Grace Harlowes Golden Summer | Page 8

out to make. She and her mother had gone directly to
the home of the Nesbits, where a most cordial welcome awaited them.
Two days had passed since their arrival. It was now the evening of the
second day and the five girls whose fortunes had been so firmly linked
together at Overton College, by a series of happenings grave and gay,
were paying a brief, overnight visit to Arline Thayer at her home in
East Orange.
"Thank you." Elfreda bowed at the unanimous response. "As an
esteemed representative of the law and a forlorn bachelor girl, I really
think my plea deserves some small consideration. I might also add that
I could see you were all anxious to come to Wildwood. I appreciate
your delicate opposition." Elfreda grinned boyishly. "Now that we've
decided where, we'd better decide when the reunion is to be."
"We didn't decide where, did we?" tantalized Miriam. "We only
decided that you were a distinguished lawyeress."
"Having once admired me, can you refuse my humble request?"
retorted Elfreda, with a sentimental rolling of her round blue eyes.
"Let's put her out of her misery," proposed Miriam. "Wildwood for me,
Elfreda, provided the rest are pleased. How about you, Arline? As an
almost-wed are you willing to sacrifice your reunion claim to Elfreda?"
"Of course." Arline made genial response. A peculiar look shot into her
pretty eyes, however, as she nervously began to turn the jeweled pledge
of engagement that decked her ring finger. She seemed about to break
into further speech, then set her red lips with decision and remained
silent.
Seated beside her on a willow settee, which they had occupied together
since repairing to the veranda after dinner, Grace alone noticed Arline's
sharply drawn brows and the sudden ominous tightening of her baby
mouth. She wondered vaguely what it might mean. Surely Arline was

not angry because Elfreda had begged for the privilege of holding the
reunion at Wildwood. She was of too sunny a disposition to become
thus disturbed by such trifles. She had always been far more ready to
give than take. Grace now recalled that even in the midst of Arline's joy
at seeing her, there had been a hauntingly wistful look in the dainty
little girl's blue eyes.
Under cover of Kathleen West's lively account of a big story which she
had run to earth after a week's assiduous pursuit, Grace's kindly hand
found Arline's.
"What is the matter, Daffydowndilly?" she asked just above a whisper.
"You don't appear to be quite your usual cheerful self."
"You noticed, then?" counter-questioned Arline in an equally guarded
tone. "I'm glad you did. Still, I was going to tell you, anyway. Wait
until later. I have arranged for you to room with me to-night. Then I'll
tell you all. But not now. No one else must know."
With a soft pressure that betokened loyal sympathy, Grace released
Arline's little hand and turned her attention to Kathleen, who was
holding her small audience spellbound by a recital of the very audacity
of her deeds as a star reporter.
"Won't you miss all that when winter comes and you cease to be
Kathleen West?" questioned Anne, a trifle anxiously. She too had had
to decide between publicity and love. "You've lived in a whirl of
exciting happenings so long that settling down for good will seem
rather tame."
"I shall love it." Kathleen's sharp black eyes glowed with intensity.
"Trailing news is all right for a few years, but I'd hate to go on with it
forever. There are so many things I'd like to do that I've never had the
time to dream of doing. I'm going to keep on writing, just the same as
ever. Neither Gerald nor I care to begin making a home just yet. We
shall board and write in the evenings together. You see he is the literary
editor of Crawford's Magazine now. That means that we can spend our
evenings together. We are going to collaborate on a play and, oh, we

have planned to do lots of things. I imagine we shall carry out some of
our plans in time. We have already collaborated on several magazine
stories and worked them out beautifully. You see, neither of us is
jealous of the other's work. If we were, then I'd prefer to stay Kathleen
West."
"You are fortunate," remarked Arline almost bitterly. Again a shadow
crossed her face which Grace alone noted.
"I decline to share my successes with any mere man," asserted Elfreda
grandly. "Not that I have been what you might call entirely slighted.
Wait until I tell you the sad story of my one love affair."
"This is vastly interesting," mused Miriam.
"Tell us about it this minute." Arline brightened visibly. Elfreda's
promised tale of tragedy