When Maxwell came to get Harry the next afternoon, he asked Cornelia one question that made her wonder a little. It seemed almost irrelevant.
“Did your brother ever have anything to do with handling men?” he said looking thoughtfully at the neat masonry that was growing steadily longer and wider and higher.
“Why—I—hardly know,” she replied, laughing. “I’ve been away so much from home.”
“Captain of the basketball team in high school,” announced Harry shrewdly, “and captain of a local baseball team they had out the other side of the city last summer. Some team it was, too; licked everything in sight and then some. Carey had ’em all right where he wanted ’em; and when a team treated ’em mean once, Kay just called the fellows off, and they wouldn’t play one of ’em till he got a square deal with the ump!”
Harry’s eyes sparkled. He made an earnest young advocate.
“Fine! I must hear more about that. I foresee I’m going to have a thrilling trip. There’ll be lots to talk about. Well, Miss Copley, we’ll bid you good-bye and get on our way. I want to get on well this afternoon in case we have bad weather tomorrow. But it looks clear now. We’ll travel late tonight. There ought to be a wonderful moon. I wish you were going along.” He gave her a wistful glance, and she flushed with pleasure.
“Thank you,” she said appreciatively. “If I were only a little boy with nothing to do!”
“Sister!” protested Harry. “I’ve lots to do. I guess I work every day after school!”
“You’re not a little boy, Harry; you’re almost a man,” answered his sister lovingly. “I wasn’t meaning you at all; I said, if I were a little boy with nothing to do, then I could go along. I meant you could take care of me, see?” She gave a dear little smile at him, and he grinned.
“Aw! Quit yer kiddin’. So-long, Cornie! Be back Monday. Take ker o’ yerself!”