The Rejuvenation of Aunt Mary Part 27

"I feel as if I were a part of the Revelation," said Mitch.e.l.l, "I mean-the Revel-eration."

They rapidly formed on somewhat after the plan of the famous "Marriage under the Directoire." Aunt Mary commanded the center-rush, leaning on Jack's arm, and the rest acted as half-backs, left wings, or flower-bearers, just as the reader prefers.

They made quite a sensation as they proceeded to their box and more yet when they entered it. They were late-very late-as is the privilege of all box parties and their seating problem absorbed the audience to a degree never seen before or since.

Jack put Aunt Mary and her green plaid waist in the middle and flanked her with purple violets and red carnations. The ear-trumpet was laid upon the orchids just where she could reach it easily. Then her escorts took positions as a sort of half-moon guard behind and each held two or three American Beauties straight up and down as if they were the insignia of his rank and office.

The effect was gorgeous. The very actors saw and were interested at once.

They directed all their attention to that one box, and at the end of the act the stage manager got the writer of the topical song on the wire and had a brand new and very apropos verse added which brought down the house.

Jack and his party caught on and clapped like mad, Aunt Mary beat the front of the box with her ear-trumpet, and when Clover suggested that she throw some flowers to the heroine she threw the orchids and came near maiming the ba.s.s viol for life. Burnett rushed out between acts and bought her a cane to pound with, Jack rushed out between more acts and bought her a pair of opera gla.s.ses, Mitch.e.l.l rushed out between still further acts and procured her one of those j.a.panese fans which they use for fire-screens, and agitated it around her during the rest of the evening.

"Time of your life, Aunt Mary," Jack vociferated under the cover of a general chorus; "Time of your life!"

"Oh, my," said Aunt Mary, heaving a great sigh, "seems if I'd _die_ when I think of Lucinda."

They got out of the theater somewhat after eleven and Clover took them all to a French cafe for supper, so that again it was pretty well along into the day after when Janice regained her charge.

"Granite," said Aunt Mary very solemnly, as she collapsed upon her bed twenty minutes later yet, "put it down on that memoranda for me never to find no fault with nothing ever again. Never-not ever-not never again."

The second day after was that which had been set for Mitch.e.l.l's yachting party. They allowed a day to lapse between because a yachting party has to begin early enough so that you can see to get on board. Mitch.e.l.l wanted his to begin early enough so that they could see the yacht too.

"A yacht, Miss Watkins," he said into the ear trumpet, "is a delight that it takes daylight to delight in. If my words sound somewhat mixed, believe me, it is the effect of what is to come casting its shadow before. I speak with understanding and sympathy-you will know all later."

Aunt Mary smiled sweetly. Sometimes she thought that Mitch.e.l.l was the nicest of the three-times when she wasn't talking to Clover or Burnett.

Jack took his aunt out to drive on the afternoon of the intervening day and bought her a blue suit with a red tape around one arm, and some rubbersoled shoes, and a yachting cap and a mackintosh. There was something touching in Aunt Mary's joyful confidence and antic.i.p.ation-she having never been cast loose from sh.o.r.e in all her life.

"When do you s'pose we'll get home?" she asked Jack.

"Oh, some time toward night," he replied.

She smiled with a trust as colossal as Trusts usually are.

"I'm sure I shall have a good time," she said. "I always liked to see pictures of waves."

"You'll see the real things now, Aunt Mary," cried her nephew heartily. He was not a bit malicious, possessing a stomach whose equilibrium could not conceive any other anatomical condition.

Janice, however, had doubts, and on the morning of the next day her doubts deepened. She looked from the window and shook her head.

"Feel a fly?" inquired Aunt Mary.

"No, I see some clouds," yelled her maid.

"I didn't ask you to speak loud," said the old lady. "I always hear what you say. Always."

Janice went out of the room and voiced her views of the weather to the proprietors of the expedition. The proprietors were having an uproarious breakfast on ham and eggs-all but Mitch.e.l.l, who sat somewhat aloof and contented himself with an old and reliable breakfast food long known to his race.

"Are you really going to take her up the Sound to-day?" the maid demanded of the merry mob.

"I'm not," said Burnett; "it's the yacht that's going to take her. Pa.s.s the syrup, Jack, like the jack you are."

"Doesn't she feel well?" Jack asked, pa.s.sing the syrup as requested. "If she doesn't feel well, of course, we won't go."

"I like that," said Mitch.e.l.l, "when it's my day for my party and my cook all provisioned with provisions for provisioning us all. How long do you suppose ice cream stays together in this month of roses, anyhow?"

"She is very well," said the maid quietly, "but it's blowing pretty fresh here in the city and I thought that out on the Sound-"

"Blowing fresh, is it?" laughed Burnett; "well, it'll salt her fast enough when we get out. Don't you fuss over what's none of your business, my dear girl; just trot along upstairs and dress dolly, and when she's dressed we'll take her off your hands."

Jack appeared unduly quiet.

"Do you think it is going to storm?" he asked Mitch.e.l.l. Mitch.e.l.l was sc.r.a.ping his saucer with the thrift that thrives north of the Firth of Forth and hatches yachts on the west sh.o.r.es of the Atlantic.

"I don't think at all during vacation," he said mildly. "I repose and reap 'Oh's'-from other people."

"If there was any chance of a storm--?" said the nephew, thoughtfully.

"Fiddle-dee-dee," said Burnett impatiently, "what do you think yachts are for, anyhow? To let alone?" He looked at the maid as he spoke and pointed significantly to the door. She went out at once and returned upstairs to her mistress whom she found quite restless to "get-a-goin'" as she expressed it.

The boxes filled with yesterday's purchases were brought out at once and Janice proceeded to rubber-sole and blue-serge Aunt Mary. The latter regarded every step of the performance in the huge three-fold cheval gla.s.s which had been wont to tell Mrs. Rosscott things that every woman longs to know.

When her toilette was complete it must be admitted that as a yachtswoman Aunt Mary fairly outshone her automobile portrait. She surveyed herself long and carefully.

"I expect it'll be quite an experience," she said with many new wrinkles of antic.i.p.ation.

"Yes," said Janice, with a glance at the fluttering window curtains, "I expect it will be."

Aunt Mary went downstairs and was greeted with loud acclamations. The breakfast party broke up at once and, while Janice phoned for cabs, Aunt Mary's quartette of escorts sought hats, coats, etcetera. After that they all sallied forth and took their places as joyfully as ever.

It was quite a long drive to where "Lady Belle" had been brought up, and they had to stop once to lay in two or three pounds of current literature.

"Do you read mostly?" asked Aunt Mary.

"It's best to be on the safe side," said Clover vaguely.

Then they entered the tangle of docks and express wagons and obstacles in general and Mitch.e.l.l had great difficulty in finding where his launch had been taken to meet them.

But at last they got Aunt Mary down a flight of very slippery steps and into a boat whose everything was labeled "Lady Belle," and Mitch.e.l.l said something and they cast loose and were off.

"Seems rather a small yacht," said Aunt Mary, glancing cheerfully about.

"I ain't surprised that you'd rather come in nights."

"Bless your heart, Aunt Mary," shrieked Jack, "this isn't the yacht, this is the way we get to her."

"Oh," said Aunt Mary blankly.