The Strange Proposal by Grace Livingston Hill

Author:Grace Livingston Hill [Hill, Grace Livingston]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-63058-196-1
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2014-10-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Boothby Farwell tried to walk back with Mary Elizabeth, but she eluded him three times and dashed ahead to speak to somebody else, and at last he gave up and sulked behind the crowd.

When they all were dressed and back on the piazza again they found there were little tables scattered about and pleasant chairs beside them, enough for everybody. The tables were set with spotless white linen squares and everything needful in the way of dishes and silver. There was a plate of salad, cool and inviting, at every place. Mary Elizabeth gave a sigh of relief. Susan and Sam had done wonders.

They were no sooner seated than Sam marched in with a tray of plates, the appetizing odor of fried fish spicing the air and whetting appetites already keen by the plunge into the sea.

Big reserve platters of fish and quaint linen-lined baskets of hot biscuits appeared as soon as there was need of them. Pickles and cheese went the rounds, and approval ran high.

“Say, this is great! You can’t take Elizabeth off her guard! She’s always prepared for an unexpected crowd!” They called out for more butter and to have their glasses of iced coffee replenished again and again.

Sam, going about with trays and pitchers, waiting gravely upon the guests, had the air of an elderly host who disapproved of the company but nevertheless desired to stuff them to their capacity. After the super strawberries and cream and sponge cake were finished with more iced coffee, the little tables disappeared as if by magic, and Sam was seen to saunter by in a brilliant red bathing suit, going in the direction of the beach.

“What about a little drink, Tally?” called out Boothby Farwell as Sam stepped noiselessly by the piazza on the thick turf of the lawn. Sam grinned on the off-side of his mouth. Only he knew that there was no drink. He had carefully investigated while the crowd were swimming in the morning, had dexterously opened each bottle stowed in the cars and sent the contents gurgling harmlessly down the drain behind the house, filled the bottles with good honest water from the hose faucet, cleverly replaced the stoppers, and gone on his way rejoicing in silent revenge for a lost morning. He had silenced his conscience by telling it that he did it so there wouldn’t be any funny business to annoy his cousin, in case Tally Randall took a little too much. Sam was a clever lad. And so he stalked sternly down to the water, dived out into the waves, and planned to be a good way from shore and duck under if anybody came after him to visit a just punishment upon him.

But it happened that Tally and Boothby returned from their visit to the car with empty hands.

“There’s been a mistake in that case of liquor,” announced Boothby in annoyance. “They must have given us a case of bottles that were not properly inspected. I can’t understand it. There’s nothing but water in the rest of them.

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