Black-Eyed Susan Part 18

"I like it," said Susan, sniffing vigorously. "The box is pretty, too.

Maybe your mother will give it to you when it is empty."

"I will take this, please," said Letty, with the air of an experienced shopper.

And so easy and so delightful is it to form the habit of spending money that Letty and Susan didn't even blink when they heard the price, "thirty cents."

They moved on, laden with their bundles, their eyes glancing hither and thither as they missed nothing of the gay scene about them. The Fair was now at its height. Every one was either buying or selling or walking about, laughing and talking, and all displaying their purchases in such a holiday mood, that Susan, at least, felt that she had never been in such a festive scene before.

They had halted near the despised ap.r.o.n table when, glancing up, Susan spied above her head a doll made of Turkish toweling.

"Letty," said she, pulling at her friend's dress, "can't we buy that doll for Johnny? I know he would like it, and his old Lolly has a hole in her back."

So Letty, as spokesman and guardian of the pocketbook, bought and paid for the soft little dolly which fortunately proved to cost only ten cents.

Near the ap.r.o.n table was a half-open door which led into the church kitchen. In the kitchen stood the high freezers that supplied the popular ice-cream table, and, busily washing dishes with her back turned to the door, stood hard-working Swedish Mrs. Jansen, who was glad of the money that the church cleaning and any odd jobs might bring to her.

Her little girl Emmy, no older than Letty and Susan, stood at her elbow, ready to act as errand girl. And just at the moment that Susan and Letty caught sight of her, Emmy was in disgrace, for her mother turned angrily upon her and with her hard fingers snipped the sides of her flaxen head.

Then she resumed her dish-washing, and Emmy slunk away to the door, where she stood rubbing her sharp little knuckles in her eyes and peeping out at the gay scene in which she had no part.

"Did you see that?" asked Letty indignantly. "Wasn't that the meanest?"

"Wasn't it?" answered Susan, her eyes round with sympathy. "Let's buy her a present."

Present-buying, if Susan had stopped to think, seemed to be somewhat like running downhill-not so easy at the beginning, but, once started, the simplest thing in the world.

And Letty was of one mind with her.

"Ice-cream," she decided. "And we will watch her eat it."

Glowing with patronage and generosity, and feeling as important as if they were treating a whole orphan asylum, Letty and Susan led the astonished Emmy across the room to the ice-cream table.

"The best ice-cream that you have for ten cents," ordered Letty largely.

And in a few moments they had the pleasure of seeing Emmy devour, in luscious mouthfuls, a large saucer of the pink-and-white frozen sweet.

"When are we going to have ours?" asked Susan, who began to think it would be fully as pleasant to sit down and eat ice-cream herself as to stand with hands full of bundles and watch some one else enjoying the treat.

"Right now," returned Letty, with an air of authority.

She opened the pocketbook as she spoke, but after a glance inside she turned a dismal countenance upon her friend.

"We've spent it," she faltered. "We've spent it all but four cents."

And she held the pocketbook, now woefully empty, so that Susan might see the sad truth for herself.

Susan stared blankly from the pocketbook into Letty's face.

"Won't we have any ice-cream at all, then?" she asked piteously.

Resourceful Letty turned and led the way down the room.

"We will just ask mother for some money," said she airily.

But alas for their plans! The Blackbird Pie was so popular, and both Mrs. Spargo and Miss Lamb were so occupied, that they did not even see Susan and Letty, who tried in vain to gain their attention.

They wandered back to watch Emmy finishing her ice-cream, quite innocent of the fact that her benefactors' feeling toward her had undergone a change.

"Greedy thing," said Letty spitefully. "See how she gobbles."

"She's spilling it," murmured Susan. "Look at her. Even Johnny wouldn't do that."

"Look, look!" gasped Letty. "Did you ever?"

For poor Emmy, to whom ice-cream was a rare treat, had lifted her saucer in both hands and was polishing it off with her little pink tongue, for all the world like a p.u.s.s.y-cat.

"Come along," said Letty impatiently. "We can buy some candy, anyway, with our four cents."

At the candy table another disappointment awaited them. They looked scornfully at the two squares of fudge which was all their four cents would buy for them.

"I never knew anything like it," scolded Letty, with her mouth full.

"You can do a great deal better round the corner from home. It's only a penny a square and much nicer than this."

"Good-evening, young ladies," said a voice over their heads, "I hope you are enjoying the Fair to-night."

The little girls looked up into the face of the new minister, Dr.

Steele, and Susan hastily licked off her finger-tips so that she might shake hands politely, while Letty choked on a large crumb of fudge and burst into a spasm of coughing.

"I hope you are both enjoying the evening," repeated Dr. Steele, pulling out his handkerchief and offering it to Letty, whose eyes were streaming with tears and who had left her handkerchief in her coat pocket. He and Letty were old acquaintances, but it was Susan who answered his question, since Letty was unable to speak.

"We did have a good time," said Susan frankly, "until we spent all our money. But now we aren't having a good time, for our money is all gone and we haven't had a bit of ice-cream; not a bit."

"I'll tell you what it is," burst out Letty, who had recovered her voice. "I think everybody charged us too much for everything, and that is why we haven't any money left."

Dr. Steele's eyes twinkled.

"I have heard that complaint before about church fairs," said he.

"Suppose you show me what you bought, and I will tell you whether I think you have been overcharged."

So Susan and Letty spread their purchases out upon a bench, and Dr.

Steele sat down to look them over.

"The pencil box and the pocketbook were five cents apiece," began Letty.

"But they are all right because Mother sold them to us. Then Susan bought a stocking-darner for her grandmother. Show it to Dr. Steele, Susan. That lady in a blue silk dress made her pay a quarter for it, and I think she asked too much. And she made me pay thirty cents for this present for my mother. I think she ought to give us some of the money back." And Letty shook her head wrathfully at the broad back of a placid, fair-haired lady who stood behind the fancy table.

Dr. Steele glanced at the lady and smothered a laugh. It was his own wife, Mrs. Steele, whom Letty had not recognized without a hat.

Dr. Steele admired both presents and looked at the price tags still tied to them.

"No," said he at last. "They are marked twenty-five and thirty cents. I don't think you were overcharged here. I think you have good value for your money. And you spent ten cents on a doll for the baby, and ten cents to treat a little girl to ice-cream, and four cents on candy for yourselves. No," repeated Dr. Steele soberly, shaking his head, "I think you have proved yourselves excellent shoppers, and that you have spent your money to very good effect. And I now invite both you young ladies to be my guests at the ice-cream table."