"August? My birthday is in August; the twenty-first."
"That"s mine, too!"
Blue Bonnet looked incredulous.
"Really?" she said. "Aren"t you mistaken? Certain it"s the twenty-first?"
"Sure, I am. Ask her!"
He pointed to a nurse who had come to the foot of the bed.
"That"s what he has always said," the nurse vouched.
"Well, we"re sort of twins, aren"t we, Gabriel? If I"m near Boston next summer we"ll have to celebrate, won"t we?"
The boy nodded. The soldiers were ready to advance upon the enemy now.
Birthdays were of small importance.
"Come again some day," Gabriel called when Blue Bonnet took leave of him. "And bring some soldier books with you."
"If you please," the nurse finished for him. "Miss Ashe won"t come again if you are not polite."
"If you please," the child repeated dutifully, and Blue Bonnet went back to school, treasuring the look of grat.i.tude that had shone from eyes set like jewels in a wasted and world-old face; a face that belied claim to childhood, and spoke only of suffering and poverty.
The next week she was back again with some books. The soldiers were still lined up for battle. They looked as if they had seen hard service, but their commander eyed them with pride and pleasure.
"They been in battle more "en fifty times since you was here," he announced. "They"ve licked everything in sight--the American army has.
This is them on this side. I"d like some British fellers if you could get "em. Did you know we licked the British, sure "nough?" he asked, as if the war had just ended.
"We surely did," Blue Bonnet said, matching enthusiasm with his. It was strange to see a little Jewish emigrant espousing the cause of freedom so rapturously. "Showed them their proper place, didn"t we?"
"Bet yer!" Gabriel said, doubling up his fist and aiming a blow at the pillow behind the soldiers. "Bet yer!"
A vivid crimson spot glowed in each cheek.
"You must hurry and get well, and perhaps some day you can go and see the soldiers. I have a friend who is going to be one. He"ll be at West Point next year."
Gabriel was very much interested, and Blue Bonnet soon found that she was expected to give Alec"s life history to the child.
And so this odd friendship between Blue Bonnet and an unfortunate little waif grew, cementing with each visit, reaching out into a future that meant much to the helpless lad; much to the young girl whose character was strengthened and broadened by the contact.
The advantages for culture offered on all sides in Boston were also of inestimable value to Blue Bonnet. The Symphony concerts were a delight, and wonderful and original descriptions went back to Uncle Cliff, Grandmother Clyde, and Aunt Lucinda of celebrities. Blue Bonnet was a discriminating critic--- if one so young could be called a critic. She had a gift for values. This instinct pleased her teachers immensely; especially Mrs. White and Fraulein Schirmer.
Carita, too, was growing and expanding under the new and favorable conditions, proving herself worthy in every particular of Blue Bonnet"s friendship and aid. She had a reverence for Blue Bonnet that was akin to worship, and since she persisted in this att.i.tude of affection, it was well that Blue Bonnet"s example usually proved worthy of emulation.
It was a fad in Miss North"s school, as in most of its kind, for a younger girl to attach herself to a Junior or a Senior; become her satellite, her abject slave if need be. Carita would have been all this, if Blue Bonnet had permitted it; but being of an independent nature Blue Bonnet required very little service from any one.
"Why don"t you let me do more things for you, Blue Bonnet?" Carita would say when she was refused the pleasure of waiting upon her. "I don"t believe Annabel Jackson has run a ribbon in her underwear this year.
Mary Boyd always does it for her. She loves to do it. Peggy Austin waits on Sue Hemphill, hand and foot. Isabel Brooks is getting a terrible case on Wee Watts, too. By the way, Blue Bonnet, did I tell you? Isabel has the sweetest new way of spelling her name. Isobel! You say it quickly--like this--_Is_obel! Mary Boyd thought of it. I do wish I could find a new way to say Carita, but it seems hopeless."
"Carita! just you let me catch you changing it. _Is_obel! Why, that"s perfectly absurd!"
"Not when you get used to it. Peggy thinks it"s distinguished. I do too.
Peggy has taken up her own middle name. We"re all trying to call her by it, but it"s awfully hard. She says she perfectly hated it when she was a child, but now she thinks it"s quite stylish."
"What is it?"
"Jerusha! Priscilla Jerusha is the whole of it. It does sound dreadful, doesn"t it? Peggy loathes it put together. She says her mother does too. She had to be named that for her grandmother because she"s going to inherit her money some day. Isn"t it splendid that there is such a rage for old-fashioned names now? Peggy says it will make an awful hit with her grandmother when she hears that she is being called Jerusha. She thinks it quite likely that she will do something nice for her. Peggy thinks that she will change the spelling of it though. She thought some of "Jerrushia." It is much more foreign sounding, isn"t it?"
"It"s much more ridiculous," Blue Bonnet said with some impatience. "You children must lie awake nights thinking up these weighty subjects.
Jerrushia! Really, Carita, I am amazed at you!"
Which showed that Blue Bonnet was advancing, both in taste and wisdom.
"Nearly seventeen" has its advantages over "only fifteen."
This conversation had taken place one afternoon in Blue Bonnet"s room during chatting hour, and had been interrupted by the hasty entrance of Sue Hemphill, who was very much excited.
"Blue Bonnet! look here! See what just came in the mail! You have one, too, and so has Annabel! Oh, such a lark! Run down to the box quickly and get your letters!"
Carita was off in a twinkling to save Blue Bonnet the trouble.
Sue threw the letter into Blue Bonnet"s lap.
"Read it," she said. "It"s from Billy. We"re invited to a tea at Harvard. Mrs. White is to chaperon us. It"s to be next Friday afternoon, and the boys are coming for us in an automobile."
Blue Bonnet looked as if she didn"t quite understand.
"But--Sue, can we go? Will Miss North let us?"
"Oh, yes--with Mrs. White. Why not? You"re not doing penance for anything are you?"
"No, certainly not! But it seems quite unusual; going off with a lot of boys like that."
"A lot of boys! There"s only Billy, and Hammie McVickar, and an escort for me--Billy doesn"t say what his name is. I don"t call that such a terrible lot; and Harvard is quite respectable. At least, it is supposed to be."
Sue made a funny little grimace that brought all her dimples into play.
"I think it would be glorious, Sue. I certainly hope Miss North will let us accept."
"She will," Sue said confidently. "She let us go last year. Such fun! It makes me laugh to think of it yet. We went to Billy"s rooms. He had a caterer and a great spread. Tea and sandwiches; all kinds of cakes, candies--a huge box for each of us to carry home; and the most beautiful ice-cream with nuts in it. Um! I can taste it yet. Oh, but it was larky!"
"It must have been," Blue Bonnet admitted.
"This time, Billy says, it is to be very select. What he calls a close corporation! Just you and Annabel and I, and Mrs. White. They sent Mrs.
White a separate invitation. Wasn"t that clever of them, since we just had to have a chaperon? I"m going over to her room now to see if she"ll accept. Come along."
Mrs. White evidently felt complimented by the invitation. She was looking it over when the girls entered.