“Crackey, Aggie!” he exclaimed, “I thought you wanted to go!”
“I—I do! But Ruth is going to have Luke along, while you—you——”
“Hold on, Aggie! Don’t turn on the sprinkler,” he begged. “I’d thought of that. You bet I have been thinking about it every minute. And—and——Oh, you wait!”
He dashed away, and she did not see him again during Christmas day. But Mr. Howbridge was surprised to receive a visit from Neale O’Neil, whose affairs were in his care while Mr. O’Neil was in Alaska.
“What’s the matter now, Neale?” asked the old bachelor guardian. “What’s gone wrong?”
“Nothing, sir. Nothing yet, I mean. But something is bound to go wrong if you and those girls go off to the West Indies without making a provision that you have not thought of.”
“Yes? Is that so? I thought I had arranged for almost everything. Will you please tell me what you have discovered missing in the arrangements Hedden and I have made?” and the lawyer smiled grimly.
“First of all, I want you to look at that report, Mr. Howbridge,” said Neale respectfully, handing Mr. Howbridge a report from the principal of his school.
“Humph! Yes! I had already observed it. And I must say, Neale, that your standing does you credit.”
“Thank you, sir,” the young fellow said, glowing at this praise. “And I am away ahead in my classes. I can keep up all right if I chance to be out of school for a few weeks. I can show you——”