“Aw, jeepers!” Tommy cried. “Come on, Jack. Let’s go!” He dashed down the steps, Jack in tow.
“Not so fast!” Mrs. Craig called. “Please be careful, Jack. Remember, this is your first day up.”
“If you would like to walk down and see the river, it’s just a little way,” Doris said to Bert.
He smiled and jumped up. “Let’s go,” he said.
They wandered down to the banks of the stream which was flowing with midsummer laziness. “This is our scenic high spot,” Doris explained. “I love it here. Whenever anything goes wrong or I feel out of sorts, I come down here to think things out.”
Bert smiled slowly. “Yes, I can imagine,” he said. “It’s beautiful and restful.”
“For instance, I figured out about trying for the scholarship down here by the water. Somehow things seem clearer here.”
“What do you mean? Were you scared about trying out?” Bert asked.
Doris smiled shyly. “Well, not exactly about trying out. But I was mixed up about whether or not I wanted to leave home, even. I don’t seem to have the spunk that Jean and Kit have. They always go out chasing things. I always kind of liked it at home.”
Bert was a born leader. It was hard for him to understand the fears and doubts which plague the shy personality. But he had learned how real these fears and doubts can be when he had worked with younger and shyer boys at Mercyville.