The Carter Girls Part 20

"Ah, perhaps you are too idle and need occupation. Can you read and write?"

"Naw, I can't read writin' but I can read readin'."

"You should have a task set you every day and then vacation would not hang so heavily on your hands. Some useful bit of information imparted to you would be edifying and useful."

"Pshaw! That's the way Cousin Lizzie talks. She's our chapel roan an'

knows mo'n anybody 'bout Solomon an' all his glory. She done learnt me a verse already onct this mornin'."

"Ah, indeed! And can you repeat it to us?"

"Yes! I reckon 'twas the grape juice an' victrola that made her choose this one: 'Wine is a mucker an' strong drink is rag time.' I kin learn mos' anything," and Bobby hastened off to put the clay on his feet before the grape juice bath had time to dry.

CHAPTER XV.

LETTERS FROM WEEK-END CAMP.

From Tillie Wingo to Her Best Friend Grace.

Greendale, Va.

Sat.u.r.day Morning.

My darling Grace:

Such a time as we are having--I've almost danced up my new ten dollar shoes, but I am sure glad I wore them as they have been much admired. There are oodlums of men up here and some of the prettiest dancers I have ever met.

I must tell you what a terrible break I made. There is a man here named Bill Tinsley, and do you know I took him for a jitney driver the first day I got here and gave him a tip--twenty-five cents. He took it like a mutt and now he has a hole in it and wears it around his neck and everybody thinks it is an awful joke on me. I must say that it is hard to tell one kind of man from another when n.o.body introduces you. He is awful dum but dances like Volinine. He never opens his face except to feed it and to laugh and he laughs louder and more than anybody I have ever met before.

Speaking of feeding, the eats are fine. I don't see how the Carter girls ever learned how to do it but they have the best things! I hoped it would be b.u.m as I want to fall off. I have always been a perfect thirty-six and must say I don't relish taking on flesh, but I can't resist fried chicken and waffles.

I am almost sorry I brought my new pink as I really need some kind of outing dress, but I did not have room for so many things and I do think that it is best to have plenty of dancing frocks rather than sport suits that after all do not become me very much.

We have chaperones to burn as Miss Elizabeth Somerville is here and Mrs. Tate may stay a long time so Lil can be here with Lucy Carter.

I am dying to stay but $2.00 per is right steep for yours truly. I don't think that is much for what you get and I think the Carter girls are real smart to charge a good price as long as they are giving you good things. Helen Carter does a lot of the cooking and has the sweetest little bungalow ap.r.o.ns to cook in. They are pink and blue, just my style, and when I get a trousseau I intend to have one.

We danced last night until eleven and then old Miss Somerville made all of us go to bed. She couldn't see to play cards was the reason she was so proper. Little d.i.n.ky kerosene lamps that blow out in the wind are not much for card playing but they do fine for dancing. The boys say they are going to bring up some electric lanterns the next week-end so the old lady can see to play and she will forget the time.

Did you ever sleep in a tent, Grace? Well, it is great--I was real sorry I didn't have a blanket when it blew up so cold. It was right down nippy. I wasn't going to say a thing but I was sorry I hadn't even brought a sweater--one of the fellows didn't have a blanket either but I heard him say he was going to sleep in his clothes. A blue Georgette crepe and a pink chiffon wouldn't help me much and all of my clothes are diaphanous this summer. I am sharing a tent with two old maids and a sten from Richmond. Do you know when I went to my tent I found six blankets on my cot and Susan the maid brought me two more? It had got out among the men that I didn't have a blanket, how I can't imagine, and they sent me theirs. Now wasn't that too sweet of them? I sent them all back but a lovely cadet blue--it was so becoming I chose that. It turned out to be Mr.

Tinsley's so I believe he is not mad about the tip I gave him.

We are going on a walk this morning over to a terrible place called the Devil's Gorge. I am going to wear Lucy Carter's shoes and Nan's skirt and Helen's middy blouse and Douglas has a hat for me. The sten in the tent with me lent me some stockings. You see I brought nothing but silk ones. After we got to bed last night and I was almost asleep but was talking to the sten, who is a very nice agreeable girl--the old maids were both snoring--we heard a car chugging up the hill and it seems two more men had arrived, motored all the way from Richmond. It was a Dr. Wright and a boy named d.i.c.k.

I heard Helen Carter, in the next tent, just raising Cain and saying he was very inconsiderate to come in on them at night that way, but before they could so much as get up to see where they were to sleep, they got a message that the new comers had brought their own blankets and hammocks and no one was to stir for them. I met Dr.

Wright at breakfast and I think he is real cute. Helen Carter is mighty rude to him and I can't see how he stands it. Helen has lovely manners usually but she certainly does pick him up quick. He is a general favorite with the rest of the family though, and Bobby is just wild about him. No more at present. I don't see how I ever wrote this much as there has been a lot of noise and I know ten times I have been begged to stop writing and come dance. It looks like rain but I do hope it won't. My blue will melt I know if it rains.

Your best friend, TILLIE WINGO.

Skeeter from Frank Maury.

h.e.l.lo Skeeter!

Come in, the water's fine! Say, Skeeter, what's the reason you can't light right out and come up to camp? Be sure and bring a blanket, the nights are cold as flugians. Miss Douglas Carter says that they call it a week-end camp just for cod, but we can stay through the week if we've a mind. Bully eats and plenty of 'em, and say, Skeeter, two mighty prime girls--no nonsense about them but s.p.u.n.ky and up to snuff. They are named Lucy Carter and Lil Tate. They say they'd like to meet you a lot. If you come we can play five hundred when we are not climbing the mountains and hunting bee trees. Lucy has some ch.o.r.es she has to do but Lil and I help and we get through in a jiffy. It is just fun. I talk like I been here a month and it is just one night. Anyhow, Lil and I helped this morning and we are going to do it every morning. You see, these Carter girls are running this camp for the spondulix they can get out of it and it means all of them have got to spit on their hands and turn in. Lucy has to help wipe the dishes when they have many folks. I blew in the gla.s.ses and polished them so fine that Miss Helen said she would like to hire me. I ain't going to tell you more of the camp because I am sure you will be here yourself soon. It beats the beach all hollow. These girls are sure slick, these Carter girls. They have a camp fire going all the time to make it look al frescoish, but they do their cooking mostly on stoves and in fireless cookers. They roast the potatoes in the camp fire and bring them to the table with ashes on 'em to make 'em look more campyfied; and they have a big iron pot hanging over the fire but they never have anything in it but water. Say, Skeeter, when you come, bring your fish lines as there is a stream that looks like fish. Let a fellow know when to look for you.

Yrs. truly, FRANK MAURY.

Susan Jourdan to Melissa Thompson, the former cook at the Carters'.

Dere ant Melisser?

i am sogournin hear most profertably to all consearned. me and uncle Oscur is took over the Brunt of the laber but the yung ladys is very konsiderable of us and all of them healps at every chanst. miss Helun is astonishun in her caperbilitys, morn what we thort posserble. We had upwards of thirty last night for super and it took a sight of vittles to fill them folks. We want countin on morn twenty-four and want countin' on them eatin quite so much but miss Helun took holt and stirred up some batty kates and got em started to fryin befoar the waffles give out and all the folks turned in then and et batty kates like they aint never already filled up on waffles. White folks are sure quick to think in times of stress.

n.i.g.g.e.rs jest lay down and give up when anything suddint turns up like extry stomiks but white gals aint nocked out by sich things.

Now uncle Oscur and me would have to know long time befoar han about batty kates but miss Helun just waltzed in and made em. it war the las think they learnt her to make at the XYWZ whar she tuck a coa.r.s.e in culminary cookin. Theys a yung lady here named miss Guen who is a mistery to me and uncle Oscur. she is bar futed and dressed in a dress no biggern a flower sax but she talks properern miss Lizy sumervil and hoalds up her haid ekal to mis Carter herself, she is a gret han at cookin and shen Me together kin git up a sweet meel. She was floared by the Nos. last nite tho and shen Me was bout givin up when miss Helun stept in. miss Helun looks Sweet in her bugaboo apern i think dr. Right thinks so too but when he started to say something to her bout it she pritty near bit his haid off. she is got it in for him good and wright but the others is dafty bout Him and Bobby thinks he is the angle Gabrul hisself. I aint writ you bout a low flung mounting boy up hear what put a hornets nest under my baid the fust nite we sogourned hear. he is impruved now because of mr. Lewis who sayed his say to Him and thin made him take a bath when it want morn Chewsday. We gits along with him by gittin out of his Way. Ill give it to him that he is smart enuf and kin work. He is got strange notions tho and whin some of the compny handed him a little change for his trouble in totin up they bags he got insulted.

uncle Oscur and I says we would like some of them insults heeped on us. no more from yours in haste at preasant. I dreemed bout teeth last nite wich is sure sine of death but miss Nan sayed it was because i sleapt with a wad of chueing gum in my mouth and it sprung my Gaw and maid my teeth ake. we are xpecting a large Crowd for the 4th of july. it air a strange thing to me that white folks should make so mutch noise on the day that our rase was given its freedom.

The folks is all lawd in prase of my biskit which is no trubble at all to roll out. the yung folks is all gone on a walk what they calls a hyke. They is going to a fearsum spot known as the devilsgorge. twas there that miss Guens paw made way with his life.

miss Guen and i is to serve lunch for miss Lizzie sumervil and some ladies and a gent who is too crepit to hyke. They is endorsed in cards and done forgot to chapperroon. thaint none here what needs watching. that pretty miss Tillie wingo is mighty flity but thaint no meanness in her. the bows act like beas round a honie pot with her. She don't talk nothin but fulishnes and gigglin but men fokes is sometimes took with that sawt of tainment. miss Nan done say she thinks twould be good bizness if they ask miss Tillie to stay on as a gest. She earns her keep and weakenders will come here jest cause of her. miss Duglas say so too but miss Helun says let her stay but make her get sum sootable duds as shes got no i dear of lending her her noo accordeonroy skurt perchused specally for the mountings and she sayed she seen miss Tillie eying it with Mutt Ise. I am enjoyn poar helth and hope it finds you the same.

respeect.

SUSAN JOURDAN.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE HIKE.

You could plainly see the Devil's Gorge from Camp Carter, that is, you could see a dent in the neighboring mountain, and no one but Josh knew that it was two hours' steady walking to that purplish dimple. Two hours' steady walking is not possible with twenty-odd persons, and so it took nearer four to reach the end of their journey. There were many pauses to rest and to tie shoe strings and refresh themselves at gurgling springs. Josh led the way with Josephus as pack mule, the lunch strapped on his back and Bobby perched on top like a Great Mogul.

Josephus was at a great disadvantage as his short fore leg was down hill. "Never mind, he'll play thunder goin' back," Josh consoled himself and Bobby, who had to sit very carefully to keep from falling off on the down side. Josephus limped cheerfully on as though there were nothing he enjoyed more than a hike where he was allowed to carry the lunch.

"He is such a cheerful old mule that I just know if he had been born a canary bird he would be singing all the time," declared Nan. "I think he has a most enviable disposition."

"Yes, his disposition is more to be envied than his job," suggested one of the party.

"Never mind, we will lighten his load for him before we return. I am starved."

"Who is it that is hungry?"

"Me, me!" from so many mouths that the educating spinsters' precise "I, I," was lost in the avalanche of me's.

Those worthy ladies were in a seventh heaven of bliss. They had found many botanical specimens which they pounced upon for future a.n.a.lysis, and their little hammers were going whack! whack! at every boulder that poor Josephus stumbled over. They were really very nice and kind, and as for their backbones, it was not their fault that they had pokers instead of vertebrae.

The Devil's Gorge was worth the long walk, even to those who had no hammers. Great rocks were piled high on top of one another and all down the mountain side was an enormous crack in solid rock.