16 - Eight Girls and a Dog by Carolyn Wells

Eight girls and their dog Timmy Loo take a summer break filled with cooking, self-discovery, and hilarious misadventures in this delightful vacation story. Discover hundreds of ad-free audiobooks, soothing sounds for sleep and meditation, and more—unwind and learn at www.adfreebooks.com!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Is in the public domain a welcome invitation. With great
presence of mind, Hester suddenly turned out the lights in
the music room, and under cover of darkness, the girls
scurried away. Missus Lennox, grasping the situation, led her guest
to the parlor, remarking, I allow my maids the use

(00:20):
of the piano once a week. One can't be too
strict with them. Besides, it keeps the instrument in better condition.
Lady Penderd sniffed a little at this and opined that
the American customs were beyond her ken. As the services
of the ladies maids were required late at night, it

(00:41):
had been arranged that Millicent and Helen should sleep at
Missus Lennox's, but the other six returned to Hilarity Hall.
Uncle Ned and Aunt Molly called for them at the
kitchen door, and it was with difficulty they repressed their
merriment until they were far enough down the street to
be eyes. Then all the girls talked at once, and

(01:05):
as they had most appreciative listeners, the fun waxed high.
Next morning, bright and early, they returned to the scene
of their labors. Marguerite, armed with a huge fluffy feather
duster posed anew before the peered glasses. Helen seated herself
at a desk in the library, and, though looking like

(01:27):
the primmest and most industrious of all Amanuenses, was in
reality writing a letter to her mother. But the cooks
and waitresses went to work and exerted themselves to the
utmost to show those English sillies, as Marjorie called them,
what an American breakfast in its perfection is like. She

(01:49):
wants her hair frizzled again, said Milson in tones of
deepest disgust, as she went into the kitchen to fill
an alcohol lamp. While it's lucky they selected you lamp
lighter for that position. I couldn't have filled it. No,
you couldn't even have filled the lamp, said Millicent as
she hurried to her uncongenial work. The breakfast was ideal,

(02:14):
beautifully cooked, perfectly served, and appreciatively eaten. When it was over,
Hester sat for a few moments on the vine clad
piazza that ran across the back of the house. To her,
came Lady Pendered, stepping softly and looking cautiously about her.
You're the cook, Hester, are you not, She said, yes,

(02:38):
Your ladyship answered Hester, and not over graciously, for she
didn't like her country woman at all. Hester, I want
you to go back to England and live with me.
I'm sure you'd like your own home better than this
savage country, and I'll give you a pound a week
and found Lady Pendard began her speech esther felt angry,

(03:04):
but as she continued, the funny side of it struck
the pseudo cook, and she answered, I couldn't do it,
know how, your ladyship. I've a good home here, and
I like smein missus, and I've not to be by
way of living with the aristocracy anyway, but meaning no
offense to your ladyship. After further useless attempts to persuade

(03:28):
the spherior cook to go home with her, Lady Pendard
walked off in high dudgeon, and Hester flew back to
the kitchen to tell Marjorie about it, in which was
not altogether necessary, as that young woman had gleefully viewed
the scene through a latticed window. Meanwhile, Lady Lucy in
her boudoir was trying to persuade Milicent to enter her service,

(03:52):
and that romantic purveyor of fairy tales was astonishing the
English girl to her own mischievous delight. I'd be glad
to go with your ladyship, she was saying. I'm sure
there couldn't be a lovelier lady to work for in
all England or Arabia. Your hair is just beautiful, miss
my lady Ymain, And of course my mistress could easily

(04:15):
fill my place here. Then come with me, said Lady
Lucie eagerly. I'll be very good to you. You shall
have every Sunday afternoon out. Oh my lady, you're too generous.
But it's no use tempting me. Thus I cannot go.
I fear to cross the wild and wavy ocean. Nonsense,
cried Lady Lucy. Is that all why? There's not a

(04:39):
bit of danger. We'll go in the safest ship to float.
It isn't that, my lady. I fear not shipwrecks, but sharks.
When Millicent put on her deep tragic tones and gazed
intently at her ear, she was very impressive, and the
Lady Lucy began to feel a trifle scared. Sharks what trash,

(05:03):
she said, But she was fascinated by Millson's eyes. Nay,
my lady, tis true. A strange fatality follows all my family.
My great uncle fell overboard and was eaten by a shark.
My second cousin was caught by a shark while swimming.
And my aunt's grandmother, here her voice fell to a

(05:24):
thrilling whisper, went out for a walk in her garden,
and a shark came up out of the brook and
bit off her left foot. Oh no, my lady, never
would I dare the terrors of the briny deep. Tis
a curse, a fatal curse. By this time, Millicon was
stalking up and down the room, waving her arms about

(05:46):
tragically and groaning deeply. Ah, my lady tempt me not
to die her fate urge me not on an errand
which would but lead me to my fearful doom. Fain
would I serve so, fair mistress. But alas it is
not mine to choose my lot, I am forever beneath
a ban, a maan a ban. At this point, Missus

(06:09):
Lennox entered, and Millicent at once assumed her ordinary manner.
Though Lady Lucy was quite unstrung, this could not be
explained as she had no intention of telling her hostess
how she had tried to lure away one of her servants,
and so Missus Lennox came to the conclusion that her

(06:29):
old friend's daughter was a very hysterical, weak minded young woman.
The morning wore away, and soon after luncheon the visitors
prepared to depart. Pretty Marguerite was a little too much
in evidence for a parlor maid, but she was so
anxious to see as much as possible of the interesting

(06:51):
English ladies that she couldn't keep properly in the background.
Her reward was a withering glance from Lady Pendard as
she drove away in an overheard remark that Miranda's servants
were all admirable, except that yellow haired Popinjay. But when
the carriage containing the ladies pendered was entirely out of sight,

(07:13):
Missus Lennox's manner underwent a decided change, and the girls
realized for the first time how much she too had
been masquerading you perfect DearS. She cried, let me kiss you,
the whole lot of you. It was the most wonderful success.
And I rather think I impressed Mary penderd with our

(07:34):
American superiority in some ways. At least girls I shall
never forget your kindness. You were trumps, absolute trumps. Now
listen to me, my dearies. I have to go to
the city tomorrow to get a new staff of servants,
though I can't assure you they'll never give me such
fine work as you girls have done. But that was fairyland,

(07:57):
and we must now drop back into a prose reality
in the matter of housekeeping. Now, this is what I
want you to do. Go back to your cottage for
a couple of days, then shut it up and come
stay with me as my guest for the rest of
the time you are at Long Beach. Oh, missus Lennox,
cried Marguerite, how lovely that would be. The housekeeping at

(08:20):
the cottage was fun in some ways, but I'd far
rather stay in this lovely home and not cook my
own meals. Lazy Daisy, said Marjorie. But I own up
that I too, am a little tired of the working
part of Hilarity Hall. And well you may be chimed in, Betty,

(08:42):
for you did far more than your share of it. No,
I didn't, declared Marjorie, But as president of the cooking Club,
I move we except Missus Lennox's invitation with heartfelt gratitude,
and that a copy of these resolutions be engrossed and
and present it to the lady in question. Aye Aye

(09:04):
cried seven voices, and Missus Lennox beamed with delight at
the anticipation of the frocks of these young girls in
her somewhat lonely home. So the good Lady went to
New York, and the girls trooped back to Hilarity Hall
and told Aunt Mollie all about it. It seems a
bit like a defeat, said Hester, who always liked to

(09:26):
carry out successfully anything she undertook. Oh no, said Aunt Mollie.
You have no special reason for staying in the cottage.
If a pleasant plan offers itself, take the goods the
gods provide and be thankful. And I do hate to cook,
confessed Marguerite. It's all very well for Hester and Marjory.

(09:48):
They can put a bone in a kettle of water
and set it on fire and wag a bay leaf
at it, and behold a delicious soup. But I follow
carefully that grimy old cookery book, get out all the
utensels in the cupboard and stew myself into a sail manner,
And then I've only an uneatable mess as the result.

(10:09):
Never mind, my pretty parlor maid, said Marjorie. Some are
born cooks, that's me, Some achieve cooks, that's Missus Lennox,
and some have cooking thrust upon them. And that's what
we'll do after tomorrow. Now, let's rite up the annals.
Who'll write up the annals of our sojourn at Missus Lennox's,

(10:31):
said Betty past Her future queried nan Oh Past. We'll
all do the future ones when we get there. Let's
leave the annals of the pendered party to do after
we get there, too, proposed Nelson. We'll have more time
and can do them better. All agreed to this. So
Hester took the white cap and said, should wind up

(10:54):
the cottage annals in short order, which she did with
this result of merriment and laughter, of the jolly jokes
and jesting, of the boding and the bathing, of the
games of golf and tennis, of the happy, fleeting moments.
Much must here be left unwritten of play so nobly written,

(11:19):
of the fine and clever acting, of the stirring, soulful music,
of the wonderful stage setting, of the appreciative audience, we
can make but hasty mention of the masculine invasion, of
the gorgeous spread they gave us, of our grief at
their departure. Nothing can our pen be token. But we

(11:44):
must express our thankfulness to our devoted neighbors, Uncle Edward
and Aunt Mollie for their never failing kindness. And we
must omit, my sisters, that we feel a trifle sadden
as we leave a little cottage where so gaily we
have frolicked all the sadness of the parting. Awe, the

(12:05):
chaos of the packing, aw the settlements unwilling, with the
butcher and the grocer, ah, the desolated cottage AWE, the
sad and doleful maidens, ah, the weeping, wailing maidens. There
there are Hester, Stop, cried Helen, reading over her shoulder.
Your machine has run down. It's out of gear. The

(12:30):
spindle is broken. Stop. I beg of you, so Hester stopped. Anne.
Would you believe it such a good time did those
girls have at Missus Lennox's house that they never wrote
in the white Cap again until after they had left
Long Beach and returned to their homes. And besides giving

(12:51):
them the jolliest house party, they had ever known. Missus
Lennox presented each of the eight with the dearest little
Shetlin watch engraved with their name in the date of
the memorable visit of the ladies pondered. End of Chapter sixteen.
End of Eight Girls and a Dog by Carolyn Wells.