However, the next day, which was to mark the start of the journey to the Yukon, dawned hopefully clear and bright and Ruth awoke with a tremendous enthusiasm to start on her great adventure.
Helen was lazy and hard to get up.
After her matinée Helen had done a little window shopping. She was delighted with the great stores, saying that they reminded her of those in New York, only that they were “much more fascinating.”
When Chess came back to the hotel from his business interview, jubilant and declaring that he had “landed his big fish,” Helen was waiting for him and still blissfully employed in happy mental contemplation of gorgeous shop windows.
She was very enthusiastic about his good news, however, and gayly agreed to dine sumptuously with him and go that evening to the best show in town in honor of the great occasion.
Small wonder, then, that morning found her still sleepy and in no mood to hurry, as Ruth begged her to.
“You might let a fellow be,” Helen murmured reproachfully, as she succeeded with great effort in getting her second eye open.
“I’ll let you be in earnest if you don’t get busy and hustle,” Ruth retorted, as she combed her pretty hair and wound it neatly about her head. “Are you aware that our steamer leaves Seattle promptly at nine-thirty? Perhaps,” she added innocently, but with mischievous intent, “you and Chess like Seattle so much that you would like to stay here and not go to the Yukon with us, after all!”
With deep resignation Helen got up then and looked sleepily for her shoe under the bed.
“You can be the most cruel thing when you want to, Ruthie Fielding,” she complained. “Sometimes I just don’t know how I go on loving you at all!”