CHAPTER XIX
MORE COUSINS
Patty was not sorry when her Elmbridge cousins concluded their visit, andthe evening after their departure she sat on the veranda with her father,talking about them.
"It's a pity," she said, "that Ethelyn is so ill-tempered; for she's sopretty and graceful, and she's really very bright and entertaining whenshe is pleased. But so much of the time she is displeased, and thenthere's no doing anything with her."
"She's selfish, Patty," said her father; "and selfishness is just aboutthe worst fault in the catalogue. A selfish person cannot be happy. Youprobably learned something to that effect from your early copybooks, butit is none the less true."
"I know it, papa, and I do think that selfish ness is the worst faultthere is; and though I fight against it, do you know I sometimes thinkthat living here alone with you, and having my own way in everything, ismaking me rather a selfish individual myself."
"I don't think you need worry about that," said a hearty voice, andKenneth Harper appeared at the veranda steps. "Pardon me, I wasn'teavesdropping, but I couldn't help overhearing your last remark, and Ithink it my duty to set your mind at rest on that score. Selfishness isnot your besetting sin, Miss Patty Fairfield, and I can't allow you tolibel yourself."
"I quite agree with you, Ken," said Mr. Fairfield. "My small daughter maynot be absolutely perfect, but selfishness is not one of her faults. Atleast, that's the conclusion I've come to, after observing her prettycarefully through her long and checkered career."
"Well, if I'm not selfish, I will certainly become vain if so manycompliments are heaped upon me," said Patty, laughing; "and I'm sure Ivalue very highly the opinions of two such wise men."
"Oh, say a man and a boy," said young Harper modestly.
"All right, I will," said Patty, "but I'm not sure which is which.Sometimes I think papa more of a boy than you are, Ken."
"Now you've succeeded in complimenting us both at once," said Mr.Fairfield, "which proves you clever as well as unselfish."
"Well, never mind me for the present," said Patty; "I want to talk aboutsome other people, and they are some more of my cousins."
"A commodity with which you seem to be well supplied," said Kenneth.
"Indeed I am; I have a large stock yet in reserve, and I think, papa,that I'll ask Bob and Bumble to visit me for a few weeks."
"Do," said Mr. Fairfield, "if you would enjoy having them, but nototherwise. You've just been through a siege of entertaining cousins, andI think you deserve a vacation."
"Oh, but these are so different," said Patty. "Bob and Bumble are nothinglike the St. Clairs. They enjoy everything, and they're always happy."
"I like their name," said Kenneth. "Bumble isn't exactly romantic, butit sounds awfully jolly."
"She is jolly," said Patty, "and so is Bob. They're twins, about sixteen,and they're just brimming over with fun and mischief. Bumble's real nameis Helen, but I guess no one ever called her that. Helen seems to mean afair, tall girl, slender and graceful, and rather willowy; and Bumble isjust the opposite of that: she's round and solid, and always tumblingdown; at least she used to be, but she may have outgrown that habit now.Anyway, she's a dear."
"And what is Bob like?" asked her father. "I haven't seen him since hewas a baby."
"Bob? Oh, he's just plain boy; awfully nice and obliging and good-heartedand unselfish, but I don't believe he'll ever be President."
"I think I shall like your two cousins," said Kenneth, with an air ofconviction. "When are they coming?"
"I shall ask them right away, and I hope they'll soon come. How muchlonger shall you be in Vernondale?"
"Oh, I think I'm a fixture for the summer. Aunt Locky wants me to spendmy whole vacation here, and I don't know of any good reason why Ishouldn't."
"I'm very glad; it will be awfully nice to have you here when thetwins are, and perhaps somebody else will be here, too. I'm going toask Nan Allen."
"Who is she?" inquired Mr. Fairfield.
"Oh, papa, don't you remember about her? She is a friend of the Barlows,and lives near them in Philadelphia, and she was visiting them down atLong Island when I was there last summer. She's perfectly lovely. She's agrown-up young lady, compared to Bumble and me--she's about twenty-two, Ithink--and I know Kenneth will lose his heart to her. He'll have no moreuse for schoolgirls."
"Probably not," said Kenneth; "but I'm afraid the adorable young ladywill have no use for me. She won't if Hepworth's around, and he usuallyis. He's always cutting me out."
"Nothing of the sort," said Patty staunchly. "Mr. Hepworth is very nice,but he's papa's friend,"
"And whose friend am I?" said young Harper.
"You're everybody's friend," said Patty, smiling at him. "You're just'Our Ken.'"
Miss Nan Allen was delighted to accept an invitation to Boxley Hall, andit was arranged that she and the Barlow twins should spend August there.
"A month is quite a long visit, Pattikins," said her father.
"Yes, but you see, papa, I stayed there three months. Now, if three ofthem stay here one month, it will be the same proportion. And,besides, I like them, and I want them to stay a good while. I shan'tget tired of them."
"I don't believe you will, but you may get tired of the care ofhousekeeping, with guests for so long a time. But if you do, I shall pickup the whole tribe of you and bundle off for a trip of some sort."
"Oh, papa, I wish you would do that. I'd be perfectly delighted. I'll domy best to get tired, just so you'll take us."
"But if I remember your reports of your Barlow cousins, it seems to methey would not make the most desirable travelling companions. Aren't theythe ones who were so helter-skelter, never were ready on time, never knewwhere things were, and, in fact, had never learned the meaning of thephrase 'Law and order'?"
"Yes, they're the ones, and truly they are something dreadful. Don't youremember they had a party and forgot to send out the invitations? And thefirst night I reached there, when I went to visit them, they forgot tohave any bed in my room."
"Yes, I thought I remembered your writing to me about some such doings;and do you think you can enjoy a month with such visitors as that?"
"Oh, yes, papa, because they won't upset _my_ house; and, really, they'rethe dearest people. Oh, I'm awfully fond of Bob and Bumble I And NanAllen is lovely. Nobody can help liking her. She's not so helter-skelteras the others, but down at the Hurly-Burly nobody could help losingtheir things. Why, I even grew careless myself."
"Well, have your company, child, and I'll do all I can to make itpleasant for you and for them."
"I know you will, you dear old pearl of a father. Sometimes I think youenjoy my company as much as I do myself, but I suppose you don't really.I suppose you entertain the young people and pretend to enjoy it just tomake me happy."
"I am happy, dear, in anything that makes you happy; though sixteen isnot exactly an age contemporary with my own. But I enjoy having Hepworthdown, and I like young Harper a great deal. Then, of course, I have mylittle friends, Mr. and Mrs. Elliott, to play with--so I am not entirelydependent on the kindergarten."
The Barlow twins and Nan Allen were expected to arrive on Thursdayafternoon at four o'clock, and everything at Boxley Hall was in readinessfor the arrival of the guests.
"Not that it's worth while to have everything in such spick-and-spanorder," said Patty to herself, "for the Barlows won't appreciate it, andwhat's more they'll turn everything inside out and upside down beforethey've been in the house an hour."
But, notwithstanding her conviction, she made her preparations ascarefully as if for the most fastidious visitors and viewed the resultwith great satisfaction after it was finished.
She went down in the carriage to meet the train, delighted at the thoughtof seeing again her Barlow cousins, of whom she was really very fond.
"I wish Aunt Grace and Uncle Ted were coming, too," she said to herself;"but I suppose I couldn't take care of so many people at once. It wouldbe like runn
ing a hotel."
The train had not arrived when they reached the station, so, telling thecoachman to wait, Patty left the carriage and walked up and down thestation platform.
"Hello, Patty, haven't your cousins come yet?"
"Why, Kenneth, is that you? No, they haven't come; I think the trainmust be late."
"Yes, it is a little, but there it is now, just coming into sight aroundthe curve. May I stay and meet them? Or would you rather fall on theirnecks alone?"
"Oh, stay, I'd be glad to have you; but you'll have to walk back, there'sno room in the carriage for you."
"Oh, that's all right. I have my wheel, thank you."
The train stopped, and a number of passengers alighted. But as the trainwent on and the small crowd dispersed, Patty remarked in a mostexasperated tone:
"Well, they didn't come on that train. I just knew they wouldn't. Theyare the most aggravating people! Now, nobody knows whether they were onthat train and didn't know enough to get off, or whether they missed itat the New York end. What time is the next train?"
"I'm not sure," said Kenneth; "let's go in the station and find out."
The next train was due at 4.30, but the expected guests did not arriveon that either.
"There's no use in getting annoyed," said Patty, laughing, "for it'sreally nothing more nor less than I expected. The Barlows never catch thetrain they intend to take."
"And Miss Allen? Is she the same kind of an 'Old Reliable'?"
"No, Nan is different; and I believe that, left to herself, she'd be ontime, though probably not ahead of time. But I've never seen her exceptwith the Barlows, and when she was down at the Hurly-Burly she was justabout as uncertain as the rest of them."
"Is the Hurly-Burly the Barlow homestead?"
"Well, it's their summer home, and it's really a lovely place. But itsname just expresses it. I spent three months there last summer, and I hadan awfully good time, but no one ever knew what was going to happen nextor when it would come off. But everybody was so good-natured that theydidn't mind a bit. Well, I suppose we may as well drive back home.There's no telling when these people will come. Very likely not untilto-morrow."
Just then a small messenger boy came up to Patty and handed her atelegram.
"Just as I thought!" exclaimed Patty. "They've done some crazy thing."
Opening the yellow envelope, she read:
"Took wrong train. Carried through to Philadelphia. Back thisevening. BOB."
"Well, then, they can't get here until that nine-o'clock train comes in,"said Kenneth, "so there's no use in your waiting any longer now."
"No, I suppose not," said Patty; "I'm awfully disappointed. I wish theyhad come."
An east-bound train had just come into the station, and Patty and Kennethstood idly watching it, when suddenly Patty exclaimed:
"There they are now! Did you ever know such ridiculous people?"