CHAPTER XXVIII
A Bettie-less Plan
THE first thing that happened after Christmas was the announcement ofthe School Board's decision to wait a full year before beginning tobuild a new schoolhouse.
"Even if we could decide on a site," said they, "it would be hardon the tax-payers to furnish money for such a building all at oneassessment. By spreading it over two years' tax-rolls it will comeeasier."
The fathers, for the most part, were pleased with the arrangement, butmany of the mothers disliked it very much indeed.
"We must do something about it," said Aunty Jane, who had called atMrs. Bennett's to talk the matter over. "I'm in favor of sendingMarjory away to some good girls' school, because she has some moneythat is to be used solely for educational purposes. There is enoughfor college and for at least one year at a boarding school, besidessomething for extras. My conscience will feel easier when that moneybegins to go toward its proper purpose."
"The Doctor thinks of going to Germany next fall for a special courseof study that he thinks he needs," returned Mrs. Bennett. "If we couldplace Mabel in a safe, comfortable school, I could go with him. We'vebeen talking of it for a long time."
"I certainly am not satisfied," admitted Mrs. Mapes, when Aunty Janeput the matter to her. "There are too many pupils crowded into thatBaptist basement and it's so damp that I've had to put cold compresseson Jean's throat four times since the fire. If you can find a goodschool to fit a modest pocketbook we'd be glad to send Jean for the oneyear."
Then Aunty Jane unfolded her plans to the Tuckers.
"It's a beautiful idea," said pleasant Dr. Tucker, "as far as the restof you are concerned; but you will have to leave Bettie entirely out ofthe scheme; we simply can't afford it. We've always hoped to be ableto do something for Dick--he wants to be a physician--but even that ishopelessly beyond us at present."
"No," added Mrs. Tucker, shifting the heavy baby to her other arm andhoping that Aunty Jane would not notice the dust on the battered table,"we couldn't even think of sending Bettie. But Mrs. Slater intendsletting Henrietta go some place next fall; why don't you talk it overwith her?"
"I mean to," assured Aunty Jane. "You see, it will need a great deal oftalking over because it may prove hard to find exactly the right kindof school. The eastern seminaries are too far away. It must be someplace south of Lakeville, within a day's journey, within reach of allour pocketbooks, and in a healthful location. It mustn't be too big,too stylish, or too old-fashioned. I'm sending out postal cards everyday and getting catalogues by every mail; but so far, I haven't come toany decision except that Marjory is to go _some_ place."
At first, the older people said little about school matters to the fourgirls, but as winter wore on it became an understood thing that notonly fortunate Henrietta but Jean, Marjory and Mabel were to go away toschool the following September.
"Won't it be simply glorious," said Henrietta, who was entertaining theCottagers in her den, "if all four of us land in the same school; andwe _must_--I shall stand out for that. And you and I, Jean, shall roomtogether and be chums."
"Then Marjory and I," announced Mabel, "shall room together, too, andfight just the way we always do if Jean isn't on hand to stop us."
"Won't it be perfectly fine?" breathed Marjory. "I've always lovedboarding-school stories and now we'll be living right in one."
Bettie kept silence, but her eyes were big and troubled. With thegirls gone she knew that her world would be sadly changed. Her closecompanionship with the other Cottagers--she was only three whenshe first began to play with Jean--had prevented her forming otherfriendships. Without doubt, Aunty Jane would be lonely; the Bennetts,in Germany, might miss noisy, affectionate Mabel, Mrs. Mapes mightlong for helpful Jean and Mrs. Slater would certainly find her big,beautiful home dull with no sparkling Henrietta but it was Bettie,poor little impecunious, uncomplaining Bettie, who would be the veryloneliest of all. The others would lose only one girl apiece; Bettie'sloss would be fourfold. Lovely Jean, sprightly Marjory, jolly Mabel andattractive Henrietta--how _could_ she spare them all at once! And theglorious times the absent four would have together--how _could_ Bettiemiss all that? It seemed, to the little, overwhelmed girl, too big atrouble to talk about.
For a long, long time the more fortunate girls were too taken up withtheir own prospects to think very seriously of Bettie's; but one dayJean was suddenly astonished at the depth of misery that she surprisedin Bettie's wistful, tell-tale eyes. After that, the girls openlyexpressed their pity for Bettie, who would have to stay in Lakeville.This proved even harder to bear than their light-hearted chatter; forit made Bettie pity herself to an even greater extent.
Of course, it would be several months before the hated school--Bettie,by this time, was quite certain that she hated it--would swallow upher dearest four friends at one sudden, hideous gulp; but remote asthe date was, the interested girls could talk of very little else. Nomatter what topic they might begin with, it always worked around atlast to "when I go away next fall."
"I can't have any clothes this spring," said Jean, when the girls, ina body, were escorting Henrietta home from her dressmaker's. "Mother'sletting my old things down and piecing everything till I feel like awalking bedquilt. You see, I'm to have new things to go away with."
"Same here," asserted Mabel. "Only _my_ mother's having a worse timethan yours to make my things meet. My waist measure is twenty-nineinches and my skirt bands are only twenty-seven."
"_Only_ twenty-seven," groaned shapely Henrietta.
"If you see a second Aunty Jane," said Marjory, skipping ahead toimitate the elder Miss Vale's prim, peculiar walk, "running roundLakeville all summer, you'll know who it is. She's cutting down two ofher thousand-year-old gowns to tide me over the season. One came out ofthe Ark and she purchased the other at a little shop on Mount Ararat."
"Grandmother's making lists," laughed Henrietta, "of all the thingsmentioned in all the catalogues. When she gets done, probably she'lladd them all up and divide the result by _me_; and that will give arespectable outfit for one girl."
"Poor Bettie!" said sympathetic Jean, squeezing Bettie's slim hand."You're out of it all, aren't you?"
But this was too much for Bettie. She turned hastily and fled.
The girls looked after her pityingly.
"Poor Bettie!" murmured Jean. "It's awfully hard on her to hear allthis talk about school. She's always had us, you know, and she thinksthere won't be a scrap of Lakeville left when we're gone."
In February Rosa Marie created a little excitement by coming downwith measles. Maggie, the maid, had broken out with this unlovelyaffliction and no one had suspected what the trouble was until she hadpeeled in the actual presence of Rosa Marie. Of course Rosa Marie camedown with measles too. But there was an unusual feature about thisillness. Although it was Maggie and Rosa Marie who were supposed to bethe sufferers it was really Mrs. Crane who did all the suffering. Yousee, this inexperienced lady read all the literature that she couldfind that touched on the subject of measles and its after-effects;and long after Rosa Marie had entirely recovered, conscientious Mrs.Crane remained awake nights waiting for the dreaded "after-effects" todevelop.
"We'll bury Mrs. Crane with whooping cough," sputtered Dr. Bennett,writing a soothing prescription for the good lady, "if Rosa Marie evercatches it. She's a hen bringing up a solitary duckling, and she'scertainly overdoing it. She ought not to have the responsibility ofthat child; she's not fitted for responsibilities, yet she's the sortthat takes 'em."
"I'll adopt Rosa Marie myself," declared Henrietta Bedford, hearingof this opinion and waylaying Dr. Bennett in Mrs. Slater's hall tomake her light-hearted offer. "She'd go beautifully with the otherpicturesque objects in my den and I'm very sure that the responsibilitywon't weigh _me_ down."
"So am I," laughed Dr. Bennett. "So sure of it that I shan't allow youto afflict your grandmother with any carelessly adopted babies. Butthat child is on my conscience, since Mabel was the principal culpr
itin the matter. We'll try to get Mrs. Crane to send her to an asylum;only that dear lady's conscience will have to be bombarded from allsides before it will let her consent to any such sensible plan. Perhapsyou can get the girls--particularly Mabel,--to look at the matter fromthat point of view; we must rescue Mrs. Crane."
"I'll try to," promised Henrietta.
The Adopting of Rosa Marie Page 29
