CHAPTER II
THE CUSTIS WEDDING PARTY
"Now that we've been all over the place, come up to the attic and let usshow you the old trunk full of costumes," urged Martha, as the fivechildren returned from the inspection of the grounds.
"Maybe the folks'll be looking for us to change our clothes," venturedAnne, looking carefully at the windows of the house, as they came intoview from the path where the children skipped or ran.
"How long will it take you?" questioned Martha.
"Oh, we'll have to take a bath, and my curls will have to be done overfresh, and a clean dress put on--dear me, we can't have a speck of funall starched up, you know!" complained Anne.
"Let's get in without any one seeing us!" whispered George.
"How?" chorused the others.
"Mother and Aunt Ally will be on the front piazza or in the library.We'll climb up on the balcony under the dining-room windows and getthrough that room to the pantry. There's a back stairs in the butler'spantry for the help to use. We can get to the third floor that waywithout being seen or having to go to the front at all," explainedGeorge.
"Good! You scout about first while we wait under the lilac bushes,"whispered John, pushing George into the open.
Soon the anxious watchers saw George scramble over the railing of thelow balcony and carefully open the outside shutters that were generallykept closed when the dining-room was unoccupied. Then he disappearedthrough the open window, and shortly after reappeared to beckon hisfriends to follow him.
One at a time, Indian fashion, they rushed over the grass and climbedthe balcony. When all but Jim were inside the room, they breathedeasier, but Jim's bowed legs could not scramble up and over the rail asagilely as the others had and they had to venture out again to haul himup and over by his arms.
Once safely sheltered by the darkened dining-room, they tiptoed towardthe pantry. The swing door was hardly still upon the five figures thatpassed through, when ladies' voices were heard as Mrs. Parke and Mrs.Davis came from the library to go out on the veranda and see where thechildren were.
In the pantry, on the table, stood a plate filled with iced cookies forafternoon tea. Chopped walnuts were thickly sprinkled on the icing andmost tempting did the cakes smell. Naturally the children could not passby without a sniff and that was their undoing.
"My, but I'm hungry after that trip from Washington!" sighed Jack, eyingthe cakes.
"We all are, I reckon! May as well carry these cookies with us as towait to eat them later," suggested George, looking to Martha forapproval of the plan.
"May as well! Carry dish and all to the attic--it will save Mary the workof washing extra plates," came from thoughtful Martha, but had Mary beenpresent she would have scorned the helpful suggestion.
Quick as a flash, therefore, George and the dish disappeared up the backstairway followed by his four devoted friends.
Safely harbored in the large attic room, the hungry children sat and atethe delicious cakes, till but two--the very smallest and scorchedones--remained on the plate for the two ladies.
"They'll want some with their tea," suggested Martha generously, pickinga large piece of walnut from the one she determined for her mother.
"But they are not fond of sweets like we are," hinted Anne, wistfullysmacking her lips.
"We've each had four--all but Jim; he had that broken half and three!"declared John manfully.
"And we must not overeat cakes--there will be bread and jam with tea, youknow," cautioned George.
"Set the dish outside the door and that will end the thing!" said Annesensibly, as she picked up the plate and did as she suggested.
The door was closed and locked to insure safety to the two cakes, incase any one of the five friends felt like venturing forth and taking alook at them.
"Here's the chest of clothes," now called Martha, lifting the lid todisplay the strange-fashioned garments.
"Try on the flowered silk--and the powdered wig," cried Anne eagerly, asshe lifted the articles from the folds of paper.
While the girls dressed in the quaint garments, the two boys, George andJack, arrayed themselves in clothes worn at the time of the Civil War.John and Jim assisted enthusiastically and the laughter sounding fromthe attic drew the attention of old mammy the nurse, as she was passingdown the second-floor hallway. She smiled and looked up the stairway,wondering what the youngsters were doing to make such a noise.
"Ah rickon Ah'll jes' creep up an' see ef der all right," murmuredmammy, dropping her mending on a chair and going up.
Outside the room door she spied the dish with the two small cakes in it.She picked this up with a surprised expression on her face, for she knewher daughter had baked delicious cakes for tea.
"Ah wonner! Rickon Ah'll tek dis right down in de kitchen an' fin' outef them cakes is all safe an' soun' befoh Ah do anudder thing."
Old mammy followed her own suggestion, and the cook was shocked.
"What! Dem fine cakes gone an' nuttin for tea--an' dat fine comp'ny heah,too!"
"Now, Ah'm tellin' yoh! Jes' fix dem rapscalions fo' onct! Tek dat icecream yo fixed foh dinnah an' serve it fer affernoon tea 'stead uv dosecakes. Tell Missus Parke why an' den leave nuff ice cream fer degrown-ups fer dinner to-night!" advised old mammy.
The cook pondered this suggestion, and as a smile gradually spread overher wide face, she clapped her hands on the table.
"Jus' what Ah'll do. You jus' wait an' see!"
"Now, don' go an' deprive dem chilluns uv nuff to eat--Ah means somegoodies," warned old mammy.
"See heah, mammy! Dis end uv de wuk am mine--an' yoh's is takin' care uvde baby. Dem little limbs ain' goin' t' eat up all de fancy eatin's Ahbake, an' mek de missus b'live Ah forgot t' prepare fer her comp'ny!"
So old mammy ascended the kitchen stairs again, fearing she had made agreat mistake by warning her daughter in time that the cakes were goneand there was nothing for tea! As she shook her gray head over theconflicts between the cook and the children, she reached the secondfloor where the mending had been left.
A voice calling from the library changed her current of despondency, andshe leaned over the balustrade to reply.
"Ah hear'n dem chilluns up in de attick, Mis Parke. Shall Ah tell 'emyoh wants 'em?"
"Oh, please, mammy! And see if they are all dressed and ready for tea. Iwish to ring for the tray," replied Mrs. Parke.
Mammy climbed the stairs once more and opened the door of the roomwhence sounds of merriment came. She stood in the doorway, taking in ata glance the extraordinary scene that met her eyes.
John was robed in a long black cloth draped over his shoulders. He hadon a maid's white bib and shoulder straps cut from an old apron. Theblack material was the remnant of a felt table cover, very popular ascore of years before; but most of the wool embroidery had been eatenoff by moths, so the gay colors could easily be hidden by the folds.
He stood by the window with the great book on "Life of GeorgeWashington" in his hands, reading aloud from it.
Right before him stood Jack Davis and Martha--one robed in old-fashionedclothes worn by Parke ancestors before the Civil War, and the otherdressed in the lavender flowered Watteau silk gown of hergreat-great-grandmother.
George was "best man" in a black swallow-tail coat with velvet cuffs,collar and pocket lapels. The buttons were gold-embroidered on blackvelvet. A high stock collar and a pot-shaped beaver hat gave him quite aColonial appearance.
Jim took the left-overs, and to make the best of the assorted items,donned as many of them as he could keep on. The effect was very funny,and caused the principals in the scene to burst out in laughter everytime they took notice of his raiment.
The rehearsal of the Washington wedding scene was taking place when oldmammy quietly opened the door and stood watching.
"You didn't come up right that time, Martha; try it again. And, Anne,don't stumble over her dress when you carry the train!" ordered George,waving back the two girls to try again.
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bsp; "How can I carry her train and drop flowers on the path at the sametime? And if we're to do it again, you'd better pick up the flowers,"complained Anne.
"Here, Jim--Hercules, I mean! You're the servant now and you must do thechores," ordered George, pointing to some faded artificial flowerssprinkled on the floor before the black-gowned minister.
Martha backed away, catching her satin high-heeled shoe in the very longWatteau pleats as she did so, and frantically catching at Anne to keepfrom falling.
"Now, then, begin again," said George, looking for Jack, the groom, tomarch slowly out from behind the high bookcase. As both bride and groomappeared, George played on a mouth-organ to delude the actors into abelief that it was a wedding-march.
Martha, with bowed head covered with a piece of heavy lacewindow-curtain, marched across the floor, and Anne followed, holding thetrain with one hand and scattering the stiff old hat-trimmings with theother. Jim had to walk beside her and carry the basket.
Old mammy couldn't contain herself--she chuckled at the sight, butquickly dodged out of the door the moment she realized that she would bediscovered.
Sharp ears had heard the amused giggle, however, and Anne turned quicklyto see who was at the door. As she did so, she stepped on Martha'sskirt, thus bringing the bride suddenly to a halt. Jim and Anne collidedwith Martha and the rehearsal almost ended disastrously for that day, asGeorge was disgusted, and Jack threw himself on a near-by lounge tolaugh.
But the lounge had both back legs broken off, unseen or unknown to thechildren, and when Jack's weight came against the upholstered back, thewhole piece toppled over backward, rolling the occupant over with it.
Jack yelled, George laughed, John dropped the heavy history book on histoe and cried, and the others stood in surprise waiting for Jack tocrawl out from under the lounge and appear again, this time with cobwebsand dust covering him.
Old mammy ran in at the clamor and helped the groom to his feet. Thenall stood and laughed at the outcome of the first rehearsal of the greatWashington-Custis wedding.
"Yoh mama says to come t' tea! Mammy-cook baked some fine choklate cakesfer yo' all," said mammy seriously.
The wedding party exchanged looks with each other and it was seen thatJim appeared to be most uncomfortable. He looked back of him and then athis granny, then at his companions-in-disgrace, but they seemed not tofeel the same dismay at a possible punishment such as Jim had reasons toanticipate.
Old mammy helped the wedding party free itself of the many andentangling articles of dress, and then they all hurried down to tea,regardless of mammy's pleading to wash and brush up.
In the library, both mothers were waiting and chatting when the juvenileparty rushed in. They never entered a room--it was either a mad rush fromthe hallway or a stealthy entrance through a window.
"Why, children! Haven't you been up in the bathroom washing and dressingafter the journey, and preparing to come down to tea?" asked Mrs. Davisin surprise.
"Oh, we prepared somewhat for tea, aunty, but not with soap and water,"replied Martha.
"What have you been doing all this time?--and here is John, too. How doyou do, John? Come here and meet George and Martha's aunt fromPhiladelphia," said Mrs. Parke sweetly.
As John shuffled over to shake hands with Mrs. Davis, a woolly headpeeped from between the folds of the velour portieres, where a leanlittle body was completely hidden. Jim felt that, as Hercules theman-servant, he had a right to watch the toothsome refreshmentsdisappear even if he couldn't partake of the same.
"Well, mother, we really hadn't a moment's time in which to wash anddress. We've visited the whole place, met John and Jim, and rehearsedfor the wedding. So, you see, we have been a bit crowded for time inwhich to brush up," explained Jack.
"Wedding? What wedding?" asked Mrs. Davis, in surprise.
Mrs. Parke thought she saw light, however, and turned to George. "Is theCustis wedding coming off soon?"
"Yes, but Martha says she won't marry me as Washington. She thinks Jacklooks better in the cocked hat," grumbled George.
"But looks never make the general!" laughed Mrs. Parke.
Then, turning to the still amazed guest, she explained.
"I have lately been reading the life of George Washington to thechildren and they have a great deal of fun playing the chapters as Iread them. Only they sometimes have very realistic fun--for instance whenthey burned down the old homestead, and again when they went on a surveytrip. Last week they had the dreadful battle between the French andBritish at Fort Duquesne, and as a result, our entire hedge is brokendown for more than thirty feet in length."
"Thank goodness, then, that history has reached the point where MarthaCustis subdues the fighting inclination of George," laughed Mrs. Davis.
The maid appeared with tea just then, and in the deep dish where so manytempting cakes had reposed in the early afternoon, there now were twolonely scorched cookies. Thin slices of buttered bread _without jam_,and hot waffles sugared but with _no honey_, caused consternation in allpresent.
"Katy, is there any jam?" asked Martha.
"Mammy say dat jam's goin' t' stay locked up fer anudder day!"
"Katy!" gasped Mrs. Parke. "What are these scorched cakes doing here?"
"Cook say ast Marse George an' Martha. Dey knows better'n we-all."
"Oh, yes, I remember, mother. When our cousins arrived they felt veryweak and hungry, so I suggested a little bite, to keep them up till teawas served. I found the dish of cookies the most convenient, and, notwishing to disturb the cook, who was busy, I insisted upon their havinga few," explained George.
And Martha hastily added: "Naturally, not wishing to make our visitorsfeel that they were giving us any trouble, we ate some cakes, too, tomake them feel at home."
"Well, the cakes felt very much at home, I'm sure!" laughed Mrs. Davis,who was accustomed to these escapades, as well as Mrs. Parke.
"But that need not deprive you ladies of the jam, you know!" hintedJack.
"Nor uv dis ice cream dat cook sent up fer de two ladies t' tek de placeuv dem cakes!" added Katy significantly, placing a deep dish of Frenchcream before each one of the ladies.
The children stared aghast at such partiality, and then looked at eachother, wondering if they would have had ice cream, had they not eatenthe cakes.
At the discovery that no cakes or jam were to be served at that tea, Jimsilently disappeared from the friendly portieres, and soon afterappeared in the culinary department, watching for an opportunity tosnatch a slice of bread and butter when his mammy's back was turned.And, oh joy! An apple was right there by the homely chunk of bread. Inanother moment Jim and the apple were gone, and when mammy turned to putthe apple in the barrel, the place knew it no more!