CHAPTER XXI
CONCLUSION
The twins greeted Letty’s return tumultuously. They had been veryindignant over her journey and had considered it most unnecessary andthoughtless of Mrs. Hartwell-Jones to take Letty away at such a criticaltime, thus threatening to upset all their plans. But two days were notso very long.
“You almost spoiled everything, but only almost, so it’s all right,”said Jane magnanimously.
“We did a lot of practicing,” added Christopher with his mouth full ofchocolate, “and this is fine candy, thank you.”
“We’ve kept the secret splendidly and not a soul knows anything exceptthose who are in it,” went on Jane importantly.
In fact, the children were planning an immense surprise for thecelebration of the last evening at Sunnycrest. The great scheme wasChristopher’s idea, and he found some difficulty at first in persuadingLetty to take her part in it. She consented at length, partly for thefun of it, partly because she was so happy that she wanted to dowhatever any one asked her to do.
A great mystery pervaded the place—a mystery which the grown-ups had tobe very careful at times not to see through, for the children found ithard, in their joy and excitement, not to betray secrets. BillyCarpenter was included in the affair, and he and Christopher spent hoursevery day in the hayloft, rehearsing some private performance whichresulted in a good deal of thumping and an occasional hard bump. Theyalso did a great deal of hammering and sawing, which employment demandedfrequent calls upon Jo Perkins’s time and even upon Joshua’s valuablemoments.
Letty and Jane were busy, too, in Jane’s room, snipping and sewing awayat costumes. They made an unexplained trip into the village one morningin the pony carriage. Jane had her allowance and Letty was enjoying theunexpected, undreamed-of thrill of possessing her own spending money. Ontheir return they smuggled their packages up to Jane’s room and confidedtheir purchases to no one but Christopher.
It was evening of the last day of the delightful Sunnycrest house-party.By general request supper was an hour earlier than usual and none of thechildren—not even Christopher and Billy Carpenter—ate very much. Theywere in a constant fidget to have the meal come to an end. Indeed, thetwo boys excused themselves before it was over and rushed out to help JoPerkins complete the final arrangements.
When the grown-ups went out to sit on the veranda as usual, they found atransformation. The front lawn had been turned into a circus ring bymeans of a low, rather wobbly circular railing. An inner railing wasstaked out with string so as to form a track. Although the autumndaylight still lingered, thanks to Huldah’s promptness with the earlysupper, Joshua had stationed four large stable lanterns at intervalsaround the ring and Jo Perkins had strung festoons of gay Japaneselanterns, left over from the Fourth of July, along the edge of therailing. The veranda chairs had been placed in a row on the driveway,facing this ring.
As the party seated themselves, Christopher’s head could be seen everyfew seconds, bobbing around the corner of the house. Huldah and the twohousemaids came out and stood on the veranda and Joshua joined them.
When every one had assembled Christopher, in rather an extraordinarycostume composed of a long mackintosh, boots much too big for him and asilk hat of his grandfather’s—with a false band inside to make itfit—strutted into the ring. The long whip he carried proclaimed hischaracter as ringmaster. He mounted on an inverted keg, evidently putthere for the purpose.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began in a loud voice, which he tried to makedeep and impressive, “we hope you will all enjoy our circus, for we haveworked very hard to get it ready.” Great applause from the audience,which rather disconcerted the youthful manager. “We have decided not tohave a procession,” he went on in a more natural voice, “because thatwould show all our—our acts, and we want to keep the different things weare going to do a secret until you see them. We hope you will enjoy itas—oh, I said that before. Ah—oh—thank you, ladies and gentlemen, foryour attention. We’ll be ready in a minute,” and with an abrupt littlebow Christopher jumped off the box and clumped away in his big boots atan awkward run.
After a very short interval of waiting he appeared again, this timeairily attired in a striped bathing suit, in lieu of tights, followed byBilly Carpenter in like costume.
“Oh, I hope they won’t take cold. Fortunately it’s a warm night,”murmured Christopher’s mother.
The two boys capered into the ring and proceeded to show off the resultsof their week of practicing and labor. They turned handsprings and stoodon their heads; Billy walked a short distance on his hands andChristopher turned a back somersault landing, a little to every one’ssurprise, including his own, on his feet. Then they jumped and tumbledtogether, performing fantastic feats at leap-frog. They were very quickand agile and really rather clever.
The audience was most appreciative and encored them again and again.When they had finally retired, with many bows and flourishes Janeappeared dressed in a long full skirt of flowered muslin—one of hergrandmother’s, shortened—a white kerchief crossed on her breast and aquaint little cap on her head. She carried her doll Sally in her arms.
“Letty’s handiwork,” whispered Mrs. Hartwell-Jones proudly as shesurveyed the costume.
In her sweet, piping voice Jane recited “Beautiful Grandma.” Theaudience clapped and clapped and called “encore” again and again but thepiece was long and had taxed shy little Jane’s powers. She shook herhead as she gave her cunning little bob of a curtsey and finally called:
“I don’t know anything else that would go with this costume and besides,I have to get dressed for——” She stopped and ran off, laughing.
There was a slight pause and then Christopher reappeared in his costumeas ringmaster. Again he mounted the keg and made another speech,cracking his whip to secure attention.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he shouted impressively, “we have madearrangements for a rare treat for you all this evening. I wish toannounce the only and positively the last public performance of Punchand Judy! All right, bring ’em along, Perk.”
Jo Perkins appeared in sight around the corner of the house leading theShetland ponies. They were literally covered with wreaths and festoonsof goldenrod and wild asters. The little carriage to which they wereharnessed was decorated in the same manner and Letty, sitting enthronedon the seat, was dressed, not in the imitation Roman toga she had wornunder Mr. Drake’s direction, but in a short white frock such as she hadworn at Willow Grove when she had first exhibited the ponies for Mr.Goldberg. She had on long pink stockings and white tennis shoes—a resultof the shopping trip—and carried a long wand wrapped in silver paper. Acrown of silver paper, with a bunch of flowers at the sides, completedher costume.
“That is exactly the way she was dressed when I saw her at WillowGrove,” Mrs. Baker, Jr., whispered to Mrs. Hartwell-Jones.
“Poor child, do you suppose she will miss the old life, with itsconstant change and excitement?” asked Mrs. Hartwell-Jones a littlewistfully.
“I am quite sure she will not. See how happy she has been this summer.And her blessed mother would be so thankful to know she had been savedfrom it. She did not like Letty’s occupation; she told me so herself,and always went to the theatre with her as long as she was able.Afterward she sent a maid. Dear little Letty, how she must have missedher mother’s care! But the lack of it has not harmed her, Mrs.Hartwell-Jones. She is as sweet and gentle-hearted as ever.”
They turned their attention to the little performer. Letty hadunharnessed the ponies and in response to a hearty burst of applause ledthem forward, one on each side, and all three bowed in a mostfascinating manner. Then Punch and Judy went through their simple tricksas accurately and docilely as if they had performed them regularly twiceevery day all summer. Christopher, sitting on his keg which he had movedto one side, played “Listen to the Mocking-Bird” on a mouth-organ for anorchestra.
But, contrary to the expectations of the audience, the showing off ofPunch and Judy did
not complete the entertainment. Billy Carpenter tookChristopher’s place at the mouth-organ and Letty dropped down out ofsight behind a little screen of bushes near by, while Jo Perkinsreharnessed the ponies and drove them off.
Perk reappeared in a few moments pushing a wheelbarrow in which reposeda large crate. He was followed by Jane, who was dressed this time inLetty’s Roman toga. She carried her two largest dolls, which she placedin two small chairs facing the ring. Then Jo Perkins, with some effort,lifted the crate from the wheelbarrow, and opening this improvised cagereleased a monster that leapt to the ground with a truly blood-curdlinggrowl. The audience really looked a little startled. The strange animalwas clothed in shaggy black fur and waved a pair of forelegs that endedin alarming looking claws.
“My best bearskin rug out of the camphor chest,” whispered grandmotherin a voice choked with laughter. “Kit must have coaxed Huldah to lend itto him. How well he has fastened it on. How do you suppose he manages tohide his face so cleverly?”
Gravely, Jane proceeded to put the clumsy bear through his tricks. Butthe animal was unruly and growled and threatened his trainer in quite afearsome way. At length he turned and shambled, growling fiercely allthe while, straight toward the audience. He stopped as he perceived thetwo children (the dolls), stiff and immovable in their chairs, sniffedthe air a moment and then charged them with a terrific roar. The trainerscreamed, threw aside her toga and assuming the character of fond mammarushed forward, clasped the dolls to her breast and shrieked for help.Up rose Letty, like a good fairy in her filmy white frock, and boundingacross the ring flung a cover, which looked suspiciously like one ofHuldah’s kitchen aprons, over the infuriated bear. After a long,exciting tussle (and some suppressed laughter) in which Jane and BillyCarpenter joined, the bear was subdued and bundled into his cage, fromwhich he popped out at once to respond with the others to the peal uponpeal of applause from the highly amused audience.
Poor Mrs. Baker, Jr., did not know whether to laugh or cry, and easedher feelings by doing a little of each.
“It was so exactly like the real thing,” she whispered to grandmotherwiping her eyes. “My poor, precious little lambs!”
During the confusion that followed, audience and performers all talkingtogether, grandmother saw Huldah and the maids disappear indoors. Huldahwore such an air of mystery and importance that grandmother immediatelysuspected that refreshments were to complete the programme.
It was quite dark by now and a little chilly as well, and the grown-upssuggested going indoors to talk over the grand affair. WhereuponChristopher bounded ahead to make sure a certain door was shut andushered everybody into the parlor. Before many minutes had passed,however, every one was summoned to the dining-room. There the table(which it seemed to all the grown-ups had only just been cleared fromsupper) was loaded down with every delicacy that the fertile minds ofthe twins could suggest and Huldah concoct.
“Kit had a voice in the planning of this menu, I’ll be bound,” said thatyoung gentleman’s father with a laugh.
“Surely,” agreed his wife, “and I noticed that he did not eat quite asmuch supper as usual this evening. I felt anxious at the time, but now Iunderstand; he was saving up.”
“Of course I was,” admitted Christopher frankly. “What fellow wouldn’tsave up when he knew what was coming?”
“Who, indeed? The only objection I have to make is that you didn’t warnme, and give me a chance to save up, too,” answered his father gravely.
“I am concerned about only one thing,” said Mrs. Hartwell-Jones tograndfather, as they sat side by side at the table. “I don’t know whatto do with Punch and Judy during the winter. I can hardly take them tothe city with me.”
“Why not let me keep them out here?” proposed grandfather promptly.“There is plenty of room and to spare. Then when you decide where tospend next summer I can have them shipped to you.”
“But Letty and I are coming back to Hammersmith next summer,” repliedMrs. Hartwell-Jones quickly. “We are so devoted to the dear place, andyou all have been such kind friends to us, that we want to spend as manysummers here as possible.”
Every one looked pleased at this news and the twins set up a shout ofjoy.
“Then we’ll see Punch and Judy again, and have some more jolly rides,”they cried.
“And we’ll have Letty again, too, and Mrs. Hartwell-Jones,” added Jane.“Just think, Letty, if we hadn’t seen the ponies that day after thecircus, and thought about ’em for Mrs. Hartwell-Jones and her lame foot,you might never have known her.”
“It is you, you dear, precious child, and your thoughtfulness that gaveme Letty,” exclaimed Mrs. Hartwell-Jones, catching Jane up in an ardent,unexpected embrace—rather disconcerting to the big piece of chocolatecake which Jane was holding suspended between plate and mouth during herlittle speech.
“Dear Mrs. Baker,” went on “the lady who wrote books,” turning to Jane’smother, “of course you have heard from all the family the story ofJane’s idea of having Letty drive the ponies out here so that she mightgratify her desire of seeing a poor, modest writer of books; andafterward how Jane’s sweet desire to help Letty find suitable work to dogave me the opportunity of knowing and gaining possession of mydaughter!”
Mrs. Hartwell-Jones spoke the words with great pride, and Letty ranacross to her embrace. Then Mrs. Hartwell-Jones took a small parcel outof her work-bag.
“Will you give me permission to make Janey a small gift, Mrs. Baker, toshow her how happy and grateful I am?”
She undid the parcel and revealed a small jeweler’s box. She opened thisin turn and lifted out something small and glittering. Kneeling in frontof the pleased, astonished Jane, she slipped a slender, shining chain ofgold over her head and kissed the smiling, rosy mouth.
“Oh, cricky!” ejaculated Christopher, his voice tingling with a faintnote of envy.
His eyes were big with surprise and excitement.
Jane followed the direction of his gaze and looked down at what shesupposed was a locket on the end of her chain. It was a tiny gold watch,ticking merrily. It had a pretty, open face and Jane’s initials engravedon the back.
“Oh, Mrs. Hartwell-Jones, dear Mrs. Hart-well-Jones, is it really forme!” she gasped. “Oh, how much you must love Letty!”
Mrs. Hartwell-Jones laughed, but the laugh was checked in the middle bya little sob. She turned and held out her arms again to Letty.
“My little girl, my little girl!” she whispered brokenly.
Jane ran to her own dear mother’s arms, and grandmother caught hold ofone chubby hand. They all cried a wee bit, too—in silent sympathy forthe lonely woman and lonely child who had found each other.
“Oh, shucks!” exclaimed Christopher uncomfortably.
He turned his back on the womenfolk and helped himself and Billy toanother piece of cake.
The Books in this Series are:
Letty of the Circus Letty and the Twins Letty’s New Home Letty’s Sister Letty’s Treasure Letty’s Good Luck Letty at the Conservatory Letty’s Springtime Letty and Miss Grey
HELEN SHERMAN GRIFFITH
Helen Sherman Griffith was born in Des Moines, Iowa, the youngestdaughter of Major Hoyt Sherman, and a niece of General Sherman. She nowlives in Chestnut Hill, a suburb of Philadelphia. Her first story, atthe age of ten (written with a pencil stub while reclining prone on thegrass with her legs waving skyward, like her ambition), was called “TheLost Evangeline” and concerned an abducted Princess. This fondness inher extreme youth for magnificent nomenclature has finally resulted in“Jane” and “Mary” being her favorite names, for heroines.
When she was twelve a local paper published a short story of hers and atthe age of fourteen she won a prize of fifty dollars. She has writtenchiefly for girls, with occasional inroads upon the field of shortstories of which a novelette “Incognito” that appeared in Lippincott’smight be termed a long one. Twenty-four plays constitute her effort inthe dramatic line.
&n
bsp; Her juvenile books number ten. One novel, “Rosemary for Remembrance”,may be added to the list which, to the author’s private chagrin, wasrecently classed along with the juvenile.
Among her favorite authors are Dickens, Trollope and Jane Austen. Herbooks for girls are:
Her Father’s Legacy Her Wilful Way Letty of the Circus Letty and the Twins Letty’s New Home Letty’s Sister Letty’s Treasure Letty’s Good Luck Letty at the Conservatory Letty’s Springtime
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