It fell upon an ideal Sat.u.r.day afternoon, a half-holiday at the Academy.
It also happened to be Wheedles" birthday, and Mrs. Harold never let a birthday pa.s.s without some sort of a celebration if it were possible to have one. She had told Peggy about it, and Peggy had promptly invited a little party up to Round Bay.
Now visiting for the midshipmen beyond the confines of the town of Annapolis is forbidden, but Mrs. Harold, as the wife of an officer, was at liberty to take out a party of friends in one of the Academy launches, so she promptly got together a congenial dozen, Ralph, Happy, Shortie, Wheedles and Durand, Captain Pennell and four others besides Polly and herself, and in the crispness of the Indian Summer afternoon, steamed away up the Severn to Round Bay.
Peggy had asked the privilege of providing the birthday feast and understanding the pleasure it would give her to do so, Mrs. Harold had agreed most readily. So immediately after luncheon formation the party embarked at the foot of Maryland Avenue and a gayer one it would have been hard to find.
Knowing the average boy"s appet.i.te and the midshipman"s in particular, Mrs. Harold had, with commendable forethought, brought with her a big box of crullers, in nowise disturbed by the thought that it might spoil their appet.i.tes for the delayed luncheon. Breakfast is served at seven A.M. in Bancroft Hall, and the interval between that and twelve-thirty luncheon is long enough at best. If you add to that another hour and a half it is safe to conclude that starvation will be imminent. Hence her box of crullers to avoid such a calamity.
The launch puffed and chugged its way up the river, running alongside the pretty Severndale dock sharp to the minute of four bells. Peggy stood ready to welcome them.
"Oh, isn"t this lovely. Scramble ash.o.r.e as fast as you can, for Aunt Cynthia is crazy lest her fried chicken "frazzle ter a cinder,"" she cried as she greeted her guests.
"Who said fried chicken?" cried Happy.
"That last cruller you warned me against eating never fazed me a bit, Little Mother," a.s.serted Wheedles, as he a.s.sisted Mrs. Harold up the stone steps leading from the dock.
"Beat you in a race to the lawn, Polly," shouted Ralph, back in boyhood"s world now that he was beyond the bounds of Bancroft, and the next moment he and Polly were racing across the lawn like a pair of children, for it seemed so good to be away for a time from the unrelaxing discipline of the Academy, and Polly realized this as well as the others.
"We are to have luncheon out under the oaks," said Peggy. "It is too heavenly a day to be indoors. Jerome and Mammy have everything ready so we have nothing to do but eat. You won"t mind picnicking will you, Mrs.
Harold."
"Mind!" echoed Mrs. Harold. "Why it is simply ideal, Peggy dear. What do you say, sons?" she asked turning to the others.
"Say! Say! Let"s give the Four-N Yell right off for Peggy Stewart, Chatelaine of Severndale!" cried Wheedles, and out upon the clear, crisp autumn air rang the good old Navy cheer:
"N--n--n--n!
A--a--a--a!
V--v--v--v!
Y--y--y--y!
Navy!
Peggy Stewart! Peggy Stewart!
Peggy Stewart!"
Peggy"s cheeks glowed and her eyes shone. It was something to win that cheer from these lads, boys at heart, though just at manhood"s morning, and sworn to the service of their flag. How she wished Daddy Neil could hear it. Captain Pennell, into whose life during the past month had come some incentive to live, joined in the yell with a will, giving his cap a toss into the air when the echoes of it went floating out over the Severn, while Mrs. Harold and Polly waved their sweaters wildly, and yelled with all their strength.
Never had Severndale been more beautiful than upon that November afternoon. October"s rich coloring had given place to the dull reds, burnt-umbers, and rich wood browns of late autumn, though the gra.s.s was still green underfoot, and the holly and fir trees greener by contrast.
And Peggy was in her element.
Never in all her short life had she been so happy. All the instincts of her Stewart ancestors with their Southern hospitality was finding expression as she led the way to a grove of mighty oaks, tinged by night frosts to the richest maroon, and literally kings of their surroundings, for the deep umber tones of the beeches only served to emphasize their coloring. Beneath them was spread a long table fairly groaning with suggestions of the feast to come, and near it, flanked by Jerome and Mammy, stood Dr. Llewellyn.
As the party came laughing, scrambling or walking toward it he advanced to welcome Mrs. Harold, saying:
"Did you realize that there would be thirteen at the feast unless a fourteenth could be pressed into service? Consider me as merely a necessary adjunct, please, and don"t let the young people regard me as a kill-joy because I wear a long coat b.u.t.toned straight up to my chin. The only difference really is that I have to keep mine b.u.t.toned whereas they have to HOOK THEIR collars," and the good doctor laughed. Introductions followed and then no time was lost in seating the luncheon party.
Then came a moment"s pause. Peggy understood and Mrs. Harold"s intuition served her. She nodded to Dr. Llewellyn, and none there ever forgot the light which illumined the fine old face as he bowed his head and said softly in his beautifully modulated voice as though speaking to a loved companion.
"Father, for a world so beautiful, for a day so perfect, for the joy and privilege of a.s.sociation with these young people, and the new life which they infuse into ours, we older ones thank Thee. Bring into their lives all that is finest, truest, purest and best--true manhood and womanhood.
Amen."
Not a boy or girl but felt the beauty of those simple words and remembered them for many a day.
The grove was not far enough from the house to chance the ruin of any of Aunt Cynthia"s dainties. A gra.s.sy path led straight to it from her kitchen and at the conclusion of Dr. Llewellyn"s grace Peggy nodded slightly to Jerome who in turn nodded to Mammy Lucy, who pa.s.sed the nod along to some invisible individual, the series of nods bringing about a result which nearly wrecked the dignity of the entire party, for out from behind the long brick building in which Aunt Cynthia ruled supreme, filed a row of little darkies each burdened with a dish, each bare- footed, each immaculate in little white shirt and trousers, each solemnly rolling eyes, the whites of which rivaled his shirt, and each under Cynthia"s dire threat of having his "haid busted wide open if he done tripped or spilled a thing," walking as though treading upon eggs.
Along they came, their eyes fixed upon Jerome, for literally they were "between the devil and the deep sea," Jerome and Cynthia being at the beginning and end of that path. Jerome and Mammy received and placed each steaming dish, the very personification of dignity, and in nowise disconcerted by the t.i.tter, which soon broke into a full-lunged shout, at the piccaninnies" solemn faces.
It was all too much for good Captain Pennell and the boys, and any "ice"
which might possibly have congealed the party, was then and there smashed to smithereens.
"Great! Great!" shouted Captain Pennell, clapping his hands like a boy.
"Eh, this is going some," cried Happy.
"Bully for Chatelaine Peggy!" was Wheedles" outburst.
"Who says Severndale isn"t all right?" echoed Ralph.
"Peggy, this is simply delicious," praised Mrs. Harold.
Peggy glowed and Jerome and Mammy beamed, while the little darkies beat a grinning retreat to confide excitedly to Aunt Cynthia:
"Dem gemmens an" ladies yonder in de grove was so mighty pleased dat dey jist nachally bleiged fer ter holler and laugh."
Far from proving drawbacks to the feast the captain and the doctor entered heart and soul into the frolic, the doctor as host, slyly nodding to the ever alert Jerome or Mammy to replenish plates, the captain waxing reminiscent and telling many an amusing tale, and Mrs.
Harold beaming happily upon all, while to and from Cynthia"s realm ran the little darkies full of enthusiasm for "dem midshipmen mens who suah could eat fried chicken, corn fritters, glazed sweet "taters, and waffles nuff fer ter bust most mens."
Certainly, Aunt Cynthia knew her business and if ever a picnic feast was appreciated, that one was.
But the climax came with the dessert.
CHAPTER VIII
A SHOCKING DEMONSTRATION OF INTEMPERANCE
The merrymaking was at its height. The festive board had been cleared for dessert.
"Cleared for action," Captain Pennell said.
"Not heavy fire I hope," sighed Shortie. "Peggy, will you excuse me, but I have surely got to let out a reef if anything more is coming," and Shortie let out a hole or two in the leather belt which encircled the region into which innumerable waffles had disappeared.
"There are others; yes there are CERTAINLY others," laughed the captain.
"Peggy, my child, to play Circe and still smile is absolutely cruel. The ancient Circe frowned upon her victims."