The Carter Girls' Mysterious Neighbors Part 20

The smiling saleswoman, who had been waiting on the Carters ever since the pretty Annette Sevier came a bride to Richmond, held a conference with the head of the firm on how this could be managed.

"Miss Nan Carter is very anxious not to charge, but can't pay until tomorrow."

"Ummm! A little irregular! What Carter is it?"

"Mr. Robert Carter's daughter!"

"Let her have it and anything else she wants on any terms she wishes.

Robert Carter's name on a firm's books is the same as money in the bank.

I have wondered why his account has been withdrawn from our store," and the head of the firm immediately dictated a letter to his former patron, requesting in polite terms that he should run up as big a bill as he wished and that he could pay whenever he got ready. So very polite was the letter that one almost gathered he need not pay at all.

Mr. Carter laughed aloud when he read the letter, remembering those days not yet a year gone by when the bills used to pile in on the first of every month and he would feel that they must be paid immediately and the only way to do it was redouble his energy and work far into the night.

The flat box with the precious dancing dress was not an easy thing to carry on stilts, but the lane was muddy and Nan had to do it somehow.

With much juggling she got safely over the dangers of the road and smuggled it into the house without Helen's seeing it.

"I got it!" Nan whispered to Douglas when she could get her alone.

"But you didn't have the money! I asked you to find out the price first," said Douglas, fearing Nan, in her zeal, had overstepped the limit in price. "I didn't want anything charged. I am so afraid we might get started to doing it again."

"Never! I just kind of borrowed it until tomorrow. You see I struck a sale and they couldn't save it for me because there were only a few of them. I told them I couldn't charge but would bring the money tomorrow, and Miss Luly fixed it up for me, somehow, and told me I could have the whole department store on any terms I saw fit to dictate."

Morning dawned on Helen's eighteenth birthday but found her in not very jubilant spirits. It isn't much fun to have an eighteenth birthday when you have to bounce out of bed and rush into your clothes to see that a poor ignorant country servant doesn't make the toast and scramble the eggs before she even puts a kettle of water on for coffee. Chloe always progressed backwards unless Helen was there to do the head work.

Helen found Chloe had already descended her perilous ladder and had the stove hot and the kettle on as a birthday present to her beloved mistress. Chloe really adored Helen and did her best to learn and remember. The breakfast table was set, too, and Chloe's eyes were shining as though she had something to say but wild horses would not make her say it.

The sisters came in at the first tap of the bell and her father was in his place, too. Helen started to seat herself at her accustomed place, but at a shout from Lucy looked before she sat. Her chair was piled high with parcels.

"Happy birthday, honey!" said Douglas.

"Happy birthday, daughter!" from Mr. Carter.

"Happy birthday! Happy birthday!" shouted all of them in chorus.

"Why, I didn't know anybody remembered!" cried Helen.

"Not remember your eighteenth birthday! Well, rather!" said Mr. Carter.

Then began the opening of the boxes while Chloe stood in the corner grinning for dear life.

A pearl pin from Mrs. Carter, one she had worn when she first met her husband, was in the small box on top. An old-fashioned filigree gold bracelet was Mr. Carter's gift. It had belonged to his mother, for whom Helen was named.

"It will look very lovely on your arm, my dear," he said when Helen kissed him in thanks.

Cousin Elizabeth Somerville had sent her ten dollars in gold; Lewis, some new gloves; there was a vanity box from Lucy with a saucy message about always powdering her nose; a little thread lace collar from Nan, made by her own hands; and to balance all was a five-pound box of candy from Dr. Wright.

"I had a big marble for you, but it done slipt out'n my pocket," said Bobby, and then he had to give a big hug and a kiss, which Helen declared was better than even a marble.

"But you haven't opened your big box, the one at the bottom," insisted Nan. It had got covered up with papers and Helen had overlooked it.

"Please hurry up and open it because Lucy and I have to beat it. It will be train time before we know it."

As Helen untied the strings and unwrapped the tissue paper that was packed around the contents of the big box you could have heard a pin drop in that dining-room at Valhalla. She eagerly pulled aside the papers and then shook out the glimmering gown.

"Oh, Douglas! Douglas! You shouldn't have done it! It is even prettier than I remembered it to be!"

"Mind out, don't splash on it," warned Nan just in time to keep the two great tears that welled up into Helen's eyes from spotting the exquisite creation.

"My Miss Helen's gwinter look like a angel whin she goes ter de count's jamboree," declared Chloe.

"Well, your Miss Douglas is the angel and she's going to have to have a new dress with slits in the shoulder-blades to let her wings come through," sobbed Helen, laughing at the same time as she held the dress up in front of her and danced around the table. She had thought n.o.body remembered her eighteenth birthday and now found n.o.body had forgotten it.

"You shouldn't have afforded it, Douglas. I can't keep it. It would be too selfish of me."

"Marked down goods not sent on approval," drawled Nan.

CHAPTER XV

BLACK SOCIALISM

Sergeant Somerville and Private Tinsley accepted the invitation to the count's ball with alacrity. Their company had been mustered out just in the nick of time for them to obtain indefinite leave. It was rumored that they were to be taken in again, this time as regulars, but the certainty of having no military duties to perform for the time being was very pleasant to our two young men.

The Carter girls had taken the count at his word and invited several friends from Richmond to stay at Valhalla and attend the ball. Dr.

Wright was eager to come and with the recklessness of physicians who use their cars for business and not for pleasure, he made the trip in his automobile. He had a new five-seated car, taking the place of his former runabout.

"M. D.'s and R. F. D.'s have to travel whether roads are good or bad,"

he had declared.

The two young soldiers and Tillie Wingo had the hardihood to risk their necks with him, and at the last minute he picked up Skeeter Halsey and Frank Maury, who had been invited by Lucy so that she and Mag would not have to be wall flowers. Six persons in a five-pa.s.senger car insures them from much jolting, as there is no room to bounce.

Tillie was in her element with five pairs of masculine ears to chatter in. She and Bill were still engaged "in a way," as she expressed it, although neither one of them seemed to regard it very seriously. Tillie insisted upon making a secret of it as much as she was capable, so that in Bill's absence she might not be laid on the shelf.

"The fellows don't think much of an engaged girl," she said frankly, "and I have no idea of taking a back seat yet awhile."

The recklessness of the guests in coming over Virginia roads in an automobile in the month of February was nothing to the recklessness of the Carters in inviting six persons to spend the night with them when they possessed but one small guest chamber.

"We can manage somehow," Helen declared, "and, besides, we will be out so late dancing there won't be much use in having a place to sleep, because we won't have any time to sleep."

"Only think of all of those bedrooms at Grantly with n.o.body in them!"

exclaimed Lucy. "Those old ladies might just as well ask some of us up there, but they will never think of it, I know."

"If they do, they will disagree about which ones to ask and which rooms to put them in, and we will never get the invitation," laughed Helen.

"Anyhow, they are dear old ladies and I am mighty fond of them." Helen often ran up to the great house to ask advice from the Misses Grant about household affairs and was ever welcome to the lonely old women.

"They are certainly going to the ball, aren't they?" asked Douglas.