*CHAPTER XIV*
*THE LAWN FETE*
For two weeks the little Finns remained at Greenacres, getting rosy andhappy. The girls hunted up their old toys; Rika rambled around with alittle red express wagon, and Maryanna hugged a big doll to her heartall day long and slept with it at night.
Up at Maple Lawn the tired mother grew steadily better, partly from Dr.Gallup's medicine, partly from Cousin Roxy's persistent infusion ofhope, womanly courage, and endurance into her mind. As she grewstronger she began to help Cousin Roxy around the house, and Hiram incaring for the cows. This was odd for a woman, it seemed to MissRobbins, but Karinya told her it was what she had always done in thehomeland when she was a girl, dairy work on a farm, and she liked itbest. And out of this grew a plan that Mrs. Robbins helped with. Therewere three good Holstein cows over at the Finnish home, and when EllaLou took back the Mother and two kiddies, Cousin Roxana put up abusiness proposition to the brother and sister. They were to makebutter, the very best butter they could, and Mrs. Robbins would getcustomers for them back at the Cove in Long Island. Homemade butter uphere in the hills ranged from ten to twelve cents below the city marketprice, and was better in every way. So prosperity began to dawn for thelittle woman who had been too tired to live, and Cousin Roxana kept aneye on the upland farm all summer long, with Jean to help with thechildren.
After the children went home, the girls turned their attention heart andsoul to the lawn party. The first thing to be sure of was a full moon.This came along the last week in June, so they made their arrangementsaccordingly.
The committee meeting turned out a success in every way. Saturdayafternoon Mrs. Robbins and the girls set the dark green willow chairsand table under one of the pines on the lower terrace, and prepared toconquer. The three ministers arrived, each one surprised to find theother two present, but all very gracious and pleasant.
"Why, they were almost cordial before they left," Kit declared after itwas over. "I think the prospect of having anyone besides Cousin Roxymake an effort for a good time inspired them. I'm to have charge of afishpond, and Helen will sell flowers with fortunes attached to them,and Dorrie can help with the ice cream. I know that will suit her."
"I'm to be gypsy fortune teller," Jean announced. "Mother, dear, may Ihave your Oriental silk mantel scarf, please, and the gold bead fringeoff the little boudoir lamp in your room?"
"You may have anything to help the cause along," Mrs. Robbins answeredhappily. "I've sent down to New York for Chinese lanterns to decoratethe grounds with, and Hiram's going to play the violin for us. I'm sureit will be very sociable and just what they need up here."
Honey and Piney took almost as much interest in the affair as the girlsthemselves. All that day, when it finally did arrive, they worked,putting wires around the trees out on the lawn, and hanging up themany-colored lanterns. Two tents were erected, one for Jean as thegypsy, and the other for lemonade, made in two big new tubs. Helen saidshe had cut and squeezed lemons until her whole mouth was puckered up,and her finger nails felt pickled. Kit was everywhere at once, itseemed. She inspired the two ministers to join hands in brotherly ardorand erect long plank tables for refreshments. She showed Honey how totwist young birches together and make an inviting arch over the entranceposts at the end of each drive. She beguiled Hiram, who had come downfrom Maple Lawn to help around a bit, into moving the piano out on thefront veranda.
"When you're tired of playing the violin for them, Mother or one of usgirls will play the piano. Music sounds ever so nice at night."
It did seem as if all Gilead Center, Gilead Green, and Gilead Proper hadturned out to show its neighborly spirit. There were teams hitchedalong the road, and teams hitched in the barnyard and the front yard andeverywhere. The Chinese lanterns made the grounds look wonderfullyenticing and Hiram sat up on the veranda in a kitchen chair tipped backagainst the wall, and played bewitchingly, so Helen said.
"I shouldn't wonder, Miss Robbins, if we had as many as a hundred folkshere tonight," said Mr. Lampton.
"More likely two hundred, Mr. Lampton. It only goes to show what reallylies back in our hearts and needs digging up--sociability. Bless theirhearts, how I do love to see them all enjoying themselves." CousinRoxana moved her glasses half an inch higher up on her nose and surveyedthe scene. Miss Titheradge was helping Mr. Collins pass the ice cream,and the two were chatting happily together.
Up on the veranda Mrs. Robbins hovered between the Morris chair, whereMr. Robbins sat, and her various guests, welcoming each in her owncharming way, and blending the different social elements together withtact and understanding.
Helen and Kit followed Jean's lead. First Jean rounded up the girlswhom she had met on the drive with Piney and introduced them to theother Greenacre girls. Doris could not be located from one minute toanother. She was like a firefly, bobbing around with a big orangecolored Chinese lantern on the end of a long mop handle. But Helen andKit led the other girls over to the refreshment tent and had them alldon little white aprons and help serve ice cream and cake. It was muchbetter than standing around, shy and silent, not knowing what to donext. Kit found one girl, Abby Tucker, leaning disconsolately against apear tree at the side of the drive. Her white dress was too short forher, and her hair was cut short to her neck and tied with a bow on topvery tightly. She looked lonely and rather indignant too.
"Don't you want to come over and help us with the ice cream?" asked Kit.
"No, I don't," said Abby flatly. "They always ask me to help passthings to eat at the church suppers. I want to have a good time myselftonight. Though we aren't going to have a good time."
Kit looked at her doubtfully. She thoroughly realized the state of mindthat will not let itself be happy, that in fact, finds its happiness inbeing unhappy, but Abby's moroseness baffled her.
"Don't you like it here?" she asked.
Abby nodded.
"Don't you know anyone?"
"Know most of them. My father's a blacksmith and they all come over toget shod."
"Then what is it?" Kit laid her arm around the stooped shoulders and atthe touch of real human sympathy, Abby's reserve melted.
"My new shoes pinch awful," she exploded.
Kit never stayed upon the order of her going. She took her straight upto the house to her own room, and ransacked closets and shoe boxes untilshe found a pair of low shoes to fit Abby, and the latter came downagain smiling and radiant, ready to serve ice cream, or make herselfagreeable in any way she could.
Piney came up to the veranda where Mrs. Robbins sat, personallyconducting her mother to meet her. She was a tall, fair-haired womanwith deep dimples, like the children's, and a happy face. Seated in awillow rocker on the veranda with the roses and honeysuckle shedding aperfume around, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Seems so nice to sit up here again, Mrs. Robbins," she said. "Piney'stold me all about how you've fixed the place up till it seemed as if Icouldn't wait to see it. I used to drive over once in a while afterFather died, and get some slips of flowering quince and rose bushes toset out. You know I love every blade of grass in the garden and everypine cone on those trees."
"It's too bad you and the children could not have had it."
"Well, I don't know. I never fret much over what has to be. Maybe thisboy Ralph is all right. He's my nephew, but I've never seen him. Hisfather was a claim settler out in Oregon first off, when Cousin Francemarried him. We called her that. Her name was Francelia. Good stock, Iguess. I wish Honey could know him, he's so set on being a rancher. Isuppose settling and ranching's about the same thing?"
"Not quite," Mrs. Robbins told her. Then came a chat about her ownfather's ranch in California, and when Piney came back after her mother,she found her all animated and interested over Honey's future.
Kit and Etoile were arranging a dancing class for alternate Saturdayafternoons, the ones between to be given up to lawn tennis and b
asketball. Ingeborg and Astrid and Hedda Hagerstrom stood listening andagreeing with shining eyes and eager faces, but silent shy tongues.Hedda was short and strong looking, with the bluest eyes possible andheavy blond braids. She stared at Kit with wide-eyed wonder, Kit,radiant and joyous in her prettiest summery dress, with sprays offlowering almond around her head like a pink blossomy crown.
"You'll come, won't you, Hedda?" she asked. "And bring any other girlsover your way."
"There's only Abby over my way. We live on the same road."
"Then bring Abby, but tell her to wear old shoes. We ought to findenough girls to make up a good team out here."
"Do you like hikes?" asked Sally Peckham. "I think it would be fun tohave a hike club, and each week tramp away off somewhere. There's everso many places I want to see."
"It's a good idea, Sally," Piney exclaimed. "First rate. We could callourselves the Pere--pere--what's that word that means meandering around,Jean, don't you now?"
"Peregrinating?"
"That's it. Peregrinating Gileadites."
"I think 'Greenacre Hikers' would be better," said Ingeborg. "I'd loveto go along, wouldn't you, 'Trid?"
Astrid was sure she would. So while Hiram played "Good-night, Ladies,"and the three ministers smiled and shook hands together and with theirhostess and host, the girls of Gilead planned their first campaign forsummer outings.
It was after twelve before the last team had driven away. Hiram and Kitwent around with a couple of chairs, mounting them to reach the lanternsand blow out the candles inside. Doris was found sound asleep in thelibrary on the couch. Jean and Helen hunted in the grass for lostspoons and ice cream saucers.
"How much do you suppose we made?" asked Mrs. Robbins. "I'm so proud ofit, I had to tell our executive committee. Forty-five dollars andthirty-five cents. Isn't that good for Gilead?"
"Good land alive!" Cousin Roxana exclaimed, her shoulders shaking withlaughter. "I didn't suppose you could ever find so much money aroundloose in Gilead. They're all of them tighter'n the bark to a tree. Ido believe, Betty, they paid ten cents admission to the grounds just tosee what you all looked like."
"I don't care if they did," Jean said happily. "We got acquainted withall our neighbors, and now I feel as if I could go ahead and organizesomething."
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