Patty's Fortune

by Carolyn Wells

  PATTY’S FORTUNE

  by

  CAROLYN WELLS

  Author ofThe Patty Books, The Marjorie Books,Two Little Women Series, etc.

  Illustrations by E. C. Caswell

  New YorkDodd, Mead and Company1916

  Copyright, 1916By Dodd, Mead and Company, Inc.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE

  I AN INVITATION 9

  II THE HOTEL 23

  III A MIDNIGHT MESSAGE 37

  IV BLUE ROCK LAKE 52

  V M’LLE FARINI! 64

  VI MAUDE’S CONFIDENCES 78

  VII THE FORTUNE TELLER 93

  VIII A RIDE TOGETHER 107

  IX THE “SHOWER” 123

  X GOOD-BYE, SWEETHEART 136

  XI A BUBBLE BURST 150

  XII MIDDY 166

  XIII CHICK’S PLAN 179

  XIV A GREAT SUCCESS 193

  XV PATTY’S FUTURE 208

  XVI THE PROMISE 224

  XVII THE CRISIS 237

  XVIII PATTY’S FORTUNE 251

  XIX A DISTURBING LETTER 265

  XX BETTER THAN ANYBODY ELSE 279

  ILLUSTRATIONS

  PATTY KNEW THAT A MOMENTOUS _Frontispiece_ DECISION LAY BEFORE HER (Page 292)

  A MOMENT PATTY THOUGHT. THEN SHE Facing page 60 SAID, “NO THANK YOU, BILLEE, I DON’T”

  PATTY’S SWEET VOICE CHARMED BY ITS “ “ 86 SYMPATHY

  “TELL ME IF YOU TOLD AUNTY VAN THAT “ “ 274 YOU WOULD LEARN TO LOVE ME”

  CHAPTER I

  AN INVITATION

  “I think Labour Day is an awfully funny holiday,” remarked Patty. “Itdoesn’t seem to mean anything. It doesn’t commemorate anybody’s birth ordeath or heroism.”

  “It’s like Bank Holiday in England,” said her father. “Merely to givethe poor, tired business man a rest.”

  “Well, you don’t specially need one, Daddy; you’ve recreated a lot thissummer; and it’s done you good,—you’re looking fine.”

  “Isn’t he?” said Nan, smiling at the finely tanned face of her husband.

  The Fairfields were down at “The Pebbles,” their summer home at theseashore, and Patty, who had spent much of the season in New England,had come down for a fortnight with her parents. Labour Day was earlythis year and the warm September sun was more like that of midsummer.

  The place was looking lovely, and Patty herself made a pretty picture,as she lounged in a big couch hammock on the wide veranda. She had on awhite summer frock and a silk sweater of an exquisite shade of salmonpink. Her silk stockings were of the same shade, and her white pumpswere immaculate.

  Mr. Fairfield looked at the dainty feet, hanging over the edge of thehammock, and said, teasingly, “I’ve heard, Patty, that there are onlytwo kinds of women: those who have small feet, and those who wear whiteshoes.”

  Patty surveyed the feet in question. “You can’t start anything, Dad,”she said; “as a matter of fact, there’s only one kind of women today forthey all wear white shoes. And my feets are small for my age. I wearfours and that’s not much for a great, big girl like me.”

  “’Deed it isn’t, Patty,” said Nan; “your feet are very slender andpretty; and your white shoes are always white, which is not a universalcondition, by any means.”

  “You’re a great comfort, Nan,” and Patty smiled at her stepmother.“Dunno what I’d do without you, when the Governor tries to take a riseout of me.”

  “Oh, I’ll buy your flowers, little girl,” and Nan smiled back, for therewas great friendship and chumminess between these two. “Are you tired,Pats? You look—well,—interestingly pale.”

  “Washed out, you mean,” and Patty grinned. “No, I’m not exactly tired,but I’ve been thinking——”

  “Oh, then of course you’re exhausted! You oughtn’t to think, Patty!”

  “Huh! But listen here. This is Monday, and between now and Saturdaynight I’ve got to go to fourteen different functions, of more or lessgrandeur and gaiety. Fourteen! And not one can I escape without makingthe other thirteen mad at me!”

  “But, Patty,” said Mr. Fairfield, “that’s ridiculous. Of course, you canrefuse such invitations as you choose.”

  “Of course I can’t, Lord Chesterfield. I’ve got to show up at everyblessed one,—or not at any. I’d like to cut the whole caboodle!”

  “Why don’t you?” asked Nan. “Just retire into solitude, and I’ll sayyou’re suffering from—from——”

  “Temporary mental aberration!” laughed Patty. “No, that wouldn’t suit meat all. Why, this afternoon, I’m going to a Garden Tea that I wouldn’tmiss for a farm. There’s to be a new man there!”

  “Well, just about the last thing you need on this earth is a new man!”declared her father. “You’ve a man for every day in the week now, withtwo thrown in for Sunday.”

  Patty looked demure. “I can’t help it,” she said. “I’m thatentertaining, you know. But this new man is a corker!”

  “My child, what langwich, what langwich!”

  “’Tisn’t mine. That the way he was described to me. So, of course, Iwant to see if he _is_ any good. And, you won’t believe it, but his nameis Chick Channing!”

  “What!”

  “Yes, it is. Chickering Channing, for long, Chick for short.”

  “What _was_ his mother thinking of?”

  “Dunno. Prob’ly he was named for a rich uncle, and she couldn’t help thecombination.”

  “Who is he?”

  “One of Mona’s Western friends. Arrives today for a week or so. Mona’sTea is in his honour, though she was going to have it anyway.”

  “Well,” said Mr. Fairfield, judicially, “of course you must go to thatTea, and subjugate that young man. Then have him over here and I’ll sizehim up. If you want him, I’ll buy him for you.”

  “Thank you, dear Father, but I have toys enough. Well, then, tonight isthe Country Club Ball. And I do hate that, for there are so manyuninteresting people at it, and you have to dance with most of them. Andtomorrow there’s a poky old luncheon at Miss Gardiner’s. I _don’t_ wantto go to that. I wish I could elope!”

  “Why don’t you, Patty?” said Nan, sympathetically; “cut it all, and runup to Adele’s, or some nice, quiet place.”

  “Adele’s a quiet place! Not much! Even gayer than Spring Beach. And,anyway, it isn’t eloping if you go alone. I want to elope with a Romeo,or something exciting like that. Well! for goodness gracious sakes’alive! Will you _kindly_ look who’s coming up the walk!”

  They followed the direction of Patty’s dancing blue eyes and saw a bigman, very big and very smiling, walking up the gravel path, with a long,swinging stride.

  “Little Billee!” Patty cried, jumping up and holding out both hands.“Wherever did you descend from?”

  “Didn’t descend; came up. Up from the South, at break of day,—Barnegat,to be
exact. How do you do, Mrs. Fairfield? How are you, sir?”

  Farnsworth’s kindly, breezy manner, condoned his lack of conventionalformality, and with an easy grace, he disposed his big bulk in a deepand roomy wicker porch chair.

  “And how’s the Giddy Butterfly?” he said, turning to Patty. “Stillmaking two smiles grow where one was before? Still breaking hearts andbinding them up again?”

  “Yes,” and she dimpled at him. “And I have a brand-new one to break thisafternoon. Isn’t that fine?”

  “Fine for the fortunate owner of the heart, yes. Any man worthy of thename would rather have his heart broken by Patty Fairfieldthan—than—to die in a better land!”

  “Hobson’s choice,” said Mr. Fairfield, drily. “Are you here for a time,Farnsworth? Glad to have you stay with us.”

  “Thank you, sir, but I’m on the wing. I expected to spend the holidayproperly, fishing at Barnegat. But a hurry-up telegram calls me up toMaine, instanter. I just dropped off here over one train, to catch aglimpse of Little Sunshine, and make sure she’s behaving herself.”

  “I’m a Angel,” declared Patty, with a heavenward gaze. “And, Bill, whatdo you think! I was just saying I wanted to elope. Now, here you are!Why don’t I elope with you?”

  “If it must be some one, it might as well be me,” returned Farnsworth,gravely; “have you a rope ladder handy?”

  “Always keep one on hand,” returned Patty, gaily. “When do we start?”

  “Right away, now, if you’re going with me,” and Bill laughed as Pattysat up straight and tied her sweater sash and pretended to get ready togo.

  “But this is the strange part,” he went on; “you all think I’m fooling,but I’m not! I do want to carry Patty off with me, on this very nexttrain.”

  “This is so sudden!” said Patty, still taking it as a joke.

  “You keep still a minute, Milady, and let me explain to your elders andbetters.” Patty pouted at this, but Bill went on. “You see, Mr.Fairfield, I’m involved in some big business transactions, which, not togo into details, have made it necessary for me to become the owner of alarge hotel up in Maine,—in the lake region.”

  “I thought all Maine was lakey,” put in Patty.

  “Well, this is a smallish lake, not far from Poland Spring. And it’s abig hotel, and it’s to close tomorrow, and all the guests will leavethen. And I’ve got to go up there and look after it.”

  “How did you happen to acquire this white elephant?” asked FredFairfield, greatly interested.

  “Had to take it for a debt. Man couldn’t pay,—lost his money in warstocks.—I’ll tell you all about it while Patty’s getting her bagpacked.”

  “What do you mean?” cried Nan, seeing Farnsworth’s apparent sincerity.

  “Oh, Lord, I forgot I haven’t told you yet! Well, as I have to go upthere for a week or two, and as the hotel is all in running order, andas all the guests are going off in a hurry, and the servants are stillthere, I thought it would be fun to have a sort of a house party upthere—”

  “Gorgeous!” cried Patty, clapping her hands, “Who’s going, Bill?”

  “That’s the rub! I haven’t asked anybody yet, and I doubt if I can getmany at this time of year.”

  “Haven’t asked anybody! I thought you had planned this house party!”

  “Well, you see, I just got the telegram last night, and it was on thetrain coming up here this morning that I planned it—so the plansaren’t—aren’t entirely completed as yet.”

  “Oh, you fraud! You made it all up on the spur of the moment——”

  “Yes’m, I did. But what a spur the moment is! Now, see here, it’s clearsailing. We can get the Kenerleys and they’ll be the chaperons. Now, allwe have to do, is to corral a few guests. You and I are two. How aboutMona Galbraith?”

  “She’d go if she could,” said Patty, “but she’s having a party thisafternoon. Chick Channing is over there.”

  “Chick Channing! Is he really? Well! Well! I haven’t seen that boy foryears. We must make them come. And Daisy? Is she there?”

  “Yet, but don’t get too many girls——”

  “Don’t be alarmed, you little man-eater, you! The Farringtons will go,maybe; and Kit Cameron and his pretty cousin. Oh, I’ve a list ofpossibles, and we’ll get enough for a jolly little crowd. You’ve noobjections, have you?” and Farnsworth looked anxiously at the elderFairfields.

  “N-no,” began Nan, “but it isn’t all clear to me yet. Suppose theKenerleys can’t go?”

  “That puts the whole plant out of commission. Unless,—oh, by Jove!wouldn’t you two go? That would be fine!”

  But Mr. Fairfield and Nan refused to be drawn into any such crazyscheme. It was all right for young people, they said, but not for acomfort-loving, middle-aged pair.

  “Well, I’ll tell you,” said Farnsworth, after a moment’s thought. “I’llget the Kens on the long distance, and find out for sure. Meantime,Butterfly, you be packing a few feathers, for sumpum tells me Adele willgo, anyway, whether old Jim does or not.”

  “Might as well throw some things in a suitcase I s’pose,” said Patty;“it’s better to be ready and not go than to go and not be ready.”

  After a long session at the telephone, Bill announced a triumphantsuccess. The Kenerleys would be glad to go. Moreover, Adele would meetPatty and Bill in New York that very day in time for a late luncheon.Then they would get the Farringtons and the others by telephone. ThenPatty would go home with Adele for the night, and they would all go toMaine the next day.

  “You see it’s very simple,” said Bill, with such an ingenuous smile thatNan went over to his side at once.

  “Of course it is,” she agreed. “It’s simply lovely! And Patty wanted toget away from the giddy whirl down here. She’ll have the time of herlife!”

  But Mr. Fairfield was not so sure. “I think it’s a wild goose chase,” hesaid. “What sort of a place are you going to? You don’t know! What sortof service and creature comforts? You don’t know! What will you get toeat? You don’t know! That’s a nice sort of outlook, I must say!”

  “Oh, easy now, sir. It isn’t as bad as all that. I’ve had ratherdefinite and detailed reports, and if it weren’t all comfy and certain,I wouldn’t take Patty up there. It’s a Lark, you see, a Lark,—and I’msure we’ll get a lot of fun out of it. And, incidentally, I know it’s afine section of country,—healthful, invigourating, and all that. Andthe house is a modern up-to-date hotel. They always close soon afterLabour Day, but this year, owing to circumstances, it’s the very dayafter. That’s where the fun comes in, having a whole hotel all toourselves. But we must be getting on. The train leaves in twentyminutes.”

  “I’m all ready,” said Patty, as she re-appeared, miraculouslytransformed into a lady garbed for travelling. A silk pongee coatprotected her gown and a small hat and veil completed a smart costume.

  “I don’t altogether like it——” began Mr. Fairfield, as they got intothe motor to go to the train.

  “Run along, Patty,” said Nan. “I’ll see to it that he does like it,before you leave the station. Going to Mona’s?”

  “Yes, just for a minute. You see her as soon as we’re gone, and tell herall about it. We can only say the barest facts.”

  They flew off, Patty’s veil streaming behind, until she drew it in andtied it round her neck.

  At Red Chimneys, several young people were playing tennis, but Pattycalled Mona to her and told her briefly of the plan.

  “Glorious!” cried Mona. “If it were not for that old Tea, we could goright along now. But we’ll come tomorrow. Where shall we meet you?”

  Quickly Farnsworth told her, and then turned to see his old friend,Channing.

  “Chick, old boy!” he cried. “My, but it’s good to see you again!”

  Channing was presented to Patty, who looked at him in amazement. He wasthe biggest man she had ever seen, even taller than Bill Farnsworth. Helooked enormously strong, and when he smiled, his large mouth parted toshow t
wo rows of big, white, even teeth, that somehow made Patty feellike Red Ridinghood before the wolf. But there was little time forgetting acquainted, for it was almost train time.

  A few words between the two men as to meeting next day, and then themotor flew to the station.

  And only just in time, for though Bill handed Patty on to the steps withcare, he had to scramble up himself as the train was about to start.

  “How do you like eloping?” he said, smilingly, as they rolled away.

  “Fine,” said Patty, dimpling, “but must it always be done in quite sucha hurry?”

  “Not always; next time we’ll take it easier. Now, let’s make a list ofour house guests.”

  Farnsworth took out a notebook and pencil, and they suggested variousnames, some of which they decided for and some against.

  At last Patty said, in an assured tone, “And Phil Van Reypen.”

  “Not on your life!” exclaimed Bill. “If he goes _I_ don’t!”

  “Why, Little Billee, we couldn’t have the party at all without _you_!”

  “Then you’ll have it without _him_! See?”

  Patty pouted. “I don’t see why. He’s an awfully nice man, I think.”

  “Oh, you do, do you? Why don’t you stay home, then, and have him down atthe seashore to visit you?”

  “Oh, that wouldn’t be half as much fun. But up there is that lovelyplace, all woodsy and lakey and sunsetty, I could have a splendid time,if I had all my friends around me.” Patty’s sweet face looked verywistful, and Farnsworth scanned it closely.

  “Does it mean so much as that to you, Patty? If it does, you shall havehim invited.”

  “Oh, I don’t care. It’s your party, do just as you like.”

  “Because it’s my party, I want to do just as _you_ like.” Bill spokevery kindly, and Patty rewarded him with a flash of her blue eyes, andthe subject was dropped.