All this while Ran was saying, “I say, Nan, this is jolly. Somehow I don’t see as much of you as I expected; you are always off somewhere with one of those older fellows. I suppose you are too grown-up to want to go around with anything under twenty-one. Girls always are grown up before boys, but never mind, I’ll get there.”
“What nonsense, Ran,” said Nan. “Of course age has nothing to do with it. We all roam around together. Nobody selects one in particular.”
“It seems to me there is a mighty good deal of twosing,” returned Ran.
“Have you chosen your costume?” asked Nan willing to change the subject.
“Not exactly. Wells wants us to come up this afternoon while you girls are at work on your things; then we can decide better.”
“I’m sure he will be able to make suggestions,” returned Nan. “With a twist or two of a bit of stuff he can make a thing look just right, and he has no end of odds and ends he keeps in an old chest.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt but we shall do,” replied Ran not any too well pleased to hear praise of the artist.
As was generally the case, more than her share fell to Nan’s lot. Her own dress turned out to be more intricate than she had expected, then there was Jean’s to see to. Moreover Jo got into a muddle over hers and came to Nan in despair to help her out, but by turning over the sewing of Jean’s to her mother, Nan managed to get all done, though it kept her busy every minute, yet she felt the result was worth the effort.
There was a great skirmishing about and running from one tent to the other after supper. Many shrieks of: “Don’t come in!” many suppressed giggles but at last all were ready to troop to the big cabin where Dr. Paul, who had arrived early, waited with Jo. The former was magnificent as a Roman senator in toga and laurel wreath while the latter was as saucy a Mother Goose as could be imagined, in towering hat, red cloak, red shoes with high heels, and under her arm a marvelous goose made of Canton flannel and stuffed with the newspapers gathered from the store. These had not proved nearly enough, so all sorts of things supplemented them, pine-needles, moss, excelsior, anything that could be gathered up. It was in the manufacture of the goose that Jo’s powers had failed, and when she called upon Nan for help, and it was Nan who stuffed and pinched and set a stitch here, gave a punch there till a goose of respectable proportions at last was triumphantly completed.
Bearing their gifts, the donors met on the porch. The older ladies had begged to be freed from any part in the procession, though Nan had made a Quakeress of her mother and a Martha Washington of her Aunt Helen, these costumes requiring but little trouble. With Miss Marshall and Miss Lloyd these constituted the audience, the chaperons, the girls called them.