<h2>CHAPTER XXIV</h2>
<div class='chaptertitle'>THE TEA PARTY</div>
<div class='cap'>MARY FRANCES didn't eat much lunch.</div>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i157a.jpg" width-obs="107" height-obs="242" alt=""What's the matter, child?"" title="" /></div>
<p>"What's the matter, child?" asked Aunt
Maria, anxiously. "'Homesick' for Mother?—or
was to-day's lesson too hard?"</p>
<p>Then Mary Frances told of cutting and eating the
fresh cake. "And, Aunt Maria," she said, the tears
flowing down her cheeks, "it went</p>
<div class='center'>
down!<br/>
<span style="margin-left: 5em;">down!</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 10em;">down!</span><br/></div>
<div class='unindent'>until I was afraid it would rise out of the bottom of
the pan the other way."</div>
<p>"Never mind, dear child," Aunt Maria comforted
her. "I did the same thing to my first cake. I remember
it well!"</p>
<p>"You did, Aunt Maria?"</p>
<p>"Yes," said the old lady. "I'll tell you what we'll
do! I'll bake a cake in place of yours for to-night's
party. Don't tell any one."</p>
<div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/i157b.jpg" width-obs="433" height-obs="207" alt=""It went down! down! down!"" title="" /></div>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>"Oh, thank you, Aunt Maria," cried Mary Frances;
"that's so kind!"</p>
<p>"Not a word to any one!" cau-tion-ed Aunt Maria.
"What else do you have?"</p>
<p>"Cocoa," said Mary Frances; "I can make that."</p>
<p>"My," smiled Aunt Maria, "I'm so proud."</p>
<div class='center'><b>* * * * * * *</b></div>
<p>After the games and riddles, Mary Frances excused
herself from her guests, and made the cocoa and the
pot of tea for her aunt. Then Billy carried in the tray,
on which she had placed the cake, and the cups and
saucers, plates, napkins, and Chocolate Pot, and, oh,
yes, Tea Pot, for Aunt Maria; and she poured the cocoa
like a real grown lady, while the boys passed the plates
and the cake, and served the guests to the cups of cocoa.</p>
<p>"Did Mary Frances make this cake?" asked one
of the guests. ("I'm awfully glad she didn't ask about
the other," thought the little girl.)</p>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i158a.jpg" width-obs="114" height-obs="261" alt=""Did Mary Frances make this cake?"" title="" /></div>
<p>"Yes," said Eleanor's brother Bob. "Yes; knowing
the greatness of the present oc-ca-sion, I have
written a poem, en-ti-tled, 'Ode to the Cook' (bowing
to Mary Frances), which, with your kind indulgence, I
will now read:"</p>
<div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/i158b.jpg" width-obs="281" height-obs="194" alt=""Ode to the Cook"" title="" /></div>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>"Begin!" laughed Mary Frances.</p>
<p>Bob cleared his throat and began:</p>
<div class='poem'>
"Mary Frances is a girl<br/>
<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Who cooks for you and I;</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">She can boil a fancy cake</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Or stew a cherry pie.</span><br/>
<br/>
"Once she made a pot of soup<br/>
<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">And served it for our dinner;</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">We thought that we were like to die,</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">It made us so much thinner."</span><br/></div>
<p>"Time to weep?" asked Billy, pa-thet-i-cal-ly.</p>
<div class='poem'>
"Now, this, our cook will save expense,<br/>
<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">For when she is your baker,</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">You may save your doctor's bill—</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">Just get an undertaker."</span><br/></div>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i159a.jpg" width-obs="106" height-obs="227" alt=""Oh, Bob, I say—"" title="" /></div>
<p>"Now, Billy," cried Mary Frances, "what have
you been telling?"</p>
<p>"Oh, Bob, I say—" said Billy.</p>
<div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/i159b.jpg" width-obs="176" height-obs="173" alt=""Begin!"" title="" /></div>
<p>"Mary Frances, don't mind Bob," interrupted<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</SPAN></span>
Eleanor. "You see what I have to stand all the time."
And Mary Frances laughed heartily.</p>
<p>"Did you think I minded Bob?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Show you forgive me, Mary Frances," begged
Bob, "by letting me have another cup of cake, and
another piece of cocoa."</p>
<p>"Not <i>another</i>," laughingly corrected Mary Frances.
"To be polite, I believe I must pretend I didn't notice
you'd had any."</p>
<p>"You certainly are kind, Mary Frances," said Bob,
"when I don't know how many pieces——"</p>
<p>"I know," cried Eleanor,—"this makes the fifth!"</p>
<p>"Well, Nell," begged Bob, "don't tell Mother."</p>
<p>"You deserve it," said Eleanor.</p>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i160a.jpg" width-obs="104" height-obs="248" alt=""Don't tell Mother."" title="" /></div>
<p>"Come," said Billy, "all ready! another game!
'Blind feeds Blind!'" And they blindfolded the boys'
eyes, and sat them opposite each other, each with a
plate of little pieces of cake, and a spoon. They were
to try to feed each other. The one who dropped the
least number of pieces, and whose cake was first gone,
won. It was very funny! Sometimes the spoon was
poked into the other boy's ear; sometimes it hit his
nose.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i160b.jpg" width-obs="439" height-obs="207" alt=""Blind feeds blind" title="" /></div>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i161a.jpg" width-obs="112" height-obs="343" alt="cakes" title="" /></div>
<p>"Everything was grand, Mary Frances," said
Eleanor, "and it was the loveliest party!"</p>
<p>"I think so, too," smiled Aunt Maria.</p>
<p>"One last riddle," said Mary Frances' father,
bidding the young people good-night:</p>
<p>"'Why is Mary Frances the happiest girl in the
world?'"</p>
<p>Then they all guessed——</p>
<p>"Because 'Mother' is coming home to-morrow!"</p>
<p>"Oh, Mary Frances," laughed Eleanor, "I've had
more fun! Good-night, dear." And "So have we all
of us," and "Thank you," cried the others.</p>
<div class='poem'>
"Good-night!"<br/>
<span style="margin-left: 6em;">"Good-night!"</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 11.5em;">"Good-night!"</span><br/></div>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i161b.jpg" width-obs="528" height-obs="371" alt=""Never mind, dear child." Aunt Maria comforted her." title="" /></div>
<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</SPAN></span></p>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />
1 of 2
2 of 2
Previous
Next
Update Required
To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.