DIAMOND’S OPINION.
“Well,” said Hattie, eagerly, “what success?”
“Mr. Diamond,” said Mabel, with wonderful seriousness for her, “is a
perfect gentleman and a splendid fellow. I am sure now that he is in
love, and he will be true to the fortunate girl. There are not many
fellows like him, and the girl who finds one is lucky.”
“Why, Mabel!” exclaimed the dark-haired girl, “I believe you are more
than half in love with him yourself!”
Then Mabel was confused.
“Perhaps I am,” she finally said, with a defiant toss of her head. “Even
if I am, I wouldn’t try to cut the other girl out. I have satisfied
myself that he is constant, and that was what I was trying to do. Had he
flirted with me, I was ready to give him a calling down.”
“Do you hear, Hodge?” laughed Merriwell. “Beware how you flirt with
Belfast girls. They are liable to be fooling you all the time.”
“Why, I’ll not dare look at one of them after this,” said Bart, with an
air of absolute seriousness.
“You must not be frightened so easily,” smiled Mabel. “Not every fellow
is a Diamond.”
“That is complimentary for us,” said Frank, ruefully.
“Very!” nodded Bart. “It makes me feel jolly!”
“It makes me feel jollied,” declared Merry.
“Oh, you are a flirt by nature,” asserted Hattie, speaking to Frank.
“You can’t help it.”
“This is growing jollier and jollier!” murmured Merriwell. “It is a very
warm evening.”
“Just a trifle,” nodded Hodge. “This time Diamond has the start on you,
Merry. He’s won the admiration of both of these girls without trying to
do so.”
“Well, Miss Mischief,” said Frank, “you are right about Jack Diamond—he
is a splendid fellow. He has his odd streaks, like anyone else.
Sometimes he is petulant and almost offensive, but his heart is all
right, and I never permit any of his moods to change my feelings toward
him.”
“That’s right,” agreed Hodge. “Merriwell will stand more from Diamond
than from any other fellow living. I don’t know why, but I do know that
anybody else would have cut Diamond long ago.”
“Doesn’t he always come around right in the end?” asked Frank. “Among
all my friends there is not a man who will fight for me quicker or
harder than Jack Diamond. You know that, Bart.”
“Well,” admitted Hodge, reluctantly, “I suppose it’s only right to give
the fellow his due, and I know he would lay down his life for you if
necessary.”
Among all of Frank’s friends, Diamond was the only one for whom Hodge
entertained real feelings of jealousy. He could not help being jealous
of the Virginian; but, profiting by Merry’s example and teachings, he
tried to crush the feeling out of his heart and be just with the
Southerner.
In the cool shadows of a perfect summer evening they reached Newport,
which is a summer resort at the present time, although it was originally
a camp-meeting ground. Located at one of the most beautiful spots around
Penobscot Bay, it was but natural that Northport should become something
more than a place where a religious sect met to worship one week every
year. From a small beginning it had grown to a village of handsome
summer cottages and a first-class hotel, which are occupied all through
the warm summer months, and is literally overflowing with visitors the
last of August. Beyond the limits of the “camp ground” on the “South
Shore” are various places of amusement, such as bowling alleys, billiard
rooms and a dance hall, where dances are held at regular intervals
through the season and every afternoon and evening during “camp-meeting
week.” There is also a hotel on the South Shore and a host of cottages,
owned by persons who do not care to be restricted at any season by the
rules of the camp ground.
Northport is a place of gayety at the height of the season, and of the
crowds that swarm there camp-meeting week, not one out of ten goes to
attend the meeting.
Two miles to the south of Northport, at Temple Heights, is a
spiritualist camp ground that is rapidly becoming a popular resort.
The Boston boat touches at Northport during the “season,” and a stage
line connects with the railroad at Belfast, so the resort is easily
accessible.
Many business men of Belfast own cottages at Northport and spend the hot
summer months there, riding to and from the city, mornings and nights,
on bicycles or the small steamer that makes several trips a day.
The cycling party from Belfast came down the curving road toward the
Northport House, their bells ringing merrily. They made a pretty show in
the dim evening light, even though they had not lighted their lanterns.
The girls went straight to a Belfast cottage, while the boys took their
wheels to the Northport House, where they were cared for by attendants.
Diamond strolled away by himself. Merriwell went out upon the broad
veranda of the hotel and looked away over the bay, where the moon was
just rising.
On the green in front of the hotel some wandering musicians were playing
“Kathleen Mavourneen,” and a hundred people were listening on the
benches and the grass.
Hodge came out and stopped at Frank’s side.
“Jove, Merry!” he exclaimed, “this is fine! I’m glad we came.”
“So am I,” said Frank, softly. “Hush!”
He was listening to the music. It stirred a responsive chord in his
soul.
“Beautiful!” he whispered, as the last sweet strains died away.
“Come,” said Hodge, brusquely. “Don’t get sentimental, old man. Let’s
take a stroll together.”
“Wait. They are going to play again.”
The musicians played “O Promise Me,” and again Frank was thrilled. As
they played, Merry softly sang:
“O promise me that some day you and I
Will take our love together to some sky——”
“Oh, say, come on!” impatiently exclaimed Hodge. “Let’s find the girls.”
“What girls?”
“Why, Miss Mischief and Miss Hazle, of course.”
“I was thinking of some other girls,” said Frank, quietly. “It seems but
yesterday that we were at Fardale. Have you forgotten May Blossom,
Bart?”
“Of course not!”
“I didn’t know. You seem greatly interested in these Belfast young
ladies.”
“What’s struck you? Great Scott! are you preaching—to me? Why, you do
not hesitate, when you see a pretty girl, to seek her society. You seem
to forget Inza Burrage and Elsie Bellwood for the time. Oh, you can’t
preach to me, old man! It won’t go down.”
Frank felt the blood rush to his cheeks.
“That’s all right, Hodge,” he said. “Perhaps I deserve this calling down
from you. But my eyes have been opened somewhat to-day.”
“How?”
“By Hattie Hazle and Mabel Mischief.”
“In what way?”
“Those girls divined Jack Diamond’s secret. They discovered that he was
in love.”
“Well?”
“They did not make a success of their attempt.”
“No.”
“What was the result?”
“I don’t know.”
“You heard Mabel Mischief express her sentiments. You heard her say how
much she respected Jack. Up to that moment I had thought her frothy and
thoughtless. Then I discovered that she did think and reason, and she
opened my eyes, for she showed me how much respect a fellow commands who
is constant to one girl. I met her first, Hodge, but I know that at this
minute she thinks far more of Jack Diamond than she does of me.”
“What of that? There are others. And I didn’t suppose you were pledged
to any girl, Merriwell.”
“I am not.”
“Then I fail to understand what the matter is with you. I know you
admire Inza Burrage, and she thinks a great deal of you; but I also know
that you like Elsie Bellwood just as well, and I think she cares more
for you than Inza ever can. Those are not all the ones, either. There
are other bright, smart girls whom you admire and respect. You are not
engaged to any of them. What are you going to do while you are not in
their society? Because you think a great deal of some girl, are you
going to shun all others as if you were married and settled down?”
“Well, I can’t say that I ever have,” laughed Frank.
“No, and it’s too late to begin now. It’s all right for Diamond to do so
if he wishes; but I think it is equally right for you to do as you have
done in the past. The time will come some day, without doubt, when you
cannot do so. Until that time does come, get all the pleasure out of
life that you can, and what is more enjoyable than the society of an
intelligent, charming and pretty girl?”
Frank was astonished by Bart’s words and manner, for it was seldom that
Hodge expressed himself thus freely.
“That is good logic, old man,” he confessed, “but those musicians have
awakened thoughts of a little girl with blue eyes and golden hair, and I
don’t think I care for the society of either Miss Mischief or Miss Hazle
at present. Let’s stroll down to the shore.”
They did so, and found Diamond sitting on some bowlders, looking off
over the bay in the track of moonlight which seemed to lead toward Bar
Harbor.
“There he is,” said Hodge. “Thinking of the girl at Bar Harbor, I’ll bet
something.”
“How long have you been here, old man?” asked Merry.
“Less than a minute,” answered Jack. “Just stopped here. Isn’t the
moonlight beautiful on the water?”
“It is, but when a fellow gets to watching the moonlight all alone by
himself it means something. I think Hattie Hazle was right.”
“About what?” asked the Virginian, quickly.
“She said you were in love.”
Jack said not a word.
“And Mabel Mischief settled it. Two nice girls, eh? Jack?”
“Do you want my honest opinion of them?”
“Certainly.”
“Well, you know I am always very careful about what I say concerning the
fair sex.”
“Yes.”
“I would not say this to anyone else, but I know neither you nor Hodge
will repeat it. Those girls are bright enough and are pretty, but they
are too forward. I think the bicycle is responsible for it, but I notice
that girls who ride are likely to be that way.”
Immediately both Merriwell and Hodge protested.
“Not necessarily,” said Frank. “I know many young ladies who are just as
much ladies since they have begun to ride as they were before. If a girl
is inclined to be unladylike, it is possible that riding a wheel may
give her more opportunities to show her real nature than anything else.
But the wheel is not to blame. It simply shows the person’s real nature.
“And I take exceptions, Jack, to your statement that those girls are
bold. They were pleased by your appearance, and they tried to make
themselves agreeable to you. That’s all.”
“I may be wrong,” admitted Jack; “but it seemed boldness. I wouldn’t say
so to anyone else. Do not repeat it for the world! It might reach their
ears, and I’d rather do anything than say a word to hurt the feelings of
a lady.”
But his words had already reached the ears of Mabel and Hattie, for the
girls were sitting on a flat stone and leaning against a bowlder less
than thirty feet away.
------------------------------------------------------------------------