Paul hadn't been able to do it. He had tried; he didn't believe it was true, he said, but he wasn't in the least convincing. And now there had taken form a very definite girl. She might not be the one, of course, but her frilly name, Florimel, expressed all the fear and dread of her that had been forming during their anxiety.
Paul swallowed the last bite of pie that Selma had brought, glancing at his watch, and then announced, "I'm going to call up the college. It's time that kid was here, and if he doesn't come pretty soon and I can't find out any good reason for his delay, I sure will wallop him when he does get here." So he strode across the hall to the telephone.
The family slipped one by one into the living room and waited for him.
It took a long time, but Mary Garland understood that. She had had experience of how unsatisfactory it was to call that college, especially out of hours when the regular operator was not supposed to be on duty. So they sat patiently, like those who wait for life-and-death crises at the hospital where dear friends are in critical situations. But at last Paul came into the room.
"I can't get much satisfaction there," he announced with an artificial cheeriness that did not deceive his mother. "Almost everybody has gone home for Christmas, or else doesn't know anything. At last I got the office boy, and he says Rex left early this morning in a car. He says he's sure. He says he saw him, and he was with another fellow, one of the college boys, he thinks; but he didn't look very closely, and they were some distance away, so he couldn't be sure which boy."
Mary Garland gave him a hopeless look and remained pitifully silent.
"Well," said Stan with a note of relief in his voice, "if he didn't see any girl around, then that settles that somewhat, doesn't it?"
"He might have picked her up later," said Fae keenly.
A look flashed over Paul's face.
"I'll try something else," he said and went back to the telephone. But he didn't tell them he had called up the pie shop and asked for Florimel, neither did he tell them that the owner of the pie shop had told him that Florimel was off for the holidays. They said she drove off that morning in a hired car with a couple of college boys. But Paul didn't come right back to the living room after he heard that. He called up two or three other fellows who he knew were staying at college and asked them if they had seen Rex, and one of them said Rex told him that morning he was off for home. He hadn't seen him around since, so he guessed he was gone. Then Paul tried several other calls but got no satisfaction. And presently he came back and told them that everybody agreed that Rex had gone home, so it was probably true that he had started off with somebody in the car, and very likely the other guy had sidetracked him for a while and he had to wait to be brought on, or maybe the other fellow wasn't coming all the way and Rex had to wait for a train. Or they'd had a flat tire or something. And why didn't Mother go to bed now? He was here and could keep watch for his brother. But he said not one word about Florimel.
But no, Mary Garland would not go to bed. She wanted to sit up and wait. Surely Rex would come pretty soon. And anyway, Paul was here, after the long months without him, and she wanted to be with him and hear all about everything.
So Paul talked. He told them all about his examinations. He described his teachers and some of his classmates and made a pretty good job of keeping the atmosphere lively, as if nothing had happened and they were just waiting for Rex to come, sure that he would come pretty soon.
But by this time Paul wasn't at all easy in his mind. He was trying to rack his memory and think if he had ever seen Rex with Florimel, but try as hard as he would he couldn't remember.
He wouldn't ever have connected Rex with Florimel in any way. He wouldn't have thought she was his type. In fact, Rex had never been a ladies' man. But somehow he
Paul swallowed the last bite of pie that Selma had brought, glancing at his watch, and then announced, "I'm going to call up the college. It's time that kid was here, and if he doesn't come pretty soon and I can't find out any good reason for his delay, I sure will wallop him when he does get here." So he strode across the hall to the telephone.
The family slipped one by one into the living room and waited for him.
It took a long time, but Mary Garland understood that. She had had experience of how unsatisfactory it was to call that college, especially out of hours when the regular operator was not supposed to be on duty. So they sat patiently, like those who wait for life-and-death crises at the hospital where dear friends are in critical situations. But at last Paul came into the room.
"I can't get much satisfaction there," he announced with an artificial cheeriness that did not deceive his mother. "Almost everybody has gone home for Christmas, or else doesn't know anything. At last I got the office boy, and he says Rex left early this morning in a car. He says he's sure. He says he saw him, and he was with another fellow, one of the college boys, he thinks; but he didn't look very closely, and they were some distance away, so he couldn't be sure which boy."
Mary Garland gave him a hopeless look and remained pitifully silent.
"Well," said Stan with a note of relief in his voice, "if he didn't see any girl around, then that settles that somewhat, doesn't it?"
"He might have picked her up later," said Fae keenly.
A look flashed over Paul's face.
"I'll try something else," he said and went back to the telephone. But he didn't tell them he had called up the pie shop and asked for Florimel, neither did he tell them that the owner of the pie shop had told him that Florimel was off for the holidays. They said she drove off that morning in a hired car with a couple of college boys. But Paul didn't come right back to the living room after he heard that. He called up two or three other fellows who he knew were staying at college and asked them if they had seen Rex, and one of them said Rex told him that morning he was off for home. He hadn't seen him around since, so he guessed he was gone. Then Paul tried several other calls but got no satisfaction. And presently he came back and told them that everybody agreed that Rex had gone home, so it was probably true that he had started off with somebody in the car, and very likely the other guy had sidetracked him for a while and he had to wait to be brought on, or maybe the other fellow wasn't coming all the way and Rex had to wait for a train. Or they'd had a flat tire or something. And why didn't Mother go to bed now? He was here and could keep watch for his brother. But he said not one word about Florimel.
But no, Mary Garland would not go to bed. She wanted to sit up and wait. Surely Rex would come pretty soon. And anyway, Paul was here, after the long months without him, and she wanted to be with him and hear all about everything.
So Paul talked. He told them all about his examinations. He described his teachers and some of his classmates and made a pretty good job of keeping the atmosphere lively, as if nothing had happened and they were just waiting for Rex to come, sure that he would come pretty soon.
But by this time Paul wasn't at all easy in his mind. He was trying to rack his memory and think if he had ever seen Rex with Florimel, but try as hard as he would he couldn't remember.
He wouldn't ever have connected Rex with Florimel in any way. He wouldn't have thought she was his type. In fact, Rex had never been a ladies' man. But somehow he
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