 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information and to find out how you can volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Kim Zuckert, Tales of the Brass, Hedgehog, Hedgehog.net Understood Betsy, by Dorothy Canfield. Chapter 6. If you don't like conversation in a book, skip this chapter. Betsy opened the door and was greeted by her kitten, who ran to her, purring and arching her back to be stroked. Well, said Aunt Abigail, looking up from the pan of apples in her lap, I suppose you're starved, aren't you? Get yourself a piece of bread and butter, why don't you, and have one of these apples. As the little girl sat down by her, munching fast on this provinder, she asked, What desk did you get? Elizabeth Ann thought for a moment, cuddling Eleanor up to her face. I think it is the third one from the front in the second row. She wondered why Aunt Abigail cared. Oh, I guess that's your Uncle Henry's desk. It's the one his father had, too. Are there a couple of HPs carved on it? Betsy nodded. His father carved the HP on the lid, so Henry had to put his inside. I remember the winter he put it there. It was the first season mother let me wear real hoop skirts. I sat in the first seat on the third row. Betsy ate her apple more and more slowly, trying to take in what Aunt Abigail had said. Uncle Henry and his father. Why, Moses or Alexander the Great didn't seem any further back in the mists of time to Elizabeth Ann than did Uncle Henry's father. And to think he had been a little boy right there at that desk. She stopped chewing altogether for a moment and stared into space. Although she was only nine years old, she was feeling a little of the same rapt wonder, the same astonished sense of the reality of the people who have gone before, which make a first visit to the Roman Forum such a thrilling event for grown-ups. That very desk. After a moment she came to herself, finding some apple still in her mouth, went on chewing meditatively. Aunt Abigail, she said, how long ago was that? Let's see, said the old woman, peeling apples with wonderful rapidity. I was born in 1844 and I was six when I first went to school, that's sixty-six years ago. Elizabeth Ann, like all little girls of nine, had very little notion how long sixty-six years might be. Was George Washington alive then? She asked. The wrinkles around Aunt Abigail's eyes deepened mirthfully, but she did not laugh as she answered. No, that was long after he died, but the schoolhouse was there when he was alive. It was? said Betsy, staring with her teeth set deep in an apple. Yes indeed, it was the first house in the valley built of sod lumber. You know, when our folks came up here they had to build all their houses out of logs to begin with. They did, cried Betsy, with her mouth full of apple. Why, yes child, what else do you suppose they had to make houses out of? They had to have something to live in right off, the sawmills came later. I didn't know anything about it, said Betsy, tell me about it. Why, you knew didn't you, your Aunt Harriet, must have told you about how our folks came up here from Connecticut in 1763 on horseback? Connecticut was an old settled place then compared to Vermont. There wasn't anything here but trees and bears and wood pigeons. I've heard him say that the wood pigeons were so thick you could go out after dark and club them out of the trees just like hands roosted in a head house. There was always cold pigeon pie in the pantry, just the way we have donuts. And they used bear grease to grease their boots and their hair, bears were so plenty. Sounds like good eatin' donut. But of course that was just at first. It got quite settled up before long and by the time of the revolution bears were gettin' pretty scourced and soon the wood pigeons were all gone. And the schoolhouse, the schoolhouse where I went today, was that built then? Elizabeth Ann found it hard to believe. Yes, it used to have a great big chimney and fireplace in it. It was built long before stoves were invented, you know. Why, I thought stoves were always invented, cried Elizabeth Ann. This was the most startling and interesting conversation she had ever taken part in. Aunt Abigail laughed. Mercy, no child, but I can remember when only folks that were pretty well off had stoves and real poor people still cooked over a hearthfire. I always thought it a pity they tore down the big chimney and fireplace out of the schoolhouse and put in that big ugly stove. But folks are so daft over new fangled things. Well anyhow, they couldn't take away the sundial on the windowsill. You want to be sure to look at that. It's on the sill of the middle window on the right hand as you face the teacher's desk. Sundial, repeated Betsy, what's that? Why to tell the time? Why didn't they have a clock? asked the child. Aunt Abigail laughed. Good gracious. There was only one clock in the valley for years and years and that belonged to the wardens, the rich people in the village. Everybody had sundials cut in their windowsills. What a sill of our pantry this minute. Come on, I'll show you. She got up heavily with her pan of apples and trotted briskly, shaking the floor as she went over to the stove. But first just watch me put these on to cook so you'll know how. She set the pan on the stove, poured some water from the teakettle over the apples and put on a cover. Now come on into the pantry. They entered a sweet-smelling, spicy little room, all white paint and shelves which were loaded with dishes and boxes and bags and pans and milk and jars of preserves. There, said Aunt Abigail, opening the window, that's not so good as the one at school. This one only tells when noon is. Elizabeth Ann stared stupidly at the deep scratch on the window, so don't you see, said Aunt Abigail, when the shadow got to that mark it was noon. And the rest of the time you guessed by how far it was from the mark. Let's see if I can come anywhere near it now. She looked at it hard and said, I guess it's half past four. She glanced back into the kitchen at the clock and said, oh, shaw, it's ten minutes past five. Now my grandmother could have told that within five minutes, just by the place of the shadow, I declare. Sometimes it seems to me that every time a new piece of machinery comes into the door, some of our wits fly out at the window. Now I couldn't any more live without matches than I could fly, and yet they all used to get along all right before they had matches. It makes me feel foolish to think I'm not smart enough to get along if I wanted to without these little snips of pine and brimstone. Here, Betsy, take a cookie. It's against my principles to let a child leave the pantry without having a cookie. Mine does seem like living again to have a young one around to stuff. Betsy took the cookie, but went on with the conversation by exclaiming, How could anybody get along without matches? You have to have matches. And Abigail didn't answer at first. They were back in the kitchen now. She was looking at the clock again. See here, she said, it's time I began getting supper ready. We divide up on the work, and gets the dinner, and I get the supper, and everyone gets his own breakfast. Which would you rather do? Help Anne with the dinner or me with the supper? Elizabeth Anne had not the slightest idea of helping anybody with any meal, but confronted unexpectedly with the alternative offered. She made up her mind so quickly that she didn't want to help cousin Anne, and declared so loudly, I'll help you with the supper that her promptness made her sound quite hearty and willing. Well, that's fine, said Aunt Abigail. We'll set the table now. But first, you'd better look at that applesauce. I hear it walloping away as though it was boiling too fast. Maybe you'd better push it back where it won't cook so fast. There are the holders on that hook. Elizabeth Anne approached the stove with the holder in her hand and horror in her heart. Nobody had ever dreamed of asking her to handle hot things. She looked around dismally at Aunt Abigail, but the old woman was standing with her back turned doing something at the kitchen table. Very gingerly the little girl took hold of the handle of the saucepan, and very gingerly she shoved it to the back of the stove. And then she stood still a moment to admire herself. She could do that as well as anybody. Why, said Aunt Abigail, as if remembering that Betsy had asked her a question. Any man could strike a spark from his flint and steel that he had for his gun, and he'd keep striking till it happened to fly out in the right direction, and he'd catch it in some fluff where it would start to smolder, and you'd blow on it till you got a little flame and dropped tiny bits of shaved up dried pine in it, and so little by little you'd build your fire up. But it must have taken forever to do that. Oh, you didn't have to do that more than once and ever so long, said Aunt Abigail briskly. She interrupted her story to say, Now you put the silver around while I creamed the potatoes. It's in that drawer, a knife and fork and two spoons for each place, and the plates and cups are up there behind the glass doors. We're going to have hot cocoa again tonight. And as the little girl, hypnotized by the other's casual offhand way of issuing instructions, began to fumble with the knives and forks, she went on. Why, you'd start your fire that way and then you'd never let it go out. Everybody then amounted to anything. You had to bank the hearth fire with ashes at night, so it would be sure to last. And the first thing in the morning, you got down on your knees and poked the ashes away very carefully till you got to the hot coals. Then you'd blow with the bellows and drop in pieces of dried pine. Don't forget the water-glasses. And you'd blow gently till they flared up in the shaving's caw, and there your fire would be kindled again. The napkins are in the second drawer. Betsy went on setting the table deep in thought, reconstructing the old life. As she put the napkins around, she said, But sometimes it must have gone out. Yes, said Aunt Abigail. Sometimes it went out, and then one of the children was sent over to the nearest neighbor to borrow some fire. He'd take a covered-iron pan, fastened on to a long hickory stick and go through the woods, everything was woods then, to the next house and wait till they had their fire going and could spare him a pan full of coals. And then, don't forget the salt and pepper, he would leg it home as fast as he could streak it to get there before the coals went out. Say Betsy, I think that applesauce is ready to be sweetened. You do it, will you? I've got my hands in the biscuit dough. The sugar's in the left-hand drawer in the kitchen cabinet. Oh, my, cried Betsy, dismayed. I don't know how to cook. Aunt Abigail laughed and put back a strand of curly white hair with the back of her flowery hand. You know how to stir sugar into your cup of cocoa, don't you? But how much shall I put in? said Elizabeth Ann, clamoring for exact instructions so she wouldn't need to do any thinking for herself. Oh, till it tastes right, said Aunt Abigail carelessly. Fix it to suit yourself, and I guess the rest of us will like it. That big spoon to stir it with. Elizabeth Ann took off the lid and began stirring in sugar, a teaspoon full at a time, but she soon saw that that made no impression. She poured in a cupful, stirred it vigorously, and tasted it. Better, but not quite enough. She put in a tablespoonful more and tasted it, staring off into space under bended brows as she concentrated her attention on the taste. It was quite a responsibility to prepare the applesauce for a family. It was ever so good, too. But maybe a little more sugar. She put in a teaspoonful and decided it was just exactly right. Done, said Aunt Abigail, take it off then and pour it out in that big yellow bowl and put it on the table in front of your place. You've made it, you ought to serve it. Isn't done, is it? asked Betsy. That isn't all you do to make applesauce. What else could you do? asked Aunt Abigail. Well, said Elizabeth Ann, very much surprised. I didn't know it was so easy to cook. Easiest thing in the world, said Aunt Abigail gravely with the merry wrinkles around her merry old eyes all creased up with silent fun. When Uncle Henry came in from the barn with old chap at his heels and Cousin Ann came down from upstairs where her sewing machine had been humming like a big bee, they were both duly impressed when told that Betsy had set the table and made the applesauce. They pronounced it very good applesauce indeed and each sent his saucer back to the little girl for a second helping. She herself ate three saucer foals. Her own private opinion was that it was the very best applesauce ever made. After supper was over and the dishes washed and wiped Betsy helping with the pudding away the four gathered around the big lamp on the table with the red cover. Cousin Ann was making some buttonholes in the shirt waste she had constructed that afternoon. Aunt Abigail was darning socks and Uncle Henry was mending a piece of harness. Sheppley on the couch and snored until he got so noisy they couldn't stand it and Cousin Ann poked him in the ribs and he woke up snoring and gurgling and looking around very sheepishly. Every time this happened it made Betsy laugh. She held Eleanor who didn't snore at all but made the prettiest little tea kettle singing purr deep in her throat and opened and sheathed her needle-like claws in Betsy's dress. Well, how'd you get on at school? asked Uncle Henry. I've got your desk! said Elizabeth Ann looking at him curiously at his gray-haired and wrinkled weather-beaten face and trying to think what he must have looked like when he was a little boy like Ralph. So said Uncle Henry. Well, let me tell you that's a mighty good desk. Did you notice the deep groove in the top of it? Betsy nodded. She had wondered what that was used for. Well, that was the lead pencil desk in the old days when they couldn't run down the store to buy things because there wasn't any store to run to, had he? I suppose they got their lead pencils. Elizabeth Ann shook her head and capable even of a guess. She had never thought before but that lead pencils grew in glass showcases in stores. Well, sir, said Uncle Henry, I'll tell you. They took a piece off the lump of lead they made their bullets out of, melted it over the fire in the hearth down the schoolhouse till it would run and poured it in that groove. When it cooled off there was a long streak of solid lead about as big as one of our lead pencils nowadays. They'd break that up in shorter lengths and there you'd have your lead pencils made while you wait. Oh, I tell you in the old days folks knew how to take care of themselves more than now. Why weren't there any stores? asked Elizabeth Ann. She could not imagine living without buying things at stores. Where'd they get the things to put asked Uncle Henry argumentatively. Every single thing had to be lugged clear from Albany or from Connecticut on horseback. Why didn't they use wagons? asked Elizabeth Ann. You can't run a wagon unless you've got a road to run it on, can you? asked Uncle Henry. It was a long, long time before they had any roads. It's an awful chore to make roads in a new country all woods and hills and swamps and rocks. You were lucky if there was a good path to the next settlement. Now Henry, said her aunt Abigail, do stop going on about old times long enough to let Betsy answer the question you asked her. You haven't given her a chance to say how she gone on at school. I'm awfully mixed up, said Betsy complainingly. I don't know what I am. I'm a second grade arithmetic and third grade spelling and seventh grade reading and I don't know what in writing our composition we didn't have those. This seemed to think this very remarkable or even very interesting. Uncle Henry indeed noted it only to say seventh grade reading. He turned to Aunt Abigail. Oh, mother, don't you suppose she could read aloud to us in the evenings? Aunt Abigail and Cousin Ann both laid down their sewing to laugh. Yes, yes, father, and play checkers with you too, like as not. They explained to Betsy, your Uncle Henry is just daft being read aloud to when he's got something to do in the evening and when he has nieces, fidgety is a broody hand if he can't play checkers. Ann hates checkers and I haven't got the time often. Oh, I love to play checkers, said Betsy. Well, now, said Uncle Henry rising instantly and dropping his half-mended harness on the table. Let's have a game. Oh, father, said Cousin Ann in the tone she used for chap. How about that piece of breaching? You know that's not safe. Why don't you finish that up first? Uncle Henry sat down again, looking as chef did when Cousin Ann told him to get up on the couch and took up his needle and all. But I could read something aloud, said Betsy, feeling very sorry for him. At least I think I could. I never did except at school. What shall we have, mother? asked Uncle Henry eagerly. Oh, I don't know. What have we got in this bookcase? said Aunt Abigail. She was able to go into the parlour for the other one. She leaned forward and ran her fat forefinger over the worn old volumes and took out a battered blue-covered book. Scott? Gosh, yes, said Uncle Henry, his eyes shining. The staggative! At least that was the way it sounded to Betsy when she took the book and looked where Aunt Abigail pointed. She read it correctly, though in a timid, uncertain voice. It grown up so much as she was evidently pleasing Uncle Henry. But the idea of reading aloud for people to hear, not for a teacher to correct, was unheard of. The staggot eve had drunk his fill where it danced the moon on Monan's rail. She began, and it was as though she had stepped into a boat and it was swept off by a strong current. She did not know what all the words meant and could not pronounce a good many of the names, but nobody stopped to correct her, and she read on and on, steadied by the strongly marked rhythm drawn forward swiftly from one clanging sonorous rhyme to another. Uncle Henry nodded his head in time to the rise and fall of her voice, and now and then stopped his work to look at her with bright eager old eyes. He knew some of the places by heart evidently, for once in a while his voice would join the little girls for a couple or two. They chanted together thus, listened to the cry that thickened as the chase drew nigh, then as the headmost foes appeared with one brave bound, the copes he cleared. At the last line, Uncle Henry flung his arm out wide, and the child felt as though the deer had made his great leap there before her eyes. I've seen him jump just like that, broken Uncle Henry. A two-three-hundred-pound stag over over a four-foot fence, just like a piece of thistle down in the wind. Uncle Henry asked Elizabethan, what is a copes? I don't know, said Uncle Henry, indifferently. Something in the woods must be, underbrush most likely. You can always tell words you don't know by the sense of the whole thing. Go on. And stretching forward, free and far the child's voice took up the chant again. She read faster and faster as I got more excited. For jaded now and spent with toil with foam and dark with soil, while every gasp with sobs he drew the laboring stag strained full in view. The little girl's heart beat fast. She fled along through the next line, stumbling desperately over the hard words, but seeing the headlong chase through them, clearly as through tree trunks in a forest. Uncle Henry broke in with a triumphant shout. The wily quarry stunned the shock and turned him from the opposing rock, then dashing down a darksome gland soon lost a hound and hunters can in the deep trossex wildest nook his solitary refuge took. Oh my, cried Elizabeth Ann, laying down the book. He got away, didn't he? I was so afraid he wouldn't. I could just hear those dogs yelping, can't you? said Uncle Henry. Yelled on view the opening pack. Sometimes you hear him that way on the slope of Hemlock Mountain back of us when they get to run in a deer. What say we have some popcorn? suggested Aunt Abigail. Betsy, don't you want to pop us some? I never did! said the little girl, but in a less doubtful tone than she had ever used with that phrase so familiar to her, a dim notion was growing up in her mind that the fact that she had never done a thing was no proof that she couldn't. I'll show you, said Uncle Henry. He reached down a couple of ears from a big yellow cluster hanging on the wall, and he and Betsy shelled them into the popper, and his noy kernels buttered it, salted it, and took it back to the table. It was just as she was eating her first ambrosial mouthful that the door opened, and a fur-capped head was thrust in. A man's voice said, evening, folks, nope, can't stay, it was down at the village just now and I thought I'd ask for any mail down our way. He tossed a newspaper and a letter on the table and was gone. The letter was addressed to Elizabeth Ann and it was for Man Francis. She read it to herself while Uncle Henry left the newspaper. Aunt Francis wrote that she had been perfectly horrified to learn that Cousin Molly had not kept Elizabeth Ann with her and that she would never forgive her for that cruelty and when she thought that her darling was at Potney Farm, her blood ran cold. It positively did. It was too dreadful but it couldn't be helped for a time anyhow because Aunt Harriet was really very sick. Elizabeth Ann would have to be a dear, brave child and endure it as best she could as soon as ever she could. Aunt Francis would come and take her away from them. Don't cry too much, darling. It breaks my heart to think of you there. Try to be cheerful, dearest. Try to bear it for the sake of your distracted loving Aunt Francis. Elizabeth Ann looked up from this letter and across the table at Aunt Abigail's rosy wrinkled old face bent over her darling. Uncle Henry laid the paper down, took a big mouthful of popcorn and beat time silently with his hand. When he could speak he murmured a hundred dogs bay deep and strong clattered a hundred steeds along. Old Chep woke up with a snort and Aunt Abigail fed him a handful of popcorn. Little Eleanor stirred in her sleep stretched yawned and nestled down into a ball again on the little girl's lap. Betsy could feel in her own body the rhythmic vibration of the kitten's contented purr. Aunt Abigail looked up. Finished your letter? I hope Harriet is no worse. What does Francis say? Elizabeth Ann blushed a deep red and crushed the letter together in her hand. She felt ashamed and she did not know why. Aunt Francis says Aunt Francis says she began hesitating she says Aunt Harriet's still pretty sick she stopped, drew a long breath and went on and she sends her love to you. Now Aunt Francis hadn't done anything of the kind so this was a really whopping fib. But Elizabeth Ann didn't care if it was it made her feel less ashamed though she did not know why. She took another mouthful of popcorn and stroked Eleanor's back. Uncle Henry got up and stretched time to go to bed folks he said as he wound the clock Betsy heard him murmuring but when the sun his beacon red end of Chapter 6 This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information and to find out how you can volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Kim Zuckert Tales of the Brass Hedgehog Hedgehog.net Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Chapter 7 Elizabeth Ann fails in an examination I wonder if you can guess the name of a little girl who about a month after this was walking along through the melting snow in the woods with a big black dog running in circles around her yes all known in the woods with a terrible great dog beside her and yet not a bit afraid you don't suppose it could be Elizabeth Ann well whoever she was she had something on her mind for she walked more and more slowly and had only a very absent minded pat the dog's head when he thrusted up for a caress when the wood road led into a clearing in which there was a rough little house of slabs the child stopped altogether and looking down began nervously to draw lines in the snow with her overshoe you see something perfectly dreadful had happened in school that day the superintendent the all important seldom seen superintendent came to visit the school and the children were given some examinations so he could see how they were getting on now you know what an examination did to Elizabeth Ann or haven't I told you yet well if I haven't it's because words fail me if there is anything horrid that an examination didn't do to Elizabeth Ann I've yet to hear of it it began years ago before she ever went to school when she heard Aunt Francis talking about how she dreaded examinations when she was a child and how they dried up her mouth and made her ears ring and her head ache and her knees get all weak and her mind a perfect blank so that she didn't know what two and two made of course Elizabeth Ann didn't feel all those things right off at her first examination but by the time she had several and had rushed to tell Aunt Francis about how awful they were and the two of them had sympathized with one another and compared symptoms and then wept about her resulting low marks why symptoms Aunt Francis ever had but a good many more of her own invention well she had them all and had them horrid this afternoon when the superintendent was there her mouth had gone dry and her knees had shaken and her elbows had felt as though they had no more bones in them than so much jelly and her eyes had smartered and oh what answers she made that dreadful tight panic had clutched at her throat whenever the superintendent had looked at her and she had disgraced herself ten times over she went hot and cold to think of it and felt quite sick with her vanity she who did so well every day and was so much looked up to by her classmates what must they be thinking of her to tell the truth she had been crying as she walked along through the woods because she was so sorry for herself her eyes were all red still and her throat soared from the big lump in it and now she would live it all over again as she told the Putney cousins for of course they must be told she had always told Aunt Francis everything that happened in school it happened that Aunt Abigail had been taking a nap when she got home from school and so she had come out to the sap house where cousin Anne and Uncle Henry were making syrup to have it over with as soon as possible she went up to the little slab house now dragging her feet and hanging her head and opened the door cousin Anne in a very short old skirt at a man's coat in high rubber boots was just poking some more wood into the big fire which blazed furiously under the broad flat pan where the sap was boiling the rough brown hut was filled with white steam in that sweetest of all odors hot maple syrup cousin Anne turned her head her face very red with the heat of the fire and nodded at the child hello Betsy you're just in time I've saved out a cupful of hot syrup for you all ready to wax Betsy hardly heard this although she had been wild about wax sugar she couldn't stop it cousin Anne she said unhappily the superintendent visited our school this afternoon did he said cousin Anne dipping a thermometer into the boiling syrup yes and we had examinations said Betsy did you said cousin Anne holding the thermometer up to the light and looking at it and you know how perfectly awful examinations make you feel well I know said cousin Anne sorting over syrup tins they never made me feel awful I thought they were sort of fun fun! cried Betsy indignantly staring through the beginnings of her tears well yes like taking a dare don't you know somebody stumps you to jump off the hitch and post and you do it to show them I always used to think examinations were like that somebody stumps you to spell pneumonia and you do it to show them here's your cup of syrup Elizabeth Anne to automatically took the cup at her hand but she did not look at it but supposing you get so scared you can't spell pneumonia or anything else she said feelingly that's what happened to me you know how your mouth gets all dry and your knees she stopped cousin Anne had said she did not know all about those things well anyhow I got so scared I could hardly stand up and I made the most awful mistakes things I know just as well I spelled doubt without any B and separate with an E and I said Iowa was bounded on the north by Wisconsin and I oh well said cousin Anne it doesn't matter if you really know the right answers does it that's the important thing this was an idea which had never in all her life entered Betsy's brain and she did not take it in at all now she only shook her head miserably and went on in a dole full tone and I said 13 and 8 are doing 2 and I wrote March without any capital M and I look here Betsy do you want to tell me all this cousin Anne spoke in the quick ringing voice she had once in a while which made everybody from old Shep up open his eyes and get his wits about him Betsy gathered hers and thought hard and she came to an unexpected conclusion no she didn't really want to tell cousin Anne all about it why was she doing it because she thought it that it was the thing to do because if you don't really want to went on cousin Anne I don't see that it's doing anybody any good I guess Hemlock Mountain will stand right there just the same even if you did forget to put a B in doubt and your syrup will be too cool to wax right if you don't take it out pretty soon she turned back to stoke the fire and Elizabeth Anne in a daze found herself walking out of the door it fell shut after her and there she was under the clear pale blue sky with the sun just hovering over the Hemlock Mountain she looked up at the big mountains all blue and silver with shadows and snow and wondered what in the world cousin Anne had meant of course Hemlock Mountain would stand they're just the same but what of it what did that have to do with her arithmetic with anything she had failed in her examination hadn't she she found a clean white snow bank under a pine tree and setting her cup of syrup down in a safe place began to pat the snow down hard to make the right bed for the waxing of the syrup the sun very hot for that late March day brought out strongly the tarry perfume of the big pine tree near her the sap dripped musically into a bucket already half full hung on a maple tree a blue jay rushed suddenly through the upper branches of the wood his screaming and chattering voice sounding like noisy children at play Elizabeth Anne took up her cup and poured some of the thick hot syrup on the snow making loops and curves as she poured it stiffened and hardened at once and she lifted up a great coil of it threw her head back and let it drop into her mouth concentrated sweetness of summer days was in that mouthful part of it still hot and aromatic part of it icy and wet with melting snow she crunched it all together with her strong child's teeth into a delicious big lump and sucked on it dreamily her eyes on the rim of Hemlock Mountain above her there the snow on it bright golden in the sunlight Uncle Henry had promised to take her up to the top as soon as the snow went off she wondered what the top of a mountain would be like Uncle Henry had said the main thing was that you could see so much of the world at once he said it was too queer the way your own house and big barn and great fields look like little toy things that weren't of any account it was because you could see so much more than just the flooring wine and a cold nose was thrust into her hand why there was old Shep begging for his share of wax sugar he loved it though it did stick to his teeth so she poured out another lot and gave half of it to Shep it immediately stuck his jaws together tight and he began pawing at his mouth and shaking his head to Betsy had to laugh then he managed to pull his jaws apart and chewed loudly and visibly tossing his head opening his mouth wide till Betsy could see brown candy draped in melting festoons all over his big white teeth and red gullet then with a gulp he had swallowed it all down and was whining for more striking softly at the little girl's skirt with his forepaw oh you eat it too fast cried Betsy but she shared her next lot with him too the sun had gone down over Hamlock mountain by this time and the big slope above her was all deep blue shadow the mountain looked much higher now as the dusk began to fall and loomed up bigger as though it reached to the sky it was no wonder houses looked small from its top Betsy ate the last of her sugar looking up at the quiet giant there towering grandly above her there was no lump in her throat now and although she still thought she did not know what in the world Cousin Anne meant by saying that about Hamlock mountain and her examination it's my opinion that she had made a very good beginning of an understanding she was just picking up her cup looking back to the sap house when Shep growled a little and stood with his ears and tail up looking down the road something was coming down that road in the blue clear twilight something that was making a very queer noise it sounded almost like somebody crying it was somebody crying it was a child crying it was a little little girl Betsy could see her now stumbling along and crying as though her heart would break why it was little Molly her own particular charge at school whose reading lesson she heard every day Betsy and Shep ran to meet her what's the matter Molly what's the matter Betsy knelt down and put her arms around the weeping child did you fall down did you hurt you what are you doing way off here did you lose your way I don't want to go away said Molly over and over clean tightly to Betsy it was a long time before Betsy could quiet her enough to find out what had happened then she made out between Molly's sobs that her mother had been taken suddenly sick she had to go away to a hospital and that left nobody at home to take care of Molly and she was to be sent away to some strange relatives in the city who didn't want her at all and who said so right out oh Elizabeth Ann knew all about that and her heart swelled big with sympathy for a moment she stood again out on the sidewalk in front of the Lathrop house with old Mrs. Lathrop's ungracious white head bobbing from a window and knew again that ghastly feeling of being unwanted oh she knew why little Molly was crying and she shut her hands together hard and made up her mind that she would help her out do you know what she did right off without thinking about it she didn't go and look up Ann Dabigale she didn't wait until Uncle Henry came back from his round of emptying sap buckets into the big tub on a sled as fast as her feet could carry her she flew back to Cousin Ann in the sap house I can't tell you except again that Cousin Ann was Cousin Ann the reason was that Betsy ran so fast to her and was so sure that everything would be alright as soon as Cousin Ann knew about it but whatever the reason was it was a good one for though Cousin Ann did not stop to kiss Molly or even look at her more than one sharp first glance she said after a moment's pause during which she filled a syrup can and screwed the cover down very tight well if her folks will let her stay how would you like to have Molly come and stay with us till her mother gets back from the hospital now you've got a room of your own never sleep with you oh Molly Molly Molly shouted Betsy jumping up and down then hugging the little girl with all her might oh be like having a little sister Cousin Ann sounded a dry warning note don't be too sure her folks will let her we don't know about them yet Betsy ran to her and caught her hand looking up at her with shining eyes Cousin Ann if you go to see them and ask them they will this made even Cousin Ann give a little abashed smile of pleasure although she made her face grave again at once and said you'd better go along back to the house now Betsy it's time for you to help mother with the supper the two children trotted back along the darkening wood road shep running before them little Molly clinging fast to the older child's hand aren't you ever afraid Betsy in the woods this way she asked admiringly looking about her with timid eyes oh no said Betsy protectingly there's nothing to be afraid of except getting off on the wrong fork of the road near the wolf pit oh oh said Molly cringing what's the wolf pit what an awful name Betsy laughed she tried to make her laugh sound brave like Cousin Ann's which always seemed so scornful of being afraid as a matter of fact she was beginning to fear that they had made the wrong turn and she was not quite sure that she could find the way home but she put this out of her mind and walked along very fast peering ahead into the dusk there wasn't anything to do with wolves she said and answered to Molly's question anyhow not now it's just a big deep hole in the ground where a brook had dug out a cave uncle Henry told me all about it when he showed it to me and then part of the roof caved in sometimes there's ice in the corner of the covered part all the summer and Abigail says why do you call it the wolf pit asked Molly walking very close to Betsy and holding very tightly to her hand oh ever so long ago when the first settlers came up here they heard a wolf howling all night and when it didn't stop in the morning they came up here in the mountain and thought a wolf had fallen in and couldn't get out my I hope they killed him said Molly oh gracious that was more than a hundred years ago said Betsy she was not thinking what she was saying she was thinking that if they were on the right road they ought to be home by this time she was thinking that the right road ran downhill to the house all the way and that this certainly seemed to be going up a little she was wondering what had become of Shep stand here just a minute Molly she said I want I just want to go ahead a little bit and see and see she darted on around a curve of the road and stood still her heart sinking the road turned there and led straight up the mountain for just a moment the little girl felt a wild impulse to burst out in a shriek for Aunt Francis and to run crazily away anywhere so long as she was running but the thought of Molly standing back there trustfully waiting to be taken care of shut Betsy's lips together hard before her scream of fright got out she stood still thinking now she mustn't get frightened all they had to do was walk back along the road till they came to the fork and then make the right turn but what if they didn't get back to the turn till it was so dark they couldn't see it she mustn't think of that she ran back calling come on Molly in a tone she tried to make as firm as cousin Anne's I guess we've made the wrong turn after all we'd better but there was no Molly there in the brief moment Betsy had stood thinking Molly had disappeared the long shallowy wood road held not a trace of her then Betsy was frightened and then she did begin to scream at the top of her voice Molly Molly she was beside herself with terror and started hastily back to hear Molly's voice very faint apparently coming from the ground under her feet oh oh Betsy get me out get me out shrieked Betsy I don't know came Molly sobbing voice I just moved the least bit out of the roll and the slide I couldn't stop myself but I fell down in Betsy's head felt as though her hair was standing straight up on end with horror Molly must have fallen down into the wolf pit yes they were quite near it she remember now that big white birch tree stood right at the place where the brook tumbled over the edge and fell into it although she was dreadfully afraid of falling in herself she went cautiously over to this tree feeling her way with her foot to make sure she did not slip and peered down into the cavernous gloom below yes there was Molly's little face just a white speck the child was crying sobbing holding up her arms to Betsy are you hurt Molly no I fell into a big snow bank but I'm all wet and frozen I want to get out I want Betsy held on to the birch tree her head whirled what should she do look here Molly she called down I'm going to run back along to the right road and get back to the house and get Uncle Henry he'll come with a rope and get you out at this Molly's crying rose to a frantic scream oh Betsy don't the child was wild with horror screamed back Betsy crying herself her teeth were chattering with the cold don't go came up from the darkness of the pit in a piteous howl Betsy made a great effort and stopped crying she sat down on a stone and tried to think and this is what came into her mind as a guide what would cousin Anne do if she were here she wouldn't cry she would think of something Betsy looked around her desperately the first thing she saw was the big limb of a pine tree broken off by the wind which half lay and half slantingly stood up against a tree a little distance above the mouth of the pit it had been there so long that the needles had all dried and fallen off and the skeleton of the branch with the broken stubs looked like yes it looked like a ladder that was what cousin Anne would have done wait a minute, wait a minute Molly she called wildly down the pit warm all over in excitement now listen you go off there in a corner where the ground makes a sort of roof I'm gonna throw something down you can climb up on maybe it'll hit me cried poor little Molly more and more frightened but she scrambled off under her shelter obediently while Betsy struggled with the branch it was so firmly embedded in the snow that at first she wasn't on budget at all but after she cleared that away and pried hard with the stick she was using as a lever she felt it give a little she bore down with all her might throwing her weight again and again on her lever and finally felt the big branch perceptively move after that it was easier as its course was downhill over the snow to the mouth of the pit glowing and pushing wet with perspiration she slowly maneuvered it along to the edge Molly gave it a great shove and leaned over anxiously then she gave a great sigh of relief just as she had hoped it went down sharp end first and stuck fast in the snow which had saved Molly from broken bones she was so out of breath with her work that for a moment she could not speak then Molly there now I guess you can climb up to where I can reach you Molly made a rush for any way out of her prison and climbed like the little to squirrel that she was up from one stub to another to the top of the branch she was still below the edge of the pit there but Betsy lay flat down on the snow and held out her hands Molly took hold hard and digging her toes into the snow slowly wormed her way up to the surface of the ground it was then at that very moment that Shep came bounding up to them barking loudly and after him cousin Anne striding along her rubber boots with a lantern in her hand and a rather anxious look on her face she stopped short and looked at the two little girls covered with snow their faces flaming with excitement and at the black hole gaping behind them I always told father we ought to put a fence around that pit she said in a matter of fact voice some day a sheep's gonna fall down there Shep came along to the house without you and we thought most likely you'd taken the wrong turn Betsy felt terribly aggrieved she wanted to be petted and praised for her heroism she wanted cousin Anne to realize oh if Aunt Frances were only there she would realize I fell down in the hole and Betsy wanted to go and get Mr. Putney but I wouldn't matter and so she threw down a big branch and I climbed out explained Molly who now that her danger was passed took Betsy's action quite as a matter of course oh that was how it happened said cousin Anne she looked down the hole and saw the big branch and looked back and saw the long trail of crushed snow where Betsy had dragged it well now that was quite a good idea for a little girl to have she said briefly I guess she'll do to take care of Molly all right she spoke in her usual voice and immediately drew the children after her but Betsy's heart was singing joyfully as she trotted along clasping cousin Anne's strong hand now she knew that cousin Anne realized she trotted fast smiling to herself in the darkness what made you think of doing that asked cousin Anne presently as they approached the house what I tried to think what you would have done if you'd been there said Betsy oh said cousin Anne well she didn't say another word but Betsy glancing up into her face as they stepped into the lighted room saw an expression that made her give a little skip and hop of joy she had pleased cousin Anne that night as she lay in her bed her arm over Molly cuddled up warm beside her she remembered oh ever so faintly as something of no importance that she had failed an examination that afternoon end of chapter 7 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information and to find out how you can volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Kim Zuckert tales of the brass hedgehog hedgehog.net understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield chapter 8 Betsy starts a sewing society Betsy and Molly had taken Deborah to school with them Deborah was the old wooden doll with brown painted curls Jane in a trunk almost ever since Anne Abigail's childhood because cousin Anne had never cared for dolls when she was a little girl at first Betsy had not dared to ask to see her much less to play with her but when Ellen, as she had promised came over to Putney Farm that first Saturday she had said right out as soon as she landed in the house oh Mrs. Putney can we play with Deborah and Anne Abigail had answered why yes of course she went up with them herself to the cold attic and opened the little hair trunk under the eaves there lay a doll flat on her back looking up at them brightly out of her blue eyes well Debbie dear said Anne Abigail taking her up gently it's a good long time since you and I played under the lilac bushes isn't it I expect you've been pretty lonesome up here all these years never you mind you'll have some good times again now pulled down the dolls full ruffled skirt straightened the lace at the neck of her dress and held her for a moment looking down at her silently you could tell by the way she spoke by the way she touched Deborah by the way she looked at her that she had loved the doll very dearly and maybe still did a little when she put Deborah into Betsy's arms the child felt that she was receiving something very precious almost something alive she and Ellen looked with delight yards and yards of Pico edged ribbon sewed on by hand to the ruffles of the skirt and lifted up the silk folds to admire the carefully made full petticoats and frilly drawers the pretty soft old kid shoes and white stockings Anne Abigail looked at them with an absent smile on her lips as though she were living over old scenes finally it's too cold to play up here she said coming to herself with a long breath you'd better bring Deborah in the trunk down to the south room she carried the doll and Betsy and Ellen each took an end of the old trunk no larger than a modern suitcase they settled themselves on the big couch back of the table with the lamp old Shep was on it but Betsy cokes him off by putting down some bones because Anne had been saving for him when he finished those and came back for the rest of his snooze he found his place occupied by the little girls sitting cross-legged examining the contents of the trunk all spread out around them Shep sighed deeply and sat down with his nose resting on the couch near Betsy's knee following all their movements with his kind dark eyes once in a while Betsy stopped hugging Deborah or exclaiming over a new dress long enough to pat Shep's head and fondle his ears this was what he was waiting for and every time she did it he wagged his tail thumpingly against the floor after that Deborah and her trunk were kept downstairs where Betsy could play with her school you never heard of such a thing as taking a doll to school did you well I told you this was a queer old fashioned school that any modern school superintendent would sniff at as a matter of fact it was not only Betsy who took her doll to school all the little girls did whenever they felt like it Miss Benton the teacher had a shelf for them in the entryway where the wraps were hung and the dolls sat on it and waited patiently all through lessons at recess time or noon each little mother snatched her own child to play as soon as it grew warm enough to play outdoors without just racing around every minute to keep from freezing to death the dolls and their mothers went out to a great pile of rocks at one end of the bare stony field which was the playground there they sat and played in the spring sunshine warmer from day to day there were a great many holes and shelves and pockets and little caves in the rocks which made lovely places for playing keep house each little girl had her own particular cubby holes and rooms they did their dolls back and forth all around the pile and as they played they talked very fast about all sorts of things being little girls and not boys who just yelled and howled inarticulately as they played ball or duck on a rock or prisoner's goal racing and running and wrestling noisily all around the rocks there was one child who neither played with the girls nor ran and whooped with the boys this was little six year old Lias one of the two boys in Molly's first grade at recess time he generally hung out the school door by himself looking moodily down and knocking the toe of his ragged muddy shoe against a stone the little girls were talking about him one day as they played my isn't that Lias Brewster the horridest looking child said Eliza who had the second grade old to herself although Molly now read out of the second reader with her mercy yes so ragged said Anastasia Monaghan called Stashy for short she was a big girl 14 years old who was in the seventh grade he doesn't look like as if he ever combed his hair said Betsy it looks just like a wisp of old hay and sometimes little Molly proudly added her bit to the talk of the older girls he forgot to put on any stockings and just has his dreadful old shoes on over his dirty bare feet I guess he hasn't got any stockings half the time said big stashy scornfully I guess his stepfather drinks him up how can he drink up stockings asked Molly opening her round eyes very wide shh you mustn't ask little girls should know about such things should they Betsy no indeed said Betsy looking mysterious as a matter of fact she herself had no idea what Stashy meant but she looked wise and said nothing some of the boys had squatted down near the rocks for a game of marbles now well anyhow said Molly resentfully I don't care what a stepfather does to his stockings I wish Lias would wear him to school and lots of times he hasn't anything on under those hard old overalls either I can see his bare skin through the torn places I wish he didn't have to sit so near me said Betsy complainingly he's so dirty well I don't want him near me either cried all the other little girls at once Ralph glanced up at them frowning from where he knelt with his middle finger crooked behind a marble ready for a shot he looked as he always did very rough and half threatening oh you girls make me sick he said he sent his marbles straight to the mark pocketed his opponents and stood up scowling at the little mothers I guess if you had to live the way he does you'd be dirty half the time he doesn't get anything to eat before he comes to school if my mother didn't put up some extra for him in my box he wouldn't get any lunch either and then you had to go and jump on him well why doesn't his own mother put up his lunch Betsy challenged their critic he hasn't got any mother she's dead said Ralph turning away with his hands in his pockets he yelled to the boys come on fellas beat you to the bridge and back and was off with the others racing at his heels well anyhow I don't care he is dirty and horrid said stashy emphatically looking over at the drooping battered little figure leaning against the school door listlessly kicking at a stone but Betsy did not say anything more just then the teacher who boarded round was staying at Putney Farm at that time and that evening as they all got around the lamp in the south room Betsy looked up from her game of checkers with Uncle Henry and asked how can anybody drink up stockings mercy child what are you talking about asked Aunt Abigail Betsy repeated with Anastasia Monahan it said and was flattered by the instant rather startled attention given her by the grownups why I didn't know that Bud Walker had taken a drinking again said Uncle Henry my that's too bad who takes care of that child anyhow now that poor Susie is dead Aunt Abigail asked of everybody in general is he just living there alone with that good-for-nothing stepfather how do they get enough to eat said Cousin Anne looking troubled apparently Betsy's question had brought something half forgotten and all together neglected into their minds they talked for some time after that about Lias the teacher confirming what Betsy and stashy had said we sitting right here with plenty to eat and cried Aunt Abigail how you will let things slip out of your mind said Cousin Anne remorsefully it struck Betsy vividly that Lias was not at all the one they blamed for his objectionable appearance she felt quite ashamed to go on with the other things she and the little girls had said and fell silent pretending to be very much absorbed in her game of checkers do you know said Aunt Abigail suddenly as though an inspiration had just struck her surprised if that Elmore Pond might adopt Lias if he was gotten at the right way who's Elmore Pond asked the school teacher why you must have seen him that great big red faced good natured looking man that comes through here twice a year buying stock he lives over Bigby Way but his wife was a Hillsborough girl Mady Pelham an awfully nice girl she was too they never had any children and Mady told me last time she was back for a visit and talked quite often about adopting a little boy seems that Mr. Pond has always wanted a little boy he's such a nice man it would be a lovely home for a child but goodness said the teacher nobody would want to adopt such an awful looking little ragamuffin as that Lias he looks so meeching too I guess his stepfather's real mean to him when he's been drinking and it's got Lias so he hardly dares hold his head up the clock struck loudly well hear that said cousin Ann nine o'clock and the children not in bed Molly's most asleep this minute trot along with you Betsy trot along Molly and Betsy be sure Molly's nightgown is buttoned up all the way so it happened that although the grownups were evidently going on to talk about Lias Brewster Betsy heard no more of what they said she herself went on thinking about Lias while she was undressing and answering absently little Molly's chatter she was thinking about him and put the light out and were lying snuggled up to each other back to front their four legs crooked the same angle fitting in together neatly like two spoons in a drawer she was thinking about him when she woke up and as soon as she could get a hold of cousin Ann she poured out a new plan she had never been afraid of cousin Ann since the evening Molly had fallen into the wolf pit and Betsy had seen that please smile on cousin Ann's firm lips cousin Ann couldn't we girls at school get together and so you'd have to help us some and make some nice new clothes for little Lias Brewster and fix him so he'll look better and maybe that Mr. Pond will like him and adopt him cousin Ann listened attentively and nodded her head yes I think that would be a good idea she said we were thinking last night we ought to do something for him if you'll make the clothes mother will knit him some stockings and father will get him some shoes Mr. Pond never makes his spring trip to late May so we'll have plenty of time Betsy was full of importance that day at school and at recess time got the girls together on the rocks and told them all about the plan cousin Ann says she'll help us and we can meet at our house every Saturday afternoon till we get them done it'll be fun and Abigail telephoned down to the store right away and Mr. Wilkins says he'll give the cloth if we make it up Betsy spoke very grindly of making it up although she had hardly held a needle in her life and when the Saturday afternoon meetings began she was ashamed to see how much better Ellen and even Eliza could sew than she to keep her end up she was driven to practicing her stitches around the lamp in the evening with Aunt Abigail keeping an eye on her cousin Ann supervised the sewing on Saturday afternoons and taught those of the little girls whose legs were long enough how to use the sewing machine first they made a little pair of trousers out of an old grey woolen skirt of Aunt Abigail's this was for practice before they cut into the piece of new blue surge that the storekeeper had sent up cousin Ann showed them how to pin the pattern on the goods and they each cut out one piece those flat queer shaped pieces of cloth certainly did look less like a pair of trousers to Betsy than anything she had ever seen then one of the girls read aloud very slowly the mysterious sounding directions from the wrapper of the pattern about how to put the pieces together cousin Ann helped here a little particularly just as they were about to put the sections together wrong side up Stashy as the oldest did the first basting putting the notches together carefully just as they read these instructions aloud there all of a sudden was a rough little sketch of a pair of knee trousers without any ham or any waistband of course but just the two-legged, complicated shape they ought to be it was like a miracle to Betsy then cousin Ann helped them sew the seams on the machine and they all turned to for the basting of the facings and the finishing they each made one buttonhole it was the first one Betsy had ever made and when she got through she was as tired as though she had run all the way to school and back tired but very proud although when cousin Ann inspected that buttonhole she covered her face with her handkerchief for a minute as though she were going to sneeze although she didn't sneeze at all it took them two Saturdays to finish up that trial pair of trousers and when they showed the result to Aunt Abigail she was delighted well to think of that being my old skirt she said putting on her spectacles to examine their work she did not laugh either when she saw those buttonholes she got up hastily and went into the next room where they soon heard her coughing then they made a little blouse out of some new blue gingham cousin Ann happened to have enough left over from a dress she was making this thin material was ever so much easier to manage than the gray flannel and they had the little garment done in no time even to the buttons and buttonholes when it came to making the buttonholes cousin Ann sat right down with each one and supervised every stitch you may not be surprised to know there was a great improvement over the first batch then, making a great ceremony out of it, they began on the store material working twice a week now because May was slipping along very fast and Mr. Pond might be there at any time they knew pretty well how to go ahead on this one after the experience of their first pair and cousin Ann was not much needed except as advisor in hard places she sat there in the room with them doing some sewing of her own so quiet that half the time they forgot she was there as they sewed a good deal of the time they talked about how splendid it was of them to be so kind to little Lias my, I don't believe most girls will put themselves out this way for a dirty little boy said stashy complacently no indeed, chimed in Betsy it's just like a story isn't it working and sacrificing for the poor I guess he'll thank us all right for sure said Ellen, he'll never forget us as long as he lives I don't suppose Betsy, her imagination fired by this suggestion said I guess when he's grown up he'll be telling everybody how when he was so poor and ragged stashy monahan and Ellen Peters and Elizabeth and Eliza put in that little girl hastily very much afraid she would not be given her due share of the glory cousin Ann sewed and listened and said nothing toward the end of May two little blouses two pairs of trousers two pair of stockings two sets of underwear contributed by the teacher shoes Uncle Henry gave were ready the little girls handled the pile of new garments with inexpressible pride and debated just which way of bestowing them was sufficiently grand to be worthy the occasion Betsy was for taking them to school and giving them to Lias one by one so that each child could have her thanks separately but stashy wanted to take them to the house when Lias' stepfather would be there and shame him by showing that little girls had had to do what he ought to have done cousin Ann broke into the discussion asking in her quiet firm voice why do you want Lias to know where the clothes came from they had forgotten again that she was there and turned around quickly to stare at her nobody could think of any answer to her very queer question it had not occurred to anyone that there could be such a question cousin Ann shifted her ground and asked another why did you make these clothes anyhow they stared again speechless why did she ask that she knew why only little Molly said in her honest baby way why you know why miss Ann so Lias Brewster will look nice and Mr. Pond will maybe adopt him well said cousin Ann what has that got to do with Lias no one who did it why he wouldn't know who to be grateful to cried Betsy oh said cousin Ann oh I see you didn't do it to help Lias you did it to have him grateful to you I see Molly is such a little girl it's no wonder she didn't really take in she nodded her head wisely as though now she understood well if she did little Molly certainly did not she had not the least idea what everybody was talking about she looked for one sober downcast face to another rather anxiously what was the matter apparently nothing was really the matter she decided for after a minute silence miss Ann got up with entirely her usual face of cheerful gravity and said don't you think you little girls ought to top off this last afternoon with a tea party you batch of cookies and you can make yourself some lemonade if you want to they had these refreshments on the porch in the sunshine with their dolls for guests and a great deal of chatter for sauce nobody said another word about how to give the clothes to Lias till just as the girls were going away Betsy said walking along with the two older ones say don't you think it'd be fun to go some evening after dark and leave the clothes on Lias's doorstep and knock and run away quick before anybody comes to the door she spoke in an uncertain voice and smoothed Deborah's carved wooden curls yes they do said Ellen not looking at Betsy but down at the weeds by the road I think it would be lots of fun little Molly playing with Annie and Eliza did not hear this but she was allowed to go with the older girls on the Great Expedition it was a warm dark evening in late May with the frogs piping their sweet high note the first of the fireflies wheeling over the wet meadows near the tumble-down house where Lias lived the girls took turns in carrying the big paper-wrapped bundle and stole along in the shadow of the trees full of excitement looking over their shoulders at nothing and pressing their hands over their mouths to keep back the giggles there was of course no reason on earth why they should giggle which is of course the very reason why they did if you've ever been a little girl you know about that they were extremely lighted they found when they came inside of it and they thrilled with excitement and joyful alarm suppose Lias's dreadful stepfather should come out and yell at them they came forward on tiptoe making a great deal of noise by stepping on twigs rustling bushes crackling gravel under their feet doing all the other things that make such a noise at night and never do in the daytime but nobody stirred inside the room with the lighted window they crept forward and peeped cautiously inside and stopped giggling the dim light coming from a little kerosene lamp with a smoky chimney fell on a dismal cluttered room a bare, greasy wooden table and two broken back chairs with little Lias in one of them he'd fallen asleep with his head on his arm his pinched dirty sad little figure showing in the light from the lamp his feet dangled high above the floor in their broken muddy shoes one sleeve was torn to the shoulder a piece of dry bread had slipped from his bony little hand and a tin dipper stood beside him on the bare table nobody else was in the room nor evidently in the darkened empty fireless house as long as she lives Betsy will never forget what she saw that night through that window her eyes grew very hot and her hands very cold her heart thumped hard she reached for a little molly and gave her a great hug in the darkness suppose it were little mollies asleep there all alone in the dirty dismal house with no supper and nobody to put her to bed she found that Ellen next to her was crying quietly into the corner of her apron nobody said a word stashy who had the bundle walked around soberly to the front door put it down and knocked loudly they all darted away noiselessly to the road, to the shadow of the trees and waited until the door opened the square of yellow light appeared a figure very small at the bottom of it they saw him stoop and pick up the bundle and go back into the house then they went quickly and silently back separating at the crossroads with no good night greetings molly and Betsy began to climb the hill to Putney Farm it was a very warm night for May a little molly began to puff for breath let's sit down on this rock a while and rest she said they were half way up the hill now from the rock they could see the lights scattered along the valley road and on the side of the mountain opposite them like big stars fallen from the multitude above Betsy sat down on the rock and looked up at the stars after a silence little molly's chirping voice said oh I thought you said we were going to march up to last and school and give him his clothes did you forget about that Betsy gave a wriggle of shame as she remembered that plan no we didn't forget it she said better way but how will I know who to thank asked molly that's no matter said Betsy yes it was Elizabeth Ann that was who said that and meant it too she was not even thinking of what she was saying between her and the stars thick over her in the black soft sky she saw again that dirty disordered room and the little boy all alone asleep with a piece of dry bread with little fingers she looked hard and long at that picture all the time seeing the quiet stars through it and then she turned over and hit her face on the rock she had said her now I lay me every night said she could remember but she had never prayed till she lay there with her face on the rock saying over and over oh god please please please make Mr. Pond a doplias end of chapter 8 chapter 9 of understood Betsy this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org understood Betsy by Dorothy Cainfield Fisher chapter 9 the new clothes fail all the little girls went early to school the next day eager for the first glimpse of liars in his new clothes they now quite enjoyed the mystery about who had made them and were full of agreeable excitement as the little figure was soon approaching down the road he wore the grey trousers and the little blue shirt the trousers were a little too long the shirt a perfect fit the girls gazed at him with pride as he came on the playground walking briskly along in the new shoes which were just the right size he had been wearing all winter a pair of cast-off women's shoes from a distance he looked like another child but as he came closer oh his face his hair his hands, his fingernails the little fella had evidently tried to live up to his beautiful new reinment for his hair had been roughly put back from his face and around his mouth and nose was a small area of almost clean skin where he had made an attempt at washing his face but he had made practically no impression on the layers of encrusted dirt and the little girls looked at him roofily would certainly never take a fancy to such a dreadful grimy child his nude clean clothes made him look all the worse as though dirty on purpose the little girls retired to their rock pile and talked over their bitter disappointment Ralph and the other boys absorbed in a game of marbles near them Lyas had gone proudly into the skill room to show himself to Miss Spenton it was the day before Decoration Day and a good deal of time was taken up with practicing on the recitations they were going to give at the Decoration Day exercises in the village several of the children from each school in the township were to speak pieces in the town hall Betsy was to recite Barbara Frotci her first love in that school but she droned it over with none of her usual pleasure her eyes on little Lyas a smiling face so unconscious of his dinginess at noon time the boys disappeared down toward the swimming hole they often took a swim at noon and nobody thought anything about it on that day the little girls ate their lunch on their rock mourning over the failure of their plans and scheming ways to meet the new obstacle Stashy suggested couldn't your aunt Abigail invite him up to your house for supper and then give him a bath afterward but Betsy although she had never heard of treating a supper guest in this way was sure that it was not possible she shook her head sadly her eyes on the far off white where the boys jumped up and down in their swimming hole that was not a good name for it because there was only one part of it deep enough to swimming mostly it was a shallow bay in an arm of the river where the water was only up to a little boys knees and where there was almost no current the sun beating down on it made it quite warm and even the first grade others allowed them to go in they only jumped up and down and squealed and splashed each other but they enjoyed that quite as much as Frank and Harry the two seventh graders enjoyed their swooping dives from the spring board over the pool they were late in getting back from the river that day and Miss Benton had to ring her bell hard in that direction whooping up and cluttered into the school room where the girls already sat their eyes lowered virtuously to their books with the prim air of self-righteousness they were never late Betsy was reciting her arithmetic she was getting on famously with that weeks ago as soon as Miss Benton had seen the confusion of the little girls mind going all down to a serious struggle with that subject Miss Benton had had Betsy recite all by herself so she wouldn't be flurry by the others and to begin with had gone back back back to bedrock to things Betsy absolutely knew to the two time twos and the three by threes and then very cautiously a step at a time they had advanced stopping short whenever Betsy felt a beginning of that bewildered guessing impulse which made her answer wildly at random after a while in the dark night which arithmetic had always been to her Betsy began to make out a few definite outlines which were always there facts which she knew to be so without guessing from the expression of her teacher's face from that moment her progress had been rapid one sure fact hooking itself on to another and another one on to that she attacked a page of problems now with a zest and self confidence which made her arithmetic lessons among the most interesting hours at school on that day she was standing up at the board a piece of chalk in her hand chewing her tongue and thinking hard how to find out the amount of wallpaper needed for a room 12 feet square with two doors and two windows in it when her eye fell on little liars bent over his reading book she forgot her arithmetic she forgot where she was she stared and stared till Alan catching the direction of her eyes looked and stared too little liars was clean pretty naturally almost wetly clean his face was clean and shining his ears shone pink and fair his hands were absolutely spotless even his haired hair was clean and still damp flash flatly back till it shone in the sun Betsy blinked her eyes a great many times thinking she must be dreaming but every time she opened them there was liars looking white and polished like a new willow whistle somebody poked her hard in the ribs she started and turning saw Ralph who was doing a sun beside her on the board scowling at her under his black brows quit gawking at liars he said under his breath you make me tired something conscience and shame faced in his manner made Betsy understand at once what had happened Ralph had taken liars down to the little boys waiting place and had washed him all over she remembered now had a piece of yellow soap there her face broke into a radiant smile and she began to say something to Ralph about how nice that was of him that he frowned again and said Crossley, oh cut it out look at what you've done there if I couldn't nine by eight and get it right How queer boys are thought Betsy looking down the right answer but she did not try to speak to Ralph again about liars not even after school when she saw Liars going home with a new cap on his head which she recognized as Ralph's she just looked at Ralph's bare head and smiled her eyes at him keeping the rest of her face over the way Cousin Ann did for just a minute Ralph almost smiled back at least he looked quite friendly they stepped along to walk home together the first time Ralph had ever condescended to walk beside a girl we got a new coat he said have you she said what color? black with a white star and they're going to let me ride him when he's old enough Mike won't that be nice and all the time they were both thinking of little Liars with his new clothes and his sweet thin place shining with cleanliness do you like spruce gum? asked Ralph oh I love gum said Betsy well I'll bring you down a chunk tomorrow if I don't forget said Ralph turning off at the crossroads they had not mentioned Liars at all the next day they were to have school only in the morning in the afternoon they were to go in a big hay wagon down to the village to the exercises Liars came to school in his new blue surge trousers and his white blouse the little girls floated over his appearance and hung around him for who was to visit school that morning but Mr. Pond himself cousin Anne had arranged it somehow it took cousin Anne to fix things during recess as they were playing still pond no more moving on the playground Mr. Pond and Uncle Henry drew up to the edge of the playground stopped their horse and talking and laughing together watched the children at play bet he looked hard at the big burly kind-faced man with the smiling eyes and the hearty laugh and decided that he would do perfectly for Liars but what she decided was to have little importance apparently for after all he would not get out at the wagon but said he'd have to drive right on to the village just like that with other than a careless glance at his watch no he guessed he wouldn't have time this morning he said bets he cast an imploring look up into Uncle Henry's face but evidently he felt himself quite helpless too oh if only cousin Anne had come she would have marched him into the schoolhouse double quick but Uncle Henry was not cousin Anne and though bets he saw him as they drove away conscientiously point out little Liars resplendent and shining Mr. Pond only nodded absently as though he were thinking of something else bets he could have cried with disappointment but she and the other girls putting their heads together for comfort told each other not to laugh yet Mr. Pond would not leave town till tomorrow perhaps there was still some hope but that afternoon even this last hope was dashed as they gathered at the schoolhouse the girls fresh and crisp in their newly-started dresses with red or blue hair ribbons the boys very self-conscious in their dark suits clean collars all but wealth and black shoes there was no little Liars they waited and waited but there was no sign of him finally Uncle Henry who was to drive the straw ride down to town looked at his watch gathered up the reins and said they would be late if they didn't start right away maybe Liars had had a chance to ride in with somebody else they all piled in the horses stepped off the wheels grated on the stones and just at that moment a dismal sound of sobbing wails reached them from the woodshed back at the schoolhouse the children tumbled out as fast as they had tumbled in and ran back Betsy and Ralph at their head there in the woodshed was little Liars huddled in the corner behind some wood crying and crying and crying digging his fists into his eyes his face all smeared with tears and dirt and he was dressed again in his filthy torn old overalls and ragged shirt his poor little bare feet shone with a pittiest cleanliness in that dark place what's the matter the children asked him all at once he flung himself on Ralph burying his face in the other boy's coat and sobbed out some disjointed story which only Ralph could hear and then at last and final climax of the disaster who should come looking over the shoulders of the children but Uncle Henry and Mr. Pond started and dirty again Betsy sat down weekly on a pile of wood utterly disheartened what was the use of anything what's the matter asked the two men together Ralph turned with an angry toss of his dark head and told them bitterly over the heads of the children he just had some decent clothes first ones he ever had and he was plotting on going to the exercises in the town hall and that darned old skunk of a stepfather has gone and taken him and sold him to get whiskey I'd like to kill him Betsy could have flung her arms around Ralph he looked so exactly the way she felt yes he is a darned old skunk she said to herself she did not know before it took bad words to qualify what had happened she saw an electric spark pass from Ralph's blazing eyes to Mr. Pond's broad face now grim and fierce she saw Mr. Pond step forward brushing the children out of his way like a giant among dwarfs she saw him stoop and pick little liars up in his great strong arms and holding him close stride furiously out of the woodshed across the playground to the buggy which was waiting for him he'll go to the exercises all right he'd call back over his shoulder in a great roar he'll go if I have to buy out the whole town to get him an outfit well won't get these clothes thither you hear me say so he sprung into the buggy and holding liars on his lap took up the reins and drove rapidly forward they saw little liars again entering the town hall holding fast to Mr. Pond's hand he was magnificent in a whole suit of store clothes and all and he wore white stockings and neat low shoes like a city child they saw him later up on the platform squeaking out his little patriotic poem his eyes shining like stars fixed on one broad smiling face in the audience when he finished he was overcome with shiners by the applause and for a moment forgot to turn and leave the platform he hung his head and looking out from under his eyebrows gave a quaint shy little smile at the audience vets he saw Mr. Pond's great smile waver and grow dim his eyes filled so full that he had to take out his handkerchief and blow his nose loudly he saw little liars once more for the last time Mr. Pond's buggy drove rapidly past their slow moving hay wagon Mr. Pond holding the reins masterfully in one hand beside him very close sat liars with his lap full of toys oh full like Christmas in that fleeting glimpse they saw a toy train a stuffed doll a candy box a pile of picture books tops paper bags and even the swinging crane of the big mechanical toy dredge that everybody said the storekeeper could never sell to anybody because it cost so much as they passed swiftly liars looked out at them and waved his little hand clutteringly his other hand was tightly clasped in Mr. Pond's big one he was smiling at them all his eyes looked dazed and radiant he turned his head as the buggy flashed by to call out in a shrill exulting like shout goodbye, goodbye I'm going to live with they could hear no more he was gone and still waving at them over the back of the buggy's seat Betsy drew a long, long breath she found that Ralph was looking at her for a moment she couldn't think what made him look so different then she thought that he was smiling she had never seen him smile before he smiled at her as though he were sure she would understand never said a word Betsy looked forward again and saw the gleaming buggy finishing over the hill in front of them she smiled back at Ralph silently not a thing had happened the way she had planned no, not a single thing but it seemed to her she had never been so happy in her life End of chapter 9