Those Dale Girls Part 16

It was an incongruous little procession that went out into the storm, the girls leading, the man keeping close to his guides, who encouraged him by a word now and then. He walked firmly and with head erect, not because this was his habitual gait, but because he had been warned that any undue motion of his body would bring showers of scalding water down his back. An admonition like this was not to be disregarded and he picked his way gingerly to the bas.e.m.e.nt door of the club where the girls rang the bell and the supper was safely left in the hands of the housekeeper. Then having lavishly rewarded their cavalier two light-hearted girls rushed home through the night to Bridget.

She welcomed them as if they had returned from some great peril, petted and scolded them because of their wet things and fussed about like a hen whose goslings have swam safely back to sh.o.r.e.

"I've made you a pot of coffee to warm your blessed selves," she said.

"It's a wonder you don't kill yourselves entirely."

"You Bridget!" said Julie affectionately as she kicked off her wet shoes, "won't you put me to bed just as if I were a little bit of a girl?" With those tired eyes and that pathetic droop to her mouth she did not look much of anything else as she said it.

"Julie Dale! are you crazy! Mrs. Lennox's carriage is coming at nine o'clock to take us to the musicale! You've ten minutes to dress!" Hester made this announcement with a high tragedy air.

Julie jumped as if she had been shot. "I had completely forgotten it, Hester. Oh! my dear, I am so dead tired I don't feel as if I could move."

"Well, you've got to," remarked Hester, who, having made up her mind to do a thing, was not easily turned from her purpose; "you got me into this thing and we'll go if it kills us! I know I just about struck it when I called this place 'The Hustle'" she ruminated. "I am sure I don't feel as if I'd drawn a long breath since we came here!"

"What shall we wear?" asked Julie who scrambled after her sister, shedding her wet things as she went.

"I got out your light silks, dearie," came from Bridget.

"Do you suppose we ought to wear hats?" This from Hester, who was wishing they had planned their costumes the night before.

"Perhaps we ought," ruefully. "Good gracious! I haven't any-not a small one, Hester."

"A trifle inconvenient, isn't it? I might lend you the rose toque I bought in Paris."

"Indeed you won't, it exactly matches your gown and you look dear in it.

I'll wear a bow in my hair or something." A bow, to Julie, always filled any discrepancy.

Hester arrested her in the act of trying this effect before the mirror and sat her down brusquely in a chair.

"Give me that bow," she commanded, "and keep still. _I'll make a hat on your head!_ Bridget, you get down her picture hat quick, and rip off the tips and the band of jet and some lace and we'll fix her up in a jiffy!"

It was a wonderful creation-just a bit of lace and jet and ribbon with never a st.i.tch in it, all fastened with hairpins to Julie's curly head.

Two white ostrich tips stood up saucily at the side, a few violets were coquettishly stuck in the back and the effect was immensely modish and becoming.

"Hold your head high all the evening and don't toss it about for your life!" warned Hester. "If you do, the whole thing will fall to pieces."

"That's a cheerful prospect," commented Julie, surveying herself in the gla.s.s. "Can't you put in more hairpins?"

"You've got about a million now." Hester's imagination never failed her.

"Shure you look beautiful, Miss Julie, dear," said Bridget, "and it ain't goin' to come to pieces-Miss Hester's only teasin' yer."

Five minutes later they were rolling through the storm in Mrs. Lennox's brougham.

"Hester," whispered Julie from the depths of her luxurious corner, "_I_ never tramped out in the wet to-night to deliver a club supper, did you?"

"Certainly not," squeezing her hand hard, "who ever heard of such a thing!"

Something very like a tremor of nervous excitement pervaded the girls as their names were announced on the threshold of Mrs. Lennox's drawing-room. Their entrance attracted immediate attention. Mrs. Lennox received them as Mrs. Lennox would, with most charming cordiality, yet not too p.r.o.nounced lest they be made to feel that their coming was not a matter of common occurrence. She made a mental note of the fact that her proteges had never looked prettier and was immensely pleased with their poise and perfect self-possession under what she knew must be for them something of an ordeal. If she could have looked into Julie's heart she would have discovered a shyness in coming among these people that amounted to positive pain; but who would ever have suspected it from that smiling exterior and that proud tilt of the head?

As for Hester, from the moment a woman who was one of their customers bowed to her in a puzzled sort of way and then whispered so loud that every one about her could hear, "Why it's those Dale girls!"-from that moment Hester's spirit of deviltry awoke and she determined to outshine every girl in the room.

Mrs. Lennox immediately presented half a dozen men who formed a little group about them and presently she steered them all toward some chairs preparatory to settling down to hear the music. As they crossed the room several women with whom they had had business dealings, bowed to them cordially. In a corner on a tete-a-tete seat sat Jessie Davis with Kenneth Landor. Both looked up as the party approached and Landor gave a half-stifled exclamation. Hester's luminous eyes swept by the girl and into the man's face with such a distracting smile that he was on his feet in a second.

"How do you do?" she said sweetly, just the suspicion of a smile still lurking about the corners of her mouth while she extended her hand cordially.

The man took it in an eager clasp and blessed the Fates for this propitious moment. "This is charming," he said. "It is a great pleasure to see you."

"Yes, is it not?" navely. "Julie, here is Mr. Landor," bringing him into the circle quite as if he were an old friend.

Genuinely glad to see him, Julie showed it unreservedly. All the men knew him and envied him his luck as the little party found seats together.

"You must not let us break up your tete-a-tete," remonstrated the wicked Hester with a glance in the direction of the divan where Miss Davis sat deserted.

Miss Davis, gazing into s.p.a.ce, heard and bit her lip with vexation. She thought the airs the little upstart gave herself were intolerable. What could Mrs. Lennox be thinking of to bring those Dale girls into society?

But Landor did not go back to her. Man fashion, he pleased himself by becoming Hester's shadow during the remainder of the evening, though he was not allowed to monopolize her-far from it. He had to content himself with sc.r.a.ps of conversation, for every man in the room wanted to be presented and each found her so diverting and original that there was constantly a little crowd about her, while in the intervals of the music peals of merry laughter came from her corner of the room.

Julie, who was holding a little court of her own, could hear her and rejoice, and she was especially glad that this should be so when later in the evening Miss Ware, escorted by her brother, entered the room. She recognized the girls and was conscious of their success five minutes after her arrival and there was within her something like envy of Mrs.

Lennox who had been the first to take into the elect these social renegades.

As for Dr. Ware, he threw himself with enthusiasm into the gayety of Hester's corner, vying with the younger men in jests and laughter. Later he sauntered down the room, stopping on the way to chat with this person and that, and sought out Julie, who, though she greeted him so smilingly seemed to him suddenly remote. It was as if she had slipped away into a younger world than his and an indefinable sensation awoke within him, filling him with unrest. Partly because of this and partly because the pleasure in her evident pleasure was so great, he lingered near her, giving her that quiet, un.o.btrusive attention which his old friendship warranted. And Julie liked to have him near. She was glad that he smiled so approvingly upon her, happy that this little frivolity was given the additional delight of his presence. For it was all delightfully frivolous and gay, though Julie's excitement and animation were naturally somewhat tempered by her headgear, especially as every now and then when she forgot herself and nodded her head emphatically over something, Hester would give her a warning glance. Poor Julie! the "proud and haughty" tilt became very trying, but it _was_ distinguished and caused Mr. Lennox, who was most critical, likewise somewhat horsey, to confide to his wife afterward that she was a thoroughbred.

"I hope you'll have them often," he said, when the last guest had departed and they had settled down before the library fire to talk it over. "After the cut-and-dried young people one usually meets they are perfectly refreshing. I had a long talk with the blonde one-is she Julie?-during supper about Arizona. Found myself telling her all about my irrigation schemes out there. Fancy finding a young girl who understands such things! She knows that country well and gave me an idea or two worth considering."

"I should like to have them often, John, but they won't come. Their work engrosses them to the exclusion of everything; it has to be so-they need all their strength to get through the days. I understand it perfectly. Did you notice how people were all in a flutter about them? I fancy I have given Radnor something to talk about!"

"Oh! well, that is not unusual. Do you mean to say people have cut them?

It seems incredible in these enlightened days."

"It is true, nevertheless, though Julie told me the other day that their customers were showing the kindest possible interest in their work and encouraging them by renewed orders; that every one showed them courtesy and consideration in a business way, but I happen to know, though she did not say so, that there it stops. The line is distinctly drawn. None of the daughters of those women show any inclination to renew their acquaintance with the girls, though many of them were their playfellows years ago."

"Well, they're a disgrace to their s.e.x, that is all I've got to say-I've no patience with that sort of thing!" Mr. Lennox put down a half-smoked cigar and pushed back his chair. "They were the success of the evening, Mabel, and I am proud to know them. It strikes me," slyly, "there were others who succ.u.mbed to their fascinations. Landor, for instance, and Dr. Ware-"

"Oh, he is their father's oldest friend."

"And Renshawe, who displayed surprising interest in Arizona when he found us talking about it. Have you ever known him to care a hang about Arizona before?"

"No," laughed his wife, "but Sidney Renshawe always rises to the occasion when he is interested. Princ.i.p.ally it is Virginia he talks about now. By the way, he is expecting Monsieur Gremond back from California any day. Did you know?"

"I was glad to have a chance to speak to her of her father, too," said Mr. Lennox, who apparently had not heeded his wife's last remarks. "I knew Mr. Dale somewhat at the club and regretted his collapse as we all did. She had such a pretty proud look when I spoke of him, as if I couldn't say too much. I felt as if I would like to take her off to some quiet corner and talk to her by the hour together."

"So you shall, my dear. Together we will lay siege and capture them again. I should like to give a dinner for them soon.

"Oh! ask them informally when we are not entertaining," remonstrated her husband who evidently desired to monopolize them.

"Very well, dear, and if it pleases you to watch Julie's eloquent face-and I a.s.sure you Hester's is equally so-Mr. Dale shall be the chief topic of conversation. I never knew him, but it is a great deal to know his daughters, John."