CHAPTER II
Three in a row, they sat and thought while the leaf piles smouldered andthe afternoon went by. Plan after plan was offered and discussed andcast aside. At last Elise glanced at her little silver wrist watch, andwound up her scarf.
"Time for maman to come home," she said. "She likes it when I meet herat the door with my love, and myself likes it too."
"Of course you do, you dear!" said Helen. "Good-bye! We will keep onthinking and perhaps tomorrow we will be able to get hold of some planthat will be worth acting on. I must go too, Rosanna."
"I will walk around the block with you," said Rosanna, rising andcalling a gay good-bye after Elise. She went with Helen almost to thedoor of her apartment and then returned very slowly. How she did long tohelp Gwenny! There must be some way. Poor patient, uncomplaining Gwenny!Rosanna could not think of her at all without an ache in her heart. Shewas so thin and her young face had so many, _many_ lines of pain.
She was so thoughtful at dinner time that her Uncle Robert teased herabout it. He wanted to know if she had robbed a bank or had decided torun off and get married and so many silly things that his mother toldhim to leave Rosanna alone. Rosanna smiled and simply went on thinking.After dinner she slipped away and went up to her own sitting-room. ThenUncle Robert commenced to worry in earnest. He had his hat in his handready to go over and see Mr. Culver, but he put it down again and wentup to Rosanna's room, three steps at a time.
Rosanna called "Come," in answer to his knock in quite her usual tone ofvoice, and Uncle Robert heaved a sigh of relief.
He stuck his head in the door, and said in a meek tone: "I thought Iwould come up to call on you, Princess. Mother is expecting a bridgeparty, and it is no place for me."
"That is what I thought," said Rosanna. "Besides I wanted to think."
"Well, I am known as a hard thinker myself," said Uncle Robert. "If youwill invite the part of me that is out here in the hall to follow myhead, I will be glad to help you if I can."
"I don't see why I shouldn't tell you about things anyway," musedRosanna. "You are not a parent, are you?"
"No, ma'am, I am _not_," said Uncle Robert. "Nary a parent! Why?"
He came in without a further invitation and sat down in Rosanna'sbiggest chair. At that it squeaked in an alarming manner, and UncleRobert made remarks about furniture that wouldn't hold up a growing boylike himself. When he appeared to be all settled and comfortable, andRosanna had shoved an ash tray over in a manner that Uncle Robert saidmade him feel like an old married man, he said, "Now fire ahead!" andRosanna did.
She told him all about Gwenny and her family--her mother and Mary andselfish Tommy, and good little Myron, and Luella and the heavy baby, andthe story was so well told that Uncle Robert had hard work holdinghimself down. He felt as though the check book in his pocket was allfull of prickers which were sticking into him, and in another pocket abank book with a big, big deposit, put in it that very day, keptshouting, "Take care of Gwenny yourself!" so loudly that he was sureRosanna must hear.
But Uncle Robert knew that that was not the thing for him to do. Hecould not take all the beauty and generosity out of their effort whentheir dear little hearts were so eagerly trying to find a way to help.
He hushed the bank book up as best he could and said to Rosanna, "Idon't worry a minute about this thing, Rosanna. I know perfectly wellthat you will think up some wonderful plan that will bring you wads ofmoney, and as long as I am _not_ a parent, I don't see why I can't beyour councillor. There might be things that I could attend to. I couldtake the tickets at the door or something like that."
"Tickets!" said Rosanna, quite horrified. "Why, Uncle Bob, we can't givea _show_!"
"I don't see why not, if you know what you want to show," answered UncleRobert. "You see benefit performances given all the time for singers andpianists and actors who want to retire with a good income. Some of themhave one every year, but you couldn't do that for Gwenny. However I'llstand by whenever you want me, you may feel sure of that, and if I canadvance anything in the way of a little money--" he tapped the bankbook, which jumped with joy.
"Oh, thank you!" said Rosanna. "We will be sure to tell you as soon aswe can hit on a plan, and we will have you to go to for advice, and thatwill be such a help!"
After Uncle Bob had taken himself off, Rosanna went slowly to bed. Shethought while she was undressing and after she had put out the light andwas waiting for her grandmother to come in and kiss her good-night. Andthe last thing before she dropped off to sleep her mind was whirlingwith all sorts of wild ideas, but not one seemed to be just what waswanted. One thing seemed to grow clearer and bigger and stronger, andthat was the feeling that Gwenny must be helped.
The first thing that she and Helen asked each other the next day whenthey met on the way to school was like a chorus. They both said, "Didyou think of anything?" and neither one had.
Sad to relate, neither Rosanna nor Helen made brilliant recitations thatday, and coming home from school Helen said gravely, "What marks did youget today, Rosanna?"
"Seventy," answered Rosanna with a flush.
"I got seventy-two, and it was a review. Oh dear, this won't do at all!I was thinking about Gwenny, and trying to work up a plan so hard that Ijust couldn't study. Either we have positively got to think up somethingright away, or else we will have to make up our minds that we must doour thinking on Saturdays only. Can't you think of a single thing?"
"I seem to have glimmers of an idea," said Rosanna, "but not very brightones."
"All I can think of is to get all the girls in our group to make fancythings and have a fair."
"That is not bad," said Rosanna, "but would we make enough to count formuch? Even if all the girls in our group should go to work and workevery single night after school we would not be able to make enoughfancy articles to make a whole sale."
"I suppose not," sighed Helen. "This is Thursday. If we can't think ofsomething between now and Saturday afternoon, let's tell the girls aboutit at the meeting and see what they suggest, and ask if they would liketo help Gwenny. But oh, I wish we could be the ones to think upsomething! You see Gwenny sort of belongs to us, and I feel as though weought to do the most of the work."
That night at dinner there was a guest at Rosanna's house, young DoctorMacLaren, who had been in service with Uncle Robert. Rosanna quite losther heart to him, he was so quiet and so gentle and smiled so sweetly ather grandmother. She sat still as a mouse all through the meal,listening and thinking.
After dinner when they had all wandered into the lovely old library thatsmelled of books, she sat on the arm of her Uncle Robert's chair, andwhile her grandmother was showing some pictures to the doctor, shewhispered to her uncle, "Don't you suppose the doctor could tell us howmuch it would cost to cure Gwenny?"
"You tickle my ear!" he said, and bit Rosanna's.
"Behave!" said Rosanna sternly. "Don't you suppose he could?"
"I am sure he could, sweetness, but I sort o' think he would have to seeGwenny first. Shall we ask him about it?"
"Oh, please let's!" begged Rosanna.
"Th' deed is did!" said Uncle Robert, and as soon as he could break intothe conversation, he said: "Rick, Rosanna and I want to consult you."
Rosanna squeezed his hand for that; it was so much nicer than to put itall off on her.
Doctor MacLaren laughed his nice, friendly laugh. "Well, if you are bothin some scheme, I should say it was time for honest fellows like me tobe careful. Let's hear what it is."
"You tell, Rosanna," said Uncle Robert. "I can't talk and smoke all atthe same time."
So Rosanna, very brave because of Uncle Robert's strong arm around her,commenced at the beginning and told all about Gwenny and her family, andher bravery in bearing the burden of her lameness and ill health. Andshe went on to tell him about the Girl Scouts and all the good they do,and that she was sure that they would help, but they (she and Helen)hated to put it before the meeting unless they had some idea of theamount of mone
y it would be necessary for them to earn. And anotherthing; what if they should start to get the money, and couldn't? What a_dreadful_ disappointment it would be for Gwenny and indeed all thefamily down to Baby Christopher!
The two young men heard her out. Then Uncle Robert said:
"I don't know the exact reason, but it seems that you cannot work withthese Girl Scouts if you are a parent. Are you a parent, Rick?"
"Please don't tease, Uncle Bobby," said Rosanna pleadingly. "It is onlythat we Scout girls are supposed to try to do things ourselves withoutexpecting all sorts of help from our mothers and fathers--andgrandmothers and uncles," she added rather pitifully.
Robert patted her hand. Rosanna was an orphan.
"I see now how it is," he said. "Tell us, Rick, what you think aboutthis."
"I think that Saturday morning, when there is no school, Rosanna mighttake me to call on Miss Gwenny and we will see about what the troubleis. And I think as she does, that it would be very wise to say nothingat all about this plan until we know something about the case. It wouldbe cruel to get the child's hopes up for nothing. If there is anythingthat I dare do, I will promise you now that I will gladly do it, but Icannot tell until I see her."
"Thank you ever and ever so much!" said Rosanna. "We won't tell anyone athing about it!"
"Can you drive over to Gwenny's tomorrow and tell her mother that adoctor friend of mine is coming to see her?" asked Uncle Robert.
"Indeed I can if grandmother is willing!" said Rosanna. "Oh, I _do_ feelas though we will think up some way of earning the money!"
Rosanna was so happy that she overslept next morning and was nearly lategetting to school, so she did not see Helen until they were dismissed.They walked slowly home and sat down on their favorite place on the topstep. They had been sitting quietly, watching a group of childrenplaying in the leaves, when Rosanna jumped to her feet and commenced todance up and down.
"Oh, Helen, Helen," she cried. "I believe I have it! I believe I haveit! Oh, I am _so_ excited!"
"Well, do tell me!" exclaimed Helen.
"That is just what I am going to do," said Rosanna, still dancing."Let's go around in the garden and sit in the rose arbor where no onewill disturb us."
"That is the thing to do," agreed Helen, and together they went skippingthrough the iron gateway that led into the lovely old garden. Once upona time that gate had been kept locked and little Rosanna had been almosta prisoner among the flowers and trees that made the garden so lovely.But now the gate swung on well-oiled hinges and all the little GirlScouts were welcome to come and play with Rosanna in her playhouse orride her fat little pony around the gravelled paths.
The children banged the gate shut behind them and went to the mostsheltered spot in the garden, the rose arbor, where they were hiddenfrom view. They threw their school books on the rustic table and settledthemselves in two big chairs.
"Now _do go on_," said Helen with a little thrill in her voice. "Oh, I_do_ feel that you have thought up something splendid!"