The Californians

  XX

  The breathless state of Helena's affections did not interfere with herdesire to lead in all things those favoured of her acquaintance.Although, in deference to Trennahan's emphatic wish, she forsworeeccentricities, she taxed her fertile brain to keep Menlo Park in awhirl of excitement.

  "It can't be done," said Rose. "The climate has poppy dust in it insteadof oxygen, but she may wake us up for a while."

  She did. The bath-houses were built, and the big char-a-bancs rolleddown the dusty road to Ravenswood every morning. The salt water and thesun brought out the red in the girls' hair, so the pastime promised toweather one season, at least. She gave dances and picnics on alternateweeks, and her hospitality in the matter of luncheons and dinners wasunbounded. The Colonel built a bowling-alley and a proper tennis-court;in short, there was no doubt about "The Belmonts'" being the nucleus ofMenlo Park. Several times Helena persuaded the owner of the stage linebetween Redwood City and La Honda to let her drive; and she took aselect few of her friends on the top of the lumbering coach, relegatingthe uneasy passengers to the stuffy interior. The road is one of themost picturesque in California, but the grades are steep, the turningsabrupt, dangerous in many places. Nevertheless, Helena, balancing on hernarrow perch high above the wheelers' heels, managed her rapid mustangsso admirably that Trennahan, balancing beside her, wondered if he shouldbe able to manage her one half so well.

  "What Helena Belmont needs," said Mrs. Montgomery, with some asperity,"is six babies; and I hope for Mr. Trennahan's sake she'll have them.Otherwise, I should like to know where the poor man is to get any rest;she's a human cyclone."

  "I never thought she'd marry so soon," replied Mrs. Brannan. "It lookedas if she were going to be a regular old-time belle; and it took themyears to get through."

  "She's not married yet," remarked Mrs. Montgomery.

  But these enormous energies, as Rose had predicted, reached theirmeridian in something under two months, after which, much to Trennahan'srelief, Helena succumbed to Menlo Park, and manifested an increasingdesire for long hours alone with him under the trees on the lawn,although she by no means allowed her neighbours to rest for more thanseventy-two hours at a time.