Part 12 (2/2)

”And he plays the mouth organ, too, and does funny stunts,” st.u.r.dily continued the little girl, disdaining Tom's scornful laughter.

”Good for you, Jane.”

”Yes, and he pa.s.sed his entrance to the High School a year ago when he was fourteen, in Ontario, anyway.” This appeared to check Tom's hilarity.

”My, what a wonder he is! And did he tell you all this himself?”

”No, indeed,” said Jane indignantly.

”Oh, I am glad to hear that,” said Tom with a grin. ”Won't you come along, Sam? It's only a little way down.”

”All right,” said Sam cheerfully. ”So long, folks. See you later, Larry.

Au reservoir, young lady, as the camel said to the elephant when he asked what he'd have. Hope I see you later if not sooner--ta-ta; tinga-ling; honk honk.” Again he swept Miss Hazel an elaborate bow.

”Thinks he's smart,” said that young lady, lifting her nose. ”He's a regular scarecrow. Who in the world is he and where did he come from?”

she demanded of Larry, who proceeded to account for Sam's presence with their party.

The visitors peered into the car and poked into its recesses, discovered the food supplies for boy and beast, and inspected the dormitories under Larry's guidance, while the boy, who had recovered from his embarra.s.sment, discoursed upon the wonderful experience of the journey.

Miss Hazel flashed her great blue eyes and her white teeth upon him, shook all her frizzes in his face, smiled at him, chattered to him, jeered at him, flattered him with all the arts and graces of the practiced flirt she was, until Larry, swept from his bearings, walked the clouds in a wonder world of rosy lights and ravis.h.i.+ng airs. His face, his eyes, his eager words, his tremulous lips, were all eloquent of this new pa.s.sion that possessed him.

As for Miss Hazel, accustomed as she was to the discriminating admiration of her fellow clerks, the sincerity and abandonment of this devotion was as incense to her flirtatious soul. Avid of admiration and experienced in most of the arts and wiles necessary to secure this from contiguous males, small wonder that the unsophisticated Larry became her easy prey long before she had brought to bear the full complement of her enginery of war.

It was a happy afternoon for the boy, but when informed by his sisters of his mother's desire that he should return with them, he was resolute in his refusal, urging many reasons why it was impossible that he should leave the car and his comrades. There was nothing for it but to leave him there and report to his mother their failure.

”I might have known,” she said. ”He would never come to a stranger's house in his old clothes. I will just bring down his best suit after tea.”

The dinner hour at Dr. Brown's was fully occupied with an animated recital of the adventures of the afternoon. Each member of the car party was described with an accuracy and fulness of detail that would have surprised him.

”And you know, Papa,” said the little maid, ”Tom just laughed at Larry because he could not play baseball and things, and I just told him that Larry could play the mouth organ lovely and the fiddle, and they laughed and laughed. I think they were laughing at me. Tom laughed loudest of all, and he's not so smart himself, and anyway Larry pa.s.sed the entrance a year ago and I just told him so.”

”Oh, did you,” said her father, ”and how did Master Tom take that?”

”He didn't laugh quite as much. I don't think I like him very much.”

”Ah?”

”But Hazel, she was just lovely to Larry. I think she's nice, Papa, and such lovely cheeks and hair.” Here Jane sighed.

”Oh, has she? She is quite a grown-up young lady, is she not?”

”She has her hair up, Papa. She's sixteen, you know.”

”I remember you told me that she had reached that mature age.”

”And I think Larry liked her, too.”

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