Have you ever had a dolls’ tea-party?
Every mamma sat by her own doll, and as the food was passed each doll helped herself, but the poor mammas were like the little pig that had none, as they were not allowed to take a morsel; and to make it worse, what do you think those saucy dollies did? Have you ever had a dolls’ tea party? Then you remember how you held the food to your doll’s mouth, pretended to let her have some, and then gobbled it up yourself.
Well, that is just what happened here. Each doll held it to her mamma’s mouth, and, as she tried to take it, it vanished in the doll’s mouth in the most irritating manner. Every time Dinah passed the same performance followed, and how the dolls laughed!
The children grew hungrier every moment when they found those tempting viands were not for them. The ice cream looked so delicious! It was strawberry, and served in small salt-cellars; and then came that lovely angel food and jelly tarts. They coaxed and pleaded, but the dolls only said:
“That’s the way you treat us at your parties.”
Finally, when they were on the verge of tears, the dolls relented and Dinah brought in a fresh supply, which vanished very quickly, as everything was unusually good and the children were nearly starved.
When they had finished, they presented the dolls with the boxes of candy, and wound up with a merry game of hide-and-seek.