Page:The leopard's spots - a romance of the white man's burden-1865-1900 (IA leopardsspotsrom00dixo).pdf/273

 "Elsewhere. I'm so glad you are going to spend a month at the Springs, Miss Sallie. I used to go to school there when a little boy. They had a girl's school there in the winter and boys under twelve were admitted. I know every nook and corner of the big forest back of the hotel. I'll see that you don't get lost."

"That will be fine. But you must bring every good-looking boy in the county and make him bow down and worship Helen. She is not used to it, but she is tickled to death over these Southern boys, and I'm going to give her the best time she ever had in her life."

"I'll do everything you command—except bow down myself. Bob's agreed to do that."

She smiled in spite of her effort to look serious, and her mother pinched her arm. She laughed.

"So you and Bob St. Clare were out there plotting before we could get out of the train?"

"Nothing unlawful, I assure you."

The first day she allowed Gaston to monopolise, and then began his torture. She declared there were others with whom she must be friendly. She determined to give a ball to Helen the next week, and began preparations.

It was a new business for Gaston, but he did his best to please her, in a pathetic half-hearted sort of way. He ran all sorts of errands, and executed her orders with tact.

"Oh! Sallie let the ball go. I don't care for it. I can do nothing to ever repay you for the good time I've been having," said Helen as they sat in her room one night.

"We are going to have it, I tell you. I don't care how much Mr. Gaston sulks. I'm not taking orders from him."

"No, but you'd like to—you know it."

"What an idea!"