“It’s not much use to go to bed, Father always gets up at six,” mourned Mamie.
A brilliant idea struck Katy. “Suppose we stay up all night. Grace Dart said she did once when her father was so sick, and she said it was the most wonderful thing to see the sun rise when you hadn’t been to bed at all.”
This proposal met with instant favor. They clambered out of bed and lit the small oil lamp, wrapping themselves in quilts and petticoats impartially, for the air was growing chilly. The next three hours were the longest any of the three had ever known. In spite of fortune telling, and a thrilling story which Mamie read in tragic whispers, the minutes shuffled along like hours. Yawns interrupted almost every sentence and much mutual prodding and sharp reproaches were necessary to keep their heavy eyes open. They were too sleepy to care whether the sun rose in the usual sedate way or pirouetted up chasing a star. In fact, they forgot all about the expected sunrise. They wanted just two things–sleep and something to eat.
The call to breakfast was even sweeter than the 157serenade had been. Father and Mother Jenkins were concerned at their jaded appearance.
“Seems like parties don’t agree with you young ones none too well. I reckon we won’t have them very often,” Father Jenkins remarked tartly. His own eyes smarted from loss of sleep.
“I don’t believe you ought to go to the picnic this afternoon if you are feeling so played out,” Mother Jenkins added. “Your Ma will think I haven’t taken good care of you. It was them good-for-nothing boys a-coming that wore you plumb out.”
Generous cups of strong coffee–a luxury not permitted to either Chicken Little or Katy at home–woke them up and they got through the morning nicely. Not for worlds would they have missed that picnic.
But even the coffee could not carry them through the afternoon. They were the butts of the entire party on account of their dullness and heavy eyes.
Ernest expressed his disgust with his sister openly. “Well, I think Mother’d better keep you at home till you’re old enough not to be such a baby.” Jane had been nodding in spite of herself.
“Looks to me as if you girls had stayed up all night!” exclaimed Grant Stowe.