Part 7 (1/2)

”He and Winifred are coming. They were going to bring a rug Win's mother said we could have, and two lamps.”

”They will enjoy carrying them over this hot afternoon!” said Bess, deftly hemming a curtain. ”But it can't be so bad as this morning.

Girls, we had a perfectly dreadful time. It was all on account of that terrible little Swinburne boy. You see, we thought we'd take the big Penfield boat, instead of the canoes, and just as we were pus.h.i.+ng off, that child stepped into the boat from the dock and announced serenely that he was going boating-ride. He did look dear, and quite clean, and we all knew that it was hard to make him change his mind, so we let him come. He sat very still and was as good as gold till we had got a long way from home, and then he began.”

Catherine sighed appreciatively. ”I can imagine, Bess dear. But do tell us.”

”You can't imagine. n.o.body could. He talked a blue streak. And the things he said! He asked what he was made of, and how G.o.d got the eyes in. He told about somebody's having a tooth out and went into dreadful details. And then he got off on a worse tack, and asked Archie where his wife was, and when Archie said he wasn't married, he sighed and looked so sorry, and said: 'Wasn't you _ever_ marwied, Archie? Not even once?' He simply spoiled our morning. It wasn't so much what he did say, as what we thought he might be going to. We had to turn around and come home long before we wanted to, just on account of that child.”

”If you had only thought to have Win sing to him,” said Catherine. ”He will drop off to sleep with the least a.s.sistance, even when he seems widest awake, and Win's lullabies are irresistible. There! that's the last curtain. And there come Archie and Win with a donkey-cart, and--why, what do you think they have? It can't be just a rug and two lamps.”

Every one broke off work to go to meet the donkey-cart, a low, long, box affair, with Winifred and Archie on the seat, and a quant.i.ty of furniture and boxes in the back.

Algernon, still holding a brush, took the donkey by the bridle and backed him up.

”There, unload everything. It's all right. I sent these folks after them. Didn't have time to go myself. Yes, yes, they belong here. The Three R's sent the table.”

With eager exclamations, the boys and girls unloaded six chairs, an oak table, a rocker, a box spilling over with stationery and colored cards, a miscellaneous lot of books, two neat rugs and half a dozen lamps of a variety of styles and shapes.

”The Three R's gave the table and chairs,” explained Algernon, ”and Mrs.

Kittredge said to call at her house for the rocker and some of those lamps. And these other things I bought. Miss Crockett over at Hampton told me what to order and they came to-day, and I opened them up at the house.”

Catherine came up beside Algernon and watched him unpack the boxes of cards, pens, paper clips, mending tissue, paste, shears and other new and s.h.i.+ning articles. She was distinctly surprised. A large share of their little capital must have gone into these purchases. And Algernon had told no one, not even herself, that he was buying them.

Dorcas caught up a sheet of the paper.

”It seems to me it's rather fresh of you to spend the a.s.sociation's money for paper with your name on it, without knowing whether the permanent organization will want you or not.”

The glow faded from Algernon's eyes. The consideration with which he had been treated these last few days had taught him to estimate properly the tolerance which had been all he had received before. Catherine, even, looked puzzled and not quite pleased.

”O, I say,” he protested sadly. ”You don't think I'd go and spend the public money, do you? I thought it would be fun to have these things all ready. I didn't know you'd rather have had me give the money and let the rest of you send in the order. I just did it for my share,--I'm awfully sorry.”

Catherine lifted her head brightly.

”Indeed, you did exactly right. None of us would have known half so wisely how to use it. What did I tell you people? How many towns have librarians who work without pay, and furnish all their materials besides?”

Bert suddenly mounted the seat of the donkey-cart.

”What's the matter with the Boat Club?” he inquired hoa.r.s.ely.

”We're all right,” modestly replied the Boat Club, boys and girls together.

”What's the matter with the Three R's?”

”They're all right.”

”What's the matter with the library?”

”It's all right.”