The Major [30]
of yours. Say, did you ever see the leading lady in 'The Spider's Web'? Well, you make me think of her, and she was a peacherino. Never seen her? No? Well, you ought to see her some day and think of me."
Hazel turned a disgusted shoulder on Sam's impudent face and engaged Larry in vivacious conversation.
"Well, I am off to the ball practice," said Tom. "Got a match on Saturday--High School against the world. Guess they would like to have you, Sam, only I wouldn't care to have you play against us. You don't play baseball, eh?" continued Tom, addressing Larry. "What do you play--football?"
"Not much; never tried much," said Larry, flushing over his lack of sporting qualifications.
"He plays the fiddle," said a quiet little voice.
Larry, flushing violently, turned around and saw a little, brown- faced maid gazing thoughtfully at him.
"Oh, he does, eh? Ha, ha, ha. Good game, eh? Ha, ha, ha." They all joined in the laugh.
"And he plays the mouth organ, too, and does funny stunts," sturdily continued the little girl, disdaining Tom's scornful laughter.
"Good for you, Jane."
"Yes, and he passed his entrance to the High School a year ago when he was fourteen, in Ontario, anyway." This appeared to check Tom's hilarity.
"My, what a wonder he is! And did he tell you all this himself?"
"No, indeed," said Jane indignantly.
"Oh, I am glad to hear that," said Tom with a grin. "Won't you come along, Sam? It's only a little way down."
"All right," said Sam cheerfully. "So long, folks. See you later, Larry. Au reservoir, young lady, as the camel said to the elephant when he asked what he'd have. Hope I see you later if not sooner-- ta-ta; tinga-ling; honk honk." Again he swept Miss Hazel an elaborate bow.
"Thinks he's smart," said that young lady, lifting her nose. "He's a regular scarecrow. Who in the world is he and where did he come from?" she demanded of Larry, who proceeded to account for Sam's presence with their party.
The visitors peered into the car and poked into its recesses, discovered the food supplies for boy and beast, and inspected the dormitories under Larry's guidance, while the boy, who had recovered from his embarrassment, discoursed upon the wonderful experience of the journey. Miss Hazel flashed her great blue eyes and her white teeth upon him, shook all her frizzes in his face, smiled at him, chattered to him, jeered at him, flattered him with all the arts and graces of the practiced flirt she was, until Larry, swept from his bearings, walked the clouds in a wonder world of rosy lights and ravishing airs. His face, his eyes, his eager words, his tremulous lips, were all eloquent of this new passion that possessed him.
As for Miss Hazel, accustomed as she was to the discriminating admiration of her fellow clerks, the sincerity and abandonment of this devotion was as incense to her flirtatious soul. Avid of admiration and experienced in most of the arts and wiles necessary to secure this from contiguous males, small wonder that the unsophisticated Larry became her easy prey long before she had brought to bear the full complement of her enginery of war.
It was a happy afternoon for the boy, but when informed by his sisters of his mother's desire that he should return with them, he was resolute in his refusal, urging many reasons why it was impossible that he should leave the car and his comrades. There was nothing for it but to leave him there and report to his mother their failure.
"I might have known," she said. "He would never come to a stranger's house in his old clothes. I will just bring down his best suit after tea."
The dinner hour at Dr. Brown's was fully occupied with an animated recital of the adventures of the afternoon. Each member of the car party was described with an accuracy and fulness of detail that would have surprised him.
"And you know, Papa," said the little maid, "Tom just laughed at Larry because he could not play baseball and things, and I just told him that Larry could play the mouth organ lovely and the fiddle,
Hazel turned a disgusted shoulder on Sam's impudent face and engaged Larry in vivacious conversation.
"Well, I am off to the ball practice," said Tom. "Got a match on Saturday--High School against the world. Guess they would like to have you, Sam, only I wouldn't care to have you play against us. You don't play baseball, eh?" continued Tom, addressing Larry. "What do you play--football?"
"Not much; never tried much," said Larry, flushing over his lack of sporting qualifications.
"He plays the fiddle," said a quiet little voice.
Larry, flushing violently, turned around and saw a little, brown- faced maid gazing thoughtfully at him.
"Oh, he does, eh? Ha, ha, ha. Good game, eh? Ha, ha, ha." They all joined in the laugh.
"And he plays the mouth organ, too, and does funny stunts," sturdily continued the little girl, disdaining Tom's scornful laughter.
"Good for you, Jane."
"Yes, and he passed his entrance to the High School a year ago when he was fourteen, in Ontario, anyway." This appeared to check Tom's hilarity.
"My, what a wonder he is! And did he tell you all this himself?"
"No, indeed," said Jane indignantly.
"Oh, I am glad to hear that," said Tom with a grin. "Won't you come along, Sam? It's only a little way down."
"All right," said Sam cheerfully. "So long, folks. See you later, Larry. Au reservoir, young lady, as the camel said to the elephant when he asked what he'd have. Hope I see you later if not sooner-- ta-ta; tinga-ling; honk honk." Again he swept Miss Hazel an elaborate bow.
"Thinks he's smart," said that young lady, lifting her nose. "He's a regular scarecrow. Who in the world is he and where did he come from?" she demanded of Larry, who proceeded to account for Sam's presence with their party.
The visitors peered into the car and poked into its recesses, discovered the food supplies for boy and beast, and inspected the dormitories under Larry's guidance, while the boy, who had recovered from his embarrassment, discoursed upon the wonderful experience of the journey. Miss Hazel flashed her great blue eyes and her white teeth upon him, shook all her frizzes in his face, smiled at him, chattered to him, jeered at him, flattered him with all the arts and graces of the practiced flirt she was, until Larry, swept from his bearings, walked the clouds in a wonder world of rosy lights and ravishing airs. His face, his eyes, his eager words, his tremulous lips, were all eloquent of this new passion that possessed him.
As for Miss Hazel, accustomed as she was to the discriminating admiration of her fellow clerks, the sincerity and abandonment of this devotion was as incense to her flirtatious soul. Avid of admiration and experienced in most of the arts and wiles necessary to secure this from contiguous males, small wonder that the unsophisticated Larry became her easy prey long before she had brought to bear the full complement of her enginery of war.
It was a happy afternoon for the boy, but when informed by his sisters of his mother's desire that he should return with them, he was resolute in his refusal, urging many reasons why it was impossible that he should leave the car and his comrades. There was nothing for it but to leave him there and report to his mother their failure.
"I might have known," she said. "He would never come to a stranger's house in his old clothes. I will just bring down his best suit after tea."
The dinner hour at Dr. Brown's was fully occupied with an animated recital of the adventures of the afternoon. Each member of the car party was described with an accuracy and fulness of detail that would have surprised him.
"And you know, Papa," said the little maid, "Tom just laughed at Larry because he could not play baseball and things, and I just told him that Larry could play the mouth organ lovely and the fiddle,