212CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
FINDING A VOCATION
On the second afternoon after Alice’s arrival, the four girls walked down to the post-office to mail their letters, Catherine having written to Miss Lyndesay, while the other three wrote to their mothers. Now, pleasantly conscious of duty performed, they strolled idly along the street.
It was “library afternoon” and Catherine had a book to exchange for a busy neighbor, who much enjoyed the library privileges, but seldom had time to choose her own books. The girls turned in at the library door, which was hospitably open. Several people were waiting at the desk, while Algernon busily attended to their wants. Catherine laid down her book and went over to the fiction shelves to find something to take its place. The other girls wandered about, looking at the soldierly rows of books, and at the effective picture bulletin which Bess had made to celebrate the Fourth of July, a list of patriotic books under crossed flags,–turned the pages of the half dozen magazines on the reading-table, and then, by common consent gathered 213 in the little alcove devoted to children’s books.
“Three copies of Alice in Wonderland!” exclaimed Alice. “That seems a rather large proportion!”
Catherine, who had secured Friendship Village, and was rejoicing in her good fortune, answered the criticism.
“You see, each member of the club selected a book for the first order, and Dot and Max both chose Alice and neither would give up, so we finally ordered two; and then somebody gave us a copy afterward.”
“What did you choose?”
Catherine laughed. “Can’t you guess?”
Hannah pounced on a big copy of Pyle’s Robin Hood.