Peggy Raymond's Way; Or, Blossom Time at Friendly Terrace

by Harriet L. Smith

  CHAPTER XI

  QUITE INFORMAL

  AMY'S memorable dinner party, which had resulted in making BobCarey such a frequent caller, was responsible for another agreeablefriendship. Bob's sister Hildegarde, if she did not fully shareher brother's sentiments where Amy was concerned, acknowledged,nevertheless, to a thorough liking for the girl who had played the partof hostess under such trying circumstances. She saw considerable of Amyand, through her, had made the acquaintance of Amy's especial chums onFriendly Terrace. The girls all liked Hildegarde, and Hildegarde likedthem, though she was continually accusing them of being old-fashionedin their ideas. Hildegarde had rather more spending money than was goodfor her, and her social ambitions were the bane of Bob's existence. Bobhated formality. He never put on his dress suit except under protest,and his popularity among his sister's friends, with the resultinginvitations to all sorts of affairs, awakened his profound resentment.The simple good times of Amy's set where every one came at eighto'clock and went home at ten, exactly suited him.

  There was perhaps a spice of malice back of an invitation Amy receivedone morning. The previous evening Bob had accompanied his sister tothe home of one of her friends. He had gone reluctantly, only yieldingwhen Hildegarde had agreed to start for home promptly at ten. There hadbeen other callers, however, and bridge had been suggested, so that itwas quarter of one when the brother and sister reached home. Bob wasfrankly sulky. "I hate to go down to the office in the morning feelinglike a fool because I haven't had sleep enough," he declared.

  "Bob Carey, any one would suppose you were an old grandfather to hearyou talk. I don't know another fellow your age who thinks he has to goto bed with the chickens."

  "And knowing the hours some of your friends keep," returnedBob irritatingly, "I'm not surprised at their seeming lack ofintelligence. They're practically walking in their sleep."

  "Please leave my friends alone. You wouldn't be particularly pleased ifI began sneering at Amy."

  "Sneering at Amy!" Bob's tone was scornful as he repeated his sister'swords. "If you did, it would be only to get even with me."

  "I don't suppose she's absolute perfection."

  "I don't know."

  "Oh, Bob, don't be so absurd." But though Hildegarde ended with alaugh, she was still resentful. She knew that Bob had planned to callon Amy that evening and shrewdly judged that, since she had thwartedhis intention, he would go the following night. Accordingly shecalled Amy on the phone bright and early, and invited her to attend adown-town picture show; not an ordinary movie, but a special attractionwith the seats selling at regular theater prices. Amy exclaimeddelightedly, and then caught herself up.

  "I forgot that Peggy and Priscilla were coming over to-night. But I'msure they'll let me off. I'll call them up and then call you. I'mcrazy to see that picture, but I didn't expect to for a year or twotill it got down to the twenty-five cent houses."

  "We'll ask Peggy and Priscilla to go, too," said Hildegarde.

  "Gorgeous," replied Amy, "and it's so near the end of vacation we canmake it a final spree"; and Hildegarde, smiling a little, proceeded tocall the two Sweet P's as she mentally designated them. Both girls wereunqualifiedly delighted to accept, for one of the advantages of notpossessing too much money is that the zest for simple pleasures remainskeen. Hildegarde had friends who were blase over a trip to Europe, andshe always felt a little wonder, not without a tinge of patronage itmust be admitted, over the thoroughness with which Amy and her friendscould enjoy things.

  When Hildegarde announced casually at the dinner table that she wouldhave to be excused before the desert, as she and Amy were to see the"Star of Destiny" that evening, her brother shot her a comprehendingglance. "I'd have bought a ticket for you, Bob," Hildegarde explainedteasingly, "Only I felt sure you meant to go to bed at nine, and makeup the sleep you lost last evening."

  "You're always thoughtful, Hildegarde," said Bob with an irony soapparent that his mother stared. And Hildegarde hurrying throughher dinner, felt cheerful certainty that as far as her brother wasconcerned, she had evened the score.

  The "Star of Destiny" proved quite as thrilling as any of the audiencecould have wished, and the accompanying comedy a trifle less inane thanthe average picture comedy. At ten o'clock the girls left the theater,while the crowd that had been standing in line scrambled to take theseats they had vacated. As they reached the sidewalk, Hildegardeslipped her hand through the arm of Priscilla, who happened to benearest, "I'm on the point of starvation," she declared gaily. "I hadto hurry through my dinner so, I feel as though I hadn't had a thing.Now we'll go over to the Green Parrot and get something to eat."

  The guests hesitated. "Is--do you think it is all right for girls to gothere alone in the evening?" asked Peggy doubtfully.

  "Why of course. The name's rather lurid, but it's a perfectly niceplace. Let's take this cross-street and then we'll save half a block."

  On the way to the popular restaurant, Hildegarde did most of thetalking. None of her guests felt exactly comfortable over accepting theinvitation; and yet to decline it, when Hildegarde declared herselfhalf starved, seemed decidedly ungracious. None of the FriendlyTerrace girls had been brought up to think a chaperone a necessaryaccompaniment to all youthful pleasures, but venturing into a down-townrestaurant at ten o'clock in the evening, without either chaperoneor escort, was rather too up-to-date to please any of them. Peggypictured Graham's face when she told him of the climax of the evening'spleasures, and smiled rather ruefully.

  Once inside, it must be admitted, the spirits of all three revived. Thebig room was so lighted that it was more dazzling than the noon day. Aspace had been cleared for dancing, and several couples were revolvingin time to a catchy popular air. The majority of the tables wereoccupied, but the head-waiter, who evidently recognized Hildegarde,led the way to a small round table at the side, and seated them with aflourish. No one had seemed to notice them, and Peggy hoped that theirinconspicuous location would prevent any unwelcome attention.

  "After all," she thought sensibly, "it's a perfectly respectableplace, and perhaps it's not considered queer for girls to come alone."Unconsciously her fear of arousing unfavorable comment rendered herunusually subdued, and the other girls took their cue from her,speaking in their lowest voices, smiling discreetly, and otherwiseconducting themselves with as much decorum as if there had been achaperone apiece.

  After some discussion they decided on welsh rarebit, and Hildegardealso ordered coffee and rolls. The rarebit came in due time, anisland of toast in a seething lava-lake of rarebit. The girls sniffedappreciatively and exchanged smiles. "To think I didn't know I washungry," Amy exclaimed.

  "I wish I could make my rarebits smooth like this," sighed Peggy. "Itlooks so wonderful that I hate to eat it."

  Their faces cheerful, but their manners still decorously subdued, thefour girls attacked the dainty which has so undesirable a reputation inthe matter of dreams. Though Hildegarde was the only one of the fourwho had not done justice to her dinner, all were young enough to feelhungry at the sight of the tempting dish. The islands of toast vanishedas if submerged by a tidal wave. The miniature lava lakes graduallydisappeared, and the big plate of rolls was so diminished by successiveonslaughts that the few remaining had a lonely look.

  Priscilla was buttering the end of her roll when, in involuntaryemphasis of something she was saying, she pressed it more energeticallythan she realized. As if determined to escape the fate of its comrades,the fragment flew from her fingers. It cleared the space between thattable and the next as if it had been winged, and then made sure ofescape by dropping in the coffee cup of a young man in eye glasses, whowas composedly eating fried oysters.

  The young man looked up, startled as a splash of coffee on his cheekchallenged his attention. He looked about in all directions and atlength his inquiring gaze came to the table where sat the agonizedPriscilla. Here, alas! it halted. For as she had seen the bewilderinggyrations of the fragment of Priscilla's roll, Amy had burst intoan astonis
hed giggle and had continued to giggle without cessation.Hildegarde, too, had lost interest in the remnant of her meal, and satleaning her head on her hand, speechless with laughter. As for Peggyand Priscilla, they were looking at each other in silent stupefaction,their flaming cheeks seemingly proclaiming their guilt. It was nowonder the young man in eye-glasses looked no farther. He had found theones responsible.

  For an agonizing moment Priscilla sat uncertain what to do. Thensummoning her common sense to her aid, she turned to the sole occupantof the next table. "I am very sorry," she said with that dignity thatwas Priscilla's own. "A piece of roll slipped from my fingers when Iwas buttering it, and flew across to your table. It--it is in yourcoffee cup."

  The young man looked into his cup and perceived the floating fragment.When again he lifted his eyes to Priscilla's he was smiling. "I thoughtsome acquaintance had thrown something at me to attract my attention,"he explained.

  "No," said Priscilla. "It was an unfortunate accident. I beg yourpardon." And then she turned to her own coffee, and seemingly gave ither attention, though so intense was her excitement that she might aswell have been drinking warm water as the coffee for which the GreenParrot was famous.

  Peggy was proud of the dignity with which Priscilla had met a difficultsituation, but poor Priscilla was not to find it easy to preserve thatdignity. Amy was still giggling, her face wearing an expression ofsuffering, due to the exhausting effect of continuous laughter. Acrossthe table Hildegarde pressed her handkerchief to her eyes and moanedsoftly. And all at once it seemed to Priscilla that she must shriekwith laughter or die.

  A moment later Peggy uttered an ejaculation of consternation, for thetears were running down Priscilla's cheeks. She sat perfectly erect,her eyes upon the table, and her only sign of emotion those tell-taletears. Peggy was really alarmed.

  "Priscilla, you mustn't take it so to heart. It wasn't anything. Don'tcry."

  "But I must do something," responded Priscilla in a strangled voice."Oh, can't we get away?"

  Her laughing companions sobered at the discovery that Priscilla was intears. Hildegarde called the waiter and demanded her check. But beforethey could get away, the young man in eye-glasses had risen and crossedto their table.

  "I hope you're not worrying about that roll," he said, looking downdismayed at Priscilla's tear-wet cheeks. "It's not worth thinking oftwice, you know."

  Seeing that Priscilla was incapable of replying, Peggy came to herfriend's assistance. "Of course it was only an accident," she said,"But it made her a little nervous."

  "So I see. I'm terribly sorry. If I could be of any service--" Theyoung man's face was troubled, his manner earnest. Peggy appreciatedthe sincerity of his feeling, even while she longed to take him by theear and lead him to the door. For heads were turning in their directionfrom all over the room. They were the observed of all observers.

  "Oh, thank you," said Peggy hastily, "she will feel all right as soonas she gets outside. This room is so warm," she added rather inanely.To her enormous relief the waiter appeared with Hildegarde's change.Hildegarde tipped him extravagantly, rammed her remaining bills intoher purse, and all four girls started for the door. The young man withthe eye-glasses remained standing, staring after them, and Peggy'scheeks crimsoned as she realized the attention they were attracting.

  She was quite sure she had a case of hysterics on her hands when, onceoutside, Priscilla began to laugh. It started in a little smotheredgiggle which soon had developed into peals of laughter. Peggy wasterrified. "Priscilla," she cried, "for Heaven's sake--"

  But Amy who had begun laughing sympathetically, as soon as Priscillastarted off, checked herself to remonstrate.

  "Let her alone, Peggy. All that ails her is she wanted to laugh andcouldn't, and I don't know anything that hurts worse. Isn't that it,Priscilla?"

  Priscilla could not answer in words, but she nodded vehemently andlaughed and wiped her wet eyes and laughed on till she sobbed. And thenall at once she stopped short, drew a long breath, and exclaimed, "Ifeel better."

  They made their way to the street cars, discussing the lateunpleasantness with much animation and making use of many luridadjectives. It was Hildegarde who exclaimed, "Don't you wish you knewwho he was?" She referred, of course, to the young man in eye-glasses.

  Priscilla stiffened. "Mercy, no! I hope he was a stranger in town,stopping over a train, and that I'll never lay eyes on him again."

  But that wish, though it came from the depths of Priscilla's heart, wasnot destined to come true.