11 - Eight Girls and a Dog by Carolyn Wells

Eight girls and their dog Timmy Loo take a summer break filled with cooking, self-discovery, and hilarious misadventures in this delightful vacation story. Discover hundreds of ad-free audiobooks, soothing sounds for sleep and meditation, and more—unwind and learn at www.adfreebooks.com!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The public domain a successful performance. The great day drew near.
The play was to be presented on Friday evening, and
much was to be done by way of preparation. Uncle
Ned and two carpenters were building a stage in the parlor, which,
though small, was a jolly little affair, and Aunt Mollie,

(00:21):
who was a bit of an artist, was painting some
crude but effective scenery. Betty was supposed to be helping
Uncle Ned, and Marjorie and Millicent were trying to help
the scenic artist. But if their assistance wasn't very valuable,
they at least knew enough not to hinder the head workers.
Jesse and Marguerite were devising stunning costumes and strange looking properties,

(00:45):
the use of which no one could guess. These two
modists were continually making pilgrimages to the shops of Long Beach,
which emporiums never, by any chance, yielded up the materials.
The anxious maidens were inserted going to the store again,
asked Marjorie, as Marguerite flew by her with an anxious face. Yes,

(01:08):
we must have some red stuff. If I have to
use paper, take to me, Lou, won't you? He hasn't
had a run to day. Courtebill, Come on, Tim, and
the chaperon flew away, followed by the silver blue sky.
After an hour or more, the yellow haired chaperon returned
in a state of exhaustion. I'll never take that dog

(01:32):
out with me again, she declared, with such a tragic
air that Marjorie felt certain her pet must have brought
disgrace upon the whole club. Why what has my bad
little bundle of a dog been a doing, she inquired,
grabbing up the quivering bunch of silver curls and blue ribbon.

(01:53):
He wasn't bad, said Marguerite, laughing. But he's such a nuisance.
I thought I should never get home. He made me
go into every shop in the village. That didn't take
very long, observed Betty dryly. No, but he insisted on
being fed at each place, and he knows exactly where

(02:14):
they all keep their eatables. At the grocer's, he flew
to the glass case where the chocolates are and pawed
at it and whined until mister Forbes had to open
it and give him some. Then at the milliner's, where
I was buying ribbon, he tore out into her back
parlor and jumped up on a table, trying to reach
a little chest of drawers where it seems she keeps

(02:38):
sugar lumps. And even at the dry goods shop, he
dived behind a lot of rolls of stuff and found
a paper bag of ginger cookies. Oh he's a terror.
How does he know all these places? He smells them out,
said Marjorie, patting Tim's head, while the dog, understanding that

(02:59):
he was being praised, wagged his bit of a tail
and blinked his eyes proudly. And when he had found
the things, continued marguerite. He never offered to touch them,
but just sat up and begged, with that cocky blue
bow sticking up behind. And of course nobody could refuse him,
I should think not, cried Marjorie, hugging her treasure. Of course,

(03:21):
nobody should refuse a bit of chocolate or sugar to
such a polite, refined, well bred little Doggiekins, who always
keeps his bow at the back of his neck. And
Tim fairly glowed at her fond appreciation. Although for several
days Hilarity Hall was in the most chaotic state of preparation,

(03:41):
and although it seemed as if order never would come
of it. Yet on Friday evening at seven o'clock, everything
was in complete readiness. Helene's banjo music was augmented by
the two Hills boys, Frank and Raymond, one of whom
played the banjo and the other the mandolin. They were

(04:01):
nice boys, and when Aunt Mollie invited them to play
for the Hilarity Hall girls, they are more than pleased.
The girls liked it too, especially Marguerite and Jesse, who
immediately assumed the koi and bewitch in airs which they
thought the occasion demanded. But why so many chairs, asked Marjorie,

(04:22):
as Uncle Ned brought over more and more from his
own cottage and Aunt Mollie placed them in compact rose
in the parlor. Don't ask questions, miss, said her. Uncle.
You left the invitation of an audience to your charming
and capable aunt, and now tis yours not to make reply,
yours not to wonder why, But run along and don

(04:45):
that fetching costume in which you are to dazzle the
eyes of the large and imposing audience imposed on audience
you mean, Uncle Ned, said Marjorie as she danced away.
The Blue Ribbon Club had a uniform which they had
concluded to wear in their play. It was a plain
gown of soft, light gray material with a ruffled white

(05:08):
muslin kerchief. A picturesque effect was gained by a hooded
cape of gray lined with pink. Marguerite declared that Aunt
Mollie was an honorary member of the club and she
must have a uniform too, so one was made for her,
and the nine ladies made a pretty picture in the
nun like garb. At last, all was in readiness and

(05:31):
the audience was beginning to arrive. From behind the curtain,
the girls could hear the rustling of the programs and
hearty laughter from the appreciative readers. The programs were the
work of Betty and Hester and were declared by all
to be a triumph of genius. Here is a copy
of one annual engagement of the Hilarity Hall Opera Company

(05:56):
presenting a new and original musical farce entitled Hilarity Hall
First production and any stage of this popular operetta libretto
by the Blue Ribbon Club, music by Sir Arthur Sullivan
and others, interpreted by the following phenomenal cast. The only

(06:20):
company authorized to present this opera, the Chaperone, Matron and
general Guardian. Miss Marguerite Alden, the poet whose rhyme is
even worse than her reason. Miss Anna Kellogg, the camera fiend,
a taking young lady. Miss Hester Lavendruck, the scullery maid,

(06:42):
a shiny success. Miss Jessica Carroll, the lamplighter with wicked ways.
Miss Millicent Paine, the wandering minstrel who wanders in her mind.
Miss Helen Morris, the peeler who plays the skin game.
Miss Elizabeth Miller, the cook winner of the Blue Ribbon.

(07:05):
Miss Marjorie Bond, Robin Steele, an amiable burglar. Mister Edward
Warburton Advisory Board. Missus Edward Warburton. Notice in case of fire,
escape may be made by any door or window. Notice
Explanatory diagrams of the principal jokes will be supplied by

(07:27):
the ushers free of charge. Patrons of this theatre will
confer a favor on the management by reporting any inattention
on the part of the employees or the audience. Tickets
picked up on the sidewalk are worthless and will not
be received at the door. The management begs, respectively to

(07:48):
call the attention of the audience to the unique electric
lighting defects. The piano used on this occasion doesn't seem
to be here. As the curtain began to ride, the
audience gave way to wild and enthusiastic applause, more boisterous, indeed,
than might have been expected from the sedate and decorous

(08:09):
friends whom Aunt Mollie had invited. But the curtain was
not fairly up before the flustered girls on the stage
perceived the reason of this outburst. The front row of
chairs was entirely occupied by the Middleton boys, whose presence
they had so insistently forbidden. There were Marjorie's two brothers

(08:30):
and NaN's one. There were two Burleigh boys, ted Lewis
Dick Morton and Roger Hale. With faces on a broad grin,
they proceeded to make both manual and vociferous protestations of
delight until the opening chorus began. This did not entirely
silence the happy ones in the front row. No, the

(08:52):
heirs of the operetta being familiar to them. The boys
joined their strong, young voices to those of the prima
donnas on the stage, and the result was truly fine.
The play went on beautifully. Marguerite looked so pretty and
saying so well that she perhaps received the most applause
among the girls. But Uncle Ned was so funny as

(09:14):
the amiable burglar, and introduced such funny jokes and antics
into his part that he was, by all odds, the
star of the evening. Betty forgot her part several times,
but being quick witted, she extemporized bits that were better
than her original lines. Helen proved to be the best actress,

(09:36):
and her sleep walking scene was so effective that she
was advised to study for Lady Macbeth. Jesse was stage struck.
Her round, rosy little face grew pale, her blue eyes stared,
and her voice failed. Her entirely less embarrassed than dazed,
she walked to a chair at one end of the
stage sat down, calmly folding her arms. This delight the audience,

(10:00):
who greatly applauded the bewildered actress. In the second act,
the girls all wore frilled white Tarlatan dresses with sashes
and bows of pale green ribbon. The scene was a
flowery garden, and it was most attractive, with a rose
hedge at the back and palms of flowering bushes. All about.

(10:22):
To be sure, the roses were made of pink tissue paper,
but they were very effective, and the group of lovely
girls were slowly waving feather fans in time to a slow,
soft chorus. Waft wafted in slow, sweet cadences. Each fan
whose use a maidens is more worthy praise in summer

(10:44):
days than needlespoon or pen, touched lightly, each resounding string
a wandering minstrel, while we sing of hearts by fate
made desolate and of the now. And then waft wafft
in low sweet cadence. Each fan whose use a maiden's

(11:04):
is ah cried the boys in concert as the chorus concluded,
ah ah ah. But though they were in a teasy mood,
they were careful not to disturb the play seriously, and
the merry farce came successfully to a finish. The boy's
merriment broke loose. They swarmed up on to the stage.

(11:28):
They kissed the girls who were their sisters or cousins,
and shook hands vigorously with those who were not. They
greeted Uncle Ned and Aunt Mollie effusively, For was it
not owing to them that this joyful treat was brought about? Indeed,
you never saw such gay, irrepressible spirits as those Middleton

(11:48):
guests were when they adjourned to the dining room. The
Feast Committee found that their provision had been amply supplemented,
and the Rose Garland Charlatan frocked ladies found that historic
laurels in no way affected their appetites. When did you come,
asked Marjorie of Jack Kellogg. You know, I told you

(12:13):
you positively couldn't Marjorie had on her duchess air, but Jack,
being a brave youth, was not afraid of her. I know,
he replied, But your aunt Mollie said, we positively could.
And so we're here, and what do you think of this?
We're staying at Long Beach and we're not going home
until tomorrow night. End of chapter eleven.