Jim sang a ba.s.s solo. Gerald also rendered a song, his sweet tenor voice delighting his auditors, after which the old quartette of the mountain camp was formed again and sang familiar pieces in such a manner as to win the heartiest of commendation from all--even that captious critic, Herr Deichenberg.

Aunt Betty was asked to speak one of her girlhood pieces, but begged to be allowed to subst.i.tute old Ephraim, who, upon being urged, recited the following verses, remembered since his earliest recollection:

"Sho' 'nuff, is dat yo', buddie?

Why, I sca'ce beliebs mah eyes!

Yo's growed so slendah en so tall, I like not tuh know yo' size.

Does yo' eber hunt de possum-- Climb de ole p'simmon tree?

Like we did in de good ole times W'en de n.i.g.g.ah wasn't free?

We'd take ole Tige, en den a torch, Den we'd start out fo' a spree, Lots o' fellers wuz in dat chase, Erside, mah boy, frum yo' en me, After a w'ile ole Tige'd yelp, Den we'd know dar's sumpthin' round, Er rabbit, c.o.o.n, er possum, sho', Er gittin' ober de ground.

W'en up de tree de possum run, Den ole Tige he'd change he tune, Den wif de torch we'd shine his eyes Den we'd nab him pretty soon, We'd break he neck, en build er fire Den a tater roast, yo' mind; Why, bress yo' heart, dis make me cry, Nebber mo' dem times yo' find.

De Ma.s.sa's gone--ole Missus, gone, En mah ole woman am, too; I'm laid up now wif rheumatiz, En mah days am growin' few.

Ole Tige mos' blind en crippled up, So dat he can't hunt no mo'; No possums now tuh grease de chops, Oh, I's feelin' mighty po'!"

As Ephraim concluded he made a most elaborate bow, touching his hand to his forelock--or where the forelock should have been.

The old negro's interested listeners burst into loud applause, and the bow was repeated again and again. The verses had been rendered with considerable feeling and some sense of their poetic value, which, of course, Ephraim had learned from hearing the verses recited by others.

Len Haley, upon being called on for a contribution to the entertainment, spoke the first--and last--piece he had learned during the few short months he had attended school. It was a temperance piece, and if not thoroughly in keeping with the festive occasion, was at least one of the most earnest efforts of the afternoon.

Aurora, who was an elocutionist of no mean merit, rendered Longfellow's "Hiawatha," with such realistic touches that Herr Deichenberg sat spellbound through her recital, to spring up and grasp her hand when she had finished.

"My dear girl," he cried, "dat was excellent--excellent. I am proud, indeed, to know you."

"I trust you will never have occasion to change your mind," was the girl's pleasant response.

The entertainment over, Herr Deichenberg and Judge Breckenridge engaged in a checker contest, which was so closely fought that the others stopped whatever they were doing to look on. The Herr was finally triumphant, taking four games out of seven.

When the Christmas party broke up that evening, all were agreed that it had been one of the most glorious holiday times they had ever spent.

CHAPTER XII

MR. LUDLOW'S OFFER

The holidays pa.s.sed all too quickly to the happy party at Old Bellvieu. Herr and Frau Deichenberg came no more during the stay of the Judge and Molly, but Gerald and Aurora were over nearly every evening.

One night, toward the close of the week, Aunt Betty and the Judge chaperoned a party of young people, including Dorothy, Molly, Aurora, Gerald, Jim and Len to the theater, where one of the reigning comic opera successes was on view. It was an imported piece of the "Merry Widow" type, and everyone enjoyed it to the utmost. Aunt Betty and the Judge found their risibilities thoroughly shaken by the antics of the star, a comedian of prominence, while the tastes of the young people seemed to incline toward the bright chorus numbers, and the individual songs and duets.

Len was perhaps the most joyous member of the party. It was his first experience at the theater, and the elaborate stage settings, the bright lights, and the catchy music had opened to him the gates of Fairyland, as it were.

When one of the characters cracked a joke, and the comedian replied that he was very fond of walnuts and hickory nuts, but not at all partial to chestnuts, Len nearly fell out of his seat, and the young lady who followed them on the stage was well through her song before he controlled his laughter enough to realize what was going on.

Len's merriment so pleased Aunt Betty and Judge Breckenridge that they, too, burst into laughter, which continued until a whispered "Sh!" from Dorothy warned them that they were attracting the attention of others in the theater. Then the Judge put his finger to his lips and looked solemnly at Len and Aunt Betty, whereupon the trio instantly became sober, and turned their attention again to the stage.

After the theater the Judge insisted on treating the party to hot chocolate and cake, so they were led to a popular resort often frequented during the days by Dorothy and Aurora. This served to round off a very pleasant evening, and as there was nothing to prevent each member of the party from sleeping late the following morning, their happiness was complete.

So urgently did Aunt Betty and Dorothy beg Molly and the Judge to spend the early part of January with them, that the Judge consented, greatly to Molly's delight.

"Business really demands my attention in New York," he said, "but I suppose that can wait another week. We don't have times like this every year, do we Molly, girl?"

"Indeed, no," responded the person addressed.

"But it will not be my fault hereafter, if you do not have them each year," said Aunt Betty. "I hereby issue a standing invitation for you both to spend the next holiday season with us, and the next, and the next, and so on, and next year, Judge, you must bring your sister Lucretia. It was an oversight on my part in not inviting her on this occasion."

"Lucretia has been very busy doing some settlement work, and Christmas is her busy time, hence, she would have been unable to accept your kind invitation. Next year, however, things may have changed. If so, we shall certainly bring her with us."

There followed a succession of trips to nearby points of interest.

The snow, which lay thick during the holidays, began to melt soon after the new year dawned, and, the roads drying hard, Gerald came over one day in the auto and took them for a jaunt in the country.

A fishing excursion to the sh.o.r.es of the bay on another day, with Jim and Ephraim as the pilots, served to demonstrate to the Judge that he was every bit as good a fisherman as he had been in the early days, for he caught eight speckled sea-trout, and three red-fish--a better record than was made by any other member of the party.

Finally, the Judge and Molly took their departure, the former declaring that the duties in New York had become imperative ones.

Dorothy hated to lose her chum again, they saw each other so seldom, but agreed with Molly that the latter must spend some time in her own home.

Then, as February pa.s.sed, and the winds of March began to make themselves felt, things settled down to their usual routine at Bellvieu.

Dorothy, who had resumed her lessons immediately upon Molly's departure, was fast approaching a point where, Herr Deichenberg declared, she would be able to appear before an audience in the most critical of musical centers. He advised that she immediately seek the opportunity, or allow him to seek one for her.

Again Aunt Betty interposed a mild objection, and the music master, with a sly wink at Dorothy, observed under his breath:

"Just leave it to me."

This Dorothy did, and with good results, as will be seen.

She dropped the subject entirely when Aunt Betty was around, resolved to wait until the psychological moment arrived to again broach the matter, or until she heard further from Herr Deichenberg.

Two weeks pa.s.sed and finally Herr Deichenberg came out to the house one morning with Mr. Ludlow, whom he presented to Aunt Betty.

At first the mistress of Bellvieu was inclined to receive the theatrical man coldly, believing he had come to entice her niece away, but gradually, under Herr Deichenberg's careful urging, she began to see matters in a new light.

"Mr. Ludlow has no desire to take Miss Dorothy avay from you," said the Herr, earnestly. "Please believe me vhen I tell you. Also believe me vhen I say dat all of Miss Dorothy's lessons vill go for naught, if she does not seek a time und place to exploit her talents. There is open for her a career of great prominence--of dat I am very sure, but to attain de pinnacle of success, she must first go a few steps above de middle rounds of de ladder. Mr. Ludlow has a good proposition to make to her, und one dat meets with my hearty approval. I beg of you, Mrs. Calvert, listen carefully to vhat he has to say, und deliberate before you give him an answer."

"If Dorothy's welfare is at stake I shall listen, of course; I should have listened, anyway, but with some prejudice, I will admit. I cannot see where it will do my niece any great good to become a stage celebrity, but if Mr. Ludlow can convince me, I stand ready to acknowledge my error."

"I am sure that is fair enough," said Mr. Ludlow, smiling genially.

He had a pleasant personality--refined, even striking in the more serious moments, and Aunt Betty felt attracted to him the instant he began to speak.

"A career for your niece, Mrs. Calvert--a professional career--under proper management, is distinctly the proper thing for her. I heard her play at Herr Deichenberg's concert here last fall, and knew at once that she had an exceptional amount of talent, which, if fostered, under the Herr's careful methods, would make of her one of the musical wonders of the age. It was then I made my offer--which was merely a tentative one--to Miss Calvert, not meaning to in any way override your authority, but merely for the purpose of sounding her out and winning a promise that she would give me an option on her services, provided she decided to adopt the concert stage as a career."

"She told me of her conversation with you," returned Aunt Betty, "and I am free to admit that I was prejudiced against it."

"You were also prejudiced against riding fast in Gerald's automobile, auntie," said Dorothy, smiling. "But Gerald overcame that just as Mr.

Ludlow is going to try to overcome this."

"From speeding in an automobile, to adopting the concert stage as a career, is a far cry, my dear," returned Aunt Betty, rather severely, Dorothy thought.