CHAPTER XVII

DELIGHTFUL ANTICIPATIONS

“WON’T it be fun!” exclaimed Marjorie, as, with King and Kitty and Delight, she came into the house; “let’s sit down and talk it all over again.”

“What’s it all about?” asked Miss Larkin, smiling at the happy faces of the four.

“Well, it’s going to be Arbor Day next week, and the ladies of the church are going to have a festival,” explained Midget; “and they want you to help—Miss Merington is coming to see you about it—and they’ve asked us children to help.”

“Why, what can you do at a grown-up festival?”

“Oh, we can do lots,” said Kitty; “we sell things, you know, and—and just help round.”

“Yes,” put in King, “and we give ’em things to sell, too. Make ’em or buy ’em or something.”

“Or get them given to us,” suggested Delight. “The shopkeepers are awfully generous about that.”

“What kind of a festival is it?” asked Miss Larkin.

“Oh, that’s the fun of it,” said Marjorie. “It’s an Arbor Day affair, you know, and they call it the Arbor Show, and it’s all trees.”

“All trees?”

“Yes; the big hall is all to be filled with trees—not real trees—but sort of made-up ones, and then we sell things off of them.”

“Oh, I begin to see. The trees are instead of the usual booths.”

“Yes, that’s it. Each lady has a tree, and then she gets her friends, or children, or anybody to help her. Miss Merington asked Delight and me to be with her. She has the Orange Tree.”

“Oh; and do you sell oranges?”

“Yes, real oranges, and other kinds, too.”

“And do they want me to have a tree? What kind shall I choose? And will you children be with me?”

Miss Larkin was greatly interested in the project, for not often did she get an opportunity to take part in such an entertainment.

“You’ll have to see what Miss Merington says,” said Marjorie. “She’s at the head of it all, and she said she’d come to see you this afternoon.”

“Oh, did she? Then I’ll run and change my gown; I’d rather look more dressy when she comes.”

Miss Larkin bustled away, and King said:

“I’ll like to have a tree with Larky. She’ll buy a lot of things for us, and she’ll be so ’thusiastic about it. Hey, Kit?”

“Yes,” agreed Kitty, “and I’d rather be with her, than a stranger lady, anyway.”

Soon Miss Merington came to call, and Miss Larkin came down to meet her, resplendent in a silk costume and her best jewelry.

Miss Merington was a charming young woman, and though only slightly acquainted with Miss Larkin, she laid the case before her so prettily, that Miss Larkin gladly consented to assist at the bazaar.

“You see,” explained Miss Merington, “as it’s an Arbor Day, we have trees instead of tables or booths. For instance, there will be a nut tree, and under that the attendants will sell all sorts of good things made with nuts; nut cake, nut candy, salted nuts, glacé nuts, and everything they can think of. And, too, they’ll have those funny little dolls made of peanuts, and those grotesque heads made of cocoanuts. Oh, there are lots of lovely things for the Nut Tree.”

“Doughnuts,” suggested Miss Larkin.

“Why, yes, of course,” said Miss Merington, laughing. “They’re fine nuts to sell from a nut tree.”

“What other trees will there be?” asked Marjorie, who sat looking admiringly at the visitor. She greatly admired Miss Merington, and, also, that young lady had a warm affection for Marjorie. She had asked the two girls to assist her at her own tree, knowing they would be glad to be together, and that they were capable enough to be really helpful to her in her work.

“Well, there’s the Dogwood Tree,” said Miss Merington. “They will sell any thing that has to do with dogs. They’ll have books and pictures and postcards all about dogs. And muzzles and blankets and dog-baskets and dog-biscuits, and things like that for real dogs.”

“And china ornaments,” said Kitty; “they’re very often dogs, you know.”

“Then there’s the Fruit Tree,” went on Miss Merington. “Not any one kind of fruit, you know, but all kinds. And under that will be sold fresh fruits, canned and preserved fruits, fruit pies, fruit cake, candied fruits, dried fruits—oh, you’ll see for yourself what variety of fun it will make. And, of course, some of the allusions are jokes. The Fir Tree will sell furs.”

“Oho!” laughed King; “sealskin coats and buffalo robes?”

“Well, perhaps not such expensive articles; but fur caps and mittens; and Teddy Bears, and toy-animals. Then there’s the Evergreen Tree; of course, everything sold from that must be green. That’s easy, you see, and yet it will be a beautiful tree.”

“Which tree shall I be under?” asked Miss Larkin, eager to learn her appointed place.

“You may have the Evergreen, if you like. As I say, there’s wide scope for choice of articles to sell.”

“I’d like that very much,” said Miss Larkin. “King and Kitty will be my helpers, and I’m sure we can get lots of green things ready for the bazaar.”

“I’m sure you can,” agreed Miss Merington. “And your tree will be easy to get, too. Just any kind of an evergreen tree will do.”

“A Christmas tree,” said King; “I’ll ask Thomas to cut one in the woods for us.”

“Yes, do. Some of the trees are much harder to manage. Many of them will have to be covered entirely with paper foliage.”

“How about our tree—the Orange Tree?” asked Delight.

“Well, you see, our tree takes the place of what is usually known at fairs as the grab-bag or fish pond. We will make lots of oranges in this way. Take some little article that can be sold for five or ten cents, wrap it in cotton until it forms a ball the size of an orange, and then cover it with orange-colored crêpe paper. Tie it at the top with a narrow green ribbon, and hang it on the tree. Of course, the customer, buying an orange, takes his chance on what he will find inside it.”

“Oh, that will be lots of fun,” said Marjorie. “I can make little pincushions and sachet bags.”

“Yes,” said Delight, “and I can make little stamp-cases and tiny picture frames, and lots of things.”

“And we can buy things,” went on Midget. “Spools of cotton, and celluloid thimbles, and little bits of toys and dolls. Oh, can’t we begin this afternoon?”

Miss Merington smiled at the enthusiasm of her young assistants.

“You may, if you choose,” she said: “I must go now, but, of course, I’ll see you again soon about our plans. Just go on and make all the oranges you can. I’ve brought you one, for a sample.”

Miss Merington gave Marjorie a paper and cotton orange, which was so neatly made that it looked almost like a real one.

“Make them carefully,” she advised, “for the whole tree will be spoiled if the fruit is ragged or badly shaped.”

“What kind of a tree will you have, Miss Merington?” asked Marjorie.

“Fortunately, I’ll have the real thing,” was the answer. “A friend of mine, who has a large orange tree in his conservatory, is willing to lend it to me. It is in a very large tub, and it will be difficult to move it, but I think we can manage it. Then I shall have sprays of white orange blossoms made of paper, on it, and also our yellow fruit. Of course, we hope to sell many more oranges than would fill the tree, so we’ll have a crate full, also, and sell them out of that, as well as from the tree.”

“Do we sell anything else except the oranges we make?” asked Delight.

“Yes; I’d like to have a small stand, with a few other things, say, orange marmalade, and candied orange-peel, and such things.”

“And shall we dress in orange-color?” asked Midget.

“Why, I hadn’t thought of that, but it would be very pretty.”

“I’ll help you,” said Miss Larkin. “I’ll have a dress made of orange-colored cheesecloth for Marjorie, and I’m sure Delight’s mother will let her have one, too.”

“Oh, do,” said Miss Merington. “I have a gown of orange chiffon and black velvet, so we will all be appropriately dressed.”

“And we’ll wear green,” went on Miss Larkin. “I’ll have green clothes made for King and Kitty, and I have a green silk already, myself.”

“Ho!” laughed King, “I’d look fine in a green rig, wouldn’t I!”

“Yes, you would,” declared Kitty. “You’d look like a hunter or Robin Hood or somebody like that. It would be lovely.”

“So it would,” said Miss Merington. “You are very kind, Miss Larkin, to go to so much trouble.”

“Oh, I like it. I’ll get in a dressmaker for a few days, and she’ll soon fix up the children’s costumes. Cheesecloth for the girls, and paper muslin for King. They’ll look fine, and not cost much, either.”

“I do think, Larky,” said Midge, after Miss Merington had gone, “that our trees will be the prettiest in the room.”

“I don’t know, child. She didn’t tell us about all of them. But we’ll fix ours up as well as we can. Delight, ask your mother to let you have your orange frock made over here, with Marjorie’s. It would be easier all round.”

“Oh, she will, Miss Larky. She’ll be glad to do it. She just hates to have a dressmaker in the house. And Miss Hart will help me make the oranges, I know.”

“What can we make?” asked Kitty. “So many things are green, that it’s hard to think of anything.”

“Why, Kit,” said her brother, “there’s hardly anything we can’t sell at our table. If you want to make fancy things, you can make ’em all green. If you want things to eat, there’s apples and pickles, and little cakes with green icing, and green candies, and green peppers!”

“And books with green covers,” supplemented Marjorie.

“That’s good!” cried Kitty. “I love to paste scrap-books, and I’ve a lot of gay pictures saved up. I’ll make scrap-books for children, with green covers.”

“Be sure the children have green covers,” said King. “Look at them well, before you let them buy the books.”

“You make good jokes,” said Kitty, looking patronizingly at her brother; “but what are you going to make for our Evergreen Tree?”

“That’s so,” said King. “There aren’t many things a boy can make. I can cut out some jigsaw puzzles, but if they’re all green, there won’t be any picture.”

“Yes,” said Midget, “use those pictures that are nearly all forest and green trees. They’re the hardest to do, too.”

“All right; I’ll do a couple of those, but what else can I do?”

“Dolls’ furniture,” suggested Kitty.

“Yes, that’s fine, but I guess you don’t know how much trouble it is to make the chairs stick together. Well, I’ll do a set or two, and stain the wood green, and you girls can make green satin cushions for ’em.”

“All right,” said Kitty; “I’ll help you with the cushions, and then you can help me with the scrap-books. And, King, we can paint things green—baskets, you know.”

“Yes, and tin cans, and old tea-chests, and then tie ribbons on ’em! No, thank you, I won’t do any of that kind of stuff.”

“Well, but pretty little baskets would be all right,” said Marjorie, laughing; “and flower pots, too.”

“Oh, yes,” said Delight; “little flower pots with just a hyacinth or a fern in them. Then paint the pot green, and there you are!”

“That isn’t so worse,” said King; “and I might make a few window boxes.”

“Oh, they would be lovely!” exclaimed Miss Larkin. “They’d look so pretty under our tree. We could get a couple like those you have, and fill them, and I’m sure they’d sell well.”

“I shall make some penwipers,” said Kitty. “You just cut a leaf like a maple-leaf out of green leather or kid, and then cut two or three leaves just like it of green felt, and fasten them together at the stem.”

“And make some little lamp-shades,” said Delight; “I mean, candle-shades. They’re lovely of green paper—Mother has some.”

“I can’t make them neatly enough,” objected Kitty. “You girls make me some of those, and I’ll make some orange candies for you. I’ll cut you out some orange baskets, if you want me to—made out of the orange-skins, you know.”

“Oh, yes,” said Marjorie; “Kit does make those just lovely. And we’ll fill them with orange cream candies. Let’s all make things for each other.”

“I shall make some green silk work-bags,” said Miss Larkin, “and green sofa-pillows. And I’ll buy some things, like green writing paper and envelopes. I can’t abide colored stationery myself, but some people like it.”

“And it will look pretty on your table,” said Marjorie. “Miss Merington says we have a table to put our things on to sell, and hang them on our trees, too. Kit, you can trim dolls’ hats—you’re fine at that.”

“Yes, indeed; and they’ll be pretty of light straw or white muslin and lace, and green bows, or a little wreath of tiny green leaves.”

“Or green feathers,” added Delight. “I have some I’ll give you, off my last summer’s hat.”

“Well, let’s get to work, then,” said Kitty, who was prompt of nature. “There are enough things in the house to begin on.”

So they all scampered up to the playroom, and after cleaning off the big table, they brought out what contributions they could make to the general stock in trade.

There was plenty of crêpe paper left over from previous festivities, and Kitty found enough pretty scraps of silk and velvet to begin on her fancy-work at once. So, though they didn’t finish many articles that afternoon, they planned a lot of things, and made lists of the materials they needed to buy next day.

After that the days flew by quickly enough.

Afternoons were devoted to making the pretty trifles, the store of which grew rapidly, with so many eager little fingers at work.

The dressmaker came, and under the supervision of Miss Larkin and Miss Hart, concocted dainty little costumes that were most pretty and becoming, though made of humble cheesecloth. King’s garb was most effective, for his suit of dark-green shiny muslin was set off by gilt buttons and a real lace collar.

As Arbor Day came nearer, the children made delicious home-made candies, all orange or green, and Ellen concocted wonderful cakes with pale-green icing, and with orange icing.

Then, besides the things they provided themselves, many goods were donated.

Rockwell was a generous community, and the householders and shopkeepers always responded liberally to requests for donations toward church or charity.

Mr. Gordon, who was a friend of Mr. Maynard’s, invited the children to select wares from his shop to the extent of ten dollars, and such fun as they had!

Marjorie and Delight took a basketful of little trinkets for their “oranges,” and King and Kitty were quite bewildered at the number of attractive green things they found.

Miss Larkin spent her money and her time both freely, and was voted the hardest worker in the whole bazaar.

She bought the window boxes, and had them prettily filled, and she bought, also, a number of ferns and small palms in green pots.

“I’m so glad I happened to be here just at this time,” she said, “for I love an occasion of this sort, and I almost never get a chance to be in one.”