CHAPTER IX . SHOCKS AND FROCKS
Janice found herself clinging tightly to Amy Carringford's handand Amy clinging tightly to hers, as the rubbish wagon rattledaway with Delia and her grim father perched on the high seat,while the black oilcloth bag rattled around in the otherwiseempty body of the cart.
"Oh, Janice!" gasped Amy at last.
"Oh, Amy!" rejoined her friend. "And no dinner for daddy when hecomes home!"
Amy could not comment on this catastrophe for the moment, forMiss Peckham (the only neighbor who seemed to have marked thedeparture of Delia) came swiftly into view. Miss Peckham'sblinds were always bowed, and one never knew which blind she waslurking behind.
"Well!" she exclaimed (and Janice thought she said it quitecheerily), "so that one's gone, has she?"
"They--they just seem to come and go," Janice replied, almost intears. "Oh, dear! Delia wasn't much; but I did hope she wouldstay a little longer."
"'Much'!" sniffed Miss Peckham. "I should say she wasn't. Andshe isn't even sensible. I should think even a girl of your agecould have seen she was more'n half crazy. Wouldn't expect yourfather to notice nothing. He's only a man."
"Oh! Really crazy, do you mean?" Amy Carringford burst out.
"She never was more'n half bright, that Biddy Garrity. That washer name before she married Tom Burns. And he died. Blowed upin the powder mill. That was old Garrity who came for her. Sheain't got no right to run off and leave her two children and thatold man to get along as best they can. But she does it--often. Ithought there would be trouble just as soon as I seen her sittingon your steps t'other day."
"Well, I wish we'd known it," sighed Janice. "She-- she did seemsort of funny. But she wasn't much worse than some of the otherswe've had."
"Humph!" sniffed Miss Peckham, "just what I told your father lastnight. You need a manager here--somebody to take hold"
"I shall have to take hold now and see about getting dinner fordaddy," Janice responded, recovering a measure of herself-confidence. "Come on in, Amy, and watch me work."
"If I come in and help you," said her friend. "I guess you won'thave to do it all."
A glance through the lower rooms proved that Delia had donelittle more toward straightening the house this day than the daybefore.
"Goodness, mercy me, Janice Day!" exclaimed Amy Carringford."I'm awfully glad we don't have to have servants. It must beawful!"
"It just is," sighed Janice. "You never know when you come homefrom school whether you will find the girl or not. And you're'most always sure to find that not half the work's been done.Well, I can get daddy some sort of a dinner myself tonight."
"What are you going to cook? Let me help," said Amy eagerly. "Iknow how to make lovely rolls--only you have to set the spongethe night before. And Judge Peters's pudding is just luscious!Only you have to have currants and citron and chopped nuts to gointo it."
"We won't have either of those things for dinner, then," saidJanice, with a cheerful laugh.
"Well, we don't have them nowadays," sighed Amy. "But we usedto."
"I suppose you have had to give up lots of nice things since yourfather died," rejoined, her friend sympathetically. "But," andshe giggled, "Gummy said yesterday he couldn't give up his name."
"The poor boy!" Amy declared, shaking her head. "Give me anapron, Janice. I am going to peel those potatoes and thatturnip. Potatoes and turnip mashed together makes a nice dish.And Gummy can't really give up his name."
"'Gumswith'! It's awful," murmured Janice. "How ever--"
"Well I'll tell you. Poor dear father had a half-brother who waslots older than he. Grandmother Carringford had been marriedbefore she married our grandfather, you see. And her firsthusband's name was Mr. Gumswith. John Gumswith. It's not so badas a last name, you see."
"No," agreed Janice, her eyes twinkling. "Not when you say itquick."
Amy laughed again, busy peeling the vegetables. And she peeledthem thin, Janice noticed. Amy had evidently been taught thefine points of frugal housekeeping.
"So poor Gummy got his name from John Gumswith, Junior. I guessfather's half-brother was a queer man. He said he'd never marry,because he was always wandering about the world."
"Like a peddler?" ventured Janice.
"No. But he went to foreign countries. He always expected toearn a lot of money by some stroke of fortune, mother says. Butnone of us children ever saw him. Before Gummy was born UncleJohn Gumswith started off for Australia, and mother and fathernever heard of him, or from him after that."
"But they named poor Gummy after him," commented Janice, busywith the onion she was chopping to season the hamburger roast,and trying to keep the juice of the onion out of her eyes.
"You see," Amy confessed confidentially, "when father and motherwere married Uncle John gave them a little nest egg. Youunderstand? He had some money, and he gave some of it to them.And then, he was father's only living relative; so they named thefirst baby 'Gumswith'--so that the family name should not die outyou know."
"My goodness!" exclaimed Janice, but whether because of thesaddling of Gummy Carringford with such a name, or because of thesquirting of onion juice into her left eye, she did not explainat the moment.
"So Gummy is Gummy," sighed his sister. "Father didn't name himthat just for the money's sake. Mother says a million dollarswouldn't really pay for such a name. But father thought a lot ofUncle John Gumswith.
"But when Gummy grows up, he will have to go through life, so hesays, signing has name 'G. Carringford,'" and Amy began to giggleat this thought.
"It is really too bad," said Janice, but her mind was on anothersubject just then. "How quick you are, Amy! You know how to doeverything, don't you?"
"No I don't. But what I know, I know well," said her friend inher quiet way. "Is your water hot? This turnip wants to goright on, for it take longer to cook than the potatoes."
"Here you are," said Janice, seizing the pot and carrying it tothe stove. There she poured boiling water over the turnip andset the pot where it would continue to simmer. "It's too earlyto put the roast in yet. Come on upstairs, Amy. I know thatDelia neither made up my bed nor dusted my room. I did daddy'sbefore I went to school this morning."
"Such a nice house!" murmured Amy, as she followed Janiceupstairs by the way of the front hall.
"And not half kept," sighed Janice. "When dear mother was withus--"
She and Amy said no more until Janice's bedroom was all spick andspan again. Janice hugged her friend heartily when at last thepillows were plumped up at the head of the bed.
"You're a dear!" she said. "You do like me, don't you, Amy?"
"Of course I do."
"Then you'll go to Stella's party with me, you?'
"Oh, but, Janice, I can't!"
"There's that word can't' again," said Janice lightly. "I don'tbelieve in it--no ma'am! You can go if you want to."
"I--I haven't a thing nice enough to wear!" confessed Amydesperately, her face flaming and water standing in her eyes."As though that was a good reason! Let me show you what I amgoing to wear."
But the pretty black and white dress that Janice brought forthfrom her closet only made Amy shake her head.
"Yes. I know. But it is new--and very nice."
"I've never worn it yet," confessed Janice.
"And everything I've got is as old as the hills," groaned AmyCarringford.
"Well, look here--and here--and here!" Janice tossed as manyfrocks upon the bed. "What do you suppose is going to become ofthose?"
"Oh, Janice! how pretty they are. This pink and white one--"
"M-mm! my mother made them for me," said Janice, trying to speakbravely. "And now they are too small, anyway. I've grown a lotsince a year ago."
"Oh, Janice!"
"So you are going to wear one of them to Stella's party,"declared Janice confidently. "The pink and white one if youlike."
"Oh, Janice, I can't. My mother wouldn't let me."
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"I'm going to make her let you. I'm going to beg her on myknees!" declared Janice, laughing. "Do get into it, Amy, and seeif it fits you.
"Wel-l-l!"
It did. There was no doubt but that Amy was just a wee bitsmaller than Janice and that the frocks were an almost perfectfit.
"But--but to take a whole new dress from you--a gift! Oh,Janice! I know it isn't right. Mother will not hear of it"
"Mother's going to hear of it--and from me," declared Janice."To-morrow's Saturday. After I get all the work done, and ArloJunior helps me clean that back kitchen, I am going to bring thisdress down to your house. I know when she once sees it on you,she won't have the heart to say 'No.'"
So, perhaps Janice Day was sly, after all.