MEET BEN HARDY JUNIOR

“Oh, Gloria, I think he’s just lovely!” cooed Millie, dimpling.

“Yes? Glad you like him,” replied Gloria. “Don’t you?”

“Why should I?”

“Why—why shouldn’t you?”

“I’m sure I don’t know.”

“Why, Glo! You’re being—horrid.”

“Really!”

“Is there anything the matter?”

“Say, Millie, if folks don’t stop asking me that, I’ll—I’ll just make something the matter.”

Good-natured Millie looked aghast. What could have happened to Gloria, the jubilant?

“Of course, Glo dear, I know it is awful for you,” spoke her companion, quickly as she recovered her gasping breath. “Having your dad go and then you going away from all of us.” (There was no mistaking the affection in her soft voice.) “But I was just thinking how lovely it was that such very nice people are going to take your house.”

“We wouldn’t give it to folks that were not nice,” retorted Gloria.

“Oh, you know what I mean,” sighed the unfortunate Millie. Try as she might there seemed no way just now of pleasing the taciturn Gloria.

“Of course, I do, Millie. I was only teasing,” came now the welcome assurance of restored good nature. But there was no real ring in it and Gloria fussed about, picking things up and dropping them quite as impotently and as nervously as any grown-up, moving for the first time, might have indulged in.

“But the young man, you know, Gloria,” braved Millie, “he’s a student, you know.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Have you—that is, have you met him?”

“Why, of course!” Scorn immeasurable exploded with the words.

“I mean, oh, I know you have met him, but—have you been talking to him?” Millie managed to ask.

A burst of laughter rang true this time.

“Millie Willy! Tiddle-down-dilly!” chanted Gloria. “I believe you are going to fall in love with Benjamin Hardy, Junior.”

“Oh, Gloria Doane!” and the plump pink cheeks flushed deeper. “I was only just saying—”

“Here he comes! Now you say it to him.”

“Oh, Gloria, please!” fluttered Millie, looking for a way to escape. “I’ve got to go.”

“You can’t, wait until you hear his velvet voice,” laughed Gloria mockingly.

“Honestly, Glo, I promised mother I’d go right back. She’s doing up crab apple—”

Gloria put a firm hand on the round arm. “You’ve got to stay,” she insisted. “Think I’m going to take care of—of anything like that all alone?”

A moment later “that” was on the porch and both girls waited expectantly. Millie was not alone in her conscious flushing.

He was fine looking, not handsome but scholarly, and he did have a velvet voice.

Without the least hint of embarrassment he advanced to the doorway already blocked by Gloria, while Millie merely peeked over her shoulder.

“I hope I’m not too early,” he said simply, “but mother wanted me to hand you this note— Miss—”

“Gloria,” said the girl in the doorway.

“Oh, yes, Gloria,” he smiled. “Some time when we are better acquainted I’m going to tell you what a pretty name you’ve got,” he said, after the manner of any young man who sees a good opening for a clever compliment.

Millie pinched her chum’s elbow. Also she emitted a little hissing gasp. But Gloria was grown up enough to repress the smile behind her lips.

“Did you—wish an answer?” she faltered in a politely strained voice.

“Oh, no. It’s just something about—something.” (He was attractive.) “As far as I’m concerned Old Briney is so glorious I don’t care about even a roof, but of course, it may come in handy before winter is over,” he remarked pleasantly.

“Oh, it will,” replied Gloria, letting her polite reserve fly out on the breeze that accidently flew in. “The house does keep well heated,” she felt bound to advertise, “but it gets good and cold in Barbend,” she added wisely.

He was edging away. “That’s a wonderful rocky hill over there. Not often do we find one like that around the ocean. May I go up and take a look?”

Millie almost pushed Gloria out the door.

“Oh, Mr. Hardy,” said the girl at front. “I would like to introduce my friend, Miss Millie Graham.”

The meaningless words that followed led up to all three going over to Baldy Rock to inspect the universe from that critical outlook.

Presently as they exchanged the usual opinions on the glory of the ocean, and the gentility of the land that edged it—even Millie forgot to blush and even Gloria forgot to be anxious.

Here was a boy, a rather grown-up boy, who appeared to have the manners of a young man. He naturally put his hand to the arm of either or both girls if they seemed to need the least assistance in climbing the uncertain rocky way that led to the small cliff.

Now, if that had been Tom or any of the other boys, they might have had a hearty laugh should Millie Graham or Gloria Doane “take a header.”

Naturally the girls thought of such a possibility, yet rather daintily did they “pick their steps” under the guidance of the stranger.

Millie was especially susceptible. She “found her tongue” as Jane would have expressed it, and she chattered so incessantly about the wonders of Barbend that Gloria felt already an alien.

“And when you want to, you can go out to the Light House,” chirped Millie, as they landed on Baldy Rock.

“That’ll be fine,” replied the stranger.

“And you’ll be sure to be interested in the big lights—”

“Oh, yes. I mean to take that all in.”

“And we know the Light House Keeper, Peter Bender, don’t we, Glo?”

“Yes,” said Glo.

“And we often go out there in the launch.”

A flash from Gloria’s dark eyes warned Millie. She stopped suddenly, smiled, and dropped down to a spot from which she was in no danger of sliding. Gloria joined her and both laughed slyly while Ben Hardy focussed his marine glasses upon the coveted view.

“Great!” he exclaimed. “This was worth leaving school for.”

“Have—you—left?” asked Gloria.

“Well, you see,” he replied rather awkwardly, “I’m going in for science and I’m determined to get my field work done while I need it. I could have gone on with the books—”

“How dad would have loved to have met you!” exclaimed Gloria impulsively.

“Indeed! Why?”

“Because, that’s just his—hobby also. He wants to see a part of the world. He knows all about this” (with an encompassing wave toward land and over sea), “but he wanted to prove his book work, as he expressed it. That’s why he’s gone away.” She could not keep the droning tone out of her voice. Ben Hardy respected it and only nodded his head.

“But when he comes back,” chirped up Millie, “maybe he’ll bring an Indian Prince—to Gloria.”

“A Prince! I thought you might have said a little slave, one of those water pitcher kind,” laughed Ben.

“Oh, yes, with the earrings—” added Millie.

“And the masquerade costumes,” ventured Gloria.

“Well, I’ll say he ought to bring something pretty nice to make up for taking you away from all this,” conceded Ben. “Don’t you hate to leave it?”

“Oh, you mustn’t,” warned Millie, jumping up quickly. “We are all pledged to keep Gloria—to—to—”

“Oh, I see. A thousand pardons!” begged the young man. “And maybe I’m keeping you from something more important, although it couldn’t be more enjoyable than this,” he declared.

Millie laughed outright.

“Now see here, Miss Millie Graham,” he objected, “I didn’t say this,” touching his coat with his field glasses, “I said that!” waving them at the scenery.

They all laughed. Somehow it seemed easier to laugh than to reply, and Millie just loved a good giggle.

A shout in a well-known voice attracted their attention.

“Oh, here comes Tom!” exclaimed Gloria. “I wonder if—”

“No, nothing is the matter,” quickly interrupted Millie. “Don’t be so jumpy, Glo. You are really getting fidgety.”

Along the rocky footpath Tom was scrambling up to their retreat.

“He’s got a letter,” faltered Gloria.

“Hope it’s good news,” ventured Ben.

“Hey, Glo!” sang out Tom. “Here’s a special!”

Gloria was jumpy. Her heart pounded just now.

“I wonder—” she began.

“It is from New York,” volunteered Tom. Then he saw the young man who had been just a little lower down on the other side of the big rock. Tom’s blue eyes swept critically over the stranger before he turned to leave.

“Wait a minute, Tom,” said Millie. “You want to meet our new neighbor. This is Ben Hardy who is going to live in Gloria’s place.”

“Oh,” said Tom, not over friendly. Then “Hello,” he added with a measured smile. “I guess your mail is coming on ahead. I saw some for Mr. Hardy this morning,” he said simply.

“You help the postmaster out, I see,” replied Ben without any effort to impose upon the boy standing bareheaded in the sun. “Yes, I suppose the mail will find us even out here,” he added. “Going back to town? So am I. We can toddle together,” suggested Ben good naturedly.

“I’d like to only I’m on my wheel,” replied Tom, losing sight of his resentment in the young man’s affability. Tom did resent any young fellow’s coming in on his friendship with Millie and Gloria. That may have been how he felt, but possibly he would not have put it just that way.

Nevertheless both boys tramped off, leaving Gloria gasping with her “special” in hand unopened, and Millie gazing at her anxiously. “What is it, Glo?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” replied the other, “but it’s from dad. Oh, Millie! Suppose he didn’t go!” Millie took hold of Gloria’s hand. “Shall I open it for you?” she offered.

“Oh, no, I’m not so silly,” faltered Gloria with a quick smile. “But you see, Millie, he’s only three days away, and after all—this—”

“Yes, I know, Glo,” soothed the other. “But I’m sure he’s gone. He wanted to go, he told dad so, only, of course,” she hesitated, “of course, he did hate to leave you.”

The letter was now torn open and the sheet inside was unfolded in the uncertain hands of Gloria.

“Oh!” she breathed, a smile and a sigh of relief filling out the simple word. “It’s all right, Millie. This is only a steamer letter. Sit down and let’s read it,” and the two chums proceeded to “devour” the contents of the first welcome letter from the voyager. As they read it they discovered that all was well, and the missive fairly teemed with thrilling details of introduction to the great adventure.