CHAPTER VIII
DORIS NEEDS A SISTER
It seemed a very natural thing that Betty should accompany CountessColetti and Lucia to church. Mr. Murchison came in later, Horacehaving returned for him, Betty supposed. Like a little mouse Bettysat quietly between the countess and Lucia to listen to the service.Mathilde Finn, whose church membership was unknown to Betty, sat afew seats in the rear and Betty hoped that Mathilde was not toojealous or that she herself would not appear too complacent over herentertainment. With some of the girls as they were, about noticefrom the "nobility," it was impossible not to feel self-conscious attimes. But Betty had none of that toadying quality in her and wasrather inclined to the other extreme, of letting the "society"people go more than their half way if they wanted her company. Sheknew the sort of people her father and mother admired and numberedamong their friends, people who _were_ in character and ideals, andit must be confessed that Betty liked "folks that were smart!" Bythat Betty meant those who had certain qualities of mind,irrespective of clothes, or money, or, indeed, opportunity; forleaders do not always come out of the schools and colleges.
At first Betty could not sing the hymns for listening to thecountess. But she soon piped away, sweetly, too, in a sort of duetwith Lucia, whose voice was contralto. "I'll sing with you when wego carolling," whispered Lucia, with a bright glance, as she tookthe hymn-book which they had been sharing.
Betty was ashamed to think afterwards how little of the sermon sheheard, after the first of it. The preacher was a little prosycompared to her own pastor; and Betty's thoughts would wander towhat Lucia had told her, to Count and Countess Coletti, and with aremorseful feeling to the "Sevillas," who had moved without herknowledge. One moment she felt that it made no difference and thatthey probably were not in the least connected with Ramon; the nextminute she was sure that they were related and had something to dowith the mystery that surrounded the "Don."
She thought of various things that Lucia could do, to bring herfather--and knew that she could do none of them. But finally theresponse and the words of the Scripture, quoted or read by theminister, or held in the messages of the Christmas hymns that hadbeen chosen, had their effect on Betty. It would all come right. Whynot take it all to the heavenly Father in prayer, as the preachersuggested, and leave it there, so far as worry was concerned?
That afternoon Betty went up with Lucia to see Grandmother Ferrisagain, at Countess Coletti's suggestion. "She asked for 'Mary' thismorning," said the countess. The girls found Mrs. Ferris in bed, thetwo dolls in a light single bed not far away.
She looked very white and weak, but held out a welcoming hand. Thenshe put her finger to her lips to caution them. "Speak gently," saidshe. "'Willie' and 'Josie' have just gone to sleep." She calledBetty "Mary" again and spoke of her hair. "Mary, you always had suchpretty hair!"
The girls remained only a short time and Lucia had tears in her eyesas they went out into the hall. "It's a good thing that I happenedto join the Lyon 'Y,'" said Lucia, "and bought those dolls."
"I wonder if things just 'happen,'" suggested Betty.
The crimson car deposited Betty, with her baggage, at the Lee home,late in the afternoon. Doris, in a fine humor, was just helping hermother set out their light Sunday evening supper. Betty had wonderedhow Doris would be and had determined not to do any "raving" abouther good time, for fear Doris might think she was "crowing" or"gloating" over it; for Doris was a little difficult at times; andit was not unnatural that she should wish to share her eldersister's happy times. But Doris herself asked to hear "all about thelife of the nobility."
"I suppose you had a gorgeous time, Betty," said she.
"Oh, yes, and so many girls came Saturday afternoon and we're havingthe prettiest dolls fixed for the Toy Show. I can scarcely tell youfast enough. When we sit down at the table, I can tell all thedetails you'd like to know."
But Doris was full of her own plans and told Betty how her motherwas letting her "stay all night" with Stacia Barnett, a recentfriend, whom Doris was admiring at present with all her freshmanheart. There was to be a freshman party that afternoon, a Christmasparty, near the Barnett home; so Doris was to go home with Staciaand stay that Friday night and perhaps over Sunday, the Sundaybefore Christmas. "I am going carolling, too," said Doris.
"That is fine," said Betty, though she did not admire Staciaparticularly and wondered at the choice of Doris in being asintimate as the two girls were at present. Doris rattled on, toBetty's relief, and Betty's experience was put into the background,which was just as well.
Later Mrs. Lee came to Betty to ask her what she thought about herpermitting Doris to go with Stacia for such a visit. "Doris tells methat Stacia is such a fine girl; and you were not here to tell meanything about her." Mrs. Lee looked thoughtful. "You know I do notapprove of week-end visits as a rule, except with older girls. ButDoris was so insistent and reminded me that you were having'everything you wanted'--so for the sake of peace I yielded. Ialways want you children to do what you want to do, if it is goodfor you."
"I know you do, and you're the dearest mother in the world!" warmlysaid Betty, giving her mother a hug. They were sitting on the edgeof Betty's bed for a mother and daughter chat.
"I don't believe there is any harm in letting Doris go, Mother. Sofar as I know, Stacia is all right. She puts a good deal of color onher face sometimes; but some nice girls do, and the freshmen have totry everything, you know. We can trust Doris to have a little sense,I suppose."
"I'm not so sure," smiled Mrs. Lee. "Doris is getting a little headyof late. Keep an eye on her at school, Betty. Doris is a lovelychild and I want her to have helpful companions, not the kind that_she_ has to _help_."
Betty laughed at that and went on to tell her mother aboutGrandmother Ferris and the dolls and how good Mr. Murchison was toher. "That is something that I thought Father would like to knowabout the head of the firm," finished Betty.
Perhaps it was because Betty had in mind her mother's injunctionthat she happened to see Doris and Stacia in one of the halls atschool as she passed from one class to another.
Doris, seeing Betty, hastened to turn her face in another directionand stepped behind Stacia. But Betty had already seen that thebright and attractive face of her younger sister was just a littletoo bright, with a stain of color high on her cheeks and a red onher lips that could only be from lipstick.
"Silly little piece!" thought Betty. "She's trying to ape Stacia!"And at home that afternoon, she remarked to Doris, "Someone couldn'tsee me in the hall this morning." She gave Doris a meaning look asshe said this, but her lips were pursed in an amused smile.
Doris flushed. The applied color had been washed from her facebefore her appearance at home. "I saw you taking me in," she pertlysaid. "Don't you tell mother, Betty. There isn't anything wickedabout 'make-up.'"
"Is that what Stacia calls it?" asked Betty. "No, I don't supposethere is anything wrong; Mother never said no. It's Father and Dickthat say they'll 'wash our faces' if they ever see us with any on.All the same, Mother doesn't like it."
"If you didn't have any more natural color than Stacia has, you'duse it too, Betty Lee!" cried Doris, still on the defensive, thoughBetty had made no threat whatever.
"I wonder," said Betty. "Honestly, Doris, I always feel that I wantpeople to like the real me, not any painted up face. But I'll notspeak of it to Mother. I know you want to have your week-end and sofar as I know Stacia is a good enough girl."
This speech seemed to annoy Doris still further.
"Oh, you think you're so smart because you're a junior! Mother haspromised and I'd have my week-end anyhow. I'd just a little _rather_you wouldn't tell Mother. I don't know that I like lipstick myself.But it's my own affair!"
"Yes," said Betty, "and those things are between you and Mother,Doris. Still, you shouldn't let Mother be in the dark about yourfriends. Have a good time and tell her all about it--is my advice."
"I'm not askin
g for advice, thank you."
This rebellion and withdrawing from confidence on the part of Doriswas a surprise to Betty, who realized now that she might have seenit coming. Perhaps she had been too much absorbed in her ownaffairs, and with her own friends. She must see more of her atschool, possibly. Since helping her start her freshman year, she hadgone on "her own way rejoicing," Betty acknowledged to herself. Shehad Carolyn and Kathryn and she wondered if she had shut Doris outtoo much. That must be changed, provided she _could_ change it now.She wasn't going to play the part of mentor. It was for her motherto rebuke, or manage, and it would be a delicate proposition tocarry out her mother's injunction to "keep an eye" on Doris.
Betty was a little puled, but the push and stir of her own life withthe hard lessons and all the "extras," as she told the family, shehardly had time to breathe! She came through some examinations onFriday, prepared Monday's lessons on Saturday, went to Sunday schooland church on Sunday and helped get the family dinner. Then shedeclared that she was a wreck and curled up on her bed, under a warmextra blanket, for a nap.
She had scarcely more than dozed off, she thought, though she foundafterwards that she had been sleeping for two hours, when she hearda gay voice and some one coming down the hall; and here was Doris,coming in to put Betty's over-night bag, borrowed for the occasion,down on the floor with a bump, and a voice none too graciousexclaim, "You here, Betty? I thought I was going to get a rest bymyself!"
"You shall," answered Betty, springing up, thoroughly awake now andlooking at her watch. "I thought you weren't coming home tilltonight."
"I wasn't," said Doris, banging the door shut. Betty winced andwondered if Mrs. Lee would not reprove Doris for that. But wise Mrs.Lee had seen the storm behind the gay manner and jolly greeting withwhich Doris had favored her and her father on her entrance. Therewas a sudden change now.
"I couldn't stand it any longer, Betty," said Doris. "I told Motherjust now that I had a little headache from too much candy and thatis the truth, but not all of it. I haven't slept a wink, I dobelieve, and I'm about dead!"
Betty was off the bed by this time, helping Doris take off her coatand taking her hat from her hand. "You poor little thing! Let me getyou into bed! How about some peppermint and soda or some milk ofmagnesia for the indigestion?" Betty half laughed as she asked this,and Doris laughed too, but quaveringly, and all at once she put herhead on Betty's shoulder and sobbed. "Mrs. Barnett gave me anaspirin for my head. I hated to take it for I never took one beforeand it made me feel awfully funny for a while. But I had to makesome excuse for coming home and my head did ache, though not soterribly. They were just as kind as could be, or meant to be andI'll never tell anybody but you all about it."
Doris said all this in jerks as she sat on the bed, half crying intoher handkerchief and letting Betty draw off her shoes and stockings.Only a week before Betty had had another experience with tears, atLucia's. It made her feel happier than she had been then, to knowthat her prickly little sister was returning to the state ofconfidences.
"I can't imagine, Doris, but the thing for you to do is to get tosleep. I'm going to fix something warm for you to drink first."
"No, don't. Get me the peppermint and that will fix me, and don'tlet Mother know that I'm so dead!"
Usually Mother would have been the first to console, but Doris wassensitive. When Betty appeared in the living room, Mrs. Lee askedhow Doris was feeling. "There is something the matter, but I thoughtthat you might handle it."
"Doris thinks that she hasn't slept a wink, Mother. She probablyhas, for I thought I hadn't slept and found that I had been asleeptwo hours. Doris says that they were very kind but she seems alltired out and I just helped her off with her clothes so that shecould really go to bed. Don't you worry. If she wakes up and wantssomething to eat in the night, I'll get it for her!"
Mrs. Lee gave Betty an amused look and said, "Good child. I thinkyou may have to give Doris a little more of your time, Betty."
"I've just been wondering about that myself, Mother. I'm sorry."
Little by little Doris told Betty about her visit. There had been avery pleasant party on Friday to which Doris had gone directly fromhome. Then came the evening with Stacia's family, all kind andpleasant, Doris said, but "different." Stacia's mother and bigsisters smoked cigarettes and Stacia "smoked some" before they wentto bed and "didn't put up the window; said it was too cold."
"If you think Stacia paints, you ought to see her sisters, and hermother, too. They are all what Stacia calls modern, you know. Iliked it at first and they _are_ good folks, Betty--at leastStacia's mother and father are. I don't know about her sisters, orher brother.
"Well, the radio went all evening and we had to yell to talk aboveit. I was too polite at first to talk at all, but I had to. It kepton going for the late programs and with that and the smoke in thewhole house and no window up, I couldn't sleep a mite.
"I felt better in the morning and we went down town to do Christmasshopping. Stacia showed me a lovely shop and I got something nicefor Mother. You mustn't look in your bag, yet, though, for there'ssomething there for you, too. We had a grand lunch, and then, in theafternoon, Stacia had a little party for me. That is why I can neversay a word about all this. They were so _good_ to me! I'm going togive Stacia something nice for Christmas--wouldn't you?"
"Yes, I would," gently said Betty.
"That night at supper, dinner, I mean, they had wine, I'm sure. Theydid not say what it was, but it was in a wine glass and I tasted itand it was terribly bitter. I don't see how anybody likes the stuff.Jim--that's Stacia's brother and such a handsome, dear sort of boy,about eighteen, I imagine--Jim drank a lot of it, till his fathersaid real low, 'That's enough, Jim.'
"Then they took me to a moving picture, not down town, but in thesuburb, you know. And we stayed up awfully late with the radio againand this time some more wine, only I didn't take any, only cake.Stacia urged me to try one of her sister's cigarettes. I believethey don't want Stacia to smoke yet, so she didn't do it until wewent upstairs. It made me cough just to smell all the smoke, so Isaid 'no, thank you, Stacia,' and got undressed. And then--" Dorislowered her voice--"about two o'clock, I think, somebody camestumbling up the stairs, and somebody was talking to him, andhelping him, I think. Stacia woke up and sat up in bed. We could seea little, for there was a light in the hall. She saw I was awake andI sat up, too.
"Then she said, 'Oh, that's just Jim, coming home drunk as usual.'And she lay down again and went right to sleep! My--I'd never goright to sleep if it were Dick! And I've already asked Stacia tocome here some time for a week-end! What shall I do about it?"
"Have her. Mother will like to do it for you. You needn't tell her athing, but Mother will see some things for herself, you know. We'llgive Stacia our kind of a good time and your debt will be paid. Andyou can keep on being nice to her at school, I should think, Doris.It's easy enough to have other friends and stop being intimatewithout dropping anybody with a jolt. That wouldn't be kind."
"My, Betty, I'm glad you are my sister! I was afraid you'd want menot to have anything more to do with Stacia, and Stacia likes me."
"Perhaps you can be a good influence, Doris; but it isn't very goodfor you to make such a close friend of Stacia. I'm sure you will'use good judgment about it,' as Mother always says."
"My, I'm glad I belong to this family. But Stacia will think us'slow.' That's her word."
"We'll have a party for her and do so many nice things that she willthink being 'slow' is the finest thing in the world! Now let's talkabout Christmas presents."