A SLEIGH-RIDE
The winter slipped away, and as Patty was a little girl who always looked
on the bright side of things, she really had very good times at Ville Rosa.
She became a favorite with the Elmbridge boys and girls, and her unfailing
good nature kept her from quarreling with her cousins though she was often
sorely tried by them.
Lessons were a very uncertain quantity. Sometimes there would be none at
all for a week or two weeks, and then perhaps school would keep regularly
for a few days, only to be followed by another interruption.
Patty found it only too easy to fall into these careless ways, and if she
had stayed all her life at Villa Rosa, I fear she would have become
indolent and selfish, for the rule of the whole household seemed to be
"Pleasure before Duty," and when that rule is followed it often happens
that the duties are not done at all.
In January, to Patty's great delight, there came a heavy snowstorm.
It made fine sleighing, for the roads were in just the right condition and
as the weather was clear and cold there was good prospect of many days'
fun.
Uncle Robert, always ready to give the young people a good time, instigated
a sleighing parade, in which all the society people of Elmbridge were
invited to join.
It was to be a grand affair. Every sleigh was to be decorated in beautiful
or unique fashion, and there was great rivalry among the families of
Elmbridge as to whose sleigh should present the finest spectacle.
"Papa," said Ethelyn, "I shall drive Patricia in my little cutter, of
course, and I want you to fix it up, somehow, so that it will beat
everybody else all hollow."
"Ethelyn," said her mother, "if you don't stop using those slang phrases,
you shan't go in the parade at all. Now promise to talk like a lady, and
I'll see to it that your sleigh outshines all the rest."
"All right," said Ethelyn, "I'll promise. Now, how shall we decorate it?"
"Never mind," said her mother, "I wouldn't trust you with the secret. You'd
tell everybody before the parade, and give them a chance to imitate it. But
just wait and see. You and Patricia shall drive the most beautiful turnout
in the whole line."
That day Mrs. St. Clair made a hurried trip to New York and came home with
many mysterious packages, and other larger packages came by express. Mr.
St. Clair came home early from his business and spent much of his time in
the barn, and the preparations grew so exciting that both Patty and Ethelyn
were on tiptoe with curiosity and anticipation. The parade was to start the
next afternoon at two o'clock. Soon after luncheon, Mrs. St. Clair sent the
girls to their rooms to dress for the great event.
Ethelyn gave a little scream of delight, as she saw new garments spread out
on her bed, and Patty ran on to her own room to find similar ones there.
Each girl had a long coat of fine white broadcloth, made with a double
cape-collar, and trimmed all round with white fur. A broad-brimmed white
felt hat, with white ostrich plumes and a fleecy white feather boa, white
gloves, and a white muff were there too; and even white shoes and white
cloth leggings, so that when the cousins were dressed, there was not a
touch of color about them, save their rosy faces and golden hair, and they
looked like veritable snow-queens.
They danced down-stairs to find Cupid awaiting them with a brand-new
sleigh.
Cupid was Ethelyn's pony, and he was pure white, every bit of him, and it
was this fact that had suggested the whole scheme to Mr. St. Clair.
The new sleigh was pure white too, trimmed here and there with silver.
Cupid's harness was all white and silver, and waving white plumes and
silver bells were in various places about the sleigh and horse.
There were big white fur robes, and when Mr. St. Clair tucked the girls in,
and Ethelyn took the white reins and white whip, it certainly seemed as if
no sleigh load could be prettier.
And none was. Everybody agreed that the white sleigh was the pride of the
parade. Patty secretly wondered why her aunt was satisfied without more
gaudy coloring; as she wrote to her father afterwards, she had half
expected to see a red sleigh with blue and yellow robes. "But," she said,
"I suppose it was because Cupid happened to be white, and I'm glad he was,
for it was all just lovely."
Mr. and Mrs. St. Clair and Florelle went in the parade also, but they
contented themselves with the family sleigh, which of course was both
handsome and elaborate. They had spent all their energies on the girls'
appearance and they were very proud of the result.
Reginald, who was of an ingenious turn of mind, had contrived an affair
which was supposed to look like a Roman chariot, and which was, therefore,
a bit incongruous on runners.
It was very fancy, being almost entirely covered with gilt paper, and it
had two wheels and no back. It jolted fearfully, and Reginald was
occasionally thrown out. However, he stuck to it pluckily, until his
machine was a total wreck, when he abandoned it, and jumped into his
father's sleigh for the rest of the parade.
Patty enjoyed it all hugely. It was such a novel experience to fly along,
through the crisp cold air, and over the shining snow roads; and Ethelyn
was in such jubilant good-humor, that the whole affair marked a red letter
day in the winter calendar.
The "White Flyer" was the talk of the town for weeks after, and Mr. St.
Clair never tired of telling any one who would listen, how much it all
cost, and how difficult it was to get the white sleigh and harness on such
short notice.
Patty grew very tired of this pompous boasting, and, notwithstanding her
enjoyment of the luxury at Villa Rosa, she was not altogether sorry when
the time drew near for her to go away to Boston to make her next visit.
She was to leave the St. Clairs about the first of March, and spend the
next three months with her father's sister, Mrs. Fleming.
As Uncle Robert was her mother's brother, the two families were entirely
unacquainted, and the St. Clairs could tell Patty nothing about the new
home to which she was going.
"But," said her Aunt Isabel, "I feel sure you won't like them as well as
you like us. Are they rich, Patricia?"
"I don't know," answered Patty; "papa never said anything about that. He
said that they are a very literary family."
"Humph," said Aunt Isabel, "then I guess they haven't very much money;
literary people never do have. Poor child, I suppose they'll turn you into
a regular little blue-stocking."
Patty didn't relish this idea, for at Villa Rosa she had fallen into the
habit of neglecting her lessons, and already study was losing its charm for
her. But she was fond of reading, and she felt sure she would enjoy an
atmosphere of books.
On the 14th of February, Aunt Isabel gave a party for the young people,
which was a farewell party for Patty, though it was also a festival in
honor of St. Valentine's Day.
As usual, the girls had new dresses, and they represented Mrs. St. Clair's
idea of valentines.
Ethelyn's was of blue, and Patty's of pink silk, and they were trimmed with
innumerable lace flutings and garlands of flowers. They were further
decorated with gilt hearts pierced by darts, and with skilfully made
artificial doves which perched on the shoulders of the wearers.
The party was a very pretty one, as Aunt Isabel's parties always were.
The rooms were decorated with roses and pink ribbons, and gilt hearts and
darts, and feathered doves and wax cupids. At supper the ices and cakes
were heart-shaped, and after the children had returned to the drawing-room
St. Valentine himself appeared.
As Patty suspected, it was Uncle Robert dressed up to represent the old
Saint, with flowing white hair and beard and a gilt paper halo. He wore a
long white robe with red hearts dotted all over it, and carried a gilt bow
and arrow.
He carried also a pack or pouch full of valentines which he distributed to
the guests.
Of course they were very handsome affairs, and in each was hidden some
dainty trifle, handkerchief, fan or bonbons.
Besides those at the party, Patty received numerous other valentines, some
of which came by mail, and others in the good old-fashioned way, under the
front door.
Many of these were from the Elmbridge young people, while several from
Richmond included a beauty from her father, and a pretty one from Clara
Hayden.
Although the cousins had varying tastes, they had become very good friends,
and both felt sad when the day came for Patty to leave Villa Rosa.
Indeed, the whole family felt sad, for Patty was a very lovable little
girl, and had endeared herself to them all. Uncle Robert was to take her to
New York and put her on the boat, where Mr. Tom Fleming would meet her and
take her to his mother's house in Boston.
Aunt Isabel said she, too, would go to New York with Patty, and of course
Ethelyn announced her intention of going.
Then Florelle set up such a howl to go, that Patty begged her aunt to take
her, and the child went.
Reginald declined to be left out of such a family affair, so Patty was
amply escorted to her destination.
They went on board the _Priscilla_, a beautiful boat of the Fall River
Line, and Mr. St. Clair soon found Mr. Fleming, who had agreed to meet him
at a certain spot.
Then Patty was introduced to her Cousin Tom, who was a tall young man of
about thirty-five, with a pointed beard, and dark, pleasant eyes.
"So this is my little Southern cousin," he said, cordially, as he took her
hand.
Then he chatted affably with the whole party until the warning gong
announced that they must go ashore.
Ethelyn was heart-broken at the thought of parting, and flinging her arms
round Patty's neck, burst into tears.
This was enough for Florelle, who promptly followed suit, and set up one of
her very best howls.
With a good-bye kiss to his niece, Uncle Robert picked up the screaming
child and marshaled his family off of the boat, and Patty was left alone
with her new-found cousin.