And each one had a little birthday gift for her—flowers, fruit, confectionery or some trifle, the work of her own hands.
“Oh, girls,” cried Lulu, “I’m delighted to see you! It’s a surprise party to me. I wanted a party ever so much, but I didn’t know I was going to have it.”
“But Eva and I knew,” said Rosie, “it was told us as a great secret, and we’ve been in ever such a hurry to see how surprised and glad you’d be.”
The weather was delightful, the grounds were looking very lovely and inviting, every one preferred them to the house, and the day was spent in out of door sports, in some of which the captain joined, Max taking part also.
At dinner-time a table was set in a beautiful grove not far from the dwelling and spread with abundance of dainty and delicious viands, the children being unanimously of the opinion that it would be far pleasanter to eat there than within doors.
When their appetites had been fully satisfied, the captain gathered them about him in the shade of a beautiful magnolia, and entertained them with stories of seafaring life and foreign lands.
Then their sports were renewed.
They went into the bit of woods belonging to the estate and played hide and seek, and Poor Puss Wants a Corner among the trees.
The captain and Violet had left them for a time, having been summoned to the house to receive some callers, when a serious accident happened.
Rosie gave a sudden, piercing shriek, and cried out that a rattlesnake had bitten her. At the same instant several of the girls and Max also saw it gliding away through the grass. He seized a large stone, ran after and attacked it, while the frightened girls gathered round Rosie asking, “Where, where are you bitten?”