human
Nan wants you, Jack,
gpt
I don't care. She's not my mother,
human
You'd better come.
gpt
I will when I'm ready.
human
I'm going straight home to tell her.
gpt
I don't care.
human
I don't see what you want to sit here for all by yourself.
gpt
Because I choose.
human
I'll tell Aunt Sarah too.
gpt
She hasn't come yet,
human
You don't know whether she has or not,
gpt
I do so. The train doesn't get in till eleven. Ba-ah!
human
She was sitting on the steps of the old Southall house, she reported,
gpt
Well, never mind, let her stay there if she likes it. Perhaps she is waiting for some one. Isn't that Mitty coming? It looks like her yellow hat.
human
It is Mitty, Jean assured her,
gpt
however, but it rained so hard that she, with most of the others, had to stay all night. There was a fight which scared her nearly to death, and there was no place to sleep, for the older persons took up all the floor space. She had walked home when daylight came, and had gone to bed at her mother's, but she was
human
We thought you would never get here,
gpt
I thought so myself, returned Aunt Sarah.
human
Henry Dent made me miss the train by five minutes yesterday morning, so I had to take the afternoon train. That was an hour late owing to a washout, so I couldn't make connection in Washington, but had to stay all night there with Cousin Lou, though I did get the earliest train this morning. Your mother got off safely, Jack tells me. Why aren't you children at school?
gpt
There wasn't any school to-day,
human
How's that?
gpt
I don't know,
human
Did you hear the reason?
gpt
There wasn't one of the scholars there,
human
How do you know?
gpt
I was down there and saw.
human
Down where? Did you go to the schoolhouse?
gpt
I didn't go in.
human
Didn't Miss Lawrence come?
gpt
I didn't see her,
human
I wonder if she is ill, said Mary Lee.
gpt
We didn't hear that she was yesterday, and yet Jack knew this morning before breakfast that there wasn't to be any school. She told us so.
human
How did you find out? Aunt Sarah fixed a keen look upon Jack.
gpt
Look here, Jacqueline Corner, it strikes me that there is a screw loose somewhere. Did you tell your sister that there wouldn't be any school so you could have a holiday?
human
It's just as I said, Aunt Sarah. There wasn't truly any school to-day.
gpt
I'll find out the why and wherefore, replied Aunt Sarah, shaking her head warningly.
human
How did you get along, Nan? I suppose with Mitty and Unc' Landy you have had no trouble.
gpt
We had an awful time, Nan answered.
human
Mitty took an afternoon and evening off. Mother promised her long ago that she should go to the festival of the Sons and Daughters of Moses and Aaron and we had a terrible thunder-storm that scared us nearly to death and that kept Unc' Landy from getting back from the mill where he had gone for some feed. Then the boys came and it was pitch dark before I could get supper ready.
gpt
Yes, and Jack fell down and mashed the cake so some of it was crite flat,
human
I don't care; it was dreadfully slippery coming up the hill and, anyhow, it tasted good. Randolph ate two pieces,
gpt
So did you,
human
Hush, hush your squabbling, children, said Aunt Sarah.
gpt
Well, Nan, you did have your hands full. I'd have been more put out than I was if I had known those boys were here. I suppose, though, you didn't make any difference for them, just two youngsters like them.
human
Indeed we did make a difference, Jack told her proudly.
gpt
We had out all the best china and silver, and Nan made biscuits, and we borrowed cake from Cousin Mag, and all that.
human
For pity's sake, what did you make all that fuss for over two young cubs of boys?
gpt
We wanted to give them a good impression, said Nan, with dignity.
human
Mother says so much depends upon the first impression.
gpt
Well, you might have saved yourselves in my opinion. What are the lads like? Nice fellows?
human
I suppose so, returned Nan doubtfully.
gpt
They haven't given us much of a chance to find out. Randolph says very little and Ashby nothing at all except: 'Please pass the bread' or 'Please pass the butter.'
human
Those remarks don't furnish much of a clue to character, remarked Aunt Sarah with a little smile.
gpt
Probably they are bashful and are not used to girls. Here in a houseful of them with no older person they feel mighty queer, I have no doubt. Their tongues will loosen up after a few days. You put them in your room? Your mother wrote that you wanted to.
human
Yes, and we made it look pretty well. There is a broken chair that Unc' Landy is going to mend, and some of our clothes are still in the press.
gpt
Well, I'll get myself settled and we'll soon have things in running order,