BETTY AND ANNETTE
The girls' laughter ceased, and they looked at Ruth a little
questioningly as if expecting that she would explain. But it was Betty
who, slipping her arm around Winifred, said pleasantly: "Well, we are
all obliged to Winnie for telling us such a beautiful story. And I am
sure it is just what the fairies would do if they happened to think of
it."
Winifred looked up at the older girl gratefully, but she felt very
unhappy. She could not understand why Ruth, her very best friend, should
have turned against her, and denied the story.
Ruth stood, sulky and silent, and a little ashamed, as the other guests
arrived; and when Betty declared that it was time to start and led the
way toward the big wagon, Ruth walked alone and was the last one of
Betty's guests to climb up to her seat.
There were ten little girls in the party, and Black Jason, Dinah's
husband, was to drive the team. Mrs. Hastings sat on the back seat
between Betty and Ruth; the small wagon with the good things for the
birthday luncheon followed close behind, driven by a friend of Jason's.
The other girls laughed and talked merrily as the big horses trotted
briskly through the streets leading to the river. But Ruth was silent,
except when Mrs. Hastings spoke to her; then she answered as pleasantly
as possible, but she had no pleasure in the ride. Now and then they
passed groups of English soldiers; and as they turned into the river
road several red-coated officers on horseback rode past them.
"We wish you a happy May, young ladies," called one of the officers,
bowing very low as he rode past the wagon filled with happy girls.
There was no response to his polite salutation; for even the children of
the historic city resented the presence of the English soldiery.
"Mother, sing your May-day song," suggested Betty.
But Mrs. Hastings shook her head laughingly.
"I must save that for our dance round the May-pole," she replied, "and
we shall soon be at the picnic field now."
The field was very near the place where Ruth and Winifred had turned
into the hill road, and the May party reached it after not more than an
hour's ride. Black Jason drove through the field toward the river bank,
and stopped under a group of tall elms. In a few moments the girls were
scattered about searching for flowers. Black Jason and his friend
unloaded the lunch wagon, and then Mrs. Hastings called the girls to
decide on the best place to erect the May-pole, a fine birch tree that
Black Jason was now chopping down.
"There are so many good places!" exclaimed Betty, looking about the
smooth field. "I think this is the best," she decided finally, as, with
her guests beside her, she stopped near the edge of a wood.
It was just the place for a May-pole, the other girls declared, as they
looked about; and Black Jason and his friend set up the tall birch tree,
whose green branches were more beautiful than any decoration that the
girls could have imagined. While Mrs. Hastings and Betty spread the
lunch in the shade of the woods, the other girls gathered flowers and
wove garlands for each other, and talked happily together. Ruth found
herself seated beside Annette Tennant, a girl about Betty's age.
"I will give you my wreath, and you can give me yours," said the older
girl. "You are rather young to be asked to this party," she continued,
looking at Ruth.
"I am nearly eleven," replied Ruth. "Winifred Merrill isn't any older
than that."
"I noticed there were two little girls," rejoined Annette
condescendingly. "You mustn't mind if most of us are older. I always
like children," went on Annette, who was even taller than Betty
Hastings, and whose yellow hair was braided neatly and wound around her
head.
Ruth made no reply. She was feeling a little ashamed that she had
declared Winifred's story to be untrue. Even if Winnie had set the
basket in the garden and let her go about bowing to trees and birds Ruth
felt that she herself had been rude and unkind.
"What made that other child tell all that rigmarole about fairies?"
questioned Annette. "I was glad when you spoke up and said that it was
not true. Of course we older girls knew she was making it up."
Suddenly Ruth became perfectly sure that Winifred had had nothing to do
with the discovery of the candy, and that Winifred had really believed
the fairies had brought it back, using her basket for the purpose.
"Winifred didn't make it up," declared Ruth. "It was exactly as she told
it. The fairies did take away the candy, and bring it back."
Annette stopped weaving the vines and flowers, and jumped up.
"Well, you are a very funny child. You tell us all that Winifred Merrill
made up a story, and now you tell me that it was true," she exclaimed
scornfully. "You need not give me your garland; I don't want it, or
anything to do with you," and before Ruth could say a word in reply
Annette had joined a group of the older girls, and was evidently telling
them her opinion of Ruth Pennell.
Ruth looked down through a blur of tears at the wreath she was making.
She could hardly see the flowers in her lap.
"I wish I had stayed at home. I hate grown-up girls," she thought
bitterly, wishing herself in her own garden with Hero and Cecilia for
playmates.
The sound of Betty's voice calling to her guests that luncheon was ready
made Ruth look up. She saw the other girls walking toward the shade of
the tall elms where Mrs. Hastings stood waiting for them. Winifred was
evidently in high favor; Annette walked on one side and Mary Pierce on
the other, each with an arm about the pleased but somewhat embarrassed
Winifred.
"Ruth! Ruthie Pennell! We are all waiting for you," called Betty, and
Ruth followed the others.
It was evident at once that none of the girls meant to sit beside Ruth
if it could be avoided. Annette had declared that she believed Ruth to
be a mischief-maker, and untruthful, and that it was the duty of the
older girls to "teach her a lesson."
"We must let the child realize that older girls don't approve of such
things," Annette had said, and the others agreed that the best way to
express their disapproval was to leave Ruth to herself as much as
possible.
Winifred was now more puzzled than ever.
When Annette had repeated Ruth's declaration that Winifred's story was
true, that fairies had returned the candy, she did not know what to
think.
"I'm sure Ruthie was only fooling," Winifred declared bravely. "I mean
when she said that I made up the story about the candy. Because it was
just what she told me."
"Then the child must be taught that we don't like such fooling,"
responded Annette, with what she felt was a very grown-up and impressive
manner.
"Sit here, Ruth," said Betty, wondering at the manner of the older
girls, "and, Winifred, come and sit beside her."
Winifred was quite ready to change her seat as Betty suggested, but
Annette's hand clasped her arm, and it was Annette who answered: "Winnie
would rather sit here, beside me."
"All right," responded Betty. "Then I'll have Ruthie for my helper. I
can always depend on you, Ruth, can't I?" she added, smiling at her
young friend.
"Always," whispered Ruth, gratefully; and it was she who helped Betty
serve the other girls with the excellent cold chicken, and bread, and
butter, the jelly-filled tarts, and squares of molasses gingerbread, so
that Annette's proposed "lesson" bid fair to be defeated.
"What's the matter, Ruthie?" Betty found a chance to whisper, as they
sat down together a little way from the larger group.
Ruth told the story eagerly. "I don't know why I thought Winnie had put
the basket there, or why I was so horrid as to say that she told a
story," confessed the unhappy little girl. "Do you suppose it really was
the fairies, Betty?"
Betty looked rather sober for a minute. She was thinking to herself that
her May-day party bid fair to be a failure unless her guests could
realize that Ruth had only made a mistake for which she was sorry. She
blamed Annette more than she did Ruth, feeling sure that Winifred and
Ruth would have come to a friendly understanding if Annette had not
interfered.
"I have a plan, Ruthie, that perhaps will make it all right. Will you do
just what I tell you?"
"Yes, indeed I will," responded Ruth gratefully.
Mrs. Hastings had left the girls to themselves and gone over to the
May-pole.
"Come here, Winifred," called Betty, and this time Annette made no
objection, and in a moment Winifred was sitting beside Ruth, and both
the little girls were thinking that Betty was much nicer than any other
"grown-up" girl in the party.
"Ruth Pennell is going to tell us a story," announced Betty. "She
doesn't know if it really is true or not. For a little while she thought
her best friend had taken the part of a fairy, but afterward she was
sure she had not. Now, Ruth," and Betty turned smilingly toward her
little friend, "stand up and tell us all about it; about the making my
candy, how it disappeared, and what you did to recover it. Then, when
you have finished, we will take a vote and see how many of us believe in
fairies."
For a moment Ruth hesitated, but Winifred's friendly smile encouraged
her and she stood up. She did not look at the group of girls sitting
about under the trees; she looked straight over their heads at the
river, and began to speak, beginning her story with the discovery that
the candy had disappeared. She spoke clearly, and when she finished by
saying that she was sorry that she had been rude to Winifred, because
she and Winifred both rather believed in fairies, there was a little
murmur of approval.
"Now, girls, all those who believe in fairies stand up," said Betty,
jumping to her feet, and reaching out a hand to the girls beside her,
and at the same time beginning to sing:
"'Here are fields of smiling flowers--
Come and seek May in her bowers.
Catch young May.
Make her stay;
Dance around her bright and gay.'"
Nearly all the girls knew the song and joined in singing, as hand in
hand they ran across the smooth grass toward the May-pole, where Mrs.
Hastings stood waiting for them. And now Ruth was her happy, smiling
self again, and Annette was no longer eager to teach "lessons" to the
younger girls. Annette and Ruth were both conscious, however, that
Betty, with her frank kindness, had smoothed out their mistakes.