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Page 56
"What's your idea?" said Molly, rousing herself in the hammock and
sitting with her chin in both hands as she listened.
"Why, I read it in the paper," said Marjorie, "and it's this. And
it's a lovely way to make money; we could make quite a lot for the
Dunns. It will be some trouble, but it would be a lot of fun,
too."
"Yes, but what is it," said Stella, in her quietly patient way.
"You go out into the field," began Marjorie, "and you gather heaps
and heaps of pennyroyal,--you take baskets, you know, and gather
just pecks of it. Then you take it home and you put it in pails or
tubs or anything with a lot of water. And then you leave it about
two days, and then you drain it off, and then it's pennyroyal
extract."
Marjorie announced the last words with a triumphant air, but her
hearers did not seem very much impressed.
"What then?" asked Molly, evidently awaiting something more
startling.
"Why, then, you put it in bottles, and paste labels on, and take
it all around and sell it to people. They love to have it, you
know, for mosquitoes or burns or something, and they pay you quite
a lot, and then you have the money for charity."
The artistic possibilities began to dawn upon Stella.
"Yes," she said, "and I could make lovely labels, with fancy
letters; and you and Molly could paste them on, and we could tie
the corks in with little blue ribbons, like perfumery bottles."
"And we'll each bring bottles," cried Molly, becoming interested;
"we have lots at our house. Let's start out now to gather the
pennyroyal. We're not so awfully dressed up. This frock will wash,
anyway."
"So will mine," said Marjorie, but she spoke with hesitation. She
knew that Grandma would not like to have her wear that dainty
fresh frock out into the fields.
But, for some reason, Stella, too, was inclined to go, and with
the trio, two against one always carried the day; and linking
arms, in half a minute the three were skipping away toward the
field. They had not asked permission, because the fields were part
of Mr. Martin's property, and Stella was practically on her own
home ground, though at a good distance from the house.
Enthusiastic over their new plan, the girls worked with a will,
and, having carelessly gone off without any basket, they found
themselves obliged to hold up the skirts of their dresses to carry
their harvest.
"I should think we had enough to sell to everybody in Morristown,"
declared Molly, as, tired and flushed, she surveyed the great heap
she had piled into her dress skirt.
"So should I," agreed Midget, gathering up more and more of her
pretty dimity, now, alas! rumpled and stained almost beyond
recognition.
Stella had a good share, though not so much as the others, and she
stood calmly inquiring what they were going to do with it.
"There's no use taking it to my house," she declared, "for mother
would only tell me to throw it away,--I know she would."
"Wouldn't she let us make the extract?" asked Marjorie.
"She wouldn't care how much we made it, but she wouldn't let me
make it at home, I know, because she hates a mess."
"I don't believe Grandma would like it either," said Marjorie,
with a sudden conviction; "it is awful messy, and it smells pretty
strong. But I'll tell you what, girls: let's take it all right to
'Breezy Inn.' Then we can put it to soak right away. We can get
water from the brook, and there are plenty of pails and things
there to make the extract in."
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