Rain.

Rain.

Rain.

“It’s beastly,” said Alice, with her nose pressed to the window-pane, watching the cold drifting downpour.

“Let’s go in and see if the others are awake.”

So Frieda put on her heavy leather slippers, lined with figured satin and edged with fur, and a very bunchy bathrobe, and followed Alice’s kimonoed figure across the wide corridor to Catherine’s room.

They pushed the door softly open and entered.

Then they exchanged glances of mischief. Dr. Helen did not believe in girls sleeping two in a bed, but Alice had found the big mahogany bed in the guest-room lonely, and Frieda had found the cot narrow; so they had made a law for themselves and slept together; and here, in Catherine’s four-poster, were also two heads, one auburn and one brown.

272“Wake up, you two!” said Alice, tickling Hannah’s plump cheek, while Frieda tweaked the pink bow from Catherine’s bronze braids.

“Time to take off your pink bow, dear. It’s daylight and it looks worse than goldenrod with red ribbon.”

“Ouch! You needn’t have given that last yank. I’m awake. Hannah!”

Hannah sighed and turned over. “Don’t bother me,” she said. “I didn’t get to sleep last night until this morning.”

“Why aren’t you in your own room and bed?” asked Frieda severely.

“I’ll wager you two slept together, yourselves,” said Catherine. “O, Hannah, do wake up! It’s raining!”

“Yes, that’s what we came to tell you,” said Alice. “We’ve just been watching it wash away our beautiful moonlight picnic.”

Hannah sat up and looked out.

“Isn’t it beastly?” she remarked.

“I should call it foul,” said Catherine, beginning to comb out her great braids.

“Why not fish-ous?” suggested Alice mischievously, whereupon Hannah pitched a pillow at her.

“Ow! Look out for my glasses!”

“Well, don’t make such flat puns then. I believe you sleep with your glasses on. How funny they must look staring away in the dark. There goes 273 the rising-bell. I’ll beat every one of you to breakfast.”

Dr. Helen was not sorry to see the rain. An all afternoon picnic, with the evening and a late-rising moon added, did not seem to her a wise plan for the day before going back to college,–“though I do dislike putting a damper on your pleasure,” she said at breakfast.

“There’s a damper on this one,” sighed Catherine. “Alice has not been up the river yet, and the other girls haven’t been to one real Boat Club picnic. Mother!” and an inspired look came into Catherine’s eyes, “why couldn’t we have our picnic in the library instead? It would be as appropriate a way to end this summer as on the river, and this is one of the closed evenings. Don’t you think we could?”

The other girls held their breath with eagerness, while Dr. Helen considered.

“I don’t see any objection,” she said presently. “I suppose that would be more fun than having them all come here?”

“O, heaps more,” cried Hannah. “It would be the jolliest kind of a lark.”

“Would the Board be willing?” suggested Alice.

“I’m sure of that,” said Catherine. “Algernon will be the hardest to persuade, for he feels as though the library were almost holy ground, but I’ll interview him at once.”

The telephone was kept busy for the next half-hour; 274 by its means everything was arranged, and every one notified, and the girls went to work making preparations for the supper. Polly and Dot came over in the afternoon and the time slipped quickly by, trunk-packing and sandwich-making being mingled in what seemed to the doctor, some of the time, an almost hopeless jumble. At last the sounds of talk and laughter and running up and down stairs ceased. The boys had arrived to carry baskets, and a rain-coated procession tramped gayly off, waving good-bys now and then to the two doctors standing in the window.

“It hardly seems as though Catherine could be the same girl,” said her father. “She is so eager and full of fun.”

“But she keeps her quaint sweet dignity all the same,” answered Dr. Helen softly. “She will never lose her characteristic charm, and it is such a comfort to have her well enough to wish to eat a cold supper in that bare little room!”

“Can’t they heat the place?” asked Dr. Harlow sharply.

“O, yes,” his wife assured him, “and they have all solemnly promised me to dry their skirts as soon as they get there! Hannah always contrives to get into puddles.”

“She’s not much changed,” chuckled the little doctor. “Her language is as funny now and then as Frieda’s. She told me they were going to 275 relegate themselves on watermelon this evening!”

“It was a fortunate day for us when Catherine found her,” and Dr. Helen’s eyes smiled, as they always did when Hannah’s image came before her mind. “And, do you know, I am very much pleased with Alice. She has the honestest eyes, and her manners are as unconscious and simple as can be. I should like to see her mother.”

“Father’s not so important, of course! But I agree with you, she’s the true blue sort. It’s Frieda for me, though. Of all inscrutable countenances, hers is the most. I believe she is, on the whole, the most unforeseen young person I have ever had dealings with, and in whatever direction she may choose to let herself out, in the future, she will do something interesting, or ‘I shall astonish’!”

At which quotation from the young lady in question, they both laughed, and went out to their own supper, not at all sorry to have a quiet evening alone.

It was not a quiet evening in the little library. Behind the drawn shades, the boys and girls were busy spreading the long reading-table with a white cloth, setting out upon it the motley collection of plates, cups and silver ware which came out of the various picnic baskets, and an equally motley, but very appetizing, array of good things to eat. Winifred had laden Max with a chafing-dish, all legs and handles, he declared, and with this at one end, 276 Bess’ little copper teakettle at the other, Dorcas’ asters for centerpiece and Polly’s red-shaded candles at accurate intervals between, the whole effect was “very festival,” as Frieda said admiringly.

As a finishing touch, Bertha and Algernon, official hosts, walked around the table laying typewritten catalog cards at each place.

The others swarmed around instantly, examining and commenting.

“Cunning!” “Real library place cards!” “What a pretty idea!” “But what do they mean?”

Algernon and Bertha only laughed.

“No one can sit down till he has found his proper place,” said Algernon sternly. “This is a well-conducted library!”

“They all have the same number,” cried Bert. “I’m on to that. See! It’s the date, fixed up to look like the mystic symbols they mark the books with. 190.9 Se 16. September 16th, 1909. That’s so much, gained. Now some of you others can figure out the rest. I’ve done my share.”

The others wandered around the table, picking up the cards and laying them down again.

“Brightness, or Beauty,” read Polly, disgustedly. “Imagine any one of us owning up to that! Of course, we all know we have them both, but who is going to claim them?”

“It’s going to be a conflict between modesty and hunger soon, I can see that,” said Archie.

277“Peace and Purity are all well enough. If I could find a half-way sort like Perfect Honesty or Genius, I’d stop there! What’s this? Bright Raven! I tell you, it’s a game, made out of book titles. But I’ll be jiggered if I ever heard of one of them.”

“I never did, either,” said Dorcas, shortly. “They must have hunted around in very queer places to find things that none of us know. Star of the Sea, though, does sound familiar. Isn’t it one of Tennyson’s?”

Bertha choked and turned away, avoiding Algernon’s eye.

“Hurry up, and find yours, the rest of you,” said Tom suddenly, “I’m fixed and I’m ready to eat.”

Every one pounced upon him, to discover that he had chosen to install himself at a place marked The Whiskered One.

“I’m the only fellow here who ever wore a mustache,” he said, “so it’s plain, though rather far-fetched.”

“It’s not your place, though, Tom, truly,” said Bertha. “I’m afraid we’ll have to help. The librarian always does help stupid people.”

“We won’t ask him, though! If you two were bright enough to make these cards, we’ll figure out the meanings or go without our supper,” said Polly decisively, and the girls echoed her, though the boys groaned, and Max helped himself to a sandwich.

278“Now, listen,” said Polly. “I’m president of this club, and I call you all to order. I’ll read the cards, one after another and you must all think, and perhaps we’ll be able to get on to the system–I mean, to understand it.”

Every one struck an attitude and waited while Polly walked up one side of the table and down the other, reading aloud in order:

When she had finished, there was a moment’s silence and then everybody but Hannah burst out laughing.

With a little “O!” she flew across the room to the big dictionary, and opening it toward the back, dropped on her knees before it.

279“I have it!” she cried joyfully. “I used to study and study the meanings of names when I was a youngster, and here they are. Mine means Grace and I know where I’m going to sit, and the rest of you can find out in a minute.”

The long delayed supper was at last eaten, and sitting idly around the table, with watermelon rinds before them, the young people talked over the summer which seemed already closed.

“We’ve accomplished a lot, haven’t we?” said Polly. “I’m really proud of the Boat Club this year. It never used to stand for anything but its own fun before, but from now on it will be a recognized factor in Winsted life.”

“Bully for you, Polly!” said Bert. “I never heard any one say ‘factor’ offhand like that. It’s one of the words I’ve always held sacred to special topics and theses and such.”

“Like ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’?” asked Polly. “I always feel about those as the old lady did about her pies, after she labelled them T. M.”

“What did she label them like that for?” asked Frieda, leaning forward from her seat between Winifred and Archie.

“O, dear,” sighed Bert in mock despair. “Frieda has made us explain all the old jokes we knew this summer, and I don’t see how that one was overlooked. Did you ever hear the riddle about when a door is not a door, Frieda?”

280“Yes,” said Frieda good-naturedly. “It was in an English book I learned. There was a whole chapter on riddles, and the answers were printed upside down!”

“That dear Edith and Mary book!” cried Hannah. “Such a fine lot of riddles as there were! I think you and I ought to give a copy of that book to the library, Frieda!”

“That reminds me,” exclaimed Algernon. “We have had gifts to-day. I saved them to tell you when you should all be listening, for they came to us through our honorary members, the Wide-Awakes.”

“Hear!” “Hear!” shouted Max, but Polly rapped the meeting to order. Alice and Hannah and Catherine and Frieda looked puzzled, and the others interested, as Algernon went on.

“Mr. Kittredge told me to-day that they had voted to give the Sunday-school library books to us, as he thought the public library much more important than theirs, and they wanted to help all they could, following the good example of several of the Sunday-school teachers. That’s a compliment to Dorcas and Catherine, both. So that’s one of the four ‘notorious Wide-Awakes,’ as Mr. Graham calls them. And then a Mr. Tracy came in with his arms full of boxes, and said that his wife had been ill here at the hotel for some weeks, and she had amused herself during her convalescence 281 with working on picture puzzles; now she was well and going away, she did not want to take them with her, and, as the Winsted Library had been a great help to her, she would like to give them these six or seven puzzles, to be loaned to people like books. She said she thought a small library like this where the librarian knew every one personally, could easily handle such a department, for convalescents and lonely old people. Pictures and games and all such things might be included, to be loaned at the librarian’s discretion, only.”

“What a good idea!” cried Polly, “but how do the Wide-Awakes come in on that?”

“Just this way. Mrs. Tracy said that if we would let her name the collection, she would be glad to add to it from time to time. And when we consented, as, of course, we did, she said she wanted it called The Hannah Eldred Department.”

“Three cheers for Mrs. Tracy!” shouted Bert, and Max sprang to his feet and led off with a right good will. Then followed cheers for Hannah, for Catherine, for the Wide-Awakes and the Boat Club. When the noise subsided, Algernon took the floor again.

“That’s not all, either! You know, most of you, that Frieda started the German part of the library, giving some books and an invaluable list; but none of you know what Miss Prescott told me a day or two ago. It is a secret, but I think she will let me 282 tell it now, just for completeness, won’t you, Miss Prescott?”

Alice blushed and smiled.

“If you really wish, but I don’t like to be thanked for what is only a promise as yet.”

“Never mind about that. It will be more than a promise soon. Miss Prescott does very clever designing, and she heard me lamenting the fact that we have no book-plate for the library, and most kindly offered to furnish one.”

“I’ll submit it to my teacher in designing,” said Alice shyly, “and then Mr. Swinburne will present it to the Board to accept or reject as they see fit. You’re not bound to take it, but I did want to help along somehow!”

“We ought to do that cheering all over again,” said Archie, “but I move you, Madam President, that Miss Lange and Miss Prescott consider themselves specially included in the yells of a moment ago, and that the meeting proceed to sing the Boat Club song.”

The passers-by, if there had been any, must have wondered at the joyous burst of song that followed this remark. As a matter of fact, however, there were no passers-by at all. The rain had washed the streets clear, and the corner lights, glimmering faintly through the wet, fell on one figure only.

Standing before the library window, holding a great cotton umbrella over his head, and peering 283 patiently through a crack between the casing and the shade, was a small boy, in an overcoat several sizes too large for him.

Agnes’ seat was near the window. Suddenly she saw a small nose and an inquiring eye pressed against the crack.

“Look!” she said, and all eyes followed her gesture.

Bert sprang to open the door and drag the dripping little figure in. Polly and Catherine quickly took off the great coat and shut the vast umbrella. Then they drew the little chap to the table, where Bertha had a plate of goodies ready for him.

“Attention, everybody!”

Max sprang to his feet.

“Sing to the air of the Boat Club Song:

“Do it again!” cried Elsmere, brandishing a fork and making Bertha dodge, “Give a cheer, Elsmere! Boat Club stomach! Give a cheer!”