It was only a tall boy in the uniform of the Boy Scouts who was tearing
up the steps. But both the old lady and Winona uttered a faint squeal,
the old lady because he kissed her, and Winona because she recognized
the newcomer. It was Billy Lee, and he was evidently a relative of
Winona's would-be benefactress.
"How are you, auntie, and how's everything?" he was inquiring genially,
with an arm still about her. Winona gazed wildly around, meanwhile, for
a hole to crawl into, but there was none. "You see, I've come to
dinner," went on Billy cheerfully.
By this time he had swung around, and seen Winona. He took in her whole
get-up, earrings, 'kerchief, sagging skirt, checked apron; and, further
off, Louise making change energetically in the same regalia. He began to
laugh.
"Good for you, Winona!" he said. "Been selling Camp Fire stuff?"
"William!" said his aunt before Winona could answer, "Do you know
this--this young person?"
Billy looked embarrassed.
"Oh, say, Winnie, I'm afraid I've put my foot in it," said he. But he
went on telling the truth--Billy was unfortunately incapable of doing
anything else. At least, it seemed unfortunate to Winona right then.
"Why, yes, Aunt Lydia. This is Winona Merriam, who lives next door to
us. She's camping about a mile and a half down the river from us
Scouts."
The old lady turned sharply on Winona.
"Then what makes you masquerade as an Italian peddler?" she asked
sharply.
Winona took courage, for though the old lady was cross, she did not seem
unforgivingly angry.
"We thought if we dressed up perhaps people would buy things quicker,"
she explained. "But we do really need the money very badly, don't we,
Billy?"
"They're trying to make enough to stay in the woods all August, auntie,"
explained Billy. "They've all been working like beavers, making things,
to do it."
"I don't see yet why the bandanna handkerchiefs," said the old lady
tartly. "And you, miss"--to Louise, who had come up--"what did you mean
by telling me that you were the eldest of five, and hadn't slept under a
roof for ten days?"
"Because it's true," said Louise. "I haven't--we're camping. And I _am_
the eldest of five, worse luck! I have to spend my whole time at home
setting an example. That's why I go away to be naughty!"
It was impossible to be angry long with Louise Lane, and the old lady
did not seem to want to be angry with Winona. So things straightened
themselves out, and actually ended in an invitation to stay to dinner!
"But we've nothing but our middy blouses, under these awful things,"
protested Winona, "and Mrs. Bryan will be worried if we don't get home
till late."
"That's all right," said Billy's aunt Lydia, whose name was Lawrence.
She was Mrs. Lee's sister. "I'll have them send a man down from the dock
to tell your Guardian where you are."
"Oh, then thank you!" said Winona radiantly. But Louise still hesitated.
"Well, what is it?" asked the old lady.
Louise hung her shawl-draped head for a moment, then she flung it back
and answered frankly.
"I may want to come peddling again, and if they see us in our camp
uniform they'll know who we are!"
"Great Scott!" cried Billy, beginning to laugh, "You _are_ a queer girl!
I say, Aunt Lydia, let her disguise herself some more, if that's what
she wants. Give her some of your clothes, or the chambermaid's, or
somebody's. Would that be all right, Louise?"
"Why, yes indeed!" said Louise, grinning joyously. "Lead on, Desperate
Desmond."
"I never saw such girls!" said Miss Lawrence. "However, you may as well
have your play out. William, get a bellboy to put these goods somewhere.
I'll take these objects of charity to get ready for dinner. Your room's
next suite twelve, the one I have."
She shepherded the two girls upstairs by the staircase, instead of the
elevator, as if she wanted them to be conspicuous.
"Now, remember," explained she, "you're two young foreign peddlers that
I'm giving a dinner to out of the kindness of my heart. I'm loaning you
clothes out of the same thing. So you can go right on peddling if you
want to, you with the business instinct--Louise you said your name was?
Very well, Louise, you can go on selling your potteries and bead bags
after dinner--if you want to. But I want to talk to Winona myself. I
don't know but I still want to adopt her!"
Miss Lawrence left the girls alone when she had shown them to a room,
and went to prepare for dinner herself. There was a bathroom next to
them, and they made for it--one after another, of course--with gurgles
of joy. Winona went first, while Louise was doing her hair, which was so
thick and long it took a great deal of time to arrange.
"Isn't hot water heavenly when you haven't seen it in a tub for a week
and a half?" said Winona, emerging in a borrowed kimono, which she
presently passed on to Louise.
"I'll tell you when I've tried," said Louise, disappearing in her turn
into the bathroom. She turned around and poked out her head to say,
"Now, remember, we've both got to keep on looking as old as we can. We
have characters to keep up!"
Winona began to investigate the clothes Miss Lawrence had laid out for
them. She did not expect to find anything more exciting than a black
silk with a fichu, or something else elderly of that sort. Instead,
there lay on the bed two pretty frocks which had certainly been made for
girls of their age.
She held them both up against her. They were a little shorter than she
usually wore her skirts, both of them, and a little loose. Evidently
their owner was of a build somewhere between Winona and Louise. But
Louise, when she emerged, was quite pleased at that, for what was short
for Winona was long for her, naturally, and carried out the idea of age
that she wished to convey. She chose the more elaborate of the two, a
green silk, because the other dress was pink, which doesn't match red
hair. But it did match Winona's brown hair and blue eyes beautifully,
and the wide satin sash was very becoming to her. The girls gave their
tennis shoes a liberal dose of whitening, and decided that they would
have to do. There were stockings to go with the dresses.
When they were done dressing they gazed at each other in admiration.
"I never had as pretty a dress in my life!" said Winona delightedly,
surveying the folds of rose-colored organdy that ruffled about her. She
reached up as she spoke to fasten back her curls with the shell barrette
that usually held them at the back of her neck.
"Glad you like them!" said Miss Lawrence, appearing on the threshold of
the next room. "They belong to my niece Nataly--I suppose you know
Nataly if you live next door to her--but she hasn't had them yet. I
brought them to her from my trip abroad. Here, Winona, you haven't any
hair-ribbon."
"I haven't been wearing any in camp," said Winona, standing still,
however, while Miss Lawrence unclasped the barrette and supplied its
place with a rose-colored satin ribbon tied about her head,
fillet-fashion.
"That's the English fashion," said Miss Lawrence, "wear your hair loose
till you're sixteen or seventeen, then do it all up at once, instead of
pulling it up by degrees, as we do here. It's very becoming, my dear."
Winona privately felt that it was a little youthful, but she said
nothing, and indeed the effect of the shower of curls falling loose from
under the ribbon was exceedingly becoming.
Louise, over by the mirror, continued to put pins into her hair, and
Miss Lawrence did not try to super-intend _her_ toilet at all, though
Louise was getting herself up to look as near twenty as she could.
A knock at the door of the sitting-room, where they went when they were
dressed, made them all turn.
"Come in," said Miss Lawrence.
"It's me, Billy," said his voice ungrammatically inside. "I say! What
stunning clothes!" he added frankly as he took in the splendor of the
girls' attire.
Winona looked at him rather shyly. The small bag he had carried must
have been well packed, for Billy had blossomed out in a tuxedo and long
trousers.
"Why," she said, "I didn't know you for a minute--you look so grown up!"
"I've had long trousers for a year now," explained Billy, "only I've
always had on my uniform when you've seen me before."
"Of course, that's it," admitted Winona. But she continued to stare, for
this tall young gentleman looked about eighteen in his correctly cut
clothes, and she felt like such a little girl, looking as Miss Lawrence
had made her look. What she did not know was that she was looking her
very prettiest, like a girl in a play or a picture, with her flushed
cheeks and falling curls and rosy draperies. Miss Lawrence, who seemed
to have taken a fancy to her, slipped her arm through Winona's, leaving
Louise to follow with Billy.
Louise was not impressed in the least by Billy's grandeur. It took a
good deal to impress Louise Lane, and one suit of evening clothes and a
large hotel weren't likely to do it.
Winona did not look to the right or left as they entered the big
dining-room, but she knew Louise had seen something, for she heard a
little squeal of delight close behind her. They were scarcely seated
when Louise burst out:
"What do you suppose they've done, Winnie? I don't know whether it was
you or Billy, Miss Lawrence, but thank you both, anyway. Winona, our
things are all set out in that little sun-parlor sort of place where
everybody can see them, and there's a bellboy looking after them. I saw
him selling a bead belt!"
"It wasn't any trouble," said Billy, looking embarrassed. "The
management lets people use that room for displays, don't they, Aunt
Lydia?"
He did not explain that he had tipped the head bellboy liberally to have
the things looked after, and it never occurred to either of the girls
till long after.
Winona secretly decided that Nataly couldn't be as trying as the girls
thought her, if this was the kind of a brother she had. So she smiled
brilliantly at Miss Lawrence and Billy, and felt very happy indeed over
the bright lights and the elaborate dinner and the orchestra and pink
dress.
And then something occurred to her. This was Nataly's dress, a brand-new
present-dress, and so was the one Louise had on. And they were getting
all the first wear out of them, would Nataly like it?
She looked up, directly, and said what she thought.
"Miss Lawrence, will Nataly mind our wearing her clothes?"
Louise answered before Miss Lawrence had a chance. "You know perfectly
well she will, Win. Why, she nearly had a fit when I climbed into a
clean middy of hers day before yesterday. And these are uncommonly glad
and happy rags we have on."
"If she doesn't like it," explained Miss Lawrence with perfect
clearness, "she knows just what she can do. My niece Nataly is a spoiled
young person if ever there was one. But don't worry, my dear"--for
Winona was looking distressed at the idea of Nataly's objection--"I'll
see that she's perfectly satisfied."
So Winona did not worry. She talked instead, and told Miss Lawrence
everything she wanted to know about Camp Karonya and what they did
there.
"It's a miniature community," said Miss Lawrence approvingly. "I wish
they'd had them when I was a girl. I suppose you'll have a float at the
lake carnival, since you're such enterprising young persons!"
"Oh, is there going to be a lake carnival?" asked both girls in a
breath. Miss Lawrence nodded.
"Why, didn't you know?" asked Billy. "The people here in Wampoag have
them every year. They give prizes for the best decorated float and
canoe. I don't know whether it's a cash prize this year or a cup."
"I do hope it's a cash prize!" breathed Louise fervently, while Winona's
mind began to work at the ways and means for making and decorating a
Camp Fire float, and the best way to get it up the lake.
"It would be lovely if we could do it," she said. "When is it to be?"
Billy pulled a little calendar out of the one small and concealed pocket
that his clothes allowed him, and studied it.
"A week from to-morrow," he said. "You have lots of time."
"Then I'm sure we can do it," said Winona. "Marie has a canoe she'll
probably want to enter, and besides that surely we can get up a float
among us."
And then something which Louise--so she said afterwards--had been
expecting, happened. One of the women who had bought pottery from them
that morning came up, and began to talk to Miss Lawrence, quite as if
the girls were out of hearing.
"Good-morning," she began, taking everything in as she talked. "Aren't
these the little Italian vendors that were around this morning? Why, how
transformed they look! Really, the younger one looks quite refined. And
what are you doing with them, dear Miss Lawrence?"