By fifteen minutes past three the next day, Algernon and Catherine had definitely decided that Winsted was to have a library, and that they were to devote their own energies to the cause and persuade as many as possible of their acquaintances to join them.

“The Boat Club will go in for it as a committee of the whole,” said Algernon.

“The Three R’s will be interested,” said Catherine, “though it is not Rest, Recreation or Refreshment!”

“And all the churches.”

“And the school teachers.”

“And there are Miss Ainsworth’s novels.”

“Algernon, how perfectly splendid! Do you suppose she would let us have them?”

“I don’t see why not. They simply stand there, never opened. She can’t any more than refuse. I’ll ask her.”

“And I’ll go with you. Let’s do it right this minute.”

16As she spoke, Catherine sprang up, and Algernon, his usual inertia overcome, plunged down the walk beside her.

“We must find a good place for it, before we get many books collected. We could use Father’s twenty-five dollars for rent, of course, but it would be so much nicer if some one would give us a room.”

“Let me see. There’s that little frame shop where the red-haired milliner used to be. We might get that. It’s no good for business, away off up the street that way.”

“Be careful what you say about red hair,” warned Catherine. “Who owns the building?”

“Judge Arthur. He’s a public-spirited man. He’ll let us have it cheap anyway.”

“Good! O, I am so happy and excited about it I feel like one of Hannah Eldred’s squeals; I’m afraid if she were here I’d join her in one. Here we are at Miss Ainsworth’s. Are you sure we dare ask her?”

Before the prim white house set back from the street, Catherine’s buoyancy suffered a collapse. She had been inside that house, calling, with her mother, but to go there–or anywhere–on a begging errand! Here Algernon’s long familiarity with rebuffs proved of value.

“Of course, we dare. Come on, or I’ll go alone if you don’t want to.”

17“No, no, I’ll come,” Catherine answered hastily. She had counted, without conceit, on her own popularity to offset Algernon’s handicap. The daughter of the Doctors Smith could not be turned coldly away. And after all, Miss Ainsworth’s novels might better be read than standing idle. Two years ago, a young bicyclist had sprained an ankle at Miss Ainsworth’s door, and she had promptly taken him in and cared for him, scornfully refusing pay. Therefore the youth, upon returning to his home, had sent out to her a great box full of modern fiction, an article which he had deeply and vainly desired while under her roof. Miss Ainsworth had never been given to the reading of novels. Her life had been quite too busy for such frivolities, and now her eyes were making it impossible for her to read without using glasses, which, as a confession of frailty, she despised. So the books stood, new and unopened, in a fascinating row upon the “secretary” shelf. No one so far had ventured to ask for them. It had been reserved for these young adventurers to demand them in the name of public spirit.

“We will have your name put inside them, Miss Ainsworth, on a neat little card,–‘Gift of Miss Anna Ainsworth,’ you know. Just as they do in large libraries,” Catherine explained persuasively, when Algernon had stated the object of their call, and Miss Ainsworth was regarding them in a silence which they took to be ominous.

18“And your name will go down in the records with Dr. Smith’s as one of the first contributors to the library. We intend to keep very full records and have them buried under the corner stone of the new building when we get it. We hope to get a Carnegie building, you know,” Algernon went on calmly while Catherine caught her breath. “He always insists that the townspeople do their share.”

“The young people will use the library if we have good novels,” Catherine put in helpfully, when Algernon’s imagination showed signs of exhaustion. “And then we can get them to reading more serious books by and by.”

Then Catherine too, subsided, and the clock behind its painted glass door ticked obtrusively. Presently Miss Ainsworth opened her thin lips.

“I’m perfectly willin’ ’t you should have the books,” she said grimly. “They ain’t no manner o’ use to me, and never was. I don’t care to have my name wrote inside ’em, though. And I ain’t perticular about havin’ it buried under any corner stones. But I’ll be much obliged if you’ll take ’em away soon, for I’ve just subscribed to a set of me-mores of missionaries an agent was sellin’ yesterday, and I’d like that top shelf to put ’em on.”

The enthusiasts, feeling a trifle quenched, but yet pleased at having accomplished their purpose, rose and withdrew with what grace they could 19 summon, mingling thanks with promises to remove the undesired literature as soon as possible.

“Now for Judge Arthur and the building,” sighed Catherine, as they reached the street again. “He can’t be any more gloomy about it than she was, and maybe he’ll do what we want.”

The judge was not in his office, so they sat down to wait in the stuffy room where dusty books and papers sprawled and spilled over desk, table and the top of a big black safe. Algernon attached himself to a grimy magazine, having first jotted down Miss Ainsworth’s gift in his ever-present note-book. Catherine, looking about her, soon found herself unable to restrain her housewifely fingers. She was busily sweeping the dust off the big table with a dilapidated feather duster, and putting the papers into trim piles when the door opened and Judge Arthur, little and weazened and gray, slipped softly in.

“There!” said Catherine half aloud. “That is infinitely better. I wish I dared throw half of these papers away. I know they’re perfectly worthless.” She took a step toward the big wire basket, as though to bring it conveniently near.

“Not to-day, Miss Catherine,” and the judge took her hand and bowed over it. “Is this what they teach you at college?”

Catherine laughed. She had never been afraid of Judge Arthur.

20“They teach us all the womanly graces, Your Honor,” she answered, “and not least among them is tidiness. I should have had you looking beautifully neat in another five minutes.”

Judge Arthur shivered. “And you would doubtless have made a bonfire of this,” picking up one dog’s-eared document, “old Mr. Witherton’s will; and this, a deed to an estate; and this, a bit of important evidence in a criminal case.”

“Well,” Catherine argued, “they shouldn’t be left about so carelessly, under paper-weights and ash-trays. I do want to do some housecleaning for you, Judge Arthur. That’s why I’m here this afternoon. Not just an office, either, but a whole building.”

The judge placed a chair for her, dusting it elaborately with Mr. Witherton’s will as he did so.

“Tell me all about it,” he invited.

Catherine took the chair, her fresh white gown contrasting as sharply with its shabby leather as her warm youth did with the judge’s withered look. He watched her with keen, appreciating eyes. Algernon in his corner read on, and Catherine thought best not to disturb him. Men found it harder to meet Algernon on fair ground than women did.

The judge asked a pertinent question or two as Catherine unfolded the great scheme; then he drew a check-book from under a broken-backed dictionary.

21“There is another twenty-five for your project,” he said, as he signed his name with a flourish surprisingly big for so cramped a little man; “and the room is at your disposal for six months, rent free. I would have it cleaned, but you seem to delight in doing such work yourself. I can assure you that the Three R’s will back you up. The next meeting is called for a week from to-day.”

Catherine’s face wore its blithest smile. “You are a dear to do so much,” she declared. “I was sure you’d be interested. If you ever want any cleaning done, anywhere, please let me do it!”

Algernon had to be aroused almost forcibly, and Catherine carried him away, still so lost in the article on the jury system he had been reading that he could not quite take in the wonderful success of the call. He followed Catherine’s eager steps to the little square frame building a few blocks up Main Street, and turned the key she gave him. It was a dingy little room, all dirt and cobwebs. A few old straw hats and wire frames piled among some big green boxes indicated the last occupant’s business, and a scurrying of tiny feet, only too clearly, the present occupants’ nature. Catherine lifted her nose in dainty scorn, and her skirts in private apprehension.

“We shall have to get a lot of girls and come down here to-morrow and clean up; but let’s get out for now,” she said, and Algernon consented.

22They strolled along the street till they came to the little park, and there, sitting on its one green bench, talked over their list of assets.

“I keep having ideas all the time,” cried Catherine. “Listen! We must go over to Hampton and visit the library there, and find out how they do things. When can you?”

“Any time. I was just thinking I must ask Mr. Morse to give us a good write-up.”

“Of course. He’ll be interested. Let’s go over now. Or perhaps you’d better go alone. I don’t know him, and I never was in a newspaper office.”

“Afraid of the devil?” jested Algernon, getting up and leaving her. Catherine watched him disappear into the office across the street.

“He walks better already,” she thought with pride. “And he never made such a frivolous remark as that before. I do think this library will be the making of Algernon.”

Back he came in a minute or two, with a promise of plenty of space in the Courier, and a free atlas.

“One they had in the office, of course; but we ought to have one, and every little helps. He was awfully interested and said it would be a fine thing for the town, and he’d boost every way he could.”

“Aren’t people lovely?” sighed Catherine rapturously. “I believe even Miss Ainsworth was more enthusiastic than she appeared to be. And we haven’t even mentioned it to the Boat Club yet.”

23“Or the Three R’s. They are chiefly Boat Club fathers and mothers.”

“We must see the school superintendent.”

“The ministers will announce it in the churches.”

“Yes, we must see them to-morrow. O dear, I am so tired! What time is it anyway?”

Algernon drew a big watch from his pocket.

“Six-fifteen.”

Catherine started up in horror.

“O! And I forgot all about helping with supper. What will mother think?”

Algernon watched her hasten away up the hill, and turned toward his own home with some anxiety. He had to coax his mother to take an interest in the new undertaking, and wished the operation over, but he squared his shoulders and determined to do his best and do it that very evening.

Catherine, for her part, spent the evening discussing the plan with her already sympathetic mother.

“It almost takes my breath away, Mother dear,” she confided as they sat on the porch in the dusk, watching the fireflies, “the way people fall in with suggestions. It didn’t occur to me before that I could start things going. But at college I had only to see that something should be done, and then to say so; and it almost always was done. And I was more surprised than anybody!”

Dr. Helen smiled, and put out her hand to stroke Catherine’s head, which rested on her knee.

24“They were pretty good ideas, I judge.”

“They were perfectly simple ones. Just little things like having the mail-boxes assigned alphabetically, instead of by the numbers of the rooms. It saved the mail girls a lot of work, and Miss Watkins was glad of the suggestion. I helped Alice sort mail, you know,–she does it to help pay her way. And then the little notices on the bulletin board were always getting lost under the big ones, and I was on a Students’ committee and often had notices to post, and I got them to make a rule that all notices should be written on a certain size sheet, and the board looks much neater now. And then there weren’t any door-blocks. Aunt Clara told me that they had them at Vassar, little pads hanging outside your door, with a pencil attached, and if you are out, your callers leave their messages, you know. It seemed as though we needed something like that, for some of us don’t like walking into people’s rooms, and hunting around for paper. So I started that, and they all took it up in no time. They were only little things, but it was remembering a lot of little things like that that made me dare try to get the library. It’s what we need, and I do believe it’s going to come easily.”

“Mr. Kittredge asked me to-day if I thought you would take the infant class in the Sunday-school for the summer. Mrs. Henley is to be away. I told him I’d ask you.” Dr. Helen waited.

25Catherine was silent a moment.

“Do you know, Mother, it seems as though you just get started doing one thing and you see another one ahead of you. If I am going around asking every one to help the library, I don’t see how I can refuse to help when I’m asked! But I never did teach anybody. Who is in the class?”

“I asked him that. He says some of the children are rather old for it, but the school is too small, or rather the teachers are too few, to make another class. So the ages run from the Osgood twins–”

“O, Peter and Perdita! I do love them. They are such a droll little pair. I beg your pardon, dear. I didn’t mean to interrupt. From Peter and Perdita to–to Elsmere, possibly?”

Dr. Helen laughed. “Exactly! Could you undertake Elsmere?”

Catherine sat up straight. “Yes, I could. Elsmere is unlucky, just as Algernon is. Everybody expects to be bored by Algernon and bothered or shocked by Elsmere. I know he is a little ‘limb o’ Satan,’ but if I’m going to take one brother on my shoulders, I might as well take them both. When does Mr. Kittredge want me to begin?”

“Not this week. You can go and see Mrs. Henley and talk it over with her. You’re showing a fine public spirit, Daughter mine, but let me suggest that you really can’t do much work for the town this summer, especially if you expect to entertain 26 guests! I don’t approve of vacations that are busier than the school year!”

“O, the library won’t take long to start, if it starts at all. And Algernon will run it and his being busy will give me several extra hours weekly! And the children will only be Sundays. I promised Alice I’d do some Bible study this summer, anyway, and it might as well be done for that. She thought I was something of a heathen because I knew Shakespeare better than the Bible.”

“That only means you know Shakespeare very well, however. By the way, would you like that little old set in the guest-room for your library? I put it there, because there wasn’t a shelf free anywhere else, and we are rather overstocked with the gentleman’s writings in the rest of the house. Clara Lyndesay laughed at finding them there. She says she is going to write an essay some day on guest-room literature, and its implications.”

Catherine laughed, too. “It would be delicious if she did. I wish she would write things, Mother, and not just paint pictures. Do you suppose there’s any hope of her coming back to this country this summer?”

“I shouldn’t be greatly surprised. She plans to spend some weeks on the Isle of Wight, and that is so near this side that perhaps we can lure her over. An aunt left her a place in New England, you know, which she means to fit up for a studio 27 sometime. Father should be coming home now. Let’s go down to the corner and see if we can see him. O, my daughter!” as Catherine sprang up and took her mother’s arm, “how you have grown beyond me!”

“It’s just my head that’s above you,” said Catherine, tucking her mother’s arm into her own. “It’s the fashion nowadays for girls to be taller than their mothers, but they don’t begin to come up to them in mind and manners. Miss Eliot told us so in History!”

“How about their hearts?” asked Dr. Helen.

“I don’t know about the other girls’, but my heart is just as high as my mother’s!” And Catherine bent her head the least little bit, and kissed her mother’s cheek, as Dr. Harlow, turning the corner, met them.