A House Party with the Tucker Twins   By: Nell Speed (1878-1913)

[Illustration: SLEEPY TOOK HER BY THE ARM AND CARRIED HER OFF, PROTESTING, BUT HAPPY IN BEING COERCED. Page 37.]

A HOUSE PARTY WITH THE TUCKER TWINS

By

NELL SPEED

Author of "The Molly Brown Series," "The Carter Girls Series," "At Boarding School With the Tucker Twins," etc., etc.

With Four Illustrations by ARTHUR O. SCOTT

[Illustration]

NEW YORK HURST & COMPANY PUBLISHERS

Copyright, 1921 BY HURST & COMPANY

Contents

I. MAXTON 7 II. THE COUNTRY STORE 19 III. ENGAGING IN MERCANTILE PURSUITS 35 IV. DEE TUCKER MAKES A SALE 51 V. THE HUMAN FLY 63 VI. "BIG MEETIN'" 78 VII. THE REASON WHY 96 VIII. THE CIRCUS 113 IX. THE PERFORMANCE 128 X. THE GHOST OF A GHOST 140 XI. THE PICNIC 148 XII. THE SHOPPER ROON 165 XIII. TANGLEFOOT 185 XIV. A YOUNGER SON 203 XV. SLEEPY WAKES UP 219 XVI. THINGS HAPPENING 231 XVII. MORE THINGS HAPPENING 246 XVIII. THE END OF AN EVENTFUL DAY 259 XIX. PLANS FOR THE FUTURE 271 XX. A LETTER FROM ANNIE PORE TO PAGE ALLISON 283 XXI. A LETTER FROM GEORGE MASSIE TO PAGE ALLISON 296 XXII. A LETTER FROM PAGE ALLISON TO THE TUCKER TWINS 300

A House Party With the Tucker Twins

CHAPTER I

MAXTON

THERE may be more fun than a house party, but I doubt it. Certainly I, Page Allison, have never had it. What could be more delightful than to spend two weeks in a beautiful old country home with such a host as General Price, and to have as fellow guests all the girl friends you care for most in the world, to say nothing of some of the male persuasion that at least you don't hate?

Harvie Price had been promised this house party by his grandfather as reward of merit, and, like most things earned by hard labor, it proved to be worth the work expended. The Tucker Twins of course were there, Mary Flannagan, Shorty Hawkins, George Massie (alias Sleepy), Wink White, Jim Hart, and Ben Raglan, whose other name was Rags. There were two men from the University whom we did not know before, but it did not take long for us to forget that they were new acquaintances. They fitted in wonderfully well and a few hours found them behaving like old and tried friends. Their names were Jack Bennett and Billy Somers, and both of them hailed from Kentucky. There was a new girl in the party, Jessie Wilcox. She wasn't quite so easy to know as the new boys.

I always feel like crying when I think of dear little Annie Pore's connection with that house party. She was of course the very first person Harvie asked, the one he wanted most. I think in his mind the party was given to Annie, and when Mr. Pore with characteristic selfishness and stubbornness refused to let her go, it was a blow indeed.

His plea was that he needed her to keep the store for him. He had hired a clerk after Annie went to boarding school, and owing to his growing business, had kept the boy on through vacation, but on the eve of the house party had seen fit to get rid of him, having sent him on an unasked for and undesired holiday.

"I found it out only this morning," said Harvie gloomily.