"Being as hateful and secret as they know how to be," answered Belle
crossly. "Boys are nothing but rough, rude miseries; and the next time
Tony Luttrell tells me to 'bubble along' as he did Mamie Sue and me,
when Mamie Sue only wanted to stop him to give him a piece of fudge, I
am going to tell him what I think of him."

"Hope I'll be there," said the tall Willis behind my shoulder, and I
never enjoyed a silent remark more. Belle is as afraid of Tony's laugh
as she is of a cow in the lane.

"Now I know that something awful has happened or is coming if Tony
spoke that way," said Roxanne, with such anxiety coming into her face
that the timid Willis dropped her stocking and Mamie Sue gulped down
such a large piece of candy that she almost had to choke. "Oh, girls,
do you suppose that dreadful man has got out of jail in the city and
is coming back to maybe--maybe--?"

But the words were stopped in Roxanne's mouth with a great, pleasant
laugh as the Idol stood in the door. You would know that "Idol" is the
name for him by the way all the girls look awed and afraid of him, but
interested too. Tony and Pink and Sam were in the background like the
angels in the picture of Sir Galahad.

"This is an official committee to invite you to be the guests of Mr.
William Forsythe on a hay-mooning on Friday next, to start from his
home at the hour of seven-thirty, in honor of the birthday of his
daughter, Miss Phyllis, who is quite as surprised as the rest of you.
The rest of this speech will be continued on that evening." And he was
gone before anybody got any breath again.