Wallace Author:Jacob Abbott Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Preparations for the party. The table in the summer-house. Chapter III. The Party. The next day Phonny and Malleville were in a state of great excitement ... more »all the morning, preparing for the party. There was a table spread with refreshments, in a sort of summer- house, which stood in the midst of a green yard. The refreshments were to consist of sandwiches, cake of two kinds, various pitchers of milk, plates of strawberries, with cream to put upon them, and other such things. The table was set in the forenoon, though the strawberries were not to be put in the plates, nor the milk into the pitchers, until just before the hour which was appointed for the collation. In the mean time, the strawberries were kept in two tin pails, under a seat in the summer-house, in a corner that was very cool, while the milk remained in the pans in the cellar. The summer-house had a table in the middle of it, and seats around, upon the sides. When the table had been set, and every thing had been properly arranged, the door was shut and The girla come to the party. They ramble about the house. locked, in order to keep all safe until the afternoon. The girls began to assemble about three o'clock in the afternoon. The two oldest were Caroline and Mary Bell. Malleville had wondered why, when they were writing the invitations, Wallace had not been as willing to write one for Caroline as for Mary Bell, for Caroline was a very pretty girl indeed, and very accomplished and agreeable. Mary Bell was more gentle, and silent, and still than Caroline. Malleville liked very much to hear Caroline talk, and to have her to come to her parties, she was so active in leading the plays; but after all, she loved Mary Bell the most, and was always happiest when she was sitting down, still, by her side. W...« less