CHAPTER XXII
SILK!
Belle Ringold and Sally Moon came up to the Norwood place the nextforenoon and found Jessie and Amy in a porch hammock, their headstogether, writing a letter to Jessie's father. Jessie had tried to getRobert Norwood at his office right after breakfast, but a clerk hadinformed her that Mr. Norwood was not expected there until later. Hewould go direct to court from his hotel.
"And they have no more idea where he went to sleep than Momsy had,"Jessie had explained to her chum when Amy appeared, eager and curious."He is so busy with his court work that he does not want to bedisturbed, I know. But it seems to me that what we heard over theradio ought to be told to him."
It was Amy who had suggested the writing of the letter and having ittaken into town by Chapman, the chauffeur. The coming of Belle andSally disturbed the chums in the middle of the letter.
"Glad we found you here, Amy," said Belle. "You never are at home, areyou?"
"Only to sleep," confessed Amy Drew. "What seems to be the trouble,ladies? Am I not to be allowed to go calling?"
"Oh, we know you are always gadding over here," said Sally, laughing."You are Jessie's shadow."
"Ha, ha! and likewise ho, ho!" rejoined Amy. "In this case then, theshadow is greater than the substance. I weigh fifteen pounds more thanJess. We'll have to see about that."
"And I suppose your brother, Darrington, is over here, too?" askedBelle, her sharp eyes glancing all about the big veranda.
"Wrong again," rejoined Amy, cheerfully. "But if you have any messagefor Darry you can trust me to deliver it to him."
"Where is he?"
"Just about off Barnegat, if his plans matured," said Amy composedly.
"Oh!" cried Belle. "Did he go out on that yacht? And without takingany of us girls?" and she began to pout.
"No mixed parties until the family can go along," Amy said promptly."Jess and I, even, haven't been aboard the _Marigold_."
"Oh, you children!" scoffed Belle. "I shouldn't think that Darry andBurd Alling and that Mark Stratford would want little girls taggingthem. Why, they are in college."
Belle really was a year older than the chums; but she acted, andseemed to feel, as though she were grown up. Amy stared at her withwide eyes.
"Well, I like your nerve!" said she. "Darry's my brother. And I'veknown Burd Alling since he and Darry went to primary school. And sohas Jess. I guess they are not likely to take strangers off on thatyacht with them before they take Jess and me."
Belle tossed her head and laughed just as though she considered Amy'sheated reply quite childish.
"Oh, dear me," she proclaimed. "To hear you, one would think you werestill playmates, all making mud pies together. I don't know that youand Jess, Amy Drew, ever will be grown up."
"Hope not, if we have to grow into anything that looks and acts likeyou," grumbled Amy.
But Jessie tried to pour oil on the troubled waters. "Just what didyou come for, Belle?" she asked. After all, she must play hostess. "Isit anything I can do for you?"
"Some of us older girls are going to have a box party down at theCarter Landing on Lake Monenset the first moonlight night. Sally and Iare on the committee of arrangements. We want to talk it over withDarrington and Burd and get them to invite Mark Stratford."
"Humph! You'll have to use long distance or radio," chuckled Amy.
"Now, don't interfere, Amy!" said Belle sharply.
"Wait," Jessie said, in her quiet way. "Don't let us argue overnothing. The boys really are off on their boat. We do not know justwhen they are coming back. Why don't you write Darry a note and leaveit at the house?"
"Humph! I wonder if he'd get it?" snapped Belle, with her face screwedup as though she had bitten into something awfully sour.
"Well! I like her impudence," muttered Amy, as Belle and Sallydisappeared. "I don't see how her mother ever let her grow up."
"It is not as bad as all that," her chum said gravely. "But it isawfully silly for Belle and those girls who go with her to be thinkingof the boys all the time, and trying to get the older boys to show aninterest in them. That is perfectly ridiculous."
"You're right," said Amy, bluntly. "And Darry and Burd think thatBelle is foolish."
"Now, let's finish this letter to Daddy," Jessie said, hastily. "Andthen, oh, Amy Drew, I have an idea!"
"Another idea?" cried her friend.
"I don't know whether there is anything in it or not. But listen.Don't you think we might get Henrietta, take her over to the Gandyplace, and look around again for Bertha?"
"We-ell, I admit that kid has got sharp eyes. But how could she seeinto those buildings that are all shut up any better than we couldwhen we were over there?"
"You don't just get my idea, honey. If the girl who radioed hermessage, and which we heard, is Henrietta's cousin, she will knowHenrietta's voice. And if Henrietta calls her from outside, maybe shecan shout and we will hear her."
"That is an idea!" exclaimed Amy. "It might work, at that." Then shelaughed. "Anyway, we can give Hen a ride. Hen certainly likes ridingin an automobile."
"And Nell has got an almost new dress and other things for her. Let usgo down to the parsonage and get them. And while Chapman goes to townwith this letter we'll paddle around to Dogtown and get Henrietta."
"Fine!" cried Amy, and ran home for her hat.
A little later, when she had returned from the parsonage with thebundle and the chums were embarked upon the lake, Jessie said:
"I hope the poor little thing will like this dress that Nell was sokind as to find for her. But, to tell the truth, Amy, it seems alittle old for Henrietta."
"Is it a cape-coat suit?" giggled her friend.
"It is a little taffeta silk, and Nell said it was cut in a style sodisgracefully freakish that she would not let Sally wear it. It wasbought at one of those ultra-shops on Fifth Avenue where they havestyles for children that ape the frocks their big sisters wear."
"Let's see it," urged Amy, with curiosity.
"Wait till you see it on Henrietta. There are undies, too, andstockings and a pair of shoes that I hope will fit her. But consider!Taffeta silk for a child like Henrietta."
There could be no doubt that the girls from Roselawn were welcome whenthey landed at Dogtown and came to the Foley house. The greater numberof the village children seemed to have swarmed elsewhere; but littleHenrietta was sitting on the steps of the house holding thenext-to-the-youngest Foley in her arms.
"Hush!" she hissed, holding up an admonishing finger. "He's 'mostgone. When he goes I'll lay him in that soap-box and cover him withthe mosquito netting. Then I can tend to you."
"The little, old-fashioned thing," murmured Amy. "It isn't right,Jess."
Jessie understood and nodded. She was glad that Amy showed a certainamount of sympathy for Henrietta and appreciation of her. In a fewmoments the child was utterly relaxed and Henrietta got up andstaggered over to the soap-box on wheels and laid the sleeper downupon a pillow.
"He ought to sleep an hour," said little Henrietta, covering BillyFoley carefully so that the flies could not bite his fat, red legs. "Iain't got nothing to do now but to sweep out the house, wash thedishes in the sink, clean the clinkers out of the stove, hang out aline for clothes, and make the beds before Mrs. Foley and the baby getback. I can talk to you girls while I'm doing them things."
"Landy's sake!" gasped Amy, horrified.
But Jessie determined to take matters in her own hands for the timebeing, Mrs. Foley not being present. She immediately unrolled thebundle of things she had brought, and Henrietta halted on the step ofthe house, poised as though for flight, her pale eyes graduallygrowing rounder and rounder.
"Them ain't for _me_?"
"If they fit you, or can be made to fit you, honey," said Jessie.
"Oh, the poor child!" exclaimed Amy softly, taking care that Henriettashould not hear her.
"Silk!" murmured Henrietta, and sat down on the step again, put herarms out widely and squeezed the silk dress
up to her flat littlebody as though the garment was another baby.
"Silk!" repeated the poor little thing. "Miss Jessie! How good you areto me! I never did have a thing made of silk before, 'cepting ahair-ribbon. And I never had any too many of them."