Ethel Morton at Rose House | Page 9

enough. They're not really rough, you see. It's the spaces
between the planks that make them seem so."
"That's easily done. We thought we'd paint these old floors and stain
the new ones down stairs."

"I'd do that. Paint these floors tan or gray, if you want them to confess
frankly that they're painted floors, or the shade of some wood if you
want to pretend that they're hard wood floors."
James moved uneasily. Roger guessed the reason.
"What's the matter, old man? Treasury low?"
"It always is," answered James uncomfortably. "How are we going to
fill it?"
"That's what I've been thinking," Ethel Brown said meditatively. "It's
time we did something to earn something."
"Everybody I've sold cookies to all winter seems to have stopped eating
them," complained Ethel Brown. "I'm thinking of getting up a cooky
sale to relieve my financial distress."
"There's an idea," cried Tom. "Why can't we have a cooky sale--with a
few other things thrown in--and use the proceeds for the decoration and
furnishing of Rose House?"
"We've had so many entertainments; can we do anything different
enough for the Rosemonters to be willing to come?"
"And spend?"
"I think the Rosemonters have great confidence in our getting up
something new and interesting; ditto the Glen Pointers," insisted
Margaret who lived at Glen Point and knew the opinions of her
neighbors.
"Where could we have it--it meaning our sale or whatever we decide to
have?"
"Why not have it here? Let's wait until the boys have the house all
painted and whitewashed and colorwashed so it looks as fresh as
possible, and then tell the town what it is we are trying to do this
summer, and ask them over here to see what it looks like."

"Good enough. When they see that it's good as far as it goes, but that
our Fresh Air people will be mighty uncomfortable if they don't have
some beds to sleep in and a few other trifles of every day use, they'll
buy whatever we have to sell. That's the way it seems to me," and
Roger threw himself down on the grass before the front door with an air
of having said the final word.
"Let's ask the people of _Rose_mont to come to Rose House to a Rose
Fête," cried Ethel Blue, while every one of her hearers waved his
handkerchief at the suggestion.
"I'll draw a poster with the announcement on it," she went on, "and we
can have it printed on pink paper and the boys can go round on their
bicycles and distribute them at every house."
"We must have everything pink, of course. Pink ice cream and cakes
with pink icing--"
"And pink strawberries--"
"Not green ones! No, sir!"
"And watermelons if we can get some that won't make too much
trouble for Dr. Hancock."
"How are we going to serve them? We can't bring china way out
here--and we won't have any for Rose House until after we give this
party to earn it!"
"They have paper plates with pretty patterns on them now. And if they
cost too much we might get the plain ones and lay a d'oyley of pink
paper on each one," suggested Margaret.
"Probably that will be the cheapest and the effect will be just as good,
but I'll find out the prices in town," promised Delia.
"I have a scheme for a table of fancy things," offered Dorothy. "Let's
have it under that tree over there and over it let's hang a huge rose. I

think I know how to make it--two hoops, the kind Dicky rolls, one
above the other, the smaller one on top, and both suspended from the
tree. Cover them inside and out with big pink paper petals."
"How are you going to make it look like a rose and not a pink bell?"
inquired Delia.
"Put a green calyx on the top and some yellow stamens inside and then
make a stem that will look like the real thing, only gigantic."
"How will you manage that?"
"Do you remember those wild grape vines that Helen and Ethel Brown
found in the West Woods and used for Hallowe'en decorations? If we
could get a thick one and wind it with green paper and let it curve from
the rose toward the ground it ought to look like a real stem."
"We could hang the rose with dark string that wouldn't show, and
fasten the stem to the branch of the tree with a pink bow. It would look
as if some giant had tied it there for his ladylove."
"I have an old pink sash I'll contribute to the good cause," laughed
Helen. "I've been wondering what to do with it for some time."
"Everything on the table must be pink and shaped