Ethel Morton at Chautauqua Part 3

"d.i.c.ky's hollering for soda right now."

"Mother won't let him have any so early in the morning but we'll remember where the place is."

Yet the procession seemed to be slowing up at the head and, Oh, joy, there was Grandfather making a distribution of ice-cream cones to grown-ups and children alike. Even the porters ate theirs with evident pleasure, consuming the very last sc.r.a.p of the cone itself.

Then they led the way down a very steep hill and along a pleasant path to a cottage that faced the blue water of the lake.

"Here you are," they said to Mrs. Morton.

"And this must be our landlord's son waiting to open the house for us,"

said Mrs. Morton as a boy of Roger's age came forward to meet them.

Her guess was right and James Hanc.o.c.k instantly proved himself an agreeable and useful friend. The Hanc.o.c.ks lived in New Jersey in a town not far from the Mortons, but they never had happened to meet at home.

"How many people are there here now?" asked Roger as James helped him carry the bags into the house.

"Oh, I don't know just how many to-day, but there are usually about twelve or fifteen thousand at a time when the season gets started."

"There must be awful crowds."

"The people do bunch up at lectures and concerts but if you don't like crowds you don't have to go, you know."

"What do the fellows our age do?"

"Swim and row and sail. Do you like the water?"

"My father is in the Navy," replied Roger as if that was a sufficient answer.

"Then you'll go in for all the water sports. The older chaps in the Athletic Club let us use their club house sometimes, and they say that this summer there's going to be a club especially for boys of our age--too old for the Boys' Club and too young for the Athletic Club."

"Good enough, I'll join," declared Roger, who was the most sociable lad on earth.

"Can I help your mother any more? So long, then. I live two houses off--in that red one over there just beyond the boarding house--so I'll see you a lot," and James leaped over the rail of the porch and strolled off toward the Pier.

"He seems like a nice boy," said Mrs. Morton; "I'm glad he lives so near."

"I wonder if he has any sisters," queried Helen. "Did you ask him, Roger?"

Roger had not and he admitted to himself that it was a mistake he would remedy the next time he saw James. Just as he was thinking about it the baggage wagon drove up with the trunks. On top was Jo, the porter.

"Hullo," he called.

"Hullo," returned Roger. "I didn't know you rustled trunks as well as bags."

"I don't. I rode down to ask you something," and he proceeded to swing down a trunk to the other two young men as if to hurry up matters so that he could attend to his errand.

"Now, what is it?" asked Roger when all the pieces of luggage had been placed about the house to his mother's satisfaction, and the dray had gone.

"I don't know whether you'll care for it or not, but you were so interested I thought I'd give you first chance if you did want it," Jo tried to explain.

"Want what?"

"My job. You see how I've got this work for the Springers running their motor boat I've got to be somewhere within call of their house about all the time, so they've given me a room there, and I shall have to give up janitoring and bag-toting and waiting on table and everything. I thought if you'd like to try one or all of my jobs I'd speak about you and perhaps you could get in. As late as this you generally can't find any work, there are so many applications. What do you say?"

Roger thought a moment.

"I'd like like thunder to do something," he said, and added, flus.h.i.+ng: "I suppose you'll think it queer but I've never earned anything in my life and I'm just crazy to."

"There are awfully good fellows doing it here. You've seen me and Henry," Jo went on humorously, "and a son of one of the professors is a janitor and the nephew of another one is waiting on table at the same cottage I am, and--"

"Oh, I wouldn't be ashamed to do anything honest," Roger said quickly.

"I was thinking about Mother. You see with Father in Mexico I sort of have to be the man of the family. I shouldn't want to undertake things that would keep me from being useful to her."

"And you've got a good house here so you don't need a room, so I guess I'll just run along," answered Jo.

"Wait a minute," cried Roger. "Let me speak to Mother."

Just at that moment Mrs. Morton came out on the porch, a little frown of anxiety on her face.

"Here you are, Roger--and you, too,--Mr.--"

"Sampson," filled in Jo.

"Mr. Sampson. I came out to consult with you, Roger. It seems to me that the room in the top story that I counted on for you is going to be so warm that you can't possibly sleep there. I wish you'd run up and look at it."

Roger's face burst into a happy smile.

"Good enough, Mother, I hope it is a roaster," he cried.

Mrs. Morton looked perplexed.

"Jo came to tell me that he thinks he can get me his janitor's job that will earn me my room," Roger explained. "If you don't mind I'd like mighty well to do it, and it will settle this trouble here."

"Would you really like it?"

"You bet."

"You'd have to stick to it; and it might mean that you'd have to give up some pleasures that you'd have otherwise."

"I know. I'm willing, Mother," insisted Roger eagerly.

"I don't see, then, why you shouldn't take it," said Mrs. Morton slowly, "and we shall be much obliged to you if you can arrange it for Roger,"

she continued, smiling at Sampson.

"How about the table-waiting and the bag-toting?" he inquired.

"I think one job will be about all he'd better undertake for his first experience," decided Mrs. Morton. "I should be sorry not to have him with the family at meals, and I want him to have time for some sports."