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  PATTY AND AZALEA

  BY CAROLYN WELLS

  Author of The Patty Books, The Marjorie Books, etc.

  1919

  THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED WITH LOVING GOOD WISHES TO PRISCILLA KERLEY

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER

  I WISTARIA PORCH II GUESTS ARRIVE III BETTY GALE IV A NEW RELATIVE V THAT AWFUL AZALEA VI TABLE MANNERS VII MYSTERIOUS CALLERS VIII MISSING IX VANITY FAIR X INQUIRIES XI THE SAMPLER XII AZALEA'S CHANCE XIII "STAR OF THE WEST" XIV AT THE PICTURE PLAY XV SOME RECORDS XVI AZALEA'S STORY XVII PHILIP'S REQUEST XVIII PHILIP'S BROWNIE

  PATTY AND AZALEA

  CHAPTER I

  WISTARIA PORCH

  "Oh, Little Billee! Come quick, for goodness' sake! The baby's choking!"

  Patty was in the sun parlour, her arms full of a fluttering bundleof lace and linen, and her blue eyes wide with dismay at her smalldaughter's facial contortions.

  "Only with laughter," Bill reassured her after a quick glance at therestless infant. "Give her to me."

  The baby nestled comfortably in his big, powerful arms, and Patty satback in her chair and watched them both.

  "What a pleasure," she said, complacently, "to be wife and mother to twosuch fine specimens of humanity! She grows more and more like you everyday, Little Billee."

  "Well, if this yellow fuzz of a head and this pinky peach of a faceis like anybody in the world except Patty Farnsworth, I'll give up!Why, she's the image of you,--except when she makes these grotesquegrimaces,--like a Chinese Joss."

  "Stop it! You shan't call my baby names! She's a booful-poofle! She's ahunny-bunny! She's her mudder's pressus girly-wirly,--so she wuz!"

  "Oh, Patty, that I should live to hear you talk such lingo! I thought youwere going to be sensible."

  "How can anybody be sensible with a baby like that! Isn't she the verywonderfullest ever! Oh, Billee, look at her angel smile!"

  "Angel smile? More like a mountebank's grin! But I'm sure she means well.And I'll agree she is the most wonderful thing in the world."

  Bill tossed the child up and down, and chuckled at her evidentappreciation of his efforts for her amusement.

  "Be careful of my baby, if you please," and Patty eyed the performancedubiously. "Suppose you drop my child?"

  "I hardly think I shall, ma'am. And, incidentally, I suppose she is mychild?"

  "No; a girl baby is always her mudder's own--only just her very ownmudder's own. Give her to me! Let me has my baby,--my ownty-donty baby!"

  Farnsworth obediently handed Patty her property, and put another pillowbehind her as she sat in the low willow chair. Then he seated himselfnear, and adoringly watched his two treasures.

  It was mid-April and the Farnsworths had been married more than a year.On their return from France, they had looked about for a home, and had atlast found a fortunate chance to buy at a bargain a beautiful place up inWestchester County. It was near enough to New York for a quick trip andyet it was almost country.

  The small settlement of Arden was largely composed of fine estates andattractive homes. This one which they had taken was broad and extensive,with hundreds of acres in lawns, gardens and woodland. It was calledWistaria Porch, because of an old wistaria vine which had achievedastounding dimensions and whose blooms in the spring and foliage laterwere the admiration of the whole countryside.

  The house itself was modern and of the best Colonial design. Indeed,it was copied in nearly every detail from the finest type of Colonialmansion. Though really too large for such a small family, both Patty andBill liked spacious rooms and lots of them, so they decided to take it,and shut off such parts as they didn't need. But no rooms were shut off,and they revelled in a great library beside their living-room anddrawing-room. They had a cosy breakfast room beside the big dining-roomand there were a music room and a billiard room and a den and great hallwith a spreading staircase; and the second story was a maze of bedrooms,guest rooms and bathrooms.

  It took Patty some days even to learn her way round, and she loved everyroom, hall and passage. There were fascinating windows, great wide anddeep ones, and little oriels and dormers. There were unexpected turns andnooks, and there was,--which brought joy to Patty's heart,--plenty ofcloset space.

  The whole place was of noble proportions and magnificent size, butPatty's home-making talents brought cosiness to the rooms they themselvesused and stateliness and beauty to the more formal apartments.

  "We must look ahead," she told Billee, "for I expect to spend my wholelife here. I don't want to fix a place up just as I like it, and thenscoot off and leave it and live somewhere else. And when our daughterbegins to have beaux and entertain house parties, we'll need all theroom there is."

  "You have what Mr. Lucas calls a 'leaping mind,'" Bill remarked. "But I'mready to confess I like room enough to swing a cat in,--even if I've nointention of swinging poor puss."

  And so they set blithely to work to furnish their ancestral halls, asPatty called them, claiming that an ancestral hall had to have abeginning some time, and she was beginning hers now.

  Such fun as it was selecting rugs and hangings, furniture and ornaments,books and pictures.

  Lots of things they had bought abroad, for Captain Bill had beenfortunate in his affairs and had had some leisure time in France andEngland after the war was over to collect some art treasures.

  Also, they didn't try or want to complete the whole house at once. Partof the fun would be in adding bits later on, and if there were no placeto put them, there would be no fun in buying things.

  Patty was a wise and careful buyer. Only worth-while things wereselected, not a miscellaneous collection of trumpery junk. So theresult to date was charming furniture and appointments, but space formore when desired.

  Little Billee's taste, too, was excellent, and he and Patty nearly alwaysagreed on their choice. But it was a rule that if either disapproved,the thing in question was not bought. Only such as both sanctioned couldcome into their home.

  The house had a wide and hospitable Colonial doorway, with broad fanlightabove and columns at either side. Seats, too, flanked the porch, and thecarefully trimmed wistaria vine hung gracefully over all. Across bothends of the house ran wide verandahs, with _porte cochere_, sun parlour,conservatory and tea-porch breaking the monotony.

  Patty's own bedroom was an exquisite nest, done up in blue and silver,and her boudoir, opening from it, was a dream of pink and white. Thencame the baby's quarters; the day nursery, gay with pictured walls andthe sun porch, bright and airy.

  For the all-important baby was now two months old, and entitled toconsideration as a real member of the family.

  Fleurette was her name, only selected after long thought and muchdiscussion. Bill had stood out for Patricia Fairfield Farnsworth, butPatty declared no child of hers should be saddled with such a burden forlife! Then Bill declared it must be a diminutive, in some way, of themother's name, and as he always called Patty his Blossom Girl, the onlysuggestion worth considering was something that meant Little Flower. Andas their stay in France had made the French language seem less foreignthan of yore, they finally chose Fleurette,--the Baby Blossom.

  Farnsworth was a man of affairs, and had sometimes to go to Washington orother distant cities on business, but not often or for a long stay. Andas Patty expressed it, that was a lot better than for him to have to goto New York every day,--as so many men of their acquaintance did.

  "I never thought I'd be as happy as this," Patty said, as, still holdingher baby, she sat roc
king slowly, and gazing alternately at her husbandand her child.

  "Why not?" Farnsworth inquired, as he lighted a fresh cigar.

  "Oh, it's too much for any one mortal! Here I've the biggest husband inthe world, and the littlest baby--"

  "Oh, come now,--that's no incubator chick!"

  "No, she's fully normal size, Nurse says, but she's a tiny mite as yet,"and Patty cuddled the mite in an ecstasy of maternal joy.

  "I thought friend Nurse wouldn't let you snuggle the kiddy like that."

  "She doesn't approve,--but she's still at her lunch and when the cat'saway--"

  And then the white uniformed nurse appeared, and smiled at pretty Pattyas she took the baby from her cuddling arms.

  "Come for a ride, Patty _Maman_?" asked her husband, as they left thelittle Fleurette's presence.

  "No; let's go for a walk. I want to look over the west glade, and see ifit will stand a Japanese tea-house there."

  "All right, come ahead. You've not forgotten your dinky tea-porch?"

  "No; but this is different. A tea-house is lovely, and--"

  "All right, Madame Butterfly, have one if you like. Come down this way."

  They went along a picturesque path, between two rocky ravines,--a bitof real scenic effect that made, indeed, a fine setting for a littlestructure for a pleasure house of any kind.

  "Lovely spot!" and Patty stood still and gazed about over her domain.

  "Seems to me I've heard you remark that before."

  "And will again,--so long as we both shall live! Oh, Little Billee, I'mso glad I picked you out for my mate--"

  "_I_ picked _you_ out, you mean. Why, the first moment I saw you, I--"

  "You kissed me! Yes, you did,--you bad man! I wonder I ever spoke to youagain!"

  "But I kissed you by mistake that time. I'd no idea who you were."

  "I know it. And you've no idea who I am, now!"

  "That's true, sweetheart. For you've as many moods and personalities as achameleon,--and each more dear and sweet than the last."

  "Look here, my friend, haven't we been married long enough for you tocease to feel the necessity for those pretty speeches?"

  "Tired of 'em?"

  "No; but I don't want you to think you must--"

  "Now, now, don't be Patty Simpleton! When I make forced or perfunctoryspeeches, you'll know it! Don't you think so, Patty Mine?"

  "Yep. Oh, Billee, look, there's the place for the tea-house!"

  Patty pointed to a shady nook, halfway up the side of the ravine.

  "Great!" agreed Bill. "Wait a minute,--I'll sketch it in."

  He pulled an old envelope and a pencil from his pockets, and rapidly drewthe location with a few hasty strokes, and added a suggestion of anOriental looking building that was meant for the proposed tea-house.

  "Just right!" cried Patty; "you _are_ clever, dear! Now draw Baby and medrinking tea there."

  A few more marks did for the tea drinkers and a queer looking figurehurrying along the path was doubtless the father coming home.

  Patty declared herself satisfied and folded the paper and put it safelyaway in her pocket.

  "We'll get at that as soon as the landscape gardener finishes the sunkengarden," she said.

  "Oh, I'm _glad_ I'm alive! I never expected to have everything I wantedin the way of gardens! Don't you love them, too?"

  "Of course,--and yet, not as you do, Patty. I was brought up in the greatWest, you know,--and sometimes I long for the big spaces."

  "Why, this is a big space, isn't it?"

  "I mean the prairies,--yes, even the desert,--the limitless expanse of--"

  "Limitless fiddlesticks! You can't have the earth!"

  "I don't want it. You're all the world to me, then why crave the earth?"

  "Nice boy! Well, as I was about to say, do you know, I think it's timewe had some guests up here, just for to see and to admire this paradiseof ours."

  "Have them, by all means. Are you settled enough?"

  "Oh, yes. And I shan't have anything much to do. Mrs. Chase is a host inherself, and Nurse Winnie takes full charge of my child,--with Susie'shelp."

  "Do you own that infant exclusively, ma'am? I notice you always say _my_child!"

  "As I've told you, you don't count. Why, you won't really count untilthe day when some nice young man comes to ask you for the hand ofMademoiselle Fleurette."

  "Heaven forbid the day! I'll send him packing!"

  "Indeed you won't! I want my daughter to marry and live happy everafter,--as _I'm_ doing."

  "Are you, Patty? Are you happy?"

  As Billee asked this question a dozen times a day for the sheer joy ofwatching Patty's lovely face smile an affirmative, she didn't think itnecessary to enlarge on the subject.

  "I do be," she said, succinctly, and Farnsworth believed her.

  "Now, I propose," she went on, "that we have a week-end house-party.That's the nicest way to show off the place--"

  "Patty! Are you growing proud and ostentatious?"

  "I'm proud--very much so, of my home and my family,--but nobody evercalled me ostentatious! What _do_ you mean?"

  "Nothing. I spoke thoughtlessly. But you are puffed up with pride andvanity,--_I_ think."

  "Who wouldn't be--with all this?"

  Patty swept an arm off toward the acres of their domain, and smiledhappily in her delight of ownership.

  "Well, anyway," she went on, "we'll ask Elise and Bumble and Phil andKenneth and Chick and--"

  "Don't get too many,--you'll wear yourself all out just talking to them."

  "No: a big party entertain themselves better than a few. Well, I'll fixup the list. Anybody you want specially?"

  "No, not now. Some time we'll have Mona and Roger, of course; and sometime Daisy--"

  "Yes, when we have Adele and Jim. Oh, won't we have lots of jollyparties! Thank goodness we've plenty of guest rooms."

  "Are they all in order?"

  "Not quite. I have to make lace things and fiddle-de-fads for some ofthem."

  "Can't you buy those?"

  "Some I do, but some I like to make. It's no trouble, and they'reprettier."

  "Let's go back around by the garage, I want to see Larry."

  They strolled around through the well-kept vegetable gardens and chickenyards, and came to the garage. Here were the big cars and Patty's ownlittle runabout. Larry, the chauffeur, touched his cap with a respectfulsmile at Patty, and as Farnsworth talked to the man, Patty stood lookingoff across the grounds and wondering if any one in the whole world loveda home as she did.

  Then they went on, strolling by the flower beds and formal gardens.

  "And through the land at eve they went," quoted Bill, softly.

  "And on her lover's arm she leant," Patty took up the verse.

  "And round her waist she felt it fold," continued he:

  "And far across the hills they went To that new world which is the old. And far across the dying day, Beyond its utmost purple rim: Beyond the night, across the day The happy Princess followed him."

  "Through all the world she followed him," added Patty; "I think ourquotations are a bit inaccurate, but we have the gist of Tennyson'sideas."

  "And the gist is--?"

  "That I'm a happy Princess," she smiled.

  "Well, you're in your element, that's certain. I never saw anybody enjoyfixing up a house as you do!"

  "Did you ever see anybody fix up a house, anyway?"

  "I'm not sure I ever did. I had very little home life, dear."

  "Well, you're going to make up for that now. You're going to have so muchhome life from now on, that you can hardly stagger under it. And I'mgoing to make it!"

  "Then it will be a real true home-made home! Sometimes, Patty, I fearthat with all your tea-houses and formal gardens you'll lose the realhomey effect--"

  "Lose your grandmother! Why, in the right hands, all those faddy thingsmelt into one big bundle of hominess, and you feel as if you'd always had'em. Soon you'll declare you'v
e never lived without a Japanese tea-gardenin your back yard!"

  "I believe you! You'd make a home feeling in the Parthenon,--if you choseto live there!"

  "Of course I should! Or in the Coliseum, or in the Taj Mahal."

  "There, there, that will do! Don't carry your vaunts further! Now comearound the house, and let's go in under the wistaria. It's a purpleglory now!"

  "So it is! What a stunning old vine it is. I did think I'd change thename of the place, but that wistaria over that porch is too fine to bediscarded. Let's get Mr. Hepworth up here to paint it."

  "It must be painted, and soon, while it's in its prime. If Hepworth can'tcome, I'll get somebody else. I want that picture."

  "And let's have some photographs of it. It's so perfect."

  "All right, I'll take those myself,--to-morrow,--it's too late now."

  "And me and Baby will sit in the middle of the composition! Won't that betouching!"

  Patty laughed merrily, but Farnsworth said, "You bet you will! Be readyin the morning, for I'll want a lot of poses."