“What was it you said, Mabel dear?” asked Clara.
“Come, ’fess up,” invited Jim.
“I guess I’ll let Reggie tell the rest of it,” said Mabel, blushing under the battery of eyes turned upon her. 61
“All right, Sis,” said Reggie, affably. “Bah Jove, I give you credit for holding in as long as you have. The fact is,” he continued, beaming amiably upon all the party, “the governor asked me to take a trip to Japan and China, and Mabel put in to come along. I didn’t twig what the little minx was up to, until she said we could go on the same steamer that took the baseball party. Lots of other women—wives of the managers and players and so on—will go along, I understand. So there’s the whole bally story in a nutshell. Rippin’ good idea I call it—what?”
“Glory hallelujah!” cried Joe, grasping Mabel’s hand, openly this time.
“It’s simply great!” cried Jim, enthusiastically.
“You darling, lucky girl!” exclaimed Clara, while Mr. and Mrs. Matson smiled their pleasure.
“Had you up in the air for a minute, didn’t it, old top?” grinned Reggie.
“I should say it did,” Joe admitted. “I thought for a minute I was going crazy. Somebody pinch me.”
Jim reached over and accommodated him.