“The Pilgrims made things ready for the later emigrants,” said Nancy. “But you do more complaining than we did.”
“Come now!” said Columbia, “I must have no quarreling under my Flag. The Stars and Stripes give peace and shelter to all kinds of children. Miss Pilgrim, you must welcome all the later pilgrims who come, as you did, with a good heart and a high purpose. Some of them need your gifts. But some of them bring gifts that you needed.”
“That is so,” said Nancy magnanimously. “I’ll try to remember. But who are these noisy creatures? I think you are entertaining a good many disorderly persons, Mother Columbia. You must look out!”
“They will have to obey my rules or they cannot stay at my party!” said Columbia. “But gaiety is not always disorder. It is sulkiness that is unsafest.”
“‘Gone with the raggle-taggle gypsies O!’” Voices singing, the click of bones and the twang of strings announced the arrival of two dancing, beribboned ones. Everybody but Doughboy applauded the two gypsies who now capered into the circle. Doughboy strongly disapproved of the Romany. Victor Lanfranc and Beverly had conspired very successfully. The tall Victor had managed to turn his old khaki uniform into gay apparel with the aid of ribbons and patches. Over his shoulder he wore Nancy’s red cape. He had borrowed Norma’s plaid sash and he had tied up his legs with crossed scarlet braid, instead of puttees. He looked very picturesque with his black mustache and a broad hat slouched over a red bathing cap.
Beverly had the corn-popper slung over her shoulder to represent a guitar, rubber bands stretched across it, twanging under her fingers. In a red table-cloth skirt, with a bath-towel apron and a scarlet sweater, and crowned with a waste-basket hat wreathed in daisies, she was a dashing Gipsy queen. There was a lull after their dance. “Let’s go now,” whispered Anne. “They are about all there now, I think.”
Making a swimming motion with their arms the two mermaids glided into the moonlight, and were greeted with various cries from the group. “Hurrah!” “Look at the Mermaids!” “Bravissima!” “Bow wow!”
Anne and Nelly swam around the group with their long tails trailing in a very effective fashion, to Doughboy’s great delight. Finally they dived down into the grass and lay shaking with laughter. For Doughboy had taken this as a special invitation to play. And their unrehearsed dive was the only way to stop his attachment to them.
“Welcome, Sea Ladies!” Columbia hailed them. “Old Ocean and his powers are the best friends of Columbia. She could not do without you.”
“They are dressed alike, only one is red and one is green,” said Freddie. “Are they lobsters, Mother?”