Meredith Nicholson

“ The night invites the soul to meditation; the stars may have the answer to all our perplexities. Stop fretting about your bonds and your friend Ranscomb; very likely he’s busted, clean broke; that’s what usually happens to fellows who take money from their friends and put it into the metals. Possibly he swallowed poison, and went to sleep forever just to escape your wrath. Let us take counsel of the heavens and try to forget your sins. We must still move the way the slipper pointed—northeast. The road bends away from the inn just right for a fresh start. ”

“ What a bully world this would be if all mankind followed my system: stupid conventions all broken-down; the god of mirth holding his sides as he contemplates the world at play! You may be sure that old lady is a stickler for the proprieties when she’s at home; widow of a bishop most likely. Those girls have been carefully reared, you can see that, but full of the spirit of mischief. The moment I tackled that 111 stupid innkeeper about his monstrous pie they felt the drawing of the mystic tie that binds us together with silken cords. ”

“ Hood, accepting the situation as he found it, expressed his satisfaction as a bowl of strawberries was placed on the table, and as the door ceased swinging behind the maid, laid his hand on Deering’s arm. “Don’t worry; mere shyness has driven our divinity away: you can see for yourself that even a girl who hangs moons in trees might shrink from the shock of a daylight meeting with a gentleman she had found amusing by 86 starlight. Let it suffice that she provided the breakfast according to schedule—that’s highly encouraging. ”

“ Money is poison to me; I hate the very smell of 16 it—haven’t a cent of my own in the world. This belongs to my chauffeur—carry it as a precaution merely.”
Hood relighted his pipe, and dreamily watched the match blacken and curl in his fingers.
“Your chauffeur?” Deering suggested, like a child prompting a parent in the midst of an absorbing story.
“Oh, yes! Cassowary”—he pronounced the word lingeringly as though to prolong his pleasure in it—“real name doesn’t matter. His father rolled up a big wad cutting the forest primeval into lumber, and left it to Cassowary—matter of a million or two. ”

“ At one o’clock West Dempster lay dark and silent before them. As they crossed a bridge into the town Hood began to move cautiously.
“Remember that we give up without a struggle: there’s too much at stake to risk a bullet now, and these country lumpkins shoot first, and hand you their cards afterward.”
He dived into an alley, and emerged midway of a block where a number of barrels under a shed awning advertised a grocery.
“Admirable!” whispered Hood, throwing his arms about his comrades. “We will now arouse the watch.” ”

“ Hood assented, “but if you do, you’ll regret it to your last hour. I know the whole breed, and you may count on their making a mess of it. And consider for a moment that what you propose means putting a hired bloodhound on the trail of a girl who probably never harmed a kitten in her 38 life. It would be rotten caddishness to send a policeman after her. It isn’t done, Deering; it isn’t done! Of course, there’s not much chance that the sleuths would ever come within a hundred miles of her, but what if they found her! You are a gentleman, Deering, and that’s not the game for you to play.” ”

“ It’s the wanderlust that’s in all of us, old and young alike. It’s possible 36 that the young lady who ran off with your bonds felt the spring madness and determined to hit the trail as the girl did in that yarn. Finding herself possessed of a lot of bonds belonging to a stranger, I dare say she is badly frightened. Put yourself in that girl’s place, Deering—imagine her feelings, landing somewhere after a hurried journey, opening her suitcase to chalk her nose, and finding herself a thief! ”

“ It will give me joy unfeigned to bring you face to face with your delightful parent. Cassowary, my son, I’m going to hide those bills of yours in the lining of my coat for safety. If they found ten thousand plunks on me, they’d never let us go!”
“Hood!” cried Deering in a voice moist with tears, “for God’s sake what fool thing are you up to now?” 160
“I tell you we’re going to jail!” Hood answered jubilantly. “You’ve dined in good company with the most charming of girls at your side; you’ve had a taste of the prosperous life; and now it’s fitting that we should touch the other extreme. ”

“ Indifferent to Deering’s snort of disgust, Hood was already whirling the slipper in the air.
“Slightly northeast! There you are, Deering—the clear pointing of Fate! The girl wasn’t going far or she wouldn’t have been in the local ticket line, and even a lady in haste packs more stuff for a long journey. We’ll run up to the Barton Arms—an excellent inn, and establish headquarters. The girl who 40 danced off with your two hundred thousand is probably around there somewhere, bringing up her tennis for the first tournaments of the season. Let’s be moving; a breath of air will do you good.” ”

“ Between whiffs at his pipe he sought consolation in Wagner, chanting bars of “In fernem Land.”
Cassowary, who had adjusted himself to this new situation without question, whispered in Deering’s ear: “Don’t kick; he’s got something up his sleeve. And he’ll get you out of it; remember that! I’ve been in jail with him before.”
Deering drew away impatiently. He was in no humor to welcome confidences from Torrence, alias Cassowary, whom his sister met clandestinely and kissed—the kiss rankled! ”

“ The senior Deering, wholly at peace with his conscience, does not work as hard as he used to before his taste of adventurous life gained in the pursuit of Hood. He is very proud of his daughter-in-law, whose brown eyes bring constant cheer and happiness to his table. If she does not hang moons in trees any more, she is still quite capable of doing so, and has no idea of permitting her husband to wear himself out in the 188 banking-house. They are going to keep some time every year for play, she declares, to the very end of their lives. ”

“ He was a good brother and Constance was his standard. He was sure that Constance would like Pierrette’s maid. He resented Hood’s patronizing attitude toward the girl, but Hood’s spirits were soaring and there was no checking him.
“Babette,” he began, “I’m going to trouble you with a question, not doubting you will understand that my motives are those of a philosopher whose whole life has been devoted to the study of the human race. May I ask you to state in all sincerity whether you consider 91 apple sauce the essential accompaniment of roast duck?” ”

“ Hood had been devoting himself assiduously to mastering the details of his business affairs, living as other men do, keeping regular office hours in a tall building with an outlook toward the sea, and taking his recreation on the golf-links every other afternoon.
“Mamma has been nervous all this month about papa,” Roberta (known otherwise as Pierrette or Bobby) was saying as she and Billy slowly paced the veranda. “But now May is over and he hasn’t shown any disposition to run away. I suppose he’s really cured.” ”

“ Hood remarked to Deering after he had bowed elaborately to the trio, “I tell you the whole world’s caught step with us! That lady and her two nieces, or granddaughters as the case may be, are under the spell, just 110 as you and I are and Cassowary and your Pierrette and Babette of the bungalow. If only you could yield yourself to the May spirit, how happy we might be! Just think of Cassowary; worth a million dollars and eating his lunch with the chauffeurs somewhere below stairs and picking up much information that he will impart to me later! ”

“ We shall meet people worn with the world-old struggle for things they don’t need, and who are out in the tender May air looking for happiness—the only business, my dear boy, that’s really worth while. And you’ll be surprised, son, to find how many such people there are.” 42
“Ah, you’re ready, Cassowary!” remarked Hood as they stepped out of the side door where a big touring-car was drawn up in the driveway. “Just a moment till I get my stick.”
Briggs had placed their bags in the car, and Deering had a moment in which to observe the chauffeur, who stood erect and touched his cap. ”

“ The dinner was served in a leisurely fashion that encouraged talk, and Deering availed himself of every chance for a tête-à-tête with Pierrette. She graciously came down out of the clouds and conversed of things that were within his 140 comprehension—of golf and polo for example—and then passed into the unknown again. But in no way did she so much as hint at her identity. When she referred to her mother or grandfather she employed the pseudonyms by which he already knew them. While they were on the subject of polo he asked her if she had witnessed a certain match. ”

“ Briggs eyed him with grave concern, then took a step toward the stairway.
“If you wish, sir——”
“Never mind, Briggs,” Deering snapped. “It’s all right. I’d forgotten I had a guest coming; that’s all.”
He opened a letter with assumed carelessness and held it before his eyes until the door closed upon Briggs. Then his jaws tightened. He struck his hands together and mounted the steps doggedly, as though prepared for a disagreeable encounter. ”

“ She wore a dark gown, with white collar and cuffs, and her manner was marked by the restraint of an upper servant of 131 some sort who sits at the family table by sufferance. He was about to gasp out her name when she met his eyes with a glinty stare and a quick shake of the head. Then Pierrette addressed a remark to her—kindly meant to relieve her embarrassment—referring to a walk over the hills they had taken together that afternoon.
“Ah, Smeraldina!” cried Pantaloon, “how is that last chapter? Columbine refuses to show me any more of the book until it is finished. ”

“ Deering’s hopes rose. That breakfast 134 at the bungalow seemed the one tangible incident of his twenty-four hours in Hood’s company and, perhaps, if he let her take the lead, he might find himself on solid earth again.
“I’d been week-ending with Babette; she’s an artist, you know, and I’m posing for another of mamma’s heroines. Babette got me up at daylight to pose for the last picture and then—I skipped and left her to manage the breakfast.” ”

“ I followed the moon and found the girl!”
“Always the way; it never fails,” Hood commented, as though the finding 82 of the girl had fully justified his philosophy of life. “But we can’t fool away much time at the bungalow; we’ve got a lot to do to-day.”
“Time!” cried Deering, “I’m going to stay forever! You can’t expect me to find a girl whose post-office address is the Little Dipper, and then go coolly off and forget about her!” ”

“ Hood remarked cautiously; “but we’ll see. I’ll have a look at her and decide what’s best for you. My business right now is to keep you out of trouble. You can’t tell about these moon girls; she may have a wart on her nose when you see her in daylight.”
Deering hooted.
“And she probably has parents who may not relish the idea of having two 83 strange men prowling about the premises looking for breakfast. There are still a few of those old-fashioned people left in the world. It may be only a backdoor hand-out for us, but I’ve sawed wood for breakfast before now. ”

“ Even the silver gives no clew. I’ve been here a week and only one person has come to 150 the house” (she lowered her voice to a whisper) , “and that was Ned Ranscomb!”
He clutched her hands, and the words he tried to utter became a queer, inarticulate gurgle in his throat.
“Ned came here to see a girl,” she went on: “an artist who made the pictures for ‘The Madness of May.’ He’s quite crazy about her. I did get that much out of Pierrette. This artist’s a victim of the madness too, and seems to be leading Ned a gay dance!” ”

“ The odor of stale pipe smoke hung upon the air. Under an empty bottle on the mantel Hood found a scrap of paper which he scanned for a moment and then tore into pieces.
“Just a scratch from good old Fogarty; he’s been taking the rest-cure here between jobs. Skipped yesterday; same chap that left his mark for me on that 158 barn. One of the royal good fellows, Fogarty; does his work neatly—never carries a gun or pots a cop; knows he can climb out of any jail that ever was made, and that, son, gives any man a joyful sense of ease and security. ”

“ Hood set off for the Barton Arms at a brisk pace, talking incessantly.
“This whole business is bully beyond my highest expectations. By George, it’s almost too good to be true! Critics 102 of the drama complain that the average amateur’s play ends with every act; but so far in our adventures every incident leads on to something else. Perfectly immense that somebody had beaten you to the bonds!”
Deering’s emotions were beyond utterance. It was a warm morning, and he did not relish carrying the suitcase, whose recovery had plunged him into a despair darker than that caused by its loss. ”

“ He’s still mooning over the girl; tough that he can’t have the only thing in the world he wants! Obstreperous parent adumbrated in the foreground, shotgun in hand. I don’t allow Cassowary to carry any money—would rather risk contamination myself than expose him to it. If he stays with me for a few years, his accumulated income will roll up so that he can endow orchestras and art museums all through the prairie towns of the West, and become a great benefactor of mankind.”
Hood’s story was manifestly absurd, and yet he invested it with a certain 18 plausibility. ”

“ Deering scowled, but Hood continued to expound his philosophy:
“The world’s roaring along at such a rate we can’t find happiness anywhere but in the dictionary. It’s worrying me to death, just the spectacle of the fool 14 old human race never getting a chance to sit down by the side of the road and pick the pebbles out of its shoes. Everybody’s feet hurt and everybody’s carrying a blood pressure that’s bound to blow the roof off. ”