Rebecca's Promise

by Frances R. Sterrett

  CHAPTER XIV

  "Do you know what I am going to do?" Peter demanded gloomily when hefound Rebecca Mary in the pergola overlooking the river at the foot ofthe garden.

  Rebecca Mary was reading a book which she had found in one of the bigcases in Joshua Cabot's grandfather's library. She flushed guiltily whenPeter discovered her and put her book hurriedly behind her, which was noway to hide it from him. Peter immediately wanted to know what was thematter with her book that she should put it behind her back when he camein sight, and what was her book, anyway? A minute later Rebecca Mary hadyielded to brute force, and Peter read the title of the thickvolume--"The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg," and then he took up a smallvolume which was on the bench beside Rebecca Mary and read the title ofthat--"French Grammar."

  Then and there Peter had taxed her with giving more of her time andthoughts to Frederick William Gaston Johan Louis, Count Ernach deBefort, than she did to him, plain Peter Simmons, a former private inthe Lafayette escadrille.

  "You are always talking education with him. Education!" he sneered. "Orreading about his blamed little country or studying his blamed,--no, Ican't call the language of the French names. But you know, Rebecca Mary,that you give him more of your company than you give me." And whenRebecca Mary just sat there flushed and guilty, Peter went on with greatdetermination, "Do you know what I am going to do?"

  Rebecca Mary could truthfully say that she didn't, she hadn't thefaintest idea what he was going to do.

  "I'm going to take this many-named count out and drown him. Oh, yes, Iknow we're forbidden to go on the river and that Befort is needed at theshop, but I'm going to drown him just the same. Yes, Rebecca Mary Wyman,that is what I shall do, I'll take him out on the river and drown him.What does he mean by butting in, anyway? Doesn't he know that I broughtyou here to get you away from old Dick Cabot?"

  "Oh!" Rebecca Mary was all in a flutter when he spoke of old Dick Cabot.

  "Doesn't Befort know that you are my girl?" went on Peter with a frown,although there was a grin lurking around the corners of his mouth.

  "Am I?" dimpled Rebecca Mary, pink to her hair to hear that she wasPeter's girl.

  "Aren't you?" Peter could answer one question with another as well asany Irishman, and he leaned closer to see if Rebecca Mary agreed thatshe was his girl. "And I'm not going to let another fellow cut me out,"he went on sternly. "Marshall and Barton are bad enough, but I canmanage them."

  "How?" interrupted Rebecca Mary, eager to hear how Peter was going tomanage Wallie Marshall and George Barton.

  "I'm a bigger man than they are and a better," Peter explained promptly."They don't worry me, but this Befort--I'm bigger than he is, too, buthe's romantic, and all girls fall for romance. I can see that he mighthave quite a drag with you. Most girls would rather have a diamondalready cut and polished in their platinum ring than one in the rough. Ilike old Befort myself, but I'll have to drown him just the same.Godfrey!" he jumped to his feet and looked down at her. "There's no timelike the present. I'll hunt him up and ask him politely to come for alittle row on the river, and then I'll drown him."

  Rebecca Mary laughed. "There used to be an old saying that ran somethinglike this--'First catch your hare.'" Her eyes danced. It was such fun tohear Peter run on. Not one of the eight-year-old men she had known inthe third grade of the Lincoln school had ever talked to her like this.

  Peter grunted scornfully. "Oh, I'll catch him," he promised confidently."I have only to stay here with you, and I'll catch him and drown him."

  Neither of them knew that just behind the vine wreathed pergola Joan wasplaying with the farmhouse kitten which she had borrowed withoutpermission. She had hesitated between the baby asleep in a chair on theporch and the kitten asleep on the step and then had wisely chosen thekitten.

  When she first heard Peter talking to Rebecca Mary she had not listenedto him for the kitten was so cunning as it played with the string Joanheld just out of reach of the four paws, but when Peter kept oninsisting that he was going to drown some one she had to listen. Whenshe heard who Peter was going to drown she jumped to her feet, almost onthe borrowed kitten, and gasped. Her first impulse was to rush to Peterand tell him that he couldn't, he just couldn't, drown her father forliking to talk to Rebecca Mary. If he did that he would have to drownhimself and every one at Riverside and a lot of people at Waloo, foralmost every one liked to talk to Rebecca Mary. He even would have todrown her. And then another plan slipped swiftly into her startledbrain, and her slim legs scarcely touched the ground as they carried heraround the pergola and up through the garden.

  It was the greatest luck that just as she passed the tall clump oflarkspur she should see her father coming leisurely toward her. If Joanhad been older and in less haste she would have seen that her father hadchanged since the day the tennis ball had found him. He did not look ashaggard nor quite as absent-minded and his shoulders did not sag. Helooked just then as if he had come from the hands of a very good valet.

  "Eh, Joan," he called when he saw the flash of her bare knees. "Whatnow? Where are you going in such haste?"

  Joan threw herself against him, clasping his legs in her arms, andgasped, "You won't let him drown you, will you?" she begged.

  Frederick Befort dropped on the grass beside her and took her in hisarms. "Indeed, no one shall drown me, _ma petite_. Why should they?"

  "Then when he asks you to come for a row on the river you won't go,will you?" Joan went on. "Say you won't?" She gave him a little shake."I--I don't want you to be drowned."

  "And I don't want to be drowned." Frederick Befort laughed gently as hewiped the tears from her eyes. "Some one has been teasing you,_mignonne_."

  "It wasn't to me he said it. It was to Miss Wyman. He said he couldmanage Mr. Marshall and Mr. Barton, but that you were too romantic andhe would have to drown you."

  To Joan's surprise her father threw back his head and laughed andlaughed. "So," he murmured as he hugged her, "I am romantic, am I? MissWyman----" An odd expression crossed his face as if an odd thought hadjust crossed his mind. "You like Miss Wyman, don't you, Joan?"

  Joan nodded as she clung to his hand. If Peter drowned her father heshould drown her, too. Even if she did love Miss Wyman she did not wantto live without her father.

  "He said you were a cut and polished diamond set in platinum," shehiccoughed. "And he said he was in the rough. That was why he would haveto take you in a boat and drown you, because you were a cut and polisheddiamond. So I ran just as fast as I could for I knew if I told you henever could drown you, could he?"

  Frederick Befort put his fingers under the eager little face and tippedit up so that he could kiss the trembling lips. "I don't think Peterwants to drown me, Joan," he explained gently. "He was speakingfiguratively."

  "What's that?" The new word had to be explained at once. "What's figurespeaking?"

  Frederick Befort searched his brain for the right words with which toexplain it. "When you ran races with Miss Wyman and Peter last night youcalled out that you were flying because you ran so fast. But you reallyweren't flying, you know, you just felt as if you were. Peter Simmonsdoesn't really want to drown me, he just wants to pretend that he does."

  "Oh!" The explanation proved satisfactory, and Joan's lips stoppedtrembling to smile. "It won't hurt to do it that way, will it?"

  Frederick Befort smiled ruefully. "I'm not so sure. You know, Joan, thatPeter Simmons is young and life is all before him. My life is behind me,the best part of it." He jumped to his feet as Rebecca Mary and Peterrounded the larkspur. Peter was carrying the "Grand Duchy ofLuxembourg" and the French grammar.

  Joan jumped to her feet, too. "I heard what you said," she calledtriumphantly, "and I ran to tell my father. Yes, I did, and so you can'tdrown him now only in your mind."

  Peter looked surprised and crestfallen before he laughed. "You saved hislife," he said, tickling Joan's neck. "If you hadn't told him I'd takehim right out now and drown him."

  Joan shivered and looked quickl
y from Peter to her "cut and polished"father, who didn't shiver at all.

  "Only figuratively, _mignonne_," he reminded her.

  "But he could do it truly, perhaps," she said tremulously, for Peter didseem so big and resourceful. "He has a war cross for being brave, youknow."

  "He received that for saving people, not for drowning them," FrederickBefort said swiftly. "I envy you that, Peter," he added gravely.

  Peter nodded. "I hadn't thought of it like that. It is good to thinkthat I helped save, but when you get down to brass tacks that's what allthe fellows were doing," he went on quickly. "They saved the world,ideals, freedom, everything that makes life worth while."

  "Yes, you are right. Have you been studying your lesson, Miss Wyman?"Frederick Befort took the French grammar from Peter's hand. "Are youready to recite it? Let us go down by the river."

  And before Peter could say "booh" he had taken Rebecca Mary and thegrammar both away from him.

  Peter looked after them and his jaw dropped. "Well, I'll be darned!" hemuttered "You bet I'll have to drown that man."