The Argosy, Vol. 82 No. 2 — page 24: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

206 other gentleman in his place—some one you’d met, he said, miss, and he’d come with the car.” “And the name?” .“He didn’t give the name, miss. He laughed,” said Dixon. The corners of Jane’s alluring mouth, which had ceased pointing upward at the sight of Aunt Hettie, left their level posi- tion and took to pointing downward quite dismally. Jack Weston himself was the very best kind of company, of course; she had counted on him to leaven Mary Cullum’s . too subdued presence—but Jack owned and cherished many dear friends who bored Jane to extinction. Something told her that Jack had picked one of them as his sub- stitute on this evidently rather ill-starred adventure, for Jack was a busy person these days and likely to select the first man who occurred to him as eligible and who was free to go. Something kept on telling her the same thing as the clock hands went around and she watched her maid pack the little case that was to hold all her immediate per- sonal belongings for—how long? When, just before nine, she heard the car at the curb, heard the door open and close again, Jane could endure the sus- pense no longer. Prepared for the very worst, she ran down-stairs and into the reception-room. And she stopped short and flushed sud- denly at the sight of the large and dis- tinctly well-favored young man who arose. “Mr. Farnham!” said Jane, and the cor- ners of her mouth upturned on the instant. The gentleman bowed humbly. “T’m the thing that has been thrust upon you at the last minute,” he said rather doubtfully. “Do you mind very much?” “Y’m tickled to death!” Jane said quite candidly. “Really?” the substitute asked eagerly. “Because I’ve been fearing that Jack might send any one of half a dozen men who—well, you were not one of them, at any rate,” Jane dimpled entrancingly. “Were you very much startled at being hurled into a motor party like that?” Young Mr. Farnham beamed down upon her. “T was so delighted at the idea of get- ting into the air again that I forgot de- liberately that we had met just twice, Miss Fayre, closed my eyes to all other con- THE ARGOSY. siderations and simply accepted. I’ve been shut up tight in a steel works this last month or more, and this chance was too good to lose.” Elsewhere the clock struck nine. Jane started. She did not recall at just what hour the thing left Batesford, but she re- membered very clearly that one of the through trains reached the Grand Central at precisely nine-two! ‘““Well—it’s sudden, of course, although all of this is sudden,” Jane said jerkily. ‘““But—shall we start at once?” “Going to make time on the road?” ‘Not at all,” said the hostess. ‘I thought we’d just jog along lazily, wherever we pleased, you know, but—”’ “But we’d better hurry up and begin be- ing lazy?” young Mr. Farnham concluded for her, chuckling. “I’m more than willing.” He beamed after her as she sped away to bid farewell to one aunt and summon another. Although Jane was not aware of the phenomenon, he beamed at the spot she had occupied for a minute or more after she had gone. Nor was there anything conspicuously morose about Jane Fayre as she confronted her aunts. Her eyes sparkled and her color had risen to normal again and perhaps a little higher. ‘““We’re all ready to start, Aunt Hettie,” she said vivaciously. “Jack sent Mr. Farn- ham in his place; isn’t that good?” “What Mr. Farnham?” Aunt Hettie in- quired truculently. “Why, Mr. Wilbur Farnham, of course —the Boston Farnhams, don’t you remem- ber? We met him at Newport early in the season. He’s connected with a factory somewhere, I think, and he’s an expert on something—I’ve forgotten just what. He—”’ “You seem to approve of him!” Aunt Hettie said grimly. Jane flushed a trifle. ‘““He’s—er—nice, of course,” she said more demurely. Aunt Martha, absorbed in sciatic sensa- tions of her own, nodded vaguely. Aunt Hettie rose abruptly. ‘Since you’ve arranged to start at this ungodly hour, I suppose the other fools are waiting,’ she said graciously. ‘Goodby, Martha, for a day or two.” “Or more than that,” Jane suggested. ‘““We’re not sure when we’re coming back.” Aunt Martha gazed at her very signifi- cantly. (EO) DOO AMC S (C@