"Let's get Mabel and all the others," said Nan to Mildred. "We ought to take at least six gingham aprons and three nightgowns over to the camp."Aunt Sarah had turned a big long attic room into a sewing school where Nan and Mildred had full charge. Flossie was to look after the spools of thread, keeping them from tangling up, and the girls agreed to let Freddie cut paper patterns.
This was not a play sewing school but a real one, for Aunt Sarah and Mrs. Bobbsey were to do the operating or machine sewing, while the girls were to sew on tapes, buttons, overhand seams, and do all that.
Mildred and Nan invited Mabel, Nettle, Marie Brenn (she was visiting the Herolds), Bessie, and Anna Thomas, a big girl who lived over Lakeside way.
"Be sure to bring your thimbles and needles," Nan told them. "And come at two o'clock this afternoon."Every girl came - even Nettie, who was always so busy at home.
Mrs. Bobbsey sat at the machine ready to do stitching while Aunt Sarah was busy "cutting out" on a long table in front of the low window.
"Now, young ladies," said Mrs. Bobbsey, "we have ready some blue gingham aprons. You see how they are cut out; two seams, one at each side, then they are to be closed down the back. There will be a pair of strings on each apron, and you may begin by pressing down a narrow hem on these strings. We will not need to baste them, just press them down with the finger this way."Mrs. Bobbsey then took up a pair of the sashes and turned in the edges. Immediately the girls followed her instructions, and very soon all of the strings were ready for the machine.
Nan handed them to her mother, and then Aunt Sarah gave out the work.
"Now these are the sleeves," said Aunt Sarah, "and they must eachhave little gathers brought in at the elbow here between these notches. Next you place the sleeve together notch to notch, and they can be stitched without basting.""Isn't it lively to work this way?" said Mildred. "It isn't a bit of trouble, and see how quickly we get done.""Many hands make light work," replied Mrs. Bobbsey. "I guess we will getall the aprons finished this afternoon."Piece by piece the various parts of the garments were given out, until there remained nothing more to do than to put on buttons and work buttonholes, and overhand the arm holes.
"I'll cut the buttonholes," said Mrs. Bobbsey, "then Nan and Mildred may work the buttonholes by sticking a pin through each hole. The other girlsmay then sew the buttons on."It was wonderful how quickly those little pearl buttons went down the backs of the aprons.
"I believe I could make an apron all alone now," said Nan, "if it was cut out.""So could I," declared Mildred. "It isn't hard at all.""Well, here's my patterns," spoke up Freddie, who with Flossie had been busy over in the corner cutting "ladies" out of a fashion paper.
"No, they're paper dolls," said Flossie, who was standing them all up in a row, "and we are going to give them to the fresh-air children to play with on rainy days."It was only half-past four when Nan rang the bell to dismiss the sewing school.
"We have had such a lovely time," said Mabel, "we would like to have sewing to do every week.""Well, you are welcome to come," said Aunt Sarah. "We will make night dresses for the poor little ones next week, then after that you might all bring your own work, mending, fancywork or tidies, whatever you have to do.""And we might each pay five cents to sew for the fresh-air children," suggested Mildred.
"Yes, all charity sewing classes have a fund," Mrs. Bobbsey remarked.
"Thatwould be a good idea."
"Now let us fold up the aprons," said Nan."Don't they look pretty?"And indeed the half-dozen blue-and-white ginghams did look very nice, for they were carefully made and all smooth and even.
"When can we iron them out?" asked Flossie, anxious to deliver the gifts to the needy little ones.
"To-morrow afternoon," replied her mother. "The boys are going to pickvegetables in the morning, and we will drive over in the afternoon." Uncle Daniel had given the boys permission to pick all the butter- beans andstring-beans that were ripe, besides three dozen ears of thechoicest corn,called "Country Gentleman.""Children can only eat very tender corn," said Uncle Daniel, "and as that is sweet and milky they will have no trouble digesting it."Harry looked over every ear of the green corn by pulling the husks down and any that seemed a bit overripe he discarded.
"We will have to take the long wagon," said Bert, as they began to count up the baskets. There were two of beans, three of corn, one of lettuce, two of sweet apples, besides five bunches of Freddie's radishes.
"Be sure to bring Sandy back with you," called Freddie, who did not go to the camp this time."Tell him I'll let him be my twin brother."Nan and Aunt Sarah went with the boys, but how disappointed they were to find a strange matron in charge of the camp, and Sandy's eyes red from crying after Mrs. Manily.
"Oh, I knowed you would come to take me to Freddie," cried he, "'cause my other mamma is gone too, and I'm all alone.""Mrs. Manily was called away by sickness in her family," explained the new matron, "and I cannot do anything with this little boy.""He was so fond of Mrs. Manily," said Aunt Sarah, "and besides he remembers how lonely he was when his own mother went away. Maybe we could bring him over to our house for a few days.""Yes, Mrs. Manily spoke of that," said the matron, "and she had received permission from the Society to let Edward pay a visit to Mrs. Daniel Bobbsey. See, here is the card.""Oh, that will be lovely!" cried Nan, hugging Sandy as tight as herarmscould squeeze.
