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The Floating Press - Carolyn Wells

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126 pages

English

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This is one of the later books in the popular Patty Fairfield series of novels for young readers. In this volume, Patty and her chums hole up at a lavish hotel for a weeks-long reunion party. Then the story takes a dramatic turn when a beloved family member falls ill and seeks out Patty to discuss her future.

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Children's

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 avril 2016
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776597178
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0134€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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PATTY'S FORTUNE
* * *
CAROLYN WELLS

*
Patty's Fortune First published in 1916 Epub ISBN 978-1-77659-717-8 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77659-718-5 © 2016 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
*
Chapter I - An Invitation Chapter II - The Hotel Chapter III - A Midnight Message Chapter IV - Blue Rock Lake Chapter V - M'lle Farini! Chapter VI - Maude's Confidences Chapter VII - The Fortune Teller Chapter VIII - A Ride Together Chapter IX - The “Shower” Chapter X - Good-Bye, Sweetheart Chapter XI - A Bubble Burst Chapter XII - Middy Chapter XIII - Chick's Plan Chapter XIV - A Great Success Chapter XV - Patty's Future Chapter XVI - The Promise Chapter XVII - The Crisis Chapter XVIII - Patty's Fortune Chapter XIX - A Disturbing Letter Chapter XX - Better than Anybody Else
Chapter I - An Invitation
*
“I think Labour Day is an awfully funny holiday,” remarked Patty. “Itdoesn’t seem to mean anything. It doesn’t commemorate anybody’s birth ordeath or heroism.”
“It’s like Bank Holiday in England,” said her father. “Merely to givethe poor, tired business man a rest.”
“Well, you don’t specially need one, Daddy; you’ve recreated a lot thissummer; and it’s done you good,—you’re looking fine.”
“Isn’t he?” said Nan, smiling at the finely tanned face of her husband.
The Fairfields were down at “The Pebbles,” their summer home at theseashore, and Patty, who had spent much of the season in New England,had come down for a fortnight with her parents. Labour Day was earlythis year and the warm September sun was more like that of midsummer.
The place was looking lovely, and Patty herself made a pretty picture,as she lounged in a big couch hammock on the wide veranda. She had on awhite summer frock and a silk sweater of an exquisite shade of salmonpink. Her silk stockings were of the same shade, and her white pumpswere immaculate.
Mr. Fairfield looked at the dainty feet, hanging over the edge of thehammock, and said, teasingly, “I’ve heard, Patty, that there are onlytwo kinds of women: those who have small feet, and those who wear whiteshoes.”
Patty surveyed the feet in question. “You can’t start anything, Dad,”she said; “as a matter of fact, there’s only one kind of women today forthey all wear white shoes. And my feets are small for my age. I wearfours and that’s not much for a great, big girl like me.”
“’Deed it isn’t, Patty,” said Nan; “your feet are very slender andpretty; and your white shoes are always white, which is not a universalcondition, by any means.”
“You’re a great comfort, Nan,” and Patty smiled at her stepmother.“Dunno what I’d do without you, when the Governor tries to take a riseout of me.”
“Oh, I’ll buy your flowers, little girl,” and Nan smiled back, for therewas great friendship and chumminess between these two. “Are you tired,Pats? You look—well,—interestingly pale.”
“Washed out, you mean,” and Patty grinned. “No, I’m not exactly tired,but I’ve been thinking——”
“Oh, then of course you’re exhausted! You oughtn’t to think, Patty!”
“Huh! But listen here. This is Monday, and between now and Saturdaynight I’ve got to go to fourteen different functions, of more or lessgrandeur and gaiety. Fourteen! And not one can I escape without makingthe other thirteen mad at me!”
“But, Patty,” said Mr. Fairfield, “that’s ridiculous. Of course, you canrefuse such invitations as you choose.”
“Of course I can’t, Lord Chesterfield. I’ve got to show up at everyblessed one,—or not at any. I’d like to cut the whole caboodle!”
“Why don’t you?” asked Nan. “Just retire into solitude, and I’ll sayyou’re suffering from—from——”
“Temporary mental aberration!” laughed Patty. “No, that wouldn’t suit meat all. Why, this afternoon, I’m going to a Garden Tea that I wouldn’tmiss for a farm. There’s to be a new man there!”
“Well, just about the last thing you need on this earth is a new man!”declared her father. “You’ve a man for every day in the week now, withtwo thrown in for Sunday.”
Patty looked demure. “I can’t help it,” she said. “I’m thatentertaining, you know. But this new man is a corker!”
“My child, what langwich, what langwich!”
“’Tisn’t mine. That the way he was described to me. So, of course, Iwant to see if he is any good. And, you won’t believe it, but his nameis Chick Channing!”
“What!”
“Yes, it is. Chickering Channing, for long, Chick for short.”
“What was his mother thinking of?”
“Dunno. Prob’ly he was named for a rich uncle, and she couldn’t help thecombination.”
“Who is he?”
“One of Mona’s Western friends. Arrives today for a week or so. Mona’sTea is in his honour, though she was going to have it anyway.”
“Well,” said Mr. Fairfield, judicially, “of course you must go to thatTea, and subjugate that young man. Then have him over here and I’ll sizehim up. If you want him, I’ll buy him for you.”
“Thank you, dear Father, but I have toys enough. Well, then, tonight isthe Country Club Ball. And I do hate that, for there are so manyuninteresting people at it, and you have to dance with most of them. Andtomorrow there’s a poky old luncheon at Miss Gardiner’s. I don’t wantto go to that. I wish I could elope!”
“Why don’t you, Patty?” said Nan, sympathetically; “cut it all, and runup to Adele’s, or some nice, quiet place.”
“Adele’s a quiet place! Not much! Even gayer than Spring Beach. And,anyway, it isn’t eloping if you go alone. I want to elope with a Romeo,or something exciting like that. Well! for goodness gracious sakes’alive! Will you kindly look who’s coming up the walk!”
They followed the direction of Patty’s dancing blue eyes and saw a bigman, very big and very smiling, walking up the gravel path, with a long,swinging stride.
“Little Billee!” Patty cried, jumping up and holding out both hands.“Wherever did you descend from?”
“Didn’t descend; came up. Up from the South, at break of day,—Barnegat,to be exact. How do you do, Mrs. Fairfield? How are you, sir?”
Farnsworth’s kindly, breezy manner, condoned his lack of conventionalformality, and with an easy grace, he disposed his big bulk in a deepand roomy wicker porch chair.
“And how’s the Giddy Butterfly?” he said, turning to Patty. “Stillmaking two smiles grow where one was before? Still breaking hearts andbinding them up again?”
“Yes,” and she dimpled at him. “And I have a brand-new one to break thisafternoon. Isn’t that fine?”
“Fine for the fortunate owner of the heart, yes. Any man worthy of thename would rather have his heart broken by Patty Fairfieldthan—than—to die in a better land!”
“Hobson’s choice,” said Mr. Fairfield, drily. “Are you here for a time,Farnsworth? Glad to have you stay with us.”
“Thank you, sir, but I’m on the wing. I expected to spend the holidayproperly, fishing at Barnegat. But a hurry-up telegram calls me up toMaine, instanter. I just dropped off here over one train, to catch aglimpse of Little Sunshine, and make sure she’s behaving herself.”
“I’m a Angel,” declared Patty, with a heavenward gaze. “And, Bill, whatdo you think! I was just saying I wanted to elope. Now, here you are!Why don’t I elope with you?”
“If it must be some one, it might as well be me,” returned Farnsworth,gravely; “have you a rope ladder handy?”
“Always keep one on hand,” returned Patty, gaily. “When do we start?”
“Right away, now, if you’re going with me,” and Bill laughed as Pattysat up straight and tied her sweater sash and pretended to get ready togo.
“But this is the strange part,” he went on; “you all think I’m fooling,but I’m not! I do want to carry Patty off with me, on this very nexttrain.”
“This is so sudden!” said Patty, still taking it as a joke.
“You keep still a minute, Milady, and let me explain to your elders andbetters.” Patty pouted at this, but Bill went on. “You see, Mr.Fairfield, I’m involved in some big business transactions, which, not togo into details, have made it necessary for me to become the owner of alarge hotel up in Maine,—in the lake region.”
“I thought all Maine was lakey,” put in Patty.
“Well, this is a smallish lake, not far from Poland Spring. And it’s abig hotel, and it’s to close tomorrow, and all the guests will leavethen. And I’ve got to go up there and look after it.”
“How did you happen to acquire this white elephant?” asked FredFairfield, greatly interested.
“Had to take it for a debt. Man couldn’t pay,—lost his money in warstocks.—I’ll tell you all about it while Patty’s getting her bagpacked.”
“What do you mean?” cried Nan, seeing Farnsworth’s apparent sincerity.
“Oh, Lord, I forgot I haven’t told you yet! Well, as I have to go upthere for a week or two, and as the hotel is all in running order, andas all the guests are going off in a hurry, and the servants are stillthere, I thought it would be fun to have a sort of a house party upthere—”
“Gorgeous!” cried Patty, clapping her hands, “Who’s going, Bill?”
“That’s the rub! I haven’t asked anybody yet, and I doubt if I can getmany at this time of year.”
“Haven’t asked anybody! I thought you had planned this house party!”
“Well, you see, I just got the telegram last night, and it was on thetrain coming up here this morning that I planned it—so the plansaren’t—aren’t entirely completed as yet.”
“Oh, you fraud! You made it all up on the spur of the moment——”
“Yes’m, I did. But what a spur the moment is! Now, see here, it’s clearsailing. We can get the Kenerleys and they’ll be the chaperons. Now, allwe have to do, is to corral a few guests. You and I are two. How aboutMona G