“W’ar mah bes’ hat in dem dirty cyars? Um-um! Why, Miss Rindy, it trim’ with pink roses an’ white gauzy ribbon, an’ yuh knows what it look lak when we gets dere. I pays two ninety-eight fo’ dat hat, an’ I ain’t spile it for nobody.”
Miss Rindy hastily consulted her wrist watch. “Well, all is I am not going to have us all disgraced when we meet Miss Wickham in New York. Open the door, Ellen. No, I’ll go. You come with me, Beulah. There is an old steamer trunk in the attic, and into that these things must go, train or no train. Run on ahead, Ellen, and see if you can get Mike Reilly to come after the trunk. Don’t lose a minute; we may be able to make the train yet.”
Ellen started off at a run, and did not stop when she heard some one behind her shouting her name, but she came to a halt when an automobile drew up to the sidewalk and Barry Dove-Hale jumped out.
“I see you are in a hurry,” he said. “Hop in and I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
Ellen scrambled into the car and explained the situation. Immediately Barry turned his car around. “No use hunting up Mike,” he declared. “He is an uncertain quantity unless you order him the day before you want him. We’ll go back, pick up the trunk, and I’ll take the whole outfit down to the station. If the trunk is ready, we can make it. Is it a big one?”
“No, only a small steamer trunk.”
“Then I can easily manage it.”
“You simply will save our lives,” Ellen said fervently. “It came to a question whether we should miss the train or miss taking Beulah. We simply couldn’t stand appearing in New York with Beulah’s impedimenta.”
Mr. Hale laughed. “I don’t blame you. Just leave the whole business to me and I’ll promise to see you through. I’m used to doing things on short order, as you would find out if you lived at our house.”
He dashed up the stairs, Ellen after him, as soon as they reached the house. Miss Rindy was just locking the trunk, which Mr. Hale promptly shouldered, and in a few minutes they were at the station, Beulah still clinging to the bag which contained her rose-wreathed hat, for this she refused to relinquish. The train was in sight when they reached the platform, so there was little time for good-bys. Caro was there to give Ellen a parting embrace, Frank came to the fore with magazines and a box of candy, to Jeremy promptly was handed over the key. With the use of her cane Miss Rindy nimbly mounted the steps of the car, Beulah was boosted after her, and Ellen, waving farewells, stood in the doorway as the train moved off. It was fortunate she was there, for at the very last moment Mr. Hale ran alongside to thrust the check for the trunk into her hand. “Just did make it,” he cried, then stood back to make a farewell gesture and they were off.