CHAPTER IX
GAY CONSPIRATORS
"It's all right," Mollie was saying, "to give our time and labor andeverything like that, but the Red Cross needs money. If we could onlyfind some way to raise it!"
The four girls were seated on the porch of Betty's house in Deepdale,busy as always, with their knitting. Mollie and Betty were swayinggently in the big porch swing, while Grace and Amy were curled upcomfortably in roomy wicker armchairs.
The weather was perfect--a typical fall day, with the brilliantsunshine peeping in under the edge of the awning, creeping up almostto the feet of the girls, while vagrant breezes, spicy and pungentwith the smell of burning leaves, fanned their faces, and stirredthem to a new restlessness, a new desire for action.
"Well, why not?" asked Betty, putting down her knitting, and lookingfrom one to the other. "I don't see why it should be impossible forus to raise money."
"Betty, have you a plan?" asked Amy, gazing hopefully toward theLittle Captain. "I've thought of all sorts of things, from taking acourse in stenography to taking in washing, but nothing seems to bejust right, somehow."
"Goodness, I should think not," said Grace, while Betty and Molliegiggled happily. "I can't imagine you in the role of chiefwasherwoman to Deepdale, Amy; and as for stenography--think how muchyou would have to spend before you began to earn any money."
"My idea's very much simpler than either of those," said Bettydemurely. "I thought--though of course it may not be possible, atall--that we might give a lawn fete and charge fifty cents admission,a person. We know pretty nearly everybody in Deepdale, and if only athird of them came we'd raise quite a big sum."
"Betty, that's splendid," cried Mollie, clapping her hands excitedly,forgetful of the needles she still held. "We can have fortune-tellingbooths and tableaux, and perhaps a sketch of some kind. Oh, won't itbe fun?"
"It ought to be," said Grace conservatively, starting to wind anotherskein of wool. "But if we have all those things I think we ought tocharge a dollar."
"Goodness, I don't think they'd get their money's worth," smiledBetty whimsically. "A dollar's rather a lot of money to pay for alawn party."
"Well, they ought to be willing to give something, just for the sakeof patriotism," said Amy quietly--for there was no better patriot inall of Deepdale than Amy.
"Yes, but don't you see, we want to give them their money's worth,"Mollie argued excitedly. "Because then we'll feel we've really earnedwhatever we raise."
"Well, we will earn it," said Betty earnestly. "We have, as Doctor Morelysays, 'a good deal of local talent' that we ought to be able to win overto our side, and if we really go into the thing to make it a success,it will be one. And a successful lawn party is no end of fun."
"Goodness, you've got me so excited, I can't wait to begin," criedMollie, waving her needles about in a way to endanger seriouslyBetty's eyesight. "I want to start something."
"If you don't stop poking me with those needles, you will startsomething," threatened Betty, moving to the opposite corner of theswing, and as far from danger as possible. "You wouldn't need abayonet in the trenches, Mollie dear. The whole German army woulddrop dead, if they saw you moving down upon them with a knittingneedle. Stop it, I tell you, or I shall be forced to take them awayfrom you."
"Oh, look who's going to take them away," mocked Mollie, continuingher wild dabs and dashes. "There isn't a man, much less a woman, onthis earth could take these knitting needles away from me, against mywill."
"Looks as if I'd have to start a little war of my own," remarkedBetty ruefully, carefully putting away her own knitting and preparingfor action. "I never yet let a challenge like that pass me by--Oh,Allen, you startled me!"
"Sorry," said Allen, making his usual, though undignified, entranceover the railing of the porch, and seating himself with a sigh ofcontent in one of the big chairs. "Say, what was all the row about?"he added, looking with interest at Mollie's still threateningneedles, and Betty's general air of preparation for attack. "About amile away I heard the noise, and thought I'd drop in to see who wasgetting killed."
"A mile away," sniffed Mollie, abandoning the attack, while Bettyonce more opened her knitting bag. "If girls are good fibbers Iwonder what they'd call men."
"Li--I mean prevaricators," said Allen cheerfully, and the girlsgasped in dismay. "Well, you asked me, didn't you?" he argued,laughing at their shocked faces. "I only tried to be obliging."
"Then we like you better when you're not," said Betty primly.
"But what was the row?" he persisted. "I'm sure I interruptedsomething, and if I'm still intruding, I'll go away so you can finishit."
"Oh, we were just starting a new kind of war," Mollie explained. "Wecall it the war of the knitting needles."
"That's just what I told the fellows," said Allen, shaking his headsorrowfully, "only they wouldn't believe me."
"Now what are you talking about?" asked Grace, without looking upfrom her knitting. "I know you want somebody to ask it, so I'll be--asyou would say in vulgar slang--the goat."
"That's right! Blame it all, even the slang, on us," said Allenplaintively. "That's the way the girls----"
"Goodness, you can't tell us anything about ourselves we don't know,"said Mollie impatiently. "We want to know what you told the boys."
"Oh, about the needles," said Allen, stretching out his long legs,and locking his fingers behind his head. "I just happened to remarkthat while we were killing each other off with bayonets in thetrenches, the women and girls would be knitting themselves to deathat home, so there would probably be an equal number of both sexeswhen the war was over."
"Oh, dear, there you go, joking about it again," sighed Amy. "And youmade me lose a stitch too. Oh, dear, that's the first one in thewhole sweater."
"Hand it over," said Betty patiently. "I may be able to catch it foryou, so you won't have to rip out too much. Oh, Allen, what do yousuppose we are going to do?"
"What?" queried Allen, gazing admiringly from the busy deft fingersto the pretty bent head.
"We're going to give a lawn party," she answered. "It's going to beas elaborate an affair as possible, and we're going to charge adollar admission."
"Whew," said Allen, sitting up and regarding each one of the flushedconspirators in turn. "What's this--a get-rich-quick-scheme?"
"I should say not!" said Mollie hotly. "Isn't that just exactly likea man? _Everything_ we do isn't selfish."
"Well, what _is_ the idea?" asked poor Allen patiently. "If you'djust tell a fellow----"
"It's for the Red Cross," Betty explained, "I'm afraid that stitch istoo far down to get back, Amy dear. You'll have to rip out a little.You see we want to raise a lot of money," she went on, raising herpretty head and speaking quickly. "When we decided to join the RedCross, as you know we have, we didn't mean to go into it half way. Itdidn't seem to us enough, just to give our time and labor--we wantedto raise actual cash. And this seemed the best way to do it."
"I think it's a mighty fine idea," said Allen heartily. "And as Idon't think there's a more patriotic town on the map than little oldDeepdale, I should think you ought to be able to raise quite aconsiderable pile. I'll help all I can."
"Oh, Allen, will you?" cried Betty excitedly. "Oh, if you boys willonly help, we'll be _sure_ to make it a success. I can't wait tobegin."
"Well, why do we have to wait?" asked Mollie practically. "Why can'twe start in planning and rehearsing to-night?"
"There's no reason in the world why we can't," cried Betty, puttingaway her knitting definitely, and beginning to pace up and down theporch as she always did when thinking things out. "Allen, do youthink you can round up the boys, and do you think they'll all bewilling to help us?"
"Of course," said Allen, without taking his eyes from her. "I'llbring them around to-night if you say so."
"Good! Then there's Gladys Alden who plays the violin beautifully,and Jean Ratcliffe who can recite like a professional and--oh, dear,there's no end to the talent. And we'll----"
she paused dramaticallyand surveyed them with dancing eyes. "We'll--give a play!"
"But a play takes time," Allen objected; "and if you're counting usfellows in on it, you'll have to make it soon. We may be called anytime now."
"Oh, but don't you remember that play we were going to give onetime?" Mollie broke in eagerly. "And then somebody's relative wastaken sick, and broke the whole thing up? That was a good littlesketch, and I don't think it would take us very long to brush it upagain."
"Mollie, you're a genius," cried Betty, stopping before Mollie andhugging her rapturously. "Why, of course it won't take us any time atall to get that in shape, and it's sure to take well."
"Do you know what would make a hit?" suggested Allen, catching thegeneral spirit of enthusiasm. "If this is going to be an outdooraffair, we ought to have a big tent with a stage at one end, for thisconcert and sketch business. We could make it mighty picturesque,with Japanese lanterns, and we fellows might be able to rig up somebatteries and electric lights for footlights."
"That would be wonderful," cried Grace, shaken out of her usual calm."That would be the big attraction. Then we could have little boothsfor fortune-telling, and such things, scattered about the place."
"And ice cream and cake counters," cried Amy, her eyes wide and darkwith excitement. "We girls could make the cakes, so it wouldn't costso much."
"Allen," interrupted Betty, gazing eagerly down the street. "Theregoes Roy now. Won't you go after him, and tell him to be sure to behere to-night? Frank and Will, too--don't let them say no!"
"All right," said Allen obligingly, untwining his long legs, andtaking the steps two at a time. "I go to do your bidding, Princess."
"And, Allen," Betty ran down the steps to call after him, "whateveryou do--come early!"