Nothing loth to keep the distance between himself and Nell at a minimum, Howard Eliot entered with into the boy’s plans.
“ said she’d like to see the sights too onct again,” said Moses, watching with the air of an the on his hand grow pale as he punched it with his finger, “It seemed so lonesome-like soon as Betty an’ Miss Gordon left, Mar says, says she, ‘Let’s go plum to Calgary ourselves’.” This diplomatic stroke crowned Moses’ arguments and his case was won.
As Mrs. Wopp adjusted her before leaving the house, she gave minute instructions to Mr. Wopp.
“You’d think this here day’s trip to Calgary was a journey to Jeroosalem,” he complained, all his slips of paper used up in jottings to remind him of duties imposed.
“Well I only go ’way about onct in a blue moon,” declared Mrs. Wopp, “an’ I feel so unsartin ’bout everything. Here we are a pack of Gadarene swine goin’ orff to a great city to eat husks I s’pose like the son. Never mind Ebenezer we’ll come back right glad I’ll bet to the fatted .” She pinched his ear in an elephantine playfulness as though he might be the fatted calf himself.
Howard Eliot guided his charges through the of the city to a restaurant. Moses with the appetite of fourteen ate silently and , not omitting one item on the menu. He .
Mrs. Wopp’s bonnet with its imitation osprey looked as though with fragments of barbed-wire. Her jet seemed as the of her generous ears glowed like .
Howard sat back in his chair and thought of the possibilities of seeing Nell. He reflected that they were as good as engaged. Mrs. Wopp had given her of the case enigmatically, perhaps, but with a degree of accuracy denoting keen observation on the evening of his last visit at the Wopp household. For a fraction of a minute Nell had let him hold her hand, and then her face all dimpling had turned to say good-night. He was rehearsing what he should say next time she dimpled so and he breathed on his conduct in being so shy and . He was brought to the present by Moses who was regarding an ice-cream with suspicion.
“This froth looks like soapsuds,” he complained.
“Soapsuds is Moses’ strong weakness,” commented Mrs. Wopp, laughing till her fat shoulders quaked .
To stay the cloud that began to gather over Moses’ brow, Howard suggested going to see a show.
“Oh Mar,” asked Moses as they passed a brilliantly colored and poster, “Is them the actor people?”
“Them’s thum,” was the sophisticated answer.
Fate led the trio to the theatre where Mr. Zalhambra was playing. Howard took his friends to a box and no sooner were they seated than he Nell and Betty.
The orchestra were up, that at the notes that precedes the . To Moses were revealed such vistaed glimpses of trees and mountains and rivers as his young eyes had never seen. He saw nothing but the gorgeous scenery and the blaze of lights, and heard nothing but the booming of the drum in the overture. Then becoming more used to the glare and clamor, he cocked one eye aloft and saw youths of his own age eating peanuts in the gallery. It made his mouth water. He surveyed the however with the of one who has already dined
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