CHICKEN LITTLE JANE'S BIRTHDAY
February was birthday month in the Morton family. Jane's came first on
the thirteenth, Ernest's on the twenty-second, and Mrs. Morton came near
having a birthday only once in four years, for hers was on the
twenty-eighth.
"My, I'd hate to be born on the thirteenth. Cousin May says thirteen is
awfully unlucky," said Katy impressively, when Chicken Little told her
the fateful date.
"Yes, but you see I was born on Sunday, too, and Sunday's the very
luckiest day there is to be born on."
"Yes, Jane, 'Blithe and bonny and good and gay, is the child who is born
on the Sabbath day,'" chanted Marian, who was sitting by the window
sewing. "You have something to live up to, little sister, if you are
all that."
"I'm glad my birthday isn't coming on Sunday this year," said Jane
thoughtfully. "It did one year and I couldn't have a party or nothing. I
do think Sunday is the inconvenientest day--I wish God hadn't ever
thought to make it!"
"But we need one day of rest," said Marian, struggling with a laugh.
"Ye--es, but I think we get enough rest sleeping nights; I think Sundays
are awful tiring,--you have to work so hard remembering what you can't
do."
"I like Sundays," said Gertie, "'cause Father's home and he reads to us
Sunday afternoons."
"Father takes a nap, you can hear him all over the house--and Mother
tells us to be quiet so we won't wake him. 'Sides your mother lets you
do more things."
"I guess your folks are religiouser than ours," said Katy complacently.
"You think it is more religious to sleep Sunday afternoons, Katy?"
interposed Marian smiling.
"Well, you can't do anything bad when you are asleep," replied Katy a
little confused, but bound to stick to her point.
"Not a bad idea--whenever I am tempted to be bad after this, I'll take a
nap and throw the devil off the track that way."
"My mother says it isn't nice to talk about the devil." Katy looked so
gravely disapproving that Marian had hard work to keep her face
straight.
"Oh, excuse me--I'll be careful not to mention his Satanic majesty
again. Well, Chicken Little, are you going to have a birthday party this
year?"
"Not a really party, but Mother said I could have Katy and Gertie and
Grace Dart come to tea. There's going to be a sure enough birthday cake
with candles and my name and age in pink frosting--and we're going to
have chocolate creams--and all the dolls."
"I shall bring Violet--she's got a new dress and she's just had her hair
glued on--I curled it on the curling iron," said Gertie.
"I'm going to bring my nigger Dinah and you can play she helps wait on
the table," put in Katy.
"Dear me, is that the latest thing in dolldom, to have the guests wait
on the table?" quizzed Marian.
"I guess it would be all right to play she did," Jane responded with a
grin.
"Your mother's birthday comes soon. What are you going to give her,
Jane?"
"Yes, and Ernest's too, his is the twenty-second."
"And Valentine's day comes the fourteenth--just the day after your
birthday."
"Yes, Father says I was intended for a valentine only I was mailed too
soon. I was just wondering what I could give Mother, Marian,--and
Ernest. I've only got sixteen cents. I don't think birthdays ought to
come so near Christmas."
"Sixteen cents isn't much for two presents, is it? We'll have to put our
thinking caps on. Let me see. How would you like to make Mother a little
tidy for her rocking chair? I think I have a piece of honey-comb canvas
left that would be just about the right size--you might do a Greek
border with rose-colored worsted. It's fast work. You could do it
easily."
"Oh, Marian, you do think of the nicest things!" and Chicken Little got
up impulsively to give her a grateful hug.
"But Ernest will be harder--he wouldn't care for fancy work."
"He wants a new base ball--an awfully hard one like Carol's."
"Frank can get him that. I'll tell you, Chicken Little, I believe he'd
like a nice strong bag for his marbles--it won't be long till marble
time now. But, perhaps, we can think up something else."
"I wisht you'd come to my tea party, Marian."
"I'd be charmed to, and I'll bring my old doll, Seraphina. She is huge
and hasn't any nose left and only one eye. Will she be welcome in this
wounded state or had we better put her in a hospital?"
"Oh, Marian, will you?--I'd love to see her."
"She's down in the bottom of a trunk, but I am sure she would be
delighted to get out in the world again. What are you looking at with
those big eyes of yours, Katy?"
"I was just thinking she must be awful old."
"She is--frightfully--almost as old as I am. My aunt brought her to me
from Paris when I was just seven. She was elegant then--all pink silk
ruffles with a little wreath of forget-me-nots in her hair. I crowed
over all the children I knew because she was so fine, but I must be
getting home. Children dear, I wonder if your mothers would mind if you
ran down to the postoffice to mail this letter for me. I want it to get
off on the five o'clock train."
Chicken Little's boasted luck seemed about to fail her entirely on her
birthday morning. She got up late and was so excited over her little
remembrances that she almost forgot to get ready for school. She ran as
hard as she could, so hard she had a stitch in her side, but the last
child in the line was disappearing inside the school-house door, when
she was still half a block away.
She knew what that meant. Miss Brown had a harsh rule for tardy
pupils--they stayed one-half hour after school, rain or shine. And to
stay in a half hour on one's birthday with a party on foot was
unthinkable. Why it would be most dark when she got home! And her
mother--well, maybe her mother wouldn't say very much since it was her
birthday, but Jane wasn't keen about hearing what she would say.
She dragged herself reluctantly up the stairs, taking an unnecessarily
long time to hang up her wraps and it was fully five minutes past nine
when she took her seat. Miss Brown looked severe.
"You understand this means thirty minutes after school. I have told you
I will not tolerate tardiness."
Chicken Little didn't try to catch up with Katy and Gertie going home
that noon. She plodded along soberly by herself with such a forlorn air
that Dick Harding, just behind her on his way to his own lunch, was
struck by it, and overtook her to find out what was amiss now.
"Have to stay after school on a birthday--well, that is tough. I see
plainly you need the services of a lawyer. I guess I'll have to take
this under advisement and see what can be done. You know it's my turn to
help you out. Clear up that solemn face, Chicken Little,--that's
better--I see the smile coming. I'll tell you--wait by the school gate
when you come back from dinner and I'll think up some way to mend
matters."
Chicken Little hurried through her dinner and back to school, posting
herself expectantly to watch for Dick Harding. She did not have long to
wait. Mr. Harding had hurried, too, on her account.
"I have been considering this, Jane. I don't believe it would be quite
fair to the other pupils to persuade Miss Brown to let you off, as I at
first thought of doing. Do you think it would?"
Richard Harding regarded the child keenly, curious to see whether she
would see the point.
Chicken Little looked up at him soberly.
"No, I guess it's just as bad to be late on your birthday as any other
time. And I s'pose if Miss Brown let me go she'd have to let the rest
go, too. And I guess there wouldn't be any rule if she did that."
"Right you are, but I think I have a plan that won't be unfair to
anybody and will still keep the birthday intact. We couldn't have the
birthday hurt you know, Chicken Little. It's such a little young
birthday--it might cry!" Dick Harding smiled down at her whimsically and
Jane smiled understandingly back.
"Why don't you ask me what my plan is? You haven't the proper amount of
feminine curiosity."
Chicken Little smiled again--a confiding little smile.
"How would it do, Chicken Little Jane, if I should get a cutter with
two gray horses and lots of bells--real noisy bells--and call for your
guests first, then come here to the school after you? We could go for a
nice sleigh ride before that supper party."
Chicken Little's face lit up as instantaneously as if someone had just
turned on an electric light before it. She gave one blissful "Oh" then
stopped. "If Mother----?" she said.
"'If Mother' is all attended to. I met your father and he said he would
make it all right with your mother. So if Miss Jane Morton will do me
the honor to ride with me this afternoon, I shall consider the matter
settled." Dick Harding made an elaborate bow.
Jane still beamed but found words difficult.
"I'm waiting, Miss Morton, you'd better hurry--I think the bell is going
to ring."
The child glanced back at the school house apprehensively.
"Course I want to--awfully, and--Mr. Harding," Chicken Little reached up
to whisper something and the tall man bent down.
"I love you most as well as Brother Frank."
"Thank you, dear--I've never had a little sister. Don't you think I
might adopt a little piece of you?"
"That's what Alice said. She said little sisters were so nice and
cuddly--I think you and Alice are a lot alike, Mr. Harding."
"I'm flattered--in what way?"
"'Cause you--she--why I guess 'cause you and she both know how little
girls feel inside--and you're so comforting."
"Much obliged, little sister, I know Miss Alice deserves that nice
compliment and I hope I do. Are you lonesome without her?"
"Yes, only when I'm with you it always seems as if she were close by,
too."
"Happy thought! Perhaps, it's because I'm partial to being in her
neighborhood myself. There goes the bell--I'll be here at 4:30 sharp."
Chicken Little was not the only unfortunate that afternoon. Two small
boys were late at noon and Miss Brown set them all to writing long lists
from their spellers as soon as the other children filed out. Chicken
Little watched the clock anxiously, starting up at every distant tinkle
of sleigh bells. It was a glorious clear crisp afternoon and the jingle
of bells sounded at frequent intervals.
Her excitement rose as half-past four approached. Finally, just as the
clock chimed the half hour, an answering chime tinkled in the distance
and two or three minutes later, ceased suddenly in front of the school
building.
Chicken Little ran quickly down the walk and there they all were. Dick
Harding had a lovely double-seated cutter with white horses and two gay
strings of sleigh bells on each horse. Packed snugly in under the bright
colored robes were Katy and Gertie and Grace and sister Marian--and the
entire family of dolls. Dick Harding had insisted on the dolls. He said
he never approved of parents leaving their offspring at home to cry
their eyes out, while they went skylarking.
Katy had secured the place next to their host and Chicken Little looked
enviously as she started to climb in. But Dick Harding made room for her
beside him, saying finally:
"I believe I am to have the honor of having Miss Morton and the birthday
sit beside me."
A shadow of disappointment crossed Katy's face. Marian made a little
sign to Jane and the child responded bravely.
"I guess Katy ought to have the best place 'cause she's company."
"The queen has spoken," replied Dick Harding with an approving smile.
"Perhaps, I might hold the birthday on my lap."
"I wouldn't trust him with it Jane. Young lawyers always want to be
older than they are," laughed Marian.
Jane made an elaborate pretense of handing over the birthday.
"You see Chicken Little Jane has a better opinion of me than you,"
retorted Dick. "Miss Morton, which way shall we go?"
The children were riotously happy. Mr. Harding let each child choose a
direction to turn, and they whirled around corners and drove by each
small guest's home in great state, so that mothers and sisters might
see.
Bright hoods and caps and coats made the sleigh load look like a nosegay
and Dick Harding treated them all with an exaggerated courtesy that kept
them merry.
They landed at the Morton front gate at six o'clock. It was quite dark
but the street lamps were lit and the cheer of gas and firelight
streamed out from the old gabled house invitingly.
"This was a mighty sweet thing to do, Dick," said Marian as he helped
her out.
"The pleasure is mine," he responded gallantly, "further I'm going to
claim a toll of one kiss and a half from every passenger under twelve
years of age."
The toll was paid promptly. He was most exacting as to the half kiss,
demanding full measure. Marian insisted that the dolls came under the
ruling, too, but he begged off. He said he felt it would be taking
unfair advantage of their extreme youth.
But Chicken Little and Katy were too much for him. They declared that
Marian's doll was older than any of them. So Mr. Harding duly took a
peck at Seraphina's pallid cheek to the huge delight of the children.
The hot biscuit and chicken tasted doubly delicious after the long ride
in the sharp air. Grace Dart took two servings of quince preserves but
declined the apple butter saying she could get that at home.
At the close of the repast Dr. and Mrs. Morton and Frank and Ernest came
in to share the birthday cake. Ernest was the only one who could blow
out all the candles at one fell swoop. When the last morsel had vanished
Chicken Little had another surprise. Dr. Morton went out into the hall
and pulled a large white envelope out of his overcoat pocket addressed
to "Miss Jane Morton." It was postmarked Cincinnati.
"Oh, it's something from Alice--I just know--open it quick!"
"Bet it's a valentine," guessed Ernest.
"Yes, it looks like one of those beautiful lacy ones with hearts and
doves on it," said Katy.
It not only looked, it was--the very fluffiest, laciest one Jane had
ever seen, with marvellous cupids and hearts, and forget-me-nots and
true lover's knots of blue ribbon. In a little white envelope inside was
a tiny gold ring.
Chicken Little gave one squeal of ecstasy:
"Isn't it cunning--I always wanted a ring. Whatever do you s'pose made
Alice think of it?"
"She didn't," said Mrs. Morton, "the valentine is from Alice, but her
Uncle Joseph sent the ring. It seems he liked your letter and when Alice
mentioned getting the valentine he wanted to send something too. You'll
have to write him another letter to thank him."
"That reminds me that I saw Gassett on the street this morning. He looks
pretty badly still," remarked Dr. Morton.
"Well, he can't get Alice's papers now 'cause she's got them way off in
Cincinnati," said Chicken Little.
"Huh, that doesn't make any difference--they could make her send them
back," Ernest replied.
Chicken Little turned to her father.
"No need to borrow trouble, Chicken, Alice has an Uncle Joseph to look
after her now, anyway. Has it been a happy birthday, pet?"