CHAPTER XV
THE CUT DIRECT
A typographical error in one of the papers caused no end of amusementto every one except Monty and Miss Drew. The headlines had announced"Magnificent ball to be given Miss Drew by her Finance," and the"Little Sons of the Rich" wondered why Monty did not see the humor ofit.
"He has too bad an attack to see anything but the lady," said Harrisonone evening when the "Sons" were gathered for an old-time supper party.
"It's always the way," commented the philosophical Bragdon, "When youlose your heart your sense of humor goes too. Engaged couples couldn'tdo such ridiculous stunts if they had the least particle of it left."
"Well, if Monty Brewster is still in love with Miss Drew he takes amighty poor way of showing it." "Subway" Smith's remark fell like abombshell. The thought had come to every one, but no one had been giventhe courage to utter it. For them Brewster's silence on the subjectsince the DeMille dinner seemed to have something ominous behind it.
"It's probably only a lovers' quarrel," said Bragdon. But furthercomment was cut short by the entrance of Monty himself, and they tooktheir places at the table.
Before the evening came to an end they were in possession of manyastonishing details in connection with the coming ball. Monty did notsay that it was to be given for Miss Drew and her name wasconspicuously absent from his descriptions. As he unfolded his planseven the "Little Sons," who were imaginative by instinct and recklesson principle, could not be quite acquiescent.
"Nopper" Harrison solemnly expressed the opinion that the ball wouldcost Brewster at least $125,000. The "Little Sons" looked at oneanother in consternation, while Brewster's indifference expresseditself in an unflattering comment upon his friend's vulgarity. "GoodLord, Nopper," he added, "you would speculate about the price of glovesfor your wedding."
Harrison resented the taunt. "It would be much less vulgar to do that,Monty, saving your presence, than to force your millions down everyone's throat."
"Well, they swallow them, I've noticed," retorted Brewster, "as thoughthey were chocolates."
Pettingill interrupted grandiloquently. "My friends and gentlemen!"
"Which is which?" asked Van Winkle, casually.
But the artist was in the saddle. "Permit me to present to you the boyCroesus--the only one extant. His marbles are plunks and his kites aremade of fifty-dollar notes. He feeds upon coupons a la Newburgh, andhis champagne is liquid golden eagles. Look at him, gentlemen, whileyou can, and watch him while he spends thirteen thousand dollars forflowers!"
"With a Viennese orchestra for twenty-nine thousand!" added Bragdon."And yet they maintain that silence is golden."
"And three singers to divide twelve thousand among themselves! That'sabsolutely criminal," cried Van Winkle. "Over in Germany they'd sing amonth for half that amount."
"Six hundred guests to feed--total cost of not less than forty thousanddollars," groaned "Nopper," dolefully.
"And there aren't six hundred in town," lamented "Subway" Smith. "Allthat glory wasted on two hundred rank outsiders."
"You men are borrowing a lot of trouble," yawned Brewster, with agallant effort to seem bored. "All I ask of you is to come to the partyand put up a good imitation of having the time of your life. Betweenyou and me I'd rather be caught at Huyler's drinking ice cream sodathan giving this thing. But--"
"That's what we want to know, but what?" and "Subway" leaned forwardeagerly.
"But," continued Monty, "I'm in for it now, and it is going to be aball that is a ball."
Nevertheless the optimistic Brewster could not find the courage to tellPeggy of these picturesque extravagances. To satisfy her curiosity heblandly informed her that he was getting off much more cheaply than hehad expected. He laughingly denounced as untrue the stories that hadcome to her from outside sources. And before his convincing assertionsthat reports were ridiculously exaggerated, the troubled expression inthe girl's eyes disappeared.
"I must seem a fool," groaned Monty, as he left the house after one ofthese explanatory trials, "but what will she think of me toward the endof the year when I am really in harness?" He found it hard to controlthe desire to be straight with Peggy and tell her the story of his madrace in pursuit of poverty.
Preparations for the ball went on steadily, and in a dull winter it hadits color value for society. It was to be a Spanish costume-ball, andat many tea-tables the talk of it was a god-send. Sarcastic as itfrequently was on the question of Monty's extravagance, there was asplendor about the Aladdin-like entertainment which had a charm.Beneath the outward disapproval there was a secret admiration of thesuperb nerve of the man. And there was little reluctance to help him inthe wild career he had chosen. It was so easy to go with him to theedge of the precipice and let him take the plunge alone. Only the echoof the criticism reached Brewster, for he had silenced Harrison withwork and Pettingill with opportunities. It troubled him little, as hewas engaged in jotting down items that swelled the profit side of hisledger account enormously. The ball was bound to give him a good leadin the race once more, despite the heavy handicap the Stock Exchangehad imposed. The "Little Sons" took off their coats and helpedPettingill in the work of preparation. He found them quite superfluous,for their ideas never agreed and each man had a way of preferring hisown suggestion. To Brewster's chagrin they were united in the effort tocurb his extravagance.
"He'll be giving automobiles and ropes of pearls for favors if we don'tstop him," said "Subway" Smith, after Monty had ordered a vintagechampagne to be served during the entire evening. "Give them twoglasses first, if you like, and then they won't mind if they have ciderthe rest of the night."
"Monty is plain dotty," chimed Bragdon, "and the pace is beginning totell on him."
As a matter of fact the pace was beginning to tell on Brewster. Workand worry were plainly having an effect on his health. His color wasbad, his eyes were losing their lustre, and there was a listlessness inhis actions that even determined effort could not conceal from hisfriends. Little fits of fever annoyed him occasionally and he admittedthat he did not feel quite right.
"Something is wrong somewhere," he said, ruefully, "and my whole systemseems ready to stop work through sympathy."
Suddenly there was a mighty check to the preparations. Two days beforethe date set for the ball everything came to a standstill and themanagers sank back in perplexity and consternation. Monty Brewster wascritically ill.
Appendicitis, the doctors called it, and an operation was imperative.
"Thank heaven it's fashionable," laughed Monty, who showed no fear ofthe prospect. "How ridiculous if it had been the mumps, or if thenewspapers had said, 'On account of the whooping-cough, Mr. Brewsterdid not attend his ball.'"
"You don't mean to say--the ball is off, of course," and Harrison wasreally alarmed.
"Not a bit of it, Nopper," said Monty. "It's what I've been wanting allalong. You chaps do the handshaking and I stay at home."
There was an immediate council of war when this piece of news wasannounced, and the "Little Sons" were unanimous in favor of recallingthe invitations and declaring the party off. At first Monty wasobdurate, but when some one suggested that he could give the ball lateron, after he was well, he relented. The opportunity to double the costby giving two parties was not to be ignored.
"Call it off, then, but say it is only postponed."
A great rushing to and fro resulted in the cancelling of contracts, therecalling of invitations, the settling of accounts, with the most loyaleffort to save as much as possible from the wreckage. Harrison and hisassociates, almost frantic with fear for Brewster's life, managed toperform wonders in the few hours of grace. Gardner, with rareforesight, saw that the Viennese orchestra would prove a dead loss. Hesuggested the possibility of a concert tour through the country,covering several weeks, and Monty, too ill to care one way or theother, authorized him to carry out the plan if it seemed feasible.
To Monty, fearless and less disturbed than any other member of hiscir
cle, appendicitis seemed as inevitable as vaccination.
"The appendix is becoming an important feature in the Book of Life," heonce told Peggy Gray.
He refused to go to a hospital, but pathetically begged to be taken tohis old rooms at Mrs. Gray's.
With all the unhappy loneliness of a sick boy, he craved the care andcompanionship of those who seemed a part of his own. Dr. Lotless hadthem transform a small bedchamber into a model operating room and Montytook no small satisfaction in the thought that if he was to be deniedthe privilege of spending money for several weeks, he would at leastmake his illness as expensive as possible. A consultation of eminentsurgeons was called, but true to his colors, Brewster installed Dr.Lotless, a "Little Son," as his house surgeon. Monty grimly bore thepain and suffering and submitted to the operation which alone couldsave his life. Then came the struggle, then the promise of victory andthen the quiet days of convalescence. In the little room where he haddreamed his boyish dreams and suffered his boyish sorrows, he struggledagainst death and gradually emerged from the mists of lassitude. Hefound it harder than he had thought to come back to life. The burden ofit all seemed heavy. The trained nurses found that some more powerfulstimulant than the medicine was needed to awaken his ambition, and theydiscovered it at last in Peggy.
"Child," he said to her the first time she was permitted to see him,and his eyes had lights in them: "do you know, this isn't such a badold world after all. Sometimes as I've lain here, it has looked twistedand queer. But there are things that straighten it out. To-day I feelas though I had a place in it--as though I could fight things and winout. What do you think, Peggy? Do you suppose there is something that Icould do? You know what I mean--something that some one else would notdo a thousand times better."
But Peggy, to whom this chastened mood in Monty was infinitelypathetic, would not let him talk. She soothed him and cheered him andtouched his hair with her cool hands. And then she left him to thinkand brood and dream.
It was many days before his turbulent mind drifted to the subject ofmoney, but suddenly he found himself hoping that the surgeons would begenerous with their charges. He almost suffered a relapse when Lotless,visibly distressed, informed him that the total amount would reachthree thousand dollars.
"And what is the additional charge for the operation?" asked Monty,unwilling to accept such unwarranted favors.
"It's included in the three thousand," said Lotless. "They knew youwere my friend and it was professional etiquette to help keep downexpenses."
For days Brewster remained at Mrs. Gray's, happy in its restfulness,serene under the charm of Peggy's presence, and satisfied to behopelessly behind in his daily expense account. The interest shown bythe inquiries at the house and the anxiety of his friends were soothingto the profligate. It gave him back a little of his lost self-respect.The doctors finally decided that he would best recuperate in Florida,and advised a month at least in the warmth. He leaped at theproposition, but took the law into his own hands by ordering GeneralManager Harrison to rent a place, and insisting that he needed thecompanionship of Peggy and Mrs. Gray.
"How soon can I get back to work, Doctor?" demanded Monty, the daybefore the special train was to carry him south. He was beginning tosee the dark side of this enforced idleness. His blood again wastingling with the desire to be back in the harness of a spendthrift.
"To work?" laughed the physician. "And what is your occupation, pray?"
"Making other people rich," responded Brewster, soberly.
"Well, aren't you satisfied with what you have done for me? If you areas charitable as that you must be still pretty sick. Be careful, andyou may be on your feet again in five or six weeks."
Harrison came in as Lotless left. Peggy smiled at him from the window.She had been reading aloud from a novel so garrulous that it fairlycried aloud for interruptions.
"Now, Nopper, what became of the ball I was going to give?" demandedMonty, a troubled look in his eyes.
"Why, we called it off," said "Nopper," in surprise.
"Don't you remember, Monty?" asked Peggy, looking up quickly, andwondering if his mind had gone trailing off.
"I know we didn't give it, of course; but what date did you hit upon?"
"We didn't postpone it at all," said "Nopper." "How could we? We didn'tknow whether--I mean it wouldn't have been quite right to do that sortof thing."
"I understand. Well, what has become of the orchestra, and the flowers,and all that?"
"The orchestra is gallivanting around the country, quarreling withitself and everybody else, and driving poor Gardner to the insaneasylum. The flowers have lost their bloom long ago."
"Well, we'll get together, Nopper, and try to have the ball atmid-Lent. I think I'll be well by that time."
Peggy looked appealingly at Harrison for guidance, but to him silenceseemed the better part of valor, and he went off wondering if theillness had completely carried away Monty's reason.