CHAPTER XVI
BETTY AND ANNETTE
The girls' laughter ceased, and they looked at Ruth a littlequestioningly as if expecting that she would explain. But it was Bettywho, slipping her arm around Winifred, said pleasantly: "Well, we areall obliged to Winnie for telling us such a beautiful story. And I amsure it is just what the fairies would do if they happened to think ofit."
Winifred looked up at the older girl gratefully, but she felt veryunhappy. She could not understand why Ruth, her very best friend, shouldhave turned against her, and denied the story.
Ruth stood, sulky and silent, and a little ashamed, as the other guestsarrived; and when Betty declared that it was time to start and led theway toward the big wagon, Ruth walked alone and was the last one ofBetty's guests to climb up to her seat.
There were ten little girls in the party, and Black Jason, Dinah'shusband, was to drive the team. Mrs. Hastings sat on the back seatbetween Betty and Ruth; the small wagon with the good things for thebirthday luncheon followed close behind, driven by a friend of Jason's.
The other girls laughed and talked merrily as the big horses trottedbriskly through the streets leading to the river. But Ruth was silent,except when Mrs. Hastings spoke to her; then she answered as pleasantlyas possible, but she had no pleasure in the ride. Now and then theypassed groups of English soldiers; and as they turned into the riverroad several red-coated officers on horseback rode past them.
"We wish you a happy May, young ladies," called one of the officers,bowing very low as he rode past the wagon filled with happy girls.
There was no response to his polite salutation; for even the children ofthe historic city resented the presence of the English soldiery.
"Mother, sing your May-day song," suggested Betty.
But Mrs. Hastings shook her head laughingly.
"I must save that for our dance round the May-pole," she replied, "andwe shall soon be at the picnic field now."
The field was very near the place where Ruth and Winifred had turnedinto the hill road, and the May party reached it after not more than anhour's ride. Black Jason drove through the field toward the river bank,and stopped under a group of tall elms. In a few moments the girls werescattered about searching for flowers. Black Jason and his friendunloaded the lunch wagon, and then Mrs. Hastings called the girls todecide on the best place to erect the May-pole, a fine birch tree thatBlack Jason was now chopping down.
"There are so many good places!" exclaimed Betty, looking about thesmooth field. "I think this is the best," she decided finally, as, withher guests beside her, she stopped near the edge of a wood.
It was just the place for a May-pole, the other girls declared, as theylooked about; and Black Jason and his friend set up the tall birch tree,whose green branches were more beautiful than any decoration that thegirls could have imagined. While Mrs. Hastings and Betty spread thelunch in the shade of the woods, the other girls gathered flowers andwove garlands for each other, and talked happily together. Ruth foundherself seated beside Annette Tennant, a girl about Betty's age.
"I will give you my wreath, and you can give me yours," said the oldergirl. "You are rather young to be asked to this party," she continued,looking at Ruth.
"I am nearly eleven," replied Ruth. "Winifred Merrill isn't any olderthan that."
"I noticed there were two little girls," rejoined Annettecondescendingly. "You mustn't mind if most of us are older. I alwayslike children," went on Annette, who was even taller than BettyHastings, and whose yellow hair was braided neatly and wound around herhead.
Ruth made no reply. She was feeling a little ashamed that she haddeclared Winifred's story to be untrue. Even if Winnie had set thebasket in the garden and let her go about bowing to trees and birds Ruthfelt that she herself had been rude and unkind.
"What made that other child tell all that rigmarole about fairies?"questioned Annette. "I was glad when you spoke up and said that it wasnot true. Of course we older girls knew she was making it up."
Suddenly Ruth became perfectly sure that Winifred had had nothing to dowith the discovery of the candy, and that Winifred had really believedthe fairies had brought it back, using her basket for the purpose.
"Winifred didn't make it up," declared Ruth. "It was exactly as she toldit. The fairies did take away the candy, and bring it back."
Annette stopped weaving the vines and flowers, and jumped up.
"Well, you are a very funny child. You tell us all that Winifred Merrillmade up a story, and now you tell me that it was true," she exclaimedscornfully. "You need not give me your garland; I don't want it, oranything to do with you," and before Ruth could say a word in replyAnnette had joined a group of the older girls, and was evidently tellingthem her opinion of Ruth Pennell.
Ruth looked down through a blur of tears at the wreath she was making.She could hardly see the flowers in her lap.
"I wish I had stayed at home. I hate grown-up girls," she thoughtbitterly, wishing herself in her own garden with Hero and Cecilia forplaymates.
The sound of Betty's voice calling to her guests that luncheon was readymade Ruth look up. She saw the other girls walking toward the shade ofthe tall elms where Mrs. Hastings stood waiting for them. Winifred wasevidently in high favor; Annette walked on one side and Mary Pierce onthe other, each with an arm about the pleased but somewhat embarrassedWinifred.
"Ruth! Ruthie Pennell! We are all waiting for you," called Betty, andRuth followed the others.
It was evident at once that none of the girls meant to sit beside Ruthif it could be avoided. Annette had declared that she believed Ruth tobe a mischief-maker, and untruthful, and that it was the duty of theolder girls to "teach her a lesson."
"We must let the child realize that older girls don't approve of suchthings," Annette had said, and the others agreed that the best way toexpress their disapproval was to leave Ruth to herself as much aspossible.
Winifred was now more puzzled than ever.
When Annette had repeated Ruth's declaration that Winifred's story wastrue, that fairies had returned the candy, she did not know what tothink.
"I'm sure Ruthie was only fooling," Winifred declared bravely. "I meanwhen she said that I made up the story about the candy. Because it wasjust what she told me."
"Then the child must be taught that we don't like such fooling,"responded Annette, with what she felt was a very grown-up and impressivemanner.
"Sit here, Ruth," said Betty, wondering at the manner of the oldergirls, "and, Winifred, come and sit beside her."
Winifred was quite ready to change her seat as Betty suggested, butAnnette's hand clasped her arm, and it was Annette who answered: "Winniewould rather sit here, beside me."
"All right," responded Betty. "Then I'll have Ruthie for my helper. Ican always depend on you, Ruth, can't I?" she added, smiling at heryoung friend.
"Always," whispered Ruth, gratefully; and it was she who helped Bettyserve the other girls with the excellent cold chicken, and bread, andbutter, the jelly-filled tarts, and squares of molasses gingerbread, sothat Annette's proposed "lesson" bid fair to be defeated.
"What's the matter, Ruthie?" Betty found a chance to whisper, as theysat down together a little way from the larger group.
Ruth told the story eagerly. "I don't know why I thought Winnie had putthe basket there, or why I was so horrid as to say that she told astory," confessed the unhappy little girl. "Do you suppose it really wasthe fairies, Betty?"
Betty looked rather sober for a minute. She was thinking to herself thather May-day party bid fair to be a failure unless her guests couldrealize that Ruth had only made a mistake for which she was sorry. Sheblamed Annette more than she did Ruth, feeling sure that Winifred andRuth would have come to a friendly understanding if Annette had notinterfered.
"I have a plan, Ruthie, that perhaps will make it all right. Will you dojust what I tell you?"
"Yes, indeed I will," responded Ruth gratefully.
Mrs. Hastings had left the girls t
o themselves and gone over to theMay-pole.
"Come here, Winifred," called Betty, and this time Annette made noobjection, and in a moment Winifred was sitting beside Ruth, and boththe little girls were thinking that Betty was much nicer than any other"grown-up" girl in the party.
"Ruth Pennell is going to tell us a story," announced Betty. "Shedoesn't know if it really is true or not. For a little while she thoughther best friend had taken the part of a fairy, but afterward she wassure she had not. Now, Ruth," and Betty turned smilingly toward herlittle friend, "stand up and tell us all about it; about the making mycandy, how it disappeared, and what you did to recover it. Then, whenyou have finished, we will take a vote and see how many of us believe infairies."
For a moment Ruth hesitated, but Winifred's friendly smile encouragedher and she stood up. She did not look at the group of girls sittingabout under the trees; she looked straight over their heads at theriver, and began to speak, beginning her story with the discovery thatthe candy had disappeared. She spoke clearly, and when she finished bysaying that she was sorry that she had been rude to Winifred, becauseshe and Winifred both rather believed in fairies, there was a littlemurmur of approval.
"Now, girls, all those who believe in fairies stand up," said Betty,jumping to her feet, and reaching out a hand to the girls beside her,and at the same time beginning to sing:
"'Here are fields of smiling flowers--Come and seek May in her bowers. Catch young May. Make her stay;Dance around her bright and gay.'"
Nearly all the girls knew the song and joined in singing, as hand inhand they ran across the smooth grass toward the May-pole, where Mrs.Hastings stood waiting for them. And now Ruth was her happy, smilingself again, and Annette was no longer eager to teach "lessons" to theyounger girls. Annette and Ruth were both conscious, however, thatBetty, with her frank kindness, had smoothed out their mistakes.