CHAPTER XIV
SETTLEMENT WORK
Blue Bonnet had been a pupil at Miss North's school a little over threemonths now, and although she had had her share of fun and frolic, thegreater portion of the time had been spent in serious work.
She excelled in her music, and the report that went home from the musicdepartment monthly pleased Miss Clyde very much. Blue Bonnet was livingup to her aunt's expectations in this part of her work, and Miss Clyde,like many others, was not averse to having her dreams come true.Grandmother was pleased also, and counted the days until she should hearfor herself just how much real improvement Blue Bonnet had made. Therigorous New England winter had prevented Mrs. Clyde from visitingBoston as much as she would have liked, and as Miss North objected tomany week-ends at Woodford, her visits with Blue Bonnet had been ofnecessity limited.
Miss Clyde had been more fortunate, and running up to the city often,returned with splendid reports of Blue Bonnet.
"And her manners, Mother, are almost unbelievably improved. I reallyhad quite a shock the other day," she confessed after her last visit."Several teachers told me that Blue Bonnet would undoubtedly havereceived the medal for the greatest general improvement at the end ofthe year had she entered in September. I wish you might have seen herenter the reception-room. Her whole bearing is changed. She has droppedthat hoydenish, tomboyish manner that was so offensive when she returnedfrom the ranch. She neither waved, nor called to me from the head of thestairs as she came down, but positively glided into the room with easeand distinction."
"Blue Bonnet is growing into a young woman now," Mrs. Clyde answered."She is leaving the hoydenish period. She will emerge, butterfly-like,from her chrysalis. I have never doubted it for a moment. There is atime for all things."
"Something else pleased me, too," Miss Clyde went on. "Blue Bonnet seemsto have made desirable friends among teachers and pupils. They all likeher--even that odd room-mate, whom, you remember, she was predestined tohate. I confess I thought her rather impossible, myself; but Miss Crossseems to have blossomed out suddenly, and Blue Bonnet says--to use herown expression, 'she is not half bad.'"
"Does Blue Bonnet still call her 'the cross?'" Mrs. Clyde asked, smilingbroadly.
"Yes, and declares that she has taken up 'her cross' and is 'bearing itcheerfully'--whatever that may mean. Blue Bonnet loves figures ofspeech. Her comparisons are really very amusing sometimes. I hardly knowwhat to make of her sudden tolerance of this girl; whether it is a caseof propinquity, duty, or over-generousness on Blue Bonnet's part. At anyrate, she seems to have espoused the cause of the cross, nobly."
"Bless her dear heart," Mrs. Clyde murmured Softly. "The world willnever end for Blue Bonnet at her own doorstep. She has a real genius forfriendship. I am glad she finds her room-mate pleasant. I feared fromher letters that she never would."
"Something has happened to change her mind," Miss Clyde said shrewdly."The girl's personality never appealed to Blue Bonnet. I rather suspectthat Blue Bonnet feels that she needs friends. She has been veryunpopular, I understand."
Miss Clyde, unconsciously, had put her finger upon the exact cause ofBlue Bonnet's sudden conversion. Joy did need friends. To Blue Bonnet,this need was tragic--pathetic; and she straightway set about bringingJoy into the charmed circle where she, herself, had been welcomed withopen arms. It had not been easy work; perhaps she would not haveaccomplished her aim had she not taken Mrs. White into her confidence.Mrs. White was executive as well as musical. She was tactful, too, andunder her guidance Joy was gradually steered into a port that became ahaven; a refuge from her old self, her youthful environment.
Another interest had come into Blue Bonnet's life. One that bade fair torival all others, and pave the way for future usefulness. It was theSettlement work which the "Lambs" engaged in. Her first visit to thepoorer districts filled her with horror. She had never known anythingabout real poverty. A kind fate had lifted her above all that; and whenshe went for the first time into a day nursery, a free kindergarten, andwas told something of the homes the children came from, theirlimitation, their actual needs, tears blinded her eyes and her throatached with the lumps that rose there. For a moment she was speechless.
It was the home for crippled children that interested her most. Thegirls at Miss North's took turns going there to amuse the children. Theycut paper dolls, carried toys, and made themselves generally usefulduring the brief hour they spent within the wards. Blue Bonnet soonbegan to look forward to these visits, and begged Miss North to allowher to go as often as possible.
It was on her second visit that she was attracted to a small cot, fromwhich a pinched little face with wondrous brown eyes looked upappealingly.
"How do you do?" Blue Bonnet said, dropping down beside the cot andtaking the thin hand on the coverlet in her own.
"How do _you_ do?" came the laconic answer.
"Nicely, thank you."
"Did you bring paper dolls?"
"Yes."
A look of keen disappointment came over the wan face on the pillow.
"I hate 'em! I hoped maybe you had soldiers. Everything here's forgirls!"
"Now, isn't that strange," Blue Bonnet said, untying a parcel withhaste. "I brought things for girls last time--seemed sort of natural tobuy dolls and dishes, being a girl, but this time I brought the verythings you wanted. Soldiers!"
The brown eyes grew round with delight.
"For me? All for me?"
The little hands went out eagerly.
"You may play with them all you like. Perhaps you will want to pass themon to some other little boy when you tire of them."
"I sha'n't never tire of 'em. I just love 'em. Oh, ain't they grand!Why, there's a whole lot, ain't they?"
"A regiment," Blue Bonnet said, delighted with the child's enthusiasm."And horses! Soldiers must be well mounted, of course!"
The boy was upright in bed now, his face aglow with excitement.
Blue Bonnet made a pillow into a background and put the soldiers in arow before the child. The next moment he was oblivious of her presence.
"Horses!" he said. "Horses! Gee!"
A laugh, utterly out of proportion to the wasted little body from whichit emerged, rang through the ward.
"I'm afraid you are getting too excited," Blue Bonnet cautioned. "I'llhave to take them away if you make yourself ill with them."
The boy caught up as many of the soldiers and horses as he could, andheld to them tightly.
"You can't get 'em," he said, and the brown eyes flashed. "I wouldn'tgive 'em up to nobody."
"You don't have to give them up. You mustn't get excited, that's all.It's bad for sick people; it gives them fever."
"Aw--I gets fever anyway. I'm used to it. I'm 'bercular! It's in myknee."
"A tubercular knee?"
The boy nodded, and thrusting a pitifully thin leg from beneath thecovers, showed a knee carefully bandaged. Blue Bonnet hastily coveredit, asking his name by way of changing the subject.
"Gabriel," came the quick answer.
"Gabriel! What a beautiful name! Gabriel--what?"
"You couldn't say all of it if I tell you. It's Jewish."
"GABRIEL LOOKED UP IN DISDAIN."]
"Let me try. Perhaps I'll surprise you. Then I'll tell you mine. I havea queer name, too."
"Tell yours first."
"All right. It's Blue Bonnet. Blue Bonnet Ashe."
The child laughed again; less loudly this time.
"It's pretty, though. I like it."
"Why do you like it?"
The eyes half closed for a moment, straying away from the soldiers.
"I don't know. Kind of makes me think of flowers."
"It _is_ the name of a flower," Blue Bonnet said, surprised at hisintuition. "A very pretty flower that grows down in Texas."
But Texas meant nothing to Gabriel. He was busy again, lining up hissoldiers for battle.
"They'll march this way," he said, half to himself--"and these this way.Then they
'll fight."
"Oh, I wouldn't let them fight, if I were you. Soldiers don't fight anymore--not here in America. This is a land of peace."
Gabriel looked up in disdain.
"Aw--quit yer kiddin'," he paid. "What's soldiers fer?"
Blue Bonnet was not ready with a reply. "You haven't told me your othername," she said. "You took advantage of me. I told you mine."
"It ain't pretty! The kids call me Gaby. That's enough. Call me that."
"How old are you?"
"Nine--comin' next August."
"August? My birthday is in August; the twenty-first."
"That's mine, too!"
Blue Bonnet looked incredulous.
"Really?" she said. "Aren't you mistaken? Certain it's thetwenty-first?"
"Sure, I am. Ask her!"
He pointed to a nurse who had come to the foot of the bed.
"That's what he has always said," the nurse vouched.
"Well, we're sort of twins, aren't we, Gabriel? If I'm near Boston nextsummer we'll have to celebrate, won't we?"
The boy nodded. The soldiers were ready to advance upon the enemy now.Birthdays were of small importance.
"Come again some day," Gabriel called when Blue Bonnet took leave ofhim. "And bring some soldier books with you."
"If you please," the nurse finished for him. "Miss Ashe won't come againif you are not polite."
"If you please," the child repeated dutifully, and Blue Bonnet went backto school, treasuring the look of gratitude that had shone from eyesset like jewels in a wasted and world-old face; a face that belied claimto childhood, and spoke only of suffering and poverty.
The next week she was back again with some books. The soldiers werestill lined up for battle. They looked as if they had seen hard service,but their commander eyed them with pride and pleasure.
"They been in battle more 'en fifty times since you was here," heannounced. "They've licked everything in sight--the American army has.This is them on this side. I'd like some British fellers if you couldget 'em. Did you know we licked the British, sure 'nough?" he asked, asif the war had just ended.
"We surely did," Blue Bonnet said, matching enthusiasm with his. It wasstrange to see a little Jewish emigrant espousing the cause of freedomso rapturously. "Showed them their proper place, didn't we?"
"Bet yer!" Gabriel said, doubling up his fist and aiming a blow at thepillow behind the soldiers. "Bet yer!"
A vivid crimson spot glowed in each cheek.
"You must hurry and get well, and perhaps some day you can go and seethe soldiers. I have a friend who is going to be one. He'll be at WestPoint next year."
Gabriel was very much interested, and Blue Bonnet soon found that shewas expected to give Alec's life history to the child.
And so this odd friendship between Blue Bonnet and an unfortunate littlewaif grew, cementing with each visit, reaching out into a future thatmeant much to the helpless lad; much to the young girl whose characterwas strengthened and broadened by the contact.
* * * * *
The advantages for culture offered on all sides in Boston were also ofinestimable value to Blue Bonnet. The Symphony concerts were a delight,and wonderful and original descriptions went back to Uncle Cliff,Grandmother Clyde, and Aunt Lucinda of celebrities. Blue Bonnet was adiscriminating critic--- if one so young could be called a critic. Shehad a gift for values. This instinct pleased her teachers immensely;especially Mrs. White and Fraulein Schirmer.
Carita, too, was growing and expanding under the new and favorableconditions, proving herself worthy in every particular of Blue Bonnet'sfriendship and aid. She had a reverence for Blue Bonnet that was akin toworship, and since she persisted in this attitude of affection, it waswell that Blue Bonnet's example usually proved worthy of emulation.
It was a fad in Miss North's school, as in most of its kind, for ayounger girl to attach herself to a Junior or a Senior; become hersatellite, her abject slave if need be. Carita would have been all this,if Blue Bonnet had permitted it; but being of an independent nature BlueBonnet required very little service from any one.
"Why don't you let me do more things for you, Blue Bonnet?" Carita wouldsay when she was refused the pleasure of waiting upon her. "I don'tbelieve Annabel Jackson has run a ribbon in her underwear this year.Mary Boyd always does it for her. She loves to do it. Peggy Austin waitson Sue Hemphill, hand and foot. Isabel Brooks is getting a terrible caseon Wee Watts, too. By the way, Blue Bonnet, did I tell you? Isabel hasthe sweetest new way of spelling her name. Isobel! You say itquickly--like this--_Is_obel! Mary Boyd thought of it. I do wish I couldfind a new way to say Carita, but it seems hopeless."
"Carita! just you let me catch you changing it. _Is_obel! Why, that'sperfectly absurd!"
"Not when you get used to it. Peggy thinks it's distinguished. I do too.Peggy has taken up her own middle name. We're all trying to call her byit, but it's awfully hard. She says she perfectly hated it when she wasa child, but now she thinks it's quite stylish."
"What is it?"
"Jerusha! Priscilla Jerusha is the whole of it. It does sound dreadful,doesn't it? Peggy loathes it put together. She says her mother doestoo. She had to be named that for her grandmother because she's going toinherit her money some day. Isn't it splendid that there is such a ragefor old-fashioned names now? Peggy says it will make an awful hit withher grandmother when she hears that she is being called Jerusha. Shethinks it quite likely that she will do something nice for her. Peggythinks that she will change the spelling of it though. She thought someof 'Jerrushia.' It is much more foreign sounding, isn't it?"
"It's much more ridiculous," Blue Bonnet said with some impatience. "Youchildren must lie awake nights thinking up these weighty subjects.Jerrushia! Really, Carita, I am amazed at you!"
Which showed that Blue Bonnet was advancing, both in taste and wisdom."Nearly seventeen" has its advantages over "only fifteen."
This conversation had taken place one afternoon in Blue Bonnet's roomduring chatting hour, and had been interrupted by the hasty entrance ofSue Hemphill, who was very much excited.
"Blue Bonnet! look here! See what just came in the mail! You have one,too, and so has Annabel! Oh, such a lark! Run down to the box quicklyand get your letters!"
Carita was off in a twinkling to save Blue Bonnet the trouble.
Sue threw the letter into Blue Bonnet's lap.
"Read it," she said. "It's from Billy. We're invited to a tea atHarvard. Mrs. White is to chaperon us. It's to be next Friday afternoon,and the boys are coming for us in an automobile."
Blue Bonnet looked as if she didn't quite understand.
"But--Sue, can we go? Will Miss North let us?"
"Oh, yes--with Mrs. White. Why not? You're not doing penance foranything are you?"
"No, certainly not! But it seems quite unusual; going off with a lot ofboys like that."
"A lot of boys! There's only Billy, and Hammie McVickar, and an escortfor me--Billy doesn't say what his name is. I don't call that such aterrible lot; and Harvard is quite respectable. At least, it is supposedto be."
Sue made a funny little grimace that brought all her dimples into play.
"I think it would be glorious, Sue. I certainly hope Miss North will letus accept."
"She will," Sue said confidently. "She let us go last year. Such fun! Itmakes me laugh to think of it yet. We went to Billy's rooms. He had acaterer and a great spread. Tea and sandwiches; all kinds of cakes,candies--a huge box for each of us to carry home; and the most beautifulice-cream with nuts in it. Um! I can taste it yet. Oh, but it waslarky!"
"It must have been," Blue Bonnet admitted.
"This time, Billy says, it is to be very select. What he calls a closecorporation! Just you and Annabel and I, and Mrs. White. They sent Mrs.White a separate invitation. Wasn't that clever of them, since we justhad to have a chaperon? I'm going over to her room now to see if she'llaccept. Come along."
Mrs. White evidently felt complimented
by the invitation. She waslooking it over when the girls entered.
"Of course you won't refuse, Mrs. White, will you?" Sue implored, armsabout Mrs. White's shoulders. "Billy quite dotes on you, you know. Hesays in my note that you've just got to come. He and Hammie will acceptno substitute. Billy would be so awfully disappointed if you didn'tcome."
Mrs. White smiled pleasantly.
"I wouldn't hurt Billy for the world, Susan," she said. The teachersalways called Sue "Susan"--those who had known her since her entrance asa very young girl. "You know I never inflict unnecessary pain. I happento know just how hard your friends would take my refusal. I will consultMiss North."
"Will you? Will you really? Oh, you are such a dear, Mrs. White. And tryto show her how very necessary it is for us all to go. Billy does get_so_ lonely without me--we're such chums. Father feels dreadfully tohave us separated as we are."
Mrs. White promised to put the matter before Miss North asdiplomatically as possible, and let the girls know her decision at theearliest possible moment.
"I think afternoon tea is the loveliest thing," Sue said, as they wentback to Blue Bonnet's room for a brief visit. "There's something aboutit that makes one feel so grown up--so sort of lady-like! I've alwayssaid that when I keep house--I shall, you know, for father, as soon as Iam through school--that I'll serve tea every afternoon, rain or shine,at five o'clock, and advertise the fact among all my friends."
"It's very hospitable," Blue Bonnet replied absently. "Do they have teaevery afternoon at Harvard?"
Sue gave a shriek; then she went off into one of her infectious peals oflaughter.
"Blue Bonnet! Oh, that's ripping! At Harvard. What do you take themfor?"
"I don't know that that's such an awful _faux pas_," Blue Bonnet saidwith asperity. "They always have afternoon tea at Oxford. Alec Trent hasa friend there and he told him so."
"Well--in England--that's different. It's so awfully English, you know."
"That's why I thought maybe they did it at Harvard. Because it is soawfully English, you know!"
Blue Bonnet's eyes twinkled mischievously.
A few hours later, as the girls were on their way to the gymnasium todance, Mrs. White overtook Sue and stopped her for a moment.
"It is all right, Susan," she said. "Miss North is very glad to have youaccept your brother's invitation for Friday afternoon, and I shall gowith pleasure."
Sue's feet took wings as she caught up with Blue Bonnet and Annabel.
"We can go," she announced breathlessly. "Friday! Harvard! I just knewwe could. Isn't it great? At two-thirty, remember! And girls! Don'tforget--borrow everything you can, and look stunning!"