HIDE AND SEEK
All the time Patty was dressing she wondered about that letter; and
when Mona, ready for dinner, stopped at her door, Patty drew her into
the room.
"Mona," she said, "did you get a Christmas card from Mr. Farnsworth?"
"Yes," said Mona, "in a big blue envelope. Daisy had one, too. Didn't
you get one?"
"No; Jim said there was one for me, but it got lost somehow. Thrown in
the fire, I shouldn't wonder."
"Well, don't mind," said Mona, cheerfully. "You can have mine. It
isn't very pretty, and Daisy's isn't either, but I suppose they're the
best Bill could find out there in Arizona. Do you want it now, Patty?"
"I don't want it at all, Mona. What would I want with your card, or
Daisy's either? But if Little Billee sent one to me, I'd like to have
it, that's all."
"Of course you would; but truly, they don't amount to much."
"Jim must have been mistaken about there being one for me," said
Patty, and then the two girls went downstairs.
The Christmas dinner was practically a repetition of the feast of the
night before; but as Adele said, how could that be helped if people
would have two Christmas celebrations on successive days?
There were four extra guests, who proved to be merry and jolly young
people, and after dinner Hal declared that his reign as Lord of
Misrule was not yet over.
"Don't let's do any more stunts like we had last night," said Mona.
"They wear me out. Let's play easy games, like blindman's buff, or
something."
"Or Copenhagen," said Hal, but Patty frowned at him.
"We're too grown-up for such things," she declared, with dignity.
"What do you say to a nice, dignified game of hide and seek?"
"All over the house!" cried Roger. "May we, Mrs. Kenerley?"
"The house is yours," said Adele. "I reserve no portion of it. From
cellar to attic, from drawing-room to kitchen, hide where you will and
seek where you like,--if you'll only promise not to wake the baby.
She's taking her afternoon nap."
"She doesn't seem to mind noise," said Roger. "We do make an awful
racket, you know."
"Oh, no, I don't mean that," said Adele. "I've trained her not to
mind noise. But I mean if your hiding and seeking takes you into the
nursery quarters, do go softly."
"Of course we will," said Philip. "I'm specially devoted to that baby,
and I'll see that her nap isn't disturbed, even if I have to stand
sentry at her door. But what larks to have the whole house! I've never
played it before but what they wouldn't let you hide in this room or
that room. Who'll be It?"
"Oh, that's an old-fashioned way to play," said Hal. "Here's a better
way. Either all the men hide and the girls find them, or else the
other way around; and, anyway, don't you know, whoever finds who, has
to be her partner or something."
"For life?" asked Jim, looking horrified.
"Mercy, no!" said his brother-in-law. "This is a civilised land, and
we don't select life partners that way!"
"You mean just partners for a dance," said Patty, trying to help him
out.
"Well, you see," said Hal, "it ought to be more than just a dance; I
mean more like a partner for a,--for a junketing of some kind."
"I'll tell you," said Adele. "There's to be a masquerade ball at the
Country Club on New Year's Eve, and we're all going."
"Just the thing!" cried Hal. "Now, whichever seeker finds whichever
hider, they'll go in pairs to the ball, don't you see? Romeo and
Juliet, or anything they like, for costumes."
"But we won't be here," and Philip Van Reypen looked ruefully at
Roger. "We go back to town to-morrow."
"But you can come up again," said Adele, hospitably. "I hereby invite
you both to come back the day before New Year's, and stay as long as
you will."
"Well, you are _some_ hostess!" declared Roger, looking grateful. "I
accept with pleasure, but I doubt if my friend Van Reypen can get
away."
"Can he!" cried Philip. "Well, I rather guess he can! Mrs. Kenerley,
you're all sorts of a darling, and you'll see me back here on the
first train after your invitation takes effect."
"Then hurrah for our game of hide and seek," Hal exclaimed. "Jim and
Adele, you must be in it, too. You needn't think you can go as Darby
and Joan,--you must take your chances with the rest. If you find each
other, all right, but if you find anybody else, that's your fate,--see?"
"I'm willing," said Adele, laughing. "I'm sure I'd be glad to go with
any of you beautiful young men."
"Now, will you listen to _that_!" cried her husband. "Well, I won't be
outdone in generosity. I'll be proud to escort any one of this galaxy
of beauty," and he looked at the group of pretty girls.
"Now, we must do it all up proper," said Hal. "In the first place, we
must draw lots to see whether the girls shall hide or we shall. We
must have it all very fair."
He tore two strips of paper, one longer than the other, and holding
them behind him, bade Adele choose.
"Right!" she said, and Hal put forth his right hand and gave her a
paper on which was written "Girls."
"All right," went on the master of ceremonies. "Now you girls must
hide. We'll give you fifteen minutes to tuck yourselves away, and then
we're all coming to look for you. As soon as any man finds any girl,
he brings her back here to the hall to wait for the others. Now,
there's no stipulation, except that you must not go out of the house.
Scoot! and remember, in fifteen minutes we'll be after you!"
The six girls ran away and made for various parts of the house. The
two Misses Crosby, who had come as dinner guests, looked a little
surprised at this unusual game, and Patty said to them, kindly: "You
don't mind, do you? You know, you needn't really go with the man who
finds you, if you don't want to."
"Oh, we don't mind," said the elder Miss Crosby. "I think it's
fun,--only if I should draw that dignified Mr. Van Reypen I'd be
scared to death!"
"Oh, he isn't so awfully dignified," laughed Patty. "That's just his
manner at first. When you know him better, he's as jolly as anything.
But hurry up, girls, the minutes are flying."
The girls scampered away, some running to the attic, others going into
wardrobes or behind sofas, and Patty ran to her own room.
Then she bethought herself that that was one of the most likely places
they would look for her, and she was seized with an ambition to baffle
the seekers. With a half-formed plan in her mind, she slipped out of a
side door of her own room that opened on a small passage leading to
the nursery. In the nursery, she found the baby asleep in her crib,
and the Fraeulein lying down on a couch with a slumber-robe thrown
over her, though she was not asleep.
Like a flash, Patty's plan formed itself. She whispered to the
Fraeulein, and with a quick understanding the good-natured German girl
took off her rather voluminous frilled cap, with its long muslin
streamers, and put it on Patty's head. Then Patty lay down on the couch,
with her face toward the wall, and deep buried in the pillows. Fraeulein
tucked the slumber-robe over her, and then herself disappeared down into
the kitchen quarters.
The search was rather a long one, for the house was large, and the
girls had chosen difficult hiding-places.
The two Crosby girls were found first, because not knowing the house
well, they had simply gone into hall closets, and stood behind some
hanging dresses. They were discovered by Jim Kenerley and Hal; and if
the latter was disappointed in his quarry, he gave no sign of it.
The four returned to the hall, and after a while they were joined by
Roger and Mona.
"Oho," said Jim, who loved to tease, "what a coincidence that you two
should find each other!"
"Easy enough," said Roger. "I knew Mona would choose the very hardest
place to find; so I went straight to the attic to the very farthest,
darkest corner, and there she was, waiting for me!"
"There I was," said Mona, "but I wasn't waiting for _you_!"
"No, you were waiting for me, I know," said Jim, ironically. "But
never mind, Mona, we'll be partners next time. Hello, Adele, is that
_your_ terrible fate?" and they all laughed as Adele and Mr. Hoyt
came in together, with cobwebs on their hair and smudges of black on
their faces.
"I thought I'd be so smart, Jim, and I hid in the coal-bin; but Mr.
Hoyt found me! By the way, we must have that place cleaned; it's a
disgrace to the house!"
"But you know, my dear, we don't often use it to receive our guests
in."
"Well, I don't care, it must be cleaned. There's no excuse for
cobwebs. Now I must go and tidy up. I hope they haven't wakened the
baby. Oh, here's Daisy."
Daisy and Mr. Collins came in, laughing, and Mr. Collins declared he
had found Miss Dow hanging out the third-story window by her
finger-tips.
"Nothing of the sort," said Daisy. "I was out on a kind of little
balcony place, that's on top of a bay-window or something,--but I put
my hands over the sill inside, so that I could say I was still in the
house. Wasn't that fair?"
"Well, it's fair enough, as long as I found you," said Mr. Collins.
"But when I saw your hands, I really thought you were hanging from the
sill!"
"Where's Patty?" asked Daisy, "and Mr. Van Reypen? Are they still
finding each other?"
"I saw Phil," said Roger, "standing guard at the nursery door, as he
said he would. He let us each go in and look around, on condition that
we wouldn't wake the baby. And the baby's nurse was also asleep on the
sofa, so I looked around and sneaked out as fast as I could."
Just then Van Reypen came downstairs. "I've been delayed," he said,
"because I held the fort for the baby, until every man-jack of you had
been in the nursery. Now I'm going to begin _my search_. Who is there
left to find?"
"Oh, who, _indeed_?" said Jim, looking wise. "Oh, _nobody_ in
particular! Nobody but that little Fairfield girl, and _of course_ you
wouldn't want to find _her_!"
"Patty!" exclaimed Philip, as he looked around at the group. "Why, she
isn't here, is she? Where can that little rascal be? You fellows have
been all over the house, I suppose?"
"Every nook and cranny," declared Mr. Hoyt. "It was as a very last
resort that I went to the coal-bin and captured Mrs. Kenerley."
"Been through the kitchens?" asked Philip, looking puzzled.
"I have," said Mr. Collins. "They're full of startled-looking servants
who seemed to think I was a lunatic, or a gentleman burglar,--I don't
know which."
"Well, of course she's got to be found," said Philip. "There's no use
looking in the obvious places, for Patty's just cute enough to pick
out a most unexpected hiding-place. Come on, Roger; you found your
girl,--help me with mine."
"Oh, it isn't fair to have help," said Hal. "Alone upon your quest you
go!"
"Here I go, then." And Philip ran upstairs three at a time. He went
first to the attics, and made a systematic search of every hall, room,
and closet. He even peeped into the great tank, as if Patty might have
been transformed into a mermaid. Then followed a thorough search of
the second story, with all its rambling ells and side corridors; he
tiptoed through the nursery, smiling at the sleeping baby and casting
a casual glance at the still figure on the couch with the long, white
cap-strings falling to the floor.
On he went, through the various rooms, and at last, with slow step,
came down into the hall again.
"I think she had one of those contraptions like the Peter Pan
fairies," he said, "and flew right out through the roof and up into
the sky! But I haven't searched this floor yet. May I go into the
dining-room and kitchens, Mrs. Kenerley?"
"Everywhere," said Adele. "You know I made no reservations."
Philip strode through the rooms, looked under the dining-room table
and into the sideboard cupboards; on through the butler's pantry, and
into the kitchens. Needless to say, he found no Patty, and returned,
looking more puzzled than ever.
"I'm not going down cellar," he said. "Something tells me that Patty
couldn't possibly stay down there all this time! It's more than an
hour since she hid."
"What are you going to do about it?" inquired Jim. "Give it up? I'll
ring the Chinese gong for her to come back to us. That was to be a
signal in case of an emergency."
"No," said Philip. "I'm going to reason this thing out. Give me a few
minutes to think, and I believe I can find her."
"Don't anybody disturb him, let him think!" said Mona, gaily, and
going to the piano, she began to play "Alice, where art thou?" in
wailing strains that made them all laugh.
All at once Philip jumped up. "I know where she is!" he exclaimed.
"Sit still all of you, and I'll bring her back with me!"
"Wait a minute," said Adele, curiously. "How did you find it out?"
"Do _you_ know where she is?" and Philip looked at her intently.
"No, I haven't the slightest idea," said Adele, honestly. "But I
wondered how you could know, just from thinking about it."
"It's clairvoyance," said Philip, with a mock air of mystery. "You
see, I know all the places where she _isn't_, so the one place I have
in mind must be where she _is_. By the way, Mrs. Kenerley; baby always
takes an afternoon nap, doesn't she?"
"Yes, always."
"And does the Fraeulein, her nurse, always take a nap at the same
time?"
"Oh, no! She never naps in the daytime."
"She did to-day," began Roger, but Philip was already flying upstairs
again.
He went softly into the nursery. The baby was still asleep, the figure
on the couch still lay quietly beneath the knitted afghan.
Philip went over and stood beside the couch. The face was buried in
the pillow, but beneath the edge of the cap he saw some stray golden
curls.
"H'm!" he mused, in a low voice, but entirely audible to Patty. "I
thought baby May's nurse had dark hair. She must have bleached it!"
Patty gave no sign that she heard, but cuddled her head more deeply in
the soft pillows.
"Why, it isn't the Fraeulein at all!" said Philip, in tones of great
surprise. "It's the Sleeping Beauty!"
Still Patty gave no intimation of being awake, though, of course, she
was.
Then Philip leaned down over her and murmured: "And I'm the Prince;
and when the Prince finds the Sleeping Beauty, there's only one course
for him to pursue."
At this, Patty opened her eyes and prepared to spring up, but she was
not quite quick enough, and Philip lightly kissed the top of her
little pink ear, before she could elude him.
"How dare you!" she cried, and her eyes flashed with indignation.
But Philip stood calmly smiling at her.
"It's entirely permissible," he said, "when any Prince finds a
Sleeping Beauty, to kiss her awake."
"But I wasn't asleep!" stormed Patty, "and you knew it!"
"You gave such a successful imitation of it, that I consider myself
justified," he returned. "And, anyway, it was only a little bit of a
butterfly kiss, and it doesn't really count."
"No," agreed Patty, rather relieved, "it doesn't count."
"But it counts that I have found you," went on Philip. "You know the
rest of the story, after the Prince kissed the Sleeping Beauty?"
"She had to go to the Country Club ball with him," said Patty,
laughing, as she danced away from him. "Be careful, Philip; we'll wake
baby May. Come on downstairs."
"I found her," announced Philip, somewhat unnecessarily; "and I was a
blooming idiot not to know she was there all the time!"
"You sure were!" said Roger, when he heard the story. "Did you get a
good rest, Patty?"
"Yes; only it was interrupted so soon," and Patty returned Philip's
meaning glance with a saucy smile.
"Well," Roger went on, "now you two will have to go to the masquerade
together. I suppose you'll go as Jack and Jill?"
"No," said Philip, "I think fairy tales are much prettier than Mother
Goose rhymes. We're going as the Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, and the
Fairy Prince. Only, of course, the Sleeping Beauty will be awake for
the occasion. Shall I bring up your costume when I return next week,
Patty?"
"I might like to have a voice in deciding on the part I shall take,"
said Patty, with a show of spirit.
"But you _did_ decide it! I never should have thought of appearing as
'Prince Charming,' if you hadn't----"
"That will do, Philip!" said Patty, turning very pink.
"Go on, Phil!" cried Roger. "If she hadn't what?"
"If she hadn't said I'd look so sweet in a light blue satin coat,"
replied Philip, pretending to look confused.
"Oh, pshaw! She didn't say that," declared Roger. "And beside, you
won't!"
"Oh, yes, he will," said Patty. "Those court suits are lovely,--all
silver lace and cocked hats! Oh, Philip, do wear one of those! And
I'll write to Nan, to get me a costume. What are you going to wear,
Mona?"
"But we mustn't tell!" said Adele, in dismay. "This is a masquerade,
not merely a fancy dress ball."
"Oh!" said Patty. "Then we'll have to change our plans, Philip. The
Sleeping Beauty game is all off!"
"Only for the moment!" And Philip threw her a challenging glance.