Betsy and the Boys (8 page)

"Well-l-l-l," said Betsy, "that's just the time for our football game with the Screech Owls. The Screech Owls are another team in our school. Of course, I suppose they could put someone in my place."

"No doubt," said Father.

Betsy took off her skates and put her oxfords on again. She looked at the clock. "I'll just have time to run over to Billy's house before dinner. I want to tell him that I won't be able to play football tomorrow because I'm going to have a skating lesson."

Betsy opened the front door. Then she closed it again. She looked at the football that Mr. Kilpatrick had given her. She picked it up and tucked it under her arm. Father was sitting by the fire, reading his paper. Betsy went to him and he looked up at her.

"Well, little one?" he said.

"I'm going to take Billy a just-for-instance present," said Betsy.

"That's great!" said Father.

Betsy ran over to Billy's house. When she arrived, Billy was working on a model airplane.

"Hi, Betsy!" he said. "What do you know?"

Betsy held out the football. "It's a present," said Betsy.

"What do you mean?" asked Billy.

"It's a present for you," said Betsy. "A just-for-instance present."

"Golly!" cried Billy, his eyes popping. "You mean you're going to give me that swell football?"

"Yepper," replied Betsy.

"Oh, gee, Betsy!" said Billy. "That's swell. Thanks ever so much."

Then Betsy told Billy of how Mr. Kilpatrick had given her the football. When she finished, Billy said, "Do you know, Betsy, I think we ought to give Mr. Kilpatrick a present."

"Oh, I do too," said Betsy. "What shall we get for a present for Mr. Kilpatrick?"

"Well, I don't know," replied Billy. "We'll have to think about it."

"I have to go now," said Betsy. "I guess my dinner is ready. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing," said Billy.

When Betsy reached the door, she said, "Oh, I almost forgot! I can't play football tomorrow. I'm having a skating lesson. Father brought me a present tonight. Ice skates."

"Ice skates!" exclaimed Billy. "Boy! That's great! I'm going to ask for a pair for Christmas."

"Good-bye," said Betsy, as she went out of the door.

"So long," said Billy. "And thanks again for the football."

That night Betsy fell asleep thinking about the present for Mr. Kilpatrick.

The following day Billy came over to Betsy's house.

"Have you thought of a present for Mr. Kilpatrick?" asked Billy.

"No," replied Betsy. "I've thought and thought. I think it would be nice to go shopping for it. I like to go shopping. Then you see all kinds of things you never thought of."

"OK," said Billy. "How much money do you have?"

"I'll go see," replied Betsy.

Betsy went upstairs and got her pocketbook. She emptied out the money. It was all small change. When she counted it, it came to thirty-eight cents.

"I have thirty-eight cents," she said, when she came downstairs.

"I don't have that much now," said Billy. "But I will have it by Saturday. I can earn that much on Saturday morning, delivering grocery orders.

Then we can buy the present Saturday afternoon."

When Saturday afternoon arrived, Betsy and Billy walked into the shopping district of the town. They had seventy-five cents to spend on a just-for-instance present for Mr. Kilpatrick.

"There's no use going to the pet shop," said Billy, "'cause we couldn't get anything there for seventy-five cents."

"Well, I don't think Mr. Kilpatrick would want any more pets," said Betsy. "The Queen of Sheba is enough."

By this time the children had reached a men's shop. Something pink in the window caught Betsy's eye. Pink was Betsy's favorite color.

"Let's look in this window," said Betsy.

The children pressed their noses against the glass.

"Oh," exclaimed Betsy, "look at that beautiful pink necktie." Betsy pointed to a pink satin bow resting in a box. "I think Mr. Kilpatrick would love that."

"What?" said Billy.

"That pink necktie," said Betsy. "I think he would just love that."

"Well, I don't," said Billy. "I think it's skunky,
if you know what I mean. I wouldn't wear it to collect garbage."

"It's beautiful," said Betsy.

"I won't put a cent to buy a skunky necktie like that," said Billy.

Then his eye lit upon something. It was a pair of bright red suspenders. "Now, there's something!" cried Billy, pointing to the suspenders. "There's something real!"

"What is it?" said Betsy.

"Those red suspenders," said Billy. "That's a present that Mr. Kilpatrick would like. They've got class."

"Yes," agreed Betsy. "They're awful nice."

"Nice!" cried Billy. "They're colossal!"

"OK," said Betsy. And the two children walked into the store.

They came out with the suspenders, neatly wrapped.

Billy's face was beaming, but Betsy looked longingly at the pink satin bow tie.

"How about it if I keep the suspenders until Monday?" asked Billy just before they parted.

"All right," replied Betsy.

Now that Betsy was alone she thought more and more about the pink necktie.

Finally she got her bank and opened it. Inside she found seventy-five cents. She put the money in her pocketbook and trotted back to the men's store. To her great delight the necktie was only seventy-five cents.

On Sunday she opened the package five or six times, just to look at the shiny pink satin bow.

When Betsy showed it to her father and mother, Mother said, "Do you think Mr. Kilpatrick will like a pink necktie, dear?"

And Father said, "Like it! Why, he'll be the hit of the police force in that tie."

The following morning Betsy stopped for Billy on the way to school. Billy had the box with the red suspenders under his arm, but Betsy had the box with the pink satin necktie in her coat pocket.

The children could hardly wait to see Mr. Kilpatrick, so they ran all the way.

When they reached Mr. Kilpatrick, he said, "Sure, and what's all the hurry this morning?"

"We have a present for you," cried Billy, handing the package to Mr. Kilpatrick.

"It's a just-for-instance present," said Betsy. And because Mr. Kilpatrick was Irish, he knew what a just-for-instance present is without being told.

"A just-for-instance present!" shouted Mr. Kilpatrick in his great big voice. "Sure, they're the best presents of all. Here! Wait until I open it."

The children watched the big policeman as he unwrapped the box. When he lifted the lid, he said, "My! Oh, my! Now did you ever see a more beautiful pair of suspenders! I always wanted a pair of red suspenders to match my red car. I can't thank you enough for such a present."

The children beamed with happiness. With each word that Mr. Kilpatrick spoke they felt more pleased.

Finally Betsy and Billy pranced off to school.

The other package stayed in Betsy's coat pocket all day. When school was over, Billy said, "So long, Betsy! I gotta run. We have a game on for this afternoon."

"So long!" replied Betsy and started off alone.

When she reached Mr. Kilpatrick, she said, "Mr. Kilpatrick, I have another present for you."

"Another present!" cried Mr. Kilpatrick.

"Yes," said Betsy. "It's just extra."

"Oh, Little Red Ribbons! You shouldn't have done all this," said Mr. Kilpatrick. "Two presents in one day!"

Mr. Kilpatrick unwrapped the box and took
off the lid. He picked up the pink satin bow. "Well! Well!" he said. "Now, isn't that magnificent! A magnificent necktie, I call that."

Betsy was so pleased she beamed. "I knew you would like it," she said as she started for home.

Several weeks later Father took Betsy and Billy to the movies. The two children were just settled in their seats when they spied Mr. and Mrs. Kilpatrick coming up the aisle.

"Hiya, Mr. Kilpatrick!" cried Billy.

"Hello, Mr. Kilpatrick!" said Betsy.

Mr. Kilpatrick waved his hand. Then he pushed his coat open. Then he put his thumbs under his red suspenders and winked at the children.

Mrs. Kilpatrick was all dressed up. She was wearing a pink satin bow in her hair.

Over the garden wall from Betsy's house was the house where the Jacksons lived. Mr. Jackson had married Betsy's first teacher, Miss Grey. Betsy and her little sister, Star, loved Mr. and Mrs. Jackson very much indeed. They spent many happy hours playing in the Jacksons' house.

Mrs. Jackson's maid, Clementine, had a little girl named Lillybell. Lillybell was three years old, and Betsy and Star were very fond of her.
Star played a great deal with Lillybell while Betsy was in school.

Lillybell and her mother lived in the apartment that Mr. Jackson had built for them, over his garage. Lillybell had her own bedroom and she had a playroom too. There Lillybell and Star played with their toys. Star could only say words, but Lillybell could say whole sentences and they understood each other perfectly.

About two weeks before Christmas, Mrs. Jackson told Betsy that she was planning to have a Christmas party.

"What kind of a Christmas party?" asked Betsy.

"Oh, I thought it might be nice to invite the fathers and mothers of the children who live around here. You children could have a Christmas play and we can serve sandwiches and cider."

"And doughnuts maybe?" asked Betsy.

"Oh, yes!" said Mrs. Jackson. "By all means."

"I think it sounds wonderful!" exclaimed Betsy. "I love having plays. What will the play be about?"

"Well, there is a very nice Christmas play," said Mrs. Jackson. "It is about a woodchopper and his wife who lived on the edge of the forest. The woodchopper was a very old man and he was very tired of chopping wood. One day he said to his wife, 'Oh, dear! I wish I had an ax that would chop the wood all by itself.'

"And his wife said, 'Perhaps the Christmas fairies will bring you such an ax.'

"'Do you think they would?' asked the woodchopper.

"'If you believe it is possible, they will,' said his wife.

"Well," continued Mrs. Jackson, "when the woodchopper saw his friends, he told them about the ax that he had asked the fairies to bring and all of his friends laughed at him and said it wasn't possible.