The Portland daily press., 1878-12-30
THE PRESS.
New Years Eve at Laurel
Lodge

New Years Eve at Laurel
Lodge
There were ten young Thorntons, just the
same number as those ten little "niggers' so
celebrated in nursery songs. Some people
looked at the formidable group in dismay,
lifted up their hands and eyes and cried,
"Those poor Thorntonsl what family of
them! How will they ever get on?" But
they seemed to get on remarkably well, and
laughed and shouted as only large families
can do in perfection. The Thorntons were
often compared to steps of stairs, and per-
haps there was some resemblance; but at
any rate there was good difference between
some of the steps, for while Agnes, the eld-
est was tall, slim lassie of seventeen, fat
little Trottie, the youngest, was only four,
and rather inclined to fall about when she
attempted difficult feats of locomotion. The
boys came next to Agnes, one after the 9th.
or; there were four of them-Frank, Louis
Hugh and eight-years.old Goldie, so called
on account of his long golden curls, which
were his mothers pride; but these curls were
unfortunately doomed, for after Christmas
Goldie was to go to school, and his brothers
declared that unless cropping process took
place beforehand every hair of his head
would certainly be pulled out by his school
fellows. After Goldie came the remaining
five girls, like the tail of peacock. There
were the twins, Prinnie and Preenie; Eve
Ign, Edith, and Trottie, who was the pet of
the house.
When Christmas and New Years came,
when the boys were home for the holidays,
and the six girls had a months vacation,
the great fun and frolic Of the year began.
The Thorntons' house, Laurel Lodge, was
situated In the outskirts Of large town;
and friends and neighbors soon found out
that the Thornton family were not only nice
looking young people, but extremely sharp
witted, and most useful in making an even
ing pass off pleasantly. So invitations to
Christmas trees, to magic lanterns, to juve-
nile dances poured in abundantly, and there
was hardly an evening that three or four of
the Thorntons, and sometimes the whole
entertainment.
81 declare am quite tired of being out"
cried Agnes, as she threw herself one morn
ing into large armchair.
''Well done, Aggiev' laughed Aunt Mary,
who was bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked girl, not
much older than Agnes herself "You say
that with as blase an air as Charles Matthews
when he is playing used Up But don't
you like all these Christmas gaoities?"
"Oh, yes, 1 like them veil enough, but we
are always expected to be amusing the 9TH
ers, and sometimes 1t is rather hard work.
Then our own party is to be on New Years
eve, and am at my wits end to know what
we shall have at it. We must try to get
something different from everybody else."
"What have you had already at other
places?,,
"What have we had? What haven't we
had? At the Dalton's on Friday we had
calico ball. Three of us, Prinnie and Pree-
ME and I, went in Powered chintzes like
Dresden shepherdesses; but don't know
that like juvenile balls. Half of the chill
the grown-up peoples way, or else they
stand In corners, rubbing their eyes and
wondering when supper will come. | am
sure they can't enjoy themselves, and the
dressing-up makes them just like grown.up
young ladies'"
"What did you do at the Clarkes' on
Thursdays"
ooh, we had tableaux. Evelyn was the
White Lady of Avenel, and afterward we had
chamber. A piece of black tarlatan was
strained tightly across between the ACTORS
and the lo0kers-on, so as to make it seem
like picture. Frank was Bluebeard; we
made him splendid beard out of tow dyed a
lovely sky blue with Judson's dyes; we
brushed it out famous]y, and it was so long
that it nearly reached his knees. Amy Eek
ersall was Fatima. in red and gold turbaD,
With a caftan all spangled with silver. At the
Beauty in the Wood Edith was the prin-
cess. and was the old queen in brocaded
dress Of grandmamma's. Charlie Clark was
the young prince, ever so fine in blue and
gold. There was fairies dance at the end
eight children in white and pink, and eight
In white and green. 1t was very pretty, but
too much of show for my taste. As Hugh
said. 1t was awfully grand, but not at all
jolly; jolly things are the best
"But what would you have, Aggie ?-the
old round of bRhdman's buff and puss-in-the-
cornera believe have weakness for
those venerable games myself. Do you re-
member the story grandmamma tells us of
how she remembers spinning in the corner,
while uncle John and cousin Lizzie played
blindman and big cousin Joe sprawled on
the floor?
"Yes, 1 do indeed, but people would hard
ly be satisfied nowadays with blindman's
buff. We must think of something new,
aunt Mary; Frank ALWAYS wants us to have
new things. As to Christmas trees, am
sick to death of them they give so much
trouble and last such short time. A few
charades we will have, but we never spend
money on them, we always make the dresses
out of old things, and we must take care not
to have too much of one thing; that is great
mistake-constant change is the soul of fun"
There was great deal more talk as to
what should be done at Laurel Lodge on
New Years eve. By the time the evening
arrived everything was satisfactorily ar-
ranged. Frank had spent whole days search
ing through histories to find suitable scenes
for characters, while Louis and Goldie had
been up to their eyes in dust searching
through the lumber room for old chairs,
brass rings or dilapidated tiger skins. Agnes
declared that she was worn out cutting and
crimping rufus out of stiff crinoline muslin,
and manufacturing stomachers and crowns
out of beads and gold paper. When Z o'clock
struck, expectation was on tiptoe, and every
one of the Thorntons was as eager and ex-
cited as Wilhelm Meister himself when he
was about to exhibit his celebrated puppet
show. Charades were to open the amuse-
ments of the evening. The large bay win
dow, with its long, curtains, which fell con-
veniently around and shut it out from the
rest of the room, made as good stage as
could be wished for. When the company
were all seated, the curtain was drawn back,
and Louis and Goldie-Goldie conspicuous
from his long, bright curls-were discovered
lying on the floor locked in each others arms,
while two desperate looking ruffians, with
bladzened faces stood over them, holding a
huge feather bed which they dropped over the
little sleepers. At first this was thought to
represent the Babes in the Wood, but wiser
heads discovered it to be the young princes in
the Tower. Next followed court scene
Queen Elizabeth gorgeous in her ruff and
stomacher giving the ring to the Earl of Es-
sex. Agnes was the queen, while her cousin
George was Essex, and knelt down on a vel
vet cushion to receive the gift His crimson
satin doublet had been manufactured with
great difficulty out of christening cloak some
fifty years old, while his sword was Spanish
dagger borrowed from Mr.. Thornton's cabi-
net Of curiosites. The ladies of the court
were as smart as crimped ruffs, beads and the
united jewelry of the house could make
them. The next scene was Elizabeth visit
ing the Countess of Nottingham in her bed,
and shaking her as she confessed that she had
not given the ring which Essex had sent to
the queen. 1.-THE wordl the wordw was
now shouted out, and 1t was soon guessed to
be towering" the towering passion of the
last scene finishing up the whole. The next
charade commenced with Goldie and his
three voupoest sistars haino led along as can