Miss Billie's Decision [15]
the good-looking young fellow with the little pointed brown beard, who, as Billy noticed a second time, was wearing a white carnation.
As she glanced toward him, their eyes met. Then, to Billy's unbounded amazement, the man advanced with uplifted hat.
``I beg your pardon, but is not this--Miss Neilson?''
Billy drew back with just a touch of hauteur.
``Y-yes,'' she murmured.
``I thought so--yet I was expecting to see you with Aunt Hannah. I am M. J. Arkwright, Miss Neilson.''
For a brief instant Billy stared dazedly.
``You don't mean--Mary Jane?'' she gasped.
``I'm afraid I do.'' His lips twitched.
``But I thought--we were expecting--'' She stopped helplessly. For one more brief instant she stared; then, suddenly, a swift change came to her face. Her eyes danced.
``Oh--oh!'' she chuckled. ``How perfectly funny! You _have_ evened things up, after all. To think that Mary Jane should be a--'' She paused and flashed almost angrily suspicious eyes into his face. ``But mine _was_ `Billy,' '' she cried. ``Your name isn't really--Mary Jane'?''
``I am often called that.'' His brown eyes twinkled, but they did not swerve from their direct gaze into her own.
``But--'' Billy hesitated, and turned her eyes away. She saw then that many curious glances were already being flung in her direction. The color in her cheeks deepened. With an odd little gesture she seemed to toss something aside. ``Never mind,'' she laughed a little hysterically. ``If you'll pick up your bag, please, Mr. Mary Jane, and come with me. John and Peggy are waiting. Or--I forgot--you have a trunk, of course?''
The man raised a protesting hand.
``Thank you; but, Miss Neilson, really--I couldn't think of trespassing on your hospitality --now, you know.''
``But we--we invited you,'' stammered Billy.
He shook his head.
``You invited _Miss_ Mary Jane.''
Billy bubbled into low laughter.
``I beg your pardon, but it _is_ funny,'' she sighed. ``You see _I_ came once just the same way, and now to have the tables turned like this! What will Aunt Hannah say--what will everybody say? Come, I want them to begin--to say it,'' she chuckled irrepressibly.
``Thank you, but I shall go to a hotel, of course. Later, if you'll be so good as to let me call, and explain--!''
``But I'm afraid Aunt Hannah will think--'' Billy stopped abruptly. Some distance away she saw John coming toward them. She turned hurriedly to the man at her side. Her eyes still danced, but her voice was mockingly serious. ``Really, Mr. Mary Jane, I'm afraid you'll have to come to dinner; then you can settle the rest with Aunt Hannah. John is almost upon us-- and _I_ don't want to make explanations. Do you?''
``John,'' she said airily to the somewhat dazed chauffeur (who had been told he was to meet a young woman), ``take Mr. Arkwright's bag, please, and show him where Peggy is waiting. It will be five minutes, perhaps, before I can come --if you'll kindly excuse me,'' she added to Arkwright, with a flashing glance from merry eyes. ``I have some--telephoning to do.''
All the way to the telephone booth Billy was trying to bring order out of the chaos of her mind; but all the way, too, she was chuckling.
``To think that this thing should have happened to _me!_'' she said, almost aloud. ``And here I am telephoning just like Uncle William--Bertram said Uncle William _did_ telephone about _me!_''
In due course Billy had Aunt Hannah at the other end of the wire.
``Aunt Hannah, listen. I'd never have believed it, but it's happened. Mary Jane is--a man.''
Billy heard a dismayed gasp and a muttered ``Oh, my grief and conscience!'' then a shaking ``Wha-at?''
``I say, Mary Jane is a man.'' Billy was enjoying herself hugely.
``A _ma-an!_''
``Yes; a great big man with a brown beard. He's waiting now with John and I must go.''
``But, Billy, I don't understand,'' chattered an agitated voice over the line. ``He--he called himself `Mary Jane.' He hasn't any business to be a big man with a brown beard! What
As she glanced toward him, their eyes met. Then, to Billy's unbounded amazement, the man advanced with uplifted hat.
``I beg your pardon, but is not this--Miss Neilson?''
Billy drew back with just a touch of hauteur.
``Y-yes,'' she murmured.
``I thought so--yet I was expecting to see you with Aunt Hannah. I am M. J. Arkwright, Miss Neilson.''
For a brief instant Billy stared dazedly.
``You don't mean--Mary Jane?'' she gasped.
``I'm afraid I do.'' His lips twitched.
``But I thought--we were expecting--'' She stopped helplessly. For one more brief instant she stared; then, suddenly, a swift change came to her face. Her eyes danced.
``Oh--oh!'' she chuckled. ``How perfectly funny! You _have_ evened things up, after all. To think that Mary Jane should be a--'' She paused and flashed almost angrily suspicious eyes into his face. ``But mine _was_ `Billy,' '' she cried. ``Your name isn't really--Mary Jane'?''
``I am often called that.'' His brown eyes twinkled, but they did not swerve from their direct gaze into her own.
``But--'' Billy hesitated, and turned her eyes away. She saw then that many curious glances were already being flung in her direction. The color in her cheeks deepened. With an odd little gesture she seemed to toss something aside. ``Never mind,'' she laughed a little hysterically. ``If you'll pick up your bag, please, Mr. Mary Jane, and come with me. John and Peggy are waiting. Or--I forgot--you have a trunk, of course?''
The man raised a protesting hand.
``Thank you; but, Miss Neilson, really--I couldn't think of trespassing on your hospitality --now, you know.''
``But we--we invited you,'' stammered Billy.
He shook his head.
``You invited _Miss_ Mary Jane.''
Billy bubbled into low laughter.
``I beg your pardon, but it _is_ funny,'' she sighed. ``You see _I_ came once just the same way, and now to have the tables turned like this! What will Aunt Hannah say--what will everybody say? Come, I want them to begin--to say it,'' she chuckled irrepressibly.
``Thank you, but I shall go to a hotel, of course. Later, if you'll be so good as to let me call, and explain--!''
``But I'm afraid Aunt Hannah will think--'' Billy stopped abruptly. Some distance away she saw John coming toward them. She turned hurriedly to the man at her side. Her eyes still danced, but her voice was mockingly serious. ``Really, Mr. Mary Jane, I'm afraid you'll have to come to dinner; then you can settle the rest with Aunt Hannah. John is almost upon us-- and _I_ don't want to make explanations. Do you?''
``John,'' she said airily to the somewhat dazed chauffeur (who had been told he was to meet a young woman), ``take Mr. Arkwright's bag, please, and show him where Peggy is waiting. It will be five minutes, perhaps, before I can come --if you'll kindly excuse me,'' she added to Arkwright, with a flashing glance from merry eyes. ``I have some--telephoning to do.''
All the way to the telephone booth Billy was trying to bring order out of the chaos of her mind; but all the way, too, she was chuckling.
``To think that this thing should have happened to _me!_'' she said, almost aloud. ``And here I am telephoning just like Uncle William--Bertram said Uncle William _did_ telephone about _me!_''
In due course Billy had Aunt Hannah at the other end of the wire.
``Aunt Hannah, listen. I'd never have believed it, but it's happened. Mary Jane is--a man.''
Billy heard a dismayed gasp and a muttered ``Oh, my grief and conscience!'' then a shaking ``Wha-at?''
``I say, Mary Jane is a man.'' Billy was enjoying herself hugely.
``A _ma-an!_''
``Yes; a great big man with a brown beard. He's waiting now with John and I must go.''
``But, Billy, I don't understand,'' chattered an agitated voice over the line. ``He--he called himself `Mary Jane.' He hasn't any business to be a big man with a brown beard! What