Patty's Suitors. Wells Carolyn
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a captive princess?"
"Yes; they keep me on bread and water, and not very much of that."
"Couldn't I come and try to liberate you?"
"No, Sir Knight. Alas, you would but be captured yourself."
"But to be captured in such a cause, would be a glorious fate!"
"Oh, aren't you romantic! I really wish it were the Fifteenth Century, and you could come on a dashing charger, and rescue me with a rope ladder! I'm simply dying for an escapade!"
"All right; I'll be there in a few minutes!"
"No, no! it's just five centuries too late. Now, one can only meet people in humdrum drawing-rooms."
"And do you think there's no romance left in the world?"
"I can't find any." Naughty Patty put a most pathetic inflection in her voice, which touched Mr. Cameron's heart.
"Look here, my lady," he said, "there IS romance left in this old world, and we're IT! Now, this telephoning is all very well, but I'm determined to meet you face to face. And that before long, too."
"Oh, you've been making inquiries about me. You know I forbade that."
"No, you didn't; you only said I mustn't ask Central who telephoned. There was surely no harm in asking my cousin who called her up the other night. And very naturally she told me. So she's going to be the Fairy Godmother who will bring us together by the touch of her magic wand."
"Oh, if you know who I am, the fun is all gone out of our escapade!"
"Not at all; the fun is only about to begin."
"Then Marie did tell you all about me?" And Patty's tones betokened disappointment.
"She didn't need to tell me much about you. She told me your name, and the rest I want to know about you, I either know already or I shall learn for myself."
"If you know my name, why don't you call me by it?" And Patty had great difficulty to stifle her laughter.
"May I call you by your first name?"
"Not as a regular thing, of course. But if you know it, you may use it just once. But you can only use it to say good-night. For this session is over now."
"But I don't WANT to say good-night. I want to talk to you a long time yet."
"Alas, that may not be. It is even now time for my jailers to visit my dungeon, and if they catch me at this foolish trick, they will probably reduce my allowance of bread and water. And so, if you're going to call me by name, you must do it quickly, for I'm going to hang up this receiver, as soon as I say good-night!"
Patty's positive tones apparently carried conviction that she would do just as she said, for Mr. Cameron sighed deeply and responded, "It is such a beautiful name it seems a pity to use it only once. But I know you mean what you say, so as your liege knight, fair lady, I obey. Good-night—Elise—"
The name came slowly, as if the speaker wished to make the most of it, and Patty fairly thrust the receiver back on its hook as she burst into laughter. It surely was a joke on the young man! He had asked Marie who was her pretty brunette friend, and Marie had honestly thought he must mean Elise Farrington.
Patty was still giggling when her parents came in from a concert they had been attending.
"What IS the matter, Patty?" asked Nan. "Why do you sit up here alone, grinning like a Chessy cat, and giggling like a school-girl? Were the Hepworths so funny that you can't get over it?"
And then Patty told Nan and her father the whole story of Kit Cameron and the telephone.
Nan laughed in sympathy, but Mr. Fairfield looked a little dubious.
"And I thought you a well-brought up young woman," he said,—half in earnest and half in jest. "Do you think it's correct to telephone to strange young men? I'm shocked! that's what I am,—SHOCKED."
"Fiddlesticks, Fred," said Nan; "it's perfectly all right. In the first place, the man HAS been introduced to Patty. She met him at Miss Homer's."
"But she telephoned BEFORE she met him," stormed Mr. Fairfield, for
Patty had told the whole story.
"But she didn't do it purposely," said Nan, impatiently. "She got him on the wire by mistake. She couldn't help THAT. And, anyway, when he said he was Miss Homer's cousin, that made it all right. I think it's a gay little joke, and I'd like to see that young man's face when he meets Patty!"
"I shan't meet him," said Patty, pretending to look doleful; "he hates tow-headed girls."
"Well, you're certainly that," said her father, looking at her with pretended disapproval. "I have to tell you the truth once in awhile, because everybody else flatters you until you're a spoiled baby."
"Tow-headed, am I?" and Patty ran to her father, and rubbed her golden curls against his own blond head. "And, if you please, where did I inherit my tow? If I hadn't had a tow-headed father I might have been the poppy-cheeked brunette that everybody admires. It isn't fair for YOU to comment on MY tow-head!"
"That's so, Pattikins; and I take it all back," for Mr. Fairfield could never resist his pretty daughter's cajolery. "You are a pretty little doll-faced thing, and I expect I'll have to forgive your very reprehensible behaviour."
"I'm NOT a doll-face," said Patty, pouting; "I shan't let you go until you take THAT back."
As Patty had her arms tightly round her father's neck, he considered it the better part of valour to take back his words. "All right," he said, "rather than be garroted,—I retract! You're a beautiful and dignified lady, and your notions of convention and etiquette are above reproach."
"They're above YOUR reproaches, anyhow," returned Patty, saucily, and then she ran away to her own room.
CHAPTER IV
A PERFECTLY GOOD JOKE
Patty decided to do nothing in the matter of meeting Kit Cameron. She dearly loved a joke, and this seemed to her a good one. But she thought it would spoil it, if she made any move in the game herself. So she bided her time, and it was perhaps a week later that Marie Homer came to call on her.
As Marie hadn't the slightest notion that Patty was the girl her cousin had in mind, the subject was not mentioned until just before Marie left, when she asked Patty if she would come to her home the next week to a little musicale.
"Not a big party," said Miss Homer, "just a dozen or so really musical people to spend the evening. And I want you to sing, if you will. My cousin will be there,—the one who plays the violin."
"I thought he detested society," said Patty, her eyes twinkling a little.
"I don't know what's come over Kit," returned Marie, looking perplexed.
"He's been the funniest thing of late. He has some girl in his mind—"
"A girl!" exclaimed Patty; "I thought he scorned them."
"Well, I can't make this out. It's awfully mysterious. I think I'll tell you about it."
"Do," said Patty, demurely.
"Two or three weeks ago,—in fact, it was the day after my valentine party,—Kit asked me which of my friends had telephoned me late the night before. You know he lives in the apartment just above ours, and it seems the wires were crossed or something, but he heard this girl's voice, and now he insists he wants to meet her. I don't think Elise Farrington has such a fascinating voice, do you?" "Elise!" exclaimed Patty, in pretended surprise; "what has SHE to do with it?"
"Why," explained Marie, "Elise did call me up that night, to say she had left her scarf. But how Kit discovered that she was a red-cheeked brunette, is more than I can understand. You can't know that from a voice, now, can you?"
"No," said Patty, decidedly, "you CAN'T!"
"Well, then, a week or two went by, and I told Elise about this, but somehow I couldn't manage to get them together. Every time Elise came to our house, Kit would be away somewhere. But a few days ago I did manage to have them meet."
"Did