Betty Lee, Junior Read online

  CHAPTER IV

  BASKETS AND HUMBLE FRIENDS

  Monday brought a Betty "chastened in spirit," she said, to school.She had spent Saturday and Sunday in bed for the most part andwalked to her classes without animation. At lunch the girls, thoughsorry, could not help laughing over her comical remarks. She had hadnothing to do but "think of her sins of omission and commission,"she told them, and worst of all, this morning, at the last minute,she and Carolyn remembered that the lesson they "had ahead" wasCicero and they always had _prose_ on Monday!

  "Was that why your hand didn't go up as usual?" cried Peggy Pollard."I thought it was your cold and that you were half sick!"

  "That is what I'm hoping all my teachers thought this morning; but Icould look over my work in bed, so I didn't ask to be excused fromreciting. I thought I could get through." Betty sighed. "I never hadhalf sympathy enough for girls who aren't strong."

  "I'm so glad you've had this lesson," said a plump and rosy Carolyn."I'm so delicate!"

  Dotty Bradshaw hooted at this and Mary Emma Howland reminded Bettythat there was a meeting after school to see about the Thanksgivingbasket that Lyon "Y" was to send or take. "You can come and preside,can't you, Betty?"

  "I think so," said Betty, brightening a little, "but I'm only thepresident, not the committee, though I was on it."

  "You'll have to appoint a new committee, Betty," said Kathryn, "forthe chairman of the usual committee is a friend of Clara's and Iheard her say that the election 'let her out.'"

  Betty looked sober. She recalled the disagreeable experience ofThursday night, of which she had thought many times during those twodays of being shut in. The ideals of a Girl Reserve group called fora pleasant spirit on the part of its president. "Well, girls, we'lljust wait and see what happens. Can I count on all of you to help meout? I think we don't want a bit of trouble and whatever the girlswant to do, we'll just accept it, though sorry, you know."

  Carolyn nodded her approval and Kathryn said that they would standshoulder to shoulder and "eye to eye!" "By the way, Betty, Chaunceysaid that he would drive us wherever we have to take that basket. Hesaid we oughtn't to go to some places without a 'guard' and that hewould be it."

  "That takes a load off my shoulders," replied the new president."Father can't do it and I thought I'd find out from Miss Street howthey managed it. I wasn't on the committee last year. Miss Hogarthis the one who tells us about the families, you know, but MissStreet will consult her. Mary Emma, may I appoint you a committee ofone to see every girl and tell her to be sure to bring what shepromised--sugar, flour--I have the list somewhere--on Wednesday I'llannounce it at the meeting but not everybody will be there."

  Mary Emma promised and then some one mentioned the other sadomission that made it a "blue Monday," the fact that there had beenno celebration of their victory. "They might have had a niceassembly this morning to celebrate," said Dotty.

  "Miss Orme said that it was bad enough to have ordinary 'Monday'lessons," chuckled Peggy, "without an assembly to ball up theprogram and make things worse; and the principal must have agreedwith her. Miss Heath said that it would have been pleasant, but shedidn't seem enthusiastic either."

  "We celebrated on the spot," said Kathryn, with a picture of therejoicing stadium in her mind.

  Betty said nothing. She was tired. She would have welcomed anassembly, but it did not matter. The morning was over. But Mary Emmabrought up one incident as they left the lunch room side by side. "I_thought_ it was funny that you were rejoicing about having yourCicero out ahead; but I knew you kept ahead on your schedulewhenever possible, so it never occurred to me to remind you ofprose-comp on Monday!"

  Betty gave Mary Emma a comical look, but they hurried on to the nextduty.

  At the Lyon "Y" meeting after school, Betty was relieved to findthat only the chairman of the committee had resigned. She promptlyappointed the proper one of the committee to take her place andfilled the vacancy by appointing Kathryn, for the very good reasonthat Chauncey would then be properly available as chauffeur andguard. Mary Emma was duly appointed as a special committee of one totake charge of reminding and notifying and to help with gatheringin.

  On Wednesday afternoon there was great activity about the room inwhich the committee met. Chauncey, looking like a larger edition ofKathryn, stuck his head inside of the door to call to Betty. "Beback in a minute, Betty. I've got to get the car, you know. If itisn't out there, I'll have to go home for it. Tried to arrange tohave it brought, but 'Ah dunno!'"

  Betty ran from a confusion of girls and bundles to speak to him andKathryn, bending over a basket, looked up to nod brightly at herbrother. "There isn't the least hurry, Chauncey," said Betty."You'll have plenty of time to go home by street car if you have to.So much has been brought in, more than we asked for, that I thinkwe'll fix two baskets. We can stop to buy two or three things thatweren't duplicated."

  "Need another basket?" asked Chauncey, looking at the array.

  "Oh, yes, Chauncey," called Kathryn. "Get one of ours. You knowwhere."

  That settled one matter. Betty had thought they would stop at agrocery and buy one as they finished their shopping. There were manylittle details to carry out in making up Thanksgiving baskets, Bettyfound. Mary Emma was the one responsible for the extra donations.She was now defending herself to a senior member of the committee.

  "Well, I know we planned one basket and I saw everybody who was tobring the things for that, but when other girls were interested andwanted to bring something I couldn't refuse, could I? It was juststarted by some of them when they overheard what I said tosomebody."

  "Why, Mary Emma," said Betty, "somebody will bless you for gettingmore. We've got enough money from what you collected to get the restwe need to fill out. The only question is where's it going. MaryEmma, please go to find Miss Hogarth. She can't have gone home yet.I wonder where Miss Street is."

  "She was called home. I forgot to tell you, Betty," said one of thegirls. "She was all worried about our going all alone and told us tosee Miss Hogarth. She telephoned from home. Somebody's sick. I toldher that one of the girls' brother, a senior, was going to drive usto the address and she was awfully relieved."

  "Then that's that," said Betty, consulting her list to see ifeverything in the one large basket was checked off properly. Therest of the bundles they gathered together, after examination, andmade a list of the articles needed for the second basket. Mary Emmareturned from seeing Miss Hogarth to say that everybody on MissHogarth's list had been provided for and that if the girls had somuch, she'd advise their taking it to the Associated Charities.

  Some of the girls liked that idea and others did not. There was abrief argument about the matter till Betty suggested that theydeliver the first basket and then decide about the other. "We mightsee some place where a basket is needed, you know," she said.

  They waited a little for Chauncey, who arrived, however, sooner thanthey thought it possible, since it had turned out to be necessaryfor him to go home. Budd LeRoy accompanied him to the door of theroom where the girls waited, such of them as were ably to accompanythe expedition. The boys carried the baskets, two of them now, sinceChauncey had found one at home, and the girls helped with packagesthat were in danger of being dropped off. "Please remember whichbaskets those things came from," Betty reminded them and theystarted, through the halls and down the stairs, to the basement andouter door at the rear, in great mirth and spirits.

  "Is this the relief corps!" asked Mr. Franklin, whom they met on theway, and several gay voices answered him.

  When the car finally rolled out of the drive upon the widethoroughfare with its procession of swift machines, there were Buddand Chauncey in front, Betty, Kathryn and one senior girl, whomBetty knew, though not very well, occupying the back. Mary Emmacould not go with them and the others, who were either on thecommittee or were helping after bringing in their contributions, hadscattered.

  Betty and the senior, Lilian N
orris, a sister of Ted's friend, HarryNorris, went into the grocery, at which they stopped, to purchasethe extra articles. "Let's stick in a little candy," suggestedLilian, looking at some tempting supplies in a glass case.

  "Yes, let's," assented Betty. "I've some money of my own along."

  "So have I," said Lilian. "There are some kiddies in this family."

  The car went on, Chauncey quiet and skilful in his driving. Heavoided the main avenues of traffic in getting through the center ofthe town to a district quite unknown to Betty. There stood oldhouses, once occupied by one family, with first, second and thirdfloors and basement. Now every floor housed more than one family,who lived in these close quarters because they could not pay ahigher rent, though many of them paid far too much for having a roofover their heads, whatever hardships of living in this way wastheirs.

  The young people hushed their conversation and the car went slowlywhere children played in the street or wagons and trucks blocked theway. "It has to be in this square, Chauncey," said Kathryn, lookingat the address which Betty had handed her. Chauncey and Kathryn knewthe names of the streets, though from time to time Chauncey glancedat the street signs.

  Now a shrill siren called and Chauncey drew the Allen car as closeto the sidewalk as possible, while a car whied by and was followedby the dashing fire-trucks. "Oh, poor things," cried Kathryn, "thinkof having a fire in one of those houses!"

  They could see smoke at a distance, but no flames. Budd left the carto look at the numbers on the doors nearby. "It's on this side ofthe street, by good luck," he reported. "Drive a little fartherdown, Chauncey. It must be near the corner."

  Chauncey backed his car from between a truck and an old grocerywagon, though Kathryn suggested that he just park the car where hewas. "Nup," said Chauncey. "I want the car right by where you climbto the top of one of these places, maybe. What in the world did MissHogarth choose a place like this for?"

  "Maybe she didn't choose. Perhaps somebody that needs things to eatlives here," replied Kathryn.

  "I'd say you're right," returned Chauncey. "But I smell cabbage.Somebody has that much anyway."

  Chauncey remained in the car, after helping Budd lift out the largerof the baskets. Lilian jumped out, though saying in a low tone toBetty that she "certainly hated to go up that stairway."

  "Well," replied Betty, "it would probably be better if there weren'ttoo many. You stay with Chauncey and Kathryn, Lilian. I'll go withBudd."

  "Me, too," said Kathryn, hopping out of the car. "I see a policeman,Chauncey. We're all right. He's coming this way."

  While the policeman really approached and stopped a moment to chatwith Chauncey, probably with an idea of protecting the good-lookingcar and its occupants as well as with possible curiosity, Budd ledthe way upstairs to the door on the third floor to which theirinstructions directed them. He set down the basket and knocked.

  A dingy little girl answered the knock. "How-do-you-do," said Budd."Is this the place where Mrs. Harry Woods lives?"

  "Yes, sir," politely said the little girl, eying the basket.

  "Ina," said a voice, "ask them in." A tired-looking butpleasant-faced woman came from some room beyond, laid a baby upon alarge double bed that stood in one corner, and came toward the door.She made a gesture toward a pail of suds that stood near the stove.A tub balanced upon an upturned chair; and a mop was in the pail."I'm sorry that we aren't cleaned up, and so late in the afternoon;but the baby was cross. His teeth bother him."

  Budd looked at Betty and stepped back behind her, uncertain whetherthe plan included entering the place or not. Betty, smiling, said,"Oh, that's quite all right. There is always so much cleaning to dowith a family. Miss Hogarth told us where you lived, but we'll notcome in; we just brought you a little present, a reminder ofThanksgiving, you know."

  Tears came into the eyes of the woman. "Miss Hogarth--may God blessher! She was here once."

  Budd was lifting the basket, preparatory to setting it within theroom, when a clatter of heels on the stairway behind him indicatedsome new arrivals. Three children of various ages ran up behind thevisitors and as they moved to give them the opportunity, ran intothe room. "These are my other children," said Mrs. Woods, ratherproudly. "As soon as _he_ gets work we'll be all right again, but Isurely thank you for helping out our Thanksgiving."

  She started to take the basket from Budd, who remarked that it waspretty heavy for her and he would set it inside. Mrs. Woodsindicated the floor under a table which was full of variousarticles.

  The four children, in different attitudes, watched proceedings,though their mother had suggested that they go "into the bedroom andwash up."

  Ina, the oldest one, a serious little thing, as well the oldestmight be in this family, started to say something, hesitated andthen remarked, "Sevilla's haven't had anything to eat for two days,Ma. Could we give them a bit out of that?" Ina pointed to thebasket, and Mrs. Woods turned toward her with surprise.

  "How do you know that, Ina?" she asked.

  "Oh, Rosie sat down on the stairs this morning and when I asked herwhat was the matter she said she guessed she felt weak. I said wasshe sick and she said yes, sick about having to pay out all she hadin the rent and there wasn't any left for food. She was hurryin' tofinish some sewin' she was doin' for somebody, she said. I justplain asked her when she'd had her last meal and she said nightbefore last."

  "Oh--how dreadful!" cried Betty. "Who are the Sevillas and where dothey live? We have an extra basket downstairs and I was going to askyou, Mrs. Woods, if you knew anybody that needed it." Where hadBetty heard that name? "Sevilla" sounded familiar.

  Mrs. Woods shook her head. "I know _dozens_ that need it. Why, theSevillas live just below us on the second floor. There's only two ofthem, Rosie and the old lady. They're foreigners and the old ladycan't speak English. I think they were used to having money in theold country. Rosie's got the wreck of a fur coat and the old ladyfixes up sometimes. If you've another basket--but you'll have to becareful how you give it. They're awful proud. I would be myself ifit wasn't for the children. But I can't see them go hungry, or evenmiss their Thanksgiving and Christmas good times if they are offeredto them."

  "How would it do if you went with us, Mrs. Woods, and fixed it upabout its being a present--and it is! We had a good time fixing upthe baskets and we like to share our Thanksgiving, you know."

  Betty's voice was very earnest and sweet as she said this. Mrs.Woods answered her smile. "Bless you," she said, "I'll do it. Watchthe baby, Ina, and keep the other children in here while I go downto Rosie's."

  Throwing her apron over her head, Mrs. Woods led Budd, Betty andKathryn down the rickety, dingy stairway to the second floor, whereshe knocked on a door once shining in its dark wood. But it had beenpainted and the paint had come off in peeling blotches. Budd randown the one flight to get the other basket from the car. Theywaited and Mrs. Woods knocked again. Then there was a stir insideand slow steps approached the door. "Rosie's out," whispered Mrs.Woods, "and it's a good thing. You just stand back a little and I'lltake in the basket."

  The door opened. A tall old woman with lined face stood there,looking soberly at the party. "How-de-do, Mrs. Sevilla," said Mrs.Woods. "Here's a basket that I'll tell Rosie about when she comesin. It's a present for you for Thanksgiving. I'll just carry it infor you."

  The dark eyes looked puled and Mrs. Sevilla was probably going tomake some protest, but Mrs. Woods calmly set the basket inside ofthe door, whose handle she took to close it. "How are you today,Mrs. Sevilla?" she asked.

  The reply was made in a foreign tongue, but the question wasevidently understood. With a puled look the apparently aged womanregarded the basket; and Mrs. Woods, backing out, gently closed thedoor. "Rosie will come home and find it and then she'll come to seeme, and it will be too late to give it back; see?"

  Betty tried to thank Mrs. Woods, and wishing her a pleasantThanksgiving, the trio hurried away. Betty knew now where she hadseen the name Sevilla. But it might not mean anything. There we
reprobably others of that name among the foreigners of the city. Butthe dark tragic eyes of the old lady haunted her.

  Lilian wanted to know what had happened and listened to Kathryn'sfull report, with vivid descriptions. "That certainly was the mostmysterious old lady I've ever seen," said Kathryn.

  "I'll say the most tragic," said Betty.

  In her turn Lilian had much to say about what the policeman had toldChauncey. "The street where we were," said Lilian as they swiftlyleft the district, "is pretty good, the policeman said, with peoplemostly quiet except all the children; but only one street over andit is awful--I don't know how many terrible things have happenedthere this year. He told us not to come that way after night andthat the daytime was none too safe."

  "Oh, he was seeing how much he could scare you," laughed Chauncey,but he and Budd exchanged looks.