Read Online Betsy and the Boys by Carolyn Haywood - Free Book Online
Authors: Carolyn Haywood
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splinter might have stuck in his finger.
Once when Betsy and Billy were playing in the schoolyard, Rudy ran up to Billy and pushed him into Betsy. He pushed him so hard that Billy knocked Betsy over. Billy was as mad as a hornet, but Betsy said she didn't think Rudy meant to do it but that he was certainly getting awfully rough.
As the weeks went by, the children's days were filled to the brim. Betsy skated every afternoon after school. She had already learned to make the figure eight and now she was learning to skate backwards.
Billy had received some track and several kits for a miniature railroad for Christmas. So he spent most of his spare time in the cellar playroom, laying track.
Little Eddie Wilson had collected three stray cats and was always running into seafood markets, asking for fish heads for his cats.
Ellen was taking drawing and painting lessons. As soon as school was out, she would dash home to smear paint on large sheets of paper with her fingers.
Soon it was February, and Betsy's father had to go away on a business trip and Mother went with him. Mrs. Beckett, who had been Betsy and Star's nurse when they were tiny babies, came to stay with the two little girls.
As Valentine's Day approached, the shop windows were filled with valentines. There were all kinds: big ones, little ones, comic ones, pretty ones. Some had surprises in them, such as lollipops, sticks of chewing gum, candy sticks, and gumdrops. Betsy selected some of these for her best friends. She picked out one with a big red lollipop for Ellen, and one with a row of gum babies for her sister, Star. For Eddie she chose one with cats made of real fur.
Betsy looked forward to Valentine's Day. It
was such fun and so exciting to find envelopes slipped under the front door. Sometimes the doorbell would ring and when Betsy opened the door, there on the step she would find a little package. But no one was ever there.
One year she had found a little package there tied up with red ribbon. When she looked up the street, she saw Billy running as fast as his legs would carry him. So Betsy knew, that time, that Billy had left the package. When she opened it, she found a beautiful white handkerchief with a red heart sewed in the corner. Across the heart, embroidered in white, was the name "Betsy."
When Betsy thanked Billy for the handkerchief, his face grew very red and he said, "Oh, golly-wops! How did you know?" He made believe he was cross about it but he really was very pleased.
Betsy decided that this year she would make Billy a penwiper. Mother had given her an old pair of long white kid gloves and she had a scrap of bright red leather that she had been saving to make a pair of shoes for her best doll. With a cardboard heart as a pattern, she cut as many white hearts as she could from the old gloves. Then, from her precious piece of red leather, she cut one heart which she placed on the top
of the little pile of white hearts. She fastened them all together by sewing a red button right in the center of the red heart. She ran the thread through and through the layers of kid. Betsy was delighted with the results.
When Valentine's Day arrived, she woke up feeling very happy. She jumped out of bed and ran right down to the front door without stopping to put on her bathrobe. There were no white envelopes lying on the floor. She opened the door on a crack to see if there were any on the step, but there was nothing on the step but the milk and cream. She guessed it was too early, so she scampered upstairs and crawled back into bed. She pushed her cold feet down into the warm covers and felt as contented as a kitten.
Soon Mrs. Beckett called out, "Come on, Betsy. Time to get up. It's Valentine's Day."
"I know," said Betsy. "I've been awake for ages. But there aren't any valentines yet. I looked and I've been listening. I haven't heard a sound at the front door and I haven't heard anything drop through the letter slot."
Mrs. Beckett went downstairs.
Once when Betsy and Billy were playing in the schoolyard, Rudy ran up to Billy and pushed him into Betsy. He pushed him so hard that Billy knocked Betsy over. Billy was as mad as a hornet, but Betsy said she didn't think Rudy meant to do it but that he was certainly getting awfully rough.
As the weeks went by, the children's days were filled to the brim. Betsy skated every afternoon after school. She had already learned to make the figure eight and now she was learning to skate backwards.
Billy had received some track and several kits for a miniature railroad for Christmas. So he spent most of his spare time in the cellar playroom, laying track.
Little Eddie Wilson had collected three stray cats and was always running into seafood markets, asking for fish heads for his cats.
Ellen was taking drawing and painting lessons. As soon as school was out, she would dash home to smear paint on large sheets of paper with her fingers.
Soon it was February, and Betsy's father had to go away on a business trip and Mother went with him. Mrs. Beckett, who had been Betsy and Star's nurse when they were tiny babies, came to stay with the two little girls.
As Valentine's Day approached, the shop windows were filled with valentines. There were all kinds: big ones, little ones, comic ones, pretty ones. Some had surprises in them, such as lollipops, sticks of chewing gum, candy sticks, and gumdrops. Betsy selected some of these for her best friends. She picked out one with a big red lollipop for Ellen, and one with a row of gum babies for her sister, Star. For Eddie she chose one with cats made of real fur.
Betsy looked forward to Valentine's Day. It
was such fun and so exciting to find envelopes slipped under the front door. Sometimes the doorbell would ring and when Betsy opened the door, there on the step she would find a little package. But no one was ever there.
One year she had found a little package there tied up with red ribbon. When she looked up the street, she saw Billy running as fast as his legs would carry him. So Betsy knew, that time, that Billy had left the package. When she opened it, she found a beautiful white handkerchief with a red heart sewed in the corner. Across the heart, embroidered in white, was the name "Betsy."
When Betsy thanked Billy for the handkerchief, his face grew very red and he said, "Oh, golly-wops! How did you know?" He made believe he was cross about it but he really was very pleased.
Betsy decided that this year she would make Billy a penwiper. Mother had given her an old pair of long white kid gloves and she had a scrap of bright red leather that she had been saving to make a pair of shoes for her best doll. With a cardboard heart as a pattern, she cut as many white hearts as she could from the old gloves. Then, from her precious piece of red leather, she cut one heart which she placed on the top
of the little pile of white hearts. She fastened them all together by sewing a red button right in the center of the red heart. She ran the thread through and through the layers of kid. Betsy was delighted with the results.
When Valentine's Day arrived, she woke up feeling very happy. She jumped out of bed and ran right down to the front door without stopping to put on her bathrobe. There were no white envelopes lying on the floor. She opened the door on a crack to see if there were any on the step, but there was nothing on the step but the milk and cream. She guessed it was too early, so she scampered upstairs and crawled back into bed. She pushed her cold feet down into the warm covers and felt as contented as a kitten.
Soon Mrs. Beckett called out, "Come on, Betsy. Time to get up. It's Valentine's Day."
"I know," said Betsy. "I've been awake for ages. But there aren't any valentines yet. I looked and I've been listening. I haven't heard a sound at the front door and I haven't heard anything drop through the letter slot."
Mrs. Beckett went downstairs.
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