TWO BIG BROTHERS
"Whoop-oo! Whoop-ee! Hoo-ray!! Where are you? Hey! Hi!!"
With half a dozen steps, Bob Rose ran up the staircase of his new home
in Berwick, to Dotty's room.
As he had been at school when the family moved he had never seen the
house before, and now, the school term over, he had come home for
vacation and his first thought was for his broken-armed sister.
It was two weeks since the accident, but Dotty was still in bed. Her arm
was doing nicely, but she was such a nervous and excitable child that it
was thought best to keep her as quiet as possible. She was sitting up in
a nest of pillows and a rose coloured kimono was draped round her
bound-up arm. But she waved the other hand gaily as Bob dashed into the
room.
"Well, old girl," he cried, "this is the limit! The idea of your
smashing yourself like this! Here I've played every old kind of ball and
everything else and never broke one of my two hundred and eight blessed
bones! And you just go out on lady-like roller skates and come a
cropper. Fie upon you! does it hurt much?"
"You bet it hurts, Bob! Nothing like it did at first, but it hurts a
good deal, and it's awful uncomfortable. I can't move it, you know, and
I can't do hardly anything for myself."
"Pooh! pshaw! of course you can do things for yourself. What a chump you
are, Dot. Why it's your left arm, you ought to be able to do everything
in creation with your right arm alone, except maybe play the piano or
clap your hands. I'll show you how to do things. Is your right arm all
right?"
"Yes, I s'pose so, but I haven't used it any."
"Jiminy crickets, isn't that just like a girl! Honest, Dot, I thought
you'd have more spunk. But I'll put you through, with bells on!"
Bob Rose, just turned eighteen, was a boyish duplicate of Dotty. He had
the same snapping black eyes and his hair though short had a curly twist
to it which, though he hated it himself made a becoming frame for his
handsome face. He was overflowing with mischief and life and was devoted
to athletic or outdoor sports of all kinds. He was very fond of his
sister and the two had always been great chums, though frequently
indulging in spirited quarrels.
"What's this place like, anyway?" he inquired, as he sat on the edge of
Dotty's bed and draped his long arm over the footboard. "You've got a
jolly room all right," and he looked round admiringly at the pretty rose
and grey effects.
"Yes, isn't it lovely! It was my birthday present,--the furnishings, I
mean. I wrote you about it, you know. We were going to fix up a lovely
room for you, too, but after I broke my arm, Mother and Aunt Clara
didn't have time to do anything but tend to me."
"Well, they'll catch time now. I want a room fixed up for me as good as
yours,--but not so dinky-fussy. I'll pick out the things myself. You
needn't think you own the whole shooting-match, Miss Dotty-Doodles! I
just guess Brother Bob home on his vacation will come in for his share
of attention! You won't be neglected, I'll look out for that, but just
remember that I'm here, too. What's the town like?"
"I don't know myself much. You see we had our party and I met a lot of
the boys and girls and then the very next day I smashed myself and of
course I haven't seen any of them since."
"But you can pretty soon now. Why, it's only your arm, your legs are all
right, you can walk, can't you? Why don't you go downstairs and have
people come to see you?"
"I couldn't see people in a dressing-gown!"
"Well, Mother can rig you up a basque or a polonaise or something. Or
put on a raincoat or an Indian blanket,--but for goodness' sake get out
and around. I'll stir you up--"
"Here, here, what's going on?" and Mrs. Rose came in just in time to
hear Bob's last words. "You're not to stir Dotty up, Bob, we want to
keep her quiet."
"Quiet nothing! She'll dry up and blow away if she doesn't get a move
on! You're going to rig her up some sort of civilian dress Mother and
get her downstairs this very day. She's not sick or going into a
decline, is she?"
The influence of Bob's breezy chatter had wrought a change in Dotty.
During the two weeks that had just passed she had become peevish and
fretful from enforced inactivity and now the thought of getting up and
going downstairs had brought the smiles to her face and the light to her
eyes.
Moreover, Mrs. Rose was impressed also by the determination of her big
young son and began to think that perhaps his way might be right after
all.
"Now you've got to tend to me, Mumsie," Bob said in his wheedlesome
way, as he caressed his mother in a big bearish fashion. "You've got to
fix up a room for me, all just as I want it, and you've got to make me
chocolate cakes and all sorts of good things to eat, and you've got to
do lots of things for your prodigal son. Dotty has had her turn and now
it's mine, but while you're busy about me, I'll look after Dot, bless
her old heart!" And Bob blew a kiss from his finger tips to his pretty
sister who had already begun to take a new interest in life.
"Hello, Aunt Clara," Bob called out as Mrs. Bayliss passed through the
hall, "come in here and help us dressmakers. Can't you rig up a costume
for Dot that will be presentable to wear downstairs?"
"Downstairs!" exclaimed Aunt Clara; "did the doctor say she could go
down?"
"Dr. Bob said so!" and the boy laughed. "I know all about broken arms,
and there's no use giving in to them too much. The more you do for them,
the more you may. Now Dotty is going to forget hers and have just as
good a time as if she never broke it. I say, Dot, how's that chum of
yours, you wrote me about? Is this her picture? Wow! Ain't she the
peach!"
Bob picked up the picture of Dolly from Dotty's dressing-table and
admired it openly. "Does she really look like that?"
"Yes," and Dotty waxed enthusiastic; "she's beautiful. Just like a pinky
rose with blue eyes."
"She broke her leg didn't she, in your all-comers' scrap?"
"Yes; she can't move for six weeks."
"Well, two weeks are gone now, that's something. Can't I see her? I'd
like to sympathise."
"Oh, yes, Bob, of course you must see her, but I don't want you to go
over there till I can go with you."
"Oh, I'm not going to wait for that. I must have a peep at this
blue-eyed fairy for myself. Any go to her?"
"Not much," and Dotty smiled. "Dolly's a perfect dear, but she's slow."
"All right, we'll have to hurry her along a little. When does her
brother come home? Have you ever seen him? What's he like?"
"He's coming day after to-morrow. No, I've never seen him, but Dolly
thinks he just about made the world."
"Well, I'll reserve my opinion till I see the bunch. Honest, old girl,
I'm glad you're getting along as well as you are, but I'm going to do
wonders for you. It's going to be lucky for you that you've got Brother
on the job. Why, Dot, we were all going camping this summer, you know,
what about that?"
"We haven't planned for the summer yet, Bobs," said his mother. "Perhaps
by August, if Dotty is all right, we can go somewhere for awhile."
"You bet we will!" returned Bob. "Dotty will be all right!"
* * * * *
The next day but one Mrs. Rose took her big boy over to call on Dolly
Fayre.
Though unable to leave her bed, Dolly could sit up and was allowed to
see a few visitors each day. It was her nature to be quiet, so she was a
much more tractable patient than Dotty and her broken bone had already
begun to knit and was getting along nicely. It was very monotonous to
sit or lie there day after day, but Dolly was patient and always took
things placidly. Her parents and Trudy read to her and played games with
her and entertained her in various ways and Dolly was as cheerful as any
little girl could be in such circumstances.
It was a bitter disappointment to her that she could not take part in
the Closing Exercises of her class. But she was reconciled to her fate
and made no complaints, though deeply regretting her enforced absence
from school. Her classmates came to see her occasionally, but they were
so busy preparing for the celebration that they had little time for
social calls.
Dotty looked forward eagerly to the homecoming of her brother Bert and
she also awaited with some curiosity the meeting with Bob Rose.
However, she had heard so much about Bob from Dotty, that she was not
surprised when the merry-faced boy appeared at her bedside with a gay
and cheery greeting.
"I'm Bob," he said, holding out his hand, and not waiting for his
mother's more formal introduction.
"I'm Dolly," and the blue eyes smiled at him as a little white hand
clasped his own.
"By Jove, you do look like your picture, only you're prettier!"
exclaimed Bob as he took the chair Mrs. Fayre offered him.
"It's my new cap," and Dolly smiled from beneath the lacy frills and
rosebud decorations of a dainty new cap that Trudy had just made for
her. She wore a Japanese kimono of pale green silk embroidered with
white cherry blossoms, and as she sat surrounded by embroidered pillows
and lace coverlets, Bob thought he had never seen a prettier picture.
"You look like a princess," he said. "Princess Dolly."
"I _am_ a princess," she smiled back; "Mother and Trudy are my ladies in
waiting and do just as I bid them. How much you look like Dotty."
"Glad you think so; I think Dot's a raving beauty. But I say, it's a
shame you two girls had to go and break each other up just when we were
going to have a perfectly good old summer time."
"I know it; isn't it a shame. But we'll have to wait till next summer
and have the fun then."
"'Deed we won't! You'll be outdoors by the first of August, won't you?"
"Yes," and Dolly made a wry face, "but that's about the same as saying
the first of Eternity!"
"Oh, not so bad as that. And anyhow I'm an inventive genius, and I'll
bet we can have some fun even before August."
A bustle and commotion was heard downstairs just then and Dolly's face
lighted up as she heard a familiar voice.
"Oh," she cried; "there's Bert! Come on up, Bert."
"Sure thing!" came the reply, and in another minute Bert Fayre stood in
the doorway.
He was a tall, slender boy of seventeen with brown hair and eyes and he
looked at Dolly with a pained expression.
"Poor old Doll!" he said softly; "I'm _so_ sorry for you!"
"Oh, it isn't very bad now, Bert," and Dolly smiled cheerfully. "Come on
in and meet Mrs. Rose and Bob. They're our next door neighbours."
Bert came in and greeted the visitors with an easy grace. Then going
over to Dolly he kissed her affectionately and sat down beside her.
The two boys silently sized each other up and each concluded that the
other seemed to be "A little bit of all right."
They attended different schools, and soon were deep in a discussion of
their school doings. Dolly lay back among her pillows and looked at
them. She adored her brother and she decided that Dotty's brother was
also worthy of consideration. She liked Bob's breezy offhand way which
was not at all like Bert's gentle, kindly manner. But they were two
awfully nice boys and she felt sure they were going to be friends. If
only she could be up and around and have good times with them! A slight
pang of envy swept over her, as she heard Bob enthusiastically declare
that he was going to have Dot out of bed and downstairs in short order.
For no amount of enthusiasm or energy could work that miracle for Dolly,
in less than a month. But she did not show this disappointment and
chatted gaily with the boys and with Mrs. Rose and her own mother.
* * * * *
As the days went by the four young people became good friends. The boys
were chummy from the first and nearly every day they carried messages
back and forth for the girls. But there were long hours when the girls
were alone, and both patient Dolly and impatient Dotty deeply wished
they had never tried that roller-skate race.
"There's no use celebrating the Fourth of July," said Bert
disconsolately, a few days before the Fourth. "We don't want a
celebration that the girls can't see."
"Then let's have one that they can see," said Bob; "I'll tell you what
we'll do,--I've a brilliant idea."
His idea was a brilliant one, so much so that it required the
co-operation of both families with the exception of the two girls, from
whom it was kept a secret.
But the two D's were told that the evening of the Fourth would be a red
letter day for them and they looked forward eagerly to whatever it might
be.
About seven o'clock on Fourth of July evening, Mrs. Fayre came into
Dolly's room with her arms full of red, white and blue material. This
proved to be a voluminous robe-like drapery which transformed Dolly
into a goddess of liberty. A liberty cap was put upon her golden head
and a silk flag was presented to her.
"Stunning!" exclaimed Bert, who came in to view the effect. "Just you
wait, old girl, and we'll bring you something you'll like better yet!"
So Dolly waited and in a few moments she could hear out in the hall much
giggling and many footsteps. Then Trudy came in and arranged a screen so
that the doorway from the hall was hidden. Dolly watched breathlessly
and soon heard people coming in behind the screen and recognised the
boys' voices as well as those of her father and Mr. Rose.
"I know you're there, Bob and Bert," she called out. "Come here Bob and
see the goddess of liberty."
"Wait a minute," said Bert, and there was more giggling and whispering.
"Now!" said somebody and then the screen was whisked away and Dolly saw
standing before her,--Dotty!
It really was Dotty, smiling with eagerness and dressed like Dolly in
red, white and blue.
"Oh, Dotty!" and "Oh, Dolly!" rang out at the same moment and the two
girls stared hard at each other, for they had not seen one another's
faces since that fatal moment when they came together on their roller
skates.
"I'm just crazy to run over there and grab you!" cried Dotty, "but I
promised I wouldn't touch you, or I might break us up all over again."
"Well, do come over here and sit beside me, so I can be sure it's really
you. How is your arm? Does it hurt you now? Oh, what a beautiful sling!"
Dotty's left arm was in a large sling made of dark blue studded with
silver stars and her whole dress was of red and white stripe. Her
liberty cap was just like Dolly's own, and she wore white stockings and
red slippers.
"You poor dear," she said as she came over and sat down by Dolly's side;
"to think I can dress and go outdoors while you're still tied to your
bed."
"But I can wave both arms about, and you can't," said Dolly as she waved
her flag above her head.
"I think you're six of one and half a dozen of the other," said Bert.
"Now look here, Doll, we're going to push your bed up to the window so
you can see out."
"Why?" asked Dolly; "it's almost dark now."
"Never you mind. Little girls shouldn't ask questions. Grab that other
bed-post, Bob. Here, Dad, take hold of the head-board."
Propelled by willing arms the bed was rolled over to the big bay window
and arranged so that Dolly had full view of the lawn between the houses.
Then a big easy chair was arranged for Dotty and the two girls were
advised that if they would stay there they would see something worth
while.
"Oh, it's so good to see you again," said Dotty, as the others all left
the room; "do you hurt terribly?"
"Not so much now, but it was awful at first. Wasn't yours?"
"Oh, terrible. Let's not talk about it. How do you like Bob?"
"He's splendid. How do you like Bert?"
"I think he's great. Oh, Dolly, what fun we could have if we were only
well."
"You are. You can go outdoors."
"Not much. This is a special dispensation to-night. And I have to have
my arm in a sling four weeks longer. It's in splints you know. I can't
do hardly anything with one hand. Bob tries to teach me, but I'm as
awkward as a cow. I'm so used to flying at everything with both hands
that I can't seem to manage."
"It must be awful. Oh, Dot, there's a sky rocket!"
Dotty turned quickly and looked out of the window. The skyrocket was
only the beginning of a fine display of fireworks. Mr. Rose and Mr.
Fayre had concluded that was the only sort of celebration the girls
could enjoy, so they had bought far more than their usual supply and
they made a fine showing.
Bob had asked a number of the young people to come and see them and
Dolly and Dotty recognised many from their post of observation in the
window.
But the mothers of the two girls would not let any of the young people
go up to Dotty's room lest the excitement be too much for her.
After the usual quota of rockets and Roman candles there were more
elaborate pieces which flamed into fire pictures against the summer sky.
When the fireworks were all over and the young people gone away the
girls were told that there was a little more celebration yet to come.
Dolly's bed was pushed back to its place and Dotty was enthroned beside
it in her easy chair, when the two boys appeared, each bearing a tray of
good things.
"This is your Fourth of July party," said Trudy, who followed. "No one
can come to it except the three Roses and the three Fayres."
Genie came in then, and the six brothers and sisters of the two families
had a merry feast while their elders remained downstairs.
"It's been a beautiful holiday," said Dolly, leaning back into her
pillows as she finished her ice cream. "I never dreamed I'd have any
Fourth of July celebration. The fireworks were beautiful and the party
things were lovely, but best of all is seeing Dotty again."
"Yes," said Dotty, "I don't know how I've managed to live through the
last three weeks. But I expect I can come over to see you every day
now."
"We'll see about that," said Mrs. Rose, coming in. "But this party must
break up now, and if it doesn't do any harm to our wounded soldiers we
may allow more of them. So say good-night, you two D's, and I'll take
_my_ little goddess of liberty home."