“Yes, I know it; and Clifford is an awful nice boy, but just so sure as I want him he wants to be going somewhere else. Still, he’s pretty good to me. Oh, what lovely marshmallows! are you going to toast them on hat-pins?”
“Good guesser!” cried Patty, “that’s exactly what we’re going to do, and we’re going to do it right now. I’ll toast yours, Editha, and pop them into your mouth, so you won’t get your fingers sticky.”
“No, thank you,” said Editha, rolling up her work; “half the fun is in the toasting. Let’s all do it together.”
“We didn’t wear any hats,” said Adelaide, “so we haven’t any hat-pins with us.”
“That’s one of the disadvantages of living in the same hotel, after all,” said Clementine; “of course having no hat-pins, you can’t be in the toasting party at all.”
But Grandma came to the rescue with some knitting-needles, and soon four laughing girls with very red cheeks were sitting on the floor in front of the fire, and the marshmallows were rapidly disappearing. The chestnuts were voted to be nearly as much fun as the confections, and the feast was at its height when the doorbell rang and Kenneth Harper was announced.
“Oh, Ken!” cried Patty, scrambling to her feet, “I’m so glad to see you. We’re having a roasting and toasting party, and it’s lucky you came before it’s all eaten up.”
Kenneth shook hands with Patty, and then politely greeted Grandma Elliott, who was always glad to welcome the boy.
Then he was presented to the girls, and in a few minutes the young people were chattering like friendly and well-acquainted magpies.
Patty, quite in her element, hovered round the tea-table and made tea in her usual successful fashion. Grandma produced a surprise in the shape of dear little frosted cakes, and the healthy young appetites did full justice to all these things.