CHAPTER XXI
A GOOD SUGGESTION
August at Boxley Hall proved to be a month of fun and frolic. The Barlowcousins were much easier to entertain than the St. Clairs. In fact, theyentertained themselves, and as for Nan Allen, she entertained everybodywith whom she came in contact. Mr. Fairfield expressed himself as beingdelighted to have Patty under the influence of such a gracious andcharming young woman, and Aunt Alice quite agreed with him. Marian adoredNan, and though she liked Bumble very much indeed, she took more realpleasure in the society of the older girl.
But they were a congenial crowd of merry young people, and when Mr.Hepworth came down from the city, as he often did, and Kenneth Harperdrifted in from next-door, as he very often did, the house party atBoxley Hall waxed exceeding merry.
And there was no lack of social entertainment. The Vernondale youngpeople were quite ready to provide pleasures for Patty's guests, and theappreciation shown by Nan and the Barlows was a decided and very pleasantcontrast to the attitude of Ethelyn and Reginald.
Sailing parties occurred often, and these Nan enjoyed especially, for shewas passionately fond of the water, and dearly loved sailing or rowing.
The Tea Club girls all liked Nan, and though she was older than most ofthem, she enjoyed their meetings quite as much as Bumble, Marian, orPatty herself.
Bob soon made friends with the "Tea Club Annex," as the boys of Patty'sset chose to call themselves. Though not a club of any sort, they werealways invited when the Tea Club had anything special going on, and manytimes when it hadn't.
One afternoon the Tea Club was holding its weekly meeting at Marian's.
"Do you know," Elsie Morris was saying, "that the Babies' Hospital is inneed of funds again? Those infants are perfect gormandisers. I don't seehow they can eat so much or wear so many clothes."
"Babies always wear lots of clothes," said Lillian Desmond, with an airof great wisdom. "I've seen them; they just bundle them up in everythingthey can find, and then wrap more things around them."
"Well, they've used up all their wrappings," said Elsie Morris, "andthey want more. I met Mrs. Greenleaf this morning in the street, andshe stopped me to ask if we girls wouldn't raise some more money forthem somehow."
"Oh, dear!" said Florence Douglass. "They just want us to work all thetime for the old hospital; I'm tired of it."
"Why, Florence!" said Patty. "We haven't done a thing since we had thatplay last winter. I think it would be very nice to have someentertainment or something and make some money for them again. We couldhave some summery outdoorsy kind of a thing like a lawn party, you know."
"Yes," said Laura Russell, "and have it rain and spoil everything; andsoak all the Chinese lanterns, and drench all the people's clothes, andeverybody would run into the house and track mud all over. Oh, it wouldbe lovely!"
"What a cheerful view you do take of things, Laura," said Elsie Morris."Now, you know it's just as likely not to rain as to rain."
"More likely," said Nan. "It doesn't rain twice as often as it rains. NowI believe it would be a beautiful bright day, or moonlight night,whichever you have the party, and nobody will get their clothes spoiled,and the lanterns will burn lovely, and you will have a big crowd, and itwould be a howling success, and you'd make an awful lot of money."
"That picture sounds very attractive," said Polly Stevens, "and I saylet's do it. But somehow I don't like a lawn party--it's so tame. Let'shave something real novel and original. Nan, you must know of something."
"I don't," said Nan. "I'm stupid as an owl about such things. But if youcan decide on something to have, I'll help all I can with it."
"And Nan's awful good help!" put in Bumble. "She works and works andworks, and never gets tired. I'll help, too; I'd love to, only I'm notmuch good."
"We'll take all the help that's offered," said Elsie Morris, "of anyquality whatsoever. But what can the show be?"
No amount of thinking or discussion seemed to suggest any novelenterprise by which a fortune could be made at short notice, and at lastNan said: "I should think, Patty, that Mr. Hepworth could help. He'salways having queer sorts of performances in his studio. Don't you knowthe Mock Art exhibition he told us about?"
"Oh, yes," said Patty; "he'd be sure to know of something for us to do;and I think he's coming out with papa to-night. I'll ask him."
"Do," said Elsie; "and tell him it must be something that's heaps of fun,and that we'll all like, and that's never been done here before."
"All right," said Patty. "Anything else?"
"Yes; it must be something to appeal to the popular taste and draw a bigcrowd, so we can make a lot of money for the babies."
"Very well," said Patty; "I'll tell him all that, and I'm sure he'llsuggest just the right thing."
Mr. Hepworth did come down that night, and when the girls asked him forsuggestions he very willingly began to think up plans for them.
"I should think you might make a success," he said, "of an entertainmentlike one I attended up in the mountains last summer. It was called a'County Fair,' and was a sort of burlesque on the county fairs or statefairs that used to be held annually, and are still, I believe, in somesections of the country."
"It sounds all right so far," said Patty. "Tell us more about it."
"Well, you know you get everybody interested, and you have a committeefor all the different parts of it."
"What are the different parts of it?"
"Oh, they're the domestic department, where you exhibit pies andbed-quilts and spatter-work done by the ladies in charge."
"Of course, these exhibits aren't real, you know, Patty," said herfather; "and you girls would probably be tempted to put up gay jokes oneach other. For instance, that rockery arrangement of Pansy's might beexhibited as your idea of art work."
"I wouldn't mind the joke on myself, papa," said Patty, "but it might notplease Pansy. But we can get plenty of things to exhibit in the domesticdepartment. That will be easy enough. I'll borrow Miss Daggett's pumpkinbed-quilt to exhibit as my latest achievement in the line of applied art,and I'll make a pie and label it Laura Russell's, which will take thefirst prize; but what other departments are there, Mr. Hepworth?"
"Well, the horticulture department can be made very humourous, as well aslucrative. At this fair I went to, the ladies had a beautiful table fullof pin-cushions and other gimcracks, in the shape of fruits andvegetables."
"Oh, yes," said Bumble, "I know how to make those. I can make bananas andpotatoes and Nan can make lovely strawberries."
"And I can make paper flowers," said Bob, "honest, I can! Great bigsunflowers and tiger lilies, and you can use them for lampshades ifyou like."
"Yes, the horticulture booth will be easy enough," said Nan. "I'll help alot with that. Now, what else?"
"Then you can have an art gallery, if you like. Burlesque, of course,with ridiculous pictures and statues. I know where I can borrow a lot foryou in New York."
"Gorgeous!" cried Patty, clapping her hands. "What a trump you are!What else?"
"A loan exhibition is of real interest," said Mr. Hepworth. "If you'venever had one of those here, I think one or two of your members couldarrange a very effective little exhibit by borrowing objects of interestfrom their friends about town."
"I'm sure of it," said Patty. "Miss Daggett has lovely things, and so hasMrs. Greenleaf, and Aunt Alice, and lots of people. We'll let FlorenceDouglass and Lillian Desmond look after that. It's just in their line."
"And then you must have side shows, you know; funny performances, like'Punch and Judy,' and a fortune-telling gipsy. And then all the peoplewho take part in it must wear fancy or grotesque costumes. And the greatfeature of the whole show is a parade of these people in their eccentricgarb. Some walk, while others ride on decorated steeds, or in queervehicles. Of course, there's lots of detail and lots of work about it,but if you go into the thing with any sort of enthusiasm, I'm sure youcan make a big success of it."
They did go into the thing with all so
rts of enthusiasm, and they didmake a big success of it.
The Tea Club girls declared the scheme a fine one, and the Boys' Annexannounced themselves as ready to help in any and every possible way.Committees were appointed to attend to the different departments, and asthese committees were carefully selected with a view to giving each whathe or she liked best to do, the whole work went on harmoniously.
The site chosen for the county fair was the old Warner place. As this wasstill unoccupied, it made a most appropriate setting for the projectedentertainment. When Mr. Hepworth saw it he declared it was ideal for thepurpose, and immediately began to make plans for utilising the differentrooms of the old house.
A loan exhibition was to be held in one; and, as Patty had foreseen, manyold relics and heirlooms of great interest were borrowed from willinglenders around town. In another room was the domestic exhibition, and inanother the horticultural show was held.
One room was devoted to amusing the children, and contained a Punch andJudy show, fish pond, and various games.
There was a candy kitchen, where white-capped cooks could make candy andsell it to immediate purchasers.
It had been decided to hold the fair during the afternoon and evening oftwo consecutive days. As Nan had prophesied, these days showed weatherbeyond all criticism. Not too warm to be pleasant, but with brightsunshine and a gentle breeze.
At three o'clock the grand parade began, and the spectators watched withglee the grotesque figures that passed them in line.
Patty, whose special department was the candy kitchen, was dressed as theQueen of Hearts who made the renowned tarts. Mr. Hepworth had designedher dress, and though it was of simple white cheese-cloth, trimmed withred-and-gold hearts, it was very effective and becoming. She wore a giltcrown, and carried a gilt sceptre, and rode in her own little pony cart,which had been so gaily decorated for the occasion that it was quiteunrecognisable. Kenneth Harper, as the Knave of Hearts, who wickedlystole the tarts, sat by her side and drove the little chariot.
Nan was dressed as a gipsy. She had a marvellous tent in which to tellfortunes, and in the parade she rode on a much-bedecked donkey.
Marian was a dame of olden time, and Bumble was a Japanese lady ofhigh degree.
There were quaint and curious costumes of all sorts, each of whichprovoked much mirth or admiration from the enthusiastic audience.
After the parade, the fair was announced open, and the patrons wererequested to spend their money freely for the benefit of the hospital.
So well did they respond that, as a result of their efforts, the Tea Clubgirls were able to present Mrs. Greenleaf with the sum of five hundreddollars toward her good work.