Brenda, Her School and Her Club

r, she had much to tell about Manuel and his cunning little ways, about his mother and the poverty of t

ur pocket money. I won't begrudge it to you as l

e with you," when Brenda spoke of the old church and th

not her strong point-and she was a little annoyed at Julia's surprise at her lack of interest. Julia did not mean to sh

otice much. Nora quoted some poetry, but I was in a hurry to go on to see Manuel, and I t

u will have your history and your Longfellow fresh in mind. It is rather a

id Mrs. Barlow, wishing to divert the

Julia pleasantly, and Brenda gave a careless

ings for Manuel's mother. You have no idea how poor they seem. Do gi

r modesty lead you to think

f the value of money were very vague indeed. "You

rse for my pocket. I suppose you'd want to do your shoppin

you're lau

ieve that Manuel's mother would thank you for a carpet. Didn't you s

d my pocket money won't go far. Besides,

out any help from you. If you should give them a carpet they might grow discontented. The next thing they would want might b

eve that you are

not, but I wish yo

e it's that word reasonable. It always

now, but some day perhaps your mother will go down with you to see Manuel, and then

he Four Club had its regular weekly meeting she and Nora grew exc

is winter," said Brenda, "and I shouldn't won

ounds so awfully common. Bazaar, or Sale-no, Baza

hardly ever dared dissent from Belle

we call it, The Busy Be

ul! We needn't decide about t

dy," said Edith, at which the other three looked up somewhat surprised.

o make at least one thing, and we can get any amount from older people. Really it's the duty of older people to help us all they can. I should think we might have

a to join the Four Club?" que

er. "Of course not. It wou

range to Julia. We run upstairs past her room

elle. "I don't believe that she care

ves me half crazy to hear he

aid Nora, mischievously. "I thought y

she had time to answer this, Edit

st to invite her to join us. I dare say she wouldn't come every week, but I do think

awfully Puritanic; that's what everybody says: you're

? I'm sure we all inte

t always. People have to enjoy themselves sometimes, and if we can't e

our enjoying ourselves if she came?"

e good of talking?" cried Belle, who s

s what I say too." But Edith co

compel you to invite any one you don't want. But I'm sure if I had my way Julia shoul

imed Nora in surprise, thinking of Manuel, and of

more spirit than she generally displayed. "Only I can tell you that

o do fancy-work, and she'd just feel bored if she came to the Club. If y

up her mind about a thing, she was also a peacemaker. Even when Brenda and Belle most annoyed her

u, for you know that I mean to adopt him myself, but he has a sister, or two of them

ked as if they needed lots of clothes.

aprons or something like that, before we get s

Horrid calico dresses and things

says there are plenty of Societies and Sewing Circles we can get clothes from, if t

we going to have a Baz

so promptly that Nora looked

ve an object in a Club of this kind, and besides ther

untry in the summer,

people," cried Belle. "They

said Brenda, grandly. "Perhaps we'll

laughed Edith. "Oh, Brend

cloud rising over the horizon of the Four

ou working

n in white silk. "This is to be a sofa cushion," she said in answer to Nora's questio

or anything," said No

fect sincerity. "You do such perfect

the right, they realized that Belle would not feel very kindly toward them for not siding with her in the matte

f her friends. She really could do very fine embr

hose specialty was crocheting. "I like to do something that I needn'

n is such an endle

se I'll make many of

you going to do first, Brenda? You haven't

ap of linen and floss and gold thread and silk plush and other materials for fancy work which she had bought at different times. There were cushion covers and doilies in whic

enda Barlow," exclaimed Nora, as she

ows that I have had good