Diana and the Three Behrs by Fleeta Cunningham

Author:Fleeta Cunningham [Cunningham, Fleeta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, vintage
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2018-01-18T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Diana saw little chance to help Adler bring the older couple together for several days. Either Fred or Otto faithfully turned up to walk with her to the bank every morning. She didn’t know what reason Adler had given them for the necessity, but neither seemed to mind. In the course of their walk, she learned about Fred’s young lady, heard praise of her pretty ways and her sound ideas about making a home, until she was quite sure no mortal woman could possess all the virtues he claimed for his Freya. Otto, older and less talkative, played chess and reviewed, both in his mind and in his words, every move of the game he was playing by mail with a man in St. Louis as he walked with her on his mornings. Since Diana had no knowledge of the game, it was a fairly one-sided conversation. Elizabeth caught a summer cold and kept Papa Behr at home, leaving the escort duties to Adler, but Diana had no objection to having the man she found increasingly endearing walk her home. At the end of a week, however, Elizabeth was declared well enough to go out, and Diana found herself driven home in Papa’s elegant new car, Elizabeth chattering happily from the jump seat behind her and the elder Behr casting indulgent looks at the little magpie.

“Miss Diana, I’m going to be five a week from Saturday, and I’m going to have a big party, with a cake, and Papa’s going to put tables out in front of the house, and Unkler’s going to have a pony cart for us to ride in, and everybody’s going to bring me lots of pretty things.” She stopped for a breath. “And you’re going to come too, aren’t you?”

“I’ll be delighted to come, Elizabeth. Are you really going to be five? That’s very grown up. You’ll be going to school in just a little while.”

The flaxen braids flew. “Not for another whole year, Unkler says. Not till I’m six.” She flashed a smile full of mischief. “But he’s going to teach me to read; then I can skip first grade, if I work really, really hard.”

Diana wondered if the man had any idea what he was getting into, but she kept the thought to herself. “What do you want for your birthday?”

“A pink cake. And lots of hair ribbons, a different color for every dress.”

“You’ll look very nice with them in your pretty braids.”

“And a doll. A doll I can take to bed and sing to.”

“You have a lot of plans for your party. It sounds like fun.”

The subject of the party continued to dominate the conversation until the blue car pulled up to Frau Hepple’s house.

“Can you come in for a minute, Papa? You and Elizabeth. I have something I’d like to give her.”

Papa Behr started to shake his head, but Elizabeth, captivated by the suggestion of a gift, chimed in with such a heartfelt “please, Papa” that he couldn’t resist.

“For a minute, then,” he said in surrender.

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