CHAPTER XVII
A SUMMER CHRISTMAS
Although they had intended to stay but a fortnight, Patty and Eliseremained with the Warners all through the month of June, and even thenBertha begged them to stay longer.
But the day for their departure was set in the first week of July, andBertha declared that they must have a big party of some kind as theirlast entertainment for the girls.
So Mrs. Warner invited a number of young people for a house party duringthe last few days of Patty's stay.
"I wish," said Bertha, a few days before the Fourth, "that we could havesome kind of a party on the Fourth of July that would be different fromjust an ordinary party."
"Have an automobile party," suggested Roger, who was present.
"I don't mean that kind," said Bertha, "I mean a party in the house, butsomething that would be fun. There isn't anything to do on Fourth of Julyexcept have fireworks, and that isn't much fun."
"I'll tell you what," said Mr. Phelps, who was at Pine Branches on one ofhis flying visits, "have a Christmas party."
"A Christmas party on Fourth of July!" exclaimed Bertha, "that's just thething! Mr. Phelps, you're a real genius. That's just what we'll do, andwe'll have a Christmas tree, and give each other gifts and everything."
"Great!" said Roger, "and we'll have a Yule log blazing, and we'll allwear our fur coats."
"No, not that," said Bertha, laughing, "we'd melt. But we'll have all theChristmas effects that we can think of, and each one must help."
The crowd of merry young people who were gathered at Pine Brancheseagerly fell in with Bertha's plan, and each began to make preparationsfor the festival.
The girls made gifts which they carefully kept secret from the ones forwhom they were intended, and many trips were made to the village formaterials.
The boys also had many mysterious errands, and Mr. and Mrs. Warner, whoentered heartily into the spirit of the fun, were frequently consultedunder strict bonds of confidence.
Fourth of July came and proved to be a warm, though not a sultry summerday.
Invitations had been sent out, and a large party of young people wereexpected in the evening; and during the day those who were staying atPine Branches found plenty to do by way of preparation.
A large Christmas tree had been cut down, and was brought into thelibrary. As soon as it was set up, the work of decoration began, and itwas hung with strings of popcorn, and tinsel filigree which Mrs. Warnerhad saved from previous Christmas trees. Dozens of candles too, were puton the branches, to be lighted at night.
The boys brought in great boughs of evergreen, and cut them up, while thegirls made ropes and wreaths and stars, with which to adorn the room.
Mr. Phelps had sent to New York for a large boxful of artificial holly,and this added greatly to the Christmas effect.
Patty was in her element helping with these arrangements, for she dearlyloved to make believe, and the idea of a Christmas party in midsummerappealed very strongly to her sense of humour.
Her energy and enthusiasm were untiring, and her original ideas calledforth the hearty applause of the others. She was consulted abouteverything, and her decisions were always accepted.
Mr. Phelps too, proved a clever and willing worker. He was an athleticyoung man, and he seemed to be capable of doing half a dozen differentthings at once. He cut greens, and hung wreaths, and ran up and downstepladders, and even managed to fasten a large gilt star to the very topbranch of the Christmas tree.
After the decorations were all completed, everybody brought their giftsneatly tied up and labelled, and either hung them on the tree or piledthem up around the platform on which it stood.
"Well, you children have done wonders," said Mrs. Warner, looking in atthe library door. "You have transformed this room until I hardly canrecognise it, and it looks for all the world exactly like Christmas. Itis hard to believe that it is really Fourth of July."
"It seems too bad not to have any of the Fourth of July spirit mixed inwith it," said Winthrop, "but I suppose it would spoil the harmony. Butwe really ought to use a little gunpowder in honour of the day. Come on,Patty, your work is about finished, let's go out and put off a fewfirecrackers."
"All right," said Patty, "just wait till I tack up this 'Merry Christmas'motto, and I'll be ready."
"I'll do that," said Roger, "you infants run along and show off yourpatriotism, and I'll join you in a few minutes."
"You must be tired," said Winthrop to Patty, as they sauntered out on thelawn. "You worked awfully hard with those evergreen things. Let's go outon the lake and take our firecrackers with us; that will rest you, and itwill be fun besides."
The lake, so called by courtesy, was really an artificial pond, andthough not large, it provided a great deal of amusement.
There were several boats, and selecting a small cedar one, Winthropassisted Patty in, sprang in himself, and pushed off.
"If it's Christmas, we ought to be going skating on the lake, instead ofrowing," said Patty.
"It isn't Christmas now," said Winthrop, "You get your holidays mixed up.We've come out here to celebrate Independence Day. See what I'vebrought."
From his pockets the young man produced several packs of firecrackers.
"What fun!" cried Patty, "I feel as if I were a child again. Let me setsome off. Have you any punk?"
"Yes," said Winthrop, gravely producing some short sticks of punk fromanother pocket; and lighting one, he gave it to Patty.
"But how can I set them off?" said Patty, "I'm afraid to have them in theboat, and we can't throw them out on the water."
"We'll manage this way," said Winthrop, and drawing one of the oars intothe boat, he laid a lighted firecracker on the blade and pushed it outagain. The firecracker went off with a bang, and in great glee Pattypulled in the other oar and tried the same plan.
Then they set off a whole pack at once, and as the length of the oar wasnot quite sufficient for safety Winthrop let it slip from the row-lockand float away on the water. As he had previously tied a string to thehandle so that he could pull the oar back at will, this was a great game,and the floating oar with its freight of snapping firecrackers providedmuch amusement. The noise of the explosions brought the others running tothe scene, and three or four more boats were soon out on the lake.Firecrackers went snapping in every direction, and torpedoes were thrownfrom one boat to another until the ammunition was exhausted.
Then the merry crowd trooped back to the house for luncheon.
"I never had such a lovely Fourth of July," said Patty to her kindhostess. "Everything is different from anything I ever did before. Thishouse is just like Fairyland. You never know what is going to happennext."
After luncheon the party broke up in various small groups. Some of themore energetic ones played golf or tennis, but Patty declared it was toowarm for any unnecessary exertion.
"Come for a little walk with me," said Roger, "we'll walk down in thegrove; it's cool and shady there, and we can play mumblety-peg if youlike."
"I'll go to the grove," said Patty, "but I don't want to play anything.This is a day just to be idle and enjoy living, without doing anythingelse."
They strolled down toward the grove, and were joined on the way by Berthaand Mr. Phelps, who were just returning from a call on Abiram.
"I think Abiram ought to come to the Christmas party to-night," saidBertha, "I know he'd enjoy seeing the tree lighted up."
"He shall come," said Dick Phelps, "I'll bring him myself."
"Do," said Patty, "and we'll tie a red ribbon round his neck with a sprigof holly, and I'll see to it that there's a present on the tree for him."
The quartet walked on to the grove, and sat down on the ground under thepine trees.
"I feel very patriotic," said Patty, who was decorated with several smallflags which she had stuck in her hair, and in her belt, "and I think weought to sing some national anthems."
So they sang "The Star-Spangled Banner," and other patriotic airs, unt
ilthey were interrupted by Winthrop and Elise who came toward them singinga Christmas carol.
"I asked you to come here," said Roger aside, to Patty, "because I wantedto see you alone for a minute, and now all these other people have comeand spoiled my plan. Come on over to the orchard, will you?"
"Of course I will," said Patty jumping up, "what is the secret you haveto tell me? Some plan for to-night?"
"No," said Roger, hesitating a little, "that is, yes,--not exactly."
They had walked away from the others, and Roger took from his pocket atiny box which he offered to Patty.
"I wanted to give you a little Christmas present," he said, "as a sort ofmemento of this jolly day; and I thought maybe you'd wear it to-night."
"How lovely!" cried Patty, as she opened the box and saw a little pinshaped like a spray of holly. "It's perfectly sweet. Thank you ever somuch, Roger, but why didn't you put it on the tree for me?"
"Oh, they are only having foolish presents on the tree, jokes, you know,and all that."
"Oh, is this a real present then? I don't know as I ought to accept it.I've never had a present from a young man before."
Roger looked a little embarrassed, but Patty's gay delight was entirelyfree from any trace of self-consciousness.
"Anyway, I am going to keep it," she said, "because it's so pretty, and Ilike to think that you gave it to me."
Roger looked greatly gratified and seemed to take the matter with moreseriousness than Patty did. She pinned the pretty little trinket on hercollar and thought no more about it.
Dinner was early that night, for there was much to be done in the way offinal preparations before the guests came to the Christmas party.
The Christmas pretence was intended as a surprise to those not staying inthe house, and after all had arrived, the doors of the library werethrown open with shouts of "Merry Christmas!"
And indeed it did seem like a sudden transition back into the winter. TheChristmas tree with its gay decorations and lighted candles was abeautiful sight, and the green-trimmed room with its spicy odours ofspruce and pine intensified the illusion.
Shouts of delight went up on all sides, and falling quickly into thespirit of it all, the guests at once began to pretend it was reallyChristmas, and greeted each other with appropriate good wishes.
Mischievous Patty had slyly tied a sprig of mistletoe to the chandelier,and Dick Phelps by a clever manoeuvre had succeeded in getting Mrs.Warner to stand under it. The good lady was quite unaware of their plans,and when Mr. Phelps kissed her soundly on her plump cheek she wasdecidedly surprised.
But the explanation amply justified his audacity, and Mrs. Warnerlaughingly declared that she would resign her place to some of theyounger ladies.
The greatest fun came when Winthrop distributed the presents from thetree. None of them was expensive or valuable, but most of them wereclever, merry little jokes which good-naturedly teased the recipients.
True to his word Mr. Phelps brought Abiram in, leading him by his longchain. Patty had tied a red ribbon round his neck with a huge bow, andhad further dressed him up in a paper cap which she had taken from aGerman cracker motto.
Abiram received a stick of candy as his gift, and was as much pleased,apparently, as the rest of the party.
Many of the presents were accompanied by little verses or lines ofdoggerel, and the reading of these caused much merriment and laughter.
After the presentations, supper was served, and here Mrs. Warner hadprovided her part of the surprise.
Not even those staying in the house knew of their hostess' plans, andwhen they all trooped out to the dining-room, a real Christmas feastawaited them.
The long table was decorated with red ribbons and holly, and red candleswith red paper shades. Christmas bells hung above the table, and at eachplate were appropriate souvenirs. In the centre of the table was a tinyChristmas tree with lighted candles, a miniature copy of the one they hadjust left.
Even the viands partook of the Christmas character, and from roast turkeyto plum pudding no detail was spared to make it a true Christmas feast.
The young people did full justice to Mrs. Warner's hospitality, andwarmly appreciated the kind thoughtfulness which had made the supper soattractive in every way.
Then they adjourned to the parlour for informal dancing, and wound up theparty with an old-fashioned Virginia reel, which was led by Mr. and Mrs.Warner.
Mr. Warner was a most genial host and his merry quips and repartee keptthe young people laughing gaily.
When at last the guests departed, it was with assurances that they hadnever had such a delightful Christmas party, even in midwinter, and hadnever had such a delightful Fourth of July party, even in midsummer.