_A Ball in the Nursery._
THE new Teddy bears proved a great acquisition to the society of the
nursery. They were fine, plump specimens, and were all tagged “made in
Germany,” a fact which marked them with especial distinction. Their
manners were polished in the extreme and they at once became prime
favorites. One of them, a particularly fine looking fellow, was labeled
“the Kaiser,” and his round and sleek little frau so captured Bedelia’s
fancy that she immediately devoted herself to the new acquaintances to
the exclusion of everything else, even to Peter Pan and the cubs.
Peter Pan was anything but pleased at this turn of events, and began to
fear that he had bitten off more than he could chew in sending for the
strange bears. It was now his turn to sulk, and he behaved with such
outrageous rudeness that the Kaiser took offence and matters began to
assume a threatening aspect.
Bedelia was herself a delighted spectator of the trouble that she
had stirred up, watching the trend of affairs with impish glee and
redoubling her attentions in proportion as she saw it annoyed her
husband.
Thus matters stood when the toys determined to give a grand reception
and ball in honor of the newcomers, and elegant, engraved invitations
were issued by an executive committee.
This was not a difficult thing to achieve, as Bedelia had purloined the
same from mamma’s desk.
To be sure they had been neither filled out nor directed, as none of
the toys could write, but neither could they read; the invitations were
handed around merely as a matter of form, for every toy in the nursery
knew the time and place of the wonderful event.
Such a brilliant affair had never before taken place, and society was
all agog and in a flutter of excitement.
The committee was at first somewhat puzzled as to how they should
secure adequate refreshments, as, in the light of recent events, a raid
on the kitchen was out of the question. But Bedelia again came to the
rescue, and by the aid of the telephone ordered such a gorgeous supper
that the caterer who had served the North family for years concluded
that some grand society function was afoot.
All this time Peter Pan was growing sulkier and sulkier, and his
attitude had become more threatening. He had even been overheard to vow
that he would not attend the ball.
All the rest of the toys felt extremely anxious as to the outcome of
affairs. Many of them sided with Peter Pan, for he had always been
friendly and courteous with everyone, while his wife had kept, to
herself. And her accession of friendship with the newcomers had only
tended to aggravate society at large.
The Kaiser and his plump and pretty wife, however, had become extremely
popular, and owned a goodly following. So public opinion appeared to be
about evenly divided.
It seemed a great shame that such a radical split should have taken
place in a society that heretofore had always moved in perfect unison.
The twins had been looking forward to the coming festivities with the
liveliest anticipations, but on the very day before the ball their
father, having been offended at them for some infringement of rules,
declared that they should not set foot in the ball-room. Bedelia
immediately vowed that they should, and so matters stood on the evening
of the ball.
All the dolls were rigged out in their best attire, and Bedelia had
borrowed a beautiful pink silk dècolletè gown from one of them who was
fortunate enough to own several.
To be sure, it was rather a tight fit and two buttons indignantly
burst off the back of the waist when they discovered who it was that
was putting it on. A pin or two, however, made good the deficiency,
and Bedelia really looked very charming in the glistening pink silk
with a wreath of tiny pink rosebuds twined around her ears. She felt
entirely satisfied as she surveyed herself in the mirror on Sally’s
bureau, to the top of which she had climbed in order to get a full view
of herself, and quite forgot all about the anxious twins who, decorated
with two of Sally’s newest blue hair-ribbons, hovered nervously in the
background awaiting developments.
Soon the music struck up and the Kaiser and Bedelia proceeded to lead
the grand march around the nursery.
[Illustration]
To be sure the music was not very grand, for the doll’s piano was the
sole instrument available and the only personage who could be persuaded
to perform upon it was an ancient china doll, who had lost both
feet, the result of having been dropped in the wash basin by Sally,
and consequently was unable to do any dancing. However, the hearty
good-will of the guests and their vigorous execution of the various
dances on the program quite made up for all deficiencies in other
directions.
At first the twins hid themselves behind the door and contented
themselves with simply watching the opening exercises, although they
fairly itched to be on the floor, but as the tail end of the grand
march swung past them, they resolved to do or die and, boldly emerging
from the hiding-place, fell into line and went capering along after
the rest of the crowd, taking care, however, to keep a sharp lookout
for their father, who apparently had so far failed to observe their
presence.
Peter Pan, in fact, was having the time of his life, marching with an
extremely pretty and vivacious stuffed guinea pig, and had already
commenced to pay her such marked attention that Bedelia was observed
to cast a number of uneasy glances in their direction. That two should
play at her own little game was not at all a part of her program.
Peter Pan had evidently forgotten her existence; while as for the
Kaiser, he never noticed him at all, save once, to salute him with
a rude and irreligious gesture as they were dancing vis-à-vis. The
meaning of this was as Greek to the imported bear, and as nobody cared
to enlighten him on the subject the affair came to nothing.
The twins had meanwhile been dancing together, as no other partners
seemed available. They might have gotten through the evening without
especial notice from anyone had not Tom, after the first three dances,
refused to dance lady any longer, while selfish Jerry insisted on
keeping the gentleman’s part. Words soon came to blows, and in a moment
the dancing ceased and everyone came hurrying up to ascertain the cause
of the disturbance.
Immediately Peter Pan was in the middle of the fray, and collaring his
offspring, one in each paw, he yanked them off to the dogs’ lair under
Sally’s bed, where he presently left them, a considerably less impudent
pair of cubs.
As Rough House was still away at the farm, there was nothing to fear
from his dreadful jaws. Joined by a common trouble and each one equally
anxious to get even with his father, they had now quite forgotten their
differences, and held a most emphatically worded conference under the
bed, at last deciding that they would run away and so square accounts
with their unfeeling parent.
It was now high time to serve supper, and the committee on refreshments
descended to the kitchen, only to find nothing at all that resembled
freezers of ice-cream and boxes of cake and sandwiches.
They had not counted on the fact that everything would be received at
the door by cook, but such had been the case, and she had declined
to receive them in language more emphatic than that usually employed
in polite society. That there was no party at that house she had
vigorously maintained, and the driver had retreated in some perplexity,
carrying along the goodies.
Loud were the exclamations of disappointment, as the hungry toys
crowded around the dismayed and disheartened committee, and in the
general confusion the twins crept noiselessly out from under the bed
and slipped into the dark hall. They had learned by this time that to
slide down the banisters is really the swiftest method of locomotion,
and they quickly availed themselves of this speedy method and went
skimming fleetly away to the lower regions.
[Illustration]