CHAPTER XIV
FIVE CENTS' WORTH OF PEPPERMINTS
"Vell! vell!" was the German lady's greeting when the girls enteredthe shop. "You gome quick back to see me already, eh? I am glad."
She came forward and kissed Agnes and then Ruth. But she halted as shewas about to stoop to Maria.
"Ach! this is nefer von of de kinder I saw yesterday?" she cried.
"Don't you know this little girl, Mrs. Kranz?" asked Ruth, smiling."This is Maria Maroni."
"Ach! I nefer did!" exclaimed Mrs. Kranz, using an expression that shemust have picked up from her American neighbors. "Vell! I lofe _clean_kinder," and she delivered a resounding kiss upon Maria's darklyflushed cheek. "Undt how pretty she iss."
"I am sure she is quite as good as she is pretty," said Ruth, smiling."You ought to have just such a little girl as Maria to help you, Mrs.Kranz."
"Ach! I would lofe to have such a girl," declared the good lady. "Comeyou all right back to mine poller. Iky! 'tend to the store yet," sheshouted to a lanky youth lounging on the sidewalk.
"He vill eat up all mine dried apples, yet, undt trink soda-pop, if Idon't vatch him. Some day dot Iky iss goin' to svell right up undtbust! But he lifs up stairs undt his mutter iss a hard vorkin' vidow."
"As though _that_ excused Iky for stuffing himself with dried apples,"whispered Agnes to Ruth. Ruth looked at her admonishingly and Agnessubsided.
Mrs. Kranz bustled about to put coffee-cake and other toothsomedainties, beside bottles of lemon-soda, before the three visitors. Shetreated Maria just as nicely as she did Ruth and Agnes. Ruth had notbeen mistaken in her judgment of Mrs. Kranz. She _had_ to own such abig body to hold her heart!
Ruth told her how they had talked with Maroni and how he had agreed toclean up the cellar, and get rid of the decayed vegetables daily. Butit was, without doubt, Maria's improved appearance, more than anythingelse, that thawed the good lady.
"Ach! it iss de way de vorld iss made," sighed Mrs. Kranz. "That JoeMaroni, he hass six kinder; I haf none. This maedchen, she shall helpme in de house, undt in de store. I buy her plenty clean dresses. I'lltalk to that Joe. Ven I am madt mit him I can't talk, for he smile,an' smile----Ach! how can I fight mit a man dot smiles all de time?"
The two older Kenway girls started home feeling that they hadaccomplished something worth while at the Meadow Street tenementhouse. "Only," said Ruth, "if we really had the right to do so, I cansee that there are a lot of repairs that would make the house morecomfortable for the tenants."
"And I suppose if Uncle Peter had thought of the comfort of thetenants, he would never have made so much money out of the houses,"observed Agnes, with more thought than she usually displayed.
Just then Joe and Maria came hurrying down the block after them. "No,Padrona!" cried the man. "You would not r-r-refuse Joe's poor litlapresent? Maria shall carry eet for you--si! si! She is a smartgirl--no? She fin' her way all over town."
They thanked Maroni for the basket of fruit, and allowed Maria tocarry it to the Corner House, for that gave her pleasure, too, Ruthcould see.
It gave them an opportunity of introducing Maria Maroni to Tess andDot. The younger Kenways were very glad to see her, and Maria was madeacquainted with the garden playhouse and with the rows of dolls.
"I don't care so much because the Creamer girls won't play with us,"said Tess, happily, after Maria had run home. "Alfredia and Maria areboth very nice little girls."
"Yes, indeed," said Dot, quickly. But she added, after a moment: "Andthey can't either of them help being so awful dark complected!"
It had begun to bother Ruth, however, if it did none of the otherthree, that so few people called on them. Of course, the Kenways hadnot been in Milton but four weeks. The people they met at church,however, and the girls they had become acquainted with at SundaySchool, had not called upon them.
Eva Larry was delighted to see Agnes on the street, and had taken herhome one day with her. Myra Stetson was always jolly and pleasant, butno urging by Agnes could get either of these nice girls to visit theold Corner House.
"Do you suppose it is the ghost of the garret that keeps them away?"demanded Agnes, of Ruth.
"We wouldn't entertain them in the garret," responded Ruth, laughing.Only she did not feel like laughing. "If that is the trouble, however,we'll soon finish up cleaning out the garret. And we'll sweep out theghost and all his tribe, too."
A Saturday intervened before this could be accomplished, however. Itwas the first Saturday after Mr. Howbridge had bestowed upon theCorner House girls their monthly allowance.
After the house was spick and span, and the children's playthings putaway for over Sunday, and the garden (which was now a trim andpromising plot) made particularly neat, the four girls dressed intheir very best and sallied forth. It was after mid-afternoon and theshoppers along Main Street were plentiful.
Aunt Sarah never went out except to church on Sunday. Now that theweather was so warm, the big front door stood open a part of the time,and the girls sat with their sewing and books upon the wide porch.Mrs. McCall joined them there; but Aunt Sarah, never.
Because she did not go out, anything Aunt Sarah needed was purchasedby one of the girls. Particularly, Ruth never forgot the peppermintswhich were bought as regularly now that they lived in the Corner Houseas they were bought in the old days, back in Bloomingsburg.
Sometimes Ruth delegated one of the other girls to buy thepeppermints, but on this particular occasion she chanced to findherself near the candy counter, when she was separated from Agnes inBlachstein & Mapes. So she purchased the usual five cents' worth ofAunt Sarah's favorite Sunday "comfort."
"No matter how dry the sermon is, or how long-winded the preacher, Ican stand it, if I've got a pep'mint to chew on," the strange old ladyonce said. That was almost as long a sentence as the girls had everheard her speak!
With the peppermints safe in her bag, Ruth hunted again for Agnes. Butthe latter had those shoe-buckles on her mind and, forgetting Ruth,she left the big store and made for the shoeshop.
On the way Agnes passed the Lady's Shop with its tempting display inthe show-window, and she ventured in. There were those lovelyhandkerchiefs! Agnes feasted her eyes but she could not gain thecourage to break one of her dollar bills for the trifle.
So she wandered out and went toward the glittering buckles in theshoeshop window. And there she hesitated again. Fifty cents! A quarterof her entire monthly allowance. She wanted to find Eva Larry, whowould be down town, too, and treat her to a sundae. Besides, she mustbuy Myra Stetson some little remembrance.
"I know what I'll do!" thought Agnes finally, her eye suddenlylighting upon a candy store across Main Street. "I can break one ofthese bills by getting Aunt Sarah's peppermints. Then it won't seem sohard to spend the change."
Agnes tripped over the crosswalk and purchased the little bag ofpeppermints. These she popped into her own handbag, and a little latercame across Eva. They went into the drug store on the corner and had asundae apiece. Agnes bought some hairpins (which she certainly couldnot use) and a comb, and some lovely ribbon, and a cunning little redstrawberry emery-bag for her sewing-box, and several other trifles.She found all her change gone and nothing but the dollar bill left inher purse. That scared Agnes, and she ran home, refusing to break theremaining bill, and much troubled that she should have been soreckless in her expenditures the very first time she was out.
Tess and Dot had gone together. There was no reason why two girls, ofeight and ten respectively, should not shop on Milton's Main Street.The younger Kenway girls had often shopped for Ruth, while they livedin Bloomingsburg.
The Five and Ten Cent Store attracted them. There was a toydepartment, and all kinds of cheap fancy goods, and little things forpresents. Tess roamed among these, using her eyes to good advantage,save that she forgot to look for Dot, after a time.
There was a very cute little spool holder for ten cents, and Tessbought that for Mrs. McCall. Uncle Rufus she remembered in thepurchase of a red
and black tie for "state and date" occasions. Shebought a pretty ruching for Ruth's collar, and a new thimble forAgnes, because Agnes was always losing her silver one.
For Dot, Tess bought a tiny doll's tea-set, and forgetting herselfentirely, Tess wandered out of the store with her bundles, looking forher sister. She did not at once see Dot, but a boy was selling cheapcandies from a basket, and Tess was smitten with the thought that shehad forgotten Aunt Sarah!
She bought a bag of white peppermint drops in a hurry. That took allof Tess' half dollar, and she did not want to break into the bill; soshe went home without satisfying any of her own personal longings.
Dot had found the candy counter in the big store the first thing.There were heaps, and heaps of goodies. Dot possessed a sweet tooth,and she had never really had enough candy at one time in her life--noteven at Christmas.
Some of this candy was ten cents a pound, and some ten cents a quarterof a pound. Dot knew that if she bought the more expensive kind, herdollar bill would not go far. And she really did not want to spend allher month's money just for candy. Ruth would think her extravagant andAgnes would laugh at her.
The little girl moved along in front of the counter, feasting her eyesupon the variegated sweets. There were chocolates, and bonbons, andnut candies, and "kisses," and many candies of which Dot did not knoweven the names. Finally she came to the end, where the cheaper kindswere displayed.
Dot's eyes grew round and she uttered a half-stifled "Oh!" There was agreat heap of luscious looking, fat peppermint drops. They looked tobe so creamy and soft, that Dot was _sure_ they were far superior toany drops that Aunt Sarah had ever had in the past.
"Here, little girl," said the lady behind the counter, seeing Dotfeasting her eyes upon the heap of peppermints. "Here's a broken one,"and she reached over the screen and passed Dot the crumbly bit ofcandy.
Dot thanked her nicely and popped the broken peppermint drop into hermouth. It was every bit as nice as it looked. It was crumbly, andcreamy, and sweet, with just the right amount of peppermint essence init.
"I'll buy Aunt Sarah's peppermints my own self," decided Dot. Then shehesitated, being an honest little thing. She knew that she could notresist the temptation of those luscious drops, once they were in herhands.
"I'll take _two_ quarter pounds, if you please, Ma'am," she said tothe saleslady. "In two bags. One's for my Aunt Sarah and the other'sfor Tess and me."
Having broken her dollar bill for these two bags of sweets, Dot feltrather frightened, and she, too, hurried out of the store.
The four Corner House girls arrived home at about the same time--andnot long before the usual dinner hour. Dot and Tess had tasted out ofthe special bag of peppermint drops that Dot had bought, in the yard.Tess had so many other things to show her smaller sister that neithersuspected the other's possession of Aunt Sarah's peppermints.
Dot ran up to Aunt Sarah's room as soon as she got inside the door. "Igot your pep'mint drops, Auntie!" she cried, plumping the bag into theold lady's lap.
"Humph! Good child," declared Aunt Sarah, and opened the baginvitingly. "Have one?"
"No-o, Ma'am," said Dot, backing away. "I've been eating some out of_my_ bag," and she showed Aunt Sarah her other purchase. "Ruth says itspoils your appetite to eat too much candy before dinner."
"Humph!" remarked Aunt Sarah.
As Dot went down the stairway, Tess came dancing along from thebathroom, with a fresh ribbon in her hair and her face and hands stilldamp. "Oh, Aunt Sarah!" she cried, "here is your bag of peppermintsfor to-morrow," and she held up her own purchase. "Shall I put them inyour room on the bureau?"
"Humph!" exclaimed the old lady, stopping and eyeing Tess curiously."So _you've_ got them?"
"Yes, Ma'am," said Tess, and hopped down stairs by the old lady's sidevery happily.
There was a neat little box resting on the table beside Aunt Sarah'splate. Agnes said: "There's your Sunday peppermints, Aunt Sarah. I gotthem at the Unique candy store, and I guess they're nice ones."
Aunt Sarah merely glared at her, and remained speechless. That wasnothing strange; the old lady sometimes acted as though she did nothear you speak to her at all.
Mrs. McCall came in from the kitchen and Ruth appeared from up stairs.Uncle Rufus arrived with the steaming soup tureen. As Ruth sat down,she said to Aunt Sarah:
"You'll find your peppermints on the hall stand, Aunt Sarah. I forgotto bring them up to your room."
_That_ was too much. The old lady blazed up like a freshly kindledfire.
"For the good Land o' Goshen! I got peppermints enough now to last mefour meetings. I believe getting your Uncle Peter's money the way youhave, has made all you gals silly!"
She refused to say another word to any of them that evening.