“I? Never! I didn't write it,” denied Dorothy, with color in her dark cheeks.

“Yes you did. It's signed—'Yours forever Dot Dalrymple.' ... Besides I remember now Daren gave it to me. Said he wanted to prove he could have other girls if he couldn't have me.”

“How chivalrous!” exclaimed Dorothy, joining in the laugh.

“Ah! here's what I've been hunting,” declared Margaret, waving aloft a small picture. “It's a photograph of Holt, taken five years ago. Only the other evening he swore I hadn't kept it—dared me to produce it. He'll want it now—for some other girl. But nix, it's mine.... Dal, isn't he a handsome boy here?”

With sisterly impartiality Dorothy declared she could not in the wildest flight of her imagination see her brother as handsome.

“Holt used to be good-looking,” said she. “But he outgrew it. That South Carolina training camp and the flu changed his looks as well as his disposition.”

“Holtis changed,” mused Margaret, gazing down at the picture, and the glow faded from her face.

“Dare Lane is handsome, even if he is a wreck,” said Elinor, with sudden enthusiasm. “Friday night when he beat it from Fanchon's party he sure looked splendid.”

Elinor was a staunch admirer of Lane's and she was the inveterate torment of her girl friends. She gave Helen a sly glance. Helen's green eyes narrowed and gleamed.

“Yes, Dare's handsomer than ever,” she said. “And to give the devil his due he'sfiner than ever. Too damn fine for this crowd!... But what's the use—” she broke off.

“Yes, poor Dare Lane!” sighed Elinor. “Dare deserves much from all of us, not to mentionyou . He has made me think. Thank Heaven, I found I hadn't forgotten how.”

“El, no one would notice it,” returned Helen, sarcastically.

“It's easy to see where you get off,” retorted Elinor.

Then a silence ensued, strange in view of the late banter and quick sallies; a silence breathing of restraint. The color died wholly from Margaret's face, and a subtle, indefinable, almost imperceptible change came over Dorothy.

“You bet Dare is handsome,” spoke up Flossie, as if to break the embarrassment. “He's sowhite since he came home. His eyes are so dark and flashing. Then the way he holds his head—the look of him.... No wonder these damned slackers seem cheap compared to him.... I'd fall for Dare Lane in a minute, even if he is half dead.”

The restraint passed, and when Floss Dickerson came out with eulogy for any man his status was settled for good and all. Margaret plunged once more into her treasures of early schooldays. Floss and Elinor made merry over some verses Margaret had handed up with a blush. Helen apparently lapsed into a brooding abstraction. And presently Dorothy excused herself, and kissing Margaret good-bye, left for home.

The instant she had gone Margaret's gay and reminiscent mood underwent a change.

“Girls, I want to know what Daren Lane did or said on Friday night at Fanchon's,” spoke up Margaret. “You know mother dragged me home. Said I was tired. But I wasn't. It was only because I'm a wall-flower.... So I missed what happened. But I've heard talk enough to make me crazy to know about this scandal. Kit Benson was here and she hinted things. I met Bessy Bell. She asked me if I knew. She's wild about Daren. That yellow-legged broiler! He doesn't even know her.... My brother Blair would not tell me anything. He's strong for Daren. But mother told me Daren had lost his standing in Middleville. She always hated Daren. Afraid I'd fall in love with him. The idea! I liked him, and I like him better now—poor fellow!... And last, when El mentioned Daren, did you see Dal's face? I never saw Dal look like that.”

“Neither did I,” replied Elinor.

“Well, I have,” spoke up Helen, with all of her mother's bluntness. “Dal always was love-sick over Daren, when she was a mere kid. She never got over it and never will.”

“Still water runs deep,” sapiently remarked Elinor. “There's a good deal in Dal. She's fine as silk. Of course we all remember how jealous she was of other girls when Daren went with her. But I think now it's because she's sorry for Daren. So am I. He was such a fool. Fanchon swears no nice girl in Middleville will ever dance that new camel-walk dance in public again.”

“What did Daren say?” demanded Margaret, with eyes lighting.

“I was standing with Helen, and Fanchon when Daren came up. He looked—I don't know how—just wonderful. We all knew something was doing. Daren bowed to Fanchon and said to her in a perfectly clear voice that everybody heard: 'I'd like to try your camel-walk. I'm out of practice and not strong, but I can go once around, I'm sure. Will you?'”

'You're on, Dare,' replied Fanchon.

Then he asked. 'Do you like it?'

'I'll say so, Dare—crazy about it.'

'Of course you know why it's danced—and how it's interpreted by men,' said Daren.

'What do you mean?' asked Fanchon, growing red and flustered.

“Then Daren said: 'I'll tell your mother. If she lets you dance with that understanding—all right.' He bent over Mrs. Smith and said something. Mrs. Wrapp heard it. And so did Mrs. Mackay, who looked pretty sick. Mrs. Smith nearlyfainted !... but she recovered enough to order Daren to leave.”

“Do you know what Daren said?” demanded Margaret, in a frenzy of excitement.

“No. None of the girls know. We can only imagine. That makes it worse. If Fanchon knows she won't tell. But it is gossip all over town. We'll hear it soon. All the girls in town are imagining. It's spread like wildfire. And whatdo you think, Margie? In church—on Sunday—Doctor Wallace spoke of it. He mentioned no names. But he said that as the indecent dress and obscene dance of the young women could no longer be influenced by the home or the church it was well that one young man had the daring to fling the truth into

Вы читаете The Day of the Beast
Добавить отзыв
ВСЕ ОТЗЫВЫ О КНИГЕ В ИЗБРАННОЕ

0

Вы можете отметить интересные вам фрагменты текста, которые будут доступны по уникальной ссылке в адресной строке браузера.

Отметить Добавить цитату