ATLANTIC CITY
Patty's day at the Barlows' was a decided contrast to her visit at Mrs.
Allen's.
In the Allen home every detail of housekeeping was complete and very
carefully looked after, while at the Barlows' everything went along in a
slipshod, hit-or-miss fashion.
Patty well remembered her visit at their summer home which they called
the Hurly-Burly, and she could not see that their city residence was any
less deserving of the name. Her Aunt Grace and Uncle Ted were jolly,
good-natured people, who cared little about system or method in their
home. The result was that things often went wrong, but nobody cared
especially if they did.
"I meant to have a nicer luncheon for you, Patty," said her aunt, as they
sat down at the table, "but the cook forgot to order lobsters, and when I
telephoned for fresh peas the grocer said I was too late, for they were
all sold. I'm so sorry, for I do love hothouse peas, don't you?"
"I don't care what I have to eat, Aunt Grace. I just came to visit you
people, you know, and the luncheon doesn't matter a bit."
"That's nice of you to say so, child. I remember what an adaptable little
thing you were when you were with us down in the country, and really, you
did us quite a lot of good that summer. You taught Bumble how to keep her
bureau drawers in order. She's forgotten it now, but it was nice while it
lasted."
"_Helen_, Mother, I do wish you would call me Helen. Bumble is such a
silly name."
"I know it, my dear," said Mrs. Barlow, placidly, "and I do mean to, but
you see I forget."
"I forget it, too," said Patty. "But I'll try to call you Helen if you
want me to. What time does Uncle Ted come home, Aunt Grace?"
"Oh, about five o'clock, or perhaps six; and sometimes he gets here at
four. I never know what time he's coming home."
"It isn't only that," said Bob; "in fact, father usually comes home about
the same time. But our clocks are all so different that it depends on
which room mother is in, as to what time she thinks it is."
"That's so," said Helen. "We have eleven clocks in this house, Patty, and
every one of them is always wrong. Still, it's convenient in a way; if
you want to go anywhere at a certain time, no matter what time you start,
you can always find at least one clock that's about where you want it to
be."
"I'm sure I don't see why the clocks don't keep the right time," said
Mrs. Barlow. "A man comes every Saturday on purpose to wind and set them
all."
"We fool with them," confessed Bob. "You see, Patty, we all like to get
up late, and we set our clocks back every night, so that we can do it
with a good grace."
"Yes," said Helen, "and then if we want each other to go anywhere through
the day,--on time, you know,--we go around the house, and set all the
clocks forward. That's the only possible way to make anybody hurry up."
Patty laughed. The whole conversation was so characteristic of the
Barlows as she remembered them, and she wondered how they could enjoy
living in such a careless way.
But they were an especially happy family, and most hospitable and
entertaining. Patty thoroughly enjoyed her afternoon, although they did
nothing in particular for her entertainment. But Aunt Grace was very fond
of her motherless niece, and the twins just adored Patty.
At five o'clock tea was served, and though the appointments were not at
all like Mrs. Allen's carefully equipped service, yet it was an hour of
comfortable enjoyment. Uncle Ted came home, and he was so merry and full
of jokes, that he made them all laugh. Two or three casual callers
dropped in, and Patty thought again, as she sometimes did, that perhaps
she liked her Barlow cousins best of all.
Dinner, not entirely to Patty's surprise, showed some of the same
characteristics as luncheon had done. The salad course was lacking,
because the mayonnaise dressing had been upset in the refrigerator; the
ice cream was spoiled, because by mistake the freezer had been set in the
sun until the ice melted, and the pretty pink pyramid was in a state of
soft collapse.
But, as Aunt Grace cheerfully remarked, if it hadn't been that, it would
have been something else, and it didn't matter much, anyway.
It was this happy philosophy of the Barlow family that charmed Patty so,
and it left no room for embarrassment at these minor accidents, either on
the part of the family or their guest.
"Now," said Patty, after dinner, "if necessary, I'm going to set all the
clocks forward, for, Helen, I do want you to be ready when Mrs. Allen
sends for us. She doesn't like to be kept waiting, one bit."
"Never mind the clocks, Patty," said Helen good-naturedly. "I'll be
ready." She scampered off to dress, and sure enough was entirely ready
before the carriage came.
"You see, Patty," she said, "we _can_ do things on time, only we've
fallen into the habit of not doing so, unless there's somebody like you
here to spur us up."
Patty admitted this, but told Bumble that she was sorry her influence was
not more lasting.
* * * * *
On Saturday they started with the Banks's on the automobile trip. Mrs.
Allen provided Patty with a long coat for the journey, and a veil to tie
over her hat. Not being accustomed to motoring, Patty did not have
appropriate garments, and Mrs. Allen took delight in fitting her out with
some of Nan's.
Mr. Banks's motor-car was of the largest and finest type. It was what is
called a palace touring car, and represented the highest degree of
comfort and luxury.
Patty had never been in such a beautiful machine, and when she was snugly
tucked in the tonneau between Mrs. Allen and Ethel, Mr. Banks and Mr.
Allen climbed into the front seat, and they started off.
The ride to Atlantic City was most exhilarating, and Patty enjoyed every
minute of it. There was a top to the machine, for which reason the force
of the wind was not so uncomfortable, and the tourists were able to
converse with each other.
"I thought," said Patty, "that when people went in these big cars, at
this fearful rate of speed, you could hardly hear yourself think, much
less talk to each other. What's the name of your car, Mr. Banks?"
"The Flying Dutchman," was the reply.
"It's a flyer, all right," said Patty, "but I don't see anything Dutch
about it."
"That's in honour of one of my ancestors, who, they tell me, came over
from Holland some hundreds of years ago."
"Then it's a most appropriate name," said Patty, "and it's the most
beautiful and comfortable car I ever saw."
They went spinning on mile after mile at what Patty thought was terrific
speed, but which Mr. Banks seemed to consider merely moderate. After a
while, seeing how interested Patty was in the mechanism of the car, Mr.
Allen offered to change seats with her, and let her sit with Mr. Banks,
while that gentleman explained to her the working of it.
Patty gladly made the change, and eagerly listened while Mr. Banks
explained the steering gear, and as much of the motor apparatus as he
could make clear to her.
Patty liked Mr. Banks. He was a kind and courteous gentleman, and treated
her with a deference that gave Patty a sudden sense of importance. It
seemed strange to think that she, little Patty Fairfield, was the
honoured guest of the well-known Mr. Banks of Philadelphia. She did her
best to be polite and entertaining in return, and the result was very
pleasant, and also very instructive in the art of motoring.
They reached Atlantic City late in the afternoon, and went at once to a
large hotel, where Mr. Banks had telegraphed ahead for rooms.
Patty and Ethel had adjoining rooms, and the Allens and Mr. Banks had
rooms across the hall from them.
Patty had begun to like Ethel before this trip had been planned, and as
she knew her better she liked her more. Ethel Banks, though the only
daughter of a millionaire, was not in the least proud or ostentatious.
She was a sweet, simple-minded girl, with friendly ways, and a good
comradeship soon developed between her and Patty.
She was a little older than Patty, and had just come out in society
during the past winter.
As Patty was still a schoolgirl, she could not be considered as "out,"
but of course on occasions like the present, such formalities made little
or no difference.
"Now, my dear," said Mr. Banks to Ethel, "if you and Miss Fairfield will
hasten your toilettes a little, we will have time for a ride on the board
walk before dinner." This pleased the girls, and in a short time they had
changed their travelling clothes for pretty light-coloured frocks, and
went downstairs to find Mr. Banks waiting for them on the verandah. He
explained that the Allens would not go with them on this expedition, so
the three started off. As their hotel faced the ocean, it was just a step
to the wide and beautiful board walk that runs for miles along the beach
at Atlantic City.
In all her life Patty had never seen such a sight as this before, and the
beauty and wonder of it all nearly took her breath away.
The board walk was forty feet wide, and was like a moving picture of
gaily-dressed and happy-faced people.
Although early in April, it seemed like summer time, so balmy was the
air, so bright the sunshine. Patty gazed with delight at the blue ocean,
dotted with whitecaps, and then back to the wonderful panorama of the gay
crowd, the music of the bands, and the laughter of the children.
"The best way to get an idea of the extent of this thing," said Mr.
Banks, "is to take a ride in the wheeled chairs. You two girls hop into
that double one, and I will take this single one, and we'll go along the
walk for a mile or so."
The chairs were propelled by strong young coloured men, who were affable
and polite, and who explained the sights as they passed them, and pointed
out places of interest. Patty said to Ethel that she felt as if she were
in a perambulator, except that she wasn't strapped in. But she soon
became accustomed to the slow, gentle motion of the chairs, and declared
that it was indeed an ideal way to see the beautiful place. On one side
was an endless row of small shops or bazaars, where wares of all sorts
were offered for sale. At one of these, a booth of oriental trinkets, Mr.
Banks stopped and bought each of the girls a necklace of gay-coloured
beads. They were not valuable ornaments, but had a quaint, foreign air,
and were very pretty in their own way. Patty was greatly pleased, and
when they passed another booth which contained exquisite Armenian
embroideries, she begged Ethel to accept the little gift from her, and
picking out some filmy needle-worked handkerchiefs, she gave them to her
friend.
On they went, past the several long piers, until Mr. Banks said it was
time to turn around if they would reach the hotel in time for dinner.
So back they went to the hotel, and, after finding the Allens, they all
went to the dining-room.
Privately, Patty wondered how these people could spend so much time
eating dinner, when they might be out on the beach. At last, to her great
satisfaction, dinner was over, and Mr. Allen proposed that they all go
out for a short stroll on the board walk.
Although it had been a gay scene in the afternoon, that was as nothing to
the evening effect. Thousands,--millions, it seemed to Patty,--of
electric lights in various wonderful devices, and in every possible
colour, made the place as light as day, and the varied gorgeousness of
the whole scene made it seem, as Patty said, like a big kaleidoscope.
They walked gaily along, mingling with the good-natured crowd, noticing
various sights or incidents here and there, until they reached the great
steel pier, where Mr. Allen invited them to go with him to the concert.
So in they went to listen to a band concert. This pleased Patty, for she
was especially fond of a brass band, but Mrs. Allen said it was nothing
short of pandemonium.
"Your tastes are barbaric, Patty," she said, laughing. "You love light
and colour and noise, and I don't believe you could have too much of any
of the three."
"I don't believe I could," said Patty, laughing herself, as the music
banged and crashed.
"And that gewgaw you've got hanging around your neck," went on Mrs.
Allen; "your fancy for that proves you a true barbarian."
"I think it's lovely," said Patty, looking at her gay-coloured beads. "I
don't care if I do like crazy things. Ethel likes these beads, too."
"That's all right," said Mrs. Allen. "Of course you like them,
chickadees, and they look very pretty with your light frocks. It's no
crime, Patty, to be barbaric. It only means you have youth and enthusiasm
and a capacity for enjoyment."
"Indeed I have," said Patty. "I'm enjoying all this so much that I feel
as if I should just burst, or fly away, or something."
"Don't fly away yet," said Ethel. "We can't spare you. There are lots
more things to see."
And so there were. After the concert they walked on, and on, continually
seeing new and interesting scenes of one sort or another. Indeed, they
walked so far that Mr. Allen said they must take chairs back. So again
they got into the rolling chairs, and rolled slowly back to the hotel.
Patty was thoroughly tired out, but very happy, and went to sleep with
the music of the dashing surf sounding in her ears.