THE JUDGE'S HOUSE PARTY
"There is nothing like congenial company when one travels," remarked
Hippy Wingate, favoring his friends with a patronizing smile. "Now, when
I came home from college I was obliged to consort with such grouches as
David Nesbit and Reddy Brooks, who made me keep quiet when I wished to
speak, and speak when I fain would have slept. But, observe the
difference, all these fresh and charming damsels--"
"Charming we are, beyond a doubt," interrupted Nora O'Malley, "but
fresh--never. The only fresh person aboard is named Wingate."
"If you two are going to disagree we'll bundle you both into the baggage
car and let you fight it out," warned David. "Hippy ought to be exiled
to that particular spot for having reviled Reddy and me."
"Keep quiet, Nora," said Hippy in a stage whisper. "We are in the hands
of desperadoes."
It was a merry party who were speeding along their way to the state
capital, for a wonderful visit was to be paid and the Phi Sigma Tau and
their friends were to pay it. In short, Judge Putnam had invited them to
spend Christmas at his beautiful home in the capital city, and for eight
happy days they were to be his guests.
It was in reality Grace's party. The judge had written her, asking her
to select as many guests as she chose. She had also received a prettily
worded note from his sister, who had chaperoned them the previous summer
in the Adirondacks, and who had taken charge of the judge's home in the
capital for years.
Grace had at once invited the Phi Sigma Tau, and dispatched special
delivery letters to Hippy, David and Reddy, not forgetting Tom Gray and
Arnold Evans.
In order to make an even number of boys and girls, Grace had invited
James Gardiner, an Oakdale boy, and last of all, very reluctantly, had
sent a note to Mr. Henry Hammond.
This she had done solely to appease Marian Barber's wounded pride. For a
week after the day that Marian had rushed angrily out of Grace's house,
she had refused to go near her sorority. But one afternoon the six
girls, headed by Grace, waylaid her as she was leaving the school and
after much coaxing Marian allowed herself to be brought to a more
reasonable frame of mind.
Then Grace, who honestly regretted having hurt Marian's feelings, had
made an extra effort to treat Mr. Hammond cordially when they chanced to
meet, and her friends had followed her example.
In spite of their feeling of dislike for him, they were forced to
acknowledge that he seemed well-bred, was a young man of apparently good
habits and that Oakdale people were rapidly taking him up. Grace
privately thought Marian entirely too young to receive the attentions of
a man so much older than herself, but Marian's father and mother
permitted it, therefore Grace felt that she had no right to judge or
object.
The longest journey seems brief when beguiled by gay companions, and the
time slipped by like magic. It was with genuine surprise that the little
party heard their station called. There was a great scurrying about for
their various belongings, and well laden with suit cases and traveling
bags the party hustled out of the train and were met on the platform by
the judge's chauffeur, who conducted them to two waiting automobiles.
Off they whirled and in an incredibly short time the two machines drew
up before the judge's stately home, where lights gleamed from every
window. The guests alighted with much laughter and noise, and in a
twinkling the massive front door opened and Judge Putnam appeared.
"Welcome, welcome!" he cried. "Now I am sure to have a Merry Christmas.
I don't see how your fathers and mothers could spare you, and I owe them
a debt of gratitude. Come in, come in. Here, Mary, are your children
again."
The judge's sister came forward and greeted the young people warmly,
kissing each girl in turn and shaking hands with the boys. Mr. Hammond
and James Gardiner were duly presented to the judge and his sister, and
then the boys were shown to their rooms by one of the servants, while
Miss Putnam herself conducted the girls to theirs.
"We usually dine between seven and seven-thirty, my dears," said Miss
Putnam, as they ascended. "I will send my maid, Annette, to you. Will
you have separate rooms, or do you wish to do as you did last summer?"
"Oh, let two of us room together," said Grace eagerly. "But still, that
isn't fair, for it will leave an odd one. You know we had Mabel with us
last summer."
"Dear little Mabel," said Miss Putnam. "I am sure you must miss her
greatly. Her finding of her mother was very wonderful. I received a
letter from her last week. She says she is very happy, but that she
misses her Oakdale friends, particularly Jessica."
"She is coming east for commencement," said Jessica with a wistful
smile. "No one knows how much I miss her."
"Let us settle the question of rooms at once," interposed Grace, who
knew that whenever the conversation turned to Mabel, Jessica invariably
was attacked with the blues. "Who is willing to room alone?"
"I am," replied Miriam Nesbit, "only I stipulate that I be allowed to
pay nocturnal visits to the rest of you whenever I get too bored with my
own society."
"Very well, then," replied Grace. "How shall we arrange it?"
"You and Anne take one room, then," said Nora rather impatiently,
"Jessica and I another and that leaves Marian and Eva together. Do hurry
up about it, for I want to get the soot off my face, and the cinders out
of my eyes."
The question of roommates being thus settled, the girls trooped into the
rooms assigned them and began to dress for dinner. The matter of gowns
had been discussed by the girls when the judge's invitation had first
arrived. As they were to remain for a week, they would need trunks, but
for the first dinner, in case the trunks did not arrive on time, it had
been agreed that they each carry one simple gown in their suit cases.
Grace and Anne had both chosen white, Jessica a dainty flowered
organdie, and Nora a pale pink dimity. Eva Allen also had selected
white. Marian Barber alone refused to give her friends any satisfaction
as to what she intended to wear. "Wait and see," she had answered. "I
want my gown to be a complete surprise to all of you."
"How funny Marian acted about her gown," remarked Grace to Anne, as she
fastened the last button on the latter's waist. The maid sent by Miss
Putnam had offered her services, but the girls, wishing to be alone, had
not required them.
"Yes," responded Anne. "I don't understand her at all of late. She has
changed a great deal, and I believe it is due to the influence of that
horrid Henry Hammond. I simply can't like that man."
"Nor I," said Grace. "It requires an effort on my part to be civil to
him. I think, too, that the boys are not favorably impressed with him,
although they are too polite to say so."
"I believe in first impressions," remarked Anne. "I think that nine
times out of ten they are correct. I may be doing the man an injustice,
but I can't help it. Every time that I talk with him I feel that he is
playing a part, that underneath his polish he has a cruel, relentless
nature."
"Are you girls ready!" called Nora's voice just outside their door.
"In a minute," answered Grace, and with a last glance at the mirror she
and Anne stepped into the hall, where Nora, Jessica and Eva Allen stood
waiting.
"Where's Marian?" asked Grace, noticing her absence.
"Don't ask me," said Eva, in a tone bordering on disgust. "She won't be
out for some time."
"Shall we wait for her?" inquired Anne.
"No," replied Eva shortly. "Let us go, and don't ask me anything about
her. When she does finally appear you'll understand."
"This sounds very mysterious," said Miriam Nesbit, who in a white dotted
Swiss, with a sprig of holly in her black braids, looked particularly
handsome. "Come on, girls, shall we go down?"
The six girls descended to the drawing room, looking the very
incarnation of youth and charming girlhood, and the judge's eyes
brightened at sight of them.
"A rosebud garden of girls," he cried gallantly, "but I seem to miss
some one. Where is the seventh rosebud?"
"Marian will be here directly," said Grace, as they gathered about the
big fireplace until dinner should be announced.
But ten minutes went by, and Marian still lingered.
"Dinner is served," announced the old butler.
The girls exchanged furtive glances, the judge looked rather
uncomfortable, while Mr. Henry Hammond frowned openly.
Then there was another ten minutes' wait, that the girls tried to cover
with conversation. Then--a rustle of silken skirts and a figure appeared
in the archway that caused those assembled to stare in sheer amazement.
Was this fashionably attired person plain every-day Marian Barber? Her
hair was drawn high upon her head, and topped with a huge cluster of
false puffs, which made her look several years older than she had
appeared in the afternoon, while her gown of blue satin was cut rather
too low for a young girl, and had mere excuses in the way of sleeves. To
cap the climax, however, it had a real train that persisted in getting
in her way every time she attempted to move.
For a full minute no one spoke. Grace had an almost irrepressible desire
to laugh aloud, as she caught the varied expressions on the faces of her
friends. Mr. Hammond alone appeared unmoved. Grace fancied that she even
detected a gleam of approval in his eyes as he glanced toward Marian.
"Shall we dine!" asked the judge, offering his arm to Grace, while Tom
Gray escorted Miss Putnam, the other young men following with their
friends.
The dinner passed off smoothly, although there was a curious constraint
fell upon the young people that nothing could dispel.
Marian's gown had indeed proved a surprise to her young friends, and
they could not shake off a certain sense of mortification at her lack of
good taste.
"How could Marian Barber be so ridiculous, and why did her mother ever
allow her to dress herself like that?" thought Grace as she glanced at
Marian, who was simpering at some remark that Mr. Henry Hammond was
making to her in a voice too low for the others to hear.
Then Grace suddenly remembered that Marian's mother had left Oakdale
three weeks before on a three months' visit to a sister in a distant
city.
"That deceitful old Henry Hammond is at the bottom of this," Grace
decided. "He has probably put those ideas of dressing up into Marian's
head. She needs some one to look after her. I'll ask mother if she can
stay with me until her mother returns, that is if I can persuade her to
come."
"Come out of your brown study, Grace," called Hippy. "I want you to
settle an argument that has arisen between Miss O'Malley and myself.
Never before have we had an argument. Timid, gentle creature that she
is, she has always deferred to my superior intellect, but now--"
"Yes," retorted Nora scornfully, "now, he has been routed with
slaughter, and so he has to call upon other people to rescue him from
the fruits of his own folly."
"I am not asking aid," averred Hippy with dignity. "I plead for simple
justice."
"Simple, indeed," interrupted David with a twinkle in his eye.
"I see very plainly," announced Hippy, "that I shall have to drop this
O'Malley affair and defend myself against later unkind attacks. But
first I shall eat my dessert, then I shall have greater strength to
renew the fray."
"Then my services as a settler of arguments are not required," laughed
Grace.
"Postponed, merely postponed," assured Hippy, and devoted himself
assiduously to his dessert, refusing to be beguiled into further
conversation.
Dinner over, the entire party repaired once more to the drawing room,
where the young people performed for the judge's especial benefit the
stunts for which they were already famous.
Much to Grace's annoyance, Henry Hammond attached himself to her, and
try as she might she could not entirely rid herself of his attentions
without absolute rudeness. Tom Gray looked a trifle surprised at this,
and Marian Barber seemed openly displeased. Grace felt thoroughly out of
patience, when toward the close of the evening, he approached her as she
stood looking at a Japanese curio, and said:
"I wish to thank you, Miss Harlowe, for inviting me to become a member
of this house party. I appreciate your invitation more than I can say."
"I hope you will enjoy yourself, Mr. Hammond," replied Grace rather
coldly.
"There is little doubt of that," was the ready answer. "How well Marian
is looking to-night. I am surprised at the difference a really grown-up
gown makes in her."
Grace glanced at Marian, who in her eyes looked anything but well.
"Mr. Hammond," she said slowly, looking straight at him. "I do not in
the least agree with you. Marian is not yet eighteen, and to-night she
looks like anything but the school-girl that she did this afternoon. If
her mother were at home I am sure that she would never allow Marian to
have such a gown made, and I cannot fully understand what mischievous
influence prompted her to make herself appear so utterly ridiculous
to-night."
"Miss Harlowe," said the young man, his face darkening ominously, "your
tone is decidedly offensive. Do I understand you to insinuate that I
have in any way influenced Miss Barber as to her manner of dress?"
"I insinuate nothing," replied Grace, rather contemptuously. "If the
coat fits you wear it."
"Miss Harlowe," answered the young man almost savagely, "I cannot
understand why, after having included me in this house party, you
deliberately insult me; but I advise you to be more careful in the
future as to your remarks or I shall be tempted to forget the courtesy
due a young woman, and repay you in your own coin."
"Mr. Hammond," replied Grace with cold scorn, "I acknowledge that my
last remark to you was exceedingly rude, but nothing can palliate the
offense of your reply. As a matter of interest, let me state that I am
not in the least alarmed at your threat, for only a coward would ever
attempt to bully a girl."
With these words Grace moved quickly away, leaving Mr. Henry Hammond to
digest her answer as best he might.