The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People Thought of Him

by Paul Leicester Ford

  CHAPTER L.

  SUNSHINE.

  But just as Peter was about to continue this rather unsatisfactory trainof thought, his eye caught sight of a flattened bullet lying on thefloor. He picked it up, with a smile. "I knew she was my good luck," hesaid. Then he took out the sachet again, and kissed the dented and bentcoin. Then he examined the photographs. "Not even the dress is cutthrough," he said gleefully, looking at the full length. "It couldn'thave hit in a better place." When he came to the glove, however, hegrieved a little over it. Even this ceased to trouble him the nextmoment, for a telegram was laid on his desk. It merely said, "Come byall means. W.C.D'A." Yet that was enough to make Peter drop thoughts,work, and everything for a time. He sat at his desk, gazing at a blankwall, and thinking of a pair of slate-colored eyes. But his expressionbore no resemblance to the one formerly assumed when that particularpractice had been habitual.

  Nor was this expression the only difference in this day, to mark thechange from Peter past to Peter present. For instead of manoeuvring tomake Watts sit on the back seat, when he was met by the trap late thatafternoon, at Newport, he took possession of that seat in the coolestpossible manner, leaving the one by the driver to Watts. Nor did Peterlook away from the girl on that back seat. Quite the contrary. It didnot seem to him that a thousand eyes would have been any too much.Peter's three months of gloom vanished, and became merely a contrast toheighten his present joy. A sort of "shadow-box."

  He had had the nicest kind of welcome from his "friend." If the mannerhad not been quite so absolutely frank as of yore, yet there was nodoubt as to her pleasure in seeing Peter. "It's very nice to see youagain," she had said while shaking hands. "I hoped you would comequickly." Peter was too happy to say anything in reply. He merely tookpossession of that vacant seat, and rested his eyes in silence tillWatts, after climbing into place, asked him how the journey to Newporthad been.

  "Lovelier than ever," said Peter, abstractedly. "I didn't think it waspossible."

  "Eh?" said Watts, turning with surprise on his face.

  But Leonore did not look surprised. She only looked the other way, andthe corners of her mouth were curving upwards.

  "The journey?" queried Watts.

  "You mean Newport, don't you?" said Leonore helpfully, when Peter saidnothing. Leonore was looking out from under her lashes--at things ingeneral, of course.

  Peter said nothing. Peter was not going to lie about what he had meant,and Leonore liked him all the better for not using the deceivingloophole she had opened.

  Watts said, "Oh, of course. It improves every year. But wasn't thejourney hot, old man?"

  "I didn't notice," said Peter.

  "Didn't notice! And this one of the hottest days of the year."

  "I had something else to think about," explained Peter.

  "Politics?" asked Watts.

  "Oh, Peter," said Leonore, "we've been so interested in all the talk. Itwas just as maddening as could be, how hard it was to get New Yorkpapers way out west. I'm awfully in the dark about some things. I'veasked a lot of people here about it, but nobody seems to know anything.Or if they do, they laugh at me. I met Congressman Pell yesterday at theTennis Tournament, and thought he would tell me all about it. But he washorrid! His whole manner said: 'I can't waste real talk on a girl.' Itold him I was a great friend of yours, and that you would tell me whenyou came, but he only laughed and said, he had no doubt you would, foryou were famous for your indiscretion. I hate men who laugh at women themoment they try to talk as men do."

  "I think," said Peter, "we'll have to turn Pell down. A Congressman wholaughs at one of my friends won't do."

  "I really wish you would. That would teach him," said Leonore,vindictively. "A man who laughs at women can't be a good Congressman."

  "I tell you what we'll do," said Peter. "I don't want to retire him,because--because I like his mother. But I will tell you something foryou to tell him, that will astonish him very much, and make him want toknow who told you, and so you can tease him endlessly."

  "Oh, Peter!" said Leonore. "You are the nicest man."

  "What's that?" asked Watts.

  "It's a great secret," said Peter. "I shall only tell it to MissD'Alloi, so that if it leaks beyond Pell, I shall know whom to blame forit."

  "Goody!" cried Leonore, giving a little bounce for joy.

  "Is it about that famous dinner?" inquired Watts.

  "No."

  "Peter, I'm so curious about that. Will you tell me what you did?"

  "I ate a dinner," said Peter smiling.

  "Now don't be like Mr. Pell," said Leonore, reprovingly, "or I'll takeback what I just said."

  "Did you roar, and did the tiger put its tail between its legs?" askedWatts.

  "That is the last thing our friends, the enemies, have found," saidPeter.

  "You will tell me about it, won't you, Peter?" said Leonore,ingratiatingly.

  "Have you a mount for me, Watts, for to-morrow? Mutineer comes by boatto-night, but won't be here till noon."

  "Yes. I've one chap up to your weight, I think."

  "I don't like dodgers," said Leonore, the corners of her mouth drawndown.

  "I was not dodging," said Peter. "I only was asking a preliminaryquestion. If you will get up, before breakfast, and ride with me, I willtell you everything that actually occurred at that dinner. You will bethe only person, I think, who wasn't there, who knows." It was shamefuland open bribery, but bosses are shameful and open in their doings, soPeter was only living up to his role.

  The temptation was too strong to be resisted, Leonore said, "Of coarse Iwill," and the corners of her mouth reversed their position. But shesaid to herself: "I shall have to snub you in something else to make upfor it." Peter was in for a bad quarter of an hour somewhere.

  Leonore had decided just how she was going to treat Peter. To beginwith, she intended to accentuate that "five years" in various ways. Thenshe would be very frank and friendly, just as long as he, too, wouldkeep within those limits, but if Peter even verged on anything more, sheintended to leave him to himself, just long enough to show him that suchremarks as his "not caring to be friends," brought instant and direpunishment. "And I shan't let him speak," Leonore decided, "no matter ifhe wants to. For if he does, I'll have to say 'no,' and then he'll goback to New York and sulk, and perhaps never come near me again, sincehe's so obstinate, while I want to stay friends." Many such campaignshave been planned by the party of the first part. But the trouble isthat, usually, the party of the second part also has a plan, whichentirely disconcerts the first. As the darkey remarked: "Yissah. My doghe wud a beat, if it hadn't bin foh de udder dog."

  Peter found as much contrast in his evening, as compared with hismorning, as there was in his own years. After dinner. Leonore said:

  "I always play billiards with papa. Will you play too?"

  "I don't know how," said Peter.

  "Then it's time you learned. I'll take you on my side, because papaalways beats me. I'll teach you."

  So there was the jolliest of hours spent in this way, all of themlaughing at Peter's shots, and at Leonore's attempts to show him how."Every woman ought to play billiards," Peter thought, when it was ended."It's the most graceful sight I've seen in years."

  Leonore said, "You get the ideas very nicely, but you hit much too hard.You can't hit a ball too softly. You pound it as if you were trying tosmash it."

  "It's something I really must learn," said Peter, who had refused overand over again in the past.

  "I'll teach you, while you are here," said Leonore.

  Peter did not refuse this time.

  Nor did he refuse another lesson. When they had drifted into thedrawing-room, Leonore asked: "Have you been learning how to valse?"

  Peter smiled at so good an American using so European a word, but saidseriously, "No. I've been too busy."

  "That's a shame," said Leonore, "because there are to be two dances thisweek, and mamma has written to get you cards."

  "Is it ve
ry hard?" asked Peter.

  "No," said Leonore. "It's as easy as breathing, and much nicer."

  "Couldn't you teach me that, also?"

  "Easily. Mamma, will you play a valse? Now see." Leonore drew her skirtsback with one hand, so as to show the little feet, and said: "one, two,three, so. One, two, three, so. Now do that."

  Peter had hoped that the way to learn dancing was to take the girl inone's arms. But he recognized that this would follow. So he set to workmanfully to imitate that dainty little glide. It seemed easy as she didit. But it was not so easy when he tried it.

  "Oh, you clumsy," said Leonore laughing. "See. One, two, three, so. One,two, three, so."

  Peter forgot to notice the step, in his admiration of the little feetand the pretty figure.

  "Well," said Leonore after a pause, "are you going to do that?"

  So Peter tried again, and again, and again. Peter would have done it allnight, with absolute contentment, so long as Leonore, after everyfailure, would show him the right way in her own person.

  Finally she said, "Now take my hands. No. Way apart, so that I can seeyour feet. Now. We'll try it together. One, two, change. One, two,change."

  Peter thought this much better, and was ready to go on till strengthfailed. But after a time, Leonore said, "Now. We'll try it the true way.Take my hand so and put your arm so. That's the way. Only never hold agirl too close. We hate it. Yes. That's it. Now, mamma. Again. One, two,three. One, two, three."

  This was heavenly, Peter thought, and could have wept over theshortness, as it seemed to him, of this part of the lesson.

  But it ended, and Leonore said: "If you'll practice that in your room,with a bolster, you'll get on very fast."

  "I always make haste slowly," said Peter, not taking to the bolster ideaat all kindly. "Probably you can find time to-morrow for another lesson,and I'll learn much quicker with you."

  "I'll see."

  "And will you give me some waltzes at the dances?"

  "I'll tell you what I'll do," said Leonore. "You shall have the dancesthe other men don't ask of me. But you don't dance well enough, in caseI can get a better partner. I love valsing too much to waste one with apoor dancer."

  A moment before Peter thought waltzing the most exquisite pleasure theworld contained. But he suddenly changed his mind, and concluded it wasodious.

  "Nevertheless," he decided, "I will learn how."