lot already by your cheery and pleasant attitude about my going away – ”
“But I don’t know all about it yet.”
“I don’t know much myself. I’ll have further instructions soon – ”
“And a uniform?”
“Of course. I’ll rank as a Captain, and – ”
“Oh, Captain Bill! How I will love you then! Come in the other room, I must tell of it! Nan, Billee’s going to have a uniform!”
“Heavenly!” cried Helen Barlow. “Oh, I adore uniforms! And Mr. Farnsworth will be stunning in one!”
“You may call him Bill, if you like,” said Patty, in the generosity of her enthusiasm.
“All right,” said Helen, “but I don’t think it suits him. William is much more dignified.”
“Make it William, then,” and Farnsworth smiled at the saucy-faced girl.
“Captain Farnsworth is the best,” said Elise. “The title becomes you, Bill, and I know the uniform will.”
“I’m going to have a uniform too,” said Van Reypen, “won’t it become me?”
“Me, too,” chimed in Channing. “I’m expecting to be ordered to France any minute.”
“Why, Chickering Channing! I didn’t know that,” cried Patty. “What are you?”
“I’m an Officier de liaison.”
“What in the world is that?”
“It’s really nothing but an interpreter. But the French term is so much more impressive.”
“Indeed it is. What do you interpret?”
“Words otherwise unintelligible.”
“But I don’t understand – ”
“Then I’ll be pleased to interpret for you. You see, if a French soldier wants to confide a state secret to an English-speaking comrade, and if he doesn’t know a word of English, nor the other chap any French, – what’s to be did?”
“Oh, I see!” cried Helen, “they call you in!”
“Exactly, Miss Barlow. And being conversant with and fluent in all known tongues, – I’m just a walking Tower of Babel.”
“A walking dictionary, you mean,” laughed Helen. “I think that’s a pretty fine position you hold. I never heard of it before. What’s your rank?”
“Lieutenant, – very much at your service, Mademoiselle. Shortly, I shall don my khaki, and then I hope, at last, I’ll be respected by my fellow men.”
“That’s so, Chick,” said Patty, mercilessly, “you’ve always been such a cutup – well, of course, you were respected, – but nobody really stood in awe of you. But a Lieutenant, – oh, I’m proud of my friends!”
“Isn’t it glorious!” cried Helen, and she flew to the piano and began playing patriotic airs. They all joined and a brave chorus of young voices rang out the avowal that the Yanks were coming over there!
So enthusiastically did Helen pound the keys that her hair shook loose from its pins and came tumbling round her shoulders.
“Now, now, Bumble,” remonstrated Patty, “don’t do so, – it isn’t done! Here, I’ll fix it for you.”
But Helen only laughed, and nimbly twisted up her tousled locks, and thrust hairpins in to hold them in a hard and unbecoming knot at the back of her head.
“It doesn’t look a bit nice,” Elise warned her. “Better let Patty rearrange it.”
“Nope, I don’t care,” and the wilful girl kept on playing and laughed as she shook her head. The shaking sent her hair down again, and this time Patty determinedly went to her and dressed it for her.
“Sit still, you naughty!” she said, herself shaking with laughter. “Oh, Bumble, you haven’t grown up a bit!”
Patty did up her cousin’s hair prettily and skewered it firmly into place with many hairpins, and it didn’t come down again.
“And are you going down to Washington, too, Chick?” Daisy Dow asked.
“Sooner or later, yes. That’s the road to all war glory.”
“And you don’t know when?”
“You nor I nor nobody knows. You see, Daisy, in war affairs nobody knows anything and if they do they’re not allowed to tell it.”
“But just among us, – we wouldn’t tell anybody.”
“The walls have ears,” said Chick, mock-dramatically.
“And Rumour has a thousand tongues,” added Farnsworth, “it’s a dangerous combination.”
A week later the two went to Washington. Sent for nearly at the same time, Farnsworth and Channing were to go to Washington, though their work there was widely different.
The night before their departure, there was a gathering of the clan at Patty’s home.
Farnsworth begged her not to have others there on their last evening together, but Patty’s wise little head thought it better to have a party.
“You see,” she said to Nan, “if I spend the evening alone with my Billee Boy, he’ll be so sad and blue, and I’ll be so weepy and red, – we’ll have an awful time! It’s a whole lot better to have the crowd here and let him go off in a blaze of glory! Patriotism is good for homesickness.”
And, too, Patty was trying to entertain Helen pleasantly, and so she made many little parties for her.
The plan of entertaining the other soldiers was postponed until they could do no more for their own friends, and the little party to speed their parting, though small, was gay and festive.
“A dance,” Patty decided. “I don’t want just a sit-around, woeful, sighful time. A good, lively dance, and a nice supper, and then – ”
Patty choked, and Nan seeing the springing tears, quickly began to discuss details of the supper.
The evening came, and Patty dressed in white, went to Helen’s room to make sure she was in proper order.
“Why, Helen Barlow!” she exclaimed; “if you’re not an apple-pie pink of perfection! Not a bow coming off, and your hair positively looks as if it would stay put!”
“Don’t tease me, Patty. Truly, I’m trying to do better, – ”
“You dear old thing! I was a wretch to seem to tease you. Wait till this ball is over and you get off that very bewitching frock, and I’ll give you a kiss of forgiveness!”
Helen looked very pretty in her evening dress of soft, thin pink, with touches of silver lace, and silver slippers.
“You’re
