"Her aunt—she hasn't any mother, you know—is going to take her home. She doesn't want to go; but she can't help herself."
"Dat's too bad," sympathized Dave. "W'ich of dose ees hees aunt?"
Jean pointed out Aunty Jane—a middle-aged, unattractive lady, who sat bolt upright when everybody else loafed in comfortable, camp-y attitudes.
"Yas, Ah'm see dose old gal biffore," admitted disrespectful Dave, eying Aunty Jane's stiff, unconscious back reflectively. "Ah'm not lak' dose kind of lady ver' moch—she ees tole me for take som' bat'."
Even Marjory smiled forlornly at the idea of Dave's taking a bath. But smiles did not last long that day. In spite of all the good things that came in baskets and bundles, in spite of a big box of candy that Saunders had included for Mabel and Henrietta, and inscribed "With the Game Warden's Compliments," the sympathetic little girls were very unhappy at the thought of losing Marjory. They had always played together; and now they were absolutely certain that they couldn't have good times during the rest of their stay with no Marjory to help enjoy them. As for Marjory, that small maiden was shedding so many tears that Mabel feared there would soon be nothing left of her unhappy little friend. And by afternoon even the grown-ups were thoroughly vexed by Aunty Jane's obstinacy.
"Oh, we all know," said Mrs. Bennett to Mrs. Tucker, who sat under a tree, letting down a skirt for Bettie, "that Aunty Jane means well; she'd work her fingers to the bone for Marjory; but a real mother wouldn't be a—a——"
"Vinegar cruet," supplied Doctor Bennett.
"She has completely spoiled the day," declared Mrs. Tucker, "for all those children; and we meant to give them a pleasant surprise."
"Poor Aunty Jane couldn't be a pleasant surprise," protested Mrs. Bennett, "but we mustn't blame her—she didn't pick out her unfortunate disposition. We'll just have to be extra cheerful ourselves this afternoon to make up for her unpleasantness."
But no one succeeded in being "extra cheerful," when there was so much gloom to dispel; to the children, especially, the day seemed absolutely spoiled in spite of much unexpected and rather amusing sympathy from Dave, who plainly considered going home with Aunty Jane an unmixed calamity.