Patty's Suitors. Wells Carolyn
you?" exclaimed Patty; "for gracious sake, WHAT happened?"
Marie looked a little surprised at Patty's excited interest, but she went on: "Oh, it was AWFULLY funny. Elise looked lovely that day. She had just come in from skating, and her cheeks were red and her eyes sparkled, and her furs were SO becoming! I introduced Kit, and I could see he admired her immensely. There were several people there, so I left these two together. They were getting on famously, when Kit said to her, 'Are you still a Captive Princess?'
"I didn't know what he meant, and Elise didn't either, for she looked perfectly blank, and asked him why he said that. And Kit told her she knew well enough why he said it, and Elise thought he must be crazy. However, they got along all right until Kit asked me to get Elise to sing. Now, you know Elise doesn't sing much; she has a nice little contralto voice, but she never sings for people. But do you know, she was perfectly willing, and she sang a little lullaby or something like that, rather sweetly, I thought. But such a change came over Kit's manner! I don't know how to express it. He was polite and courteous, of course; but he seemed to have lost all interest in Elise."
"But your cousin IS a sort of a freak, isn't he?" said Patty, who was deeply interested in Marie's story.
"Why, no, he isn't a freak. He's a musician, but he's an awfully nice chap, and real sensible. He hates society as a bunch, but he often likes an individual here and there, and when he does he can be awfully nice and friendly. But this whole performance was so QUEER. He wanted to meet Elise, and when he did, he admired her, I could see that; but when she sang, the light all went out of his face, and he looked terribly disappointed. The girl isn't a great singer, but why in the world should he expect her to be, or care so much because she isn't?"
"It IS strange!" murmured Patty; "how did Elise take it?"
"Oh, I don't think she minded much; she thinks the boy half crazy, anyway; asking her if she was a captive princess! And, of course, he didn't let HER see that he was disappointed in her voice. But I know Kit so well, that I can tell the moment he loses interest in anybody. I'm awfully fond of Kit,—we've grown up more like brother and sister than cousins."
"What's he like? Has he any fun in him?"
"Well, he loves practical jokes,—that is, if they're not mean. He couldn't do a mean or unkind thing to anybody. But he likes anything out of the ordinary. Escapades or cutting up jinks. He and Beatrice,—that's my younger sister,—are always playing tricks on us, when she's at home. But it's always good-natured fun, so we don't mind. Oh, Kit's a dear; but you never can tell whether he's going to like people or not. He likes so very few."
"But he liked Elise?"
"Oh, yes; in a general way. But, for some reason I can't make out, he was terribly disappointed in her."
"And he's going to play at your musicale?"
"Yes; and I want you to sing. We have two or three other musicians, and it will really be rather worth while."
Patty hesitated. If she went to this party, and met Kit, all the mystery of her little romance with him would be ended. He would be more disappointed in her than he had been in Elise, for at least she conformed to his favourite type of beauty, and Patty was quite the reverse. She could sing, to be sure, but probably her voice would not charm him, when robbed of the glamour lent by the telephone.
"Oh, DO say yes," Marie urged; "it will be a nice party, and if I've left out any people you specially want, I'll invite them."
But Marie's list included all of Patty's set, and as she rather wanted to go, she finally decided to say yes.
"Good for you!" exclaimed Marie; "now I know the party will be a success!"
"You always say that to me," said Patty, laughing. "I don't make parties a success."
"Yes, you do," said Marie, in a tone of firm conviction; "you're so nice, and pretty, and smiling, and always seem to have such a good time, that it makes everybody else have a good time."
"What do you want me to sing?"
"I don't care at all. Make your own selections. I like you best, I think, in some of those sweet, simple ballads."
"I rarely sing anything but ballads or simple music," said Patty, "my voice isn't strong enough for operatic soaring."
"Well, sing what you like, Patty, if you only come," and Marie went away, greatly elated at having secured Patty's consent to sing at her musicale.
Patty at once went to the piano, and began to look over her music. She smiled as she came across "Beware," but she concluded that would not do for a regular program, though she might use it as an encore.
She made her selections with care, as she honestly wanted to do credit to Marie's musicale, and then, taking several pieces of music, she ran up to Nan's room to ask her final judgment in the matter.
"You'll have a lot of fun out of this, Patty," said Nan, laughing, as she heard the whole story. "When is it to be?"
"Friday night. Do you know, Nan, I'd like to play a joke on that boy, between now and then."
"I think you are playing a joke on him,—and, besides, he isn't a boy."
"No; Marie says he's about twenty-four. He's a civil engineer, besides being a musician. But, anyway, I've got him guessing. I'm glad Elise didn't take it to heart, that she wasn't the right girl,—but Marie says Elise thinks he's a freak, anyway. And, too, I believe he's not very nice to girls as a rule, so of course Elise won't want him. Oh, I'M the only girl in the world for him!"
Patty pirouetted about the room on the tips of her toes, waving a sheet of music in either hand.
"What a silly you are, Patty, with your foolishness!"
Patty dropped on one knee at her stepmother's side, and clasping her hands, looked up beseechingly into the smiling face over her.
"But you love silly, foolish little girls, don't you, Nancy Nan?"
"Yes, when they're you," and Nan patted the shining head at her knee.
"Well, very few of them ARE me!"
"Thank goodness for that! I don't know what I'd do if you were a half a dozen!"
"You'd have just six times as much fun in your life!" and Patty jumped up and began to sing the songs she had brought.
Then together they decided on the ones she should sing at the musicale.
Although Patty's voice was not very strong, it was sweet and true and had been carefully cultivated. She sang with much charm, and her music always gave pleasure. She never attempted anything beyond her powers, and so her songs, while selected with good taste, were not pretentious.
That evening, while Patty was fluttering around her room, pretending to get ready for bed, but really dawdling, she was moved to telephone once again to the young man who was fond of jokes.
"It's you, is it?" he almost growled, in response to her call.
"Yes," said Patty, in a meek little voice; "shall I go away?"
"Great jumping cows! NO! Don't go away, stay right where you are!"
"But I'm going away for ever," said Patty, moved by a dramatic impulse; "my captors have found out that I'm holding communication with you, and they're going to take me away to another castle, and imprison me there."
"Stop your fooling; I want to know who you are, and I want to know it quick! Do you hear THAT?"
"Yes, I hear," returned Patty, saucily, "but I don't have to answer!
And if you talk to me like that, I shall hang up this receiver."
"I won't talk like that any more. But, do you know, I thought I had found you, and you turned out to be somebody else."
"But I can't be anybody else. I'm only myself."
"Be serious a minute, won't you? I went to my cousin's and met a beautiful, poppy-cheeked princess; but she wasn't you."
"How do you know she wasn't?"
"Because she couldn't sing a LITTLE bit! And you can."
"I