"Andrew Sevier hasn't hunted at all this fall, as fond of it as he is.
He'll never come now that you've annexed a foreign element, Polly. He's
among strangers so much that he's rather absurd about wanting the close
circle of just his old friends to be unbroken when he's home. Where is he
to-day?" As she spoke Mrs. Cherry had looked at Caroline Darrah with a
glance in which Phoebe detected a slight insolence and at which the major
narrowed his observant eyes.
"Why, he's gone down to the station with Caroline's friend to see about
having the horses sent out to Seven Oaks," answered Phoebe in a smooth
cool voice. "I think all of us have been disappointed that Andrew has had
to be so careful since his accident; but now that he can come over here
every day to book gloat with the major and have Mrs. Matilda and Tempie,
to say nothing of Caroline Darrah, the new star cook-lady, to feed him
up, I think we can go about our own affairs unworried over him." The
sweet smile that Phoebe bent upon the widow was so delicious that the
major rattled the sugar tongs on the tea-tray by way of relief from an
unendurably suppressed chuckle.
"But when I hunt next David has promised me possums and persimmons," said
Caroline Darrah from her seat on the sofa beside Phoebe. She was totally
oblivious of the small tongue-tilt just completed. "He says the first
damp night on the last quarter of the moon when the wind is from the
southeast and--"
"Howdy, people!" came an interrupting call from the hall and at that
moment David himself came into the room. "I'm late but I've been four
places hunting for you, Phoebe, and had three cups of tea in the
scramble. However, I would like a buttered biscuit if somebody feeds it
to me. I've had a knock-out blow and I've got news to tell."
"You can tell it before you get the biscuit," said Phoebe cold-heartedly,
but she laid two crisp disks on the edge of his saucer. She apparently
failed to see that Mrs. Cherry was endeavoring to pass him the plate.
"It's only that Milly Overton has perpetrated two more crimes on the
community, at three-thirty to-day--assorted boy and girl." And David
grinned with sheer delight at having projected such a bomb in the circle.
"What!" demanded Phoebe while Mrs. Cherry lay back in her chair and
fanned herself, and Mrs. Buchanan paused with suspended teapot.
"Yes," he answered jubilantly, "Of course little Mistake is only two and
a quarter and Crimie can just toddle on his hocks at one and a fifth
years; but the two little crimes are here, and are going to stay. Billy
Bob is down at the club getting his back slapped off about it. He's
accessory you understand. He says Milly is radiant and wants all of you
to come and see them right away. But what I want to see is Grandma
Shelby--won't she rage? I'm going to send her a message of
congratulations and then stand away. Just watch for--"