“Oh, we’re going to be able to bring a lot of cheer and new happiness to these poor people,” said Eleanor, confidently. “And it will be splendid, won’t it, girls? Could anything be better fun than doing good this way? It’s something we’ll always be able to remember, and look back at happily. And the strange part of it is that, no matter how much we do for them, we’ll be doing more for ourselves.”
“Isn’t it fine that we’ve got those blankets?” said Dolly. “If we camp out here to-night they’ll be very useful.”
“They certainly will. And we shall camp here, though not in tents. Later on this afternoon, we’ll have to fix up some sort of shelter. But that will be easy. I’ll show you how to do it when the time comes. Now we want to hurry with the dinner—that’s the main thing, because I think everyone is hungry.”
CHAPTER IV
GETTING A START
Often people who have been visited by great misfortunes become soured and suspect the motives of even those who are trying to help them. Eleanor understood this trait of human nature very well, thanks to the fact that as a volunteer she had helped out the charity workers in her own city more than once. And as a consequence she did not at all resent the dark looks that were cast at her by the poor woman whose every glance brought home to her more sharply the disaster that the fire had brought.
“We’ve got to be patient if we want to be really helpful,” she explained to Dolly Ransom, who was disposed to resent the woman’s unfriendly aspect.
“But I don’t see why she has to act as if we were trying to annoy her, Miss Eleanor!”
“She doesn’t mean that at all, Dolly. You’ve never known what it is to face the sort of trouble and anxiety she has had for the last few days. She’ll soon change her mind about us when she sees that we are really trying to help. And there’s another thing. Don’t you think she’s a little softer already?”
“Oh, she is!” said Bessie, with shining eyes. “And I think I know why—”