Patty and Azalea eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 224 pages of information about Patty and Azalea.

Patty and Azalea eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 224 pages of information about Patty and Azalea.

“How long has she been here now?”

“Nearly a month.  I’ve tried and Betty has tried,—­and, yes, Azalea has tried herself,—­but we can’t seem to—­”

“Camouflage her!”

“That’s just it!  I want her to look like the background she’s against here,—­and she doesn’t!”

“I should say not!  Last night at dinner she threw herself back in her chair and yawned openly—­”

“Openly!  It was all of that!  I saw her,—­across the table through the flowers.  And, Billee,—­she’s queer—­that’s what she is,—­queer!”

“Have you noticed that, too?  Yes, she is queer,—­here take this Little Flower.  She’s nearly asleep.”

“So she is,—­give her to me,—­there, there, mudder’s pressus,—­petty poppity,—­yes, she’s queer!”

“Who?  Fleurette?”

“You know very well I don’t mean Fleurette!  I mean that Pride of the West,—­that stranger within our gates,—­that thorn in the flesh,—­that awful Azalea!”

“Meaning me?” and Azalea herself popped her head in at the nursery door.

“Yes,” replied Farnsworth, imperturbably, “meaning you.  Come in, Azalea, I want to speak to you.  When have you heard from your father?”

“Let me see—­about a week ago, I think.”

“Will you show me the letter?”

“Why, how inquisitive you are!  What do you want to see it for?”

“I’d like to read it.  I suppose it isn’t distinctly a private letter.”

“N-no, of course not.  But, the truth is,—­I haven’t got it.”

“What did you do with it?”

“I—­I tore it up.”

“Was it unpleasant?”

“No, but as I had answered it,—­I didn’t need to keep it.”

“What was in it?  Tell me,—­in a general way.”

“Oh,—­it said—­he hoped I was well,—­and he—­he hoped you were well,—­and—­”

“And he hoped Patty was well! and he hoped the baby was well,—­yes,—­and after those polite hopes, what else did he say?”

“Why,—­why, I don’t know,—­I guess that was about all.”

“Oh, it was!  Why didn’t he tell you something about himself?  What he was doing,—­or going to do?”

“I don’t know.  Papa isn’t very much of a letter writer.”

“Well, he used to be!  It was his special forte.  I’ve had letters from him a dozen pages long.  I don’t believe he’s outgrown his bent of letter writing.  Now, listen, to this, Azalea, the next letter you get from him, I want you to show it to me, see?  If there’s anything in it you don’t want me to know about, cut that out,—­but show me at least the beginning and the ending,—­and a part of a page.  You hear me?”

“Of course I hear you,—­not being deaf!  And I’ll show you the letter,—­if I think of it.”

“You’ll think of it,—­I’ll see to that, myself.  You ought to get one soon, oughtn’t you?”

“No,—­I haven’t answered his last one yet.”

“Why, you just said you had!”

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Patty and Azalea from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.