Glenloch Girls | Page 7

wants to have two or three days in New York before sailing that
will probably bring her here about the twelfth or thirteenth. Not quite
three weeks, you see."
"The time does seem short," said Arthur, trying to appear politely
interested.
His mother laughed. "I'll leave you to prepare your mind for this new
infliction while I write the note and do my marketing. Don't forget that
you are going to practice with the crutches as soon as possible; I shall
be so proud of you when you can walk downstairs."
Mrs. Hamilton a little later at her desk was just beginning the pleasant
task of writing to Ruth, when the sound of the doorbell and a quick
scamper of feet up the stairs made her put down her pen with a smile.
"Why, girls," she said as a trio of bright faces appeared in the doorway.
"How does it happen that you are out of school at this hour of the day?"
"Something happened to the gas-pipes, and there was an awful smell of
gas, and all sorts of workmen walking around the building, so we were
sent home," answered the tallest of the three girls. "And we thought
we'd come in and see you for a few minutes, if you weren't busy and
didn't mind."
"I'm almost never too busy to see you and Charlotte and Dorothy, Betty,
and I'm particularly glad just now, for I want to consult you all about
something."
"How fine," said Dorothy. "I love to be consulted, don't you, girls?"
"You see," continued Mrs. Hamilton, "I am going to borrow a daughter
for a whole year, and I thought you three would be the very ones to

help me make her happy."
"We will. We'd like to," answered the girls. "How old is she?" asked
Charlotte. "And what's her name?" put in Dorothy. "I always like to
know the name before I begin to think very much about a person."
"Her name is Ruth Shirley, and she's just fourteen, I believe. She lost a
very lovely mother about a year ago, and now her father is obliged to
go abroad on business, so I suspect the poor child will feel lonely and
homesick for a while."
"We'll give her all the good times we can," said Betty warmly. "When
do you expect her, Mrs. Hamilton?"
"In less than three weeks, I think, and that reminds me that I want you
all to advise me about making her room pretty. Let's go and look at it
now and discuss ways and means."
"Oh, you are going to give her the pink room," cried Dorothy as they
entered it. "I think this is the loveliest room in the house." It was a
pretty room, with its delicate pink and white paper, its dainty draperies
and white furniture, and the girls wondered what more it could need in
the way of preparation.
"It seems to me this is fine enough for any one," said Charlotte, who
usually thought aloud quite frankly. "I don't see what you can do to
make it prettier."
"Perhaps not so much prettier as a little more homelike, Charlotte. For
one thing I mean to have some andirons so that there can be a fire made
here when necessary, for this is likely to be a cold room in winter."
"That will be jolly," murmured Charlotte. "If there's anything I adore
it's an open fire with a rug before it. I hope she's a nice, quiet girl and
likes to read," she added with pretended anxiety, "for in that case I
shouldn't mind having her in the room with me when I am enjoying her
fire."

They all laughed and Dorothy said, "Charlotte is such an old bookworm
that she won't know how to get on with any one who doesn't like to
read. For my part I hope she will be full of fun and like having a good
time better than poking in books all the time."
"Well," said Betty pensively, "I hope she likes cats."
"Well, girls, I hope Ruth will satisfy your expectations," said Mrs.
Hamilton. "And now I want you to do something for me. I want each of
you to think of something that will make the room look more homelike
and more like a girl's room. You may select anything you like and if I
can get it I shall, for I want you all to feel that you have had a share in
making the room pretty."
"I know something," began Dorothy.
"Don't tell, don't tell," interrupted Charlotte. "Let's tell Mrs. Hamilton
secretly, and after the room is finished we'll see if we can guess what
each one suggested."
"That's a clever idea, Lottchen," said Betty, who admired all that
Charlotte said or did.
This agreed