8 Daisy’s Ball

CHAPTER 8 Daisy's Ball One day, the boys were all sitting around just waiting for something to happen when an invitation came from Daisy: Mrs. Shakespeare Smith would like to have Mr. John Brooke (Demi), Mr.

Thomas Banks (Tommy), and Mr. Nathaniel Blake (Nat) come to her ball at three o'clock today. P.S. Nat must bring his fiddle so we can dance, and all the boys must behave, or they cannot have the goodies we have cooked. After a careful inspection of the paper, Tommy said, "The girls have been cooking lots of goodies. I've smelled them. Why don't we go?" "I've never been to a ball. What do you do?" Nat asked. "Oh, we'll just play at being gentlemen and dance to please the girls. Then we can eat the goodies," Tommy said. "I'll write and say that we'll come," Demi replied and quickly jotted down:

We will all come. Please have lots to eat. —J.B., Esquire. Meanwhile, Daisy and Nan were nervously buzzing about the nursery, preparing for the ball. "Demi and Nat will be good, I know they will. But Tommy will do something bad. He always does, even though he doesn't mean to," Nan said. Daisy set the table and looked around at all the treats they had prepared in her little kitchen. "I shall send him away if he does, and we'll never ask him again." When the table was finished, both girls got into their costumes. As the lady of the house, Daisy's outfit was plain—only a red night cap with a bow to cover her head. Nan wore a wreath of artificial flowers, a pair of old pink slippers, a yellow scarf, a green muslin skirt, and a fan made of feathers from the duster. She said, "I'm more dressed up 'cause I'm the

daughter and you are the mother. I'll dance and talk more than you. The mothers only get the tea and have to be proper." Just then, a loud knock on the nursery door signaled that it was time for the party to begin. The door opened and there stood the boys wearing paper collars, tall black hats, and unmatched gloves of every color and material! "Good day, ma'am," Demi said in a very low voice that was hard to keep without hurting his throat. Everyone shook hands and then sat down looking so serious that the boys broke out in laughter. "Oh, please don't," Daisy said.

Nan added, "You shall never come again if you keep laughing at us." Tommy giggled. "I can't help it. You look so funny." "So do you," Nan replied, "but I won't be so rude as to say so. You'll have to leave if you can't be nice, right Daisy?" Wanting to keep the peace, Daisy said to Nat, "Why don't you get your fiddle, and we'll have our dance now." The boys protested and asked to have dinner first, hoping to be able to leave before the dancing began, but they had no such luck. As Nat played, the two couples did the best they could, with the girls tripping over their costumes and the boys taking the wrong step more often than the right one. When they were all out of breath, the group sat back down at the table, and Daisy served everyone molasses and water. Tommy helped himself to nine cups!

"Now you need to ask Nan to sing," Daisy whispered to Demi. He cleared his throat, dropped his voice, and said politely, "How about a song?" Nan sprung into action and promptly sang three pretty songs for the boys, who clapped with great energy when she finished. "Now we shall have the meal," Daisy said as she proudly served up the custard she had made. It was so runny that they ended up having to drink it. Then it was time for the final course: raisin tarts. Only they were missing! "You've got them, Tommy. I know you do," Nan said. "I haven't." "I can see them in your pockets!" she shouted. "Come on, let's give them back," Demi said. But Tommy wouldn't have it—it was too much fun to keep them. Nat, who had been enjoying himself a great deal, pounced forward and started to chase Tommy around the room. Soon there