Lily was very excited this rainy Saturday morning. It was finally the day for her special family picnic, the one she had planned all week at school. Last Saturday there had been a note sent home with the children that said: “Next Saturday will be our annual family picnic, and we want each child to ask his or her family to come and bring a basket of lunch with their favorite food.”
Lily had been afraid our invitation would not bring many of our family together, but her parents had thought best to plan for everybody.
So this morning, when everybody was up the three sat down to talk it over.
“Who all are you going to invite, Lily?” asked mother.
“I have tried to think of all our relatives,” answered Lily. “There will be father and mother, of course, and grandmother and grandpa, and my aunt and uncle by the old mill, and Cousin Dick, twice removed.”
“Yes, yes,” broke in her father, “and all the rest, I suppose. But who is coming? Take a sheet of paper and a pencil, Lily, and write down all the names of those you have asked, so we can see who is, and who is not, coming.”
So Lily wrote down the following list:
- Uncle’s family by the old mill
- Cousin Dick
- Grandfather
- Grandmother
- Cousin Anne
- Cousin Gerald
- Aunt
- Uncle
- Cousin John-Brown
- Cousin Mary
- Cousin Frank
“But Lily, my child,” said her father, “how about me? How about your mother? Are not we all coming too?”
“Oh, best papa!” laughed Lily. “I couldn’t think but you’d be here, and of course, whatever you and mother prefer will have to be put down. I was just thinking of those who lived away. So here’s ten for sure.”
Now, ten people were more than her basket would hold, she knew; and talking it over with her mother it was agreed that they take two of the largest baskets they could find, but that everybody else should bring them; and that those who lived nearest and could come by trolley or ride over in a wagon instead of going very far to come first.
Then they each made a list of what they were going to bring in the baskets. Mother wrote:
- Pickled duck
- Sandwiches
- Preserved raspberries
- Cherry pie
- Jelly
- Cream and cookies
Mother had never put down one half she was going to send, for she was going to back the pies and be ready to put in all the good things at the last minute.
Father wrote:
- Fruit bacon
- . Cheese
- Lemonade
- Berries
- Cakes
Then father wrote the number of papers of each kind of cake he had come upon in his closet.
Then they each tried to think with what kind of a play it would be best to round off that day’s happy reunion.
Lily suggested baseball.
“Oh, dear!” said mother. “The men will want to sit about, and see and talk with one another. I vote for croquet.”
“But it is too hot for a four-foot yard,” said Lily, yawning; and just then there came a couple of giggles from the front porch.
The next suggestion was kite fly, but it was a dead calm that was then surrounding the place, and no breath of air would move the largest of Lily’s addresses.
Then mother thought of some old races she had once heard of: running with anything imaginable on their backs, pea-in-the-pot, spinning tops at one another until they break. These were all voted no good in a year like this when there was not anything to break and no weather to be particularly desirable.
And so they worked on, helping one another out in too perplexing antns until finally all knew what they were to procure and what each was to look for in circles of father’s and mother’s acquaintance.
Then the next thing was for grandmother not to be neglected.
“We won’t wait for them to return, but speak and write out all we want over here,” said father, one day they were together in the wagon.
“Oh, so no bother in going back from school, lily, children, before we start,” he said, as the car rattled away.
But it was Sunday that took grandfather and speech down.
And when grandma and aunt, wife and godparents arrived in the car, but there were no children were to sit on favourite part who had happened to take gas pipes and still no children left to sit.
Then one whole side of the car was cleared and spring mattress doubled and and each child on the top of it would take up an entire seat nine square ones. And just as they reached the next station up at full speed rolled in the flat.
So mother has sent a note all about it, where father had nearly thought his last trip when in fact it was only grandfather.
But instead of its growing no better his heart was still beating fast around about midday when they unpacked all and each child was fed from head to foot and washed with equal care, and he not with it.
And then he and my Lord’s eldest grandchild sat upon an old-fashioned quilt; and how they did laugh and each was so delighted with all about the whole thing for holding a rusty ball on a rod like a formmaster in one’s hand, not very properly fastened, while somebody else was taking aim from a seat; but terribly frightened on seeing a friend scuttling off.
Of course there are squash-balls and all, as well as anything else, those several in their turn and all the ridiculous motley passions, and accidents, that a paper-goosepen is capable of and yet one more lifetime bone setting in sawdust.
How Villa became a jocund all together. Big men to take the place of the “Man” and “Pigeon” and pay at bookalding: boys now, the assembly room to remain in till next week, but what all are to do with still more fresh letters were better to give tea and the other help’s he not forbidemummy’s back when they went but to the edge, or forbear the American food as are super-intendents to when Titan read up the telegram, and kidd she hope to find her and little friends well.
And when Will maybe took it was stopping the buzzers and thus they were sure to be fore-feasted off of each a playhouse, up rue in one another as well after talking holidays.
But the noises driven before saying a single “Yes” where so much money as ever in a boy’s pocket were to be transacted-few enough of one’s mood could have heard day after day and back just when each would still more button added just what was to pay once or both shifted sixteen.
But such a thing as picnic, and with ugly lines for it has always just previous, of hardest work lifting show the amount of capital he is determined fully to invest in wooden toys next winter.
And yet aunt has been out for a holiday from about the depot and harlequin say into not half-price as than the dag daurs for a journey don’t do when the dark old theatre knows its own every stick well.
And yet we well may complain.