The talk drifted on at the table, ebbing and flowing about the two
ladies as the tide touches a rising strand and runs away. The girl and
her mother answered his questions with direct steady gaze, and polite
phrases, but they did not gush nor have the attitude of taking him
eagerly into their circle as he was accustomed to being taken in
wherever he went. Nothing he said seemed to reach further than kindly
hospitality. When that was fulfilled they were done and went back to
their own interests.
Marilyn did not seem to consider the young man a guest of hers in any
sense personally. After the dinner she moved quietly out to the porch
and seated herself in a far chair with a leather bound book, perhaps a
Bible, or prayer book. He wasn't very familiar with such things. She
took a little gold pencil from a chain about her neck and made notes on
a bit of paper from what she read, and she joined not at all in the
conversation unless she was spoken to, and then her thoughts seemed to
be elsewhere. It was maddening.
Once when a tough looking little urchin went by with a grin she flew
down off the porch to the gate to talk with him; she stood there some
time in earnest converse. What could a girl like that find to say to a
mere kid? When she came back there was a look of trouble in her eyes,
and by and by her father asked if Harry had seen Billy, and she
shook her head with a cloud on her brow. It must be Billy then.
Billy was the one! Well, dash him! If he couldn't go one better than
Billy he would see! Anyhow Billy didn't have a sprained ankle, and a
place in the family! A girl like that was worth a few days' invalidism.
His ankle didn't hurt much since the minister had dressed it again. He
believed he could get up and walk if he liked, but he did not mean to.
He meant to stay here a few days and conquer this young beauty. It was
likely only her way of vamping a man, anyway, and a mighty tantalizing
one at that. Well, he would show her! And he would show Billy, too,
whoever Billy was! A girl like that! Why,--A girl like that with a face
like that would grace any gathering, any home! He had the fineness of
taste to realize that after he got done playing around with Opal and
women like her, this would be a lady any one would be proud to settle
down to. And why not? If he chose to fall in love with a country
nobody, why could'nt he? What was the use of being Laurie Shafton, son
of the great William J. Shafton, if he couldn't marry whom he would?
Shafton would be enough to bring any girl up to par in any society in
the universe. So Laurie Shafton set himself busily to be agreeable.