"She's plainly trying to give Miss Bonham an unpleasant impression of
Lloyd to carry away with her," thought Betty. "She's hurt because she
wasn't invited to the coon hunt, and the other little affairs we had for
the bridal party. She never took it into consideration that what would
have been perfectly convenient at another time was out of the question
when the house was so full of guests and all torn up with preparations
for the wedding. Lloyd had all she could do then to think of the guests
in the house, without considering those outside. It certainly is a
flimsy sort of a friendship that can't overlook a seeming neglect like
that or make due allowances. Besides, if she feels slighted, why doesn't
she keep it to herself, and not try to get even by giving Miss Bonham a
false impression of her? Rob is right. Boys don't stoop to such mean
little things. In the first place they don't magnify trifles into big
grievances, and go around feeling slighted and hurt over nothing."
"Here comes the train!" called Ranald, seizing Miss Bonham's suit-case
and leading the way to the door. There was a moment of hurried
good-byes, a fluttering of handkerchiefs, a waving of hats. Then the
train passed on, leaving the group gazing after it.
"What are we going to do now?" asked Rob. "Will you all come over to the
store and have some peanuts?"
"No, you're all coming up home with me," said Lloyd, "Miss Allison and
everybody. I saw Alec carrying some watahmelons into the ice-house, and
they'll be good and cold by this time. We'll cut them out on the lawn."
Ranald excused himself, saying he had promised to take his Aunt Allison
to the dressmaker's in the pony-cart, but Allison and Kitty promptly
accepted the invitation for themselves and the two lieutenants. Katie
Mallard walked on with one and Joyce the other, Rob and Betty bringing
up the rear. Lloyd still waited.
"Come on, Bernice," she urged. "The watahmelons are mighty fine, and
we'd love to have you come."
"No, dearie," was the reply. "I've a lot of things to do to-day, but
I'll see you to-night at the darky wedding."
"I'm mighty sorry you can't come," called Lloyd, then hurried on to
catch up with the others. As she joined Rob and Betty she felt
intuitively they had changed their subject of conversation at her
approach. She had caught the question, "Then are you going to warn her?"
and Betty's reply, "What's the use? It would only make her feel bad."
"What's that about warnings?" asked Lloyd, catching Betty's hand and
swinging it as she walked along beside her.
"Something that Betty doesn't believe in," began Rob, "just as I don't
believe in dreams. Why wouldn't Bernice come with you?"
"She said she had so much to do. Mistah Shelby is coming out latah. He
is going to take her to Sylvia's wedding to-night."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account