“Hurry up!” she called, as soon as the children came within earshot. “Here’s Mr. Griswold driving up to town and he has room for two. Get your purse, Jackie. Here’s a chance to buy you that toothbrush. Neil, you can go with her and show her the way home. You’ll have to hoof it back, unless you find somebody coming down to the Meadows that will give you a lift.”
Adventure beckoned! Jacqueline thought nothing of the walk through the dust in the heat. She flew upstairs and got Caroline’s shabby purse, and flew down again. Perhaps where they were going, she could get a soda, one for herself and one, of course, for Neil.
Aunt Martha must have read her thoughts.
“Now don’t you go wasting that money,” she ordered. “You ought to get you a brush for fifteen cents at Miss Crevey’s. You bring back thirty-five cents.”
“Oh, Aunt Martha!” protested Jacqueline.
“Don’t you forget what I say.” Aunt Martha fixed Jacqueline with gray eyes that looked her through and through. “Jump in now. Mr. Griswold’s waiting.”
Jacqueline didn’t stop to argue. She jumped in, and Neil jumped in beside her, and away they rattled with the friendly neighboring farmer, through the hot-smelling fields of green onions. As they rattled along, a heartening thought came to Jacqueline. She had fifty cents in her purse, and two pennies. Aunt Martha had said nothing about the pennies. She could spend them. She didn’t quite know what you could get for two cents, that was good, but there must be something.
Mr. Griswold put down his little passengers at the Orthodox church in Longmeadow Street. He was going on to Northford himself to get a young pig in a crate.
“Now show me the shop,” Jacqueline bade Neil. She had taken command of him, much as she had taken command of Caroline. “And I’ve got two pennies to spend as I please.”
“Gee!” said Neil. “That’s great.”