CHAPTER XII LENA AND BILL
To get the right view of certain matters, let us go back a few days, andtransport ourselves to Washington.
On the thirteenth of February, Captain Farnsworth was busily engaged athis desk work, when Lena Richards came flying in at his doorway.
“Don’t scold!” she cried, by way of forestalling his objections to herpresence; “I _must_ talk to somebody, and it might as well be _you_!”
“It might as well be the President of the United States, and all hisCabinet, as far as I’m concerned,” and Farnsworth scowled at her, “butI’d rather you’d choose anybody than my unworthy self! What shall I dowith you, Lena? You’re a little nuisance! Must I lock and bar the doorto keep you out?”
“Now, now, don’t be cross to a poor little lonesome girlie, what hasn’tgot anybody to consult. Lemme ask you a few questions, do!”
Lena was a wheedlesome creature, and quite in the habit of having herown way. She laughed at Bill’s frown and as she plumped herself down inan armchair, she spread out on Farnsworth’s desk a number of gayvalentines.
“This,” she began, “is for Dick Selden. Isn’t it a dandy! And this oneis for my own Daddy. Won’t he be surprised to get one?”
Lena chuckled happily, and looked up into Bill’s face for a show ofapproval.
She seemed only a child; her sixteen years sat lightly on her slimlittle shoulders, and her dark, winsome face was lighted with such aglow of happy anticipation, that good-natured Farnsworth couldn’t bearto speak shortly to her.
“All right, Baby,” he said, good-humouredly, “show me your valentines,and get it over with. Which one is for me?”
“Oh, that I haven’t here! Of course I wouldn’t show you that one!” Amerry laugh rippled from the rosy lips. “And you’ll send me one, won’tyou, Captain?”
“Why, I hadn’t thought of doing so. In fact, I hadn’t thought of sendingany.”
“What! Not to your sweetheart? Not to that lovely angel-faced girl whosepictures are all about here? I’m ashamed of you! What _will_ she think?”
Farnsworth suddenly realised his defection. “But,” he said, “she’llforgive me. Patty will understand. She knows I’m terribly busy—more thanbusy,—I’m all in a moil, and working night and day to straighten itout——”
“But, Captain! That isn’t enough to excuse not sending a valentine tothe girl of your heart! Whee! If I were engaged to a man, and if hedidn’t send me a valentine! I’d break that engagement so quick hewouldn’t know what hit him! Fie, fie, Captain! You’re a peach of alover, you are!”
Lena had risen and was dancing about the room. A restless elf, sherarely sat still long, and loved to fly about, looking at things hereand there, poking and prying curiously into books or papers, and reallybothering the life out of Farnsworth. Many times he had concluded tomove to other quarters, where he might be free from her interruptions,but this house suited him so well otherwise, and, too, he was so busy,he disliked to take the necessary time to make the change.
But Lena’s accusation gave his big, true heart a thrill. Was he reallynegligent of Patty? His own Posy-face Patty,—whom he loved with all hisgreat soul! He knew he was not a society man, not much of an observer ofthe lighter conventions, and he wondered if Patty would expect avalentine from him, and be disappointed at not receiving it.
“I’ll send her some flowers,” he exclaimed; “I can telegraph a floristin New York and have them delivered tomorrow,—that’s the day, isn’t it,Lena?”
“Yes; but flowers are so—so impersonal, and careless. You ought to sendher a real valentine. Here, you can have one of these.”
“Can I? Really! Oh, you dear little girl! That would help a lot,—for Ihaven’t time to go out to the shops. Let me take your prettiest one, andI’ll pay you what it cost, and you can buy another.”
“All right,” and Lena nodded her pretty head. “That goes! Now, I’ve onlyone here that I want to spare. This one.”
Lena held up a pretty looking affair. It had a picture of anaffectionate pair, leaning over a rustic stile, and surrounded by heartsand darts and Cupids and rose garlands.
The lines printed inside the leaf, were:
“Our love is high as Heaven And wide as rolling sea: The vows cannot be riven That bind my love and me. But should our pledge be broken Or should your love be dead, Send back this tender token And let us never wed.”
Farnsworth looked at it carelessly. “All right,” he said, “if that’s theonly one available, I’ll have to take that one. It’s all right, isn’tit?”
“Yes, it’s a beauty! It cost a dollar,—but it’s good work.”
“Cheap at the price!” laughed Farnsworth, taking out his pocketbook. “Idon’t care such a lot for the sentiment, however. The first part is allright, but that second stanza is ridiculous!”
“How, ridiculous? I think it’s lovely! You don’t think she’ll send itback, do you?”
“I do not! Our vows cannot be riven,—as your poet hath it. But I couldhave made up a better jingle myself! That’s what I ought to have done!Made a real valentine for my sweetheart! Oh, I wish I weren’t soover-worked! Well, some day I’ll make up to her for this enforcedneglect. Now, be off, Lena, if you don’t, I’ll pitch you out,—neck andcrop!”
“Oh, all right, Captain; but I was going to say if you’d address yourvalentine, I’d post it along with mine. There’s none too much time, youknow.”
“Thank you, Lena, you’re a good little thing. And I’m a bear,—a crossone, sometimes, I fear. Will you forgive me, and take my valentine withyours?”
“’Course I will. Write the directions.”
So Farnsworth dashed off Patty’s name and address on the big envelope,and Lena ran away with it.
So, you see!
Of course, the valentine Bill sent Patty was the counterpart of the oneshe sent him, and when you know all, you’ll find out that this wasn’tsuch a strange coincidence as it might seem.
And of course, the valentine that Patty received, and that caused hersuch paroxysms of woe, was the one Lena mailed and _not_ the return ofthe one she had sent to Farnsworth.
It was a fine mixup, and Cupid, the little god of Love, must have flownmadly about in his dismay and despair of ever getting it straightenedout.
Now, as is well known, the extra mail occasioned by the observance ofthe festival of St. Valentine, often causes delays in transmission.Which explains why both these important missives we’re interested in,reached their respective destinations a couple of days after they werenormally due.
And Patty, as we have seen, was pretty well broken up over the receiptof hers! Naturally, she supposed it to be the one she sent, returned toher by Farnsworth, and no one could wonder that she did think this.
And so, when Captain Farnsworth found in his mail a big square envelopeaddressed in Patty’s well-known, well-loved handwriting, he knew it fora valentine before he opened it.
“Bless her heart!” he said to himself. “Dear little girl to send me avalentine! And I’m jolly glad I sent her one! I must thank thatbothersome little Lena for that!”
He opened the envelope, and to his astonishment, he drew out what seemedto be the very valentine he had sent Patty.
“What!” he cried aloud, a puzzled frown coming over his face.
He looked at it carefully; being exactly the same, he naturally thoughtPatty had returned his missive.
Bewildered, he read the lines, which he had scarcely sensed as hehastily glanced them over before sending.
“Send back this tender token And let us never wed.”
Patty had sent it! Had returned his “tender token!”
“Should your love be dead”—was he, then, to infer that Patty’s love wasdead? His Patty! Never, in a million years! If ever a girl was trueblue, that girl was Patty Fairfield,—his own Patty Blossom! There couldbe no two opinions about that!
With a sudden jerk,
he picked up the telephone and called for New York.
It took a long time to get the connection, and Captain Farnsworth grewmore and more impatient. He did not storm at the operator, that was nothis way. He patiently waited “just a minute,” till scores of minutesflew by, and at last he heard Jane’s voice.
No, Miss Patty was not at home; she would be home about six. He wouldcall up again? Very well. Good-bye.
Farnsworth strode up and down his room. It was only half-past three, hewould call her about half-past six. Meantime—he must work. But the bigman couldn’t settle himself to work. The thing was so inexplicable, sodisturbing. Had Patty meant it for a joke? Had she meant to tease him?If so it was a bit of bad taste,—and Patty was never guilty of badtaste. He couldn’t understand it at all.
He tried to make out his reports, and of course, he succeeded in doingso, but it was a process greatly interrupted by long periods ofdistracted thought.
Suppose Patty really meant it! Bosh! Meant it! His Patty? Never! Hewould believe anything but that! Could it have been a mistake? Did sheslip his valentine in an envelope which she had addressed to him for thepurpose of sending another one,—and then she had mixed them up?
No; Patty was never careless, and least of all, where he was concerned.She was efficient, always, and he had had too much correspondence withher not to know how careful she was. And then, came to his mind darkthoughts of Philip Van Reypen.
Suppose,—just _suppose_, Patty had found that she preferred Phil tohimself,—could she have chosen a better or more definite way to tell himso?
“Should your love be dead!”
The big man writhed at the thought. He put it out of his mind asunworthy of him and unworthy of his love. And yet, that would explainit,—and what else would? What else could? But that explanation herefused to accept. Patty, his own gentle dear little Patty, he wouldn’tbe cruel,—but—if she had such a thing to tell him, she would choose someway that seemed to her the least cruel—he knew that!
Was she using his means—as he had unwittingly given her the chance,—oh,why _had_ he sent that foolish thing? It was silly,—it was absurd,—itwas bad taste on his part!
But Lena had brought it, and it had seemed to him silly, but harmless.
He worried and fretted, fumed and scowled, but he could come to nosatisfactory conclusion or explanation.
He looked at his watch until he almost wore it out, only to find eachtime that but a moment or two had elapsed.
At last he gave up trying to work and went out for a walk.
The clear cold air freshened his brain but his heart still had a dull,queer ache in it. He did a few errands, forcing himself to concentratehis mind in their accomplishment, and at last the slow-going clock-handscrawled around to half-past six.
Back in his own rooms, Bill called New York again, and asked for Patty’snumber.
The connection was a good one, and he finally heard the well-belovedvoice say, “Hello,—Little Billee!”
“Oh, Patty!” he cried, explosively, “oh, Patty Blossom! When will youmarry me? What day? Tell me, quick!”
“Why—why—you sent back——”
“No, I didn’t! I didn’t send back anything! Never mind that foolvalentine business! Answer my question, quick! Sometimes they snap offthe connection, and if they did _that_ I’d go wild! _When_, Patty?”
“Why—oh—any time! Bill, dear,—any time!”
“Bless you, darling! But what day? what date? Tell me.”
“Oh,—I can’t——”
“Yes, you can! Now,—and make it soon!”
“Well, say in October——”
“October your grandmother! Say April.”
“Oh, nonsense, Bill, I can’t! And this is no thing to decide over atelephone! You come up here——”
“I can’t,—not for a few days, and I’ve got to know this thing now,—see?NOW!”
“Well, say June, then.”
“No! you may say May, but not a day later. Say your birthday, that’s inMay.”
“May’s an unlucky month——”
“Not for us,—it won’t be! On your birthday, then——”
“Wait a minute, Bill, what made you return my valentine?”
“What made you return mine?”
“I didn’t!”
“_I_ didn’t! Oh, Patty, I see it,—it has just dawned on me! We sentduplicates! Where’d you get yours?”
“At a bazaar thing——”
“Yes, I see; and I got mine from—well,—I got it.”
“Where?”
“No matter now. I bought it and paid for it; and they chanced to be justalike! Puzzle it out at your leisure. Now, Posy-face, I’m coming to NewYork just as soon as I can manage it, but it may be a week or so,—I hopenot, I hope to get there in a couple of days, but all I can say is, I’lldo the best I can, and you begin to get ready for that May affair.”
“Not May, Bill—June!”
“Oh, why? _why_ not May? Well, wait till I see you, and perhaps I canpersuade you to say May.”
“Well, we’ll see, but I refuse to decide it over a telephone! Nobody_ever_ did!”
“As if that mattered! Well, you get busy with your preparations, andwe’ll see——”
“Now, you must say good-bye, dear. You know this is long distance andnot a local call!”
“I don’t care if it is! Tell me something,—Patty!”
“Oh, I can’t tell you _that_ at long distance!”
“No; and if I hear your voice without seeing you, much longer, I’ll gooff my head! Good-bye, then, you darling, Patty Blossom,——”
“Oh, Little Billee! Don’t! Somebody’ll hear you!”
“Let ’em! Good-bye, dearest,—my Best Beloved!”
“Good-bye!”
Patty hung up the receiver, and sat very still, her eyes shining liketwo big blue stars.
She hadn’t quite straightened out the valentine mixup in her mind yet,but she didn’t care! It was all right! Little Billee loved her just thesame as ever,—if not more! And she had promised to marry him in June! Itwas a sudden step. She had realised she was engaged to him,—and wouldmarry him some day; but she never had, even in her own mind, set anydefinite date.
“Well,” said Helen, coming in, “I discreetly stayed out, while you weretelephoning, now I think I might be told if the call _was_ fromWashington.”
“It was!” answered Patty; “it most certainly was!”
“And you’re not crying as torrentially as you were?”
“I am not!” and Patty smiled like a Chessy cat. “In fact, I think I mayassure you I shall never cry again; at least, not if I continue to feelas happy as I do at this present speaking.”
“Good for you, my fairy cousin! Now,—tell old Bumble all about it!”
So Patty told her.
“Well, of all things! Do you mean that he, just by chance, sent you avalentine exactly like the one you sent him?”
“Yes; and I suppose they’re all over. You know every year there’s somefunny or clever one that has a vogue everywhere.”
“Queer, for him to select that for you!”
“It was, but I don’t care! He did, and I did, so we can’t blame eachother. But I was the baddy one, because I distrusted him! He hadn’t adoubt of me! When he,—as he supposed,—got back the one he sent me, hecalled up and asked me to set our wedding-day!”
“Did he, really? Oh, Patty, that’s the sort of a man to marry! I alwaysdid like him, now I think he’s just perfectly stunning!”
“I do, too, and I’m ashamed of my doubts and fears.”
“Oh, that’s all right, he’ll never know.”
“Yes, he will, I shall tell him. And maybe he’ll be so disappointed inme, and so hurt, that——”
“That he’ll break off the engagement! Oh, yes! Oh, certainly! Patty, youare a goose, and always will be! Never let him know what a goose youare, or he sure will throw you over!”
“Oh, I guess not!” Patty smiled happily. r />
“Well, when is the day? What did he say?”
“I wouldn’t say positively,—but, oh, Bumble, he’s so impatient!”
“Of course he is! Any real lover would be, and especially any one who isexpecting to marry Patty Fairfield!”