The Red House by George Agnew Chamberlain

Author:George Agnew Chamberlain
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Published: 2019-10-27T16:00:00+00:00

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NATH saw Tibby hurrying up the lane and went to meet her. She was out of breath and stared at him as if she faced a stranger; it wasn’t that he was different from himself, but so different from Teller. It shocked her into wondering what she’d better say. Either she had to tell him everything or pretend she hadn’t heard about Meg, pretend like mad about the rest too. Never had her beauty flamed more violently. Her pale cheeks were bright and her lips alive with color, but strangest of all was a sort of swirl in her eyes that made them seem as breathless as the rest of her. Nath felt flattered by her haste and then uneasy.

“Why all the rush so late?” he asked.

“Whose fault if I’m late?” she said sharply. “Yours—that’s who. You’ve been so queer lately I couldn’t make up my mind. I was ready early. I had my bike out, then I put it back. Finally, I just sort of started for a walk and got lost. What’s the matter with you, anyway? You’re a fine one to be picking on me! Where’ve you been all week?”

Nath frowned. “Haven’t you heard about Meg?”

“No! What?”

“She fell out of a tree last Sunday and broke two ribs and a leg, but she’s getting well fast.”

“My goodness! Fell out of a tree? How on earth?” Tibby could feel her color deepening from the way she was lying. “Say,” she continued angrily, “why couldn’t you come in and tell me, all this time?”

“I been mighty busy, Tibby,” said Nath conciliatingly. “Anyways, I sort of thought you’d hear it from the doc. Why don’t you go ahead up and let Meg give you all the dope?”

“All right,” said Tibby, looking hard at him, “but afterwards you and me had better have a talk.”

Because she saw that Pete was drowsing, Tibby passed through the kitchen with only a murmured word, and presently was listening to Meg spin her tale about climbing for the mistletoe. It gave her a kick to make her tell it twice, knowing all the time that she was lying from start to finish. But why? What reason was there to lie? What had really happened? Meg looked prettier than ever before in her life. The glow of convalescence was in her cheeks and the shine of it in her eyes. Had Nath been seeing her this way? Of course he had. Tibby didn’t have to fake interest in the tale. With lips parted and eyes wide, she wished she dared lean over, take Meg by the throat and choke the truth out of her.

“My,” she said, “I’d like to see how high is that mistletoe. When you going to get up?”

“I don’t know,” said Meg. “I feel fine. Bet I could do it now, soon as I get some crutches. Nath’s making a pair. He says he can make ’em as good as bought.”

Tibby rose. “I wouldn’t think he’d have time, the way he says he’s been so busy.

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