Grace Harlowe's Plebe Year at High School

by Josephine Chase

  CHAPTER XI

  MRS. GRAY'S ADOPTED DAUGHTERS

  After Mrs. Gray's luncheon party in honor of Grace and her three friendsa tiny little idea had implanted itself in her mind. As the weeks rolledon, and Christmas holidays approached, it grew and spread into a realplan which occupied her thoughts a considerable part of every day.

  As a secretary Anne had turned out admirably. The only drawback was thatMrs. Gray could not see enough of her. The lonesome old lady almostlived on Anne's semi-weekly visits, but the girl was too busy to giveany more of her time to reading aloud or driving with her benefactor.

  Finally Mrs. Gray took a bold step. She invited the four girls to meetat another Sunday luncheon, and announced her intentions from the headof the table.

  "My dear children," she said, "you are aware that I am a very oldwoman."

  "We are not aware of anything of the sort, Mrs. Gray," interruptedGrace.

  "Nevertheless I am," pursued Mrs. Gray. "A very old, lonesome personwith few pleasures. I have decided, therefore, to do an exceedinglyselfish thing, and give myself a real treat."

  "You deserve it if anyone in the world does, Mrs. Gray," put in Jessica."You who are always giving other people treats."

  "Wait until you hear the plan, child, before you pass judgment,"answered Mrs. Gray. "It's been too many years to count since I have hada really, jolly Christmas," she continued. "I have just sat here in thisquiet old house, and let the holidays roll over me without even noticingthem."

  "Now, Mrs. Gray," exclaimed Grace, "the poor people in Oakdale would notagree with you on that point. Only last Christmas I saw your carriagestopping in front of the Flower Mission, and it was simply bursting withpresents."

  "Yes, yes, my dear. It is the easiest thing in the world to givepresents and not so much pleasure after all. What I want is some actualfun, good Christmas cheer and plenty of young people. But I shall haveto be selfish if I'm to get it all, because it will mean that I'm to robmothers and fathers for a whole week of their children. Mr. and Mrs.Harlowe will have to learn to do without you, Grace, for seven days andnights. Your father, Jessica, must keep his own house. Nora, yourbrothers and sister must not expect to see you at all while you belongto me. As for my precious Anne, here, I should just like to steal heraway altogether from her mother. In fact, my dears, I am going to adoptyou for a whole week during the holidays and then--such larks!"

  And the charming old lady looked so gay and pretty that the girls alllaughed joyously.

  "Do you mean that you really want us to make you a visit, Mrs. Gray?"

  "I do indeed. That is the exceedingly selfish wish I have beenentertaining for the last six weeks. I not only want it, but I havearranged for it already. I have made secret calls, my dears, and mothersand fathers, brothers and sisters are all most agreeable. You are tocome to me a week before Christmas and must settle yourselves exactly asif you were my own children. I mean to punish any homesick girl severelyby giving her an overdose of chocolate drops. Families may be visitedonce a day, if necessary, though I shall frown down upon too frequentabsences. But, young ladies, before we get any further, tell me what youthink of the plan?"

  The girls were almost speechless with amazement and pleasure. To visitMrs. Gray's beautiful home and live in a whirl of parties and funmakingsuch as would be sure to follow was more than any of them had everdreamed of.

  "It's perfectly delightful, Mrs. Gray!" they cried almost in one breath.

  "And we shall give the Christmas party together, my four daughters andI, and we'll do exactly as we choose and invite whom we please."

  "Oh, oh!" exclaimed the four young girls. "Won't it be fun?"

  "It will for me," said the little old lady. "And I need to have a goodtime. I am getting old before my time for lack of amusement. And now, mylady-birds, who else shall we invite to the house party?"

  "Who else?" said Grace, somewhat crestfallen; for four intimate girlchums are invariably jealous of admitting other girls to the charmedcircle.

  "Do you mean what other girls, Mrs. Gray?" asked Jessica.

  "No, no, child; I mean what other boys, of course. Do you think I wantany more than my four nice freshmen to amuse me? But I don't think thisparty would be complete without four fine fellows to look after us. Whoare the four nicest boys you know?"

  "David," exclaimed all four voices in unison.

  Mrs. Gray laughed.

  "There seems to be no difference of opinion on that score," she replied;"but is David the only boy in Oakdale?"

  "He's the nicest one," said Anne, who could never forget how kind Davidhad been to her when his sister was her bitter enemy.

  "Reddy Brooks is nice, too," said Nora. "He threw apples at some trampsonce, and saved us from being robbed."

  "Very good," said Mrs. Gray. "Reddy Brooks shall certainly be invited tothe house party. I admire courage above all things."

  "Then there's 'Hippopotamus' Wingate," said Jessica.

  "Who?" demanded Mrs. Gray.

  "His name is really 'Theophilus', but the boys have always called him'Hippopotamus,' and now the name sticks to him and everybody forgets hehas any other."

  "Are you agreed on Hippopotamus, my adopted daughters?" demanded Mrs.Gray.

  It was voted by acclamation, that Hippopotamus was agreeable to thecompany.

  "And now, I have a fourth to propose," announced Mrs. Gray. "I think Ishould like to import my great-nephew, Tom Gray, from New York. He is alittle older than these boys, perhaps. Nineteen is his age, I think, andI haven't seen him since he was a child; but he's obliged to be nicebecause he bears the name of one beloved by all who knew him."

  "Whose name, Mrs. Gray?" asked Nora.

  "That of my husband," said the old lady, softly. "The nicest Tom Graythis world has ever known." And she looked at a portrait over thesideboard of a very handsome young man dressed in the uniform of an Armyofficer.

  "He loved his country, my dears, and fought for it nobly. He was asoldier and a gentleman," went on the old lady proudly, "and I am sorryhe left no son to follow in his footsteps. He was a great hunter andtraveler, too. I used to tell him if he had not loved his family sodearly, he would certainly have been a gypsy. He liked camping andtramping, and used to wander off in Upton Woods for hours at a time. Heknew the names of all the trees and birds and animals that exist, Ibelieve. But he loved his home, too, and no woods had the power to drawhim away from it for long. I used to tell him he had brought a piece ofthe forest and put it in our front yard, for he planted all thosebeautiful trees you now see growing on my lawn, which my old gardener,who has been with me since I was first married, cherishes as he wouldhis own children."

  "And is young Tom Gray like him, Mrs. Gray?" interposed Grace.

  "I hope so, my dear," sighed the old lady. "If he has inherited thebeautiful traits of his uncle, his wholesome tastes for the outdoors andnature, he can't help being a fine fellow. But I have not seen my nephewsince he was a child. He has been living here and there all these years,sometimes in America and sometimes in England. His mother and father areboth dead, and he has been brought up by his mother's unmarried sisters,who are half English themselves. But he must be a nice boy, even if hehas only one drop of his uncle's blood in his veins."

  The girls sighed and said nothing. It was touching and beautiful to seethe old lady's loyalty and devotion after all these years of loneliness;for her husband had been dead since she was a young woman. Still Mrs.Gray never brooded. She was always cheerful and happy in doingkindnesses for other people.

  "If ever I marry," sentimental Jessica was thinking, "I hope it will besomebody like Mrs. Gray's husband."

  "I should like to have a brother like Tom Gray," observed Grace aloud.

  "Well," said Mrs. Gray, "we shall have to wait and see what the new TomGray is like. He may be utterly unlike _my_ Tom Gray."

  And the old lady sighed.

  "We shall all have to get new party dresses," exclaimed Nora to changethe subject. "I have been wanting one for an
age and now I have a goodexcuse."

  "Oh, yes," cried Grace enthusiastically. "Now, at last, I shall be ableto get the blue silk mother promised I could have if at any time therewas an occasion worthy of it."

  "I'm going to ask papa to give me a lavender crepe for a Christmaspresent," said Jessica.

  "O Mrs. Gray," continued Nora, "we are going to have such fun Oakdalecan't hold us."

  "I think we should have a surprise for Mrs. Gray," announced Grace. "Sheis doing so much for us. O girls! I have an idea."

  "What!" demanded the others breathlessly, including Mrs. Gray herself,who was as full of curiosity as a young girl.

  "No, no," cried Grace, "it wouldn't be a surprise if I gave it away. Butit's going to require a lot of work and planning to carry it out."

  "Is it big or little?" asked the dainty old lady as eager as a child tofind out the secret.

  "It's rather small," answered Grace.

  "Fine or superfine?"

  "Both," laughed Grace. "But you'll not know till Christmas night; sostifle your curiosity."

  "I suppose I must wait, but it's going to be very hard," replied Mrs.Gray plaintively.

  And so the party was arranged. Notes, written by Anne, were dispatchedto the four boys; plans were discussed for the week's amusements, andthe four girls finally started home in a state of great excitement tolook over their wardrobes and furbish up their party dresses.

  Only Anne had looked somewhat dubious during the conversation. How couldshe spend a week in a beautiful house, with parties every night andcompany all the time, and nothing to wear but that hideous black silk?

  "Anne," called Mrs. Gray, as the young girl was about to close the frontdoor and follow the others down the steps. "Wait a moment. I want to seeyou." She led Anne into the big drawing room. "Do you know that I amgreatly in your debt, my child?" continued the old lady, as she drewAnne down beside her on the sofa. "I don't think I could ever possiblyrepay you for the good you have done me this autumn. But I am going totry, nevertheless, by making you a Christmas present before Christmasarrives. Now, when I was your age, I preferred clothes to other things.I think all young girls do; or, if they don't they are most unnatural.Therefore, child, I have decided to pay off some of my indebtedness toyou by getting my dressmaker to make you some dresses, if it isagreeable to you. Why, what is this! My little girl crying?"

  The tears were streaming down Anne's cheeks.

  "You mustn't cry, my own child," sobbed Mrs. Gray. "For I always crywhen I see other people doing it, and it's very bad for my old eyes, youknow."

  "You are so good to me!" said Anne. "It makes me cry because I'm sohappy."

  "Well, well!" exclaimed Mrs. Gray, drying her eyes and beginning tolaugh. "What a couple of sillies we are, to be sure. Now go, Anne, to mydressmaker, Mrs. Harvey, who has orders to make you four dresses, twofor evening and two for afternoon. Mrs. Harvey has good taste and willhelp you select them. But perhaps you will like the ones she and Ilooked at the other day. One of them I am sure you will admire. I choseit specially because it will give color to your pale cheeks."

  "What is it, Mrs. Gray?" asked Anne eagerly.

  "It's pink crepe de Chine, my dear."

  And Anne held her breath to keep from crying again.