A SATURDAY AFTERNOON
By Friday, Jennie, Dorothy and Edna had become quite intimate. Margaret
was still kept at home by a bad cold, so these three little girls played
at recess together joined by one or two others who had not been invited,
or had not chosen, to belong to what the rest called "Clara Adams's
set." There had been a most interesting talk with Agnes and Celia and a
plan was proposed which was to be started on Saturday afternoon. Jennie
had been invited to come, and was to go home with Dorothy after school
to be sent for later.
Edna was full of the new scheme when she reached home on Friday, and she
was no sooner in the house than she rushed up stairs to her mother.
"Oh, mother," she cried, "I am so glad to see you, and I have so much to
tell you."
"Then come right in and tell it," said her mother kissing her. "You
don't look as if you had starved on bread and molasses."
Edna laughed. "Nor on rice. I hope you will never have rice on
Saturdays, mother."
"Rice is a most wholesome and excellent dish," returned her mother. "See
how the Chinese thrive on it. I am thinking it would be the very best
thing I could give my family, for it is both nourishing and cheap.
Suppose you go down and tell Maria to have a large dishful for supper
instead of what I have ordered."
Edna knew her mother was teasing, so she cuddled up to her and asked:
"What did you order, mother?"
"What should you say to waffles and chicken?"
"Oh, delicious!"
"But where is that great thing you were going to tell me?"
"Oh, I forgot. Well, when we got to school last Monday, there was Clara
Adams and all the girls she could get together and they were whispering
in a corner. They looked over at me and I knew they were talking about
me, but I didn't care. Then I went over to Dorothy and we just stayed by
ourselves all the time, for those other girls didn't seem to want to
have anything to do with us. We hadn't done one single thing to make
them act so, but Clara Adams is so hateful and jealous and all that, she
couldn't bear to have us be liked by anybody. Dorothy told me she heard
her say I was a pet and that was the reason I got along with my lessons.
You know I study real hard, mother, and it isn't that at all. Clara
said it was just because Uncle Justus favored me, and told Miss Ashurst
too. Wasn't that mean?"
"I think it was rather mean, but you must not mind what a spoiled child
like Clara says, as long as you know it isn't so."
"That's what Agnes says. We told Agnes and Celia how the girls were
doing and how they had a secret and didn't want us to be in it, so Agnes
said we could have a secret, too, and she has planned a beautiful one,
she and Celia. I will tell you about it presently. Well, then Jennie
Ramsey came."
"Jennie Ramsey? I don't think I ever heard you speak of her."
"No, of course you didn't, for I only just became acquainted with her.
Mother, don't you remember the lovely Mrs. Ramsey that did so much
about getting Margaret into the Home of the Friendless?"
"I remember, now."
"Well, she is Jennie's mother, and she told Jennie to be sure to speak
to me, because she knows Aunt Elizabeth, I suppose, but anyhow, she did.
But first the Clara Adams set tried to get Jennie to go with them, but
she just wouldn't, and so she's on our side. I know Clara is furious
because the Ramseys are richer than the Adamses."
"Oh dear, oh dear," Mrs. Conway interrupted, "this doesn't sound a bit
like my little girl talking about one person being richer than another
and about one little girl's being furious about another's making friends
with whom she chooses."
Edna was silent for a moment. "Mother," she said presently, "it is all
Clara Adams's doings. If she wouldn't speak to us nor let the other
girls play with us, why, what could we do?"
"I really don't know, my darling, we'll talk of that directly. Go on
with your story."
"Well, so Agnes found out they were getting up a club and didn't want us
in it, so she said we could have a club, too, and we're going to begin
this afternoon--no, to-morrow afternoon. Mrs. Ramsey let Jennie go home
with Dorothy to stay till to-morrow and she is going to send the
automobile for her. She comes to school in the automobile every morning.
I wish we had one then we wouldn't have to stay in town all the week."
"Dear blessed child, I am afraid Clara Adams is turning your head."
"Clara? why she doesn't even speak to me."
"All the same you are beginning to care more for the things that are
important to her than ever you did before. Never mind, we'll talk about
that later. Is that all?"
"It's about all, for we haven't had the club meeting yet. Agnes says she
will start it and be the president for a month. Celia is going to be the
secretary and when we know just what to do and how to carry it on then
they will resign and some of us younger girls will be the officers."
Mrs. Conway smiled to hear all this grown-up talk, but she looked a
little serious a moment after.
Edna watched her face. "Don't you approve of it, mamma," she asked
anxiously.
"Of the club? Oh, yes, if it is the right kind of one. I will ask Celia
about it, but what I don't like is that you should start it in a spirit
of trying to get the better of another girl, though I can see that it
is the most natural thing in the world for you to feel as you do, and I
can see that Clara has really brought it on herself, but I do want my
dear little girls to be charitable and above the petty meanness that is
actuating Clara."
"Then what do you think we ought to do?"
"I am not sure. I shall have to think it over. In the meantime by all
means start your club. Where is Celia?"
"She went out with the boys to look at the new pigeons, but I wanted to
see you first."
Edna enjoyed the prospect of chicken and waffles too much to long too
ardently for the next day. She hadn't seen Cousin Ben yet so she went
out to hunt him up, but discovering that he was hard at work over his
studies she concluded not to disturb him but to go with the boys to hear
them expatiate upon the qualities of the new pigeons, of the trade they
had made with another boy and of various things which had been going on
at their school.
Great preparations were made for the first meeting of the club. In the
Evans house was a large attic, one corner of which Agnes and Celia
turned into a club-room. The house was an old-fashioned one, and the
attic window was small. There was, too, an odor of camphor and of soap,
a quantity of the latter being stored up there, but these things did not
in the least detract from the place in the eyes of the girls. What they
wanted was mystery, a place which was out of the way, and one specially
set aside for their meetings. A small table was dragged out of the
recesses of the attic. It was rather wobbly, but a bit of wood was put
under the faulty leg, and it did very well. One perfectly good chair was
brought up for the president, the rest were content to be seated on
whatever came handy, two chairs very much gone as to backs, one with the
bottom entirely through, and a rickety camp stool made up the remainder
of the furniture, but Agnes had taken care that there were flowers on
the table and that pens, pencils and paper were supplied. She also
brought up some books "to make it look more literary," she said, and the
organizers of the club were delighted.
They came whispering and with suppressed giggles up the steep stairway,
made their way between piles of trunks and boxes to where Agnes sat in
state, a call-bell before her. Margaret, much bundled up, had been
permitted to join them, so they were the respectable number of six.
That morning the president and secretary had been closeted for an hour
with Mrs. Conway and whatever they had determined upon in the beginning
which seemed in the least unworthy was smitten from the plan.
The girls disposed themselves upon the various seats, Celia taking a
place at the end of the table provided for the officers. There was much
stifling of laughter and suppressed whispers before Agnes tapped the
bell and said in the most dignified manner, "The meeting is called to
order." Then each girl smoothed down her frock and sat up very straight
waiting to hear what should come next. "The real object of our club,"
Agnes began, "is to find ways of being kind to our schoolmates, but we
are going to do other things to entertain ourselves, things like
bringing new games into the club and any new book we find particularly
interesting. If anyone can write a story she is to do that, and if
anyone hears anything particularly interesting to tell she is to save
it up for the meeting. It has been proposed by Mrs. Conway that we call
the club the Kindly Club or the Golden Rule. Celia, we'd better take a
vote on the name. You might hand around some slips of paper and let the
members write their choice. There is one thing about it; if we call it
the Golden Rule Club, we can always refer to it as the G. R., and that
will be rather nice, I think. However, you all must vote as you think."
There were not quite enough pencils, but by judicious borrowing they
made out and the slips were handed in and gravely counted by Celia.
"There are four votes for Golden Rule, and two for Kindly," she
announced.
"Then it is a majority for Golden Rule, so the name of the club is the
Golden Rule Club, or the G. R., whichever you choose to say when you are
speaking of it. Now, let me see, oh, yes. We are the charter members.
We haven't any charter but we can have one, I reckon. I'll get one ready
for next time. Now, we must have rules. I haven't thought them all out,
but I have two or three. We begin with the Golden Rule: 'Do unto others
as ye would they should do unto you'; Mrs. Conway said we might head the
list with that, for there was nothing better. Of course we all forget
sometimes, but we mustn't any more than we can help. If we see a chance
to do a kindness to any of our schoolmates we must do it, no matter if
we don't like her, and we must try not to get mad with any of the girls.
We must be nice to the teachers, too. You see it is a school club and
affects all in the school. We big girls mustn't be hateful to you
younger ones and you mustn't be saucy to us."
"Oh, dear," sighed Edna, "it's going to be pretty hard, isn't it?"
"I don't believe it is going to be as much fun as the other girls'
club," complained Dorothy.
"Oh, yes it is. You wait and see," said Agnes. "After a while everyone
of them will be dying to come into ours."
"Oh, Agnes, I don't believe a bit of that," said Dorothy.
"Oh, but you see we are going to have very good times, you forget that
part. The kind word part is only when we are having dealings with our
schoolmates and all that. We don't have to do just that and nothing
else. For example, I have the loveliest sort of story to read to you all
just as soon as the business part of the meeting is over, and then we
are to have refreshments."
"Oh, good!" there was emphatic endorsement of this.
"There ought to be fines, I suppose," Agnes went on. "Let me see, what
shall we be fined for? I shall have to get some light upon that, too,
but I think it would be a good plan that any girl who voluntarily stirs
up a fuss with another at school must pay a fine of not less than one
cent. What do you think of that, Celia?"
"I should think that might be a good plan though I expect we shall all
turn Quakers if we continue the club."
Agnes laughed. "It does look that way. At all events we are to thank
Clara Adams for it all. Her club is founded on unkindness and if we want
to be a rival, Mrs. Conway says we must have ours founded on kindness."
"Do you know anything about her club?" asked Jennie.
"I know a little. I believe only girls who live in a certain
neighborhood can belong to it. All others are to be turned down, and are
to be left out of the plays at recess. It is something like that, I was
told. However, we don't care anything about those poor little sillies.
We shall enjoy ourselves much more. I think we'd better not attend to
any business to-day or we shall not have time for anything else. Have
you made the minutes, Celia?"
"Yes, I think I have, and if I haven't everything I can get you to tell
me afterwards."
"I suppose we should vote for the officers," said Agnes, after a
moment's thought.
"Oh, no, don't let's," said Edna, anxious for the story. "We all want
you for president and Celia for secretary, don't we, girls?"
"All in favor of making Miss Agnes Evans president of the club will
please rise," sang out Celia, and every girl arose to her feet. "That's
unanimous enough," said Celia. "Now all in favor of my being secretary
will please rise." Another unanimous vote followed this and so the
matter was speedily settled.
Then Agnes produced a manuscript paper and read them the most delightful
of stories which was received with great applause. Then she whispered
something to Dorothy who nodded understandingly, retired to the back of
the attic and returned with two plates, one of delicious little cakes
and the other of caramels to which full justice was done.
"What about the places of meeting and the refreshments?" asked Celia.
"It isn't fair for you always to furnish them and don't you think we
should meet at different houses?"
"Perhaps so, only you see it would be hard for us to go into the city on
Saturdays after coming out on Friday, and you see Jennie lives in
town."
"Oh, but Mack can always bring me out in the motor car," said Jennie,
"though of course I should love to have you all come in to my house and
so would mamma like it."
"Well, we'll meet at your house, Celia, the next time," said Agnes, "and
after that at Mrs. MacDonald's. We can, can't we, Margaret?"
"Oh, yes, I am sure she will be perfectly delighted. She is so pleased
about the club, anyhow."
"Then in the meantime we can be making up our minds about your house,
Jennie," said Agnes.
"I wish we had some little song or a sentence to close with," said
Celia.
"We can have. We can do all those things later. I think we have done a
great deal for one day, don't you all think so?"
"Oh, my, yes," was the hearty response. "It has been perfectly lovely."
"We might sing, 'Little Drops of Water,' for this time," proposed Edna,
"as long as we haven't any special song yet."
"That will do nicely, especially that part about 'little deeds of
kindness.' We're going to sing. All rise." And the meeting was closed,
the members groping their way down the attic stairs which by now were
quite dark. But the effect of the club was to be far-reaching as was
afterward shown, though it was little suspected at the time of its
formation.