“I'll tell you pretty soon. Kenelm, you—you asked me somethin' a while ago, didn't you?”
Kenelm started. “Why—why, Imogene,” he stammered, “I—I don't know's I know what you mean.”
“I guess you know, all right. You did ask me—or, anyhow, you would if I hadn't said no before you had the chance. You like me pretty well, don't you, Kenelm?”
This pointed question seemed to embarrass Mr. Parker greatly. He turned red and glanced at the door.
“Why—why, yes, I like you fust rate, Imogene,” he admitted. “I—I don't know's I ever see anybody I liked better. But when it comes to—You see, that time when I said—er—er what I said I was kind of—of desperate along of Hannah and—”
“Well, you're desperate now, ain't you? Here,” sharply, “you sit still and let me finish. I've got a plan and you'd better listen to it. Kenelm, won't you sit still, for—for my sake?”
The “big day” of the Ostable County Cattle Show and Fair came to an end as all days, big or little, have to come. Captain Obed Bangs and his guests enjoyed every minute of it. They inspected the various exhibits, witnessed the horse races and the baseball game, saw the balloon ascension, and thrilled with the rest of the great crowd at the “parachute drop.” It was six o'clock when they left the Fair grounds and Thankful began to worry about the condition of affairs at the High Cliff House.
“It'll be way past dinner time when you and I get there, Emily,” she said, “and goodness knows what my boarders have had to eat. Imogene's smart and capable enough, but whether she can handle everything alone I don't know. We ought to have started sooner, but it's nobody's fault more'n mine that we didn't.”
However, when the High Cliff House was reached its proprietor found that her fears were groundless. But a few of the boarders had planned to eat their evening meal there; most of the city contingent were stopping at various teahouses and restaurants in Ostable or along the road and would not be home until late.
“Everything's fine, ma'am,” declared Imogene. “There was only three or four here for supper and I fixed them all right. Mr. Hammond came in late, but I fed him up and he's gone to bed. Tired out, I guess. I asked him if he had a good time and he said he had, but it cost him a sight of money.”