THE DOLLS’ MAY-PARTY
Alice had never gone to a party before. Of course Rose, who was almost
six years old, had gone to a great many. But Alice, who was her newest
doll, was very young. She had come, you remember, on Christmas day, at
the same time with Buff and Fluff; and the kittens had never yet been
to a party either.
Matilda, who was Rose’s old doll, had been to almost as many parties
as Rose herself. But Matilda was not invited to this party. Only the
youngest and prettiest dolls were invited to this party, for it was to
be a May-Party, where every one has to look as beautiful as possible.
Poor Matilda had only one eye and a broken nose.
Ernestine, who was Lilian’s doll and who lived in the next block to
Rose and Alice, sent out the invitations to ten dolls and their little
mammas. They were to come at two o’clock in the afternoon of May Day
for a picnic at her house. And every one was to bring a luncheon in a
little basket, just as if it were a really truly picnic in the summer
woods, instead of a cold city May.
Rose dressed Alice in her prettiest white muslin gown, with a blue sash
and the dear little watch which had come in the Christmas stocking.
Alice’s yellow hair was curled and tied with a blue bow, and she looked
so much like her little mother that Mrs. Thornton could not help
laughing when they started for the picnic together. But Rose did not
see anything very funny about it. Every one said that she looked like
her own mother, and why should not Alice look like Rose?
At the very last moment, when they were starting for the party, Rose
ran back upstairs to the play-room, where the old Matilda sat in her
little chair by the fireplace.
“You poor dear old thing,” said Rose, hugging her tight, “I never
before went to a party without you, and it seems very cruel to leave
you all alone. But please remember that I still love you dearly, though
you have only one eye, and your nose is broken, and you aren’t pretty
like Alice. I can’t take you to parties any more, because people would
laugh at you. But you have had a great many good times, haven’t you,
Matilda? while Alice hasn’t been yet to a single party. I must make
Alice have a good time now, for she is my youngest child. Good-by,
Matilda dear, and don’t you be lonesome while we are gone.”
Then Rose kissed the poor old doll and set her back in the little chair
beside the fireplace. But Matilda looked very sad when the little
mother went out of the door with the new doll in her arms, and it
almost looked as if there was a real tear on her faded cheek under the
one remaining eye.
When the front door banged behind them, Matilda fell forward onto the
carpet and lay there face downwards all the while that Rose and Alice
were at the May-Party.
The party was held in Lilian’s dining-room. The floor was covered with
a green rug which had flowers on it, and which looked like the real
grassy out-doors of the country. In the middle of the room, instead of
a dining-table, was a little May-pole, as tall as Rose’s head, with a
wreath of flowers at the top and pretty colored ribbons hanging down
all around it.
On one side was a throne with three little steps leading up to it, for
the May Queen to sit on. And on top of the throne lay a beautiful crown
of real flowers for the Queen to wear.
First of all, the dolls were stood up in a long row, so that the
prettiest one might be chosen. There was Ernestine herself, the
hostess, who was a fat wax doll as big as a real baby, with flaxen hair
and four white teeth. Ernestine was very accomplished, for she could
say “Papa” and “Mamma,” but she was not nice and huggable and pretty
like Alice. (At least, that was what Rose thought.)
Then there was Marjorie, who had black hair, and
Helen-Grace-Antoinette, who wore a real satin dress that came from
Paris; and Bébé, who was in long clothes and who was thought by all
the little mothers, except her own, too babyish for a May-Party. There
was Yo-San, who was a lovely Japanese lady; and Toto, a little boy
sailor doll, the only gentleman present,--and of course _he_ couldn’t
be the May Queen! Then there were Blanche, and Beatrice, and Dinah who
was black,--everybody wondered why she came to the party. Last of all,
there was Alice. She was smaller than Blanche and Beatrice, but she
wore a watch tucked into her sash. No other doll had a watch.
Each little girl wrote on a piece of paper the name of the doll which,
next to her own, she thought prettiest. No one could vote for her own
doll, for of course each little mother would think her own child the
best, and there would have to be ten queens.
Lilian’s mamma counted the votes. And what do you suppose? Alice was
elected to be May Queen! It was all on account of the watch. You can
imagine how proud Rose was.
They set Alice on the throne and put the crown of real flowers on her
yellow curls, and she looked so pretty that Rose had to rush up and
kiss her the very first thing. And all the other little girls wanted to
kiss her, too.
Then the dolls danced around the May-pole, each one holding the end of
one of the colored ribbons, till the pole was twisted all the way down
and looked like a big stick of striped candy. The dolls seemed to enjoy
it very much, but their mammas were a bit dizzy afterwards.
Then it was time for the picnic. Everybody sat down cross-legged on the
green grass rug and opened the little lunch-baskets. First they spread
a napkin on the grass, just as one does at a real picnic, and set all
the cakes and cookies and sandwiches on it, where every one could reach
for herself. And they ate without any plates or knives or forks, which
was great fun. But there were no ants to come and eat up the crumbs.
There were little cunning cakes, and figs and dates, grapes and apples,
and some molasses candy. And there was lemonade to drink,--just like a
grown-up picnic.
After they had eaten everything they played games around the May-pole
until it was almost dark, and then it was time to go home. But before
they went Ernestine, who gave the party, carried up to the throne a
big tissue-paper basket full of flowers, and gave it to the May Queen,
kneeling down before Alice on the lowest step of the throne, just as
they do in plays. And Rose was so proud that her face turned as pink as
one of the roses in the May Queen’s lovely basket. Each doll had a dear
little nosegay to take home, but only the Queen had a whole basket full
of flowers.
“You dear, lovely Queen Alice!” cried Rose, as she hugged her dollie
tight on the way home. “I am so proud of you, and I love you better
than anything in the world except Papa and Mamma and Kenneth and Cousin
Charlie,--oh, yes, and Matilda. I had almost forgotten poor Matilda.”
Rose was quiet for a minute, and then she whispered to Alice, “Don’t
you think you ought to give some of these lovely flowers to poor
Matilda, who didn’t go to the party and who isn’t pretty any more?”
Alice was a sweet little doll, and was quite willing to share her
flowers. So as soon as the front door was opened Rose ran upstairs to
the play-room with the May Queen on one arm and the basket of flowers
on the other. There she found poor Matilda lying face downward on the
carpet.
[Illustration: SHE LIFTED POOR MATILDA AND SET HER UP ON THE WINDOW
SEAT]
“Oh, you poor, poor dollie!” cried Rose. “Did you feel so badly as
that? Well, don’t cry any more. Here is your dear little sister, the
May Queen, who has come to share her lovely flowers with you. We
both love you so much that we are going to make you our Play-Room
Queen. See!”
Then she lifted poor Matilda and set her up on the window seat, as if
she were on a throne. And she took the beautiful flowers out of Alice’s
basket and made a wreath which she placed on the old doll’s scraggly
hair. And she pinned a lovely rose on Matilda’s dress.
“Now you look very nice and dear,” said Rose, as she kissed her on her
battered cheek. “Good-night, Queen Matilda of the play-room. Isn’t this
almost as good as being May Queen?”
And Matilda looked as if she thought it was. She seemed to be smiling
with her ugly mouth. And when Rose softly shut the door of the
play-room the old doll looked almost pretty,--in spite of her one eye
and broken nose,--sitting there on the window seat, with Alice, the
beautiful May Queen, at her feet.