“F,” said Charley.
“Five Fat Fairies!” cried Nellie Parks.
“Four Fresh Fish,” put in another of the girls.
“Nellie has it,” said Charley. “But I never heard of fat fairies, did you?” and this question made everybody laugh.
“My letter is M,” said Nellie, after a pause.
“More Minced Mushrooms,” said Bert.
“More Mean Men,” said another boy.
“Mind My Mule,” said one of the girls.
“Oh, Helen, I didn’t know you had a mule,” cried Flossie, and this caused a wild shriek of laughter.
“Bert must love mushrooms,” said Nellie.
“I do,” said Bert, “if they are in a sauce.” And then the game went on, until somebody suggested something else.
At seven o’clock a supper was served. The tables were two in number, with the little girls and boys at one and the big girls and boys at the other. Each was decked out with flowers and with colored streamers, which ran down from the chandelier to each corner of both tables.
There was a host of good things to eat and drink—chicken sandwiches and cake, with cups of sweet chocolate, or lemonade, and then more cake and ice-cream, and fruit, nuts, and candy. The ice-cream was done up into various fancy forms, and Freddie got a fireman, with a trumpet under his arm, and Nan a Japanese lady with a real paper parasol over her head. Bert was served with an automobile, and Flossie cried with delight when she received a brown-and-white cow that looked as natural as life. All of the forms were so pleasing that the children did not care to eat them until the heat in the lighted dining room made them begin to melt away.
“I’m going to tell Dinah about the ice-cream cow,” said Flossie. “Perhaps she can make them.” But when appealed to, the cook said they were beyond her, and must be purchased from the professional ice-cream maker, who had the necessary forms.
There were dishes full of bonbons on the tables, and soon the bonbons were snapping at a lively rate among the big girls and boys, although the younger folks were rather afraid of them. Each bonbon had a motto paper in it and some sort of fancy article made of paper. Bert got an apron, which he promptly pinned on, much to the amusement of the girls. Nan drew a workman’s cap and put it on, and this caused another laugh. There were all sorts of caps, hats, and aprons, and one big bonbon, which went to Flossie, had a complete dress in it, of pink and white paper. Another had some artificial flowers, and still another a tiny bottle of cologne.
While the supper was going on, Mr. Lavine had darkened the parlor and stretched a sheet over the folding doors, and as soon as the young people were through eating they were treated to a magic-lantern exhibition by the gentleman of the house and one of the big boys, who assisted him. There were all sorts of scenes, including some which were very funny and made the boys and girls shriek with laughter. One was a boy on a donkey, and another two fat men trying to climb over a fence. Then came a number of pictures made from photograph negatives, showing scenes in and around Lakeport. There were the lake steamer, and the main street, and one picture of the girls and boys rushing out of school at dinner time. The last was voted the best of all, and many present tried to pick themselves out of this picture and did so.
After the exhibition was over one of the largest of the girls sat down to the piano and played. By this time some of the older folks drifted in, and they called for some singing, and all joined in half a dozen songs that were familiar to them. Then the young folks ran off for their coats and caps and wraps, and bid their host and hostess and each other good-night.
“Wasn’t it splendid?” said Nan, on the way home. “I never had such a good time before.”
“Didn’t last half long enough,” said Freddie. “Want it to last longer next time.”
“I wanted my cow to last longer,” said Flossie. “Oh, if only I could have kept it from melting!”
CHAPTER XVI
A Grand Sleigh Ride
For a long while all of the Bobbsey children had been begging their parents for a sleigh ride into the country.
“The winter will be gone soon, papa,” said Nan. “Won’t you take us before the snow is all gone?”
“You may as well take them, Richard,” said Mrs. Bobbsey.
“Well, if I do, Mary, you must go along,” answered Mr. Bobbsey, and so it was arranged that they should take the ride on the following Saturday, weather permitting.
You may well suppose that all of the twins were very anxious about the weather after that, for Mr. Bobbsey said he would not go if it rained or if it snowed very hard.
“What does it say in the newspapers?” asked Freddie. “They always know what the weather is going to be.”
“Not so far ahead as that,” answered his brother.
But Friday evening the paper said cold and clear, and sure enough, on Saturday morning it was as nice as one would wish. From behind masses of thin clouds the sun peeped shyly, lighting up the snow until it shone like huge beds of diamonds.
They were to drive to Dalton, twelve miles away. Mr. Bobbsey had learned that the road to Dalton was in good condition, and the family had friends there who would be pleased to see them and have them remain to dinner.
By half-past nine the big family sleigh was at the door, with Sam on the front seat, driving. Into the sleigh piled the four children, and Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey followed.
“Want to sit by Sam and help drive,” said Freddie, and he was lifted over to the desired position. Then off they went, with a crack of the whip and jingling of sleigh-bells that could be heard a long distance.
“Oh, but isn’t this just too splendid for anything!” exclaimed Nan, who sat at one side of the seat, with her mamma on the other and Flossie between them. “I do love sleigh riding so much!”
“See me drive!” cried Freddie, who held the very end of the reins, the part dangling from Sam’s hands.
“Well, Freddie, don’t let the team run away,” said Mr. Bobbsey, with a laugh.
“I shan’t,” answered the little fellow soberly. “If they try to run away, I’ll whip them good.”
“You’ll never stop them that way,” said Bert. “You want to talk gently to them.”
On and on they went, over the smooth snow. The horses were fresh and full of spirit, and mile after mile was passed with a speed that pleased all of the twins very much. They passed several other sleighing parties, and every time this was done the children set up a merry shout which was sure to call forth an equally merry answer.
A large part of the ride was through the country, and often the country folks would come to the doors to see them pass. Once they met a boy on the road and he asked for a ride to his home, half a mile away.
“Yes, jump in,” said Mr. Bobbsey, and the boy got in and was taken to his house almost before he knew it.
“Much obliged,” he said on leaving them. “You’re fine people, you are,” and he took off his hat at parting.
“It was nice to give him a ride,” said Nan. “It didn’t cost us anything and he liked it a great deal, I am sure.”
“We must never forget to do a kindness when we can, Nan,” said her mamma.
Before noon Dalton was reached and they drove up to the home of Mr. Ramdell, as their friend was named. Immediately Bob Ramdell, a youth of sixteen, rushed eagerly out to greet Bert.
“I’m glad you’ve come,” he cried. “I’ve been watching for you for an hour.”
“It isn’t noon yet,” answered Bert.
All