Patty's Suitors

  CHAPTER XIII

  SISTER BEE

  One afternoon Patty and Marie Homer were coming home from a concert.

  Patty had grown very fond of Marie. They were congenial in many ways,and especially so in their love of music, and often went together toconcerts or recitals.

  It was late in March, but as spring had come early the afternoon waswarm and Marie proposed, as the two girls got into the Homer limousine,that they go for a ride through the park.

  "A short one, then," said Patty, "for I must be home fairly early!"

  "Then don't let's go in the park," said Marie, "let's go to my house,instead. For I want you to meet Bee. She's just home for her Eastervacation."

  "I can only stay a minute; but I will go. I do want to see Bee. Howlong will she be at home?"

  "More than a fortnight. She has quite a holiday. Oh, there'll be gaydoings while Bee's at home. She keeps the house lively with her pranks,and if she and Kit get started they're sure to raise mischief."

  "How old is Beatrice?"

  "She's just seventeen, but sometimes she acts like a kiddy of twelve.Mother says she doesn't know what to do with her, the child is so fullof capers."

  As the two girls entered the Homer apartment, Beatrice Homer ran tomeet them.

  "Oh, you're Patty Fairfield! I KNOW you are! Aren't you the loveliestthing ever! You look like a bisque ornament to set on a mantel-piece.Are you real?"

  She poked her finger in Patty's dimpled cheek, but she was so roguishand playful, that Patty could not feel annoyed with her.

  "Let me look at you," Patty said, holding her off, "and see what YOU'RElike. Why, you're a gipsy, an elfin sprite, a witch of the woods! Youhave no business to be named Beatrice."

  "I know it," said Bee, dancing around on her toes. "But my nicknameisn't so bad for me, is it?" And she waved her arms and hovered aroundPatty, making a buzzing noise like a real bee.

  "Don't sting me!" cried Patty.

  "Oh, I don't sting my friends! I'm a honey-bee. A dear, little, busy,buzzy honey-bee!" And she kept on dancing around and buzzing till Pattyput out her hand as if to brush her away.

  "Buzz away, Bee, but get a little farther off,--you drive medistracted."

  "That's the way she always acts," said Marie, with a sigh; "we can't doanything with her! It's a pity she was ever nicknamed Bee, for, whenshe begins buzzing, she's a regular nuisance."

  "Sometimes I'm a drone," Bee announced, and with that she began adroning sound that was worse than the buzzing, and kept it up till itset their nerves on edge.

  "Oh, Bee, dear!" Marie begged of her, "WON'T you stop that and be nice?"

  Bee's only answer was a long humming drone.

  Patty looked at the girl kindly. "I want to like you," she said, "and Ithink it's unkind of you not to let me do it."

  Bee stopped her droning and considered a moment. Then she smiled, andwhen her elfin face broke into laughter, she was a pretty picture,indeed.

  "I DO want you to like me," she said, impulsively, grasping Patty'shands; "and I will be good. You know I'm like the little girl,--thecurly girlie, you know,--when she was good she was awful drefful good,and when she was bad she was horrid."

  "I'm sure you couldn't be horrid," and Patty smiled at her, "but allthe same I don't believe you can be very, VERY good."

  "Oh, yes, I can; the goodest thing you ever saw! Now watch me," andsure enough during the rest of Patty's stay, Beatrice was as charmingand delightful a companion as any one you'd wish to see. She wasbubbling over with fun and merriment, but she refrained from teasing,and Patty took a decided liking to her.

  "I'll make a party for you, Bee," she said. "What kind would you like?"

  "Not a stiff, stuck-up party. I hate 'em. Can't it be a woodsy kind ofa thing?"

  "A ramble through the park?"

  "More woodsy than that. The park is almost like the city."

  "Well, a picnic to Bronx Park, then, or Van Cortlandt."

  "That sounds better. But I'll come to any party you make,--I know itwill be lovely. Oh, I'll tell you, Patty, what I'd like best. To go onone of your Saturday afternoon jinks; with the queer, poor people, youknow."

  "They're not queer and they're not always very poor," returned Patty,seriously; "I'm afraid you'd tease them or make fun of them."

  "Honest Injun, I wouldn't! Please let me go, and I'll be heavenly niceto them. They'll simply adore me! Please, pretty Patty!"

  "Of course I will, since you've promised to be nice to them."

  "Oh, you lovely Patty! Don't you sometimes get tired of being so pinkand white?"

  "Of course I do. I wish I could be brown and dark-eyed like you."

  "You'd soon wish yourself back again. Can't you combine the woodsyparty and the Happy Chaps, or whatever you call them?"

  "I think we can," smiled Patty, who had already planned a Saturdayafternoon picnic, and would be glad to include Bee.

  "But Bee has to learn to behave properly at formal parties," saidMarie. "I'm going to give a luncheon for her, while she's at home, andit's going to be entirely grown-up and conventional."

  "Don't want it!" and Bee scowled darkly.

  "That doesn't matter. Mother says we must have it, and that you mustbehave properly. You have to learn these things, you know."

  "Oh, Bee will do just exactly right, I know," said Patty, as she roseto go. "If she doesn't, we can't let her come to the picnic. When isthe luncheon, Marie?"

  "We haven't quite decided yet, but I must send out the invitations in aday or two."

  Patty went home, thinking about this sister of Marie's.

  "She's an awfully attractive little piece," she said to Nan, later,"but you never can tell what she's going to do next. I think if she hadthe right training, she'd be a lovely girl, but Mrs. Homer and Mariespoil her with indulgence and then suddenly scold her for herunconventionality. Perhaps the school she's attending will bring herout all right, but she's a funny combination of naughty child andcharming girl. She would stop at nothing, and I don't wonder that theysay when she and Kit Cameron get together, look out for breakers."

  A few days later, Patty received an invitation to Marie's luncheon forher sister.

  It was formally written, and the date set was Tuesday, April theeighth, at half-past one. Patty noted the day on her engagementcalendar, and thought no more about it at the time. But a day or twolater it suddenly occurred to her that she had heard that Beatrice wasto return to school on the seventh of April.

  "I must be mistaken about her going back," Patty thought, rememberingthe luncheon on the eighth, and then, lest she herself might bemistaken in the date, she looked at the invitation again. It read "theeighth," and though Marie's handwriting was scrawly and not verylegible, the figure eight was large and plain.

  "She ought to have spelled it out," said Patty, who was punctilious insuch matters.

  "Yes," agreed Nan, "it's those little details that count so much amongsociety people."

  "Well, the Homers are dears, but they lack just that little somethingthat makes people know when to spell their figures and when not to. Ithink it's horrid when people spell a date in ordinary correspondence.But an invitation is another thing. But I say, Nan,--Jiminettycrickets!"

  "I'm not sure that date-spelling people ought to refer to thosecrickets," said Nan, lifting her eyebrows.

  "Well, Jerusalem crickets, then! and every kind of crickets in theornithology or whatever they belong in. But, Nan, I've discoveredsomething!"

  "What, Miss Columbus?"

  "Oh, I'm a Sherlock Holmes! I'm Mr. D. Tective! What DO you think?"

  "If you really want to know, I think you're crazy! jumping around likea wild Indian, and you a this season's debutante!"

  "Rubbish! most debutantes are wild Indians at times. But, Nan, I'vediscovered their secret! Hah! the vilyuns! but they shall be foiled!foiled!! FOILED!!!"

  Patty raged up and down the room, melodramatically clutching at herhair and staring at Nan with her blue eyes. "It is a deep-laid plo
t,but it shall be foiled by Patricia Sherlock,--the only lady detectivein captivity!"

  "Patty, do behave yourself! What is the matter with you? You act like alunatic!"

  "I'll tell you, Nan, honey," and Patty suddenly sat down on the couch,among a pile of pillows. "But first read that invitation and see if yousee anything unusual or suspicious about it."

  "I can hardly read it; for this writing looks like that on theobelisk,--or at least it's nearly as unintelligible. But it seems tosay that Mrs. Robert Homer requests the pleasure of your company atluncheon on Tuesday, April the eighth, at half-past one o'clock.Nothing criminal about that, is there?"

  "Is there! There is, indeed! Nan, you're the dearest, sweetest,loveliest lady in the whole world, but you can't see a hole through aladder. So I'll tell you. The date of that party is really April theFIRST. I mean, Marie wrote April the first! And if you'll observe,somebody else has put a twisty line around that ONE and made it into anEIGHT! Why, it's as plain as day!"

  "It certainly is, Patty," and Nan looked at the girl in astonishmentand admiration. "How did you ever happen to notice it?"

  "Why, it just jumped out at me. See, a different pen was used. The lineis thicker. And nobody would make an EIGHT that way. They'd make it allwith one pen mark. And this is a straight up-and-down ONE, and thatrest of it was put on later. And, anyway, Nan, if there were any doubt,don't you see it isn't TH after it as it ought to be for the eight,it's ST?"

  "You can't tell which it is in this crazy handwriting," and Nanscrutinised the page.

  "Yes, you can," and Patty stared at it. "You wouldn't notice thedifference, if you weren't looking for it, but it IS ST. I see it all,Nan! You know Bee didn't want this luncheon, and to get out of it, shechanged that date before the invitations were sent! And you see, by theeighth, she'll be back in school!"

  "Are both dates Tuesday?" said Nan, thinking.

  "Yes, of course, they are. Isn't it clever? Oh, Bee never got this upall by herself,--that Kit helped her."

  "But, Patty, then nobody will go on the first, and the Homers will beall prepared--"

  "That's just what Bee wants! One of her practical jokes! Oh, Nan, I dodetest practical jokes."

  "So do I! I think they're ill-bred."

  "But the Homers don't think that, and Kit Cameron doesn't, either.We've discussed that matter lots of times, and we never agree. And,besides, Nan," and Patty had a new inspiration, "don't you see, thisparty was planned for the first of April, and Bee and Kit will callthis thing an April Fool joke, and therefore entirely permissible.April Fool's Day is their Happy Hunting Ground. But I'm going to foilthis thing, and don't you forget it! Seems to me it would be a prettygood joke if I'd turn the tables on those two smarties."

  "How can you, Patty?"

  "I haven't quite thought it out yet, but I have an idea."

  "But, Patty, wait a minute. Perhaps they only changed the date onyours,--just to fool you, you know."

  "Good gracious, Nan! perhaps that's so! How did you come to think ofit? But I'll soon find out."

  Patty flew to the telephone, and in a short time learned that both Monaand Elise were invited for the eighth, and she concluded that theplotters had changed the date on all the invitations.

  Next she called up Marie, and without letting her know why, asked for alist of the luncheon guests.

  Marie told her at once, without asking why she wanted to know.

  There were nine beside the Homers, and Patty was acquainted with themall.

  She called them up each in turn on the telephone, and explainedcarefully that a mistake had been made in the invitations, and shehoped they would come on the first instead of the eighth.

  Fortunately, all of them were able to do this, and Patty enjoined eachone to say nothing about this change of date, until they should arriveat the party.

  To a few of her more intimate friends,--Mona, Elise, andChristine,--she told the whole story, and they fell in with her plans.

  And so it came about, that on the first of April preparations weregoing blithely forward in the Homer apartment, for Bee's elaborateluncheon.

  It was all true, exactly as Patty had figured it out; and Kit andBeatrice had planned what they considered a first-class and entirelypermissible practical joke.

  They knew that Mrs. Homer would make elaborate preparations for theluncheon, but they agreed that there would be no other harm done. Andto them, the fun of seeing the perplexity of Marie and her mother atthe non-appearance of their guests, was sufficient reason for theirscheme. Moreover, they fell back on the time-honoured tradition thatany joke was justifiable on April Fools' Day.

  In addition to all this, Beatrice did not want to attend the luncheonparty, and as by chance it had been left to her to seal up and addressthe invitations that Marie had written, and as Kit came in while shewas doing it, their fertile brains had discovered that, as the datesfell on the same day of the week, the first could easily be changed tothe eighth! And the two sinners chuckled with glee over the fact thatanother luncheon would have to be prepared the week following.

  As it neared one o'clock on the first of April, Kit strolled into theHomers' apartment.

  "Run away, little boy," said his aunt, gaily; "we're having a youngladies' party here to-day, and you're not invited."

  "Please let me stay a little while, auntie; I'll run away before yourguests arrive. Mayn't I help you fix flowers or something?"

  "No, you're more bother than help; now be good, Kit boy, and run away."

  "Auntie," and Kit put on his most wheedlesome smile, which was alwayscompelling, "if you'll just let me stay till the first guest comes,I'll scoot out at once."

  Bee nearly choked at this, for did she not know that the guestswouldn't arrive for a week yet!

  Mrs. Homer was called away to the dining-room then, and the twoconspirators indulged in a silent dance of triumph over the success oftheir scheme. Not for a moment did it strike them as unkind or mean,because they had been used to practical jokes all their life, and thisseemed to them the biggest and best they had ever carried off.

  At half-past one Patty appeared.

  She had laid her plans most carefully, and everything was goingsmoothly.

  Mrs. Homer and Marie greeted her warmly, and Beatrice and Kit were notmuch surprised to see her, because she was liable to come any day.Beatrice looked a little surprised at Patty's dressed-up appearance,but as no one else appeared, she had no suspicion of what Patty haddone.

  They all sat in the drawing-room, and the clock ticked away untiltwenty-five minutes of two, but nobody else arrived.

  Mrs. Homer grew restless. She looked at the clock, and turning to Kit,asked him if the time was right by his watch.

  "Yes, auntie," replied that scapegrace. "It's almost twenty minutes oftwo. I thought you invited your friends for one-thirty."

  "I did," and Mrs. Homer looked anxious. "How strange that no one ishere, except Patty!"

  Patty said nothing, but the enigmatic smile which she cast on Kit madehim feel that perhaps she knew more than she was telling.

  "Do run away, Kit," urged his aunt. "I should think you'd be ashamed tocome to a party where you're not invited."

  "Perhaps I shall be invited if I wait long enough," and Kit threw ameaning glance at Beatrice. "If your guests don't come, auntie, you'llbe glad to have me to help eat up your goodies."

  "Not come! Of course they'll come!" cried Mrs. Homer, and Marie turnedpale with dismay.

  "Well, it seems to me," went on Kit, "that it would be a jolly goodApril Fool joke on you all, if they didn't come. And"--he rolled hiseyes toward the ceiling,--"something tells me that they won't."

  "What!" And Marie jumped up, her eyes blazing. Kit's roguish chuckleand Bee's elfin grin made Marie suddenly realise there was something inthe air.

  But before Kit could reply, Patty rose, and said directly to him, "Howstrange! I wonder what it is that tells you the luncheon guests won'tcome. How do you know?"--and she smiled straight at him. "Somethingtells ME
that they WILL come!"

  Then Patty herself stepped into the hall, threw open the door, and incame eight merry, laughing girls!

  Patty had arranged that Elise should stay downstairs and receive eachguest, and keep them there until all had arrived. Then they were tocome upstairs, and wait outside the Homers' door, until the dramaticmoment.

  Although not in favour of practical jokes, Patty couldn't help enjoyingKit's absolutely paralysed face. He looked crestfallen,--but more thanthat, he looked so bewildered and utterly taken back, that Patty burstinto laughter.