A FORCED MARCH
After luncheon they all strolled out on the verandas or through the
gardens, and Patty and Mona slipped away to hold a council of war by
themselves.
"You're a darling, Patty," Mona said, "and I was perfectly amazed at
those wonderful messes you fixed up for luncheon."
"I don't approve of the term you apply to my confections!"
"Well, you know what I mean. They were all PERFECT, you fairly outdid
Francois."
"That's better. Now, Mona mine, we must acquire some servants, and that
right speedily."
"Yes, but how? I think I'd better telephone the dinner guests not to
come."
"I'd hate to do that. They're Adele's friends, and she's so anxious to
have them come here."
"I know it, but what can we do? I won't let you cook again."
"No, I don't want to cook dinner. Luncheon seems different, somehow.
But I do believe if I take Camilla, and scour all the plains around
Spring Beach, I can catch something that can cook."
"I'd hate to have a poor cook."
"Yes, I know; I mean a first-class cook, though, perhaps not a chef."
"Well, go ahead, Patty, but you'll have to start at once. Your cook
ought to be here by four, and it's almost three now."
"'I slip, I slide, I gleam, I glance,'--what comes next? Never mind,
I'll just scoot."
Throwing on a white pongee dust cloak over her pretty frock, Patty
declared herself ready to start, and Mona ordered an electric runabout
brought from the garage.
But Miss Patricia Fairfield had no intention of going alone upon her
quest. Walking up to a group of men talking on the veranda, she paused
in front of Farnsworth.
"I want you," she said, calmly.
"I am yours," he responded with equal calm, and throwing away his
cigar, turned to go with her.
"Don't you want me?" asked Captain Sayre, eagerly.
"And me?" added Cromer.
"I know you want me," put in Roger, "but you're too shy to say so."
"I want you all," said Patty, beaming on the group, "but I like you one
at a time, and this is Little Billee's turn."
"What's up, my lady?" said Farnsworth, as he started the swift little
car.
"Why, just this. Turn toward the main road, please. We've simply got to
find a cook for Mona within an hour. I KNOW we can do it,--but, YOU
tell ME how."
"Dead easy, child. We'll just go out and kidnap one."
"But cooks aren't found sitting in deserted baby carriages, to be
tempted with candy. Now be sensible. Can't you think of any plan?"
"Not a plan! Can you?"
"Well, all I can think of is to go to see Susan."
"Susan it is! Where does the lady reside?"
"Down this way two blocks, then turn to the right."
"She is won! We are gone! Over bank,
bush and scar,
They'll have fleet steeds that follow!" quoth
young Lochinvar.'"
"I know Susan wouldn't come, but she may know of some one else," went
on Patty. "Here we are; stop at this house."
"No, Miss Patty," said Susan, when the case was laid before her, "I
don't rightly know of anny wan for the place. I'd go mesilf,--for I'm a
good, fair cook,--but I can't be afther makin' them fiddly-faddly
contraptions Miss Galbraith has."
"Well, Susan, if we can find a cook, will you come as helper? Just for
a few days, till Miss Galbraith can get some people down from New York."
"Yes, Miss Patty; I'll do that. Now, I'm bethinkin' me, there's the
Cartwrights' cook. She's a perfessional, and the family has gone away
for three days, sure. Cuddent she do ye?"
"Fine!" cried Patty. "Where do the Cartwrights live?"
"Up the road a piece, an' thin down beyant a couple o' miles. Don't ye
know the big grey stone house, wid towers?"
"Oh, yes; I know where you mean. And is the cook there? What's her
name?"
"Yes, she's there. An' her name is O'Brien. It's Irish she is, but she
knows more cookin' than manny Frinch jumpin'-jacks! If she'll go wid
yez, I'll go."
"Well, I'll tell you, Susan. You go on over to Miss Galbraith's now.
Tell her I sent you, and that I'll bring Mrs. O'Brien in about half an
hour. Then you go to the kitchen and get things started."
"My, it's the foine head ye have on ye, Miss Patty! That's a grand
plan!"
Susan turned back to her sister's house, and the motor-car darted
forward.
"So far, so good," said Patty. "But now to get the O'Brien. Suppose she
won't come?"
"Don't borrow trouble, Apple Blossom. Let's suppose she WILL come, and
meanwhile let's enjoy our ride. It was dear of you to ask me to come
with you."
"Well, you see, I didn't know but it might require force to persuade a
cook to go back with us, and,--and you're so big, you know."
"Then I'm glad I'm so big, since brawn and strength win favour in my
lady's sight."
"You ARE strong, aren't you?" and Patty looked at the giant beside her.
"I think," she went on slowly, "your strength must be as the strength
of ten."
"I hope so," and Farnsworth's voice took or a graver note, "and for the
right reason."
Just then they came in sight of the Cartwright place.
"Good gracious!" cried Patty, as they drove in. "Here are four thousand
dogs coming to meet us!"
Patty's estimate of their number was extravagant, but there WERE five
or six dogs, and they were large and full-lunged specimens of their
kind.
"I'm frightened," said Patty. "They're watchdogs, you know, turned
loose because the people are away. Don't get out, Billee, they'll bit
you! They're bloodhounds, I'm sure!"
"Then I'll play I'm Eliza crossing the ice, and you can sit here and be
Little Eva."
Patty had to laugh at his foolishness, but the dogs WERE fierce, and
she was glad when at last his repeated rings at the doorbell were
answered.
"Nobody at home," said a voice, as the door opened only a narrow crack,
and but part of a face could be seen.
"Is that so?" said Bill, pleasantly. "But you're at home, aren't you?
And perhaps you're the very one I want to see. Are you Mrs. O'Brien?"
"Yes, I am," and the door opened just a trifle wider; "but the family
is away, an' me ordhers is to admit nobody at all, at all."
"Well, we don't want to be admitted, but won't you step outside a
moment?"
Farnsworth emphasised his remarks by pushing the door wide open, and,
partly out of curiosity, Mrs. O'Brien stepped outside. She was a small
woman, but her face wore a look of grim determination, as if she were
afraid of nothing. She quieted the barking dogs, and turned to Patty.
"Don't be afraid, Miss," she said; "they won't hurt ye, now that they
see me a-talkin' to yez. Did ye want to see Mrs. Cartwright? She ain't
home, an' won't be till day after tomorrah."
"No," said Patty, "I don't know Mrs. Cartwright. I want to see you.
Susan Hastings, my own cook, said your people were away, and so perhaps
you would go out to cook for a couple of days to oblige a neighbour."
"Oblige a neighbour, is it? Sure no lady would come afther another
lady's cook, underhanded like, when the lady's away!"
Patty's face flushed with righteous indignation.
"It ISN'T underhanded!" she exclaimed, "You don't understand! I don't
want you PERMANENTLY, but only for a day, or two days at most,--because
our cook has left."
"Arrah, ma'am, you said your cook was Susan Hastings! Yer a quare
leddy, I'm thinkin', an' yer husband here, is another! Sthrivin' to
entice away a cook as is satisfied wid her place, and who manes honest
by her employers!"
Farnsworth was grinning broadly at the assumption of his and Patty's
relationship, but Patty was enraged at the implication of
underhandedness.
"He ISN'T my husband!" she cried, "and I don't want a cook for myself,
but for another lady!"
"Are ye runnin' an intilligence office, belike?"
"Here!" cried Bill, sharply. "Don't you speak like that to that lady!
Now, you listen to me. We are both visitors at Miss Galbraith's. Her
cook left suddenly, and we want you to come and cook for us, two days
if you will,--but one day ANYWAY! See? Do you understand that? You're
to go over to Miss Galbraith's now, with us, and cook dinner tonight.
After dinner, you may do as you like about staying longer. We'll pay
you well, and there's no reason whatever why you shouldn't oblige us."
At first the Irishwoman looked a little intimidated at Bill's manner
and his gruff tones, but in a moment she flared up.
"I'll do nothin' of the sort! I'm left here in charge of this place,
an' here I'll shtay!"
"Is there no one else to guard the place?"
"Yis, there's the second gardener, an' the coachman. I cooks their
meals for them. The other servants is away for two days."
"Well, the second coachman and third gardener, or whatever their
numbers are, can cook for themselves to-night. You're going with
us,--see? With US,--NOW!"
"I'll not go, sor--" began Mrs. O'Brien, but Big Bill picked the little
woman up in his arms, as if she had been a child.
"This is a case of kidnapping a cook, Patty," he said. "I told you I'd
do it!"
Paying no attention to his struggling burden, Farnsworth pulled shut
the door of the Cartwrights' house, shook it to make sure it closed
with a snap lock, and then gently but firmly carried Mrs. O'Brien to
the motor-car.
"Take the driving seat, Patty," he directed, and, as she did so, he
deposited the cook in the seat beside her. Then he climbed into the
small seat at the rear and remarked:
"Let her go, Patty; and unless you sit still and behave yourself, Mrs.
O'Brien, you'll fall out and get damaged. Now be a nice cook, and make
the best of this. You're kidnapped, you see,--you can't help
yourself,--and so, what are you going to do about it?"
The cook sat bolt upright, her hard, unsmiling face looking straight
ahead, and she replied, between clenched teeth, "Wanst I get out, I'll
go straight back home, if it's a hundherd miles yez do be takin' me!"
"Oh, don't do that," and Patty's voice was sweet and coaxing. "Let me
tell you something, Mrs. O'Brien. You know Susan Hastings,--what a nice
woman she is. Well, once I was in a great emergency, worse even than
to-day, and knowing the warm, kind hearts of the Irish, I went to Susan
and asked her to help me out. And she did,--splendidly! Now, I know
you've got that same warm Irish heart, but for some reason you don't
WANT to help me out of my trouble. Won't you tell me WHAT that reason
is?"
Mrs. O'Brien turned and looked at her.
"Me heart's warrum enough," she said, "an' I'd be glad to sarve the
likes of such a pretty leddy as yersilf,--but, I won't shtand bein'
carried off by kidnappers!"
"But listen," said Patty, who was beginning to hope she could cajole
the woman into a good humour; "you must realise that the gentleman is a
Western man. Now they do things very differently out there from what
men do here. If they want anything or anybody they just TAKE them!"
"H'm, h'm," murmured Farnsworth, affirmatively over Patty's shoulder.
She paid no attention to his interruption, and went on, "So, you see,
Mrs. O'Brien, you mustn't mind the rude and untutored manners of the
savage tribes. This gentleman is a--is an INDIAN!"
"You don't tell me, Miss!"
"Yes, he is. And though you're perfectly safe if you do just as he
tells you, if you rebel, he might--he might TOMAHAWK you!"
"Lor', Miss, is he as bad as that?"
"Oh, he's AWFUL bad! He's terrible! He's--why, he's IRRESISTIBLE!"
Big Bill was shaking with laughter, but Mrs. O'Brien couldn't see him,
and Patty herself looked half scared out of her wits.
"Now, I'll tell you what, Mrs. O'Brien," she went on, "you let me be
your friend; trust to me, and I'll see that no harm comes to you. If
you'll cook this dinner to-night, I'll promise to send you home safely
to-morrow morning, and Miss Galbraith will pay you well beside. Susan
Hastings will be with you as a helper, and--and if you only make your
mind up to it, you can have a real good time!"
Patty felt that she ended her speech rather lamely, but her eloquence
had given out. And the sound of Bill's chuckles, behind her, made it
difficult not to laugh herself.
But either Patty's friendliness or fear of Bill's ferocity seemed to
conquer Mrs. O'Brien's rebellious spirit, and she sat calmly in her
place, though making no further observations.
Nor could Farnsworth and Patty converse, for as Bill sat behind, and
they were flying rapidly along, speech was inconvenient if not
impossible.
Farnsworth kept a sharp eye on his captive; though he knew she could
not escape now, he wasn't sure what strange turn her temper might take.
But Patty felt sure that if she could once get the cook into the
kitchen at "Red Chimneys," and under the influence of Susan's common
sense and powers of persuasion, all would be well. She drove round to
the kitchen entrance, and as she stopped the car, Farnsworth jumped
down to assist their passenger out.
Uncertain just how to show her unwillingness to do their bidding, Mrs.
O'Brien sat still and refused to move. Whereupon, Patty jumped down and
ran into the kitchen.
"Susan," she cried, "here's the cook! Come out and make her behave
herself!"
Susan followed Patty out, and saw the new arrival.
"Is it yersilf, Ann O'Brien?" she cried, joyfully. "Come on in, now."
"I'll not come! These vilyans kidnapped me, and I'll cook no dinner fer
the likes o' thim!"
"Arrah now, it's yersilf is the vilyan! Ye ought to be proud to be
kidnapped by Miss Patty, and Misther Bill! Get down here, ye gossoon,
an' behave like a dacint woman!"
Susan's authoritative voice, and Farnsworth's apparent readiness to
assist her, if she delayed, persuaded Mrs. O'Brien to leave the car.
She went into the kitchen with Susan, and Patty turned a beaming face
to Bill.
"It's all right now," she said. "Susan will bring her around. But, oh,
Billee, how DID you DARE to do such a thing?"
"I'd dare anything to get you what you want. And you said you wanted
that particular cook. So I got her."
"But you'll be arrested for kidnapping!"
"Oh, I think not. I'll telephone over to that second-rate gardener, and
I fancy I can make it all right."
Then Bill and Patty sauntered round the house to the veranda.
"Where's your cook?" cried Mona.
"In the kitchen, where she belongs," replied Patty. "Do you want her
here?"
"No, but how did you get one?"
"Kidnapped her!" declared Patty, and then amid the laughter of their
hearers, they told the whole story.
"I never heard of such a thing!" said Aunt Adelaide, with a
disapproving frown.
"But it was that, or no dinner," said Patty, plaintively.
"I think it's great!" said Roger. "And the end is not yet! In an hour,
all sorts of police and detectives and weird things like that will come
up here and arrest us."
"They'll only take Patty and me," said Farnsworth, "and we can look out
for ourselves, can't we, A. B.?"
But Patty only smiled, and ran away to her own room.