The Comings of Cousin Ann Part 10

Jeff watched the couple as they went down the walk to the yard gate and a suppressed fury gripped him when he noticed that Tom was much closer to Judith than was necessary. He knew perfectly well that Tom Harbison always walked too close to any girl, and had a habit of leaning over any member of the fair s.e.x with a protecting air, occasionally touching her elbow as though to a.s.sist her over anything, even so small as a pebble, that might be in her way. When they reached the yard gate one might have supposed a dragon threatened the ladye faire, so solicitous was his manner, so brave his bearing.

Jeff could stand it no longer. He ran down the steps and with long strides arrived in time to a.s.sist the supposedly helpless maiden.

"I want to help you," he said shortly.

"That's very kind, but really the things are not heavy," and Judith began busily picking out the articles from the back of her car and putting them in a basket.

But Jeff had come to help, and help he would. He a.s.sumed a cousinly air that put Tom Harbison's courtliness entirely in the shade. If any protecting was to be done he, Jeff Bucknor, was going to do it. He was the proper person to carry the basket of toilet articles as heir apparent to Buck Hill and an avowed kinsman of the lady. He even managed to crowd Harbison from the walk as, with basket in one hand, he protected the astonished Judith with the other. When the back-door customers were visited, the young master insisted upon accompanying Judith, and there he stood guard while she talked concerning the virtues of her anti-kink lotion and scented soaps.

She wished he would leave her for a moment, as she had a little private business to transact with Uncle Billy, but he stuck closer than any brother was ever known to stick and she must let him see her hand to the old man a package, saying:

"Please, Uncle Billy, give this to Miss Ann Peyton and tell her it is from a sincere admirer. It is just a bottle of lavender water, but I thought she might like it."

Uncle Billy bowed so low that his beard almost touched the ground.

"Thank you, thank you, missy! I been a sayin' that you air the onlies'

one in the whole county what kin hol a can'le to what my Miss Ann wa'

in ol' days--an' air now fer that matter."

CHAPTER XI

A Surprise for Cinderella

The Ryeville Courier reported that the county was "agog" over the ball to be given by the veterans of the Rye House porch. Invitations were delivered with the same expedition that they had been printed and by nightfall of the day the scheme was hatched everybody who was anybody, and a great many who made no pretense of being, had received a notice that he or she was expected to come to the skating rink on Friday night to a debut party.

"We'll show 'em," boasted Judge Middleton, who with Colonel Crutcher had driven about town in his buggy, delivering invitations. "First, we'll stop at the Buck place and ask Judith. We can't have a party without our Cinderella."

Judith had returned from her peddling trip, and was busily engaged in preparing the motormen's supper, when her old admirers arrived.

"Hi, Miss Judy!" they called from the buggy.

"Hi, yourself!" she cried, appearing around the side of the house with floury hands and flushed face.

"We're gonter give a ball and we want to ask you to come to it," said the Colonel. "It is to be this Friday night coming."

"Oh, I wish I could, but you know I never leave my mother at night.

You see, she is all alone."

"Of course you don't, but your mother is especially invited to this ball. See her name is written over yours on the envelope. Why, child, it wouldn't be a ball unless you came. We--we--" but here Judge Middleton dug an elbow into the Colonel's ribs and took the conversation in his own hands.

"The fact is, Miss Judy, all of us old fellows think a lot of you and we are kind of 'lowing you'd dance with us and make it lively for us.

We'll take it as a special favor if you stretch a point and come--you and your mother."

Judith glowed with appreciation and put a floury hand on the old man's arm.

"Oh, Judge Middleton, you are good--all of you are so kind to me. I'd rather come to your party than do anything in the world. I never have been to a real ball--a picnic is about the closest I've come to one, that and some school entertainments, but you see I haven't a suitable dress. You wouldn't like me to come looking like Cinderella after the clock struck twelve, would you now?"

"Well, you'd look better than most even if you did," put in Colonel Crutcher, "but you needn't be coming the Flora McFlimsey on us. Don't we see you running around here in a blue dress all the time? And if that ain't good enough I bet you've got a white muslin somewhere with a blue sash and maybe a blue hair ribbon."

Judith laughed. "Well, I reckon I have and, after all, n.o.body is going to look at me and I do want to go. I'll say yes and I can bulldoze Mother into accepting, too, I am sure. I think it is the grandest thing that ever happened for all of you to be giving a debut party, and I'm going to come, and what's more, I intend to dance every dance."

"Now you are talkin'," shouted the old men. "Save some dances for us."

After they had driven away, the buggy enveloped in the inevitable cloud of limestone dust, Judith still stood in the yard until she saw the cloud, little more than a speck in the distance, turn into the Buck Hill avenue.

"I reckon they'll all laugh at the dear old men and make fun of their having a debut party for themselves, but I think it is just too sweet of them. Oh, oh, oh, if I only had a new dress!"

There was a general invitation for Buck Hill, family and visitors, and an especial one for Miss Ann Peyton, to whom the old men of Ryeville wished to show marked respect as being of their generation.

"Of course, we shall all go," announced Mr. Bucknor.

"It sounds rather common," objected Mildred. "And only look at the invitations! Did anyone ever see such ridiculous-looking things?"

But everyone wanted to go in spite of Mildred's uncertainty, so R. S.

V. P.'s were sent P. D. Q. and old Billy got busy greasing harness and polis.h.i.+ng the coach so that his equipage might be fit for the first lady of the land to go to the ball.

"Air you gonter 'pear in yo' sprigged muslin?" he asked Miss Ann, "or is the 'casion sech as you will w'ar yo' black lace an' diments?"

"Black lace and diamonds," said Miss Ann, "but I shall have to begin darning immediately. Lace is very perishable."

"It sho' is," agreed Billy. Far be it from him to remind his mistress that the black lace had been going long enough to deserve a pension.

So Miss Ann darned and darned on the old black lace and with ammonia and a discarded tooth brush she cleaned the diamond necklace and earrings and the high comb set with brilliants and her many rings. It was exciting to be going to a ball again. It had been many a year since she had even been invited to one. She was as pleased as a child over having an invitation all to herself--not that she would let anyone know it, but she let old Billy express his gratification.

"I tell you, Miss Ann, that there Colonel Crutcher air folks, him an'

Judge Middleton both. They don't put on no airs but they's folksy enough not ter have ter. I reckon they knowed you's a gonter be the belle er the ball wheresomever it air an' that's the reason they done brung you a spechul invite."

The old men of the town met on the Rye House porch after supper that night to report progress.

"Everything's goin' fine," was the general report.

"Not an out-and-out refusal yet."

"Came mighty near not getting Miss Judith," said Colonel Crutcher.

"First she couldn't leave her mother and then when we told her Mrs.

Buck was especially invited she put up a plea of not having the right kind of dress. Said she'd look like Cinderella after the clock struck twelve. But the Judge and I looked so miserable over it that the child finally said she'd come, but I reckon she'll be wearing an old dress."

"Looks like she's got so many businesses she might buy herself a dress," suggested one.

"Not her. She's saving every cent to put guano on the land."

"Well, beauty unadorned is adorned the most," mused Major Fitch.

"Say, I got a idee," put in Pete Barnes.

"Go to it, Pete! Your idees are something worth while here lately.