But the result of her outrageous conduct towards the village hero was totally unlooked for. Wallace became very much interested in this spunky Lindsay girl. She was different from the other girls, the one reproving thorn in a field of admiring roses. That alone made her rather refreshing. Then he did not like to have a nice girl angry with him. He was a warm-hearted, easy going lad, who disliked opposition and disfavour and would do much to please any one. He was genuinely sorry, too, that he had hurt Dolly, for he was the opposite of cruel by nature.
So the very next evening when he saw Christina and Sandy pass on their way to that weekly function, Choir Practice, he remembered that the gathering was to be a sort of farewell to Trooper, and with this excuse he suddenly announced that he thought he would go.
"Of course you'll go," cried his uncle heartily. "We can't do honour enough to the boys that are going overseas to give their lives for us. I'd like to go, too! I'll drop in when I get back from my trip to Dalton."
So Wallace went off and was welcomed warmly by Tremendous K. and put in the bass row where Marmaduke and Trooper were sitting.
"You didn't seem to be able to keep up with that runaway horse, yesterday," said Marmaduke.
"I'd like to hammer the two of you jokers for putting up a job like that on me," Wallace said good-naturedly.
"Don't do anything to me," pleaded Duke, "Christina's been lookin' at me like a buzz saw all evenin'."
"I'll bet she wasn't in it," cried Wallace, suddenly anxious that Christina should be vindicated.
"No, she wasn't," admitted Trooper. "And I notice she didn't let you stay in it long either," he added with a grin.
"You got let down by one of the girls that time all right," boasted Marmaduke. "You'll find out you can't get too gay with a Lindsay."