Blue Bonnets Ranch Party | Page 4

During that five minutes while each girl was occupied with her own
family, Blue Bonnet had a moment alone with her aunt. "It's a good
thing we said our real good-bye before I went to New York, isn't it,
Aunt Lucinda?" she asked, slipping her hand shyly into that of her tall,
prim aunt. Somehow Aunt Lucinda had never seemed so dear as in this
moment of parting. Perhaps it was the look as of unshed tears in her
eyes, or the flush on her usually pale face that made her seem more
approachable. Blue Bonnet could not tell exactly what it was, but there
was a vague something about Aunt Lucinda that made her appear
almost--yes, almost, pathetic. Suddenly Blue Bonnet remembered--they
were leaving Aunt Lucinda all alone. Her heart reproached her. "Aunt
Lucinda," she whispered hurriedly, "won't you come, too?"
One of her rare sweet smiles lit Miss Clyde's face. "Thank you, dear--it
is sweet of you to want me. But not this time, for I have promised
friends to go abroad with them. I shall miss you, Blue Bonnet,--you
won't forget to write often?"
"No, indeed!" Blue Bonnet assured her, at the same moment registering
a solemn vow that she would write every week without fail. "And you'll
write too, Aunt Lucinda? It'll be so exciting getting letters from funny,
foreign places. And now it's good-bye. You--you are sure you've
no--a--advice to give me?"
Miss Clyde restrained an odd smile at the significant question. "No,
dear. Only this: be considerate of your grandmother, and bring her back
safely to me."
"I will! I will!" cried Blue Bonnet, and with another kiss was gone.
There was only a moment for a handshake with Katie and Delia, who
openly mopped their eyes at parting; a word with General Trent, a
chorus of good-byes to a score of We are Seven relations, and then
everybody crowded about the steps of The Wanderer.

"Grandmother first," said Blue Bonnet. "Denham, you'd better go
aboard and get her settled. Here, Bennie Blake--you hold Solomon till
I'm ready to take him. Now then, We are Sevens--forward!"
Suddenly Blue Bonnet gave a queer little exclamation and clapped her
hand on a leather case which hung from her shoulder. "Stop, everybody,
till I get a picture--I nearly forgot! And I want pictures of every stage of
the ranch party. Grandmother, please stay on the top step and I'll group
the girls below."
"That's right," cried Kitty. "Take one now and another when we get
back, and we can label them 'Before and After Taking!'"
Sarah, Kitty, Amanda and Debby, amid the teasing remarks of sundry
small boys, obediently took their places as designated by the young
artist. Then Blue Bonnet's eyes turned in search of the other two girls.
"Susy! Ruth!" she called. "Why--where are they?"
An embarrassed hush fell on the group about the car. Blue Bonnet
looked inquiringly at the telltale faces. It did not take her long to scent
a mystery.
"What's the matter?" she cried impatiently.
Doctor Clark stepped forward, clearing his throat queerly. "Fact is,
Miss Blue Bonnet," he began, "they--they can't go."
"Can't go?" Blue Bonnet started incredulously at the stammering
doctor.
"No, you see,--well, in fact, they're ill," he completed lamely. Why
didn't some one help him out, the doctor fumed inwardly, instead of
letting him be the one to cloud that beaming face?
Suddenly Kitty leaned down from the car step and whispered: "Scarlet
fever!"
"Both?" exclaimed the startled Blue Bonnet.

"No, only Ruth. But Susy was exposed and Father didn't think it safe
for her to come."
"Oh, Kitty!" The tears sprang to Blue Bonnet's eyes--she fought them
but they would come.
"We're all broken up over it," said Kitty with her own lips trembling;
"but it might have been worse. It's only because we've been too busy to
go out there, that we weren't all exposed. Then it would have been
good-bye to the ranch party."
"Oh, Kitty, suppose you had!" The thought of the narrow escape dried
Blue Bonnet's tears. "I'm mighty glad you four could come. But it won't
be complete. And you know how I love to have things complete!"
"Never mind, Blue Bonnet, you still have me!" cried Alec, coming in
with a cheerful note.
"'The poor ye have always with you!'" chimed in Kitty, and while
everybody was laughing over this sally, Blue Bonnet took a snap-shot
of the group, and then all the travellers trooped aboard.
Mr. Ashe looked over the heads of the chattering crowd in the car and
met Mrs. Clyde's amused eye. "How do you like mothering a family of
this size?" he asked jocosely.
"I fancy I feel much like the hen that hatched duck's eggs," Mrs. Clyde
returned.
There was a laugh at this, in the midst