"Good-night, Mopsy Midget. Here!" and as a final compliment, King pulled off her hair-ribbon and handed it to her with a dancing-school bow.
Marjorie gave his hair an affectionate tweak, and with these good-natured attentions they parted.
CHAPTER VII
THE GLORIOUS FOURTH
The sun rose early on Fourth of July morning. For he knew many patriotic young hearts were beating with impatience for the great day to begin.
Moreover, he rose clear and bright, and yet he didn"t shine down too hotly for the comfort of those same young people. In fact, it was a perfect summer day.
Marjorie sprang out of bed and began to dress, with glad antic.i.p.ations.
The Bryants were to spend the day at Maynard Manor, until time for the afternoon picnic, and after the picnic came the reception at Bryant Bower.
Midget put on a fresh white pique, and tied up her mop of curls with wide bows of red, white, and blue ribbon.
When all ready she went dancing downstairs, pausing on her way to tap at King"s door.
"All ready, Kinksie?" she called out.
"In a minute, Mops. Wait for me!"
Midget sat down on the staircase window-seat, and in a moment King joined her there.
"h.e.l.lo, Mopsy-Doodle! Merry Fourth of Ju--New Year"s!"
"h.e.l.lo, yourself! Oh, King, isn"t it a gorgeous day? What shall we do first?"
"I dunno! We can"t shoot things or make much noise, until Father and Mother get up. It would be mean to wake them."
"Oh, pshaw! they can"t be asleep through all this racket that is going on. Hear the shooting all around."
"Well, we"ll see. Let"s get outdoors, anyhow."
The children opened the front door, and there, sitting on the veranda steps, his head leaning against a pillar, sat Cousin Jack, apparently sound asleep.
"Will you look at that!" said King, in a whisper. "Has he been here all night, do you s"pose?"
"No, "course not. But I s"pose he"s been here some time. Do you think he"s really asleep?"
"He looks so. What shall we do with him?"
"Dress him up," commanded Marjorie, promptly, and pulling off her wide hair-ribbons, she proceeded to tie one around Cousin Jack"s neck, and one around his head, giving that gentleman a very festive appearance.
After she had arranged the bows to her satisfaction, Cousin Jack obligingly woke up,--though, as a matter of fact, he hadn"t been to sleep!
"Why, if here isn"t Mehitabel!" he exclaimed; "and Hezekiah, too! What a surprise!"
"How do you like your decorations?" asked Marjorie, surveying him with admiration.
"Oh, are these ribbons _real_? I thought I was dreaming, and had a Fourth of July nightmare."
"How long have you been here, Cousin Jack?" asked King.
"Well, I was waking, so I called early; I don"t know at what hour, but I"ve been long enough alone, so I"m glad you two young patriots came down to help me celebrate. Polly want a firecracker?" He held out a pack of small ones to Marjorie, but she declined them.
"No, thank you; give those to King. I"d rather have torpedoes."
"All right, my girlie, here you are! And here"s a cap to replace the ribbons you so kindly gave me."
Cousin Jack drew from his pocket a tissue-paper cap, that had evidently come in a snapping-cracker. Then he produced another one for King, and one which he laid aside for Rosy Posy. They were gay red, white, and blue caps, with c.o.c.kades and streamers.
"Now, we"ll be a procession," he went on. From a nook on the veranda, where he had hidden them, he produced a drum, a tambourine, and a cornet.
The cornet was his own, and he presented the drum to King, and the tambourine to Marjorie.
"Form in line!" he ordered; "forward,--march!"
He led the line, and the two children followed.
Being a good cornet player, Cousin Jack made fine martial music, and King and Midget had sufficient sense of rhythm to accompany him on the drum and tambourine. After marching round the house once, Cousin Jack went up the steps and in at the front door. Upstairs and through the halls, and down again.
Nurse Nannie and Rosamond appeared at the nursery door, and were instructed to fall in line behind the others. Then Sarah, the waitress, was discovered, looking on from the dining-room, and she, too, was told to march.
At last Mr. and Mrs. Maynard appeared, laughing at this invasion of their morning nap.
They sat in state in the veranda-chairs, as on a reviewing-stand, while the grand parade marched and countermarched on the lawn in front of them.
"All over!" cried Cousin Jack, at last. "Break ranks!"
The company dispersed, and Sarah returned, giggling, to her duties.
"Such a foine man as Misther Bryant do be!" she said to the cook.
"Shure, he"s just like wan of the childher."
And so he was. Full of patriotic enthusiasm, Cousin Jack set off bombs and firecrackers, until the elder Maynards declared that their ears ached, and the roisterers must come in to breakfast.
"I must go home," announced their guest. "I have a wife and six small children dependent on me for support."
As a matter of fact, the Bryants had no children, and Mrs. Maynard declared she should telephone for Cousin Ethel to come to breakfast, too, so Cousin Jack consented to stay.
The breakfast party was an unexpected addition to the day"s festivities, but Mrs. Maynard was equal to the occasion. She scurried around and found flags to decorate the table, and tied a red, white, and blue balloon to the back of each chair, which gave the room a gay appearance.
The vigorous exercise had produced good appet.i.tes, and full justice was done to Ellen"s creamed chicken and hot rolls and coffee.
"Who"s for a dip in the ocean?" asked Cousin Jack, when breakfast was over.