CHAPTER XXII--THE BOYS MAKE A PRESENT
The week or so succeeding the Farview game seemed like an anticlimax.The bottom had sort of dropped out of things and there was no immediateexcitement to look forward to. The weather became as miserable asweather possibly could, the slight snowfall that followed the rain ofThanksgiving Day lasting only long enough to be seen by the earlyrisers. Perhaps it was well that lack of events and inclement weatherruled, for Ned and a good many other boys in school were no worse for anopportunity to apply themselves undisturbedly to their studies.Basketball candidates were called the first Monday in December, and thetwins held a serious conference on the question of reporting. Ned, whofelt rather flat since there was no more football, was half inclined togo in for the game, and would have had Laurie insisted. But Laurie votedthat for the present the Turners had done sufficient in the athleticline, that the honor of the family demanded no further sacrifices on thealtar of duty. So Ned abandoned the idea and talked of trying for thecrew in the spring.
When December was a week old, the fellows set their gaze on theChristmas recess, which this year began on Wednesday, three days beforeChristmas, and lasted until the 2d of January. Eleven days are notsufficient to make a trip across the continent and back advisable,although the twins figured that, with the best of fortune, they would beable to reach Santa Lucia in time for dinner Christmas night. On theother hand, the missing of one connection would delay their arrivaluntil the following afternoon, and, as Laurie pointed out, they werefairly certain to be held up somewhere on the way, and a sleeping-carwasn't exactly an ideal place in which to spend the holiday! Besides,there was a noticeable lack of encouragement from home. It had beenaccepted beforehand that the boys were to remain at the school duringthe recess, and nothing in Mr. Turner's fortnightly letters hinted thathe had changed his mind.
"I'd just as lief stay here, anyway," declared Ned. "We can have a lotmore fun. Maybe there'll be a bunch of snow, and I'm dying to tryskiing."
"You bet! And skating, too! And then there's that other scheme. Mustn'tforget that, Neddie."
"You mean--"
"Yes. Didn't you say we'd do it during vacation?"
"Sure! It--it'll take quite a lot of money, though, Laurie. And we'llhave presents to buy for Dad and Aunt Emmie and the cousins--"
"The cousins get Christmas cards, and that's all they do get,"interrupted Laurie, decisively. "That's all they ever give us, and I'drather spend my money on something that'll really--really benefit someone. I guess Dad'll send us some more money, too, for Christmas. We cando it, all right. I've got nearly seven dollars right now. I haven'tspent hardly any money this month."
"All right. Some day soon we'll go downtown and find out how much it'sgoing to cost and what we'll need and everything. I say, we can get Bobto help us, too!"
"Rather! And three or four other fellows, I guess. Every one likes theWidow, and George says there will be five or six fellows here duringrecess. He was here last year, and he says he had a dandy time."
"Let's get George this afternoon and get the thing started. We can findout the--the area and ask the man how much we'll need."
"Sure! And we can buy it and store it at Bob's. Then all we'll have todo will be carry it over the fence. I'll go down and see if I can findhim. Look here, Neddie. Why don't we do it before Christmas and make ita sort of Christmas present? Say we worked hard all day Thursday andFriday--"
"Great! Only if it snowed--"
Laurie's face fell. "Gee, that's so! I suppose we couldn't do it if itsnowed. Or rained. Or if it was frightfully cold."
"They say it doesn't get real cold here until after New Year's," saidNed, reassuringly. "But of course it might snow or rain. Well, we'll doit in time for Christmas if we can. If we can't, we'll do it for NewYear's. I'll bet she'll be tickled to death. I say, though! We neverfound out about the color!"
"I did," answered Laurie modestly. "I asked Polly. She said white."
"White! Geewhillikins, Laurie, that makes it harder, doesn't it? We'dhave to put on two coats!"
"Think so?" Laurie frowned. "I guess we would. That would take twice aslong, eh? Look here; maybe--maybe I can get Polly to change her mind!"
"That's likely, you chump!" Ned scowled thoughtfully. Finally, "I tellyou what," he said. "Suppose we went around there sometime, and talkedwith Mrs. Deane, and told her how nice we think blue looks and how sortof--of distinctive! Gee, it wouldn't be any trick at all to make itblue; but white--" He shook his head despondently.
"Cheer up!" said Laurie. "I've got the dope, partner! Listen. We'll tellthem that it ought to be blue because blue's the school color and allthat. Mrs. Deane thinks a heap of Hillman's, and she'll fall for it assure as shooting. So'll Polly! Come on! Let's find George and get thething started!"
"Better get Bob to go with us, too. He said something about wanting topay his share of it, so we'd better let him in right from the start.After all, we don't want to hog it, Laurie!"
A fortnight later the exodus came. Of the four-score lads who lived atHillman's, all but eight took their departure that Wednesday morning,and Ned and Laurie and George watched the last group drive off for thestation with feelings of genuine satisfaction. Life at school during theeleven days of recess promised to be busy and enjoyable, and they wereeager to see the decks cleared, so to speak, and to start the new way ofliving. Ned and Laurie had had plenty of invitations for Christmas week.Both Kewpie and Lee Murdock had earnestly desired their society at theirrespective homes, and there had been others less insistent but possiblyquite as cordial invitations. But neither one had weakened. George halfpromised one of the boys to visit him for a few days after Christmas,but later he canceled his acceptance.
Besides George and the twins, there remained at school five otherfellows who, because they lived at a distance and railway fares werehigh, or for other reasons, found it expedient to accept DoctorHillman's hospitality. None of the five, two juniors, one lower middler,and two upper middlers, were known to the twins more than casually whenrecess began; but eating together three times a day and being thrown inone another's society at other times soon made the acquaintance muchcloser, and all proved to be decent, likable chaps.
Meals were served at a corner table in West Hall, and during recessthere were seldom fewer than three of the faculty present. That maysound depressing, but in vacation-time an instructor becomes quite ahuman, jovial person, and the scant dozen around the table enjoyedthemselves hugely. In the evening Doctor Hillman held open house, andMiss Tabitha showed a genius for providing methods of entertainment.Sometimes they popped corn in the fireplace in the cozy living-room,sometimes they roasted apples. Once it was chestnuts that jumped on thehearth. Then, too, Miss Tabitha was a past mistress in the art of makingfudge, and on two occasions Mr. Barrett, the mathematics instructor,displayed such a sweet tooth that the boys lost the last of their aweand "ragged" him without mercy. Several times the Doctor read aloud,choosing, to the boys' surprise, a corking detective novel that had themsquirming on the edges of their chairs. Toward the last of the vacation,Laurie confided to Ned and George that he wished recess was justbeginning.
To Ned's and Laurie's great disappointment, neither snow nor iceappeared and the weather remained merely briskly cold, with sometimes aday like Indian summer. But I am getting ahead of my story, which reallycomes to an end on Christmas Day.
More than a week before the closing of school, the four conspirators hadfinished their preparations for the task that was to provide the WidowDeane with a novel Christmas present. In Bob's cellar were many canscontaining blue paint, white paint, linseed oil, and turpentine. Therewere brushes there, too, and a scraper, and a roll of cotton ragsprovided by Polly. For, in the end, it had become necessary to acquaintPolly with the project. Against Bob's back fence reposed all theladders, of varying lengths, that the neighborhood afforded. Wednesdayevening Ned and Laurie and George herded the other boys into George'sroom, and explained the scheme and asked for volunteers. They got fivemost enthu
siastic ones.
Nine o'clock the next morning was set as the time for the beginning ofthe work, and at that hour nine rather disreputably-attired youthsappeared in Mrs. Deane's yard, arriving by way of the back fence, andbegan their assault. The first the Widow knew of what was happening waswhen, being then occupied with the task of tidying up the sleeping-roomon the second floor, she was startled to see the head and shoulders of aboy appear outside her window. Her exclamation of alarm gave place tomurmurs of bewilderment as the supposed burglar contented himself withlifting the two shutters from their hinges and passing them down theladder to some unseen accomplice. Mrs. Deane looked forth. In the gardenwas what at first glimpse looked like a convention of tramps. They werearmed with ladders and brushes and pots of paint, and they were alreadyvery busy. Across two trestles set on the grass plot, the stolenshutters were laid as fast as they were taken down. One boy, flourishinga broad-bladed implement, scraped the rough surfaces. A second plied abig round brush, dusting diligently. Numbers three and four, as soon asthe first two operatives retired, attacked with brushes dripping withwhite paint. In almost no time at all the first shutter was off thetrestles and leaning, fresh and spotless, against the fence. Everyinstant another shutter appeared. Mrs. Deane gazed in fascinatedamazement. One after another, she recognized the miscreants: the twoTurner boys, George Watson, Mr. Starling's son, Hal Goring, the Stantonboy, and the rest; but, although recognition brought reassurance,bewilderment remained, and she hurried downstairs as fast as ever shecould go.
Polly was on the back porch, a very disturbed and somewhat indignantTowser in her arms, evidently a party to the undertaking, and to herMrs. Deane breathlessly appealed.
"Polly! What are they doing?" she gasped.
"You'll have to ask the boys, Mama." Polly's eyes were dancing. "Nid,here's Mama, and she wants to know what you're doing!"
Nid hurried up, a dripping brush in one hand and a smear of white paintacross one cheek, followed by Laurie. The others paused at their varioustasks to watch smilingly.
"Painting the house, Mrs. Deane!"
"Painting the house! My house? Why--why--what--who--"
"Yes'm. There's the blue paint. It's as near like the old as we couldfind. You don't think it's too dark, do you?"
"But I don't understand, Nid Turner!" said Mrs. Deane helplessly. "Whotold you to? Who's going to pay for it?"
"It's all paid for, ma'am. It--it's a sort of Christmas present fromus--from the school. You--you don't mind, do you?"
"Well, I never did!" Mrs. Deane looked from Ned to Laurie, her mouthquivering. "I--I don't know what to say. I guess I'll--I'll go see ifany one's--in the shop, Polly. Did you think you--heard the bell?" Mrs.Deane's eyes were frankly wet as she turned hurriedly away anddisappeared inside. Ned viewed Polly anxiously.
"Do you think she--doesn't like it?" he half whispered.
Polly shook her head and laughed softly, although her own eyes were notquite dry. "Of course she likes it, you stupid boy! She just didn't knowwhat to say. She'll be back pretty soon, after she's had a little cry."
"Oh!" said Ned and Laurie in chorus, their faces brightening; and Laurieadded apologetically: "Gee, we didn't want to make her cry, Polly!"
"That sort of a cry doesn't hurt," said Polly.
Afterward Mrs. Deane said a great deal, and said it very sweetly, andthe boys got more or less embarrassed, and were heartily glad when shedrew Ned to her and kissed him, much to that youth's distress, and theincident ended in laughter. By noon the shutters were done, and nineindustrious amateur painters were swarming over the back of the littlehouse. I'm not going to tell you that the job was done as perfectly asSprague and Currie, Painters and Paper-hangers, would have done it, butyou're to believe that it was done much quicker and at a far greatersaving of money! And when it was finished no one except a professionalwould ever have known the difference. Perhaps there was more blue andwhite paint scattered around the landscape than was absolutelynecessary, and it always remained a mystery how Antoinette managed toget her right ear looking like a bit of Italian sky, for every oneprofessed ignorance and Antoinette was apparently well protected fromspatters. (It took Polly more than a week to restore the rabbit to heroriginal appearance.)
When the early winter twilight fell and it became necessary to knock offwork for the day, the blue painting was more than half done and, unlessweather prevented, it was certain that the entire task would be finishedby to-morrow evening. Mrs. Deane served five-o'clock tea,--only ithappened to be four-o'clock tea instead,--and nine very, very hungrylads did full justice to the repast, and the little room behind thestore held a merry party. Perhaps the prevailing odor of paint detractedsomewhat from Mrs. Deane's and Polly's enjoyment of the refreshments,but you may be certain they made no mention of the fact.
That night the boys viewed the cloudy sky apprehensively. Laurie, whoknew little about it, declared dubiously that it smelt like snow. Butwhen morning came, although the cloudiness persisted most of the day,the weather remained kindly, with just enough frost in the air to chillfeet and nip idle fingers and to give an added zest to labor. Verylittle time was wasted on luncheon, and at two o'clock the last slap ofblue paint had been applied and the more difficult work of doing thewhite trim began. Fortunately, there were only eleven windows and twodoors, and although "drawing" the sashes was slow and finicking work,with nine willing hands hard at it the end came shortly after dusk,when, watched by eight impatient companions, young Haskell, one of thejunior class boys, with trembling fingers drew his brush along the lastfew inches of a front window, and then, because he was quite keyed upand because it was much too dark to see well, celebrated the culminationof his efforts by putting a foot squarely into a can of white paint!
When first-aid methods had been applied, he was allowed, on promise toput only one foot to the floor, to accompany the rest inside andannounce to a delighted and slightly tremulous Mrs. Deane that the workwas completed. There was a real celebration then, with more piping-hottea and lots of perfectly scrumptious cream-puffs,--besides lessenticing bread-and-butter sandwiches,--and Mrs. Deane tried hard tothank the boys and couldn't quite do it, and Polly failed almost asdismally, and Laurie made a wonderful speech that no one understood verywell, except for the general meaning, and nine flushed and very happyyouths cheered long and loudly for Mrs. Deane, and finally departedmerrily into the winter twilight, calling back many a "Merry Christmas"as they went.