Yowie! This very evening we were supposed to be preparing for the LaNoue family's Christmas ball—and Claudia was tickling me instead! I hid beneath the bed frame and hung on tight to stay there. Holding onto the bedpost didn't work, though. She managed to pull me out from under the bed and keep tickling. “Stop, stop!” I giggled, but she didn't. As soon as we heard the swish-swishing of Mama's skirt, though, we straightened up and pretended we'd been getting ready for the party all that time.
It was just as much of a pleasure to put on our best dresses. Claudia and I helped each other get into our hoops first. Hoops make the skirt part of your dress stand out from your body and look ladylike. We then did up our stays and dresses. My dress is the prettiest pink—called ashes-of-roses. Claudia's is royal blue with pink silk roses lining the bottom. We helped each other with our curls, too, done up with ribbons to match. Lovely. Claudia said she couldn't wait to see Lizzy LaNoue's gown.
We got into the buggy with Mama. Father and my brother Henry drove. Because she sat beside me, Claudia tried to tickle me some more, but by then it didn't work—I was wearing my corset! (I guess corsets do three things: make your waist look tiny, make it harder to take a deep breath, and protect against ticklers!)
When we drove up the path at the LaNoue estate, it was all lit up. I was so thrilled—my first grown-up party! I could hear the orchestra playing a waltz from outside. Much more eventful than most evenings, when I play the piano or help Claudia with her studies.
The party was lively with the musicians and the dancing. But the men all had very serious faces, especially when they were talking about our new president, Abraham Lincoln. Father thinks slavery is wrong, but he doesn't want a war. Mr. Naughton stroked his beard and looked worried. I know why: he has four sons, and all of them would have to fight.
Mama let us drink mulled apple cider. It's grown-up and cinnamon-y. I didn't dance very much—I'm still too young to officially do that. But I don't even care—I like gossiping with Lizzy more than dancing with boys!
