"Do you really like it, then?" asked Betty, pleased.

"Who could help it? And now why couldn't I help be _chef_? It would be what you call fun. I could tell you of so many things that I have done since I came to your country, and I earned my meals one time in a restaurant. I do not always tell that to the boys and girls, for they do not understand, and yet my people in Spain and Hungary and Poland are of the best."

"Father thinks it is what you are, inside, that makes you," said Betty, nodding a determined little head. They were still standing just within the living room door.

"Oh, your father! He is a big man! I fix his car at the garage where I work after school, and before school, too. And he forgot to tell your sweet mother and yet she made me welcome." Ramon was smiling in amus.e.m.e.nt as well as appreciation.

"Oh, could you tell that?" Betty chuckled. "Mother thought that she had successfully concealed her surprise. But she was glad to have you come, you understand that, don't you?"

"Yes, and all of you helped."

"Well, now let's see, Ramon. Come on into the kitchen and help me decide what we want. We've got a lot of that salad fixed and if you will crack a few more English walnuts we'll fix a pretty big gla.s.s bowl of it and pa.s.s it instead of putting salad around at each place. n.o.body could finish his salad at dinner time. And I'll put on the lunch cloth or what-you-call-itand you can set down all that fruit and the bowl of nuts on the buffet. My, imagine me bossing the gr-reat football hero of Lyon High, and a senior at that!"

Ramon only laughed at that and took the large ap.r.o.n, soberly offered him by a Betty with twinkling eyes, and tried to fasten it around himself.

But he was not used to tying a bow in the back, Betty told him, so she would finish the operation. "Now see what an artist you are in the dining room first, Ramon."

Thus Betty, while she arranged the linen pieces on the table, waved a hand at the buffet and flew into the kitchen herself. "Won't they be surprised when they come back?" she called, appearing in the door with a whole head of lettuce in her hands. "And it will be fine to have you to help us make the table small after supper. Father always has to help with that because the table sticks and we can hardly push it together.

Do you think you would be strong enough?"

Ramon gave Betty an amused look. "Yes, Miss Betty, I think I'm strong enough and I'd do anything for any of you!"

"Well," sighed Betty, "I really don't believe in having your company work, but under the circ.u.mstances it is a great help! You see Mother had been doing so much cooking, so I made her promise to go out for a ride."

With this Betty disappeared from view, to wash the lettuce under the faucet and run into the pantry for the big gla.s.s dish or bowl.

Ramon finished arranging the fruit and nuts and went out into the kitchen declaring that he was no artist and that she could change anything that he had done. Betty managed to keep him busy, but it was only about fifteen minutes before the whole family arrived, d.i.c.k to utter another whoop at seeing his hero in an ap.r.o.n, and the girls to join the activities with much fun and lively conversation. Mrs. Lee was allowed only to supervise and make the coffee and Mr. Lee declared that he would not think of being underfoot in such a busy kitchen and dining room.

"The boy looks happy," he said to his wife. "I'm glad I asked him to come. He's a very sober, lonely chap, so far as home is concerned. He probably has a good enough time at school, especially since he made such a hit in football, as you tell me."

"I wonder how he gets his lessons, if he works so hard," said Mrs. Lee.

"How do any of them get their lessons?" asked Mr. Lee in return, "with all that is going on. It hasn't hit Betty yet, thanks to our management."

Young appet.i.tes were ready for the supper that spread so invitingly on the pretty table; for it was decided to set everything conveniently near, since they were their own servants. Then afterwards the girls quickly cleared the table, and Ramon, without remark and under Betty's direction, took out the leaves and made the table small. Betty and Janet together at one end pushed against Ramon on the other. "It will give us more room and look better," explained Betty to the girls, who were still ignorant of what was to come. Betty, too, was ignorant in regard to _who_ was to come. She was as uneasy and restless as a girl could be and not show that something was on her mind. Ramon was wondering what excuse he could offer for staying so long, but it took some time to clear away the supper and while Mrs. Lee told Betty to "go and entertain her guests and she would finish up the dishes," Betty, by way of camouflage, said, "we _could_ leave them till morning of course; but it will be nicer in the morning not to have them before us." Sue rather wondered at Betty's easy compliance.

At last the bell rang, not a steady ring with perhaps another, but a series of rings in rhythm. Janet and Sue looked up surprised from a puzzle that Betty had given them and Ramon to work out. But Ramon grinned and Betty laughed, running to the door. "_Something's up_," said Sue. "I _suspected_ it!"

Laughter and greetings filled the hall. "S'prise Party!" called Peggy's voice.

"Ted again!" exclaimed Janet, rising, "and Peggy Pollard and Carolyn Gwynne!"

And now they thronged in, bringing the cold air with them from the open hall door. The girls entered first, surrounding Janet and Sue, to shake hands in the spirit of fun and surprise, while Carolyn saw that the names of the girls were understood by Janet and Sue who might not have met them all or had not remembered their names. Carolyn was always thoughtful.

Betty, after telling the boys to leave their hats, caps and coats in the hall, came to the group of girls and led them back to the room where they could take off their wraps and powder their noses if they liked.

Mother, bless her, had swiftly put on the finishing touches and the guest towels in the bath room after Amy Lou was in bed and the various washings up after supper were completed.

"Yes, Betty," Carolyn excitedly told Betty, "we had thought of doing it and then pretty nearly gave it up because we weren't sure of your liking it; and I hadn't been in this ducky apartment before and wasn't sure that you had room for a party. But when old Ted called up and told me what boys he'd rounded up, I telephoned then to the girls and we all met at Louise's."

So it was a "ducky apartment," was it? Trust Carolyn's generous soul.

Betty was sure that Carolyn liked her for herself!

Naturally Ted had a "few souls" old enough for himself and Ramon. There was Louise Madison and a pretty junior named Roberta Ayers. The Harry Norris whom Betty had first seen with Ted Dorrance was there, a good friend, evidently, of a small, fair soph.o.m.ore girl, Daisy Richards. It was rather unusual, of course, this mingling of ages or cla.s.ses at a small party, but the invitation to Ramon was the cause of it all, and Betty was so glad to have Ted, who had been so "nice" to her, she thought, at a party in her house. Yet, of course, she had not given the invitations. Where would she have stopped if she had? For not all the girls and boys that she would have wanted were here.

Of the younger boys there was Chet Dorrance, Chauncey Allen, Brad Warren, Budd LeRoy, James Simmonds and two freshmen boys whom Betty scarcely knew, Andy Sanford and Michael Carlin, whom the boys called Mickey or Mike according to their fancy.

Janet and Sue found themselves surrounded by the group of boys when they came in from the hall and Betty had escorted the girls back to the bedroom. Ted did the honors of introduction, but it was only a few minutes before Betty was back and acting as hostess.

Mr. Lee had disappeared long since. Mrs. Lee was putting Amy Lou to bed at last accounts and the door of bedroom and dressing room was shut.

d.i.c.k and Doris, feeling rather out of it, had moved into the kitchen till Betty, at last seeing everything started, thought of them and looked them up.

"No, Betty," said d.i.c.k, "I don't want to be introduced all around! But I'll come into the dining room, if you want us, and talk to some of the boys, if it happens that way."

"I'd like to have you at least see the fun and of course when the refreshments are served you must be with us. I'll probably need you.

Would you mind?"

"I'll help," said Doris. "It would look better."

"So it would. And will you, d.i.c.k?"

"Yes."

"And you can help pull the taffy. I do hope Mother will know how to cook it, though perhaps Louise knows."

"I'll tell her," said d.i.c.k, and Betty felt relieved about the family.

Everything was just all right! And Mother did know, she said.

Ted and Louise were good at starting games. Brad, however, was prevailed upon to play some lively tunes upon Betty's piano and the rest hummed to tunes or sang when there were words to the melodies.

Pencils and paper were called for by Louise Madison, who announced that five minutes, or less, would be given for every one to make words out of what would be given them when they were ready to commence. Betty hurried to get paper and as many pencils as the family could command.

Fortunately, most of the boys carried pencils in their pockets, d.i.c.k and Doris had a supply of stubs among their school things, and with much whirling of the pencil sharpener in the kitchen, they were soon ready.

"And, O, Mother, won't you please start the candy to cooking? It has to cool and be pulled after that, you know."

"Yes, I know," said Mrs. Lee, who rather regretted sacrificing the excellent syrup from the home town, so much better than that she bought in the city. But it was worth while, for Betty's pleasure, and to entertain her friends, after all. "I will see to it and call you when it is ready. Luckily Amy Lou is sound asleep."

But no sooner had Betty remarked to Louise, as she handed her the supplies, that her mother was starting the syrup than Louise cried, "Oh, I have to learn how to do that. I never pulled candy but once and it was such fun. Would your mother mind having me around?"

"I'm sure she wouldn't."

Immediately the kitchen was invaded by several of the girls, but all except Louise came back for the game. Ted, thereupon, told the "Don" to "call time," and he vanished in the direction of the kitchen, while a few smiles were exchanged among those that were left. "Ted will know how to boil candy for taffy after this," said Kathryn Allen.

"Well, somebody has to try and taste it." smiled Betty.

"Everybody ready!" called the "Don," quite at his ease by this time and with a real home atmosphere back of him. Had he not been the only one of them invited to the Thanksgiving dinner? And Mr. Lee had not known then that he was a football player, either. "Don" was not aware that that fact would have made no difference to Mr. Lee, one way or another, though he was not opposed to the game.

"Five minutes, Louise Madison said," he continued. "I will now announce the words. No proper names, or foreign words, Louise says. It's 'Lyon High School.'"

The scribbling began. "Can you use slang?" inquired Brad.