CHAPTER IX. DAISY'S BALL
"Mrs. Shakespeare Smith would like to have Mr. John Brooke, Mr. ThomasBangs, and Mr. Nathaniel Blake to come to her ball at three o'clocktoday.
"P.S. Nat must bring his fiddle, so we can dance, and all the boys mustbe good, or they cannot have any of the nice things we have cooked."
This elegant invitation would, I fear, have been declined, but for thehint given in the last line of the postscript.
"They have been cooking lots of goodies, I smelt 'em. Let's go," saidTommy.
"We needn't stay after the feast, you know," added Demi.
"I never went to a ball. What do you have to do?" asked Nat.
"Oh, we just play be men, and sit round stiff and stupid like grown-upfolks, and dance to please the girls. Then we eat up everything, andcome away as soon as we can."
"I think I could do that," said Nat, after considering Tommy'sdescription for a minute.
"I'll write and say we'll come;" and Demi despatched the followinggentlemanly reply,
"We will all come. Please have lots to eat. J. B. Esquire."
Great was the anxiety of the ladies about their first ball, because ifevery thing went well they intended to give a dinner-party to the chosenfew.
"Aunt Jo likes to have the boys play with us, if they are not rough;so we must make them like our balls, then they will do them good," saidDaisy, with her maternal air, as she set the table and surveyed thestore of refreshments with an anxious eye.
"Demi and Nat will be good, but Tommy will do something bad, I know hewill," replied Nan, shaking her head over the little cake-basket whichshe was arranging.
"Then I shall send him right home," said Daisy, with decision.
"People don't do so at parties, it isn't proper."
"I shall never ask him any more."
"That would do. He'd be sorry not to come to the dinner-ball, wouldn'the?"
"I guess he would! we'll have the splendidest things ever seen, won'twe? Real soup with a ladle and a tureem [she meant tureen] and a littlebird for turkey, and gravy, and all kinds of nice vegytubbles." Daisynever could say vegetables properly, and had given up trying.
"It is 'most three, and we ought to dress," said Nan, who had arranged afine costume for the occasion, and was anxious to wear it.
"I am the mother, so I shan't dress up much," said Daisy, putting on anight-cap ornamented with a red bow, one of her aunt's long skirts, anda shawl; a pair of spectacles and large pocket handkerchief completedher toilette, making a plump, rosy little matron of her.
Nan had a wreath of artificial flowers, a pair of old pink slippers, ayellow scarf, a green muslin skirt, and a fan made of feathers from theduster; also, as a last touch of elegance, a smelling-bottle without anysmell in it.
"I am the daughter, so I rig up a good deal, and I must sing and dance,and talk more than you do. The mothers only get the tea and be proper,you know."
A sudden very loud knock caused Miss Smith to fly into a chair, and fanherself violently, while her mamma sat bolt upright on the sofa, andtried to look quite calm and "proper." Little Bess, who was on a visit,acted the part of maid, and opened the door, saying with a smile, "Wartin, gemplemun; it's all weady."
In honor of the occasion, the boys wore high paper collars, tallblack hats, and gloves of every color and material, for they were anafterthought, and not a boy among them had a perfect pair.
"Good day, mum," said Demi, in a deep voice, which was so hard to keepup that his remarks had to be extremely brief.
Every one shook hands and then sat down, looking so funny, yet so sober,that the gentlemen forgot their manners, and rolled in their chairs withlaughter.
"Oh, don't!" cried Mrs. Smith, much distressed.
"You can't ever come again if you act so," added Miss Smith, rapping Mr.Bangs with her bottle because he laughed loudest.
"I can't help it, you look so like fury," gasped Mr. Bangs, with mostuncourteous candor.
"So do you, but I shouldn't be so rude as to say so. He shan't come tothe dinner-ball, shall he, Daisy?" cried Nan, indignantly.
"I think we had better dance now. Did you bring your fiddle, sir?" askedMrs. Smith, trying to preserve her polite composure.
"It is outside the door," and Nat went to get it.
"Better have tea first," proposed the unabashed Tommy, winking openlyat Demi to remind him that the sooner the refreshments were secured, thesooner they could escape.
"No, we never have supper first; and if you don't dance well you won'thave any supper at all, not one bit, sir," said Mrs. Smith, so sternlythat her wild guests saw she was not to be trifled with, and grewoverwhelmingly civil all at once.
"I will take Mr. Bangs and teach him the polka, for he does not know itfit to be seen," added the hostess, with a reproachful look that soberedTommy at once.
Nat struck up, and the ball opened with two couples, who wentconscientiously through a somewhat varied dance. The ladies did well,because they liked it, but the gentlemen exerted themselves from moreselfish motives, for each felt that he must earn his supper, and laboredmanfully toward that end. When every one was out of breath they wereallowed to rest; and, indeed, poor Mrs. Smith needed it, for her longdress had tripped her up many times. The little maid passed roundmolasses and water in such small cups that one guest actually emptiednine. I refrain from mentioning his name, because this mild beverageaffected him so much that he put cup and all into his mouth at the ninthround, and choked himself publicly.
"You must ask Nan to play and sing now," said Daisy to her brother, whosat looking very much like an owl, as he gravely regarded the festivescene between his high collars.
"Give us a song, mum," said the obedient guest, secretly wondering wherethe piano was.
Miss Smith sailed up to an old secretary which stood in the room,threw back the lid of the writing-desk, and sitting down before it,accompanied herself with a vigor which made the old desk rattle as shesang that new and lovely song, beginning
"Gaily the troubadour Touched his guitar, As he was hastening Home from the war."
The gentlemen applauded so enthusiastically that she gave them "BoundingBillows," "Little Bo-Peep," and other gems of song, till they wereobliged to hint that they had had enough. Grateful for the praisesbestowed upon her daughter, Mrs. Smith graciously announced,
"Now we will have tea. Sit down carefully, and don't grab."
It was beautiful to see the air of pride with which the good lady didthe honors of her table, and the calmness with which she bore the littlemishaps that occurred. The best pie flew wildly on the floor when shetried to cut it with a very dull knife; the bread and butter vanishedwith a rapidity calculated to dismay a housekeeper's soul; and, worst ofall, the custards were so soft that they had to be drunk up, instead ofbeing eaten elegantly with the new tin spoons.
I grieve to state that Miss Smith squabbled with the maid for the bestjumble, which caused Bess to toss the whole dish into the air, and burstout crying amid a rain of falling cakes. She was comforted by a seat atthe table, and the sugar-bowl to empty; but during this flurry a largeplate of patties was mysteriously lost, and could not be found. Theywere the chief ornament of the feast, and Mrs. Smith was indignant atthe loss, for she had made them herself, and they were beautiful tobehold. I put it to any lady if it was not hard to have one dozendelicious patties (made of flour, salt, and water, with a large raisinin the middle of each, and much sugar over the whole) swept away at onefell swoop?
"You hid them, Tommy; I know you did!" cried the outraged hostess,threatening her suspected guest with the milk-pot.
"I didn't!"
"You did!"
"It isn't proper to contradict," said Nan, who was hastily eating up thejelly during the fray.
"Give them back, Demi," said Tommy.
"That's a fib, you've got them in your own pocket," bawled Demi, rousedby the false accusation.
"Let's take 'em away from him. It's too bad to make Daisy cry,"suggested Nat, w
ho found his first ball more exciting than he expected.
Daisy was already weeping, Bess like a devoted servant mingled her tearswith those of her mistress, and Nan denounced the entire race of boys as"plaguey things." Meanwhile the battle raged among the gentlemen, for,when the two defenders of innocence fell upon the foe, that hardenedyouth intrenched himself behind a table and pelted them with the stolentarts, which were very effective missiles, being nearly as hard asbullets. While his ammunition held out the besieged prospered, but themoment the last patty flew over the parapet, the villain was seized,dragged howling from the room, and cast upon the hall floor in anignominious heap. The conquerors then returned flushed with victory, andwhile Demi consoled poor Mrs. Smith, Nat and Nan collected the scatteredtarts, replaced each raisin in its proper bed, and rearranged the dishso that it really looked almost as well as ever. But their glory haddeparted, for the sugar was gone, and no one cared to eat them after theinsult offered to them.
"I guess we had better go," said Demi, suddenly, as Aunt Jo's voice washeard on the stairs.
"P'r'aps we had," and Nat hastily dropped a stray jumble that he hadjust picked up.
But Mrs. Jo was among them before the retreat was accomplished, and intoher sympathetic ear the young ladies poured the story of their woes.
"No more balls for these boys till they have atoned for this badbehavior by doing something kind to you," said Mrs. Jo, shaking her headat the three culprits.
"We were only in fun," began Demi.
"I don't like fun that makes other people unhappy. I am disappointed inyou, Demi, for I hoped you would never learn to tease Daisy. Such a kindlittle sister as she is to you."
"Boys always tease their sisters; Tom says so," muttered Demi.