by Oliver Optic
XXIV
AN EVENING'S FUN
Mrs. Blair had said that all the preparations for the Bazaar must becompleted on Tuesday, the day before it was to open. She knew the waysof girls too well to think that it would be safe to have anything leftfor Wednesday morning. The flower table, of course had to be arranged onthat day, and some things for the refreshment table. But so definite hadshe been in expressing her wishes, that the girls felt that it was dueher for lending her house to pay all deference to what she said. On theMonday therefore after Easter they went to work with a will to gather inthe promised contributions. There were naturally some disappointments,but on the whole the fancy articles bestowed upon them were numerous andbeautiful, and many were the "ohs and ahs" from the Four and theirassistants, when on Tuesday they fell to the task of opening the parcelsand arranging their contents on the tables. Tuesday was rainy, and atdusk gave little promise of a bright sky for the following day. Brendawas in a tremor of excitement. "Oh, dear, how dreadful if to-morrowshould be stormy! I am sure it will be, and what _shall_ we do?" withgreat emphasis on the "shall."
"Full many a cloudy morning turns out a sunny day," sang Nora, whileEdith patted Brenda on the back and said, "Well, we can't do anything tochange the weather, and we might as well hope for the best. I know thata lot of people will come even if it rains, and perhaps they'll be goodand buy three times as much as they would in fine weather."
Just then Julia came in with the evening paper in her hand. "See, orrather hear the news. Old Probability says, 'clear and fair Wednesday.'Mrs. Blair sent this paper up from the library to cheer you. There was alarge patch of blue in the west when the sun went down----"
"The sun!" exclaimed the others derisively.
"In the place where the sun should have gone down," she responded with asmile. "Why, how well the rooms look! there won't be a thing for theboys to do this evening."
For Philip and Will Hardon and one or two others were to come in theevening to see what they could do to help, and in view of their comingMrs. Blair had invited the girls to stay to dinner.
"Oh, no, there really isn't a thing for them to do, but perhaps whenthey see how hard we have worked they will make up their minds to spendany amount of money to-morrow. I think it's a rather good idea to havethem come to-night, so that they can make a lot of other boys cometo-morrow."
"Boys are not so fond of spending money at fairs, I can tell you that,"said Nora, rather decidedly, "and besides most of them are so much indebt that they haven't anything to spend."
"Oh, well, Philip's friends are not like that," said Belle, rathersharply. "I know several who have more money than they know what to dowith. Some juniors that I know--New York fellows, are coming to-morrowand they will spend a lot of money."
"Gracious!" exclaimed Brenda, "I hope that we have things that will suitthem. It seems to me that most of these things are for girls to use."
"Oh, they can buy things for their sisters and cousins; besides, boyslike pincushions and picture frames and sofa pillows. Oh, I am sure thatwe shall have no trouble getting them to buy all that they can afford,"replied Belle positively.
As a matter of fact when the boys after dinner were ushered into thepretty little ballroom, where the tables laden with fancy goods stood,they expressed great interest in all that they saw, and began to makebids for the things which seemed to them best worth having.
"Look out," cried Nora, "or we may take you at your word, Will Hardon,and make you pay one hundred dollars for that crimson pillow that youadmire so."
"Well, why not?" he enquired, "as long as it is to be in a good cause."
"Oh, no," interrupted the practical Edith, "that would not really befair. Besides, I am sure that we ought not to sell anything untilto-morrow; everybody ought to have an equal chance at the beginning."
"Oh, how silly you are, Edith," broke in Brenda; "as if all the peoplewho come to the Bazaar could be here at the same minute. If any onewants to bid on anything to-night I say that it is perfectly fair."After much discussion, it was at last decided that any one who had agreat preference for any special thing might write his name on a pieceof paper and have it pinned to the object with the limit of price thathe was willing to pay.
"Then you must be willing," said Brenda, "to let us sell the things youhave chosen, if some fussy old person comes along and wishes any ofthese reserved things, and refuses to be contented with anything else."
"But in that case what are _we_ to do?" cried two or three of the boysin chorus.
"Oh, there will be plenty of things that will suit you just as well, ifyou only make up your minds to it."
"Perhaps you'll want me to buy a blue sofa pillow or some other Yalething," sighed Will Hardon.
"Perhaps I shall be driven to take this," moaned Philip, holding up alarge doll dressed in the long embroidered robes of a baby.
All the girls laughed except Edith, who seldom saw the funny side ofthings as quickly as the others.
"Well, you can see yourselves, boys," she said, in a determined tone,"that you ought to be glad to buy whatever is left over,--for youprobably won't get in until toward evening. You can always find some oneto give the things to that you buy."
"This doll?" asked Philip, holding it rather clumsily on his arm.
"Why, of course," said Edith, "we know several children who would bedelighted with it at Christmas."
"No, thank you, sister Edith," responded Philip, "I'm not going to spendmy hard earned allowance in presents for children; if you make me buythis doll, out it goes to a certain room in one of the college buildingsto become a cherished decoration, and," waving the doll dramatically inthe air, "I shall defy any proctor or college authority to tear it awayfrom me."
"Then I hope he may get it," murmured Will Hardon to Ruth Roberts; "Ican't imagine anything that would amuse the fellows more; we'd have tohold open house for a week or two--a regular reception. But you know I'min earnest about that pillow," he added, for he knew, and Ruth knew thathe knew that the down pillow with its rich crimson cover embroideredwith a large "H." was the work of her skilful fingers.
Ruth and Will had met several times since the ball game, and althoughthe Four had not yet discovered it, these two young persons had begun totake considerable interest in each other.
"You wouldn't pay a hundred dollars for it?" queried Ruth.
"If I couldn't get it in any other way, of course I would, and besidesit would be worth much more to me."
This was not entirely an idle boast, this readiness to spend a large sumof money for a small thing--on the part of Will, as Philip and some ofhis classmates might have testified. Although very quiet in his way ofliving, and in his general conversation, he had a larger income thanmany in his set. His own tastes were simple, and though he naturallyspent more than the average undergraduate, in accordance with the habitof the set to which he belonged, he still had enough to spend on others,and more than one of his less fortunate classmates had reason to thankhim for what he had done for him. No one knew of his liberality exceptthose whom he helped, for he had not the least wish to pose as abenefactor.
Now Ruth, while pleased at his wish for the cushion had no idea that hewould, if necessary, pay a hundred dollars for it.
"If you really wish to have it, I'll try to secure it for you," shesaid. "I am sure there won't be any trouble, although I suppose that itcan't be laid aside to-night, as long as Edith feels as she does."
"Very well," answered Will, "I'll trust to you, for I really do want itvery much."
"Come," cried Brenda, rushing up to them, "you are not doing a thing,you two."
"Well, the rest of you seemed so busy that we thought we should only bein the way," said Will with the glibness that is almost second naturewith youths of his age, "but we're ready to work now," and they wentacross the room to the surprise table where half a dozen of theirfriends were busy. The "surprise table" had been an idea of Belle's, andwas a rather agreeable change from the usual grab-bag. All kinds oflittle th
ings--toys, novelties, like those used as German favors, smallbooks and photographs, were neatly done up in bright tissue paperwrappings, and tied with silk ribbons. They were heaped on a largetable, and purchasers were permitted to buy each little package at theirown price, provided at least, according to a sign placed above thetable, that no bid should be for less than fifteen cents. Nora was tohave charge of this table, and she expected to have a great deal of funout of the misfits between the purchasers and the parcels.
Altogether the preparations for the Bazaar had moved along much moresmoothly than any one had expected. It is true that the various mothersof the girls comprising "The Four" had said that they would be gladenough when it was all over, because for a fortnight it had beenimpossible to get the girls to think of anything else. Yet each of thesemothers saw a compensation for the excitement of this last week or twoin the fact that her daughter had shown more perseverance than she hadgiven her credit for. Mrs. Barlow was especially pleased with the goodspirit that her niece Julia had shown, for it would have been so easyand natural for her at the last to display a little pettishness in theway of a refusal to have anything to do with the Bazaar in view of thefact that she had not been invited to join "The Four" at their weeklymeetings for work.
But Julia was not one to show this kind of resentment, and since she hadbecome interested in Manuel she was only too glad to help the Bazaarthat was to benefit him. At her aunt's suggestion she had made it herspecial duty to collect flowers and plants for the flower table, andarmed with notes of introduction from Mrs. Barlow she had gone to many asupposedly close person to ask for some small contribution to the flowertable. Her success had been altogether remarkable, and in addition tothe cut flowers that were to arrive on Wednesday, a great many beautifulpotted plants and vines had been sent in from various conservatories forgeneral decorations.
The only real work for the boys who had come to assist, consisted inmoving some of these heavy plants about to places between the mirrors,or near the flower table where they would be most effective. The workdid not, of course, proceed very rapidly, for every one in the group offifteen or more had to give an opinion on everything, and a unanimousopinion as to what looked best in any particular case was naturallyimpossible.
The large room was so handsome as to require comparatively littledecoration. The long mirrors with which every side was paneled formed acomplete decoration in themselves, and added to the generaleffectiveness, as Brenda said by making the tables "look double."
Now if the boys did not find a great deal of work to do they were veryoutspoken in their admiration for all that had been accomplished by thegirls.
"Well, if other people will only be as much impressed as you are, andwill open their purses accordingly, we shall have nothing to complainof," said Nora, "and I hope that you will all come back and buyeverything that is left over by to-morrow evening."
"Can't we have first choice of anything?" queried Tom Hurst, a mischiefloving friend of Philip's whom some of the girls distrusted a little.
"No," answered Nora, sternly, "you must not be so selfish. There may beold ladies who will want----"
"Do you suppose that any old lady will want that tobacco pouch?" askedTom, with a most innocent expression on his face.
"She might," answered Nora, with a very dignified manner. "She might ifshe had a son who was fond of smoking, at any rate she ought to havefirst choice."
"Well, then," replied Tom, "I don't believe that I shall return, for Iam not sure that I ought to patronize an institution that encourages oldladies to buy tobacco pouches."
"They're more harmless for old ladies than for Harvard undergraduates,"said another of the girls seriously, whereat two or three of the boyspulled cigarette cases out of their pockets, and said, "Wouldn't yourather have us use tobacco pouches than smoke these unwholesomecigarettes?"
"You shouldn't use tobacco at all," cried Edith in a plaintive tone, "atyour age, Philip, you know how mamma feels about it."
"Don't be a goose, Edith," retorted Philip, "unless you want us to stayaway to-morrow. Anyway it's time we started for Cambridge, we're notused to late hours." At this the rest of the boys laughed rather moreloudly than the occasion seemed to warrant, but with a return of goodmanners they bade the girls good-bye, and promised Mrs. Blair, who hadreturned to the room that they would certainly drop in some time onWednesday.
"Don't forget your promise to me," said Will Hardon in an undertone ashe shook hands with Ruth, and Ruth promised not to forget. Ruth and oneother girl were to spend the night with Julia and Brenda, so as to beready early in the morning, and the rest of the assistants started offin a large group attended by one of Mrs. Blair's servants, for none ofthem had very far to walk.
"It certainly does look as if it might clear up," said Belle to Nora, asthey walked along.
"Yes, indeed," answered Nora, "there are as many as twenty stars to beseen, and that is almost a sure sign. Some people believe that it willbe fine the next day if you can count nine stars the night before."