Brenda, Her School and Her Club

by Oliver Optic

  XXXI

  THE SHILOH PICNIC

  Miss South and Julia were the leaders in the work of removing the Rosasfrom the city. Julia showed remarkable ability, and the more she had todo the better she seemed to do it. Nor did her lessons suffer because ofthis outside interest. The day of removal was continually changing. Itwas put off from week to week with one feeble excuse or another on thepart of Mrs. Rosa. Miss South was more patient with the poor woman thanwere her young helpers. She realized that the poor woman could not beexpected to appreciate all the advantages to result from the change, andshe sympathized with Mrs. Rosa's reluctance to leave her old neighborsto go among strangers. Indeed it was the end of May before they werereally off. On the Saturday before their departure The Four, and two orthree of the other girls who had been especially interested, went out toShiloh to see the little cottage which had been fitted up for the Rosas.It had only six rooms, and these were not very large, but what fun thegirls had in exploring every nook and corner! Floors and walls had allbeen newly painted,--some in rather bright colors. There were small matsin front of each bed, and one in the centre of the room intended fordining-room, but besides these, there were no floor coverings. Thebedsteads were iron, painted brown, and all the other furniture was ofthe simplest possible style.

  "I am afraid," said Julia, "that Angelina will be disappointed in notfinding a piano; she has an idea that we are considering her educationas much as her mother's health in making this change, and as she happensto be very anxious to take music lessons she will expect some kind of amusical instrument if not a piano."

  "What nonsense!" cried Belle. "Angelina ought to be thankful that shehas not been sent away as a servant. She is certainly old enough to liveout."

  "If it were not for her mother's being so weak, undoubtedly we shouldmake some effort to put her at service. But with all those youngerchildren, for the present Angelina will have sufficient practice inhouse-work, and she is to work every day for a boarding-house keeper; ifthe family stays out here I have a plan that will be of great value notonly to Angelina, but to the rest of them. In fact," concluded MissSouth, "Angelina, if she takes kindly to the scheme, may serve as amodel for a number of other girls at the North End, who stand sadly inneed of such training as she will be able to get in this comfortablehouse."

  "Oh, do tell us about it now," begged Nora, "I know that you have someplan to carry out--Domestic Science--isn't that what you call it,--but Ihaven't the least idea what you really intend to do."

  Miss South smiled at the eagerness which Nora displayed, smiledindulgently, but in reply, said merely,

  "I am afraid that there will hardly be time now, but in the earlyautumn, if there is no opportunity before you go away, I am going tohave a special meeting to which you will all be invited, at which I willtell you of a scheme which with your cooperation as well as that of someother interested persons I hope to carry out next season. There reallyis not time to say much about it now, for Philip and his friends willsoon be here and we must all go to work to prepare our tea."

  Then the girls set to work with a will, and in addition to the deliciousthings sent out in hampers, they prepared several dainty dishes. Many ofthese delicacies were the result of the practice they had had in thecooking class of the past two seasons. Julia set the table with the newdishes that filled Mrs. Rosa's corner closet,--the closet, that is, thatwas to be Mrs. Rosa's. No one criticised the thickness of the cups, northe crudeness of the colors with which the cups and plates weredecorated, for by the time the boys came they were all so hungry thatthey could have eaten and drunk from plates and cups of tin.

  It was rather a picnic supper on the whole, as the table was not largeenough for the group of merry young people who wished to gather aroundit. Some of them, therefore, sat out on the steps, and on the tinylittle piazza at the corner, and laughed and talked in at the top oftheir voices in the intervals between courses. Though each courseconsisted of little more than a sandwich, or a stuffed egg, or a salad,those who in turn took the part of waiters and waitresses served themwith all the pomp that might have had its proper place at a great feast.It was all in fun, and the fun was of the heartiest kind. Then when thesupper was over, boys and girls--the dignified Philip, the serious Will,as well as fun loving Brenda and Nora, set to work with energy, andwashed and wiped dishes, and put things in order, so that the littlehouse showed not the slightest trace of "invasion of the Goths andVandals," as Brenda said, with an unusual correctness of historicalallusion. There was a delightful drive, to wind up the evening, aroundthe borders of the lake which forms one of the attractions of Shiloh,and when just at dark they stepped aboard the train they all declaredthat it was the pleasantest expedition that they had known for--well fora long, long time.

  "If Mrs. Rosa were to take summer boarders, I am sure that I should loveto come out here for a month," said Ruth, "I mean if she only hadn't somany children to fill up the house, so completely."

  "If you were to come," said Will, in an undertone, "I am sure that Ishould wish to spend the summer in Shiloh, too. I made friends with theowner of the omnibus that brought us up, and I rather think that I couldget him to take me in."

  Ruth blushed as Will made this speech, for even she could not helpnoticing the decided preference that he showed for her society. It hadbeen his actions rather than his words that had attracted the attentionof the others, for he seemed in no way afraid of having his preferenceknown. Ruth was neither foolish, nor vain, but she had to admit toherself that Will's little attentive ways were rather gratifying.

  In the cars on the way home, Philip and Julia happened to sit together.Philip was still somewhat conscious in his manner, for he could notforget that he was a sophomore. Yet with Julia he always got oncapitally, and they had really become very good friends.

  "Do you see much of Madame Du Launy now?" he asked. "I hear that you andshe were great friends for a time."

  "Oh, we are now," answered Julia, "only naturally since she and MissSouth have discovered their relationship, I do not go there as often asI did earlier in the spring."

  "Then this story about Miss South is really true, she actually _is_ theold lady's granddaughter!" said Philip. "I heard a lot about it justafter the Bazaar, but in some way I thought that it would prove to be amistake. You know that things like that do not often happen out ofbooks."

  "Oh, this is perfectly true," answered Julia, "and the whole thing isjust as interesting as it can be. It seems very sad that Madame Du Launyshould have lived a lonely life for so long when here was agranddaughter close at hand, and a grandson not so very far away. Shecould have been such a help to them, and they to her."

  "It shows that an old lady can't afford not to know who hergrandchildren are, and where they live," responded Philip, "especiallyif one of them is as pretty and clever as Miss South."

  "Oh, well, there were special reasons in this case," answered Julia.

  "Then doesn't it seem queer," continued Philip, "that you yourselfshould have had the credit all winter of being a poor dependent--isn'tthat what they say in novels? How do you feel now when you know thatevery one knows that you are an heiress?" he concluded, mischievously.

  "Oh, pretty well, I thank you," answered Julia, adopting his tone. "Yousee I never imagined for a moment that people attached any importance tomy having or not having money. Indeed, to be perfectly fair, I cannotsee any change in any one since the discovery was made."

  "Whew!" whistled Philip, "not even in Belle?"

  After a moment of silence, Julia replied, "I do not suppose that underany circumstances Belle and I could ever have been great friends. Ourtastes are so unlike. In the early winter many little things troubledme. I often felt neglected when The Four left me out of their plans,especially while they were working for the Bazaar. But at length Idecided that I ought not to expect Brenda to treat me at once like anintimate friend. I knew that in time she would understand me better, andthis is what has really happened. But Nora and Edith were always so kindto me that
I had a delightful winter."

  "Then pity," said Philip, with a smile, "would be utterly wasted onBrenda's cousin?"

  "It would be utterly wasted on her," replied Julia, cheerfully,"especially since she has been permitted to make a fifth in Brenda'sFour Club."

  THE END

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