It must be said in all fairness to Esther and Louise that they did all they could to make amends for their slight to Barbara. They explained quite frankly that their folks didn’t want them to have anything to do with the foreigners, because, as Louise put it, “they didn’t know anything about them.”
This was not unreasonable, Cara made Babs see that, because summer folks have to be careful whom they associate with. Both Cara and Babs laughed over the foolish idea that summer folks had to be more carefully guarded than winter folks—those who lived at Sea Cosset the year around—but Babs was too busy with other and more important affairs to worry over such trifles.
Her heart was singing these days, because she was so expectant. Something wonderful was about to happen. She was going to find out who carved the beautiful wooden candlesticks, and why Nicky’s folks were afraid of being known to strangers. This would surely satisfy her thirst for adventure.
“I feel just as if it were the day before Christmas,” she told Cara, “and I was waiting for Santa Claus.”
“I feel as if it were the day after Christmas,” Cara put in, “and that he had brought me a bag of golden promises.”
So the girls flitted from their homes to the Community House, gaily helping the ladies with the dusting and rearranging of the articles still left to be voted upon later; and it was all good fun.
Mrs. Brownell’s table was awarded first prize, it had to be or she would have gone to bed with nervous prostration. But it really was a fine antique. As to quilts——
“They won’t get them all decided upon before the holidays,” Ruth Harrison declared, “and maybe they’ll have to hold another Old Home Week to give the prizes then.”
The smaller articles, in which class Babs’ sampler had been placed, were to be voted upon on the very last day, Saturday, and Miss Davis wondered about her model.
“You see,” she confided, “I expect sister home Friday, that’s tomorrow night. And if ever I lay my eyes on that little boat again I don’t think I’d risk taking it out of the house. Sometimes I’m just as worried as ever——”