Chapter 2 – The Boys Talk
While the girls feasted in the kitchen, out in the Ingleside lawn their brothers were reposing peacefully after an energetic football match wherein nearly all the Glen boys had participated. Jem Blythe's team had emerged triumphant by a very respectable score line, while Ritchie Warren's team had taken a beating none of them were happy about. Jerry Meredith had been on Ritchie's team and was mildly depressed over the loss. He swung on the hammock, trying to think of all the reasons why they had lost, while Jem frolicked with Dog Monday, Carl watched his beloved ants and Walter read poetry.
The boys were just as glad as the girls to be together again, even though they tried not to express it. Walter and Carl knew of Jem and Jerry's tremendous popularity in college, especially Jem, and the amount of parties and societies they were constantly invited to. Jem travelled in Redmond's elite circles and was welcome everywhere he went. Jerry was one of Redmond's star students and won scholarships seemingly effortlessly. Yet no amount of college glamour could replace the charm of childhood memories, and Jem and Jerry were really very pleased to be back among their old chums.
Walter was still in a convalescence period after his severe attack of typhoid only weeks ago. He had been teaching at Lowbridge for the past two years, where everyone heard of the "young schoolmaster who talked like a book", and even the rowdiest boys were squelched by one look out of their teacher's deep grey eyes. They didn't think highly of him – boys never did think highly of Walter – but they feared and respected him. Carl had emerged among the top of his class at Queen's Academy and was cheerfully contemplating earning his way through college. Critical people said he would "teach his students everything about bugs and nothing else and would be much better off going straight to college", but Carl didn't mind their talk; he had no idea of burdening his parents with more college fees.
"I'll earn whatever I can and if it can't take me through to college I won't go," he had proclaimed to his siblings.
"It's people like you who make me look useless," Faith said laughingly, "as though I'm needlessly squandering father's money!"
But they respected his independence, for all that, and approving Glen folks said that he'd mature fastest of any of the Meredith brood yet.
At present, though, none of them were thinking about college or work, drunk with the enjoyment of vacation and meaning to make the most of it before autumn came.
"Ritchie has no leadership," Jerry announced, breaking the comfortable silence. "Half the time I didn't know what he wanted me to do, and his tactics were abysmal. Walt, what do you think?"
Walter, who had watched from the sidelines, was jolted from his revelry with Robert Browning and looked up from his book. "What do I think about what?"
Jerry repeated his comment.
"Ritchie never did have any leadership," said Walter. "Nor is he a great tactician."
"Still mooning over the loss, Jerry?" Jem laughed, flinging a few fallen leaves at him.
Jerry fanned away the leaves successfully. "I will never join Ritchie's team again," he said determinedly. "Jem, do you have space on your team for one more?"
"Give me one reason to have space," said Jem teasingly.
Jerry considered for a moment. "Well, that one person wants to win," he said.
"Selfishness. Not good. Generosity in sports always," Jem lectured. "But since you appealed with such passion I suppose I'll have to consider it."
Carl made an unintelligible sound at the back of his throat and sat back, looking very satisfied. Both Jem and Jerry glanced at him. "What's the latest news in ant-world, Carl?" Jerry asked.
"You know, ants aren't much different from people," said Carl, motioning to the tree trunk he had been studying for the past half hour. "I was watching these two fellows fight over a lady, and in the end she opted for the fourth party and walked away from those two. It seems strange that there's so much going on in this little world that's hardly noticed by us."
"Battles, romances, tragedies and bliss," said Walter dreamily.
Jerry looked skeptical. "No studies I ever made told me that ants were like people."
"We do notice them," said Jem lightly. "We always notice them when they crawl on the paper we're trying to write on." He flung a stick at the other end of the lawn and Dog Monday tore after it with loud barks.
"I shall enjoy my knowledge then," said Carl good-humouredly. He had long since given up trying to draw his brother and friends into his interest for bugs. "Is it true that Rilla will be attending the lighthouse dance?"
"Yes," Walter supplied. "Mother wouldn't let her go at first but I managed to get her to agree. It'll be a shame if Rilla isn't allowed to go – she's been looking forward to it for so long and she's so eager to show that she's a young woman. I think she'll enjoy herself."
"So will the boys," said Jerry, thinking of pretty, thoughtless Rilla Blythe. "She's quite the prettiest girl in the Glen. Well, she can take the places of Faith and Una."
"Irene Howard told Faith yesterday that there would be a taffy pull in the kitchen for those who didn't dance," said Jem, laughing. "Faith made a grotesque face at her – really, Faith does have a gift for pulling faces – and Irene was supremely offended. I can never understand why some girls enjoy being poisonous to each other. Irene seems to exude spite in whatever she says."
"We can do without Irene," said Jerry darkly. "She's no credit to our society."
Dog Monday dropped, panting, at Walter's side and proceeded to cover Walter's face in affectionate licks. Jem retrieved the stick and sat down beside Carl. "I intend to have as fun a summer as possible," he declared. "I had enough of experiments and examinations in the past year, anything work-related will be avoided like the plague. No moping around this summer!"
"Nobody ever accused you of moping around, Jem," Carl remarked. "The amount of fish you brought back yesterday will be enough to feed your family for a week."
"You can't say you didn't enjoy my fish," Jem defended. "Anyway, judging from the way you lot ate last night, the fish will only last us for three more days."
Jem had organised a fishing expedition the day before and most of the Glen boys had joined in. Bertie Shakespeare Drew had snapped his fishing line during a mad struggle with a huge fish and Dan Reese had reportedly stolen some of the others' catch to have bragging rights. Jem himself had gotten an enormous haul and invited the Merediths over for a dinner party which, much to Susan's chagrin, he insisted on frying the fish for.
Years of frying fish in Rainbow Valley over a stone stove with an old tin can and a fork with only one tine had made a more than adequate cook out of him, so the dinner party had been a success. "We've eaten enough to kill a whale," said Di, and Nan, groaning on the sofa, had fully agreed.
"Una didn't want to eat breakfast this morning," said Jerry. "She said she was too full from last night's dinner. But father remembered her fainting spell in church last time and insisted that she eat something. Jem, I think we should go boating."
That random statement was not lost on any of his audience. Even Walter sat up with interest. "We can go on the harbour," he suggested. "Especially at sunset. Sunset on the waters must be intolerably beautiful."
"Oh, yes," said Carl eagerly. "And we can picnic on the sand dunes, or have a fire and cook mussels and fishes over it. Why, we can even spend a night in the House of Dreams and continue boating in the morning. I'm sure the Fords won't mind – and anyway your mother has an extra key, doesn't she?"
"That sounds good," said Jem, struck with the idea. "No, more than good. A brainwave, Jerry! Will it be too strenuous for Una, though? She's always been a bit frail."
"Of course she'll rest whenever she needs to," said Jerry. "We can talk about a two-day, maybe three-day camp! The House of Dreams is in an ideal location. The girls can sleep in the rooms and we can make use of the living room."
"We can go two days after the dance," Jem pondered. "I suppose the girls will want a rest immediately after it. I'll call them out."
Carl slapped Jerry's back enthusiastically as Jem walked off. "That's a capital idea. I don't think mother or dad can have any possible objections, other than taking care of Una properly. Do you think Rilla and Shirley will want to come along, Walt?"
"Rilla will definitely want to come," said Walter. He did not say that Rilla would be very upset if she wasn't invited – she wanted so badly to be a part of them and join in any activity they came up with. Yet he could not blame the others for being forgetful of her sometimes; it was difficult to have to take a fourteen-year-old girl into consideration all the time.
The girls were as excited about the idea as they had been, even Una who was not much disposed for physical activities. But on this occasion she was as delighted as everyone else was. "I can make up a picnic basket for the first day," she said.
"Then it is settled," said Jem. "I will never miss out on an opportunity to devour Una's picnic baskets! We'd better invite Mary Vance as well, in case she catches wind of it and never lets us forget it."
"I'll go down to Miss Cornelia's later on and invite her," Di offered.
"I'll go with you," said Nan. "I want to see Mary's dress for tomorrow."
They scattered soon after, with Carl heading for a meeting with Charley Booth, Una back home to help with her mother's sewing, Nan and Di for their trip down to Miss Cornelia's, and Jerry to Elder Clow's house to collect a borrowed book. As everyone moved out of the lawn, talking gaily, Faith found her hand in Jem's.
"Tonight at Rainbow Valley," he whispered.
"I won't forget," Faith replied, dimpling.
Only Walter observed this little byplay and looked away.
