Two Little Women, Page 2

  CHAPTER II

  DOTTY ROSE AND DOLLY FAYRE

  A few days passed without communication between the two houses.

  Mr. Fayre expressed a decided approval of his new neighbour, and advisedhis wife to call on Mrs. Rose. Mrs. Fayre said she would do so as soonas the proper time came.

  "I'm not going," said Dolly. "I don't like that girl, and I nevershall."

  "Why, Dorinda," said her father, who only used her full name when he wasserious, "I've never known you to act so before. I've thought you were anice, sweet-tempered little girl, and here you are acting like acantankerous catamaran!"

  "What is the matter with you, Doll?" asked Trudy; "you are unreasonableabout the little Rose girl."

  "Let her alone," said Dolly's mother; "she'll get over it."

  "I'll never get over it," declared Dolly; "I don't want to know a girlas big as I am, who plays with dolls."

  "How do you know she plays with dolls?"

  "Well, a dolls' carriage went in there the day they moved in."

  "Perhaps it's one she used to have, and she has kept it, for oldassociations."

  "Maybe. Anyhow, I don't like her. She made faces at me."

  "Really?" and her mother smiled.

  "Well, she scowled at me, and shook her head like a--like a--"

  "Like a little girl shaking her head," said Mr. Fayre, to help her out.

  But Dolly didn't smile. She was a queer nature, was Dolly. Usually sunnyand happy-hearted, she liked almost everything and everybody, but if shedid take a dislike, it became a prejudice, and very hard to remove.

  Dolly was pretty, with the bluest of blue eyes and the pinkest of pinkcheeks and the yellowest of yellow hair. She was inclined to be plump,and Trudy was always beseeching her not to eat so much candy and sweetdesserts. But Dolly loved these things and had small concern about herincreasing weight. She didn't care much for outdoor play, and wouldrather sit in the hammock and read a story-book than run after tennisballs.

  Her mother called her a dreamer, and often came upon her, sitting in thetwilight, her thoughts far away in a fairyland of her own imagination,enjoying wonderful adventures and thrilling scenes.

  Dolly was in the grammar school and next year would be in the highschool. She didn't like study, particularly, except history andliterature, but she studied conscientiously and always knew her lessons.

  This morning, she kissed her mother good-bye, and started off forschool. She wore a blue and white gingham, and a fawn-coloured coat.Swinging her bag of books, she marched past the Rose house, and thoughshe didn't look at her, she could see the Rose girl on the front steps.

  "I wonder if she'll go to our school," thought Dolly; and for a momentthe impulse seized her to stop and "scrape acquaintance." Then sheremembered that shaking head, and fearing a rebuff, she walked on by.

  "Do you know that new girl next door to you?" Celia Ferris asked her asshe entered the school yard.

  "No; do you?" and Dolly looked indifferent.

  "No, I don't; but my mother knows a lady, who knows them and she saysDorothy,--that's her name,--is a wonder."

  "A wonder! How?"

  "Oh, she's so smart and so clever, and she can do everything so well."

  This was enough for Dolly Fayre. To think that disagreeable newneighbour of hers, must be a paragon of all the virtues!

  But Dolly was never unjust. She knew she had no real reason to dislikeDorothy Rose, so she only said, "I haven't met her yet. My mother isgoing to call there this week, and then I s'pose I'll get acquaintedwith her."

  "How funny," said Celia, who was chummy by nature. "I should think you'dgo in and play with her without waiting for your mother to call,--andall that. Anybody'd think you were as old as Trudy."

  "Oh, I could do that if I wanted to, but I don't want to."

  "Well, I think I'll go to see her, anyway. If she's so smart it would benice to have her in the Closing Day exercises. I s'pose she'll come toschool here."

  "Of course, you can do as you like, Celia, but I think it's too late toget any new girls in now."

  Dolly went on to the schoolroom, her heart full of resentment at this"smart" interloper. It was a little bit a feeling of jealousy, for DollyFayre was head and front of everything that went on at the BerwickGrammar School, and it jarred a little to think of having a wonder-girlcome in with a lot of new ideas and plans and mix everything all up atthe last minute.

  But don't get any mistaken idea that Dolly Fayre was a mean-minded orsmall-natured girl. On the contrary, she was generosity itself in allher dealings with her schoolmates. Every one liked her, and with goodreason, for she never quarrelled, and was always happy and smiling.

  But the Rose girl had acted queer from the first, and Dolly couldn'tadmit the desirability of bringing her into their already arranged"Closing Exercises." These were so important as to be almost sacredrites, and as usual Dolly was at the head of all the committees, and herword was law.

  She went home from school that afternoon, thinking about it, and herpretty face looked very sober as she went in the house and put herschool-books neatly away in their place.

  "There's some lemonade and cookies on the sideboard," said her mother asDolly went through the hall.

  "All right, Mumsie," and somehow, after these refreshments had beenabsorbed, Dolly felt better, and life seemed to have a brighter outlook.

  She took an unfinished story-book and picked up her white kitten, andwent out to the side verandah, her favourite spot of a warm afternoon.

  "You see, Flossy," she whispered, addressing the kitten, "I want youwith me, 'cause I'm buffled to-day." Dolly was in the habit of making upwords, if she couldn't think of any to suit her, and just at the moment_buffled_ seemed to her to mean a general state of being ruffled, andbuffeted and rebuffed and generally huffy.

  "And you well know, Floss, that when I feel mixy-up, there's nothing socomforting and soothing as a nice little, soft little, cuddly littlekitty-cat."

  Flossy blinked her eyes, and purred gently, and was just as comfortingas she could be, which is saying a good deal.

  There was a big, wide swing on the side verandah, one of those cushionedsettee affairs that are so cosy to snuggle into, and read.

  And it was without a glance at the house next door, that Dolly snuggledherself in among the red cushions and opened her book, while Flossycuddled in the hollow of her arm; and concluding that she would bequite as comforting asleep as awake, the kitten promptly fell into adoze.

  Meantime there were arrivals at the Rose house.

  Eugenia, the eleven year old girl, had been staying with a cousin untilthe house should be put in order, and now she had come to the new home.

  She was a black-haired witch, and of exceeding vivacious and volatiledisposition.

  "OO!--ee!" she exclaimed; "isn't it great! Take me everywhere, Dot! Showme all the rooms and all the outdoorses and everything! I didn't know itwas such a big house. Which is my room?"

  Even as she talked, Eugenia was flying upstairs, only to turn rightaround and fly down again. She danced from room to room, sometimesfollowed or preceded by Dotty and sometimes not. Her own room delightedher. It faced the Fayres' house, being the one Dorothy had rejected infavour of the other.

  "Where's Blot?" asked Dotty; "didn't you bring him?"

  "Oh, yes; he's down with Thomas. He's crazy. He barked all the wayhere."

  But Dotty was already flying down stairs to find her beloved puppy.

  "Here he is, Miss Dorothy," and the chauffeur, Thomas, gave the blackpoodle into her arms.

  "Oh, you blessed Blotty-boy! Oh, you cunnin' Blotsy-wotsy! Does him lovehims Dotty?"

  The love was manifested by some moist caresses and then Blot was all fora scamper. Dotty took him out on the lawn and set him down, herself allready for a romp.

  Now only a minute before, Flossy, the white kitten, had waked from hernap, and seeing that Dolly was absorbed in her story-book, inferred thatkitten comfort was not at the moment needed, and decided t
o go after avery yellow butterfly out on the Fayre lawn.

  Stealthily across the grass, Flossy went butterflywards, on tippy-toe.Each white paw was daintily lifted and softly set down on the thickturf, as her progress continued. From the Rose lawn Blot spied theadvancing Flossy. He didn't then know her name, but he had liberal ideason the subject of introductions, and he made a wild dash toward theoncoming kitten.

  When Floss saw the small black whirlwind hurling itself at her, she waseither too brave or too frightened to retreat, so she put her white backup as high as possible and stood her ground. She expressed her opinionof the performance in a series of sputtering yowls that drew Dolly'sattention from her book to the impending battle.

  She sprang out of the swing, and rushed toward Flossy just as the twobelligerents met in the grassy arena.

  Dorothy Rose, on her side of the lawn was shaking with laughter, andthis sight was the last straw to Dorinda Fayre's overburdened soul.

  "Don't you let your dog eat up my cat!" she cried out, angrily, to theblack-haired girl opposite.

  "Don't you let your cat eat up my dog, then!" was the immediateresponse, delivered with enthusiasm equalling Dolly's own.

  "Cats don't eat dogs!"

  "Neither do dogs eat cats!"

  "Well, these will eat each other! Oh! look, we _must_ get them apart!"

  The battle was of the pitched variety, whatever that may mean. But it isa phrase used to describe the most intense and desperate battles ofhistory, and surely this was one of them. Dolly Fayre had no idea thatgentle little Flossy had so much fight in her small white body, andDotty Rose never dreamed that Blot was such a fire-eater under his curlyblack coat.

  Really alarmed for their pets, the two girls went nearer to the agilewarriors, who now looked like an indistinct moving-picture film that wasgoing too fast.

  "Come here, Blot!" Dotty cried, in most commanding tones.

  "Come here, Flossy!" Dolly called, in coaxing accents.

  Insubordination ensued on both sides.

  "We'll have to grab them!" declared Dotty Rose; dancing about the warzone.

  "We can't!" wailed Dolly Fayre, wringing her hands as she edged awayfrom the seat of battle.

  "Well, I just guess we will!" and Dotty Rose seized Blot by the scruffof his black neck and shook him loose from the white kitten.

  With a little cry of rejoicing, Dolly Fayre picked up Flossy and plumpedherself down on the grass to make sure the kitten was intact.

  Dotty sat down too, and felt of Blot's small and well-hidden bones.

  As neither animal gave any cry of pain and as each glared at its lateopponent, the respective owners of the combatants drew sighs of reliefand held on tightly to their pets, lest a fresh attack should begin.

  Now it stands to reason that after a scene like that just described,the two girls couldn't get up and walk off home without a word.

  So they sat on the grass and looked at each other.

  And when the troubled blue eyes of Dolly Fayre saw the big brown eyes ofDotty Rose twinkle and saw her red lips smile, she discovered that thescowl she had objected to was not permanent, and she smiled back.

  But somehow, they could think of nothing to say. The smile broke the icea little, but Dolly Fayre was timid, and Dotty Rose was absorbed inlooking at the other's blue eyes and yellow hair.

  But it was Dotty who spoke first. "Well," she said, "how do you likeme?"

  It was an unfortunate question. For Dolly Fayre hadn't a single definitenotion regarding Dotty Rose except that she didn't like her. However, itwould hardly do to tell her that, so she said, slowly: "I don't knowyet; how do you like me?"

  "Well, I think you're awfully pretty, to begin with."

  "So do I you," put in Dolly, glad to find a favourable report that shecould make truthfully.

  "Aren't we different," went on the other thoughtfully; "you're so blondeand I'm so dark."

  "Yes; I just hate my hair,--towhead, Bert calls me."

  "Who's Bert?"

  "He's my brother; he's away at school. He's seventeen years old." Dollyspoke proudly, as if she had said, "he's captain of the Fleet."

  "Why, I've got a brother away at school, too."

  "Have you? What's his name?"

  "Bob; of course it's Robert, but we always call him Bob. He's eighteen."

  "What else have you got?"

  Dotty knew the question referred to family connections, and answered: "Alittle sister, Genie, 'leven years old."

  "That all?"

  "Yep. 'Cept Aunt Clara, who lives with us, she's a widow. And of course,Mother and Dad."

  "I've got a grown-up sister, Trudy. She's in s'ciety now, and she'sawful pretty."

  "Look like you?"

  "Some. But she's all fluffy-haired and dimply-smiled, you know."

  "What funny words you use."

  "Do I? Well, I only do when I can't think of the real ones. Are yougoing to the Grammar School?"

  "Mother says it's too late to begin this year. Here it is May,--and itcloses in June. So she says for me to wait till next year."

  This was comforting. If the girl didn't go to school this year shecouldn't make any bother with the Closing Exercises. Beside, maybe shewas not such a dislikable girl as she had seemed at first. Dolly sat andregarded her. At last she said: "Then the doll-carriage belongs to yourlittle sister."

  "To Genie, yes. How did you know she had one?"

  "Saw it come with your things, the day you moved in."

  "How old are you?"

  "Fourteen, but I'll be fifteen next month,--June."

  "Why, so will I! Isn't that funny! What day is your birthday?"

  "The tenth."

  "Mine's the twentieth. We're almost twins. And our names are quitealike, too. Mine's Dorothy, really, but they all call me Dotty."

  "And mine's Dorinda, but I'm called Dolly."

  "And we both have brothers at school, and we each have a sister."

  "But mine is a big sister and yours is a little sister."

  "Yes, but we have as many differences as we have likenesses. You're sofair, and--why, your name is Fayre!"

  Dolly laughed. "Yes, and you're so rosy and your name is Rose!"

  "Dotty Rose and Dolly Fayre! We ought to be friends. Shall we?"

  Dolly hesitated. She was too honest to pretend to a liking she didn'tquite feel. She looked squarely at Dotty Rose, and said,straightforwardly, "What made you scowl at me that first day you came?"

  "I didn't!" and Dotty Rose opened her brown eyes in astonishment.

  "Yes, you did; and you shook your head at me when I smiled to you. Youwere sitting in a window, with your legs hanging out."

  "Sitting where! Oh, I remember! Why, I didn't scowl at _you_, it wasbecause Aunt Clara called me to come in out of that window. And I didn'twant to, so I scowled. I've a fearful temper. And then, she told meagain to come in, and I shook my head. I wasn't shaking it at _you_!Why, I didn't know you then!"

  Dolly drew a long breath. "Then that's all right! I thought you scowledbecause I smiled at you, and it made me mad. All right, I'll be friendswith you. I'd like to. I think you're real nice."

  "So do I you!"