"Well, my dears," she said, "you are going to Ocean Cliff to-morrow, so you can invite all your Meadow Brook friends to a little lawn party to-day. I'm going down now to the village to order some good things for you. I want youall to have a nice time this afternoon.""I'm going to give some of my books to Nettie," said Flossie, "and some ofmy paper dolls too.""Yes. Nettie has not many things to play with," agreed Nan, "and we can get plenty more.""I'm going to get all my birds' nests together," said Bert, "and thatprettywhite birch bark to make picture frames for Christmas.""I've got lovely pressed flowers to put on Christmas post-cards," said Nan. "I'm going to mount them on plain white cards with little verses written for each friend. Won't that be pretty?"Then what a time there was packing up again! Of course Mrs. Bobbsey had expected to go, and had most of the big things ready but the children had so many souvenirs.
"John gave me this," cried Freddie, pulling a great big pumpkin in his express wagon down to the house. "And I'm going to bring it to Aunt Emily.""Oh, how could we bring that!" protested Nan. "In the trunk, of course," Freddie insisted.
"Well, I have to carry a box of ferns," said Flossie; "I'm going to take them for the porch. There are no ferns around the salt water, mamma says."So each child had his or her own pet remembrances to carry away from Meadow Brook.
"We had better go and invite the girls for this afternoon," Nan said to Flossie.
"And we must look after the boys," Harry told Bert.
A short invitation was not considered unusual in the country, so it was an easy matter to get all the children together in time for the farewell lawn party.
"We all hope you will come again next year," said Mildred Manners. "We have had such a lovely time this summer. And I brought you this little handkerchief to remember me by."The gift was a choice bit of lace, and Nan was much pleased to acceptit.
"There is something to remember me by," said Mabel Herold,presenting Nanwith a postcard album.
The little girls brought Flossie a gold-striped cup and saucer, a set of doll's patterns, and the dearest little parasol. This last was from Bessie Dimple.
And Nettie brought - what do you think?
A little live duck for Freddie!
It was just like a lump of cotton batting, so soft and fluffy. "We'll fatten him up for Christmas," laughed Bert, joking.
"No, you won't!" snapped Freddie. "I are going to have a little house for him and a lake, and a boat - ""Are you going to teach him to row?" teased Harry. "Well, he can swim better than - than - ""August Stout," answered Bert, remembering how August had fallen in the pond the day they went fishing.
When the ice cream and cake had been served on the lawn, Mrs. Bobbsey brought out a big round white paper pie. This she placed in the middle of a nice clean spot on the lawn, and all around the pie she drew out long white ribbons. On each ribbon was pinned the name of one of the guests.
"Now this is your Jack Horner pie," said Mrs. Bobbsey, "and when you put in your thumb you will pull out a plum."Nan read off the names, and each girl or boy took the place assigned. Finally everybody had in hand a ribbon.
"Nettle has number one," said Nan; "you pull first, Nettie."Nettie jerked her ribbon and pulled out on the end of it the dearest little play piano. It was made of paper, of course, and so very small it could stand on Nettie's hand.
"Give us a tune!" laughed the boys, while Nettie saw it really was a little box of candy.
"Mildred next," announced Nan.
On the end of Mildred's ribbon came an automobile!
This caused a laugh, for Mildred was very fond of automobile rides. Mabel got a hobby-horse - because she was learning to ride horseback. Nan received a sewing machine, to remind her of the fresh-air work. Of course Tom Mason got a horse - a donkey it really was; and JackHopkins'gift was a wheelbarrow.Harry pulled out a boat, and Bert got a ciderbarrel.
They were all souvenirs, full of candy, favors for the party, and they caused no end of fun.
Freddie was the last to pull and he got -A bunch of real radishes from his own garden!
"But they're not candy," he protested, as he burned his tongue with one.
"Well, we are going to let you and Flossie put your thumbs in the pie," said his mamma, "and whoever gets the prize will be the real Jack Horner."All but the center of the pie was gone now, and in this Flossie first put her thumb. She could only put in one finger and only fish just one, and she brought out - a little gold ring from Aunt Sarah.
"Oh, isn't it sweet!" the girls all exclaimed. Then Freddie had his turn.
"Can't I put in two fingers?" he pleaded. "No; only one!" his mother insisted.
After careful preparation Freddie put in his thumb and pulled out a big candy plum!
"Open it!" called Nan.
The plum was put together in halves, and when Freddie opened it he found a real "going" watch from Uncle Daniel.
"I can tell time!" declared the happy boy, for he had been learning the hours on Martha's clock in the kitchen.
"What time is it, then?" asked Bert.
Freddie looked at his watch and counted around it two or three times. "Four o'clock!" he said at last, and he was only twenty minutes out ofthe way. The watch was the kind little boys use first, with very plain figures on it, and it was quite certain before Freddie paid his next visit to Uncle Daniel's he would have learned how to tell time exactly on his first "real"watch.
The party was over, the children said good bye, and besides the play favors each carried away a real gift, that of friendship for the little Bobbseys.
"Maybe you can come down to the seashore on an excursion," said Nan to her friends. "They often have Sunday-school excursions to Sunset Beach.""We will if we can," answered Mabel, "but if I don't see you there, I may call on you at Lakeport, when we go to the city.""Oh yes, do!" insisted Nan. "I'll be home all winter I guess, but I might go to boarding school. Anyhow, I'll write to you. Good-bye, girls!""Good-bye!" was the answering cry, and then the visitors left in a crowd, waving their hands as they disappeared around a turn of the road.
"What a perfectly lovely time we have had!" declared Nan to Bert. "Oh, the country can't be beat!" answered her twin brother."Still, I'llbeglad to get to the seashore, won't you?" "Oh yes; I want to see Cousin Dorothy.""And I want to see the big ocean," put in Freddie.
"I want to ride on one of the funny donkeys," lisped Flossie. "And I want to make a sand castle.""Me too!" chimed in Freddie.
"Hurrah for the seashore!" cried Bert, throwing his cap into the air, and then all went into the house, to get ready for a trip they looked forward to with extreme pleasure. And here let us say good-bye, hoping to meet the Bobbsey Twins again.
