CHAPTER XIV
A CONGENIAL SEXTETTE
As the five girls, escorted by Mabel, descended the broad stairs to thehall, a tall, rather stern-faced man, whose dark hair had just asprinkling of gray at the temples, came forward from one end of the roomto meet them. Mabel made a joyful little rush toward him, holding hishand in both her own. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint me. Girls, this ismy father. Father, let me introduce you to the nicest girls in Overton."
Robert Ashe's sombre eyes smiled a kindly welcome as he looked into theradiant young faces of his daughter's guests. As each girl was presentedto him he shook hands with her in a hearty, whole-souled way thatcompletely dispelled any feeling of constraint on her part.
"Father, you may take Elfreda in to dinner to-night. To-morrow it willbe some one else's turn. I hope you will be here to enough meals to gothe round."
"So do I," laughed Mr. Ashe, the stern look on his face disappearing,his brown eyes looking almost boyish.
Dinner proved a merry meal. The usually quiet room rang with the gaylaughter of the happy girls, who had planned to enjoy every hour oftheir holiday. When dinner was over, Mr. Ashe ceremoniously invited themto be his guests at a theatre party that night.
"We'll have to make one evening dress do duty while we are here, Mabel.We had room in our suit cases for only one, and didn't want to bringtrunks," explained Grace, as they lingered in the hall to talk for amoment before going to their rooms to dress.
"Never mind, if you run out of gowns you can wear mine," offered Mabel."That is, you and Miriam can. I'm not so sure of Anne and Elfreda andPatience."
* * * * *
The play Mr. Ashe had selected for his guests' entertainment was onewhose strong element of human interest had early carried it into favorwith the New York audience that nightly crowded the theatre in which itwas being presented. The star, a young woman of exceptional talent,almost a great artist, had by her remarkable portrayal of the leadingrole sprung from obscurity to fame in a single night.
"I am so glad we are going to see her!" exclaimed Anne, when Mabel hadannounced her father's choice of play for them. "Miss Southard wrote meabout her. She played small parts in Mr. Southard's company two yearsago. He prophesied that she would some day be heard from."
"Isn't it a pity the Southards aren't here this winter?" sighed Grace."Mr. Southard was not anxious to go to England, but he could not helphimself. It's one of the vicissitudes of an actor's life, isn't it,Anne?"
Anne nodded gravely. "It is pleasant to travel about and see what therest of the world is doing, but it is hard to leave home, too."
"Still, you are thinking of doing it when your senior days are over, youbad child," interposed Grace slyly. "I warn you, you will meet withstrenuous opposition."
"From you?" asked Anne, a little flush creeping into her pale face.
"No, not from me," retorted Grace with significant emphasis.
"Don't tease Anne," laughed Mabel. "Let Genius do as it chooses."
"If you mean me, I choose to go and dress this instant. Come on,Patience. We will hurry our dressing and be downstairs first. Then wecan monopolize Mr. Ashe."
"Oh, no, you won't," contradicted Elfreda. "I have reserved thatprivilege for myself."
"We are ready," exulted Anne outside Elfreda's door half an hour later."What did I tell you?"
"So am I," replied Elfreda, opening the door. "And so is Miriam."
Elfreda was looking particularly handsome in her evening gown of goldenbrown messaline, trimmed with dull gold embroidery. By constant trainingand self-denial she had reduced her weight to one hundred andthirty-five pounds and could not be truthfully called stout. Her fairhair was piled high upon her head, and one dull gold butterfly gleamedin its wavy meshes. Miriam's gown was in her favorite apricot shade ofcrepe de chine and brought out fully the beauty of her black hair andeyes and her exquisite coloring. Mabel had chosen black silk net overdelft blue, while Patience wore a gray chiffon frock over gray silk withtouches of old rose, a frock exactly suited to her calm, high-bred typeof face. Anne's dainty white crepe de chine frock made her look anythingbut a theatrical star. Grace, however, had for once departed from herfavorite blue and wore a white chiffon gown whose exquisitely simplelines made the most of her slender, supple figure. The charm of earlysixteen radiated from her youthful person, and she looked no older thanwhen she had led the freshman basketball team on to victory in OakdaleHigh School.
"Grace can't grow up in spite of her long skirts and done-up hair,"smiled Miriam.
"That is precisely what I was thinking," agreed Anne. "Is she sixteen ortwenty-three?"
"Aren't you pleased with us, Father, and won't you feel inordinatelyproud of your theatre party?" called Mabel from the stairway as theydescended to the hall, where Mr. Ashe stood looking reflectively intothe fire as he waited for his charges.
"Mere words fail to express my admiration," he laughed, bowing to thesextette of pretty girls, who smilingly nodded their appreciation of hisspeech.
"Isn't he a perfect angel?" asked Mabel, sidling up to him and slippingwithin the circle of his arm. "I don't see how I ever had the heart togo to college and leave him."
"She has no compunction about rushing off to work on a newspaper, dayafter day, and leaving me daughterless," complained Mr. Ashe lightly.Yet a shadow so slight as to be hardly noticeable crossed his face,which no one save the lynx-eyed Elfreda saw, who made mental note of it."He doesn't want her to work," was her shrewd conclusion.
"But I am here to-night," protested Mabel, catching his hand in hersalmost appealingly, "and I'm going to be at home for a whole day andevening. Will you forswear business and help me entertain the girlsto-morrow?"
"I promise to devote myself heart and soul to their cause," said Mr.Ashe solemnly, raising his hand. "Only you must allow me to go down tothe office for a little while in the morning."
"Very well. Remember, all telegrams and telephone messages are to betabooed after you leave there."
"Granted. What about all newspaper assignments?"
"Turn about is fair play," returned Mabel, flushing. "They can keep thetelephone messages and telegrams company."