The Turner Twins Part 19

"Depends on how many will attend the show," said Lew. "Find that out-"

"How're we going to find it out, you chump? How many do you suppose we can count on, Ned?"

"Maybe six hundred," was the answer. "But if it should rain-"

"There you are! If it rained, we mightn't get two hundred! I'll say that's a problem. We'd be in a fine fix if we found ourselves with two or three freezers of ice-cream on our hands and a lot of other truck.

Look here, Tabby might know. Suppose you ask her, Ned. We've got to have enough and not too much."

"It'll be all right about the ice-cream," said Laurie. "The man said we could return what we didn't open if we got it back that night so he could pack it over. But the other things-"

"You talk to Tabby in the morning," repeated Dan. "She'll know if any one does. Now what else? What about the entertainment part of it, Mr.

Chairman of the Committee on Arrangements? What have you got in mind besides the gymnastics?"

"We thought we might find some one who could sing or dance. But we don't know many of the fellows."

"Bully! There's Cheesman, Lew. He's a corker. And Kewpie isn't so bad.

He sings a funny song mighty well."

"He couldn't sing it in the afternoon, though, Dan: he'd be at the field."

"That's so! still, the game ought to be finished by four. We wouldn't have the entertainment part until late, would we?"

"About four, I thought," said Ned, "but Kewpie could come last. I'll put him down, anyway."

"Anything else besides songs?" asked Dan.

"Yes, only-" Ned dropped his voice and glanced at Pringle-"only it's got to be kept a secret to make good."

"Oh, Hal's all right. He's a sort of ex-officio member of the committee.

Shoot, Ned!"

CHAPTER XIII-NED GETS INTO THE GAME

Four hectic days followed. To Laurie, since Ned was held for two hours each afternoon at the football field, fell most of the duties of the Committee on Arrangements, and he was a very busy youth. He badgered shopkeepers into parting with goods to be sold at the booths, helped Bob Starling trim up the old arbor in the garden of the Coventry place, made frequent trips to the Or stead caterer's, engaged eight cakes from Miss Comfort and twelve dozen cream-puffs from the Widow Deane, spent two hours Wednesday helping Lew and Hal Pringle distribute posters throughout the village, and attended to a hundred other matters between-times. Of course, Ned aided when he could, and was helpful with advice and unfailing in suggestions; but recitations and football practice didn't leave him much time, even though he conscientiously arose a full hour earlier every morning that week, and skimped studying so much that he got in trouble with three instructors in one day!

Miss Tabitha had proved as helpful as Dan Whipple had predicted. She had shaken her head at the idea of entertaining six hundred at the fete.

"You mustn't count on more than half that many," she said. "I dare say all the boys will go, and they'll make ninety. Then, if you get two hundred of the townsfolk, you'll be doing very nicely. Don't decide how much salad or how many sandwiches you want until Sat.u.r.day morning. So much will depend on the weather. Even if you hold the affair indoors, lots of folks won't come if it rains. You say you've ordered eight cakes from Martha Comfort and twelve dozen cream-puffs from Mrs. Deane?"

"Yes'm," said Ned. "We wanted Mrs. Deane to make more, but she didn't think she could."

"Well, that's a hundred and fourty-four cream-puffs, and-let me see-one of Miss Comfort's cakes will cut into sixteen pieces, and eight times sixteen-"

"A hundred and twenty-eight, ma'am."

"Well, and a hundred and twenty-eight and a hundred and forty-four-"

"Two hundred and seventy-two."

"You're real quick at figures, aren't you? Seems as if, though, counting on three hundred, you'd be a little short. I'll have Aunt Persis make one of her marble-cakes. That'll help out, I guess."

"Yes'm; thanks awfully," answered Ned.

"Who is going to serve the refreshments?"

"Why-why-" Ned's face fell. "I guess we hadn't thought of that!"

"Well, it makes a heap of difference, because you can make a quart of ice-cream serve ten people or twenty, just as you've a mind to. I usually count on sixteen. Same way with a loaf of cake, and same way with salad. It's awfully easy to waste salad when you're serving it.

Now, if you'd like me to, Ned, I'll attend to serving everything for you. You just have the things set down there and I'll look after them."

"Oh, Miss Hillman, if you would! Gee, that would be great! It-it'll be a lot of trouble, though, ma'am."

"Well, I guess it won't be the first trouble I've seen," replied Miss Tabitha, dryly; "nor it won't be the last!"

Thursday afternoon Laurie hurried over to the Coventry place as soon as a two-o'clock recitation was done. Bob was awaiting him at the gate, and conducted him around to the back of the big square house. Ned stared in surprise. The tangle of trees and vines and shrubbery had been trimmed to orderly neatness, the long, unkempt gra.s.s had been shorn to a yellow, but respectable, turf, and the old arbor showed new strips where Thomas, the Starlings' man, had been at work on the decrepit frame. Near at hand lay piles of cedar and hemlock branches.

"Dad got a couple of the men to cut those down near the tunnel and haul them up here." Bob explained. "Thomas is going to help us put them up.

He made a peachy job of the garden, didn't he?"

"You bet!" responded Laurie, heartily. "I wouldn't have known the place!

I say, Bob, this arbor's longer than I thought it was."

"Forty feet, about. Why?"

"I only ordered six tables and a dozen chairs from the caterer,"

answered Laurie, dubiously. "Guess they aren't enough; but he's charging twenty-five cents apiece for them-"

"Twenty-five cents for a table? Isn't that dirt-cheap?"

"We're only renting them, you idiot!"

"Oh, I see. Well, six is enough, I guess; you don't want to crowd them.

Now let's get busy with the green stuff. I'll yell down cellar for Thomas. There's a ball of twine, and I've got two hammers and a lot of tacks on the side porch. You take your coat off and I'll-"

"We'll have to have a step-ladder, Bob!"

"There's a short ladder right beside you. Be right back."

Laurie sat down on a wheelbarrow, after removing his coat and folding back the sleeves of his s.h.i.+rt, and looked around him. The garden was fairly large-larger in appearance since the clutter of shrubbery along the sides had been cleared away. Along the School Park edge ran a tall hedge of lilac bushes. At the back was the high board fence, painted dark brown, that separated the garden from the Widow Deane's humble property. On the other side was a rusty ornamental iron fence, mostly hidden by vines. Broad walks, in spite of Thomas's efforts rather overrun with weeds, surrounded the central plot of ancient turf, and another ran straight down the middle of the garden, connecting with the arbor. Wires were to be strung from the trees and across to the arbor, and Chinese lanterns hung thereon. Laurie, half closing his eyes, sought to visualize the place as it would appear on Sat.u.r.day. He did want the affair to be a success, both financial and artistic, both on account of the school and-well, for the honor of the Turners! While he was musing, two things happened simultaneously: Bob and Thomas appeared from the house, and a familiar voice came to him from the opposite direction.

"Nod!" called the voice. "Nod, will you please come here a moment?"

Laurie's eyes sought the board fence. Over the top of it appeared the head and shoulders of Polly. He left the wheelbarrow and hurried through the arbor and down the walk beyond. Polly's face indicated distress, whether mental or physical Laurie couldn't determine. But Polly's first words explained.

"I can't stay here l-long," she said. "I-I'm just hanging by my elbows.