QUEEN BETTY
The girls had exchanged their wreaths of flowers as they sat down to
luncheon, all excepting Ruth and Annette, who wore the ones they had
made themselves, and they now made a very attractive picture as they all
formed a ring around the May-pole, singing an old song that their
mothers had sung when they too were little girls; a May-pole song that
had been sung in England for hundreds of years.
"'Round the May-pole, trit, trit, trot.
See what a garland we have got:
Fine and gay,
Trip away.
Happy is our New May Day.'"
"Now for choosing the May Queen!" said Mary Pierce, and a little chorus
of "Betty Hastings! Betty Hastings!" was the response, and Betty
curtsied very low, and thanked her guests. For "Maids of Honor" she
chose Ruth and Winifred, whose duties were to walk one on each side of
the May Queen on her way to her throne, and then kneel beside her until
she bade them rise.
While the girls had been at luncheon and dancing around the May-pole
Black Jason and his friend had been busily at work behind some thick
growing trees near the river.
"All ready, Missie!" he announced, as, hat in hand, and bowing low, he
came smilingly toward the "Queen of the May."
A little procession formed to follow Jason, who led the way through a
woodland path to a clearing that opened toward the river. In this
clearing stood a big rustic chair, Betty's "throne."
Ruth and Winifred handed the Queen to her seat with great ceremony, and
then one after another the girls approached the throne, curtsying low
and laying their garlands at Betty's feet. Now they joined hands in a
little circle and danced around the throne, singing:
"'The First of May is garland day,
And every child should dance and play.
Curl your locks as I do mine,
And wear your summer gown so fine.'"
[Illustration: "THE FIRST OF MAY IS GARLAND DAY"]
The Queen of the May asks any favor she pleases from the throne, but as
soon as she leaves the throne her power ceases; so now the group of
laughing girls stood waiting to hear what the Queen would ask:
"A wreath and a staff
And a cup to quaff,"
demanded Betty smilingly, and away raced her loyal subjects to fulfil
the royal demand.
It was Annette who brought the wreath of violets; Mary Pierce came with
a curving branch that Jason had cut from a maple tree and trimmed into a
staff, while Caroline Fraser brought a cup of cool water from the spring
under the willow tree.
"We must soon be thinking of home," Mrs. Hastings reminded them, as the
girls, now flushed and a little tired, seated themselves about the
throne, from which Betty had descended.
"You have not sung your May-day song, Mother!" Betty reminded her, and
the girls now gathered about Mrs. Hastings, repeating Betty's request.
"But it isn't really 'my' song; it is an old English May song," Mrs.
Hastings said.
"'Spring is coming, Spring is coming,
Flowers are coming too;
Pansies, lilies, daffodils,
Now are coming through.'"
"'Spring is coming, Spring is coming,
All around is fair;
Shimmer and quiver on the river
Joy is everywhere.'"
As she finished singing Mrs. Hastings curtsied to the happy group, and
said:
"I wish you a happy May."
When Black Jason drove the brown horses into the field, and the girls
took their seats in the wagon, they all declared it was the best May-day
party they had ever known, and they all thought Betty Hastings was the
most fortunate of girls that her birthday came on the first day of May.
"How would you and Winifred like to sit with Jason on the front seat,
Ruth?" asked Mrs. Hastings, and the two little friends smiled at each
other, and replied that they would like it very much, and so were lifted
to the high seat beside the good-natured Jason.
"I almost spoiled everything," Ruth whispered to Winifred, "but Betty
made it come out all right. I like Betty."
"So do I," responded Winifred, and they smiled at each other again, both
quite sure that they would never again come so near to a quarrel as they
had that May-day.
As they drove past a square stone house whose gardens sloped down to the
river, Black Jason pointed toward it with his whip and said: "Dat de
house where Capitan Delancy live, an' he an' de oder fine English
soldiers are gettin' up a great party, a kind of show like."
The girls looked well at the house from which Betty had so skilfully
made her escape on the night following Gilbert's play.
"Are they going to have the party in that house, Jason?" asked Ruth.
"Landy! No, Missie. It's to be out to Master Wharton's fine place in
Southwark. Folks do say as General Sir Willem Howe be Gwen to leave dis
place. They certain do say so," and Jason chuckled with satisfaction at
the thought.
"Then will General Washington and Lafayette come here, Jason?"
questioned Ruth eagerly.
"I dunno, Missie. But I reckon de English Gwen to have a mighty fine
party. Deere gwine to have bands o' music in boats on de river. Yam,"
and Jason chuckled at the thought of all the great preparations that had
already begun for the most splendid pageant that America had seen, and
about which the people of Philadelphia were wondering, for the English
officers were making elaborate plans.
"I wish I could drive two horses," said Ruth, looking a little longingly
at the reins and whip that Jason so skilfully held in one hand.
"Landy, Missie! Yo' Jes' take hold de reins like dis," responded Jason,
at the same moment clasping Ruth's hands over the leather reins. "Now
hole 'em study."
Ruth obeyed Jason's instructions to "look straight ahead, an' hole 'em
up study," and it was the happiest part of all that happy May-day to be
driving Jason's brown horses, with the other girls singing and laughing
on the seats behind her. But as they turned from the river road into the
town Jason again took the reins. The girls were now carried each to her
own home, so Winifred and Ruth were set down at the Merrills' door.
"We have had a beautiful time, Betty. We shall always remember _your_
birthday," declared Ruth, and Winnie repeated the words.
Betty smiled and waved her hand; she realized that her two little
friends were thanking her for more than their happy May-day.
Hero welcomed Ruth home, and seemed to be trying to tell her something.
He ran around her, barking and whining.
"What is it, Hero? What is the matter? Where is my mother?" she asked,
as she pushed open the door of the sitting-room and found it vacant.
"Mother!" she called, running into the dining-room, and then heard her
mother's voice calling from the kitchen:
"Come out here, Ruthie!"
Ruth stopped in the doorway with an exclamation of surprise.
"Oh, Mother! What is it?" she asked, for Mrs. Pennell was sitting in a
low chair near the window, with one foot resting on a stool.
"I have sprained my ankle, Ruthie. I slipped coming in from the porch
about an hour ago, and could just manage to crawl to this chair,"
replied Mrs. Pennell; "and now you will have to be 'mother' for a time.
Tie my apron over your dress, and start up the fire, and fill the big
kettle with water."
Ruth obeyed quickly, and in a few moments had carried out her mother's
directions, bringing a small wooden tub in which to turn the water when
it should be heated. She could think of nothing but that her mother must
be in pain, as she drew off Mrs. Pennell's slipper and stocking, filled
the tub, and now gently bathed the swollen ankle.
"Remember, Ruthie, dear, when any one has the ill-fortune to sprain
wrist or ankle, that hot water is the best aid," Mrs. Pennell said, as
she directed the way in which Ruth should bandage the ankle.
"I am afraid I am going to make a good deal of work for my little girl.
We must try and send for your Aunt Clara to come as soon as possible,"
she added.
But Ruth did not mind the work; as she went from pantry to fireplace,
preparing toast and a dish of hot gruel for her mother her thoughts flew
away to Aunt Deborah at Barren Hill, to the lustre cup out of which
Lafayette had drunk, and she realized that she could not go away from
home now that her mother was lame.
After supper the ankle was bathed again, and now Mrs. Pennell thought it
best that Ruth should run in and tell Mrs. Merrill of the accident, and
ask her assistance. For she found herself unable to walk.
Mrs. Merrill came at once, and with her aid Mrs. Pennell was able to
reach the big sofa in the sitting-room where she was made comfortable
for the night.
"I will send Gilbert to Germantown early in the morning to fetch your
sister," said Mrs. Merrill, as she bade her neighbor good-night.
"It is fortunate that Ruth had not started for her visit to Barren
Hill," she added.
"It is, indeed. I could hardly spare her now," Mrs. Pennell responded.
Ruth listened with a feeling that there would never be any more happy
days. Her mother was lame; she could not go to Barren Hill, and all her
plans for visiting her father at Valley Forge, and perhaps seeing the
brave young Lafayette, must be given up.
As she went slowly up-stairs to bed, she had almost forgotten the happy
birthday picnic near the river. But she recalled what Black Jason had
said of the rumor that General Howe was soon to leave Philadelphia. Just
now, however, that seemed to be of little importance to Ruth. Her last
waking thought was that she must be sure to get up early, very early,
the next morning and have hot water ready to bathe the hurt ankle.