Part 5 (1/2)
”Mrs. Pendleton is going to pay the wages of a girl to go with us and do the camp work,” announced Bobby, and now she spoke with some enthusiasm.
”Goodness!” exclaimed Laura.
”Not so bad,” sighed Nellie, who really did _not_ like hard work and had dreaded that division of labor which she knew must fall to her if they went camping without ”help.”
”Having a girl along to cook and do up the beds and wash dishes and the like wouldn't be so bad,” announced Bobby, growing braver as Nell seemed to encourage the idea.
”Well! Miss Hargrew!” accused Laura. ”I believe you have gone over to the enemy. _You_ really want Lil to go with us to Acorn Island.”
”No. But I'd be glad to have her mother pay the wages of somebody to do most of the hard work,” grinned Bobby.
There was a regular ”buzz society,” as Bobby called it, after the girls were dressed. The original six who had planned to go camping on Acorn Island _did_ hum like a colony of bees when they all learned that Lily Pendleton was likely to be foisted upon them.
”It's a shame!” exclaimed Jess, angrily. ”She knows well enough we don't want her.”
”Well,” murmured one of the Lockwood twins. ”She asked us and we said the invitation would have to come through Laura.”
”Cowards!” exclaimed Mother Wit, dramatically. ”That's why she got her mother to go to _mine_. And I am real angry with mother----”
”Oh, Laura! we wouldn't offend your mother for anything,” said Nell, hastily.
”Or put her in an uncomfortable position,” Bobby added. ”She's been too nice to us all.”
”And, of course, we have to stand Lil in the school and gymnasium. She won't kill us; she's only silly,” went on Nell.
”I believe you're all more or less willing to have Lil go,” declared Laura, in wonder.
”We-ell,” drawled Bobby. ”There's the chance of having somebody to do the camp work for us----”
”Not Lil!” shrieked Jess. ”She never lifts her hand at home.”
”No,” said Nell. ”But Mrs. Pendleton will pay a maid's wages.”
”Ah--ha!” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Jess Morse. ”I smell a mice, as the Dutchman says. We are to be bribed.”
And bribed they were. At least, none of them wished to put Laura's mother to any trouble. So they agreed to let Lily Pendleton go camping with them. Mrs. Pendleton left it to the girls to find anyone they wanted to help about the camp, and promised to pay good wages.
”I know just whom we can get,” Bobby said, eagerly, that evening when the girls--and some of the boys--were a.s.sembled as usual on the Belding front porch.
”Who's that?”
”That Bean girl,” said the groceryman's daughter.
”Who's she? Miss Boston Bean?” chuckled Chet.
”Lizzie Bean! I know who she is,” exclaimed Laura.
”She's the girl who's been helping the Longs since Alice came back to school. Now Alice will keep house for her father and the other children again, and Lizzie will be out of a job,” explained Bobby.
”Whew! 'Lonesome Liz?'” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Lance Darby. ”Short and Long calls her that. Says she's about half cracked----”