IN A BIRCH ARBOR
THE storm had cleared the air, no mist veiled the mountains, the
sunlight lay everywhere, gilding valley and stream.
Many of the guests had started early in the morning for a trip to a
distant mountain from the summit of which a delightful view might be
enjoyed.
They were to ride over in the barge to the base of the mountain, have a
picnic lunch under the trees, and then climb the rugged path up the
mountain side.
It would occupy half the day and it would be afternoon before the barge
would return with its merry, tired party.
Floretta Paxton and Jack Tiverton were usually in sight, or, as they
were always noisy, within hearing might be nearer the truth, but they
had gone over to a spot that the children called "The Pool," a bit of
water not much larger than a big puddle.
It existed only after a heavy rain, but near its edge the slender
birches grew, and their silvery white trunks and the bright, blue sky
were clearly reflected on its surface.
Jack had decided to launch his toy boat there, and, as Floretta had
hemmed the tiny sails, he had felt obliged to listen to her coaxing, and
permit her to go with him.
"I'll let you christen her," he had said, in a moment of generosity, and
then regretted it.
Floretta's idea of a christening ceremony was very elaborate, while
Jack thought that shouting the vessel's name, and shoving it into the
water was all that was necessary.
Nancy was helping Aunt Charlotte, so when Dorothy ran out to the piazza,
she found it deserted, and she stood looking in surprise at the rocking
chairs and hammocks that were swaying in the wind.
"Every one has gone somewhere," she thought; "didn't any one stay at
home?"
She stood for a moment in the doorway, wondering what to do. Suddenly
her face brightened, and she clapped her hands.
"The very thing!" she said, and she turned and hastened to her room to
find her latest gift.
It was a beautiful book of fairy tales, and although it had been given
her over a week ago, she had read but a few of the stories. Mrs. Dainty
had sent to the city for the book, and ever since the day of its arrival
Dorothy had been wild to read it.
Something had been planned for each sunny day, and as the weather had
continued fair, the book had been opened but a few times, and then for
only a brief glance at the tales or the illustrations.
Mrs. Dainty had gone to the village, a ride of about an hour from the
hotel, and Aunt Charlotte was still occupied with her letters.
Nancy was sealing and stamping the envelopes, as Dorothy passed the
door.
"I'm going over to the little 'birch arbor,'" she said. "I'm taking my
new fairy book for company."
"I'll come, too, just as soon as I've finished these envelopes," said
Nancy, and she began to work faster.
[Illustration: "OH, WHAT A LOVELY, _LOVELY_ STORY!" SAID DOROTHY.--_Page
67._]
The "birch arbor" was not an actual arbor, but it was a lovely spot, and
the birches were exceptionally fine. Nancy and Dorothy had often been
there together, and they had given it the name.
A tiny mountain brook ran through it, and it was a lovely spot in which
to enjoy legends or fairy tales.
In a few moments Dorothy had reached the place, and when she had seated
herself, she opened the book where a fine picture showed the prince,
whose father had given him three wishes as his only inheritance, and
then had sent him out to seek his fortune.
Twice she had commenced to read the story, and had been obliged to lay
it aside. Now, with only the bees and the butterflies hovering about
her, she read the fascinating tale.
It proved to be even more charming than she had expected.
The prince was tall, and dark, and handsome, and his heart was so good
and true, that Dorothy felt that he richly deserved the beautiful
princess whom he finally won.
Her eyes sparkled as she read of the great court wedding.
"And the lovely princess looked more beautiful than ever in her wedding
gown of cloth of gold, thickly set with diamonds, and her crown of
diamonds and sapphires."
"Oh what a lovely, _lovely_ story!" said Dorothy, as she turned the
page.
"Tiny princes carried her train, and as the happy pair reached the
palace gates, and were about to enter the royal coach, the blare of
trumpets sounded, as the guards in blue and gold played a gay fanfare."
"Toot! Toot! Toot!"
Dorothy sprang to her feet.
It was as if those silver-toned trumpets had sounded close beside her. A
moment more, and a huge automobile appeared from behind the trees and
shrubbery, and slackening its speed, came, at last, to a standstill, and
an old lady leaned out to question her.
"Are we going in the right direction, my dear, to reach the Hotel
Cleverton?"
Dorothy walked toward the car, and looked up into the hard, old face.
"This little road is _right_," said Dorothy, "but the broad road that
leads out of this one is not so rough, and it is a _little_ shorter."
"There, Minturn, I _said plainly_ that I believed we could get there
quicker some other way!"
"You are _sure_ about the Cleverton?" the old lady asked. "You _know_
where it is?"
"I'm staying there with mamma, and that truly is the right way," said
Dorothy, her soft eyes looking up into the hard, old face.
"I guess I can trust you," the old lady said, not smiling, but looking a
bit less stern.
"Now, Minturn, we'll _try_ to reach the hotel, sometime before dark!"
she said curtly.
Puffing and whirring the big automobile started off up the road, the old
lady sitting stern and erect, as if she thought her driver needed
watching, and she was determined to keep a sharp eye upon him.
"Why, how queer!" said Dorothy. "She didn't even say 'good-bye,' or
'good-morning.' Perhaps she was very tired, and forgot,"--then after a
moment she added, "but my beautiful mamma _never_ forgets."
She went back to the pretty spot where she had been reading, and sitting
down, opened the book, but she could not keep her mind upon the stories.
The strange face of the old lady seemed to look at her from the printed
page.
How small and sharp her eyes had been, and how she asked the same
question again and again. Did she doubt the answer given her?
All these, and many more questions puzzled Dorothy, and with the open
book lying upon her lap, she looked off where the sunlight lay upon the
grass.
She was still sitting thus when a merry voice aroused her, and she
turned to see Nancy running toward her.
"Oh, Dorothy!" she cried. "You ought to have been up at the hotel just a
few moments ago. A new guest came, and she was so cross, it _must_ be
that she didn't want to come. But if she truly _didn't_ want to, then
why _did_ she?"
"Why, Nancy, who wouldn't think it fine to come up here to the
mountains, and stay at the Cleverton?" said Dorothy in surprise.
"Well, you wouldn't have thought the old lady was glad to be there, if
you'd seen her," said Nancy.
"Oh, was it an old lady that you were talking about?" Dorothy asked
quickly.
"Yes, and you ought to have seen her eyes snap when she scolded her
chauffeur. She told him she might have arrived an hour before just as
well as not, and she kept right on scolding to herself, all the way up
to the piazza, and, Dorothy, she looked so cross, I wouldn't wonder if
she was scolding up in her room now!"
"She must be the same one that was here just a little while ago,"
Dorothy said, "and she asked me to tell her the nearest way to the
Cleverton. When I told her, she made the man rush off over the road, and
she was scolding him when they left here. Perhaps she was tired, and
will feel pleasanter when she has rested."
"Perhaps," agreed Nancy, "but I know Aunt Charlotte and your mamma don't
act that way when they are tired."
Dorothy could not dispute that, and soon the two little girls were
enjoying the fairy book together.
"Now, this is the story I've just been reading," said Dorothy, "and this
is the picture of the prince. Isn't he handsome?"
"Oh, yes," said Nancy, "and doesn't he look like Flossie's Uncle Harry?"
"Why, he _does_, truly," cried Dorothy. "I'll show the picture to
Flossie, and I'm sure she'll say it looks ever so much like him."
"Oh, she will," agreed Nancy.
"Why, it would look _exactly_ like him, if _he_ only had a cap with
plumes," said Dorothy.
Uncle Harry, coming briskly up the path, was just in time to hear the
last few words.
"I'm very curious to know who it is who needs a cap with plumes," he
said.
"Oh, who knew you were right here to hear it?" said Dorothy.
"Oh, was it a state secret?" he asked. "Well, now it's a pity I heard
it, but as it happens I _did_, I think I must ask for the rest of the
secret."
"Oh, _would_ you tell?" Dorothy asked, turning to Nancy, but before she
could reply, Uncle Harry spoke.
"I'm really too curious," he said, "so I think I'll threaten to sit on
this stump, until you tell me the secret, and let me tell you two little
friends, that _I've_ a secret; it's a nice one, too, but,--" he paused
to watch the effect of his words.
"But--But--" they cried.
"But,--" said Uncle Harry, "I wouldn't tell mine _first_!"
Wag that he was, he could not resist the temptation to tease just a bit.
Dorothy took the pretty book, and opening it at the page that showed the
picture of the prince, she said, "We only said the brave prince looked
like you, no, I mean you look like him, and we said you'd look _just_
like him if you had a cap with plumes."
Uncle Harry appeared to study the picture very carefully. After a
moment, he said:
"That's a fine compliment, but there's one thing about it that worries
me, so I'll have to ask about it.
"In this picture the prince wears a blue blouse and a pair of green
shoes, a pink cap with white plumes, gray hose, and crimson trunks. Now,
if I should decide to purchase a pink cap with white plumes, would you
expect me to come out arrayed in all those colors? I really feel that
the costume is a _bit_, just a _bit_ too gay."
"Oh, we'll not ask you to be quite as gay as that," said Dorothy, "and
we'll promise one thing. We won't even ask you to buy a pink cap if
you'll tell us your secret now."
He laughed gaily.
"Perhaps I really _ought_ to keep it a little longer. How would it do if
I should tell you my secret some time next week?" he asked.
"Oh, no, no!" they cried, "tell it now!"
"Well, then, there's to be a fair 'way down in the village, a real
country fair, and I'm intending to hire a barge, and take all of the
_very_ young ladies over with me to see the fun. I mean ladies as young
as you, and Nancy, and Flossie. I shall invite all the wee ladies that
are stopping at the hotel, and I shall take all who accept."
He looked into their bright faces, and laughed when Dorothy said:
"As if _any_ little girl _wouldn't_ accept!"
"You mustn't expect it to be a grand affair. It will be, as I said, a
real old-fashioned country fair, but there will be a jolly ride over
there, and the return trip, and I fancy you will enjoy it all," he said,
"and I shall have the delight of giving pleasure."
A friend who had been looking for Uncle Harry, now appeared on the
winding path, a clump of large trees having hidden his approach.
The two young men started off for a long tramp, and Dorothy and Nancy
walked slowly back to the hotel.
"The prince _did_ look like Uncle Harry," said Nancy, "and the picture
of the naughty old fairy that enchanted the sleeping beauty, looks like
the lady that came this morning, and was so very cross."
"Then that _is_ the same one who stopped to ask the way, for she looked
just like that. I'll always think, every time I look at her, that she's
the black fairy."
And when they ran up on to the piazza, there sat the very person whom
they had been speaking of, looking somewhat cooler with her long
travelling cloak removed.
Her black gown was of some thin material, and just as the two little
girls ran up on to the piazza, she dropped the large, black fan that she
had been wielding.
Nancy, who was nearer to her than Dorothy, picked up the fan for her.
Without a smile, she took the fan, and they heard some slight sound.
Possibly it might have been a softly murmured word of thanks, but it did
not sound like it.
"She seems very strange," said Dorothy, "but perhaps she's still tired."
She was always unwilling to say that any one was wilfully rude or
disagreeable.
And now Aunt Charlotte, with Mrs. Dainty, came out to enjoy the fine
air, and Dorothy and Nancy ran to them to tell them of the treat that
Uncle Harry had in store for them.
"It's only a few days to wait, and isn't he kind to take us?" said
Dorothy.
"He is indeed," said Mrs. Dainty, "and I hope all his little friends
will be very thoughtful, and make him just as little trouble as
possible. He takes quite a care in inviting so many children."
"Oh, all the children love him, and there isn't one who would want to be
any bother, unless it was Floretta," said Dorothy, "and perhaps she'll
be having such a nice time, she won't think to be naughty."
Mrs. Dainty smiled at this view of it. She could not help thinking that
Floretta never needed time to think in order to be disagreeable, but
she did not say so.
Aunt Charlotte Grayson, seeing the stranger sitting alone, paused near
her chair to say a friendly word.
She remained but few moments, however, because the woman seemed not
inclined to talk.
Aunt Charlotte well knew that the stranger was not courteous, but she
tried to think, as Dorothy had, that fatigue, after a long journey, made
her eager for silence and rest.