Ikey himself could not have been more abashed than he was when Carl introduced him.
"As the fire is in such fine condition, perhaps the popping had best go on while we talk," Aunt Zelie said, taking the chair; "then when business is over the refreshments will be ready."
Fred and Ikey were appointed a committee to attend to the corn, and when all were comfortably settled, she began:
"As you know, the object of this meeting is to hear suggestions for a club. I have been thinking about it for a week, and this is the best plan that has occurred to me: it is to have a Good Neighbors Club. The text Uncle William gave you children, Carl, suggested it to me. "They helped every one his neighbor." It would mean keeping our eyes open for ways of helping, and being careful to respect the property of others.
"You see I take it for granted that you want something besides fun, though I am sure we shall have a good time too."
"I don"t think I understand what we are to do," said Will.
"You are not to break your neighbors" windows, for instance," replied Aleck, winking at Carl.
"There is no trouble about the helping," answered Mrs. Howard; "there are always opportunities for that, and on the other hand I am inclined to think that you all at times do things that, to say the least, do not improve the appearance of your neighborhood. For example--but I believe I"ll let you find out for yourselves. Suppose for a week you try to discover what it means to be a good neighbor, and report next Friday. The rest of my plan is very simple. To hold meetings every week or once in two weeks, as you choose, and I have some fascinating work which I know you can learn to do, and surprise the girls. I shall have it ready for the next meeting, and while you work we can have reading, or you can select a subject to discuss. Now the meeting is open; please talk and ask questions."
Just here Ikey created a diversion by letting the pop-corn burn, whereupon Mrs. Howard took it from him, and, kneeling on the rug, popped the rest herself. Carl brought in a basket of apples, and drawing up in a sociable circle they soon became merry and very much at ease.
Aunt Zelie liked boys, and had a way of establishing friendly relations with them on short acquaintance. And this evening she made a special effort, for she wanted to know Carl"s friends and make the new club a success. The boys were ready to adopt her plan without waiting, but she insisted upon their taking a week to think about it.
Before they left she wrote out the text on a card for each of them, that they might keep it in mind.
"Isn"t she splendid?" said Ikey to Jim as the door closed behind them, for ever since the day of his accident he had been her ardent worshipper. Jim a.s.sented rather coolly. In fact, he was a little dazed. He had had a good time, though now it was over he was inclined to wonder why. As for being a good neighbor, he thought it sounded silly; but before he went to bed he took out the card and read the text: "They helped every one his neighbor."
CHAPTER X.
GOOD NEIGHBORS.
The Hazeltines" lot was a corner one, and Aunt Marcia, driving one afternoon along the street upon which their side gate opened, saw two boys seated on a box near the entrance to the alley that ran back of the stable.
"What can they be doing?" she asked herself, and not being able to imagine, she stopped the carriage and stepped out to investigate.
As she approached it became evident that one of the boys was Carl.
"What are you doing here I should like to know?" she demanded.
"We aren"t doing any harm, Aunt Marcia," her nephew answered stoutly.
"An alley is no place to play in. Is that Louise?" as somebody peeped out of the stable door. "I am astonished; you must go in at once."
"I am going in directly, I am, indeed, Aunt Marcia; but please don"t make the boys get up till they are sure it is quite dead." As she spoke Louise came out into full view.
"What are you talking about, and who is this boy?" Mrs. Hazeltine put up her gla.s.s, embarra.s.sing Ikey greatly. "Oh, it is that Ford boy!
Now tell me what you have in that box."
"A cat." Carl"s eyes were full of mischief, though his tone was solemnity itself.
"Mercy upon us! Let it out at once!"
"We can"t; it is dead."
"Dead? You wicked boys! Did you kill it?"
"Oh, Aunt Marcia," cried Louise before Carl could reply, "they had to do it, indeed, _indeed_ they did! It was hurt; some boys shot it with a toy pistol, and it was dreadful; so we bought some chloroform and Ikey killed it because he knew how, and now they are sitting on the box to make sure!"
Horrified and astonished, Mrs. Hazeltine surveyed her young relatives in silence.
"Why couldn"t you have James do it?" she inquired at length.
"He has taken the horses to be shod."
"Where is Zelie?"
"Gone to Chicago with Cousin Helen."
"Well, Louise must go in at once, and may I inquire how long it will be necessary for you to sit on that box in this damp place?"
"It must be dead now, I think," Ikey said, rising.
Carl was proceeding to make an investigation, when Aunt Marcia protested, "Wait till I"m gone, if you _please_; _I_ don"t care to have anything to do with such business," and drawing her skirts about her, she hastily retired.
"There never were such children!" she said to her husband that night.
"Think of it--actually killing a cat--and Louise helping!"
"Don"t you think it was better than letting the poor thing suffer?"
asked tender-hearted Uncle William.
"I don"t care, Carl, you needn"t laugh," said Louise that same evening; "for cats _are_ neighbors, father says so. Anything or anybody you can help, he said."
"All right, I"ll tell Ikey to report it at the G.N. meeting."
"Oh, ho, Mr. Carl! Is that what you are going to do at your club?"
cried both his sisters in the same breath.
"Pooh! that is nothing," said Carl, affecting great unconcern, but secretly very much provoked with himself; "we do a great deal more than that."
The girls were excessively pleased over his little slip, and he at last descended from his lofty pinnacle and humbly begged them not to tell Aleck.
The M.Ks. had in their turn christened the boys" club the "Great Noodles," a name in which it was thought Uncle William had a hand.
"_Sounds like boys_," Elsie remarked with much emphasis.
The next day after school, just as the group of boys on the corner began to separate in various directions, Jim Carter asked, "Have you fellows thought of anything for Friday night?"
"Ikey has," laughed Carl. "You couldn"t guess what he did yesterday."
"Shut up! I"d like to know if you didn"t help?" Ikey"s strap full of books swung round in dangerous proximity to his friend"s head.