“Mr. Thorndyke,” shrieked Letty, playfully pretending she meant to run Thorndyke down. “I have a piece of news for you. Look out, this is my new red devil—I don’t mean Senator Mulligan, but my auto.”
“I certainly shall look out when you are around in that death-dealing machine,” replied Thorndyke, dodging barely in time to save his legs. “What is your news?”
“Just this. Dad gave me his word this morning that he would not be a candidate for re-election next year. I went after the doctors myself, and made them tell me the truth about Dad—he’s the only father I’ve got, you know. And they all told me the same thing—that if he could slack up work, and retire at the end of his term, he was good for twenty years more, but that if he kept at the grind, his life wasn’t worth a pin’s purchase. Dad wasn’t scared by that, but when I told him that I should die of fright and distress if he went away and left me, the poor old thing weakened, and said he’d decline a re-election, and—oh, good gracious! He told me not to breathe it to a soul! He actually shook his finger at me when he said it. Oh, heavens! If you or Senator Mulligan give me away——”
“Dad will shake his finger at you again,” replied Thorndyke, laughing. Nevertheless, his pulses had started off at a great rate.
“It’s not that—it’s not that I’m afraid of him—but it would break his dear old heart to think I had disobeyed him.”
Letty Standiford, as she said this, was an object for angels to love, in spite of her wild air, her mannish hat and coat, her flying and dishevelled locks.
“It is safe with me,” said Thorndyke, gravely, and Senator Mulligan spoke up:
“Divil a word will I say about it. I’m too much afraid of th’ ould chap—and of you, too, Miss Letty.”
“Glad to hear it, Sinitor,” replied madcap Letty, viciously mimicking the Senator’s unfortunate accent, “and, oh, Mr. Thorndyke, have you heard that Miss Maitland is engaged to Mr. Cathcart, the navy man, who is always hanging around her? It was announced this morning. Good-bye.”
Letty flashed off, with a bicycle policeman after her full tilt.