Bessie at the Sea-Side

by Joanna H. Mathews

  XVI.

  _THE BIRTHDAY PRESENTS._

  The tenth of August was Maggie's birthday. She would be seven yearsold, and on that day she was to have a party. At first, Mrs. Bradfordhad intended to have only twenty little children at this party, butthere seemed some good reason for inviting this one and that one, untilit was found that there were about thirty to come.

  Maggie begged that she might print her own invitations on some of thepaper which Grandpapa Duncan had sent. Mamma said she might try, butshe thought Maggie would be tired before she was half through, andshe was right. By the time Maggie had printed four notes, her littlefingers were cramped, and she had to ask her mother to write the restfor her. Mrs. Bradford did so, putting Maggie's own words on Maggie'sand Bessie's own stamped paper. Maggie said this was Bessie's partyjust as much as hers, and the invitations must come from her too. Sothey were written in this way.

  "Please to have the pleasure of coming to have a party with us, on Tuesday afternoon, at four o'clock.

  "MAGGIE AND BESSIE."

  Among those which Maggie had printed herself, was one to Colonel andMrs. Rush.

  "What do you send them an invitation for?" said Fred. "They wont come.The colonel can't walk so far, and Mrs. Rush wont leave him."

  "Then they can send us a _refuse_," said Maggie. "I know the colonelcan't come, but maybe Mrs. Rush will for a little while. We're going toask them, anyhow. They'll think it a great discompliment if we don't."

  Such busy little girls as they were on the day before the birthday! Thedolls had to be all dressed in their best, and the dolls' tea thingswashed about a dozen times in the course of the morning. Then Bessiehad a birthday present for Maggie. She had been saving all her moneyfor some time to buy it. Papa had bought it for her, and brought itfrom town the night before. Every half-hour or so, Bessie had to runand peep at it, to be sure it was all safe, taking great care thatMaggie did not see.

  They went to bed early, that, as Maggie said, "to-morrow might comesoon," but they lay awake laughing and talking until nurse told them itwas long past their usual bedtime, and they must go right to sleep.

  The next morning Bessie was the first to wake. She knew by the lightthat it was very early, not time to get up. She looked at her sister,but Maggie showed no signs of waking.

  "Oh, this is Maggie's birthday!" said the little girl to herself. "Mydear Maggie! I wish she would wake up, so I could kiss her and wish hera happy birthday. 'Many happy yeturns,' that's what people say whenother people have birthdays. I'll say it to Maggie when she wakes up.But now I'll go to sleep again for a little while."

  Bessie turned over for another nap, when her eye was caught bysomething on the foot of the bed. She raised her head, then satupright. No more thought of sleep for Bessie. She looked one moment,then laid her hand upon her sleeping sister.

  "Maggie, dear Maggie, wake up! Just see what somebody brought here!"

  Maggie stirred, and sleepily rubbed her eyes.

  "Wake up wide, Maggie! Only look! Did you ever see such a thing?"

  Maggie opened her eyes, and sat up beside Bessie. On the foot of thebed--one on Maggie's side, one on Bessie's--were two boxes. On eachsat a large doll--and such dolls! They had beautiful faces, waxenhands and feet, and what Bessie called "live hair, yeal live hair."They were dressed in little white night-gowns, and sat there beforethe surprised and delighted children as if they had themselves justwakened from sleep. Maggie threw off the bed-covers, scrambled down tothe foot of the bed, and seized the doll nearest to her.

  "Who did it, Bessie?" she said.

  "I don't know," said Bessie. "Mamma, I guess. I think they're for yourbirthday."

  "Why, so I s'pose it is!" said Maggie. "Why don't you come and takeyours, Bessie?"

  "But it is not my birthday," said Bessie, creeping down to where hersister sat. "I don't believe somebody gave me one; but you will let meplay with one; wont you, Maggie?"

  "Bessie, if anybody did be so foolish as to give me two such beautifuldolls, do you think I'd keep them both myself, and not give you one?Indeed, I wouldn't. And even if they only gave me one, I'd let it behalf yours, Bessie."

  Bessie put her arm about her sister's neck and kissed her, and thentook up the other doll.

  "What cunning little ni'-gowns!" she said. "I wonder if they have anyday clo's."

  "Maybe they're in these boxes," said Maggie. "I'm going to look. GracieHoward's aunt did a very unkind, selfish thing. She gave her a greatbig doll with not a thing to put on it. I don't believe anybody woulddo so to us. Oh, no! here's lots and lots of clo's! Pull off your coverquick, Bessie. Oh, I am so very, very pleased! I know mamma did it. Idon't believe anybody else would be so kind. See, there's a white frockand a silk frock and a muslin one, and--oh! goody, goody!--a sweetlittle sack and a round hat, and petticoats and drawers and everything!Why don't you look at yours, Bessie, and see if they are just the same?"

  "Yes," said Bessie; "they are, and here's shoes and stockings, and oh!such a cunning parasol, and here's--oh, Maggie, here's the dear littlecap that I saw in Mrs. Yush's drawer the day the colonel sent me tofind his knife! Why, she must have done it!"

  "And look here, Bessie, at this dear little petticoat all 'broidered.That's the very pattern we saw Aunt Annie working the day that'bomnable Miss Adams pulled your hair. Isn't it pretty?"

  "And see, Maggie! Mrs. Yush was sewing on a piece of silk just likethis dear little dress, and she wouldn't tell us what it was. I dobelieve she did it, and Aunt Annie and maybe the colonel."

  "How could the colonel make dolls' clothes?" said Maggie. "Men can'tsew."

  "Soldier men can," said Bessie. "Don't you yemember how Colonel Yushtold us he had to sew on his buttons? But I did not mean he madethe dolly's clothes, only maybe he gave us the dolls, and Mrs. Yushand Aunt Annie made their things. Oh, here's another ni'-gown,--twoni'-gowns!"

  "Yes," said Maggie. "I was counting, and there's two ni'-gowns, and twochemise, and two everything, except only dresses, and there's four ofthose, and they're all marked like our things,--'Bessie,' for yours,and 'Maggie' for mine. Oh, what a happy birthday! Bessie, I'm so gladyou've got a doll too! Oh, I'm so very gratified!"

  "I have something nice for you too, Maggie. Please give me my slippers,and I'll go and get it."

  Maggie leaned over the side of the trundle-bed, to reach her sister'sslippers, but what she saw there quite made her forget them. She gave alittle scream of pleasure, and began hugging up her knees and rollingabout the bed squealing with delight. Bessie crept to the edge of thebed, and peeped over. There stood two little perambulators, just of theright size for the new dolls, and in each, lay neatly folded, a tinyaffghan.

  When this new excitement was over, Bessie put on her slippers and wentfor her present for Maggie. This was a little brown morocco work-bag,lined with blue silk, and fitted up with scissors, thimble, bodkin,and several other things. She gave it to her sister saying, "I makeyou many happy yeturns, dear Maggie." Then Maggie had another fit ofrolling, tumbling, and screaming, until nurse, who was watching thechildren from her bed, though they did not know it, could stand it nolonger, but broke into a hearty laugh.

  "Now, nursey," said Maggie.

  "Is it a pig or a puppy we have got here for a birthday?" said nurse."Sure, it is a happy one I wish you, my pet, and many of 'em, and mayyou never want for nothing more than you do now. Now don't you makesuch a noise there, and wake Franky. I s'pose I may just as well get upand wash and dress you, for there'll be no more sleep, I'm thinking."

  "Who gave us these dolls and all these things, nursey?" asked Maggie.

  "Indeed, then, Bessie was just right," said nurse. "Colonel Rush gaveyou the dolls, and his wife, with Miss Annie, made the clothes; anddid you ever see dolls that had such a fittin' out? It was your mammathat bought the wagons and made the blankets."

  "We didn't see her," said Bessie.

  "No, but she did them when you were out or asleep; but you see Mrs.Rush and Miss Annie had to b
e working all the time on the clothes, lestthey wouldn't be done; and you're round there so much, they had to letyou see."

  "But we never knew," said Maggie.

  The children could scarcely keep still long enough to let nurse batheand dress them; but at last it was done, and then the dolls weredressed, and the rest of the clothes put nicely away in the boxes. Assoon as baby awoke, they were off to their mamma's room, scramblingup on the bed to show their treasures, and talking as fast as theirtongues could go.

  "I was so very surprised, mamma!" said Maggie.

  "You were not; were you, Bessie?" said mamma, laughing.

  "Why, yes, I was."

  "Didn't you see or hear something last night?" asked mamma.

  Bessie looked at her mother for a minute, and then exclaimed, "Oh,yes, I do yemember, now! Maggie, last night I woke up and somebody waslaughing, and I thought it was Aunt Annie; but when I opened my eyes,only mamma was there, and when I asked her where Aunt Annie was, shesaid, 'Go to sleep; you shall see Aunt Annie in the morning.' Mamma,I thought you came to kiss us, as you do every night before you go tobed. I suppose you put the dolls there that time?"

  "Yes," said Mrs. Bradford.

  "That's what I call being _mysteyious_," said Bessie.

  "Do you like people to be mysterious, Bessie?" asked her father,laughing.

  "About dolls, I do, papa; but about some things, I don't."

  "What things?"

  "When they're going to say what they don't want me to hear, and theysend me out of the yoom. I don't like that way of being mysteyious atall. It hurts children's feelings very much to be sent out of the yoom."

  "What are these magnificent young ladies to be named?" asked UncleJohn, at the breakfast-table.

  "Mine is to be Bessie Margaret Marion," said Maggie,--"after mamma andBessie and Mrs. Rush."

  "Why, all your dolls are named Bessie," said Harry; "there are bigBessie and little Bessie and middling Bessie."

  "I don't care," said Maggie; "this is going to be Bessie too. She willhave two other names, so it will be very nice. Besides, I am not goingto play with middling Bessie again. The paint is all off her cheeks,and Franky smashed her nose in, and yesterday I picked out her eyes, tosee what made them open and shut, so she is not very pretty any more. Iam going to let Susie have her."

  "And what is yours to be, Bessie?"

  "Margayet Colonel Hoyace Yush Byadford," said Bessie, trying very hardto pronounce her r's.

  The boys shouted and even the grown people laughed.

  "That is a regular boy's name,--all except the Margaret," said Fred,"and the Colonel is no name at all."

  "It is," said Bessie,--"it is my own dear soldier's, and it is going tobe my dolly's. You're bad to laugh at it, Fred."

  "Do not be vexed, my little girl," said her father. "Colonel is not aname; it is only a title given to a man because he commands a regimentof soldiers. Now young ladies do not command regiments, and Horace isa man's name. You may call your doll what you please, but suppose youwere to name her Horatia; would not that sound better?"

  But Bessie held fast to the Horace; it was her soldier's name, and shewas quite determined to give her doll the same.

  After breakfast, Mrs. Bradford called Maggie up stairs for a while."Maggie, dear," she said, when she had taken the little girl up intoher lap, "have you remembered this morning that our Father in heavenhas brought you to the beginning of another year of your life?"

  "Oh, yes, mamma," said Maggie; "I have done nothing but think it wasmy birthday ever since I woke up. You know I could not forget it whenevery one was so kind and gave me such lots and lots of lovely things."

  "But have you remembered to thank God for letting you see anotherbirthday, and for giving you all these kind friends, and so many otherblessings? And have you asked him to make you wiser and better eachyear, as you grow older?"

  "I am afraid I did not think much about it that way," said Maggie,coloring; "but I _am_ very thankful. I know I have a great manyblessings. I have you and papa and Bessie, and my new doll, and allthe rest of the family. But I want to know one thing, mamma. Isn't itwrong to pray to God about dolls? Bessie said it wasn't, but I thoughtit must be."

  "How to pray about them, dear?"

  "To thank God because he made Colonel Rush think of giving us suchbeautiful ones. Bessie said we ought to, but I thought God would notcare to hear about such little things as that. Bessie said we askedevery day for our daily bread; and dolls were a great deal betterblessing than bread, so we ought to thank him. But I thought he wassuch a great God, maybe he would be offended if I thanked him for sucha little thing as a doll."

  "We should thank him for every blessing, dear, great and small. Thoughwe deserve nothing at his hands, all that we have comes from his loveand mercy; and these are so great that even our smallest wants arenot beneath his notice. He knows all our wishes and feelings,--everythought, whether spoken or not; and if you feel grateful to himbecause he put it into the hearts of your kind friends to give youthis pretty present, he knew the thought, and was pleased that youshould feel so. But never fear to thank him for any mercy, howeversmall. Never fear to go to him in any trouble or happiness. He isalways ready to listen to the simplest prayer from the youngest child.Shall we thank him now for all the gifts and mercies you have receivedto-day, and for the care which he has taken of you during the pastyear?"

  "Yes, mamma."

  "And, Maggie, I think you have one especial blessing to be gratefulfor."

  "What, mamma?"

  "That you have been able, with God's help, to do so much towardsconquering a very troublesome fault."

  "Oh, yes, mamma! and I do think God helped me to do that, for I askedhim every night and morning, since I meddled with papa's inkstand. Imean, when I said, 'God bless,' when I came to 'make me a good littlegirl,' I used to say quite quick and softly to myself, 'and carefultoo.'"

  "That was right, dear," said Mrs. Bradford, tenderly smoothing Maggie'scurls, and kissing her forehead; "you see he did hear that littleprayer, and help you in what you were trying to do."

  Then Mrs. Bradford knelt down with Maggie, and thanked God that he hadspared her child's life, and given her so many blessings, and prayedthat each year, as she grew older, she might be better and wiser, andlive more to his glory and praise.

  "I am not quite careful yet, mamma," said Maggie, when they rose fromtheir knees. "You know the other day, when nurse told me to bring inBessie's best hat, I forgot and left it out on the grass, and the rainspoiled it; but I mean to try more and more, and maybe, when I ameight, I will be as careful as Bessie."