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Mimi at Sheridan School
By
Anne Pence Davis
THE GOLDSMITH PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO
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Copyright 1935 by THE GOLDSMITH PUBLISHING COMPANY Chicago
MADE IN U. S. A.
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For Kay and Diane
Who still have all the fun of school ahead.
A. P. D.
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CONTENTS
I. HOME II. MISS JANE'S WEDDING III. "SHERIDAN, MY SHERIDAN" IV. FOLLOW THE LEADER V. TUMBLE INN VI. GREEN CAP WEEK VII. AN ACCIDENT VIII. MIMI GETS A BID IX. CLORISSA'S SECRET X. BETSY SPRINGS A SURPRISE XI. THE THANKSGIVING GAME XII. TEA FOR TWO XIII. DECK THE HALLS WITH BOUGHS OF HOLLY XIV. "THE LAND OF COUNTERPANE" XV. DADDY SENDS A CLUE XVI. THE LAKE FREEZES OVER XVII. SATURDAY ESCAPADE XVIII. THE HORSE SHOW XIX. TENNIS TOURNAMENT XX. ROOF GARDEN PARTY XXI. DEATH BELLS XXII. THE LAST OF PREP HALL XXIII. WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED AWAY XXIV. WHO IS CHLOE? XXV. HOME AGAIN JIGGETY JIG
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Mimi at Sheridan School
CHAPTER I
HOME
For the first time in ever so long Mimi was rude! She shoved, pushed,crowded, stepped on other passengers' toes, jabbed them with herelbows. She forgot that every other camper on the train was as eager tobe at home as she.
For long minutes, Mimi had been poking her red-head out the window andthen pulling it in, to report. A lady Jack-in-the-box, Sue thought.
"That was Bristow. The next stop is B. G."--"There's Howard's house onthe hill--only two miles from there--I know, I've hiked it."--"Ooo-oohwe're crossing the river into town----"
At the first soft p-s-s-s of escaping steam and applied brakes, Mimileaped to her feet. This was the signal to stampede the vestibule.Because she had more "junk" to pick up, drop and pick up again, Mimiwas not the first to rush down the aisle, but by some miracle ofshoving and crowding and complete forgetfulness of manners, Mimi was atthe head of the steps when the train pulled under the long shed andstopped. Only the restraining arm of the flagman kept her from divingoff headlong before the train came to a dead stop.
"Careful, Miss."
But Mimi neither heard nor heeded. She was searching the faces of thecrowd--Sue's mother, Margie's daddy, Miss Jane's Dick--but her owndarling family, where were they?
"Hello, Mimi--my child, you're freckled." "Be seein' you,Mimi"--"Goodbye"--"Bye."
Mimi seemed rooted to one small spot under the shed and all thehappiness in the world was passing around her and leaving her alone.What could be the matter? Something dreadful must have happened!
Then she saw----
A black coupe swung down the drive and raced right up to her--as nearas it could come for the tracks, and stopped under a big sign whichread, "No Parking."
The gravel was still flying from under the wheels and the dust wasstill making fitful little clouds when the door popped open and Daddyjumped out. Mimi remembered later that he did not even wait to open thedoor for Mother Dear and Junior but let them scramble out the best theycould. Daddy came striding toward her and scooped her up into his arms,bundles and all.
"I simply wouldn't have a doctor for a Daddy," he was saying.
And Mother Dear, quite out of breath from dragging Junior at a rapidpace, was adding----
"We had to go by the Hospital and Daddy was detained----"
But none of that mattered in the least now. They were here--the baggagewas stowed away in the back of the coupe. Junior was stretched out onthe shelf blocking any view out the back window--an ideal place to pullMimi's hair or tickle her ear--and Mimi, Daddy and Mother Dear werescrouged up together as Daddy stepped on the starter.
One long happy sigh escaped Mimi as she cuddled down, and not twominutes ago tears were, well, not quite in her eyes, but in her heartto say the least. Mimi's blue eyes were usually merry.
"Psst, psst!" in her ear. Junior's warm breath against her ear."Secret!" in a hoarse stage whisper.
"James Sherwood Hammond, Junior," in Mother's sternest voice as sheglared at Junior. A booming big laugh from Daddy who received the tailend of Mother's stern glance. He immediately swallowed the smile andbegan asking Mimi about camp.
"Did Sue's ankle get all right?" Daddy wanted to know. "Were there anystomach aches after the big Sunday dinner we brought? What finallybecame of Pluto?"
"Yes--No--No," Mimi was answering. "Oh it was too perfectlyprecious--all of it--and Daddy, Mother Dear--I am an honor camper!See!" She fished in her purse and held up the felt emblem.
"And you are something else, too. Today you are----"
But stop--Mother scowled at Daddy over Mimi's head and would have puther hand over his mouth if she could have reached it; wonderingfrantically if it were harder for big boys or small boys to keep asecret, she changed the subject swiftly.
"Is Miss Jane very tired from having the responsibility of you wildyoung things?"
"Not at all--she's grand--wonderful. Next to you Mother, I love herbest of nearly any one--and oh, Mother! She is----"
Then Mimi nearly told a secret. She stopped herself in time. Perhapsshe would have gone on but Daddy was turning in the driveway. At thefirst sound of the car, Von, abandoning his watch on the porch andforgetting the restrained manners of German police pedigree, camebounding toward them. Mammy Cissy was standing in the door grinning.
The striped runners of wandering jew falling over the edges of thehanging baskets brushed her hair as she ducked under and her swingingarm almost knocked a fern pot from its pedestal, for Mimi had jumped onto the porch neither from the porte-cochere nor the front steps. WithVon barking boldly at her heels, she had cut across the lawn and leapedon to the porch to Mammy--Precious old Cissy, who this instant huggedher close, and the next was holding her at arm's length saying:--
"Lan's sakes alive, Miss Mimi, yo sho is brought home a good crop offreckles and this newfangled sun tan both!"
Then Daddy calling from the drive, "Here, camper, help take your thingsin. What good is this old land lubber with a bulging sea bag?"
Daddy made such fun of things. He was unusually entertaining today(Mother had told him to be). While he and Mimi carried the thingsupstairs to her room--her own room with its ivory furniture and crispswiss curtains tied back with green taffeta bows--Mammy, Mother andyes, Junior too, had disappeared. Daddy knew they were in the kitchen,busy putting last touches here and there and lighting candles--lightingcandles in the middle of the day!
"There," Mimi said depositing the last load on the cedar chest underthe double front window. "Can it be possible I smell food?"
"Quite
," answered Daddy catching her mood. "It could even be probable,honey, that the nose tickling, delectable odor assailing your nostrilsis _fried chicken_!"
Mimi ran for the stairs. Before Daddy caught up with her and took herarm, Mother's voice halted her rush for the kitchen.
"Mimi, wash that train dirt off. You and Daddy both freshen up, fordinner is ready."
There was an excited undertone in Mother's voice that should have toldher something special was afoot but she didn't suspect a thing untilshe and Daddy went downstairs together and walked right into the bluevelvet portieres! The dining room was shut off! Before Mimi could solvethe puzzle Daddy pulled back the curtain and bowed very low. This wasthe cue for the music to begin. Mother, Junior and Cissy in threeentirely different keys were grouped at the foot of the table facingher singing, "Happy Birthday to you!"
Mimi was speechless----
There was a white cloth on the table. She was somehow aware of Mother'sgood plates stacked at Daddy's place, of the good silver which caughtthe candle light, and most of all of the big white cake in the middleof the table with fourteen yellow candles. Mimi knew without countinghow many there were. It was her birthday. She was fourteen! How couldshe have forgotten?
"I believe she really is surprised!" beamed Mother very pleased with itall. "We put something over on her once."
"Sho she is," exclaimed Cissy ducking to the kitchen as soon as thesong ended.
"I nearly told," commented Junior slipping into his place and adding inthe same breath--"Give me the drumstick, Daddy."
There was a deep note of gratitude in Daddy's voice as he asked thesimple blessing. He was thankful to have his small family all togetheragain. It had been a long two weeks to Daddy without Mimi. There werenot many more days to have them all four together at their own table.Daddy knew something Mimi was yet to find out.
While Daddy served the plates, Mother helped; while Cissy hoveredbehind Daddy's chair with hot breads, while Junior clamored for bothdrumsticks now instead of one, Mimi made a discovery. She found a plainwhite envelope that was flat on the table, hidden under her napkin. Shehadn't taken her napkin up immediately as Daddy finished the blessingthe way she usually did. She was watching tiny streams of tallow rundown the candles and hoping they would not spoil the cake icing;admiring the snowy white cloth and Mother's thin, etched glasses, sodifferent from the bare tables at camp and the thick glasses and heavychina. Not that camp wasn't all right--No siree! But it was so grand tobe home again.
"A-hem" said Daddy. He had finished serving the plates and all eyeswere focused on Mimi waiting for her to rip open the white envelope.
"It's for me?" Mimi asked picking it up and turning it over. No name,no anything----
"Look and see."
It was so thin and flat, it couldn't have much in it, Mimi thought asshe tore the end open with scalloped little pinches. When she ran herfinger in the envelope, it seemed empty. Then she shook it and outtumbled a check. It was for more money than Mimi dreamed existed.
"For you, daughter," Daddy said (and when Daddy said "Daughter" shefelt very grown-up and dignified if a slightly snubbed-nose person withunruly red hair and such merry blue eyes can ever be dignified).
The check instead of being payable to Mimi was made out to SheridanSchool for one year's room, board and tuition for Mimi--in full----
"But--?" said Mimi looking dazedly from Mother to Daddy. She wasn't oldenough to go to college and she had heard Mother say she did notapprove of Prep Schools when there were good High Schools at home.
"Daughter, Daddy is going away a year," Dr. Hammond said--"taking aleave of absence from his practice and going to Leipzig, Germany, tospecialize."
"But what will we do without you?"
"I was coming to that. You see, daughter, Mother is going along withme--" Daddy reached over and patted Mother's hand. "And Junior is toosmall to leave so we are taking him."
"But me, Daddy--what about me?" Mimi's voice was getting thinner andhigher.
"You, daughter, are going to Sheridan School."
For an awful moment Mimi was silent. No Mother or Daddy for a wholeyear? She wished she were too small to leave too. They wouldn't leaveher; then without moving her lips she whispered "Sheridan School." Thevery words were healing magic. How often with great longing she hadsaid them. "When I get big I'm going to Sheridan School." She wasn'tbig yet, but fourteen is quite a responsible age.
She began to understand that the long looked forward to "someday" wouldbe September.
"Of course, of course," she burst out. Holding her head high and herchin firm, and without the least bit of quiver in her voice, she lookedDaddy squarely in the eyes, "I am going to Sheridan School!"