As soon as we got to the reception Mrs. Little said: “Now, you children run along and enjoy yourselves.”
Mamie said, right away: “Shall we get some ice cream first?”
I said that would be all right, because mebbe people wouldn't notice I was with Mamie Little and think I brought her. So we sat down at a table and a girl took our order and brought us strawberry and vanilla—big dishes—and passed us the cake and we took two pieces of cake apiece.
That was all right; but when we were eating Swatty and Bony came past and said: “Ho, Georgie! He brought a girl!”
That was all right for Bony! He had sneaked out of bringing a girl, and that was mighty mean, after he had gone and got me to bring one. I said I'd fix him when I got him, and he was scared, too! So then we ate our ice cream slow, to make it last longer, and I forgot how mean I felt because I had brought a girl, when whoever was opposite us got through and asked how much he owed.
“Let me see!” the girl said. “Two ice creams at ten cents is twenty cents, and two pieces of cake. That makes thirty cents.”
Well, I almost rammed my spoon down my throat! I had never thought about the cake being extra, and we had had four pieces, and that made twenty cents, and the ice cream was twenty cents so it made forty cents all together, and twenty-five cents was all the money I had! I was so scared my throat sort of closed up on me. I guess my face got as red as fire, and I leaned forward and took a big bite of cake, so Mamie Little would n't see how red my face was, and then I choked on the cake! I guess I never was so choked in my life. And I put a paper napkin up to my face and went out into the hall.
I guess Mamie Little sat there at the table; I don't know. As soon as I was out in the hall I knew what I was going to do. I squeezed in among the people and got to the door and skipped.
As soon as I got home my father asked me did I take Mamie Little home; so I didn't say anything. I went right upstairs to bed. After while my father came up and asked me again if I had gone home with Mamie Little, so I said I hadn't; I said I didn't want to. I said her folks could take her home if they wanted to. So Father said he had a mind to lick me; but he didn't. So I guess Mamie Little got home all right. It wouldn't have helped her home if my father had licked me, but that's the way fathers are.
The next morning, about four o'clock, me and Swatty and Bony went down to see the circus unload. We saw it. And then we went up to the circus grounds and saw the tent go up and everything. So Bony said: