CHAPTER XV
THE LAWN-PARTY
The next day Patty announced her willingness to do anything she could to assist in the preparations for the lawn-party; and Aunt Grace kissed her fondly, and said she was a dear little helper, and they would be only too glad to make use of her services.
But the day passed by and nothing was done. Everybody went for a swim in the morning, and in the afternoon Nan went driving, and Patty and the twins were invited to a neighbor's to play tennis. Then in the evening they all went for a moonlight sail.
After they returned, Patty ventured to remind her procrastinating relatives that there was very little time left in which to prepare for the various entertainments they had suggested.
"Jumping grasshoppers!" exclaimed Bob, whose expletives were often of his own invention, "I meant to set old Dil at work to-day, clearing a, place for a tent. Dad, we must go over to the city to-morrow, and get a tent, and some lanterns and flags. We want to make the place look gay and festive."
"Yes, we'll go," said his father, heartily, "and the girls can go with us, if they like."
"We do like," cried Bumble, "and after we buy the things, won't you take us to the Zoo, to see the baby hippopotamus?"
"But," said Patty, "I think we ought to stay at home and help Aunt Grace."
"No, no," said her aunt, "there's nothing much to do; I'll get somebody in to help Hopalong make cakes and jellies, and we can leave the house decorations until Thursday."
"Yes, that will be best," said Nan, "for to-morrow I'm going over to Montauk Point for the day, but I'll help all day Thursday."
"We'll all work with more enthusiasm when the day of the party comes," said Aunt Grace, "and now run along to bed, all of you."
Next day the family rose late, and breakfast was much later, so that it was noon before they started for New York.
Then Bob proposed that they go to the Zoo first, and do the shopping afterwards. This they did, and the result was, that, as the animals were so interesting, after they had seen them all it was too late to go to the shops.
"Whew! I'd no idea it was so late," said Uncle Ted, looking at his watch; "but never mind. We'll go home now, and I'll telegraph early in the morning, and the tent and lanterns can be sent over at once, and we can easily get them put up in time."
When they reached home they found Aunt Grace entertaining some friends who had come to spend the day. They were delightful people, and Aunt Grace had found them so absorbing that she had entirely forgotten to send for an assistant to prepare dainties for the party.
But nobody seemed to mind, and Patty concluded it was not her place to comment on the way things were going, at least, not to the Hurly-Burly people themselves.
But when she wrote that night to her father, she said:
"I'm glad you didn't describe my aunts to me, but let me discover their traits for myself. For, really, I never would have believed a family could act like the Barlows. They are out of proportion every way, but, after all, I can't help loving them, for they are such dear, kind people, and they mean to do right, only they never do anything."
But as the next day was Thursday, and some things had to be done, everybody began to hustle and bustle and fly around generally.
Uncle Ted sent to New York by a special messenger for a tent, and a lot of lanterns and gay bunting, and succeeded in getting them soon after noon. Then he and Bob and old Dil put the tent up, and hung the lanterns along the veranda and among the trees.
Nan drove all around the country trying to find a cook to assist Hopalong, but as none was to be found, Aunt Grace had to go down to the kitchen and make some of the cakes herself.
Nan and Bumble made sandwiches and squeezed lemons, and somehow the time slipped away until it was four o'clock, and the house was not yet decorated and the ice cream hadn't arrived from New York. "Nan, you and Patty fix the flowers, and I'll take the trap and fly down to the station and see if the ice cream isn't there," said Bumble, who was very warm and tired, but who kindly offered to do the most unpleasant errand.
"All right," said Nan, and Bumble drove off in a hurry. That morning the girls had gathered a quantity of wild flowers and vines for decorations, and Bumble said she had put them in water, but nobody knew where. So they hunted in every place they could think of, but to no avail. Bob helped them and they searched the kitchen, the cellar, and even the barn, but no flowers could they find. So, as it was nearly five o'clock they gave it up and ran up-stairs to dress for the party.
And then Patty discovered that the bath tub was filled with the missing flowers. At risk of being caught by the guests in their every-day attire, Nan and Patty flew down-stairs and hastily arranged the flowers as well as they could, and then returned to make their toilettes.
It was now after five, but fortunately no guests had yet arrived.
"Nobody will come before half-past five, anyway," said Nan, as they hastily scrambled into their frocks.
"They may," replied Patty, "there comes somebody now; oh, it's Bumble."
Bumble came in, panting and breathless.
"I had to bring the ice cream home with me," she said; "there was no one else to bring it from the station. Wasn't it lucky I went over?"
"Yes, indeed," said Patty, "and now, Bumble dear, rest yourself a little. Nan and I will receive the guests. Aunt Grace is still in the kitchen."
"Yes," said Bumble, "but the table isn't set yet. We ought to get out the plates and things. Eunice is frosting cakes, and she can't do it."
"Well, I can do it now," said Patty. "I'm all ready, if you'll just tie my sash. Nobody is here yet, so I may have a few minutes at least."
But when Patty reached the dining-room the scene was appalling. In the hurry, nobody had found time to clear away the luncheon dishes, and the extension table must be made longer sand really there was an hour's work there for somebody.
Patty called Bob to help her, as everybody else was so busy, and the good-natured boy left what he was doing and came to his cousin's assistance.
It was six o'clock before everything was in readiness and the family gathered on the veranda to rest themselves and await their guests.
"Seems to me they're getting pretty fashionable," said Bob; "it's an hour after the time set, and nobody's here yet."
"Well, it's a warm day," said Aunt Grace, fanning herself, "and nobody likes to start out early in the afternoon." But after another half-hour passed and still nobody came, they all began to think it rather queer.
"Perhaps they've boycotted us," said Uncle Ted, "and don't mean to come at all."
"I should think the Perrys would be here by this time," said Nan. "I meant to speak to them about it yesterday, and ask them to be sure to come early, but I forgot it."
"Did we invite the Harlands?" said Bob.
"I can't think whether we did or not," said Bumble. "I know we were undecided about them. But we asked the Graysons, and here they come now."
"Well, I'm glad somebody's coming," said Nan; "but, no,—they aren't turning in, they're driving by!"
"Sure enough," said Bob; "mean old things,—if they couldn't come, they might at least have sent regrets."
"Here are the Stanton girls, anyway," said Patty, as two young ladies came walking towards them.
Elsie and Mildred Stanton came up to the group on the veranda with a slightly embarrassed air.
"Good-evening," said Mildred; "you look as if you were going to have a lawn-party."
"Why, we are," said Bumble, "if anybody comes to it. I'm glad you've arrived, anyway. Come in."
"But,—we weren't invited," said Elsie, a little stiffly. "We came over on an errand."
"Indeed you were invited," said Bumble, warmly. "Do you suppose I'd leave you out, my dearest chums? But really, didn't you get an invitation? How funny! They were sent out on Tuesday."
"No," said Elsie, "but if it was a mistake, and you meant to invite us, it's all right. But we didn't know it, you see, so we're not in party frocks. As nobody else is here yet, I think we'll run home and dress up a bit, and then come back again."
"All right," said Bumble, knowing her guests would feel more comfortable if suitably dressed,—and they lived near by. "Skip along, girls, and hurry back."
After they had gone it was nearly seven o'clock, and nobody else appeared. Great consternation was felt by all, and suddenly Patty said, "Who mailed those invitations?"
"Bumble did," said Bob.
"No, I didn't," said Bumble, "I thought you attended to it. Why, Bob, I asked you particularly to look after them."
"I didn't hear you," said Bob; "do you suppose"
But Patty had already run into the house and returned with her hands full of the invitations to the party.
"Oh," groaned everybody, quite overcome by the calamity.
Nan was the first to recover herself.
"here's only one thing to do," she said; "we must go around and pick up as many guests as we can in a hurry. It won't do to let all this nice garden-party go to waste. Bob and I will take the runabout, and Bumble, you and Patty can take the trap, and we'll scour the country as far as possible."
In a few minutes the two turnouts dashed away in opposite directions, and all the near-by neighbors were bidden to come to the garden-party at once.
Much laughter and fun was caused by the sudden and peremptory invitations, which were, for the most part, gladly accepted.
When the guests finally arrived, the party was a grand success, though of much smaller proportions than was originally intended. The gayly-lighted veranda was a fine place for dancing and games, and supper, served in the tent, was very novel and attractive.
As Nan said, after the party was over, "It was just perfect, except that we couldn't invite the ones that lived at any distance."
But Uncle Ted said, "Never mind, we'll have another party, and invite them; and I'll see to mailing the invitations myself."
"Oh, ho," laughed Nan, "then we needn't even get ready for the party, for you'll never remember to post them."
At which Uncle Ted called her a saucy minx, and sent them all to bed.