Part 20 (2/2)

”Well, I'm going to get the tables ready,” Sue said. ”I'm going to pick some flowers for them.”

Aunt Lu, with the help of the cook, had made the wooden tables, which were boards over boxes. White cloths were now spread on them, for it was nearly time for the party. The things to eat would not be set out until the party guests came.

Sue loved flowers, and she picked them from the fields and woods whenever she saw any to gather. Not far from the Brown home, in fact in the next lot to the lawn, was a field in which grew daisies, b.u.t.tercups, clover and other wild flowers.

Sue picked many of these, and then she and Aunt Lu put them in pitchers and vases of water, and set them on the tables. There were two tables, one for the girls and one for the boys.

Bunny had asked that this be done.

”'Cause the girls will bring their dolls to the table,” he said, ”and we fellows don't want to eat with a lot of dolls.”

”Oh, you funny boy!” laughed his mother, but she had let him have his way. So Aunt Lu and Sue had two tables to decorate with flowers.

While they were doing this Bunny was trying to make another harness for Splash, so the dog could pull the express wagon with the little boy in it. But Bunny did not have very good luck, or else Splash pulled too strongly, for one harness after another broke, until Bunny gave up.

”I'll save my money and buy a harness at the store,” he said.

”There, I think we have flowers enough, Sue!” exclaimed her aunt, as she looked at the tables. Indeed they were very pretty, and they would look even better when the dishes, and the good things to eat, were put on.

”Isn't it 'most time?” asked Bunny, after a bit. ”I'm getting hungry.”

”Oh, you must wait for the company,” his mother told him. ”They will soon be here.”

And, a little later, Sadie West and Helen Newton came. When they saw how pretty the flowers looked on the table they exclaimed:

”Oh, how nice!”

”Where is Splash?” asked Sadie. ”I've brought him a bone,” and so she had, all wrapped in waxed paper from the inside of a cracker package, and on the bone, just as she had promised, was a pink ribbon.

”Here, Splas.h.!.+ Splas.h.!.+” called Bunny, who had given up trying to make his pet pull the express wagon.

The dog came running up from the far end of the yard.

”See what Sadie has brought for your party!” laughed Bunny.

Splash took the bone, but the ends of the ribbon got up his nose and he sneezed in the queerest way, which made the children laugh.

”I guess Splash doesn't like too much style,” said Sadie, who was older than Bunny and Sue.

”I wonder how he'll like my dog-biscuit,” remarked Helen Newton, as she unwrapped it from the paper. ”I put a red bow on it. Do you like red better than pink, Splash?”

The dog, who was gnawing the bone Sadie had brought him, looked up and wagged his tail. He must have thought it was fine to have so many good things to eat, even though he did not understand about the party. He sniffed at the dog-biscuit, which is a sort of cake, with ground-up meat, and other good things in it that dogs like. Then Splash would gnaw a little on the bone, and, afterward, nibble at the hard biscuit.

”Well, Splash is enjoying himself anyhow,” said Aunt Lu, as she came out to begin setting the tables.

Soon after this a number of the boys and girls came. There were ten girls and six boys, though ten boys had been invited. But though all the girls came to the party given for Splash, all the boys did not. It often is that way at parties; isn't it? More girls than boys. But the boys don't know what fun they sometimes miss.

”Play some games, children,” said Mrs. Brown. ”Run about and play, and then it will be time to eat. Aunt Lu and I will put on the cake, and other goodies.”

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