"Sure!" said Billy again feeling the warm glow of her friendliness and
loyalty to Mark, and digging his toes into the turf embarrassedly. Then
he looked up casually as he was about to leave: "Say is there a guy here named Shafton? Man from n'Yark?"
"Why, yes," said Lynn looking at him curiously, "Did you want to see
him?"
"Well, if he's round I might. I got a message for him."
She looked at him keenly: "You haven't seen Mark to-day, have you, Billy?"
"Aw, naw,'taint from him," he grinned reassuringly, "He's away just
now. But I might see him soon ya know, ur hear from him."
Lynn's face cleared. "Yes, of course. His mother told me he was
suddenly called back to New York."
"Yep. That's right!" said Billy as if he knew all about it, and pulled
off his old cap with a glorious wave as she turned to call the
stranger.
Billy dropped his wheel at the curb and approached the steps as he saw
Shafton coming slowly out leaning on a cane. He rustled the folded
newspaper out from his pocket with one hand and shook it open as only a
boy's sleight of hand can do, wafting it in front of the astonished
Laurie, and saying with an impudent swag, "Say, z'your name Shafton? Well, see that? Why don't you beat it
home? Your ma is about t'croke, an' yer dad has put up about all his
dough, an' you better rustle back to where you come from an' tell 'em
not to b'leeve all the bunk that's handed out to 'em! Good night! They
must need a nurse!"
Laurie paused in the act of lighting one of his interminable cigarettes
with which he supplied the lack of a stronger stimulant, and stared at
the boy curiously, then stared at the paper he held in his hand with
the flaring headlines, and reaching out his hand for it began to laugh: "Well, upon my word, Kid, where'd you get this? If that isn't a joke! I
wonder if Opal's seen it. Miss Severn, come here! See what a joke! I'm
kidnapped! Did you ever hear the like? Look at the flowery sentences.
It's almost like reading one's own obituary, isn't it?"
Marilyn, glancing over his shoulder at the headlines, took in the
import of it instantly. "I should think you'd want to telephone your
mother at once. How she must have suffered!" she said.
Laurie somewhat sobered agreed that it would be a good idea: "The mater's a good old scout," he said lightly, "She's always helping
me out of scrapes, but this is one too many to give up her emeralds,
the Shafton Emeralds! Gosh but dad will be mad about them! And Oh, say,
call that boy back will you? I want to give him a dollar!"