Part 12 (2/2)
”Before!” cried Mary. ”I'd be afraid to trust the ivy with my weight plus the gumbo I intend to eat.”
CHAPTER IX
THE PERFORMANCE
WHEN we got back to Maxton, whom should we find sitting on the bench by Miss Maria but Mr. Jeffry Tucker? He looked as though he had known her all her life and no one would have dreamed that this was his second meeting with her. His first had been the summer before when that enterprising gentleman had made a trip to Price's Landing to persuade Mr. Pore to wake up to the fact that Annie was invited to go to Willoughby on a beach party and that all he had to do was let her go.
”Zebedee, darling! Where did you come from?” cried Dee, breaking away from the crowd as she spied her youthful father and racing like a wild Indian to get the first hug.
”Richmond via Henry Ford!” he managed to get out as Dum scrouged in for her share of hugging.
”And, Page! Little friend!” he said, freeing one of his hands and clasping mine.
How I did love to be called his little friend! He never called me that in a way that made me feel young and silly, either, but somehow he gave me the impression that he was depending on me, I don't know just for what but for something. I was as glad to see him as his own Tweedles were, I am sure.
”Did you come down alone?” I asked.
”No, indeed, I had the pleasure of the learned discourse of Mr. Arthur Ponsonby Pore on my journey hither.”
”Oh, good! He is back, then, and maybe we can have Annie,” said Dee.
”She is upstairs now,” announced that wonderful man.
”Oh, Zebedee! I just knew you could work it!” and Dee gave him another bear hug for luck.
Dee had sent a telegram to her father asking him to get hold of Mr. Pore and persuade him to hurry back and release Annie.
Miss Maria was anxious to hear of our success with the servants and was delighted to know of their contemplated return. When we told her that the only way to get them back was to have a circus, she was greatly amused. Zebedee, of course, entered into the scheme with his usual enthusiasm.
”When is it to be?”
”Now!” I answered. ”The darkies are on their way, ten thousand strong.”
”But, my dear, there are only five house servants,” said Miss Maria.
”Yes, but all the field hands had laid off, too, because of the ghost. I fancy all of the colored people from the quarters are coming up to be convinced against their will that the ghost was not a ghost.”
”But suppose Mary can't climb down again. She might kill herself this time,” wailed the poor hostess.
”Not at all!” I rea.s.sured her. ”It will be much easier to do it in daylight than in darkness.”
”Of course it will!” declared the intrepid movie star. ”And, besides, last night was only the dress rehearsal, and all actors say that the dress rehearsal is much more nervous work than the real performance. Now I must go dress my part,” and so we raced up to our room where we found dear Annie unpacking her suitcase with such a happy smile on her face that she looked like an angel.
How we did chatter! We had to tell her all about our plan for the society circus. Looking out of the window where Mary was to make her fearsome descent, Annie shuddered.
”I don't see how you can do it.”
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