expected of him. “I’m sure they’re very nice,” he said.
“You’ll see, Haley; you’ll see,” said Annie with a crooked smile. She shuffled from the room to the head of the staircase, and shouted down to Kitty and Hope. “You two girls get on your good behavior. Your cousin Haley’s here a day early, and I want him to see what a fine, happy family he’s getting into.”
She returned to Haley’s room, followed by Kitty, whose full hips swayed with studied grace as she crossed the bare floor to where Haley stood, his long fingers laced behind him, a fixed smile on his face.
“So this is Haley,” Kitty exulted. Haley fidgeted under her warm, albeit vacant, gaze. Her face had much of the simple-naturedness of Annie’s, but the setting of this attribute was altogether enchanting, he thought. One year his senior, she was fully a woman, whose lush maturity made Haley feel very young and frail indeed.
His awe must have shown, for Kitty crooned, “Aw, look at him, Annie. What’s the matter, youngster? Afraid of girls, or don’t you like it out here in God’s country?”
“I think I’ll like it very much,” stammered Haley. “My mother used to tell me about when she was a little girl out here, and I got to feel it was kind of a second home of mine, too.”
“But what a come-down from New York, I’ll bet — nightclubs, theaters, fancy stores, and everything.”
“She’s crazy to hear about New York,” said Annie. “Four million men in New York.”
“It was very different, certainly,” said Haley, thoughtfully. “We always lived in apartments, and there were a lot of interesting people around all the time. Father loved it, naturally. It was the only kind of life for him. But Mother always said she belonged back here.”
“Well, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other for many years to come,” said Kitty. “You’ll have to excuse me until supper — which had better be on time for a change, Annie dear.”
Haley was agog. “She’s very beautiful, isn’t she, Annie?” he said.
“That isn’t exactly news for around two hundred miles,” said Annie. “The General says she’s a lot smarter than some of the livestock in the neighborhood, too.” She changed the subject abruptly. “I almost forgot to point out the General’s welcome present.” She indicated a pair of silver military brushes, which rested side-by-side on the otherwise barren dresser top. “If you want to keep on the right side of him, keep your hair brushed, don’t be scared of him, and don’t ask to use the car. That car’s his pride and joy, and he doesn’t trust anybody within ten feet of it. It used to belong to a German general, and there’s not another car in the country that can touch it.”
“That doesn’t sound very difficult,” laughed Haley.
“And remember,” said Annie with severity, “no matter what he seems like at times, the General is one of the finest men alive. Now go downstairs and meet your cousin Hope. She’s in the sunroom.”
As Annie had promised, Haley found Hope in the sunroom, her quasi-adult figure clad in denim trousers and a man’s shirt. She was seated tailor-fashion on the broad sill of a bay window. When she looked up at him, he felt as though his bones would melt. Her face was angelic beneath a honey-colored blizzard of close-cropped curls. The thoughtful depths of her dark green eyes, and the radiant cast of her features dispelled in an instant the image of Kitty that Haley had thought would be foremost in his thoughts for the rest of his life. “Welcome to Ardennes Farm,” she said. “It’s good to have another young person around. This place needs young ideas like nobody’s business.”
“I didn’t know the farm had a name,” said Haley.
“Oh, yes,” said Hope wearily, “it’s in honor of a battle, just like everything else around here.”
“Annie said you were very pretty, and you
“You’ll see, Haley; you’ll see,” said Annie with a crooked smile. She shuffled from the room to the head of the staircase, and shouted down to Kitty and Hope. “You two girls get on your good behavior. Your cousin Haley’s here a day early, and I want him to see what a fine, happy family he’s getting into.”
She returned to Haley’s room, followed by Kitty, whose full hips swayed with studied grace as she crossed the bare floor to where Haley stood, his long fingers laced behind him, a fixed smile on his face.
“So this is Haley,” Kitty exulted. Haley fidgeted under her warm, albeit vacant, gaze. Her face had much of the simple-naturedness of Annie’s, but the setting of this attribute was altogether enchanting, he thought. One year his senior, she was fully a woman, whose lush maturity made Haley feel very young and frail indeed.
His awe must have shown, for Kitty crooned, “Aw, look at him, Annie. What’s the matter, youngster? Afraid of girls, or don’t you like it out here in God’s country?”
“I think I’ll like it very much,” stammered Haley. “My mother used to tell me about when she was a little girl out here, and I got to feel it was kind of a second home of mine, too.”
“But what a come-down from New York, I’ll bet — nightclubs, theaters, fancy stores, and everything.”
“She’s crazy to hear about New York,” said Annie. “Four million men in New York.”
“It was very different, certainly,” said Haley, thoughtfully. “We always lived in apartments, and there were a lot of interesting people around all the time. Father loved it, naturally. It was the only kind of life for him. But Mother always said she belonged back here.”
“Well, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other for many years to come,” said Kitty. “You’ll have to excuse me until supper — which had better be on time for a change, Annie dear.”
Haley was agog. “She’s very beautiful, isn’t she, Annie?” he said.
“That isn’t exactly news for around two hundred miles,” said Annie. “The General says she’s a lot smarter than some of the livestock in the neighborhood, too.” She changed the subject abruptly. “I almost forgot to point out the General’s welcome present.” She indicated a pair of silver military brushes, which rested side-by-side on the otherwise barren dresser top. “If you want to keep on the right side of him, keep your hair brushed, don’t be scared of him, and don’t ask to use the car. That car’s his pride and joy, and he doesn’t trust anybody within ten feet of it. It used to belong to a German general, and there’s not another car in the country that can touch it.”
“That doesn’t sound very difficult,” laughed Haley.
“And remember,” said Annie with severity, “no matter what he seems like at times, the General is one of the finest men alive. Now go downstairs and meet your cousin Hope. She’s in the sunroom.”
As Annie had promised, Haley found Hope in the sunroom, her quasi-adult figure clad in denim trousers and a man’s shirt. She was seated tailor-fashion on the broad sill of a bay window. When she looked up at him, he felt as though his bones would melt. Her face was angelic beneath a honey-colored blizzard of close-cropped curls. The thoughtful depths of her dark green eyes, and the radiant cast of her features dispelled in an instant the image of Kitty that Haley had thought would be foremost in his thoughts for the rest of his life. “Welcome to Ardennes Farm,” she said. “It’s good to have another young person around. This place needs young ideas like nobody’s business.”
“I didn’t know the farm had a name,” said Haley.
“Oh, yes,” said Hope wearily, “it’s in honor of a battle, just like everything else around here.”
“Annie said you were very pretty, and you
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