DORFIELD GIRLS
It is to be expected that Mary Louise, by virtue of her own wealth
and her grandfather’s political and social position, as well as her
own personal beauty and loveliness, was easily admitted “The Queen of
Dorfield.” There were many charming girls in the quaint little city,
nearly all being members of the “Liberty Girls,” an organization
conceived by Mary Louise Burrows which had done a lot of good during
the war. Indeed, many of these girls were heiresses, or with money in
their own right.
Yet wealth was no latch-key to the affections of Mary Louise. Just next
door to Colonel Hathaway’s splendid mansion was a neat story-and-a-half
dwelling that had not cost half as much as the Hathaway stables, but
it was cozy and home-like, and in it lived Irene Macfarlane, the niece
of Mr. Peter Conant, the most important lawyer of Dorfield, but by no
means a wealthy man.
With Peter Conant lived Irene, who was treated by “Aunt Hannah” (Mrs.
Peter Conant) and her husband as a daughter.
Irene had been crippled from birth and was confined to a wheel chair.
She was a bright little thing, and Mary Louise, as well as the other
girls, was very fond of Irene Macfarlane. Also among the “Liberty
Girls” were enrolled Betsy Barnes, the shoemaker’s daughter, and
Alora Jones whose father--Jason Jones--was by far the richest man in
Dorfield. Alora owned much of the best property in Dorfield but was
waiting for her majority to obtain it, for it belonged exclusively
to her dead mother. Then there was Laura Hilton, a popular favorite
whose father owned some stock in the mill and worked there. The father
of Phoebe Phelps was well-to-do, but not wealthy as either Colonel
Hathaway or Jason Jones.
Mary Louise never gave a thought to their worldly possessions. If they
were “nice girls” she took them to her heart at once.
All girls are prone to gossip (in Dorfield it was a distinctly harmless
amusement), and usually Mary Louise and her chums gathered in Irene’s
sitting-room, where the surroundings were sweet and “homey.” So, on the
day they took their ride with Danny Dexter as chauffeur--Danny dressed
in his new uniform--the four girls who had been favored by Mary Louise
as passengers met at the Conant residence and began to quiz their
friend. From them the news would fly throughout the city, where every
little thing is of interest, and Mary Louise was quite aware of that
fact.
Irene had been with them, of course, but Irene was a general favorite
and her “talking machinery,” as all the girls realized, had not been
affected by the trouble which made her an invalid. Then there were
Alora Jones, Laura Hilton, and last of all Phoebe Phelps.
“It’s really a ‘five-passenger,’” declared Mary Louise, “but it will
take six at a pinch, as you saw to-day. Gran’pa Jim’s old gas buggy was
called a seven passenger, but only six could ride in it comfortably as
the extra seat was always in the way; yet you know, girls, what a time
I had to induce him to sell his hayrack and buy me this beauty.”
“Uncle Eben could drive the Colonel’s car though,” remarked Alora,
“while you had to get a chauffeur.” Uncle Eben and Aunt Sally, an aged
black man and his wife, were the house servants. “That makes it more
expensive.”
“Well, we’ve the money to pay him, anyhow,” retorted Mary Louise, “and
then Eben is too old and stiff now to take care of the garden and do
all the outside work. Danny does all that now.”
“Oh, that alters the circumstances,” agreed Phoebe Phelps. “But it
seems funny to see an old black man and a young soldier boy wearing the
Hathaway uniform.”
“It is funny,” admitted Mary Louise, laughing, “but the soldier wanted
it that way. He said it made him proud to wear the Hathaway badge of
respectability. He’s a total stranger around here, you know--lives in
some Eastern city and has conceived a remarkable admiration for little
Dorfield.”
“Is that all you know about him?” asked Laura, suspiciously.
“He’s a soldier,” said Mary Louise proudly, “and entered the service a
common private and came out a top-sergeant. _That’s something._”
“Shows he’s popular with his mates and a good soldier,” agreed Irene.
“He was appointed to Company C of our regiment, together with some
others, after the battle of Argonne,” continued Mary Louise, lauding
her hero earnestly, “and was twice wounded before being sent home with
the Dorfielders. He had been offered an honorable discharge when he got
that terrible cut across the forehead, but in a week he was back with
the boys, fighting desperately.”
“Did he bring any recommendations?” asked Phoebe.
“Will White told me his story, and so far as recommendation is
concerned, every man in the Dorfield Regiment will swear by him
and stand for Danny Dexter to the last gasp. Don’t you like my new
chauffeur, girls?”
“_I_ do,” responded Laura Hilton. “Father offered him a nice job at the
mill, but he turned it down.”
“It was the same with _my_ father,” announced Phoebe.
“The back yard looks neater than it has in years,” commented Irene,
“and he surely proved to us this afternoon that he understood driving
an auto.”
“Gran’pa Jim declares it was my automobile that won him,” Mary Louise
stated. “He wasn’t anxious to be our hired man, either, until he caught
sight of the car, when he at once hired out.”
“Well, it _is_ a swell car,” declared Alora Jones, “and has every
modern appliance. Besides, it shines like a diamond in the sun.”
“My, she’s only had the thing a month,” said Phoebe, “and it’s the most
expensive little car in the market. Several have been sold in Dorfield
already.” There was envy in this speech, and all the girls sighed in
unison. Mary Louise, however, smiled slyly for she knew that with the
exception of Irene, any one of the girls present could afford to buy a
duplicate of her car.
“Well, the Hathaway establishment is blossoming out,” said Laura
lightly, “and one man--a hard-working soldier--seems responsible for
the transformation.”
“No, let’s put the auto first,” objected Irene. “First the old Colonel
is cajoled into selling his ancient rattle-trap and buying Mary Louise
a luxurious car, the latest model offered for sale; then comes along a
soldier who falls in love with the car, and to get the fun of handling
the machine hires out to the Hathaways. He proves a good man all-around
and soon has the old place slicked up as if it were new.”
“That’s all an example of Mary Louise’s luck,” commented Laura. “It
couldn’t possibly happen to anybody else.”
“I’m inclined to think that’s true,” added Phoebe, laughing at their
earnest faces. “Mary Louise seems to get the best of what happens
around Dorfield, but that’s not her fault--the dear little heart--and
I’m mighty glad things come her way for she deserves it.”
“The dealer, Lou Gottschalk, had six of these cars shipped in one
batch, the 1919 model,” explained Mary Louise, “and this was the last
to sell--merely because it had a few fixin’s not attached to the
others. The fixin’s made it some prettier, but no better running, and
there’s no change in the gear.”
Day after day Mary Louise won more praise from her girl friends by
taking them to ride in her new automobile, which her new man kept
shining as brilliantly as varnish will shine. When perched on the
driver’s seat in the Hathaway uniform--modest and inconspicuous--Danny
lent an added air of dignity to the outfit, and he certainly found
time, after looking after the garden, drives and lawn, to keep the car
immaculate also. Night after night Mary Louise could see the light
shining in his tower, which proved he did not waste an instant of his
time.
One afternoon, when the soldier was at the store, Mary Louise visited
this tower room and discovered there were several things that might
add to his comfort and convenience; so she purchased a cheap but
comfortable lounge, several cozy chairs, a new rug and a big “high-boy”
full of drawers and shelves. This was done in gratitude for Danny’s
faithful work, and he showed his appreciation by means of a smile and
nod, without ruining the event by a word of speech.
He kept up well, too, and was never a slacker in his work. If the
work got a little ahead of him he got up earlier in the morning and
accomplished his tasks in that way. Mary Louise was very proud of her
hired man’s ability.