“What made you so late?” inquired Ellen, as all three proceeded on their way, the two girls linked affectionately arm in arm; Jim Dodge striding in the middle of the road a little apart from his companions.
“Oh, I don’t know,” fibbed Fanny. “I guess I was slow starting to dress. The days are so long now I didn’t realize how late it was getting.”
Ellen glanced sympathizingly at her friend.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t want to come, Fanny,” she murmured, “Seeing the social is at Mrs. Solomon Black’s house.”
“Why shouldn’t I want to come?” demanded Fanny aggressively.
“Well, I didn’t know,” replied Ellen.
After a pause she said:
“That Orr girl has really bought the Bolton house; I suppose you heard? It’s all settled; and she’s going to begin fixing up the place right off. Don’t you think it’s funny for a girl like her to want a house all to herself. I should think she’d rather board, as long as she’s single.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” said Jim Dodge coolly.
“You folks’ll get money out of it; so shall we,” Ellen went on. “Everybody’s so excited! I went down for the mail this afternoon and seemed to me ’most everybody was out in the street talking it over. My! I’d hate to be her tonight.”