CHAPTER XI
SIX INVITATIONS
June came, and found the Dorrance Domain in full working order. Theexperiment seemed to be proving a complete success; and the six peoplewho lived in the big hotel were collectively and individually happy.
Grandma Dorrance realized that all was well, and gave the childrenabsolute liberty to do as they pleased from morning to night, feelinggrateful that the circumstances permitted her to do this. Besidesenjoying their happiness, the dear old lady was quite happy andcontented on her own account. The delightful bracing air made her feelbetter and stronger; and the entire freedom from care or responsibilityquieted her nerves.
Dorothy was complete mistress of the house. The responsibilities of thisposition had developed many latent capabilities of her nature, and shewas daily proving herself a sensible, womanly girl, with a real talentfor administration, and much executive ability. She was very kind toTessie, realizing that the Irish, girl had no friends or companions ofher own class around her; but Dorothy also preserved a certain dignifiedattitude, which became the relation of mistress and maid. She orderedthe household affairs with good judgment, and was rapidly becoming anexpert cook. This part of the domestic work specially appealed to her,and she thoroughly enjoyed concocting elaborate dishes for thedelectation of her family. Sometimes these confections did not turn outquite right; but Dorothy was not discouraged, and cheerfully threw awaythe uneatable messes, and tried the same difficult recipes again, untilshe had conquered them.
The flaw in Dorothy's character was an over self-confidence; but thiswas offset by her sunny good-humored disposition, and she gaily acceptedthe situation, when the others teased her about her failures.
The days passed like beautiful dreams. The family rose late, as therewas no special reason why they should rise early. The children spentmuch time on the water in their rowboats, and also renewed theiracquaintance with Captain Kane, who took them frequently for a littleexcursion in the _Mamie Mead_.
But perhaps best of all, Dorothy liked the hours she spent lying in ahammock, reading or day-dreaming.
She was fond of books, and had an ambition to write poetry herself. Thiswas not a romantic tendency, but rather a desire to express inbeautiful, happy language the joy of living that was in her heart.
She rarely spoke of this ambition to the others, for they did notsympathize with it, and frankly expressed very positive opinions thatshe was not a poet and never would be. Indeed, they said that Fairy hadmore imagination and poetic temperament then Dorothy.
Dorothy was willing to agree to this, for she in no way over-estimatedher own talent,--she was merely acutely conscious of her great desire towrite things.
So often for a whole afternoon she would lie in a hammock under thetrees, looking across the lake at the hills and the sky, andassimilating the wonderful beauty of it all. This dreamy side ofDorothy's nature seemed to be in sharp contrast to her practicalenergetic power of work; it also seemed incongruous with her intenselove of fun and her enjoyment of noisy, rollicking merriment.
But these different sides reacted on each other, and combined withDorothy's natural frankness and honesty, made a sweet and wholesomecombination. Had Dorothy been an only child, she might have been giventoo much to solitude and introspection; but by the counteractinginfluences of her diverting family, and her care of their welfare, shewas saved from such a fate.
One day she was suddenly impressed with a conviction that GrandmaDorrance must often feel lonely, and that something ought to be done togive her some special pleasure.
"We all have each other," said Dorothy to the other children, "butgrandma can't go chasing around with us, and she ought to have somebodyto amuse her, at least for a time. So I think it would be nice to inviteMrs. Thurston up here to spend a week with us."
Mrs. Thurston was a lifelong friend of Mrs. Dorrance's, and moreover wasa lady greatly liked by the Dorrance children.
"It would be very nice," said grandma, much gratified by Dorothy'sthoughtfulness; "I don't really feel lonely, you know; it isn't that.But I would enjoy having Mrs. Thurston here for a time, and I am sureshe would enjoy it too."
"Hooray for Mrs. Thurston!" shouted Leicester; "and say, Dot, I'd liketo have company too. S'pose we ask Jack Harris to come up for a fewdays. I'm the only boy around these parts, and I declare I'd like tohave a chum. Meaning no slight to my revered sisters."
"I want Gladys Miller," said Fairy. "The twins have each other, andDorothy has grandma, but I don't seem to have any little playmate, 'ceptMrs. Hickox, and she's so supernumerated."
They all laughed at this, but Dorothy said, "Why, we'll each invite oneguest. That's a fine idea! There's plenty of room, and as to the extrawork, if we all do a little more each day, it won't amount to much. I'llask Edith Putnam, and Lilian, of course, you'll want May Lewis."
"Yes, of course," cried Lilian; "I'd love to have May up here. I neveronce thought of it before."
"I'll tell you what!" exclaimed Leicester. "Now here's a reallybrilliant idea. Let Tessie invite some friend of hers too, and then shecan help you girls with the work."
"That _is_ a good idea," said Grandma Dorrance, approvingly. "We'd haveto have extra help, with so many more people, and if Tessie has anyfriend who would like to come for a week, it would be very satisfactory.Of course we will pay her wages."
"Wowly-wow-wow!" exclaimed Leicester; "won't we have rackets! I say,Dot, give Jack that other tower room, right over mine, will you? He'dlike it first-rate."
"Yes, and we'll give Mrs. Thurston that big pleasant room next tograndma's. Tessie and I will begin to-day to get the rooms ready."
"Hold on, sis, don't go too fast; you haven't had any acceptances yet tothe invitations you haven't yet sent!"
"No, but they'll all come fast enough; we'll each write to-day, andwe'll tell the people to get together, and all come up in a bunch," saidLilian. "I know May Lewis's mother wouldn't let her come alone, but withMrs. Thurston, it will be all right."
"And Captain Kane can bring the whole crowd up from the station," saidLeicester; "and we'll row down to the lock to meet them. And we'll haveflags and bonfires and Chinese lanterns for a celebration. There's lotsof Chinese lanterns up in one of the storerooms,--we'll just have to getsome candles. Jiminy! won't it be fun!"
"Perhaps it will be too hard on you, Dorothy," said Mrs. Dorrance;"doubling the family means a great deal of extra cooking, you know."
"Oh, that will be all right, grannymother; and perhaps the lady Tessieinvites will be able to help out with the cooking."
"Gladys's room must be next to mine," said Fairy, "so we can besociarbubble. I shall take her to see Mrs. Hickox the first thing, andshe'll proberly give us two gum-drops apiece."
Fairy's friendship with Mrs. Hickox was a standing joke in the family,and that lady's far from extravagant gifts of confectionery caused greathilarity among the younger Dorrances.
Full of their new project, they all flew to write their letters ofinvitation, and within an hour the six missives were ready, andLeicester volunteered to row over to Woodville with them. Tessie wasdelighted at the prospect, when Dorothy explained it to her.
"Shure, I'll ask me mother," she exclaimed; "she's afther bein' a finecook, Miss Dorothy, an' yez'll niver regret the day she comes. Indade,she can turn her hand to annythin'."
Although Tessie was a superior type of Irish girl, and usually spokefairly good English, when excited, she always dropped into a richbrogue which greatly delighted the children.
"Just the thing, Tessie; write for your mother at once, or I'll writefor you, if you like, and I hope she'll come up with the rest of them."
"Shure, she will, Miss Dorothy; she lives all alone an' she can come asaisy as not. An' she's that lonesome for me, you wouldn't believe! Och,but she'll be glad of the chance."
Feeling sure that most if not all of their guests would accept theinvitations, Dorothy, Lilian and Tessie,--more or less hindered byFairy, who tried hard to help,--spent the afternoon arrangin
g thebedrooms. It was a delightful task, for everything that was neededseemed to be at hand in abundance. The hotel when built, had been mostlavishly and elaborately furnished, even down to the smallest details.The successive proprietors had apparently appreciated the value of theappointments, and had kept them in perfect order and repair. Moreover,as their successive seasons had been a continuous series of failures,and few guests had stayed at the hotel, there had been little wear andtear.
Although Mrs. Hickox had not lost her grudging demeanor regarding hereggs and vegetables, yet Fairy was able to wheedle some flowers from hernow and then, with the result that the Dorrance Domain had assumed amost attractive and homelike general effect.
Of course, the individual rooms showed the taste and hobbies of theirseveral owners; while the large parlor which the family had come to useas a general living-room had entirely lost all resemblance to a hotelparlor, and had become the crowning glory of the Dorrance Domain. TheDorrances had a way of leaving the impress of their personality upon alltheir belongings; and since the big hotel belonged to them, it hadnecessarily grown to look like their home.
"I think," said Dorothy, "if they all come, it would be nicer to use thebig dining-room."
"And the little tables," cried Fairy; "two at each one, you know. Me andGladys at one, and Leicester and Jack at another, and grandma and----"
"Oh, no, Fairy," said grandma, "that wouldn't be nice at all. Itwouldn't even be polite. Use the big dining-room, if you wish, but letus all sit at one table. Surely, you can find a table big enough forten."
"Oh, yes," cried Leicester; "there are a lot of great big roundtable-tops in the storeroom. They're marked 'banquet tables'; one ofthose will be just the thing."
"What do you do with a table-top, if it doesn't have any legs?" askedFairy. "Do you put it on the floor, and all of us sit on the flooraround it, like turkeys?"
"I suppose you mean Turks," said Leicester, instructively; "but no, wedon't arrange it just that way. We simply put the big round table-top ontop of the table we are now using, and there you are!"
"It will be beautiful," said Dorothy. "I do love a round table. You canmake it look so lovely with flowers and things. I hope they'll allcome."
Dorothy's hopes were fulfilled, and every one of the six who wereinvited sent a delighted acceptance. Tessie's mother, perhaps,expressed the most exuberant pleasure, but all seemed heartily glad tocome.
They were invited for a week, and were expected to arrive one Thursdayafternoon at about four o'clock.
Vast preparations had been made, for every one was interested especiallyin one guest, and each made ready in some characteristic way.
Dorothy, as housekeeper, spent all her energies on the culinarypreparations. She delighted the heart of Mr. Bill Hodges by her generousorders, and she and Tessie had concocted a pantry-full of good thingsfor the expected visitors.
Lilian had put the hotel in apple-pie order, and given finishing touchesto the guests' rooms, and Fairy had performed her part by inducing Mrs.Hickox to let them have an extra lot of flowers. These flowers were allof old-fashioned varieties which grew luxuriantly in Mrs. Hickox'sgarden; and arranged with Lilian's exquisite taste, and by her deftfingers, they made really lovely decorations for parlor, dining-room andbedrooms.