Girl to Come Home To (23 page)

“But it wasn’t your key, Louella, it was mine. And besides, if we are going to pay for things in that way, how much do you think I’m going to charge you for tramping and wallowing all over my nicely planted cornfield?”

“Corn?” said Louella, looking wildly around. “I don’t see any corn.”

“No,” said Donald. “But it’s there. I just got it planted yesterday, and now you’ve stepped everywhere over it.”

“Well, how was I to know? There’s no sign of any corn. It’s all smooth. I don’t think you should leave corn lying around loose that way if it’s so valuable. But anyway, I came over here to find out where everybody is. I’m sorry if I’ve spoiled your cornfield, but I guess it’ll come up just the same even if it is all messed up. Now, Donald, tell me where everybody is.”

“Well,” he said pleasantly as he guided her carefully over to the grassy edge of the field where she could do no more harm, “I think this is Hetty’s day out. I saw her go down the lane a little while ago with her best bonnet on, and I don’t think she’s coming back before tomorrow morning.”

“The very idea! Giving her all that time. No wonder she’s so horribly spoiled. I shouldn’t think you’d allow Margaret to spoil her that way.”

“What was it you came over for, Louella? Why did you want to see Margaret?”

“Oh, I just wanted to ask her a few questions.”

“Well, suppose you ask me,” smiled Donald genially. “You see, I don’t want to waken Margaret up just now. She got very tired yesterday, and I’ve made it my business to keep it quiet for her till she wakens of her own accord.”

“Is Margaret sick?” asked Louella sharply. “I’m afraid you spoil her just the way she is spoiling Hetty.”

“Well, that’s the way I like to have it,” said Donald Graeme pleasantly. “That’s the reason I married her. I loved her and wanted to take care of her always, and I’m doing it, Louella, to the best of my ability. So, now, what was it you wanted to ask?”

Louella was annoyed. She hadn’t exactly formulated her questions to meet Donald’s clear comprehension and sharp eyes. He wouldn’t just smile and pass it off the way Margaret was apt to do, nevertheless letting out a glint of information now and then so that she could enlarge upon it for her own purposes.

“Well,” she said, fabricating a story in her mind rapidly as was her habit when she got in a corner, “I was thinking of having a little tea at the hotel for a few of my friends, and I wanted the boys to meet them. They are crazy to know them, and I thought Margaret would tell me just when she thought it would be convenient for them.”

“Well, I’m sorry about that. I wouldn’t be able to tell you about the boys’ engagements. They change every day, you know. But I can tell you that they are not keen for any teas or anything of that sort. I warn you, they’ll get out of anything of that sort if you let them know about it beforehand. I haven’t seen a single returning soldier or sailor who wants to be shown around and exhibited and asked what they did over there, so if you take my advice, Louella, you’ll forget it. If you happen to meet them on the street or somewhere and have any of your curious friends along with you, well, snap up your chance and introduce them if you can catch them long enough to accomplish it, but otherwise I’m sure you’ll miss out. And don’t ask me or Margaret when and where they’ll be, for we really don’t know. The boys have been so long under discipline that all they want now is freedom to do as they please. So we’re determined to help them get it as long as they are with us. Of course we don’t know how long it will be before they are ordered off again. And of course we don’t know, but they may be sent off to the Pacific. After all, they are trained men and will perhaps be needed.”

“Oh, you don’t really think that, Donald. You are expecting the boys to stay over here, you know you do. Why, somebody told me the other day that they were almost positive those boys would both be retained over here for very important positions.”

“That being the case, we have not yet been informed, and I think it not advisable to say any more about it. If it were so, we should probably not be allowed to say anything about it, so we’ll just change the subject, shall we? Suppose we go over to the springhouse, shall we? I could get you a glass of ginger ale or some grape juice. The boys took a lot of bottles down and left them in the springhouse last night. It’s handy to have some cold there when we’re working in the field, you know. And there are two or three glasses there. Come on. It’s just as easy for you to get to the highway back to your hotel as to go back the way you came. I don’t think you’re much of a fence climber. Come on.”

So Louella was definitely cajoled across the rough ground to the springhouse where she was served with delightful cold drinks, apple juice first and then a mixture of ginger ale and grape juice, which proved a pleasant change from the ordinary drinks Louella was used to. Of course she wouldn’t have minded if there had been a dash of something a little stronger in it, but for an afternoon refreshment at her dull, overconscientious cousin-in-law’s house, especially when no one but this tiresome cousin seemed to be obtainable, it was better than nothing. And at last baffled in spite of herself, Louella went back to her apartment and took to the telephone, calling up the sleeping Jessica and complaining to her of her inability to get any information for her.

But Jessica was all filled with her new ideas of how she was going to get back her hold on Rodney, and she had a lot of questions to ask. What had been going on during the few days she had been away? Had those Sanderson people been around any? Had that Diana gone home to New York yet?

Of course Louella was in no position to answer these questions. In fact, she hadn’t been around much even with the Graemes during Jessica’s absence. But always what Louella didn’t know she could easily make up, and she managed a fitting little story that hovered near the truth while allaying the fears of Jessica.

“I’m satisfied I shall be able to answer all those questions after I have seen Margaret Graeme for a few minutes. I am expecting to have a long talk with her tomorrow, in the morning, I hope. And don’t you worry, for I am sure from what my cousin Donald said today that the boys have not received their orders yet and that nothing at all is settled. Donald even spoke as if there might be a possibility that the boys were to be ordered to the Pacific, but he said it in such a satisfied tone as if he were not worried that I’m sure that is not it.”

“Well, I’ve got to have more definite information than that immediately,” said Jessica with frustration. “I thought you promised to have it for me by the time I got back.”

“Well, I didn’t exactly promise,” drawled Louella. “I said I’d do my best. If you think you can do any better, why don’t you go over there and try? I shouldn’t think it would be so impossible for you to talk to some of the family.”

“Well, if you can’t do any better than you have, I may do just that. I can’t simply fool around and wait much longer. I have a job to do, and the people I work for are getting impatient.”

“Well, I’m doing my best,” said Louella offendedly. “After all, I’m simply doing this for you because I like you, you know, and if I do not please you, perhaps I better go home. I’m simply staying around here because you asked me to.”

“Suit yourself,” said Jessica. “Don’t let me hinder you. If you can’t find out a thing for me, I’m sure I don’t know why you should stay. Unless of course you could find out something else for me.”

“Such as what?” said Louella’s cold voice.

“Well, I should like to know whether that Diana girl is still hanging around Rod, or whether she’s gone home to New York.”

“Oh! Why didn’t you say something about that before? This is the first I’ve heard of that. I would have had plenty of chances to find out if I had known it was important.”

“Well, go work on it then and see how far you can get with that.”

“I’m not sure there will be any way to find out. Especially if she’s gone back to New York.”

“You might call up on the phone and ask for her,” suggested Jessica.

“Hm! You might try that yourself, you know.”

“Yes, but I don’t think I care to. I might run on that disagreeable Beryl. I can’t abide her.”

“Oh, well, I’ll think it over and see if there’s anything I can do about it before I go home. I really ought to hurry away. There’s a possibility that somebody wants to buy my house, and I really need to sell it. I need the money.”

“I see! Oh, well, see what you can do and let me know. I really have some letters to write. But, by the way, if you find out where she is, you might get some further information about her. I heard the other day that she is as good as engaged to some big guy over in New York. If I knew all about that, I might even get somewhere with Rod. He might not have heard it, you know.”

“Yes, that’s quite true,” said Louella thoughtfully. “It seems to me that I heard something about that, too, but I’m not sure. Well, I’ll see what I can do. Will you be home this evening?”

“I’m not sure,” drawled Jessica. “I had thought of going out for a while, but I may not go.”

“Well, if you do, suppose you drop in here on your way. I may have something more to tell you. I have more than one source of information, you know.”

Louella waited until she was sure Jessica would not be likely to call her back, and then she called up Isabelle Graham and asked quite casually if she knew Diana, the girl from New York who was visiting Beryl Sanderson.

Isabelle did. She was fairly gushing with news. She had a friend in New York who had just written her the latest about her. She was engaged to some rich guy in the army who was coming home soon, and they were going to be married at once, and she’d been down at Riverton killing time until the wedding was over. She had her trousseau all bought and everything ready to be married. Weren’t some people lucky?

Louella finally hung up after she had extracted every bit of information she could possibly get and sat back to digest it and turn it over, with bits of her own devising, and then she called Jessica again.

But Jessica’s line was busy. To tell the truth she was actually calling up the Sanderson number and about to ask for Diana, but there was no one at home to answer that call, so Jessica, after trying for some time, hung up and so was ready for Louella’s next call.

I
t was later that same evening that one of the girls called up and asked Jessica if she heard Rodney broadcasting that afternoon, and, “Wasn’t he great?”

Jessica paused long enough not to show her astonishment and vexation that she had missed it, by not knowing about it, and resolved to blast Louella for that, and then she said with a characteristic drawl, “Oh, well enough, but I can’t say I care for that line he has now. I thought he’d get over that religious twaddle, didn’t you, when he went to war? He seems to have sort of stolen his little brother’s theme, doesn’t he?”

“Well, no, I don’t think he has,” said Alida, who happened to be the girl who had called her. “I thought it was so entirely different, and yet just as interesting and just as convincing. The war seems to have affected a good many of our boys that way.”

“Oh, I hope not! What a bore that would be,” said Jessica. “I hate boys to turn old before their time. Just think what it would be to go dancing with a fellow who talked religion all the time.”

“But the Graeme boys never did go dancing, did they?” asked Alida.

“Well, no, I suppose not. They were too much mamma’s little boys to do a wicked thing like that. But I did suppose that they would get over such silly, old-fashioned notions when they got away from mamma’s apron strings.”

“Well, they haven’t,” said Alida sharply. “If anything, they are more markedly old-fashioned than ever, and do you know, I
like
it. They sound like real men.”

“Oh, merciful heavens,
you, too
? Have they converted
you
, Alida? This is too much. And you used to be such a good sport.”

“Well, I can’t help it. I think they are fine. I never heard young men talk like that before. If everybody felt that way, there wouldn’t be so many wars and bad things in the world. There wouldn’t be so many divorces and drunkards and gangsters.”

“Oh, heavens, Alida! Cut it out. Tell me something—do you know how and when they went down to Washington? Was it just Rodney all alone? Didn’t he have anybody with him?”

“Why, sure he did. They drove down. My brother met them early this morning going over toward Prattsville. They had their big car, and there were six of them. Jeremy and Beryl, Rod and Diana, Kathie and her young chaplain.”

“Rod and Diana!” said Jessica in disgust. “Do you mean that unspeakable girl is sticking around yet? I declare she is disgusting, and she’s supposed to be engaged to some big rich guy in New York and getting ready to be married when he comes home on furlough.”

“You don’t mean it! Where did you hear that? I don’t believe that. Diana is not that kind of a girl. She’s sweet and quiet and lovely.”

“Oh yeah? Who told
you
that? I heard very differently. That sweet, quiet character she is putting on is just an act to deceive poor blind Rod. You know, really he’s awfully easily deceived. Anybody can make him think he’s talking to an angel.”

“Yes, I remember when
you
did that little act yourself, back in our happy school days. But remember that Rod is grown up now and has been to war and done great things. You’ll find he’s as sharp as a needle and can see through anybody. Remember he’s been through an experience with you and has learned quite a little. There was a time when he simply adored the ground you walked on, but not anymore. You have thoroughly disillusioned him, and you did your work all too thoroughly. You couldn’t deceive him now, and I don’t mean mebbe.”

“Oh yes? Well, I’ll wager I
could
. Just watch me and see.”

“For sweet pity’s sake, Jessica, you’re married! Lay off that stuff and act like a decent woman, or we’ll be ashamed we ever knew you.”

“Ashamed?
You?
Well, I like that! I could rake up a few things you’ve done in your time, if I cared to take the time to try.”