Paddy-The-Next-Best-Thing. Gertrude Page
we want a Solomon to say who they belong to,” and he exploded again.
“If you don’t shut up, Jack—I’ll—I’ll throw a pig at your head,” said Paddy furiously.
“And I offered to help you drive them home,” in an aggrieved voice.
“I’ll help instead,” volunteered Lawrence. “I’m a positive genius at pig-driving.”
“Or I could take them to The Ghan House on my way back,” said Patrick cheerfully.
“But they’re not mine, I tell you. I don’t want the things. What in the world could I do with fifteen pigs?”
“They certainly wouldn’t be very nice in your bedroom, and I don’t see where else you could hide them,” put in Jack.
“Come, what’s it all about?—don’t mind him,” as Paddy again looked furiously at her tormentor. “Perhaps I can help?”
Wherewith, turning her back on the delinquent, who continued to chuckle audibly, Paddy related the history of the fifteen pigs, and the Gordian knot she and Patrick had managed to tie between them.
Lawrence had a good laugh—not the least at Paddy’s mystified air as to whether she had bought the pigs or not—and then he nobly offered to solve the difficulty by taking them off her hands.
“You can take them to the Mourne Lodge farm,” he told the no less bewildered Patrick, “and call for the money in the morning.”
Paddy was instantly all smiles. “And don’t forget my commission, Pat!” she cried.
“Your commission was for selling,” was Jack’s parting shot. “You bought these, so you can’t claim it.”
“Let’s all go and have coffee at the café,” suggested Lawrence. And ten minutes later Paddy and Jack were again chuckling uproariously over the relation of the whole episode from first to last.
And it was then that Paddy, under the spell of a certain sense of gratitude, decided Lawrence was very nice when he liked, and, of course, if Eileen was growing to care for him, and thought she would be happy with him, it was no use worrying about things. It was, of course, too much to expect that Lawrence could do other than love Eileen if she would let him.
Chapter Nine.
Concerning a Supper-Dance.
As the date fixed for the great dance drew near, no other topic of conversation was of any real interest. Even the two little ladies at the Parsonage got quite excited over it, and confided to Paddy and Eileen one afternoon, that they were each having new dresses on purpose.
“Oh! how splendid!” Paddy cried ecstatically; “do tell us what they are like.”
“Black silk,” said Miss Jane. “And Honiton lace,” added Miss Mary.
“Lovely!” cried Paddy. “I am certain you will be the belles of the ball. No one will look at Eileen and me.”
“Nonsense, my dear,” shaking her head; “two old things like Mary and myself belles of the ball indeed! No, no; you and Eileen will be that, and we shall rejoice to see it.”
“Now you are sarcastic, auntie,” shaking a threatening finger at her; “as if any belle of a ball ever had a sallow skin and snub nose like mine. No, if I am a belle at all it will have to be from a back view only. I really do think my hair is prettier than Eileen’s, so with the front of her and the back of me, we ought to carry off the palm.”
“What about Kathleen and Doreen?” put in Eileen, “they have improved wonderfully.”
“Yes, and their dresses were bought in Paris. It’s not fair,” and Paddy pulled a face. “We all ought to have started equally with dresses made in Ireland.”
“My dear, dress makes very little difference,” said little Miss Mary; “expression and manner are everything, and Kathleen and Doreen, though charming girls, are both a little stiff at present. I haven’t a doubt your programmes will be full almost before you are in the ball-room.”
“I guess so,” said Paddy mischievously. “I’ve promised twice the number of dances there are already, but as I’ve forgotten who they were all to, it doesn’t matter. I am thinking of arriving with two boards like a sandwich man, and on one side I shall have in large letters ‘Please note all previous engagements cancelled,’ and on the other ‘Book early as a great rush is anticipated.’ ”
The two little ladies laughed merrily, and then suddenly grew serious and looked at each other, as if preparing for some pre-arranged announcement.
“My dears!” began Miss Jane, the spokeswoman, while Miss Mary nodded her head in solemn agreement.
“Mary and I have each been looking through certain of our old treasures to see if we could find anything suitable to give you for this happy occasion, and we have decided upon the two fans our uncle, General Alvers, gave to us for our first ball in Dublin. They are old-fashioned, perhaps, but they are very good and we hope you will value them for our sakes.”
“Yes, that is it, sister,” murmured Miss Mary; “we hope you will value them for our sakes.”
“How good of you!” cried Paddy and Eileen together, and then Paddy flew straight at each little lady and hugged them both in turn. When she had released them, Miss Jane rose and went to a drawer, and took from it two parcels which she slowly began to unfold. At last, from enough tissue paper to have kept half a dozen fans in, she drew two beautiful hand-painted ivory ones, and presented them to the two girls.
“Oh! lovely! lovely!” and Paddy was almost beside herself. “But how can you bear to part with them!”
“Are you sure you would not rather lend them?” asked Eileen gently.
“No, my dear, Mary and I have thought it over, and we have decided it is folly to hoard up pretty things that might be giving pleasure to someone we love. We had our time when we were young, and we were very happy, and loved pretty things as you do. Now it is your turn, and we must sit and look on.”
“You seem to have been doing that always,” exclaimed Paddy with a sudden burst, “just sitting and looking on at other people’s happiness,” while Eileen slipped a hand into little Miss Mary’s with her slow sweet smile.
“Oh, no, my dear,” Aunt Jane answered at once, “we had just as gay a time as you and Eileen when we were your age.”
She paused.
“And then!” said Paddy, with half-veiled eagerness.
The two sisters looked at each other a moment, and then Miss Mary said a little nervously:
“Not just yet, sister. Some day, if they still care to know we will tell them, but not just yet.”
Eileen pressed the hand in hers with silent sympathy, while warm-hearted Paddy took the opportunity to administer two more hugs in the middle of which Jack entered and claimed that it was his turn next.
“Look what aunties have given us,” cried Paddy, ignoring his request. “Their own beautiful fans that they had for their first ball.”
Jack duly admired, and then asked what they were going to give him that they had worn at their first ball.
“Hadn’t you two sashes!” asked Paddy of the little ladies; “he could wear one round his waist, and one for a tie, and just think how pleased he would be, and how he would strut about in the ball-room, like a dog with two tails.”
“I’ll strut you about in a few minutes,” remarked the maligned one, “speaking