ARTHUR COMES BACK
As soon as Arthur was out of sight Ruth flew up the stairs and into
her room.
"Oh, dear! Now I have done it!" she thought, throwing herself on
the couch and clasping her hands behind her head. "Just as we were
beginning to be good friends, too. Why didn't I keep still and let
his mother manage it?"
Ruth's cheeks were very red and her hands hot and unsteady as she
put on her dainty silk gown. She had expected to enjoy the evening
so much, and now, for the moment, at least, she would be thankful
if there were to be no party. She tormented herself by thinking that
perhaps if she had not interfered things might have gone better.
What boy could ever forgive being called a coward and a baby? Would
she, herself, have been braver or more cheerful if she had suddenly
been condemned to crutches and so inactive a life?
Fortunately for her the sound of the door-bell made her run hastily
down-stairs to receive her guests. It was a relief to find Mrs.
Hamilton in the big music-room, for though she was accustomed to
meeting the three boys who had arrived first, they seemed strangely
formal and unfamiliar in the dignity of their party clothes. They
were doing their best to be cheerful and entertaining, for all felt
oppressed by the fact that there was to be a party in the Hamilton
house without Arthur as host.
Joe, who with Frank and Arthur had formed a trio noted for its
loyalty and good fellowship, looked as solemn as a boy who resembled
a good-natured cherub could, and shook hands with Mrs. Hamilton
and Ruth with a fervor that made them wince. Arthur had been his
hero and chum ever since they were small boys in knickerbockers.
They had gone to school together, and had been preparing for the
same college when the accident happened which had so changed Arthur.
It had been the first real sorrow of Joe's life to be shut away
from Arthur, and he felt that he should never be reconciled to it.
Philip and John Canfield were brothers who had come lately to Glenloch,
and were much liked by the boys and girls. Phil, the elder, was a
quiet, studious boy, much interested in mechanics and electricity,
and preparing for a course in one of the well-known scientific
schools. He was devoted to his younger brother, who was a brilliant,
artistic lad, but not very strong. The family had come to Glenloch
on account of the fine air, and the out-of-door life.
Glenloch young people were never late in arriving at a party, and
almost before Ruth realized it ail her guests had come.
"What shall we do first?" she whispered to Charlotte, who was
looking really pretty in her red dress, though a little pale still
from her recent fright.
"Let's play Twenty Questions. That breaks the ice beautifully, for
we always get so excited over it."
Dorothy and Bert Ellsworth were selected as leaders and began at once
to choose their supporters. They had not progressed far, however,
when an exclamation from Joe, who was standing in the background,
made them all turn to look at him. He was staring past Mr. and
Mrs. Hamilton out into the hall, his eyes very big and round, and
a broad smile on his face. Before he could speak a voice from the
hall, a voice that tried very hard to be steady, said:
"Can you find a place for me on one of the sides?"
Then, and only then, Joe came to life. Leaping toward the door he
seized the owner of the voice by the shoulders with a force that
threatened to overbalance him.
"It's Art!" he almost shrieked, "by glory, it's Arthur. Of course
you can have a place. You can be on both sides. You can own the
whole party if you want to."
"Hold on, old man," said Arthur with a laugh as he started slowly
into the room with Joe's arm around his shoulders. "Don't rush me
too hard, for I'm not so steady on my pins as I used to be."
Almost before the words were ont of his mouth there was a general
rush of boys in his direction.
"Take care of the sticks, Joe," ordered Frank; "now, Phil, gently
there," and before Arthur could protest he was lifted skilfully
in the arms of his chums, borne in triumphal procession across the
long room, and deposited in the biggest armchair.
"What's the matter with Arthur?" piped Jack, as the boys settled
themselves on the floor around the big chair, and in response a
ringing chorus of boys and girls lustily asserted, "He's all right!"
Arthur held his head high and smiled bravely, but his paleness told
what a struggle for self-control he was making. Quite unconsciously
he looked appealingly at his mother, but saw only her back as she
went quickly from the room.
Betty, who had a positive genius for sensing situations and smoothing
over hard places, saw the look and came to the rescue at once. "Get
up, children," she commanded with mock severity; "this is a party,
and we don't sit on the floor at parties. Besides, we're going to
play a game."
"Oh, we'd rather talk to Arthur," answered Bert bluntly. "You girls
can play games in the library if you want to."
There was a chorus of protest from the girls, in the midst of
which Frank and Joe set Bert forcibly on his feet, while Phil said
paternally, "Son, son, is that the way you talk to your sister?
You're going to have plenty of chance to talk to Arthur from now
on, so come along and play like a good little boy."
It was Dorothy's turn to choose, and she took what her brother called
a mean advantage by immediately choosing Arthur and establishing
her camp around the big chair. Bert's side went reluctantly into
the library, and the game began by sending Philip and Katharine
into the hall to choose what the others should guess.
In spite of the fact that what she most wanted had come to pass
Ruth still felt uncomfortable, indeed almost unhappy. To be sure
Arthur had come down, but would he ever forgive what she had said
to him? She had been quick to see that at first he had resented
her advent into the family, and it was with a secret pride that
she had lately realized that they were getting to be good friends.
"Now I have spoiled all that," she thought mournfully. "He may be
glad I made him come down, but I know he'll never forget the horrid
things I said."
Katharine and Philip fondly hoped that they had chosen something
which would puzzle their friends for some time. It was not long,
however, before Charlotte, whose skilful questioning was the admiration
of her own side and the despair of the other, had gradually drawn
from Philip the fact that the object thought of was the right eye
of the first fish Frank had caught the last time he went fishing. As
Philip reluctantly assented there was a shout of joy from Bert's
side, and an answering chorus of groans from the music-room.
Then Charlotte and Jack went out and tried their best to think of
something almost unguessable, and at last Ruth was sent out to wait
for some one from the other side who seemed to be slow in coming.
She sat down in one of the hall chairs, but started up again and
would have liked to run away when she heard the familiar tap of the
crutches on the polished floor. It was silly to feel so embarrassed,
she thought; she had meant well, at least, in what she had done,
and if she had gone too far she was sorry but it couldn't be helped
now. She tried to think only of the game they were playing and said
brightly to Arthur as he approached:
"I hope you've thought of something hard, for I'm so stupid I can't
think of a thing."
"Oh, hang the game," he answered impatiently. "See here, Ruth, it's
not very easy for me to say things, but I've just been waiting for
the chance to tell you that you've done something for me to-night
that I shall never forget."
"Oh, but I want you to forget all those horrid things I said, and
I take them all back this very minute. I think it's very fine and
brave of you to come down and act just the same as ever."
Arthur looked as if the little speech pleased him, though, being
a boy, of course he couldn't say so.
"It's taken three of you to reform me," he said with a little laugh.
"Mother has tried her hand at it, and good old Ellen, and now you
have put on the finishing touch. At least, I hope it's the finishing
touch," he added soberly.
"Of course it is. You can never feel like shutting yourself up
again when you see how they all want you, and how happy you make
your mother and father."
"I shall be an ungrateful beast if I don't please my mother and
father. You must give me a push if you see me going backward, Ruth.
What's the use of a borrowed sister if she can't help a fellow
along?"
"I will, and you must help me, for boys always have very strict
ideas as to how their sisters should behave," said Ruth with a
mischievous twinkle. "My, but I feel better," she added with a sigh.
"You've been such an awful load on my conscience, Arthur Hamilton,
that I haven't enjoyed one minute of my party. Now I'm going to
have a good time."
She started toward the door of the library just as Joe's voice
called from the music-room, "What under the sun are you two people
taking so long about?"
Ruth flew back to Arthur in dismay. "Oh, in another second I should
have walked straight back to my own side without choosing a thing,"
she gasped. "Do think of something quick."
Arthur shouted with laughter. "I'd have given anything if you had,"
he choked. "I should have liked to see your face when you came to."
"Mean boy!" she said sternly. "You can only pay up for that by
thinking of something immediately, before I count five. One, two,
three, four---"
"The tip of Fuzzy's tail," answered Arthur, making a useless grab
for the object in question as its small proprietor disappeared up
the stairs.
"All right. But they'll guess it in a minute," declared Ruth as they
took their separate ways. Contrary to her expectations it proved
a hard one, and they were all in gales of merriment before Betty,
whose thoughts turned easily to cats, started the questioning in
the right direction. Charades came next, then a game proposed by
Philip, and after that supper was announced.
Ruth, who had not been let into the secret of the final arrangements,
felt a thrill of delight when she saw the pretty table. A tiny
Christmas tree hung with glittering ornaments, and dotted with
twinkling candies was the centerpiece, while a border of delicate
green vine brightened with sprigs of holly ran all around the table.
At the foot of the little tree were heaped mysterious parcels wrapped
in white tissue-paper and tied with gold cord. Now Ruth knew what
Arthur had been so busy over all the afternoon, for the place cards
were small and very funny snapshots of the guests themselves, neatly
mounted, and with the date in gold lettering.
"The mental effort of playing guessing games gives me almost
an appetite," said Joe pensively, as he watched with hungry eyes
a platter of chicken coming his way. There was a general shout at
this, for Joe was always eating, and never hesitated to proclaim
that he considered the serving of the refreshments the nicest part
of a party.
"You have a fairly good appetite for a boy," remarked Ruth, "or
for a white-haired lady either," she added demurely.
Every one laughed and Joe groaned. He had tried to keep it a dead
secret that his grandmother had been highly indignant because
he had borrowed her best gown without leave, and had cut off his
allowance for several weeks, but it had leaked out, and the girls
didn't mean he should hear the last of it.
"Never mind, old boy," said Arthur. "There's more food in sight
and still more in the kitchen, so pitch in."
It was a delicious supper of chicken and creamed potatoes, crisp
rolls and foamy chocolate, and Ellen's unrivaled ice-cream and
cake to top off with. As they were finishing the ice-cream, Katie
appeared with a tray on which reposed six pound boxes and an equal
number of half pound boxes. All eyes were upon her as she gave a
large box to each girl and a small box to each boy.
"Wow!" said the irrepressible Joe, lifting his box and letting it
fly into the air, so great was his astonishment at finding it empty.
"Oh, here's richness!" cried Dorothy, taking off the cover of hers
to disclose row upon row of tempting chocolates.
The boys with one accord uncovered their boxes, only to find them
empty, and a low groan went around the table.
"I say, Betty, I always did like you," said Frank, gazing covetously
at the sweets so near at hand.
"Tell them about it, Ruth," laughed Mrs. Hamilton.
Ruth tried to look very solemn as she gazed around the table. "This,
boys," she said impressively, "is intended for an object-lesson, to
show you how nice and kind and generous, and--and everything else
that's good, girls can be when they have the slightest chance. My
Uncle Jerry, who hopes soon to know you all, has sent this candy
to the girls, and now it's their turn to do the next thing."
"Give me your box then, and let me fill it at once before I am
tempted to keep it ail myself," groaned Charlotte, reaching for
Joe's box. "And 'think shame to yourself' for your greediness in
the past."
Meanwhile Mrs. Hamilton was busy with the packages placed around the
little Christmas tree. From somewhere in the midst of the greenery
she extracted a bunch of red and white ribbons and, holding them so
that it was impossible to see to which packages they were attached,
she offered them to each in turn saying, "Girls white, and boys
red, please.
"Now pull and see what you'll get," she said as the last ribbon
left her hand. "These are gifts which have come across the ocean
to you from Ruth's father."
The ribbons were purposely so tangled that at first it was like
pulling in an unwilling fish. There was much friendly squabbling,
and then a chorus of ohs and ahs as the gifts were finally opened.
"Just what I wanted," contentedly sighed Dorothy as she clasped
a turquoise-studded bracelet on her round arm. "What a perfectly
elegant father you must have, Ruth!"
"I should say so," came in a duet from Betty and Katharine who were
respectively gloating over a string of pearl beads and a pretty
hatpin. Alice had found a silver belt-buckle in her parcel, and
Charlotte was gazing at a coral necklace with great satisfaction.
"What vain creatures girls are," said Frank maliciously as he gazed
at the absorbed young ladies. "Now we men, ahem, are presented with
practical gifts." As he spoke he held up a fine knife with views
of Nuremberg on the handle.
"You spoke too soon, Frank," said Phil, showing a pair of cuff
links, while Joe made every one laugh by assuming dandified airs as
he stuck in his tie a pretty scarf-pin. Arthur peacefully attached
a silver pencil to his watch-chain, Bert transferred his small
change to a pigskin purse, and Jack slashed imaginary villains with
a knife similar to Frank's.
"But where's your present, Ruth?" asked Betty. "You ought to have
the nicest of all." Ruth, who had been absorbed in watching the
others, came to herself with a start. "Why--why, I actually forgot
to choose something for myself. I meant to, though," she added
honestly.
"How will this do?" asked Mrs. Hamilton, producing a package that
no one had seen before.
"Why, did father send another package?" said Ruth, looking so surprised
that every one shouted with laughter. The girls eagerly crowded
around her as she cut the cord and disclosed an attractive-looking
box. Opening this she discovered a dainty velvet case in which
reposed the prettiest watch she had ever seen. It was hung on a
slender chain, and Ruth put it around her neck at once and tucked
the little watch under her belt.
"Isn't it a darling?" she said happily. "Father always gives me
what I most want."
"Let's see the wheels go round," suggested Phil, and Ruth opened
the case to find a little picture of her father, taken since he
went away, and looking so very like him that for a moment she could
hardly speak.
"That's my father," she said when she could find her voice. Both
girls and boys crowded around to look at the kind, handsome face
gazing at them from out the little watch, and Ruth's heart swelled
with pride and affection as she listened to their admiring remarks.
"Let's show them the game we tried the other night," said Dorothy
to her brother as they all returned to the music-room.
"Oh, that's too hard for them," answered Frank with affected
superiority. "They couldn't guess anything so difficult as that."
"Try it and see," clamored two or three voices.
So Frank with one finger drew a large circle in the air, and with
elaborate gestures made two points for the eyes and a line each
for nose and mouth. As he did so he recited solemnly:
"The moon is large and full and round; Two eyes, a nose and mouth."
"Now see if you can do it just as I did," he said to Jack, who sat
next him.
Jack tried, imitating as nearly as he could remember all of Frank's
peculiar movements of hand and arm, but as he finished Dorothy and
Frank shouted, "No; not right."
"Do it again, Frank," begged Charlotte, watching him sharply.
Frank did it again, and this time with even more elaboration
of gesture. The eyes were poked in with great firmness, the nose
in its airy curves looked like no possible human feature, and the
mouth was so decidedly turned up at the comers that one might have
fancied it was laughing at them.
Charlotte thought she knew; she had noticed a peculiar curve in
Frank's little finger, and the sudden way in which he had dropped
his hand both times. So she tried her fate with great courage, only
to fail as Jack had done.
"You do it, Dorothy," said Betty.
Dorothy did it, but her method was so different from Frank's that
she gave them no discoverable clue. The features she made were
all small and precise, and she put in a few meaningless flourishes
which puzzled them more than ever.
Then Arthur, who had been watching quietly, said the little speech
and made the drawing in a way quite different from either Frank
or Dorothy, and to the surprise of all the two wise ones admitted
him at once into their fellowship.
"All right, old fellow," laughed Frank. "Now there are three of us
who know."
At last Betty, with a gurgle of triumph, did it in the required
way. Then Phil saw the point, and Alice discovered it almost at the
same time. Finally there was a circle of waving arms, and a chorus
of voices announcing that:
"The moon is large and full and round; Two eyes, a nose and mouth."
Only Ruth failed to guess the secret, and, though she waved with
the others and tried her best to imitate all the various methods
at once, she still failed every time.
"Your arm's in my way, Ruth," said Joe, who happened to be sitting
on her right.
"I'll do it with the other, then," responded Ruth good-naturedly.
To her surprise this attempt was greeted with a shout of, "That's
right," and then every one laughed at her dazed expression.
"Why, I've done it that way dozens of times," she protested.
"No, you haven't," came in a laughing chorus. "Look at us once
more."
Ruth looked and for the first time realized that each one was using
the left hand to make the picture. "What a stupid I am," she said
ruefully. "To think I let all you Glenloch girls and boys get ahead
of Chicago."
"You're a Glenloch girl yourself, now," put in Katharine.
"So I am, and I know a trick game, too. If Betty will come out in
the hall with me I'll have my revenge on you."
She started toward the door as she spoke, but a loud peal of the
door-bell sent her flying back into the room again.
Mr. Hamilton opened the door and took in a yellow envelope which
he handed to Ruth.
She tore it open eagerly and her face flushed with pleasure as she
read the message. "It's from father," she cried, looking at the
expectant faces around her. "He must have guessed that we might be
having a party, for he says, 'Merry Christmas to all.' I just wish
he could know you all, for I'm sure he'd like you."
As she stood there smiling happily, Frank had a sudden inspiration.
Seizing the hands of Charlotte and Alice, who were nearest him, he
began to dance around Ruth, singing at the top of his voice:
"For she's a jolly good fellow, For she's a jolly good fellow, For
she's a jolly good fellow, And we're very glad she came."
All joined in as Mrs. Hamilton caught it on the piano, and Ruth
stood surrounded by a circle of beaming faces, and feeling that
the world was a very good sort of place after all.
As the laughing crowd broke ranks, Ruth was mysteriously drawn
aside by Charlotte, Betty and Dorothy.
"Allow us to crown you," said Charlotte, placing an available holly
wreath on Ruth's head, "as the only successful member of the 'S.
F. T. R. O. A. H. T. T. W.' The object of this society having been
fulfilled, the society will now be officially dissolved."
"Why, what do you mean?" asked Ruth much mystified.
"Don't you remember the society we planned the first day we met
in your room?" demanded Dorothy. "Well, look there, and there, and
see if you haven't accomplished its object."
Ruth looked and found it truly a pleasant sight. Arthur, the central
figure of a group of boys, looked happier than she had ever seen
him, and was evidently making plans for future good times, while his
father and mother beamed contentedly on him from a little distance.