A week drifted pleasantly over the college town, and still no definite
step had been taken in the matter that had carried Anthony Fox over so
many weary miles of country. If business matters in the Eastern city
gave him any concern, he gave no sign of it to young Anthony or Sally,
seeming entirely content with the passing moment.
The three were constantly together, except when the boy was in the
class-room. During these intervals Miss Mix piloted her friend's father
over lovely Palo Alto; they visited museum and library together, took
drives and walks. One long evening was spent at the Peppers', where
young Anthony was the centre of a buzzing and hilarious group, and
where Sally, with her black evening gown and her violin, presented an
entirely new phase.
On the evening of a certain glorious day, to young Anthony, sitting in
silence on the porch steps, came Sally, who seated herself beside him.
"Tony," said she, firmly, "what have we decided about our engagement?"
Young Anthony eyed her expectantly, almost nervously, but he did not
speak.
"We must either announce it or NOT announce it, Tony!"
"Why, you see, Sally," said Anthony, after a pause, "I wanted to, a
while back, but--"
"I know you did," she said heartily, to his great relief.
"But now," he pursued slowly, "it would look pretty funny to the
Rogerses, and the Peppers, and all, you know. JUST now, I mean. I've
been up there all the time, right in things, and I've never said a
word--"
"Well, well!" said a voice behind them; and to the unspeakable
confusion of both, Jerry Billings rose from a porch chair and came down
to them.
"I couldn't help hearing," explained that gentleman, joyously. "I was
there first. I wish you joy, children. Miss Sally, here's my best
wishes! I never dreamed you two--and yet I knew SOMETHING had brought
father all the way from New York. But I never dreamed of this! This
ought to land me the Call job, all right! Hasn't that occurred to
either of you? Why, nobody has turned in anything to touch it!" He
looked at his watch. "I had better be getting down there, too," he said
excitedly. "Tomorrow's the first of May, by George! and I've got to get
any stuff in by ten. And there I've been sitting, cursing my luck for
an hour! Here goes!"
"Look here, Jerry," began Sally and Anthony together, "look here--"
"You mean you don't want it announced?" said Mr. Billings, blankly. A
pained look clouded the radiance of his face. "Isn't it TRUE?"
"We don't wish it announced yet," said Sally, feebly, as Anthony was
silent.
"I call that pretty mean!" ejaculated Mr. Billings, after a pause.
"It's TRUE," he went on aggrievedly. "I landed it--every old woman in
town will be on to it in a few weeks--it's a corking job for me--every
one's wondering what Mr. Fox is doing here--and now you two hang back,
just because you've not had time to tell your friends! Aw, be sports,"
he said ingratiatingly. "PLEASE, Miss Sally! I'd do as much for you
two. You know I may not be able to make it at all, next year, if I
haven't a job! I can have it, can't I? I get it, don't I, Tony? What do
you two care--you've got what YOU want--"
"Oh, take your scoop!" half groaned young Anthony Fox.
Sally began to laugh, but it was curiously shaken laughter. Mr.
Billings wisely seized this moment for a rapid departure. Mr. Fox,
coming to the door a moment later, found the others silent on the steps.
"Now we are in for it!" said Sally, ruefully, as they made room for him
between them. "What shall we do? Jerry's got it for the Call--we
couldn't LIE about it! And, oh, we CAN'T have it in print to-morrow!
Can you--can't you stop it?"
"Too late now!" said young Anthony, with a bad attempt at unconcern.
"Tell me what happened," said his father.
The recent developments were rapidly reviewed, and then Sally, removing
herself and her wide-spreading ruffles to young Anthony's side of the
steps, so that she might from time to time give his hand an
affectionate and enlightening squeeze, confessed the deception of her
engagement to him, and, with her blue eyes very close to his, asked him
meekly to forgive her.
Young Anthony's forgiveness was a compound of boyish hurt and
undisguised relief. It is probable that at no moment of their
friendship had she seemed more dear to him.
"But--there's Jerry!" said Sally, suddenly, smitten with unpleasant
recollection in the midst of this harmonious readjustment. "He--he
heard, you know. And we can't deny THAT, and it means so much to him!
He'll have telephoned up to town by this time, and the Call will run it
anyway--newspaper editors are such beasts about those things!"
And again she and young Anthony drooped, and clung to each other's
hands.
"I have been thinking," said the other Anthony, slowly, "that I see a
way out of this. I HOPE I see one! I'd like--I'd like to discuss it
with Miss Sally. If you'll just step down to the--the chicken yard,
Bud, for five minutes, say. We'll call you. And it's just possible that
we can--can arrange matters."
Half an hour later, Jerry Billings succeeded a second time in getting
the city editor of the Call on the long-distance wire.
"Hello, Mr. Watts! Say, about that engagement of young Fox, Mr. Watts,"
he began.
"Well, what's the matter with it?" came back the editor's voice,
sharply.
"Nothing's the matter with it," said Jerry, "only it's better than I
thought! It's--it's old Fox that Miss Mix is going to marry! Old A.F.
himself!"
"Who said so?" snapped the other.
"Fox did."
"FOX?"
"Yes, sir. He just telephoned to me. Gave me the whole thing. Said he
wanted it to be published straight."
There was a pregnant silence for a few moments, then:
"This is no jolly, Billings? It's big stuff if it's true, you know."
"Oh, it's true enough," said Jerry, trying to control his voice.
"Well, we've got his picture--I'm sure!" said Mr. Watts, calmly. Then
in obedience to Mr. Watts' curt "Hold the wire!" Jerry, with the
receiver pressed to his ear, heard the city editor's voice on another
telephone on his desk talking presumably to the make-up man on the next
floor.
"Hello, Frank!" said Watts. "Tell Mike Williams to run that suffragette
stuff on the third page. I've got a big story. I want room for a double
cut and a column on the front!"
Then: "Hello, Billings! You telephone me six hundred words on this
thing inside of an hour. No frills you understand. Just give me the
straight facts. We'll fix the yarn up here."