DOROTHY'S PLAN
One afternoon, about a week later, the children were again in their
grandmother's room waiting for dinner-time.
To be exact, they weren't in the room, but were literally half in and
half out. For Mrs. Dorrance's room had two front windows, and two
children were hanging out of each, in a precarious and really dangerous
way.
The twins, in one window, were vying with each other as to which could
lean out farthest, without falling out; and in the other window Dorothy
was leaning out as far as possible, and at the same time trying to keep
a very excited Fairy from pitching headlong to the street.
The simple explanation of this acrobatic performance is, that they were
looking for the postman. Not that they really thought he would come any
sooner for their endangering their lives, but each young Dorrance
considered it of the highest importance to catch the first glimpse of
him.
"Oh, dear, do you suppose the house is sold?" said Lilian, for the
dozenth time.
"Hi!" screamed Dorothy; "there he is! we'll soon know now."
Dorothy having won the game, they all tumbled into the room again, and
Leicester started down-stairs for the mail.
"Gently, my boy, gently," warned his grandmother. "Don't go down
whooping like a wild Indian."
Leicester assumed a sudden air of decorum, and disappeared; while the
girls clustered around their grandmother, all talking at once.
"What do you think, grandmother?" cried Dorothy, "guess,--which way do
you guess?"
"I guess, no," said Mrs. Dorrance, who was used to guessing games.
"I guess, _yes_!" shouted Lilian; "of course it's sold! and we'll have
lots of money and we'll go to Europe, and Africa, and Chicago, and
everywhere!"
"And over to Brooklyn," chimed in Fairy; "I do want to go to Brooklyn,
'cause I've never been there and Gladys Miller says it's awful funny,
and besides----"
"A letter! here's a letter," cried Leicester, bouncing into the room;
"open it, open it quick, granny dear!"
"I can't," said the old lady, helplessly; "you children make such a
noise, I'm all bewildered. Open it, Dorothy, and read it aloud; and the
rest of you, do try to keep still."
Eagerly, Dorothy tore open the letter, and began to read it:
MRS. ELIZABETH DORRANCE:
_Dear Madam_:--I had a final interview to-day with Mr. Ware. As you
know, he had about concluded to buy your hotel, but he has been
making inquiries concerning it, and has learned that it has not
been occupied for several years. He fears that he cannot make it
pay as a business venture, and has therefore definitely decided not
to buy it.
I do not wish to discourage you, my dear madam, but it looks to me
as if it would not be possible to sell the hotel this season, and
indeed, I doubt if you can ever dispose of it to your satisfaction.
The next best course, in my opinion, would be for you to allow it
to be sold at auction. This plan would enable you to pay the back
taxes now due, and relieve you of further obligations of the same
sort,--though I fear there would be little or no margin of profit
for you in this arrangement.
However, should you think best to adopt this course, please advise
me promptly, and I will take the necessary steps in the matter.
I am, my dear madam,
Respectfully yours,
LEWIS H. LLOYD.
At the conclusion of this letter the four Dorrance children groaned in
concert. Their concerted groan was an old-established affair, and by
reason of much practice they had brought it to a high state of
perfection. It began with a low wail which deepened and strengthened
through several bass notes, and then slid up to high C with a wild,
final shriek. It was most effective as an expression of utter
exasperation, but Mrs. Dorrance, though accustomed to it, lived in a
state of fear lest it might cause the landlady to request them to give
up their rooms.
"Oh, dear," said Lilian, after the groan had subsided, "I felt sure that
Ware man was going to take the old place. I think he's mean!"
"I think Mr. Lloyd is mean," broke in Dorothy. "I don't like him!"
"It isn't his fault, my dear," said her grandmother. "He has done all in
his power to sell the place, but it seems to be unsalable, except at
auction. And that would probably mean that our financial affairs would
be in no better state than they are now."
"I'd like to see Our Domain," said Leicester, thoughtfully; "what's it
like, grandmother?"
"I don't know, dear; I've never seen it. Your grandfather never saw it
either. He bought the property through an agent, merely as a
speculation."
"Ho!" cried Leicester, "the idea of owning a Domain that nobody has ever
seen! why, perhaps there is nothing there at all, and so of course
nobody will buy it."
"People!" exclaimed Dorothy, suddenly, her eyes shining, and her whole
air expressive of a wonderful discovery. And, too, when Dorothy said,
"People!" in that tone of voice, the others had learned that she meant
to announce one of her plans. As a rule, her plans were wild and
impracticable schemes, but they were always interesting to listen to.
"People, I'll tell you exactly what we'll do. Grandma says we can't
afford any extra expense this summer. So,--we'll go and live in our
Domain!"
"Well, of all crazy things," said Lilian, in a disappointed tone. "I
thought you were going to say something nice."
"It _is_ nice," said Dorothy; "you think it isn't, because you don't
know anything about it. I know all about it. Now listen and I'll tell
you."
"Know all about it!" said Leicester; "you don't even know where it is!"
"Anybody can find that out," went on Dorothy; "and then when we find
out, all we have to do is to go there. And then we'll live in the house,
no matter what it is. It's ours, and so we won't have to pay any rent,
and we girls will do all the housework and cooking, and so it won't
cost near as much as boarding. And the difference will pay our traveling
expenses to the Domain, wherever it is. And we won't need any new
clothes to go to a place like that, and it will be perfectly lovely, as
good as a prairie or a Texas, or anything! Now then!"
"Whew!" exclaimed Leicester; "I do believe you've struck it right this
time. It will be great! I'll do my share of the work,--it will be just
like camping out. What do you suppose the house is like?"
"Isn't it lovely not to know!" cried Lilian; "everything about it will
be such a surprise. When can we go, grandmother?"
"Oh, my dears, how you rattle on," said Mrs. Dorrance, half-laughing,
and yet beginning to take an interest in Dorothy's plan.
Fairy was keeping up a running fire of conversation, but nobody paid any
attention to her.
"Where is the place, grandmother?" asked Dorothy, who was taking it all
a little more seriously than the others; "you must know at least what
state it's in."
"Oh, yes, I know that. It's on the shore of Lake Ponetcong,--in the
northern part of New Jersey."
"What a fearful name!" cried Leicester; "but I don't care if it's called
Alibazan, so long as there's a lake there. You never told us about the
lake before."
"A lake!" said Lilian, with an ecstatic air; "I shall just stay on that
all the time. I shall have a rowboat and a sailboat and a canoe----"
"And a cataraman," supplemented her brother; "you can use the hotel for
a boathouse, Lilian, and we'll build a little cabin to live in."
"Don't go so fast, children," said Mrs. Dorrance; "if you'll give me a
minute to think, I'm not sure but I could see some sense in this
arrangement."
"Oh, granny, dear," cried Dorothy, clasping her hands beseechingly; "do
take a minute to think. Take several minutes, and think hard, and see if
you can't think some sense into it."
"As you say," began Mrs. Dorrance, while the children were breathlessly
quiet in their anxiety, "the living expenses would be very much less
than in any boarding-house. And in a country-place like that, you would
not need elaborate clothes. But there are many things to be considered;
you see, I've no idea what the house is like, or in what condition we
would find it."
"Oh, never mind that," pleaded Dorothy; "let's take our chances. That
will be the fun of it, to go there, not knowing what we're going to. And
anyway, we'll have room enough."
"Yes," said Mrs. Dorrance, smiling; "in a hotel you will probably have
room enough. But what do you mean by saying you can do the housework? In
the first place you're not strong enough, and secondly, you don't know
how."
"I'll do the work," said Fairy. "I don't care if I am only twelve, I can
cook; 'cause when I went to Gladys Miller's one day, she had a little
stove and she showed me how. I'll do all the cooking, and you other
girls can do the domesticker work. Leicester can do all the man's work,
and grannymother can be a Princess of high degree, and just sit and look
on. And then on some days----"
"Oh, yes, we know how to work," interrupted Dorothy. It was always
necessary to interrupt Fairy if anybody wanted to say anything.
"And I won't mind how much I have to do, if we have some outdoors around
us. Only think, it's May out of doors now, and here we have to stay shut
up in this old boarding-house, same as in December."
"You may go out for a while if you care to, little girl," said
Leicester, assuming a grown-up air.
"I don't want to go out on paved streets," said Dorothy; "I want green
fields and trees and cows."
"I want free life and I want fresh air," sang Leicester, "and I do
believe we are going to get it. Come, granny, speak the word,--say we
may go."
"I can't say, positively," said Mrs. Dorrance, "until I write to Mr.
Lloyd and see what he thinks of it. If he agrees to the plan, I suppose
we might try it. But it is all so uncertain."
"Never mind the uncertainty," said Dorothy; "just leave it all to me.
Now see here, grandmother, for twelve years you've looked after us
children, and taken care of us, and now, I think we're getting old
enough to look after ourselves. Anyway, let us try it. Let us all go up
to the Domain, and spend the summer there. We'll do the best we can, and
if we fail it will be our own fault. You're not to have any
responsibility, you're just to be there as a kind of guardian angel and
general adviser. Nothing very dreadful can happen to us,--at least,
nothing half so dreadful as staying in the city all summer. Now just
write to Mr. Lloyd, and don't ask his opinion, but tell him you've
decided to do this, and just ask him how to get there."
"We can tell how to get there, ourselves," said Leicester; "let's look
it up on the map. Fairy, get the big atlas, will you?"
Though Fairy was always called upon to wait on the other children, it
was by no means an imposition, for the child was always dancing around
the room anyway, and dearly loved to do things for people.
Soon three of the Dorrance children were gathered around the table
studying the map. Fairy, in order to see better, had climbed up on the
table, and was eagerly following with her tiny forefinger the track of
Leicester's pencil.
"It isn't so very far, after all," he announced. "It's just across the
ferry, and then up on the railroad till you get to it. It looks awfully
near. Oh, I wish we were going to start to-morrow."
"Why can't we?" said Lilian, who always favored quick action.
"There's _no_ reason," said Mrs. Dorrance, smiling at the impetuous
children; "of course we can _just_ as well take the seven o'clock train
to-morrow morning as not!"
"Now you're teasing, grandma," said Lilian; "truly, when can we go?"
"Just the minute school closes," answered Dorothy. "I suppose we must
stay for that,--I must, anyway; but we could get off the last week in
May."
Here the announcement of dinner put an end to their planning for the
present, but so gay of heart were they over their happy anticipations,
that for once they didn't mind the gloomy dining-room and their
irritating fellow boarders.