ss with which she bore the little
mishaps that occurred. The best pie flew wildly on the floor when she
tried to cut it with a very dull knife; the bread and butter vanished
with a rapidity calculated to dismay a housekeeper's soul; and, worst of
all, the custards were so soft that they had to be drunk up, instead of
being eaten elegantly with the new tin spoons.

I grieve to state that Miss Smith squabbled with the maid for the best
jumble, which caused Bess to toss the whole dish into the air, and burst
out crying amid a rain of falling cakes. She was comforted by a seat at
the table, and the sugar-bowl to empty; but during this flurry a large
plate of patties was mysteriously lost, and could not be found. They
were the chief ornament of the feast, and Mrs. Smith was indignant at
the loss, for she had made them herself, and they were beautiful to
behold. I put it to any lady if it was not hard to have one dozen
delicious patties (made of flour, salt, and water, with a large raisin
in the middle of each, and much sugar over the whole) swept away at one
fell swoop?

"You hid them, Tommy; I know you did!" cried the outraged hostess,
threatening her suspected guest with the milk-pot.

"I didn't!"

"You did!"

"It isn't proper to contradict," said Nan, who was hastily eating up the
jelly during the fray.

"Give them back, Demi," said Tommy.

"That's a fib, you've got them in your own pocket," bawled Demi, roused
by the false accusation.

"Let's take 'em away from him. It's too bad to make Daisy cry,"
suggested Nat, who found his first ball more exciting than he expected.

Daisy was already weeping, Bess like a devoted servant mingled her tears
with those of her mistress, and Nan denounced the entire race of boys as
"plaguey things." Meanwhile the battle raged among the gentlemen, for,
when the two defenders of innocence fell upon the foe, that hardened
youth intrenched himself behind a table and pelted them with the stolen
tarts, which were very effective missiles, being nearly as hard as
bullets. While his ammunition held out the besieged prospered, but the
moment the last patty flew over the parapet, the villain was seized,
dragged howling from the room, and cast upon the hall floor in an
ignominious heap. The conquerors then returned flushed with victory, and
while Demi consoled poor Mrs. Smith, Nat and Nan collected the scattered
tarts, replaced each raisin in its proper bed, and rearranged the dish
so that