A DELIGHTFUL CALL
One Saturday morning, Rose skipped along the sidewalk on the way to
Aunt Judith's cottage. Her cheeks were very pink, and her eyes were
bright.
Uncle John was to take her with him in the big automobile that
afternoon, and they were to call, he said, on a very dear friend of
his.
"Do I know her?" Rose had asked.
"You _will_, when you see her," was the laughing reply.
"Is it some one I've seen?" she asked, her face alight with interest.
"Yes, and no," Uncle John said.
"And that is all I'll tell you," he continued, "because I'd like you
to recognize her at once, without any hint from me."
"And I'll enjoy the forenoon with Aunt Judith," she said as she opened
the little gate.
Aunt Judith, sitting by the window saw her coming, and hastened to the
door.
"I've been watching a half hour to see you push open the gate, and
come in," she said.
"Oh, Aunt Judith! I'm not late," Rose said, "for look! I said I'd come
over here at nine, and it's just nine by your clock."
"Dear child, you are very prompt, and the only reason that I sat
watching is because I wanted to see you the moment you came in sight.
Now take off your things," she said, "and then we'll sit down, and
talk over the plans for our party."
Rose was delighted. What little girl wouldn't be?
"First of all, dear, I had a great surprise this morning. A very great
surprise, and your Uncle John Atherton gave it to me."
"Oh, Uncle John is always doing something nice, for _somebody_!" cried
Rose.
"I never knew how good, how kind he could be," Aunt Judith said,
brushing away a happy tear. "He came here one evening, and said he'd
come to cheer me, and he certainly succeeded. We talked a little while,
and in his pleasant way he questioned me, trying to learn if I was
feeling prosperous. I didn't like to tell him, but he _made_ me, and
Rose, my cellar is stocked with all the wood and coal that I could use
this Winter. There are winter vegetables, apples, two big hams, a
barrel of flour,--Rose! I never felt so rich in all my life! Think of
it! Winter coming, and my cellar full!"
"Oh, Aunt Judith! Do you wonder that I love him?"
"Who could help it?" was the eager question, "And that's not all, for
with the idea that he hadn't done _enough_, this morning when I opened
my back door a neat looking little maid stood there.
"I'm sent here, m'am, by your relative, Mr. Atherton, who says I'm to
work for you until you get tired of me, which he says m'am, he hopes
won't be soon."
"I was tired this morning and when I found a little maid engaged to
do my work for me, I couldn't speak for a moment, because I was so
full of thanks, that they _almost_ choked me."
"Now, you can stay in the dear little sitting-room, while the work in
the kitchen is being done for you. No wonder you feel rich," cried
Rose.
"And now," said Aunt Judith, "we'll talk about the party."
"Wait just a minute, 'til I get my little stool. There! _Now_ I'll
listen, and I'm _wild_ to hear."
"I wish this party to be as nearly as possible like the one that I
enjoyed when I was little. First of all, I shall make some draperies
for these windows of flowered chintz. I found a whole piece up in my
store room the other day, and its gay flowered pattern looked very
like the curtains in the home I so well remember. There are fine old
hand-made rugs in the store room. I've never cared for them, but now
I know that they will look right with the flowered chintz curtains.
Now come and see what I have here in this little cupboard."
"There! Won't these look bright and pretty on my mantel?" she asked.
"Oh, lovely! Lovely!" cried Rose. "Where did you get them, and what
are they called?"
"They are called candelabra, and are really ornamental candlesticks.
These clear, finely cut pendants of glass will catch and reflect light.
We'll play old-fashioned games, we'll have an old-fashioned treat, and
we'll wear real old-time costumes. It will not be a grand party, but
I believe the children will enjoy it, for it will, at least, be
different from any party that they have ever attended."
Aunt Judith worked all the morning, stitching the hems for the chintz
curtains, and Rose pulled out the bastings, threaded needles, and in
many ways helped to make the pretty things for the little front parlor.
"If it wasn't for school I could come again Monday and help you," Rose
said.
"I shall easily do all that is needed," Aunt Judith replied, "for now
I have a little maid, I have more time for myself, and she said she
would be pleased to help me decorate for the party. I think she really
wishes to have a part in the preparations."
"You have beautiful old china," said Rose, "and the boys and girls
will like the nice things served on such pretty plates."
"Now, go into the next room, and see what I left hanging over a chair.
You may try it on, and then come out here, and let me see you," Aunt
Judith said.
"What fun!" cried Rose, and she laughed gaily as she ran to "try on"
the quaint costume.
"Oh, the beautiful dress!" she said when she saw the dainty frock that
Aunt Judith had chosen for her. She quickly removed her own dress, and
soon she was looking at her reflection in the mirror. She took the
hand mirror, that she might see the back of the costume.
The little maid peeped in. She, too, had been trying on the quaint
dress that Aunt Judith intended her to wear.
And when at last the little clock chimed the hour at which she had
promised to leave the cottage that she might be at home to lunch with
Uncle John, she said "goodbye," and ran down the path, her mind filled
with thoughts of the promised party, and of the delight of her playmates
when they should be entertained by Aunt Judith, and for the first time,
be a part of an old-fashioned party.
Uncle John was on the broad piazza waiting for her, and together they
went in to lunch. Later, in the big automobile, they rode in a different
direction from any that Rose had ever travelled over, and she looked
up at Uncle John, as if she were wondering if he had forgotten that
there was a call to be made before they turn homeward.
He turned to the right, and then, after a short ride, drove up a long
private avenue bordered with odd, foreign-looking trees. Although the
foliage was gone, one could see by the form of the trunk and branches
that they were not the trees usually seen at Avondale. The house, a
stately homestead, stood well back from the street, and the porch,
with its colonial pillars, gave grandeur to the entrance. And when
they were seated in the handsome parlor, Rose looked about her, and
wondered who it might be that Uncle John had brought her to see.
A slight sound, a rustling of silken drapery, and a young woman, lovely
as a vision, entered, offered her hand to Captain Atherton, and then
turning, she looked at the little girl whose brown eyes told of
admiration.
"And this, John, is Rose? Little Rose Atherton?"
"This truly is my little Rose. And now, Rose, this is Miss Iris
Vandmere, and I wish you two to be the best of friends. Tell me, do
you remember if you have ever met her, or seen her before to-day?"
"Oh, yes, _yes_!" cried Rose. "She is the lovely lady in the locket
picture, I _know_ she is!"
"I am, indeed, the girl in the locket miniature, and now, as you have
seen me before coming here, don't look upon me as a stranger. I want
you to learn to like me, dear."
There was pleading in the sweet voice, and Rose took the slender white
hand in hers.
"I won't have to learn to _like_ you, because I _love_ you now. Anyone
would love you, you are so sweet, so bright to look at," Rose said,
and Iris bent her lovely head, and kissed the upturned face.
* * * * * * * *
"Oh, Uncle John! There _never was_, there _never will be_ anyone so
dear, so lovely," sighed Rose, when they were once more in the
automobile. "See how sweet she looks, waving her hand to us! When will
you take me to her again?"
"Rose, little girl, you have pleased me to-day, and you shall often
go with me to the beautiful old house, to see the beautiful girl who
lives there. As I said this afternoon, I wish you to be the best of
friends."
* * * * * * * *
Of course the news of Aunt Judith's party flew through the neighborhood,
and many were the questions that Rose was asked to answer.
To each, she shook her curly head, and made the same reply.
"Aunt Judith intends it to be quaint, and everything will be
old-fashioned, and we are all to wear real old-time costumes, but that
is all I will tell you, because Aunt Judith wishes it to seem quaint,
and a bit of a surprise when you come. It won't be any surprise at all
if I tell you all about it now."
"Don't you tell it, Rose, not even to me," said Princess Polly.
"Nor me!" cried Sprite.
"If she's kind enough to plan a party for us children, we ought to let
her have it just as she wishes it to be."
Gyp sat upon the wall, listening to all that was being said. He was
full of mischief, and often he had annoyed Aunt Judith with his pranks.
"She's agoin' ter make a party fer 'em!" he said to himself.
He still sat on the wall, swinging his skinny legs when those who had
stood talking of the event had walked together down the street. Polly
and Sprite had lagged behind to talk with Rose until a maid had called
to Polly that Mrs. Sherwood wished them to come in.
Rose turned toward home, and was humming as she walked along, when she
heard her name called softly.
She looked up and down the street. Then she saw Gyp.
"Do you know who called me?" she asked.
"Yep!" he answered, pertly.
"Well, who did?" queried Rose.
"I did," he said, watching her closely. "I axed yer is she going ter
have a _big_ party?"
"She can't. It would be too costly, and the cottage is too small, but
she is generous and kind to give us any party at all, and oh, Gyp!"
she cried, moving nearer to him, "I _do_ wish you wouldn't tease her."
Gyp wriggled.
"She said she hated me!" he said.
"Well, she _might_ have been angry, but she likes boys. I've heard her
say so," Rose replied.
"I ain't just a boy. I'm a _Gypsy_ boy. That's _different_."
"Princess Polly is always kind to her, and I _know_ it would please
her if you stopped teasing Aunt Judith," Rose said.
That was just the thing to have said!
Gyp was determined to win Polly's approval at all costs. He sprang
from the low wall, and rushed off to the old shanty that his family
called "home."
There he found an old basket, and rushing off into the heart of the
woods, he returned with a quantity of fine shellbarks that he had
gathered and hoarded. Two days before the party was to occur he obtained
a flour bag, no one knew how, emptied the basket of nuts into it,
filling it about three-quarters full.
Long and hard he labored over the note that he tied to the bag. Sneaking
to the back door of the cottage, he dropped the bag on the upper step,
gave a tremendous knock, and then raced off to the woods.
Aunt Judith was more than half afraid to open the big bag, but finally,
gathering courage, she cut the string, and then peeped in.
The laboriously written note fell to the floor. She picked it up, and
for a moment, stared at it in great surprise.
"Ter Missis Ant Joodith Im sory ive evir plagd yer an them nutts is
4 yor party coss I want yer ter no I meen whut i say. Arftur this I
wil tri hard ter be yor frend,
"Gyp."
"Well, of all things!" she cried, when at last she had made sense out
of the fearfully spelled note.
"Poor, wild Gyp! Who ever dreamed that he had a heart or a conscience!
Indeed he shall be my friend if that will keep him from annoying me,
and perhaps I can find a way to befriend him.
"Everyone is ready to lift a hand against him, so that there is nothing
to tempt him to be really good, nor to encourage him to try.
"Strange little Arab! I wonder what prompted him to give his store of
nuts to me, and really that fearfully spelled note has a bit of
sincerity in it. I must tell John Atherton about it. I'll keep the
note, and show it to him."
Often she paused to take the note from its retreat behind the clock,
read it, and replace it. She looked from the window whenever she passed
it, but not a glimpse of Gyp did she obtain.
She could not imagine what had caused the little imp to leave his gift
of nuts at her door, or yet more wonderful, what had prompted him to
write his friendly little note. Its outrageous spelling was droll, but
its kindly spirit was evident. He had attended school because he was
compelled to, but he had paid but little attention to his books.
The note had kept him busy for fully a half hour, and he considered
it a fine specimen of letter writing when it was completed.
He thought that few boys could have done better, and he felt that in
writing it, he had literally "covered himself with glory."