Molly Brown of Kentucky   By: Nell Speed (1878-1913)

by

NELL SPEED

Author of "The Tucker Twins Series," "The Carter Girls Series," etc.

[Illustration]

A. L. Burt Company Publishers New York

Printed in U. S. A.

Copyright, 1917, By Hurst & Company, Inc.

Printed in U. S. A.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I A LETTER 5

II THE ORCHARD HOME 19

III KENT BROWN 37

IV AFTERNOON TEA 51

V LETTERS FROM PARIS AND BERLIN 61

VI AT THE TRICOTS' 80

VII A MOTHER'S FAITH 99

VIII DES HALLES 112

IX THE AMERICAN MAIL 123

X THE ZEPPELIN RAID 132

XI "L'HIRONDELLE DE MER" 138

XII TUTNO 147

XIII THE "SIGNY" 160

XIV THE CABLEGRAM 167

XV WELLINGTON AGAIN 185

XVI IRISHMAN'S CURTAINS 200

XVII HEROES AND HERO WORSHIPERS 221

XVIII CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE 246

XIX WASTED DYE 263

XX A WAR BRIDE 270

XXI THE FLIGHT 283

XXII THE WEDDING BREAKFAST 296

XXIII THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER 304

Molly Brown of Kentucky.

CHAPTER I.

A LETTER.

From Miss Julia Kean to Mrs. Edwin Green.

Giverny, France, August, 1914.

Dearest old Molly Brown of Kentucky:

You can marry a million Professor Edwin Greens, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., L.D. (the last stands for lucky dog), and you can also have a million little Green Olive Branches, but you will still be Molly Brown of Kentucky to all of your old friends.

I came up to Giverny last week with the Polly Perkinses. They are great fun and, strange to say, get on rather better than most married folks. Jo is much meeker than we ever thought she could be, now that she has made Polly cut his hair and has let her own grow out. Polly is more manly, too, I think and asserts himself occasionally, much to Jo's delight. I should not be at all astonished if his falsetto voice turned into a baritone, if not a deep bass. He walks with quite a swagger and talks about my wife this and my wife that in such masculine pride that you would not know him.

Paris was rather excited when we came through last week. I have been at Quimperle all summer and only stopped in Paris long enough to get some paints and canvas. I had actually painted out. Jo had written me to join her in this little housekeeping scheme at Giverny. I wish you could see the house we have taken. It is too wonderful that it is ours! Such peace and quiet! Especially so, after the turmoil in Paris. I have seen so few papers that I hardly know what it is all about; no doubt you in Kentucky with your Courier Journal know more than I do. They talk of war, but of course that is nonsense. Anyhow, if there is a war, I bet I am going to be Johnny on the Spot. But of course there won't be one.

I miss Kent, but I need hardly tell you that. I almost gave in and sailed with him, but it was much best for me to wait in France for my mother and father. They are now in Berlin waiting for the powers that be to give some kind of a permit for some kind of a road that Bobby is to build from Constantinople to the interior; that is, he is to build it if he can get the permission of the Imperial Government. What the Germans have to do with Turkey, you can search me, but that is what Bobby writes me. He has done a lot of work on it already in the way of preliminary plans. I am to hang around until I hear from them, so I am going to hang around with the Polly Perkinses.