Betty's Happy Year. Wells Carolyn
you like this at home?” she said, scarcely realizing that the question was extremely personal. “Do you never chum with people?” Miss Maxwell broke into a ringing laugh.
“I’m the chummiest thing in the world,” she said; “I’d love to be chums with you, but I’m so – so afraid of you!”
“Afraid of me!” exclaimed Betty, opening her dark eyes wide in astonishment. “Why, it’s scared to death I am of you!”
Then both girls went off into peals of laughter, for Betty’s quick wit caught the real state of the case, and Evangeline, too, saw the truth.
“But I thought you so grand I must be extra polite,” said Betty, as they became calm again.
“And I thought because you were the owner of this big house, I must behave with great dignity! Please be chums. May I call you Betty?”
“I should hope so! I’m still too much afraid to say Evangeline, though.”
“Call me Van, then; lots of my friends do, and I like it.”
“I love it! It makes us friends at once. I think it was the ‘Evangeline’ part of you that scared me most. Why, when I heard that, I made the boys and girls give up our baked beans dinner, and have lobster pâtés and soufflée meringue.”
“A baked beans dinner! What do you mean? My! but that sounds jolly!”
So Betty told Evangeline of the Puritan party that had been set aside because of the unexpected guests.
“Oh, what a shame!” cried Van. “I should have loved it; can’t you get it up again? I can scrabble up a frock, I’m sure! It would be so much more fun than a grand dinner! oh, a thousand times more! Pumpkin-pie and cider and candle-light! Oh! Oh! Can’t you get it back?”
“I don’t see how I could, Van. It’s after two now, and dinner’s at seven. But let’s try. Jack! Jack!”
Jack came at Betty’s call, and he was informed of the wonderful discoveries the two girls had made concerning each other. He looked a little disgusted at Betty’s lack of intuition in the matter, and said: “Whew! what queer things girls are!” but he accepted the new situation, and set his wits to work to help Betty out.
“Why, I should think we could manage it somehow,” he said. “Give Pete and Ellen charge of the dinner part of it; send word to your gorgeous caterer man that the dinner is postponed; and you, Betty, hop into the cutter and fly round and tell those who haven’t any telephone, while I stay here and call up all those who have. I’ll wager they’ll all come.”
Come they did, every one of them. They wore quaint Puritan costumes, which were delightful to look at, if they were made of such humble materials as cheese-cloth and silkoline. The boys were stunning in their picturesque suits, and the dining-room was truly old-fashioned with its onions and red peppers strung from the rafters. The homely viands were eaten with decided enjoyment, and afterward even old Mr. Irving joined in the Virginia Reel.
“I’m so glad,” said Betty, as she and Van went to their rooms after the party was over, “that I learned of your ability to ‘chum,’ before it was too late.”
“I’m glad, too,” said her English guest; “I wouldn’t have missed this experience for anything. I shall always remember what is probably the only Thanksgiving party I shall ever attend.”
II
A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
“Why, of course,” said Betty, “Christmas will be fun, whatever we do; but I mean I’d like to do something specially exciting.”
“Such as?” demanded Jack, her adopted brother.
“Oh, I don’t know; I can’t think of anything. But we can have a party here any time; I’d like to go somewhere else for the day – somewhere where there’s something to see and do.”
“Restless little Betty,” said her mother, smiling. “Well, what do you think of going to Lakewood for a few days?”
Betty looked dubious.
“Lakewood is lovely,” she said, “and I do want to go there again sometime; but it doesn’t seem just right for Christmas. I want to do something more – more – ”
“Rackety,” suggested Jack.
“Yes, more gay and festive. I’d like to fly to the North Pole in an air-ship.”
“With flags waving and bands playing?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be fun? What could we do, Mother?”
Her mother caressed Betty’s curly head and smiled indulgently at her, as she said:
“Let me think a minute. There must be plenty of places if you’re bent on going away somewhere. How about New York?”
“Oh, that’s just right!” cried Betty. “Let’s all go to New York to spend Christmas, and see the beautiful things there. Oh, wouldn’t we have fun!”
Betty’s eyes fairly shone with delighted anticipation, and she threw a sofa-pillow at Jack to stir him to greater enthusiasm.
“Wake up, Sleepyhead!” she cried. “Come on, let’s plan it all.”
“If you choose,” said her mother, “you might invite Agnes Graham and her brother to go with you.”
“Oh, Mother! That will be grand! We’ll have the greatest time anybody ever had!”
“Glorious!” said Jack, roused to enthusiasm at last. “It will be fine if Jamie, or ‘Stub’ as we call him, is along. When shall we start?”
“Christmas is next week, Thursday, Betty,” said her mother. “Suppose we start about Tuesday and come home on Friday?”
“Just right!” said Betty. “And stay at a fine hotel and go to the shops – and the play? Oh, Mother, could we go to the play?”
“Yes, I think we’ll go to a matinée,” said her mother. “Do you think Mrs. Graham would spare both her children on Christmas day?”
“I don’t know,” said Betty, a little doubtfully, “but I’ll ask her, and I know Agnes and Stub will be crazy to go, so prob’ly we can coax her into it.”
Wheedlesome Betty did “coax Mrs. Graham into it,” though that lady was loath to be separated from her son and daughter at the Christmas season. But the proposed trip was so tempting that permission was finally given, and the four young people were radiant with happiness at the prospect.
“I shall take Lisette,” said Mrs. McGuire, speaking of her own maid, “and if I get too tired to take you children around to all the places you want to go to, she can go with you; she is thoroughly reliable and capable.”
So everything was arranged.
Tuesday proved to be a clear, cold day, and the party started off in high spirits. Of course the Grahams were Betty’s guests for the whole trip.
Though Betty’s large fortune, inherited from her paternal grandfather, was all her own, her mother had been appointed her guardian until she should come of age; and while conscientious and prudent as to expenditures, she also was determined that Betty should be allowed a goodly number of the harmless pleasures that her large income justified her having.
So when the New York trip was decided upon, Mrs. McGuire made every effort to give the children the most enjoyable time possible.
And it was for this reason she proposed taking the two Grahams as guests.
Lisette had been with her mistress a long time, and was well versed in looking after the luggage and all such details, so the party had nothing to do but enjoy every moment. But, noticing a tendency on Jack’s part to make himself useful and attentive, Betty’s mother wisely encouraged it, knowing it was for the boy’s own good.
When they reached New York, the children, used to the quiet village life of Greenborough, were fascinated and almost bewildered