CHAPTER VIII
ONE OF THOSE A-D PARTIES
"It will probably not reach them very soon, Betty," comfortably saidMrs. Lee when Betty expressed her concern over "the way Gwen was tellingthe girls" about Ramon. "Moreover, that is a risk that Ramon runs, notyou, by his request and not sending them word himself. Other people canonly try to be considerate. So far as I am concerned, I should prefer toknow all about my children, to bear the trouble with them if necessary.Never keep anything from _me_ with the idea of sparing me, Betty!"
"All right, Mamma. We'll probably need you too badly to do any stunts ofthe sort!"
Betty was soon in the midst of Lucia Coletti's letter, running excitedlyto find her mother again after she had finished reading it. "Why,Mother, she _is_ coming! Isn't that great? And moreover she said thatshe might get here before the letter.
"See--it's mailed at Milan. They were in Switzerland for the hotweather, but when they decided to have Lucia come to finish her senioryear at Lyon High, she and her mother 'ran down to Milan' to their'palazso' for some things Lucia wanted and Lucia might just go right onand sail as soon as she was all packed up. It all depended on whatreservations or accommodations or whatever you call it they could get ona steamer. That also made it uncertain what route she's coming by,whether from Naples or Cherbourg or what. Here, read it Mother. It's ashort one. She has stacks of things to tell me, she says."
Mrs. Lee smilingly read the brief letter, enclosed in a noticeableenvelope, very elegant, Betty said, and having the "family crest" orsome "Italian sign" on it. It amused Betty's mother to hear her runningcomments as she read and she handed back the letter with the remark thatLucia had "not neglected to acquire some of the American vocabulary."
"Certainly," said senior Betty. "And she thinks about it when she writesto _me_!"
"I wonder what arrangements she will make here. I suppose she will stayat her uncle's. If you like to invite her to be with you, Betty, part ofthe time or for any visit, we could manage it. We have just decided,your father and I, to take the house we looked at this afternoon. I'malmost sorry that it could not be the one out in the same suburb as theGwynne's your sake, or the one Mrs. Dorrance recommended, not very farfrom their fine place. But this seems suitable in every way. The onlyone of your friends that I know lives anywhere near is MarcellaWaite--though our place is much more modest. Marcella is not in yourclass, of course, but I understand that she is to attend theuniversity."
"Yes, she is not to be away from her mother this year. And besides,Marcella does not want to leave the crowd that's going to the universitythis year. Why, Mother, it does not matter about living near Carolyn. Wesee each other every day at school and at other times, too, though itwould be convenient to be near. I am crazy to see the house. Did youjust find it for the first or is it one you looked at?"
"Just discovered it. It is for sale, too, and after living in it a whileto try it out, so to speak, we might buy it."
"Oh, Mother! Then it wasn't a mistake to come to the city?"
"Your father is doing very well now," said Mrs. Lee with her customaryreserved way of putting things.
This decision and the immediate prospect of change was even moreexciting than the news from Lucia. Betty expected to call up her friendsas she had almost promised, but not until more of her curiosity had beensatisfied in regard to the new home. Would they sell the old home atBuxton? No, that was to be kept. It was well rented now. Would they haveto have much new furniture? Very little. They would add good furnitureas it seemed advisable.
"Our oldest things are the best, Betty, you know, the 'antiques' thatMrs. Dorrance admires so much. And I think I can persuade one of myfriends in Buxton to let me have some that she has, at a fair price. Ihappened, too, to think of old Mrs. Buxton, for whose family the townwas named--and she has no one to leave her things to--she has closed herhouse, I think, and has a tiny apartment in Columbus, with some one totake care of her."
In great enthusiasm Betty called up Carolyn first. Good news was alwaysshared first with her, though Kathryn was "a close second."
"Yes, Lucia is actually coming! Isn't that wonderful? I can scarcelywait to hear all about it," said Betty at the telephone, outliningLucia's letter after this burst of rejoicing. "And we're moving, and Ihaven't yet seen the place! Mother and Father just found the house theywant."
Carolyn naturally wanted street and number and the conversation was soprolonged that some one who wanted the line impatiently took a receiveroff and replaced it several times, till Betty realized the situation."Somebody wants the line, Carolyn, so I'll have to ring off. So long."
After dinner that evening, Mr. Lee, who had a key to the recently rentedhouse, drove his interested family around to it. Betty was secretly notparticularly sorry to have the new home in the suburb that held theWaite home. She had always liked Marcella very much, even if she werenot intimate and had not joined the sorority to which Marcella belonged.Then, to be sure, there was Larry! But Betty did not mention him whenDoris on the way was saying that with Chet "so attentive to Betty" itwould be better for him if they had taken "that house Mrs. Dorrancewanted us to have." Doris had seen that.
"I fancy that if Chet wants to see me he will be able to find us,"demurely said Betty to Doris. "And, you know what pretty trees and bigyards they have out near Marcella."
Doris nodded assent and approval began to increase as Mr. Lee drove intoa comparatively quiet street and drew up before an attractive place inthe middle of the square or block. "We'll be more peaceful in the centerof things," said he. "Our yard is wide and fairly deep and you see thatpretty little wooded ravine at its end? There are _some_ advantagesabout a city with hills. There is room enough for Amy Lou to slide downhill in winter, though the land does not all belong to this place. It isshared by the various owners."
It was fascinating to go into the house with its vacant and echoingrooms and halls. It was modern, comparatively new, and with enoughbedrooms! Dick said that it would be pretty foxy to have a "real room"of his own instead of the "den." Doris and Betty could now have separaterooms and Amy Lou was to have a small room perhaps intended only as adressing room. But she was happy over it. "What shall we do when Amy Lougrows up?" asked Doris, though executing a lively dance with Betty aboutthe empty room that was to be hers.
"I think we need not worry about that," replied Mr. Lee. "From presentindications I should say that if we keep both our older girls till thathappens we shall do well."
"Father!" cried Betty, giving Doris a whirl and stopping the evolutions.
"I think I'd like Betty's room," soberly said Amy Lou, "when she marriesCh----"
But Betty had clapped a hand over that pretty and mischievous mouth ofher small sister. "Amy Lou, your imagination works overtime!"
Amy Lou struggled, but laughed. "Doris says that the girl Kathryn calls'Finny' and Jack Huxley got engaged this summer. Senior girls do!"
"Not if they have any sense," said Betty, but her mother shook her headat her. "What, Mother--do _you_ approve? Is the world coming to an end?"
"I do not approve for you, Betty, or Doris," said Mrs. Lee, much amusedby the whole incident, "but I should not say that it is out of place for_all_ girls to marry early."
"I shall remember that, Mrs. Lee," said Doris, walking off with quite anair while Mr. Lee who had heard from the next room, came in to add hislast contribution to the affair.
"See what you have done, Mother! But we're going to have such a prettyhome of it here that I defy any lad to carry off one of my girls for awhile! Now come on into this other room for a moment, Mother, and tellme what furniture we need for it."
"Silly!" Dick was saying to Doris. "Before _you_ like anybody too muchjust let your old twin pick him out. I'm likely to know more than you doabout the kids."
Doris gave Dick a rather impertinent glance, then brightened, replying,"All right, provided you let me do the same for you!"
Betty, going into the upstairs
room which would be hers, stood therealone, deciding where the furniture should be placed, but she thought ofwhat Amy Lou had said. Amy Lou dashed after her to say that she thoughtBetty's room was the best bedroom of all because it overlooked theravine at the rear. "I meant it, Betty," she said earnestly, "but youmustn't think that I want it for--oh, the _longest_ time!"
Betty stooped, took the pretty face between her palms and kissed it."That is all right, Amy Lou! Just please don't pick out whom I'm goingto marry yet, will you?"
Eyes as blue as Betty's looked up and a golden mop of almost as brightas Betty's hair was shaken back. "Yes, of course. You might change yourmind, mightn't you?"
"And perhaps I've never made it up at all," whispered Betty.
Amy Lou nodded and went away, satisfied that she had had a confidencefrom that big sister of hers. Chet needn't think Betty wondered whereher sister had heard about "Finny." But if there were anything in thereport she would soon hear at school.
Long they tarried in the empty house and about the yard. There wereflowers and shrubs and some pretty trees, beside those of the ravine,with its thickets and the one long track or path to the bottom. "May Ihave a party right away?" asked Betty, looking around at the large frontroom whose hall was almost a part of it, and the room which Doris saidshould be a library widely opening behind it. Doris and Amy Louimmediately asked the same question, till Mrs. Lee suggested that theymove in first.
"Yes," said she. "That is one pleasure for us in this roomy house. Iplan some entertaining myself. You shall have your turn all of you,Dick, too."
It was dark when at last the Lees reached home; and Betty, though calledby lessons to prepare, remembered one more responsibility and ran tocall up Marcella Waite.
"Oh, but I'm glad to have found you in, Marcella. Why, they've made mechairman of the committee for the A-D party, Marcella, and I thought I'dbetter ask you what you did. I missed the party when I was a freshmanmyself and now that we give it, I ought to know a few details. I askedone of the teachers about it after assembly this morning, and she said,'Oh, yes, one of those A-D parties,' with _such_ a bored air that Ithought I'd better ask somebody who might have a speck of enthusiasm. Isuppose they do get tired of some things, though."
Betty could hear Marcella's low laugh. Then her friends briefly outlinedthe usual A-D program and wound up her remarks by saying that Larrywould make a flying visit home before 'college began.' "I'll have himdrive over for you and bring you over for dinner," said Marcella, "andthen we can discuss A-D parties and other things. Will you come?"
"Will I? How soon does the university start, Marcella? All right. Itwill seem good to see Larry. What fun we all had this summer! 'Bye."