“Yes, Patty, what did you tell him?”
Patty turned her pretty head, and smiled full in Farnsworth’s face. Her blue eyes were sparkling, her golden curls were tossed by the wind, her red lips wore a roguish expression, as she said, “I just told him I didn’t want him.”
“Patty! Did you really?”
“I sure did, Little Billee, but it wasn’t quite true.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you see, really, I did want him,—a little oh, only a very little,—but I knew you didn’t and so I told him I didn’t.”
“Patty! what a torment you are!”
Patty’s eyes opened wide. “Well, I like that! A torment! Because I headed him off for the simple reason that you don’t want him! If that torments you, I’ll telephone him tonight to come on!”
“There, there, Blue Eyes, take it easy. I don’t want him, and you don’t want him, and we won’t have him! Now, let it go at that.”
Big Bill smiled down happily at the flower-face that at first looked up at him a little angrily, and then smiled back.