Billy with Aunt Hannah had gone directly to their Back Bay hotel. "This
is for just while I'm house-hunting," the girl had said. But very soon
she had decided to go to Hampden Falls for the summer and postpone her
house-buying until the autumn. Billy was twenty-one now, and there were
many matters of business to arrange with Lawyer Harding, concerning her
inheritance. It was not until September, therefore, when Billy once more
returned to Boston, that the Henshaw brothers had the opportunity of
renewing their acquaintance with William's namesake.
"I want a home," Billy said to Bertram and William on the night of
her arrival. (As before, Mrs. Stetson and Billy had gone directly to a
hotel.) "I want a real home with a furnace to shake--if I want to--and
some dirt to dig in."
"Well, I'm sure that ought to be easy to find," smiled Bertram.
"Oh, but that isn't all," supplemented Billy. "It must be mostly closets
and piazza. At least, those are the important things."
"Well, you might run across a snag there. Why don't you build?"
Billy gave a gesture of dissent.
"Too slow. I want it now."
Bertram laughed. His eyes narrowed quizzically.
"From what Calderwell says," he bantered, "I should judge that there are
plenty of sighing swains who are only too ready to give you a home--and
now."
The pink deepened in Billy's cheeks.
Pages:
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125