CHAPTER XI A JOLLY HOME-COMING
"My! What great big boys! You can't possibly be my little baby brotherRoger. And Joe! Why he is like a real young gentleman in his tennissuit!" And Dorothy kissed her brothers over and over again, as they rodefrom the depot in the pony cart to the home of Aunt Winnie, "The Cedars,"at North Birchland.
"Oh, I don't know," drawled Joe, in his good-natured way. "You can'tcomplain. You've been doing some growing on your own account."
"And you have got awfully pretty," lisped Roger, as he "snuggled" upcloser to his sister.
"I think you are just as perfectly handsome as any big lady."
"My, you little flatterbox!" and Dorothy gave him an oldtime squeeze."You have learned more than your A, B, Cs. at kindergarten. I receivedall your letters but could not answer the last two as we had such anawful lot of writing to do at the close when examinations came."
"Did you pass?" asked the younger brother, by way of showing hisunderstanding of the scholastic season.
"Oh, yes. I guess Tavia and I did about as well as the others."
"Why didn't Tavia come?" went on Roger.
"She is coming, later. You know she had to go home to Dalton first. Oh,how lovely The Cedars look! And there is daddy on the porch!"
Dorothy could scarcely remain in the cart as it rumbled along the shadydrive that led to the broad veranda of Mrs. White's handsome summerresidence. Major Dale was waiting to greet his daughter, and Aunt Winniecame down the steps as the cart drove up.
"Isn't she big!" exclaimed Roger, as the major folded Dorothy close inhis arms in a most affectionate manner.
"My dear," whispered Mrs. White, pressing upon Dorothy's cheek a kiss ofwelcome. "You _have_ grown!" and the glance that accompanied this simpleremark spoke in more than words Mrs. White's admiration for her prettyniece, and told Dorothy at once, that her Aunt Winnie was entirelysatisfied with the particular lines that "her growth" had taken on.
"You all look so well, and I am so glad to be home again at last," saidDorothy as soon as she had a chance to express her opinion. "It isperfectly fine here."
"Here come the boys!" called Joe, who was just turning around on the longdrive, preparatory to taking the cart to the stables, and presently Natand Ned came bouncing up the steps.
Before Dorothy had a chance to protest both cousins were kissing her atonce--Nat declaring he hadn't kissed a girl since he left Dorothy afterthe automobile ride at Glenwood, and the while Ned was insisting that his"little brother" should await his turn and allow the head of the housethe rights of his lawful inheritance.
Such jolly big boys as were Ned and Nat always have a way of makingthings both lively and interesting, especially when a pretty girl cousinis "up for entertaining" and, for the remainder of the afternoon, theyentirely monopolized Dorothy, while Joe and Roger looked on, satisfied tohear their sister's voice again. As for the major, he sat there perfectlycontent to see all his children about him once more, although it was atrifle odd to find Dorothy so grown up--almost a young lady. And it wasso short a time ago that she would "climb all over him" when a littlehomecoming occurred. How she would fuss with his hair, and complain thatno one had attended to his brushes or kept his neck-ties pressed duringher absence.
"But children must grow up," said the major with a sigh, "and Dorothy isa fine girl--a Dale--every inch of her!"
That Dorothy was indeed growing to be very handsome was a matter thatMrs. White contemplated with pardonable pride. Dorothy was now herespecial charge; she would enter society under her safe chaperonage. Ofcourse she would first finish her education; and the aunt hoped that herniece would not decide to take the higher branches, inasmuch as thiswould keep her longer separated from her relatives. There is plenty oftime Mrs. White decided to learn in our own little world without spendingprecious time buried in colleges, forming ideas that are sure to conflictwith the regular home life, and perhaps, depriving one's family of themost precious years of a girl's career--the time between morning and noonin the life of mortals.
That evening, while Dorothy was dressing for dinner, her aunt mentionedthe matter to her.
"Of course, Dorothy dear," she said as she watched the girl arrange herbeautiful hair, "it is all very well to take a college course if youthink you would not be satisfied to live in the home-world always. Butyour brothers are growing up, and a sister's influence is of so muchaccount to growing lads. I hope you will be satisfied to stay home withus, after you have finished at Glenwood."
"I'm sure I'm very lonely away from you all," answered Dorothy, "and, asyou say, it is not likely I will ever want to take up a profession.Therefore I can best finish my education along the lines I will berequired to be most proficient in."
"That's my own Dorothy," said her aunt.
It was a merry party that sat down to the bountifully supplied table.Major Dale was, of course, at the head, and Mrs. White occupied the seatof honor at the other end, while Dorothy and Ned, then Nat and Joe, withRoger next his father, made up the family party.
Roger insisted on knowing just what Dorothy usually had for dinner atGlenwood, and upon learning how extremely simple the school menu was hedecided at once he would never go to boarding school.
"When's Tavia coming?" asked Nat, endeavoring to hide his particularinterest in that question by trying, prematurely to swallow an unusuallylarge mouthful of food.
"She promised to come in a few weeks," answered Dorothy. "She expects tovisit Buffalo first."
"Buffalo?" repeated Nat, vaguely.
"Any objections?" asked Ned pointedly, to tease his younger brother.
"Well," replied Nat, lamely, "Buffalo is a big city and Taviais--is--merely a little girl."
This remark only made matters worse for Nat, as the others joined in the"jollying" and he was obliged to admit that he did miss Tavia, and wasvery sorry she had decided not to visit Birchland first.
"I don't blame you, little brother," declared Ned. "Tavia certainly is awinner, and when it comes to an all-round jolly,good-natured--er--ah--um--help me out, Dorothy! Any new adjectives atGlenwood?"
"Try 'dandy,'" suggested Joe.
"Oh, great!" put in little Roger, to whom 'dandy' always meant somethinggreat.
"Thanks! Thanks!" acknowledged Ned. "I think if Lady Tavia stands for allof that she surely will be well done."
"Oh, she can stand for more than that," insisted her champion. "She onceconfided to me that she 'stood' for a colored baby. It was christened inthe Dalton canal I believe, and no one, in the crowd of spectators, hadthe nerve to stand for the little one but Tavia."
"And did she give him his name?" asked Roger, all at once interested inthe black baby in the canal.
"She did for a fact," Nat replied. "Yes, Tavia called that coon Moses,and, if you don't believe it she still has an active interest in themodern human frog; let me tell you she sent him a goat cart on his lastbirthday."
"Oh, ho!" exclaimed Ned significantly. "So that was the goat cart youbought down at Tim's, eh? Now, I call that real romantic! Mother, youmust include Mosey when next you invite folks from Dalton."
"Oh, yes, Aunty, please do," begged Roger, clapping his hands. "I justlove little colored boys. They talk so funny and warble their eyes so."
"'Warble,'" repeated Nat. "Why not 'scramble'? Scrambled eyes would lookreal pretty, I think."
"Well," retorted Roger, "I watched a coon boy look that way one day andthe--yolk of his eye stuck away up behind the--the cover. Yes itdid--really," for the others were laughing at him. "And I told him it wasa good thing that the looker didn't rub off."
Everyone agreed with Roger that it was a very good thing that "lookers"didn't rub off, and so the small talk drifted from "Mose" to moresubstantial topics.
Directly after dinner Dorothy went to the library to sing and play forthe major. She had, of course, improved considerably in her music, andwhen the usual favorites were given, including some war songs, besides"Two Little B
oys in Blue" for Roger's special benefit, the boys kept herbusy the remainder of the evening playing college songs, one after theother, for, as fast as they discovered they did not know one they would"make a try" at the next.
"Now they miss Tavia," whispered Mrs. White in an aside to the major."She is a genius at funny songs. What she doesn't know she has a facultyfor guessing at with splendid results."
"Yes indeed. It's a pity she didn't come along with Dorothy. They havealways been inseparable, and I rather miss the little imp myselftonight," admitted the major.
But when the singers came to the old classics, "Seeing Nellie Home" Nedcut "Nellie" out and substituted Tavia's name whereat Nat insisted thathe could not stand any more of the "obsequies," and so broke up theperformance with a heart-rending and ear-splitting discordant yell.
"Well, you'll feel better after that, old boy," remarked Ned. "It must besomething awful to have a thing like that in your system."
But Nat was not altogether joking. In fact he had more reason than wasapparent for wishing Tavia was with the little party. Tavia had writtenone or two letters to Nat--just friendly notes of course--but the tone ofthem caused the youth to think that Tavia Travers when with Dorothy Dalewas one girl, and Tavia Travers with others--the Buffalo people forexample--might be quite a different person.
"She's like an hour glass," thought Nat, as he stood on the side porchand tried to laugh at himself for being "spoony." Then he went on: "She'sfull of 'sand' all right, but too easily influenced. Now with Dorothy--"
But at that Nat turned suddenly and went to join the others in thelibrary. It was nonsense for him to worry about a girl--probably shewould not thank him for his trouble, could she know that he had theaudacity to question her conduct.
But, in spite of this, thoughts of Tavia persisted in thrustingthemselves upon him. After all, sincerity of purpose is a power that,once aroused, is not easily cast aside. It is, without question, one ofthe greatest factors for good in all this big and complicated system ofendeavor--in reality the tie that binds.
So that Nat had taken Tavia's affairs "to heart" as he admitted tohimself, when thinking the entire matter over very late that night, and,from that time on, whether he willed or not, it seemed to him that theseaffairs of Tavia's had a queer way of "following him up," although helittle realized that this was the price he would be called upon to payfor his sincerity of purpose--the live factor that exists in spite of allobstacles of indifference.