E-text prepared by Roger Frank and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) PATTY'S SUCCESS by CAROLYN WELLS Author Of Two Little Women Series, The Marjorie Series, Etc. Grosset & Dunlap Publishers New York Copyright, 1910 by Dodd, Mead and Company Printed in U.S.A. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I Welcome Home 9 II An Advance Christmas Gift 23 III The Day Before Christmas 36 IV A Splendid Tree 50 V Skating and Dancing 65 VI A Fair Proposition 80 VII Department G 93 VIII Embroidered Blossoms 109 IX Slips and Sleeves 124 X The Clever Goldfish 139 XI A Busy Morning 154 XII Three Hats 169 XIII The Thursday Club 181 XIV Mrs. Van Reypen 197 XV Persistent Philip 211 XVI An Invitation Declined 227 XVII The Road to Success 243 XVIII Home Again 257 XIX Christine Comes 271 XX A Satisfactory Conclusion 284 PATTY'S SUCCESS CHAPTER I WELCOME HOME "I do think waiting for a steamer is the horridest, pokiest performance in the world! You never know when they're coming, no matter how much they sight them and signal them and wireless them!" Mrs. Allen was not pettish, and she spoke half laughingly, but she was wearied with her long wait for the _Mauretania_, in which she expected her daughter, Nan, and, incidentally, Mr. Fairfield and Patty. "There, there, my dear," said her husband, soothingly, "I think it will soon arrive now." "I think so, too," declared Kenneth Harper, who was looking down the river through field-glasses. "I'm just sure I see that whale of a boat in the dim distance, and I think I see Patty's yellow head sticking over the bow." "Do you?" cried Mrs. Allen eagerly; "do you see Nan?" "I'm not positive that I do, but we soon shall know, for that's surely the _Mauretania_." It surely was, and though the last quarter hour of waiting seemed longer than all the rest, at last the big ship was in front of them, and swinging around in midstream. They could see the Fairfields clearly now, but not being within hearing distance, they could only express their welcome by frantic wavings of hands, handkerchiefs, and flags. But at last the gangplank was put in place, and at last the Fairfields crossed it, and then an enthusiastic and somewhat incoherent scene of reunion followed. Beside Mr. and Mrs. Allen and Kenneth Harper, Roger and Elise Farrington were there to meet the home-comers, and the young people seized on Patty as if they would never let her go again. "My! but you've grown!" said Kenneth, looking at her admiringly; "I mean you're grown-up looking, older, you know." "I'm only a year older," returned Patty, laughing, "and you're that, yourself!"