Free Betsy and Billy by Carolyn Haywood

1. Betsy Goes Back to School

    It was September and vacation days were almost over. Soon it would be time for Betsy to go back to school. She had tried on all of her school dresses that she had worn the year before. Betsy had grown so tall that Mother had to let down all of the hems.
    One day Mother was busy hanging the skirt of one of Betsy's dresses. Betsy was standing on a chair. She turned very slowly while Mother put the pins in the skirt.
    "Betsy, what are you looking so sober about?" asked Mother.
    "I was thinking," replied Betsy.
    "And what were you thinking about?" asked Mother.
    "I was thinking about school," answered Betsy. "Do you know, Mother, I don't know whether I am going to like being in the second grade."
    "Of course you are going to like being in the second grade," said Mother.
    "But, Mother, Miss Grey won't be there," said Betsy. "Miss Grey was such a nice teacher. I don't think I am going to like my new teacher. Her name is Miss Little. She isn't pretty like Miss Grey."
    "Well, dear, everyone can't be as pretty as Miss Grey," said Mother.
    "But Miss Little wears black dresses all the time, Mother," said Betsy. "I used to see her last year and she always had on a black dress. I don't like black dresses. Miss Grey wears pretty dresses, pink ones and green ones and red ones, and once she had a dress that had flowers all over it."

    "It has been a long time since school closed," said Mother; "perhaps Miss Little has bought herself some new clothes."
    "Well, I hope so," said Betsy.
    "Run along now," said Mother, as she helped Betsy down from the chair.
    Betsy ran along, but she kept thinking about Miss Little. She began to feel sorry that she had been promoted.
Perhaps I could go back to the first grade,
she thought. But she knew that she wouldn't like that either because she wouldn't know anyone in the first grade. All of her friends were in the second grade. There was her best friend, Ellen, and there was Billy Porter. Betsy chuckled when she thought of Billy. He was such a funny little boy, always calling out from his seat and getting into trouble. Then there were Kenny Roberts and Betty Jane and Mary Lou and the twins, Richard and Henry. She would be so glad to see them all. She would even be glad to see Christopher who sometimes pulled her braids. Betsy could see that she could never give up being in the second grade. She would have to be in Miss Little's room and put up with the black dresses.
Perhaps she hasn't any money to buy pretty dresses,
thought Betsy. And then she began to feel very sorry for Miss Little because she didn't have any money to buy pretty dresses.
    One afternoon, Mother cleaned out her closets. She had decided to give away all of her old dresses that she did not wear any longer. At the end of the afternoon she had a big pile of dresses on the bed. She decided to give them to Milly, the laundress. When Betsy saw the pile of dresses, she said, "Mother, may I have some of these dresses to play 'Dress-up Lady'?"
    "I think you may," said Mother.
    "Oh, Mother," cried Betsy, "may I have this flowered one?" Betsy picked up a flowered silk dress that had been her favorite dress of Mother's.
    "Yes," said Mother, "and you may have the red one with the long train. You will be a very grand lady in that dress."
    Betsy carried her new treasures off to her own room. She tried them on and paraded up and down the hall. Every few minutes she stopped to look in the mirror. This was a lovely new game and for several days she wore Mother's old dresses almost all of the time. When Ellen came to play with her they each put on one of the

    dresses. They played that they lived in separate corners of the playroom and they paid calls on each other, and talked about their children.
    The day before school was to open, Betsy was wearing the red silk dress. All of a sudden, she thought of Miss Little and her black dresses. Then Betsy had an idea. She took off the red dress and laid it on the bed. Then she pulled the