CHAPTER II
_A STREET LEADING TO THE CAPITOL_
And when breakfast was over there was still no Joy.
Finally one of the porters was found who said he had seen a girl leavethe hotel about seven o'clock. "She walked up the street in front ofyou, up toward the Capitol."
"There, didn't I tell you! Joy's all right. Nothing can happen to herhere," said Shirley reassuringly.
"Let's walk up that way. We'll probably meet her coming back." Kitlooked anxiously toward the hill. "I can't imagine why she stayed solong. She can't get inside any of the buildings."
"Maybe I won't have something to say to that girl!" exclaimed Betangrily. "She hasn't any right to run off like this and frighten us."And if Bet had met her at that minute, the girl would probably havebeen told many things about herself.
But they did not meet Joy. There was no sign of her on the streetleading up to the Capitol, and no sign of her on the grounds.
Where was Joy?
Even the Judge looked worried. "Not that I think anything will happento her, but I'm responsible and I wish she had not gone out byherself," he declared.
The girls were seeing the Capitol in a very different way than they hadplanned. They were in no mood to be impressed by the majesty of thebuilding. They were watching for the tiny figure of Joy to appear atevery corner.
"It's no use, we might as well go back to the hotel and wait. Maybeshe's there by this time," suggested Judge Breckenridge.
Still Joy had not returned when the party reached their quarters.
"There may have been an accident!" Bet shivered at the thought. Theirlaughing Joy! That would be too terrible to think of.
The Judge was about to notify the authorities when Sam Wilkins thecolored steward on their train, walked in leading Joy, a woe-begonelittle creature, tear-stained and tired.
"Why Joy Evans! You----" Then catching sight of the girl's whiteface, Bet ran and threw her arms about her. "You darling! We thoughtyou were lost and you were at the train all the time. Oh, Joy dear!"Tears came to Bet's eyes.
Joy did not break down and cry again until she had reached her ownroom. Then the tears came in a flood.
"Oh, I was so frightened," she sobbed.
When she had quieted down, half an hour later, she told her story. "Iwoke up hours and hours before the rest of you and I couldn't sleep.And when I'm at home I always go walking early in the morning. So Iwalked up the street leading to the Capitol."
"Yes, we know. We went up there, thinking we'd meet you coming back.How did you get lost? The hotel is at the end of the street."
"Just you go up there and look!" Joy's eyes snapped, but in a minuteher sense of humor returned. "I wouldn't have believed it possible toget lost, for, as you say, the hotel is at the end of the streetleading up there."
"Then what happened?"
"Oh, I'm so dumb!" began Joy.
"Tell us something we don't know!" laughed Kit.
"Well, I didn't look at the name of the street. And that old Capitol!Girls, I don't care if I never see it again! It stands up there onthat hill as if it were the most important thing in the world, andstreets lead up to it from _everywhere_, like the spokes of a wheel._All_ the streets lead to the Capitol!"
"And you didn't know which street you came up?" asked Kit.
"That's it. So I walked down all those streets, up and down and up anddown. Why I've seen that building from every angle. It was terrible!"
"Why didn't you just take a taxi to the hotel?" asked the practicalShirley.
"Oh, I'm not so dumb. I thought of that!" exclaimed Joy with a toss ofher head. "But the taxi man laughed at me. I didn't know the name ofthe hotel or the name of the street, and I'd already told him I didn'thave any money."
"You poor little kid," soothed Bet.
"He finally went away and I saw him make a sign to another taxi driveras much as to say I was crazy. Then I got frightened for fear they'dspeak to me and laugh some more, so I ran away."
"And did you go down all those streets again?" asked Shirley.
"No, I was tired of that. I'd been on all of them, I guess. Then Iremembered the train at the station, and I walked there."
"Oh Joy! All that long way? You could have taken a taxi there," saidEnid.
"No, I couldn't! I didn't have any money and I wasn't going to belaughed at any more. I couldn't be sure that Sam was there to pay forme."
"Well, it's over now, and we'd better go sight-seeing. We've wastedhalf the morning," exclaimed Bet sharply.
"I don't want to go sight-seeing!" said Joy decidedly.
"Don't be a spoil-sport, Joy. We're not angry at you or anything. Butwe do want to see Washington." Bet's voice was raised to a point whereangry words were apt to come. At a signal from Kit, she quieted downhowever.
Kit turned to Joy. "You wouldn't want to leave this city withoutseeing everything--the Congressional Library and the Capitol......"
"_Please_ don't take me to the Capitol! I think I'll scream if I everlay eyes on that dome again! I've seen it a million times to-day, andthat's plenty."
"All right, you can sit in the car while we take a look at it," laughedShirley, patting the still half frightened girl.
Still Joy shook her head. "I can't go!" she finally exclaimed. "Thebreakfast at the hotel is over and I'm so hungry I'm weak."
"You poor little girl!" spoke up the Judge with a twinkle in his eyes."Enid, you take her down the block to that restaurant and get her agood breakfast. She'll be ready for anything when she gets back."
"Not the Capitol, Judge! I draw the line at that." She laughed likethe old Joy once more.
Half an hour later Joy returned and announced that even the sight ofthe Capitol would not prevent her from accompanying them.
For the rest of the stay in the city she had to put up with a good dealof teasing, and the Judge noticed that she did not allow the girls toget out of sight for a moment.
Joy had learned her lesson.
"We're just like tourists," sighed Bet when the day was almost over."We've rushed around from one thing to another. I don't like it. Myeyes ache from looking at so many pictures. Imagine two galleries inone afternoon, besides the White House and the Capitol. That's toomuch sight-seeing! I'll be glad when we go."
But the trip down the river to Mount Vernon the next day was enjoyed byall the girls, and when they caught sight of the old mansion, Betcried, "Why, it looks something like Merriweather Manor."
"A little," said Joy, "but I think Merriweather Manor is much nicer."
"Thanks, Joy. I'm always so proud and happy when you girls say youlike my home. To me it's just the loveliest place in the world. Iwouldn't change it for anything modern. Sometimes Auntie Gibbs getsfussy and says it's too much work."
"Your dear old housekeeper is getting old," said Enid.
"Yes, Auntie Gibbs is almost seventy and Dad wants her to have plentyof help. But she won't hear of it and she won't retire. So what arewe to do?" said Bet wistfully. "You know Dad and I love Auntie Gibbsand Uncle Nat as much as if they were really members of our family."
The girls were thrilled as they stepped inside the old mansion. HereWashington had lived. He once sat at that very table, used thosedishes, drank from those glasses. They could scarcely believe it.
They tried to imagine him as he had been before the responsibilities ofthe great war lay heavy on his shoulders. The young Washington, ownerof the estate. There must have been gay parties in this house. Betshut her eyes for a second and could see the belles of that day. Shewondered if Lady Betty Merriweather had ever been a guest in the house.It would not be impossible. She hoped that it was so.
"Some day," said Bet, as they were returning to Washington on the boat,"let's come and live for a winter in Washington. Then we can seethings thoroughly. This is just skimming the surface. We haven't seenanything well."
"Oh yes, we have!" laughed Joy. "There's that Capitol. I
could drawit with my eyes shut!"
But the girls were tired enough so that, a few days later, theywelcomed the announcement that they would leave Washington at midnight.
The train with their cozy berths looked good to them and they settleddown for the two days' trip to Arizona. It was good not to have to gosight-seeing for a while.
Shirley strapped her camera in its case and laid it away. She hadtaken so many pictures in Washington that she was tired, for once inher life.
But that did not last long. Very quickly the nature of the countrychanged and they were going through the south-land, where the huts ofthe negroes added a picturesque touch to the landscape. Charminglittle black-eyed pickaninnies were at the stations and grinned atShirley while she took their pictures.
"Girls, I'll have pictures enough for my shop this winter, and for halfa dozen more!" Shirley exclaimed. Shirley was the business girl andhad made a success of a little gift shop in Lynnwood. She had helpedto support her parents and been able to continue at school with herchums. In this venture, The Merriweather Girls had all joined. Theyhad worked and planned under the leadership of Colonel Baxter, and thelittle shop had given them many interesting adventures.
Shirley had developed a commercial instinct and, together with hertalent for photography, was what the girls liked to call a businesssuccess.
The sameness of the desert country through Texas, the dust and dirt wasa bit trying to the nerves of the girls. But there was no complaint.They looked ahead to the wonderful experience that would be theirs whenthey would leave the train and journey into the cowboy land.
"Kit, do tell us about them," begged Joy.
"I won't do it. You've got your own ideas from the movies and I can'tchange them. Now you'll just have to get disappointed. There aren'tany _handsome_ cowboys in my country."
Kit spoke impatiently.
"Isn't Seedy Saunders handsome?" Joy asked again.
Kit shouted with laughter as she brought a picture of the old cowboy toher mind. He was a small man, bow-legged and thin. A sort of dried-updesert rat. In looks Seedy was nothing at all. Only when he was inthe saddle did he shine, for he could throw a rope better than anyoneKit had ever seen, and as for taming a wild horse, there was no bettercowboy in the mountains than this old hand at the game.
"No, of course Seedy isn't handsome. He's old, and plain and commonlooking," Kit answered.
"I'll not believe it until I see one. For I'm very sure that some ofthe cowboys on the screen are the real thing. Just see how they canride and throw the ropes and catch the cows by the horns! Why, they'rewonderful!"
Bet Baxter laughed. "Go on, Joy, rave some more! And don't worry,we'll find a handsome cowboy if we have to import one from the moviesfor you."
"Thanks, Bet," laughed Joy, blowing her a kiss from the ends of herfingers. "I'll pick my own. Kit is trying to discourage me, but I'llfind a handsome cowboy. You just wait and see!"