turned around again to see if the girls were following him.

”Fine spectacle for civilized people to put on,” he muttered. ”Hurry, you people. Can't be all day getting out of here.”

”That's right.” The voice that agreed with him was an American voice and it startled him. Adair looked up. ”What's that?” he asked the question gruffly.

”I said, 'that's right,'” the stranger answered. He was sitting about three rows behind where Adair was standing.

”What do you mean?” Adair looked more belligerent than ever.

”I mean you can't be all day getting out of here.” The voice in back answered positively.

”W-w-why, you old--old--old,” Adair spluttered. He could think of no epithet appropriate and yet forceful enough to call his critic in the presence of the girls. So his spluttering died away as he brandished his cane and just stood and looked.

”Daddy, daddy,” Alice put a soft hand on his arm. ”Do come. We are blocking the view.”

”Nothing to see down there anyway,” Adair returned. ”These Americans,”

he went on talking loudly and looking back at the man above him, ”come down here and think they can run everything. Want to tell us to move on.

Who do they think they are anyway?”

”Sh, daddy.” Alice was worried for fear her father would start a fight, even while she was secretly amused that he was accusing a fellow countryman of doing the very thing that he was guilty of. ”We must get down and out so that we can find how Grace is,” she added tactfully.

”Well, I'm hurrying just as fast as these Mexicans will let me,” Adair answered. ”I always said they were the slowest, most inconsiderate people in the world.”

Adair was wrong in what he said, and he knew it. As he was now sputtering about them being inconsiderate, so often he had sputtered because of their patient consideration for other people. Then he had said that they were too polite.

However, Adair prided himself on his willingness to change his mind.

”Only dunces never contradict themselves,” he often said.

Now, Alice and the girls were themselves moving along as fast as they could behind him, so, though he continued to mutter and even brandish his cane at others whom he suspected of calling at him in Spanish, he was soon safely out in the aisle and they all hurried up the stairs and out.

”O-o-ooh, but that was close,” Laura's eyes were dancing at the recollection of the scene in the stands as she and Nan stepped out into the street.

”Wasn't it though?” Nan was laughing too, now, though at the time, she, like Alice, had been worried for fear Adair would come to blows with the American.

”Two Americans come to blows at a bullfight,” Laura said, ”and the bullfight is forgotten.”

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