The Seven Sleuths' Club

by Carol Norton

  CHAPTER VI. MILK MAIDS AND BUTTER CHURNERS

  The next day arrived, as next days will, and, as the blizzard had blownitself away and only a soft feathery snow was falling, the girls,communicating by the repaired telephone system, decided to walk to thehome of Peggy Pierce, which was centrally located. In fact, it was on aquiet side street "below the tracks," not a fashionable neighborhood, butthat mattered not at all to the girls of Sunnyside. The parents of someof the seven were the richest in town, others were just moderately welloff, but one and all were able to send their daughters to the seminary,and that constituted the main link that bound them together, for they saweach other every day and walked back and forth together. Peggy's fatherowned "The Emporium," a typical village dry-goods store.

  Peg threw the door open as soon as the girls appeared at the wooden gatein the fence that surrounded the rather small yard of her home.

  "Hurray for the 'S. S. C.'!" she sang out, and Merry replied with theinevitable, "Hail! Hail! The gang's all here!"

  When they were in the vestibule and Peg, with a small broom, had sweptfrom each the soft snow, they flocked into the double parlors which werebeing warmed by a cosy, air-tight stove. On the walls were old-fashionedfamily portraits, and the haircloth furniture proclaimed to the mostcasual observer that it had seen its best days, but, as in the home ofBertha, there was an atmosphere of comfort and cheer which made one feelpleased to be there. A dear little old lady sat between the window andthe stove. She pushed her "specs" up on the ruffle of herlavender-ribboned cap, and beamed at the girls as they entered. Then,laying down her knitting, she held out a softly wrinkled hand toGertrude, who was the first at her side.

  "I hope you girls won't mind my being here," she said, looking from oneto another. "I could go somewhere else, if you would."

  "Well, Grandmother Dorcas, I'll say you'll not go anywhere else," Peggydeclared at once. "For one thing, there _isn't_ another real warm room inthis house except the kitchen, and secondly, we all want you to help usplan this prank."

  The old lady, who had partly risen, sank back as she looked lovingly ather grandchild. To the others she said: "It's mighty nice of Peggy towant me to share her good times. Some young folks don't do that. Theythink grandparents are too old to enjoy things, I guess, but I feel justas young inside as I did when I was your age, and that was a good manyyears ago. Now go right ahead, just like I wasn't here." The dear oldlady took up her knitting, replaced her glasses, and began to make theneedles fly dexterously.

  "Did you all find suitable costumes?" the hostess asked. "I didn't,"Betty Byrd declared. "You know when Mother and I came up from the Southto keep house for Uncle George, we only brought our newest clothes, andnothing that was suitable for a milkmaid costume."

  "Well, don't you worry, little one," Peggy laughingly declared, forBetty's pretty face was looking quite dismal. "My Grandmother Dorcas hassaved everything she wore since she was a little girl, I do believe, andnow she is eighty years old. There are several trunks full of things inthe attic. I told Grandma about our plan, and she was so amused, morethan Geraldine will be, I'm sure of that. I thought we'd go up there todress. It's real warm, for Mother has been baking all the morning and thekitchen chimney goes right through the storeroom and it's cosy as canbe." Then to the little old lady, who was somewhat deaf, the girl said ina louder voice: "Grandma, dear, when we're dressed, we'll come down hereand show you how we look."

  The sweet, wrinkled old face beamed with pleasure. "Good! Good!" shesaid. "I'll want to see you."

  All of the girls except Betty had bundles or satchels and merrily theyfollowed their young hostess upstairs to the attic.

  They found the small trunk-room cosy and warm, as Peggy had promised. Onthe wall hung a long, racked mirror, and few chairs that were out ofrepair stood about the walls. Several trunks there were including onethat looked very old indeed.

  For a jolly half hour the girls tried on the funny old things they foundin the trunks, utilizing some of the garments they had brought from theirhomes, and at the end of that time they were costumed to their completesatisfaction.

  In front of the long, cracked mirror Rose stood laughing merrily. "Oh,girls," she exclaimed, "don't I look comical?"

  She surely did, for, on top of her yellow curls, she had a red felt hatwith the very high crown which had been in vogue many years before.

  This Peggy had trimmed with a pink ribbon and a green feather. Anold-fashioned calico dress with a bright red sash and fingerless glovesfinished the costume. The other girls were gowned just as outlandishly,and they laughed until the rafters rang.

  "Peggy, you are funniest of all," Merry declared.

  "That's because she has six braids sticking out in all directions," BettyByrd said, "with a different colored piece of calico tied to each one."

  "Honestly, girls, I have laughed until my sides ache," Doris Drexel said,"but what I would like to know is how are we ever going to keep straightfaces when we get there? If one of us laughs that will give the wholething away."

  "We had practice enough in that comedy we gave last spring at school,"Bertha Angel said. "Don't you remember we had to look as solemn as owlsall through that comical piece? Well, what we did once, we can do again."

  "I did giggle just a little," their youngest confessed.

  "Betty Byrd, don't you dare giggle!" Peggy shook a warning finger at thelittle maid. Then she added: "It's such a lot of work to get all deckedup like this, I wish we could make that call today."

  Merry's face brightened. "We can! I actually forgot to tell you thatAlfred Morrison was over last night to see Brother and told him they hadarrived a day sooner than they had expected."

  "Hurray for us!" Doris sang out. "It does seem like wasted effort to getall togged up this way just for a rehearsal."

  "Let's go downstairs and speak our parts before Grandma Dorcas, thenwe'll find someone to drive us out. I'll phone the store and see if I canborrow Johnnie Cowles. He's delivering for The Emporium now, and I guessthis snowy day he can spare the time."

  This being agreed upon, they descended to the living-room. The girlspretended that Grandma Dorcas was the proud Geraldine and that they werecalling upon her. The old lady enjoyed her part and did it well; thenJohnnie appeared with the sleigh and the girls gleefully departed.