“I guess the cat pretty nearly did bust ’em,” remarked Pat laughing.
Poor Pete was cuddled and fussed over to his heart’s content. Pat offered to take him home for Chicken Little, and after much coaxing and scolding, Pete finally consented to hop on Pat’s arm and permit himself to be carried homeward.
The little girls went on to the party pink with excitement. They could hardly wait to tell of Pete’s adventure. Everybody wished they had brought the parrot with them. However, the doll contest soon absorbed their attention.
Chicken Little’s Victoria proved a great favorite, but Grace Dart’s Stella was beautiful to see in her rose pink silk. The children Oh-ed and Ah-ed over her hat and parasol.
Generous little Gertie worked hard for Victoria even going so far as to tell the children that Victoria was such a good doll—she most never cried. Katy was inclined to favor Stella. More than one little girl loyally voted for her own child. Others offered to vote for their friends’ dolls if they in turn would vote for theirs.
The dolls were examined and compared most critically. Many of the little mothers took the matter very much to heart and resented any criticism. Gertie picked her Minnie up and cuddled her tenderly after a thoughtless child had hurt dolly’s feelings by exclaiming, “What a homely doll!”
Chicken Little’s eyes shone as she saw the many admiring glances Victoria received. She naively showed her off, putting her to sleep and waking her up to display her blue eyes and long fringed lashes or making her cry “Mamma” when the other children asked to hold her. She looked at Stella a little enviously. It would be so nice to have Victoria get the prize. Jane had never had a prize except once in Sunday School for learning the most Scripture texts. May Halford was displaying the mysterious box wrapped in white paper that contained it and everyone was eager to know what it was.
Many were the guesses. Several children felt the box, but May kept the secret. Chicken Little looked at it longingly. It might be a hat and parasol like Stella’s—it might be a silk dress. She wished she knew.
When the little white slips of paper were finally passed around each little girl was asked to write the name of the doll she admired most and fold it up so no one could see. Jane looked sober. She was tempted to do something she felt would not be quite nice. She had firmly resolved to vote for Gertie’s doll because Gertie had been so sweet about Victoria, but suppose Victoria needed just one more vote to get the prize. Chicken Little bit the end of her pencil and thought hard. She looked at Gertie holding Minnie close with a wistful look in her eyes. Gertie would be sorely disappointed if Minnie didn’t get a single vote. Then she looked at Grace Dart, who was already putting on airs, and hardened her heart.
She moistened her pencil and wrote a big V, then paused and looked at Gertie again. Gertie was writing Victoria she could tell by the way she made the V. Jane closed her lips firmly.