Ethel Morton at Sweetbriar Lodge Part 15

"It will be a real Club expedition," she said gleefully, "and I'm just as sure as if I saw it with my own eyes, that you're packing a 'History of Philadelphia' in your hand-bag."

Helen laughed because she was well accustomed to being joked about her love of history.

"I notice all of you are willing enough to listen when I tell about places," she said, "and this time you'll have to take it from me because Grandfather won't be there to tell you."

The next ring meant that the Ethels had returned to Mrs. Emerson's.

"What do you want of us?" Ethel Blue asked in a tone that sounded as if she were not particularly pleased at being called back.

"How would you like to go to Philadelphia?" Helen answered triumphantly.

"Do you really mean it?" asked Ethel, who was not quite sure that her ears were hearing correctly.

"I do mean it, and if you and Ethel Blue want to go with Mother and me this afternoon, you must rush home just as fast as you can and get your bags packed. Aunt Louise says Dorothy may go, but I can't find her, so please stop at the new house and see if she's there and tell her about it."

"Well I should say we would," returned a voice that was now filled with delight. "Ethel Blue wants to know why Mother is going?" she asked.

"On some business for her father--for Uncle Richard. But do stop chattering and come home as fast as you can rush. If we don't get off this afternoon, we can't go until to-morrow morning and we shan't be able to stay so long in Philadelphia."

It was not until they reached home that the Ethels learned that the Watkinses and the Hanc.o.c.ks were to join the party, and they were so excited over the prospect of this Club pilgrimage, that they were hardly able to get together their belongings.

The most difficult person to find was Roger who did not seem to be within reach of the telephone anywhere. They called up all the places where they thought it possible that he might be, but he could not be found, and he walked in just before luncheon quite unprepared for the surprise that awaited him.

"Helen has packed your bag for you," his mother told him, "so rush and change your clothes and go to the train to meet Della and Tom."

Rosemont being already part way on the road from New York and Philadelphia, it was necessary for the party to take a local train to the nearest stopping place of the Express. The Watkinses came out from New York on a local and the Hanc.o.c.ks arrived on the trolley, so that the entire group met at the Mortons' about half an hour before the time to start. They were all chattering briskly, all filled with enthusiasm for this new adventure.

"Don't you think I'd better go too?" Mr. Emerson asked his daughter, as he counted up the throng and noticed their eagerness.

"I don't think it's necessary, Father," Mrs. Morton replied. "Roger and Tom and James are surely big enough to escort us, and I know Philadelphia so well that I have no fear of our being lost in the city with three such competent young men to take care of us."

Mr. Emerson smiled somewhat doubtfully and murmured something about his daughter's having a hopeful disposition.

"You don't realize how serious Roger can be when he feels that he has actual responsibility," said Mrs. Morton, "and as for James Hanc.o.c.k, he is sometimes so grave that he almost alarms me."

"He may be grave, but has he any sense?" asked Mr. Emerson tartly.

"The children seem to think he has a great deal. At any rate I feel sure that no difficulty is going to come to us with these three big boys on hand and I wouldn't think of taking you on this fatiguing trip, on such a hot day," insisted his daughter.

Mr. Emerson looked somewhat relieved although he again a.s.sured Mrs.

Morton that he would be entirely willing to escort her and her flock.

"No farther than the Rosemont station, thank you," she said, smiling.

It was at the station and just as the train was drawing in that Mr.

Emerson handed Helen a notebook.

"You've taken me by surprise this morning," he said, "and I haven't had much time to get up my usual collection of historical poetry, but I couldn't let you go off without having something of the kind to remember me by."

Helen and the Ethels laughed at this confession, for Mr. Emerson was so fond of American history that he was in the habit, whenever they all went on trips together, of supplying himself with ballads concerning any historical happenings in the district through which they were to travel.

"Philadelphia ought to be a fertile field for you, sir," said James Hanc.o.c.k.

"It is," returned the old gentleman, "but you'll escape the full force of my efforts this time, thanks to your quick start."

The run to the junction and then to Philadelphia was made in a short time. It was fairly familiar to all of them and the country presented no beauties to make it remarkable, although Roger pretended to be a guide showing wonderful sights to the New Yorkers, Della and Tom.

"Do you think, Mother, we shall have time to look up some of the historical places in the city?" asked Helen.

"I thought that would be the most interesting thing to do," Mrs. Morton replied. "I shan't have to meet my business people until midday to-morrow, so this afternoon and to-morrow morning we can see many points of interest if we don't delay too long at each one."

"Being related to the Navy through my paternal ancestor," said Roger in large language, "Philadelphia has always interested me because the father of old William Penn, its founder, was an Admiral in the English Navy."

"I didn't know that," said Helen.

"Watch me run for base!" exclaimed Roger. "I got one off of Helen on the first ball. It isn't often that Helen admits there's something she doesn't know about American history."

"You miserable boy! You sound as if I were pretending to be a 'know-it-all'! There are plenty of things I don't know about American history. For instance I know very little about William Penn, except that he was a Quaker."

"Well then," said Roger, "allow me to inform you, beloved sister, that William Penn was an Oxford man and a preacher in the Society of Friends.

He seems to have had some pull because the powers gave him a grant of Pennsylvania (that means Penn's Woods), in 1680. He went to America two years later and founded this minute little town which we are approaching."

"Those old Englishmen on the other side certainly had a calm way of giving out grants of land without saying anything about it to the Indians, didn't they?" said Margaret.

"Penn got along much better with the Indians than many of the heads of the colonies. He made a treaty with them, which is said to have been very remarkable in two ways; in the first place he wouldn't swear to keep it because he was a Quaker, and Quakers won't take an oath; and in the next place, he _did_ keep it, which was quite an event in colonial circles!"

"He must have been a good chap," commented Tom.

"You're going to see a statue of him as soon as you get off the train,"

interposed Mrs. Morton.

"Where is it?" asked Ethel Brown.

"On top of the City Hall. It's the first thing you see when you come out of the railroad station. In fact you're so close to the Public Buildings, as they're called, that I doubt if you can see the top at all until you get farther away from them."

"The statue must be enormous if it's up so high," said Ethel Blue.

"I've been told it was thirty-seven feet high," returned Mrs. Morton, "and that the rim of the old gentleman's hat was so wide that a person could walk on it comfortably."

"Wouldn't it be fun to do our back step on the edge of his hat!"

exclaimed Ethel Blue to Ethel Brown, as they looked out the cab which was taking them to the hotel, and saw the figure of the benevolent Quaker black against the sky some five hundred feet above the ground.

The hotel wherein Mrs. Morton established her flock was "in the heart of conservative Philadelphia." Immediately after luncheon they packed themselves into a large touring car and began their historical explorations.

"If we do things according to time, we ought to go first to all of the places that have to do with William Penn," said Helen.

"I'm afraid that might make us jump around the city a little," said Mrs.

Morton, "because if I am not mistaken, the house that William Penn gave to his daughter Let.i.tia, is out in Fairmount Park, and the one belonging to his grandson is in the Zoo. We'll see them before we go home, but now we had better give our attention to the things that are here in the city.

To begin with we can go to the little park on whose site William Penn made his famous treaty with the Indians. It takes us somewhat out of our way, but I know Helen's orderly mind will like to begin there."