Even at singing classes, which I attended one evening with him ... his whole entourage, in fact....
With solemn face he sang high, and always off key, till the three women had to stuff their handkerchiefs in their mouths to keep from laughing at him before his face....
After class, we strolled home by a devious path, through the moonlight. This time Ruth walked ahead with little Dan, Hildreth with her husband, Penton,—Darrie with me....
"Drag back a little, Johnnie ... Penton and Hildreth are having a private heart-to-heart talk, I can tell by their voices."
We hung back till they disappeared around a bend. We were alone. Darrie began to laugh and laugh and laugh.... "Oh, it's so funny, I shall die laughing"....
"Why—why, what's the matter!"
For I saw tears streaming down the girl's face in the moonlight.
"It's so awful," replied Darrie, now crying quietly, "—so tragic ... yet I had to laugh ... I'm so sorry for Penton ... for both of them....
"Penton is such a jackass, Johnnie," she gulped, "and God knows, as I do, he's such an honest, good man ... helping poor people all over the country ... really fighting the fight of the down-trodden and the oppressed."