_A Flirt and a Woman-Hater_
The next morning I arose early and screened in the little birdhouse
balcony. There was a large piece of netting left and Silvia converted
it into a robe and headgear for the swaddling of Diogenes.
"He looks like the Bride of Lammermoor," I declared, as he went forth
in this regalia.
"Well, that's preferable to looking like a pest-house patient, as he
did yesterday."
His first-aid costume didn't find favor with the landlady, as it would
seem indicative to the newly arrived of the features of the place.
However, before another stage-coming was due, Di had rent his garment
sufficiently to make it useless is a "skeeter skirt."
During the morning I enjoyed my solitary swim with the snakes.
Diogenes played football with the croquet balls and bruised one of his
toes, besides hitting the landlady's child in the eye. Silvia went for
a walk which had been pictured in the advertisements. She speedily
returned, her ardor dampened.
"There are so many sticks and stones and rocks," she said in a
discouraged tone, "that there was no pleasure in walking. I nearly
sprained my ankle."
"Well, the real sport we haven't tried yet," I said. "We'll get a boat
and take Diogenes and go for a row on the lake."
This proposition met with instant favor. I put Silvia and Diogenes in
the stern of the boat and pulled for the opposite shore. My endeavors
to gain this point were balked by Silvia's remarkable conceptions of
the art of steering craft. She was so serenely satisfied, however,
with the way she performed her duties and the aid she thought she was
giving me, that I forbore to criticize.
In order to achieve a few strokes in the right direction, I asked her
to get me a cigar from an inside pocket of my coat, which was on the
seat in front of her. Then came the blight to our bliss. She looked in
the wrong pocket and instead of producing a cigar, she extracted two
letters with seals unbroken.
[Illustration: "Lucien Wade!" she gasped. "Here are our letters to Beth
and Rob."]
"Lucien Wade!" she gasped. "Here are our letters to Beth and Rob.
Well, it is my fault. I should have known better than to give them to
you."
"The plot thickens," I replied thoughtfully.
"This is Monday. They must both be at the house now. What will they
think!"
"They will think we didn't receive their letters."
"Isn't it unfortunate--" she began.
"No," I replied. "I am not sure but what it is a good thing. It will
give Rob a jolt to see that girls can be as nice as Beth is, and as
for her, she is quite able to take care of the situation where a man
is concerned."
"But we must have Beth here. Maybe you'd better telegraph her."
"Huldah understands conditions. She will send Beth on here."
The next morning we took Diogenes and went down the road to meet the
stage. As it came around the curve, we saw there were three
passengers.
"Tolly!" cried Diogenes with an ecstatic whoop.
"Beth!" recognized Silvia.
"Rob!" I ejaculated.
The stage stopped to allow us to get in.
Mutual explanations followed. Ours were brief and substantiated by the
documents in evidence.
"Now," I said turning threateningly to Ptolemy, "what did you come
here for?"
"To show them," indicating Beth and Rob, "how to get here and to look
after Di so you and mudder could enjoy your vacation," he replied
glibly.
Beth laughed mirthfully.
"Check! Lucien."
"Didn't Huldah warn you," I asked her, "that our whereabouts were to
remain unknown?"
"Ptolemy," she replied, "is evidently a mind reader, for he told me
where you were before I saw Huldah."
"Why, Ptolemy, how did you know where we were?" asked Silvia.
"I was on top of the porch when you told stepdaddy about coming. I
didn't tell the others. I won't bother you any. And I know how to look
after Di. You won't send me back, mudder," he pleaded, looking
wistfully at the foam-crested water of the little lake.
I wondered mutely if Silvia could resist the appeal in the eyes of the
neglected boy when he turned his imploring gaze to hers, and the
delight depicted in Diogenes' eyes at "Tolly's" arrival. She could
not.
"You may stay as long as we do," she said slowly, "if you are a good
boy and will not play too rough with Diogenes."
We had reached the hotel by this time, and with a wild "ki yi"
Ptolemy dashed for the shore, dragging the delighted Diogenes with
him.
"It's only fair to Huldah to take one more off her hands," Silvia said
apologetically.
"Them Three is what bothers me," I complained. "If they, too, follow
after, Heaven help them! I won't."
"It's a good arrangement all around," declared Rob. "I judge it takes
a Polydore to understand his ilk, so the kids can pair off together.
Miss Wade will be company for you, while Lucien and I go fishing."
He looked keenly at Beth as he spoke, but Beth was looking demurely
down and made no sign of having heard him.
Silvia and I went with Beth to her room, and then she told her story.
"Knowing Lucien's failing, I was not surprised at receiving no
response to my letter. When I got out of the cab in front of your
house, a wild-looking boy, very bas-relief as to eyes, and who I felt
sure must be Ptolemy of the Polydores, appeared. As soon as he saw me
he gave utterance to a blood-curdling yell of--'Here she is!'
"In response to his call three of his understudies came on with
headlong greeting.
"'You are Beth, aren't you?' Ptolemy asked me. Then he drew me aside
and in mysterious whispers told me where you were and that you had
written me to join you here. He added that stepdaddy never remembered
to mail letters. I went within and interviewed Huldah who confirmed
his information.
"Presently I saw a taxi stop before the house.
"'That's him!' exclaimed Ptolemy.
"'Him who?' I asked.
"'Rob somebody--stepdaddy's college chum. He wrote he was coming, and
they thought they had postponed him.'
"With a sprint of speed the four Polydores surrounded your Mr.
Rossiter, all talking at once. I came to the rescue, of course, and
explained the situation, and we decided to follow you.
"Ptolemy was promoter for the trip and suggested the advisability of
his accompanying us as courier and future nursemaid to Diogenes. He
was intending to come anyway, but thought he'd wait for us. He had all
his belongings packed."
"He hasn't many except those he had on," said Silvia thoughtfully.
"He has some swimming trunks, two collars, two shirts, some mismated
socks, homemade fishing tackle and a battered baseball bat. We came
away surreptitiously to escape detection by the trio left behind. I
knew you wouldn't welcome his presence--but he said he was coming
anyway, so we thought we might as well bring him and express him
back."
After visiting with Beth for a few moments, Silvia and I withdrew to
talk matters over confidentially.
"All's well that ends well," I quoth.
"It hasn't ended yet," reminded Silvia. "I trust Ptolemy didn't reveal
what you said about Rob's being a woman-hater and Beth a flirt."
Ptolemy conveniently appeared just then, as he generally did in the
midst of private interviews. Silvia asked him if he had repeated those
remarks to Beth or Rob.
"Why, no," he said. "I knew you didn't want her to know, because
stepdaddy said so, and I thought he wouldn't like to be called that,
and I wasn't going to give Beth away to him."
"You're all right, Ptolemy!" I exclaimed, for the first time awarding
him approbation.
Out on the veranda we met Rob.
"Say, those Polydores certainly have the punch and pep," he declared.
"I'd like to have fetched the whole bunch along with me."
"If you had," I replied dryly, "our life's friendship would have died
on the spot."