CHAPTER VII
PINKIE
The days passed happily at Dana Dene.
There was so much to do, with the gardens and the chickens, and goingfor afternoon drives that, except on rainy days, the children were outof doors nearly all the time.
Their big boxes had arrived, and Dolly’s dolls, and Dick’s more boyishtreasures, were up in the playroom, but were often neglected foropen-air fun.
It had been decided by the aunties that the twins should not go toschool until Fall, for the term was within a few weeks of closing, andit didn’t seem worth while to start. But they were required to practiseon the piano an hour each day, and a teacher came once a week to givethem lessons. The Misses Dana were fond of music, and as they thoughtthe twins showed some talent, they insisted on its cultivation, thoughDick and Dolly looked upon their practice hour as drudgery.
They always practised at the same time, if possible, in order to havetheir play hours together. If they had been practising duets, this planmight have been fairly agreeable to the other members of the household.But the nine-year-old twins had not yet arrived at the dignity of“pieces,” and were confined to scales and five-finger exercises.
Their scales usually started on harmonious notes, but Dolly’s littlefingers flew along the keyboard so much faster than Dick’s that sheusually finished her scale on the highest notes, and drummed away thereuntil his chubby hands came up and caught her.
This, though a satisfactory plan to the performers, was far frompleasant to the sensitive ears of the Dana aunties.
Again, in case of five-finger exercises, they divided the piano fairly,and then diligently pursued their “one-and, two-and, three-and” quiteirrespective of each other.
As they were careful not to infringe on one another’s territory, theysaw no objection to this arrangement, and quite in despair, the auntswould close the doors of the drawing-room, where the musicians were, andretire to the farthest corners of the house.
There was, of course, great temptation for the twins to neglect theirtask, and chatter, but they were too conscientious for this.
Neither would have considered it honourable to remove their hands fromthe keys during practice hour. So the little fingers diligently workedup and down, but the counting often gave way to conversation. Instead of“one-and,” Dolly might say, in time with her counting, “Don’t_you_,—think _the_,—poles _will_,—come _to-_,—day, _Dick_?” And Dickwould pound away, as he replied, “Yes, _Pat_,—said _they_,—sure_would_,—come _to_,—day_-ay_.”
Thus a staccato conversation could be kept up while the twenty stifflittle fingers were acquiring proper limberness and skill.
“It’s enough to drive anybody frantic! I can’t stand it!” said AuntAbbie, as one day she listened to the measured chatter, and itsaccompaniment of pounded keys that didn’t chord.
“I can’t either!” declared Aunt Rachel, “and I’ve made up my mind,Abbie, what to do. We’ll get another piano,—a second-hand one willdo,—and put it up in the playroom. Then they can practise separately.”
“Ye-es,” said Miss Abbie, doubtfully; “but they wouldn’t like that. Theyalways want to be together.”
“Well, they’ll have to stand it. It’s enough to ruin their musical ear,to hear those discords themselves.”
“That’s true. I suppose your plan is a good one.”
So a second piano was bought, and put up in the playroom, and the twinshad to do their practising separately, except for a few little duetexercises, which their teacher kindly gave them. And it must beconfessed they made better progress than when they combined practisingand social conversation.
In addition to the hour for music, Dolly was required to spend an hourevery day, sewing.
The Misses Dana believed in that old-fashioned accomplishment, and putthe child through a regular course of overhanding, felling, and hemming,insisting on great neatness and accuracy of stitches.
This hour caused Dolly a great many sighs, and even a few tears. Shedidn’t like needlework, and it was _so_ hard to keep her stitches evenand true.
But the real hardship was that Dick didn’t have to sew also. It didn’tseem fair that she should work so hard for an hour, while he was free toplay or do what he chose.
She remarked this to Aunt Rachel, who saw the justice of the argument,and thought it over.
“That’s true, in a way,” she responded. “There isn’t any occupation sonecessary for a boy to learn, as for a girl to learn sewing, but I thinkthat Dick should have a corresponding task.”
So it was arranged that for an hour every day, Dick must do work in thegarden. Real work, not just fun. He was to weed both his own and Dolly’sflower-beds, and mow the grass and trim the hedges in their playground,and water the plants, if necessary; in short, do the drudgery work ofthe garden, while Dolly plodded along at her sewing.
This plan worked finely, and sometimes Dick had the playground in suchperfect order that he could put in his hour weeding or mowing the otherparts of the lawn. Aunt Rachel bought a small lawn-mower for his use,and under Pat’s instructions his hour’s hard work each day taught himmuch of the real science of gardening.
When the twins had been at Dana Dene a week, they had as yet made noacquaintances beside Jack Fuller. This had happened only because theladies had not found it convenient to take the children to callelsewhere, and Dick and Dolly themselves had been so wrapped up in theirgardens and other joys that they had not cared for outsidecompanionship.
Pat had sent for extra long poles, that their playhouse might be ofgoodly size. When these came, and were put in place, the tent-shapedarbour was about ten feet by twenty, which was amply large for theirpurpose. Vines were planted at once, both seeds and cuttings, but ofcourse it would be several weeks before the leaves would form a greenroof for them.
However, the sun was not unpleasantly warm in May, and by June or Julythe leafy roof would be a protection.
In the meantime, Aunt Abbie, who was most ingenious, planned a cosyarrangement for them. In one corner of their playground, Michael builtthem a table. This had a section of a felled tree trunk for an upright,on which was placed a round top.
From the centre of the table top rose a stout, straight stick, withleather loops nailed on it at intervals. Into these loops could bethrust the handle of a very large Japanese umbrella, which, opened, madea gay and festive-looking roof, and which could be taken into the housein case of rain.
Benches and rustic chairs Michael made for them, too, and Dick helped,being allowed to use his “work-hour” for this.
As the playground achieved all these comforts, it became a mostdelightful place, and the children spent whole days there.
Sometimes, good-natured Hannah would bring their dinner out there, andlet them eat it under the gay umbrella.
Aunt Abbie gave them a fine garden swing, as she had promised.
This was one of those wooden affairs that will hold four comfortably,but except for Jack Fuller, none but the twins had yet used it.
Aunt Rachel’s gift proved to be a fountain.
This was quite elaborate, and had to be set up by workmen who came fromtown for the purpose. It was very beautiful, and added greatly to theeffect of the playground. When the weather grew warmer they were to havegoldfish in it, but at present there were aquatic plants and prettyshells and stones.
It was small wonder that the children didn’t feel need of othercompanionship, and had it not been for Jack Fuller, Dolly would neverhave thought of being lonely.
She and Dick were such good chums that their company was quitesufficient for each other; but when Jack came over to play, he and Dickwere quite apt to play boyish games that Dolly didn’t care for.
On such occasions she usually brought out her doll-carriage and one ortwo of her favourite dolls, and played by herself.
And so, it happened, that one afternoon when Dick and Jack were playingleap-frog, Dolly wandered off to the wood
with Arabella and Araminta inthe perambulator. She never felt lonely in the wood, for there werealways the squirrels and birds, and always a chance that she _might_ seea fairy.
So, with her dolls, she had company enough, and sitting down by a bigflat rock, she set out a table with acorn cups and leaves for plates,and tiny pebbles for cakes and fruit.
Arabella and Araminta had already been seated at the table, and Dollywas talking for them and for herself, as she arranged the feast.
“No, Arabella,” she said; “you can’t have any jelly pudding to-day,dear, for you are not very well. You must eat bread and milk, and hereit is.”
She set an acorn cup in front of the doll, and then turned to prepareAraminta’s food, when she saw a little girl coming eagerly toward her.
It was a pretty little girl, about her own age, with dark curls, and apink linen frock.
“Hello,” she said, softly, “I want to play with you.”
“Come on,” said Dolly, more than pleased to have company. “Sit rightdown at the table. There’s a place. I fixed it for Mr. Grey Squirrel,but he didn’t come.”
“I didn’t bring my doll,” said the little girl in pink, “I—I came awayin a hurry.”
“I’ll lend you one of mine,” said Dolly. “They’re Arabella and Araminta;take your choice.”
“What’s your own name?” said the visitor, as she picked up Araminta.
“Dolly,—Dolly Dana. What’s yours?”
“I don’t want to tell you,” said the little girl, looking confused.
“Never mind,” said Dolly, sorry for her guest’s evident embarrassment,but thinking her a very strange person. “I’ll call you Pinkie, ’causeyour dress is such a pretty pink.”
“All right,” said Pinkie, evidently much relieved.
“You’re not—you’re not a fairy, are you?” said Dolly, hopefully, yetsure she wasn’t one.
“Oh, no,” said Pinkie, laughing. “I’m just a little girl, but I—I ranaway, and so I don’t want to tell you my name.”
“Oh, I don’t care,” said Dolly, who was always willing to accept asituation. “Never mind about that. Let’s play house.”
“Yes; let’s. You keep this place, ’cause you’ve fixed your table sonice, and I’ll live over here.”
Pinkie selected another choice spot for her home, and soon the twofamilies were on visiting terms.
Dolly and her daughter, Arabella, went to call on Pinkie and herdaughter, Araminta, and as they had already selected the names of Mrs.Vandeleur and Mrs. Constantine, their own names didn’t matter anyway.
Dolly was Mrs. Vandeleur, because she thought that title had a verygrand sound, and Pinkie chose Mrs. Constantine because she had just cometo that name in her “Outlines of the World’s History,” and thought itwas beautiful.
So Mrs. Vandeleur rang the bell at Mrs. Constantine’s mansion, and sentin two green leaves, which were supposed to be the visiting cards ofherself and her daughter.
“Come in, come in,” said Mrs. Constantine, in a high-pitched voice. “I’mso glad to see you. Won’t you sit down?”
Dolly sat down very elegantly on the root of a tree, and proppedArabella against another.
“I’m just going to have supper,” said the hostess, “and I hope you andyour daughter will give me the pleasure of your company.”
“Thank you. I will stay, but I must go ’way right after dessert. I havean engagement with—with the fairies.”
“Oh, how lovely! Are you going to see them dance?”
“Yes,” said Dolly, greatly pleased to learn that Pinkie believed infairies; “they sent me a special invitation.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Mrs. Constantine, promptly. “I’m always invitedto their dances.”
So again the acorn cups and leaves came into use, and the four drankunlimited cups of tea, and ate all sorts of things, Arabella havingapparently recovered from her indisposition.
“Now, we’ll go to the fairies’ ball,” said Pinkie, as with a sweep ofher hand she cleared the table of dishes and viands and all. “What shallwe wear?”
“I’ll wear red velvet,” said Dolly, whose tastes were gay, “and a widelight-blue sash, and gold slippers.”
“You’ll look lovely,” declared Mrs. Constantine. “I’ll wear spangledblue satin, and a diamond crown.”
“Then I’ll have a diamond crown, too,” said Dolly.
“No; you have a ruby one. We don’t want to be just alike.”
“Yes, I’ll have a ruby one, and my daughter can have a diamond one, andyour daughter a ruby one,—then we’ll be fair all around.”
“Yes, that’s fair,” agreed Pinkie; “now let’s start.”
They carried the dolls with them, and going a little farther into thewood, they selected a smooth, mossy place where fairies might easilydance if they chose.
“We must fix it up for them,” said Pinkie; “so they’ll want to come.”
Eagerly the two girls went to work. They picked up any bits of stick orstone that disfigured the moss, and then, at Pinkie’s direction, theymade a circular border of green leaves, and what few wild flowers theycould find.
A row of stones was laid as an outside border, and a branch of green wasstuck upright in the centre.
“Now it looks pretty,” said Pinkie, with a nod of satisfaction. “Let’ssit down and wait.”
“Will they _really_ come?” asked Dolly, as with Araminta and Arabellathey seated themselves near by.
“Oh, no, I s’pose not,” said Pinkie, with a little sigh. “I’ve done thisthing so many times, and they never _have_ come. But it’s fun to do it,and then I always think perhaps they _may_.”
But they waited what seemed a long time, and as no fairies came todance, and the shadows began to grow deeper, Dolly said she must gohome.
“Yes, I must too,” said Pinkie, looking troubled.
“See here, Dolly,” she said, as they walked along; “don’t you want tocome here and play with me again?”
“’Course I do,” exclaimed Dolly. “Every day.”
“Well, you can’t do it, unless you keep it secret. You mustn’t tellanybody,—not anybody in the world.”
“Not even Dick and the aunties?”
“No, not anybody. If you tell, we can’t play here.”
“Pinkie, _are_ you a fairy, after all?” said Dolly, looking at herearnestly.
She was quite unable, otherwise, to think of any reason to keep theiracquaintance secret.
“Well—maybe I am,” said Pinkie, slowly.
“And that’s why you haven’t any name!” exclaimed Dolly, rapturously.“But I didn’t s’pose real fairies were so big, and so ’zactly likelittle girls.”
“Real fairies aren’t. I’m just a—just a sort of a fairy. Oh, Dolly,don’t ask questions. Only, remember, if you tell anybody about me, wecan’t play here in the woods any more. Will you promise?”
“Yes, I’ll promise,” said Dolly, solemnly, awed by Pinkie’s greatearnestness.
And then they separated, and Dolly ran home with her dolls.