E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Mary Meehan, and the Project

Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team

MARJORIE'S MAYTIME

CAROLYN WELLS

Author of the "Patty" Books

1911

I A MAY PARTY

II A NEW PET

III A TRIAL TRIP

IV VISITING A CAMP

V HELD A CAPTIVE

VI AT GRANDMA SHERWOOD'S

VII AN EARLY ESCAPADE

VIII AN EXCITING PICNIC

IX ANCIENT FINERY

X CALLING AT THE SCHOOLHOUSE

XI A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE

XII AT GRANDMA MAYNARD'S

XIII A CHILDREN'S PARTY

XIV A MERRY JOKE

XV A RIDE IN MAY

XVI AT THE CIRCUS

XVII LITTLE VIVIAN

XVIII IN BOSTON

XIX FUN AT COUSIN ETHEL'S

XX THE FESTIVAL

CHAPTER I

A MAY PARTY

"Marjorie Maynard's May
Came on a beautiful day;
  And Marjorie's Maytime
  Is Marjorie's playtime;
And that's what I sing and I say!
        Hooray!
Yes, that's what I sing and I say!"

Marjorie was coming downstairs in her own sweet way, which wasaccomplished by putting her two feet close together, and jumping twosteps at a time. It didn't expedite her descent at all, but it wasdelightfully noisy, and therefore agreeable from Marjorie's point ofview.

The May-day was undeniably beautiful. It was warm enough to have doorsand windows flung open, and the whole house was full of May that hadswarmed in from out of doors.

The air was soft and fragrant, the leaves were leaving out, the buds werebudding, and the spring was springing everywhere.

The big gold bushes of the Forsythia were masses of yellow bloom;crocuses popped up through the grass; a few birds had begun to sing, andthe sun shone as if with a settled determination to push the spring aheadas fast as he could.

Moreover it was Saturday, which was the best proof of all, of anintelligent and well-behaved Spring. For a May-day which knew enough tofall on a Saturday was a satisfactory May-day, indeed!

Of course there was to be a May party, and of course it was to be at the
Maynards', because Marjorie always claimed that the whole month of May
belonged to their family, and she improved every shining hour of the
Maytime.

The May party was really under the auspices of the Jinks Club. But as theclub was largely composed of Maynards, it was practically a Maynard Mayparty.

The bowers for the May Queens had been built out on the lawn, and thougha little wabbly as to architecture, they were beautiful of decoration,and highly satisfactory to the Royalty most interested.

There were two May Queens, because Marjorie and Delight both wanted theposition; and though both were willing to resign in favor of the otherit was a much pleasanter arrangement to have two Queens. So there weretwo bowers, and Marjorie was to be the Red Queen and Delight the WhiteQueen.

Of course Kingdon was the May King. No one had ever heard of a May King

...