CHAPTER VI
A SOCIAL CALL
The twins gladly obeyed their aunts’ summons, for it meant to getready to go to town to buy their flower seeds. Long before the ladieswere ready, Dick and Dolly, in trim attire, and with pretty spring coatsand hats, sat in the library waiting.
“I like this home a lot, don’t you, Dollums?” said Dick, as hethoughtfully looked about him.
“Love it!” responded his twin promptly. “Chicago was nice, too, andAuntie Helen was gay and pretty, but this is so country and all. And oh,Dick, won’t our playground be splendiferous! Do you s’pose the arborwill _ever_ get built and grown over with flowers and things?”
“’Course it will! And, Dolly, I’m going to make some rustic seats andthings myself. It tells how in my ‘Handy Book,’ and I’m sure I can doit.”
“I’m sure you can too. And can’t you make some little seats for mydolls?”
Dick had just agreed to do this when the two aunties came downstairs,and they all went out to the carriage. Somehow it seemed very formal.Aunt Rachel and Aunt Abbie, all dressed up in calling costume, withgloves and parasols, didn’t seem so chummy as when they were all outplanting seeds together. And Michael, in his coachman’s livery, lookedso straight and unintelligent that it was hard to believe he was thesame man.
They all got into the big, open carriage, and the twins sat backward,facing their aunts.
“First,” said Miss Rachel, who sat up very stiff and prim, “we will goand buy the seeds and plants, and then we will pay some calls.”
This seemed very strange to Dick and Dolly, for they had never beentaken calling with Auntie Helen in Chicago; but they made no comment, asnone seemed to be expected.
The carriage stopped at a small shop, and the proprietor hurried out togreet the ladies. He bowed with great deference, and asked what he mightshow them.
Miss Rachel had a list of the seeds and plants they had decided on forthe children’s gardens, and the shopman said he would send them all thenext day.
“And have you some small garden implements?” asked Miss Abbie. “Somelittle rakes and hoes, suitable for children’s use.”
The shopman said he would bring some out to show them.
“Oh, Auntie,” cried Dolly, impulsively, “can’t we go in the shop andlook at them?”
“No, indeed,” said Miss Rachel, as if Dolly had asked something highlyimproper. “Stay where you are and make your selections.”
Dolly wondered why they couldn’t hop out, but it didn’t much matter, asthe man returned, followed by a youth who brought a lot of spades andrakes and garden tools of many sorts.
The children were allowed to select all they wanted, and, guided by AuntRachel’s advice, they chose quite a great many.
“You’re awful good to us,” exclaimed Dick as, after giving the order,they drove away.
“Then you must be good to us,” said Aunt Rachel, smiling. “Now we aregoing to call at Mrs. Fuller’s. She has a son Jack, about ten years old,and I hope you will be good friends with him. There are no little girlshere, but, Dolly, we will find some girl friends for you later on.”
“Oh, I like boys,” said Dolly, agreeably. “I like Dick better than anygirl, so, of course, I like other boys too.”
At Mrs. Fuller’s they were ushered into a stiff, formal-looking parlour,which had the effect of being rarely used. The half-drawn blinds gavebut a dim light, and the four guests took their seats in silence.
Dick and Dolly felt depressed without knowing just why. They secretlywished they could clasp hands and make a dash for the door and run away,but Aunt Rachel had asked them to be good, so they sat still, wonderingwhat would be expected of them.
After what seemed a long time, Mrs. Fuller came into the room. She was alady of very precise manners, and wore a rustling silk gown.
The ladies all shook hands quite stiffly, and inquired for each other’shealth, and then Miss Rachel presented the twins to Mrs. Fuller.
“How do you do, my dears?” said the lady, offering her finger-tips toeach in turn.
“I’m very well, thank you; how are you?” said Dolly, heartily, as shecordially gave her hostess’s hand a vigorous shake. But the chagrin onthe Dana ladies’ faces, and the surprised glance of Mrs. Fuller, provedat once that this wasn’t the right thing to do.
Quick to catch the hint, Dick offered his hand hesitatingly,—so much soindeed, that it lay in Mrs. Fuller’s like a little limp fish, and as shefinally dropped it, it fell loosely to Dick’s side.
“How d’ do?” he murmured, uncertain what to say, and then, feeling veryuncomfortable, the two children sat down again.
For a time no attention was paid to them, and the ladies conversed inshort, elegant sentences, and high-pitched voices.
Then Mrs. Fuller turned again to the twins:
“How do you like Heatherton?” she asked.
The suddenness of the question took Dick unawares, and he saidenthusiastically:
“Out o’ sight!”
Immediately he realised that he should have expressed himself moreformally, and the look of annoyance on Aunt Rachel’s face made him redand embarrassed.
Loyal little Dolly tried, as always, to come to his rescue, and she saidpolitely:
“Yes, indeed, Mrs. Fuller; we like it awfully well so far, but of coursewe haven’t been here very long yet.”
“And you think you won’t like it when you’ve been here longer! Is thatit?”
Mrs. Fuller meant only to be jocose, but Dolly didn’t understand, andtried hard to explain.
“No ’m; I don’t mean that. I mean I think we’ll like it better after welive here a while.”
“I trust you will,” said Mrs. Fuller. “You must be hard to please if youdon’t.”
Poor Dolly felt herself misunderstood, but she could think of nothing tosay, so she sat silent, but, it seemed, this was not the right thing todo either.
“Speak up, child,” said Aunt Rachel, half playfully and half sharply;“didn’t you hear Mrs. Fuller’s remark?”
“Yes ’m,” said Dolly, “but,—but I don’t know what to answer.”
“Strange child,” murmured Mrs. Fuller. “Is the boy any more civil?”
Dick, though embarrassed himself, was still more annoyed at Dolly’sdiscomfiture, and spoke up decidedly:
“We don’t mean to be uncivil, Mrs. Fuller. But we’ve never madefashionable calls before, and we don’t know quite how to talk. It’s sodifferent in Chicago.”
“Different in Chicago! I should hope so. My dear Miss Dana and MissAbbie, you’ll have your hands full with these little ones, won’t you?”
“At first,” said Miss Rachel with dignity. “But we hope to teach them.”
“And we want to learn,” put in Dolly, with an instinctive desire tostand by her aunt against this disagreeable lady.
“Then there’ll be no trouble, I’m sure,” said Mrs. Fuller, but thoughher words were all right, her tone was a little bit sarcastic, and thetwins were conscious of a feeling of defeat, which was far fromcomfortable.
Then Jack Fuller came into the room.
He was a boy of ten, with fair hair, and a pale, girlish face. He,apparently, had irreproachable manners, and gave his hand to the Danaladies with just the right degree of cordiality. Then, being introducedto Dick and Dolly, he came and sat on the sofa between them.
Instinctively, Dick felt that he never could like that boy. Jack hadscarcely opened his mouth before Dick had dubbed him a “Miss Nancy.” Hedidn’t believe Jack could run or jump, or do anything that a boy oughtto do.
“Do you like to live here?” said Jack at last, by way of openingconversation.
“Yes, we do,” said Dolly; “we’re going to have splendid gardens,—we’vebeen digging all day. Don’t you love to do that?”
Jack looked at her with apparent surprise that a girl should care forsuch vigorous pursuits.
“I never dig,” he answe
red. “Mamma thinks it isn’t good for me.”
“How funny!” said Dolly. “I should think it would do you good.”
“Do you like to run and jump?” asked Dick, for there had been a pause,and he considered it his turn to “make talk.”
“Oh, not very much. I like quiet games. I play mostly by myself. Mammawon’t let me associate with many children. But I’m to be allowed to playwith you. I know that, because you’re Danas.”
This was gratifying in a way, but somehow Dick wasn’t over-enchanted atthe prospect.
“I hope you will,” he said; “but I’m afraid,—when we’re playing, we’rerather,—rather rampageous.”
“Rough, do you mean?” asked Jack, looking horrified.
“Well, we don’t mean to be rough exactly; but we’re sort of noisy andlively.”
“Well, I shall visit you all the same,” said Jack, with a resigned air,“for mamma said I should. I think I’m to go see you to-morrow afternoonat four.”
This specified date amused the Dana children, but Dolly said politely:
“That will be very nice, and I’m sure we’ll have a good time.”
And then the aunties rose to take leave, and they all went home again.
“You children must learn better manners,” said Aunt Rachel, as theydrove homeward. “You horrified me to-day by your manner of speaking.”
“I saw we did,” said Dolly, humbly, “but I don’t see what we did thatwas wrong. I’m sure we didn’t mean to be bad.”
“You weren’t bad,” said Abbie, smiling at them, “but we want you toacquire a little more grace and elegance. You spoke, in Mrs. Fuller’sparlour, just as you would at home.”
“Oh,” said Dick, “I begin to see; you want us to put on society airs.”
Aunt Rachel considered a moment.
“While I shouldn’t express it in just that way,” she said, “that isabout what I mean.”
“Well,” said Dick pleasantly, “we’ll try. But Aunty Helen always taughtus to be just as polite when alone at home as when we were visiting orhad company.”
“Auntie Helen isn’t teaching you now,” said Miss Rachel, grimly; “and Itrust you’ll consider my wishes in the matter.”
“We will, Aunt Rachel, we truly will,” broke in Dolly, whose rôle wasoften that of pacificator. “You’re terribly good to us, and we want todo ’zackly as you want us to, but, you see, fashionable calls are new tous. We’ll do better next time.”
Dolly’s cheerful smile was infectious, and Aunt Rachel smiled back, anddropped the subject of manners for the present.
The next afternoon, promptly at four o’clock, Jack Fuller came to seeDick and Dolly. The twins had been grubbing in their gardens all day,and had been radiantly happy.
They loved flowers and learned quickly the elements of gardening thatPat taught them. And with their new garden tools of suitable size, theydid real work after the most approved fashion. But at three o’clock theywere called in to get ready for the expected guest. Dick grumbled alittle, for it seemed hard to leave the gardens to get all dressed upjust because a _boy_ was coming!
“But you want to make friends in Heatherton, don’t you?” asked AuntRachel.
“Yes ’m; but I like boys who come over and play in every-day clothes;not rig up like a party.”
As for Dolly, she didn’t see why she had to leave the garden at all.Jack Fuller wasn’t her company.
But the aunts decreed that both twins should receive the guest properly,and so at quarter to four, two spick and span, but not very merrychildren sat in the library, waiting.
Jack came in, at last, and greeted the twins with the same formality hehad shown in his own home. He responded politely to the elder ladies’remarks and Dick and Dolly tried to be polite and do exactly as theothers did.
After nearly half an hour of this stiff and uncomfortable conversation,Miss Rachel proposed that the twins take Jack out and show him theirgardens. Glad to get out of doors, Dick and Dolly ran for their hats andthe three children started out.
To the twins’ astonishment, as soon as he was out of the presence of theelder ladies, Jack turned into quite a different boy. His formal mannerfell away, and he was chummy and full of fun.
“Let’s throw stones,” he cried. “See me hit that stone bird on thefountain.”
He flung a pebble with such true aim that it hit the stone bird on thewing, and roused Dick’s exceeding admiration, for he was not himself asuperior marksman.
“Want to play knife?” asked Jack, pulling a new knife from his pocket;“or no, let’s go see your gardens first. Must be gay ones, from the fussyou make over ’em.”
But when he saw the playground that was planned, he was appreciativeenough to satisfy the twins’ love of enthusiasm.
“It’s great!” he cried; “that’s what it is, great! I wish I had one likeit.”
“Yes, won’t it be fine!” agreed Dick; “there’ll be a table in thearbour, and chairs, or benches, and we can have tea-parties, andeverything.”
“Plant gourds on your arbour,” advised Jack. “All kinds are good, butthe dipper and cucumber gourd grow the fastest. They’ll cover yourarbour in a few weeks, I guess. Hercules club is a good fellow for that,too. Pat’ll know about ’em.”
Dick and Dolly felt their admiration rising for this boy, who knew somuch about climbing gourds and flowers of all sorts. It was strange thathe could throw stones so straight, and also have such fine parlourmanners. So very strange indeed that Dick felt he must inquire into it.
“Say,” he began; “you’re awful different out here from what you are inthe parlour.”
“Sure,” returned Jack. “In parlours, with ladies, a fellow has to bepolite and proper. You don’t want me to be like that out here with you,do you?”
Jack’s face expressed such a willingness to do what was required of himthat Dick exclaimed hastily:
“Not on your life! But I don’t see how you manage those fine airs whenyou have to.”
“Pooh, it’s dead easy. Anyway, I’ve always done it. Mamma wouldn’t likeit if I didn’t.”
“I s’pose we’ll have to learn,” said Dolly, sighing a little; “but don’tlet’s bother about it now.”
As the afternoon wore on, and they became better acquainted, they bothbegan to like Jack very much. He was not a strong boy, and couldn’t runor jump as they could, but he was clever at games, and could beat themeasily at “knife,” or “hop-scotch,” or almost any game of muscular skillthat did not call for violent exercise.
“He’s all right,” said Dick to Dolly as they sat on the veranda steps afew minutes after Jack went home. “But I hope we won’t always have todress up, and sit in the parlour at first every time he comes.”
“Let’s ask Aunt Rachel,” said Dolly.
“Why, no,” said Miss Rachel in surprise. “Of course you won’t. To-daywas his first visit, as you called on him yesterday. After this, you cango to play with each other in your every-day clothes, whenever youlike.”
Dick and Dolly were satisfied with this, and gave up trying to fathomthe strange requirements of etiquette at Heatherton.