Girls -- Juvenile fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile fiction
"Here she is, mother," called out Peggy, drawing Keineth forward.
Mrs. Lee took Keineth in her arms and held her very close for a moment.
When she released her she put her hand under Keineth's chin to lift her
face.
"It's like seeing your mother again," she laughed, although there was a
queer little catch in her voice.
"You'll be Peggy's twin," she added, starting up the steps. "Bring in
their bags, Billy. Barb--let's give Dad a nice hot cup of coffee!
Peggy, you make Keineth perfectly at home."
Keineth took off her hat and coat. Very willingly Peggy took her in
charge.
"I'll show you the garden," she said.
"Let's go down to the beach!" cried Alice, following.
"Do you want to see my wireless set?" invited Billy.
"Billy thinks that's the only interesting thing about Overlook!"
"Wait a moment, children," suggested Mrs. Lee to them, "one thing at a
time! Keineth is tired, perhaps. Take her upstairs, Peggy, and let her
slip on a blouse and your old serge bloomers--then go outside and
play!"
Overlook really wasn't like a house at all--Keineth had never seen
anything quite like it. There was one big living-room with a veranda
running around it and with big doors opening from three sides upon the
veranda so that the room itself was just like out-of-doors. One end of
the veranda was enclosed in glass and used as a dining-room. Flowers in
boxes were on the sills of the windows and over them the sun streamed
through chintz-curtained windows. Upstairs were two rooms over the
living-rooms, and opening from these were screened sleeping porches,
with rows of little cots. Peggy explained that the rooms were used as
dressing-rooms and that each one of the family had a little chest of
drawers for their own clothes and that mother had brought the oak one
in the corner out from town for Keineth's use.
"But where do you sleep when it rains?" cried Keineth.
"Oh, out there," laughed Peggy; "you see, the roof slants down so far
that it keeps out the rain. That's your cot--between Barb's and mine."
Keineth caught a glimpse of a great blue stretch of water glistening in
the bright sunlight a quarter of a mile away.
"Oh--is that the lake?" she exclaimed, eagerly.
"Yes--we'll go down to the beach in a little while. Can you swim?
Mother will teach you--she taught each one of us. I'm going to try for
the life-saving medal this year! We have sport contests at the club in
August. Can you play tennis?" Keineth said no. Peggy's manner became
just a little patronizing. "Oh, it's easy to learn, though it'll take
you quite awhile to serve a good ball, but you can practice with Alice.
Can you play golf?"
"My Daddy can."
"Well, you can walk around the links with Billy and me. Barbara plays a
dandy game--she can beat Dad all to pieces. Let's go down now and see
the garden."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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