"Why, I have a party!" said Mrs. Franklin, smiling, as she welcomed the last comer.
"Yes, His Grand, it is a party," said Ruth. "Now you may know, since they are here, and you cannot stop it. I invited them all myself, late this afternoon; and it is a molasses-candy-pulling; Dolly and I have arranged it. We did not tell you beforehand, because we knew you would say it was sticky."
"Sticky it is," replied Mrs. Franklin.
"Vilely sticky!" added Etheridge, emphatically.
"And then we knew, also, that you would say that you could not get up a supper in so short a time," Ruth went on. "But Zoe has had her sister to help her, and ever so many nice things are all ready; chicken salad, for instance; and—listen, His Grand—a long row of macaroon custards, each cup with three macaroons dissolved in madeira!" And then she intoned .ning in from her easy-chair:
| "Mother Franklin thinks, |
| That General Jackson, |
| Jared the Sixth, |
| Macaroon custards, |
| And Bishop Carew, |
| Are per-fec-tion!" |
"What does she mean by that?" said Chase to Miss Billy.
"Oh, it is only one of their jokes; they have so many! Dear Mrs. Franklin was brought up by her father to admire General Jackson, and Dolly and Ruth pretend that she thinks he is still at the White House. And Jared the Sixth means her son, you know. And they say she is fond of macaroon custards; that is, fondish," added Miss Billy, getting in the "ish" with inward satisfaction. "And she is much attached to Bishop Carew. But, for that matter, so are we all."
"A Roman Catholic?" inquired Chase.