"why, i just can't believe that i'm peggy lee!" peggy stood in the aisle of a sleeping car and looked up and down its length. keineth, from her superior knowledge of sleeping cars, was pointing out to peggy its arrangements. both girls were dressed in new coats and hats and carried with them the bag aunt josephine had given keineth and in which they had packed their nightgowns and toilet articles.
for they were starting for washington!
two days before mr. lee had come home and asked the children what would be the biggest surprise they could imagine! of course they had guessed all sorts of things and he had teased them for quite a little while over it! then, very quietly, he had said:
"do you think you would like to make a little trip to washington?"
keineth had not been able to speak. peggy, jumping from her chair, rushed at her father and threw both arms about his neck.
"all of us?" she cried between hugs.
"no, this time we'll leave mother home with billy and alice. then the next time they'll go."
peggy's eyes swept over billy's and alice's disappointed faces.
"oh, i wish we could all go!"
"mother'll make it up to them, my dear. i'll wager right now all sorts of nice plans are floating around in her head. well, can you be ready?"
"can we--!" they cried in chorus.
the hours then were full of excited preparations. the new clothes had to be purchased. "keineth may be invited to meet the president," mrs. lee had laughingly explained, as she held two pretty hats, one in each hand, and considered them carefully.
"oh, wouldn't that be wonderful!" keineth whispered. she wanted to ask him so many questions about daddy--she would tell him that she could keep a secret!
billy gave them a thousand instructions. they must remember everything they saw to tell him! they must climb the big monument and walk up the capitol steps and hear the echo in the rotunda of the capitol building. they must go to camp meyer and to arlington and to mount vernon and be sure to see washington's swords!
"and the white house china," mrs. lee added. "it must be as good as a lesson in history to look at that exhibit in the white house! they'd tell the tastes of the different ones who used them! i can picture pretty dolly madison ordering all new china because the pattern of the old did not please her!"
billy broke in: "i'd want to go to the treasury building and see all the money and the watchmen that guard the building from little watch-houses! and the big machine where they destroy all the old money! four men have keys and they go and unlock it and put the money in it and it gets ground and ground by sharp knives until it's just a pulp! and then they sell the pulp! i wish i had one of those keys!" billy was very excited.
"and i want to see the indian exhibit at the national museum," declared peggy.
"you will, my dear, and a great many other things of interest." little wonder that she could scarcely believe that she was peggy lee! as the train pulled away keineth was very quiet. she was recalling how often her daddy had told her of the interesting places in the national capital and how often he had said, "some day we'll go there together!" and now she was really going, but daddy was far away.
"well, aren't you children going to take off your things and stay awhile?" asked mr. lee, coming in from a smoke on the platform.
they laughed and began to lay aside their wraps. "i can't picture myself sleeping on that funny little shelf," peggy declared. "what if i should roll out!"
there were a number of other people on the car. the children watched them closely and tried to do whatever they did. peggy's eyes grew round with interest as she saw the porter deftly spread out mattresses and blankets and make cosy beds where nothing but seats had been. the girls insisted upon sharing the same berth and drew lots "for position," as peggy put it. keineth drew the place by the window and was soon cuddled there. and though they had declared that they were going to lie awake for a long time watching out of the window, their heads had scarcely touched the pillow when the motion of the train lulled them to sleep.
then the night would have passed like any night at home, only that peggy did fall out of bed!
she awakened suddenly to find herself in a heap in the aisle of the car with the brakeman, a swinging lantern in his hand, bending over her. "well, bless my stars!" he was saying.
it took a moment or two for peggy to realize where she was and what had happened! then, torn between a desire to laugh at herself and to cry with chagrin, she clambered back into the berth and snuggled very close to keineth.
it was too funny not to tell keineth, who had wakened, but after she told her she made keineth promise, crossing her heart over and over, that she would never, never, never tell billy that peggy had rolled out of bed!
"where are we? it isn't a bit different from home," the girls cried as they stood the next morning with mr. lee viewing from the platform the country through which they were speeding.
"this is maryland. in just half an hour we'll be in washington. we'll wait and eat breakfast at the hotel there."
mr. lee was acting curiously excited and impatient. he looked at his watch several times. "on time," the girls heard him say once or twice--as if it made any difference. before they were in the city he told them to put on their wraps.
"we'll be the first ones off," he said.
it was only a moment then before they had rolled into the station shed. they stepped from the train and walked a long way down between rows of cars. a great many people seemed hurrying in every direction. there was a dull roar echoing through the vaulted smoky space pierced by the loud voices of the trainmen giving their orders and the occasional clang of a bell. then they passed through a little iron gate into the station. keineth, clinging to mr. lee's arm, thought it quite the biggest place she had ever seen! every step made an echo and though there were crowds of people there did not seem to be many because there was so much room! mr. lee gave some checks to a porter, then stood looking up and down the great space as though expecting to see someone. peggy was just whispering something in keineth's ear when keineth gave a clear, joyous cry.
for there, stepping out from a little group, walking straight toward them, a smile on his tanned face, both arms extended as though they could not reach her quickly enough, was her dear, dear daddy!
