Patty Fairfield

by Carolyn Wells

  CHAPTER XVIII

  AT VERNONDALE

  After the Barlows had left them Mr. Elliott put Patty in a cab to go acrossNew York to the New Jersey ferry, and seating himself beside her, he said:

  "Well, my little maid, I am very glad to get you at last; and as there is awhole houseful of people out at Vernondale who are eagerly watching foryour arrival, I am going to get you there as soon as possible."

  "Yes, do," said Patty; "I am so anxious to see Marian and all the rest.Tell me something about them, Uncle Charlie. I am getting accustomed tomeeting new relatives, but I like to hear about them beforehand, too."

  "Well," said Uncle Charlie, "to begin with, your Aunt Alice is theloveliest woman on the face of the earth."

  "I am sure she is," said Patty, heartily, "for she has written me suchbeautiful letters about my coming, and I feel as if I already know her. Andthen, of course, she is papa's sister, so she must be nice."

  "Then there is Grandma Elliott," her uncle went on; "she is my mother, anda dearer old lady never breathed. You'll love her at first sight."

  "Oh, I know I shall," said Patty; "there hasn't been a single grandmotherin all my other visits, and as I have none of my own, I shall just adoptyours, if she'll let me."

  "Try it, and see," said her uncle, smiling. "As to your cousins, they arefour specimens of young America who must be seen to be appreciated. Frankis seventeen and Marian is about your own age. Edith is ten, and littleGilbert is six. They are all moderately good and moderately pretty, but onthe whole, I think you'll like them."

  The travelers crossed the ferry to New Jersey, and after riding nearly anhour in the cars they reached Vernondale.

  Mr. Elliott's carriage met them at the railway station, and a short drivebrought Patty to her new home. The house was a large one, surrounded bybeautiful grounds with fine trees, carefully kept lawns and beds of brightflowers.

  The whole family had assembled on the veranda to greet Patty, and as thecarriage came up the driveway there was a great waving of handkerchiefs andclapping of hands and shouts of "Here she comes," "Here's our cousin!"

  As Uncle Charlie helped Patty out of the carriage, Aunt Alice was the firstto clasp her in her arms, and it was with such a warm loving embrace thatPatty felt the motherliness of it, and loved her Aunt Alice at once.

  Next she was introduced to Grandma Elliott and the dear old lady beamedthrough her spectacles at pretty Patty, and willingly agreed to adopt heras a really, truly granddaughter.

  Cousin Frank proved to be a big, stalwart lad, with merry eyes and a boyishsmile, and he welcomed Patty with hearty good-will.

  Marian was a beautiful girl with fun and intelligence written all over herbright face, and when she said, "Oh, Patty, I'm _so_ glad you've come,"Patty felt sure they would be not only warm friends but congenial chums.Ten-year old Edith clasped Patty's hand in both her own and held it for along while, looking up in her cousin's face with an occasional smile ofhappy confidence.

  Last came little Gilbert, the pet of the household, and a lovely boy hewas. Short dark curls clustered all over his head and his great brown eyesgazed at Patty in rapt contemplation.

  "I'm glad you've come," he said, finally, "and I love you, and I'll try tobe good all the time you're here."

  "That's right, my boy," said Uncle Charlie, catching Gilbert up in his armsand setting him on his shoulder, "and after Patty is gone, what then?"

  "Then,--I'll see about it," said the child, gravely, and they all laughedat the carefully considered decision.

  Then Aunt Alice took Patty up to her room, and as they went through thehalls, Patty thought she had never seen such a beautiful house in her life.It was as large as the St. Clairs' house, but the decorations andfurnishings were in subdued tints and quiet effects and there was no loudor garish ornamentation.

  When they entered a room on the second floor, Patty could not repress anexclamation of delight.

  "Oh, Aunt Alice," she said, "what a lovely room! Is this mine?"

  "Yes, dear," said her aunt, "and I'm glad you like it. It was a greatpleasure for Marian and me to arrange it for you."

  The room was a large one, with windows on two sides, and the coloring wasall pale green and ivory.

  The walls were a beautiful shade of light green, with a few water-colorsand etchings in narrow gilt or ivory frames.

  The carpet was plain green, soft and velvety, like moss; and the furniture,of a light cream-colored wood, was in dainty shapes, with delicatespindle-legged tables and chairs. The dressing-table was furnished withivory-backed brushes and mirrors, and there was a charming littlework-table with sewing materials of all kinds.

  An open desk showed every kind of writing-implement, made of ivory orcut-glass, and the blotting-pad was pale green.

  A couch by a corner window was provided with many ruffly fluffy pillows,covered with green silk, and a knitted afghan of soft green wool lay foldedat the foot.

  Two or three vases of mignonette and ferns harmonized with the generaleffect, and gave the room a delightful fragrance.

  Although unable to appreciate all these details at a first glance, Patty atonce realized that the whole room presented a far more charming and refinedappearance than her more elaborate apartment at Villa Rosa, with its ornatebric-a-brac and expensive rugs.

  "It is lovely," she said to her aunt. "I never saw a room that I liked aswell. I think a fairy must have touched it with her wand, it is all sofresh and sweet, just like a woodland dell."

  "This is your fairy bower," said Aunt Alice, and she opened a glass doorleading out on a balcony.

  The balcony was as large as a small room, and it had a roof to it, andrattan shades at the sides that could be rolled up or down at pleasure.

  Vines clambered around the pillars, and on the railings between them, werepalms and bright flowers growing in jars or tiled boxes.

  On the balcony were several easy chairs, a round table and a couch, all ofwicker basket-work, and across the corner was swung a green and whitehammock with pillows of green linen.

  "Oh, Aunt Alice," cried Patty, "this _is_ fairy-land! Is this _my_balcony?"

  "Yes, dear," said her aunt, kissing her happy, surprised little face, "andI hope you will often enjoy it. I want you to be a happy Patty during yourstay with us."

  "I am happy already," said Patty, as they went back into her room, "in sucha lovely home, and among such lovely people."

  "May I come in?" said Marian, tapping at the open door. "Mother mine, areyou going to monopolize our Patty? I haven't half seen her yet."

  "You can see me," said Patty, smiling at her cousin, "but you can't hearme, for I am speechless with delight at this beautiful room, and thatfairy-land place outside. And now I'm going to put my mother's picture onthe desk and then it will be just perfect."

  Patty took the portrait from her traveling-bag, and Aunt Alice looked at ittenderly. Though she had known her brother's young wife but a short time,she had greatly loved and admired her.

  "You are like your mother, Patty," she said.

  "So every one tells me, Aunt Alice. But I want to be a Fairfield too. Don'tyou think I am like papa?"

  "Not very much in appearance. Perhaps you are like him in disposition. I'llwait until I know you better before I judge. Brother Fred was thestubbornest boy I ever saw. But when I told him so, he said it was onlyfirmness of character."

  "I think that's what it is with papa," said Patty, loyally, "but I've oftenheard him say that I used to be very stubborn when I was little."

  "It's a Fairfield trait," said Aunt Alice, smiling, and as Patty looked atthe sweet-faced lady she thought she seemed as if perhaps she could be veryfirm if occasion required.

  "Marian," said Patty, "Aunt Alice says you helped arrange this lovely roomfor me, and I want to thank you and tell you how much I admire it."

  "Oh, I didn't do much," said Marian. "I only selected the books and stockedthe writing-desk and sewing-table, and made the sofa-pillows and did a fewlittle things like that. Ma
mma did most of it herself. And grandma knittedthe afghan. Isn't it pretty? We were all glad to get ready for your coming.We've looked forward to it ever since you came North."

  "Come, Marian," said her mother, "let us run away now, and leave Patty todress for dinner. Unless we can help you unpack, may we? Your trunks havecome, and I will have them sent up here at once."

  "Oh, yes, let me help you put away your things," said Marian, but Patty,with a slight blush, thanked them for their kind offers but declined theirassistance. And for a very good reason, or at least it seemed so to theembarrassed child. During her stay at the Hurly-Burly, poor Patty'swardrobe had become sadly dilapidated.

  It never occurred to the Barlow family to mend their clothes. Missingbuttons were never replaced except by pins; torn ends of trimming were lefthanging or snipped off; and after a whole summer's carelessness, Patty'sgarments were in a deplorable state.

  So the child really felt ashamed for her aunt and cousin, who seemed to bethe quintessence of neatness, to discover her untidy wardrobe.

  Even her best dresses were soiled and wrinkled. Nan and Bumble had helpedher to pack, and their idea of packing a trunk seemed to be to tosseverything in in a heap, and then jump on the lid to make it shut tight.

  So woful Patty looked over her clothes in dismay. They had seemed all rightdown at the Hurly-Burly, but here, in this immaculate green and white roomthey seemed utterly out of place, and quite unworthy of being put away inthe bureau-drawers or cupboards.

  It was with difficulty that she decided upon a dress to wear down todinner. Her light summer dresses had been bought ready-made during one ofAunt Grace's hurried trips to New York, and with the well-known viciousnessof ready-made clothing, had shrunk and stretched in the wrong places, andshowed occasional rips besides. Then being badly laundered and afterwardscrumpled in the trunk, they presented anything but the fresh, crispappearance that summer dresses ought to have.

  So Patty looked over her other frocks. But the gorgeous ones that shehadn't worn since she was at Aunt Isabel's, seemed more than ever inglaring bad taste, and as she had needed no new clothes at Aunt Hester's,she had bought none while in Boston.

  With a sigh, she selected a pink muslin, that did fairly well, except thatthe lace was gone from one sleeve and two buttons were missing.

  She ripped the lace from the other sleeve, so that they might match, atleast, and was rejoiced to find that there were some buttons in a drawer ofher new work-table.

  Of course needles and thread were there too, which was fortunate, for Pattyhad none in her trunk, and indeed, she scarcely knew how to use themanyway.

  As she dressed, she resolved that she would confide her troubles to AuntAlice, and ask help in replenishing her wardrobe.

  "I'm all out of proportion," she said to herself, "and papa wouldn't likeit a bit if he knew that I didn't have a decent dress to put on. But downat the Hurly-Burly nobody cared or thought anything about it."

  As all her shoes seemed to lack some buttons or to have broken laces, sheput on her best slippers, and after she had brushed her pretty hair, andimproved the despised pink muslin with some bows of black velvet, shelooked quite presentable, and if Aunt Alice noticed anything amiss she gaveno hint of it to her young guest.