“There are lots more boards, Margery,” said Dolly. “Why shouldn’t we make a sort of floor for the lean-to? If we put up a couple of planks for them to rest on, every so often, we could have a real floor, and then, even if the ground got damp, it would be dry inside.”
“Good idea! We’ll do that,” said Margery, who was busy herself, flying here, there, and everywhere to direct the work. “Go ahead!”
And so, when the sound of wheels in the road heralded the return of Miss Eleanor in the buggy, the work was done, and the lean-to was completed, a rough-and-ready shelter that was practical in the extreme, though perhaps it was not ornamental.
“Splendid!” cried Eleanor. “But I knew you girls would do well. And I’ve got the good news I hoped to bring, too!”
CHAPTER V
GOOD NEWS FROM TOWN
Everyone rushed eagerly forward, and crowded around Miss Mercer as she descended from the buggy, smiling pleasantly at the bashful Tom Pratt, who did his best to help her in her descent. And not the least eager, by any means, was Tom Pratt’s mother, whose early indifference to the interest of these good Samaritans in her misfortunes seemed utterly to have vanished.
“Oh, these girls of yours!” cried Mrs. Pratt. “You’ve no idea of how much they’ve done—or how much they’ve heartened us all up, Miss Mercer! I don’t believe there were ever so many kind, nice people brought together before!”
Eleanor laughed, as if she were keeping a secret to herself. And her words, when she spoke, proved that that was indeed the case.
“Just you wait till you know how many friends you really have around here, Mrs. Pratt!” she said. “Well, I told you I hoped to bring back good news, and I have, and if you’ll all give me a chance, I’ll tell you what it is.”