Ethel Morton's HolidaysSmith, Mabell S. C. (Mabell Shippie Clarke)
General
Ethel Morton's Holidays
Smith, Mabell S. C. (Mabell Shippie Clarke)
Children -- Societies and clubs -- Juvenile fiction; Holidays -- Juvenile fiction
"You two have your own children and Father and I are all alone now,"
said Grandmother, wiping her eyes. "Let us have Elisabeth. We need
her--and we should love her so."
"Oh!" cried both of the younger women in tones of such disappointment
that Mrs. Emerson saw at once that if she wanted a nursling she must
look for another, not Elisabeth of Belgium.
"After all, perhaps it is better for her," she admitted. "Here she will
have the children and will grow up among young people. Are you ready?"
When they picked up Helen she had a request to make of her grandmother.
"I telephoned about the baby to Margaret at recess, just to tell her
Elisabeth was well this morning, and she was awfully interested in the
idea of the helper from the School of Mothercraft. She gets out of
school earlier than we do--she'd be just home. I'm sure she wouldn't
keep you waiting. And the house is only a step from the main
street--can't we take her?"
So Margaret was added to the party that sped on to the ferry. To
everybody's surprise, when they reached the New York end of the ferry
Edward Watkins signalled the chauffeur to stop.
"Roger telephoned Tom and Della about the baby," he explained, "and
about your coming in today and I thought perhaps I might do something to
help. I don't want to intrude--"
"We're going to the School of Mothercraft," said Mrs. Morton, "and we'd
be glad to have you go with us. I don't know that we shall need to call
on your professional advice but if you can spare the time we'd like to
have you."
"Unfortunately, time is the commodity I'm richest in," smiled the young
doctor, taking the seat beside the chauffeur.
The ride up town was a pleasure to the girls who did not often come to
the city, and then seldom had an opportunity to ride in any automobile
but a taxi-cab. As soon as possible they swung in to Fifth Avenue, whose
brilliant shop windows and swiftly moving traffic excited them. They
were quite thrilled when they drew up before a pretty house, no
different in appearance from any of its neighbors, except that an
unobtrusive sign notified seekers that they had found the right place.
"It's a school to learn home-making in," Helen explained to Margaret in
a low tone as they followed the elders up the steps, "so it ought to be
in a real house and not a schoolhouse-y place."
Margaret nodded, for they were being ushered into a cheerful reception
room, simply but attractively furnished. In a minute they were being
greeted by the Director who remembered meeting at Chautauqua all of them
except Edward, and she recalled other members of his family and
especially the Watkins bull-dog, Cupid, who was a prominent figure in
Chautauqua life.
Mrs. Morton explained their errand, and also the reasons that had
brought so large a number of them to the School.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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