Mimi at Sheridan School
By
Anne Pence Davis
THE GOLDSMITH PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1935 by
THE GOLDSMITH PUBLISHING COMPANY
Chicago
MADE IN U. S. A.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Kay and Diane
Who still have all the
fun of school ahead.
A. P. D.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENTS
I. HOME
II. MISS JANE'S WEDDING
III. "SHERIDAN, MY SHERIDAN"
IV. FOLLOW THE LEADER
V. TUMBLE INN
VI. GREEN CAP WEEK
VII. AN ACCIDENT
VIII. MIMI GETS A BID
IX. CLORISSA'S SECRET
X. BETSY SPRINGS A SURPRISE
XI. THE THANKSGIVING GAME
XII. TEA FOR TWO
XIII. DECK THE HALLS WITH BOUGHS OF HOLLY
XIV. "THE LAND OF COUNTERPANE"
XV. DADDY SENDS A CLUE
XVI. THE LAKE FREEZES OVER
XVII. SATURDAY ESCAPADE
XVIII. THE HORSE SHOW
XIX. TENNIS TOURNAMENT
XX. ROOF GARDEN PARTY
XXI. DEATH BELLS
XXII. THE LAST OF PREP HALL
XXIII. WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED AWAY
XXIV. WHO IS CHLOE?
XXV. HOME AGAIN JIGGETY JIG
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mimi at Sheridan School
CHAPTER I
HOME
For the first time in ever so long Mimi was rude! She shoved, pushed,
crowded, stepped on other passengers' toes, jabbed them with her
elbows. She forgot that every other camper on the train was as eager to
be at home as she.
For long minutes, Mimi had been poking her red-head out the window and
then pulling it in, to report. A lady Jack-in-the-box, Sue thought.
"That was Bristow. The next stop is B. G."--"There's Howard's house on
the hill--only two miles from there--I know, I've hiked it."--"Ooo-ooh
we're crossing the river into town----"
At the first soft p-s-s-s of escaping steam and applied brakes, Mimi
leaped to her feet. This was the signal to stampede the vestibule.
Because she had more "junk" to pick up, drop and pick up again, Mimi
was not the first to rush down the aisle, but by some miracle of
shoving and crowding and complete forgetfulness of manners, Mimi was at
the head of the steps when the train pulled under the long shed and
stopped. Only the restraining arm of the flagman kept her from diving
off headlong before the train came to a dead stop.
"Careful, Miss."
But Mimi neither heard nor heeded. She was searching the faces of the
crowd--Sue's mother, Margie's daddy, Miss Jane's Dick--but her own
darling family, where were they?
"Hello, Mimi--my child, you're freckled." "Be seein' you,
Mimi"--"Goodbye"--"Bye."
Mimi seemed rooted to one small spot under the shed and all the
happiness in the world was passing around her and leaving her alone.
What could be the matter? Something dreadful must have happened!
Then she saw----
A black coupe swung down the drive and raced right up to her--as near
as it could come for the tracks, and stopped under a big sign which
read, "No Parking."
The gravel was still flying from under the wheels and the dust was
still making fitful little clouds when the door popped open and Daddy
jumped out. Mimi remembered later that he did not even wait to open the
door for Mother Dear and Junior but let them scramble out the best they
could. Daddy came striding toward her and scooped her up into his arms,
bundles and all.
"I simply wouldn't have a doctor for a Daddy," he was saying.
And Mother Dear, quite out of breath from dragging Junior at a rapid
pace, was adding----
"We had to go by the Hospital and Daddy was detained----"
But none of that mattered in the least now. They were here--the baggage
was stowed away in the back of the coupe. Junior was stretched out on
the shelf blocking any view out the back window--an ideal place to pull
Mimi's hair or tickle her ear--and Mimi, Daddy and Mother Dear were
scrouged up together as Daddy stepped on the starter.
One long happy sigh escaped Mimi as she cuddled down, and not two
minutes ago tears were, well, not quite in her eyes, but in her heart
to say the least. Mimi's blue eyes were usually merry.
"Psst, psst!" in her ear. Junior's warm breath against her ear.
"Secret!" in a hoarse stage whisper.
"James Sherwood Hammond, Junior," in Mother's sternest voice as she
glared at Junior. A booming big laugh from Daddy who received the tail
end of Mother's stern glance. He immediately swallowed the smile and
began asking Mimi about camp.
"Did Sue's ankle get all right?" Daddy wanted to know. "Were there any
stomach aches after the big Sunday dinner we brought? What finally
became of Pluto?"
"Yes--No--No," Mimi was answering. "Oh it was too perfectly
precious--all of it--and Daddy, Mother Dear--I am an honor camper!
See!" She fished in her purse and held up the felt emblem.
"And you are something else, too. Today you are----"
But stop--Mother scowled at Daddy over Mimi's head and would have put
her hand over his mouth if she could have reached it; wondering
frantically if it were harder for big boys or small boys to keep a
secret, she changed the subject swiftly.
"Is Miss Jane very tired from having the responsibility of you wild
young things?"
"Not at all--she's grand--wonderful. Next to you Mother, I love her
best of nearly any one--and oh, Mother! She is----"
Then Mimi nearly told a secret. She stopped herself in time. Perhaps
she would have gone on but Daddy was turning in the driveway. At the
first sound of the car, Von, abandoning his watch on the porch and
forgetting the restrained manners of German police pedigree, came
bounding toward them. Mammy Cissy was standing in the door grinning.
The striped runners of wandering jew falling over the edges of the
hanging baskets brushed her hair as she ducked under and her swinging
arm almost knocked a fern pot from its pedestal, for Mimi had jumped on
to the porch neither from the porte-cochere nor the front steps. With
Von barking boldly at her heels, she had cut across the lawn and leaped
on to the porch to Mammy--Precious old Cissy, who this instant hugged
her close, and the next was holding her at arm's length saying:--
"Lan's sakes alive, Miss Mimi, yo sho is brought home a good crop of
freckles and this newfangled sun tan both!"
Then Daddy calling from the drive, "Here, camper, help take your things
in. What good is this old land lubber with a bulging sea bag?"
Daddy made such fun of things. He was unusually entertaining today
(Mother had told him to be). While he and Mimi carried the things
upstairs to her room--her own room with its ivory furniture and crisp
swiss curtains tied back with green taffeta bows--Mammy, Mother and
yes, Junior too, had disappeared. Daddy knew they were in the kitchen,
busy putting last touches here and there and lighting candles--lighting
candles in the middle of the day!
"There," Mimi said depositing the last load on the cedar chest under
the double front window. "Can it be possible I smell food?"
"Quite," answered Daddy catching her mood. "It could even be probable,
honey, that the nose tickling, delectable odor assailing your nostrils
is _fried chicken_!"
Mimi ran for the stairs. Before Daddy caught up with her and took her
arm, Mother's voice halted her rush for the kitchen.
"Mimi, wash that train dirt off. You and Daddy both freshen up, for
dinner is ready."
There was an excited undertone in Mother's voice that should have told
her something special was afoot but she didn't suspect a thing until
she and Daddy went downstairs together and walked right into the blue
velvet portieres! The dining room was shut off! Before Mimi could solve
the puzzle Daddy pulled back the curtain and bowed very low. This was
the cue for the music to begin. Mother, Junior and Cissy in three
entirely different keys were grouped at the foot of the table facing
her singing, "Happy Birthday to you!"
Mimi was speechless----
There was a white cloth on the table. She was somehow aware of Mother's
good plates stacked at Daddy's place, of the good silver which caught
the candle light, and most of all of the big white cake in the middle
of the table with fourteen yellow candles. Mimi knew without counting
how many there were. It was her birthday. She was fourteen! How could
she have forgotten?
"I believe she really is surprised!" beamed Mother very pleased with it
all. "We put something over on her once."
"Sho she is," exclaimed Cissy ducking to the kitchen as soon as the
song ended.
"I nearly told," commented Junior slipping into his place and adding in
the same breath--"Give me the drumstick, Daddy."
There was a deep note of gratitude in Daddy's voice as he asked the
simple blessing. He was thankful to have his small family all together
again. It had been a long two weeks to Daddy without Mimi. There were
not many more days to have them all four together at their own table.
Daddy knew something Mimi was yet to find out.
While Daddy served the plates, Mother helped; while Cissy hovered
behind Daddy's chair with hot breads, while Junior clamored for both
drumsticks now instead of one, Mimi made a discovery. She found a plain
white envelope that was flat on the table, hidden under her napkin. She
hadn't taken her napkin up immediately as Daddy finished the blessing
the way she usually did. She was watching tiny streams of tallow run
down the candles and hoping they would not spoil the cake icing;
admiring the snowy white cloth and Mother's thin, etched glasses, so
different from the bare tables at camp and the thick glasses and heavy
china. Not that camp wasn't all right--No siree! But it was so grand to
be home again.
"A-hem" said Daddy. He had finished serving the plates and all eyes
were focused on Mimi waiting for her to rip open the white envelope.
"It's for me?" Mimi asked picking it up and turning it over. No name,
no anything----
"Look and see."
It was so thin and flat, it couldn't have much in it, Mimi thought as
she tore the end open with scalloped little pinches. When she ran her
finger in the envelope, it seemed empty. Then she shook it and out
tumbled a check. It was for more money than Mimi dreamed existed.
"For you, daughter," Daddy said (and when Daddy said "Daughter" she
felt very grown-up and dignified if a slightly snubbed-nose person with
unruly red hair and such merry blue eyes can ever be dignified).
The check instead of being payable to Mimi was made out to Sheridan
School for one year's room, board and tuition for Mimi--in full----
"But--?" said Mimi looking dazedly from Mother to Daddy. She wasn't old
enough to go to college and she had heard Mother say she did not
approve of Prep Schools when there were good High Schools at home.
"Daughter, Daddy is going away a year," Dr. Hammond said--"taking a
leave of absence from his practice and going to Leipzig, Germany, to
specialize."
"But what will we do without you?"
"I was coming to that. You see, daughter, Mother is going along with
me--" Daddy reached over and patted Mother's hand. "And Junior is too
small to leave so we are taking him."
"But me, Daddy--what about me?" Mimi's voice was getting thinner and
higher.
"You, daughter, are going to Sheridan School."
For an awful moment Mimi was silent. No Mother or Daddy for a whole
year? She wished she were too small to leave too. They wouldn't leave
her; then without moving her lips she whispered "Sheridan School." The
very words were healing magic. How often with great longing she had
said them. "When I get big I'm going to Sheridan School." She wasn't
big yet, but fourteen is quite a responsible age.
She began to understand that the long looked forward to "someday" would
be September.
"Of course, of course," she burst out. Holding her head high and her
chin firm, and without the least bit of quiver in her voice, she looked
Daddy squarely in the eyes, "I am going to Sheridan School!"