only were here--but you ought not to wait. She mightn't be back all the morning. I'm not sure she could get away from Father to go. And my sister isn't here, either."
"Well, why don't you go yourself? It would be a nice ride, and it's a cinch your brother would be glad enough to see you." He added this with an almost too-admiring glance at Melissa.
Melissa was all in a flutter.
"Oh!" she said excitedly. "I don't know what Mother would think. I suppose I might, but--"
"Oh, your mother wouldn't care. She'd be glad you had the chance to go so soon. You say she wasn't sure she could get away today? She would surely be glad to have you go well chaperoned"--and he waved his hand toward the stout woman in the furs. "The Mater would like company, I know. Come on, you can leave a note. Aren't you all ready to go? Run up and put your toothbrush in your bag and come on. We ought to be getting started." He glanced at his watch and beamed persuasively upon her with his great black eyes so flattering. Melissa had never had eyes flatter her so.
"But--Mother intended my sister should go, in case she couldn't," Melissa said, looking troubled.
"But your sister isn't here, you say. Surely one sister is as good as another. Besides, we can't wait for somebody to come. Here, take my pen and this leaf from my notebook and write a line. Say you'll wire when you get there and you are in good hands, or shall I write it?"
"Oh, no, thank you," said Melissa, accepting the pencil and going over to the table to write. Then she hesitated again.
"What's the matter now, sister?" urged the young man. "We're wasting good traveling time, and your brother is probably having a fit this minute because some of his family haven't arrived. You aren't afraid to go with strangers, are you?"
"Oh, no," laughed Melissa assuredly. "I know who you are. I've seen your picture in Steve's college album. You were football captain last year, weren't you?"
"Sure thing!" beamed the handsome young giant. "Now, get a hustle on, sister."
"Well, I was just thinking," said Melissa anxiously. "I haven't very much money in the house, not enough to go on a journey. I don't know as I could go until Mother comes."
"Oh, forget it," laughed the young man. "I have all kinds of money with me. I can lend you all you want. Besides, you won't need anything. You're going in the car."
"When," asked Melissa with sudden new anxiety, "are you coming back? I would have to tell Mother that. She would be anxious."
"Oh, we're coming back day after tomorrow, sure thing. The Mater has a bridge party at the house the next day, so, you see, she couldn't stay any longer."
With fear and trembling Melissa ran upstairs and hunted out her mother's little overnight bag in which she carried things to the hospital for Father, flung her night things and her only other good dress into it excitedly, wondering all the while whether she was doing wrong. She wrote only a brief explanation:
Â
Dear Mother:
The mother and brother of a classmate of Steve's are driving up to college and have asked me to go along. I thought this would help out a lot as it doesn't cost me anything. I'll phone or wire when I get there. We are coming back day after tomorrow. Hoping you will think I did the best thing. They were in a hurry, so I had no time to decide.
Lovingly,
Lissa
Â
She carried the note down and laid it on the dining table where they would be sure to see it at once, then locked the house and went out with her heart in her mouth to that great shiny car, almost trembling visibly from the excitement of it all. She, Melissa Challenger, taking decisions like this into her own hands and going off in a great expensive car!
"I'll have to ask you to stop a minute at the butcher shop," she explained to the young man as he took her shabby little bag from her and helped her down the steps so gallantly. "I'll have to leave the key with him and ask him to give a message to my mother about the order he will be sending
"Well, why don't you go yourself? It would be a nice ride, and it's a cinch your brother would be glad enough to see you." He added this with an almost too-admiring glance at Melissa.
Melissa was all in a flutter.
"Oh!" she said excitedly. "I don't know what Mother would think. I suppose I might, but--"
"Oh, your mother wouldn't care. She'd be glad you had the chance to go so soon. You say she wasn't sure she could get away today? She would surely be glad to have you go well chaperoned"--and he waved his hand toward the stout woman in the furs. "The Mater would like company, I know. Come on, you can leave a note. Aren't you all ready to go? Run up and put your toothbrush in your bag and come on. We ought to be getting started." He glanced at his watch and beamed persuasively upon her with his great black eyes so flattering. Melissa had never had eyes flatter her so.
"But--Mother intended my sister should go, in case she couldn't," Melissa said, looking troubled.
"But your sister isn't here, you say. Surely one sister is as good as another. Besides, we can't wait for somebody to come. Here, take my pen and this leaf from my notebook and write a line. Say you'll wire when you get there and you are in good hands, or shall I write it?"
"Oh, no, thank you," said Melissa, accepting the pencil and going over to the table to write. Then she hesitated again.
"What's the matter now, sister?" urged the young man. "We're wasting good traveling time, and your brother is probably having a fit this minute because some of his family haven't arrived. You aren't afraid to go with strangers, are you?"
"Oh, no," laughed Melissa assuredly. "I know who you are. I've seen your picture in Steve's college album. You were football captain last year, weren't you?"
"Sure thing!" beamed the handsome young giant. "Now, get a hustle on, sister."
"Well, I was just thinking," said Melissa anxiously. "I haven't very much money in the house, not enough to go on a journey. I don't know as I could go until Mother comes."
"Oh, forget it," laughed the young man. "I have all kinds of money with me. I can lend you all you want. Besides, you won't need anything. You're going in the car."
"When," asked Melissa with sudden new anxiety, "are you coming back? I would have to tell Mother that. She would be anxious."
"Oh, we're coming back day after tomorrow, sure thing. The Mater has a bridge party at the house the next day, so, you see, she couldn't stay any longer."
With fear and trembling Melissa ran upstairs and hunted out her mother's little overnight bag in which she carried things to the hospital for Father, flung her night things and her only other good dress into it excitedly, wondering all the while whether she was doing wrong. She wrote only a brief explanation:
Â
Dear Mother:
The mother and brother of a classmate of Steve's are driving up to college and have asked me to go along. I thought this would help out a lot as it doesn't cost me anything. I'll phone or wire when I get there. We are coming back day after tomorrow. Hoping you will think I did the best thing. They were in a hurry, so I had no time to decide.
Lovingly,
Lissa
Â
She carried the note down and laid it on the dining table where they would be sure to see it at once, then locked the house and went out with her heart in her mouth to that great shiny car, almost trembling visibly from the excitement of it all. She, Melissa Challenger, taking decisions like this into her own hands and going off in a great expensive car!
"I'll have to ask you to stop a minute at the butcher shop," she explained to the young man as he took her shabby little bag from her and helped her down the steps so gallantly. "I'll have to leave the key with him and ask him to give a message to my mother about the order he will be sending
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