The Dorrance Domain

by Carolyn Wells

  CHAPTER XX

  A REAL HOTEL

  At the family conference on the subject, Grandma Dorrance said No. Thegentle old lady was more than usually decided, and she said, that whilethe Faulkners and Van Arsdales were charming people, and more likevisitors than boarders, a family of children, with nurses, was analtogether different matter, and meant far more trouble andcomplications than Dorothy could realize.

  "Oh, grannymother dear," said Dorothy, "I don't think so. Miss Marciasays that Mrs. Black is a lovely lady, not a bit fussy; and children andnurses can't be as much responsibility as grown people. Why, theywouldn't be critical at all."

  "Not critical, perhaps, but far more troublesome in their own way."

  "Oh, I don't know," said Leicester; "the reason people didn't want uschildren in boarding-houses was because we made so much noise. Now wedon't care how much noise these kids make, and there's room enough forthe people who do care, to get away from the racket."

  "We would have to have more servants," said Lilian; "and wouldn't thatcut down the profits a good deal?"

  "I've been thinking about that," said Dorothy, "and I've come to thisconclusion. If we should take all these people, we would have to getanother chambermaid, and another helper in the kitchen. A young girl topare the vegetables, and help with the dish washing. Of course with somany extra people, more waitresses will be necessary; but as you say,Lilian, if we hire a lot of servants it will make our profits prettyslim. And so I propose that we three girls wait on the table."

  "Oh, no, children," cried Grandma Dorrance; "I won't allow anything ofthat sort!"

  "Now wait a minute, grandma," said Dorothy; "don't say things thatyou'll just have to take back afterwards. There is no disgrace at all inwaiting on a table. Lots of college girls and boys do it right along,in the colleges,--and they go to summer hotels, too, and wait on thetables there. Now we children want to earn some money to help you; afteryou've taken care of us all these years, I'm sure it's no more thanright. And if this way of earning money isn't easier and pleasanter thangoing into a store, I'll give up. What do the rest of you say?"

  "I say, let's go ahead," declared Leicester; "if the four of us agree,we can persuade grandma. She never really refused us anything in ourlives. And as to waiting on the table, I'd just as leave do it myself,as not. As you say, Dot, lots of college fellows do it, and it's no moredisgrace than being president. And then we can all eat by ourselvesafterwards, and have a jolly old time."

  "I'd love to wait on the table," said Fairy; "I think it would begorgeous fun. Shall we all wear caps, and aprons with big white wingssticking out of the shoulders?"

  "No," said Dorothy, "not caps. We'll wear white aprons, but not withshoulder-ruffles."

  "I shall have shoulder-ruffles on mine," said Leicester, decidedly;"and I shall wear a cap, too."

  Even grandma laughed at this; but Dorothy said, "No, Less, I don't wantyou to wait on the table, at least not until we really need you. Wegirls can do it, with Tessie's help."

  "Well, what _can_ I do?" said Leicester; "it won't take all my time toregister the people who come."

  "There'll be enough for you to do, old fellow," said Dorothy; "you cango to market every day, and answer Miss Marcia's calls, and move Maryaround. Then if you have any time left, you can amuse the three Blackbabies."

  "Pickaninnies, are they?" said Leicester; "then I'll fill them up onwatermelon."

  Although Grandma Dorrance weakened somewhat in her disapproval of theplan, yet it was not until Mrs. Faulkner was called in, and her opinionasked, that grandma gave an entire consent.

  Mrs. Faulkner was so sweet and sensible about the whole matter, and sojudicious in her advice and suggestions, that grandma was muchinfluenced by her view of the case.

  Mrs. Faulkner quite agreed with Dorothy about the girls acting aswaitresses, and strongly approved of the children's desire to add totheir finances.

  She also advised Dorothy to charge good prices for the accommodation ofthe children and nurses, because, she said, they were quite as great aresponsibility in their way, as Mrs. Black herself.

  As Dorothy had hoped, Mr. Bill Hodges was able to recommend a young girlwhom he knew, to help Kathleen in the kitchen; and Tessie knew of acompetent chambermaid who would be glad to come up from the city for awhile.

  So Dorothy wrote to Mrs. Black, and stated frankly what she had tooffer, and what her rates were, and Mrs. Black telegraphed back that shemight expect the whole family as soon as they could get there.

  And so it came to pass, that again Leicester stood behind his openregister, and the proprietor of the Dorrance Domain awaited her newrelay of guests.

  Though Dorothy was not as much embarrassed this time, as when sheexpected her first guests, and had far less sense of humor in thesituation, she had a better poise and a greater self-confidence, whichcame necessarily from her so far successful experiences.

  But when she saw the cavalcade approaching, her heart began to beat alittle faster, and worse than that, she found it impossible to keep fromlaughing.

  The Blacks had come up by rail, and had apparently annexed all theavailable vehicles at the station to transport them. There was arockaway first, then two buggies, then two large spring wagons, and thena buckboard. In the wagons were several trunks, three baby-carriages anda number of queer-shaped forms carefully wrapped, which afterwardsproved to be portable bath-tubs, a cradle and a folding crib.

  Dorothy began to think that for once, Mr. Hickox would not prove equalto the occasion; but he reassured her with his usual statements that itwould be all right, and that he would look after things.

  The rockaway came first, and Mr. and Mrs. Black were helped out by Mr.Hickox in his most official manner.

  Mrs. Black was a delicate, helpless-looking little lady; very pretty, ina pale blonde way, and seemingly very dependent on her big, good-lookinghusband. Mr. Benjamin Black was one of those hearty, cordial-manneredmen, who make friends at once.

  He brought Mrs. Black up the steps, and advancing to Dorothy withoutstretched hand, said pleasantly: "I'm sure this is our proprietor,Miss Dorrance."

  "Yes," said Dorothy, put at her ease at once, and shaking hands withthem both; "I'm very glad to see you."

  "We are glad to be here," said Mr. Black. "The trip was very warm andtiresome. But this place is most charming."

  "And so cool and quiet," said Mrs. Black, sinking into a chair, andlooking, Dorothy thought, as if she never meant to rise again.

  By this time the other vehicles were depositing their cargoes, bothhuman and freight, and for a moment Dorothy wondered if the DorranceDomain were large enough to hold the entire collection.

  One of the nurses was French, and was talking volubly in her ownlanguage to the two children who held her by the hands. One of thesechildren, a girl of five years, was answering her nurse, also in French;while the other, a younger boy, was crying loudly, but whether in Frenchor English, nobody could quite make out.

  The other nurse was a large and stout German woman, who was crooning aGerman folk-song to the baby she carried in her arm. Apparently the babycared little for German music, for the small infant was pounding itsnurse's face with both tiny fists, and making strange gurgling soundswhich might be caused either by joy or grief.

  All these people came up on the veranda; and after persuading one of thedrivers to stay and help him, Mr. Hickox began to carry the luggage intothe house.

  With a successful effort at composure, Dorothy paid no attention to thechildren and nurses, and conducted Mr. Black to the office.

  "Ah," said he to Leicester; "how do you do, sir, how do you do? Fineplace you have up here. Very fine place. Glad I brought my family. Hopethey won't make you any trouble."

  As the commotion on the veranda seemed to increase each moment,Leicester did not echo this hope, but spoke pleasantly to Mr. Black, andturned the register towards him.

  The gentleman registered Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Black, Miss Sylvia Black,Master Montmorency Black, Miss Gwendolen
Genevieve Black, Mlle.Celestine, and Fraulein Lisa Himmelpfennig.

  Leicester looked proudly at this array of names which reached half-waydown the page, and ringing for Mr. Hickox, he gave him the keys of therooms set aside for the party, and the caravan started up-stairs.

  Dorothy went with them, both because she thought it proper to do so, andbecause she felt an interest in seeing the family properly distributed.

  Leicester left his official desk, and found plenty to do in disposing ofthe baby-carriages, and the other paraphernalia.

  It was strange, Dorothy thought to herself as she came down-stairs, howmuch more easily, and as a matter of course she took the Blacks' arrivalthan she had the previous ones.

  "I must have been born for a hotel proprietor," she said to herself;"for I don't feel any worry or anxiety about the dinner or anything. Ijust _know_ everything will be all right."

  As she reached the foot of the staircase, she met Fairy, who was justcarrying Mary's cage into the north parlor.

  "Hurrah for Dorothy!" croaked the parrot, catching sight of her.

  "Ah, Miss Mary, you'll have a lot of new names to hurrah for now, andjaw-breakers at that. I shouldn't wonder if they'd break even a parrot'sjaw, and they may bend that big yellow beak of yours."

  "She can learn them," said Fairy, confidently. "Miss Mary can learnanything. She's the cleverest, smartest, educatedest bird in the wholeworld. There's _nothing_ she can't learn."

  "Pretty Mary," said the bird in its queer, croaking voice; "move Mary'scage. Hurrah for Fairy!"

  "There, just hear that!" exclaimed Fairy, proudly; "now I rather guess abird like that could learn to hurrah for anybody."

  "Well," said Dorothy, "but you don't know yet that these children'snames are Gwendolen Genevieve, and Montmorency."

  "What!" cried Fairy, nearly dropping the cage, "of course no parrotcould learn such names as those."

  "And Miss Marcia objects to nicknames," said Dorothy. "These new peoplearen't a bit like their aunts, though."

  "When are they coming down?" asked Lilian, who had joined her sisters;"I wish they'd get that procession of baby-carriages started. I want tosee the show."

  At that moment, the French nurse, Celestine, came down-stairs with thetwo older children. The little ones had been freshly dressed, and lookedextremely pretty. Sylvia was in crisp white muslin, with flutteringbows of pink ribbon, and Montmorency wore a boyish garb of white pique.

  "Won't you speak to me?" asked Lilian, putting out her hand to thelittle girl.

  "No," said the child, hiding her face in her nurse's apron; "do away.I's af'aid."

  "Mees Sylvie,--she is afraid of everything," said Celestine; "she is anaughty--naughty,--a bad ma'amselle."

  "No, no," cried Sylvia; "me not bad. Me dood ma'selle."

  "Me dood!" announced three year old Montmorency; "me no ky. On'y babiesky. Me bid man!"

  "You are good," said Fairy, "and you're a nice big man. Come with me,and I'll show you where I'm going to put this pretty green bird."

  "Ess," said the little boy, and grasping hold of Fairy's frock hewillingly trotted along by her side.

  Whereupon Sylvia, overcoming her bashfulness, concluded she, too, wantedto go with the green bird.

  So Celestine and her charges accompanied the Dorrance girls to the northparlor, and there they found the Van Arsdale ladies, who sat waiting instate to receive their newly arrived relatives.