CHAPTER XVII
A JINKS AUCTION
At last the day came when Marjorie was allowed to go home.
Doctor Mendel had had a most thorough fumigation and disinfection, andall danger was over. The little boy was convalescent, and there was nolonger any reason why Midget or Mr. Spencer should be exiled from theirhomes.
And so, liberated from her prison, Midget flew, across the street, andinto the arms of her waiting family.
"Mother first!" she cried, as they all crowded round, but so mixed up didthe Maynards become, that it was one grand jumble of welcoming hugs andkisses.
"Oh, I'm _so_ glad to be home again," Marjorie cried, as she looked aboutthe familiar living-room. "It seems as if I'd been away years."
"Seems so to me, too," said Kitty, who had greatly missed her sister."Mother, aren't we going to celebrate Mopsy's coming home?"
Now "celebration" in the Maynard household, always meant dress-up frocks,and ice cream for dessert.
"Of course," said Mrs. Maynard, smiling; "fly upstairs, girlies, and getinto some pretty dresses, and then fly down again, for father's cominghome early."
So Midge and Kitty flew, and King scampered to his room also, and Mrs.Maynard gave the baby over to Nurse Nannie for a clean frock, while sheherself telephoned for the ice cream. And to the order she added cakesand candied fruits and other dainties, until it bade fair to be acelebration feast indeed.
Marjorie, delighted to be in her own room once more, chattered rapidly,as she and Kitty dressed, and tied ribbons, and hooked waists for eachother.
"Delight is an awfully nice girl, Kitsie," she was saying. "I didn't likeher so much at first, but as we were together so much I grew to like herbetter."
"Is she as nice as Gladys?"
"In some ways she is. She's more fun than Glad about playing games. Sheloves to play pretend, and Gladys wasn't much good at that. But, ofcourse, I'm more fond of Glad, she's my old friend. Delight is nice for aneighbor though."
Dressed in a white serge, with pipings and bows of scarlet velvet, hercheeks glowing red with the joyous excitement of getting home, and hereyes dancing with happiness, Marjorie flew downstairs just in time totumble into the arms of her father, who was entering the hall door.
"Why, bless my stars!" he exclaimed; "who in the world is this?"
"Your long-lost daughter!" said Midge, nestling in his big, comfortableembrace.
"No! Can it be? This great big girl! Why, how you've grown! Andyet,--yes, it is! my own Marjorie Mischief Mopsy Midget Maynard! Well, I_am_ glad you're back where you belong!"
"So'm I! I tell you Father Maynard, it was awful hard to stay away solong."
"I know it, girlie, and I hope it won't happen again. But you know, 'intoeach life some rain must fall.'"
"And I did have a good time, too," went on Midge. "Isn't it funny,Father, how you can have a good time and a bad time both at once."
"Quite comic, I should say. Now, let me get my coat off, and then we'lltalk matters over."
Marjorie skipped into the living-room, and plumped herself down on thesofa. Kitty and King sat close on either side, and Rosy Posy climbed intoher lap and lovingly patted her face.
The four made a pretty group, and as Mrs. Maynard came in and saw them,she said:
"Well, I'm glad my quartette is whole again; it's been broken so long."
The dinner was a celebration for fair. Aside from the delicious things toeat, everybody was so gay and glad over Marjorie's return, that all waslaughter and jollity.
"How different our two families are," said Midge, thoughtfully; "here weare having such fun and frolic, and the Spencers are just having anevery-day, quiet dinner."
"Aren't they glad the sickness is all over?" asked Kitty.
"Yes, of course. But they never 'celebrate.' I guess they don't know howvery well. And Mrs. Spencer is very quiet. Much noise makes her headache."
"Mr. Spencer was awful quiet, too," said King. "He hardly ever laughedall the time he was here. Except the night we wrote the valentines. Thenhe laughed, cause we made him write poetry and he couldn't."
"Well, they're nice people," said Midge, "but awful different from us.I'm glad I'm a Maynard!"
"I'm glad you are!" said her father.
The next day Mrs. Maynard announced her intention of going over to seeMrs. Spencer, and thanking her for her care of Marjorie.
"But it does seem funny," said Midge, "to thank her for keeping me there,when I couldn't possibly get away! But she was good to me, though reallyshe didn't pay very much attention to me. But I s'pose that was 'causeshe was so bothered about the little sick boy. But, Mother, do thank MissHart, too. She was lovely; and she put herself out lots of times, to makeit pleasant for Delight and me. Give her plenty of thanks, will you,Mother?"
"Yes, Midget; and what about Delight?"
"Oh, yes, thank her too. She was kind and pleasant,--only,--well, itseems mean to say so,--but, Mother, she is a little selfish. I didn'tmind, really; only I don't think it's quite nice to be selfish to aguest."
"Perhaps not, Mar; one; but neither is it nice to criticise your littlehostess."
Marjorie flushed. "I didn't mean to, Mother," she said; "but I thought itdidn't count when I'm just talking to you."
"That's right, dearie; always say anything you choose to Mother, butdon't criticise Delight to anybody else."
"No, Mother, I won't," and Midge gave her mother one of her biggest"bear-hugs" and then wandered off in search of Kitty.
"What are you doing, Kit?" she said, as she found her sister sitting onthe big hall settle, looking out of the window.
"Waiting for Dorothy. She's coming this afternoon, and we're going toplay paper dolls."
Marjorie must have looked a little disappointed, for Kitty said:
"Say, Mops, why don't you take Delight for your friend in Glad's place?It's so nice to have a friend all your own."
"I know it is, Kit," and Midget sat down beside her sister, "but somehowit seems sort of mean to put anybody in Gladys's place."
"Oh, pshaw! it doesn't either. And when Glad is so far away, too. Shedoesn't even write to you, does she?"
"She sent me a valentine."
"Well, but when has she written?"
"Not for a long time. But that doesn't matter. She's my friend, and I'mnot going to put anybody else in her place."
Kitty grew exasperated at this foolishness, as it seemed to her, andsaid:
"Well, then don't put her in Glad's place. Keep her old place empty. Buttake Delight as a sort of, what do you call it? Substitute friend, andlet her come over here to play, same as Dorothy comes to play with me."
"I'd like to do that," said Midge. "I'm awfully glad to have Delight withme, and I know she likes me."
"Then go and telephone her now. Ask her to come over, and play."
"No, not now, 'cause mother is over there, and I'd rather wait till shecomes home. Let's all play together to-day."
"All right; here comes Dorothy now."
Dorothy Adams came in, very glad to see Midget again, whom she likedalmost as much as she did Kitty. She took off her things, and the girlsdrifted into the living-room, where King sat reading.
He had a band of red ribbon round his head, in which were stuck a dozenlarge turkey feathers, giving him a startling appearance.
"What's the feathers for?" asked Dorothy, looking at the boy inamazement.
"Why, you see, I'm reading one of Cooper's stories," King explained, "andI can sort of feel the Indian part of it better if I wear some feathers."
"Come on and play," said Midget; "shall we play Indians?"
"No," said Kitty, promptly, "it's too rough and tumbly when we play it inthe house. Let's play a pretend game."
"Aren't we going to have the Jinks Club any more?" asked Dorothy. "Wehaven't had it since the Fultons went away."
"Too few of us," said King; "we four, that's all."
"We might ask Delight to belong," said Marjorie, "she can cut up jinkswhen
she feels like it."
"All right, do;" said King, "let's have Flossy Flouncy; and I'll ask FlipHenderson, he's heaps of fun. Then we'll have six, just like we hadbefore."
"I don't like to put people in the Fultons' place," said Marjorie,dubiously.
"Now, look here, Midge, that's silly!" said King. "We can't help it thatthe Fultons moved away, but that's no reason we shouldn't have anybody toplay with. Let's telephone for our two new members right now, and beginthe club all over again."
After a little more argument Marjorie consented, and she telephoned forDelight to come over, and then King telephoned for Frederick Henderson,better known by the more euphonious name of Flip. Both accepted, and inless than half an hour the Jinks Club was in full session. The newmembers had been elected by the simple process of telling them that theywere members, and they gladly agreed to the rules and regulations of thesomewhat informal club.
"We just cut up jinks," exclaimed Marjorie, "but they have to be goodjinks, for bad jinks are mischief, and we try to keep out of that."
"It sounds lovely," said Delight; "I always wanted to belong to a club,but I never have before. Can't we cut up a jink, now?"
"You must say 'cut up jinks,' Flossy Flouncy," said King, smiling at thepretty, eager face. "You can't cut 'em by ones."
"Well, cut some, and show me how."
"I believe you think we cut 'em with scissors, like paper dolls," saidMarjorie, laughing.
She was really very glad to have Delight with her again, for she hadbecome more attached than she realised to the little girl during theirfortnight together.
"Show me," repeated Delight, with an air of willingness to learn.
"All right; let's have a good one. What shall it be, Mops?"
King looked at his sister with such evident faith in her power ofinventiveness, that the others all looked at her too. Marjorie lookedround the room.
"I'll tell you!" she cried, as a brilliant idea came to her, "we'll playauction."
"Hooray!" cried King, grasping the plan at once. "Sell everything we canmove."
"Yes," cried Mops. "Where is the auction room?"
"This end of the room is the auction room," King, indicating nearly halfof the long living-room. "Now, Flip and I are auctioneers and you ladiesare in reduced poverty, and have to bring your household goods to besold."
Delight and Kitty at once saw dramatic possibilities, and flew to dressfor their parts. An afghan for a shawl, and a tidy for a bonnet,contented Kitty, but on Delight's head went a fluffy lamp mat, stuckthrough with four or five of the turkey quills discarded from King'shead-dress.
Mops and Dorothy followed this lead, and soon four poverty-strickenladies, carrying household treasures, timidly entered the auction-room.
"What can I do for you, madam?" said King, as Delight showed him a bronzestatuette.
"I have lost all my fortune, sir," responded Delight, sobbing in a waythat greatly pleased her hearers; "and I fear I must sacrifice my fewremaining relics of my better days."
"Ah, yes, madam. Sorry to hear of your ill luck. Just leave thestatuette, ma'am, we have an auction to-morrow or next week, and we'llget what we can for it."
"It's a priceless work of art," said Delight, still loudly weeping, "andI don't want less than five thousand dollars for it."
"Five thousand dollars, madam! A mere trifle for that gem! I'll get tenthousand for you, at least!"
"Ten thousand will do nicely," said Delight, giggling at last at King'spompous air.
Then Marjorie came bringing a large frilly sofa pillow.
"This is my last pillow," she said, in quavering tones. "I shall have tosleep on a brickbat tonight; but I must have bread for my children toeat. There are seven of them, and they haven't had a mouthful for twoweeks."
"Oh, that's nothing!" responded Flip, airily. "Children ought not to befed oftener than every three weeks anyway. I hate over-fed children. Itmakes them so cross."
"So it does," agreed Kitty. "But my children are never cross, 'cause Ifeed them on honey. I've brought a bust of Dante to have sold by auction.It's a big one, you see, and ought to bring a good price."
"Yes, it will, madame, I'm sure. Haven't you anything more to leave?"
"Yes, here's an umbrella, and a waste basket, and some books. They're allvaluable but I have so much treasures in my house, I don't need these."
"Hurry up," put in Dorothy, "and give me a chance. I've brought thesepictures," showing some small ones she had lifted from their nails in thewall, "and also this fine inkstand. Look out and don't spill the ink Alsohere's a vase of flowers, flowers and all. Look out and don't spill thewater."
"You seem to bring spilly things, ma'am," said King, taking the goodscarefully. "But we'll sell them."
Each girl trudged back and forth a few times until most of the portablethings in the room were piled up on the table and sofa at the end wherethe boys were, and then the auction was prepared.
The boys themselves had taken down many of the larger pictures from theirhooks, and the room looked, on the whole, as if a cyclone had struck it.
"They ought to be numbered," said Flip, stepping gingerly about among thethings.
"Hold on a minute! I've got it!" shouted King, and rushed upstairs at topspeed.
He returned with a large calendar, two or three pairs of scissors and apaste-pot.
"Cut 'em out," he directed, giving each girl a page of the calendar.
The numbers were large, more than an inch square, and soon lots of themwere cut out. These, the boys pasted on all the goods for sale, makingthem look like real auction goods.
"Won't it hurt the things?" asked Delight, who was not used to suchhigh-handed performances.
"'Course not! They'll wash right off. Now the auction will begin. Now,you must be rich ladies, different ones, you know."
"Here you are!" cried King, who was auctioneer by common consent; "hereyou are! number 24! a fine large statuette by one of the old masters.What am I bid for this?"
"Fifty cents," said Dorothy.
"Fifty cents! Do you mean to insult me, madame! Why, some old masterssell as high as fifty dollars, I can tell you! Who will bid higher?"
"One hundred dollars!" called out Delight, and the bronze statuette wasdeclared her property.
Then other goods were put up, and, in order to make the play progressmore quickly, two auctioneers were set to work, and King and Flip wereboth calling their wares and the bids at once.
Naturally, the bidders grew very excited. A large picture was hotlycontested, Kitty bidding against Delight, while on the other block, thebig inkstand was being sold. Somehow the wire of the picture becametangled round the auctioneer's foot, he stepped back and bumped into theother auctioneer who lost his balance, and fell over, inkstand and all.The heavy inkstand fell on the picture, breaking the glass, and soakingthe paper engraving with ink. Much of the ink, too, went on Flip, whograbbed for it in a vain endeavor to save the situation.
The two boys laughingly straightened themselves out of their own mix up,but their laughter ceased when they saw that real damage had been done.
"Oh, dear!" said Marjorie, "this is a bad jinks after all!"
"Never mind, Mopsy," said King, magnanimously, "it wasn't your fault. Itwas mine."
"No, it was mine," said Midge, "for I proposed playing auction. I mighthave known we'd play it too hard."
"Never mind," said Kitty, "the company didn't have anything to do withthe trouble, and we mustn't make them feel bad."
"I did," said Dorothy, "I brought the inkstand to the auction. I ought tohave known better."
"Never mind who's to blame," said King, "let's straighten things out. Thegame is over."
Good-naturedly, they all went to work, and soon had everything back inits place. The broken and spoiled picture was stood behind the sofa, faceto the wall, to be confessed to mother later.
"Now we're all in shape again," said King, looking proudly about thecleared up room. "Any nice little jinks to eat, Midgie?"
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"I'll ask Sarah. She'll find something."
She did, and soon a large tray of cookies and lemonade refreshed themembers of the Jinks Club, after which the visiting members went home.