The Wide Awake Girls in Winsted Part 33

"_The Whiskered One._ _Chast.i.ty._ _Star of the Sea._ _A Twin._ _Consecrated to G.o.d._ _Extremely Bold; or Holy Prince._ _Peace._ _A Lover of Peace._ _Brightness, or Beauty._ _The Greatest One._ _Purity._ _The Woman Strong with the Spear._ _Bright Raven._ _Grace._ _A Gazelle._ _A Princess of n.o.ble Birth._"

When she had finished, there was a moment's silence and then everybody but Hannah burst out laughing.

With a little "O!" she flew across the room to the big dictionary, and opening it toward the back, dropped on her knees before it.

"I have it!" she cried joyfully. "I used to study and study the meanings of names when I was a youngster, and here they are. Mine means Grace and I know where I'm going to sit, and the rest of you can find out in a minute."

The long delayed supper was at last eaten, and sitting idly around the table, with watermelon rinds before them, the young people talked over the summer which seemed already closed.

"We've accomplished a lot, haven't we?" said Polly. "I'm really proud of the Boat Club this year. It never used to stand for anything but its own fun before, but from now on it will be a recognized factor in Winsted life."

"Bully for you, Polly!" said Bert. "I never heard any one say 'factor'

offhand like that. It's one of the words I've always held sacred to special topics and theses and such."

"Like 'objective' and 'subjective'?" asked Polly. "I always feel about those as the old lady did about her pies, after she labelled them T. M."

"What did she label them like that for?" asked Frieda, leaning forward from her seat between Winifred and Archie.

"O, dear," sighed Bert in mock despair. "Frieda has made us explain all the old jokes we knew this summer, and I don't see how that one was overlooked. Did you ever hear the riddle about when a door is not a door, Frieda?"

"Yes," said Frieda good-naturedly. "It was in an English book I learned.

There was a whole chapter on riddles, and the answers were printed upside down!"

"That dear Edith and Mary book!" cried Hannah. "Such a fine lot of riddles as there were! I think you and I ought to give a copy of that book to the library, Frieda!"

"That reminds me," exclaimed Algernon. "We have had gifts to-day. I saved them to tell you when you should all be listening, for they came to us through our honorary members, the Wide-Awakes."

"Hear!" "Hear!" shouted Max, but Polly rapped the meeting to order.

Alice and Hannah and Catherine and Frieda looked puzzled, and the others interested, as Algernon went on.

"Mr. Kittredge told me to-day that they had voted to give the Sunday-school library books to us, as he thought the public library much more important than theirs, and they wanted to help all they could, following the good example of several of the Sunday-school teachers.

That's a compliment to Dorcas and Catherine, both. So that's one of the four 'notorious Wide-Awakes,' as Mr. Graham calls them. And then a Mr.

Tracy came in with his arms full of boxes, and said that his wife had been ill here at the hotel for some weeks, and she had amused herself during her convalescence with working on picture puzzles; now she was well and going away, she did not want to take them with her, and, as the Winsted Library had been a great help to her, she would like to give them these six or seven puzzles, to be loaned to people like books. She said she thought a small library like this where the librarian knew every one personally, could easily handle such a department, for convalescents and lonely old people. Pictures and games and all such things might be included, to be loaned at the librarian's discretion, only."

"What a good idea!" cried Polly, "but how do the Wide-Awakes come in on that?"

"Just this way. Mrs. Tracy said that if we would let her name the collection, she would be glad to add to it from time to time. And when we consented, as, of course, we did, she said she wanted it called The Hannah Eldred Department."

"Three cheers for Mrs. Tracy!" shouted Bert, and Max sprang to his feet and led off with a right good will. Then followed cheers for Hannah, for Catherine, for the Wide-Awakes and the Boat Club. When the noise subsided, Algernon took the floor again.

"That's not all, either! You know, most of you, that Frieda started the German part of the library, giving some books and an invaluable list; but none of you know what Miss Prescott told me a day or two ago. It is a secret, but I think she will let me tell it now, just for completeness, won't you, Miss Prescott?"

Alice blushed and smiled.

"If you really wish, but I don't like to be thanked for what is only a promise as yet."

"Never mind about that. It will be more than a promise soon. Miss Prescott does very clever designing, and she heard me lamenting the fact that we have no book-plate for the library, and most kindly offered to furnish one."

"I'll submit it to my teacher in designing," said Alice shyly, "and then Mr. Swinburne will present it to the Board to accept or reject as they see fit. You're not bound to take it, but I did want to help along somehow!"

"We ought to do that cheering all over again," said Archie, "but I move you, Madam President, that Miss Lange and Miss Prescott consider themselves specially included in the yells of a moment ago, and that the meeting proceed to sing the Boat Club song."

The pa.s.sers-by, if there had been any, must have wondered at the joyous burst of song that followed this remark. As a matter of fact, however, there were no pa.s.sers-by at all. The rain had washed the streets clear, and the corner lights, glimmering faintly through the wet, fell on one figure only.

Standing before the library window, holding a great cotton umbrella over his head, and peering patiently through a crack between the casing and the shade, was a small boy, in an overcoat several sizes too large for him.

Agnes' seat was near the window. Suddenly she saw a small nose and an inquiring eye pressed against the crack.

"Look!" she said, and all eyes followed her gesture.

Bert sprang to open the door and drag the dripping little figure in.

Polly and Catherine quickly took off the great coat and shut the vast umbrella. Then they drew the little chap to the table, where Bertha had a plate of goodies ready for him.

"Attention, everybody!"

Max sprang to his feet.

"Sing to the air of the Boat Club Song:

"He is the Boat Club mascot, Give a cheer! give a cheer!

For the Boat Club mascot, Elsmere! Elsmere!"

"Do it again!" cried Elsmere, brandis.h.i.+ng a fork and making Bertha dodge, "Give a cheer, Elsmere! Boat Club stomach! Give a cheer!"

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

AUF WIEDERSEHEN

Such a bustling place as Three Gables was on that Friday morning!

"It seems a pity that you can't stay till Monday, when college really opens," said Dr. Helen, pressing out a filmy waist in the dining-room, where the four girls were gathered, setting last st.i.tches.

"But the new girls who have come on early and those who have had to take 'exams' are just the ones who need cheering up, and we are the official Comfort Committee, aren't we, Alice?"

Alice, fastening the thread after sewing in a fresh ruche, nodded. "Got to keep the blues away, or perish trying to," she said. "And Hannah has to be home before Monday. And Frieda needs a day or two to get settled.

Hilda said she'd come back to-day, and they could get their room in order before Sunday. I'm so glad you're going to room with Hilda, Frieda dear. She's such a darling child."

"Is she still given to crushes?" asked Hannah. "She fairly wors.h.i.+ped Lilian Burton's door-sill when I was there."

"Crushes are going out of fas.h.i.+on at Dexter," said Catherine emphatically. "And one of the reasons I thought it would be good for Hilda to room with Frieda was that Frieda has too much sense to indulge in them, and she will keep Hilda suppressed."

"Catherine, you have such a positive manner when you talk about Dexter,"

said Hannah thoughtfully. "You'll be House President senior year. O, dear!" for Frieda, in getting up to help Dr. Helen fold up the ironing-board, had brushed by Hannah's chair, and a fat little b.u.t.ton bag rolling to the floor had emptied its contents all over the room.