"B" Is for Betsy (6 page)

The children all loved secrets and they loved surprises. They whispered in the schoolyard about Pretzie's basket and what they would put in it. Oh, if they could only have a turkey in the basket! They did wish there could be a turkey.

At home Betsy chatted with Father and Mother about the Thanksgiving basket.

"It's so much fun, Father, to make a basket all full of Thanksgiving," said Betsy.

"It certainly must be," replied Father. "Will there be a turkey in the basket?"

Betsy shook her head and looked very grave. "No," she said. "Miss Grey says that turkeys cost a great deal. She thinks that Grandma Pretzie would like a chicken almost as much as a turkey. But Billy Porter says that Thanksgiving is the day you eat turkey and there ought to be a turkey in the basket. And I think Billy is right."

"Of course he is right," said Father.

"But where can we get a turkey, Father?" asked Betsy.

"Well," said Father, "I don't know, but turkeys are very fond of secrets and surprises. They have a way of popping up when you are not expecting them."

"Do you think one will pop up in Grandma Pretzie's basket?" asked Betsy.

"Now, that I can't say," replied Father, "but I would keep on hoping if I were you. You never can tell about turkeys."

One evening when Father came home, he had two big turkeys with him. "Oh, Father," cried Betsy, "are we going to have two turkeys for our Thanksgiving dinner?"

Father just grinned and made a noise like a turkey, "Gobble, gobble, gobble." He carried the turkeys into the kitchen.

The next morning, when Betsy reached school, she said, "Miss Grey, we have two turkeys at our house. Father brought them home last night."

"How nice!" said Miss Grey.

"Oh, boy," shouted Billy, "you're going to eat plenty of turkey at your house!"

The day before Thanksgiving Miss Grey brought a great big basket to school. It was to hold all

the good things that the children were bringing for Grandma Pretzie.

Ellen brought a can of soup and Peter brought cranberries. As each child arrived the pile of good things on Miss Grey's desk grew bigger and bigger. There were nuts, celery, potatoes, apples, and oranges. Everything you could think of for a Thanksgiving basket was there.

Betsy brought a loaf of bread and a pound of butter. Father drove Betsy to school that morning
because she had so much to carry. Father had a big package all wrapped up in brown paper. "What is in the big package?" asked Betsy.

"Just something I have to leave at the school," said Father, and his eyes twinkled. Betsy knew it was a secret because Father's eyes always twinkled when he had a secret. When they reached the school, Father gave the package to Mr. Windrim, the janitor. Mr. Windrim carried it down to the basement.

Betsy carried her loaf of bread and pound of butter into her classroom and added them to the pile on Miss Grey's desk.

Just before the bell rang, Billy came running in. "Look at Billy's hat," shouted the children.

Billy was wearing his red and blue knitted cap. It was the kind of cap that hangs down the back, like a sock, and it had a tassel on the end. But now the cap stood up straight and stiff on Billy's head. He looked just like the clown in the circus. There was something wet and yellow trickling down Billy's face. "Miss Grey," cried Billy, "something has happened to the eggs."

"Where are the eggs, Billy?" said Miss Grey.

"In my hat," said Billy, pointing to his high cap. "I'm afraid to take it off."

Miss Grey carefully removed Billy's cap. Inside there was a bag of eggs. One egg had broken and was all over Billy's hair.

"Why did you put the eggs in your hat, Billy?" asked Miss Grey.

"I was afraid I would drop them," said Billy.

Miss Grey and all of the children laughed, for Billy looked very funny with the egg all over his face. Miss Grey took him into the cloakroom and washed his hair and face at the sink. The children were glad Billy hadn't broken all of the eggs. There were still eleven whole ones.

The children helped Miss Grey pack the basket. When all of the things were in the basket, Miss Grey went out of the room. When she returned, she was carrying a big turkey.

"Oh," squealed the children, "a turkey! A turkey!" They clapped their hands for joy. "Where did you get it, Miss Grey?" they asked.

"Oh, a little bird brought it," said Miss Grey.

"It must have been a great big bird to carry that big turkey," said Ellen.

Miss Grey laid the turkey right on the top of the basket. It was a beautiful Thanksgiving basket!

At recess, Miss Grey told Grandma Pretzie that the children wanted her to come into their
room when the bell rang. The children were so excited they could hardly wait. When the bell rang at the end of recess, they all hurried into the room. In a few minutes, Grandma Pretzie came in. "Betsy," said Miss Grey, "will you tell Grandma Pretzie what we have for her?"

Betsy stood up. "Grandma Pretzie," she said, "we have a Thanksgiving basket for you. We want to give it to you because you are so good to us and tell us stories."

The old lady's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you, my dears," she said, "thank you so much."

The basket was so heavy that Grandma Pretzie couldn't carry it. Mr. Windrim, the janitor, carried it home for her. She carried her pretzel basket and her little stool.

The next day when Betsy was eating her Thanksgiving dinner she suddenly remembered that Father had brought two turkeys home. "Father, where is the other turkey?" asked Betsy.

"That's right," said Father, "there was another turkey. Now where do you suppose that turkey got to?" Father's eyes twinkled, so Betsy was sure that Father knew where the other turkey went.

"Is it a secret?" asked Betsy.

"Yes," said Father, "it's a secret."

Curly was a little cocker spaniel. She lived in a house near Betsy's school. Her master was an old gentleman who, Betsy thought, looked the way Santa Claus would look without his whiskers. His name was Mr. Applebee.

Every morning Curly was in the yard in front of her house. She loved to watch the children go by on their way to school. She would run back
and forth behind the white picket fence. Her little sharp barks and whines said, "See! See! Here I am. Please play with me. Please!" Many of the children stopped at the fence to look at the little dog. Then Curly would put her front paws up against the fence and stretch her little body until her nose almost touched the children's faces. She would sniff, sniff, sniff, very hard, as though she loved the smell of little children. Sometimes the children would pat Curly's head and her stubby tail would wag with joy.

Betsy loved Curly. Every morning, Betsy stopped at the white fence to see the little dog. She would scratch Curly's head back of her long silky ears. Curly would wag her tail very hard. When Betsy stopped scratching, Curly would poke Betsy's hand with her little wet nose. This was Curly's way of saying, "Scratch some more." Betsy would give her one more scratch and a pat on the head and then run on to school.

One morning, Betsy was walking to school with Christopher. They stopped to see Curly. "Look, Betsy," said Christopher, "I can make her sit up." Christopher pinched up his fingers and made believe that he had something for Curly. "Sit up, Curly! Sit up!" said Christopher. Curly

sat up at once and begged. She sat straight and still with her big soft paws crossed in front of her. She looked very hopeful. "Speak!" said Christopher, "Speak for it!" Curly gave a little sharp bark. Then Christopher opened his hand and there was nothing at all for Curly. She looked so disappointed. Christopher laughed.

"Oh, Christopher," cried Betsy, "you shouldn't make her sit up and not give her anything. You're a very naughty boy."

"Well, I'm glad I'm not a girl," said Christopher, and he pulled one of Betsy's braids and ran off.

Betsy patted Curly's silk head and scratched her ears. "Never mind, Curly, I'll bring you something tomorrow," said Betsy, and she trotted off to school.

That afternoon, when Betsy went home, she climbed up on a chair and took Big Bill off her mantel shelf. Big Bill was very heavy with all the pennies he had swallowed. Betsy took a tiny key from a box on her bureau. She unlocked a door that was hidden under one of Big Bill's wings. She shook out a handful of pennies and closed the little door. Off she ran with the pennies to the corner grocery store.

"Well, Betsy," said the grocer, "what do you want?"

"How much is a box of puppy biscuits?" asked Betsy.

"Ten cents," said the grocer.

"I want a box, please," said Betsy.

She counted out the ten pennies and the grocer gave her a box of biscuits.

"When did you get a dog, Betsy?" asked the grocer.

"We didn't get any," said Betsy, as she closed the shop door.

The grocer chuckled and wondered what Betsy was going to do with puppy biscuits and no dog. But Betsy knew.

The next morning, she tucked a puppy biscuit in the little pocket of her schoolbag. She could hardly wait to see Curly. When she reached the white fence, there was no little black dog running up and down. Betsy looked around the side of the house. Curly was nowhere in sight. She called, "Here, Curly!" but there was no patter of soft paws. The yard looked empty without Curly.
She must be here somewhere,
thought Betsy.
She always is.

Betsy waited by the fence, hoping that Curly
would appear. She waited until she was afraid she would be late for school. Then she ran as fast as her legs could go. Just as she sat down at her desk, the bell rang.
I'll give Curly the puppy biscuit on the way home,
thought Betsy.

But after school, when Betsy stopped at the fence, the yard was still empty. Again she called, "Here, Curly! Here, Curly!" It was no use. Betsy waited by the fence a long time. All of the other children had gone home but Betsy still waited, hoping that Curly would come out. She did want to give her the biscuit. At last Betsy decided to go home. She would keep the puppy biscuit until tomorrow.

When Betsy reached the wide street, Mr. Kilpatrick was just about to drive away in his police car. When he saw Betsy he got out of the car. "Well, Little Red Ribbons, don't tell me that you were kept after school!" said Mr. Kilpatrick, as he took Betsy across the street.