And Mrs. Colfax, throwing back her head, laughed merrily. When she recovered herself she exclaimed: "Why, John, I'll make the hats. It will only be a little bit of fun for me, and all the paper put together wouldn't cost a dollar."
"I know the fellows will just think you're a beaut—y." For it was very difficult for John not to use slang.
But Mrs. Colfax talked on regardless of her son's interruptions, and therefore it was that John learned that both the Longfellow and birthday schemes should unite in the supper-room.
"For example, The Children's Hour would appear in large letters over the mantel-piece. The letters could be cut out of card-board and covered with asparagus, which should be tacked on with green silk. Then candy could be twisted to represent a coil of rope, and a candy man to represent the Skipper. Another candy man would be called the Village Blacksmith, and a chocolate man the Black Knight, and so on. Tiny papers, similar in size to motto papers, should be glued at one end to these figures, thus introducing them. The large cakes should be iced around with flowers, for Longfellow wrote, 'Everywhere about us are they glowing,' and the ice-cream models should be as appropriate as the caterer could arrange. A ship would be a fine example; so would a bell, the Curfew Bell; an arrow, The Arrow and the Song; and a clock, The Old Clock on the Stairs.
"And the birthday feature, John, should be indicated by the flower for your month; you were born in March, therefore your birthday flower is violet. Violet-colored satin ribbon might be used to decorate the table, and potted palms, etc., could stand in violet crépon paper pots, but, nevertheless, real violets must show themselves as freely as we can afford them." And Mrs. Colfax smoothed back the hair from her son's forehead.
"I never knew that before."
"Never knew what?"
"That everybody had a birthday flower. What are the flowers for the other months?"
"April, daisies; May, hawthorn; June, roses; August, poppies; September, convolvulus; October, hops; November, chrysanthemums; December, holly; January, snow-drops; February, primroses."
"I like my flower best, don't you."