CHAPTER XII
COASTING
Christmas morning was as white as the most picturesque imaginationcould desire. A heavy snow had fallen in the night and lay, sparkling,all over the fields and hills, so that now, in the sunshine, the wholeearth seemed powdered with diamonds.
Patty came dancing downstairs, in a dainty little white morning frock.
"Merry Christmas, everybody!" she cried, as she found the groupgathered round the fireplace in the hall. "Did you ever see such abeautiful day? Not for skating," and she smiled at Hal, "but forsnow-balling or coasting or any old kind of fun with snow."
"All right," cried Roger. "Who's for a snow frolic? We can build afort----"
"And make a snow-man," put in Daisy, "with a pipe in his mouth and anold hat on his head. Why do snow-men always have to have those twothings?"
"They don't," said Jim Kenerley. "That's an exploded theory. Let'smake one this morning of a modern type, and let him have anything hewants except a pipe and a battered stove-pipe hat."
"We'll give him a cigarette and a Derby," said Patty. "Oh, here comesthe mail! Let's have that before we go after our snow-man."
The chauffeur came in from a trip to the post-office, with his handsand arms full of mail,--parcels, papers, and letters,--which hedeposited on a table, and Jim Kenerley sorted them over.
"Heaps of things for everybody," he said. "Belated gifts, magazines,letters, and post cards. Patty, this big parcel is for you; Daisy,here are two for you."
"May take letters! Let baby May be postman!" cried the infantKenerley.
"Let her, Jim,--she loves to be postman," and Adele put the baby downfrom her arms, and she toddled to her father.
"Great scheme!" said Hal. "Wait a minute, midget; I'll make you acap."
With a few folds, a newspaper was transformed into a three-corneredcap and placed on the baby's head.
"Now you're a postman," said her uncle. "Go and get the letters fromthe post-office."
"Letters, p'ease," said the baby, holding out her fat little hands toher father.
"All right, kiddums; these parcels are too big for you; you're noparcel-post carrier. But here's a bunch of letters; pass them aroundand let every one pick out his own."
Obediently, the baby postman started off, and passing Daisy first,dumped the whole lot in her lap.
"Wait a minute, Toddles," said Daisy. "I'll pick out mine, then youtake the rest on."
Daisy selected half a dozen or more, and gave the rest of the lot backto the little one, who went on round the circle, letting each pick outhis own letters.
Patty had about a dozen letters, and cards and greetings of varioussorts. Some she tore open and read aloud, some she read to herself,and some she kept to open when she might be alone.
"Have you opened all your letters, Patty?" asked Jim, looking at her,quizzically.
"No; I saved father's and Nan's to read by myself, you people are sodistracting."
"Oho! Father's and Nan's! Oho! aha! And are those the only ones yousaved to read by yourself, young lady?"
"I saved Elise's, also," said Patty, looking at him, a littlesurprised. "Aren't you the inquisitive gentleman, anyway!"
"Elise's! Oh, yes, Elise's! And how about that big blue one,--whathave you done with that?"
"I don't see any big blue one," said Patty, innocently. "What do youmean, Jim?"
"Oho! _what_ do I mean? What, _indeed_!"
"Now, stop, Jim," said his wife. "I don't know what you're teasingPatty about, but she shan't be teased. If she wants to keep her bigblue letter to herself, she's going to keep it, that's all."
"Of course I shall," said Patty, saucily. "That is, I should, if I hadany big blue letter, but I haven't."
"Never mind big blue letters," said Roger, "let's all go out and playin the snow."
So everybody put on wraps and caps and furs and out they went like aparcel of children to frolic in the snow. Snow-balling was a matter ofcourse, but nobody minded a lump of soft snow, and soon they began tobuild the snow-man.
He turned out to be a marvel of art and architecture, and as hisheroic proportions were far too great for anybody's hat or coat, theydraped an Indian blanket around him and stuck a Japanese parasol onthe top of his head to protect him from the sun.
Roger insisted on the cigarette, and as the snow gentleman had beenprovided with a fine set of orange-peel teeth, he held his cigarettejauntily and firmly.
"I want to go coasting," said Patty.
"And so you shall," said Jim. "I sent for a lot of sleds from thevillage, and I think they've arrived."
Sure enough, there were half a dozen new sleds ready for them, andsnatching the ropes, with glee, they dragged them to a nearby hill.
It was a long, easy slope, just right for coasting.
"Want to be pioneer?" asked Roger of Patty. And ever-ready Pattytucked herself on to a sled, grasped the rope, Roger gave her a push,and she was half-way down the hill before any one knew she hadstarted. The rest followed, and soon the whole party stood laughing atthe bottom of the long hill.
"The worst is walking up again," said Patty, looking back up the hill.
"Do you say that because it's what everybody says,--or because you'relazy?" asked Philip.
"Because I'm lazy," returned Patty, promptly.
"Then get on your sled, and I'll pull you up."
"No, I'm not lazy enough for that, I hope! But I'll tell you what I'lldo; I'll race you up."
"Huh! as if I couldn't beat you up, and not half try!"
"Oh, I don't _know_! Come on, now, do your best! One, two, three, go!"
Each pulling a sled, they started to run uphill; at least, Philipstarted to run, and at a good rate; but Patty walked,--briskly andevenly, knowing full well that Philip could not keep up his gait.
And she was right. Half-way up the hill, Philip was forced to slowdown, and panting and puffing,--for he was a big man,--he turned tolook for Patty. She came along, and swung past him with an easystride, flinging back over her shoulder, "Take another sprint, and youmay catch me yet!"
"I'll catch you, no matter how much I have to sprint," Philip calledafter her, but he walked slowly for a few paces. Then, having regainedhis breath, he strode after her, and rapidly gained upon her progress.Patty looked over her shoulder, saw him coming, and began to run. Butrunning uphill is not an easy task, and Patty's strength began to giveout. Philip saw this, and fell back a bit on purpose to give her anadvantage. Then as they were very near the top, Patty broke into adesperate run. Philip ran swiftly, overtook her, picked her up in hisarms as he passed, and plumped her down into a soft snowbank at thevery top of the hill.
"There!" he cried; "that's the goal, and you reached it first!"
"With your help," and Patty pouted a little.
"My help is always at your disposal, when you can't get up a hill."
"That would be a fine help, if I ever had hills to climb. But I neverdo. This is a great exception."
"But there are other hills than snow hills."
"Oh, I suppose now you're talking in allegories. I never _could_understand those."
"Some day, when I get a real good chance, I'll explain them to you.May I?"
Philip's face was laughing, but there was a touch of seriousness inhis tone that made Patty look up quickly. She found his dark eyeslooking straight into her own. She jumped up from her snowbank,saying: "I want to go down again. Where's a sled?"
"Come on this one with me," said Hal, who had a long, toboggan sort ofan affair.
"This is great!" said Patty. "Where did you get this double-riggedthing?"
"It's been here all the time, but you've been so wrapped up in thatVan Reypen chap that you had no eyes for anybody else, or anybodyelse's sled! I'm downright jealous of that man, and I'll be glad whenhe goes home."
"Ah, now, Chub," said Patty, coaxingly, "don't talk to me scoldy!Don't now; will you, Chubsy?"
"Yes, I will, if you like him better than you do me."
"Why, goodn
ess, gracious, sakes alive! I've known him for _years_, andI've only known you a few days!"
"That doesn't matter. I've only known you a few days, and I'm headover heels in love with you!"
"Wow!" exclaimed Patty, "but this is sudden! Do you know, it's soawful swift, I don't believe it can be the real thing!"
"Do you know what the Real Thing is?"
"Haven't a notion."
"Mayn't I tell you?"
"No, sir-ee. You see, I don't want to know for years yet! _Why_ can'tpeople let me alone?"
"Who else has been bothering you?" demanded Hal, jealously.
"I don't call it a bother! I supposed it was part of the game. Don'tall girls have nice compliments, and flattery kind of speeches fromthe young men they know?"
"I don't know whether they do or not," growled Hal.
"Well, I know; they do, and they don't mean a thing; it's part of thegame, you know. Now, I'll tell you something. I've known Philip VanReypen ever so much longer than I have you, and yet I like you bothexactly the same! And Roger just the same,--and Jim just the same!"
"And Martin, the chauffeur, just the same, I suppose; and Mike, thegardener, just the same!"
"Yep," agreed Patty. "_Everybody_ just the same! I think that's theway to do in this world, love your neighbour as yourself, and lookupon all men as free and equal."
"Well, I don't think all girls are equal,--not by a long shot. To mymind they're divided into two classes."
"What two?" said Patty, with some curiosity.
"One class is Patty Fairfield, and the other class is everybody else."
They had reached the bottom of the hill before this, and were sittingon the sled, talking. Patty jumped up and clapped her hands. "That'sabout the prettiest speech I ever had made to me! It's a beautifulspeech! I'm going right straight up the hill and tell it to everybody!"
"Patty, _don't_!" cried Hal, his honest, boyish face turning crimson.
"Oh, then you didn't mean it!" and Patty was the picture ofdisappointment.
"I did! _Of course_ I did! But girls don't run and tell everythingeverybody says to them!"
"Don't they? Well, then, _I_ won't. You see, I haven't had as muchexperience in these matters as you have! Mustn't I _ever_ tellanything nice that _anybody_ says to me?"
"Not what _I_ say to you, anyhow! You see, they're confidences."
"Well, I don't want any more of them just now. I came out here forcoasting, not for confidences."
"I fear, my dear little girl, you're destined all through life to getconfidences, whatever you may go for."
"Oh, what a horrible outlook! Well, then, let me gather my coastingwhile I may! Come on, Chubsy, let's go up the hill." And putting herhand in Hal's, Patty started the upward journey.
At the top she declared she was going for one more ride downhill, andthis time with Jim. "For," she said to herself, "I would like _one_ride without 'confidences.'"
"Off we go!" said Jim, as he arranged her snugly on the toboggan sled,and took his place in front of her. They had a fine ride down, and Jiminsisted on pulling Patty up again. She rode part way, and thendecided it was too hard work for him, and jumped off.
"I guess I'm good for some walk," she said, as she tucked her armthrough his, and they climbed the hill slowly.
"I guess you are, Patty. You're strong enough, only you're not ashardy as Daisy and Adele. I believe our Western girls are heartierthan you New Yorkers. By the way, Patty, speaking of the West atlarge, what made you tell a naughty story this morning?"
"I didn't!" and Patty looked at him with wide-open eyes. "I have a fewfaults, Jim, a _very_ few, and _very_ small ones! but truly,storytelling isn't among them."
"But you said you didn't get a big blue letter," pursued Jim.
"And neither I did," protested Patty. "What do you mean, Jim, by thatbig blue letter? I didn't see any."
"Patty, it's none of my business, but you seem to be in earnest inwhat you say, so I'll tell you that there certainly was in the mail abig blue letter for you, addressed in Bill Farnsworth's handwriting. Iwasn't curious, but I couldn't help seeing it; and I know the dear oldboy's fist so well, that I was moved to tease you about it."
"It didn't tease me, Jim, for I didn't get any such letter."
"Well, then, where is it?"
"I don't know, I'm sure. Perhaps baby May kept it."
"Perhaps some of the boys got it and kept it to tease you."
"I don't believe they'd do that. Perhaps Adele saved it for me. Well,we'll look around when we get home, but don't say anything about it."
But when they reached the house, neither Jim nor Patty could find theblue letter. Adele said she had not seen it, and Patty insisted thatno one else should be questioned. Privately, she thought that HalFerris had received it by mistake from baby May, and had kept it,because he, too, knew Bill's handwriting, and because,--well, ofcourse, it _was_ foolish, she knew,--but Hal had said he was jealousof any other man, and he might have suppressed or destroyed Bill'scard for that reason. She felt sure it was not a letter, but merely aChristmas card. However, she wanted it, but she wanted to ask Hal forit herself, instead of letting the Kenerleys ask him.
* * * * *
"Dinner will be at two o'clock," Adele made announcement. "It'sconsidered the proper thing to eat in the middle of the day on aholiday, though why, I never could quite understand."
"Why, of course, the reason is, so the children can eat once in awhile," suggested her brother.
"Baby can't come to the table. She's too little, and her table mannersare informal, to say the least. However, the tradition still holds, sodinner's at two o'clock, and you may as well all go and get dressed,for it's after one, now. There'll be a few extra guests, so you girlswill have somebody to dress up for."
"I like that," said Roger; "as if we boys weren't enough for any girlsto dress up for!"
"But you've seen all our pretty frocks," laughed Patty. "It's onlystrangers we can hope to impress with them now. I shall wear my mostcaptivating gown, if Mr. Collins is coming. Is he, Adele?"
"Yes, and Mr. Hoyt, too; and two more girls. Skip along, now, anddon't dawdle."
But Patty dawdled on the staircase till Ferris came along, and thenshe spoke to him in a low tone. "Chub, you didn't see a stray letterof mine this morning, did you?"
"'M--what kind of a letter?"
"Oh, a blue envelope, with probably a card inside. I hadn't opened it,so I don't know what was in it."
"Who was it from?"
"Why, how could I tell, when I hadn't opened it! In fact, that's justwhat I want to know."
"What makes you think I know anything about it?"
"Oh, Chub, don't tease me! I haven't time, now; and truly, I want thatletter! Do you know anything about it?"
"No, Patty, I don't. I didn't see any letters addressed to you, exceptthe bunch you had in your hand. Have you really lost one?"
"Yes," said Patty, seeing that Hal was serious. "Jim told me there wasone for me from Mr. Farnsworth, and I want it."
"Bill Farnsworth! What's he writing to you for? I didn't know you knewhim."
"I don't know him very well; I only met him last summer. And I don'tknow that he did write to me; it was probably just a card. But I wantit."
"Yes, you seem to. Why, Patty, you're blushing."
"I am not any such thing!"
"You are, too! You're as pink as a peach."
"Well, I only blushed to make you call me a peach,--and now that I'vesucceeded, I'll run away."
So blushing and laughing both, Patty ran upstairs to her own room. Halhad been so frank that she was convinced he knew nothing about theletter, and she began to fear it must have been tossed into the fire,with the many waste papers that were scattered about.