



Produced by Mardi Desjardins, Stephen Hutcheson, and the
online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at
http://www.pgdpcanada.net









                              Patty—Bride


                                   BY
                             CAROLYN WELLS

                              _Author of_
                    _The_ TWO LITTLE WOMEN _Series_
                         _The_ MARJORIE _Books_
                                 _etc._

                     GROSSET & DUNLAP, _Publishers_
                                NEW YORK


                            Copyright, 1918
                    By Dodd, Mead and Company, Inc.

                        PRINTED IN THE U. S. A.


                                   TO
                    ONE OF THE DEAREST LITTLE GIRLS
                             IN THE WORLD,
                            BARBARA BUEHLER,
                         THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED




                                CONTENTS


  CHAPTER                                                           PAGE
  I Philip’s Chance                                                    9
  II Bumble Arrives                                                   25
  III Captain Bill                                                    42
  IV The Boys in Khaki                                                59
  V A Fire-Eater                                                      73
  VI A Sleighride                                                     89
  VII A Queer Chaperon                                               105
  VIII In the Tea-Room                                               121
  IX Letters                                                         137
  X A Valentine                                                      153
  XI Patty in Tears                                                  170
  XII Lena and Bill                                                  186
  XIII An Important Document                                         202
  XIV Helen’s Adventure                                              220
  XV A Desperate Situation                                           236
  XVI The Flag and the Girl Back Home                                252
  XVII Patty and Bill                                                269
  XVIII Patty’s Wedding                                              286




                              Patty-Bride




                               CHAPTER I
                            PHILIP’S CHANCE


“I can’t _stand_ it, Patty, I simply _can’t_ stand it!”

“But you’ll have to, Phil, dear. I’m engaged to Little Billee, and some
day I’m going to marry him. And that’s all there is about it.”

“Oh, no, Patty, that isn’t all about it. I’m not going to give you up so
easily. You don’t _know_ how I care for you. You’ve no idea what a
determined chap I can be,——”

“Now, stop, Phil. You know you promised that we should be friends and
nothing more. You promised not to ask for more than my friendship—didn’t
you, now?”

“I did but that was only so you’d stay friendly with me, and I
thought,—forgive the egotism,—I thought I could yet win your love.
Patty, you don’t care such a lot for Farnsworth, do you, now?”

“Indeed I do, Phil. Why, do you suppose I’d be engaged to him if I
didn’t love him more than anybody in all the world? Of course I
wouldn’t!”

“I know you think so, Patty,” Phil’s handsome face was grave and kind,
“but you may be mistaken.”

“I’m not mistaken, Philip, and unless you change your subject of
conversation, I’ll have to ask you to go away. I should think you’d
scorn to talk like that to a girl who’s engaged to another man!”

“I should think I would, too, Patty. But I can’t help it. Oh, my girl,
my little love, I can’t give you up. I can’t tamely stand aside and make
no effort to win you back! I’m not asking anything wrong, Patty, only
don’t send me away; let me try once again for you,——”

“It’s too late, Phil,” and Patty looked a little frightened at his
vehemence.

“It’s never too late, until you’re actually married to him. When will
that be?”

“Oh, I don’t know. We’ve only been engaged a fortnight,——”

“And I only learned of it today,——”

“I know, I tried to get you on the telephone,——”

“Yes, I’ve been down in Washington for a week or more. But, Patty,
dearest, think how surprised and stunned I was to hear of it. I came
right over, to learn from you, yourself, if it could be true.”

“Yes, Philip, it is true, and I’m glad and happy about it. I’m sorry
you’ve been disappointed, but—there are others——”

“Hush!” and Van Reypen fairly glared at her, “never imply that there’s
any one else in the world for me! Oh, Patty, my little Patty, I can’t
bear it.”

His great, dark eyes were full of despair, his face was drawn with
sorrow, and Patty forgave him, even while she resented his attitude.

“You mustn’t, Philip,” she said, gently; “it isn’t right for you to talk
to me like that. I feel disloyal, even to listen to it.”

“I don’t care!” Van Reypen burst out. “You’re mine! You promised Aunty
Van you’d marry me! You