“True, oh, queen. I didn’t recognize him at first nor he me, but after a while we became vaguely conscious that we had met before. He is an artist by the name of Wells and he’s a perfect dear with the loveliest eyes, so full of fun yet with a serious expression at times.”
“Listen to her,” cried Jo. “Nan is really smitten.”
“I’m not,” returned Nan hotly. “I was only describing him to you. If you are going to talk that way I’ll not trouble you with any more of my story.”
“Now, Nancy, dear, you shouldn’t fall into the trap so easily,” said Jo coaxingly. “I was only trying to tease you. Go on. It is wildly exciting.”
Nan, somewhat mollified, resumed her tale. “Well, it seems that Jack came upon him in the woods where he was sketching, and as it was late, too late for her to walk back in time for dinner, he asked her to have dinner with him.”
“What in the world was Jack doing away off there?” asked Mary Lee. “Did she have a canoe?”
“No, my dear. The little goose had gone forth to hunt Happy, who, I regret to say, has taken to the wilds again.”
“What a silly child. She might have known she could never find him. Jack is getting too big to do such things,” Mary Lee declared.
“Well, you know what a queer mixture of wisdom and childishness she is, and she thought she might be able to track him. She insists that she did for quite a distance. At all events, that is what she went for, and in following the path she somehow lost her bearings and thought she was coming toward camp instead of going from it. The Indian gave her the proper directions but she thought he was trying to induce her to go to his tent to buy baskets and she took the opposite way. She declares it was because it was high noon and the sun was overhead, otherwise she could have told the east from the west. However, there she was and had been having a royal time. Mr. Wells had dressed her up in some costumes he had and was playing the violin to her, pretending she was a Lady Diana something and he was her knight. It was the violin which made me stop. I was listening and wondering who could be playing it when Jack rushed out.”
“Didn’t you feel queer to be calling on a young man?” inquired Mary Lee.