“You just read these few pages from Laura’s letter,” returned Roger, and handed over the sheets. Laura had been writing of the entertainments given in Crumville for the benefit of the local charities, and added the following:
“And now I have got to write something which is very distasteful to me, Roger, for it concerns Jessie and Dave in a way I do not like to think about.
“At the time we were getting up the principal entertainment, that young salesman, Max Gebauer, who, as you will remember, is in the jewelry business with his father and his uncle in Philadelphia, was in Crumville to see Mr. Wadsworth. He is now a lieutenant in the army, and looks quite spick and span in his new uniform. Mr. Wadsworth was so enthusiastic to think that Gebauer had joined the army and was soon going over to France, he invited him to the house for dinner.
“We, of course, did our best to entertain him, and he seemed particularly interested in Jessie—so much so that he asked her to allow him to do a number of things connected with the entertainment, and he likewise purchased ten dollars’ worth of tickets from her, which, of course, pleased her a good deal. Then, when the entertainment came off, he presented her with a beautiful bouquet of American Beauty roses, and later still gave her a very handsome Red Cross emblem, which, it seems, their firm has something to do with manufacturing. He gave the pin to Mr. Wadsworth to give to Jessie, so that she had no chance to refuse it even if she wanted to.
“Since that time he has been to Crumville three times, and on each occasion managed to call on Jessie. Once while he was out in an automobile he met her on the outskirts of the town, where she had been visiting one of our poor families, and insisted on taking her for a ride.
“Now, I don’t think Jessie intends to do anything that is mean, but Gebauer is well educated, and can make himself very pleasing when he tries, and he has certainly done everything in his power to attract her. She, of course, feels flattered at the attentions of an army officer, and I know some of the other girls in Crumville are beginning to envy her just a little and some are talking about her.
“Now, I suppose, Roger, you will wonder at once why I have not had a straight talk with Jessie and why I haven’t told her exactly what I think of all this. Well, to do that is not easy with such a girl as she is. As an only child she has been very much petted and allowed to have her own way, and she often sees no wrong at all in things which I sometimes think might be different. I did mention once, in an offhand way, that I thought Gebauer was growing too attentive, but she merely laughed and tossed her head and told me there was nothing I needed to worry about. And then she told me, a while later, she didn’t understand why Dave didn’t write oftener—that she had not had a letter from him for two weeks.
“All of this makes me greatly worried, but I do not know what to do. Once or twice I have thought of speaking to Mrs. Wadsworth, but I am afraid that might only make matters worse. She doesn’t seem to notice how attentive Gebauer has become or notice how some folks are talking about Jessie. I wish the lieutenant would get orders to leave for France at once.”
Phil read the sheets through twice before he handed them back to Roger. Then the chums looked at each other thoughtfully. Roger was the first to break the silence.
“Do you wonder I was worried after I read that?” he demanded.