CHAPTER VII.
MR. AND MRS. DINSMORE and Mrs. Travilla reached Philadelphia safely,without accident or detention, spent a few days with their relativesthere, then, being urgently invited to pay a visit to the family oftheir cousin Donald Keith—the brother of our old friend Mildred, wifeof Dr. Landreth, of Pleasant Plains, and father of Mary Keith, withwhom Edward and Violet spent some time in a cottage at Ocean Beach inthe summer after the death of their father—they did so.
About six years had passed since then. Some of Mary’s younger brothersand sisters had grown up and married, so that her burdens were muchlightened, but she herself was still single and at home in her father’shouse.
Time seemed to have stood still with her. They found her the samebright, cheery girl, looking scarcely older than she had looked sixyears ago.
She was delighted to see again these relatives whom she had met andlearned to love during that ever-to-be-remembered summer in thecottage by the sea, and very glad to hear all they had to tell of thecousins who had helped to make enjoyable her effort at housekeepingthen and there. She had many questions to ask about them and thelittle ones, and expressed an ardent desire to see them all again, towhich her cousin Elsie replied: “We are expecting to return home in afortnight, or a little sooner, and will be glad to take you with us ifyou will go, Mary; will you not, dear girl?”
“Cousin Elsie, how very kind in you!” exclaimed Mary, both tone andlook full of delight. “But,” she added with a doubtful glance at hermother, “I fear I could hardly be spared from home.”
“Now don’t be so conceited, Mary Keith,” laughed that lady, with amischievous glance into the flushed, eager face of her eldest daughter.“I think I am quite capable of keeping house and attending to allfamily affairs without a particle of aid from you. So if Cousin Elsiewants you and you want to go, I advise you to set to work at once atyour preparations—putting your wardrobe in perfect order and adding toit whatever may be needed. Oh, you needn’t look doubtful and troubled!Your father has been greatly prospered of late, and I know will notfeel any necessity or inclination to deny anything desirable to thegood daughter who has been a very great help and comfort to him and methrough years of toil and struggle.”
Mary was affected even to tears. “O mother, how good and kind in you tosay all that!” she faltered. “I have done no more than my duty—hardlyeven so much, I fear.”
“Possibly your father and I may be as capable of judging of that asyourself,” returned Mrs. Keith in the same tone of careless gayety shehad used before; “and we think—for we were talking the matter over onlythe other day—that our eldest daughter deserves and needs some weeksof recreation this summer. We were discussing the comparative meritsof sea and mountain air, but finally decided to leave the selection toyourself; and now doubtless Cousin Elsie’s kind invitation will decideyou in favor of a trip to the South, even in spite of its climate beingless suitable for the warm weather than our own.”
“It will be a change for her, at all events,” Elsie said, “and when wecome North again, as we expect to do in a few weeks, we may, I think,hope to return her to you rested and invigorated. Or, still better, wewill hope to take her, with your consent, with us to the sea-shore fora good rest there before returning her to you.”
Mrs. Keith and Mary returned warm thanks for this second invitation,but it was not at that time definitely settled whether or not it couldor would be finally accepted.
“Ah, mother dear, I see now why you insisted this spring on my buyingand having made up more and handsomer dresses than ever I had in oneseason before,” Mary said presently with an affectionate look and smileinto Mrs. Keith’s pleasant and still comely face.
“Yes, it is always wise to be ready for sudden emergencies,” returnedthe mother playfully, “and I think you can easily be ready for a visitto Ion by the time Cousin Elsie will be on her way home from Princeton.”
“Our plan is to start for home in about a week,” Elsie said, “asthe commencement will be over by that time, and my boys, Harold andHerbert, ready to accompany us.”
“You are making us a very short visit, Cousin Elsie,” remarked Mrs.Keith. “I hope when you come up North again you will piece it out witha much longer one.”
“Thank you,” returned Elsie. “I should enjoy doing so, and perhaps maybe able to; but our plans for the season are not arranged.”
Then turning to Mary, “Our party is to pass through Philadelphia on ourreturn after the commencement. Can you not arrange to meet us there sothat we may travel the rest of the way to Ion in company?”
“I think so,” was the reply. “Can I not, mamma?”
“I see nothing to prevent,” said her mother. “We will have you there inseason if our cousins will let us know what train you are to meet.”
Mr. Dinsmore came in at that moment, and with his good help thearrangements were presently satisfactorily completed.
To the great delight of Harold and Herbert, their grandfather andmother arrived safely in Princeton on the evening of the day beforecommencement.
The young men, though looking somewhat overworked, yet seemed in goodhealth and good spirits. They had passed successfully through theirexamination and the next day were graduated with high honors.
Both grandfather and mother showed by their looks, manner, and words ofcommendation and congratulation that they were highly gratified and nota little proud of their bright, intelligent, industrious lads.
“And now, my sons, I suppose you are quite ready for home?” theirgrandfather said when the congratulations were over.
“Almost ready to start for it, grandpa,” Harold replied with a joyouslaugh. Then turning to his mother, “Mamma, I have a request to make,and I do not think you or grandpa will object to its being granted.”
“Not if it is anything reasonable, my dear boy,” she returned. “Are youdesirous to invite some friend to accompany us to Ion?”
“Ah, mother mine,” he laughed, “you certainly are good at guessing.Yes, I should like to give a warm invitation from grandpa, you, andourselves to a classmate whose home is closed at present, his parentsbeing in Europe for the health of his mother, who is a sad invalid.William Croly is his name—Will we call him—and he is as good, bright,and lovable a fellow as could be found anywhere.”
“He is indeed, mamma,” said Herbert. “I esteem him as highly as Harolddoes.”
“Then I think he will be a very welcome guest at Ion,” Mrs. Travillareturned with a look of inquiry at her father, as if she would consulthis wishes as well as her own and those of her sons.
“I should ask him by all means,” said Mr. Dinsmore. “I judge from therecommendation just given that he will prove a pleasant guest; besides,the Bible bids us ‘use hospitality without grudging.’”
“And that is one thing I am sure you and mother love to do, grandpa,”returned Herbert, giving a look of affectionate admiration to firstone, then the other.
“Yes, it is a great pleasure, therefore hardly meritorious,” hisgrandfather said with a smile.
“Then I may bring Croly and introduce him, may I not?” asked Harold.
A ready assent was given in reply. Harold hurried away and presentlyreturned, bringing with him a young man who had a very pleasant, brightface and refined, gentlemanly manners.
Mr. Dinsmore and his daughter gave him a pleasant greeting and kindlyshake of the hand as Harold introduced him, and after a little acordial invitation to accompany them on their return to Ion and remainuntil they should all come North again for the summer.
Croly was evidently delighted with the invitation, and it did not takemuch urging to induce him to accept it.
That evening they all journeyed to Philadelphia, where they were joinedby Mrs. Dinsmore and Mary Keith, and the next morning the whole partystarted southward, a pleasant, jovial company.
They met with no accident or detention, and were greeted with thewarmest of welcomes on their arrival at Ion at an early hour on thesecond day.
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p; They took some hours of rest and sleep, then were able to enjoy thefamily gathering which had been planned by Elsie’s sons and daughtersto celebrate the safe return of their loved mother and grandparentsfrom their visit to the North and the home-coming of the younggraduates.
The children and young people were included in the invitation, and nota single one failed to be present. From Woodburn, the Oaks, Pinegrove,Roselands, the Laurels, and Fairview they came, forming of themselvesalone a goodly company, full of mirth and jollity, which was in no waychecked by any of their elders, with whom they remained for a time,hanging about those who had been absent from home, particularly GrandmaElsie, and next to her the young uncles, who had been away so long thatthey seemed almost as strangers to the very little ones; pleasant andattractive strangers, however, inclined to make much of their littlenieces and nephews, a business in which their college friend, WillCroly, took an active part.
Almost every one presently forsook the rooms and verandas to sitbeneath the trees or wander here and there about the beautiful,well-kept grounds, visiting the gardens, hot-houses, and the lovelylittle lakelet.
A handsome rowboat was there and the young men invited the older girlsto take a row around the pretty little sheet of water. Marian McAlpine,Evelyn Leland, Rosie Travilla, and the two Dinsmore girls from theOaks accepted, but Lulu Raymond, who was with them, regretfullydeclined, saying she knew papa would be displeased if she went withouthis knowledge and consent.
“Why, Lu, you are growing remarkably good and obedient,” laughed SidneyDinsmore.
“For which we should all honor her,” said Harold. “The captain is oneof the best and kindest of fathers and his requirements are neverunreasonable.”
“Oh, of course not,” laughed Sidney; “only I’m glad he hasn’t the careof me and control of my actions.”
“I’m glad that he has of me and mine,” returned Lulu rather hotly asthe boat pushed out into the water, leaving her standing alone onthe shore gazing wistfully after it. “How delightful it looks,” shesighed to herself. “I wish I had thought of the possibility of such aninvitation and got papa’s permission beforehand.”
“You did right, little girl, and I am very sure that when your papahears of it he will commend you in a way that will give you far morepleasure than the row could have done if taken without his permission,”said a voice from behind her, and turning to look for the speaker, shefound Mr. Lilburn close at hand.
“Thank you, sir,” she replied with a pleasant smile. “I wanted badly togo, yet I know I couldn’t have enjoyed it without papa’s permission.”
“I should hope not indeed,” returned the old gentleman.
“Oh, Mr. Lilburn,” cried Lulu, struck with a sudden thought, “there areseveral in our company here this afternoon who know nothing of yourventriloquial powers. Can’t you think of some way of using them thatwill puzzle the strangers and furnish amusement for us all?”
“Suppose we consider that question—you and I,” he returned with asmile. “Have you any suggestion to make?”
“How would it do to make them hear trumpets or bugles or something ofthat kind in the woods near by, as you did to the Ku Klux years ago?”she asked in eager tones, adding: “Grandma Elsie has told us the storyof their attack on this place when Mamma Vi was quite a little girl.”
“Ah, yes, I remember,” he said with a slight smile. “Let us sit downhere,” leading her to a rustic seat near at hand, “and I will see whatI can do to excite the curiosity of the strangers.”
“Oh, I’m glad now I was left behind!” Lulu exclaimed as she tookthe offered seat and turned an excited, expectant face toward hercompanion.
For a minute or more he seemed buried in thought, then suddenly theclear notes of a bugle seemed to come from behind a clump of trees afew rods distant from where they sat.
Lulu was startled for an instant and turned in that direction, halfexpecting to catch a glimpse of the bugler. Then she laughed andclapped her hands softly.
“Oh, that’s lovely!” she said. “They’ll be sure there’s somebody thereand wonder who it can be. Yes, see how they are turning their heads inthat direction.”
“Can you see the expression o’ ony o’ their countenances, bit lassie? Icanna, for my eyes are growing old.”
“Yes, sir. I can see that Miss Keith looks startled and astonished andseems to be questioning Uncle Harold, and that Mr. Croly is laughingand trying his best to catch a peep at the trumpeter. The others Ithink look as if they are trying to keep from laughing. I dare say theysee you here, sir, and can guess what it means. Oh, there’s our Prince!He seems to be in search of the trumpeter.”
Even as Lulu spoke she was startled by another bugle-blast seeminglydirectly behind them, or from the branches of the tree under which theysat.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, turning quickly to look behind her; then with amerry laugh, “I wasn’t expecting your bugler to come so very near, sir.”
But the concluding words were almost drowned in Prince’s loud bark ashe came bounding toward them, evidently in search of the intrudingbugler.
“Find him, Prince, find him as fast as you can and teach him not tointrude into the Ion grounds,” laughed Lulu.
But the bugler’s notes had already died away and Prince’s bark changedto a low growl as he searched for him here and there, but vainly.
“So you have a bugler on the estate, eh?” Croly was saying, with aninquiring glance at Harold. “One of your darkies, I presume? They are amusical race, I know.”
“They are,” Harold replied with unmoved countenance.
“I thought the notes musical and pleasant,” observed Miss Keith, “butthey do not seem to have taken the fancy of your dog.”
“Prince—a fine fellow, by the way—is not our dog, but belongs to MaxRaymond,” said Herbert. “No, he does not seem to fancy the intruder,whoever he may be.”
“Hark!” cried Rosie, “the bugler is at it again.”
“And this time it is a Scotch air,” remarked Mary Keith. “How soft andsweet it sounds! But it comes from quite another quarter; yet I do notknow how the bugler can have changed his position so entirely withoutany of us catching sight of him as he went.”
“It does seem odd,” said Croly. But his words were nearly drowned inthe loud bark of Prince as he rushed in the new direction, with evidentintent to oust the intruder this time. His effort was, however, ascomplete a failure as the former one. The notes of the bugle diedsoftly away, the dog sniffed about the tree from which they had seemedto come, but finally gave it up and trotted away in the direction ofthe house. “Point out that bugler to me when we come across him, won’tyou, Harold?”
“Really I never knew that we had a bugler among our servants,” returnedHarold evasively.
“Nor I,” said Herbert. “But,” taking out his watch, “it is nearingtea-time, and as we are likely to find plenty of opportunities for thiskind of sport, I think we had better now return to the house.”
No one objected, the boat was immediately headed for the wharf, and allhad presently landed and were sauntering along by the way that they hadcome, Mr. Lilburn and Lulu accompanying them.