CHAPTER XII
THE GLORIOUS FOURTH
"Never mind," whispered Amy Drew quickly, quite understanding herchum's feelings regarding Belle and her group. "I'll ask them. It's myfault, anyway. And I only meant it for a joke----"
"A pretty poor joke, Amy," Jessie said, with some sharpness. "And Idon't want you to borrow of them. I'll run back to the church."
She started to leave the Dainties Shop. Sally Moon, who was justbehind Belle Ringold, halted Jessie with a firm grasp on her sleeve.
"Don't run away just because we came in, Jess," she said.
"I'm coming right back," Jessie Norwood explained. "Don't keep me."
"Where you going, Jess?" drawled another of the group.
"I've got to run back to the church to speak to mother for a moment."
"Your mother's not there," broke in Belle. "She was leaving in herflivver when we came away. The committee's broken up and the parishhouse door is locked."
"Oh, no!" murmured Jessie, a good deal appalled.
"Don't I tell you _yes_?" snapped Belle. "Don't you believe me?"
"Of course I believe what you say, Belle," Jessie rejoined politely."I only said 'Oh, no!' because I was startled."
"What scared you?" demanded Belle, curiously.
"Why, I--I'm not scared----"
"It is none of your business, Belle Ringold," put in Amy. "Don't annoyher. Here, Jessie, I'll----"
The clerk who waited on them had come to the table and placed apunched ticket for the sundaes on it. He evidently expected to be paidby the two girls. The other four were noisily grouping themselvesabout another table. Belle Ringold said:
"Give Nick your orders, girls. This is on me. I want a banana royal,Nick. Hurry up."
The young fellow with the "patent leather" hair still lingered by thetable where Jessie and Amy had sat. Belle turned around to stare atthe two guilty-looking chums. She sneered.
"What's the matter with you and Jess, Amy Drew? Were you trying toslip out without paying Nick? I shouldn't wonder!"
"Oh!" gasped Jessie, flushing and then paling.
But Amy burst out laughing. It was a fact that Amy Drew often sawhumor where her chum could not spy anything in the least laughable.With the clerk waiting and these four girls, more than a littleunfriendly, ready to make unkind remarks if they but knew thetruth----
What should she do? Jessie looked around wildly. Amy clung to a chairand laughed, and laughed. Her chum desired greatly to have the floorof the New Melford Dainties Shop open at her feet and swallow her!
"What's the matter with you, Amy Drew? You crazy?" demanded Belle.
"I--I----" Amy could get no farther. She weaved back and forth,utterly hysterical.
"If you young ladies will pay me, please," stammered the clerk,wondering. "I'd like to wait on these other customers."
"I want my banana royal, Nick," cried Belle.
The other three girls gave their orders. The clerk looked from thelaughing Amy to the trembling Jessie. He was about to reiterate hisdemand for payment.
And just then Heaven sent an angel! Two, in very truth! At least, soit seemed to Jessie Norwood.
"Darry!" she almost squealed. "And Burd Alling! We--we thought youwere at Atlantic Highlands."
The two young fellows came hurrying into the shop. They had evidentlyseen the girls from outside. Darry grabbed his sister and sat herdown at a table. He grinned widely, bowing to Belle and her crowd.
"Come on, Jessie!" he commanded. "No matter how many George Washingtonsundaes you kids have eaten----"
"'Kids'! Indeed! I like that!" exploded Amy.
But her brother swept on, ignoring her objection: "No matter how manyyou have eaten, there is always room for one more. You and Amy,Jessie, must have another sundae on me."
"Darry!" exclaimed Jessie Norwood. "I thought you and Burd went to hisaunt's."
"And we came back. That is an awful place. There's an uncle, too--asecond crop uncle. And both uncle and auntie are vegetarians, orsomething. Maybe it's their religion. Anyway, they eat likehorses--oats, and barley, and chopped straw. We were there for twomeals. Shall we ever catch up on our regular rations, Burd?"
"I've my doubts," said his friend. "Say, Nick, bring me a plate of thefillingest thing there is on your bill of fare."
"In just a minute," replied the clerk, hopping around the other tableto have Belle Ringold and her friends repeat their orders.
Belle had immediately begun preening when Darry and Burd came in. Thatthe two college youths were so much older, and that they merelyconsidered Amy and Jessie "kids," made no difference to Belle. Shereally thought that she was quite grown up and that college men shouldbe interested in her.
"We had just finished, boys," Jessie managed to say in a low tone. "Wehad not even paid for our sundaes."
Darry and Burd just then caught sight of the punched check lying onthe table and they both reached for it. There was some little rivalryover who should pay the score, but Darry won.
"Leave it to me," he said cheerfully. "Girls shouldn't be trusted withmoney anyway."
"Oh! Oh!" gurgled Amy, choked with laughter again.
"What's the matter with you, Sis?" demanded her brother.
Jessie forbade her chum to tell, by a hard stare and a determinedshake of her head. It was all right to have Darry pay the check--itwas really a relief--but it did not seem to Jessie as though she couldendure having the matter made an open joke of.
The four settled about the little table. But the Ringold crowd was toonear. Belle turned sideways in her chair, even before they wereserved, and, being at Darry's elbow, insisted upon talking to him.
"Talk about my aunt!" said Burd Alling, grinning. "I'll tell the worldthat somebody has a crush on Sir Galahad that's as plain to be seen asa wart on the nose of Venus."
"Of all the metaphors!" exclaimed Amy.
Jessie feared that Belle would overhear the comments of Burd and herchum, and she hurried the eating of her second sundae.
"I must get home, Darry," she explained. "Momsy has gone without me inher car and will be surprised not to find me there."
"Sure," agreed Burd quickly. "We'll gobble and hobble. Can't you tearyourself away, Darry?" he added, with a wicked grin.
Amy's brother tried politely to turn away from Belle. But the lattercaught him by the coat sleeve and held on while she chattered like amagpie to the young college man. She smiled and shook her bobbed curlsand altogether acted in a rather ridiculous way.
Darry looked foolish, then annoyed. His sister was in an ecstasy ofdelight. She enjoyed her big brother's annoyance. She and Jessie andBurd had finished their cream.
"Come on, Darry," Burd drawled, taking a hint from the girls. "Sorryyou are off your feed and can't finish George Washington's finestproduct. I'll eat it for you, if you say so, and then we'll beatit."
He reached casually for Darry's plate; but the latter would not yieldit without a struggle. The incident, however, gave Darry a chance tobreak away from the insistent Belle. The latter stared at the twogirls at Darry's table, sniffed, and tossed her head.
"Yes, Mr. Drew," she said in her high-pitched voice, "I suppose youhave to take the children home in good season, or they would bechastised."
"Ouch!" exclaimed Burd. "I bet that hurt you, Amy."
Darry had picked up both checks from the table. Belle smiled up at himand moved her check to the edge of her table as Darry rather grimlybade her good-night. He refused to see that check, but strode over tothe desk to pay the others.
"That girl ought to get a job at a broadcasting station," growled outDarry, as they went out upon the street. "I never knew before she wassuch a chatterbox. Don't need any radio rigging at all where she is."
"Oh, wouldn't it be fun to get a chance to work at a broadcastingstation?" Amy cried. "We could sing, Jess. You know we sing well together.'The Dartmoor Boy' and 'Bobolink, Bobolink, Spink-spank-spink' and----"
"And 'My Old Kentucky Blues,'" broke in Burd Alling. "If you a
re goingto broadcast anything like that, give us something up to date."
"You hush," Amy said. "If Jess and I ever get the chance we shall bean honor to the program. You'll see."
That the two young fellows had returned so much earlier than had beenexpected was a very fortunate thing, Jessie and Amy thought. For theirassistance was positively needed in the work of making ready for theFourth of July bazaar on the Norwood place, they declared.
There were only three days in which to do everything. "And believeme," groaned Burd before the first day was ended, "we're doingeverything. Talk about being in training for the scrub team!"
"It will do you good, Burdie," cooed Amy, knowing that the diminutiveof Burd Alling's name would fret him. "You are getting awfully plump,you know you are."
"I feel it peeling off," he grumbled. "Don't fear. No fellow will everget too fat around you two girls. Never were two such young SimonLegrees before since the world began!"
But the four accomplished wonders. Of course the committee and theirassistants and some of the other young people came to help with thedecorations. But the two girls and Amy's older brother and his friendset up the marquees and strung the Japanese lanterns, in each of whichwas a tiny electric light.
"No candle-power fire-traps for us," Jessie said. "And then, candlesare always blowing out."
About all the relaxation they had during the time until the eve of theFourth was in Jessie's room, listening to the radio concerts. Mr.Norwood brought out from the city a two-step amplifier and a horn andthey were attached to the instrument.
The third of the month, with the help of the men servants on theNorwood place, the tent for the radio concert was set up between thehouse and the driveway, and chairs were brought from the parish houseto seat a hundred people. It was a good tent, and there were hangingswhich had been used in some church entertainment in the past to helpmake it sound proof.
They strung through it a few electric bulbs, which would give lightenough. And the lead wire from the aerials, well grounded, was broughtdirectly in from overhead and connected with the radio set.
"I hope that people will patronize the tent generously," Jessie said."We can give a show every hour while the crowd is here."
"What are you going to charge for admission?" Amy asked.
"Momsy says we ought to get a quarter. But ten cents----"
"Ten cents for children, grown folks a quarter," suggested Amy. "Thekids will keep coming back, but the grown folks will come only once."
"That is an idea," agreed Jessie. "But what bothers me is the factthat there are only concerts at certain times. We ought to begingiving the shows early in the afternoon. Of course, the radio is justas wonderful when it brings weather reports and agricultural prices aswhen Toscanini sings or Volburg plays the violin," and she laughed."But----"
"I've got it!" cried her chum, with sudden animation. "Givelectures."
"What! You, Amy Drew, suggesting such a horrid thing? And who willgive the lecture?"
"Oh, this is a different sort of lecture. Tell a little story aboutthe radio, what has already been done with it, and what is expected ofit in the future. I believe you could do it nicely, Jess. That sort oflecture I would stand for myself."
"I suppose somebody has got to attend to the radio and talk about it.I had not thought of that," agreed Jessie. "I'll see what thecommittee say. But me lecture? I never did think of doing that!" sheproclaimed, in no little anxiety.
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