CHAPTER VIII
AN INVERTED JOKE
"Dorothy! Dorothy!" called Tavia. "Come here just a minute. I wantto speak to you."
"Won't you come in?" asked Dorothy, making her way to the side porch.
"No, I can't, really. But I couldn't wait to tell you. I know whatthe Green Violet meant by her mean remarks. And it's too killing. Iam just dead laughing over it."
"I'm glad it's funny," said Dorothy.
"The funniest ever," continued Tavia. "You know when we got out of thewagon Miss Green was standing a little way off from Alice. That dude,Tom Burbank, was with her (they say she always manages to get a beau),and she was watching us alight--you know how she can watch: like a cat.Well, Tom asked Nat what was the matter, and if he had been speeding.Everybody seemed to know we had gone off in the auto, for whichblessing I am duly grateful. I don't often get a ride--"
"Tavia, will you tell me the story?" asked Dorothy with some impatience.
"Coming to it! Coming to it, my dear, but I never knew you to be sokeen on a common, everyday story before," answered Tavia, withprovoking delay.
"The remarks?"
"Oh, yes, as I was saying, Tom asked Nat were we speeding. And Natsaid no. Then, looking down at his farmer clothes, he added: 'Notspeeding, just melons.' And the dude believed him,--the goose! ThenViola took it all in and she too thinks we were arrested for stealingmuskmelons."
The idea seemed so absurd to Tavia that she went off into a new set oflaughs, knotted together with groans--she had laughed so long that theprocess became actually painful.
"Who told you?" asked Dorothy, as soon as Tavia had quieted herselfsufficiently to hear anything.
"May Egner. She stood by and heard the whole thing. But you must notmention it to Alice," cautioned Tavia, "for she didn't hear it, and Ijust want the Green Violet to think it is true, every word. It's apositive charity to give that girl something definitely mean to thinkabout. I can see her mental picture of you and Nat and myself standingin a police court pleading 'Guilty' to being caught in a melon patch.Wish we had thought of it: there were plenty along that road, and Ihave not tasted a fresh muskmelon since I stole the last one from theold Garrabrant place. Ummm! but that was good!"
"Well, I am glad it is no worse," remarked Dorothy. "I had a suspicionshe was trying to insinuate something like that. And the idea of hernot believing that Nat was my cousin!"
"Oh, yes, and that was more of it," went on Tavia. "Tom asked Nat if Iwas his cousin and he said yes. Wasn't Nat funny to tease so? But whocould blame him? I wish I had a chance to get my say in, I would havegiven Greenie a story! Not only melons, but a whole farm for mine!"
"Lucky you were otherwise engaged then. I noticed you had your handsfull answering the questions of that crowd of small boys," remarkedDorothy, smiling at the remembrance of Tavia's struggle with thecurious ones.
"But, Doro, are you really going away?" and Tavia's voice assumed avery different tone--it was mournful indeed.
"Yes, I think it is quite decided. I would not mind it so much if youwere coming."
"Me? Poor me! No boarding school for my share. They do not run inour family," and she sighed.
"But perhaps your fairy godmother might help you," went on Dorothy."She has granted your wishes before."
"Yes, and I promised her that time I would never trouble her again.There is a limit, you know, even to fairy godmothers."
At that moment Mrs. White appeared on the porch.
"What was that I heard about godmothers?" she asked. "You know,Dorothy, I hold that sacred position towards you, and you must not letany one malign the title," she said, laughingly.
"Oh, this was the fairy kind," replied Dorothy. "Tavia was just sayingshe had promised to let hers off without further requests after thelast was granted."
"When Doro goes away to school," interrupted Tavia, "I shall eitherbecome a nun or--"
"Go with her! How would that do?" asked Mrs. White, convinced that theparting of Dorothy and Tavia would mean a direct loss for both.
"If I worked this year and earned the money to go next? Or do theyconsider the wage-earning class debarred from boarding school society?"asked Tavia.
Again the sentiment Tavia had expressed to Dorothy: the difference inthe classes. This was becoming a habit to Tavia, the habit of almostsneering at those who appeared better off than herself. And yet, asMrs. White scrutinized her, she felt it was not a sentiment in any wayallied to jealousy, but rather regret, or the sense of loss that thelot of Tavia Travers had been cast in a different mold to that ofDorothy Dale. It had to do entirely with Tavia's love for Dorothy.
"Now, my dear," began Mrs. White, addressing Tavia, "you really mustnot speak that way. You know there is a class of people, too prominentnowadays, who believe that the rights of others should be their rights.That there should be no distinction in the ownership of property--"
"Gloriotious!" exclaimed Tavia. "Do you suppose they would let me intheir club?"
"I'll tell you, girls," said Mrs. White. "Squire Travers is going tocall here this evening by appointment. And if you are both very, verygood little girls, perhaps I will have some very important news to giveyou in the morning."
At this both Tavia and Dorothy "took steps," Tavia doing some originaldance while Dorothy was content to join in the swing that her partnerso violently insisted upon taking at every turn.
Mrs. White laughed merrily at seeing the girls dance there in thehoneysuckle-lined porch, and she was now more positive than ever thattheir companionship should not be broken.
"All hands around!" called Tavia, at which invitation the statelysociety lady could not refrain from joining in the dance herself, andshe went around and around until it was Dorothy who first had to givein and beg to be let out of the ring.
"Oh!" sighed Mrs. White, quite exhausted, "that is the best real danceI have had in years--quite like our dear old German."
"They call it the Virginia Reel in Dalton," said Tavia, not meaning todeprecate the value of the society dance mentioned.
"Yes, and that is the correct name, too," agreed Mrs. White, "foralmost all the good figures of the German were taken from the old timecountry dance. But I am warm! I must go in at once or I may checkthis perspiration too quickly. Dorothy, don't walk too far withTavia," she remarked, as both girls prepared to leave the porch, "Ihave some little things to talk over before tea."
"Only to the turn," replied Dorothy, with her arm wound lovingly aroundTavia, "I just want to finish about something very important."
"She must go with Dorothy," said Mrs. White to herself, watching thetwo girls make their way through the soft autumn twilight.