CHAPTER XVIII
INTRODUCING NERO
It did not seem possible that Manny's school had been successfullyopened two weeks ago! That the girls in her class, at first numberingeight now counted fourteen, each paying five dollars for the month'straining in domestic science, with lessons three mornings a week.Fourteen pupils at five dollars each and every single one paid inadvance, while Nancy was acting as class president and Ruth as classsecretary; these were, indeed, auspicious arrangements.
And besides the seventy dollars paid Miss Manners for tuition, the classmembers brought their own supplies and were privileged to take them homewith them, in the form of various tempting dishes, "the like of which"as Nancy expressed it, "never had been seen in Long Leigh before norsince."
"Maybe you don't know you're a wonder," Ruth remarked very casually toNancy, while she, as secretary, was consulting with Nancy as president."I can cook better _now_ than I ever expected to in my whole life. Andas for Isabel! She's so enthusiastic, her mother says she has torestrain her from going into the boarding house business. You shouldjust taste Belle's 'Cherry Moss.' Um-m-m! It was de-lic-ious!" and Ruthsmacked her lips to the echo. "Her brother Tom wanted to know why wedidn't make up a class for boys. He was in the army, you know, and sothinks himself very efficiently trained."
"Isn't it great?" Nancy remarked, referring, of course, to the successof the class. "And for a laggard, an idler and one who positively hatedthe very letters that spelled cooking, I think I'm doing pretty wellmyself. I made a fudge cake yesterday and mother carried it out to setbefore the library ladies, can you imagine that? A cake that _I_ made!After my heartbreaking experience with the ungreased pans!"
It was very early in the afternoon and Ruth, with Nancy, was putting theclass room in order. She had remained over to lunch as she often did,and the two chums found pleasure in arranging the white covered tables,the shining pans, the numbered spoons and other utensils. It was all somuch pleasanter than doing anything in an ordinary kitchen.
The gas range, that was sent in to Miss Manners as a demonstrator'ssample, was majestically white and really quite attractive, if such anarticle can be called attractive, and just how Nancy hovered ratherlovingly over it, polishing with the very softest, whitest cloth theimpeccable, enameled surface.
Ruth had been finishing a little memorandum in her oilcloth coveredbook. She laid the book down now and strolled over to Nancy. In theirwhite aprons and white caps, Nancy and Ruth looked too picturesque to bepassed by without compliment.
Ruth wound her arm around Nancy's shoulder. "I wonder," she said, "whywe sometimes think that all play is more fun?"
"I never did," replied Nancy, innocently. "My trouble always has been infinding enough different things to do." She looked rather patheticallyinto the soft gray eyes that were caressing her own darker orbs. Therewas no impulsive hugging, nor other ordinary demonstrations ofaffections dear to the average emotional girls, for Nancy was not givento extremes, nor was Ruth addicted to such flagrant sentiment.
The two girls were especially happy just now. Nancy was accomplishingmore, much more, than she had ever hoped to do, with her little shopthat first brought real financial help to her mother, and was now doingas much for Miss Manners. Besides all this, it was giving the girlsthemselves a very useful, as well as enjoyable, summer diversion. Ruth,although a new friend of Nancy's, had become a very fond friend indeed,for the frank, original and genuine qualities of Nancy were unmistakablein their sincerity, and it was easy enough for any girl to love her--ifshe could but get near enough to her to know her.
"And you don't think it shows a weakness to be so changeable?" Nancyasked Ruth. "I just can't seem to be happy unless I'm planning somethingnew."
"Why, that's--that's a sign of originality," replied Ruth, smoothingNancy's cap on her dark hair. "Some day you'll do something wonderful--"
"About the girls," Nancy interrupted. "Don't you think we were fortunateto get the Riker girls to join the class? They seem to represent thesmart set at Upper Crust Hill, and they brought at least five othersalong."
"Nancy, our school is the talk of Long Leigh. Lots of mothers thinktheir girls should do something useful during the month of August, andI'd just like to see any mother find a study more useful thancooking--according to her ideas," said Ruth.
"And Vera is going to take an extra hour for desserts," Nancy went on."I can see Vera the pride of her family some day. Such home talent maybe inherited. We haven't any of it in our family, I'm afraid," saidNancy, regretfully.
"But you've got something more precious," Ruth assured her. "I never sawthree folks so like one person as you three are, and yet you are allindividually different; if you know what I mean."
"I do," said Nancy. "And you're a dear, Ruth. What would I have done outhere without you?"
"Taken the stylish Vivian Riker to your heart," teased Ruth. "She's abeauty."
There was a stir outside.
"Look who's here!" interrupted Nancy, jumping up and hurrying toward thedoor. "Ted! And he's got the threatened new dog with him. Come and see!"
The threatened new dog was indeed being coaxed along by Ted, but hedidn't look exactly new. In fact, his coat was matted and shaggy, histail hung down without a bit of "pep" in it, and even his long,long-haired ears seemed too discouraged to pick up the kindest words Tedwas trying to pour into them.
"Nero!" announced Ted simply, as Nancy opened the door and Ted tried topush the melancholy Nero in.
"What ails him?" Nancy asked, looking the strange animal over,critically.
"Just nothin' but lonesome," replied the small boy cryptically.
"He looks pretty--blue," Ruth commented, giving the dog a friendly butunappreciated pat on his shaggy head.
"Guess you'd be blue too, if you lived where he did," Ted told Ruth."That poor dog hadn't a friend in the world until I found him. Here,Nero, come along and eat," ordered Ted, while Nero followed him towardthe back door through the erstwhile Whatnot Shop and present-timeclassroom. "He's a fine dog," the little fellow continued to praise,"and when I get him all fixed up he'll be a beauty too," he insistedstoutly.
"Maybe," Nancy almost giggled as she looked after Ted and his dog. "Butwhen you take him to the beauty shop, Ted, you better get him a realRussian bob, his hair is long enough to braid," she commented gaily.
"You can laugh," Ted retorted, "but he's a thoroughbred--a one-man dog.He won't notice you girls. Come on Nero, attaboy," chanted Ted,importantly.
But being cooks, Nancy and Ruth could do no less than offer to provideNero's meal. Each thought he would like something else best, and eachtried the other dish, pushing it under his indifferent nose and coaxinghim with:
"Here Nero! Good! Eat! Eat-er-up!" etc.
But Nero merely sniffed disdainfully, snuggled his nose deeper into hisflattened paws, and turned two big, brown adoring eyes up at his youngmaster.
"Pity about him!" quoth Nancy. "Maybe he wants some of Isabel's CherryMoss. Just stew or beefsteak or even fried potatoes are not, it seems,on his diet bill."
They were all out on the back porch, Ted squatted squarely beside thenew dog, while the girls floated around Nero, like little tugssurrounding a big steamer.
"He doesn't _have_ to eat," Ted remarked indifferently, "he had a freelunch on the way over."
"He did!" screeched Nancy. "And you let us go to all this trouble!" Shekicked the tin pan of water over in sheer disgust.
"Well, I thought he might like something else," murmured the small boy,provokingly. "He only had a big soup bone and loaf of bread."
Taking off their cooking-school caps and unbuttoning their aprons asthey went, the girls wended their way back to the deserted class room.
"Can anyone beat that?" remarked Nancy, inelegantly. "Ted and his dogand the big--soup--bone! I could put a tune to that; a sad mournfuldirgy tune."
"Wherever do you suppose he picked up the brute?" Ruth asked. "I don'tremember ha
ving seen him around town."
"Oh, trust Ted," replied Nancy. "When we first came here, motheranswered him once, in a most casual, unthinking way: 'Yes.' It seemedhis question was could he have a dog, and mother hadn't been payingstrict attention. Since then he's been on a hunt for a dog. He broughthome a poor half-dead little tatters one day, but some boy followed himup and claimed the beauty. I wonder if this one will be left to him? Heseems pretty particular about his food, doesn't he?"
"Yes," replied Ruth, who was just glancing out the door. Suddenly sheexclaimed:
"Here's a taxi coming, and it's the one mother always uses. I guessshe's sending for me, I'll go out and see."
Nancy looked out and saw Ruth talking earnestly to the driver. Sheseemed to be disagreeing with the message he was giving her, and sheturned abruptly to come back to Nancy.
"Imagine that!" she panted, "Mother wants me to meet a train and take anold lady to see the Hilton house. As if I could show a house to one offather's customers!" Ruth's voice betrayed actual antipathy to the veryidea.
"But why not?" queried Nancy. "If she is just an old lady--"
"A rich old lady who has come a distance without notifying father'soffice, and there isn't a man within call to take her out," Ruth sighedmiserably. The thought of showing a house seemed absolutely beyond her.
"I'll go with you," Nancy offered. "Why couldn't we show a house? Weknow how to call out rooms, don't we?"
Ruth jerked back her pretty head and stared at Nancy.
"All right," she exclaimed, brightening perceptibly. "I'll go if youpromise to do the talking. I'm sure you can call off rooms and do morethan that in the business line, Nancy. Let's hurry. The train is almostdue."
So the two young "real estate ladies" were presently seated mostcircumspectly in the taxi, on the way to "meet a wealthy lady who wantedto look at the Hilton house."
And Nancy was fairly aglow with the prospect of a new and interestingbusiness adventure.