“Right-O,” sang out Ted, teasingly. “I think he will come straight through by express. And you told Jimmie to be on the watch for him around Deercroft, to make him feel at home, and the Chief is to meet him Wednesday.”
“Maybe it doesn’t mean anything, but I ‘s’pects it strongly,’” Polly replied, using Aunty Welcome’s favorite phrase of incredulity. “I don’t believe he is coming alone, but whom could he bring way out here?”
“Let’s ride down and meet him too,” Jean said. “I’m very anxious to meet this wonderful Doctor of yours, anyway. We could take the surrey, and Peggie or I will drive. Then he will have a double surprise to find you girls waiting as well as the Chief.”
“Oh, could we?” cried the girls together.
So it happened that unconsciously they planned a participation in the Doctor’s surprise. Wednesday morning they all packed into the surrey, and drove away over the mountain road to Deercroft. They were early, and Jean put the horses up at the local livery stable, while they walked around and saw what they could of the town.
“It isn’t one bit like what I expected to see,” Ruth declared. “Here are electric lights, paved streets, and everything orderly and shipshape.”
“Well, what did you expect?” asked Peggie, wonderingly.
“I don’t know exactly. A Western town always seems to mean just a row of frame houses, and a lot of saloons—”
“We haven’t any,” said Peggie, simply. “The women voted no license.”
“I told you this was the girl State, didn’t I?” Jean added, merrily. “We keep it swept clean.”