CHAPTER XXI
A READING-CLUB
With October came school-days.
There was a fine school for young ladies in Vernondale, which Marianattended, and Aunt Alice thought it best for Patty to go too.
The cousins, who had become inseparable companions, enjoyed theirschool-life together, and the added duties which lessons brought, causedAunt Alice to make Patty's household tasks rather fewer.
That lady was by no means an advocate of "all work and no play," and thoughsome domestic duties were imposed and a cake or a dessert was taught everySaturday, yet Patty had plenty of time for amusements and plenty ofamusements for her time.
One October day, Patty and Marian and two of their schoolgirl friends saton Patty's balcony drinking afternoon tea.
It was getting late in the season to use the pretty balcony, but it chancedto be a bright, sunny autumn day, and the girls had their wraps on.
Besides, they were talking so busily, that I think they would scarcely havenoticed it, had the mercury suddenly fallen to zero.
"Yes," Elsie Morris was saying, "we'll have a real literary club, and we'llhave a president and constitution and everything. But don't let's have toomany members. About twelve girls, I should say."
"Only girls?" said Marian, "aren't we going to have any boys? I know Frankwould like to join."
"Oh, boys don't like to read," said Polly Stevens, "they're nice at partiesand picnics, but we want this club to be really literary, and not justfooling."
"I know it," said Marian, "but we thought we'd have little plays andtableaux, and things like that. And how can we manage those without boys?What do you say, Patty?"
"I think it's nice to have the boys," said Patty, "but they won't come muchin the afternoons. If we have them, it'll have to be an evening affair.Let's ask Aunt Alice."
"Yes," said Elsie, "Mrs. Elliott always knows just what to do."
"I'll go after her," said Patty, and away she ran, and returned in triumphwith her aunt.
"Now, my blessed auntie," she said, as she gave her a seat, and wrapped afleecy shawl about her shoulders, "let me offer you a cup of tea, for weare going to give you a weighty question to decide, and you'll need astimulant."
"Very well," said Aunt Alice, laughing, "but you'd better ask the questionquickly, for this tea doesn't look very strong and its effects will soonwear off."
So the girls all talked at once, or at least, two at a time, and explainedthat they wanted a literary club, and while they all liked the boys andwould be glad of their assistance in plays and tableaux, yet they knew thatif boys came to the meetings, there'd be little or no serious reading done.
"It may be the effects of your tea," said Mrs. Elliott, "but the solutionof your problem seems to me so easy that I wonder you didn't think it outfor yourselves."
"Oh, what is it?" said Elsie and Marian together.
"Why, have your club of girls only, and have your meetings on Saturdayafternoons, as you proposed, and then occasionally,--say, once amonth,--have an evening meeting and invite the boys and have your dramaticor musical entertainments then."
"I knew you'd fix it, Aunt Alice," said Patty, beaming, "won't that be justright, girls?"
They all agreed to this wise plan, and immediately made out a list oftwelve girls, who, if they accepted the invitation, were to attend thefirst club meeting at Elsie Morris's house on the following Saturday.
Every one did accept, and the club was formed, and the twelve members wentto work with a will to make rules and plans.
Patty was unanimously elected president.
She hesitated about undertaking to fill such a responsible office, but thegirls, one and all, insisted upon it in a determined if not veryparliamentary way; and so she accepted the position, feeling sure that AuntAlice would assist and advise her in any difficulties that might arise.
The Literary Club proved a great success. Patty made a very capable andgraceful little president, and when at a meeting in November, the girlsbegan to discuss an evening entertainment to be held in December, and Pattyremarked that perhaps she wouldn't be in Vernondale then, a general outcrywas raised.
"What do you mean?"
"Why not?"
"Why, Patty Fairfield, where are you going?"
"I don't know where I'm going," said Patty, "but my visit at Marian's willbe over the first of December, and then I'm going to have a new home, and Idon't know where it will be. But oh, girls, I wish it could be inVernondale."
"Why can't it?" said Marian eagerly, "why can't Uncle Fred buy a househere, and then you can live here all your life. Oh, Patty, wouldn't that bejust fine?"
"Oh, Patty, do!" chorused all the girls, and Patty resolved that if she hadany voice in the matter, Vernondale should be her future home.
CHAPTER XXII
A WELCOME GUEST
"Oh, Aunt Alice," cried Patty, flying into her aunt's room one morning inthe latter part of November, "I've just had a letter from papa, and he'llbe here for Thanksgiving-day! Isn't that grand?" and catching her auntround the waist, Patty waltzed her up and down the room until the good ladywas nearly breathless.
"I'm as glad as you are, Patty girl," she said, when her niece finallyallowed her to come to a standstill, "for I haven't seen brother Fred formany long years. But I can tell you that his coming doesn't by any meansbring your visit to an end; I'm going to keep you both here with me untilafter the holidays, and longer too, if I can."
"Well, I'll be only too glad to stay as long as papa is willing, and I dohope I can persuade him to settle in Vernondale. _Do_ you believe he will,Aunt Alice?"
"I don't know. I think he is inclined to make his home in New York city.But Vernondale is a pleasant place and so near New York, as to be a sort ofsuburb."
"Well, I'm going to coax him, anyhow,--and now Aunt Alice, I'm going to askyou a big, big favor, may I?"
"Yes, you may ask, but I won't make any rash promises to grant it, until Ihear what it is."
"Well,--I'm afraid you'll think I won't make them good enough,--but--I dowant to make the pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving-day. Papa would be sosurprised and pleased."
"Why, of course you may, child; I'll be very glad to be relieved of thatduty, and cook will have all she can attend to."
"When is Uncle Fred coming?" said Frank, as they all sat at dinner thatevening.
"The night before Thanksgiving," said Patty; "he'll arrive at about nineo'clock."
"Well, we'll give him a rousing welcome," said Frank, "a sort of 'HarvestHome,' you know."
"All right," said his father, who was ever ready for a frolic, "what can wedo out of the ordinary?"
"We could decorate the veranda with jack-o'-lanterns," said Marian, "andhe'll see them as he drives up."
"Just the thing," said Frank, "and, oh,--I have a fine plan, but we won'ttell Patty,--at least, not yet."
The day before Thanksgiving, the children were all allowed to stay homefrom school to make the final preparations for Uncle Fred's reception.
While Patty was in the kitchen making her pumpkin pies, (and surely, suchbeautiful pies never were made, before or since!) there was much rushing inand out of the parlor; and sounds of hammering and of moving furniturereached Patty's ears, but she was told that she would not be allowed evento peep into the room until evening.
So after the pies were made, Patty ran up to put the finishing touches toher father's bedroom.
She filled the vases with fresh flowers, laid out a new book which she hadbought as a welcoming gift for him, and on his dressing-table she placedthe cherished portrait of her mother; and talking to the picture as sheoften did, she said:
"I'm going to lend you to him, motherdy, for a few days; I shall miss you,of course, but we want to give him the very best welcome possible."
Patty was allowed to help with all the preparations except those in theparlor, and she was extremely curious to know what was going on in there.But she found plenty to occupy her time, for the whole house was to bedecorated.<
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On the veranda railing were many "jack-o'-lanterns," which when theircandles were lighted would flash a welcome from their wide, funny mouthsand round eyes.
The hall was decorated with boughs of evergreen, among which were tinyyellow squashes and gourds, also cut like jack-o'-lanterns and holdingsmall candles.
The sitting-room was decorated with bunches of grain, and red peppers,"for," said Frank, "it won't be a Harvest Home, unless we have grain andwinter vegetables."
After all was ready, Patty went to don the pretty dress which Aunt Aliceand she had bought for the great occasion.
It was a dainty little blue and white striped silk, with ruffles edged withnarrow black velvet. The yoke and sleeves were of fine white embroideredmuslin, and very fair and sweet Patty looked as she clasped her "VictoriaCross" at her throat.
"Now can I go in the parlor, Frank?" she said, as she met her cousin on thestairs.
"Yes, Patsy, come along," and the boy threw open the parlor doors with aflourish. The room was elaborately trimmed with palms and chrysanthemums,and at one end was a raised platform, like a throne, on which stood a largearmchair draped with a red velvet portiere. Above this was a semicircularcanopy cleverly made of cornstalks and bunches of grain and up on the verytop was the biggest pumpkin you ever saw cut like a jack-o'-lantern.
More tall cornstalks formed a background to the throne and at each sidestood a noble sheaf of wheat. Thickly scattered over the whole affair weregourds or mock-oranges, which had been hollowed out and held lightedtapers, while across the top was "welcome" in large letters made of giltpaper.
"Oh," said Patty, quite awestruck at this bright and novel scene, "what isit all for?"
"Tell her, mother," said Frank to Aunt Alice, who had just come in, "I mustgo and listen for the carriage."
"It's for you, Patty," said her aunt; "you are to sit there and welcomeyour father when he comes, and you'd better jump into the chair now, for hemay be here at any minute."
"Oh, how kind you all are," said Patty. "Did Frank do all this for me?Won't papa be pleased?"
Patty flew up the steps and settled herself in the great chair withdelight.
"That's all right," said Marian, who had just come in and who gave acritical glance at the whole picture. "Now _stay_ there, Patty; don't jumpdown when you hear us greet Uncle Fred in the hall."
"I won't," said Patty, "I'll stay," and in another minute the carriagedrove up, and Patty heard her father's voice greeting Aunt Alice and hercousins, and then saying, "But where's Patty? Where's my girl?"
"Here, papa," cried Patty, mindful of her promise to sit still, but unableto resist calling to him, and then Mr. Fairfield hurried into the parlorand saw his pretty daughter enthroned to welcome him.
But at sight of his dear face, Patty _couldn't_ sit still, and she flew outof her chair and was in her father's arms before he was half-way across theroom.
Nobody minded, however, for there was such a chattering and laughing andfrolicking as you never saw, and all the time Mr. Fairfield kept his armaround his little daughter as if he would never let her leave him again.
"But don't think your beautiful work isn't appreciated, my boy," he said toFrank, as Patty called his attention to the cleverly constructed throne,"indeed, I think now is the time to put it to use," and Mr. Fairfieldseated himself in the big chair and drew Patty down upon his knee.
Then Frank led off in three hearty cheers for Uncle Fred and Patty, and theElliott family joined in with a will.
And what a merry, happy Thanksgiving-day they had on the morrow!
Patty's pies were praised until the little maid blushed at the complimentsshe received.
It was late in the afternoon before father and daughter found anopportunity for a little talk by themselves; and then Patty told of herlove and admiration for Aunt Alice, and her great desire to spend the restof her life in Vernondale.
"For you see, papa," she said, "Aunt Alice is the only one of my aunts whohas a sense of proportion, and she certainly has. She is rich, but shedoesn't talk about it like Aunt Isabel's people; she reads, and knows a lotabout books, but she doesn't seem to think there's nothing else in theworld _but_ books, as Aunt Hester's family does; and as for the Hurly-Burlypeople, they're lovely in some ways,--but, after living with Aunt Alice, Icouldn't stand their forgetfulness and carelessness. And then, Aunt Alicehas everything in her life, and not too much of anything either. Wechildren have lots of fun and good times, but we have to work some, too.And Aunt Alice teaches us to be kind and polite without making any fussabout it. And she does beautiful charity work, and she's so happy and sweetthat everybody loves her. And papa, dear, I do want to continue to livenear Aunt Alice, and let her keep on advising me and teaching me, andso,--don't you think it would be nice for you to buy a house in Vernondaleand live here?"
"Well, my girl, you've made out a pretty strong case, haven't you?" saidher father, "and as my principal object in life is to make you happy, Ithink, Patty, dear, that I'll let you decide where our home shall be, andhow it shall be conducted."
THE END
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