The Camp Fire Girls in After Years

  CHAPTER II

  NEW NAMES FOR OLD ACQUAINTANCES

  THERE was a shimmer of silver and blue on the stairs and then the manwith his eyes upturned saw his wife moving toward him in a kind ofcloud.

  The next moment with a laugh of mingled embarrassment and pleasure BettyGraham put up her hand, covering her husband's eyes.

  "You must not look at me like that, Anthony, or you will make meabominably vain," she whispered. "Wait until the girls and the receivingparty appear and then you will see what an ordinary person the new'Governor's Lady' is and repent having raised humble Betty Ashton tosuch an exalted position."

  Arm in arm the husband and wife now moved toward the drawing room.

  "How little we ever dreamed of this grandeur, dear, in the days when Ihad to work so hard to persuade you to marry me."

  "Perhaps if I had known I never should have dared," Betty went on, stillhalf in earnest. "But I mean to do the best I can to help in our newposition, although I must confess I am dreadfully frightened at havingto receive so many distinguished people tonight. However, nurse saysTony is really better. And I shall have you to tell me what I ought tosay and do."

  Now under the tall crystal chandelier the young Governor lifted hiswife's hand to his lips with a smile at her absurdity. In spite of hisordinary origin Anthony Graham had a curious courtliness of manner. Itwas amusing to hear Betty talking of being afraid of people. All herlife she had had unusual social charm, winning friends and admiration inevery circle of society almost from her babyhood. Naturally in the yearssince her marriage, during her husband's struggle from the position of asuccessful young lawyer in a small town to the highest office in thestate, both her charm and self-possession had increased. Indeed, it waswell known that she had been her husband's chief inspiration and aid,and there were many persons who declared that it had been the wife'sbeauty and money that were responsible for the husband's success.However, this remark was made by the Governor's political enemies andnot his friends and was of course untrue.

  Nevertheless Anthony did look somewhat boyish and insignificant tonightfor his distinguished position. He was of only medium height, andalthough his shoulders were broad, he had never lost the thinness of hisboyhood due to hardships and too severe study. Yet there was nothingweak or immature about his face with its deep-set hazel eyes, the high,grave forehead with the dark hair pushed carelessly back, and the firm,almost obstinate, set of his lips.

  Indeed, the young Governor already had gained a reputation forobstinacy, and once persuaded to a policy or an idea, was difficult tochange. This trait of character had been partly responsible for hiselection to office. For there had been serious graft and dishonesty inthe politics of New Hampshire, and led by Anthony Graham the youngermen in the state had been able to defeat the old-time political ring.Whether or not the good government party would be allowed to remain inpower depended largely on the new Governor. He had promised to stop thegraft and crime in the state and to give positions to no persons whowere not fitted for them. Of course this meant that he must have manyenemies who would do their best to destroy his reputation. Already theywere aware that the young Governor's one weakness was his devotion tohis beautiful wife.

  But Betty used often to be amused at the outside world's opinion of herhusband's character. For never once in their married life so far had heever refused any request of hers. Therefore the real test was yet tocome.

  Five minutes later and there was once more the sound of movement andlaughter on the stairway when the re-opening of the drawing room dooradmitted six persons, who were to form the first members of thereceiving line.

  First came Doctor and Mrs. Richard Ashton. Already Dick had made areputation for himself as a surgeon in Boston, while Esther was one ofthe plain girls who so frequently grow handsomer as they grow older. Hertallness and pallor with her abundant red hair and sweet yet reservedmanner formed tonight as striking a contrast to her sister's grace andanimation as it had in the days when they first learned to know of thecloseness of the tie between them.

  Mr. and Mrs. William Webster had come all the way from Woodford toConcord, leaving three babies at home, to assist their old friends atthe Inaugural Ball. You must have guessed that Mollie O'Neill, as Mrs.William Webster, would have grown plumper and prettier during the busy,happy years of married life with her husband and children on their largefarm. For Mollie now had a small daughter "Polly," named for her belovedtwin sister, and a pair of twin sons, Dan and Billy. She was more thanever in love with her husband and, many people believed, entirely underhis thumb. Yet there were times when Mollie could and would assertherself in a surprising fashion just as she had in former days with hergirl friends.

  Tonight she was wearing a white silk which looked just the least bitcountrified and yet was singularly becoming to Mollie's milk-white skin,pink cheeks and shining black hair. Yet in spite of never having changedhis occupation of farmer, there was little to suggest the countryside inBilly Webster's appearance, except in his unusual strength and size. Forhe had fulfilled the prediction made to Polly O'Neill over a Camp Fireluncheon many years before. He had remained a farmer and a highlysuccessful one and yet had seen a good deal of the world and understoodmany things besides farming.

  Of the three Sunrise Hill Camp Fire girls who had within the last fewmoments joined Betty and her husband, the third was the most changed.For is it not difficult to imagine Meg Everett transformed into afashionable society woman, Meg, whose hair never would stay neatlybraided, whose waist and skirt so frequently failed to connect?

  However, after a number of love affairs, to her friends' surprise Meghad married a man as unlike her in taste and disposition as one couldwell imagine. He was a worldly, fashionable man, supposed to be wealthy.Anyhow, he and Meg lived in a handsome house, owned a motor car andentertained a great deal. They had no children, and perhaps this was thereason why Meg did not look altogether happy. Sometimes her old friendshad wondered if there could be other reasons, for Meg had always been awarm-hearted, impetuous girl, careless of fashions and indifferent toconventions, and now she was always dressed in clothes of the latestdesign and at least appeared like a fashionable woman.

  Nevertheless Meg had always been more easily influenced than any otherof the Camp Fire girls, hating to oppose the wishes of any one near toher heart. Her husband, Jack Emmet, was an intimate friend of her adoredbrother John. He and Meg made an attractive couple, for although Mr.Emmet was not handsome, he was tall and had a slender, correct figureand sharply cut features with light blue eyes and brown hair. Meg'scostume was quite as beautiful as Betty's, a soft rose silk and chiffon,and her golden hair was fastened with a small rope of pearls.

  "You are as lovely tonight as ever, Betty, and I know Anthony is proudof you," Meg whispered, holding her friend's hand for an instant."Remember when you once believed that Anthony was falling in love withme? Silly child, he never thought of any one except you! But then he andI have always been special friends since he believed I helped him winyou. I want to tell him how proud I feel of you both tonight."

  As Meg moved away, Mollie's plump arm, which was only partly concealedby her glove, slipped inside her hostess's.

  "It is nice we can have a few moments to ourselves before the ballbegins," she remarked shyly, glancing toward her husband, who was forthe moment talking with Jack Emmet. The two men did not like each other,but had been forced into conversation by Meg's moving off with Anthony.

  Betty kissed her friend, quite forgetting the dignity of her position onthe present occasion.

  "Dear old Mollie, it is good of you to have come to help me tonight! Iknow you don't like this society business. How I wish we had Polly herewith us! She promised to come if possible, but I had a telegram from heronly this afternoon saying that she is almost on the other side of thecontinent. It was dated Denver, I believe."

  The same look of affectionate incomprehension which she had oftendirected toward Polly, again crossed Mollie Webster's pretty face.

  "I
t is just as impossible as ever to keep up with Polly," she explainedhalf complainingly. "She has been acting through the West all summer,but promised to come home for a visit this autumn. Now she writes shewon't be here for some time. Dear me, I do wish that Polly would marryand settle down. Of course I know it is wonderful for her to have becomesuch a distinguished actress, but I never think she is very happy and Iam always worrying over her."

  Betty laughed and then looked serious. "Polly never will settle down, asyou mean it, Mollie dear, even if she should marry," she argued,forgetting for the moment the other friends close about her and theevening's ordeal. For her thoughts had traveled away to Polly O'Neill,who was to her surprise still Polly O'Neill. For at one time she hadcertainly believed that Polly had intended marrying Richard Hunt, theactor, and just why their engagement had been broken no one had everbeen told. Possibly it was because Polly had wished to devote herselfentirely to her work. She had always said as a girl that marriage shouldnever be allowed to interfere with her career, and certainly it had not.For the Polly who had made her first success some ten years before inthe little Irish play was now one of the best known actresses in theUnited States. Indeed, she had succeeded to the position once held byMargaret Adams, since Margaret Adams had married and retired.

  However, for the present there was no further opportunity for mutualconfidences, since in the interval Faith Barton had appeared and withher the Governor's new secretary, besides a dozen other persons, most ofthem political friends, who were to assist in opening the InauguralBall.

  As Anthony joined her, Betty felt her cheeks flush and her knees tremblefor an instant. Moving toward them, accompanied by his wife, was the manwhom Anthony had defeated in the election for Governor. To save her lifeBetty could not help recalling at this instant all the hateful thingsthis man had previously said against her husband. Yet she must not bechildish, nor show ill feeling. Ex-Governor Peyton and his wife weremuch older than she and Anthony, and besides they were their guests.

  Betty's manner was perfectly gracious and collected by the time thevisitors reached them.