United States or Burundi ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Whenever her health permitted she dined in state each evening in the great dining-room, solitary and dignified, unless on rare occasions her one familiar, Silas Watson, occupied the seat opposite her. "The boy," as he was contemptuously called, was never permitted to enter this room. Indeed, it would be difficult to define exactly Kenneth Forbes' position at Elmhurst.
"I had forgotten you are so old as that. Let me see; Elizabeth cannot be more than fifteen." "Elizabeth?" "Elizabeth De Graf, your cousin. She arrived at Elmhurst this morning, and will be your companion while you are here." "That is nice," said Louise. "I hope you will be friends." "Why not, Aunt?
She could hear the staccato reports from the open exhaust of the motorcycle diminishing rapidly in the distance, indicating the speed of the pursued and the pursuer. And then from the distance came a shot and then another and another. She leaned forward and spoke to her own driver. "Go on to Elmhurst," she said, "and then come back to the city on the St. Charles Road."
Of course Beth and Patsy were the bridesmaids, and their cousin Kenneth Forbes came all the way from Elmhurst to be Arthur's best man. No one ever knew what it cost Uncle John for the wonderful decorations at the church and home, for the music, the banquet and all the other details which he himself eagerly arranged on a magnificent scale and claimed was a part of his "wedding present."
Louise Merrick, Beth DeGraf and Patsy Doyle, the three nieces, were really glad that the boy inherited Elmhurst, and returned to their eastern homes with the most cordial friendship existing between them all. Kenneth was left the master of Elmhurst and possessor of considerable wealth besides, and at first he could scarcely realize his good fortune or decide how to take advantage of it.
It did not seem clear to them yet whether Miss Patricia or Lawyer Watson was to take charge of Elmhurst: but there were few tears shed for Jane Merrick, and the new regime could not fail to be an improvement over the last. At dinner the young folks chatted together in a friendly and eager manner concerning the events of the day.
Hopkins looked at him curiously. "What are you laughing at?" she inquired, with a sniff of disdain. "At at the way he come it over the gals up at Elmhurst. 'Rast's a pretty slick one, he is!" "What do you mean?" "Why, settin' that 'Liza to watch 'em, and tell all they does. Who'd a thought of it but 'Rast Hopkins?" "I don't see anything mighty funny about that," declared Mrs.
Meantime Kenneth had reached the stable, thrown a bridle over the head of a fine sorrel mare, and scorning to use a saddle leaped upon her back and dashed down the lane and out at the rear gate upon the old turnpike road. His head was whirling with amazement, his heart full of indignation. Girls! Girls at Elmhurst nieces and guests of the fierce old woman he so bitterly hated!
Out in Elmhurst, her next stop, a troop of girl scouts was drilling when she stepped off the train. New clothes and a better appearance, the result of that first pay at housework, had converted the mill girl into quite an attractive young lady, and as she waited at the pretty little square, watching the girl scouts drill, something like envy possessed her.
"I don't want the money really I don't!" he protested. "The five thousand she left me will be enough. But I'd like to live here at Elmhurst for a time, until it's sold or some one else comes to live in the house!" "It's yours," said Patsy, with a grand air. "You can live here forever." Mr. Watson seemed puzzled.
Word Of The Day