CHAPTER XVII
MORE SIGHTSEEING
Libbie waited till they were safely in the attic before she followedup her suggestion.
"I read the loveliest story last summer," she said dreamily. "It wasabout a bride--"
A shout of laughter from the listening girls interrupted her.
"I knew there would be a bride in it somewhere," rippled Bobby."Now, Libbie, once and for all, this is hide-and-go-seek, not a mockwedding."
"You might let me finish," protested Libbie. "I only meant to saythis story was about a bride who ran away from her wedding guests forfun and hid in a great carved chest; the chest had a spring lock andit closed tight when she pulled it down. Her husband and all theguests hunted and hunted, and they never found her. Years and yearsafter, when they opened the chest, there were only some bones and thewedding dress and veil."
"And you call that a lovely story!" Bobby's scorn was immeasurable."Well, I think it's gruesome. And what kind of housecleaning did theyhave in those days? My mother opens every chest and trunk and box inthe house at least twice a year."
The game started merrily, and, forewarned by Libbie's story, thegirls knew exactly where to find her when she hid from them andunerringly pulled her out of every chest into which she hopefullysqueezed her plump self.
"You never should have mentioned 'chest' to us," laughed Betty, whenLibbie was "it" for the third time. "We know your line of reasoningnow, you see."
Libbie good-naturedly began her counting, and Betty looked about fora good place to hide. The attic was long and wide and a splendidplace to play. It was rather too well lighted for hide-and-seek, butthe trunks and boxes arranged neatly around the walls offered a fairchance to escape detection. A peculiar fan-shaped box near a windowattracted Betty's attention, apparently being a built-in box.
"I'll hide there," she resolved, running lightly over to it.
Louise and Esther and Bobby were already stowed away in variouscorners, and Betty slipped into the box noiselessly. Libbie ceasedcounting.
The three Littell girls reached "home" without being detected, andthen perched merrily on an old trunk to watch Libbie prowl aboutafter Betty. A five-minute search failed to reveal her, and Libbygave up.
"All safe, you may come in!" they called in unison.
No Betty appeared, and they shouted again.
"Well, if that isn't queer!" Louise looked at Bobby in doubt. "Wheredo you suppose she is hiding?"
Bobby, a furrow of anxiety between her eyes, searched the attic withlevel glances, her sisters and cousin watching her apprehensively.
"Something must have happened to her," Louise was beginning, whenBobby gave a cry and raced for the door.
"I'll bet I know where she went," she flung over her shoulder."Haven't time--to stop--don't bother me----" She flew down thestairs, the others after her at top speed.
Down, down, down, through the third, second and first floors, thefour girls fled like a whirlwind, down, always following flyingBobby, to the laundry in the basement where modern electric equipmentmade washing clothes a scientific process.
Bobby brought up her mad flight before a tall cupboard in onecorner, turning the catch on the door, opened it and outtumbled--Betty!
"Are you hurt?" demanded Bobby, helping her to her feet. "Oh, Betty,darling, do say you're all right! It's a wonder you weren'tsuffocated or didn't break any bones."
"I'm all right," said Betty, smoothing out her skirts. "But I'mstill a bit dazed. It was such a sudden drop. What have I done that Ishouldn't, Bobby?"
Libbie, too, was bewildered, and stared at the disheveled Betty withpuzzled wonder.
"Why, my dear child," explained Bobby, with a funny maternal manner,"you fell down the laundry shoot. It opens into the attic for goodventilation. I'm glad there were some soiled clothes at the bottomfor you to land on, otherwise you might have had a bad bump. Sureyou're all right?"
"Yes, indeed," insisted Betty. "I thought I was climbing into a boxand went in feet first without looking. Instead of hitting the floor,I slid gently on and on. I hadn't any breath to scream with I went sofast. Anyway, there wasn't time to scream. I just sat here for a timeafter I landed. And I was wondering where I was and how I could getout when you opened the door for me."
That ended the game for the day, and the rest of the afternoon thegirls were content to spend quietly, Betty in writing a long letterto Mrs. Arnold, one of her mother's old friends who had moved toCalifornia, and the others with books and sewing.
The next morning was fair and sunny, and before breakfast Bobby hadit planned that they should spend the day at Mount Vernon. Of courseBetty and Libbie were very anxious to see the famous place, and thethree sisters were glad to have the opportunity to take them for thefirst time.
"It's never the same again," explained Louise, obligingly tyingEsther's hair-bow for her. "There's a wonderful thrill you get whenyou see the things that really were Washington's and were handled byhim that never comes again. Though we love to go there and never tireof looking at the rooms."
"What a chatter-box you are, child!" expostulated her mother, whohad come up to tell them breakfast was ready. Indeed the gong hadsounded fully fifteen minutes before. "How nice you look, all of you!I'll be proud to take five girls to Mount Vernon. We're going to-day,aren't we?"
Dear Mrs. Littell! Betty already loved her dearly, as indeed didevery member of the household. She was so unaffected, so affectionateand generous, and she allowed money to change her simple, happynature not at all. The Littells had not always been wealthy, and themistress of the beautiful mansion did not hesitate to tell of thedays when she had done all of her own housework and taken care of twobabies.
Soon after breakfast the party started, the plan to go by motorbeing abandoned in favor of the trip down the river. It was decidedthat Carter should come down later with the car and bring a basketluncheon, taking them home in the afternoon.
Mount Vernon is sixteen miles below Washington, and the sail downthe Potomac was delightful in the cool of the morning, and Bettythought she had never seen anything more beautiful than the deepgreens of the trees and grass on either bank. By common consent theboatload of chattering people became silent as they came in sight ofMount Vernon, and as the glimmer of the house showed white betweenthe trees. Betty's heart contracted suddenly. Louise, who waswatching her, squeezed her arm sympathetically.
"I know how you feel," she whispered. "Mother told me that the firsttime she went abroad and dad took her to see the Colosseum she cried.You're not crying, are you, Betty?"
Betty shook her head, but her eyelashes were suspiciously damp.
Libbie was staring in unaffected enjoyment at the scene before herand fairly dancing with impatience to be off the boat.
"I do want to see Martha Washington's things," she confided, as theywent ashore. "Her ivory fan and her dishes and the lovely colonialmahogany furniture."
"George Washington's swords for mine," announced Bobby inelegantly."I've seen 'em every time I've been here, and I'd give anything tohave one to hang in my room."
"Bobby should have been a boy," remarked Mrs. Littell indulgently."You're mother's only son, aren't you, dear?"
"Well, my name is as near as I'll ever come to it," mourned Bobby."However, I manage to have a pretty good time if I am only a girl."
Mrs. Littell led them first to the tomb of Washington. The plainbrick building was directly at the head of the path leading from thelanding, and a reverent group stood, the men with bared heads, for afew moments before the resting place of the Father of his Country.
High above the river, overlooking the land he loved, stands theMount Vernon mansion. From the tomb the Littell party went directlyto the house.
Each of the girls, although interested in the whole, showed herpersonality distinctly in her choice of special relics.
It was Betty who lingered longest in the library, fascinated by theautographed letters of Washington, his tripod used in surveying, andhis family Bible. Bobby had
to be torn bodily from the room whichcontained the four swords. Esther spent her happiest hour in the oldkitchen, admiring the huge fireplace and the andirons and turnspit.
Louise and Mrs. Littell were able to go into raptures over the oldfurniture in Martha Washington's bedroom and sitting room, thoughthey, of course, had seen it all many times before.
Mrs. Littell herself had a collection of antique furniture of whichshe was justly proud, and mahogany furniture was sure of herintelligent appreciation. Strange to say, Libbie remained cool towardthe very things she had voiced a desire to see, and in the middle ofthe morning they missed her.
They were on their way to the barn Washington's father had built,and Betty volunteered to run back and see if the missing girl hadstayed behind in the house.