"I really can't have so many unsightly objects on the lawn," she said. "I can patiently endure two, but three are a little too many. People will have an idea that part of Chinatown has moved up into our grounds."
Li Hung, ever ready with gifts, had given each of the twins a Chinese doll which they named respectively Ming and Li Hung. There was much altercation over the virtues of these two dolls, Jean insisting that her Ming was superior to Jack's Li Hung, but this dispute was not serious and life under the tepees was very happy. Sometimes Nan, in a fit of childishness, joined in their plays, taking the summer-house for her home and calling it Roseville, while the twins' place of residence she dubbed Gunny-town. Many a wonderful feast was spread under the tepees when oranges in various forms served as the principal dish and lemonade made a cheap and refreshing drink for both oranges and lemons were to be had for the gathering. Nan was inspired with a desire to make orange-flower water and after some difficulty was able to get a recipe. She bent all her energies to the work of preparing it and did actually turn out something fairly palatable. She attempted orange marmalade, too, but Li Hung could make so much better preserves that Nan's marmalade was seldom used except at the garden feasts.
It was Nan, too, who was the one to inaugurate a weekly ceremonial the first of which she called "The Feast of Roses." To this affair each of the family received an invitation written on rose-colored paper. To it was pinned a rose. The invitation ran as follows: "You are honorably bidden to the Feast of Roses at the sign of the Golden Buds, Roseville, this afternoon at four o'clock."
"What is Nan up to now?" asked Mrs. Corner as Jean handed her the note.
"It's a great feast," said Jean importantly.
"Some of Nan's make believes that she so delights in," said Miss Helen.
"But where is the Golden Bud?" Mrs. Corner asked Jean.
"You will know it by the golden buds over the door," said Jean, not too willing to spoil Nan's mysteries.
"It's in the summer-house, I imagine," said Miss Helen as Jean went out. "We must be sure to go, Mary, or they will be dreadfully disappointed."
Promptly at four o'clock the two ladies appeared at the door of the little summer-house. "How pretty!" exclaimed Miss Helen as she put her head inside. The place was hung with small rosy lanterns and at each place was a big pink rose in the centre of which was burning a tiny candle. In the glass bowl of lemonade were floating rose-leaves, little rosebuds bordered the cake on the table and the tea-cups were white with a pattern of roses. The fragrant tea Li Hung had presented, telling Nan that it was such as his countrymen used and that it was "Heap much good." The cake, too, he had made. There were sandwiches of crackers between which were pressed rose-leaves and there was a dish of candied rose-leaves. The girls were all in pink with roses pinned on their frocks.