"Julie kin get the b.u.t.ter an" cream--yuh jest hurry and do the mashin".
I"m gettin" late with th" dinner ennyway," replied Eliza, turning her attention to the roast in the oven.
Julie started for the jug of cream, but stopped at May"s side and asked: "How far is it from here to the Adirondacks, Maysy--I mean, how much does it cost to get there?"
"It"s a good ways, and I"ve heard it costs a lot of money, but I don"t know exactly how much. Why?"
"Oh, nothing much--I just wanted to know, that"s all," returned Julie, as she took up the jug to carry it back to Betty.
"We want to figure out how much more money we"ll have to earn, Maysy, before we can start for that camp. That"s why Jule asked," explained Betty, conscientious even in little things like this.
"Hoh! why you girls will have to weed Vernon"s lawn all summer before you can raise money enough to pay carfare to the Adirondacks!" laughed John, who now scuffled into the kitchen to see if he could find anything good to eat before dinner was served.
"We didn"t ask your opinion! You"re only a child, so how would you know about carfares," retorted Julie, condescendingly.
"Oh, really! Is that so! Well, let me tell you, I know a heap more about it than you dream of, "cause I"m planning to go to Chimney Point Camp myself this summer--so!" exclaimed John, feeling highly gratified when he saw the looks of consternation on his sisters" faces. But he forgot to reckon with Eliza.
Eliza was a trifle more than six feet in height, and buxom as well. She had powerful hands and feet and when she snapped her mouth shut as a signal of disapproval, the children knew better than to argue.
Now Eliza plunked the soup-pot down upon the range and wheeled to face John. Her broad hands went to their habitual rest upon her ample hips, and she inquired in a high falsetto voice:
"John Lee! Does your father know what you"se just said?"
"Not yet, but he will t"night, "Liza; the Y. M. C. A. director of our gym is coming to see him about it," replied John, without the bravado he had expressed towards his sisters.
"Then lem"me tell you this much, sonny! Ef your father asks me fer an opinion--and I s"pose he will, seein" how I has brung you all up--I"ll come out an" tell him it ain"t fair fer him t" let you take money to go to camp this summer, an" make th" girls set to work to earn their"n. An"
that"s onny fair to all!"
"Oh, I am not going to spend money, "Liza--I"m goin" to help wash dishes in camp to pay for my board," hastily added John.
"Wash dishes! Huh!" snorted Eliza disdainfully. "I"d hate t" hev to eat from them dishes!" Then as an afterthought struck her humorously, she added: "But men-folks don"t know th" diffrunce--they eat what"s set before them, whether dishes are clean or dirty!"
May laughed appreciatively and said: "Which goes to show how much "Liza appraises John"s ability to wash dishes."
"Er anything else, that I knows of," murmured Eliza, winking at May.
"Don"t we have t" look after his neck and ears every day afore he goes to school?"
Julie joined May in the laugh at John"s expense, and he rushed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. But Betty turned to Eliza and said:
""Liza, John"s getting to be too big a boy for us to tease like that. I think we hurt his feelings just now."
"Betsy, if John"s too big for teasin" then he"s big enough to "tend to his own wardrobe and appearance. Now I wonder what he would look like in ten days ef I diden" keep after him all the time?"
Betty said no more but she had finished mashing the potatoes and so she ran out, planning how she could please John in order to compensate him for the teasing from Eliza.
Julie had been hanging about, thinking she could sc.r.a.pe the bowl clean when her sister had finished whipping the cream for the Snow Pudding.
But May had other plans. When the cream had stiffened into a peak of snow-like froth, the bowl was carried to the refrigerator and there placed upon the ice.
With a regretful sigh, Julie watched, then ran out after Betty. John and Betty were in the sitting-room asking Mr. Lee about railroad fares and camp-life. So Julie was just in time to hear his reply.
Having figured roughly on a sc.r.a.p of paper, Mr. Lee told his questioners about how much it would cost to reach the Adirondacks. John whistled in surprise, and Betty looked at Julie in chagrin.
"My goodness, Betty! It will take us all summer to earn that much money."
"I guess we"ll have to find some mountains nearer home, then," ventured Betty, wistfully.
"I wonder what Ruth will do when she hears we can"t earn enough money for fares," added Julie.
The following day after school, the four girls met again on Vernon"s lawn and exchanged items of news with each other. But the most discouraging of all was the telling of the cost of carfare to the Adirondacks.
They stood with baskets hanging from their arms, and weeding tools idle, while faces expressed the disappointment at hearing Betty"s story.
Finally Ruth said:
"Then there"s no use breaking our backs over this old lawn. I"ll not dig dandelions if it isn"t going to get us anywhere."
"Oh, I didn"t mean to make you feel that way, when I told you about the fares," expostulated Betty. "I only wanted you to know we"d have to find some other camp-place to go to, nearer home."
"Anyway, girls, don"t let"s quit work just now, because we found out about the cost of traveling. Let"s keep right on and who knows! we may wind up in the Alps this summer--carfares, steamers for ocean voyages, and everything included--paid for and presented to us by an unknown uncle from a far country!" laughed Joan.
"Let me tell you something, too!" added Betty. "Let"s try to keep up our spirits while weeding this afternoon, by talking over what we will do when we reach the mountains. I"d rather pretend we were in the Adirondacks, or the Rockies, than over in Europe. But we can picture ourselves in the mountains, _somewhere_, like Sarah Crewe did you know, about her father and home, even while she had to live in the attic!"
The girls laughed at Betty"s optimism, but she took the laugh in good part; then she began weeding and at the same time began a fine oration on the beauties of the mountains and the wonders of Nature.
Soon the other girls were weeding, too, and vied with one another in thinking of some wonderful camp sports or plan they could talk about.
Soon, to Ruth"s great amazement, each girl had rooted out the required number of dandelions for the day.
"Now then, didn"t I tell you we could work better if we thought of pleasant things and plans?" exulted Betty.
"We certainly did our stint this afternoon without the usual complaints and delays," admitted Joan. "Let"s root some more."
The rest of the afternoon pa.s.sed quickly, and by the time the girls carried their baskets of weeds to Mrs. Vernon to be paid for, they found they had earned twice as much money, for they had each rooted out 200 plants instead of their usual 100.
As they sat on the cool verandah enjoying ice-cream and cakes, they told their hostess how it was they had weeded so many dandelions. Then they told her about their discouragement when they had heard how expensive a trip it would be to go to camp in the Adirondacks. But in reply to all their talking, Mrs. Vernon smiled and nodded her head.
They began to say "good-by" for the day, when Mrs. Vernon said: "I"ll have pleasant news for you to-morrow."
"Oh, can"t we be told just a word about it now?" cried Ruth.
"Is it about a camp in the mountains?" added Joan.
But Mrs. Vernon shook her head in mild reproof of their curiosity, and refused to be beguiled into sharing her secret.
The Dandelion Girls, as they now styled themselves, lost no time after school was dismissed, the next afternoon, in running to the Vernon"s house. They found Mrs. Vernon on the side porch waiting for them.
"Before you begin work to-day, I thought I would mention a little idea I had last night after you left. It is not _the_ secret but it has some connection with it.
"When Mr. Vernon came home last night, he told me he had heard of a fine tent for sale very cheap. There are several cot-beds and four lockers to go with it. He secured an option on it until he could ascertain what your decision might be about the purchase.
"As it is such a bargain, I would advise our buying it; then we can erect it on the rear lawn, and your tools and other chattels can be kept in the lockers. It would also provide us with a clubroom all our own while here, and when we go away to the mountains we will have a tent all ready to take with us."