She had been very selfish. She had thought only of getting skates for herself. What about her suite mates? She could have ordered theirs at the same time. One special delivery fee would have brought them all. Sorry that she had been so thoughtless she raced upstairs to make amends and was not in the office when the skates were delivered.
“Did you ever hear of anything grander?” Betsy asked as she dangled a pair of rusty skates. “Jill says if I’ll clean them, I can use them. She is going on that sketching party Chloe is going on.”
“You mean you’re not going skating, Chloe.”
“Is that so strange? I’m going hiking all right and will be in on the food but while you all skate, some of us are going to sketch, if our fingers aren’t too numb. You might be posing for me for all you know.”
“I’m not going skating either,” Sue declared. “Olivia had already invited me to the matinee and had gotten special permission. She is giving a movie party. Five of us are going and—without a chaperon!”
“Well blow me down!” Mimi declared. “Imagine doing anything else when one could ice skate, especially an ordinary thing like seeing a movie.” She slapped her hands together in front of her.
“Betsy, outside quick—idea!”
They whispered together, then dashed off.
“Oh, if only Miss Bassett hasn’t left yet!” Mimi cried. Miss Bassett was still in her room and she listened to their plan with interest. Mimi’s enthusiasm was always contagious. To hear her talking with Miss Bassett, her suggested menu of bean hole beans for the skaters tomorrow would be the most sumptuous feast mortals ever ate. Here was the plan she and Betsy had hatched up.
It was Friday morning now. The skating party was slated for midday tomorrow. Mimi and Betsy posted a notice of a surprise dinner—price fifteen cents a skater. They delegated Madge and Janice to collect. Miss Bassett advanced money for purchase of supplies. She postponed her trip to Wildwood until the girls could buy the beans and put them to soak. Then armed with hand axe, shovel, matches and a hand full of kindling to make sure, they drove out to Wildwood to dig the bean hole.