Jessie did not chance to hear these remarks; she was dancing with Darry Drew at the time and that fact was what made Belle Ringold so angry. But Jessie caught sight of Henrietta and several of her little friends standing at the edge of the wood that fringed the old Carter lawns.
She, too, asked: “How did they get here?”
“Who?” the college youth asked. “Oh! Is that little Hen?”
“It most certainly is. Come, please, Darry; I want to speak to her.”
“Hullo!” exclaimed Darry under his breath; “somebody else is going to say something to the little Dogtownites, if I’m not mistaken.”
He had seen Belle and Sally Moon, who had been dancing together because there was a shortage of male partners, approaching the group of spectators. But Jessie did not pay Belle and the other girl any attention.
“Oh, Henrietta!” she cried. “How did you get over here from your house?”
“Charlie Foley and Montmorency Shannon fixed up your canoe like you said they could, and we paddled across. Gee! Ain’t that dance music fine? I’m going to learn to dance some day. Bertha says I shall. She dances.”
Just then Belle broke in angrily: “I suppose these are some of your friends, Jess Norwood. But if you invited them here I want to tell you and them, too, that I got up this party and I don’t want the offscourings of Dogtown here. You can send ’em away, Jess Norwood.”
At that Jessie fired up, meek as her spirit usually was.