Betsy and Billy (11 page)

"When does school begin, Mother?" asked Betsy.

"In a few weeks," replied Mother.

"I wonder if Miss Grey will be my teacher again?" said Betsy. "I love Miss Grey."

"Oh, Betsy!" cried Mother. "I forgot to tell you. I met Miss Grey on the street the other day. She told me that she's going to be married. She isn't going to teach anymore."

Betsy straightened up and looked at Mother. "Miss Grey isn't going to be at school at all anymore?" she asked.

"That's right," replied Mother.

"You mean I won't see her anymore at all?" asked Betsy.

Mother looked up from the flower bed. When she saw Betsy's troubled face, she said, "Why, Betsy darling! Of course you will see Miss Grey again."

"No, I won't," said Betsy, beginning to cry. "I won't see Miss Grey anymore if she isn't going to be at school. I won't ever see her."

"Yes, you will, dear," said Mother. "I'll invite her to tea."

"But that won't be like school. In school I saw her every day," said Betsy.

That night when Betsy went to bed she felt very unhappy. She didn't see why Miss Grey had to get married and spoil everything.

The next morning Betsy's friend, Ellen, came to play at Betsy's house. Betsy told Ellen about Miss Grey.

Ellen felt sorry too when she heard that Miss Grey wouldn't be at school.

"I wish we could go to the wedding," said Ellen.

"I don't want to go to any old wedding," said Betsy. "I think Miss Grey is just a meanie to get married."

"I guess you never saw a wedding cake," said Ellen, "or you would want to go. You get a piece in a box to take home."

Just then Billy Porter arrived. Billy was in the same room in school as Betsy and Ellen.

"Hi!" shouted Billy. "What do you know?"

"Plenty," said Betsy. "Miss Grey isn't coming back to school. She's getting married and we'll never see her again."

"Married!" shouted Billy. "What does she want to get married for? She must be crazy!"

"Ellen wants to go to the wedding," said Betsy.

Billy looked at Ellen. "You must be crazy too," he said. "I'd like to see anybody drag me to a wedding."

"I guess you've never been to a wedding," said Ellen. "You never got any wedding cake to take home in a box."

"What did you say?" asked Billy.

"I said, I guess you never got any wedding cake to take home in a box," replied Ellen.

The children sat quietly thinking. After a while Betsy said, "Maybe we ought to give Miss Grey a wedding present."

"Well," said Billy, "maybe so."

"I think it would be nice," said Ellen.

"You're sure about the cake, aren't you, Ellen?" asked Billy.

"Of course I'm sure," replied Ellen. "I've been to two weddings and I can show you the boxes the cake was in."

"Well, I haven't any money to buy a wedding present," said Billy.

"I haven't any money either," said Ellen.

"And I just spent my last fifty cents for a birthday present for Father," said Betsy.

"We'll all have to earn some money," said Billy.

"Yes," said Betsy. "There is no use deciding on a present until we see how much money we have to spend."

"I can earn some if I deliver orders for Mr. Watson, the grocer," said Billy.

"I can earn some minding Mrs. Plummer's twins," said Ellen.

"Well," said Betsy, Til have to find a way to earn some too."

When Billy and Ellen left, Betsy went into the garden. She climbed up on the garden wall. She sat wondering how she could earn some money for Miss Grey's wedding present.

Soon she saw a tall man coming through the weeds and the grass on the other side of the wall. Betsy was so surprised she nearly fell off the wall. She had never seen anyone there before.

The man smiled at Betsy and said, "Hello, there! I am Mr. Jackson. What's your name?"

"My name is Betsy," replied Betsy.

"Well, Betsy, I'm glad to meet you because you are going to be my nearest neighbor. I've just bought this house," said Mr. Jackson, waving his hand toward the old house.

"You have?" said Betsy, in great surprise. "And will there be a garden on the other side of the wall?"

"Yes, indeed," said Mr. Jackson. "Someday there will be a garden but just now I have to fix up the house. It's a sight."

"It certainly is," said Betsy.

"And now," said Mr. Jackson, "I'll tell you why I came over to speak to you. Do you happen to have an older brother?"

"No," replied Betsy, "but I have a baby sister."

Mr. Jackson laughed. "I'm afraid your baby sister won't be able to help me out," he said.

"You see," he went on, "there will be workmen in the house and I would like to find a boy who would be willing to go over to the house every day, after the workmen are gone. I want him to make sure that the front door and the back door have been locked. Do you know any boy around here who would do that for me? I'll pay him five cents a day."

Betsy looked up at the old house that gave her the creeps.
Five cents a day
, she thought. How she would love to make five cents a day! But would she have the courage to go up to the doors of the old house? She wondered about that.

Mr. Jackson stood waiting for Betsy to answer.

After thinking a few moments longer, Betsy said, "Do you think I could do it?"

"Why, of course you could do it," said Mr. Jackson.

"All right," said Betsy. "I'll do it. When do you want me to begin?"

"Tomorrow," said Mr. Jackson. "The workmen leave at five o'clock. You try the doors about quarter past five. And thank you very much indeed. I'll be back next week to pay you."

"You're welcome," said Betsy, as Mr. Jackson walked away.

Betsy scrambled down off the wall and rushed into the house to find Mother.

"Mother! Mother!" she cried. "What do you think! Somebody has bought the old house! His name is Mr. Jackson and there are going to be workmen fixing the house and Mr. Jackson is going to pay me five cents a day for seeing that the workmen leave the front door and the back door locked." Betsy ran out of breath when she got this far.

"Well, that is good news," said Mother.

"And maybe I'll earn enough money to buy Miss Grey's wedding present," said Betsy.

The next day Betsy could hear the hammers
and saws of the workmen. She could see men on the roof and a man fixing the chimney. Betsy thought the house looked more cheerful now that the workmen were in it. But at five o'clock, when the workmen left, it looked just as gloomy as ever. Betsy felt that her courage was running right out of her fingers and toes. By quarter past five she wondered how she could ever have enough courage to go over and try the doors.

The thought came to her to ask Mother to do it.
But that wouldn't be earning the five cents,
thought Betsy.
And I don't want Mother to think that I'm a fraidie-cat....

C
AROLYN
H
AYWOOD
(1898-1990) was born in Philadelphia and began her career as an artist. She hoped to become a children's book illustrator, but at an editor's suggestion, she began writing stories about the everyday lives of children. The first of those,
"B" Is for Betsy,
was published in 1939, and more than fifty other books followed. One of America's most popular authors for children, Ms. Haywood used many of her own childhood experiences in her novels. "I write for children," she once explained, "because I feel that they need to know what is going on in their world and they can best understand it through stories."