diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | 43659-0.txt (renamed from 43659-8.txt) | 406 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 43659-8.zip | bin | 190056 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 43659-h.zip | bin | 548994 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 43659-h/43659-h.htm | 377 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 43659.txt | 12075 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 43659.zip | bin | 190042 -> 0 bytes |
6 files changed, 9 insertions, 12849 deletions
diff --git a/43659-8.txt b/43659-0.txt index fdc6d51..16e2262 100644 --- a/43659-8.txt +++ b/43659-0.txt @@ -1,40 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, by Amanda -Minnie Douglas - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe - There's No Place Like Home - - -Author: Amanda Minnie Douglas - - - -Release Date: September 6, 2013 [eBook #43659] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A -SHOE*** - - -E-text prepared by Melissa McDaniel, Sue Fleming, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org) - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43659 *** Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. @@ -171,7 +135,7 @@ never overdrawn."--_Manchester Mirror._ CLAUDIA. -"The plot is very dramatic, and the _dénoûment_ startling. Claudia, the +"The plot is very dramatic, and the _dénoûment_ startling. Claudia, the heroine, is one of those self-sacrificing characters which it is the glory of the female sex to produce."--_Boston Journal._ @@ -4837,7 +4801,7 @@ vanity, I perceive." "It is only proper pride: the child is well-born. I know her mother must have been a lady, and Kenneth is not a common name." -"I am sure I hope your _protégée_ will prove a comfort." +"I am sure I hope your _protégée_ will prove a comfort." Then Mrs. Osgood announced her plans to Florence, who was literally overwhelmed. To be adopted by so rich a lady, to have an elegant home, @@ -10542,7 +10506,7 @@ energetically, that she only needs counsel and guidance. Kit and Dot are still so young!" "I don't wonder Uncle Paul was attracted. There is something very -bright and winsome about Charlie. I had to laugh at her naïve +bright and winsome about Charlie. I had to laugh at her naïve confession of being a black sheep." "She used to be so boyish and boisterous! not half as gentle as dear @@ -11582,7 +11546,7 @@ never overdrawn."--_Manchester Mirror._ CLAUDIA. -"The plot is very dramatic, and the _dénoûment_ startling. Claudia, the +"The plot is very dramatic, and the _dénoûment_ startling. Claudia, the heroine, is one of those self-sacrificing characters which it is the glory of the female sex to produce."--_Boston Journal._ @@ -11714,362 +11678,4 @@ The oe-ligature has been expanded to "oe." Page 283 "I b-b-leive is now lieve Page 340 weren't me is now weren't we - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE*** - - -******* This file should be named 43659-8.txt or 43659-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/3/6/5/43659 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43659 *** diff --git a/43659-8.zip b/43659-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6b79458..0000000 --- a/43659-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/43659-h.zip b/43659-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3a840d1..0000000 --- a/43659-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/43659-h/43659-h.htm b/43659-h/43659-h.htm index 5ac2aaf..7413174 100644 --- a/43659-h/43659-h.htm +++ b/43659-h/43659-h.htm @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" /> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> <title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, by Amanda Minnie Douglas</title> <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> <style type="text/css"> @@ -128,27 +128,10 @@ table {border-collapse: collapse;} </style> </head> <body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43659 ***</div> <h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, by Amanda Minnie Douglas</h1> -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> -<p>Title: The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe</p> -<p> There's No Place Like Home</p> -<p>Author: Amanda Minnie Douglas</p> -<p>Release Date: September 6, 2013 [eBook #43659]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE***</p> <p> </p> -<h4>E-text prepared by Melissa McDaniel, Sue Fleming,<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (<a href="http://archive.org">http://archive.org</a>)</h4> <p> </p> <table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> <tr> @@ -12324,360 +12307,6 @@ Page 340 weren't me is now weren't we<br /></p> </blockquote></div> <p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 43659-h.txt or 43659-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/3/6/5/43659">http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/6/5/43659</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed.</p> - -<p> -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. -</p> - -<h2>*** START: FULL LICENSE ***<br /> - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE<br /> -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</h2> - -<p>To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">www.gutenberg.org/license</a>.</p> - -<h3>Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works</h3> - -<p>1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.</p> - -<p>1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below.</p> - -<p>1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.</p> - -<p>1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States.</p> - -<p>1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:</p> - -<p>1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed:</p> - -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> - -<p>1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9.</p> - -<p>1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.</p> - -<p>1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.</p> - -<p>1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License.</p> - -<p>1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.</p> - -<p>1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.</p> - -<p>1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that</p> - -<ul> -<li>You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."</li> - -<li>You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works.</li> - -<li>You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work.</li> - -<li>You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.</li> -</ul> - -<p>1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.</p> - -<p>1.F.</p> - -<p>1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment.</p> - -<p>1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE.</p> - -<p>1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem.</p> - -<p>1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.</p> - -<p>1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.</p> - -<p>1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.</p> - -<h3>Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm</h3> - -<p>Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life.</p> - -<p>Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and -the Foundation information page at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> - -<h3>Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation</h3> - -<p>The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.</p> - -<p>The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org/contact">www.gutenberg.org/contact</a></p> - -<p>For additional contact information:<br /> - Dr. Gregory B. Newby<br /> - Chief Executive and Director<br /> - gbnewby@pglaf.org</p> - -<h3>Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation</h3> - -<p>Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS.</p> - -<p>The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org/donate">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a></p> - -<p>While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate.</p> - -<p>International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.</p> - -<p>Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org/donate">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a></p> - -<h3>Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works.</h3> - -<p>Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.</p> - -<p>Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.</p> - -<p>Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> - -<p>This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.</p> - +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43659 ***</div> </body> </html> diff --git a/43659.txt b/43659.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0243bec..0000000 --- a/43659.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12075 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, by Amanda -Minnie Douglas - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe - There's No Place Like Home - - -Author: Amanda Minnie Douglas - - - -Release Date: September 6, 2013 [eBook #43659] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A -SHOE*** - - -E-text prepared by Melissa McDaniel, Sue Fleming, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 43659-h.htm or 43659-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43659/43659-h/43659-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43659/43659-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - http://archive.org/details/oldwomanwholived00dougiala - - - - - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - - -THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE - -Or - -There's No Place Like Home - -by - -AMANDA M. DOUGLAS - -Author of "In Trust," "The Kathie Stories," etc. - - - - - - - -Boston -Lee and Shepard, 47 Franklin Street -New York -Charles T. Dillingham. 678 Broadway - -Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by -William F. Gill & Co., -In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - - - - - In Remembrance - - OF - - _MANY PLEASANT HOURS SPENT AT WOODSIDE_, - - This Story - - OF LOVE AND FAITH, OF WORK AND WAITING, AND THE GENTLE - VIRTUES THAT ARE NONE THE LESS HEROIC FOR - BLOOMING IN THE CENTRE OF THE - HOME CIRCLE, - - _IS DEDICATED TO THE HAPPY HOUSEHOLD_ - - OF - - MR. and MRS. A. C. NEUMANN. - - - - * * * * * * - - -THE DOUGLAS NOVELS. - -BY MISS AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. - -_Uniform Volumes. Price $1.50 Each._ - - - FLOYD GRANDON'S HONOR. - -"Fascinating throughout, and worthy of the reputation of the -author."--_Philadelphia Methodist._ - - - WHOM KATHIE MARRIED. - -Kathie was the heroine of the popular series of Kathie Stories for -young people, the readers of which were very anxious to know with whom -Kathie settled down in life. Hence this story, charmingly written. - - - LOST IN A GREAT CITY. - -"There is the power of delineation and robustness of expression that -would credit a masculine hand in the present volume, and the reader -will at no stage of the reading regret having commenced its perusal. In -some parts it is pathetic, even to eloquence."--_San Francisco Post._ - - - THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE. - -"The romances of Miss Douglas's creation are all thrillingly -interesting."--_Cambridge Tribune._ - - - HOPE MILLS; or, Between Friend and Sweetheart. - -"Amanda Douglas is one of the favorite authors of American -novel-readers."--_Manchester Mirror._ - - - FROM HAND TO MOUTH. - -"There is real satisfaction in reading this book, from the fact that we -can so readily 'take it home' to ourselves."--_Portland Argus._ - - - NELLY KINNARD'S KINGDOM. - -"The Hartford Religious Herald" says, "This story is so fascinating, -that one can hardly lay it down after taking it up." - - - IN TRUST; or, Dr. Bertrand's Household. - -"She writes in a free, fresh, and natural way; and her characters are -never overdrawn."--_Manchester Mirror._ - - - CLAUDIA. - -"The plot is very dramatic, and the _denoument_ startling. Claudia, the -heroine, is one of those self-sacrificing characters which it is the -glory of the female sex to produce."--_Boston Journal._ - - - STEPHEN DANE. - -"This is one of this author's happiest and most successful attempts at -novel-writing, for which a grateful public will applaud her."--_Herald._ - - - HOME NOOK: or, the Crown of Duty. - -"An interesting story of home-life, not wanting in incident, and -written in forcible and attractive style."--_New York Graphic._ - - - SYDNIE ADRIANCE; or, Trying the World. - -"The works of Miss Douglas have stood the test of popular judgment, and -become the fashion. They are true, natural in delineation, pure and -elevating in their tone."--_Express, Easton, Penn._ - - - SEVEN DAUGHTERS. - -The charm of the story is the perfectly natural and home-like air which -pervades it. - -_Sold by all booksellers, and sent by mail, postpaid, on receipt of -price._ - - -LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. - - * * * * * * - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. PAGE. - JOE'S GRAND DISCOVERY 7 - - CHAPTER II. - PLANNING IN THE TWILIGHT 22 - - CHAPTER III. - A CHANCE FOR FLOSSY 36 - - CHAPTER IV. - THE IDENTICAL SHOE 52 - - CHAPTER V. - GOOD LUCK FOR JOE 68 - - CHAPTER VI. - FORTUNES AND MISFORTUNES 84 - - CHAPTER VII. - THE OLD TUMBLER, AFTER ALL 103 - - CHAPTER VIII. - FLORENCE IN STATE 120 - - CHAPTER IX. - FOURTH OF JULY 137 - - CHAPTER X. - WHICH SHOULD SHE CHOOSE? 154 - - CHAPTER XI. - OUT OF THE OLD HOME-NEST 172 - - CHAPTER XII. - JOE'S FORTUNE 191 - - CHAPTER XIII. - FROM GRAY SKIES TO BLUE 209 - - CHAPTER XIV. - A FLOWER-GARDEN INDOORS 225 - - CHAPTER XV. - HOW CHARLIE RAN AWAY 244 - - CHAPTER XVI. - ALMOST DISCOURAGED 262 - - CHAPTER XVII. - LOST AT SEA 282 - - CHAPTER XVIII. - A SONG IN THE NIGHT 299 - - CHAPTER XIX. - IN THE OLD HOME-NEST AGAIN 317 - - CHAPTER XX. - WHEREIN THE OLD SHOE BECOMES CROWDED 337 - - CHAPTER XXI. - HOW THE DREAMS CAME TRUE 352 - - CHAPTER XXII. - CHRISTMASTIDE 366 - - - - - THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - JOE'S GRAND DISCOVERY. - - -Hal sat trotting Dot on his knee,--poor little weazen-faced Dot, who -was just getting over the dregs of the measles, and cross accordingly. -By way of accompaniment he sang all the Mother Goose melodies that he -could remember. At last he came to,-- - - "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe: - She had so many children she didn't know what to do; - To some she gave broth without any bread,"-- - -and Harry stopped to catch his breath, for the trotting was of the -vigorous order. - - "And a thrashing all round, and sent them to bed!" - -finished Joe, thrusting his shaggy head in at the window after the -fashion of a great Newfoundland dog. - -Dot answered with a piteous cry,--a sort of prolonged wail, -heart-rending indeed. - -"Serve you right," said Joe, going through an imaginary performance -with remarkably forcible gestures. - -"For shame, Joe! You were little once yourself, and I dare say cried -when you were sick. I always thought it very cruel, that, after being -deprived of their supper, they should be"-- - -"Thrashed! Give us good strong Saxon for once, Flossy!" - -Flossy was of the ambitious, correct, and sentimental order. She had -lovely light curls, and soft white hands when she did not have to work -too hard, which she never did of her own free will. She thought it -dreadful to be so poor, and aspired to a rather aristocratic ladyhood. - -"I am sorry you were not among them," she replied indignantly. "You're -a hard-hearted, cruel boy!" - -"When the thrashings went round? You're a c-r-u-e-l girl!" with a -prodigious length of accent. "Why, I get plenty of 'em at school." - -"'Trot, trot, trot. There was an old woman'--what are you laughing at, -Joe?" and Hal turned red in the face. - -"I've just made a brilliant discovery. O my poor buttons! remember -Flossy's hard labor and many troubles, and do not _bust_! Why, we're -the very children!" - -At this, Joe gave a sudden lurch: you saw his head, and then you saw -his heels, and the patch on the knee of his trousers, ripped partly off -by an unlucky nail, flapped in the breeze; and he was seated on the -window-sill right side up with care, drumming both bare heels into the -broken wall. He gave a prolonged whistle of satisfaction, made big eyes -at Dot, and then said again,-- - -"Yes, we are the _very_ children!" - -"What children? Joe, you are the noisiest boy in Christendom!" - -"Flossy, the old woman who lived in a shoe is Granny, and no mistake! -I can prove it logically. Look at this old tumble-down rookery: it is -just the shape of a huge shoe, sloping gradually to the toe, which is -the shed-end here. It's brown and rusty and cracked and patched: it -wants heeling and toeing, and to be half-soled, greased to keep the -water out, and blacked to make it shine. It was a famous seven-leaguer -in its day; but, when it had lost its virtue, the giant who used to -wear it kicked it off by the roadside, little dreaming that it would be -transformed into a cabin for the aforesaid old woman. And here we all -are sure enough! Sometimes we get broth, and sometimes we don't." - -Dot looked up in amazement at this harangue, and thrust her thumbs -in her mouth. Hal laughed out-right,--a soft little sound like the -rippling of falling water. - -"Yes, a grand discovery! Ladies and gentlemen of the nineteenth -century, I rise to get up, to speak what I am about to say; and I hope -you will treasure the words of priceless wisdom that fall from my lips. -I'm not backward about coming forward"-- - -Joe was balancing himself very nicely, and making tremendous -flourishes, when two brown, dimpled hands scrubbed up the shock of -curly hair, and the sudden onslaught destroyed his equilibrium, as -Flossy would have said, and down he went on the floor in crab fashion, -looking as if he were all arms and legs. - -"Charlie, you midget! just wait till I catch you. I haven't the broth, -but the other thing will do as well." - -But Charlie was on the outside; and her little brown, bare feet were -as fleet as a deer's. Joe saw her skimming over the meadow; but the -afternoon was very warm, and a dozen yards satisfied him for a race, so -he turned about. - -"Joe, you might take Dot a little while, I think," said Hal -beseechingly, as Joe braced himself against the door-post. "I've held -her all the afternoon." - -"She won't come--will you, Dot?" - -But Dot signified her gratification by stretching out her hands. Joe -was a good-natured fellow; and, though he might have refused Hal -easily, he couldn't resist Dot's tender appeal, so he took her on his -shoulder and began trotting off to Danbury Cross. Dot laughed out of -her sleepy eyes, highly delighted at this change in the programme. - -"Oh, dear!" and Hal rubbed his tired arms. "I shouldn't think -grandmother would know what to do, sure enough! What a host of us there -are,--six children!" - -"I'm sure I do my best," said Flossy with a pathetic little sniff. "But -it's very hard to be an orphan and poor." - -"And when there are six of us, and we are all orphans, and all poor, it -must be six times as hard," put in Joe with a sly twinkle. - -Then he changed Dot from her triumphal position on his shoulder to a -kind of cradle in his arms. Her eyelids drooped, and she began to croon -a very sleepy tune. - -Hal looked out of the window, over to the woods, where the westward -sun was making a wonderful land of gold and crimson. Sometimes he -had beautiful dreams of that softened splendor, but now they were -mercenary. If one could only coin it all into money! There was poor -grandmother slaving away, over at Mrs. Kinsey's,--she should come home, -and be a princess, to say the very least. - -"I guess I'll clear up a bit!" said Hal, coming down from the clouds, -and glancing round at the disorderly room. "Granny will be most tired -to death when her day's work is done. Flossy, if you wouldn't mind -going in the other room." - -Flossy gathered up her skirts and her crocheting, and did not take the -invitation at all amiss. - -Then Hal found the stubby broom, and swept the floor; dusted the -mantle, after removing an armful of "trash;" went at the wooden chairs, -that had once been painted a gorgeous yellow with green bars; and -cleared a motley accumulation of every thing off of the table, hanging -up two or three articles, and tucking the rest into a catch-all closet. -A quaint old pitcher, that had lost both spout and handle, was emptied -of some faded flowers, and a fresh lot cut,--nothing very choice; but -the honeysuckle scented the room, and the coxcombs gave their crimson -glow to the top of the pyramid. - -"Why, Mrs. Betty," said Joe, "you've made quite a palace out of your -end of the shoe, and this miserable little Dot has gone to sleep at -last. Shall I put her in the cradle, or drop her down the well?" - -Hal smiled a little, and opened the door. It was the best room, quite -large, uncarpeted, but clean; and though the bed was covered with a -homemade spread, it was as white as it could be. The cradle was not -quite as snowy; for the soiled hands that tumbled Dot in and out left -some traces. - -To get her safely down was a masterpiece of strategy. Joe bumped her -head; and Hal took her in his arms, hushing her in a low, motherly -fashion, and pressing his brown cheek to hers, which looked the color -of milk that had been skimmed, and then split in two, and skimmed -again. She made a dive in Hal's hair with her little bird's claw of a -hand, but presently dropped asleep again. - -"I guess she'll take a good long nap," whispered Hal, quite relieved. - -"I'm sure she ought," sighed Florence. - -Hal went back to his housekeeping. He was as handy as a girl, any day. -He pulled some radishes, and put them in a bowl of cold water, and -chopped some lettuce and onions together, the children were all so fond -of it. Then he gleaned the raspberries, and filled the saucer with -currants that were not salable. - -Joe, in the meanwhile, had gone after Mrs. Green's cows. She gave them -a quart of milk daily for driving the cows to and from the pasture, and -doing odd chores. - -"If you see the children, send them home," had been Hal's parting -injunction. "Grandmother will soon be here." - -She came before Joe returned. The oddest looking little old woman that -you ever saw. Florence, at fourteen, was half a head taller. Thin and -wrinkled and sunburned; her flaxen hair turning to silver, and yet -obstinately full of little curls; her blue eyes pale and washed out, -and hosts of "crows'-feet" at the corners; and her voice cracked and -tremulous. - -Poor Grandmother Kenneth! She had worked hard enough in her day, and -was still forced to keep it up, now that it was growing twilight with -her. But I don't believe there was another as merry a houseful of -children in all Madison. - -Joe's discovery was not far out of the way. The old woman, whose -biography and family troubles were so graphically given by Mother -Goose, died long before our childhood; but I think Granny Kenneth must -have looked like her, though I fancy she was better natured. As for -the children, many and many a time she had not known what to do with -them,--when they were hungry, when they were bad, when their clothes -were worn out and she had nothing to make new ones with, when they had -no shoes; and yet she loved the whole six, and toiled for them without -a word of complaint. - -Her only son, Joe, had left them to her,--a troublesome legacy indeed; -but at that time they had a mother and a very small sum of money. -Mrs. Joe was a pretty, helpless, inefficient body, who continually -fretted because Joe did not get rich. When the poor fellow lay on his -death-bed, his disease aggravated by working when he was not able, he -twined his arms around his mother's neck, and cried with a great gasp,-- - -"You'll be kind to them, mother, and look after them a little. God will -help you, I know. I should like to live for their sakes." - -A month or two after this, Dot was born. Now that her dear Joe was -dead, there was no comfort in the world; so the frail, pretty little -thing grieved herself away, and went to sleep beside him in the -churchyard. - -The neighbors made a great outcry when Grandmother Kenneth took the -children to her own little cottage. - -"What could she do with them? Why, they will all starve in a bunch," -said one. - -"Florence and Joe might be bound out," proposed another. - -A third was for sending them to the almshouse, or putting them in some -orphan asylum; but five years had come and gone, and they had not -starved yet, though once or twice granny's heart had quaked for fear. - -Every one thought it would be such a blessing if Dot would only die. -She had been a sight of trouble during the five years of her life. -First, she had the whooping cough, which lasted three times as long as -with any ordinary child. Then she fell out of the window, and broke her -collar-bone; and when she was just over that, it was the water-pox. The -others had the mumps, and Dot's share was the worst of all. Kit had the -measles in the lightest possible form, and actually had to be tied in -bed to make him stay there; while it nearly killed poor Dot, who had -been suffering from March to midsummer, and was still poor as a crow, -and cross as a whole string of comparisons. - -But Granny was patient with it all. The very sweetest old woman in the -world, and the children loved her in their fashion; but they seldom -realized all that she was doing for them. And though some of her -neighbors appreciated the toil and sacrifice, the greater part of them -thought it very foolish for her to be slaving herself to death for a -host of beggarly grandchildren. - -"Well, Hal!" she exclaimed in her rather shrill but cheery voice, -"how's the day gone?" - -"Pretty well: but you're tired to death. I suppose Mrs. Kinsey's -company came, and there was a grand feast?" - -"Grand! I guess it was. Such loads of pies and puddings and kettles of -berries and tubs of cream"-- - -Granny paused, out of breath from not having put in any commas. - -"Ice-cream, you mean? Freezers, they call 'em." - -"You do know every thing, Hal!" And granny laughed. "I can't get all -the new-fangled names and notions in my head. There was Grandmother -Kinsey, neat as a new pin, and children and grandchildren, and aunts -and cousins. But it was nice, Hal." - -The boy smiled, thinking of them all. - -"Half of the goodies'll spile, I know. Mrs. Kinsey packed me a great -basket full; and, Hal, here's two dollars. I'm clean tuckered out." - -"Then you just sit still, and let me 'tend to you. Dot's asleep; and if -I haven't worried with her this afternoon! That child ought to grow up -a wonder, she's been so much trouble to us all. Joe's gone after the -cows, and Florence is busy as a bee. Oh, what a splendid basket full! -Why, we shall feast like kings!" - -With that Hal began to unpack,--a plate full of cut cake, biscuits by -the dozen, cold chicken, delicious slices of ham, and various other -delicacies. - -"We'll only have a few to-night," said Hal economically. "'Tisn't every -day that we have such a windfall. I'll put these out of the children's -sight; for there they come." - -The "children" were Charlie and Kit, with barely a year between; Kit -being seven, and Charlie--her real name was Charlotte, but she was such -a tomboy that they gave her the nickname--was about eight. Hal was -ten, and Joe twelve. - -"Children," said Hal, "don't come in till you've washed yourselves. Be -quiet, for Dot is asleep." - -Thus admonished, Charlie did nothing worse than pour a basin of water -over Kit, who sputtered and scolded and kicked until Hal rushed out to -settle them. - -"If you're not quiet, you shall not have a mouthful of supper; and -we've lots of goodies." - -Kit began to wash the variegated streaks from his face. Charlie -soused her head in a pail of water, and shook it like a dog, then ran -her fingers through her hair. It was not as light or silken as that -of Florence, and was cropped close to her head. Kit's was almost as -black as a coal; and one refractory lock stood up. Joe called it his -"scalp-lock waving in the breeze." - -"Now, Charlie, pump another pail of water. There comes Joe, and we'll -have supper." - -Charlie eyed Joe distrustfully, and hurried into the house. Hal hung up -Granny's sun-bonnet, and placed the chairs around. - -"Come, Florence," he said, opening the door softly. - -"My eyes!" ejaculated Joe in amaze. "Grandmother, you're a trump." - -"Joe!" exclaimed Hal reproachfully. - -Joe made amends by kissing Granny in the most rapturous fashion. Then -he escorted her to the table in great state. - -"Have you been good children to-day?" she asked, as they assembled -round the table. - -"I've run a splinter in my toe; and, oh! my trousers are torn!" -announced Kit dolefully. - -"If you ever had a whole pair of trousers at one time the world would -come to an end," declared Joe sententiously. - -"Would it?" And Kit puzzled his small brain over the connection. - -"And Charlie preserves a discreet silence. Charlie, my dear, I advise -you to keep out of the way of the ragmen, or you will find yourself on -the road to the nearest paper-mill." - -Florence couldn't help laughing at the suggestion. - -"Children!" said their grandmother. - -Full of fun and frolic as they were, the little heads bowed reverently -as Granny asked her simple blessing. She would as soon have gone -without eating as to omit that. - -"I really don't want any thing," she declared. "I've been tasting all -day,--a bit here and a bit there, and such loads of things!" - -"Tell us all about it," begged Joe. "And who was there,--the grand -Panjandrum with a button on the top. Children's children unto the third -and fourth generation." - -"O Joe! if you only wouldn't," began Granny imploringly. - -"No, I won't, Granny;" and Joe made a face as long as your arm, or a -piece of string. - -"Of course I didn't see 'em all, nor half; but men and women and -children and babies! And Grandmother Kinsey's ninety-five years old!" - -"I hope I'll live to be that old, and have lots of people to give me a -golden wedding," said Charlie, with her mouth so full that the words -were pretty badly squeezed. - -"This isn't a golden wedding," said Florence with an air of dignity: -"it's a birthday party." - -"Ho!" and Joe laughed. "You'll be,-- - - 'Ugly, ill-natured, and wrinkled and thin, - Worn by your troubles to bone and to skin.'" - -"She's never been much else," rejoined Flossy, looking admiringly at -her own white arm. - -"I'm not as old as you!" And Charlie flared up to scarlet heat. - -"Oh! you needn't get so vexed. I was only thinking of the skin and -bone," said Florence in a more conciliatory manner. - -"Well, I don't want to be a 'Mother Bunch.'" - -"No fear of you, Charlie. You look like the people who live on some -shore,--I've forgotten the name of the place,--and, eat so many fish -that the bones work through." - -Charlie felt of her elbows. They were pretty sharp, to be sure. She was -very tall of her age, and ran so much that it was quite impossible to -keep any flesh on her bones. - -"Hush, children!" said grandmother. "I was going to tell you about the -party. Hal, give me a little of your salad, first." - -The Kinseys had invited all their relations to a grand family -gathering. Granny told over the pleasant and comical incidents that had -come under her notice,--the mishaps in cooking, the babies that had -fallen down stairs, and various entertaining matters. - -By that time supper was ended. Florence set out to take some lace that -she had been making to a neighbor; Hal washed the dishes, and Charlie -wiped them; Joe fed the chickens, and then perched himself astride the -gate-post, whistling all the tunes he could remember; Kit and Charlie -went to bed presently; and Hal and his grandmother had a good talk -until Dot woke up, strange to say quite good-natured. - -"Granny," said Hal, preparing a bowl of bread and milk for his little -sister, "some day we'll all be grown, and you won't have to work so -hard." - -"Six men and women! How odd it will be!" returned Granny with a smile -shining over her tired face. - -"Yes. We'll keep you like a lady. You shall have a pretty house to live -in, and Dot shall wait upon you. Won't you, Dot?" - -Dot shook her head sagely at Granny. - -And in the gathering twilight Hal smiled, remembering Joe's conceit. -Granny looked happy in spite of her weariness. She, foolish body, was -thinking how nice it was to have them all, even to poor little Dot. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - PLANNING IN THE TWILIGHT. - - -It was a rainy August day, and the children were having a glorious -time up in the old garret. Over the house-part there were two rooms; -but this above the kitchen was kept for rubbish. A big wheel, on which -Granny used to spin in her younger days, now answered for almost any -purpose, from a coach and four, to a menagerie: they could make it into -an elephant, a camel, or a hyena, by a skilful arrangement of drapery. - -There were several other pieces of dilapidated furniture, old hats, -old boots, a barrel or two of papers; in fact, a lot of useless -traps and a few trophies that Joe had brought home; to say nothing -of Charlie's endless heaps of trash, for she had a wonderful faculty -of accumulation; herbs of every kind, bundles of calamus, stacks of -"cat-tails," the fuzz of which flew in every direction with the least -whiff of wind. - -The "children" had been raising bedlam generally. Joe was dressed in an -old scuttle-shaped Leghorn bonnet and a gay plaid cloak, a strait kind -of skirt plaited on a yoke. Granny had offered it to Florence for a -dress, but it had been loftily declined. Kit was attired as an Indian, -his "scalp-lock" bound up with rooster feathers; and he strutted up and -down, jabbering a most uncouth dialect, though of what tribe it would -be difficult to say. Charlie appeared in a new costume about every -half-hour, and improvised caves in every corner; though it must be -confessed Joe rather extinguished her with his style. He could draw in -his lips until he looked as if he hadn't a tooth in his head, and talk -like nearly every old lady in town. - -Such whoops and yells and shouts as had rung through the old garret -would have astonished delicate nerves. In one of the bedrooms Granny -was weaving rag-carpet on a rickety loom, for she did a little of every -thing to lengthen out her scanty income; but the noise of that was as a -whiff of wind in comparison. - -At last they had tried nearly every kind of transformation, and were -beginning to grow tired. It was still very cloudy, and quite twilight -in their den, when Florence came up stairs, and found them huddled -around the window listening to a wonderful story that Joe made up as -he went along. Such fortunes and adventures could only belong to the -Munchausen period. - -"Dear!" exclaimed Florence, "I thought the chief of the Mohawks had -declared war upon the Narragansetts, and everybody had been scalped, -you subsided so suddenly. You've made racket enough to take off the -roof of the house!" - -"It's on yet," was Joe's solemn assurance. - -"O Joe!" begged Charlie: "tell us another story,--something about a -sailor who was wrecked, and lived in a cave, and found bags and bags of -money!" - -"That's the kind, Charlie. Flo, come on and take a seat." - -"Where's Dot?" - -"Here in my arms," replied Hal; "as good as a kitten; aren't you, Dot?" - -Dot answered with a contented grunt. - -"Oh, let's all tell what we'd like to do!" said Charlie, veering round -on a new tack. "Flo'll want to be Cinderella at the king's ball." - -Florence tumbled over the pile of legs, and found a seat beside Hal. - -"Well, I'll lead off," began Joe with a flourish. "First, I'm going to -be a sailor. I mean to ship with a captain bound for China; and hurra! -we'll go out with a flowing sea or some other tip-top thing! Well, I -guess we'll go to China,--this is all suppos'n, you know; and while I'm -there I'll get such lots of things!--crape-shawls and silks for you, -Flossy; and cedarwood chests to keep out moths, and fans and beautiful -boxes, and a chest of tea, for Granny. On the way home we shall be -wrecked. You'll hear the news, and think that I'm dead, sure enough." - -"But how will Flo get her shawls?" asked Charlie. - -"Oh, you'll hear presently! That's way in the end. I shall be wrecked -on an island where there's a fierce native chief; and first he and his -men think they'll kill me." Joe always delighted in harrowing up the -feelings of his audience. "So I offer him the elegant shawls and some -money"-- - -"But I thought you lost them all in the wreck!" interposed -quick-brained Charlie. - -"Oh, no! There's always something floats ashore, you must remember. -Well, he concluded not to kill me, though they have a great festival -dance in honor of their idols; and I only escape by promising to be -his obedient slave. I find some others who have been cast on that -desolate shore, and been treated in the same manner. The chief beats -us, and makes us work, and treats us dreadfully. Then we mutiny, and -have a great battle, for a good many of the natives join us. In the -scrimmage the old fellow is killed; and there's a tremendous rejoicing, -I can tell you, for they all hate him. We divide his treasure, and -it's immense, and go to live in his palace. Well, no boat ever comes -along; so we build one for ourselves, and row to the nearest port and -tell them the chief is dead. They are very glad, for he was a cruel old -fellow. Then we buy a ship, and go back for the rest of our treasures. -We take a great many of the beautiful things out of the palace, and -then we start for home, double-quick. It's been a good many years; and, -when I come back, Granny is old, and walking with a cane, Florence -married to a rich gentleman, and Dot here grown into a handsome girl. -But won't I build a stunning house! There'll be a scattering out of -this old shoe, I tell you." - -"Oh, won't it be splendid!" exclaimed Charlie, with a long-drawn -breath. "It's just like a story." - -"Now, Hal, it's your turn." - -Hal sighed softly, and squeezed Dot a little. - -"I shall not go off and be a sailor"-- - -"Or a jolly young oysterman," said Joe, by way of assistance. - -"No. What I'd like most of all"--and Hal made a long pause. - -"Even if it's murder, we'll forgive you and love you," went on -tormenting Joe. - -"O Joe, don't!" besought Florence. "I want to hear what Hal will -choose, for I know just what I'd like to have happen to me." - -"So do I," announced Charlie confidently. - -"I don't know that I can have it," said Hal slowly; "for it costs a -good deal, though I might make a small beginning. It's raising lovely -fruit and flowers, and having a great hot-house, with roses and lilies -and dear white blossoms in the middle of the winter. I should love them -so much! They always seem like little children to me, with God for -their father, and we who take care of them for a stepmother; though -stepmothers are not always good, and the poor wicked ones would be -those who did not love flowers. Why, it would be like fairy-land,--a -great long hot-house, with glass overhead, and all the air sweet with -roses and heliotrope and mignonette. And it would be so soft and still -in there, and so very, very beautiful! It seems to me as if heaven must -be full of flowers." - -"Could you sell 'em if you were poor?" asked Charlie, in a low voice. - -"Not the flowers in heaven! Charlie, you're a heathen." - -"I didn't mean that! Don't you suppose I know about heaven!" retorted -Charlie warmly. - -"Yes," admitted Joe with a laugh: "he could sell them, and make lots of -money. And there are ever so many things: why, Mr. Green paid six cents -apiece for some choice tomato-plants." - -"When I'm a man, I think I'll do that. I mean to try next summer in my -garden." - -"May I tell now?" asked Charlie, who was near exploding with her secret. - -"Yes. Great things," said Joe. - -"I'm going to run away!" And Charlie gave her head an exultant toss, -that, owing to the darkness, was lost to her audience. - -Joe laughed to his utmost capacity, which was not small. The old garret -fairly rang again. - -Florence uttered a horrified exclamation; and Kit said,-- - -"I'll go with you!" - -"Girls don't run away," remarked Hal gravely. - -"But I mean to, and it'll be royal fun," was the confident reply. - -"Where will you go? and will you beg from door to door?" asked Joe -quizzically. - -"No: I'm going out in the woods," was the undaunted rejoinder. "I mean -to find a nice cave; and I'll bring in a lot of good dry leaves and -some straw, and make a bed. Then I'll gather berries; and I know how to -catch fish, and I can make a fire and fry them. I'll have a gay time -going off to the river and rambling round, and there'll be no lessons -to plague a body to death. It will be just splendid." - -"Suppose a bear comes along and eats you up?" suggested Joe. - -"As if there were any bears around here!" Charlie returned with immense -disdain. - -"Well, a snake, or a wild-cat!" - -"I'm not afraid of snakes." - -"But you'd want a little bread." - -"Oh! I'd manage about that. I do mean to run away some time, just for -fun." - -"You'll be glad to run back again!" - -"You see, now!" was the decisive reply. - -"Florentina, it is your turn now. We have had age before beauty." - -Florence tossed her soft curls, and went through with a few pretty -airs. - -"I shouldn't run away," she said slowly; "but I'd like to _go_, for -all that. Sometimes, as I sit by the window sewing, and see an elegant -carriage pass by, I think, what if there should be an old gentleman in -it, who had lost his wife and all his children, and that one of his -little girls looked like--like me? And if he should stop and ask me for -a drink, I'd go to the well and draw a fresh, cool bucketful"-- - -"From the north side--that's the coldest," interrupted Joe. - -"Hush, Joe! No one laughed at you!" - -"Laugh! Why, I am sober as an owl." - -"Then I'd give him a drink. I wish we could have some goblets: tumblers -look so dreadfully old-fashioned. I mean to buy _one_, at least, some -time. He would ask me about myself; and I'd tell him that we were all -orphans, and had been very unfortunate, and that our grandmother was -old"-- - - "'Four score and ten of us, poor old maids,-- - Four score and ten of us, - Without a penny in our _puss_, - Poor old maids,'" - -sang Joe pathetically, cutting short the _purse_ on account of the -rhyme. - -"O Joe, you are too bad! I won't tell any more." - -"Yes, do!" entreated Hal. "And so he liked you on account of the -resemblance, and wanted to adopt you." - -"Exactly! Hal, how could you guess it?" returned Florence, much -mollified. "And so he would take me to a beautiful house, where there -were plenty of servants, and get me lovely clothes to wear; and there -would be lots of china and silver and elegant furniture and a piano. -I'd go to school, and study music and drawing, and never have to sew or -do any kind of work. Then I'd send you nice presents home; and, when -you were fixed up a little, you should come and see me. And maybe, Hal, -as you grew older, he would help you about getting a hot-house. I think -when I became a woman, I would take Dot to educate." - -"I've heard of fairy godmothers before, but this seems to be a -godfather. Here's luck to your old covey, Florrie, drunk in imaginary -champagne." - -"Joe, I wish you wouldn't use slang phrases, nor be so disrespectful." - -"I'm afraid I'll have to keep clear of the palace." - -"Oh, if it only could be!" sighed Hal. "I think Flo was meant for a -lady." - -Florence smiled inwardly at hearing this. It was her opinion also. - -"Here, Kit, are you asleep?" And Joe pulled him out of the pile by one -leg. "Wake up, and give us your heart's desire." - -Kit indulged in a vigorous kick, which Joe dodged. - -"It'll be splendid," began Kit, "especially the piano. I've had my -hands over my eyes, making stars; and I was thinking"-- - -"That's just what we want, Chief of the Mohawk Valley. Don't keep us in -suspense." - -"I'm going to save up my money, like some one Hal was reading about the -other day, and buy a fiddle." - -A shout of laughter greeted this announcement, it sounded so comical. - -Kit rubbed his eyes in amazement, and failed to see any thing amusing. -Then he said indignantly,-- - -"You needn't make such a row!" - -"But what will you do with a fiddle? You might tie a string to Charlie, -and take her along for a monkey; or you might both go round singing in -a squeaky voice,-- - - 'Two orphan boys of Switzerland.'" - -"You're real mean, Joe," said Kit, with his voice full of tears. - -"Kit, I'll give you the violin myself when I get rich," Florence -exclaimed in a comforting tone, her soft hand smoothing down the -refractory scalp-lock; "but I would say violin, it sounds so much -nicer. And then you'll play." - -"Play!" enunciated Kit in a tone that I cannot describe, as if that -were a weak word for the anticipated performance. "I'd make her talk! -They'd sit there and listen,--a whole houseful of people it would -be, you know; and when I first came out with my fiddle,--violin. -I mean,--they would look at me as if they thought I couldn't do -much. I'd begin with a slow sound, like the wind wailing on a winter -night,--I guess I'd have it a storm, and a little lost child, for -you can make almost any thing with a violin; and the cries should -grow fainter and fainter, for she would be chilled and worn out; -and presently it should drop down into the snow, and there'd be the -softest, strangest music you ever heard. The crowd would listen and -listen, and hold their breath; and when the storm cleared away, and the -angels came down for the child, it would be so, so sad"--and there was -an ominous falter in Kit's voice, "they couldn't help crying. There'd -be an angel's song up in heaven; and in the sweetest part of it all, -I'd go quietly away, for I wouldn't want any applause." - -"But you'd have it," said Hal softly, reaching out for the small -fingers that were to evoke such wonderful melody. "It almost makes me -cry myself to think of it! and the poor little girl lost in the snow, -not bigger than Dot here!" - -"Children!" called Granny from the foot of the stairs, "ain't you going -to come down and have any supper? I've made a great pot full of mush." - -There was a general scrambling. Hal carried Dot in his arms, for she -was fast asleep. Two or three times in the short journey he stopped to -kiss the soft face, thinking of Kit's vision. - -"Oh, we've been having such a splendid time!" announced Charlie. "All -of us telling what we'd like to do; and, Granny, Joe's going to build -you an _elegant_ house!" with a great emphasis on the word, as Charlie -was not much given to style, greatly to the sorrow and chagrin of -Florence. - -Granny gave a cheerful but cracked treble laugh, and asked,-- - -"What'll he build it of, my dear,--corn-cobs?" - -"Oh, a _real_ house! He's going to make lots of money, Joe is, and get -shipwrecked." - -Granny shook her head, which made the little white curls bob around -oddly enough. - -"How you do mix up things, Charlie," said Joe, giving her a poke with -his elbow. "You're a perfect harum-scarum! I don't wonder you want to -live in the woods. Go look at your head: it stands out nine ways for -Sunday!" - -Charlie ran her fingers through her hair, her usual manner of arranging -it. - -"Granny, here's this little lamb fast asleep. She's grown to be one of -the best babies in the world;" and Hal kissed her again. - -He had such a tender, girlish heart, that any thing weak or helpless -always appealed to him. Their sleek, shining Tabby had been a poor, -forlorn, broken-legged kitten when he found her; and there was no end -to the birds and chickens that he nursed through accidents. - -But for a fortnight Dot had been improving, it must be confessed, -being exempt from disease and broken bones. - -"Poor childie! Just lay her in the bed, Hal." - -There was a huge steaming dish of mush in the middle of the table; and -the hungry children went at it in a vigorous manner. Some had milk, -and some had molasses; and they improvised a dessert by using a little -butter, sugar, and nutmeg. They spiced their meal by recounting their -imaginary adventures; but Granny was observed to wipe away a few tears -over the shipwreck. - -"It was all make believe," said Joe sturdily. "Lots of people go to -sea, and don't get wrecked." - -"But I don't want you to go," Granny returned in a broken tone of voice. - -"Pooh!" exclaimed Joe, with immense disdain. "Don't people meet with -accidents on the land? Wasn't Steve Holder killed in the mill. And if I -was on the cars in a smash-up, I couldn't swim out of that!" - -Joe took a long breath, fancying that he had established his point -beyond a cavil. - -"But sailors never make fortunes," went on Granny hesitatingly. - -"Captains do, though; and it's a jolly life. Besides, we couldn't all -stay in this little shanty, unless we made nests in the chimney like -the swallows; and I don't know which would tumble down first,--we or -the chimney." - -Charlie laughed at the idea. - -"I shall stay with you always, Granny," said Hal tenderly. "And Dot, -you know, will be growing into a big girl and be company for us. We'll -get along nicely, never fear." - -Some tears dropped unwittingly into Granny's plate, and she didn't want -any more supper. It was foolish, of course. She ought to be thankful to -have them all out of the way and doing for themselves. Here she was, -over fifty, and had worked hard from girlhood. Some day she would be -worn out. - -But, in spite of all their poverty and hardship, she had been very -happy with them; and theirs were by no means a forlorn-looking set of -faces. Each one had a little beauty of its own; and, though they were -far from being pattern children, she loved them dearly in spite of -their faults and roughnesses. And in their way they loved her, though -sometimes they were great torments. - -And so at bed-time they all crowded round to kiss the wrinkled face, -unconsciously softened by the thought of the parting that was to come -somewhere along their lives. But no one guessed how Granny held little -Dot in her arms that night, and prayed in her quaint, fervent fashion -that she might live to see them all grown up and happy, good and -prosperous men and women, and none of them straying far from the old -home-nest. - -I think God listened with watchful love. No one else would have made -crooked paths so straight. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - A CHANCE FOR FLOSSY. - - -The vacation had come to an end, and next week the children were to go -to school again. Florence counted up her small hoard; for though she -did not like to sweep, or wash dishes, she was industrious in other -ways. She crocheted edgings and tidies, made lamp-mats, toilet-sets, -and collars, and had earned sixteen dollars. Granny would not have -touched a penny of it for the world. - -So Florence bought herself two pretty delaine dresses for winter wear, -and begged Granny to let Miss Brown cut and fit them. Florence had a -pretty, slender figure; and she was rather vain of it. Her two dresses -had cost seven dollars, a pair of tolerably nice boots three and a -half, a plaid shawl four, and then she had indulged in the great luxury -of a pair of kid gloves. - -It had come about in this wise. Mrs. Day had purchased them in New -York, but they proved too small for her daughter Julia. She was owing -Florence a dollar; so she said,-- - -"Now, if you have a mind to take these gloves, Florence, I'd let you -have them for seventy-five cents. I bought them very cheap: they ask -a dollar and a quarter in some stores;" and she held them up in their -most tempting light. - -Florence looked at them longingly. - -"They are lovely kid, and such a beautiful color! Green is all the -fashion, and you have a new green dress." - -There was a pair of nice woollen gloves at the store for fifty cents; -and although they were rather clumsy, still Florence felt they would be -warmer and more useful. - -"I don't know as I can spare you the dollar now," continued Mrs. Day, -giving the dainty little gloves a most aggravating stretch. - -"I'd like to have them," said Florence hesitatingly. - -"I suppose your grandmother won't mind? Your money is your own." - -Now, Mrs. Day knew that it was wrong to tempt Florence; but the gloves -were useless to her, and she felt anxious to dispose of them. - -"Grandmother said I might spend all my money for clothes," was the -rather proud reply. - -"Kid gloves always look so genteel, and are so durable. You have such a -pretty hand too." - -"I guess I will take them," Florence said faintly. - -So Mrs. Day gave her the gloves and twenty-five cents. Florence -carried them home in secret triumph, and put them in _her_ drawer in -Granny's big bureau. She had not told about them yet; and sometimes -they were a heavier burden than you would imagine so small a pair of -gloves could possibly be. - -Joe had earned a little odd change from the farmers round, and bought -himself a pair of new trousers and a new pair of boots; while Hal had -been maid-of-all-work in doors, and head gardener out of doors. - -"Just look at these potatoes!" he said in triumph to Granny. "There's -a splendid binful, and it'll last all winter. And there'll be cabbage -and pumpkins and marrow-squash and Lima beans, and lots of corn for the -chickens. The garden has been a success this summer." - -"And you've worked early and late," returned Granny in tender triumph. -"There isn't such another boy in the State, I'll be bound!" And she -gave him the fondest of smiles. - -"But the best of all is Dot. She's actually getting fat, Granny; and -she has a dimple in her cheek. Why, she'll be almost as pretty as -Flossy!" - -Granny gave the little one a kiss. - -"She's as good as a kitten when she is well," was the rejoinder, in a -loving tone. - -Kit and Charlie still romped like wild deers. They had made a cave in -the wood, and spent whole days there; but Charlie burned her fingers -roasting a bird, and went back to potatoes and corn, that could be put -in the ashes without so much risk. - -The old plaid cloak had been made over for a school-dress, and Charlie -thought it quite grand. Kit and Hal had to do the best they could about -clothes. - -"Never mind me, Granny," Hal said cheerfully; though he couldn't help -thinking of his patched Sunday jacket, which was growing short in the -sleeves for him. - -So on Saturday the children scrubbed and scoured and swept, and made -the place quite shine again. Hal arranged the flowers, and then they -all drew a restful breath before the supper preparations began. - -"There's Mrs. Van Wyck coming!" and Charlie flew up the lane, dashing -headlong into the house, to the imminent peril of her best dress, which -she had been allowed to put on for an hour or two. - -"Mrs. Van Wyck!" - -Granny brushed back her bobbing flaxen curls, washed Dot's face over -again with the nearest white cloth, which happened to be Flossy's best -handkerchief that she had been doing up for Sunday. - -"Oh!" the young lady cried in dismay, and then turned to make her -prettiest courtesy. Mrs. Van Wyck was very well off indeed, and lived -in quite a pretentious cottage,--villa she called it; but, as she had a -habit of confusing her V's and W's, Joe re-christened it the Van Wyck -Willow. - -"Good-afternoon, Mrs. Kenneth. How d'y do, Florence?" - -Florence brought out a chair, and, with the most polite air possible, -invited her to be seated. - -Mrs. Van Wyck eyed her sharply. - -"'Pears to me you look quite fine," she said. - -Florence wore a white dress that was pretty well outgrown, and had -been made from one of her mother's in the beginning. It had a good many -little darns here and there, and she was wearing it for the last time. -She had tied a blue ribbon in her curls, and pinned a tiny bouquet on -her bosom. She looked very much dressed, but that was pretty Flossy's -misfortune. - -Mrs. Van Wyck gathered up her silk gown,--a great staring brocade in -blue and gold, that might have been her grandmother's, it looked so -ancient in style. - -"I've come over on some business," she began, with an important air and -a mysterious shake of the head. - -Granny sat down, and took Dot upon her lap. Kit and Charlie peered out -of their hiding-places, and Joe perched himself upon the window-sill. - -"How do you ever manage with all this tribe?" And Mrs. Van Wyck gave -each of them a scowl. - -"There's a houseful," returned Granny, "but we _do_ get along." - -"Tough scratching, I should say." - -"And poor pickings the chickens might add, if they had _such_ an old -hen," commented Joe _soto voce_. "There'd be something worse than -clucking." - -Hal couldn't help laughing. Mrs. Van Wyck was so ruffled and frilled, -so full of ends of ribbon about the head and neck, that she did look -like a setting hen disturbed in the midst of her devotions. - -"Them children haven't a bit of manners," declared Mrs. Van Wyck, in -sublime disregard of syntax. "Trot off, all of you but Florence: I have -something to say to your grandmother." - -Joe made a somerset out of the window, and placed himself in a good -listening position; Hal went out and sat on the doorstep; and Charlie -crawled under the table. - -"I don't see how you manage to get along with such a houseful. I always -did wonder at your taking 'em." - -"Oh! we do pretty well," returned Granny cheerily. - -"They're growing big enough to help themselves a little. Why don't you -bind Joe out to some of the farmers. Such a great fellow ought to be -doing something besides racing round and getting into mischief." - -Joe made a series of such polite evolutions, that Hal ran to the gate -to have a good laugh without being heard. - -"He's going to school," said Granny innocently. "They all begin on -Monday." - -"Going to school?" And Mrs. Van Wyck elevated her voice as if she -thought them all deaf. "Why, _I_ never went to school a day after I -was twelve year old, and my father was a well-to-do farmer. There's no -sense in children having so much book-larnin'. It makes 'em proud and -stuck up, and good for nothing. - -"Oh! where's that dog? Put him out! Put him out! I can't bear dogs. And -the poorer people are, the more dogs they'll keep." - -Joe, the incorrigible, was quite a ventriloquist for his years and -size. He had just made a tremendous ki-yi, after the fashion of the -most snarling terrier dog, and a kind of scrabbling as if the animal -might be under Mrs. Van Wyck's feet. - -"Oh, my! Take the nasty brute away. Maybe he's full of fleas or has the -mange"-- - -"It is only Joe," explained Florence, as soon as she could put in a -word. - -"I'd Joe him, if I had him here! You're a ruining of these children -as I've always said; and you may thank your stars if Joe escapes the -gallows. I've positively come on an errand of mercy." - -"Not for Joe," declared the owner of the name with a sagacious shake of -the head, while Mrs. Van Wyck paused for breath. - -"Yes. Not one of them'll be worth a penny if they go on this way. Now, -here's Florence, growing up in idleness"-- - -"She keeps pretty busy," said Granny stoutly. - -"Busy! Why, you've nothing for her to do. When I was a little girl, -my mother made me sit beside her, and sew patchwork; and before I was -twelve year old I had finished four quilts. And she taught me the -hymn,-- - - 'Satan finds some mischief still - For idle hands to do.'" - -"They always learn a verse for Sunday," said Granny deprecatingly. - -"But you let 'em run wild. I've seen it all along. I was a talkin' to -Miss Porter about it; and says I, 'Now, I'll do one good deed;' and the -Lord knows it's needed." - -Everybody listened. Joe from the outside made a pretence of picking his -ears open with the handle of a broken saucepan. - -"Florence is getting to be a big girl, and it's high time she learned -something. As I was a sayin' to Miss Porter, 'I want just such a girl; -and it will be the making of Florence Kenneth to fall into good hands.'" - -"But you don't mean"--and Granny paused, aghast. - -"I mean to make the child useful in her day and generation. It'll be a -good place for her." - -Mrs. Van Wyck nodded her head until the bows and streamers flew in -every direction. - -Granny opened her eyes wide in surprise. - -"What do you want of her, Mrs. Van Wyck?" - -Charlie peeped out from between the legs of the table to hear, her -mouth wide open lest she should lose a word. - -"Want of her?" screamed the visitor. "Why, to work, of course! I don't -keep idle people about me, I can tell you. I want a girl to make beds, -and sweep, and dust, and wash dishes, and scour knives, and scrub, and -run errands, and do little chores around. It'll be the making of her; -and I'm willing to do the fair thing." - -Granny was struck dumb with amazement. Florence could hardly credit her -ears. Hal sprang up indignantly, and Joe doubled his fists as if he -were about to demolish the old house along with Mrs. Van Wyck. - -"Yes. I've considered the subject well. I always sleep on a thing -before I tell a single soul. And, if Florence is a good smart girl, -I'll give her seventy-five cents a week and her board. For six dollars -a month I could get a grown girl, who could do all my work." - -Granny looked at Florence in helpless consternation; and Florence -looked at Granny with overwhelming disdain. - -"Well! why don't you answer?" said the visitor. She had supposed they -would jump at the offer. - -"I don't expect to go out doing housework, Mrs. Van Wyck," said -Florence loftily. - -"Hoity-toity! how grand we are! I've never been above doing my own -housework; and I could buy and sell the whole bunch of you, a dozen -times over." - -"Florence wouldn't like it, I'm afraid," said Granny mildly. - -"A fine way to bring up children, truly! You may see the day when -you'll be thankful to have a home as good as my kitchen." - -There was a bright red spot in Florence's cheeks. - -"Mrs. Van Wyck," Florence began in a quiet, ladylike manner, although -she felt inclined to be angry, "grandmother is right: I should not like -it. I have no taste for housework; and I can earn more than you offer -to give by doing embroidering and crocheting. Through the six weeks of -vacation I earned sixteen dollars." - -"Fancy work! What is the world coming to? Children brought up to -despise good, honest employment." - -"No, I don't despise it," amended Florence; "but I do not like it, and -I think it a hard way of earning a little money. If I can do better, of -course I have the right." - -Granny was amazed at the spirit Florence displayed. - -"You'll all be paupers on the town yet, mark my words. Flaunting round -in white dresses and ribbons, and"-- - -She glanced around for some further vanity to include in her inventory. - -"I am sure we are obliged to you," said Granny mildly. "But Florence"-- - -"Yes, Florence is too good to work. There's no sense in such high-flown -names. I'd have called her plain Peggy. She must curl her hair, and -dress herself--oh my lady, if I had you, you'd see!" - -And Mrs. Van Wyck arose in great wrath, her streamers flying wildly. - -"You'll remember this when you come to beggary,--refusing a good home -and plenty. Your grandmother is a foolish old woman; and you're a lazy, -shiftless, impudent set! I wash my hands of the whole lot." - -"I'm sorry," began Granny. - -"There's no use talking. I wouldn't have the girl on any account. I can -get her betters any day. You'll come to no good end, I can tell you!" - -With that, Mrs. Van Wyck flounced out; but at the first turn tumbled -over Kit, who had rolled himself in a ball on the doorstep. - -Down she went, and Joe set up a shout. Hal couldn't help laughing, and -Charlie ran to pull out Kit. - -"You good-for-nothing, beggarly wretches!" - -While she was sputtering and scrambling about, Joe began a hideous -caterwauling. - -"Drat that cat! Pity I hadn't broken his neck! And my second-best -bonnet!" - -Kit hid himself in his grandmother's gown, sorely frightened, and a -little bruised. - -[Illustration] - -"It's the last time I'll ever step inside of this place. Such an awful -set of children I never did see!" - -To use Joe's expressive phraseology, she "slathered" right and left, -her shrill voice adding to the confusion. - -Granny watched the retreating figure with the utmost bewilderment. - -"The mean old thing!" began Florence, half crying. "Why, I couldn't -stand her temper and her scolding, and to be a common kitchen-girl!" - -"She meant well, dear. In my day girls thought it no disgrace to live -out." - -"Wasn't it gay and festive, Granny? I believe I've burst every button, -laughing; and you'll have to put a mustard plaster on my side to draw -out the soreness. And oh, Kit, what a horrible yell you gave! How could -you be the ruin of that second best bonnet?" - -"'Twasn't me," said Kit, rubbing his eyes. "But she most squeezed the -breath out of me." - -"Flossy, here is your fortune, and your coach-and-four. My dear child, -I hope you will not be too much elated, for you must remember"-- - - "'Satan finds some mischief still,' &c." - -Joe whisked around, holding Dot's apron at full length in imitation of -a streamer. - -"I wonder if she really thought I would go. Scouring and scrubbing, and -washing dishes. I'd do with one meal a day first." - -"She is a coarse, ill-bred woman," said Hal; "not a bit like Mrs. -Kinsey." - -"We will not be separated just yet," exclaimed Granny, with a sigh for -the time that must come. - -"And I don't mean to live out," was the emphatic rejoinder of Florence. - -"My dear, you mustn't be too proud," cautioned Granny. - -"It isn't altogether pride. Why should I wash dishes when I can do -something better?" - -"That's the grit, Flossy. I'll bet on you!" - -"O Joe! don't. I wish you would learn to be refined. Now, you see all -Mrs. Van Wyck's money cannot make her a lady." - -Joe put on a solemn face; but the next moment declared that he must -keep a sharp look out, or some old sea-captain would snap him up, and -set him to scrubbing decks, and holystoning the cable. - -And yet they felt quite grave when the fun was over. Their merry -vacation had ended, and there was no telling what a year might bring -forth. - -"I think I should like most of all to be a school-teacher," Florence -declared. - -"You'll have to wait till you're forty. Who do you s'pose is going to -mind a little gal?" - -"Not you; for you never mind anybody," was the severe reply. - -Florence felt quite grand on the following day, attired in her new -green delaine, and her "lovely" gloves. Granny was so busy with the -others that she never noticed them; and Florence quieted her conscience -by thinking that the money was her own, and she could do what she liked -with it. She kept self generally in view, it must be admitted. - -Mrs. Van Wyck's overture was destined to make quite a stir. She -repeated it to her neighbors in such glowing terms that it really -looked like an offer to adopt Florence; and she declaimed bitterly -against the pride and the ingratitude of the whole Kenneth family. - -Florence held her head loftily, and took great pains to contradict the -story; and Joe became the stoutest of champions, though he teased her -at home. - -"But it's too bad to have her tell everybody such falsehoods; and, -after all, three dollars a month would be very low wages. Why, Mary -Connor gets a dollar a week for tending Mrs. Hall's baby; and she never -scrubs or scours a thing!" - -Truth to tell, Florence felt a good deal insulted. - -But the whole five went to school pretty regularly. Hal was very -studious, and Florence also, in spite of her small vanities; but Joe -was incorrigible everywhere. - -Florence gained courage one day to ask Mr. Fielder about the prospect -of becoming a teacher. She was ambitious, and desired some kind of a -position that would be ladylike. - -"It's pretty hard work at first," he answered with a smile. - -"But how long would I have to study?" - -"Let me see--you are fourteen now: in three years you might be able -to take a situation. Public schools in the city are always better for -girls, for they can begin earlier in the primary department. A country -school, you see, may have some troublesome urchins in it." - -Florence sighed. Three years would be a long while to wait. - -"I will give you all the assistance in my power," Mr. Fielder said -kindly. "And I may be able to hear of something that will be to your -advantage." - -Florence thanked him, but somehow the prospect did not look brilliant. - -Then she thought of dressmaking. Miss Brown had a pretty cottage, -furnished very nicely indeed; and it was her boast that she did it all -with her own hands. She kept a servant, and dressed quite elegantly; -and all the ladies round went to her in their carriages. Then she had -such beautiful pieces for cushions and wonderful bedquilts,--"Though -I never take but the least snip of a dress," she would say with a -virtuous sniff. "I have heard of people who kept a yard or two, but to -my mind it's downright stealing." - -There was a drawback to this picture of serene contentment. Miss Brown -was an old maid, and Florence hoped devoutly that would never be her -fate. And then Miss Skinner, who went out by the day, was single also. -Was it the natural result of the employment? - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - THE IDENTICAL SHOE. - - -They did pretty well through the fall. Joe came across odd jobs, -gathered stores of hickory-nuts and chestnuts; and now and then of an -evening they had what he called a rousing good boil; and certainly -chestnuts never tasted better. They sat round the fire, and told -riddles or stories, and laughed as only healthy, happy children can. -What if they were poor, and had to live in a little tumble-down shanty! - -Sometimes Joe would surprise them with a somerset in the middle of the -floor, or a good stand on his head in one corner. - -"Joe," Granny would say solemnly, "I once knowed a man who fell that -way on his head off a load of hay, and broke his back." - -"Granny dear, 'knowed' is bad grammar. When you go to see Florence in -her palace, you must say knew, to rhyme with blew. But your old man's -back must have grown cranky with rheumatism, while mine is limber as an -eel." - -"He wasn't old, Joe. And in my day they never learned grammar." - -"Oh, tell us about the good old times!" and Hal's head was laid in -Granny's lap. - -The children were never tired of hearing these tales. Days when -Granny was young were like enchantment. She remembered some real -witch stories, that she was sure were true; and weddings, quiltings, -husking-bees, and apple-parings were full of interest. How they went -out sleigh-riding, and had a dance; and how once Granny and her lover, -sitting on the back seat, were jolted out, seat and all, while the -horses went skimming along at a pace equal to Tam O'Shanter's. And how -they had to go to a neighboring cottage, and stay ever so long before -they were missed. - -"There'll never be such times again," Joe would declare solemnly. - -Florence would breath a little sigh, and wonder if she could ever -attain to beaux and merriment, and if any one would ever quarrel about -dancing with her. How happy Granny must have been! - -Dot had a dreadful cold, and Granny an attack of rheumatism; but they -both recovered before Christmas. Every one counted so much on this -holiday. All were making mysterious preparations. Joe and Hal and -Florence had their heads together; and then it was Granny and Florence, -or Granny and Hal. - -"I don't dare to stir out," said Joe lugubriously, "lest you may say -something that I shall not hear." - -Hal killed three fine young geese. Two were disposed of for a dollar -apiece, and the third he brought to the kitchen in triumph. - -"There's our Christmas dinner, and a beauty too!" he announced. - -Hal had sold turkeys and chickens enough to buy himself a good warm -winter coat. - -Granny had a little extra luck. In fact, it was rather a prosperous -winter with them; and there was nothing like starvation, in spite of -Mrs. Van Wyck's prediction. - -They all coaxed Granny to make doughnuts. Joe dropped them in the -kettle, and Hal took them out with the skimmer. How good they did smell! - -Kit and Charlie tumbled about on the floor, and were under everybody's -feet; while Dot sat in her high chair, looking wondrous wise. - -"How'll we get the stockings filled?" propounded Joe, when the -supper-table had been cleared away. - -They all glanced at each other in consternation. - -"But where'll you hang 'em?" asked Kit after a moment or two of -profound study. - -"Some on the andirons, some on the door-knob, some on the kettle-spout, -and the rest up chimney." - -"I say, can't we have two?" was Charlie's anxious question. - -"Lucky if you get one full. What a host of youngsters! O Granny! did -you know that last summer I discovered that you were the old woman who -lived in a shoe?" - -"O Joe! don't;" and Hal raised his soft eyes reproachfully. - -Granny laughed, not understanding Hal's anxiety. - -"Because I had so many children?" - -"Exactly; but I think you are better tempered than your namesake." - -Granny's eyes twinkled at this compliment. - -"It was an awful hot day, and Dot was cross enough to kill a cat with -nine lives." - -"But she's a little darling now," said Hal, kissing her. "I think the -sand-man has been around;" and he smiled into the little face with its -soft drooping eyes. - -"Yes, she ought to be in bed, and Kit and Charlie. Come, children." - -"I want to see what's going to be put in my stocking," whined Charlie -in a very sleepy tone. - -"No, you can't. March off, you small snipes, or you will find a whip -there to-morrow morning." - -That was Joe's peremptory order. - -They had a doughnut apiece, and then went reluctantly. Charlie was very -sure that she was wider awake than ever before in her life, and could -not get asleep if she tried all night. Kit didn't believe that morning -would ever come. Hal put on Dot's nightgown, and heard her say, "Now I -lay me down to sleep;" while Joe picked up the cat, and irreverently -whispered,-- - - "Now I lay me down to sleep, - All curled up in a little heap. - - If I should wake before 'tis day, - What do you s'pose the doctor'd say?" - -"O Joe!" remonstrated Granny. - -"That's Tabby's prayers. Tabby is a high principled, moral, and -intellectual cat. Now go to sleep, and dream of a mouse." - -Tabby winked her eyes solemnly, as if she understood every word; and -it's my firm belief that she did. - -Then Granny, Florence, Joe, and Hal sat in profound thought until the -old high clock in the corner struck nine. - -"Well," said Joe, "what are we waiting for?" - -Hal laughed and answered,-- - -"For some one to go to bed." - -"What is to be done about it?" - -Florence looked wise, and said presently,-- - -"We'll all have to go in the other room except the one who is to put -something in the stockings." - -"That's it. Who will begin?" - -"Not I," rejoined Joe. "I don't want to be poked down into the toe." - -"And I can't have my gifts crushed," declared Florence. - -"Hal, you begin." - -Hal was very cheerful and obliging. Granny lighted another candle, and -the three retired. He disposed of his gifts, and then called Joe. - -Joe made a great scrambling around. One would think he had Santa Claus -himself, and was squeezing him into the small stocking, sleigh, ponies, -and all. - -"Now, Granny, it's your turn." - -Granny fumbled about a long while, until the children grew impatient. -Afterward Florence found herself sorely straitened for room; but she -had a bright brain, and what she could not put inside she did up -in papers and pinned to the outside, giving the stockings a rather -grotesque appearance, it must be confessed. There they hung in a row, -swelled to dropsical proportions, and looking not unlike stumpy little -Dutchmen who had been beheaded at the knees. - -"Now, Granny, you must go to bed," said Joe with an air of importance. -"And you must promise to lie there until you are called to-morrow -morning,--honor bright!" - -Granny smiled, and bobbed her flaxen curls. - -"Now," exclaimed Florence, bolting the middle door so they would be -sure of no interruption. - -Joe went out to the wood-shed, and dragged in a huge shoe. The toe was -painted red, and around the top a strip of bright yellow, ending with -an immense buckle cut out of wood. - -"Oh, isn't it splendid!" exclaimed Florence, holding her breath. - -"That was Hal's idea, and it's too funny for any thing. Granny could -crawl into it head first. If we haven't worked and conjured to keep Kit -and Charlie out of the secret, then no one ever had a bit of trouble -in this world." - -Joe laughed until he held his sides. It was a sort of safety -escape-valve with him. - -"H-u-s-h!" whispered Hal. "Now, Flossy." - -Florence brought a large bundle out of the closet. There were some -suppressed titters, and "O's," and "Isn't it jolly?" - -"Now you must tie your garters round the bedpost, put the toe of your -shoes toward the door, and go to bed backward. That'll make every thing -come out just right," declared Joe. - -"Oh, dear! I wish it was morning!" said Hal. "I want to see the fun." - -"So don't this child. I must put in some tall snoring between this and -daylight." - -They said good-night softly to each other, and went off to bed. Joe was -so full of mischief, that he kept digging his elbows into Hal's ribs, -and rolling himself in the bedclothes, until it was a relief to have -him commence the promised snoring. - -With the first gray streak of dawn there was a stir. - -"Merry Christmas!" sang out Joe with a shout that might have been heard -a mile. "Hal and Kit"-- - -"Can't you let a body sleep in peace?" asked Kit in an injured tone, -the sound coming from vasty deeps of bedclothes. - -Joe declared they always had to fish him out of bed, and that buckwheat -cakes was the best bait that could be used. - -"Why, it's Christmas. Hurrah! We're going to have a jolly time. What do -you suppose is in your stocking?" - -That roused Kit. He came out of bed on his head, and commenced putting -his foot through his jacket sleeve. - -"I can't find my stockings! Who's got 'em?" - -"The fellow who gets up first always takes the best clothes," said Joe -solemnly. - -With that he made a dive into his. It was the funniest thing in the -world to see Joe dress. His clothes always seemed joined together in -some curious fashion; for he flung his arms and legs into them at one -bound. - -"Oh, dear! Don't look in my stocking, Joe. You might wait. I know -you've hidden away my shoe on purpose." - -With this Kit sat in the middle of the floor like a heap of rains, and -began to cry. - -Hal came to the rescue, and helped his little brother dress. But Joe -was down long before them. He gave a whoop at the door. - -"Merry Christmas!" exclaimed Florence with a laugh, glad to think she -had distanced him. - -"Merry Christmas! The top o' the mornin' to you, Granny! Long life and -plenty of 'praties and pint.' Santa Claus has been here. My eyes!" - -Hal and Kit came tumbling along; but the younger stood at the door in -amaze, his mouth wide open. - -"Hush for your life!" - -But Kit had to make a tour regardless of his own stocking, while Joe -brandished the tongs above his head as if to enforce silence. - -Hal began to kindle the fire. Charlie crept out in her nightgown, with -an old shawl about her, and stood transfixed with astonishment. - -"Oh, my! Isn't that jolly? Doesn't Granny know a bit?" - -"Not a word." - -"Mrs. McFinnegan," said Joe through the chink of the door, "I have to -announce that the highly esteemed and venerable Mr. Santa Claus, a -great traveller and a remarkably generous man, has made a call upon you -during the night. As he feared to disturb your slumbers, he left a ball -of cord, a paper of pins, and a good warm night-cap." - -Florence was laughing so that she could hardly use buttons or hooks. -Dot gave a neglected whine from the cradle. - -"Is Granny ready?" Hal asked as she came out. - -"She's just putting on her cap." - -Hal went in for a Christmas kiss. Granny held him to her heart in a -fond embrace, and wished the best of every thing over him. - -"Merry Christmas to you all!" she said as Hal escorted her out to the -middle of the room. - -Joe went over on his head, and then perched himself on the back of a -chair. The rest all looked at Granny. - -"Is this really for me?" she asked in surprise, though the great -placard stared her in the face. - -The children set up a shout. Kit and Charlie paused, open-mouthed, in -the act of demolishing something. - -"Why, I never"-- - -"Tumble it out," said Joe. - -"This great shoe full"-- - -Florence handed the first package to Granny. She opened it in amaze, as -if she really could not decide whether it belonged to her or not. - -There was a paper pinned on it, "A Merry Christmas from Mrs. Kinsey." - -A nice dark calico dress-pattern, at which Granny was so overcome that -she dropped into the nearest chair. - -Next a pair of gloves from Joe; a pretty, warm hood from Mrs. Howard, -the clergyman's wife; a bowl of elegant cranberry sauce from another -neighbor; a crocheted collar from Florence, and then with a big tug-- - -"Oh!" exclaimed Granny, "is it a comfortable, or what?" - -A good thick plaid shawl. Just bright enough to be handsome and not -too gay, and as soft as the back of a lamb. - -"Where did it come from?" - -Granny's voice trembled in her excitement. - -"From all of us," said Florence. "I mean, Joe and Hal and me. We've -been saving our money this ever so long, and Mrs. Kinsey bought it for -us. O Granny!"-- - -But Granny had her arms around them, and was crying over heads golden -and brown and black; and Hal, little chicken-heart, was sobbing and -smiling together. Joe picked a big tear or two out of his eye, and -began with some nonsense. - -"And to keep it a secret all this time! and to make this great shoe! -There never was such a Christmas before. Oh, children, I'm happier than -a queen!" - -"What makes you cry then, Granny?" asked Charlie. -"But oh! wasn't it funny? And if it only had runners -it would make a sleigh. Look at the red toe." - -They kissed dozens of times, and inspected each other's gifts. Florence -had made each of the boys two dainty little neckties, having begged -the silk from Miss Brown. Charlie and Kit had a pair of new mittens, -Joe and Hal a new shirt with a real plaited bosom, and a host of small -articles devised by love, with a scarce purse. But I doubt if there was -a happier household in richer homes. - -It was a long while before they had tried every thing, - -[Illustration] - -tasted of all their "goodies," and expressed sufficient delight and -surprise. Dot was taken up and dressed, and Kit found that she fitted -into the shoe exact. Her tiny stocking was not empty. They all laughed -and talked; and it was nine o'clock before their simple breakfast was -ready. - -Joe had to take a turn out to see some of the boys; Florence made the -beds, and put the room in order; and Hal kept a roaring fire to warm -it up, so that they might have a parlor. Kit and Charlie were deeply -interested in the shoe; and Granny had to break out every now and then -in surprise and thankfulness. - -"A shawl and hood and gloves and a dress! Why, I never had so many -things at once, I believe; and how hard you must all have worked! I -don't see how you could save so much money!" - -"It's better than living with Mrs. Van Wyck," returned Florence with -pardonable pride. "Embroidering is real pretty work, and it pays well. -Mrs. Howard has asked me to do some for a friend of hers." - -"You're a wonder, Florence, to be sure. I can't see how you do 'em all -so nice. But my fingers are old and clumsy." - -"They know how to make pies and doughnuts," said Kit, as if that was -the main thing, after all. - -They went to work at the dinner. It was to be a grand feast. Joe kept -the fire brisk; while Hal waited upon Granny, and remembered the -ingredients that went to make "tip-top" dressing. - -"It is a pity you were not a Frenchman," said Florence. "You would -make such a handy cook." - -Hal laughed, his cheeks as red as roses. - -"I couldn't keep house without him," appended Granny. - -There was a savory smell of roasting goose, the flavor of thyme and -onions, which the children loved dearly. Charlie and Kit went out to -have a good run, and came back hungry as bears, they declared. Joe went -off to see some of the boys, and compare gifts. Though more than one -new sled or nice warm overcoat gave his heart a little twinge, he was -too gay and happy to feel sad very long; and, when he had a royal ride -down hill on the bright sleds that flashed along like reindeers, he -returned very well content. - -Florence sighed a little as she arranged the table. Three kinds of -dishes, and some of them showing their age considerably. If they were -all white it wouldn't be so bad. She did so love beauty! - -But when the goose, browned in the most delicious manner, graced the -middle dish, the golden squash and snowy mound of potatoes, and the -deep wine color of the cranberries lent their contrast, it was quite -a picture, after all. And when the host of eager faces had clustered -round it, one would hardly have noticed any lack. They were all in the -gayest possible mood. - -Hal did the carving. The goose was young and tender, and he disappeared -with marvellous celerity. - -Wings, drumsticks, great juicy slices with crisp skin, dressing in -abundance; and how they did eat! For a second helping they had to -demolish the rack; and Charlie wasn't sure but picking bones was the -most fun of all. - -"Hal, you had better go into the poultry business," said Joe, stopping -in the midst of a spoonful of cranberry. - -"I've been thinking of it," was the reply. - -"I should think he was in it," said Charlie slyly. - -Joe laughed. - -"Good for you, Charlie. They must feed you on knives at your house, -you're so sharp. But I have heard of people being too smart to live -long, so take warning." - -Charlie gave her head a toss. - -"Why wouldn't it be good?" pursued Joe. "People do make money by it; -and I suppose, before very long, we must begin to think about money." - -"Don't to-day" said Granny. - -"No, we will not worry ourselves," rejoined Hal. - -One after another drew long breaths, as if their appetites were -diminishing. Dot sat back in her high chair, her hands and face showing -signs of the vigorous contest, but wonderfully content. - -"Now the pie!" exclaimed Joe. - -Florence gathered up the bones and the plates, giving Tabby, who sat in -the corner washing her face, a nice feast. Then came on the Christmas -pie, which was pronounced as great a success as the goose. - -"Oh, dear!" sighed Joe. "One unfortunate thing about eating is, that it -takes away your appetite." - -"It is high time!" added Florence. - -They wouldn't allow Granny to wash a dish, but made her sit in state -while they brought about order and cleanliness once more. A laughable -time they had; for Joe wiped some dishes, and Charlie scoured one knife. - -Afterward they had a game at blind-man's-buff. Such scampering and such -screams would have half frightened any passer-by. They coaxed Granny to -get up and join; and at last, to please Hal, she consented. - -If Joe fancied he could catch her easily, he was much mistaken. She had -played blind-man's-buff too many times in her young days. Such turning -and doubling and slipping away was fine to see; and Charlie laughed so, -that Joe, much chagrined, took her prisoner instead. - -"Granny, you beat every thing!" he said. "Now, Charlie." - -Charlie made a dive at the cupboard, and then started for the window, -spinning round in such a fashion that they all had to run; but even she -was not fleet enough. - -After that, Kit and Florence essayed; and Joe, manoeuvring in their -behalf, fell into the trap himself, at which they all set up a shout. - -"I'm bound to have Granny this time," he declared. - -Sure enough, though he confessed afterwards that he peeped a little; -but Granny was tired with so much running: and, as the short afternoon -drew to a close, they gathered round the fire, and cracked nuts, -washing them down with apples, as they had no cider. - -"It's been a splendid Christmas!" said Charlie, with such a yawn that -she nearly made the top of her head an island. - -"I wonder if we'll all be here next year?" said Joe, rather more -solemnly than his wont. - -"I hope so," responded Granny, glancing over the clustering faces. Dot -sat on Hal's knee, looking bright as a new penny. She, too, had enjoyed -herself amazingly. - -But presently the spirit of fun seemed to die out, and they began to -sing some hymns and carols. The tears came into Granny's eyes, as the -sweet, untrained voices blended so musically. Ah, if they could always -stay children! Foolish wish; and yet Granny would have toiled for them -to her latest breath. - -"Here's long life and happiness!" exclaimed Joe, with a flourish of the -old cocoanut dipper. "A merry Christmas next year, and may we all be -there to see!" - -Ah, Joe, it will be many a Christmas before you are all there again. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - GOOD LUCK FOR JOE. - - -"Hooray!" said Joe, swinging the molasses jug over his head as if it -had been a feather, or the stars and stripes on Fourth of July morning. - -"O Joe!" - -"Flossy, my darling, you are a poet sure; only poetry, like an -alligator, must have feet, or it will lose its reputation. Here's your -'lasses, Granny; and what do you think? Something has actually happened -to me! Oh, my! do guess quick!" - -"You've been taken with the 'lirium"--and there Charlie paused, having -been wrecked on a big word. - -"Delirium tremen_jous_. Remember to say it right hereafter, Charlie." - -Charlie looked very uncertain. - -"Maybe it's the small-pox," said Kit, glancing up in amazement. - -"Good for you!" and Joe applauded with two rather blue thumb-nails. -"But it's a fact. Guess, Granny. I'm on the high road to fortune. -Hooray!" - -With that, Joe executed his usual double-shuffle, and a revolution on -his axis hardly laid down in the planetary system. He would have said -that it was because he was not a heavenly body. - -"O Joe, if you were like any other boy!" - -"Jim Fisher, for instance,--red-headed, squint-eyed, and freckled." - -"He can't help it," said Hal mildly. "He is real nice too." - -"You're not going"--began Granny with a gasp. - -"Yes, I'm going"--was the solemn rejoinder. - -"Not to sea!" and there came a quick blur in Hal's eyes. - -"Oh, bother, no! You're all splendid at guessing, and ought to have -a prize leather medal. It's in Mr. Terry's store; and I shall have a -dollar and a half a week! Good by, Mr. Fielder. Adieu, beloved grammar; -and farewell, most fragrant extract of cube-root, as well as birch-oil. -O Granny! I'm happy as a big sunflower. On the high road to fame and -fortune,--think of it!" - -"Is it really true?" asked Florence. - -"Then, I won't need to go for any thing," appended Charlie. - -"No; but you'll have to draw water, and split kindlings, and hunt up -Mrs. Green's cows." - -"In Mr. Terry's store! What wonderful luck, Joe!" - -Granny's delight was overwhelming. All along she had experienced a sad -misgiving, lest Joe should take a fancy to the sea in real earnest. - -"Yes. It's just splendid. Steve Anthony's going to the city to learn -a trade. He had a letter from his uncle to-day, saying that he might -start right away. I thought a minute: then said I, 'Steve, who's coming -here?' 'I don't know,' said he. 'Mr. Terry'll have to look round.' 'I'm -your boy,' said I, 'and no mistake.' And with that I rushed in to Mr. -Terry, and asked him. He gave me some columns of figures to add up, -and questioned me a little, and finally told me that I might come on -Monday, and we'd try for a week." - -"There's Joe's fortune," said Hal, "and a good one too. You will not -need to go to sea." - -There was an odd and knowing twinkle in Joe's merry hazel eye, which -showed to an observing person that he was not quite sound on the -question. - -"Tate Dotty;" and two little hands were outstretched. - -"O Dot! you're a fraud, and more trouble to me than all my money." - -With that, Joe sat her up on his shoulder, and she laughed gleefully. - -Granny lighted a candle, and began to prepare for supper. While Charlie -set the table, Granny brought out the griddle, and commenced frying -some Indian cakes in a most tempting manner. Joe dropped on an old -stool, and delighted Dot with a vigorous ride to Banbury Cross. - -Kit stood beside him, inhaling the fragrance of the cakes, and -wondering at the dexterity with which Granny turned them on a slender -knife. - -"I don't see how you do it. Suppose you should let 'em fall?" - -"Ho!" said Charlie, with a sniff of disdain. "Women always know how." - -"But they can't come up to the miners," suggested Joe. "They keep house -for themselves; and their flapjacks are turned,--as big as Granny's -griddle here." - -"One cake?" - -"Yes. That's where the art comes in." - -"They must take a shovel," said Charlie. - -"No, nor a knife, nor any thing." - -With that Joe shook his head mysteriously. - -"With their fingers," announced Kit triumphantly. - -"My mother used to bake them in a frying-pan," said Granny. "Then she'd -twirl it round and round, and suddenly throw the cake over." - -"There!" - -Kit gave a nod as much as to say, "Beat that if you can." - -"That isn't a circumstance," was Joe's solemn comment. - -"But how then?" asked Charlie, who was wound up to a pitch of -curiosity. - -"Why, _they_ bake them in a pan too, and twirl it round and round, and -then throw it up and run out of doors. The cake goes up chimney, and -comes down on the raw side, all right, you see, and drops into the pan -before you can count six black beans." - -"Oh, I don't believe it!" declared Charlie. "Do you, Granny?" - -"They'd have to be pretty quick," was the response. - -"You see, a woman never could do it, Charlie," Joe continued in a -tormenting manner. - -"But, Charlie, a miner's cabin is not very high; and the chimney is -just a great hole in the roof," explained Hal. - -"'Tory, 'tory," said Dot, who was not interested in the culinary art. - -"O Dotty! you'll have a piece worn off the end of my tongue, some day. -It's high time you were storing your mind with useful facts; so, if you -please, we will have a little English history." - -"What nonsense, Joe! As if she could understand;" and Florence looked -up from her pretty worsted crocheting. - -"To be sure she can. Dot comes of a smart family. Now, Midget;" and -with that he perched her up on his knee. - -Charlie and Kit began to listen. - - "'When good King Arthur ruled the land, - He was a goodly king: - He stole three pecks of barley-meal - To make a bag pudding.'" - -"I don't believe it," burst out Charlie. "I was reading about King -Arthur"-- - -"And he was a splendid cook. Hear his experience,-- - - 'A bag pudding the king did make, - And stuffed it well with plums; - And in it put great lumps of fat, - As big as my two thumbs.'" - -Dot thought the laugh came in here, and threw back her head, showing -her little white teeth. - -"It really wasn't King Arthur," persisted Charlie. - -"It is a fact handed down to posterity. No wonder England became great -under so wise and economical a rule; for listen-- - - 'The king and queen did eat thereof, - And noblemen beside; - And what they could not eat that night, - The queen next morning fried,'-- - -as we do sometimes. Isn't it wonderful?" - -"Hunnerful," ejaculated Dot, wide-eyed. - -"I hope you'll take a lesson, and"-- - -"Come to supper," said Granny. - -Irrepressible Charlie giggled at the ending. - -They did not need a second invitation, but clustered around eagerly. - -"I'm afraid there won't be any left to fry up in the morning," said Joe -solemnly. - -After the youngsters were off to bed that evening, Joe began to talk -about his good fortune again. - -"And a dollar and a half a week, regularly, is a good deal," he said. -"Why, I can get a spick and span new suit of clothes for twelve -dollars,--two months, that would be; and made at a tailor's too." - -"The two months?" asked Florence. - -"Oh! you know what I mean." - -"You will get into worse habits than ever," she said with a wise -elder-sister air. - -"I don't ever expect to be a grand gentleman." - -"But you _might_ be a little careful." - -"Flo acts as if she thought we were to have a great fortune left us by -and by, and wouldn't be polished enough to live in state." - -"The only fortune we shall ever have will come from five-finger land," -laughed Hal good-naturedly. - -"And I'm going to make a beginning. I do think it was a streak of luck. -I am old enough to do something for myself." - -"I wish I could find such a chance," said Hal, with a soft sigh. - -"Your turn will come presently," Granny answered, smiling tenderly. - -Joe went on with his air-castles. The sum of money looked so large in -his eyes. He bought out half of Mr. Terry's store, and they were to -live like princes,--all on a dollar and a half a week. - -Granny smiled, and felt proud enough of him. If he would only keep to -business, and not go off to sea. - -So on Friday Joe piled up his books, and turned a somerset over them, -and took a farewell race with the boys. They were all sorry enough to -lose him. Mr. Fielder wished him good luck. - -"You will find that work is not play," he said by way of caution. - -Early Monday morning Joe presented himself bright as a new button. -He had insisted upon wearing his best suit,--didn't he mean to have -another soon? for the school clothes were all patches. He had given his -hair a Sunday combing, which meant that he used a comb instead of his -fingers. Mr. Terry was much pleased with his promptness. - -A regular country store, with groceries on one side and dry goods on -the other, a little sashed cubby for a post-office, and a corner for -garden and farm implements. There was no liquor kept on the premises; -for the mild ginger and root beer sold in summer could hardly be placed -in that category. - -Joe was pretty quick, and by noon had mastered many of the intricacies. -Old Mr. Terry was in the store part of the time,--"father" as everybody -called him. He was growing rather childish and careless, so his son -instructed Joe to keep a little watch over him. Then he showed him how -to harness the horse, and drove off with some bulky groceries that he -was to take home. - -"All things work together for good, sonny," said Father Terry with a -sleepy nod, as he sat down by the stove. - -"What things?" - -"All things," with a sagacious shake of the head. - -This was Father Terry's favorite quotation, and he used it in season -and out of season. - -The door opened, and Mrs. Van Wyck entered. She gave Joe a sharp look. - -"So _you're_ here?" with a kind of indignant sniff. - -"Yes. What will you have?" - -There was a twinkle in Joe's eye, and an odd little pucker to his lips, -as if he were remembering something. - -"You needn't be so impudent." - -"I?" and Joe flushed in surprise. - -"Yes. You're a saucy lot, the whole of you." - -With that Mrs. Van Wyck began to saunter round. - -"What's the price of these cranberries?" - -"Eighteen cents," in his most respectful tone. - -"They're dear, dreadful dear. Over to Windsor you can get as many as -you can carry for a shillin' a quart." - -Joe was silent. - -"Say sixteen." - -"I couldn't," replied Joe. "If Mr. Terry were here"-- - -"There's Father Terry." She raised her voice a little. "Father Terry, -come and look at these cranberries. They're a poor lot, and you'll do -well to get a shillin' a quart." - -Joe ran his fingers through them. Plump and crimson, very nice he -thought for so late in the season. - -"I don't s'pose I'd get more'n two good quarts out of three. They'll -spile on your hands. Come now, be reasonable." - -Father Terry looked undecided. Joe watched him, thinking in his heart -that he ought not fall a penny. - -"Say a shillin'." - -The old man shook his head. - -"Well, fifteen cents. I want three quarts, and I won't give a penny -more." - -The old gentleman studied Joe's face, which was full of perplexity. - -"Well," he said with some reluctance. - -Joe measured them. Mrs. Van Wyck gave each quart a "settle" by shaking -it pretty hard, and Joe had to put in another large handful. - -"Now I want some cheese." - -The pound weighed two ounces over. - -"You can throw that in. Mr. Terry always does." - -"How much?" - -"Twenty-three cents." - -"No: you can't fool me, youngster. I never pay more than twenty cents." - -"I'm sure Mr. Terry told me that it was twenty-three." - -Father was appealed to again, and of course went over to the -domineering enemy. - -Then two pounds of butter passed through the same process of -cheapening. Joe began to lose his temper. Afterward a broom, some tape -and cotton, and finally a calico dress. - -"Now, here's three dozen eggs for part pay. They're twenty-four cents a -dozen." - -"Why, that's what we sell them for," said astonished Joe, mentally -calculating profit and loss. - -"Oh! they've gone up. Hetty Collins was paid twenty-five over to -Windsor. I'd gone there myself if I'd had a little more time." - -"I wish you had," ejaculated Joe inwardly. - -She haggled until she got her price, and the settlement was made. - -"She's a regular old screwer," said Joe rather crossly. "I don't -believe it was right to let her have those things in that fashion." - -"All things work together for good." - -"For _her_ good, it seems." - -Father Terry went back to his post by the stove. Joe breathed a little -thanksgiving that Flossy was not Mrs. Van Wyck's maid-of-all-work. - -Joe's next customer was Dave Downs, as the boys called him. He shuffled -up to the counter. - -"Got any _reel_ good cheese?" - -"Yes," said Joe briskly. - -"Let's see." - -Joe raised the cover. Dave took up the knife, and helped himself to a -bountiful slice. - -"Got any crackers?" - -"Yes," wondering what Dave meant. - -"Nice and fresh?" - -"I guess so." - -"I'll take three or four." - -"That will be a penny's worth." - -When Dave had the crackers in his hand he said, raising his shaggy -brows in a careless manner,-- - -"Oh! you needn't be so perticelar." - -Then he took a seat beside Father Terry, and munched crackers and -cheese. "Cool enough," thought Joe. - -Old Mrs. Skittles came next. She was very deaf, and talked in a high, -shrill key, as if she thought all the world in the same affliction. - -She looked at every thing, priced it, beat down a cent or two, and -then concluded she'd rather wait until Mr. Terry came in. At last she -purchased a penny's worth of snuff, and begged Joe to give her good -measure. - -After that two customers and the mail. Father Terry bestirred himself, -and waited upon a little girl with a jug. - -Joe was rather glad to see Mr. Terry enter, for he had an uncomfortable -sense of responsibility. - -"Trade been pretty good, Joe?" with a smile. - -"I've put it all down on the slate, as you told me." - -"Hillo! What's this!" - -A slow stream of something dark was running over the floor back of the -lower counter. - -"Oh, molasses!" and with a spring Joe shut off the current, but there -was an ominous pool. - -"I did not get that: it was"--and Joe turned crimson. - -"Father. We never let him go for molasses, vinegar, oil, or burning -fluid. He is sure to deluge us. Run round in the kitchen, and get a -pail and a mop." - -"It's my opinion that this doesn't work together for good," said Joe to -himself as he was cleaning up the mess. - -"So you had Mrs. Skittles?" exclaimed Mr. Terry with a laugh. "And Mrs. -Van Wyck. Why, Joe!" - -"She beat down awfully!" said Joe; "and she wanted every thing thrown -in. Mr. Terry"-- - -"She called on father, I'll be bound. But she has taken off all the -profits; and then to make you pay twenty-four cents for the eggs." - -"I'd just like to have had my own way. If you'll give me leave"-- - -"You will have to look out a little for father. He's getting old, you -know; and these sharp customers are rather too much for him." - -"I'll never fall a penny again;" and Joe shook his head defiantly. - -"You will learn by degrees. But it is never necessary to indulge such -people. There's the dinner-bell." - -Dave Downs had finished his crackers and cheese, and now settled -himself to a comfortable nap. Joe busied himself by clearing up -a little, giving out mail, and once weighing some flour. Then he -discovered that he had scattered it over his trousers, and that with -the molasses dabs it made a not very delightful mixture. So he took -a seat on a barrel-head and began to scrub it off; but he found it -something like Aunt Jemima's plaster. - -"Run in and get some dinner, Joe," said Mr. Terry after his return to -the store. - -"But I was going home," replied Joe bashfully. - -"Oh! never mind. We will throw in the dinner." - -So Joe ran around, but hesitated at the door of Mrs. Terry's clean -kitchen. She was motherly and cordial, however, and gave him a bright -smile. - -"I told Mr. Terry that you might as well come in here for your dinner. -It is quite a long run home." - -"You are very kind," stammered Joe, feeling that he must say something, -in spite of his usual readiness of speech deserting him. - -"You ought to have an apron, Joe, or a pair of overalls," she said -kindly. "You will find grocery business rather dirty work sometimes." - -"And my best clothes!" thought Joe with a sigh. - -But the coffee was so delightful, and the cold roast beef tender as a -chicken. And Joe began to think it was possible for a few things to -work together for good, if they were only the right kind of things. - -Altogether he went home at night in very good spirits. - -"But my trousers will have to go in the wash-tub, Granny," he -exclaimed. "I believe I wasn't cut out for a gentleman, after all." - -"O Joe, what a sight! How could you?" - -"It was all easy enough. If you'd had molasses to scrub up, and flour -to get before it was dry, you would have found the sticking process not -at all difficult. And oh! Mrs. Van Wyck came in." - -Florence flushed a little at this. - -"Yes, wait till I show you." With that, Joe sprang up, and wrapped -Granny's old shawl about him, and began in his most comical fashion. In -a moment or two the children were in roars of laughter. - -"I don't know as it is quite right, Joe dear," interposed Granny -mildly, "to make fun of any one." - -"My conscience don't trouble me a bit;" for now he was in a high glee. -"I owe her a grudge for making me pay twenty-four cents for eggs. And, -Granny, when you come to the store, don't beat me down a penny on any -thing; nor ask me to throw in a spool of cotton nor a piece of tape, -nor squeeze down the measure. I wonder how people can be so mean!" - -"Rich people too," added Florence in an injured tone of voice, still -thinking of Mrs. Van Wyck's overture. - -"There's lots of funny folks in the world," said Joe with a grave air. -"But I like Mr. Terry, and I mean to do my very best." - -"That's right;" and Granny smiled tenderly over the boy's resolve. - -"And I'll put on my old clothes to-morrow. Who knows but I may fall -into the mackerel-barrel before to-morrow night?" - -Kit laughed at this. "They'll have to fish you out with a harpoon, -then." - -"Oh! I might swim ashore." - -The next day Joe improved rapidly. To be sure, he met with a mishap or -two; but Mr. Terry excused him, and only charged him to be more careful -in future. And Father Terry administered his unfailing consolation on -every occasion. - -But on Saturday night Joe came home in triumph. - -"There's the beginning of my fortune," he said, displaying his dollar -and a half all in hard cash. For that was a long while ago, when the -eagle, emblem of freedom, used to perch on silver half-dollars. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - FORTUNES AND MISFORTUNES. - - -"I think I'll go into business," said Hal one evening, as he and Granny -and Florence sat together. - -They missed Joe so much! He seldom came home until eight o'clock; and -there was no one to stir up the children, and keep the house in a -racket. - -"What?" asked Granny. - -"I am trying to decide. I wonder how chickens would do?" - -"It takes a good deal to feed 'em," said Granny. - -"But they could run about, you know. And buckwheat is such a splendid -thing for them. Then we can raise ever so much corn." - -"But where would you get your buckwheat?" asked Florence. - -"I was thinking. Mr. Peters never does any thing with his lot down -here, and the old apple-trees in it are not worth much. If he'd let me -have it ploughed up! And then we'd plant all of our ground in corn, -except the little garden that we want." - -"What a master hand you are to plan, Hal!" - -Granny's face was one immense beam of admiration. - -"I want to do something. It's too hard, Granny, that you should have to -go out washing, and all that." - -Hal's soft brown eyes were full of tender pity. - -"Oh! I don't mind. I'm good for a many day's work yet, Hal." - -"I hope some of us will get rich at last." - -Florence sighed softly. - -"I thought you were going to have a green-house," she said. - -"I'm afraid I can't manage the green-house now, though I mean to try -some day. And I noticed old Speckly clucking this morning." - -"But we haven't any eggs," said Granny. - -"I could get some." - -"How many chickens would you raise?" asked Florence. - -"Well, if we should set the five hens,--out of say sixty-four eggs we -ought to raise fifty chickens; oughtn't we, Granny?" - -"With good luck; but so many things happen to 'em." - -"And if I could clear thirty dollars. Then there's quite a good deal of -work to do in the summer." - -"I shall soon be a fine lady, and ride in my carriage," Granny -commented with a cheerful chirrup of a laugh. - -"Mrs. Kinsey's chickens are splendid," said Florence. - -"Yes. Shall I get some eggs, and set Speckly?" - -"It's rather airly to begin." - -"But I'll make a nice coop. And eggs are not twenty-four cents a dozen." - -Hal finished off with a quiet smile at the thought of Mrs. Van Wyck. - -So he went to Mrs. Kinsey's the next morning, and asked her for a dozen -of eggs, promising to come over the first Saturday there was any thing -to do, and work it out. - -"I'll give you the eggs," she said; "but we will be glad to have you -some Saturday, all the same." - -So old Speckly was allowed to indulge her motherly inclinations to -her great satisfaction. Hal watched her with the utmost solicitude. -In the course of time a tiny bill pecked against white prison walls; -and one morning Hal found the cunningest ball of soft, yellow down, -trying to balance itself on two slender legs, but finding that the -point of gravity as often centred in its head. But the little fellow -winked oddly, as much as to say, "I know what I'm about. I'll soon find -whether it is the fashion to stand on your head or your feet in this -queer world." - -One by one the rest came out. Hal had a nice coop prepared, and set -Mrs. Speckly up at housekeeping. Dot caught one little "birdie," as she -called it, and, in running to show Granny, fell down. And although Dot -wasn't very heavy, it was an avalanche on poor "birdie." He gave two -or three slow kicks with his yellow legs, and then was stiff for all -time. - -"Hal's boofer birdie," said Dot. "See, Danny!" - -"O Dot! what have you done?" - -"Him 'oont 'alk;" and Dot stood him down on the doorstep, only to see -him tumble over. - -"Oh, you've killed Hal's birdie! What will he say?" - -"I 'ell down. Why 'oont him run, Danny?" - -What could Granny do? Scolding Dot was out of the question. And just -then Hal came flying up the road. - -Granny had seen the fall, and explained the matter. - -"But she mustn't catch them! You're a naughty little Dot!" - -Dot began to cry. - -"Poor little girl!" said Hal, taking her in his arms. "It is wrong to -catch them. See, now, the little fellow is dead, and can never run -about any more. Isn't Dot sorry? She won't ever touch Hal's birdies -again, will she?" - -So Dot promised, and Hal kissed her. But she carried the dead birdie -about, petting it with softest touches, and insisting upon taking it to -bed with her. - -One more of the brood met with a mishap, but the other ten throve and -grew rapidly. By the time the next hen wanted to set, Hal had a dozen -eggs saved. - -He asked Farmer Peters about the lot. It was just below their house, -between that and the creek, a strip of an acre and a half perhaps. -The old trees were not worth much, to be sure; and Mr. Peters never -troubled himself to cultivate the plot, as it was accounted very poor. - -"Yes, you may have it in welcome; but you won't git enough off of it to -pay for the ploughin'?" - -"I'm going to raise chickens; and I thought it would be nice to sow -buckwheat, and let them run in it." - -"Turnin' farmer, hey? 'Pears to me you're makin' an airly beginnin'." - -Hal smiled pleasantly. - -"You'll find chickens an awful sight o' bother." - -"I thought I'd try them." - -"Goin' to garden any?" - -"A little." - -"Hens and gardens are about like fox an' geese. One's death on the -other. But you kin have the lot." - -So Hal asked Abel Kinsey to come over and plough. In return he helped -plant potatoes and drop corn for two Saturdays. By this time there was -a third hen setting. - -House-cleaning had come on, and Granny was pretty busy. But she and -Hal were up early in the morning garden-making. The plot belonging to -the cottage was about two acres. Hal removed his chicken-coops to the -lot, and covered his young vegetables with brush to protect them from -incursions,--pease, beans, lettuce, beets, and sweet-corn; and the -rest was given over to the chickens. - -"I am going to keep an account of all that is spent for them," he said; -"and we will see if we can make it pay." - -When Joe had saved three dollars, he teased Granny to let him order his -clothes. - -"I don't like running in debt, Joe," she said with a grave shake of the -head. - -"But this is very sure. Mr. Terry likes me, and I shall go on staying. -There will be four dollars and a half to pay down by the time they are -done, and in five weeks I can earn the rest." - -"How nice it seems!" said Hal. "You and Flo earn a deal of money." - -Flo gave a small sniff. She wanted some new clothes also. And Kit and -Charlie were going to shreds and patches. Charlie, indeed, was shooting -up like Jack's bean-stalk, Joe declared, being nearly as tall as Hal. -She was wild as a colt, climbed trees, jumped fences, and wouldn't be -dared by any of the boys. - -"I'm sure I don't know what you'll come to," Granny would say with a -sigh. - -Joe carried his point, and ordered his clothes; for he insisted that -he could not think of going to Sunday school until he had them. It was -quite an era in his life to have real store clothes. He felt very grand -one day when he went to Mr. Briggs the tailor, and selected the cloth. -There were several different patterns and colors; but he had made up -his mind that it should be gray, just like Archie Palmer's. - -He was so dreadfully afraid of being disappointed, that he dropped in -on Friday to see if they were progressing. There was the jacket in the -highest state of perfection. - -"But the pants?" he questioned. - -"Never you mind. Them pants'll be done as sure as my name's Peter -Briggs." - -"All right," said Joe; and he ran on his way whistling. - -"Kit," he announced that evening, "I've just found out a good business -for you." - -"What?" and Kit roused himself. - -"You shall be a tailor. I was thinking to-day how you would look on the -board, with your scalp-lock nodding to every stitch." - -"I won't," said Kit stoutly; and he gave a kick towards Joe's leg. - -"It's a good business. You will always have plenty of cabbage." - -"You better stop!" declared Kit. - -"It will be handy to have him in the house, Granny. He can do the -ironing by odd spells. And on the subject of mending old clothes he -will be lovely." - -With that Kit made another dive. - -Granny gave a sudden spring, and rescued the earthen jar that held the -cakes she had just mixed and set upon the stove-hearth. - -"O Kit! Those precious pancakes! We are not anxious to have them -flavored with extract of old shoes." - -"Nor to go wandering over the floor." - -Kit looked sober and but half-awake. - -"Never mind," said Granny cheerily. "You mustn't tease him so much, -Joe." - -"Why, I was only setting before him the peculiar advantages of this -romantic and delightful employment;" and with that, Joe executed a -superior double-shuffle quickstep, accompanied by slapping a tune on -his knee. - -"You'd do for a minstrel," said Kit. - -Joe cleared his voice with a flourish, and sang out,-- - - "I'd be a tailor, - Jolly and free, - With plenty of cabbage, - And a goose on my knee. - Monday would be blue, - Tuesday would be shady, - Wednesday I'd set out - To find a pretty lady." - -"Much work you would do in that case," commented Florence. - -"It's time to go to bed, children," said Granny. - -"Yes," Joe went on gravely. "For a rising young man, who must take -time by the fore-lock, or scalp-lock, and who longs to distinguish -himself by some great and wonderful discovery, there's nothing like,-- - - 'Early to bed, and early to rise, - To make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.'" - -With that Joe was up stairs with a bound. - -"Joe!" Charlie called in great earnest. - -"Well?" - -"You better take a mouthful of Granny's rising before you go." - -"Good for you, Charlie; but smart children always die young. Granny, -won't you put a stone on Charlie's head for fear?" - -Hal said his good-night in a tenderer manner. - -They were all wonderfully interested in Joe's clothes; and, though it -was always later on Saturday night when he reached home, they begged to -sit up, but Kit took a nap by the chimney-corner with Tabby. Granny sat -nodding when they heard the gay whistle without. - -"Hurrah! The country's safe!" exclaimed Joe. "Get out your spectacles, -all hands." - -"You act as if you never had any thing before, Joe," said Florence, -with an air of extreme dignity. - -"But these are real 'boughten' clothes," said Joe, "and gilt buttons -down the jacket. I shall feel like a soldier-boy. Just look now." - -The bundle came open with a flourish of the jack-knife. All the heads -crowded round, though the one candle gave a rather dim light. - -Such exclamations as sounded through the little room, from every voice, -and in almost every key. - -"But where are the trousers?" asked Hal. - -"The trousers?--why"-- - -Granny held up the beautiful jacket. There was nothing else in the -paper. - -"Why--he's made a mistake. He never put them in, I am sure." - -"You couldn't have lost 'em?" asked Granny mildly. - -"Lost them--and the bundle tied with this strong twine! Now, that's -mean! I'll have to run right back." - -Off went Joe like a flash. He hardly drew a breath until his hand was -on Mr. Brigg's door-knob. - -"Well, what now, Joe?" asked the astonished Mr. Briggs. - -"You didn't put in the trousers!" - -"Didn't? Dan done 'em up. Dan!" - -Dan emerged from a pile of rags under the counter, where he was taking -a snooze. - -"You didn't put in Joe's trousers." - -"Yes I did." - -"No you didn't," said Joe, with more promptness than politeness. - -Dan began to search. A sleepy-looking, red-headed boy, to whom -Saturday night was an abomination, because his father was always in the -drag, and cross. - -"I'm sure I put 'em in. Every thing's gone, and they ain't here." - -"Look sharp, you young rascal!" - -"He has lost 'em out." - -"Lost your grandmother!" said Joe contemptuously; "or the liberty pole -out on the square! Why, the bundle was not untied until after I was in -the house." - -"Dan, if you don't find them trousers, I'll larrup you!" - -Poor Dan. Fairly wide awake now, he went tumbling over every thing -piled on the counter, searched the shelves, and every available nook. - -"Somebody's stole 'em." - -Dan made this announcement with a very blank face. - -"I know better!" said his father. - -"You are sure you made them, Mr. Briggs," asked Joe. - -"Sure!" in a tone that almost annihilated both boys. - -"If you don't find 'em!" shaking his fist at Dan. - -Dan began to blubber. - -Joe couldn't help laughing. "Let me help you look," he said. - -Down went a box of odd buttons, scattering far and wide. - -"You Dan!" shouted his father, with some buttons in his mouth, that -rendered his voice rather thick. "Just wait till I get at you. I have -only six buttons to sew on." - -"They're not here, Mr. Briggs," exclaimed Joe. - -"Well, I declare! If that ain't the strangest thing! Dan, you've taken -them trousers to the wrong place!" - -A new and overwhelming light burst in upon Dan's benighted brain. - -"That's it," said Joe. "Now, where have you taken them?" - -"I swow!" ejaculated the youth, rubbing his eyes. - -"None o' your swearin' in this place!" interrupted his father sternly. -"I'm a strictly moral man, and don't allow such talk in my family." - -"Tain't swearin'," mumbled Dan. - -Mr. Briggs jumped briskly down from the board, with a pair of -pantaloons in one hand, and a needle and thread in the other. Dan -dodged round behind Joe. - -"You took 'em over to Squire Powell's, I'll be bound!" - -Another light was thrown in upon Dan's mental vision. - -"There! I'll bet I did." - -"Of course you did, you numskull! Start this minute and see how quick -you can be gone." - -"I will go with him," said Joe. - -So the two boys started; and a run of ten minutes--a rather reluctant -performance on Dan's part, it must be confessed--brought them to Squire -Powell's. There was no light in the kitchen; but Joe beat a double -tattoo on the door in the most scientific manner. - -"Who's there?" asked a voice from the second story window. - -"Dan Briggs!" shouted Joe. - -"Guess not," said the squire. The sound was so unlike Dan's sleepy, -mumbling tone. - -"There was a mistake made in some clothes," began Joe, nothing daunted. - -"Oh, that's it! I will be down in a minute." - -Pretty soon the kitchen-door was unlocked, and the boys stepped inside. - -"I didn't know but you sent these over for one of my girls," said the -squire laughingly. "They were a _leetle_ too small for me. So they -belong to you, Joe?" - -"Yes, sir," said Joe emphatically, laying hold of his precious trousers. - -"Look sharper next time, Dan," was the squire's good advice. - -"I wish you'd go home with me, Joe," said Dan, after they had taken a -few steps. "Father'll larrup me, sure!" - -"Maybe that will brighten your wits," was Joe's consoling answer. - -"But, Joe--I'm sure I didn't mean to--and"-- - -"I'm off like a shot," appended Joe, suiting the action to the word; -and poor Dan was left alone in the middle of the road. - -"Why, what _has_ happened, Joe?" said Granny as he bounced in the -kitchen-door. - -"Such a time as I've had to find 'them trousers,' as Mr. Briggs calls -them! Dan had packed them off to Squire Powell's!" - -"That Dan Briggs is too stupid for any thing," commented Florence. - -"There's time to try them on yet," Joe exclaimed. "Just you wait a bit." - -Joe made a rush into the other room. - -"Don't wake up Dot," said Hal. - -"Oh! I'll go as softly as a blind mouse." - -"There, Granny, what do you think of that?" - -"You want a collar and a necktie, and your hair brushed a little," said -Florence with critical eyes. - -"But aren't they stunners!" - -Granny looked at him, turned him round and looked again, and her -wrinkled face was all one bright smile. For he was so tall and manly -in this long jacket, with its narrow standing collar, and the trousers -that fitted to a charm. - -"Oh," said Hal with a long breath, "it's splendid!" - -"You bet! When I get 'em paid for, Hal, I'll help you out." - -Florence sighed. - -"O Flo! I can't help being slangy. It comes natural to boys. And then -hearing them all talk in the store." - -"Wa-a!" said a small voice. "Wa-a-a Danny!" - -"There!" exclaimed Hal; and he ran in to comfort Dot. - -But Dot insisted upon being taken up, and brought out to candle-light. -The buttons on Joe's jacket pleased her fancy at once, and soothed her -sorrow. - -"I must say, Dot, you are a young woman of some taste," laughed Joe. - -"Granny," said Kit, after sitting in deep thought, and taking a good -chew out of his thumb, "when Joe wears 'em out, can you cut 'em over -for me?" - -"O Kit! Prudent and economical youth! To you shall be willed the last -remaining shreds of my darling gray trousers, jacket, buttons and all." - -They had a grand time admiring Joe. Charlie felt so sorry that she -wasn't a boy; and Flo declared that "he looked as nice as anybody, if -only he wouldn't"-- - -"No, I won't," said Joe solemnly. - -Granny felt proud enough of him the next day when he went to church. -Florence was quite satisfied to walk beside him. - -"I wish there was something nice for you, Hal," said Granny in a tone -of tender regret. - -"My turn will come by and by," was the cheerful answer. - -For Hal took the odds and ends of every thing, and was content. - -"They're a nice lot of children, if I do say it myself," was Granny's -comment to Dot. "And I'm glad I never let any of them go to the -poor-house or be bound out, or any thing. We'll all get along somehow." - -Dot shook her head sagely, as if that was her opinion also. - -The story of Joe's Saturday night adventure leaked out; and poor Dan -Briggs was tormented a good deal, the boys giving him the nickname of -Trousers, much to his discomfort. - -Joe discovered, like a good many other people, that whereas getting in -debt was very easy, getting out of debt was very hard. He went along -bravely for several weeks, and then he began to find so many wants. -A new straw hat he _must_ have, for the weather was coming warm, and -they had such beauties at the store for a dollar; and then his boots -grew too rusty, so a pair of shoes were substituted. He bought Dot a -pretty Shaker, which she insisted upon calling her "Sunny cool Shaker." -She was growing very cunning indeed, though her tongue was exceedingly -crooked. Hal laughed over her droll baby words; and Kit's endeavor to -make her say tea-kettle was always crowned with shouts of laughter. - -Joe succeeded pretty well at the store, but occasionally all things -did not work together for good. His margin of fun was so wide that it -sometimes brought him into trouble. One day he inadvertently sold old -Mrs. Cummings some ground pepper, instead of allspice. That afternoon -the old lady flew back in a rage. - -"I'll never buy a cent's wuth of this good-for nothin', car'less boy!" -she ejaculated. "He does nothin' but jig around the store, and sing -songs. An' now he's gone and spiled my whole batch of pies." - -"Spoiled your pies?" said Mr. Terry in astonishment. - -"Yes, spiled 'em! Four as good pies as anybody in Madison makes. Green -apple too!" - -"Why, I never saw your pies!" declared Joe. - -"I'd like to make you eat 'em all,--to the last smitch!" and she shook -her fist. - -"But what did he do?" questioned Mr. Terry. - -"That's what I'm tryin' to tell you. I run in this mornin' and bought -two ounces of allspice; for I hadn't a speck in the house. Seth's so -fond of it in apple-pies. Well, I was hurryin' round; an' I lost my -smell years ago, when I had the influenzy, so I put in the allspice; -an' sez I at dinner, 'Seth, here's the fust green-apple pies. I don't -believe a soul in Madison has made 'em yet! They're nice an' hot.' -With that he tasted. 'Hot!' sez he, 'hot! I guess they air, and the've -somethin' more'n fire in 'em too!' 'What's in 'em?' sez I; and sez he, -'Jest you taste!' an' so I did, an' it nigh about burnt my tongue off. -'Why,' sez I, 'it's pepper;' an' Seth sez, 'Well, if you ain't smart!' -That made me kinder huffy like; an' then I knew right away it was this -car'less fellow that's always singin' an' dancin' and a standin' on his -head!" - -Mrs. Cummings had to stop because she was out of breath. Joe ducked -under the counter, experiencing a strong tendency to fly to fragments. - -"I am very sorry," returned Mr. Terry. "It must have been a mistake;" -and he tried to steady the corners of his mouth to a becoming sense of -gravity. - -"No mistake at all!" and she gave her head a violent jerk. "Some of his -smart tricks he thought he'd play on me. Didn't I see him a treatin' -Dave Downs to loaf-sugar one day; an' bime by he gave him a great lump -of salt!" - -Mr. Terry had heard the story of the salt, and rather enjoyed it; for -Dave was always hanging round in the way. - -"And he jest did it a purpose, I know. As soon as ever I tasted that -pepper, I knew 'twas one of his tricks. And my whole batch of pies -spil't!" - -"No," said Joe, in his manly fashion: "I didn't do it purposely, Mrs. -Cummings. I must have misunderstood you." - -"Pepper an' allspice sound so much alike!" she said wrathfully. - -"Well, we will give you a quarter of allspice," Mr. Terry returned -soothingly. - -"That won't make up for the apples, an' the flour, an' the lard, an' -all my hard work!" - -"We might throw in a few apples." - -"If you're goin' to keep that boy, you'll ruin your trade, I can tell -you!" - -Still she took the allspice and the apples, though they had plenty at -home. - -"You must be careful, Joe," said Mr. Terry afterward. "It will not do -to have the ill-will of all the old ladies." - -Joe told the story at home with embellishments; and Hal enjoyed it -wonderfully, in his quiet way. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - THE OLD TUMBLER, AFTER ALL. - - -Hal's chickens prospered remarkably. Five motherly hens clucked to -families of black-eyed chicks; and, out of fifty-eight eggs, he only -lost seven. So there were fifty-one left. They made some incursions in -his garden, to be sure; but presently every thing grew so large that it -was out of danger. - -There was plenty of work to do on Saturdays. Picking cherries and -currants for the neighbors, and the unfailing gardening. It seemed to -Hal that weeds had a hundred lives at least, even if you did pull them -up by the roots. Sometimes he managed to get a little work out of Kit -and Charlie, but they invariably ended by a rough-and-tumble frolic. - -Florence succeeded admirably with her embroidering. She managed to earn -some pretty dresses for herself, and added enough to Hal's store to -enable him to purchase a suit of clothes, though they were not as grand -as Joe's. - -Hal and Granny took a wonderful sight of comfort sitting on the -doorstep through the summer evenings, and talking over old times. -Granny would tell how they did when his father, her own dear Joe, was -alive, and how pretty his mother had been. - -"Flo's a good deal like her," she would always say; "only Flo's -wonderful with her fingers. She can do any thing with a needle." - -"Flo's a born genius," Hal would reply admiringly. - -"But I'm afraid Charlie'll never learn to sew." - -"I can sew better myself," was Hal's usual comment. - -And it was true. Hal had a bedquilt nearly pieced, which he had done on -rainy days and by odd spells. I expect you think he was something of a -girl-boy. But then he was very sweet and nice. - -Florence stood by the gate one afternoon, looking extremely lovely in -her blue and white gingham, and her curls tied back with a bit of blue -ribbon. Dot had been in the mud-pie business; and, if it had proved -profitable, she would no doubt have made a fortune for the family. - -"Go in the house this minute, and get washed," commanded Florence. -"What a naughty, dirty child you are!" - -Then a carriage passed by very slowly. A young man was driving, and two -ladies sat on the back seat. They looked as if they were going to halt. - -Florence's heart was in her mouth. She drew herself up in her most -stately attitude. - -The young man turned; and the lady nearer her beckoned. - -Florence stepped out slowly. She thought, with some pride, that, if -they wanted a drink, she _had_ a goblet to offer them. - -"My little girl," said the lady, in a soft, clear voice, "can you -direct us to a blacksmith's?" - -"There is one on this road, rather more than a quarter of a mile -farther." - -"Thank you." - -The other lady leaned over, and studied Florence. She had a worn, -faded, and fretful look; but some new expression lighted up her sallow -face. - -"Oh," she sighed, "what a beautiful girl! Now, if I had a daughter like -that! I wonder if she lives in that forlorn old rookery?" - -"A princess in disguise;" and the young man laughed. - -"She was unusually lovely. At her age I had just such hair. But ah, how -one fades!" - -The straggling auburn hair, very thin on the top, hardly looked as if -it had once been "like fine spun gold." - -"The trial of my life has been _not_ having a daughter." - -Mrs. Duncan had heard this plaint very often from her half-sister, -who had married a widower nearly three times her age. He had made a -very liberal provision for her during her life, but at her death the -fortune reverted to his family again. She had always bewailed the fact -of having no children; but boys were her abomination. Mrs. Duncan's -house was too noisy, with its four rollicking boys; but now that George -was growing to manhood he became rather more endurable. - -"I do not believe the child could have belonged there," she commenced -again. - -"Because she was so pretty?" asked George. - -"She doesn't look like a country girl." - -"But some country girls are very handsome," said Mrs. Duncan. - -"They do not possess this air of refinement generally. And did you -observe that she answered in a correct and ladylike manner?" - -"Aunt Sophie is captivated. A clear case of love at first sight. Why -not adopt _her_?" - -"It would be a charity to take her out of that hovel, if it is her -home." - -"I shouldn't think of such a thing now, Sophie, with your poor health," -said her sister. - -There are some natures on which the least contradiction or opposition -acts instantly, rousing them to a spirit of defiance. For several -years Mrs. Duncan had urged her sister to adopt a child; but she had -never found one that answered her requirements. She was not fond -of the trouble of small children. Now that Mrs. Duncan had advised -contrarywise, Mrs. Osgood was seized with a perverse fit. - -"I am sure I need a companion," she returned with martyr-like air. - -"Take a young woman then, who can be a companion." - -"Here is the blacksmith's," announced George. "I suppose you will have -to find some place of refuge;" and he laughed again gayly. - -"Where can we go?" - -George held a short conversation with the smith. - -"My house is just opposite, and the ladies will be welcome," the latter -said. "It will take me about half an hour to repair your mishap." - -George conducted them thither. The good woman would fain have invited -them in; but they preferred sitting on the vine-covered porch. Mrs. -Osgood asked for a glass of water. O Florence! if you had been there! - -It happened after a while, that George and his mother walked down the -garden. Mrs. Green felt bound to entertain this stranger cast upon her -care, as she considered it. - -Mrs. Osgood made some inquiries presently about the house they had -passed, with a small stream of water just below it. - -"Why, that's Granny Kenneth's," said Mrs. Green. - -"And who is the child,--almost a young lady?" - -"Why, that must be Florence. Did she have long yeller curls? If she was -my gal she should braid 'em up decently. I wouldn't have 'em flyin' -about." - -"And who is Florence?" - -Mrs. Osgood's curiosity must have been very great to induce her to -listen to the faulty grammar and country pronunciations. But she -listened to the story from beginning to end,--Joe, and Joe's wife, and -all the children, figuring largely in it. - -"And if Granny Kenneth'd had any sense, she would a bundled 'em all off -to the poor-house. One of the neighbors here did want to take Florence; -but law! what a time they made! She's a peart, stuck-up thing!" - -If Florence had heard this verdict against all her small industries -and neatnesses and ladylike habits, her heart would have been almost -broken. But there are a great many narrow-minded people in this world, -who can see no good except in their own way. - -Mrs. Osgood made no comments. Presently the carriage was repaired, -and the accidental guests departed. They had a long ride yet to take. -George asked if there was any nearer way of getting to Seabury. - -"There's a narrer road just below Granny Kenneth's,--the little shanty -by the crick. It's ruther hard trav'lin', but it cuts off nigh on ter -three miles." - -"I think we had better take it," said George. "Even that will give us a -five-miles drive." - -So they passed the cottage again. This time Hal was feeding the -chickens; Kit and Charlie swinging upon an old dilapidated apple-tree; -and Florence sat by the open window, sewing. - -"There's your princess!" exclaimed George with a laugh. - -Florence colored a little at beholding the party again. - -Mrs. Duncan had come to Seabury, a rather mountainous place, remarkable -for its pure air, for the sake of her youngest son, Arthur, who had -been ill with a fever. Mrs. Osgood took an odd fancy to accompany her. -The seven years of her widowhood had not been happy years, though she -had a house like a palace. When she first laid off mourning, she tried -Newport and Saratoga; but somehow she did not succeed in making a belle -of herself, and that rather mortified her. - -Then she sank into invalidism; which tried everybody's patience sorely. - -Leaning back in the carriage now, she thought to herself, "Yes, if I -only _had_ some one of my own! Sister Duncan never did understand me, -or appreciate the delicacy of my constitution. Her nerves have been -blunted by those great rude boys. And that girl looks so refined and -graceful,--she would make a pleasant companion I am sure. But I should -want to take her away from her family: I never could consent to any -intimacy with them." - -She ventured to broach her subject to Mrs. Duncan the next day. Perhaps -Mrs. Duncan had grown rather impatient with her sister's whims and -fancies; and she discouraged the plan on some very sensible grounds. -Mrs. Osgood felt like a martyr. - -Yet the opposition roused her to attempt it. One day, a week afterward -perhaps, she hired a carriage, and was driven over to Madison. George -had gone back to the city, so there was no question of having him for -escort. - -Granny Kenneth was much surprised at the appearance of so fine a lady. -She seized Dot, and scrubbed her face, her usual employment upon the -entrance of any one. - -Mrs. Osgood held up her ruffled skirts as if afraid of contamination. - -"Is your granddaughter at home?" was asked in the most languid of -voices. - -"Flo, you mean? No: she hasn't come from school yet. Do walk in -and wait--that is--I mean--if you please," said Granny a good deal -flustered, while the little gray curls kept bobbing up and down. -"Here's a clean cheer;" and she gave one a whiff with her apron. - -Poor Flossy. She had tried so hard to correct Granny's old-fashioned -words and pronunciations. - -"Thank you. Miss Florence embroiders, I believe." - -"Yes, she works baby-petticoats, and does 'em splendid." - -And then Granny wondered if she, the fine lady, had any work for -Florence. - -"How glad Flo'll be, and vacation coming so soon," she thought in the -depth of her tender old soul. - -"And she's a genius at crochetin'! The laces and shawls and hoods she's -knit are a real wonder. They didn't do any thing of the kind in my -young days." - -"You must find it pretty hard to get along," condescended Mrs. Osgood. - -"Yes; but the Lord allers provides some way. Joe's gone in a -store,--Mr. Terry's. He's next to Florence," went on Granny in sublime -disregard of her pronoun. - -Mrs. Osgood took an inventory of the little room, and waited rather -impatiently. Then she asked for a glass of water. - -O Granny! how could you have been so forgetful! To take that old, -thick, greenish glass tumbler when Flossy's choice goblet stood on the -shelf above! And then to fill it in the pail, and let the water dribble! - -Granny wondered whether it would be polite to entertain her or not. But -just then there was a crash and a splash; and Dot and the water-pail -were in the middle of the floor. - -"Here's a chance!" exclaimed Kit, pausing in the doorway. "Give us a -hook and line, Granny: Dot's mouth is just at an angle of ten degrees, -good for a bite." - -"A wail, sure enough!" said Charlie. "Wring her out, and hang her up to -dry." - -"Oh, dear!" and Granny, much disconcerted, sat Dot wrong side up on a -chair, and the result was a fresh tumble. - -It was Hal who picked her up tenderly,--poor wet baby, with a big red -lump on her forehead, and dismal cries issuing from the mouth that -seemed to run all round her head. - -"Stay out there till I wipe up," said Granny to the others. "Then I'll -get Dot a dry dress. I never did see such an onlucky child--and company -too. What _will_ Flo say!" - -For Florence came tripping up the path, knitting her delicate brows in -consternation. - -"Never you mind. There's a lady in the parlor who's been waitin'. Oh, -my! what did I do with that floor-cloth?" - -"A lady?" - -"Yes: run right along." - -Luckily the door was shut between. Florence gave her curls a twist and -a smoothing with her fingers, took off her soiled white apron, pulled -her dress out here and there, stepped over the pools of water, and -entered. - -Mrs. Osgood admired her self-possession, and pitied the poor child -profoundly. The flush and partial embarrassment were very becoming to -her. - -That lady did not mean to rush headlong into her proposal. She broke -the ground delicately by inquiring about the embroidering; and -Florence brought some to show her. - -"Who taught you?" she asked in surprise. - -"No one;" and Florence colored a little. "I did not do the first as -neatly, but it is quite easy after one is fairly started." - -"I really do not see how you find time, with going to school;" and this -persevering industry did touch Mrs. Osgood's heart. - -"I cannot do very much," answered Florence with a sigh. "But it will -soon be vacation." - -"How old are you?" - -"I shall be fifteen the last of this month." - -"What a family your grandmother has on her hands!" - -"Yes. If my father had lived, it would have been very different." - -A touching expression overspread Florence's face, and made her lovelier -than ever in Mrs. Osgood's eyes. - -"She certainly _is_ very pretty," that lady thought; "and how -attractive such a daughter would be in my house! I should live my young -life over again in her." - -For Mrs. Osgood had found that the days for charming young men were -over, and prosy middle-aged people were little to her taste. No woman -ever clung to youth with a greater longing. - -"What do you study at school?" she asked. - -"Only the English branches. I have been thinking of--of becoming a -teacher," said Florence hesitatingly. - -"You would have a poor opportunity in this little town." - -"I might go away;" and Florence sighed again. - -"You have never studied music, I suppose." - -"No: I have had no opportunity," returned Florence honestly enough. - -"Do you sing?" - -"Yes. And I love music so very, very much! I do mean to learn by and -by, if it is possible." - -"I wish you would sing something for me,--a little school-song, or any -thing you are familiar with." - -Florence glanced up in amazement; and for a few moments was awkwardly -silent. - -"I should like to hear your voice. It is very pleasant in talking, and -ought to be musical in singing." - -Florence was a good deal flattered; and then she had the consciousness -that she was one of the best singers in school. So she ran over the -songs in her own mind, and selected "Natalie, the Maid of the Mill," -which she was very familiar with. - -She sang it beautifully. Florence was one of the children who are -always good in an emergency. She was seldom "flustered," as Granny -expressed it, and always seemed to know how to make the best of -herself. And, as she saw the pleasure in Mrs. Osgood's face, her own -heart beat with satisfaction. - -"That is really charming. A little cultivation would make your voice -very fine indeed. What a pity that you should be buried in this little -town!" - -"Do you think--that I could--do any thing with it?" asked Florence in a -tremor of delight. - -"I suppose your grandmother would not stand in the way of your -advancement?" questioned Mrs. Osgood. - -"Oh, no! And then if I _could_ do something"-- - -Florence felt that she ought to add, "for the others," but somehow -she did not. She wondered if Mrs. Osgood was a music-teacher, or a -professional singer. But she did not like to ask. - -"There is my carriage," said Mrs. Osgood, as a man drove slowly round. -"I am spending a few weeks at some distance from here, and wished to -have you do a little flannel embroidery for me. When will your vacation -commence?" - -"In about ten days,--the first of July." - -"I wish to see you when we can have a longer interview. I will come -over again then." - -Mrs. Osgood rose, and shook out her elegant grenadine dress, much -trimmed and ruffled. On her wrists were beautiful bracelets, and her -watch-chain glittered with every movement. Then she really smiled very -sweetly upon the young girl; and Florence was charmed. - -Some dim recollection passed over her mind. - -"Oh!" she said, "were you not in a carriage that stopped here some days -ago. Another lady and a young gentleman"-- - -"Yes," answered Mrs. Osgood, pleased at being remembered. "And, my -dear, I took a great fancy to you that day. You are so different from -the majority of country girls, that it is a pity you should have no -better chance." - -The longing and eloquent eyes of Florence said more than words. - -"Yes. I will see you again; and I may, perhaps, think of something to -your advantage." - -There was a mode of egress through this "best-room," though Granny had -brought her guest in by the kitchen way. Florence opened the door now. - -"What a lovely, graceful child!" thought Mrs. Osgood; and she -scrutinized her from head to feet. - -Florence watched the carriage out of sight in a half-dream. How long -she would have stood in a brown study is uncertain; but Granny came in -to get some dry clothes for Dot. - -"What _did_ she want of you?" exclaimed Charlie, all curiosity. "And -what were you singing for? Oh, my! wasn't she splendid?" - -"You sang like a bird," said Hal in wide-eyed wonder as well. "Did she -ask you?" - -"Of course. You don't suppose I would offer to sing for a stranger,--a -lady too?" - -"Did she like it?" - -"Yes. She thought I might--that is, if I had any opportunity--oh, I -wish we _were_ a little richer!" and Florence burst into a flood of -hysterical tears. - -"I wish we were;" and Hal gave her hand a soft squeeze. "If you could -learn to play on the melodeon at church, and give music-lessons"-- - -The vision called up a heaven of delight to poor Flossy. - -"But what _did_ she want?" asked Granny in a great puzzle, putting -Dot's foot through the sleeve of her dress, and tying the neck-string -in garter fashion. - -"I do believe she is a singer herself. Maybe she belongs to a company -who give concerts; but then she was dressed so elegantly." - -"They make lots of money," said Kit with a sagacious nod of the head. -"It's what I'm going to be, only I shall have a fiddle." - -"And a scalp-lock." - -Charlie pulled this ornamentation to its fullest height, which was -considerable, as Kit's hair needed cutting. - -"Oh! suppose she was," said Hal. "And suppose she wanted to take -Flossy, and teach her music,--why, it's like your plan, you know, only -it isn't an old gentleman; and I don't believe she has any little -girls,--I mean a little girl who died. Did she ask for a drink, Granny?" - -"Yes; and then Dot pulled over the water-pail. Oh, my! if I haven't -put this dress on upside down, and the string's in a hard knot. -Whatever shall I do? And, Flossy, I forgot all about the gobler. I took -the first thing that came to hand." - -"Not that old tumbler with a nick in the edge? And it is _goblet_. I -do wish you'd learn to call things by their right names!" exclaimed -Florence in vexation. - -"It's the very same, isn't it?" began Charlie, "only, as Hal said, it -isn't an old gentleman. Oh, suppose it _should_ come true! And if Kit -_should_ have a fiddle like black Jake." - -"And if you _should_ run away," laughed Hal. "I don't believe you can -find a better time than this present moment. Kit, you had better go -after the cows." - -Charlie started too, upon Hal's suggestion. Florence gave a little -sniff, and betook herself to the next room. - -Oh, dear! How poor and mean and tumbled about their house always was! -No, not _always_, but if any one ever came. Dot chose just that moment -to be unfortunate; and then that Granny should have used that forlorn -old tumbler. She doubted very much if the lady would ever come again. - -So Flossy had a good cry from wounded vanity, and then felt better. Hal -took Dot out with him to feed the chickens, and Granny prepared the -table. - -Still Florence's lady was the theme of comment and wonder for several -days, although the child insisted that she only came to get some -embroidering done. All further speculations seemed too wild for sober -brains. - -"But it is so odd that she asked you to sing," said Hal. "And I do -believe something will come of it." - -Florence gave a little despairing sniff. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - FLORENCE IN STATE. - - -Mrs. Osgood leaned back in the carriage,--it was the very best that -Seabury afforded,--and, looking out on the pleasant sunshine and waving -trees, considered the subject before her. _If_ she took Florence, she -would have a governess in the house, and go on as rapidly as possible -with the finishing process. Music should be the first thing: the child -_did_ have a lovely voice, and such fair, slender hands! In a year she -would be quite presentable. How vexed all the Osgood nieces would be! -They were continually hinting at visits, and would be delighted at -having Aunt Osgood take them up. But somehow she had a grudge against -her husband's relatives, because the property reverted to them in the -end. - -And then she fancied herself riding out with this beautiful daughter -by her side, or stopping at hotels where every one would wonder "who -that lovely girl could be!" And Florence would certainly be most -grateful for the change. It was a deed of charity to rescue the poor -child from the life before her, with no better prospect than that of a -school-teacher. She certainly had some ideas and ambitions beyond her -sphere. - -School closed presently, and the children were wild with delight. They -had a great time on examination day, and Florence acquitted herself -finely. Mr. Fielder was very proud of her. - -"If you can go to school another year, and improve as much," he said, -"I can almost promise you a very good situation." - -Flossy's dream in respect to her elegant lady was fading, and she came -back to humbler prospects quite thankfully. - -What Granny was to do with the children through vacation she hardly -knew. - -"Oh, you needn't worry!" said Charlie consolingly. "Kit and me are -going out in the woods; and we'll build a stunning log-hut, or make a -cave"-- - -"O Charlie, if you would be a little more careful! Kit and I." - -"I can't be always bothering! Mr. Fielder almost wears me out, so you -might let me have a little rest in vacation. - - 'For spelling is vexation, - And writing is bad: - Geography it puzzles me, - And grammar makes me mad.'" - -With that Charlie perched herself on the gate-post, and began to -whistle. - -"If Charlie only _had_ been a boy!" groaned Florence. - -On Monday of the first week they washed. Florence assisted; but she -hurried to get herself dressed in the afternoon, for fear some one -_might_ come. And then she wondered a little what she ought to do. -Embroidering and fancy work appeared to be dull just now; and she would -have two months in which she _might_ earn considerable money, if it -only came. For, with all her small vanities and particular ways, she -was not indolent. - -On Tuesday they began their ironing at an early hour. There were -Florence's pretty dresses and aprons, nothing very costly, but a dainty -ruffle here and there added to the general grace. These same ruffles -were a great trouble to some of the old ladies in Madison, "who didn't -see how Granny Kenneth could let Florence waste her time in such -nonsense while _she_ slaved herself to death!" - -Florence had twisted her hair in a knot, and her dress was rather the -worse for wear; but she worked away cheerfully. Her pile of clothes was -decreasing very fast. - -Suddenly a sound of carriage-wheels startled her; and, glancing up, she -uttered a frightened exclamation. - -"O Granny! it's the lady again, and I look like a fright! What shall I -do? Won't you go and ask her in? and you look dreadful too! Put on your -other sacque. There! I'll run and tidy up a bit." - -She made a snatch at the brush and comb, and hurried up in the boys' -room. - -"Oh, dear! How red I am in the face! It's too bad;" and she felt -tempted to cry, but she knew that would only make matters worse. So -she let down her shining hair, brushed it out, and wound it round her -fingers in curls. Then Granny came plodding up stairs. - -"I told her you were busy, but that you'd be ready in a few minutes," -she explained. - -"Why didn't you think to bring up one of my clean dresses?" - -"To be sure! which one?" - -"The pink calico, I guess. Oh! and the braided white apron." - -Down went Granny. Ah! many a step had she taken for these children, -weary ones, and yet cheerfully done. Would they ever think of it? - -Florence was not long in making herself neat and presentable, but the -flushed face still troubled her. She viewed herself critically in the -cracked glass, and then ran down, pausing to fan a few moments with the -cape of an old sun-bonnet, the nearest thing at hand. - -"_Do_ I look decent, Granny?" she said apprehensively. - -"To be sure you do, and nice too." - -Granny's eyes expressed her admiration. - -Florence ventured in timidly, and the lady inclined her head. - -"I am sorry that I have kept you waiting so long, but it was -unavoidable;" and the child made a little halt to wonder if her long -word sounded well. - -"I suppose I took you somewhat by surprise. Are you very busy to-day?" - -"Not very," answered Florence at random, her heart beating violently. - -"And quite well? but I hardly need ask the question." - -"I am always well, thank you," with a touch of grace. - -"How fortunate! Now, I have such wretched health, and my nerves are -weak beyond description." - -Florence gave a glance of quick sympathy, not unmixed with admiration. -There was something very romantic about the languid lady. - -"If you are quite at liberty," Mrs. Osgood began, "I should like to -have you drive out with me. I have a great deal to say to you, and we -shall not be interrupted." - -Florence could hardly credit her hearing. To be asked to ride with so -grand a lady! - -"Oh!" and then she paused and colored. - -"Would you like to go?" - -"Very, very much indeed;" and the young face was full of pleasure. - -"Well, get yourself ready; and, if you will send your grandmother to -me, I will explain." - -Florence felt as if she were in a dream. Then she wondered what she -ought to wear. She had a pretty light gray dress and sacque for "Sunday -best," and a new white dress; but her visitor's dress was gray, and -that decided her. So she took the articles out of the old-fashioned -wardrobe, and summoned Granny. - -Granny was dazed. "Where is she going to take you?" she asked in -helpless astonishment. - -"I don't know. She will tell you, I suppose." - -"But, Flo, I have _heerd_ of girls being kidnapped or something;" and -Granny's face turned pale with fear. - -"Nonsense!" returned Flossy with a toss of the curls. She could not -even trouble herself about Granny's mispronunciation just then. - -"You don't know"-- - -"I guess she won't eat me up. Any how, I am going." - -Florence uttered this with a touch of imperiousness. Granny felt that -she would have little influence over her, so she entered the room where -the guest was seated. - -"Mrs. Kenneth," the lady began in her most impressive and gracious -manner, "when I was here a few days ago, I took a great fancy to your -granddaughter. My name is Osgood; and I am staying at Seabury with my -sister, Mrs. Duncan. And although you may hesitate to trust Florence -with a stranger, she will be quite safe, I assure you; and if you are -willing, therefore, I should like to take her out for a few hours. I -have some plans that may be greatly to the child's advantage, I think." - -"You'll be sure to bring her back," asked Granny in a spasm of anxious -terror, which showed in her eyes. - -"Why, certainly! My poor woman, I cannot blame you for this -carefulness;" for the worn face with its eagerness touched Mrs. Osgood. -"My brother-in-law, Mr. Duncan, is a well-known merchant in New York; -and I think you will confess when I return Florence this afternoon, -that the ride has been no injury to her." - -Granny could make no further objections, and yet she did not feel quite -at ease. But Florence entered looking so bright and expectant, that she -had not the heart to disappoint her, so she kept her fears to herself. - -"You must not feel troubled," Mrs. Osgood deigned to say, as she rose -rather haughtily. "You will find my promises perfectly reliable." - -"You needn't finish my pieces," Florence whispered softly to Granny at -the door. "I shall be back time enough; and if the fire is out I'll -wait till to-morrow They are my ruffled aprons, and"-- - -Mrs. Osgood beckoned her with a smile and an inclination of the head. -Florence felt as if she were being bewitched. - -Granny watched her as she stepped into the carriage. - -[Illustration] - -"If she'd been born a lady she couldn't act more like one. It's a great -pity"-- - -A few tears finished Granny's sentence. All the others were more -content with their poverty than Florence. - -So she went back to her ironing with a heart into which had crept some -strange misgiving. Hal was out; Joe never came home to dinner; so -Granny gave the children a piece of bread all round, and kept going -steadily on until the last ruffled apron had been taken out of the pile. - -Very long indeed the hours seemed. Oh, if any harm should befall her -beautiful, darling Flossy! Poor Joe, in his grave, had loved her so -well! - -Flossy meanwhile was having a most delightful time. - -"I am going to take you to Salem," Mrs. Osgood said, after Florence had -begun to feel quite at home with her. "We will have our dinner at the -hotel." - -Salem was the county town,--quite a pretentious place, with some broad, -straight streets, several banks, and, indeed, a thriving business -locality. Florence had been there twice with Mrs. Kinsey. - -Mrs. Osgood began to question the child about herself. Florence told -over her past life, making the best, it must be confessed, of the -poverty and discomforts. And yet she seemed to take rather hardly the -fact of such a lot having fallen upon her. Mrs. Osgood was secretly -pleased with her dissatisfaction. - -"I wonder how you would like to live with me?" she questioned. "I think -I should enjoy having some one that I could make a companion of--as one -never can of a servant." - -Flossy's heart beat with a sudden delight, and for the first moment she -could hardly speak. - -"I live a short distance from New York, on the banks of the Hudson: -at least, my house is there, but I travel a great deal. It would be -very pleasant to have a--a friend of one's own,"--Mrs. Osgood was not -_quite_ sure that it was best or wisest to say child. - -"Oh, it would be very delightful! If I could"--and the child's eyes -were aglow with delight. - -"There are so many of you at home, that your grandmother would not miss -one. Besides, I could do a great many nice things for you." - -"It is like a dream!" and Flossy thought of her wild day-dream. "And I -could sew as well as embroider; and oh! I _would_ try to make myself -useful," she said eagerly. - -Mrs. Osgood smiled. She had taken a strange fancy to this child, and -enjoyed her look of adoration. - -They talked it over at some length, and Flossy listened with delight to -the description of the beautiful house. This was altogether different -from Mrs. Van Wyck's affair. - -Presently they arrived at the hotel. Mrs. Osgood ordered the horses to -be cared for, and then entered the parlor. - -"Can we have a private room?" she asked with an air that Florence -thought extremely elegant. "And then our dinner"-- - -"Will you have it brought up to your room?" - -"Oh, no! Perhaps I had better give my order now," and there was a -languid indifference in her tone. - -"Yes, it would be better," replied the brisk waitress. - -"Well, we will have some broiled chicken, I think--are you fond of -that, Florence? and vegetables--with some lobster salad and relishes." - -Florence had a wonderful deal of adaptiveness, and she almost -insensibly copied Mrs. Osgood. They went up to the room, and refreshed -themselves with a small ablution, for the riding had been rather dusty. -Florence shook out her beautiful curls, and passed her damp fingers -over them. - -"What lovely hair!" exclaimed Mrs. Osgood with a sigh: it was a habit -of hers, as if every thing called up some past regret. "When I was a -young girl, mine was the admiration of everybody. You would hardly -think it now." - -"Were you ill?" asked Florence, feeling that she was expected to say -something sympathizing. - -"My health has been wretched for years. Mr. Osgood was sick a long -while, and I had so much trouble! His people were not very kind to me: -they tried to make him leave the property away from me, and then they -attempted to break the will. There's so much selfishness in this world, -my dear!" - -Florence experienced a profound sympathy for Mrs. Osgood, and was quite -ready to espouse her cause against any one. Already she felt in some -way constituted her champion. - -But, as Mr. Osgood left no children, he thought it quite just that his -property should go back to his own family after Mrs. Osgood's death. -And, to confess the truth, he had not found his wife quite perfection. - -There were not many people in the dining-room when they entered. They -had one end of the long table, and the colored waiter was most polite -and solicitous. One by one their little dishes came on, and the broiled -chicken had a most appetizing flavor. - -Florence acquitted herself very creditably. She was not awkward with -her silver fork, and allowed herself to be waited upon with great -complacency. Mrs. Osgood was wonderfully pleased, for she was watching -every action. How had the child acquired so many pretty ways? - -By the time they reached home again it was agreed, if grandmother made -no objection, that Florence should spend a month at Seabury with Mrs. -Osgood. This was the better arrangement the lady thought; for, if she -changed her mind, in that case she could draw back gracefully. - -Granny was much relieved to see them return. Mrs. Osgood deigned to -enter the cottage again, and explained the matter to old Mrs. Kenneth. -Florence seconded the plan so earnestly, that it was quite impossible -to refuse. And somehow Granny felt very much bewildered. - -"Can you be ready next week?" asked Mrs. Osgood. - -Florence questioned Granny mutely with her eyes; but, seeing that her -senses were going astray, answered for herself. - -"Monday, then, I will come over for you. And now, my child, good-by. I -hope you have had a pleasant day." - -Florence thanked her again and again. Mrs. Osgood's heart was really -touched. - -"What does she want you to do?" asked Granny, absently trying to thread -the point of her darning-needle. - -"Why,--I'm sure I don't know;" and Flossy fell into a brown study. "To -wait upon her, I suppose, and sew a little, and--I like her so much! We -had an elegant dinner at Salem, and ice-cream for dessert. O Granny, if -one only _could_ be rich!" - -"Yes," rejoined Granny with a sigh. - -"Tell us all about it," said open-mouthed Charlie. "Mrs. Green saw you -riding by; and maybe she didn't make a time! She said you put on more -airs than all Madison." - -"It is nothing to her," bridled Flossy. - -"But what _did_ you have? Lots of goodies?" - -"Yes, indeed. Silver forks and damask napkins and finger-bowls." - -"Finger-bowls?" - -That grandeur was altogether above Charlie's capacity. - -"You need not look so amazed." - -"What do you do with 'em." - -"Why, there's a piece of lemon floating round on the top; and you dip -in the ends of your fingers, and wipe them on the napkin." - -"But can't you eat the lemon? That's what I'd do." - -"It would be very ill-bred." - -"Hum!" and Charlie's nose was elevated. "As if I'd care!" - -"You would if you were out with refined people." - -"Oh, my! How aristocrockery you are getting!" and Charlie gave a -prolonged whistle, and stood on one foot. - -Flossy sighed a little over the supper-table. How nice it would be to -live at a hotel, and have a servant to wait upon one! But every thing -here was so dreadfully common and poor. And, though Flossy would have -scorned the idea of living out as a servant, she fancied a position of -companion or ladies' maid would be rather agreeable than otherwise. - -Hal was very much interested in her day's adventure. He seemed to -understand it better than any of the others, and she could talk to him -without the fear of being laughed at. They still sat in the moonlight, -when suddenly a sharp click was heard, and a report that made them all -scream. - -Joe, the good-for-nothing, laughed. - -"Wasn't that gay? Hurrah for Fourth of July!" - -"Is it you?" asked Granny, who had thrown her apron over her head to -keep her from being shot. "And is it a musket, or a cannon?" - -"Why don't you frighten us all to death?" said Florence indignantly. - -"Oh, it's a pistol!" exclaimed Hal. - -"O Joe! and you'll be shot all to pieces before to-morrow night," -bewailed Granny. "I'm so afraid of guns and fire-crackers! I once knew -a little boy who had his hand shot off." - -"If he could only have had it shot on again. I mean to try that way, -like the man who jumped into the bramble-bush. Or wouldn't it do to -shoot the pistol off instead of my fingers." - -"Is it yours for good, Joe?" and Charlie's head was thrust over Hal's -shoulders. "A real pistol! Let me see it." - -"Yes, it's mine. I bought it to keep Fourth of July with." - -"Why, I forgot all about Fourth of July," said Charlie in an aggrieved -tone. "And I haven't a cent!" - -"Bad for you, Charlie." - -"Won't you let me fire off the pistol?" - -"Oh, don't!" implored Granny. - -"Just once more. It was splendid! I was fast asleep on the floor, and -it woke me up." - -"Good for the pistol," said Joe. "I'll try it in the morning when you -are asleep." - -They all had to handle the pistol, and express their opinions. Joe had -bought it of Johnny Hall, for a dollar, as Johnny, in turn, wanted to -buy a cannon. And the remaining half-dollar of his week's wages had -been invested in fireworks. - -Granny sighed. But boys would be boys, and Fourth of July only came -once a year. - -"There's to be an oration on the green, and the soldiers will be out, -and it'll be just jolly! Hurray! And a holiday in the middle of the -week! Mr. Terry said I needn't come to the store at all." - -"There'll be some music, won't there?" asked Kit. - -"A drum and a bass-viol, I guess. But it would be royal to go over to -Salem, and hear the brass band." - -"What's a brass band?" was Kit's rather puzzled inquiry. - -"What a goose! Why, a brass band is--horns and things." - -"What kind of horns?" for Joe's explanation lacked lucidity. - -"Oh, bother! Kit, you'll burn up the ocean some day with your -brightness." - -"Cornets," said Hal; "and something like a flute, and cymbals, and ever -so many instruments." - -"Did you ever see 'em?" - -"No, but I've read about them." - -Kit chewed his thumb. It was one of his old baby habits. - -"Now I am going to load her again," said Joe, in a peculiarly -affectionate tone. "It's as light as day out here." - -"But, Joe, if you _should_ shoot some one, or your fingers, or put your -eyes out!" - -"Never you mind, Granny. Boys go ahead of cats for lives." - -Granny put her apron over her head again, and then ran in to Dot. - -"Bang!" - -"Nobody wounded," laughed Joe, "and only two or three slightly killed. -The country is safe, Granny, this great and _gelorious_ country, over -which the eagle waves his plumes, and flaps his wings, and would crow -if he could. My soul is filled with enthusiasm,--I feel as if I should -_bust_, and fly all round! There's that miserable Dot lifting up her -voice." - -The racket had broken her slumbers, and then the children were implored -to be quiet. Joe went to bed, in order to be able to get up good and -early. Charlie thought she should sleep with her clothes on, so as -to save the trouble of dressing. Kit sat in the moonlight chewing his -thumb, and wondering if he could manage to get over to Salem to-morrow. -If he could only hear that music! - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - FOURTH OF JULY. - - -The children were up at the peep of dawn. Granny was awakened by -something that seemed not unlike the shock of an earthquake; but -Flossy, rubbing her eyes, said with a sigh,-- - -"Oh, dear! Joe has begun with his pistol the first thing! What does -possess boys to be so noisy!" - -Charlie, perched astride the gate-post, her clothes considerably -tumbled, and her hair unkempt, thought it splendid. "If Joe would only -let her fire _once!_ Just as soon as she had a dollar she meant to buy -a pistol of her own. It would always be good to keep away robbers!" - -Joe laughed uproariously. - -"Robbers indeed! There's nothing to steal here, unless it's some of the -youngsters. You'd be sure to go first, Charlie!" - -"I shall be thankful when Fourth of July is over," said Granny in a -troubled voice, while Joe was singing,-- - - "But children are not pigs, you know, - And cannot pay the rint;" - -but at that remark so derogatory to patriotism, he bridled up at once. - -"Fourth of July's as good as Saint Patrick, or any other man. Who -would be so base and ignoble of soul, and stingy of powder, as not to -celebrate his birthday! when the country stretches from the north pole -to the south, and is kept from bursting only by the centrifugal forces -of the equator"-- - -Hal's rooster finished the speech by his longest and loudest crow. - -"Good for you! You've some patriotism, I see. You are not craven of -soul, if powder doesn't come in your way. Granny, when can we have -breakfast? I'm about famished with all my speech-making." - -Hal fed his crowd of chickens, and amused Dot, who did not quite enjoy -being deprived of her morning nap. Presently they were summoned to -their meal. - -"I'm going over to the store," announced Joe. "I want to see the -Declaration of Independence read by the American eagle, and the salute -fired by the Stars and Stripes, while the militia climb up their -muskets and give three cheers." - -"Are they going to do that?" asked Charlie. "Granny, can't I go too?" - -"You must put on a clean dress." - -"Oh, dear! when I slept in mine too, so as to be ready," Charlie -exclaimed, broken-hearted. "Won't you wait, Joe?" - -"I can't bother with girls," returned Joe. - -Charlie lamented her hard fate, but emerged from the hands of Florence -quite a respectable looking child. Kit spent some time in adorning -himself, and trying to smooth his refractory scalp-lock. He had been -very quiet all the morning. - -"Now that they are off we can have a little peace," said Florence. - -Granny sighed. They were a great bother and torment, to be sure; but, -after all, it was good to have the merry, noisy crew, safe and sound, -and she should be glad when they returned. - -Hal's tastes inclined neither to fire-crackers nor sky-rockets. So he -went into the garden, and began to look after his rather neglected -vegetables. The chickens made bad work, it must be confessed, though -the attractions of their buckwheat field were pretty strong, and Hal -ingeniously repaired the fence with brush; but now and then there would -be a raid. The Lima beans were doing beautifully, the corn looked -promising; and, altogether, he thought the prospect was fair. Then he -met with a delightful surprise. - -"O Granny!" and he rushed into the house. "Just think,--three of my -grape-vines have beautiful long shoots on them. I haven't looked in -ever so long, for I thought they didn't mean to grow. Come and see." - -There they were, sure enough. Hal had set out some cuttings from the -neighbors, but he had been almost discouraged with their slow progress. - -"That's a Concord, and that's a Hartford Prolific. Don't they look -lovely in their soft, pinkish green! Why, I feel as if I could give -them all a hug. I'll have to put a lattice round, for fear of the -chickens." - -So he went to work. Dot wanted to help, and brought him useless sticks, -while she carried off his hammer and lost his nails. But when she -looked up at him with the sweetest little face in the world, and said, -"Ain't Dotty 'mart? Dotty help 'ou," he could not scold her. - -The dinner was rather quiet. None of the stray youngsters made their -appearance. Afterward Florence dressed herself, and went to see Netty -Bigelow, her dearest school-friend, and imparted to her that she was -going to Seabury next Monday, to stay a month with a very elegant lady, -and that she would live at a hotel. Then she described her ride to -Salem, and the dinner. - -"Oh, how nice it must have been!" said Netty. "You are the luckiest -girl I ever did know, Florence Kenneth." - -"I just wish I was as rich as Mrs. Osgood. It seems to me that poor -people cannot be very happy." - -"I don't know," Netty returned thoughtfully. "The Graysons do not seem -_very_ happy." - -"But I never saw such mean, disagreeable girls; and they are not -dressed a bit pretty. If there's any thing in school they always want -their share, but they never treat." - -"And we are poor," continued Netty; "but I'm sure we are happy." - -Florence felt that her friend could hardly understand the degree of -happiness that she meant. She was rather out-growing her youthful -companions. - -About mid-afternoon Hal took a walk over to the store. The old rusty -cannon of Revolutionary memory had been fired on the green, the -speeches made, and the small crowd dispersed. Nearly everybody had gone -to Salem; but a few old stagers still congregated at the store, it -being general head-quarters. - -Hal picked Charlie out of a group of children, in a very dilapidated -condition. Her once clean dress was soiled, torn, and burned; her -hands gave the strongest evidence that dust entered largely into -the composition of small people; and her face was variegated by -perspiration and dabs from these same unlucky hands. - -"O Charlie! you look like a little vagabond!" exclaimed Hal in despair. -"I'm ashamed of you!" - -"But I've had such fun, and cakes and candies and fire-crackers and -torpedoes! I wish Fourth of July would keep right straight along. I -burned one of my fingers, but I didn't mind," declared the patriotic -girl. - -"Where's Kit?" - -"I don't know. Joe was round this morning, but I guess he went to -Salem." - -"You must come home with me now." - -"O Hal! we haven't found all the 'cissers' yet. They're almost as good -as fire-crackers." - -Several of the children were burrowing in the grass and sand for -"fusees,"--crackers that had failed to explode to the full extent of -their powder. They broke them in two and relighted them. - -Hal was inexorable; so Charlie cried a little, and then bade her dirty -companions a sad farewell. - -"Oh!" exclaimed Granny, as they came marching up the path, "what a -sight! And your Sunday best dress, Charlie!" - -"Well," sniffed Charlie with a crooked face, though there were no tears -to give it effect, "I'm sure I didn't want to put it on. I hate to be -dressed up! Something always happens to your Sunday clothes. I couldn't -help tearing it, and Jimmy Earl set off a cracker right in my lap"-- - -"Well, I'm glad it wasn't your eyes," said Granny thankfully. And then -she took the forlorn pyramid of dirt and disorder up stairs, where she -had a good scrubbing, and was re-arrayed in a more decent fashion. -Anybody else would have scolded, but Granny was so glad to have her -back safe and sound. - -Her heart was sorely anxious about Kit and Joe. She let the supper -stand on the table, and they all sat on the doorstep in the moonlight; -for Dot had taken a nap in the afternoon, and was bright as a new penny. - -And she fancied, as many mothers and grandmothers have before now, that -shocking accidents had happened, and maybe they would be maimed and -crippled for life. - -Presently they came straggling along, and Granny uttered a cry of -relief. - -"Oh!" she said, "are you all here? Haven't you lost your hands, nor -your fingers, nor"-- - -"Nor our noses, and not even our tongues," laughed Joe. "Here we are, -pistol and all." - -"O Kit! where have you been? I was a most worried to death; and you -look tuckered out." - -For Kit was pale to ghostliness as he stood there in the moonlight. - -"Where do you think I found him,--the small snipe? Way over to Salem!" - -"O Kit! did you see the fireworks and the soldiers?" exclaimed Charlie -breathlessly. - -Kit sank down on the doorstep. - -"Walked all the way over there, and hadn't a penny!" - -"How could you Kit, without saying a word?" exclaimed Granny in a tone -of mild reproach. - -"I could have given you a little money," said Hal tenderly. - -"And it's a mercy that you didn't get run over, or shot to pieces, or -trampled to death in the crowd"-- - -"O Granny! don't harrow up our feelings," said Joe. - -"I was afraid you wouldn't let me go," began Kit, at the first -available opportunity for slipping in a word. "And I didn't walk quite -all the way there,--a man came along, and gave me a ride. I wanted to -hear the music so much! The soldiers were splendid, Charlie; some of -'em with great white feathers in their hats and swords and beautiful -horses and coats all over gold"-- - -"Wonderful hats," suggested Joe with a twinkle; for Kit had gone on -with small regard to commas or accent. - -"They all know what I mean!" said Kit rather testily. - -"Don't plague him," interposed Hal. "About the music, Kit?" - -"Oh! I can't half tell you;" and Kit gave a long sigh. "There were -drums and fifes, and those clappers--I don't remember what you called -'em, but I liked it best when the men were horning with their horns"-- - -Joe gave a loud outburst, and went over on his head. - -"Well," said Kit much aggrieved, "what are you laughing about?" - -"Horning! That is good! You had better write a new dictionary, Kit. -It is a decided improvement upon 'toot,' and must commend itself to -Flossy's attention for superior elegance. There, my dear, give me a -vote of thanks;" and Joe twitched Flossy's long curls. - -"I don't know what you call it, then," said Kit rather sulkily. - -"They blew on the horns," Hal rejoined in his soothing tone, that -was always a comfort in times of disturbance; "and the cornets, -wind-instruments, I believe, though I don't know the names of them all. -It must have been delightful." - -"Oh, it was! I shut my eyes, and it seemed as if I was floating on a -sea, and there were all the waves beating up and down, and then a long -soft sound like the wind blowing in and shaking it all to echoes. I was -so sorry when they stopped. They all went into the hotel, I guess it -was. By and by I wandered off a little ways, and sat on a stoop; and -some one was playing on a piano. That was beautiful too. I'd like to -crawl inside of something, as the fairies do, and just live there and -listen forever." - -"And then I found him, hungry and tired, and bought him some cake," -interrupted Joe. "We waited to see the fireworks, and rode home in Mr. -Terry's wagon. But for that I guess he'd been sitting on the stoop yet." - -"And you haven't tasted a mouthful of supper!" exclaimed Granny; "and I -a listenin' here, and never thinkin' of it." - -"I'm not much hungry," said Joe. "I was treated a time or two by the -boys." - -But he thought he wouldn't tell that he had taken up his week's wages -in advance, and spent it all. Fourth of July did not come but once a -year, and a body ought to have a good time. - -Poor Joe had discovered, much to his chagrin, that a dollar and a half -would not work wonders. It seemed to him at first that he never could -get his suit of clothes paid for; then it was a hat, a pair of shoes, -some cheap summer garments; and he never had a penny for Hal or any one -else. In fact, he began to think that he would make more money working -round for the farmers. But then the store was steady employment. - -He gave Charlie a glowing account of the fireworks, while Kit was -eating a bowl of bread and milk; then they were glad to tumble into bed. - -"I'm thankful it's all over, and their arms and legs are safe, and -their eyes not blown out," said Granny with fervent gratitude. - -Kit was pretty tired the next day, and Joe found it rather hard to -make all things work together for good. Granny shed a few tears over -Charlie's "best dress," and wondered how she could patch it so as to -look decent. - -Florence, in the mean while, was much occupied with her own plans. She -could hardly wait for Monday to come, and proposed to do the usual -washing on Saturday, so there wouldn't be any "muss" around when Mrs. -Osgood called. - -She was neat as a new pin as she sat awaiting her visitor. Her clothes -had been looked over, and the best selected. There was nothing to -pack them in, however, except a small, moth-eaten hair trunk, or a -dilapidated bandbox; and the latter was Florence's detestation. - -"I can do them up in a paper," she said; and Charlie was sent to scour -the neighborhood for the required article. - -Mrs. Osgood and Mrs. Duncan came together. The latter lady had laughed -a little at her sister's plan at first; but, when she found it was -really serious, thought it would be as well for her to try it a month. - -Mrs. Duncan was rather exclusive, and had a horror of crowds of poor -people's children. - -"It would be so much better to take some one who had no relatives," she -said. - -"I shall not adopt the whole family, you may be sure," was the response. - -Some of Mrs. Duncan's prejudices were surmounted by the general order -and tidiness to which Florence had reduced matters; and she was -wonderfully well-bred, considering her disadvantages. - -"I shall keep her for a month, while I remain at Seabury; and, if -I should want her afterward, we can make some new arrangements," -Mrs. Osgood explained. "I shall see, of course, that she has ample -remuneration." - -Florence colored. Living with such a grand lady seemed enough, without -any pay. - -"What are you crying for, Granny?" she asked as she followed her into -the kitchen. "How ridiculous! Why, it is just as if I were going away -upon a visit; and you wouldn't be sorry then." - -"It isn't because I'm sorry;--but--none of you have ever been away -afore"-- - -Florence knitted her brows. How foolish to make such a fuss! - -"There are so many of us, that we're like bees in a hive. You ought to -be glad to have me go. And I dare say I shall ride over some day"-- - -"To be sure. But every one is missed." - -Florence kissed the children all round, and was much mortified at the -bundle tied up in a newspaper. - -"If I get any money, I mean to buy a travelling-bag," she commented -internally. - -"Tate me too," exclaimed Dot, clinging to Florence's dress: luckily her -hands were clean. - -"Oh! you can't go, Dotty: Charlie will show you the beautiful chickens." - -Dot set up a fearful cry, and wriggled herself out of Charlie's arms, -and Granny took her. Florence hurried through her good-bys, and was -glad to leave the confusion behind. - -Granny indulged in a little cry afterward, and then went to her -ironing. Of course they must all flit from the old hive some time. -She could hardly persuade herself that Florence was fifteen,--almost a -young lady. - -Joe and Hal wanted to hear all the particulars that evening. Charlie -dilated grandly on the magnificence of the ladies. - -"It's real odd," said Joe. "Flossy always wanted to be a lady; and -maybe this is a step towards it. I wonder if I shall ever get to sea!" - -"Oh, don't!" exclaimed Granny in a pitiful voice. - -When Mrs. Green heard the news, she had to come over. - -"I don't suppose they'd ever thought on't, if it hadn't been for me," -she exclaimed. "They stopped to my house while their wagon was bein' -mended, and the sickly lookin' one seemed to be terribly interested in -your folks; so, thinks I, if I can do a good turn for a neighbor it's -all right; and I spoke a word, now and then, for Florence,--though it's -a pity her name hadn't been Mary Jane. I never did approve of such -romantic names for children. And I hope Florence will be a good girl, -and suit; for the Lord knows that you have your hands full!" - -Charlie ran wild, as usual, through vacation. In one of her long -rambles in the woods she found a hollow tree with a rock beside it, -and her fertile imagination at once suggested a cave. She worked very -industriously to get it in order; brought a great pile of leaves for -a bed, and armsful of brush to cook with, and then besought Kit to run -away and live in the woods. - -Kit tried it for one day. They had some apples and berries, and a -piece of bread taken from the pantry when Granny wasn't around. They -undertook to fish, but could not catch any thing; though Charlie was -quite sure, that, if Joe would lend her his pistol, she could shoot a -bird. - -"Anyhow, we'll have a fire, and roast our apples," said Charlie, -undaunted. - -"But it's awful lonesome, I think. S'pose we don't stay all night: -Granny'll be worried." - -"Pooh!" returned Charlie with supreme disdain. - -So she lighted her fire. The twigs crackled and blazed, and the flame -ran along on the ground. - -"Isn't it splendid!" she exclaimed, "Why, it's almost like fireworks! -Oh, see, Kit! that dead tree has caught. We'll have a gay old time now." - -Alas! Charlie's "gay old time" came to an ignoble end. Some one rushed -through the woods shouting,-- - -"Hillo! What the mischief are you at? Don't you know any better than to -be setting the woods on fire?" - -It was Mr. Trumbull, looking angry enough. He bent the burning tree -over, and stamped out the blaze; then poked the fire apart, and crushed -the burning fragments into the soft ground. A dense smoke filled the -little nook. - -"Whose work is this? You youngsters deserve a good thrashing, and I've -half a mind to take your hide off." - -With that he caught Kit by the arm. - -"He didn't do it," spoke up courageous Charlie. "He never brought a -leaf nor a stick; and you sha'n't thrash him!" - -"What's he here for, then?" - -"I brought him." - -"And did you kindle the fire?" - -"Yes," said Charlie, hanging her head a little. - -"What for? Didn't you know that you might burn the woods down, in such -a dry time? Why, I could shut you up in jail for it." - -That frightened Charlie a good deal. - -"I didn't mean to--do any harm: we thought--we'd have a little -fun"--came out Charlie's answer by jerks. - -"Fine fun! Why, you're Granny Kenneth's youngsters! I guess I'll have -to march you off to jail." - -"Oh, let Kit go home!" cried Charlie with a great lump in her throat. -"It wasn't his fault. He didn't even want to come." - -Something in the child's air and frankness touched Mr. Trumbull's -heart, and caused him to smile. He had a houseful of children at home, -every one of whom possessed a wonderful faculty for mischief; but this -little girl's bravery disarmed his anger. - -"I want to explain to you that a fire like this might burn down a -handsome piece of woodlands worth thousands of dollars. All these large -trees are sent to the sawmill, and made into boards and shingles and -various things. So it would be a great loss." - -"I'm very sorry," returned Charlie. "I didn't know it would do any -harm." - -"If I don't take you to jail this time, will you promise never to do it -again?" - -Charlie shivered a little at her narrow escape. - -"I surely wouldn't," she said very soberly. - -By this time Mr. Trumbull had the fire pretty well out. - -"Well, don't ever let me catch you at it again, or you will not get off -so easily. Now trot home as fast as you can." - -Charlie paused a moment, tugging at the cape of her sun-bonnet. - -"I'm glad you told me about burning up the woods," she said. "I didn't -think of that." - -Mr. Trumbull laughed pleasantly. - -So the two walked homeward, Charlie in a more serious frame of mind -than usual. - -"I tell you, Kit," she began at length, "out West is the place to have -a cave, and fires, and all that Hal had a book about it. Sometimes -children are kidnapped by Indians, and live in their tents, and learn -how to make bead-bags and moccasins"-- - -"I don't want to go;" and Kit gave his slender shoulders a shrug. "They -scalp you too." - -"But they wouldn't me. I should marry one of the chiefs." Then, after a -rather reflective pause, "I'm glad we didn't burn down Mr. Trumbull's -woods: only I guess he wasn't in earnest when he said he would put me -in jail." - -But for all that she begged Kit not to relate their adventure to -Granny, and perplexed her youthful brain for a more feasible method of -running away. - -The house seemed very odd without Florence. The children's small errors -passed unrebuked; and they revelled in dirt to their utmost content. -For what with working out a day now and then, getting meals, patching -old clothes, and sundry odd jobs, Granny had her poor old hands quite -full. But she never complained. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - WHICH SHOULD SHE CHOOSE? - - -The reality at Seabury far exceeded Florence Kenneth's expectations. -The hotel was really finer than that at Salem. And then, instead -of being maid, she found here a woman who waited upon Mrs. Osgood, -arranged her hair, kept her dresses in order, and did the small -errands. What was she to do, then? - -Not very much, it seemed. She read aloud, and Florence was an -undeniably good reader; she embroidered a little, went every day for a -ride, and absolutely sat in the parlor. It was rather embarrassing at -first. - -"I have decided," Mrs. Osgood said to her sister, a few days afterward. -"The child has a very sweet temper, and a most affectionate nature; -and then she is so lovely. A perfect blonde beauty! In two years she -will be able to enter society. Mrs. Deering declared yesterday that her -voice was remarkable." - -"I hope you will not spoil her completely. She has a good share of -vanity, I perceive." - -"It is only proper pride: the child is well-born. I know her mother -must have been a lady, and Kenneth is not a common name." - -"I am sure I hope your _protegee_ will prove a comfort." - -Then Mrs. Osgood announced her plans to Florence, who was literally -overwhelmed. To be adopted by so rich a lady, to have an elegant home, -and become skilled in all accomplishments--was it not a dream,--her -wild, improbable dream? - -To Florence Mrs. Osgood was an angel. True, she had seen her rather -pettish, and sometimes she scolded Martha, and gave way to hysterical -spasms; but these were minor faults. She drew the child to her with the -sweet and not-forgotten arts of her faded girlhood, and was pleased -with the sincere homage that had in it so much of wonder. Florence -would love her like a daughter. - -"I cannot promise to leave you a fortune," she said, "but while I live -you shall have every thing. I was treated very unjustly by Mr. Osgood's -will; though I know he was influenced by his relatives, who grudge me -every penny. They would be very glad to have some of their children -live at Roselawn: I christened the place myself on account of the -roses." - -"How beautiful it must be!" exclaimed Florence, enchanted. - -"It _is_ a handsome place. You would have a governess, and be taught -music and French and drawing, and be introduced everywhere as my -daughter. If I had one, I fancy she would look something like you, for -I was called very pretty in my younger days;" and Mrs. Osgood sighed. - -"I can never be grateful enough," said Florence. - -"I shall want you to love me a great deal,--just as if I were your own -mother. And when you are grown you must make me your confidant. You -will marry brilliantly, of course; but you must promise that it will -not be without my consent." - -"I shall never want to leave you!" declared Florence impulsively, -kissing the thin hands. - -"It will be such a luxury to have your affection. My life has always -been so lonely. Very few people can understand my sensitive nature, but -I trust you will be able to." - -There was some other points not so congenial. When they came to these, -Florence's heart shrank a little. - -For, if she chose Mrs. Osgood, the group at home must drop out of her -life completely. There could be no visiting, no corresponding. - -Poor Florence! This was a cloud upon her bright visions. - -"I shall write to your grandmother occasionally to let her know that -you are well; but, as my daughter, you will be in such an entirely -different sphere, that the slightest intimacy would be unwise." - -What should she do? Would Granny think her cruel and ungrateful? - -Mrs. Osgood proposed to take her back to Madison to spend a few days in -which to decide. As for her, it hardly appeared possible to her that -the child could hesitate. And now that she had enjoyed this little -taste of luxury, poverty would seem all the more repulsive. - -They drove over one morning. Luckily, Granny was in very tolerable -order; but, oh the difference! She was so glad to see Florence, that -she kissed and cried over her a little. - -"I want to have a talk with your grandmother," Mrs. Osgood said; and -Florence betook herself to the kitchen. How dreadfully poor and mean -every thing looked! - -Mrs. Osgood went straight about the business in hand. She described -her offer in the most glowing terms, and held out all its advantages. -It would relieve Mrs. Kenneth from much care and anxiety, give her one -less to struggle for; and then Florence would have the position for -which Nature had fitted her. Not one thing was forgotten. - -Granny listened like one in a dream. Flossy to be a rich lady's -daughter,--to ride in a carriage, to have a piano, and be dressed in -silk! Could it be true? - -"But oh! I can't give her up," moaned Granny. "She was poor Joe's -first-born, and such a sweet, pretty baby! There never was one on 'em -that I could spare." - -"I wish you would take counsel with some friend. I think this -opportunity for Florence is too good to be thrown away." - -"I don't know, I'm sure. You are very kind and generous. But to part -with my poor darling." - -The lady rose at length. - -"I shall leave Florence here for three days," she said. "In the mean -while consider the subject well, and do not stand in the way of the -child's welfare." - -Florence was very sorry to part with Mrs. Osgood. She walked out to the -gate, and lingered there, clinging to the slender hand, and at last -being kissed tenderly. - -"Think earnestly of my proposal. On Saturday I shall come for my -answer," said Mrs. Osgood. - -The lady had not much fear. She knew that money was all-potent in this -world; and it was quite absurd to suppose that a pretty girl would -prefer toil and poverty in this hovel, to luxury and ease with handsome -surroundings. - -"Oh dear!" and Granny's arms were around Flossy's neck. "I can't let -you go away forever. And I am sure you don't want to," scanning the -fair face with her fond and eager eyes. - -"Granny, I don't know what to say. I should so like to have an -education, and to be--oh! don't cry so. If every one thinks I ought not -to go,"--and Flossy's lip quivered. - -"I am a foolish old body," sobbed Granny. "I'm not worth minding, my -dear." - -"Fossy tum home. What 'ou ky?" said Dot, tugging at Granny's dress. - -"If we could see you once in a while." - -Florence felt the last to be an impossibility. She had a keen -perception of the difference in station, and the nameless something -that Granny could not be brought to see. - -"You would hear about me," she said softly. - -Granny went back to her ironing. Florence offered to help, and arranged -her own light table. But it was uncomfortable this hot summer day, and -her tender hand felt as if it was blistered. She consoled herself by -relating the experiences of the past month, and inwardly sighing for -the luxurious life. Granny was not so stupid but that she could see the -direction of the child's desires. - -"I don't wonder that you liked it; and she couldn't help loving you, -even if I do say it. Why, a queen might be proud of you! If we knew -some one to ask." - -"There is Mr. Howard," Florence suggested. - -"Sure enough. He would see all sides of it. We'll go over after the -work is done;" and Granny tried to smile a little lightness into her -sad face. - -Charlie had gone to pull weeds for a neighbor, Hal was out also, so -there was only Kit to dinner. After that was out of the way, and Dot -had her nap, they made themselves ready for their call. - -Florence tried her best to make a lady out of Granny. A queer little -old woman she was, and would be to the end of the chapter. Her bonnet -was dreadfully old-fashioned, and her gingham dress too short for -modern requirements. Her wrinkled hands were as brown as berries, and -she never _would_ wear gloves in the summer. Then, after she was all -ready, she surreptitiously tied on her black alpaca apron; at which -Flossy gave a sigh of despair. - -The parsonage was a pretty little nest, half-covered with vines, and -shaded by a great sycamore. Dolly and Fred Howard were playing on the -grass, and Dot started for the small group instantly. - -"O Mrs. Kenneth! how do you do? What a stranger you are! And here is -Florence, fresh as a rose! I heard that you had run away, my child. -Come and sit in the shade here: it is cooler than within doors. Mary, -here are some visitors." - -Mrs. Howard gave them a cordial welcome, and insisted that Granny -should lay aside her bonnet. She inquired if Florence had enjoyed her -month at Seabury, and if she was not glad to get back again. - -Granny twisted her apron-strings, and glanced at the young girl -uneasily. Of course she must begin somehow, but there was a great -sinking at her heart. - -"Flossy's had a chance," she began; and then the strings were untied. -"We thought we'd come and ask a little advice. It's hard tellin' what's -for the best;" and Granny looked as if she might break down into a cry. - -"A chance for an education?" asked Mrs. Howard. - -"No: it's--to go for good. Flossy, you tell. I am not much of a hand at -getting things straight," murmured Granny. - -Florence told the story in a very ladylike fashion, giving it the air -of a romance. - -"Why, Florence, that is quite an adventure. And she wants to adopt -you?" Mrs. Howard exclaimed, much interested. - -"Do you know any thing about this Mrs. Osgood?" asked Mr. Howard. - -Florence used her limited knowledge to its fullest extent. - -"Oh! I believe I know something about Mrs. Duncan. Dr. Carew was -attending the boy. I have heard him speak of them all. Isn't Mrs. -Osgood something of an invalid,--rather full of whims?" - -"She is not very strong," Florence admitted. - -"But it is a remarkable offer," rejoined Mrs. Howard. "And to have one -of the family so well provided for, seems like an especial providence." - -"But to have her go away," said Granny. "To give her up, and never see -her again!" - -"That does seem unkind. Perhaps it would not be quite as bad as that." - -Mr. Howard studied Florence attentively for a few moments. He had -always considered her rather above her station. - -"It certainly is a generous proposal, granting every thing to be as -represented. Florence will receive a superior education, and be raised -above the care and drudgery of life. Yet she may have to devote many -of her best years to Mrs. Osgood; and ministering to an invalid is -wearisome work. It is taking her entirely away from her family, to be -sure; but, putting aside love, she might never be able to help along -much. Women are not extravagantly remunerated; and, if she went away to -teach school, she could not do much more than take care of herself. And -there would be a partial separation." - -Florence gave Mr. Howard a look of relief and thankfulness. - -"I don't want to keep her from doing whatever will be best," said -Granny tremulously. - -"There are Joe and Hal to help along,--smart boys both. And though -your strong and tender arms have kept the little flock together these -many years, they will wear out by and by. And, if any accident befell -you, it would be well to have some of them provided for. The important -question seems to be whether what Florence can do at home will -compensate for what she must relinquish. The entire separation appears -to me rather unjust. You said that Mrs. Osgood proposed that you should -take counsel of some one: suppose I should go to Seabury, and talk the -matter over with her?" - -"Oh, if you would!" said Florence beseechingly. She felt that Mr. -Howard was on her side, though she did not quite understand why. - -"Yes," rejoined Granny, catching at a straw. "You could tell her how it -is,--poor Joe's children, every one on 'em so precious to me. I never -had much learnin'; but I love 'em for father and mother both, and I -can't bear to think of their going away. Ah, well! it's a world full of -trouble, though they've always been good to me, poor dears." - -Mrs. Howard turned away her face to hide her tears, and presently left -them to get a slice of nice fresh cake and a glass of milk for her -guests. Her heart really ached for Granny. - -So it was settled that Mr. Howard would go over to Seabury, and learn -all the particulars of the offer. Granny was very thankful indeed. Soon -after, they picked up Dot, and started homeward. - -"You rather approve of it," Mrs. Howard said to her husband, watching -the retreating figures, and smiling at Dot, who pulled at every wayside -daisy-head. - -"Florence has her heart set upon it, that is plain to see." - -"And yet it seems ungrateful in her." - -"It would be nobler for her to stay with Granny, and help rear the -others. Yet that is more than one can reasonably expect of pretty young -girlhood." - -"She is industrious, and has many excellent points but she is a good -deal ashamed of the poverty." - -"I wonder whether she would be any real assistance? She has a good deal -of vanity, and love of dress; and no doubt she would spend most of her -money upon herself. Then, in some mood of dissatisfaction, she might -marry unwisely, and perhaps be more trouble than comfort to Granny. If -Mrs. Osgood is in earnest, Florence would at least receive an education -that might fit her for a nice position in case Mrs. Osgood tired of -her." - -"And the life at home is not a great delight to her," said Mr. Howard -with a smile. "But whether I would like to give up my brothers and -sisters"-- - -"Florence is peculiar. Ten years from this time she may love them -better than she does now." - -There was a noisy time in the "Old Shoe" that night. They were all -so glad to have Flossy back again. Kit played on imaginary fiddles; -Charlie climbed on her chair, and once came tumbling over into her lap; -Hal watched her with delight, and thought her prettier than ever; Joe -whistled and sang, and told her all that had occurred in the store, -pointing his stories with an occasional somerset, or standing on his -head to Dot's great satisfaction. - -"Well, that is really margaret-nificent," declared Joe, flourishing -Granny's old apron on the broomstick. "Flossy, you are in luck! It is -all due to your winning ways and curly hair." - -"If I go"--with a sad little sigh. - -"Go? why, of course you will! She'd be a great goose; would she not, -Granny? - - 'Washing and ironing I daily have to do; - Baking and brewing I must remember too; - Three small children to maintain: - Oh, how I wish I was single again!'" - -sang Joe with irresistible drollery. - -Granny laughed; but she winked her eyes hard, and something suspicious -shone in them. - -"It would be splendid, and no mistake! To think of having a piano, and -learning French, and riding in a carriage--'A coach and four and a gold -galore!' And then pretty Peggy we should"-- - -Joe made a great pause, for something stuck in his throat. - -"But couldn't we ever see you?" asked Charlie. - -An awesome silence fell over the little group. - -"If you could come and see us once in a while," said Hal softly. "We -would not so much mind not going _there_"-- - -"I'd run away and visit her," announced daring Charlie. "I'd hide about -in the woods until I saw her some day, and then"-- - -"They'd set the dog on you." - -"Hum! As if I was afraid of a dog, Joe Kenneth! I'd snap my fingers in -his face, and ask him what he had for breakfast. Then I'd come back -home and tell you all about it." - -"The breakfast, or the dog?" - -"Joseph, I am afraid you are getting in your dotage," said Charlie with -a shake of the head. "But, if I started to, I know I'd find Florence." - -"It is rather cruel," said Joe sturdily. "I don't see why she should -want to take you entirely away from us." - -"We cannot look at it just as the lady does," said Hal's mild voice. "I -suppose she thinks, if she does so much for Flossy, that she ought to -have a good deal of love in return." - -"She is ashamed of us because we are poor. But maybe if we managed to -get along, and grow up nicely--she wouldn't feel so--so particular -about it." - -"I don't believe she would," exclaimed Florence. "You see, people -are so different; and--I'm sure I've always wanted you to have nice -manners." - -"So you have, Flossy," declared Joe. "And you were meant for a lady." - -Hal and Granny sat on the doorstep after the rest had gone to bed, -crying a little, and yet finding some comfort. - -"It would be so nice for Florence!" Hal said in his pleading tone. -"She would always have to work here, and not learn music and all those -lovely things. And she has such a beautiful voice, you know, and such -pretty hands, and nice, dainty ways"-- - -"But never to see her again!" groaned Granny. - -"I think we shall see her,--some time. Perhaps Mrs. Osgood might die: -she is not very well, and Flossy might come back to us. Oh, yes, -Granny, I do believe we shall see her again!" - -"I've loved you all so much!" - -"And we should always love you, even if we went to Japan. Then, if -Flossy should have to work hard, and be unhappy, we might be sorry that -we kept her out of any thing so nice." - -"I do believe you are right, Hal; only it's so hard to think of not -seeing her again." - -"I'll try to make it up, dear. You will always have me." - -The soft young lips kissed those that quivered so piteously, and -smoothed the wet, wrinkled cheek. - -"We'll pray about it, Granny. Somehow it seems as if God made these -things plain after a while; and it is in his hands. He hears the ravens -cry, poor, hungry little birdies; and he must care for us. He will -watch over Florence." - -"O Hal, you talk like a minister! Maybe you will be one some day. And -it is so sweet to have you, dear boy!" - -"I shall never be half good enough," he said solemnly. - -He crept up to his room, but laid awake a long while, watching the -stars, and thinking. - -Florence resolved the next day that she would not go, and braced -herself to martyr-like endurance. But oh, how mean and poor every thing -appeared by contrast! Charlie in rags,--you never could keep Charlie -in whole clothes; Dot playing in the dirt, for, though you washed -her twenty times an hour, she would not stay clean; the shabby, old -fashioned, tumble-down cottage,--no, Mrs. Osgood never would want any -of these wild Arabs visiting her. - -So she shed many quiet tears. Perhaps it would be best to make the -sacrifice, hard as it was. - -Granny saw it all. Her old eyes were not blind, and her heart smote her -for something akin to selfishness. Poor, aching heart. - -"Flossy," she said, over her heart-break, "if Mr. Howard is satisfied, -I think you had better go." - -"I have about decided to give it up. Perhaps it is my _duty_ to stay." - -Granny scanned the face eagerly, but found there no cheerful and sweet -self-denial. - -"I've been thinking it over"--her voice broken and quavering. "Perhaps -it will be best. Though I don't like to part with you, for your poor -father"--and Granny's inconsequent speech ended in tears. - -"I'll stay home then, and do what I can; only it seems as if there -were so many of us,--and the place so little, and I can't help being -different, and liking music and education, and a nice orderly house"-- - -"No, you can't help it. Poor Joe--your father I mean--liked 'em all -too. I've sometimes thought that maybe, if he'd gone away, he might -have been a gentleman. He'd a master voice to sing. And God will watch -over you there, and not let you come to harm. Oh, dear!" - -Granny covered her face with her apron, and cried softly. - -Mr. Howard called that evening. He had been quite favorably impressed -with Mrs. Osgood's proposal. - -"Her connections are all reputable people," he said; "and I think -she means to treat Florence like a daughter. She can give her many -advantages, and she is strongly attached to her already. But she _is_ -exclusive and aristocratic. She wants Florence all to herself. Still, -she has made one concession: she will allow her to write home once a -year." - -"And then I could tell you every thing!" exclaimed Florence overjoyed. - -"But she is resolved not to permit any visiting. To be sure, time may -soften this condition; yet, if Florence goes, she ought to abide by her -promise." - -"Yes," answered the child meekly. - -"It does seem a remarkable opportunity. I do not know as it would be -wise to refuse." - -Ah, if one _could_ know what was for the best! The days flew by -so rapidly, there was so much talking, but never any coming to a -conclusion. Joe was loudly on Florence's side. So was Hal, for -that matter; but from more thoughtful motives. And Granny was too -conscientious to stand in the way of the child's advancement, much as -she loved her, and longed to keep her. - -Then, on Friday evening they sat on the old stone doorstep, a sad -group, going over the subject in low, sad tones, the pain of parting -already in their voices. Granny's vehemence had subsided. Hal had -Florence's soft hand in his, Kit's head was in her lap, and Charlie sat -at her feet. - -Should she go? When all the mists and glamor of desire cleared away, -as they did now in the calm star-light, with God watching up above, -she felt that it would be nobler and truer to remain with them, and -share the poverty and the trials. For to have them ill, dying perhaps, -without looking upon their dear faces, with no last words or last -kisses to remember, was more than she could bear. Would it not seem -selfish to go off to luxury and indolence, when they must struggle on -with toil and care and poverty? - -"Oh!" she exclaimed, going to Granny's arms, with a sob. "I believe -I cannot leave you when it comes to absolute parting. We have been -happy, in spite of the troubles and wants. I should miss you all so -much! And, if I could get to be a teacher, I might help a little." - -Granny held her to her heart, and kissed the wet face again and again. - -"My dear darling, God bless you!" she said brokenly. - -Flossy thought herself a very heroic girl. There was a great lump -in her throat, and she could not utter another word. It was a born -princess turning her back on the palace. - -Hal and Joe eyed each other inquisitively. It was the noblest thing she -could do, but would it be the wisest? - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - OUT OF THE OLD HOME-NEST. - - -But then it all looked so different by daylight! The old rickety house, -the noisy children, the general shabbiness, and the life of hard work -and dissatisfaction, stretching out interminably. For, to the eyes -of fifteen, it seems a long way to fifty; and roses are so much more -tempting than thorns! - -Hal found her out in the garden crying. - -"Dear Flossy," he began tenderly, "I think you had better go, after -all. When the parting is over, Granny will be reconciled, and -understand that it is for the best." - -"But I ought to stay at home and help," she sobbed. "If I could do -both"-- - -"That is not possible;" and Hal tried to smile away the tears in his -eyes. - -"It looks so--so foolish not to be able to make up one's mind." - -"It is a hard case, and there is so much on Mrs. Osgood's side." - -"Hal, what would you do?" and Florence glanced up earnestly. - -"My darling, I think you want to go, and that you would always be -unhappy and regretful if you staid. We can't help all our feelings and -wants and tastes; and it seems as if you were born for a lady. That is -natural too." - -"But I do love you all, and dear Granny"-- - -"We shall never doubt that," he answered re-assuringly. "We shall often -sit on the old doorstep, and talk about you, and try to imagine you in -the beautiful house, with the pictures and the piano, and all the nice -things you will be learning. It will be just lovely for us too. Then -you can write every summer." - -"And perhaps I shall come back when I am a woman!" - -At this Florence brightened wonderfully, but after a moment said, "You -don't think it very selfish, Hal?" - -"My dear, no," replied brave little Hal. "I am sure it would be a great -trial for me to give up any thing so splendid." - -"If you would only tell Granny--again." - -Hal nodded; for he couldn't say any more just then. - -Granny wiped the tears out of her old eyes with the corner of her -checked apron, and trod upon the cat, stretched out upon the floor, who -added her pathetic howl to the fund of general sorrow. - -So it came to pass, when Mrs. Osgood made her appearance, Florence was -quite elegant and composed. The lady was very, very gracious. She -expatiated on the great advantage this step would be to Florence, the -pleasure to _her_, and the relief to Granny to know that one of her -flock was provided for. Of course, she understood it was hard to part -with her; but they had so many left, that in a little while they would -hardly miss her. Then they _would_ hear about her, and no doubt come to -rejoice in her good fortune. - -Indeed, by the time Mr. Howard arrived, she had talked them into quite -a reasonable frame of mind. She promised to treat her like a daughter, -educate her handsomely; so that, in case of her death, Florence would -be able to take care of herself. If, at the end of the first year, -she should feel unwilling to remain, Mrs. Osgood would not oppose her -return. - -Granny was calm, but very grave, while these preliminaries were being -discussed. Hal kept swallowing over great sobs that wrenched his heart -at every breath. The agreement was concluded and signed. - -"Now, my dear, put on your hat," said Mrs. Osgood in her sweetest tone. -"Brief partings are the kindest; are they not, Mr. Howard? I am much -obliged for your assistance in this matter; and you must permit me to -offer you a small donation for your pretty little church." - -Granny's tears streamed afresh; but Hal managed her with delicate -tenderness. Florence kissed them all many times. Dot wanted to go in -the "boofer wagon;" while Kit and Charlie looked on, with tearful, -wondering eyes, not half understanding the importance of the step. - -Then--she was driving away. One last, long look. Was that the waving of -her pretty white hand? Their eyes were too dim to see. - -"It seems to me that she will come back to the old house some time," -said Hal, breaking the sad silence. - -Granny turned away, and shut herself in the best room. For a long while -they heard nothing of her. But God was listening to the heart-broken -prayer, which he answered in his own time and his own way. - -"So Flossy's gone!" exclaimed Joe soberly that night. "I can't make it -seem a bit real. Air-castles don't generally turn into the substantial. -After the king's ball I guess she will come home in glass slippers, and -we will have her giving us loads of good advice. It is so sure to be -true, Granny, that we can afford to take a little comfort meanwhile." - -Granny did not laugh as usual. Kit chewed his thumb vigorously, and saw -piles of violins in the distance. - -But they confessed to being very lonesome on Sunday. Charlie declined -wearing Flossy's second-best hat; for she insisted that she "felt it in -her bones" that Florence would return, which Joe declared was incipient -rheumatism, and that she must take a steam-bath over the spout of the -tea-kettle. Yet secretly in his heart he had greater faith in the -mythical sea-captain who was to take him off with flying colors. - -About a month afterwards they received a letter from Mrs. Osgood. Joe -displayed the handsome monogram in great triumph, and begged Mr. Terry -to let him run home with it at noon. They all crowded round him with -eager eyes. - -"It's Granny's letter," he said, handing it to her. - -"Read it, Hal," she rejoined tremulously. - -Mrs. Osgood gave a delightful account of Florence; declaring that she -already loved her as a mother, and, the homesickness being over, she -was studying industriously. There was no doubt but that she would make -a very fine musician; and it was extremely fortunate that such talent -could be rescued in time to make the most of it. Then Florence added -a few words, to say that she was very happy, and that it seemed like -fairy-land, every thing was so beautiful. She enclosed a gift for them -all, and said good-by until next year. - -They felt then how surely they were divided; yet they all rejoiced in -Flossy's good fortune. Mr. and Mrs. Howard were very kind; but I think -Hal's tender love did more towards comforting Granny than all the rest. -She kept telling herself that it was foolish to grieve; yet there was -a dumb ache way down in the poor old heart, an empty corner where one -birdling had flown out of the home-nest. - -The affair had created quite an excitement in Madison. Joe pictured -it in the most gorgeous style, and made Mrs. Osgood an actual fairy -godmother. Mrs. Van Wyck, who still held a little grudge against her, -insisted that it was not half as grand as the Kenneths represented it. - -"Now, Mr. Howard," she said at one of the parsonage gatherings, "is it -really true? Did this woman adopt that flyaway Kenneth girl, or only -take her as a sort of servant? And is she so very rich?" - -"Mrs. Osgood is a lady of means and position, and is connected with -some of the most reliable people in New York. She has legally adopted -Florence, and I was a witness to the agreement. It certainly was a -rather remarkable event." - -"Well, she's nothing but a bunch of vanity, anyhow. She'll make one of -the high-flyers, without a grain of sense, and I dare say elope with -the coachman. I wish the woman joy of her bargain;" and Mrs. Van Wyck -set her cap-streamers in violent motion. - -Autumn came on apace. Poor Granny was grievously perplexed when she -entered the clothing-campaign. Florence's fertile brain and handy -fingers were sorely missed. Granny did her best; but the tasty touches -the child was wont to add, that transformed the commonest garb into -certain prettiness, were lacking now. Still, Charlie thought it a -godsend to have so many clothes all at once, having fallen heir to -Flossy's discarded heritage. - -"Granny!" exclaimed Hal, rushing in breathless one afternoon, "Mr. -Kinsey says he will take all my chickens to market! Isn't that -splendid? He is going on Friday, and again next Tuesday; and he showed -me how to make a crate to pack them in. Now is the very time, he says." - -"But we'll have to kill 'em, Hal!" exclaimed Granny aghast. - -"To be sure: that's the hard part of it, isn't it;" and Hal looked -sober. - -"They seem a'most like human beings. They patter round after Dot, and -talk to her in their queer fashion, and eat out of her hand. But, then, -we couldn't keep them all through the winter." - -"We shall save the pets. There are some that I could not spare. But you -must not grow chicken-hearted, Granny;" and he laughed softly at her. - -"Deary me! Somehow I can't bear to part with any thing any more. What a -foolish old cretur!" - -"The dearest old creature in the world!" and Hal kissed her. "I wouldn't -have you changed a mite, except, that, when you were almost a hundred, -I'd like to set you back so that we could keep you always." - -"I sha'n't be worth it, Hal;" and she shook her head. - -"I shall have to stay home from school on Tuesday. I am quite anxious -to know what our fortune will be, and whether it has paid." - -For Hal had gone back to school, as there seemed no business opening -for him. Mr. Terry had raised Joe's wages; and, one way and another, -they managed to get along quite comfortably. Hal tried to make up for -the absence of Florence, and comforted Granny in many tender, girlish -ways. He would pull her cap straight, and find her glasses and her -thimble, two things that were forever going astray. Then he borrowed -books from one and another to read aloud evenings; and, though Granny -sat in the chimney-corner and nodded, she always declared that it was -the loveliest thing in the world, and that she didn't believe but Hal -would write a book some day himself, he was so powerful fond of them. - -To Charlie and Kit this was a great enjoyment. Indeed, it seemed as -if in most things they listened more readily than they ever had to -Florence. Dear, sweet-souled Hal! Your uses and duties in the world -were manifold. And yet it tries our faith to see such fine gold dropped -into the crucible. Is it those whom the Lord loveth? - -They had a great time on Thursday. Joe was up early in the morning, as -he thought there was some fun in making an onslaught upon the army of -chickens; so when Hal and Granny stepped over the threshold, they saw a -great pile of decapitated fowls. - -"Why, Hal, you'll make a mint of money!" exclaimed Joe. "I suppose you -mean to put it in government bonds." - -Hal only laughed. - -But he and Granny were busy as bees all day. About four o'clock Mr. -Kinsey came over to see how the packing progressed. - -"There are just two dozen," said Hal; "and I shall have two dozen again -next week." - -"They're beauties too! Why, I believe they go ahead of mine. You've -plucked them nicely. Poultry's pretty high this year; retailing at -twenty-five and twenty-eight, I heard." - -They weighed them, and then laid them snugly in the crate; plump and -yellow, looking almost good enough to eat without a pinch of salt, Mr. -Kinsey said. - -"Now I shall send them all over to the station, and they'll go through -in the freight-train. Jim will soon be here with the wagon." - -Joe and Hal counted up the possible profit that evening. They had -raised, with all their broods, sixty-five chickens. The actual outlay -for food had been seventeen dollars; and Hal had sold eggs to the value -of two dollars and a half. - -"It's better than keeping store, I do believe!" ejaculated Joe. "Hal, -you have a genius for farming." - -"Does raising chickens prove it?" - -"If a hundred of corn-meal costs two fifty, what will the biggest -chanticleer in the lot come to? There's a question for you, Granny." - -"Why, it would depend on--how much he weighed," said Granny cautiously. - -"Oh, no! it would depend on how you cooked him. In my kitchen he'd come -to pot-pie, according to the double rule of a good hot fire." - -"You won't sell 'em all, Hal?" said Charlie anxiously. - -"No: we will have a little Thanksgiving for ourselves." - -Granny sighed. They all knew of whom she was thinking,--a sweet, -fair face dropped out of the circle. Now that Flossy was gone, they -remembered only her pleasant qualities; and it seemed as if Joe did not -care half so much for making a noise when she was not here to be teased. - -Mr. Kinsey did not return until Saturday, but he came over with a -smiling face. - -"Royal luck for you, Hal!" he said in his hearty tone. "I've half a -mind to make you guess, and keep all that is over." - -"But I might guess high;" and a bright smile brought sunshine into the -boy's face. - -"Try it, then." - -"Thirty dollars," ventured Hal, rather hesitatingly. "Though I don't -believe it _is_ as much as that." - -"Thirty-two dollars; and the same man has spoken for your next lot. -They were about the handsomest chickens in the market." - -"Oh! isn't that splendid?" said Hal. "Why, I can hardly believe it!" - -"There's the money. I've always observed that there's no eye-salve like -money;" and Mr. Kinsey laughed. - -"You ought to have something for your trouble." - -"No, my fine little fellow. I shall only take out the freight. I'm glad -to see you so energetic; and I do hope you will prosper as well in -every thing you undertake." - -Hal thanked Mr. Kinsey again and again, and insisted that he should -come over and do some work for the farmer; but that gentleman only -laughed. - -"Have your second lot ready on Tuesday evening," said he, as he wished -them good-day. - -The next was still more of a success, for they netted thirty-four -dollars. Hal was overjoyed. - -"That certainly is 'bully!' our dear Flossy to the contrary," declared -Joe. "Why, I'm so glad that I could stand on my head or the tip of my -little finger. What _will_ you do with it all? Granny, was there ever -so much money in this old house? It's lucky that I have a pistol to -keep guard." - -Granny smiled, but a tear crept to the corner of her eye. - -"Now let us reckon it all up," said Hal. "Here is my book." - -Every item had been put down in the most systematic manner. They made -a list of the expenses, and added the column, then subtracted it from -the whole sum. - -"Forty-seven dollars!" - -"All that clear!" asked Granny in amaze. - -"Yes. Isn't it wonderful?" - -Joe could hold in no longer; but took a tour over the chairs, as if -they had been a part of the flying trapeze. Hal's eyes were as large as -saucers,--small ones. - -"I wouldn't a' believed it! But you've been very ekernomical, Hal, and -used every thing, and raised so much corn"-- - -"And the buckwheat-field was so nice for them! If we can only keep them -comfortable through the winter, and have them lay lots of eggs!" - -"It's astonishing how contrary they are when eggs are scarce," said Joe -gravely. "What do you suppose is the reason, Charlie?" - -"Forty-seven dollars!" said Charlie, loftily ignoring the last remark. - -"Enough to buy me a fiddle," Kit remarked. - -"It will have to buy a good many things," said Hal. "I am so very, very -thankful for it." - -Granny insisted that Hal should have a suit of clothes, and finally -persuaded him into buying a complete outfit. That took twenty-three -dollars. Then some boots for Kit, shoes for Charley, a pretty dress -for Dot, a barrel of flour, and there was very little of it left. - -"But it was really magnificent!" said Hal with a sigh of pleasure. "I -shall try it again next year, if you don't mind the trouble, Granny." - -Granny said that she should not. - -Their Christmas festival was quiet compared to the last one. Flossy had -helped make them gay then, and there had been the wonderful shoe. Would -any thing ever be quite as brilliant again? - -"It almost seems as if Flossy was dead, doesn't it?" Hal said softly -to granny. "And yet I suppose she has had lots of presents, and -is--very--happy." - -"God keep her safely," answered Granny. - -Before spring some changes came to Madison. Grandmother Kinsey died, -having reached a good old age; and Mr. Kinsey resolved to put his pet -project into execution,--removing to the West, and farming on a large -scale. Everybody was very sorry to have them go. It seemed to Granny as -if she were losing her best friend. Ah! by and by the world would look -very wide and desolate. - -But the Kenneths had a little recompense for their loss. In casting -about for a parting gift to Hal, fortune seemed to put an excellent one -right in his way. In having some dealings with Farmer Peters, he took -the small piece of land that Hal had made so profitable, and deeded it -to the boy. - -"It is not much," he said; "but it may help along a little. I only wish -you were going out West with me. That's the place for boys!" - -Hal almost wished that he could. - -"But you will come and visit us some day, I know. You are a brave, -ambitious little chap, and deserve to prosper. I hope you will, indeed." - -Hal was a good deal astonished, and wonderfully thankful for his gift. -To think of being actual owner of some land! - -"You beat the Dutch for luck, Hal! I never did see any thing like it," -was Joe's comment. - -All Madison bewailed the Kinseys. They were some of the oldest -settlers, and it was like removing a landmark. Mrs. Kinsey did not -forget Granny, but sent her many useful articles in the way of old -clothes, and some furniture that would have brought but a trifle at -auction, yet served to quite renovate the little cottage. But when -Granny tried to thank her kind friend, Mrs. Kinsey said,-- - -"I've always been glad to do what I could; for when I thought of you at -your age, taking charge of all those little ones, it seemed as if every -one ought to stand by you. And they will be a comfort to you, I know. -God will not let you go without some reward." - -Granny wiped the tears from her eyes, and answered brokenly. One and -another were dropping out of her world. - -She had hardly recovered from this blow when one night Joe came home in -high glee. - -"The luck's changed, Hal!" he said in his laughing, breezy voice. "Just -guess"-- - -"More wages?" - -"No indeed! Better still, a great sight. If you have tears, please -wring out your pocket-hand_kerchers_, and prepare to shed 'em! Slightly -altered from Shakspeare. I'm going to sea! Hip, hip, hurrah!" - -Joe swung his old hat so hard that crown and brim parted, the crown -landing on the mantle-piece. - -"Couldn't have done better if I'd tried. I'm a dead shot, for certain!" - -"Going to sea?" - -Granny came out at that. - -"Yes. A cousin of Mr. Terry's has been visiting there; and we have -struck up a friendship and a bargain,--Cap'n Burton. He owns a sloop -that goes to Albany and around, and wants a boy who can keep books a -little, and all that. It's just as jolly as a lark!" - -It was plain to be seen that Joe no longer stood in awe of Florence's -ladylike reprimands. - -Granny's eyes grew larger and larger. She fairly clutched Joe's arm as -she gasped,-- - -"Going--to sea!" - -"Yes, Granny. Don't get solemn new, as if you thought a shark would -devour me the first thing,--body and boots. You know it always _was_ -my idea, and this is real splendid! And there's no more danger than -driving Mr. Terry's grocery-wagon." - -"But you might get drownded," Granny said awesomely. - -"Tell you what I'll do, Granny. Tie a rope to my leg, and fasten it -to the mast. Then you know, if I fall overboard, I can haul in. There -isn't a bit of danger. Why, Capt. Burton's been all his life. There, -don't cry. You are the dearest old grandmother that ever was; but we -can't stay under your wing forever." - -"You have not made your bargain?" asked Hal, surprised that another -dream should come true. - -"Well,--almost. He's coming down here in the morning to have a talk -with Granny. He will give me ten dollars a month and found, which mean, -tea and fish and baccy." - -"Oh!" said Hal, "you won't chew tobacco?" - -"Sailors always do. But ten dollars a month _is_ better than eight, and -my board thrown in. I'm going, Granny." - -Granny sighed. It was useless to endeavor to talk Joe out of his -project; and so she might as well keep silence. - -Capt. Burton came the next morning. He had taken a wonderful fancy to -Joe, and was very anxious to engage him. - -"He's just the kind of lad that I need," exclaimed the captain. "I -want some one who is handy, and quick in figgers; who can keep my -accounts for me, as my eyes are getting rather poor; and do arrants; -and I've taken a 'mazing liking to him. I'll keep a good watch over -him; and he can come home once in a while." - -"How far do you go?" asked Granny. - -"To Albany, mostly. Now and then I take a trip around Long Island, or -up the Sound. Your boy has taken a 'mazing fancy to the sea; and he -will never be satisfied until he's had a taste of salt water, in my -'pinion." - -"No, that I won't!" declared Joe stoutly. - -"We haul off in the winter 'bout three months; which'll give him a -holiday. Sence he hankers after it so, you better consent, I think. -Cousin Terry will tell you that I ain't a hard master." - -What could Granny say? Nothing but cry a little, look up Joe's clothes, -and kiss him a hundred times, or more, after the fashion of Mrs. Malloy -and her dear Pat. Joe was so delighted, that he could hardly "hold in -his skin," as he said to Kit, who sagely advised him not to get into a -cast-iron sweat,--Kit's chronic fear on remarkable occasions. - -There was not much time for consideration. In two days Joe was off, bag -and baggage, whistling, "The girl I left behind me." - -And so the gay household thinned out. They missed Joe terribly. To be -sure, vacation commenced after a while; and Kit and Charlie were in -mischief continually, or in rags: Granny hardly knew which was worse. - -They had some glowing letters from Joe, who didn't believe there was -any thing finer in Europe than New York and the Hudson River. Capt. -Burton was a "jolly old tar;" and nautical phrases were sprinkled about -thick as blackberries. - -Mr. Terry offered the place in the store to Hal, who consulted awhile -with Granny. - -"I think I could make as much money by working round, and raising -chickens, and all that; and then I could go to school. I believe I -should like it better; and there is so much that I want to learn!" - -"But you know a master sight now, Hal," said Granny in admiration. - -So the proposal was very kindly declined. - -Charlie thought Fourth of July was "awful dull" this year. She lamented -Joe loudly. - -"If she had only been a boy!" said Hal regretfully. - -The latter part of July, Joe came home for a flying visit. It seemed -as if he had grown taller in this brief while. His curly hair had been -cropped close; and he was brown as an Indian. Charlie made herself a -perpetual interrogation-point; and Joe told her the most marvellous -yarns that ever were invented. She soon learned every thing about the -sloop, and wished that she could be a sailor, but finally comforted -herself by thinking that she _might_ marry a sea-captain. - -Then, to crown all, they had a letter from Florence. It was written on -tinted paper, and had a beautiful monogram in green and gold. She was -very well, very happy; had grown a little taller than Mrs. Osgood; and -was studying every thing. She could play quite well, and read French, -and went to dancing-school, besides lovely little parties. Then the -house was so elegant! She had never been homesick at all. - -Perhaps she thought it would be wrong to wish to see them; for that was -never once expressed. - -"But I am glad she is happy," said Granny, striving to be heroic. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - JOE'S FORTUNE. - - -Hal's chickens were a success again, though it cost more for him to -get them to market this fall. And, since eggs seemed to be a very -profitable speculation, they concluded to winter over quite a number, -mostly spring broods. Hal enlarged their house; as he had a wonderful -gift, Granny declared, for building. And a very nice place it was, I -can assure you. - -Granny still wove rag-carpets and the like, and now and then helped a -neighbor at house-cleaning; but she had not worked out so much since -the Kinseys went away. It troubled Hal to have her do it at all. - -"When I get a little older, you never shall, Granny," he would say, -giving her a fond hug; and she would answer,-- - -"You're a great blessing, Hal. Whatever should I have done without you?" - -Dot grew nicely, though she was still "small for her size." Joe said. -But now she kept quite well; and she was as fair as a lily, with tiny -golden curls that never seemed to grow long. There the resemblance to -Florence ceased. She was such an odd, old-fashioned little thing! and -reminded Hal more of Granny than any one else. - -"It would be sweet to have her a baby always, now that she is well, -and doesn't cry all the time," said Hal. "I'm sorry to have her lose -all her crooked baby words. Joe use to laugh so over 'pety poket,' and -'poky hontis,' and 'umbebella tause it wained.' Dear, dear! shall we -ever have such nice, gay times again, Granny, when there wasn't any -thing but mush and molasses for supper, and a crowd of hungry children?" - -Granny sighed at the remembrance. - -"And yet it is a comfort to grow up, and be able to do something for -you." - -Hal studied hard, and spent much of his leisure time in reading. -Charlie was wilder than a hawk, combining Joe's love of mischief with -perfect lawlessness. Mr. Fielder tried every motive of reward, and -every method of punishment; and Charlie cried one moment, but laughed -the next, and, what was infinitely more aggravating, made all the -children laugh. If every thing else failed her, she could draw funny -faces on her slate, that set every one in a titter. And then she -climbed trees, jumped fences, or perched herself on a post, and made -Fourth-of-July orations. She could talk Irish with a true national -screech and whoop, or broken German as if she had just come over; she -could make "pigs under the gate," cats in a terrible combat, and a -litter of puppies under your feet that would absolutely frighten you. - -Nobody could see what Granny Kenneth would do with Charlie. Florence, -now, had been a lady; but Charlie was a regular wild Indian. She could -work like a Trojan, but she did not like it; and as for sewing--well, -there was no word that could describe the performance. With all her -faults, she had a warm, tender side to her character. She fought Kit's -battles, and always came off triumphant. She was never cruel to any -thing smaller and weaker than herself; and I think no one ever could -remember her telling a lie. But as Dot said in her sage way, with a -solemn shake of the head,-- - -"She was the worstest child we had." - -Joe came home the latter part of December as important as the Great -Mogul himself. _We_ had been selling out the old craft, and were -bargaining for a regular little beauty,--a trading-vessel to make trips -between New York and the West Indies, Cuba, and all those places. The -boys opened their eyes at that. Joe Kenneth actually going to Havana, -to be feasted continually upon oranges, figs, cocoanuts, and bananas! - -Why, it was wonderful! incredible! There _was_ nothing like being a -sailor, and travelling all over the world. Joe took upon himself the -tallest kind of airs, confused the boys with his flying-jib and spanker -and mizzen-mast and capstan and larboard and starboard, and forty -other things that he knew all about, and they didn't. And then the -frolics and tricks, the sailors' yarns, the storms and dangers, held -them all spell-bound. Indeed, I don't believe Joe ever knew so much -again in all his life. - -Capt. Burton followed him about a week later. "The Morning Star" had -been purchased, and was being repaired a little. - -The captain's principal errand in Madison was to see Granny Kenneth. - -"Joe and me gets along tip-top," he said. "He's a sailor all over: -there isn't a hair in his head but loves salt water. And I'm as glad -to have him as he is to go; but, as we were making a new bargain all -round, it wouldn't 'a been the thing not to come here and have a talk -with you." - -"Yes," replied Granny with a bob of her curls, though for her life she -could not have told to what she was assenting. - -"It's just here, you see. If the lad means to be a sailor, he can't -have a much better chance. He's smart and quick in figgers, which suits -me to a shaving; and I'd like to take him for the next two years. I'll -give twelve dollars a month, beginning now, and look after him as if -he'd a been my own son. I had a lad once,--about like him. It all came -back when I was at Cousin Terry's last winter, watching him, so full of -pranks and tricks, and with a smile and a pleasant word for everybody. -My Dick was jest so. I took him on a trip with me, for he had a -hankerin' after the sea; but his poor mother she most grieved herself -sick. There wa'n't no gals to comfort her. He was all we had. So I left -him home next time. I can jest see him, with the tears shining in his -eyes, and a' choking over his good-by; and then how he turned round -and put his face right between his mother's neck and shoulder, so's I -shouldn't see him cry. Well, when I came back my poor Dick was dead and -buried." - -Granny gave a little sob, and Capt. Burton drew the back of his hand -across his eyes. - -"Yes, 'twas a fever. His poor mother was 'most crazy. So I tried to -comfort her. 'Sweetheart,' said I, 'God is all over, on the sea as well -as the land, and he's brought our Dick into a better port, though we -can't understand it jest now in our grief. If we didn't know there was -a wiser hand than ours in it, we couldn't bear it; but that will help -to cheer a bit. But it was a hard blow." - -Capt. Burton wiped his eyes, and cleared the huskiness from his voice. - -"So I took a 'mazing fancy to this lad; and I'm proud to say I like him -better'n better. He's trusty, for all his fun and nonsense, and bright -as steel. So, if you'll agree, I will promise to do my best, and put -him along as fast as I can, so that by the time he's a man he will be -able to manage a craft of his own. He's a smart lad." - -Granny was glad to hear the good report; and as for the bargain,--why, -there was nothing to do but to consent. She did not know as it would be -any worse to have Joe go to Cuba than to Albany. - -"It won't be as bad," said he. "Why, I can come home every time that -we're in port unloading. It's the most splendid streak of luck that I -ever heard of. And, Granny, I'm bound to go to China some day." - -Granny consented inwardly, with a great quaking of the heart. - -"And you'll have the green-house, Hal! Wasn't it funny that we should -plan it all up in the old garret?" - -Hal's eyes sparkled with a distant hope. - -"Can't girls _ever_ go to sea?" asked Charlie. - -"Oh, yes! they can go to see their friends and take tea, or go to -Europe if they have money enough." - -"I did not mean that!" she said with contempt. - -"Tell you what, Charlie," and there was a sly twinkle in Joe's eye: -"there is something that you can do if you would like to be a boy." - -"What?" and Charlie was on tiptoe. - -"Why, there's a kind of mill somewhere; and they put girls in it, and -grind 'em all up fine, and they come out boys!" - -"O Joe!" - -"Fact," said Joe solemnly. - -"I wonder--if--'twould--hurt much?" and Charlie considered on her -powers of endurance. - -That was too much for Joe, and even Hal joined the laugh. - -"I knew it wasn't true," said Charlie, red with anger and -disappointment. "But I do hate to be a girl, and you having all the fun -and going everywhere." - -"Well, you can run away. There is a bright opening for your future." - -"You see if I don't!" returned Charlie. - -So Joe went off again in capital spirits. At Capt. Burton's suggestion -he told Granny that he meant to give her half his pay; which she, -simple soul, thought the noblest thing in the world. - -"I mean to do a good deal for you by and by, Granny. I'll be a captain -some day, and make oceans of money." - -"It is nice to have Joe settled and in good hands," Hal said after he -was gone. "And I hope we'll all be an honor to you, Granny." - -"You've been a comfort since the day you were born," was Granny's -tremulous answer. - -They found Joe's six dollars a month a great help; and then the two -were missed out of the dish, as well as the household circle. Hal still -kept to his thoughtful ways, reading and studying, and planning how he -should make his wants and his opportunities join hands. For somehow he -did mean to compass the green-house. - -Joe's letters and stories were wonderfully entertaining. He began -to lose the boy's braggadocio: indeed, the facts themselves were -interesting enough, without much embellishment. One by one the -islands came in for a share. Moro Castle and all the old Spanish -fortifications, the natives who were so new and peculiar, the different -modes of life, the business, the days and nights of listless, lovely -sailing, the storms and dangers, gave a great variety to his life. - -Now and then he brought them some choice fruits; and, while Charlie and -Kit devoured them, Hal used to sit and listen to the description of -orange-groves, and how pine-apples and bananas grew. It was something -to have been on the spot, and looked at them with your own eyes,--ever -so much better than a book. - -Thus the months and years ran on. Joe was past sixteen, tall, and, -though not thin, had a round, supple look, and could dance a break-down -to perfection. He did not practise standing on his head quite so much, -but I dare say he could have done it with equal grace. He was just as -droll and as merry as ever; and you would always be able to tell him by -the twinkle in his fun-loving eye. In fact, Joe Kenneth was "somebody" -at Madison. - -Hal was much smaller of his age. Charlie began to evince symptoms of -shooting up into a May-pole, and being all arms and legs. She was still -thin, lanky indeed, and always burned as brown as a berry, except a -few weeks at mid-winter; and her eyes looked larger than ever; while -her hair was cropped close,--she would have it so, and, to her great -disgust, it seemed as if it was actually turning red. - -"Because you always ran in the sun so much," Hal would say. - -They heard from Flossy, who was happy and prosperous,--a great lady -indeed. She had elegant dresses, and went to grand parties, had created -a sensation at Saratoga, been to Niagara Falls, and expected to spend -the winter at Fifth-avenue Hotel. - -Ah, how far she had drifted beyond them! They could not cross the -golden river that flowed between. Did she ever long for them a little? -Would she be glad to drop down upon them in all her glory and beauty, -and be kissed by the dear old lips that prayed daily and nightly for -her welfare? - -There came some quite important changes to Madison. A new railroad was -projected, that would shorten the distance to the intervening cities, -and bring it within an hour's ride from the great emporium, New York. -Then began a great era of activity. Streets were laid out around the -station; quite an extensive woollen-mill was put in operation, which -caused an influx of population. The old sawing-mill was enlarged, so -great became the demand for lumber; the Kinsey farm was divided into -building-lots, some rather elegant mansions were raised, and a new -church erected. - -The Kenneth place was rather out of range of all this. - -"But our little farm may be quite valuable by and by," declared Hal. -"It would be astonishing, Granny, if you were to become a rich woman -before you died." - -"I'll have to live a good long while;" and Granny gave her cracked but -still pleasant little laugh. - -Joe remained nearly two years and a half with Capt. Burton, when the -crowning good fortune of his life, as he thought it, occurred. This was -nothing less than an opportunity to go to China, his great ambition. - -It almost broke Granny's heart. To have him away two or three months -had appeared a long while; but when it came to be years-- - -"Of course I shall return," declared Joe. "Did you ever hear of a fish -being drowned, or a bad penny that didn't come back? And then for a -silk gown, Granny, and a crape shawl! You shall have one if you are a -hundred years old, and have to hobble around with a crutch." - -"I'd rather have you than a hundred silk gowns." - -"And I expect you to have me. The very handsomest grandson in the -family. If you are not proud of me, Granny, I shall cut you off with a -shilling, and wear a willow garland all the days of my life, in token -of grief." - -So he kept them laughing to the latest moment; and, after all, it was -not so very different from the other partings. But he declared, if -Granny didn't live to see him come home, he never should be able to -forgive her. - -Hal actually went down to New York to see him off, and had a pleasant -visit with Mrs. Burton. It was a great event in the boy's life. - -"I didn't think there ever could be quite such a splendid place!" he -said on his return. "And the great beautiful bay, with its crowds and -crowds of shipping, looking like flocks of birds in the distance; but -the people almost frightened me, for it seemed as if one could never -get out of the tangle. Then the park is just like fairy-land. And I -found a place where a man buys cut-flowers, especially all kinds of -beautiful white ones. And, Granny, one _could_ make a good deal of -money with a hot-house." - -"I hope you'll have it," Granny answered; though, truth to tell, she -had no very clear ideas upon the subject, except that Hal of all others -deserved to have his dream come true. - -Hal had treated himself to a book on gardening, and another on -floriculture. He was fifteen now,--a steady, industrious little chap; -and the farmers round were very glad to have him when they were in -a hurry or ran short of help. For Hal had a good many very sensible -ideas, and sometimes quite astonished the country people who went on -in the same groove as their fathers and grandfathers. To be sure, -they laughed and pooh-poohed a little; but, when his plans proved more -fortunate in some respect, they admitted that he had an old head on -young shoulders. - -"I'm going to have some nice hot-beds for next spring," he said to -Granny. "I'm sure I can sell early lettuce and radishes, and some of -those things." - -So he worked on, spending his leisure days in improving his own little -garden-spot. The place had begun "to blossom like a rose," dear Joe -said. There were honeysuckle and roses trained over the house, making -it a pretty little nest, in spite of want of paint and a general -tumbling into decay. Over the kitchen part crept clusters of wisteria; -and in front there were two mounds of flowers, making the small -dooryard bright and attractive. - -The chickens had to be kept by themselves, on Hal's farm. Every day -he felt thankful for that little plot of ground. Mr. Terry was glad -to take all their eggs, for Hal managed that they should be large and -choice. - -"And if I should have a hot-house by the time Joe comes back, it will -be just royal!" - -Granny smiled. - -Poor dear Hal! One day he was working out in the hayfield, gay as a -lark; and Farmer Morris said his boys did as much again work when -Hal was there. The last load was going home. Hal mounted to the top, -calling merrily to the group, when the horses gave a sudden start. It -seemed as if he only slid down, and the distance was not very great; -but he lay quite still. They waited for a laugh or a shout, and then -ran; but Hal's face was over in the grass. - -Great brawny Sam lifted him up, uttering a sharp cry; for Hal was -deathly white, and could not stand. A deep groan escaped the lips that -had laughed with gladness only a moment ago, and were now drawn to a -thin blue line. - -They crowded round with awe-stricken faces. - -"Oh, he isn't dead!" - -"No, I guess not;" and Sam's voice had a quiver in it, as if tears were -not far off. "O father, father!" - -Mr. Morris hurried to the spot. - -"Poor Hal! Let's take him home, and send for a doctor. I wouldn't had -it happen for a hundred dollars! It'll about kill his grandmother." - -Hal gave another groan, but did not open his eyes. - -"Can't we rig up some kind of a litter? for, if he's hurt much, it will -never do to carry him by hand. Run get a shutter, Sam. Dick, go and -bring a hatful of water. Poor boy! I'd rather it had been one of my -own." - -Dick flew to the brook, and brought back some water, with which they -bathed the small white face. Then Sam made his appearance, with a -shutter on his shoulder. - -"Raise him softly, so. Dick, run after Dr. Meade as fast as you can go. -We'll take him home." - -They lifted him with tender hands; but both soul and body were -unconscious of pain. Sam brushed away some tears with his shirt-sleeve, -and Farmer Morris spread his linen coat over the silent figure. It was -some distance to Mrs. Kenneth's. - -Charlie was firing stones at a mark; but she rushed to the gate and -screamed, "Granny, Granny!" - -When Granny Kenneth saw them with their burden, a speechless agony -seized every pulse. She could not even utter a cry. - -"He isn't dead," Farmer Morris hurried to say. "But it's a sad day's -work, and I'd a hundred times rather it had been my Dick." - -"O Hal, my darling! The greatest comfort your poor old Granny had! No, -I can't have him die. Oh! will God hear us, and pity me a little? I've -had a sight o' troubles in my day, but this"-- - -They laid him on Granny's bed, and washed his face with camphor, -feeling of the limp wrists, and chafing the cold hands. - -A little quiver seemed to run along the lips, deepening into a shudder, -and then a groan which they were thankful to hear. - -"No, he isn't dead. Thank God for that!" - -Fortunately Dr. Meade was at home, and he lost no time in coming over -immediately. - -Mr. Morris and the doctor stripped off Hal's clothes, and began to -examine the limbs. The arms were all right,--ankles, knees, ah, what -was this! - -Hal opened his eyes, and uttered an excruciating cry. - -Granny rocked herself to and fro, her poor old brain wild with -apprehension, for his pain was hers. - -"The trouble's here,--in the thigh. Not a break, I hope; but it's bad -enough!" - -Bad enough they found it,--a severe and complicated fracture, and -perhaps internal injuries. - -"Do your best, doctor," said Mr. Morris. "I'm going to foot this bill; -and if any thing'll save him"-- - -He sent Sam back for some articles that they needed, and tried -patiently to understand the full extent of the injury. Part of the time -Hal was unconscious. And after a long while they laid him on his back, -bandaged, but more dead than alive. - -"My wife will come over and stay with you," Mr. Morris said to Granny. -"She's a master hand at nursing." - -Dot hid herself in the shadow of Granny's skirts, clinging fast with -her little hands; and Kit and Charlie huddled in the corner of the -kitchen window-sill, crying softly. No one wanted any supper, except -the chickens, who asked in vain. - -All night Granny prayed in her broken, wandering way. God had her own -dear Joe up in heaven. Flossy was gone; little Joe was on the wide -ocean; and how could she live without her precious Hal! Not but what he -was good enough to be an angel, only--only--and the poor heart seemed -breaking. - -God listened and answered. The August weather was hot and sultry; and -Hal had to battle with fever, with dreadful languor and mortal pain. -He used to think sometimes that it would be blessed to die, and have a -little rest, but for Granny's sake!-- - -After the first fortnight the danger was over, and the case progressing -fairly. Hal's back had received some injury, that was evident, and -recovery would be tedious. But Granny was so thankful to have him any -way. - -Everybody was very kind. Mr. and Mrs. Howard came often; the Terrys -sent in many luxuries; Sam Morris drew a cord of wood, sawed, split, -and piled it; and there was nothing wanting. But Hal lay there white -and wan, his fingers growing almost as thin as Dot's little bird's -claws. - -"I can't understand why it had to happen to you, Hal," Granny would -exclaim piteously. "Now, if it had been Charlie, who is always -sky-larking round; but you, the very best one of 'em all!" - -Hal would sigh. He couldn't exactly understand it, either. But -somehow--God was so much greater than them all; and he _did_ keep -watch, for it was better to be lying here than in the churchyard yonder. - -Mr. Fielder had gone away, and Hal felt the loss sorely. He was a -little afraid of Mr. Howard, and could not seem to talk of his plans -and his flowers, and ask any question that puzzled him; though Mr. -Howard kindly sent him entertaining books, and used to drop in for a -chat now and then. - -September passed. Hal was still unable to sit up, and he began to grow -weary of the confinement. - -"Granny," he said one day, "I believe I'll have to be a girl, and learn -to make myself useful. I could knit a little once, or I might sew -patchwork. There is no one to laugh at me." - -"Dear heart, so you shall," replied Granny. - -So she cut him out a pile of pretty bright calicoes begged of the -dressmaker. And then he knit Charlie a pair of yarn mittens, and -crocheted some edging for Dot's white apron. - -Indeed, Dot was a great comfort to him. She used to climb up on his bed -with her "Red Riding Hood," or "Mother Goose Melodies," and read him -stories by the hour. Then she would twine her fingers in his soft brown -hair to make him "pretty," as she said, and cuddle him in various ways, -always ending with a host of kisses and, "Dotty so sorry for you, Hal!" - -For she was still a little midget, and cried so dreadfully the first -day she went to school that they let her stay home. Hal had taught her -a great deal; but she was so shy that she would hardly say a word to a -stranger. - -Charlie began to improve a little, it must be confessed; though she -had fits of abstraction, when she salted the pan of dish-water in the -closet, and threw the knives and forks out of doors, and one day -boiled the dish-cloth instead of the potatoes, which Hal fancied must -be army-soup; and sometimes, without the slightest apparent cause, she -would almost laugh herself into hysterics. - -"What _is_ the matter?" Granny would ask. "Are you out of your head?" - -And Charlie would answer, "I was only thinking." - -"I'd like to get inside of her brain, and see what was there," Hal -would sometimes remark. - -The chickens had to be made ready and taken to market this year without -any of Hal's assistance. And then he began to wonder if he ever would -get well? Suppose he did not? - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - FROM GRAY SKIES TO BLUE. - - -They were pretty poor, to be sure,--poor as in the hardest of times. -There were the chickens, and Granny could make a bit of broth for Hal; -but Kit and Charlie raced like deers, and had appetites. After Granny -bought them clothes and shoes, the funds were rather low. Hal guessed -at it all, but Granny never made any complaints. - -He had begun a tidy in red-and-white diamond-shaped blocks; but it -seemed to grow upon his hands; and one day when Dot called it a -beautiful _bedcrilt_, for her tongue still had a few kinks in it, a new -idea crept into his brain. - -"Do you think it would make a pretty spread?" he asked Mrs. Howard -rather timidly, during a call. - -"Why, it would, to be sure, and so serviceable! It is a bright idea, -Hal." - -"Do you suppose I could sell it?" - -"If you want to--yes." - -"I can't do any thing else," said Hal with a sigh; "and if I have to -stay here all winter." - -For Hal's back was so weak that he could only be bolstered up in the -bed, and he had not walked a step yet. - -Mrs. Howard thought a moment, then said,-- - -"Finish it Hal, and I will see that it is sold." - -So Hal went on hopefully. Granny bewailed the fact that she had done -nothing all the fall to help along. They missed their allowance from -Joe; but they had heard from him in his usual glowing and exuberant -fashion. - -Mrs. Howard took a trip around Madison one morning, and held sundry -mysterious conferences with some of her neighbors, returning home quite -well pleased. - -"I am so glad I thought of it!" she said to her husband; and he -answered, "So am I, my dear." - -One afternoon early in December she went over to Mrs. Kenneth's. Dot -had been clearing up under Hal's instructions, and they looked neat -as a pin. After she found that her visitor intended to remain, Granny -put on a fresh calico dress and a clean cap; and they had a nice -old-fashioned time talking, which Hal enjoyed exceedingly. - -Mrs. Howard had brought a basket full of various luxuries,--some nice -cold tongue, and part of a turkey, besides jellies and cake. Quite a -little feast, indeed. - -Hal begged them to have tea in the best room, where he lay; and he -enjoyed it almost as much as if he could have sat up to the table. Kit -and Charlie were delighted with the feast. - -Then they settled every thing again, and Granny stirred the fire. The -wind whistled without, but within it was bright and cheerful. Hal felt -very happy indeed. It seemed as if God's strong arms were about him, -helping him to bear the weariness, as he had been strengthened to bear -pain. - -Presently there was a tramping up the path, and a confusion of voices. - -"Some one is coming;" and Hal raised himself. "I am almost sorry--we -were having such a nice, quiet time." - -A knock at the door, which Granny opened. Kit, in the glowing -chimney-corner, rubbed his eyes; and it would have been hard to tell -which was the sleepiest, he or the old gray cat. - -"O-o-h!" exclaimed Charlie; and then she darted to Hal. "A whole crowd -of 'em!" - -A crowd, sure enough. It was something of a mystery to know how they -were going to get in that small place. There was Dr. and Mrs. Meade, -Mr. Howard, Mr. and Mrs. Morris, and the boys, all the Terrys,--indeed, -half Madison, Hal thought. - -Mrs. Howard laughed a little at Hal's puzzled face. - -"Oh!--I guess"-- - -Granny in the other room was quite overcome. Parcels and bags and -boxes, shaking of hands, and clattering of tongues. - -"It isn't exactly Christmas, Hal," began Mr. Morris; "but Santa Claus -does sometimes lose his reckoning. So we thought we'd all drop in." - -"And give me a surprise-party," said Hal. - -"Exactly. Why, you look quite bright, my boy!" - -Hal was bright enough then, with cheeks like roses, and lustrous eyes. - -Dr. Meade sat him up in the bed. One and another came to shake hands, -and say a pleasant word; and in a few moments the whole group were -laughing and talking. There was skating already over on the pond, the -boys told him; they were going to have a Christmas exhibition; Jim -Terry had received a letter from Joe; and all the small gossip that -sounds so pleasant when one is shut within doors. - -Then Mrs. Howard brought out the bedspread. None of the boys laughed at -Hal, you may be sure; and the older people thought it quite wonderful. -Mrs. Morris declared that she'd really like to have it. - -"It is for sale," said Hal with a little flush. - -"Let's take shares!" exclaimed Sam. "Now's your chance, mother: how -much will you give?" - -"A right good plan," returned Mrs. Meade. - -After a little discussion they adopted it. There were twenty-six people -who subscribed a dollar; and then the slips of paper were arranged for -drawing. The younger portion were considerably excited; and Hal's face -was in a glow of interest. - -So they began. One after another took his or her chance; and, when it -was through, they all opened their slips of paper, looking eagerly at -each other. - -Clara Terry blushed scarlet; and Sam's quick eyes caught the unusual -brilliancy. For the cream of the affair was, that Clara expected to be -married in a few weeks. - -Dr. Meade guessed also, and then they had a good laugh. Hal was -delighted. - -"It went to the right one," said Mr. Morris. "So much towards -housekeeping, Clara." - -"I shall always think of Joe as well as you," she said in a soft -whisper to Hal, holding the thin fingers a moment. - -After that they had a pleasant time singing. Hal was very fond of vocal -music. It seemed to him about the happiest night of his life. Then the -crowd began to disperse. - -"I have thought of something new, Hal," said Dr. Meade. "I sent to New -York this morning for a small galvanic battery, to try if electricity -will not help you. We shall have you around yet: do not be discouraged." - -"Everybody is so kind"--and Hal's voice quivered. "This has been a -lovely surprise party." - -After they were gone Charlie began to count up the spoils; and every -exclamation grew longer and louder. There was a large ham, a fine -turkey, tea and coffee and butter, flour, rice, farina, cake and -biscuit, a bag of apples, and some cans of fruit. - -"We shall live like kings," said Granny, with a little sound in her -voice that might have been a sob or a laugh. "And only this morning I -was a wondering how we _should_ get along." - -"And twenty-six dollars. Why, it is almost as good as being a minister, -and having a donation-party." - -"God doesn't forget us, you see," said Hal with great thankfulness. - -He finished the spread a few days afterward, and sent it to Miss Clara; -and then Mrs. Meade brought him the materials to make her one. - -The fracture had united; but there seemed such a terrible weakness -of the muscles in Hal's back, that Dr. Meade had become rather -apprehensive. But, after using electricity a few weeks, there _was_ an -improvement. And one day Hal balanced himself upon two crutches. - -"That's red hot!" ejaculated Charlie. - -"O Charlie! worthy follower of Joe, what will you do when you get to be -a young lady?" - -"Oh, dear! I wish I didn't have to be one;" and Charlie began to cry. -"I'll wear a big stone on top of my head." - -"I am afraid it is too late. You are as tall as Granny now." - -Hal gained slowly. All this time he was thinking what he should do? -for he had a presentiment that he might never be very strong again. -No more working around on farms; and, though there were some sedentary -trades in cities, he would meet with no chance to attain to them. So he -must have the green-house. - -By spring he was able to go about pretty well. But he looked white as a -ghost, quite unlike the round rosy Hal of other days. - -"Kit," said he, "you'll have to be my right-hand man this summer. Maybe -by another Christmas we might have the violin." - -"O Hal! I'd work from morning till night," and the eager eyes were -luminous. - -"Well, we'll see." - -Charlie was seized with a helpful fit also. After the garden was -ploughed, they all planted and hoed and weeded; and, as it was an early -season, they had some quite forward vegetables. - -One day Hal went over to Salem, and invested a few dollars in -tuberoses, besides purchasing some choice flower-seeds. Then he stopped -into a small place where he had noticed cut-flowers, and began to -inquire whether they ever bought any. - -"All I can get," said the man. "Flowers are coming to be the rage. -People think they can't have weddings or funerals without them." - -"But you want white ones mostly?" - -"White ones for funerals and brides. There are other occasions, though, -when colored ones are worth twice as much, and as much needed." - -"You raise some?" said Hal. - -"All I can. I have a small green-house. Come in and see it. Did you -think of starting in the business?" - -Hal colored, and cleared his voice of a little tremble. - -"I believe I shall some time," he said. - -The green-house was not very large, to be sure, now quite empty, as the -flowers were out of doors. - -"I wonder how much such a place would cost?" Hal asked with some -hesitation. - -"About a thousand dollars," replied the man, eying it rather -critically. "Have you had any experience with flowers?" - -"Not much;" and Hal sighed. A thousand dollars! No, he could never do -any thing like that. - -"The best way would be to study a year or two with a florist." - -"I suppose so." - -Hal was quite discouraged, for that appeared out of his power as well. - -"There is not so great a demand for flowers in summer, you know; but -in winter they are scarce, and bring good prices. Still, some of the -choicer kinds sell almost any time; fine rosebuds, heliotrope, and such -things." - -After a little further talk, Hal thanked the man, and said good-by with -a feeling of disappointment. A hot-house was quite beyond his reach. - -However, he did mean to have some early vegetable beds for another -spring--if nothing happened, he said to himself, remembering his last -summer's plans. - -Not that he was idle, either. He did a good deal in the lighter kinds -of gardening. The new houses required considerable in the way of -adornment; and Dr. Meade spoke a good word for him whenever opportunity -offered. He had so much taste, besides his extravagant love for -flowers; and then he had studied their habits, the soil they required, -the time of blossoming, parting, or resetting. And it seemed as if he -could make any thing grow. Slips of geranium, rose-cuttings, and indeed -almost every thing, flourished as soon as he took it in hand. - -The new railroad brought them in direct and easy communication with -another city, Newbury. Hal took a journey thither one day, and found a -florist and nurseryman who conducted operations on quite an extensive -scale. But still it was expensive in the start. He had thought of -mortgaging the place; but the little money he could raise in that way -would hardly be sufficient; and then, if he was not prosperous, they -might lose their little home. - -At midsummer they heard some wonderful news about Florence. Mrs. -Osgood wrote that she was going to marry very fortunately, a gentleman -of wealth and position. She sent love to them, but she was very much -engrossed; and Mrs. Osgood said they must excuse her not writing. She -enlarged considerably upon Florence's brilliant prospect, and appeared -to take great pleasure in thinking she had fitted her for the new -position. - -"Oh!" said Granny with a sigh, "we've lost her now. She will be too -rich and grand ever to come back to us." - -"I don't know," returned Hal. "She did owe Mrs. Osgood a good deal of -gratitude; and it was right for her to be happy and obedient when she -was having so much done for her. But now she may feel free"-- - -"She has forgotten us, Hal: at least, she doesn't want to remember;" -and Granny wiped her eyes. - -"I can't quite believe it. She had a good heart, and she did love us. -But maybe it's best anyway. We have been unfortunate"-- - -Hal's voice trembled a little. Granny rocked to and fro, her old method -of composing her mind when any thing went wrong. And, though she could -not bear to blame Flossy, there was a soreness and pain in the old -heart,--a little sting of ingratitude, if she had dared to confess it. - -"Hal," said Dr. Meade one day, "they are going to start a new school -over at the cross-roads. It's a small place, and probably there will -not be more than twenty or thirty scholars,--some of the mill-children. -If you would like to teach it, I am pretty sure that I could get it for -you." - -"Oh, if I could!" and Hal's eyes were all alight. - -"To be sure you can. The salary is very small"--and Dr. Meade made a -long pause. - -"Even a little would help along," was Hal's reply, his heart beating -with a strange rapidity. - -"There can't be any appropriation made for it, you -see, as there will be no election till spring. But four hundred dollars -have been subscribed, and the committee had a fancy that they might get -a lady for that." - -"I'd take it," said Hal. Four hundred dollars looked like quite a -fortune to him. - -"It may get up to four hundred and fifty, though I would not like to -promise. It _is_ a small sum." - -"But there's always Saturday to yourself, and nights and mornings," was -Hal's hopeful reply. - -"Well, I will propose you, then. I shall be on the examining committee." - -"How kind you are!" and Hal's smile was most grateful. - -Still Hal was in so much doubt about his good fortune that he didn't -say a word to Granny until the examination was over and he was sure of -the appointment. - -"It's just royal, isn't it?" and his eyes danced with delight. "I -was wondering what we should do this winter, when there would be no -gardening, unless I went to work in one of the mills." - -"And you'd like this better? O Hal! it does seem as if the good God -was watching over us, and always sent something along in the right -time." - -"He does, Granny, I am sure." - -"For, when we were nearly out last winter, there was that splendid -surprise-party. I never can get over it, Hal. And your _bew_tiful -quilt, that I don't believe another boy in the world could have done. O -Hal! you're such a comfort!" - -And Granny wiped her poor old eyes. - -The first pea-vines were pulled up; and then Hal began to prepare for -his spring bed. It was vacation; and Charlie and Kit went into the -experiment with a great deal of zeal. First Hal dug two trenches about -twelve feet long, and four feet apart. He laid in these the stones the -children brought in a wagon that he had manufactured for Dot a long -while before. He piled them up like a wall, sifted sand between them, -and then banked up the outside, making one edge considerably higher -than the other. Around it all, at the top, he put a row of planking -about twelve inches high, and fixed grooves for the sashes to slide -across. Then he lowered the ground inside, and enriched it with manure, -making quite a little garden-spot. - -Charlie wanted to have something planted right away; and she did put in -surreptitiously some peas, morning-glories, and a few squash-seed. - -"I don't know but we might make another," said Hal, surveying it with a -good deal of pride. - -"Oh, do!" exclaimed Charlie. "It's such fun!" - -Kit didn't mind, if Hal would only tell him a story now and then. -Mozart's childhood that he had read in a stray copy of an old magazine, -fragments of Mendelssohn, and all the floating incidents he could -recall of Ole Bull. When these were exhausted, Hal used to draw a -little upon his imagination. They had a wonderful hero named Hugo, who -was stolen by gypsies when he was a little boy, and wandered around -in the German forest for years, meeting with various adventures, and -always playing on a violin to solace himself when he was cold, or -tired, or hungry, or beaten. - -And, though Hal often declared that he couldn't think of any thing -more, Kit pleaded so wistfully with his luminous blue eyes and soft -voice, that Hugo would be started upon his travels again. - -When the frames were done, Hal went to see Mr. Sherman, the carpenter -at Madison, to find what the sashes would cost. - -"There's an odd lot up in the loft," he said to the boy. "They are -old-fashioned; and nobody seems to want any thing of that kind, except -now and then for a kitchen. I'll sell 'em cheap, if you can make 'em -answer." - -So they were sent down to the Kenneths. Hal worked over them a few -days, and found that he could make them serviceable, only there would -not be quite enough. He was very handy; and soon fitted them in their -places. - -"Now, that's what I call smart," exclaimed Mr. Sherman. "Why, Hal! -you'd make a good carpenter. Tell you what I'll do. I'm in an awful -hurry; and, if you'll come over and work for me a spell, we will quit -square." - -Hal was delighted, and accepted at once. - -"How lucky it all comes round, Granny!" he said in a gratified tone. -"And I've been thinking"-- - -"I'll be bound it's a bright idea;" and Granny gave her little -chirruping laugh. - -"I was considering about the loom-room, Granny. You'll never weave any -more carpets; it's too hard work: and then Mr. Higgins wants to set up -in the business. He asked me about our loom the other day." - -"No, I sha'n't never weave no more;" and Granny sighed, not at the -confusion of negatives, but at the knowledge that old things were -passing away. - -"And it would make such a beautiful flower-room, lying to the south and -west!" - -Joe would have said, "What! the loom?" But dear, rollicking Joe was not -there to catch anybody tripping in absence of mind. - -"So it would. Yes, you shall have it, Hal." - -For Granny would have given him her two eyes, if it would have done him -any good, and been satisfied to be led about by a dog and a string all -the rest of her life. - -They ran up stairs to survey. The afternoon sun was shining in at the -windows, covering half the floor. - -"Oh, it _would_ be splendid! We can put up a little stove here; and I -can have it for a kind of study besides. And a room full of flowers!" - -The tears fairly stood in Hal's eyes. - -There was not much time to lose; for in ten days school would begin. -And now Hal considered what he must do. - -The windows came almost down to the floor, the ceiling being low. But -it would not do to have all the flowers stand on a level, as the sun -would not reach them alike. And then a brilliant idea occurred to Hal. - -He went over to Mr. Sherman's, and gathered some pieces of joist that -had been sawed off, and thrown by as nearly useless. He found eight -that he made of a length, about three feet high, and bespoke a number -of rough hemlock-boards. Out of these he made a sort of counter, with -the joists for support; and then, nailing a piece all round, he had -quite a garden-bed. This was to stand back from the windows, and have -slips and various seeds planted in it. Charlie and Kit helped bring up -the soil to fill it. - -Then Hal bought, for a trifle, a lot of old butter-tubs and firkins -that Mr. Terry was not sorry to be rid of. He sawed them down just the -height he wanted; and they made very good flower-pots for some of the -larger plants. They were so beautiful, that it would be a shame to -leave them out to perish in the cold blasts. - -"And somehow they seem just like children to me," he said, his brown -eyes suffused with tenderness. - -On the last Saturday he cast up his accounts, and took a small -inventory. - -"We shall have potatoes and vegetables for winter; and we have a barrel -of flour, and a hundred of meal, besides lots of corn for the chickens; -then my salary will be a little more than thirty-six dollars a month, -counting eleven months; and fifty dollars for our poultry." - -"Why, we'll be as rich as kings!" was Granny's delighted reply. "You're -a wonderful boy, Hal!" - -"And if I could sell some flowers! Anyhow, there will be the spring -things. It does look a little like prosperity, Granny." - -"I'm so thankful!" and Granny twisted up her apron in pure gratitude. - -"Charlie had better go to school again. I wish she could learn to be a -teacher; for she never will like to sew." - -"No," replied Granny, with a solemn shake of the head. - -"And she is getting to be such a large girl! Well, I suppose something -will come. It has to all of us." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - A FLOWER-GARDEN IN DOORS. - - -Hal went to school bright and early the first Monday in September. It -was about a mile to the place called the "Cross-roads," because from -there the roads diverged in every direction. An old tumble-down house -had been put in tolerable order, and some second-hand desks and benches -arranged in the usual fashion. Just around this point, there was quite -a nest of cottages belonging to the mill workmen. - -The children straggled in shyly, eying the new master. Rather unkempt, -some of them, and with not very promising faces, belonging to the -poorer class of German and English; then others bright and tidy, and -brimming over with mirthful smiles. - -By ten o'clock sixteen had assembled. Hal gave them a short address, -made a few rules, and attempted to classify them. They read and spelled -a little, at least those who were able, when the bell on the factory -rang out the hour of noon. - -Three new ones came after dinner. Hal labored faithfully; but it _was_ -a relief to have the session close. - -Before the week ended, however, the prospect became more inspiriting. -There were twenty-three scholars, and some whom it would be a pleasure -to teach. But, after all, it was not as delightful as working among -the flowers,--the dear, beautiful children who gave only fragrance and -loveliness continually. - -He had been so tired every night, that he could do nothing but rest; -and so he was glad to have Saturday come. - -"It seems early to take them in," he said, surveying the garden so full -of glory. "But there is a good deal to do; and I shall have only one -day in the week." - -Kit took the wheelbarrow, and trundled off to the woods for some more -good soil; for Hal had to be economical, since he could not afford to -buy every thing. They were out of debt, and had a little money,--very -little indeed; but there were some pears and grapes to sell. Hal's -Concord and Rogers hybrid had done beautifully; and two of the -new-comers in Madison had offered to take all he had, at ten cents a -pound. - -"I could get more in the city," he said; "but there would be the time -and trouble of going. And grapes are heavy too: it doesn't take many -bunches to weigh a pound; and ten pounds come to a dollar." - -But on this day he went at his roses. He had obtained quite a number -of slips of hybrid monthlies, mostly tea-roses; and they were doing -nicely. Some had blossomed once, and others were just showing bud. -These he meant to transplant to his bed up stairs. Careful and patient, -he took up the most of them so nicely, that I don't believe they knew -they were moved, until they began to look around for their companions. - -Dot ran up stairs and down, and was most enthusiastic. - -"It will be _so_ lovely to have a garden in the house!" was her -constant ejaculation. - -By noon he had all the small roses in,--five white ones, four pink, and -about a dozen of different shades of deep velvety red. In this soil -he had used an abundance of powdered charcoal. Then came half a dozen -young heliotropes. - -"Now, I am going to save the rest of the space, and shall plant -sweet-alyssum and candytuft, and some mignonette. I guess we have done -about enough for one day," he said to Granny and Dot. - -Charlie and Kit were lolling under the trees, resting from their -labors. Now and then they had a merry outburst; but Charlie had grown -strangely quiet. She would sit lost in thought for hours together, -unless some one spoke to her; and then she would take to reading in the -same absorbed manner. - -"Hal," she said one evening, "what do you know of drawing?" - -"A little more than the old woman who could not tell a cow from a -rosebud;" and Hal smiled with quiet humor. - -"I wish some one would teach me!" - -"They do not have any drawing at school?" - -"No, only at the academy. Belle Hartman is learning; but I don't care -any thing about flowers and such." - -Faces and grotesque situations were Charlie's passion. She could see -the ludicrous side so quickly! - -"You might practise at home, evenings." - -"But paper costs a good deal. Oh, I wish I had some money!" - -"Well Charlie, be patient. Something may come around by and by." - -"Oh, dear!" and Charlie sighed. "I wish some one would come along and -adopt me; but then I'm not handsome, like Flossy. I suppose she is -having a splendid time. It seems to me that she might write just a -little word." - -Hal thought so too. As the months went on, he began to feel bitterly -disappointed. Ah! if they could but see her once,--their beautiful -Florence. - -Through the course of the month Hal managed to get his flowers in very -nice order,--several fuchsia that were in splendid bloom, two large -heliotropes, an elegant and thrifty monthly carnation, and a salvia -that was a glory in itself. But alas! that drooped and withered: so -Hall trimmed it down. Besides this, some rose and balm geraniums, a tub -full of callas, and ten of his tuberoses, that he had saved for winter -blossoming. The other two had been a source of untold comfort to him. -Then he had an exquisite safrano, and two chromatilla roses. - -"Why it's quite a green-house," he said delightedly. "Now, if I can -only make them blossom all winter!" - -The first spare Saturday he went over to Salem to see Mr. Thomas. -He was rather diffident, and did not like to explain his economical -arrangements, but said that he was likely to have some flowers for -sale. Mr. Thomas took him through his green-house again; and, though -there were a great many more plants, Hal thought he could show almost -as much bloom. - -"I'll take your flowers," he promised, "provided you do not have too -many, and if we could manage it this way: sometimes I receive a large -order nearly a week beforehand, and I could let you know, in order that -you might bring me all you had which were really fine. And, to be frank -with you, I cannot afford to pay as much as you might get at Newbury or -New York." - -"I should like to know some of the prices," Hal remarked. - -"It depends a good deal upon the demand and the season; but prices -never vary a great deal." - -They went round, and Hal learned a good deal in the course of his tour. - - -"Do you know of any place in Newbury where I could dispose of flowers?" -he asked. - -"There is a Mr. Kirkman,--one brother keeps a confectionery, and the -other supplies flowers. But perhaps I may be able to do as well by you. -However, I will give you his card." - -Hal and Mr. Thomas parted very good friends; and the florist gave him -some valuable advice. - -"That fellow will succeed," he said to himself, watching Hal's -retreating figure. "His whole soul is in the flowers; and he blushes -over them as if they were a sweetheart. Looks pale and delicate, -though." - -Truth to tell, Hal had been working pretty hard. The school _was_ a -great tax upon him; and the labor with his plants had been severe. Kit -and Granny tried to save him all they could in the way of getting in -winter vegetables, and looking after the chickens. - -Ten days after his visit to Salem, he received a little note from Mr. -Thomas on this wise. - - "Bring me on Thursday morning, if you have them, three dozen roses, - assorted colors, heliotrope, and fine sprays of fuchsia, if yours - are still in bloom." - - "F. THOMAS." - -Hal was delighted. Through September they had managed to get along on -the proceeds of their garden, and the fruit; but his first month's pay -had to go for clothes. It almost broke Granny's heart to take it. - -"Why, I shall earn some more!" Hal exclaimed with his gay laugh. "It is -just what it is for, Granny, to spend. I'm thankful to be able to earn -it." - -It was the middle of October now; and there had been some severe frost -already. Tender out-doors plants were a mass of blackened ruins. - -"You will have to go over for me, Charlie," said Hal, "because I cannot -leave school. The stage starts at nine." - -Charlie was in ecstasies. She rose by daylight on Thursday morning, to -curl her hair, Kit said; and could hardly wait for Hal to cut and pack -the flowers. - -"I am sure I shall be left!" she declared twenty times at least. - -Hal thought of it all the way to school. It seemed different from any -other earnings, and gave him an exquisite pleasure. His own lovely -darlings, his dream actually coming to pass. - -Charlie was superbly generous, and left the stage at the Cross-roads, -when she might have ridden half a mile farther. - -The children were just being dismissed: so she rushed in full of -excitement. - -"O Hal! he said they were lovely, and the carnations magnificent. He -wondered how you raised them. They were a great deal prettier than his." - -Hal blushed like a girl. He had sent the carnations at a venture. - -"And here's the bill and the money." - -Charlie was as proud as if it had been her own. Hal's fingers trembled -as he opened it. There they all were:-- - - Three dozen Roses $1.50 - Two dozen Heliotrope .75 - Fuchsias .75 - One dozen Carnations .48 - ----- - $3.48 - -"Oh!" exclaimed Hal with a glad cry: "it's just splendid! And he liked -them all?" - -"Yes. There's going to be a great wedding in Salem. Such hosts and -hosts of flowers! And Jim Street took me for fifteen cents!" - -"So there's more than three dollars profit," Hal returned. "Now you -must run home, Charlie, and get some dinner. I have not enough for two." - -"I don't see why I can't stay. I should like to see your school, Hal, -when all the children are in." - -"But Granny will be troubled. Yes, you had better go, Charlie. You have -been so good this morning, that you must not spoil it all. And then -she'll be glad to hear." - -Charlie went reluctantly. Granny was overjoyed The three dollars looked -as large to her as a hundred would have to many a one. - -Hal could hardly wait until four o'clock. He hurried home, and ran up -stairs; but the poor flowers had been shorn of their crown of glory. - -"I can't bear to look at 'em," said Granny with a quiver in her voice. -"The poor dear things, that seemed jest like human creeturs! I used -to talk to 'em every time I came in." - -"But they'll soon be lovely again; and it pleases me so much to think -that I can make a little money. I shall have the green-house some day; -and you won't have any thing to do but walk round in it like a queen." - -Granny smiled. Every plan of Hal's was precious to her. - -The heliotrope appeared to be the better for the pruning; and some of -the tuberoses shot up a tall spike for buds. - -Then Hal had a few demands from the neighbors round. Mr. Thomas's next -call was early in November, when he asked Hal to bring all the flowers -that were available. It being Saturday morning, he went in with them -himself, and became the happy recipient of five dollars and a quarter. -Then he took a ramble in a bookstore, and, being attracted by the first -few pages of "Charles Auchester," purchased the book. - -Kit went nearly wild over it. Hal read it aloud; and he held his breath -at the exquisite description of Charles's first concert, and the -tenderness and sweetness of the Chevalier. Though part of it was rather -beyond their comprehension, they enjoyed it wonderfully, nevertheless. - -The little room up stairs became quite a parlor for them. The stove -kept it nice and warm; and they used to love to sit there evenings, -inhaling the fragrance, and watching the drowsy leaves as they nodded -to each other: it seemed to Hal that he had never been so happy in the -world. He ceased to long for Florence. - -They did very well on their chickens this year, clearing forty dollars. -Granny thought they were quite rich. - -"You ought to put it in the bank, Hal! it's just a flow of good luck on -every side." - -And, when he received his pay for November, he actually did put fifty -dollars in the bank, though there were a hundred things he wanted with -it. - -The latter part of December Hal's flowers began to bloom in great -profusion. The alyssum and candytuft came out, and the house was sweet -with tuberoses. There being more than Mr. Thomas wanted, he took a box -full to Newbury one Saturday morning, and found Mr. Kirkman, to whom -the flowers were quite a godsend. Eight dollars! Hal felt richer than -ever. - -He had set his heart upon buying some Christmas gifts. At first he -thought he would break the fifty dollars; but it was so near the end of -the month that he borrowed a little from Dr. Meade instead. He came -home laden with budgets; but both Kit and Charlie were out, fortunately. - -"Now, Granny, you _will_ keep the secret," he implored. "Don't breathe -a hint of it." - -Very hard work Granny found it. She chuckled over her dish-washing; -and, when Dot asked what was the matter, subsided into an awful -solemnity. But Wednesday morning soon came. - -They all rushed down to their stockings, which Kit and Charlie had -insisted upon hanging up after the olden fashion. Stockings were empty -however, as Santy Claus' gifts were rather unwieldy for so small a -receptacle. - -Kit started back in amazement. A mysterious black case with a brass -handle on the top. - -"O Hal! you are the dearest old chap in the world; a perfect darling, -isn't he Granny? and I never, never can thank you. I've been thinking -about it all the time, and wondering--oh, you dear, precious fiddle!" - -Kit hugged it; and I am not sure but he kissed it, and capered around -the room as if he had lost his senses. - -Charlie's gift was a drawing-book, a set of colored pencils, and a new -dress; Granny's a new dress; and Dot's a muff and tippet, a very pretty -imitation of ermine. How delighted they all were! Kit could hardly eat -a mouthful of breakfast. - -Granny gave them a royal dinner. Altogether it was almost as good as -the Christmas with "The old woman who lived in a shoe." - -Yet there were only four of them now. How they missed the two absent -faces! - -Shortly after this they had a letter from Joe. He had actually been -at Canton, seen John Chinaman on his native soil in all the glory of -pigtail and chop-stick. Such hosts of funny adventures it would have -been hard to find even in a book. He meant to cruise around in that -part of the world until he was tired, for he was having the tallest -kind of sport. - -February was very pleasant indeed. Hal stirred up the soil in his cold -frames, and planted some seeds. His flowers were still doing very well, -the slips having come forward beautifully. On the whole, it had proved -a rather pleasant winter, and they had been very happy. - -Granny declared that she was quite a lady. No more weaving carpet, or -going out to work,--nothing but "puttering" about the house. She was -becoming accustomed to the care of the flowers, and looked after them -in a manner that won Hal's entire heart. - -Easter was to fall very early. Mr. Thomas had engaged all Hal's -flowers, and begged him to have as many white ones as possible. So -he fed the callas on warm water, with a little spirits of ammonia in -it, and the five beautiful stalks grew up, with their fairy haunt of -loveliness and fragrance. Dot used to look at them twenty times a day, -as the soft green turned paler and paler, bleaching out at last to that -wonderful creamy white with its delicate odor. - -Outside he transplanted his heads of lettuce, sowed fresh seeds -of various kinds, and began to set slips of geranium. On cold or -stormy days they kept the glass covered, and always at night. It was -marvellous, the way every thing throve and grew. It seemed to Hal that -there was nothing else in the world so interesting. - -Kit had begun to take lessons on his violin; but he soon found there -was a wide difference between the absolute drudgery of rudiments, -and the delicious dreams of melody that floated through his brain. -Sometimes he cried over the difficulties, and felt tempted to throw -away his violin; then he and Hal would have a good time with their -beloved Charles Auchester, when he would go on with renewed courage. - -After Easter the flowers looked like mere wrecks. Hal cut most of the -roses down, trimmed the heliotrope and fuchsias, and planted verbenas. -His pansies, which had come from seed, looked very fine and thrifty, -and were in bud. So he mentioned that he would have quite a number of -bedding-plants for sale. - -Indeed, the fame of Hal's green-house spread through Madison. It was a -marvel to everybody, how he could make plants grow in such a remarkable -fashion, and under not a few disadvantages. But he studied the soil -and habits minutely; and then he had a "gift,"--as much of a genius for -this, as Kit's for music, or Charlie's for drawing. - -But with these warm spring days Hal grew very pale and thin. It -seemed to him sometimes as if he could not endure the peculiar wear -and anxiety of the school. There were thirty-five scholars now; and, -although he tried to keep respectable order, he found it very hard -work. He had such a tender, indulgent heart, that he oftener excused -than punished. - -His head used to ache dreadfully in the afternoon, and every pulse in -his body would throb until it seemed to make him absolutely sore. The -gardening and the school were quite too much. - -"Granny," said Charlie one evening, "I am not going to school any more." - -Granny opened her eyes in surprise. - -"I am going to work." - -"To work?" - -It was astonishing to hear Charlie declare such sentiments. - -"Yes,--in the mill." - -"What will you do?" - -"Sarah Marshall began last fall: it's cleaning specks and imperfections -out of the cloth; not very hard, either, and they give her four and a -half a week." - -"That's pretty good," said Granny. - -"Yes. I shall have to do something. I hate housework and sewing, and--I -want some money." - -"I'm sure Hal's as good as an angel." - -"I don't want Hal's. Goodness knows! he has enough to do, and it's high -time I began to think about myself." - -Granny was overwhelmed with admiration at Charlie's spirit and -resolution, yet she was not quite certain of its being proper until she -had asked Hal. - -"I wish she wanted to learn dressmaking instead, or to teach school; -but she isn't proud, like Flossy. And now she is growing so large that -she wants nice clothes, and all that." - -Yet Hal sighed a little. Charlie somehow appeared to be lacking in -refinement. She had a great deal of energy and persistence, and was not -easily daunted or laughed out of any idea. - -"Though I think she will make a nice girl," said Hal, as if he had been -indulging in a little treason. "We have a good deal to be thankful for, -Granny." - -"Yes, indeed! And dear, brave Joe such a nice boy!" - -Hal made a few inquiries at the mill. They would take Charlie, and pay -her two dollars a week for the first month, after that by the piece; -and, if she was smart, she could earn three or four dollars. - -So Charlie went to work with her usual sturdiness. If they could have -looked in her heart, and beheld all her plans, and known that she -hated this as bitterly as washing dishes or mending old clothes! - -On the first of June, Hal took an account of stock. They had been quite -fortunate in the sale of early vegetables. The lettuce, radishes, and -tomato-plants had done beautifully. For cut-flowers he had received -fifty-two dollars; for bedding-plants,--scarlet and other geraniums, -and pansies,--the sum had amounted to over nine dollars; for vegetables -and garden-plants, eleven. They had not incurred any extra expense, -save the labor. - -"To think of that, Granny! Almost seventy-five dollars! And on such a -small scale too! I think I could make gardening pay, if I had a fair -chance." - -Dr. Meade admitted that it was wonderful, when he heard of it. - -"I'm not sure that a hot-house would pay here in Madison, but you could -send a great many things to New York. Any how, Hal, if I were rich I -should build you one." - -"You are very kind. I shouldn't have done as well, if it had not been -for you." - -"Tut, tut! That's nothing. But I don't like to see you growing so thin. -I shall have to prepare you a tonic. You work too hard." - -Hal smiled faintly. - -"You must let gardening alone for the next six weeks. And the school -isn't the best thing in the world for you." - -"I've been very thankful for it, though." - -"If you stay another year, the salary must be raised. Do you like it?" - -"Not as well as gardening." - -"Well, take matters easy," advised the good doctor. - -The tonic was sent over. Hal made a strong fight against the -languor; but the enemy was rather too stout for him. Every day -there was a little fever; and at night he tossed from side to side, -and could not sleep. Granny made him a "pitcher of tea," her great -cure-all,--valerian, gentian, and wild-cherry,--in a pitcher that had -lost both handle and spout; and, though he drank it to please her, it -did not appear to help him any. - -It seemed to him, some days, that he never could walk home from school. -Now and then he caught a ride, to be sure; but the weary step after -step on these warm afternoons almost used up his last remnant of -strength. - -"Now," said Dr. Meade when school had ended, "you really must begin to -take care of yourself. You are as white as if you had not an ounce of -blood in your whole body. No work of any kind, remember. It is to be a -regular vacation." - -Hal acquiesced from sheer inability to do any thing else. The house -was quiet; for Dot never had been a noisy child since her crying-days. -She was much more like Florence, except the small vanities, and air of -martyrdom, that so often spoiled the elder sister's sacrifices,--a -sweet, affectionate little thing, a kind of baby, as she would always -be. - -Her love for Hal and Granny was perfect devotion, and held in it a -strand of quaintness that made one smile. She could cook quite nicely; -and sewing appeared to come natural to her. Hal called her "Small -woman," as an especial term of endearment. - -But they hardly knew what to make of Charlie. Instead of launching out -into gayeties, as they expected (for Charlie was very fond of finery), -she proved so economical, that she was almost stingy. She gave Granny a -dollar a week; and they heard she was earning as much as Sarah Marshall -already. In fact, Charlie was a Trojan when she worked in good earnest. - -"What are you going to do with it all?" Hal would ask playfully. - -"Maybe I'll put it in the bank, or buy a farm." - -"Ho!" said Kit. "What would you do with a farm?" - -"Hire it out on shares to Hal." - -"You are a good girl, Charlie; and it's well to save a little 'gainst -time o' need." - -Which encomium of Granny's would always settle the matter. - -Hal did not get better. Dr. Meade wanted him to go to the seaside for a -few weeks. - -"I cannot afford it," he said; "and I shouldn't enjoy it a bit alone. I -think I shall be better when cool weather comes. These warm days seem -to melt all the strength out of me." - -"Well, I hope so." - -Hal hoped so too. He was young; and the world looked bright; and then -they all needed him. Not that he had any morbid thoughts of dying, only -sometimes it crossed his mind. He had never been quite so well and -strong since the accident. - -For Granny's sake and for Dot's sake. He loved them both so dearly; and -they seemed so peculiarly helpless,--the one in her shy childhood, the -other on the opposite confine. He wanted to make Granny's life pleasant -at the last, when she had worked so hard for all of them. - -But God would do what was best; though Hal's lip quivered, and an -unbidden tear dropped from the sad eye. - -O Florence! had you forgotten them? - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - HOW CHARLIE RAN AWAY. - - -"Where is Charlie?" asked Hal as they sat down to the supper-table one -evening. - -"She didn't go to work this afternoon, but put on her best clothes, and -said she meant to take a holiday." - -"Well, the poor child needed it, I am sure. To think of our wild, -heedless, tomboy Charlie settling into such a steady girl!" - -"But Charlie always was good at heart. I've had six of the best and -nicest grandchildren you could pick out anywhere, if I do say it -myself." - -Granny uttered the words with a good deal of pride. - -"Yes," said Kit: "we'll be a what-is-it--crown to your old age." - -Granny laughed merrily. - -"Seven children!" appended Kit. "You forgot my fiddle." - -"Eight children!" said Dot. "You forgot Hal's flowers." - -Hal smiled at this. - -"I may as well wash the dishes," exclaimed Dot presently. "I guess -Charlie will stay out to tea." - -After that they sat on the doorstep in the moonlight, and sang,--Dot -with her head in Hal's lap, and Hal's arm around Granny's shoulder. A -very sacred and solemn feeling seemed to come to them on this evening, -as if it was a time which it would be important to remember. - -"I do not believe Charlie means to come home to-night," Hal said when -the clock struck ten. - -"But she has on her best clothes. She wouldn't wear 'em to the mill." - -So they waited a while longer. No Charlie. Then they kissed each other -good-night, and began to disperse. - -Hal looked into the deserted flower-room, which was still a kind of -library and cosey place. The moonlight lay in broad white sheets on the -floor, quivering like a summer sea. How strange and sweet it was! How -lovely God had made the earth, and the serene heaven above it! - -Something on the table caught his eye as he turned,--a piece of folded -paper like a letter. He wondered what he had left there, and picked it -up carelessly. - - "_To Granny and Hal._" - -Hal started in the utmost surprise. An unsealed letter in Charlie's -handwriting, which had never been remarkable for its beauty. He -trembled all over, and stood in the moonlight to read it, the slow -tears coming into his eyes. - -Should he go down and tell them? Perhaps it would be better not to -alarm them to-night. Occasionally, when it had rained, Charlie spent -the night with some of the girls living near the mill: so Granny would -not worry about her. - -O brave, daring, impulsive Charlie! If you could have seen the pain in -Hal's heart! - -He brought the letter down the next morning. - -"How queer it is that Charlie stays!" said Dot, toasting some bread. "O -Hal! what's the matter?" - -"Nothing--only--You'll have to hear it sometime; and maybe it will -all end right. Charlie's gone away." - -"Gone away!" echoed Granny. - -"Yes. She left a letter. I found it last night in the flower-room. Let -me read it to you." - -Hal cleared his throat. The others stood absolutely awe-stricken. - - "DEAR GRANNY AND HAL,--You know I always had my heart set - on running away; and I'm going to do it now, because, if I told you - all my plans, you would say they were quite wild. Perhaps they are. - Only I _shall_ try to make them work; and, somehow, I think I can. - I have sights of courage and hope. But, O Granny! I couldn't stay - in the mill: it was like putting me in prison. I hated the coarse - work, the dirt, the noise, and the smells of grease, and everybody - there. Some days I felt as if I must scream and scream, until God - came and took me out of it. But I wanted to earn some money; and - there wasn't any other way in Madison that I should have liked any - better. I've had this in my mind ever since I went to work. - - "I can't tell you all my plans,--I don't even know them - myself,--only I am going to try; and, if I cannot succeed, I shall - come back. I have twenty-five dollars that I've saved. And, if I - have good luck, you'll hear that too. Please don't worry about me. - I shall find friends, and not get into any trouble, I know. - - "I am very sorry to leave you all; but then I kissed you - good-by,--Hal and Kit this morning, when I said it softly in my - heart; and Dot and you, dear Granny, when I went away. I had it all - planned so nicely, and you never suspected a word. I shall come - back some time, of course. And now you must be happy without me, - and just say a tiny bit of prayer every night, as I shall for you, - and never fret a word. Somehow I feel as if I were a little like - Joe; and you know he is doing beautifully. - - "Good-by with a thousand kisses. Don't try to find me; for you - can't, I know. I'll write some time again. Your own queer, loving. - - "CHARLIE." - -"Well, that's too good!" said Kit, breaking the silence of tears. -"Charlie has the spunk--and a girl too!" - -"Oh!" sobbed Granny, "she don't know nothing; and she'll get lost, and -get into trouble." - -"No, she won't, either! I'll bet on Charlie. And she was saving up her -money for that, and never said a word!" - -Kit's admiration was intense. - -"It's about the drawing; and she has gone to New York, I am almost -sure," said Hal. "Don't cry, Granny; for somehow I think Charlie will -be safe. She is good and honest and truthful." - -"But in New York! And she don't know anybody there"-- - -"Maybe she has gone to Mrs. Burton's. I might write and see. Or there -is Clara Pennington--they moved last spring, you remember. I'm pretty -sure we shall find her." - -Hal's voice was strong with hope. Now that he had to comfort Granny, he -could see a bright side himself. - -"And she has some money too." - -"She'll do," said Kit decisively. "And if that isn't great! She coaxed -me to run away once and live in the woods; but I think this is better." - -"Did you do it?" asked Dot. - -"Yes. We came near setting the woods on fire; and didn't we get a jolly -scolding! Charlie's a trump." - -So they settled themselves to the fact quite calmly. Charlie had taken -the best of her clothes, and would be prepared for present emergencies. - -Before the day was over, they had another event to startle them. - -Dr. Meade tied his old horse to the gate-post, and came in. Granny was -taking a little rest in the other room; and Dot was up stairs, reading. - -"Better to-day, eh?" said the doctor. - -"I believe I do feel a little better. I have not had any headache or -fever for several days." - -"You'll come out bright as a blue-bird next spring." - -"Before that, I hope. School commences next week." - -"Then you have heard--nothing?" - -"Was there any thing for me to hear?" - -Hal looked up anxiously; and the soft brown eyes, in their wistfulness, -touched the doctor's heart. - -"They've served you and me a mean trick, Hal," began the doctor rather -warmly. "Some of it was my fault. I told the committee that you would -not take it next year under five hundred dollars." - -"It's worth that," said Hal quietly. - -"Yes, if it is worth a cent. Well, Squire Haines has had a niece -staying with him who has taught school in Brooklyn for eight or ten -years,--a great, tall sharp kind of a woman; and she was willing to -come for the old salary. She's setting her cap for Mrs. Haines's -brother, I can see that fast enough. The squire, he's favored her; and -they've pushed the matter through." - -"Then Miss Perkins has it!" Hal exclaimed with a gasp, feeling as if he -were stranded on the lee-shore. - -"Exactly. And I don't know but it is best. To tell the truth, Hal, you -are not strong, and you did work too hard last year. You want rest; but -you'll never be able to go into the battle rough and tumble. I may as -well tell you this." - -"Do you think I shall never"--Hal's lip quivered. - -"The fall gave you a great shock, you see; and then the confinement in -school was altogether wrong. You want quiet and ease; and I do think -this flower-business will be the very thing for you. I've been casting -it over in my mind; and I have a fancy that another spring I'll be able -to do something for you. Keep heart, my boy. It's darkest just before -the dawn, you know." - -"You are so kind!" and the brown eyes filled with tears. - -"It will all come out right, I'm pretty sure. This winter's rest will -be just the thing for you. Now, don't fret yourself back to the old -point again; for you have improved a little. And, if you want any -thing, come to me. We all get in tight places sometimes." - -Hal repeated this to Dot and Granny; and when Kit came home he heard -the "bad news," over which he looked very sober. - -"But then it might be worse," said Hal cheerily; for he was never sad -long at a time. "We have almost a hundred dollars, and I shall try to -make my flowers more profitable this winter." - -And the best of all was, Hal _did_ begin to feel better. The terrible -weakness seemed to yield at last to some of the good doctor's tonics, -his appetite improved, and he could sleep quite well once more. - -At this juncture Kit found an opening. - -"They'll take me in the melodeon-factory over at Salem," he announced -breathlessly one evening. "Mr. Briggs told me of it, and I went to see. -I can board with Mr. Halsey, the foreman; and oh, can't he play on the -violin! He will go on teaching me, and I can have my board and four -dollars a month." - -"Well, I declare!" ejaculated Granny. "What next?" - -"Then you won't have me to take care of this winter. I'm about tired -of going to school, and that's nice business. I can come home every -Saturday night." - -"Yes," said Hal thoughtfully. - -"I do believe Mr. Halsey's taken a great liking to me. He wants you to -come over, Hal, and have a talk." - -So Hal went over. The prospect appeared very fair. Kit had some -mechanical genius; but building melodeons would be much more to his -taste than building houses. - -"It has a suggestion of music in it," laughed Hal. - -So the bargain was concluded. About the middle of September, Kit -started for Salem and business. - -But oh, how lonely the old house was! All the mirth and mischief gone! -It seemed to Granny that she would be quite willing to go out washing, -and weave carpets, if she could have them all children once more. - -There was plenty of room in the Old Shoe now. One bed in the parlor -held Dot and Granny. No cradle with a baby face in it, no fair girl -with golden curls sewing at the window. Tabby sat unmolested in the -chimney-corner. No one turned back her ears, or put walnut-shells over -her claws; no one made her dance a jig on her hind-legs, or bundled her -in shawls until she was smothered, and had to give a pathetic m-i-a-o-u -in self-defence. - -Oh, the gay, laughing, tormenting children! Always clothes to mend, -cut fingers and stubbed toes to doctor, quarrels to settle, noises to -quell, to tumble over one here and another there, to have them cross -with the measles and forlorn with the mumps, but coming back to fun -again in a day or two,--the dear, troublesome, vanished children! - -Many a time Granny cried alone by herself. It was right that they -should grow into men and women; but oh, the ache and emptiness it left -in her poor old heart! And it seemed as if Tabby missed them; for now -and then she would put her paws on the old window-seat, stretching out -her full length, and look up and down the street, uttering a mournful -cry. - -One day Dot brought home a letter from the store directed to Hal. - -"Why, it's Charlie!" he said with a great cry of joy and confusion of -person. "Dear old Charlie!" - -He tore it open with hasty, trembling fingers. - - "DEAR HAL AND GRANNY,--I'm like Joe, happy as a big - sunflower! I can't tell you half nor quarter; so I shall not try, - but save it all against the time I come home; for I _am_ coming. - Every thing is just splendid! It wasn't so nice at first, and one - day I felt almost homesick; but it came out right. Oh, dear! I want - to see you so, and tell you all the wonderful things that have - happened to me,--just like a story-book. I think of you all,--Hal - in his school, Granny busy about the house, Dot, the little - darling, sweet as ever, and a whole roomful of flowers up-stairs, - and Kit playing on his violin. Did you miss me much? I missed the - dear old home, the sweet kisses, and tender voices; but some day I - shall have them again. I never forget you a moment; but oh, oh, oh! - That's all I can say. There are not words enough to express all the - rest. Don't forget me; but love me just the same. A thousand kisses - to all you children left in the old shoe, and another thousand to - Granny. - - "Your own dear - CHARLIE." - -Hal's eyes were full of tears. To tell the truth, they had a good -crying-time before any of them could speak a word. - -"Dear, brave Charlie! She and Joe are alike. Granny, I don't know but -they are the children to be proud of, after all." - -"Where is she?" asked Granny, wiping her nose violently. - -"Why, there isn't a bit of--address--to it; and the post-mark--begins -with an N--but all the rest is blurred. She means to wait until she -comes home, and tell us the whole story; and she will not give us an -opportunity to write, for fear we will ask some questions. She means to -keep up her running away." - -They were all delighted, and had to read the letter over and over again. - -"She must be in New York somewhere, and studying drawing. I've a great -mind to write at a venture." - -"And she will come home," crooned Granny softly. - -"I'm glad she thinks us all so happy and prosperous," said Hal. - -I shall have to tell you how it fared with Charlie and not keep you -waiting until they heard the story. - -She had indeed followed out her old plan. Child as she was, when she -went to work in the mill she crowded all her wild dreams down in the -depths of her heart. No one ever knew what heroic sacrifices Charlie -Kenneth made. She was fond of dress, and just of an age when a bright -ribbon, a pretty hat, and a dozen other dainty trifles, seem to add so -much to one's happiness. - -But she resolutely eschewed them all. Week by week her little hoard -gained slowly, every day bringing her nearer the hour of freedom. She -planned, too, more practically than any one would have supposed. And -one evening she smuggled a black travelling-bag into the house, hiding -it in a rubbish-closet until she could pack it. - -She seized her opportunity at noon, to get it out unobserved; and, -putting it in an out-of-the-way corner, dragged some pea-brush over it, -that gave it the look of a pile of rubbish. Then she dressed herself, -and said her good-bys gayly, but with a trembling heart, and went off -to take her holiday. - -Charlie tugged her bag to the depot, and bought a ticket for Newbury. -Then she seated herself in great state, and really began to enjoy the -adventure. She wondered how people could spend all their lives in a -little humdrum place like Madison. - -At Newbury she bought a ticket for New York. Then she sat thinking what -she should do. A family by the name of Wilcox had left Madison two -years before, and gone to New York. The mother was a clever, ignorant, -good-hearted sort of woman, of whom Charlie Kenneth had been rather -fond in her childish days. Mary Jane, the daughter, had paid a flying -visit to Madison that spring, and Charlie had heard her describe the -route to her house in Fourteenth Street. This was where she purposed to -go. - -The cars stopped. The passengers left in a crowd, Charlie following. -If they were going to New York, she would not get lost. So the ferry -was crossed in safety. Then she asked a policeman to direct her to City -Hall. A little ragged urchin pestered her about carrying her bag, but -it was too precious to be trusted to strangers. - -She saw the Third-avenue cars; but how was she to get to them? The -street seemed blocked up continually. By and by a policeman piloted her -across, and saw her safely deposited in the car. - -Charlie paid her fare, and told the conductor to stop at Fourteenth -Street; but, after riding a while, she began to look out for herself. -What an endless way it was! and where _did_ all the people come from? -Could it be possible that there were houses enough for them to live in? -Ah! here was her corner. - -She turned easterly, watching for the number. There was Mrs. Wilcox's -frowsy head at the front basement window; and Charlie felt almost -afraid to ring at the front-door, so she tried that lowly entrance. - -"Come in," said a voice in response to her knock. - -It was evident she had grown out of Mrs. Wilcox's remembrance, so she -rather awkwardly introduced herself. - -"Charlie Kenneth! The land sakes! How you have growed! Why, I'm right -glad to see you. How is Granny and all the children, and all the folks -at Madison?" - -Charlie "lumped" them, and answered, "Pretty well." - -"Did you come down all alone? And how did you find us? Mary Jane'll be -powerful glad to see you. Ain't you most tired to death luggin' that -heavy bag? Do take off your things, and get rested." - -Charlie complied. Mrs. Wilcox went on with her endless string of -questions, even after she rose to set the supper-table. - -"And so Florence is married. Strange you've never heard about her. -She's so rich and grand that I s'pose she don't want to remember poor -relations. And Hal's been a teachin' school! Why, you're quite gettin' -up in the world." - -Mary Jane soon made her appearance. A flirting, flippant girl of -sixteen, rather good-looking, and trimmed up with ribbons and cheap -furbelows. She appeared glad to see Charlie, and all the questions were -asked over again. Then Mr. Wilcox came in, washed his hands and face, -and they sat down to supper. Before they were half through, Tom and Ed -came tumbling in, full of fun and nonsense. - -"Boys, be still!" said their father; which admonition they heeded for -about the space of ten seconds. - -Mary Jane rose from the table as soon as she had finished her supper. - -"Charlie'll sleep with me, of course," she said. "Bring your bag and -your things up stairs, Charlie." - -Charlie followed her to the third story,--a very fair-sized room, but -with an appearance of general untidiness visible everywhere. - -"You can hang up your clothes in that closet," indicating it with her -head. "Did you go to work in the mill, Charlie?" - -"Yes." - -"Didn't you like it?" - -"Not very much," slowly shaking out her clean calico dress. - -"I shouldn't, either. What did you earn?" - -"Sometimes four dollars and a half." - -"I earn six, week in and week out. Then I do a little overwork every -day, which gives me Saturday afternoon. Charlie, why don't you stay?" - -Mary Jane was taking down her hair, and turned round suddenly. - -"I thought I would;" and Charlie blushed. "I've saved up a little -money, enough to pay my board for a few weeks, until I can find -something to do." - -"Flower-making is first-rate. Some of the girls earn ten dollars a -week. I've only been at it a year, you see. They pay a dollar a week -while you're learning. Shall I try to get you in?" - -"I don't know yet," was the hesitating answer. - -"What makes you wear your hair short, Charlie?" - -"Why--I like it so. It's no trouble." - -"But it's so childish!" - -Mary Jane was arranging a wonderful waterfall. On the top of this she -hung a cluster of curls, and on the top of her head she tied in a bunch -of frizettes with a scarlet ribbon. - -"Now, that's what I call stylish;" and she turned round to Charlie. "If -I was you, I'd let my hair grow; and, as soon as it is long enough to -tie in a little knot, you can buy a waterfall." - -Charlie was quite bewildered with these manifold adornments. - -Then Mary Jane put on a white dress, a red carved ivory pin and -ear-rings, and presented quite a gorgeous appearance. - -"Charlie, I've been thinking--why can't you board here? I pay mother -two dollars a week, and you could just as well have part of my room. -Mother wanted me to let the boys have it, because there were two of -them; but I wanted plenty of room. Yes: it would be real nice to have -you here. I'll ask mother. I know you can find something to do." - -A great load seemed lifted from Charlie's heart. - -Then they went down to the next floor. The boys had the hall bedroom, -and the back room was used by the heads of the family. There were two -large pantries between, and then a front parlor. Charlie was quite -stunned; for the place appeared fully as gorgeous as Mary Jane. A cheap -Brussels carpet in bright colors, the figure of which ran all over the -floor; two immense vases on the mantle, where grotesque Chinese figures -were disporting on a bright green ground; a rather shabby crimson plush -rocker; and some quite impossible sunsets done in oil, with showy wide -gilt frames. Mrs. Wilcox had purchased them at auction, and considered -them a great bargain. - -Then Mary Jane, with a great deal of giggling and blushing, confessed -to Charlie that she had a beau. "A real nice young man," clerk in a -dry-goods store, Walter Brown by name, and that he came almost every -evening. - -"You can't help liking him," was the positive assertion. "I wish you -didn't have short hair, nor look so much like a little girl; for you -are as tall as I am." - -Which was very true; but Charlie felt herself quite a child, and very -much startled at the idea of beaux. - -Mary Jane took out some embroidery, and did not deign to revisit the -kitchen. A trifle after eight Mr. Brown made his appearance, looking -neat as a pink, and nearly as sweet with perfume. For the first time in -her life, Charlie was painfully bashful. When he proposed a walk to an -ice-cream saloon, she would fain have remained at home; but Mary Jane -over-ruled. - -The walk was quite pleasant, and the cream a positive treat. Charlie -said some very bright things, which Mr. Brown appeared to consider -exceedingly funny. Then they rambled around a while; and when they -returned, Mary Jane lingered at the hall-door to have a little private -talk, while Charlie ran up stairs. Mrs. Wilcox sat in the parlor -fanning herself, and eagerly questioned the child as to where they had -been, and how she liked New York. - -Tired and excited, Charlie went to bed at last; but she could not -sleep. The strange place, the tinkle of the car-bells, the noises in -the streets, and, most of all, her own thoughts, kept her wakeful. She -could hardly believe that she had achieved her great ambition, and -actually run away. On the whole, it was rather comical. - -Had they found her letter yet? What did Hal and Granny think? Would -they be very much worried? - -And if she only _could_ find out something about pictures, and begin to -work in good earnest at the right thing. It was as much to her as the -flowers were to dear Hal. God bless and keep them all! - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - ALMOST DISCOURAGED. - - -Charlie was really tired on Friday, and did not feel equal to making -any effort; so she assisted Mrs. Wilcox with the housework, and tidied -up Mary Jane's room until one would hardly have known it. But every -thing seemed so strange and new. - -Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- - -"Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?" - -"Yes. And so you _really_ came to York to get something to do! I s'pose -there's such a host of you at home!" - -Charlie swallowed over a lump in her throat. Perhaps she was not a -little glad that Mrs. Wilcox did not suspect her unorthodox manner of -leaving Madison. - -"I mean to find something to do. And if you would board me"-- - -"Now, Charlie Kenneth! first you stay and make a visit, and see what -you can find, before you talk of payin' board. Thank Heaven! I never -begrudged any one a meal's vittles or a night's sleep. Your poor old -grandmother's slaved herself half to death for you, and I'm glad to see -you have some spunk." - -"Then, you'll let me stay?" and a soft flush of relief stole over -Charlie's face. - -"Stay!" rather indignantly. "No one ever heard of Hannah Wilcox turnin' -people out o' doors. Your Granny has done more than one good turn for -me." - -"But I've saved some money to pay my board"-- - -"I won't take a cent of it till you get to work, there, now! Jest you -never fret yourself a word. It'll all come right, I know." - -"I'm very much obliged," said Charlie, feeling as if she would like to -cry. - -"Mary Jane spoke of a chance of getting you at the flowers. It's light, -easy work,--I tell her jest like play. But you must have a visit first." - -On Saturday Mary Jane came home at noon. - -"I do think Charlie Kenneth's earned a holiday," said Mrs. Wilcox. "I -couldn't begin to tell the things that girl's done this mornin'. Swept -and dusted, and helped me clean the closet"-- - -"Then you're in clover, mother;" and Mary Jane laughed. "I never could -bear to do housework." - -"A great kind of a wife you'll make." - -"That will be some one else's look out;" and Mary Jane tossed her head -in a curiously satisfied manner. - -They took a promenade on Broadway in the afternoon. Charlie was -delighted; and the shop-windows entertained her beyond description. -They bought some trifles,--a pair of gloves, a collar, and a ribbon -or two,--and Charlie found that money absolutely melted away. She had -spent four dollars. - -She summoned courage to question Mary Jane a little, but found her -exceedingly ignorant on the great topic that absorbed her. - -"I believe girls do color photographs in some places, but then you'd -have to know a good deal to get a situation like that. I guess only -rich girls have a chance to learn drawing and painting." - -"But when it comes natural," said Charlie slowly. - -"Well, I'll ask _him_;" and Mary Jane smiled, and nodded her head. -"_He_ knows most every thing." - -"Are you going to marry him?" Charlie asked innocently, understanding -the pronoun. - -"Oh, I don't know!" with a toss of the head. "I mean to have some fun -first. Some girls have lots of beaux." - -Charlie colored. She had not the judgment or the experience to assist -her in any sort of analysis; but she _felt_ that these Wilcoxes were -very different from their household. They had always been poor, lived -in an old tumble-down cottage, with a bed in the parlor; were a noisy, -frolicksome, romping set; given to slang, Flossy's great abhorrence; -and yet--there was a clean, pure element in them all,--a kind of -unconscious refinement. Florence's fine-ladyisms had not been entirely -useless or wasted. - -Refinement was the idea floating so dimly through Charlie's brain. In -after years she understood the force of Hal's example, and the many -traits Joe had laughed at as being girlish. But now she could only feel -that there was a great gulf between her and Mary Jane; that the latter -could _not_ enter into her hopes and ambitions. - -However, Charlie's drawings were brought to Mr. Brown for inspection. - -"Why, you're a regular genius!" he exclaimed in surprise. - -Charlie colored with delight, and every nerve seemed to expand with -precious hope. - -"It is a great pity that you are not a man." - -"Why?" and Charlie opened her large eyes wonderingly. - -"Because then you could do something with your talent. All these comic -pictures in papers are designed by men; and they sometimes travel -about, writing descriptions of places, and drawing little sketches to -go with them. It is capital business." - -"That is what I should like;" and Charlie's face glowed. - -"But girls and women never do it. It's altogether out of their sphere. -You see, that is one of the disadvantages." - -Mr. Brown uttered this dogmatically. - -"But if they know how, and can do it"-- - -"They couldn't travel about alone, running into dangers of all kinds. -And it is just here. Now, some of these sketches are as good as you -see in the papers; but no one would think of buying them of a woman, -because it is men's work." - -Charlie winked the tears out of her eyes. The argument was crushing, -for she could not refute the lameness of the logic; and she had always -felt sore about being a girl. - -"They teach women to draw and paint down here at Cooper Institute," he -said presently. - -"But I suppose it costs a good deal?" and Charlie sighed. - -"Yes." - -"These things are for rich people," said Mary Jane with an air of -authority. - -Charlie could not summon heart to question further: besides, she had -some ideas in her brain. Maybe she _might_ sell her pictures to some -newspaper. Any how, she would try. - -She began the week with this determination. On Monday she dressed -herself carefully, and gave her face a rather rigorous inspection. It -_did_ look very little-girlish. And somehow she wished her hair wasn't -short, and that she could be handsome. Who ever heard of such dark eyes -and light hair, such a peculiar tint too,--a kind of Quaker-drab; not -golden nor auburn nor chestnut. Well, she was as she grew, and she -couldn't help any of it. - -By dint of inquiring now and then, she found her way about pretty well. -Her first essay was in the office of an illustrated paper. - -The man listened to her story with a peculiar sharp business air, and -merely said,-- - -"No: we don't want any thing of the kind." - -Charlie felt that she could not say another word, and walked out. - -She stood a long while looking in the window of a print-shop, and at -last ventured again. - -This person was less brusque. - -"My little girl," he said, "we never do any thing with such matters. We -buy our pictures, printed or painted, or engravings, as the case may -be, from all parts of the world. Many of them are copies from different -artists well known to fame. It costs a great deal for the plate of a -picture." - -Which explanation was quite unintelligible to Charlie. - -She rambled on until she came to a bookstore. There being only a boy -within, she entered. - -"Do you ever buy any pictures for books?" she asked. - -"Books allus have pictures in 'em," was the oracular reply. - -"But who makes them?" - -"Why, engravers, of course;" with supreme astonishment at her ignorance. - -"And they--do the thinking,--plan the picture, I mean?" - -"What?" asked the boy, as if Charlie had spoken Greek. - -"Some one must have the idea first." - -He could not controvert it, and stared about helplessly. - -"Are there any lady engravers?" - -"No, I guess not;" scratching his head. - -"And who makes these little pictures of children like this girl -teaching the dog to read, and this one with the flowers?" - -"Oh, I know what you want!" exclaimed the boy. "We gets 'em down in Ann -Street. There's some girls working in the place. Do you know where Ann -Street is?" - -Some of Charlie's old humor cropped out. - -"No, nor Polly Street, nor Jemima Street." - -The boy studied her sharply, but preserved a sullen silence, strongly -suspecting that he was being laughed at. - -"Will you please tell me?" quite meekly. "And--the man's name." - -The boy found a card, and directed her. Charlie trudged on with a light -heart. - -The place was up two flights of very dirty steps. Mr. Balcour had gone -out to dinner, and she was rather glad of an excuse to rest. In the -adjoining room there were three girls laughing and chatting. Now, if -she could come here to work! - -When Mr. Balcour entered, Charlie found him a very pleasant-looking -man. She made known her errand with but little hesitation. - -"It is something of a mistake," was the smiling answer. "My business is -coloring prints, flower-pieces, and all that. Sometimes they are sent -to me, but these little things I buy by the hundred or thousand, and -color them; then picture-dealers, Sunday-schools, &c., come in here to -purchase." - -With that he displayed cases of birds, flowers, fancy scenes, and tiny -landscapes. - -"Oh, how beautiful they are!" and she glanced them over with delight. -"I should like to do them!" - -"Do you know any thing about water-coloring?" - -"No;" rather hesitatingly, for she was not at all certain as to the -precise nature of water-coloring. - -"I keep several young ladies at work. It requires taste, practice, and -a certain degree of genius, artistic ability." - -"I meant the first thought of the picture," said Charlie, blushing. -"Some one must know how it is to be made." - -"Yes, certainly." - -"If you would look at these"-- - -She opened her parcel, and spread them before him. - -"Did you do them?" - -He asked the question in astonishment. - -"Yes," was Charlie's simple reply. - -He studied her critically, which made her warm color come and go, and -she interlaced her fingers nervously. - -"My child, this first thought, as you call it, is designing. You have a -very remarkable genius, I should say. How old are you?" - -"Fifteen." - -"You have had some instruction!" - -Charlie concluded it would be wiser to say that she had, for there was -the drawing-book and Hal. - -"You wish to do this for a living?" he asked kindly. - -"Oh, if I could! I like it so much!" and there was a world of entreaty -in Charlie's tone. - -Mr. Balcour had to laugh over some of the drawings, for the faces were -so spirited and expressive. - -"I will tell you the very best thing for you to do. Enter the School of -Design for women. The arrangements, I believe, are very good; that is, -there is a chance to earn something while you are studying." - -"Oh!" - -Charlie's face was fairly transfigured. Mr. Balcour thought her a -wonderfully pretty girl. - -"It is at Cooper Institute, Third Avenue and Seventh or Eighth Street. -I really do not know any thing about it, except that it does profess to -assist young students in art." - -"I am so much obliged to you;" and Charlie gave him a sweet, grateful -smile. - -"I should like to hear a little about you!" he said; "and I hope you -will succeed. Come in some time and let me know. Do you live in the -city?" - -"No; but I am staying with some friends on Fourteenth Street." - -"Not far from Cooper Institute, then." - -"No, I can easily find it." - -They said good-by; and Charlie threaded her way up to City Hall with a -heart as light as thistle-down, quite forgetting that she had missed -her dinner. Then, by car, she went up to Cooper Institute. - -And now what was she to do? I told you that Charlie had a great deal of -courage and perseverance. And then she was so earnest in this quest! -She inquired in a china-store, and was directed up stairs. - -It was very odd indeed. First she stumbled into a reading-room, and was -guided from thence to the art-gallery by a boy. The pictures amused -and interested her for quite a while. One lady and two gentlemen were -making copies. - -By and by she summoned courage to ask the lady which was the school, or -study-room. - -"School of Design?" - -"Yes," timidly. - -"It is closed." - -Charlie's countenance fell. - -"When will it be open?" - -"About the first of October." - -The child gave a great sigh of disappointment. - -"Were you thinking of entering?" - -"I wanted to see--if I could." - -"Have you painted any?" - -"No: but I have been drawing a little." - -"You are rather young, I think." - -Then the lady went on with her work. Charlie turned away with tears in -her eyes. A whole month to wait! - -Mrs. Wilcox plied her with questions on her return, but Charlie was not -communicative. - -After a night's rest she felt quite courageous again. She would see -what could be done about engraving. - -Poor Charlie! There were no bright spots in this day. Everybody seemed -cross and in a hurry. One man said coarsely,-- - -"You needn't tell me you did them things by yourself. You took 'em from -some picturs." - -So she came home tired and dispirited. Mary Jane had a crowd of gay -company in the evening, and Charlie slipped off to bed. Oh, if she -could only give Dot a good hug, and kiss Hal's pale face, and hear -Granny's cracked voice! Even the horrible tuning of Kit's fiddle would -sound sweet. But to be here,--among strangers,--and not be able to make -her plans work. - -Charlie turned her face over on the pillow, and had a good cry. After -all, there never could be anybody in this world half so sweet as "The -old woman who lived in a shoe!" - -On Wednesday it rained. Charlie was positively glad to have a good -excuse for staying within doors. She helped Mrs. Wilcox with her -sewing, and told her every thing she could remember about the people at -Madison. - -"How strange it must look,--and a railroad through the middle of it! -There wa'n't no mills in my time, either. And rows of houses, Mary Jane -said. She'd never 'a' known the place if it hadn't been for the folks. -Dear, dear!" - -Mary Jane came home in high feather that night. - -"I found they were taking on some girls to-day, Charlie; and I spoke -a good word for you. You can come next Monday. I don't believe you'll -make out much with the pictures." - -"You were very good;" but Charlie's lip quivered a little. - -"It will be ever so nice to have company up and down! and you'll like -it, I'm sure." - -Mary Jane, being of a particularly discursive nature, was delighted to -have a constant listener. - -"Well, that was better than nothing," Charlie thought. She might work -a while, and perhaps learn something more definite about the School of -Design. - -"For I'll never give it up, never!" and Charlie set her resolute red -lips together, while her eyes glanced into the future. - -The following morning was so lovely, that she felt as if she must have -a walk. She put on her white dress and sacque, and looked as fresh as -a rose. She would go over on Broadway, where every thing was clean and -lovely, and have a delightful time looking at the shop-windows and the -beautiful ladies. - -It was foolish to take her pictures along, and yet she did it. They -really appeared a part of her life. On and on she sauntered, enjoying -every thing with the keenest relish. The mellow sun, the refreshing -air that had in it a crisp flavor, the cloudless sky overhead, and the -bright faces around, made her almost dance with gladness. - -She stood for a long while viewing some chromos in a window,--two or -three of children, which were very piquant and amusing, and appealed -to her love of fun. Obeying her impulse she entered, and stole timidly -around. Two gentlemen were talking, and one of the faces pleased her -exceedingly. A large, fair, fresh-complexioned man, with curly brown -hair, and a patriarchal beard, snowy white, though he did not appear -old. - -A young fellow came to her presently, and asked if there was any thing -he could show her. - -"I should like to see the gentleman--when he is--disengaged." - -That speech would have done credit to Florence. - -The youth carried the message, and the proprietor glanced around. Not -the one with the beautiful beard, and Charlie felt rather disappointed. - -They talked a while longer, then he came forward. - -"You wished to see me?" - -Charlie turned scarlet to the tips of her fingers, and stammered -something in an absurdly incoherent fashion. - -"Oh! you did not interrupt me--particularly," and he smiled kindly. -"What can I do for you?" - -"Will you tell me--who made the first design--for--those pictures in -the window,--the children, I mean?" - -"Different artists. Two, I think, are by ladies." - -"And how did they get to do it? I mean, after they made the sketch, who -painted it?" - -"Those are from the original paintings. The artist had the thought, and -embodied it in a sketch." - -"But suppose no one wanted to buy it?" - -"That _has_ happened;" and he smiled again. "Why? Have you been trying -your hand at pictures?" - -"Yes," answered Charlie in great doubt and perplexity. "Only mine are -done in pencil. If you would look at them." - -Charlie's eyes were so beseeching, that he could not resist. - -She opened her small portfolio,--Hal's handiwork. The gentleman glanced -over two or three. - -"Did you do these yourself?" - -"Yes;" and Charlie wondered that she should be asked the question so -frequently. - -"Who taught you?" - -"My brother, a little; but I think it comes natural," said Charlie in -her earnestness, knowing no reason why she should not tell the truth. - -"Darol, here is a genius for you!" he exclaimed, going back to his -friend. - -Charlie watched them with throbbing heart and bated breath. She was -growing very sensitive. - -"That child!" "Come here, little girl, will you?" said Mr. Darol, -beckoning her towards them. - -"Who put the faces in these?" - -"I did;" and the downcast lids trembled perceptibly. - -"How long have you been studying?" - -"Oh! I could always do that," answered Charlie. "I used to in school. -And some of them are just what did happen." - -"This,--Mr. Kettleman's troubles?" and he scrutinized her earnestly. - -"There was a man working in the mill whose name was Kettleman, and he -always carried a dinner-kettle. But I thought up the adventures myself." - -Charlie uttered this very modestly, and yet in a quiet, straightforward -manner, that bore the impress of sincerity. - -The first picture was Mr. Kettleman purchasing his kettle. A scene -in a tin-shop; the seller a round, jolly fellow, about the shape of -a beer-cask; and Mr. Kettleman tall and thin, with a long nose, long -fingers, and long legs. He was saying, "Will it hold enough?" The faces -_were_ capital. - -In the second Mrs. Kettleman was putting up her husband's dinner. There -were piles and piles of goodies; and his cadaverous face was bent over -the mass, the lips slightly parted, the nose longer than ever, and -asking solemnly, "Can you get it all in, Becky?" - -The third showed a group of laughing men round a small table, which was -spread with different articles. One fellow held the pail up-side-down, -saying, "The last crumb." The head of Mr. Kettleman was just in sight, -ascending the stairs. - -Lastly the kettle tied to a dog's tail. Mr. Kettleman in the distance, -taller, thinner, and exceedingly woebegone, watching his beloved but -unfortunate kettle as it thumped over the stones. - -There were many irregularities and defects, but the faces were -remarkable for expression. Mr. Darol laughed heartily. - -"How old are you?" asked Mr. Wentworth, glancing curiously at the -slender slip of a girl. - -"Fifteen." - -"You don't look that." - -"You have a wonderful gift," said Mr. Darol thoughtfully. - -"Oh, that is real!" exclaimed Charlie eagerly, as they turned to -another. "My brother was in a store once, and sold some pepper for -allspice. The woman put it in her pie." - -"So I should judge from her husband's face;" and they both laughed -again, and praised Charlie to her heart's content. - -By degrees Mr. Darol drew Charlie's history from her. She did not -conceal her poverty nor her ambition; and her love for her one talent -spoke eloquently in every line of her face. - -"My child, you have a remarkable genius for designing. The school at -Cooper Institute will be just the place for you. Wentworth, I think I -shall take her over to Miss Charteris. What is your name, little one?" - -"Charlie Kenneth." - -"Charlie?" in amaze. - -"It was Charlotte, but I've always been called Charlie." - -"Just the name for you! Miss Charlie, you have a world of energy -and spirit. I know you will succeed. And now it would give me great -pleasure to take you to the studio of an artist friend." - -The tears came into Charlie's eyes: she couldn't help it, though she -tried to smile. - -"Oh!" with a tremulous sob, "it's just like a dream. And you are so -good! I'd go with one meal a day if I could only draw pictures!" - -And Charlie was lovely again, with her face full of smiles, tears, -and blushes. Earnest, piquant, and irregular, she was like a picture -herself. - -It seemed to Charlie that in five minutes they reached Miss Charteris's -studio; and she stood in awe and trembling, scarcely daring to breathe. -For up to this date she had hardly been able to believe that any woman -in the world besides Rosa Bonheur had actually painted pictures. - -"I have brought you a new study, Miss Charteris. A romance and a small -young woman." - -"Well, Paul Darol! I don't believe there is your equal in the world -for picking up the lame and the halt and the blind, and the waifs and -strays. What now?" and Miss Charteris laughed with such a musical -ripple that Charlie turned and answered her with a smile. - -"First look at these, and then let me tell you a story." - -"Very fair and vigorous sketches;" and Miss Charteris glanced -curiously at Charlie. - -Then Mr. Darol began with the story, telling his part first, and -calling in Charlie to add sundry helps to the other. - -"And so, you see, I ventured to try your good temper once more, and -bring her to you." - -"What shall I do,--paint her? She might sit for a gypsy girl now, but -in ten years she will be a handsome woman. What an odd, trustful child! -This promises better than some of your discoveries." - -"Well, help me to get her into the School of Design, and make a -successful genius of her. She is too plucky for any one to refuse her a -helping hand." - -Miss Charteris began to question Charlie. She had a vein of drollery in -her own nature; and in half an hour Charlie was laughing and talking -as if she had known her all her lifetime. What pleased Mr. Darol most -was her honesty and unflinching truth. She told of their poverty and -struggles, of the love and the fun they had shared together; but there -was a little tremor in her voice as she said, "We had one sister who -was adopted by a rich lady." - -The matter was soon settled, being in the right hands. Charlie was -registered as a pupil at the school; and Miss Charteris taught her to -re-touch photographs, and found her an opportunity to do a little work. -It was something of a hardship to go on boarding with Mrs. Wilcox; -but they were so fond of her, and so proud of what they could not -understand! - -So you do not wonder, I fancy, that Charlie's letter should be such a -jubilate. Ah, if she could only earn a little money to take back with -her! - -She saw Miss Charteris and Mr. Darol quite often. He was like a father, -but sweeter and dearer than any one's father she had ever known. When -she went home, she meant to coax Hal to return with her, just for the -pleasure of meeting such splendid people; "for he is the best of all of -us," she used to say to Miss Charteris. - -Ah, Charlie, if you dreamed of what was happening in the Old Shoe! - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - LOST AT SEA. - - -The autumn was unusually warm and pleasant, without any frost to injure -the flowers until the middle of October. Hal enlarged his green-house -arrangements, and had a fine stock of tuberoses. He had learned a good -deal by his experiments of the past year. - -He had been careful not to overwork; since he was improving, and took -every thing moderately. But at last it was all finished,--the cold -frames arranged for spring, the plants housed, the place tidy and in -order. - -The loss of the school had been a severe disappointment to Hal. He was -casting about now for some employment whereby he might earn a little. -If Mr. Sherman would only give him a few days' work, now and then, -they could get along nicely; for Granny was a most economical manager, -and, besides, there was eighty dollars in the bank, and a very small -family,--only three of them. - -Hal came home one day, and found Granny sitting over a handful of fire, -bundled in a great shawl. Her eyes had a frightened look, and there -was a blue line about her mouth. - -"Why. Granny dear, what is the matter?" he asked in alarm, stooping -over to kiss the cold wrinkled cheek. - -"I d-d-don't know," the teeth chattering in the attempt to speak. "I -b-b-lieve I've got a chill!" - -"Oh, so you have, poor dear child!" and Hal was as motherly as the old -gray hen outside. "You must go to bed at once. Perhaps you had better -bathe your feet, and have a bowl of hot tea." - -"And my head aches so! I'm not used to having headache, Hal." - -She said this piteously, as if she fancied Hal, who could do every -thing in her opinion, might exorcise the pain. - -"I'm very sorry, dear," stroking the wrinkled face as if she had been a -baby. "Now I'll put some water on to heat." - -"O Hal, I'm so cold! 'Pears to me I never shall be warm again." - -"Yes, when I get you snug in the bed, and make you some nice tea. What -shall it be,--pennyroyal?" - -"And a little feverfew." - -Hal kissed the cold, trembling lips, and went about his preparations. -The water was soon hot; and he put a little mustard in the pail with -it, carrying it to the bedside in the other room, and leading poor -Granny thither. - -The place was steaming presently with the fragrance of pennyroyal. Hal -poured it off into a cool bowl, and gave Granny a good drink, then -tucked her in the bed, and spread the shawl over her; but still she -cried in her pitiful voice,-- - -"I'm so cold, Hal!" - -After the rigor of the chill began to abate, a raging fever set in, and -Granny's mind wandered a little. Then Hal was rather alarmed. Granny -had never been down sick a day in her life, although she was not so -very robust. - -"Dot, darling, you must run for Dr. Meade," Hal said, as the child came -home from school. "Granny is very ill, I am afraid." - -Dr. Meade was away, and did not come until eight in the evening. - -"I fear it is going to be a run of fever, Hal," he began gravely. -"At her time of life too! But we'll do the best we can. There is -considerable fever about." - -Hal drew a long breath of pain. - -"You will be the best nurse in the world, Hal;" and the doctor smiled, -placing his hand on the boy's shoulder re-assuringly. - -Hal winked away some tears. They lay quite too close to the surface for -a man's nature. - -"I'll leave her some drops, and be in again in the morning. Don't -worry, my dear boy." - -Granny could hardly bear to have Hal out of sight, and wanted to keep -hold of his hand all the time. Dot prepared the supper, but they could -taste nothing beyond a cup of tea. - -"Dot," he said, "you must go up stairs and sleep in my bed to-night. I -shall stay here to watch Granny." - -"But it will be so--lonesome!" with her baby entreaty. - -"It is best, my darling." - -So Dot kissed him many times, lingering until after the clock struck -ten, when Hal said,-- - -"My birdie's eyes will be heavy to-morrow." - -Granny was worse the next day. Indeed, for the ensuing fortnight her -life seemed vibrating in the balance. Everybody was very kind, but she -could bear no one besides Hal. Just a little delirious occasionally, -and going back to the time when they were all babies, and her own dear -Joe lay dying. - -"I've done my best for 'em, Joe," she would murmur. "I've never minded -heat nor cold, nor hard work. They've been a great blessing,--they -always were good children." - -For Granny forgot all Charlie's badness, Joe's mischief, and Dot's -crossness. Transfigured by her devotion, they were without a fault. Ah, -how one tender love makes beautiful the world! Whatever others might -think, God had a crown of gold up in heaven, waiting for the poor -tired brow; and the one angel would have flown through starry skies for -her, taking her to rest on his bosom, but the other pleaded,-- - -"A little longer, for the children's sake." - -At last the fever was conquered. Granny was weak as a baby, and had -grown fearfully thin; but it was a comfort to have her in her right -mind. Still Hal remarked that the doctor's face had an anxious look, -and that he watched him with a kind of pitying air. So much so, that -one day he said,-- - -"You think she _will_ get well, doctor?" - -"There is nothing to prevent it if we can only keep up her appetite." - -"I always feed her," returned Hal with a smile, "whether she is willing -to eat or not." - -"You are a born nurse, as good as a woman. Give her a little of the -port wine every day." - -Then the doctor turned to the window, and seemed to glance over towards -the woods. - -"Quite winterish, isn't it? When have you heard from Joe?" - -"Not in a long time. Letters do not come so regularly as they used. I -think we have not had one since August. But he writes whenever he can, -dear Joe. The last time we received three." - -"Yes," in a kind of absent way. - -When Dr. Meade started to go, he kept his hand for several minutes on -the door-latch, giving some unimportant directions. - -"God bless you, Hal!" he said in a strained, husky tone, "and give you -grace to bear all the trials of this life. Heaven knows, there are -enough of them!" - -What did the doctor mean? Hal wondered eagerly. - -That evening Mr. and Mrs. Terry dropped in for a friendly call. - -"When did you hear from Joe last?" asked Mr. Terry. - -"In August." - -"Wasn't expecting him home, I suppose?" - -"Not until next summer. Has any one heard?" and there was a quiver in -Hal's voice. - -"I don't know of any one who has had a letter;" and Mr. Terry appeared -to be measuring his words. "Joe was a nice bright lad, just as full of -fun as an egg is full of meat. Cousin Burton took a wonderful fancy to -him; though I suppose he'd have gone off to sea, any way. If it had not -been Burton, it would have been some one else." - -"Yes. Joe always had his heart set upon it." - -"Father and Joe used to get along so nicely. We never had a boy we -liked better. He was a brave, honest fellow." - -It seemed almost as if Mrs. Terry wiped a tear from her eye. But Granny -wanted to be raised in the bed, and some way Hal couldn't think until -after they were gone. - -He was thankful to see the doctor come in the next morning. - -"Oh!" he exclaimed in a low tone, "you were talking of Joe yesterday: -has anybody heard from him, or about him?" - -The hand that clasped the doctor's arm trembled violently. - -"Hal, be calm," entreated the doctor. - -"I cannot! Oh, you _do_ know,--and it's bad news!" - -"My dear boy--O Hal!" and he was folded in the doctor's arms. - -"Tell me, tell me!" in a yearning, impatient tone, that seemed to crowd -its way over sobs. - -"God knows it could not have hurt me more if it had been one of my own! -But he was a hero--to the last. There isn't a braver young soul up in -heaven, I'll answer for that. Here--it's in the paper. I've carried it -about with me three days, old coward that I've been, and not dared to -tell you. But it's all over the village. Hush,--for Granny's sake. She -must not know." - -Hal dropped on the lounge that he and Granny had manufactured with so -much pride. He was stunned,--dead to every thing but pain, and that was -torturing. The doctor placed the paper in his hands, and went into the -other room to his patient. - -Yes, there it was! The words blurred before his eyes; and still he -read, by some kind of intuition. "The Argemone" had met with a terrific -storm in the Indian Ocean; and, though she had battled bravely, winds -and waves had proved too strong. All one night the men had labored -heroically, but in vain; and when she began to go down, just at dawn, -the life-boats were filled, too few, alas! even if there were safety in -them. Nothing could exceed the bravery and coolness of the young second -mate. The captain lay sick below; the first mate and the engineer were -panic-stricken; but this strong, earnest voice had inspired every one -through the fearful night. When it was found that some must be left -behind, he decided to stay, and assisted the others with a courage and -presence of mind that was beyond all praise. The smile that illuminated -his face when he refused to step into the already overladen boat was -like the smile of an angel. They who saw it in the light of the gray -dawn would never forget. One boat drifted in to Sumatra, the other -was picked up by a passing vessel. But the few who remained must have -perished in any case, and among them no name so deserving of honor as -that of Joseph Kenneth. - -Hal read it again and again. Joseph Kenneth! Was that dear, laughing -Joe, with his merry eyes, and the sauciest trick of winking in the -corner of one; little Joe who had stood on his head, played circus, -and, with the aid of a few old shawls, been lion, tiger, elephant, -and camel; dear Joe, who had cuddled up in bed cold winter nights and -almost smothered him,--Hal; who had made ghosts out of the bolster, and -frightened Kit half to death! Why did he think of these foolish things -now? Oh, this brave Joseph Kenneth never could be their little Joe! God -surely would not give Granny this pain and anguish to bear at the last! - -A hand was laid on Hal's shoulder. - -"Oh! it can't be true"-- - -"There's just one chance out of a thousand. Hal, it seems to me -the saddest thing I ever heard, and yet so grand. You see what the -passengers said of him. Ah, I think he did not need to knock long at -St. Peter's gate!" - -The doctor wiped his eyes. - -"But--never to have him--come back"-- - -"He has drifted into a better port, my dear boy: that must be our -comfort. We shall all cross the river by and by; and it is never so -hard for the one who goes, as for those who stay and bear the pain and -loneliness. And some time it will be sweet to remember that he gave his -brave young life for others." - -Hal's eyes were tearless, and there was a hard, strained look in his -face. - -"Don't tell Granny now. She couldn't bear it." - -"No;" and Hal's voice was full of pathetic grief. - -"And oh, Hal, be comforted a little! I know there is an overwhelming -anguish in it; but for the sake of those still left"-- - -"Yes." Hal's ashen lips quivered. - -The doctor brushed away the soft hair tumbled about his forehead, and -held the cold hand in his. - -"God has some balm for every ache, my boy." - -Hal sat there until Granny called for something, every moment growing -more incredulous. But a heavy weight hung about his heart, even though -he refused to believe. It seemed as if there could not be despairing -certainty before to-morrow. - -When Kit came home on Saturday night, and just threw his arms around -Hal's neck, sobbing as if his heart had broken, it gave a strange -reality to the grief and sorrow. - -"I heard it on Monday,--the loss of 'The Argemone.' How proud Joe was -of her! And my heart's been aching for you every day. The cruel thing -of it all is, never to have him come home again." - -Dot had to be taken into confidence then; but she was a discreet little -thing, and quite to be trusted. She did not suffer so deeply, for Joe -was only a pleasant dream to her; and she tried to comfort Hal with her -sweet, winsome ways. - -Granny _did_ improve slowly. She began to sit up in the rocking-chair, -walk to the window and look out, and occasionally smile, in her faint, -wan fashion. They would never hear the merry chirruping laugh again, -Hal thought. - -But all the details of life had to be gone through with, as usual. -There was the poultry to be prepared for market; for this source of -their income could not be overlooked. In fact, Hal and Dot were not -quite as economical managers as Granny; and then every thing was very -high. They required more luxuries in sickness, and Hal would not stint. -But, when this was gone, there would be the money for the flowers, and -their little hoard in the bank still remained unbroken. - -It was not any fear of want that troubled Hal. The old dreams and -ambitions seemed to be slipping away. Sometimes even the idea of -attaining to a green-house failed to charm; though he still loved his -flowers passionately, and they comforted him as nothing else could have -done. - -One day Granny thought of Joe. - -"Have we had a letter since my illness?" she asked. - -"No," answered Hal faintly. - -"Not since--let me see,--it was August." - -Hal made no reply. - -"Why--it's strange! He never did such a thing before! Hasn't any one -heard?" - -"I believe not." Hal turned his head, and went on with some writing. - -"Seems to me you take it pretty easy," said Granny, a little vexed. -"Joe never was the one to forget his home folks. Hal, something's -happened: mark my words!" - -Poor Hal brushed away a tear. - -Then Granny gave Dot a mysterious confidence, and asked her to inquire -of Mr. Terry. - -"He always wrote to them, and they must know." - -Dot said, in return, that they had not received a letter. - -Granny then began to worry in desperate earnest, and besieged every -visitor with questions and surmises. Hal was in a sore strait. Of -course she must know sometime. - -She made herself so nearly sick, that Dr. Meade saw the danger and -harm, and felt that she had better know the truth. - -"Will you tell her?" faltered Hal. - -He undertook the sorrowful office. Tenderly, kindly, and yet it was a -cruel wound. - -"Oh, it cannot be!" she cried. "God wouldn't take him from me now that -I'm old and sick and helpless! Let me see the paper." - -They complied with her request, but the doctor had to read it. Her old -eyes could not see a word. - -"Oh, oh! Drowned in the sea! And I never wanted him to go! My poor -darling! who was always so bright, so happy, and who loved his poor -old Granny so well! Let me go back to bed now: I don't want to live. -They're all up in heaven,--_my_ Joe, and little Joe, and poor Dora. -There is no use of staying here." - -Hal soothed her with fondest love and caresses; but nothing could -change the longing in her heart, the weary look in the eyes that seemed -to be discerning the shore beyond, and the sad voice with its one -refrain, "Poor, dear Joe!" - -After that she failed rapidly. Hal scarcely left her. She used to ask -him to read all the old letters over again, from the first boyish pride -that so exulted in the trip to Albany. And she would recall some act of -tenderness, or a gay prank at which they all had laughed. - -One evening Hal felt unusually weary. There had been a warm rain for -two days, with most un-December-like weather. A fire felt absolutely -uncomfortable. He generally slept down on the lounge now, to be near -if Granny wanted any thing. Before retiring he paid his flower-room a -visit. Every thing was doing splendidly. So far business had not been -very brisk; but that morning he had received an order for the next -week,--Christmastide,--for all the flowers he could cut. - -"Dear sweet children," he said, talking softly to himself. "If I could -only have put some in _his_ coffin, and on his grave! but to think of -him lying in the sea, with the endless music over his head, and the -shells tangled in his hair. O Joe! it doesn't seem a bit true, and I -never can make it so." - -Yet he knew in his heart that it was; and he tried to remember that -Joe was up in heaven, past all pain and care, ready to welcome them as -they came, one by one,--Granny first. It would be easier to give her -up, because she was going to be with darling Joe. - -He left the door against the hall open, it was so warm; then he took -a last look at Granny, and dropped on his couch. It was a long while -before he fell asleep, and then he slumbered soundly. Once he awoke -with a shiver, and reached out for the blanket he had thrown off -earlier in the night. - -The light in the window roused him at length. How oddly it looked, -and oh, how cold! Why, the panes were frosted with a thousand fairy -devices! And then Hal sprang up, hurried into his clothes, and ran -to the flower-room. The windows were white with frost, and the thick -papers rolled to the top. Worst of all, the fire had gone out! - -For a moment Hal stood in blank despair. His beautiful buds that were -to be out in a few days, his tender, delicate plants! How had it -happened? There must have been more ashes in the bottom of the stove -than he thought; and the fire, being weak, had not kindled at all. He -tore it out with eager hands. Not a spark remained. The stove was as -cold as a stone. - -But there was no time to waste in grief. Hal kindled his fire, and then -began to drench his plants. Something might be saved. - -Presently Dot's little feet pattered up the stairs. - -"How we all slept!" she said. "And oh, dear! its as cold as Greenland, -after the beautiful summer weather. But Hal, dear, what is the matter?" - -"My fire went out." - -"Will it hurt the plants?" - -"Some of them;" and his voice had a great tremble in it. - -"Oh, it is too bad, Hal! doesn't every thing seem to happen to us?" and -tears sprang to the fond eyes. - -Hal gave a long, pained sigh. - -"Can't you save any of them?" - -"Yes: some, I think. It might have been worse." - -Dot kissed him tenderly,--it was all she could do. Then she ran down, -and began to prepare breakfast. - -The sun was rising; and Hal dropped the papers to keep it dark for the -present, and allowed his fire to come on gradually. At first he began -to take hope, for the flowers held up their heads crisply. - -Alas! by noon they showed signs of drooping; and before night the buds -of the tuberoses began to be slightly discolored. Poor Hal could have -cried out of pure sorrow. He loved them all so dearly, and it almost -seemed to him as if they suffered as well. - -But the next day the ruin was plainly established. He went about with -his scissors, clipping here and there. The heliotrope displayed a mass -of blackened clusters; but it could be trimmed for new blossoming. -Many of the more forward, choice rosebuds were ruined but the plants -were not deeply injured. The bouvardias were quite spoiled; but the -mignonette and alyssum were unharmed. - -Hal cut a few the day before Christmas, and sent them over to Mr. -Thomas. It was such a sore loss and disappointment, that it hung around -him like a heavy burden. They had been counting on the money with so -much pleasure. - -"Never mind," exclaimed Dot cheerfully. "We will not have any extra -Christmas. Granny will not be able to sit up, and there'll be no one -home but Kit." - -Hal brushed away a tear. To tell the truth, he felt miserably lonesome, -and sick at heart. Every day the sense of loss grew upon him. He had -given up hope for Granny; though she was no worse, and perhaps had -improved a little in appetite. But then she did not care to get well. -And the faces lost out of the home group made such a sad break. - -They had received two more hopeful little notes from Charlie; but, if -she was happy and prosperous, would she not be weaned away, like the -one other. Joe, in his deep sea-grave, had always been tender and true. - -"Christmas isn't much to us now," Hal answered, recalling the old -gayety. "Yet it is too bad to put such black shadows in your life, my -darling." - -"The sun has never been so bright for me, you know," Dot said, in her -sweet, soft voice, in which there was not a touch of complaint. "It -seems as if the path had grown shady before I came to it, so I don't -miss the gayety. And, while I can have you and Granny, I'll be quite -satisfied." - -"You are a comfort and a treasure. I'm so glad to have _you_, Dot, -though you were a wee baby and always sick. Now and then a neighbor -used to say,--'What a blessing it would be if that child should die!' -But Granny never thought so." - -Dot nestled closer. - -The morning had been cloudy, and about ten o'clock it commenced -snowing. They did their housework, and prepared their simple dinner. - -"I had resolved to go to town to-day, and buy some Christmas," said -Hal. "I believe we never were quite so blue before." - -"I don't suppose Kit will be able to get home this evening," Dot said -slowly. - -"No." - -"Then we'll keep it by ourselves, Hal. It will not be so very bad." - -"But to have no little gifts,--and Granny sick in bed"-- - -"It will not be a merry Christmas for us, dear; but there may be -something pleasant in it." - -Hal sighed sorrowfully. Oh, for the sweet, lost childhood! - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - - A SONG IN THE NIGHT. - - -It snowed steadily all day; and evening closed around them in the midst -of this soft, noiseless storm. The roads were beginning to be blocked -up, the houses were hooded in ermine, and no one passed by the windows. -Not a soul had been in that day. So, after the lamp was lighted, they -drew closer together. Hal read a while from a book of poems that Mrs. -Howard had lent him. - -"It is nearly bed-time," he said at length. - -"I don't feel a bit sleepy." - -"Hal," began Granny, stretching out her thin hand, "don't leave me. I -feel so strange." - -"Worse, my own dear?" - -"Not in pain, but sort of restful, as if I'd come to something--no, -I'm not afraid, Hal. I've been praying all along that I might die, and -maybe it's coming. I'm a poor old body, not worth much,--and Joe's -_there_, you know." - -She gave her head a feeble nod. Hal swallowed over a great sob. - -"When will it be Christmas?" - -"To-morrow." - -"Maybe I'll be up among the angels,--a poor, ignorant, foolish old -body like me! It's wonderful to think of! But Joe'll be there, to take -his dear Granny by the hand, and keep her from stumbling, and making -mistakes, and doing all the things that would shame or vex any one. And -Christ loved us all, you know. He died for us. I think I've understood -it better since Joe stood there on the ship, refusing to get into -the boat lest he might swamp it. He died for some one: not in _that_ -fashion, for he didn't have any sins to bear, and wasn't reviled and -wounded; but still he gave his sweet life,--his dear life that was so -much to me." - -Dot crept up to the bed. - -"After I'm gone you and Dot'll love each other. It will be sad for a -little while, but God will remember you, and bring you comfort. I've -cried to him a' many times, when it's been dark all round; and, when -all other friends fail, you'll find him true and strong. I've done the -best I could. It's been poor enough; but then I never had learnin' -and all that to help me. I took you when you were all little chaps, -motherless and fatherless, and I've tried to keep you together. But -they've strayed off, Hal. There's only you and Dot to give Granny a -last kiss." - -Dot was sobbing on Granny's pillow. - -"Don't, deary, don't," in her quivering, entreating voice. "We must -all die some time. God knows when it's best. And I ain't of any use -now, my work's all done. I'd like to see 'em all again, Hal,--dear -little things; only I never can believe they are all men and women. -And, if Flossy comes back, give her my love. She was so pretty, with -her long golden curls! I don't wonder the grand lady liked her. And -Charlie,--Charlie was such a good girl all last summer, working like a -woman! Yes--if I could only see 'em once more!" - -Hal wiped away his fast falling tears. It seemed too hard that Granny's -unselfish life should not be crowned at the last. To die here, almost -alone! - -"You remember the old Christmas, Hal? The last time we were all -together! Ah, how sweet it was! And the presents, and the old shoe -full!" - -Granny's voice sunk to a tremble of delight. - -"It was so happy, so merry! All of 'em laughing and talking, and their -bright pretty faces full of fun. But--maybe--I'll see 'em all in -heaven. Don't cry, Dot." - -Hal drew her to his breast, and soothed her with tender kisses. Then he -sat down in the old rocker, and took her on his knee. - -"There never was such a Christmas, never! I was so glad to have you -all, so proud of you! And I've done my best"-- - -"Yes, Granny, God, who watches over all things, will bear witness to -that. You were mother and father to us. And how you have toiled and -worried and made sacrifices, how you have loved us, will all be written -in the Great Book. I'm glad you are going to have a reward there." - -"I shall see Joe." - -Then she was quiet for a long while. - -"I can't remember any thing about the Christmas," said Dot with much -perplexity. - -"Tell her, Hal. I'll listen; and it will seem all fresh again," pleaded -Granny in a faint, far-off voice. - -"You were such a weeny little thing, and couldn't talk plain; but then -you had always been sick." - -"And cross," Kit says. - -"You did use to cry--sometimes; and then at others you were like a -little lamb. All children cry occasionally." - -Dot felt, somehow, as if she had not outgrown the trick yet; but the -tears fell close to Hal's heart. - -"But about the Christmas?" - -"Oh, yes!" - -Then Hal began. The preparations beforehand, the secrecy and plotting, -the stockings stuffed to overflowing, and the wildest of merriment the -next morning. It appeared to Dot that she could see it like a picture. - -"And O Hal, that we should be so lonely now! Hasn't God let us slip out -of his mind for a little while?" - -"I think not, my darling." - -"But how _can_ you always believe? Why did God let Joe die, when we -wanted him so much; and Flossy go away? And all the other things,--the -sweet pretty flowers that were frozen?" - -"My dear child, we cannot answer the questions. Trials always appear -very hard to those who have them to bear; but maybe God gives us one to -save us from some other that would be a great deal harder. And with it -there is grace to endure." - -"As when you were hurt. I wonder that you could be so patient, Hal!" -and the little arms crept up around his neck. - -"It was part my nature, you know. I used to be sorry at school, that I -wasn't like the other boys; for, somehow, I never _was_: but, when God -knew what I would have to bear, he made me patient, and almost girlish, -loving to stay in the house, and all that. If I'd been like Joe, I -should have fretted sorely when I found I should never be able to go to -sea. He was so full of life and energy, you know, so ambitious, that it -would almost have killed him. It was best to have it happen to me." - -Dot sighed, her small brain being greatly puzzled. - -"But I don't see why every one cannot be happy and prosperous. Isn't -there enough to go round to all?" - -"God knows best. And, when it troubles me sorely, I think of the -little Christ-child, who was born eighteen hundred years ago, all -goodness and sweetness and meekness, and of the trials he had to bear -for our sakes. All the lowly life, the reviling, the unbelief, the -persecution, the being homeless, and sometimes almost friendless, -and at the last the shameful death. We shall never have all that, my -darling; and so we ought to bear our lesser sorrows patiently." - -Dot made no answer. - -"My darling," said Hal, glancing at the clock, "ought you not to go to -bed? It is almost midnight." - -"And you?" reaching up to kiss the dear face. - -"I am going to stay here by Granny." - -Dot looked into his face with great awe. - -"Hal, I've never seen any one die; but I want to stay too. There's only -just you and I; and she'll want us to kiss her for the last time, when -the angels come." - -Hal pressed the little face in his trembling hands, but could not deny -the wistful eyes. - -Then he rose, and looked at Granny. She had fallen into a peaceful -slumber. It did not seem as if she could die just then; and yet, at -this hour of rejoicing, some souls were slipping out of the world. - -He came back to his seat, and to his little sister. Dot's head was -pillowed on his knee, and presently she began to drowse. Poor little -bairn! - -So he kept his vigil by himself, thinking over the old days, when they -were all here. Oh, if Granny could have seen them once more! If the -brave and lovely men and women could come back to the old home-nest, -all outgrown,--and he smiled sadly to himself,--just to clasp each -other's hands, and glance into each other's eyes, to speak some word -of comfort and blessing, to smooth the path of the dear heart yonder, -who had given herself for them without stint or grudging, a holier -sacrifice than even a mother's love. - -His mind was sorely troubled when he thought of Florence. Since -childhood she had "lain in the roses and lilies of life." They had -borne the burden and sorrow, the trials, the deprivations, days of -toil, nights of anxious care about the future. And it seemed as if none -of them had been especially prospered. She had gone to luxury at a -bound. Where was she to-night? Did any remembrance of them ever cross -her soul, amid her wealth and pleasure? - -Poor Joe again! It was the sad refrain to which his life would be -forever set, like a strain of minor music. He loved Joe so dearly! -There was such a soreness, such an aching and longing in his heart, -that it sometimes seemed as if he could stretch out his arms, and -search among the tangled seaweed until he found Joe, and lift him out -of his cold bed. One bright dream broken off in the middle. - -There had been so much to take up his attention this winter, that he -had hardly felt anxious for Charlie. Her cheerful little notes were -like stray sunbeams, and she _had_ promised to come back. Ah, if it -could only be in time to say good-by to Granny! - -Now and then he shut his eyes, and breathed a tender prayer,--that God -would keep them all; that, no matter how far they strayed from each -other, they might never stray from him. - -The lamp burned dimly in the room beyond. Granny still slept -peacefully, and Dot's baby hand was fast clasped in his. All was still -to awesomeness. Even the storm without must have ceased. - -"Hal," called the dear voice. - -Gently as he laid Dot down, the movement woke her. - -"Give me a little drink, Hal, please," Granny asked. - -He brought her some wine. - -"I wonder if there is any thing that I could eat?" - -"I left some chicken-broth on the stove to keep warm, and there is a -little jelly." - -"I've had such a nice sleep, Hal! I feel so rested! It was almost like -being in heaven, for Joe seemed to have his arms around my neck. Is it -morning?" - -"Almost." - -"Oh!" exclaimed Dot, "it is clear and beautiful, with hosts of stars! I -wonder if any shepherd watches them and thinks"-- - -"'In Bethlehem of Judea,'" said Granny in a chanting tone. "'Unto you -is born a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.'" - -"How strange it seems! Christmas morning!" - -Hal brought the chicken and the jelly. Granny ate remarkably for her. -Then he placed his fingers on her pulse. It certainly _was_ stronger. - -"I do think she is better," he said to Dot, who had followed him to the -kitchen. - -"O Hal! maybe she won't die. I never saw anybody"-- - -"She was nervous last night, thinking so much of Joe," rejoined Hal -softly in the pause that Dot did not finish. - -"I'm so glad to have her better!" - -"Children," Granny said when they came back, "it is Christmas morning, -and you ought to sing. Everybody keeps Christmas." - -Dot glanced up in tearful surprise. What was she thinking of,--angels -in heaven? - -"They sang on the plains of Judea, you know." - -An awesome chill crept over Hal. Was this the change that sometimes -preceded the last step over the narrow river? Had Granny received that -solemn call? - -"Sing," she said again. "Some of the bright Christmas hymns." - -Hal's heart was throbbing up to his throat. He did not know whether he -could trust his voice. - -"What shall it be, Dot?" - -She thought a moment. "'Wonderful Night,'" she answered. "But, oh! I -feel more like crying. I can't help it." - -The two voices rose tremblingly in the beautiful carol. - - "Wonderful night, - Wonderful night! - Angels and shining immortals, - Thronging the heavenly portals, - Fling out their banner of light. - Wonderful, wonderful night!" - -They sang until they forgot sorrow and toil and poverty, and the great -fear that overshadowed them. The soft voice of the child Dot growing -stronger, and the pain in Hal's slipping away, changing into faith and -trust. For, as he sung, he grew wonderfully calm, even hopeful. - -"It's like heaven, children! I've been thinking it all over, and God -_does_ know best. If they were all here, it would be harder for me to -go." - -The two kissed each other amid fast falling tears. When they glanced up -again a faint streak of dawn stole in at the window. - -"How strange!" exclaimed Dot. "We have not been to bed at all, only I -had a nap on your knee." Then very softly,-- - -"Merry Christmas, Hal." - -"Merry Christmas to you, my little darling." - -Then Hal looked at the fires, and hurried them up a trifle. How lovely -it was without! Over the whole earth lay a mantle of whitest ermine. -Tree and shrub were robed in fleecy garments,--arrayed for this -Christmas morning. As the sun began to quiver in the east they sparkled -with a thousand gems. - -It seemed like the beginning of a new life. Why, he could not tell, -but he never forgot the feeling of solemn sweetness that stole over -him as he stood by the window in the flower-room, looking over to the -infinite, fancying that earth and heaven met this morning; the fine -gold of the one blending with the snowy whiteness of the other. So pure -was the soul of the little child born eighteen hundred years ago. - -Within, it was all fragrance and beauty. The plains of the Orient could -not have been more odorous in that early dawn. Unconsciously he hummed -over two or three lines,-- - - "Midnight scarcely passed and over, - Drawing to this holy morn; - Very early, very early-- - Christ was born." - -They went about their simple homely duties, as if some unbidden guest -had entered, whose presence filled the space out of which a dear face -had vanished. - -"Granny _is_ better, I am sure," Dot said, preparing some breakfast for -her. - -"I am so thankful!" - -"Listen to the church-bell! How faintly it comes ploughing through the -snow; but oh, how sweet! Hal, I can't help feeling happy. I wonder if -it is wrong, when we were so sad last night?" - -Something floated through Hal's brain,--"Sorrow may endure for a night, -but joy cometh in the morning." He brushed a tear away from his eye; -but it was tenderness rather than sorrow. - -While Dot was cooking her dainty breakfast, Hal took a turn at -shovelling snow, clearing the old doorstep, and part of the path. It -made his cheeks rosy, and the fresh crisp air took the tired look out -of his eyes. - -"Granny has been asking for you," Dot said, as he came in. - -He warmed his hands, and entered the room. Dot lingered by the window, -glancing up and down the unbroken road. Not a sound anywhere. It -absolutely seemed to her as if a little bird ought to come out of the -snowy trees, and sing. - -Something attracted her attention,--a man striding along, muffled up -to the ears, looking this way and that, as if considering how best to -extricate himself from the last plunge, and make another. No, it was -not Dr. Meade,--no one for them thus early in the morning. - -Still she looked, and smiled a little. The strong, manful tread was -good to behold. When he reached the house, he paused, appeared to be -considering, then wheeled about. - -She laughed this time. He placed his hand on the gate-post, and leaped -over. It was such a boyish, agile spring! In the path he stamped off -the snow, came straight to the door, and knocked. - -Dot started, and opened it. A tall, laughing fellow, with a bronze -brown beard and swarthy cheeks, lighted with a healthful glow of -crimson. What was there so oddly familiar in the laughing eyes? - -For an instant he did not speak. Dot began to color with embarrassment, -and half turned to summon Hal. - -"Oh, it's Dot, little Dot! And you have forgotten me!" - -The rich, ringing voice electrified Hal. He made a rush in a blind, -dazed way; for the room swam round, and it seemed almost as if he were -dying. - -"Oh, it isn't Joe! dear old Joe!" - -And then Hal felt the strong arms around him. The glowing cheek was -against his, and there were tears and kisses, for Hal was crying like a -baby. I've done my best with him, I want you to observe; but I'm afraid -he will be a "girl"-boy to the end. But nothing ever was so sweet as -that clasp; and Joe's love on this side of the shining river seemed the -next best thing to the infinite love beyond. - -"Oh, I can't believe it!" he sobbed. "Did God raise you from the sea, -Joe? for we heard"-- - -"Yes," with a great tremble in the tone. "It's just like being raised -from the dead. And oh, Hal, God only knows how glad I am to come back -to you all!" - -Hal hid his face in the curly beard, and tried to stop the tears that -_would_ flow in spite of his courageous efforts. - -There was a call from the other room,--a wild, tender cry,--and the -next instant Joe was hugging Granny to his throbbing, thankful heart. -You could hear nothing but the soft sobs that sounded like summer rain, -blown about by the south wind. Ah, how sweet, how satisfying! What was -poverty and care and trouble and loss, so long as they had Joe back -again? - -"Oh!" cried Granny, "I'm willing to die now. I've seen him, my darling!" - -"Why, Granny, that would be blackest ingratitude. Here I've lived -through all my narrow escapes, and they have been enough to kill any -ten men, and, by way of welcome, you talk of dying. Why, I'll run back, -and jump into the sea!" - -"She has been very sick," said Hal. - -"But she means to get well now. Dear old Granny! We couldn't keep house -without you." - -They knew well enough then that it was Joe, and not a Christmas ghost; -for no one ever did have such a rich merry voice, such a ringing laugh, -and oh, the dear bright eyes, shining like an April sky! - -Granny looked him all over. How he had changed! A great strong, -splendid fellow, whose smiling face put new hope into one. - -"I almost feel as if I could get well," she said weakly. - -"Of course you will; for, Granny, I have the silk gown, and we'll have -just the jolliest time there has ever been in this little shanty. But -where are all the rest?" - -"Kit is at work in Salem, and he meant to come home last night; but I -suppose the storm prevented." - -"It was terrible! I've travelled night and day to reach home by -Christmas. And last night, when the trains had to go at a snail's pace, -or were snowed in, I couldn't stand it, so I took a sleigh; but we lost -the road, and twenty other things; and then the horse gave out: it was -such fearful, wearing work. And, when I came in sight of Terry's old -store, I wouldn't stop, but trudged on afoot; for I wanted you to know, -first of all, that I was safe and alive." - -"It's just like a dream; and oh, Joe, the merriest Christmas there ever -can be!" - -"Where's that midget of a Charlie?" - -"Ran away! It's very funny;" and Hal smiled, with tears in his eyes. - -"But you know where she is?" - -"I think she is in New York,--I'm pretty sure; and she has promised to -come home." - -"Well, that beats my time! Ran away! She threatened to do it, you know. -And here I've forgotten all about little Dot! You don't deserve to be -kissed nor made much of, you small woman, when you never gave me a word -of welcome, but, instead, a cold, unfriendly stare. You don't remember -Joe, who broke his delicate constitution carrying you round on his back -to keep you from crying." - -With that he caught her up, and perched her on the edge of Granny's -bed. She was very shy, and turned a brilliant scarlet. This great -strange fellow their dear, sweet Joe? She could not believe it! - -"And you really were not drowned," said Granny, still anxious. - -"Not exactly," with a droll twinkle of the eye. - -"We heard"-- - -"Yes, the brave little 'Argemone' went down, and she was a beauty. But -such a frightful storm! You can form no idea of it. Some day I'll tell -you all. Our time is too precious for the long story now." - -"And you wouldn't get in the boat," said Granny, her pale washed-out -eyes alight with pride. - -"There were three young fellows of us besides the sick captain, and we -had no wives nor babies; so it seemed right that we should give the -others the first chance. It was a miracle that they were saved. I never -thought they would be. We lashed ourselves to some timbers, and trusted -the winds and waves. What those days and nights were I can never tell -you! I know now what that brave old soldier and sailor, St. Paul, meant -when he said, 'A day and a night have I been in the deep.'" - -Hal gave the sun-browned hand a tender squeeze. - -"An Arabian trading vessel picked us up at last. We thought Jack -was dead, but after a long while he revived. We were all perfectly -exhausted. I could send no word, and then I resolved to come home just -as soon as I could. I fancied you would hear of the loss. Did that make -Granny ill?" - -"No, she was sick before." - -"But I'll get well now," she rejoined humbly. "I didn't want to, you -know. Heaven seemed so much better." - -Joe bent over and kissed her, wondering if he ever could repay the -tender love. - -"Have you ever heard from"-- - -There was no need of a name. - -"She was married more than a year ago. I wrote that to you. There have -been no tidings since." - -"Are you going to have any breakfast?" asked Dot. "My muffins will be -spoiled." - -"Yes, indeed! I'm hungry as a bear. Granny, shall I carry you out?" - -She laughed in her old cracked, tremulous fashion, good to hear. To Hal -it seemed the beginning of a new life. - -"I guess I'll lie still and think a bit, for I can't make it true. -It's just as if we watched for him last night, Hal, and to-day is a day -of great joy." - -Dot's coffee and muffins were delightful. Then she broiled over a -little of the chicken that had been left from the day before, and they -had quite a sumptuous breakfast. - -"How odd it seems to have Dot any thing but a baby!" laughed Joe. "It's -quite ridiculous for her to set up housekeeping. Small young woman, you -can't impose upon me." - -"But she is royal at it;" and Hal gave her a fond smile. - -"Now tell me all that has happened: I'm crazy to know. I believe I've -not heard a word in six or eight months," declared Joe. - -So Hal went back to the summer,--losing the school, Charlie's running -away, Granny's illness, Kit's going to Salem, the mishap of the -flowers, even the vigil of last night, when they believed Granny dying. - -"But it _will_ be a merry Christmas," Joe said with a great tremble in -his voice. "And you can never guess how glad I am to be safe and alive, -to comfort you all. Dear, dear Granny!--the best and bravest heart in -the wide world, and the most loving." - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - - IN THE OLD HOME-NEST AGAIN. - - -They sat over their breakfast, and talked a long while. And then, after -another glimpse at Granny, they went up to see the flowers, which had -begun to recover rapidly from their misfortune. - -"Why, Hal, it's a perfect little green-house, and oh, how fragrant! -There are some tuberoses coming out. What an awful shame about that -cold night! So you have wrecks on the land as well as on the sea?" - -"I don't mind now. Your return makes up for all the misfortunes. We -will have enough for some bouquets to-day;" and Hal's face was one -grateful smile. - -"And what will we have for dinner?" asked Dot. "It ought to be a feast. -I wonder if Kit will get home in time? Oh, I'll tell you! we will not -have our dinner until about three." - -"Sensible to the last, Dot. Why, it is almost ten now; and our -breakfasts have just been swallowed." - -"We will have some chickens," exclaimed Hal. - -"And a cranberry pie." - -"Who is to make it,--you, or Hal?" laughed Joe. "He used to be my very -dear Mrs. Betty. I don't know how we should ever have lived without -him. Hal, I must confess that there's some rare good fortune in store -for me. I had to stop a while in New York; and to think I should -stumble over one of the very men who was last to leave 'The Argemone.' -And he tells such a marvellous story! I suppose every thing looked -different out there in the storm and darkness and night, with death -staring us in the face; for, after all, I only did my duty, and our -poor captain lying sick too! I don't mean ever to go very far away -while--while Granny lives; but there's nothing like the sea for me!" - -"Oh!" exclaimed Hal, with a soft little sigh. - -"Well, the upshot of it was, that they, the owners, and this Mr. -Parker, made me take a little gift,--five hundred dollars. I know where -I can get enough more to build a real green-house. You see, the fall -off the hay-wagon did for you; and you'll never be a great hulking -fellow like me, fit to take the rough and tumble of life." - -Hal clasped the arm that was thrown protectingly around him. - -"No, you'll never be very strong; and you shall have the green-house. -That will set you up for old age even." - -"Dear, noble Joe!" - -"Not half as noble as you. I often used to think of you, Hal, out -there, miles and miles away, amid all manner of strange sights; and it -was my one comfort that you'd always stand by Granny. What comrades you -have been! And after this, you see, I shall be able to do my share." - -Hal winked away some tears. - -"Here's where we used to sleep. Oh! did you dream then that I'd be so -tall I should have to go round, bowing my head to every doorway, just -as if I believed in Chinese idols? And here's the old garret, where we -dreamed our dreams. Hal, my darling, I'm glad to see every old board -and crack and crevice in this blessed place!" - -They went down presently. Joe stole off to Granny again, while Hal -and Dot went about their household affairs. Hal soon had a couple of -chickens for roasting. Dot made some savory dressing, stirred up her -fire, baked her pie first, and then put the chickens in the oven. Hal -shovelled away the snow, and took out two beautiful heads of celery, -crisp and creamy. - -Dr. Meade dropped in. You may imagine his rejoicing. They made him -promise over and over again, that he would not tell a single soul in -Madison. They wanted this dear Christmas Day to themselves. - -"He's a hero to be proud of, Granny," exclaimed the doctor delightedly. -"Such a great stalwart fellow, with a beard like a Turk, and a voice -like an organ! Why, he overtops us all! Dot, if I were in your place, -I should give his pockets a wide berth; for he could stow away such a -weeny thing before your disconsolate friends would miss you." - -Dot laughed, as if she wasn't much afraid. - -"The excitement has not hurt Granny?" queried Hal. - -"No, indeed! It's better than quarts of my tonics, and gallons of port -wine. She only wanted a good strong motive to give the blood a rush -through her veins." - -"I was quite afraid last night." - -"She'll weather it through, and come out in the spring like a lark. O -Hal, my dear boy, God is wonderful! 'And so He bringeth them to the -haven where they would be.'" - -"Yes. I've been thinking of it all the morning." - -"Merry Christmas, everybody. Not a word will I say." - -Joe was still watching by the window, when another sleigh stopped, and -a brisk little figure sprang out, running up the walk. He opened the -door. - -"Hillo!" he cried. "Here comes Kit, scalp-lock, fiddle, and all." - -"Oh!" in the utmost wonder and amazement, glancing around as if -suddenly bereft of his senses. "Oh, it isn't Joe, raised out of the -sea! It can't be!" - -"Pity the poor fishes," said Joe comically. "Think of the banquet to -which they might have asked all their relations." - -And then Kit was in his arms, crying and laughing; and, if Joe's head -had not been securely fastened, it never could have stood the pressure. - -"Oh, dear darling old Joe! How were you saved? What _did_ Granny say?" - -And then the little goose had to go and cry over Granny. - -"You have really achieved a fiddle," exclaimed Joe at length. "Kit, my -dear, you are on the high road to fame." - -"Not very _high_," returned Kit. "But it's splendid to have. Hal gave -it to me, and I can play quite well." - -"We shall have to give a party some day,--a golden wedding for Granny." - -"Or a golden Christmas. O Joe! I can't believe it a bit. I was awfully -disappointed last night when it stormed, and they said I shouldn't come -home. I thought how lonely Dot and Hal would be this morning." - -The two smiled at each other, remembering the Christmas hymns in the -gray dawn. - -Dot's dinner began to diffuse its aroma around the room. What with -boiling and baking, she had her hands full. - -"Let us put both tables together," she said to Hal "It will give us so -much more room. And it's to be a regular feast." - -"Over the prodigal son," rejoined Joe. "Kit, here, who spends his -substance in fiddles and riotous living." - -"No: it is Dot who does the latter." - -Dot laughed. "You will not complain, when I ask you to share the -riotous living," she said. - -The tables were set out, and Dot hunted up the best cloth. White enough -it was too. Then the plates: how many were there? For somehow her wits -seemed to have gone wool-gathering, and she had a misgiving lest some -of them might disappear. - -"Oh!" - -Kit gave a great cry, dashed open the door, and flew down the walk, his -scalp-lock flying, until he went head first into a snowbank. - -"Kit's demented, and there's a girl at the bottom of it," said Joe. "O -Kit! you've gone the way of mankind early." - -"It's Charlie!" almost screamed Dot, following as if she had been shot -out of a seventy-four pounder. - -"Charlie! Oh, what a blessed, blessed Christmas!" - -They dragged Charlie in,--not by the hair of her head, for that was -hardly long enough. Charlie, in a pretty brown dress and cloak, a -squirrel collar and muff, a jaunty hat with green velvet bands and a -green feather. She was quite tall, and not so thin; and a winter of -good care had completed the bleaching process commenced at the mill. -She was many shades fairer, with a soft bloom on her cheek, while her -mouth no longer threatened to make the top of her head an island. - -"O Hal! and where's Granny? And"-- - -She paused before Joe. - -"Why, Charlie, you're grown so handsome that you really don't know your -poor relations." - -"It's Joe! What a great giant! Oh! when did he come?" - -"And we thought him drowned," said Dot, half crying. "We heard it ever -so long ago! It was so splendid to have him come back!" - -"Shut the door," exclaimed Hal. - -"Why, I thought it was dreadful cold," said Kit, glancing round at the -wide open door. - -"Cold isn't any word for it! If we had a cast-iron dog we should have -to tie him to the stove-leg to keep his hair from freezing off. It's -lucky I wear a wig." - -"You're the same old Joe," said Charlie, laughing. - -"But where have you been, Charlie?" - -"In New York. I've such lots and lots to tell you. But oh, I must see -Granny!" - -So Granny had to be hugged and kissed, and everybody went to look. -They all talked and laughed and cried in the same breath; and nobody -knew what was said, only they were all there together again, and Granny -was alive. - -"I intended to come home yesterday, but it stormed so fearfully; and -to-day there were so many detentions, that I began almost to despair. -But I had some Christmas for darling Granny, and I couldn't wait. See -here,"--and Charlie began to search her pockets energetically. "Fifty -dollars, Granny; and I earned it all my own self, besides ever so much -more. And I'm going to be a--a"-- - -"Genius," said Kit. "Hooray for Charlie!" - -"It's all about the pictures. Mr. Darol sold some designs for me, and I -wanted Granny to have the money; but I never dreamed that she had been -sick. And did you miss me much? I never told Mr. Darol about it until -yesterday. I suppose it wasn't right. And oh! Granny, I'm sorry if I've -given you the least mite of pain; but all the time I've been as happy -as Joe's big sunflower." - -"We shall set Granny crazy," said thoughtful Hal. - -"Oh, my dinner!" and Dot flew to the stove-oven like the "moon-eyed -herald of dismay." - -There was no damage done. The chickens were browned to a turn. She took -them out on a dish, and made her gravy, and then Hal came to help with -the vegetables. Potatoes, onions, carrots stewed with milk dressing, -cranberry sauce, celery,--altogether a fit repast for anybody's -Christmas dinner. - -"If Granny could only come?" - -"I've been thinking that we might take her up a little while at -dessert. She asked to sit up before Charlie came. What a day of -excitement!" - -"O Hal! it's all lovely. And I can't help thinking how good God was -_not_ to let her die in the night, when we were to have such a happy -day. He saw it, with the angels keeping Christmas around him; didn't -he, Hal?" said little Dot. - -"Yes, my darling." - -"And I'm so full of joy! I can't help crying every other minute! And to -think of that magnificent Charlie earning fifty dollars!" - -Hal went to summon the "children," and explain to Granny, that if she -would be very quiet, and take a good rest, she might get up when the -dessert was brought on. The old woebegone look had vanished from her -face, and the faded eyes held in their depths a tender brightness. - -She assented rather unwillingly to the proposal, for she could hardly -bear them out of her sight an instant. Hal closed the door between, but -she begged him to open it again. - -"I'd like to hear you talk. I'll lie still, and never say a word." - -A happy group they were, gathered round the table. Dot was perched up -at the head, and Hal took the opposite end, to do the carving. They -had time, then, to look round and see how pretty Charlie was growing. -The contact with refinement, and, in a certain sense, society, had -improved her very much. If any thing, she had grown still farther out -of the Wilcox sphere. - -Then she had to tell her story. - -"You really don't mean Mary Jane Wilcox?" interrupted Joe. "Why, we -used to go to school together!" - -"I never thought of them," said Hal, "when I was considering where -I could write. Then Granny was taken sick, and the bad news about -Joe,--and somehow I had a fancy that you were safe." - -"Mrs. Wilcox has been like a mother. She _is_ good, and I do like her; -but, somehow, she is not our kind, after all. But oh, if you could only -see Mr. Darol! I am going to stay a whole week, and he is coming out -here. I told them all about you, Hal." - -Hal colored a little. - -"I'm glad I went, and made a beginning. There is ever so much hard -work before me; but it is what I like. I am actually studying wood -engraving. And Miss Charteris found me some work to do in my leisure -time. She is as lovely as she can be, and a real artist. Think of her -getting five hundred dollars for a picture!" - -"And if you should ever do that!" said Kit admiringly. - -"No: I haven't that kind of genius. But they all do say that my talent -for designing is remarkable; and I shall be able to earn a good deal of -money, even if I do not get as much at one time. I'm so glad, and so -thankful!" - -They all looked at brave Charlie; and, somehow, it didn't seem as if -she were the little harum-scarum, who never had a whole dress for six -consecutive hours, who ran around bare-headed and bare-footed, and was -the tint of a copper-colored Indian. Why, she was almost as elegant as -Flossy, but with a nobler grace. There was nothing weak about her. You -felt that she would make a good fight to the end, and never go astray -in paths of meanness, deceit, or petty pride. - -Then they had to tell what had happened to them. She had all the -rejoicing over Joe, without any of the pain and anguish. For, now that -he was here, she could not imagine the bitter tears which had been the -portion of the household. - -How gay they were! There was no china on the table, no silver forks, no -cut-glass goblets; but the dinner was none the less enjoyable. There -never were such roasted chickens, nor such cranberry sauce, nor such -celery! And certainly never such glad and loving hearts. The sorrows -and successes drew them the more closely together. - -What if Granny had let them stray off years ago, to forget and grow -cold! Ah! she had her reward now. Every year after this it would pour -in a golden harvest. - -"We will have our dessert in style," said Hal. - -"Kit, please help take off the dishes, for I know Dot must be tired." - -"I will too," responded Charlie promptly. - -They gathered up the fragments, and carried them in the pantry, took -away the dishes, brushed off the cloth, and then came the crowning -glories. First, two beautiful bouquets, with a setting of crisp, -fragrant geranium leaves; then a dish of apples, rosy-cheeked and -tempting. - -"It is fortunate that I made a good large pie," said Dot with much -complacency. - -Hal bundled Granny in a shawl; but, before he could help her out of -bed, Joe's strong arms had borne her to the kitchen. Hal brought the -rocking-chair, and they made her comfortable with pillows. - -They all, I think, saw a strange beauty in her on this Christmas Day. -The little silvery curls,--they always _would_ curl; the pale, wrinkled -face; the faded eyes, with their youth and glory a thing of the past; -the feeble, cracked voice; the trembling hands,--all beautiful in their -sight. For the hands had toiled, the voice had comforted, the lips had -kissed away pains and griefs. Every furrow in the face was sacred. What -watching and anxiety and unfaltering labor they bespoke! - -Dot poured her a cup of tea: then she proceeded to cut the pie. - -"Dot, you are a royal cook!" exclaimed Joe. "We have discovered your -special genius." - -It was very delightful. Granny had a little slice, and added her -praises to the rest so lavishly bestowed. - -"There never was but one such Christmas. If I were a boy, I should -pronounce it 'red-hot,'" laughed Joe. "I'm almost sorry to outgrow the -boyish tricks and slang." - -"And you can't cool it," appended Kit, with a melancholy shake of the -head. - -"If there was one face more," began Granny slowly. - -Yes, just one was needed to complete the group. - -The sun stole softly out of the window. The happy day was drawing to a -close. Would life, too, draw to a close without her? - -"Hark!" exclaimed Dot. - -For the merry jingle of sleigh-bells ceased suddenly. Was it some -unwelcome guest to break in upon the sanctity of their twilight hour? - -A knock at the door. Charlie, being the nearest, opened it. A lady -dressed in deep mourning, and a tall, fine-looking gentleman. She -certainly had never seen either of them before. - -The veil was raised. Oh, that face, with all its fairness and beauty; -the golden hair, the lustrous eyes! They all knew then. - -"O Granny, Granny!" and Florence was kneeling at her grandmother's -feet, kissing the wasted hands, her sad, pathetic voice broken with -sobs. "I had to come: I couldn't stay away. I've been selfish and -ungrateful, and God has punished me sorely. And, when I turned to -him in my sorrow, he brought before me all my neglect, my pride, my -cruelty. O Granny! can it be forgiven?" - -"There's nothing to forgive, child." - -She kissed the sweet, wet face. At that moment she forgot every thing -save that this darling had come back. - -"Yes, there is so much, so much! You don't know. For, after I was -married, I might have come. Edmund was tender and noble. This is my -husband, Mr. Darol." - -She rose as she uttered this, and made a gesture with her outstretched -hand. Mr. Darol bowed. - -"This is my dear grandmother Edmund; and these are my brothers and -sisters. It is so long since I have seen any of you, that you seem -strangers to me." - -There was a peculiar silence in the room. - -"Oh!" with a low, imploring cry,--"have you no welcome for me? Have I -forfeited _all_ regard, all remembrance?" - -Hal came round to her side; but she was so stately and beautiful, that -he felt almost awed. - -"It is Hal, I know. Oh! take me back in your midst: for only yesterday -I buried my little baby; and I know now the sense of loss that I -entailed upon you." - -They all crowded round her then. Not one had forgotten darling Flossy. -Kisses and fond clasps. They were so glad to take her into their circle. - -"This is Joe," she said, "and Kit, and Dot. O Charlie! to see you all -once more! and to have you all alive! For I have been haunted with -a terrible fear lest some of you might have fallen out of the old -home-chain. Not a break, thank God!" - -Then she brought them to her husband. Oh, how wild she had been when -she fancied that she _might_ be ashamed of them!--this group of brave, -loving faces, full of the essential elements of nobility. - -Ah, Florence, if you had known all their deeds of simple heroism! - -Charlie helped her take off her wrappings. She had not changed greatly, -except to grow older and more womanly. - -"Granny has been ill!" she exclaimed in quick alarm. - -"Yes, nearly all winter. But she is better now. O Flossy, I am so glad -you came to-day!" and Hal's soft eyes swam in tears. - -"It was Christmas. I could not help thinking of the dear old Christmas -when we were all together. O Hal! if you could know all my shame and -sorrow!" - -"Joe," said Granny feebly, "will you take me back to bed? I'm tired -again. I'm a poor old body at the best. Then you can come and sit round -me." - -"Shall I send the driver away?" asked Mr. Darol of Florence. - -"Yes: I can't leave them to-night. You will not mind?"-- - -She glanced around as she uttered this, as if apologizing for the poor -accommodations. - -"No, I shall not mind," in a grave tone. - -Granny was carried to bed again. Hal shook up the pillow, and -straightened the spreads. Joe laid her in tenderly, saying, as he -kissed her,-- - -"You have us all home again in the old shoe!" - -The room was neat and orderly; poor, to be sure, but with a cheerful -air. Hal brought in the flowers, and Kit some chairs, and they made -quite a party. - -"But think of the dishes!" whispered housewifely Dot. "And not a clean -one for morning, we've used so many. But, oh! wasn't it elegant? And -Florence is a real lady!" - -"We had better slip out, and look after our household gods," Hal -murmured in return. - -Before they were fairly in the business, Charlie joined them. - -"Let me help too," she said. "I don't hate to wash dishes quite as much -as I used; and I am so happy to-night that I could do almost any thing!" - -They were a practical exemplification of the old adage. Many hands did -make light work. In a little while they had their house in order. - -"But what a family!" exclaimed Dot. "Where are we to put them all?" - -"I've been thinking. Florence and her husband can have my room, and we -will make a bed for Kit and Joe in the flower-room. They won't mind it, -I guess." - -"Dot can sleep with Granny, and I can curl up in any corner for -to-night," said Charlie. - -"Hal never had a wink of sleep last night. We talked and sang Christmas -hymns, and Granny thought that she would not live." - -Charlie gave a sad sigh. - -"You are angels, both of you," she answered. "And when Mr. Darol -comes,--oh! isn't it funny that Florence's husband should have the same -name? I wonder"-- - -Charlie was off into a brown study. - -"Oh!" she exclaimed, "isn't it odd? Florence's name is Darol, -and there is my Mr. Darol. Why, I do believe they look something -alike,--Flossie's husband, I mean." - -To which rather incoherent statement no one was able to reply. - -"Perhaps we had better put my room in order," suggested Hal, returning -to the prose of housekeeping. - -Dot found some clean sheets and pillow-cases. Charlie followed them, -and assisted a little. The bed was freshly made, a clean napkin spread -over the worn washstand, towels as white as snow, and every thing -neat, if not elegant. - -"Though, of course, it will look very common to Flossy," said Dot with -a sigh. "I feel almost afraid of her, she is so grand." - -"But she isn't a bit better than we are," returned Charlie stoutly. "I -think Hal is really the noblest of the lot, and the most unfortunate. -But I told Mr. Darol all about the green-house, Hal!" - -Hal colored. Charlie was a warm and courageous champion. - -Then they went down stairs. Florence still sat at the head of Granny's -bed, and had been crying. Hal remembered his hard thoughts of Flossy -the night before with a pang of regret; for, though they had been poor -and burdened with cares, death had not come nigh _them_, but had taken -Florence's first-born in the midst of her wealth and ease. - -Charlie went round to them. "Florence," she began a little timidly, "do -you live in New York?" - -"Yes." - -"I've been there since the last of August." - -"You?" returned Florence in surprise. "What are you doing?" - -"Studying at the School of Design." - -"Why, Charlie! how could you get there?" - -"It was very strange. I almost wonder now if it really did happen to -me. You see, I worked in the mill, and saved up some money; and then -I went to New York. You remember Mrs. Wilcox, don't you? I've been -boarding there. And, while I was trying to find out what I must do, I -met a Mr. Paul Darol, who is a perfect prince"-- - -"O Florence! we have heard all this story," interrupted Mr. Darol. "It -is the little girl for whom Uncle Paul sold the designs. She wanted -some money to take home, you know. He never mentioned the name." - -"Then he is your uncle," said Charlie, quite overwhelmed at her -success. - -"Yes; and you are a brave girl, a genius too. Florence, I'm proud -enough of this little sister. Why didn't Uncle Paul think,--but you -don't look a bit alike." - -And this was Charlie! Here were the brothers and sisters of whom she -had felt secretly ashamed! Joe, the dear, noble fellow; Hal, tender -and devoted; heroic Charlie; ambitious Kit; and fond little Dot. Oh! -instead, _she_ was the one for whom they needed to blush,--her own -selfish, unworthy soul, that had stood aloof the past year, when she -might have come to their assistance. How it humbled her! She even -shrank away from her husband's eyes. - -"I think Granny is growing weary," Hal said presently, glancing at the -pallid cheek. "She has had a great deal of excitement to-day; and now, -if you will come up stairs and look at my flowers, we can let her have -a little rest." - -They all agreed to the proposal. - -So Hal gave her a composing draught; and, though Joe was fain to stay, -Granny sent him away with the others. They had all been so good, that -she, surely, must not be selfish; and, truth to tell, a little quiet -would not come amiss. - -For, happy dream! she _had_ lived to see them all come back. What more -could she ask? That she might recover her health, and feast on their -smiles and joyousness; and she prayed humbly to God that it might be -so, in his great mercy. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - - WHEREIN THE OLD SHOE BECOMES CROWDED. - - -They trooped up the narrow stairs. Why, the old loom-room looked like a -palace! Hal had made some very pretty brackets out of pine, and stained -them; and they were ranged round the wall, upholding a pot of flowers -or trailing vines, and two or three little plaster casts. Here were -some bookshelves, the table surmounted by a very passable writing-desk, -Hal's construction also. But the flowers were a marvel. - -"Hal's dream was a green-house," exclaimed Florence. "But I don't see -how you found time for it all"-- - -"It has been profit as well as pleasure," said Hal with a little -pride. "Last winter I sold a quantity of flowers, and, in the spring, -bedding-plants and garden vegetables." - -"Oh!" returned Florence, choking back the sobs, "do you remember one -summer day, long, long ago, when we all told over what we would like to -have happen to us? And it has all come about." - -"Even to my fiddle," said Kit. - -"And my running away," appended Charlie with great satisfaction. - -Hal brought in some chairs. - -"We're going to sit in the corner on the floor," said Charlie; and the -three younger ones ranged themselves in a small group. - -Florence and her husband walked round to view the flowers, guided by -Joe. - -"You appear to have wonderful success," remarked Mr. Darol. "These -tuberoses are very fine." - -"They were frosted about ten days ago, and have hardly recovered. That -is, I lost most of my blossoms." - -"Oh, what a pity!" - -"And all our Christmas money," said Dot softly. - -"No matter," returned Charlie. "You can have all of mine. I meant every -penny of it for Granny." - -"And now I want to hear what you have been doing all these years. I -know it was my own act that shut me out of your joys and sorrows; but -if you will take me back"--and the voice was choked with tears. - -Hal pressed the soft hand. - -"You will find Edmund a brother to you all," she went on. "It is my -shame, that after my marriage, knowing that I could come any time, I -hesitated to take the step." - -"It is a poor old house," exclaimed Hal tremulously. - -"But holds more love and heroism than many grander mansions," Mr. Darol -said in his deep, manly tone. "Florence is right: I should like to be -a brother to you all. I honored Charlie before I fancied that I should -ever have a dearer claim." - -"And I've been a sort of black sheep," returned Charlie frankly. "Hal -and Joe are the heroes in this family." - -"It is so wonderful to have Joe safe!" - -"And to think how sad we were last night," Dot began. "We did not -expect any one to help us keep Christmas but Kit." - -"O Dot! tell me all about it," said Charlie eagerly. "I do like to hear -it so. And how Joe came home." - -Dot was a little shy at first; but presently she commenced at Hal's -losing the school, Granny's sickness, Joe's shipwreck, the trouble and -sorrow that followed in succession, the misfortune of the flowers, and -then she came to the night when Granny wanted to die and go to heaven. -Only last night; but oh, how far off it appeared! She told it very -simply, but with such unconscious pathos that they were all crying -softly Florence leaned her head on her husband's shoulder, hiding her -face. - -"And I never knew a word of it!" exclaimed Charlie with the quiver of -tears in her voice. "I didn't want to tell you about my going, for fear -you'd worry over me, or, if I should be disappointed, you would feel -it all the more keenly. But I never thought any thing sad could happen -to you." - -"I should like to hear the first part of Charlie's adventures," said -Mr. Darol. "How did she come to know that she had a genius?" - -"She used to be punished enough in school for drawing comical faces," -answered Joe. "Little did Mr. Fielder think that you would make an -artist!" - -"But I planned then to run away and live in the woods. I believe I once -took you off, Kit." - -"Yes; and we were threatened with the jail, weren't we, because we made -a fire. But how you did talk, Charlie! You were always splendid on the -fighting side." - -"I was made to go right straight ahead," said Charlie. "And, if I had -been afraid, I should never have done any thing." - -"And we want to hear how you did it," pursued Mr. Darol. - -So Charlie related her trials and perplexities, her fruitless journeys, -and her vain endeavors, until she met Mr. Paul Darol, who seemed to -understand just what she wanted. - -"I don't see how you had the courage," Florence remarked. "And if I'd -only known you were there, Charlie!" - -Charlie shrugged her shoulders. Now that the fight had been made, -and terminated successfully, she was rather glad to have gone into it -single-handed: not from any vanity, but a kind of sturdy independence -that had always characterized Charlie Kenneth. - -And then they rambled farther back, to the time of Hal's sad accident. -Perhaps the most truly noble thing about them was their fearlessness -and honesty. They were not ashamed of the poverty and struggle: there -was no petty deceit or small shams to cover the truth. - -Ah, what heroic lives they had all been, in a simple way! For it is not -only in great matters that men and women must fight: it is the truth -and endurance and perseverance which they bring into every-day events -that moulds character. Not a poor, false, or useless soul among them, -unless it was hers, Florence thought. - -Hal stole down a time or two to see Granny, who had fallen into a -peaceful sleep. And presently the old clock struck ten. Dot and Kit -were nodding. - -"I am going to put you in our old room," Hal said to Florence. "It is -the best I can do." - -"No: let me sit up and watch with Granny." - -"That is not at all necessary. Last night she was nervous. I fancy she -was haunted by a dim impression of impending change, and thought it -must mean death. Instead, it was the dearest of joys." - -"O Hal! I don't feel worthy to come among you. Not simply because I -chose to go away, to have luxury and ease and idleness, while you -were in want and sorrow; for in those old days I thought only of -myself. But, a few months after I was married, Mrs. Osgood died, and -I was quite free to choose. Don't shrink away from me Hal, though the -cowardice has in it so much of vile ingratitude. I had not the courage -to be true to my secret longings. She had filled my weak soul with her -beliefs; and I persuaded myself that my debt to her was greater than -that to my own kindred." - -"O Florence, hush! let it all go, since you _have_ come back," pleaded -unselfish Hal. - -"And then my precious baby came. Hardly four months ago. He had your -tender eyes, Hal; and they used to reproach me daily. But I made a -hundred excuses and delays. And then God took him, to let me feel what -a wrench the soul endures when its cherished ones are removed. All -these years I have been like one dead to you, without the sweet comfort -of those who know their treasures are safe in heaven. When we came back -from _his_ grave yesterday, I told Edmund my deeper shame and anguish, -my disloyalty to those who had the first claim. And if any of you had -been dead, if I could never have won Granny's forgiveness, ah, how -heavy my burden would have proved!" - -"But we all consented to your going," Hal said, longing to comfort her. - -"Because you knew how weak and foolish I was, with my sinfully -ambitious longings. And oh, if my husband had been less noble!" - -"You shall not so blame yourself on this blessed Christmas night. Is -there not to be peace on earth, and tenderness and good will for all? -And it seems as if you never could have come back at a more precious -moment." - -Hal, foolish boy, cried a little in her arms. It was so sweet to have -her here. - -After a while the children were all disposed of. Hal apologized to Joe -for the rather close and fragrant quarters. - -"Don't worry, old comrade. When you've slept on a whale's backbone, or -a couple of inches of tarred rope, you take any thing cheerfully, from -a hammock to a bed of eider down." - -Kit cuddled in his arms. Dear old Joe was the best and bravest of -heroes to him. - -Hal threw himself on the lounge, covered with shawls and overcoats, for -the bedclothes were insufficient to go around. He laughed softly to -himself. Such a houseful as this the "Old Shoe" had never known before. -What was poverty and trouble now? A kind of ghostly phantom, that -vanished when one came near it. Why, he had never felt so rich in all -his life! - -Granny was none the worse the next morning for her excitement. Dot -bathed her face, combed out the tiny silver curls, and put on a -fresh wrapper. Charlie helped get breakfast, though she was not as -deft-handed as Dot. The two tables were set again; and, when they -brought Granny out, she was more than proud of her family. - -That seemed to be a gala-day for all Madison. When the news was once -started, it spread like wild-fire. Joe Kenneth wasn't drowned after -all, but had come back safe, a great, tall, handsome fellow. Florence -had returned with her fine-looking husband; and wild, queer Charlie had -actually been transformed into the family beauty. - -"There never was a finer set of children in Madison," said Mr. Terry, -clearing his voice of a little huskiness. "And to think they're Joe -Kenneth's poor orphans! I tell you what! Granny Kenneth has been one -woman out of a thousand. Didn't everybody say she had better let the -youngsters go to the poor-house. And now they're a credit to the town. -Think of Joe being praised in the papers as he was! That went to my -heart,--his giving up a chance for life to some one else. He's a brave -fellow, and handsome as a picture. There isn't a girl but would jump -at the chance of marrying him. He will be a captain before he is five -years older, mark my words." - -Dr. Meade was brimful of joy also. He kissed Charlie, and laughed at -her for running away, and was much astonished to find how fortunate she -had been But Joe was everybody's idol. - -"I think some of you ought to be spared," exclaimed the good doctor. -"I don't see where you were all stowed last night. I have two or three -rooms at your service; and, indeed, am quite willing to take you all -in. But, anyhow, Kit and Joe might come for lodgings." - -"We put them in the flower-room," said Charlie. - -"Which accounts for their blooming appearance, I suppose;" and the -doctor pinched Charlie's ear. - -Between themselves, they had endless talks. It seemed as if all the -stories would never get told. And, strangely enough, they came to pity -poor Flossy, who, among them all, had the only lasting sorrow. - -Charlie took to Mr. Darol at once; and before the day ended they were -all fast friends. - -"I think yours is a most remarkable family," he said to Florence. -"There is not one of the children but what you might be proud of -anywhere." - -"I am so glad you can love them!" and the grateful tears were in her -eyes. - -"And, when we return home, it seems as if we ought to take Charlie. -There she will have just the position she needs." - -"O Edmund! I don't deserve that you should be so good to me. I was -longing to ask it. But I have been so weak and foolish!" - -"My darling, that is past. I will say now, that my only misgiving about -you has been the apparent forgetfulness of old family ties. But I knew -you were young when you left your home, and that Mrs. Osgood insisted -upon this course; besides, I never could tell how worthy they were of -fond remembrance." - -"And did not dream that I could be so basely ungrateful!" she answered -in deepest shame. "I abhor myself: I have forfeited your respect." - -"Hush, dear! Let it all be buried in our child's grave. Perhaps his -death was the one needful lesson. And now that we have found them all, -we must try to make amends." - -Florence sobbed her deep regret, nestling closely to his heart. - -"Your brother Hal interests me so much! It seems that he will always -feel the result of his accident in some degree, on account of a -strained tendon. He has such a passionate love for flowers, and the -utmost skill in their care and culture. But he ought to have a wider -field for operations." - -"Oh!" she said, "if we could help him. Charlie has worked her way so -energetically, that she only needs counsel and guidance. Kit and Dot -are still so young!" - -"I don't wonder Uncle Paul was attracted. There is something very -bright and winsome about Charlie. I had to laugh at her naive -confession of being a black sheep." - -"She used to be so boyish and boisterous! not half as gentle as dear -Hal." - -"But it seems to be toned down to a very becoming piquancy;" and he -smiled. - -"How very odd that she should have met your uncle!" Florence said -musingly. "How surprised he will be!" - -Dr. Meade came over again that evening, and insisted upon the boys -accepting his hospitality; so Joe and Kit were packed into the sleigh, -and treated sumptuously. - -Granny continued to improve, and could sit up for quite a while. She -enjoyed having them all around her so much! It was like the old time, -when the gay voices made the house glad. - -And so the days passed, busy, and absolutely merry. - -Charlie and Florence helped cook, and Joe insisted upon showing -how he could wash dishes. On Sunday they all went to church except -Dot,--Granny would have it so. - -On Monday Mr. Darol came. Charlie had given him very explicit -directions, but she was hardly expecting him so soon. Sitting by the -window she saw him coming down the street in a thoughtful manner, as if -he were noting the landmarks. - -"O Mr. Darol!" and she sprang to the door, nearly overturning Dot. - -"Yes: you see I have been as good as my word. How bright you look! So -there was nothing amiss at home?" - -"Indeed there was! but, in spite of it, we have all been so happy! For -everybody came home at Christmas, even Joe, whom they thought drowned. -This is my little sister Dot. And oh, this is my brother Hal!" - -Mr. Darol clasped the hand of one, and gave the other a friendly pat on -the soft golden hair. - -"I dare say Charlie has told you all about me: if she has not she is a -naughty girl. Why"-- - -For in the adjoining room sat Florence, close to Granny's chair. No -wonder he was amazed. - -"That's Florence, and you've seen her before. And Mr. Edmund Darol is -here," went on Charlie in a graciously explanatory manner. - -"They are my brothers and sisters," said Florence with a scarlet flush. - -He looked at her in deep perplexity. - -"Mrs. Osgood adopted Florence," Charlie interposed again. "It was all -her fault; for she would not allow the relation to be kept up, and"-- - -"This is your grandmother?" he interrupted almost sharply, feeling -unconsciously bitter against Florence. - -"This is dear Granny." - -He took the wrinkled hand, not much larger than a child's, for all it -had labored so long and faithfully. - -"Mrs. Kenneth," he said, "I am proud to make your acquaintance. One -such child as Charlie would be glory enough." - -Charlie fairly danced with delight to see Granny so honored in her old -days. And as for the poor woman, she was prouder than a queen. - -"You've been so good to _her_!" she murmured tremulously, nodding her -head at Charlie. - -"She is a brave girl, even if she did run away. I have used my best -efforts to make her sorry for it." - -"But oh! Mr. Darol, the work was all undone as soon as I came home. -For when I found them sick, and full of trouble, it seemed so good to -be able to take care of myself, that I think running away the most -fortunate step of my whole life." - -"I am afraid that we shall never bring you to a proper state of -penitence;" and he laughed. - -"You were so good to her!" said Granny again, as if she had nothing but -gratitude in her soul. - -"It was a great pleasure to me. But I never dreamed that I had made the -acquaintance of one of your family before." - -"He will never like me so well again," thought Florence; "but that is -part of my punishment. I have been full of pride and cowardice." - -Mr. Darol made himself at home in a very few moments, for he was -interested beyond measure. - -"It _is_ a poor place," ruminated Charlie, glancing round; "but we -cannot help it, I'm sure. All of us have done our best." - -Then she dismissed the subject with her usual happy faculty, and became -wonderfully entertaining; so much so, indeed, that, when Mr. Darol -glanced at his watch, he said,-- - -"In about half an hour my train goes down to the city. I have not -said half that I wanted to. I have not seen your brother Joe, nor the -hot-house; and what am I to do?" - -"Stay," replied Charlie; and then she colored vividly. "Our house is so -small that it will not hold any more; but Dr. Meade has already taken -in Kit and Joe, and he is just splendid!" - -Mr. Darol laughed. - -"Are there any hotel accommodations?" - -"Oh, yes! at the station." - -"Then I think I will remain; for my visit isn't half -finished, and I am not satisfied to end it here." - -Charlie was delighted. - -After that they went up to the flower-room. It seemed to improve every -day, and was quite a nest of sweets. - -"So Miss Charlie hasn't all the family genius," said Mr. Darol. "It is -not every one who can make flowers grow under difficulties." - -"They were nipped a little about the middle of the month. One night my -fire went out." - -"And it blighted the flowers he meant to cut in a few days," explained -Charlie, "so that at first there did not seem a prospect of a very -merry Christmas." - -And Charlie slipped her hand within Mr. Darol's, continuing, in a -whisper, "I can never tell you how glad I was to have the money. It was -like the good fortune in a fairy story." - -He looked at the beaming, blushing face with its dewy eyes. Ah! he -little guessed, the day he first inspected Charlie Kenneth's drawings, -that all this pleasure was to arise from a deed of almost Quixotic -kindness. - -Yet he wondered more than ever how she had dared to undertake such a -quest. Strangely courageous, earnest, and simple-hearted, with the -faith of a child, and the underlying strength of a woman,--it seemed as -if there might be a brilliant and successful future before her. - -And this delicate brother with a shadow in his eyes like the drifts -floating over an April sky,--he, too, needed a friend to give him a -helping hand. Who could do it better than he, whose dearest ones were -sleeping in quiet, far-off graves? - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - - HOW THE DREAMS CAME TRUE. - - -Charlie insisted upon Mr. Darol remaining to supper; and he was nothing -loth. - -"Dear me!" exclaimed Dot, "we shall have to echo the crow's suggestive -query,-- - - 'The old one said unto his mate, - "What shall we do for food to _ate_?"'" - -"Make some biscuit or a Johnny-cake," said Charlie, fertile in -expedients. "Dot, I've just discovered the bent of your budding mind." - -"What?" asked the child, tying on a large apron. - -"Keeping a hotel. Why, it's been elegant for almost a week!--a perfect -crowd, and not a silver fork or a goblet, or a bit of china; rag-carpet -on the floor, and a bed in the best room. Nothing but happiness inside -and out! Even the ravens haven't cried. You see, it isn't money, but a -contented mind, a kitchen apron, a saucepan, and a genius for cooking." - -"But you must have something to cook," was Dot's sage comment. - -"True, my dear. Words of priceless wisdom fall from your young -lips,--diamonds and pearls actually! Now, if you will tell me what to -put in a cake"-- - -"A pinch of this, and a pinch of that," laughed Dot. "I am afraid to -trust your unskilful hands; so you may wait upon me. Open the draught, -and stir the fire: then you may bring me the soda and the sour milk, -and beat the eggs--oh, there in the basket!" - -"Dot, my small darling, spare me! I am in a hopeless confusion. -Your brain must be full of shelves and boxes where every article is -labelled. One thing at a time." - -"The fire first, then." - -Dot sifted her flour, and went to work. Charlie sang a droll little -song for her, and then set the table. Their supper was a decided -success. Edmund came in, and was delighted to see his uncle. There was -hero Joe, gay as a sky-full of larks. It didn't seem as if any of them -had ever known trouble or sorrow. Even Granny gave her old chirruping -laugh. - -The next day they had some serious talks. Hal and Mr. Darol slipped -into a pleasant confidence. - -"I've been thinking over your affairs with a good deal of interest," -he said. "It seems to me that you need a larger field for profitable -operations. I should not think Madison quite the place for a brilliant -success. You need to be in the vicinity of a large city. And, since -three of the others will be in New York principally, it certainly -would be better for you. Would your grandmother object to moving?" - -"I don't know," Hal answered thoughtfully. - -"Floriculture is becoming an excellent business. Since you have such a -decided taste for it, you can hardly fail. I should recommend Brooklyn, -Jersey City, or Harlem. Besides the flowers, there is a great demand -for bedding-plants. You haven't any other fancy?" and he studied Hal's -face intently. - -Hal's lip quivered a moment. "It was my first dream, and I guess the -best thing that I can do. I could not endure hard study, or any thing -like that. Yes, I have decided it." - -"I wish you would make me a visit very soon, and we could look around, -and consider what step would be best. You must forgive me for taking a -fatherly interest in you all. I love young people so much!" - -Hal's eyes sparkled with delight. He did not wonder that Charlie had -told her story so fearlessly to him. - -"You are most kind. I don't know how to thank you." - -"You can do that when you are successful;" and he laughed cordially. - -They had all taken Flossy's husband into favor, and their regard was -fully returned by him. Indeed, they appeared to him a most marvellous -little flock. As for Florence, the awe and strangeness with which she -had first impressed them was fast wearing off. As her better soul -came to light, she seemed to grow nearer to them, as if the years of -absence were being bridged over. Fastidious she would always be in some -respects, but never weakly foolish again. She had come to understand -a few of the nobler truths of life, learned through suffering,--that -there was a higher enjoyment than that of the senses, or the mere -outward uses of beauty. - -They all appreciated the manner in which she made herself at home. They -gave her the best they had, to be sure; and she never pained them by -any thoughtless allusion to her luxuries. She had not lost her old art -with the needle, and Dot's dresses were renovated in such a manner that -she hardly knew them. - -Granny would never allow her to regret her going with Mrs. Osgood. - -"It was all right," she would say cheerfully. "The good Lord knew what -was best. I don't mind any of it now,--the losses and crosses, the -sorrows and sicknesses, and all the hard work. Your poor father would -be glad if he could see you, and I've kept my promise to him. So don't -cry, dearie. If you hadn't gone away, I shouldn't 'a' known how sweet -it was to have you come back." - -Florence and Mr. Darol made their preparations to return. They decided -to take Charlie back with them, and install her in her new home; though -Charlie did not exactly like the prospect of having her visit abridged. - -"I meant to stay all this week," she said decisively. "I cannot have -another vacation until next summer." - -"But you will go back with me to my sad house, and help me to forget -my baby's dead face," Florence returned beseechingly. "O Charlie! I do -mean to be a true and fond sister to you if you will let me." - -So Charlie consented; though she would much rather have staid, and had -a "good time" with Dot and Hal. - -"If Florence was not here, I should like to perch myself on a -chair-back, and whistle 'Hail Columbia' to all the world. Dear old -shoe! What sights of fun we have had in it! I am rather sorry that I'll -soon be a woman. Oh, dear! You always _do_ have some trouble, don't -you?" - -"Charlie, Charlie!" and Dot shook her small forefinger. - -Joe was going too. "But I shall be back in a few days," he said to -Granny. - -"O Joe! if you wouldn't go to sea any more,--and when you've been -a'most drowned"-- - -"O Granny! best mother in the world, do not feel troubled about me. We -are a family of geniuses, and I am the duckling that can't stay brooded -under mother-wings. It's my one love, and I should be a miserable fish -if you kept me on dry land. I have been offered a nice position to go -to Charleston; and as I am not rich, and have not the gout, I can't -afford to retire on a crust. But you'll see me every little while; and -you'll be proud enough of me when I get to be a captain." - -Granny felt that she could not be any prouder of him if he was a king. - -There was a great thinning-out again. Kit bemoaned the lonesomeness of -the place; but Dot's housewifely soul was comforted with the hope of a -good clearing-up time. - -In two days Joe returned. - -"Florence is as elegant as a queen," he reported; "not the grandest or -richest, but every thing in lovely style. Charlie went wild over the -pictures. And there are great mirrors, and marble statues, and carpets -as soft as spring-hillsides. You never imagined, Granny, that one of us -would attain to such magnificence, did you?" - -Granny listened in wide-eyed wonder, and bobbed her little curls. - -"And Darol's a splendid fellow! Flossy always did have the luck!" - -That night Hal and Joe slept in the old room, which Joe declared seemed -good. - -"We had a long talk about you, Hal. Mr. Paul Darol is wonderfully -interested in you. He is just as good and generous as he can be, and -has two beautiful rooms at a hotel. You know, in the old dream, it was -Flossy who was to meet with a benevolent old gentleman: instead, it -has been Charlie, the queer little midget. What a youngster she has -been!" - -"She is as good as gold." - -"Mr. Darol thinks her the eighth wonder of the world. But he wants you -to have the green-house; and I said I intended to help you to it. When -he found that we did not mean to take any thing as a gift, he offered -to loan the whole amount, to be paid as you were prospered." - -"How very, very generous!" said Hal with a long breath. - -"It _was_ most kind; but you cannot do much here. I believe I like the -Brooklyn project best." - -"I wonder if Granny would consent to leave Madison?" - -"I think she will. You see, I can spend a good deal of time with you -then." - -Joe was to start again the middle of January. Granny fretted at first; -but dear, merry Joe finally persuaded her that it was the best thing in -the world. - -Hal could not help shedding a few quiet tears, but then they had a -glowing letter from Charlie. She and Florence had actually been to call -on Mrs. Wilcox in their own carriage. They had taken her and Mary Jane -a pretty gift; and Mrs. Wilcox was, to use her own expression, "clear -beat." And Charlie declared that she was living like a princess. She -could come home, and spend almost any Sunday with them. - -While Hal was considering how best to inform Granny of the new project, -circumstances opened the way. In the march of improvement at Madison, -an old lane was to be widened, and straightened into a respectable -street; and one end of it would run through the old Kenneth cottage. - -Poor old Shoe! Its days were numbered. But there were no more -rollicking children to tumble in and out of windows, or transform -the dusty garret into a bedlamic palace. And yet Granny could not be -consoled, or even persuaded. - -"I never could take root anywhere else, Hal, dear," she said, shaking -her head sadly. - -"But the old house has been patched and patched; it leaks everywhere; -and a good, strong gust of wind might blow it over. We should not want -to be in the ruins, I'm sure. Then, Granny, think of being so near all -the children!" - -Granny was very grave for several days; but one evening she said with a -tremor in her voice,-- - -"Hal dear, I am a poor old body, and I shall never be worth any thing -again. I don't know as it makes much difference, after all, if you will -only promise to bring me back, and lay me alongside of my dear Joe." - -Hal promised with a tender kiss. - -Dr. Meade used to bundle Granny up in shawls, and take her out in his -old-fashioned gig; and, by the time Joe came back, he declared she was -a good deal better than new, and the dearest grandmother in the world. -I think she was, myself, even if she was little and old and wrinkled, -and had a cracked voice. - -They formed a great conspiracy against her, and took her to New York. -She never could see how they did it; and Joe insisted that it was -"sleight-of-hand," he having learned magic in China. It was very odd -and laughable to see her going round Florence's pretty home, leaning -on Dot's shoulder, and listening, like a child, to the descriptions of -the pictures and bronzes, and confusing the names of different things. -But Dot declared that it was right next door to heaven; and, for sweet -content, it might have been. Charlie almost went wild. - -It seemed, indeed, as if Florence could never do enough to make amends -for her past neglect. Edmund Darol treated Granny with the utmost -respect and tenderness. He never tired of hearing of their youthful -frolics and fun; but Charlie's running away seemed the drollest of all. - -Mr. Paul Darol, or Uncle Paul as he had insisted upon being to all -the children, took Hal under his especial protection. They visited -green-houses, talked with florists, read books, and began to consider -themselves quite wise. Then they looked around for some suitable -places. At Jersey City they found the nucleus of a hot-house, and a -very fair prospect; but, on the outskirts of Brooklyn, they found a -pretty cottage and some vacant lots, that appeared quite as desirable. - -"Indeed, the neighborhood is much better," said Mr. Darol. -"Green-houses could soon be put up, and by fall you might be started in -business. I think the sooner the better." - -Hal's brown eyes opened wide in astonishment. - -"Yes," continued Mr. Darol, with an amused expression, "Joe and I have -quite settled matters. He allows me _carte blanche_ for every thing; -and, being arbitrary, I like to have my own way. When you decide upon a -location, I will take care that it shall be placed within your power." - -"You are so good! but I couldn't, I wouldn't dare"--And somehow Hal -could not keep the tears out of his eyes. - -"I think this Brooklyn place the most desirable. It is on a horse-car -route, and near enough to Greenwood to attract purchasers thither. I'll -buy the place, and turn it over to you with a twenty-years' mortgage, -if you like. You see, I am not giving you any thing but a chance to do -for yourself." - -Hal and Joe talked it over that evening. - -"How good everybody is to us!" said Hal. "There was Mrs. Howard, when I -was so ill, and the Kinseys, while they were in Madison, and Dr. Meade, -and"-- - -"Mrs. Van Wyck, who snubbed Flossy, and prophesied that I should come -to the gallows. Hal, dear old chap, we have had ups and downs, and -been poor as church-mice; but it is all coming around just right. And -I'd take the place: I know you will succeed." - -"But eight thousand dollars; and the green-houses, and the plants -afterward"-- - -"Why, I'd be responsible for the place myself. The property would be -worth a fortune in twenty years or so. And, with Mr. Darol to hold it, -there wouldn't be the slightest risk." - -"But if I should not live"-- - -"Nonsense! I'll come in and administer. I'll be thinking about your -epitaph. Mine is already stored away for use:-- - - 'From which it is believed, - The unfortunate bereaved - Went to sea, and was promiscuously drownded.'" - -"Now, isn't that pathetic?" - -"O Joe! you are too bad!" - -"It's a sign of long life, my dear. I have had to be worse than usual, -to balance your account." - -Everybody said Hal must have the place. Mr. Darol actually purchased -it, and took Dot over to see the cottage. It was not very large, but -sufficiently roomy for them, and had only been tenanted for a year; -a pretty parlor and sitting-room, with a nice large kitchen, and -abundance of closets. The chambers up stairs were very pleasant, and -commanded a beautiful view. - -"Will it do for you, O morsel of womankind?" asked Mr. Darol. "I -propose to buy you a dog, and call you Mother Hubbard." - -Dot laughed, and blushed, and expressed her satisfaction. - -Then Hal declared they must return to Madison, and he would consider -what could be done. - -"You can count on me for three hundred a year," said Joe with his -good-by. - -They wanted Granny to remain with Florence, but she would not: so they -returned together. - -Oh, poor little cottage! The chimney over the "best room" had blown -down in a March gale, and the roof leaked worse than ever. The street -was surveyed, and staked out; and, oddest of all, Mr. Howard had -received a call to Brooklyn. - -"I suppose we must go," said Granny. "Dot needs a pretty home, and this -isn't"-- - -"The palaces have spoiled us," said Dot. "Think of having hot and cold -water in your kitchen without a bit of fuss; and a bath-room, and the -work so easy that it is just like playing at housekeeping. Why, Granny, -you and I would have the nicest time in the world!" - -Mrs. Meade had cared for the flowers while Hal was away, though they -missed his loving hand. But he decided that it would be best to sell -them all out, and dispose of the place as soon as he could. The -township offered him three hundred dollars for the ground they needed; -and presently Hal found a purchaser for the remainder, at twelve -hundred dollars. By the time of Joe's next return Hal was ready to take -a fresh start. - -One thousand was paid down; and Joe promised three hundred of the -interest every year, and as much more as he could do. Mr. Darol was to -superintend the erection of the green-house,--two long rows, joined by -a little square at the end, a kind of work-room, which could be opened -or closed at pleasure. They were built on the back part of the two -lots, and the space in front was to remain a summer-garden. The street -had a lovely southern exposure, while a great elm-tree shaded the house. - -They all came back to the Old Shoe for a farewell visit. It was June, -and they had supper out of doors; for, somehow, half the neighborhood -had invited itself. Everybody was sorry to lose Hal and Granny; and -everybody thought it wonderful that the Kenneths had prospered, and had -such luck. - -Then Florence took Granny and Dot to a pretty seaside resort, where -Charlie was to join them. Kit and Hal were to pack up whatever -household treasures were worth saving, and afterward domesticate -themselves with their brother-in-law. - -Good-by, Old Shoe! Tumble down at your will. There is no more laughing -or crying or scolding or planning for you to hear,--no tender -children's voices singing Sunday-evening hymns in the dusk, no little -folded hands saying reverent prayers. O old house, brown and rusty and -dilapidated! there has been much joy under your roof; many prayers -answered, many sorrows, and some bitter tears, that God's hand wiped -away. Every crumbling board has some tender memories. And, as Hal -and Kit sit on the old stone step for the last time, their hands are -clasped tightly, their eyes are full of tears, and neither can trust -his voice to speak. - -Good-by! The birds said it, the wandering winds said it, the waving -grasses, and the rustling trees. You have had your day, old house, and -the night has come for you. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - - CHRISTMASTIDE. - - -Hal watched the hot-houses with strange delight. They seemed to him on -a most magnificent scale. The boiler was put in, the pipes laid, the -force-pump and coal-bins arranged; then the stands of steps, rising -higher, the wide ledge by the window for small plants and slips, -lattices for vines, hooks for hanging-baskets, and every thing in -complete order. - -When Charlie rejoined Granny, Florence came back for a brief stay. She -and Edmund went over to the cottage, and measured and consulted; and -the result was, that one morning it looked wonderfully as if some one -was moving in. Hal ran to inform them of their mistake. - -The carpet-men said they had their orders, and wouldn't budge an -inch. Down went carpets and oil-cloths. Such a hammering, and -knocking-about, and unrolling! Kit stood it as long as he could: then -he went out of doors, perched himself on a pile of stone, and played on -his beloved fiddle. - -The next day there was another raid. This time it was furniture. -Florence and Edmund soon made their appearance. - -"Oh!" exclaimed Hal. - -"It is to be our gift," began Edmund. "Florence wished it so much! -She feels that she took her pleasure when you were all toiling and -suffering, and is better satisfied to make some amends. Besides, we -have an interest in Dot and grandmother." - -"And I am only going to put in the principal things," explained -Florence. "There are so many that you will prefer to select yourselves." - -The parlor and library, or sitting-room, were carpeted alike. The -furniture was in green, with here and there a bright article to relieve -it; a pretty book-case and writing-table, a _console_ for Dot's small -traps, easy-chairs in abundance, and every thing as pretty as it could -be. The dining-room and kitchen were plain, but home-like, with an -old-fashioned Boston rocker for Granny. But the three sleeping-rooms up -stairs were perfect little gems,--Hal's in black-walnut, Granny's in -quaint chestnut, and Dot's in pale green with a pretty green and white -carpet to match. - -"Why, I shall want them to come home right away!" exclaimed Hal. "O -Flossy!" - -"Dear, brave Hal! God has been good to us all. Only love me a little in -return." - -The last of August, Hal's household returned. He and Kit had provided -for them a gorgeous supper, with the best china, and a bouquet at -each plate. Granny could hardly believe her eyes or her senses. Dot -and Charlie ran wild, and made themselves exclamation points in every -doorway. - -"Oh! Oh! Oh!" - -"And the surprise!" - -"And so beautiful!" - -"That I should ever live to see it!" said Granny. - -They explored every nook and corner and closet. - -"I like it so much," said old-fashioned little Dot, "because it isn't -too grand. For, after all, we are not rich. And it was so thoughtful of -Florence to choose what was simply pretty instead of magnificent!" - -"Look at the goblets," said Charlie with a solemn shake of the head. -"Dot, if any nice old gentleman comes along, be sure to give him a -drink out of them, and put this K round where he can see it." - -"The whole eighteen, I suppose, one after another," returned Dot drolly. - -"I shall paint you some pictures," Charlie began presently; "and, Dot, -when I get to earning money in good earnest, I'll buy a piano. I used -to think I did not care much about it, and I never _could_ learn; but -sometimes, when Florence sits and plays like an angel, I can't help -crying softly to myself, though you wouldn't believe I was such a -goose. And, if you learn to play, it will be a great comfort to Hal." - -"Yes," said Dot, crying out of pure sympathy. - -They commenced housekeeping at once. Charlie was to remain with them -until the term commenced. - -"Isn't it a delight to have such splendid things to work with?" -exclaimed Dot. "Why, Granny, don't you believe we have been spirited -away to some enchanted castle?" - -Granny laughed, and surely thought they had. - -Hal, meanwhile, was stocking his green-houses. Loads of sand and loam -had to be brought; piles of compost and rubble standing convenient; and -the two boys worked like Trojans. And then the journeys to florists, -that seemed to Hal like traversing realms of poesy and fragrance. Great -geraniums that one could cut into slips, roses, heliotrope, heaths, -violets, carnations, fuchsias; indeed, an endless mass of them. Hal's -heart was in his throat half the time with a suffocating sense of -beauty. - -It was such a pleasure to arrange them! He used to handle them as if -they were the tenderest of babies. Watering and ventilation on so large -a scale was quite new to him; and he went at his business with a little -fear and trembling, and devoted every spare moment to study. - -Mr. Darol had paid the bills as they had been presented. One day Hal -asked to see them. The request was evaded for a while; but one evening, -when he was dining with Mr. Darol, he insisted upon it. - -"Very well," returned Mr. Darol smilingly. "Here they are: look them -over and be satisfied. Very moderate, I think." - -The hot-house had cost thirteen hundred dollars; soil, and various -incidentals, one hundred more; flowers, three hundred. - -"Seventeen hundred dollars," said Hal in a grave and rather tremulous -tone. "And seven thousand on the house." - -"The mortgage is to remain any number of years, you know. Joe -has arranged to pay part of the interest. And the conditions of -these"--gathering them up, and turning toward Hal, who was leaning -against the mantle, rather stupefied at such overwhelming indebtedness. - -"Well?" he said with a gasp that made his voice quiver. - -"This," and Mr. Darol laughed genially. Hal saw a blaze in the grate, -and stood speechless. - -"It is my gift to you. Not a very large business capital, to be sure; -but you can add to it from time to time." - -"O Mr. Darol!" - -"My dear Hal, if you knew the pleasure it has been to me! I don't know -why I have taken such a fancy to you all, unless it is for the sake of -the children I might have had; but that is an old dream, and the woman -who might have been their mother is in her grave. You deserve all this, -and more." - -The tears stood in Hal's eyes, and he could not trust his voice. How -dark every thing had looked only a little year ago! _Could_ he ever be -thankful enough? And that it should all come through such a ridiculous -thing as Charlie's running away! - -"I am confident that you will prosper. And I expect you all to like me -hugely, in return. When I take Dot and Charlie to operas, I shall look -to you to provide the flowers." - -"A very small return," said Hal. - -But he went home as if he had been a tuft of thistle-down on a -summer-breeze. Ferry-boat and horse-car were absolutely glorified. And -when he reached the little cottage with lights in every window, and the -dear ones awaiting him, he could only clasp his arms around them, and -kiss them. But they knew the next morning what had flushed his face, -and made his eyes so lustrous. - -"Ah, I told you he was a prince!" declared Charlie in triumph. - -And then Hal's work commenced in earnest. Every morning he spent in -his green-house, and began experiments of propagating, that were so -interesting to him. Kit assisted, and Dot ran in every hour or two, to -see how they prospered. - -Kit had come across a German musician, hardly a square off, who was -giving him lessons, and who used to wax very enthusiastic over him. -There had been quite a discussion as to what should be done with him. - -"Why, he must go to school," declared brother Edmund. "He's a mere -child yet; but he has a wonderful talent for music, it must be -admitted." - -"He might become an organist," said Florence. "That gives a man a -position." Somehow she did not take cordially to the violin. - -Kit consented to go to school. - -"But to give up my dear, darling old fiddle! It's mean, when the rest -of you have had just what you wanted,--been adopted, and gone to -sea, and had green-houses, and all that!" said Kit, half-crying, and -jumbling his sentences all together. - -"You shall keep the fiddle," said Granny. "I like it." - -Florence also proposed that Granny should have a servant. At this -Granny was dismayed. - -"A servant! Why, do you suppose I am going to set up for a queen, -because Hal has his beautiful hot-house,--an old woman like me?" - -"But Dot ought to go to school, and then it would be too much for you." - -"I am going to study at home," returned Dot with much spirit. "I -haven't any genius: so I shall keep house, and help Hal with his -flowers. And the work isn't any thing. A woman comes in to do the -washing and ironing." - -"And Hal is handy as a girl. No: I'd rather stay as we are," Granny -said, with more determination than she had shown in her whole life. - -Florence had to leave them "as they were." The simple, homely duties of -every-day life were not distasteful to them. If Granny could not have -been useful, the charm would have gone out of life for her. - -Joe was delighted with every thing, and told Granny that if he wasn't -so tall he should surely stand on his head, out of pure joy. He was to -make his head-quarters with them when he was at home. - -Miss Charteris had been added to their circle of friends, and enjoyed -the quaint household exceedingly. Hal was an especial favorite with -her, and she took a warm interest in his flowers. - -In October, Hal began to have a little business. Baskets and stands -were sent in to be arranged for winter; and now and then some one -strayed in, and bought a pot of something in bloom. He began to feel -quite like a business-man. His five hundred dollars had served to -defray incidental expenses, and put in coal and provisions for the -winter, leaving a little margin. If he could get his sales up to -regular expenses, he thought he should be content for the present. - -He took a trip to Madison one day. The cottage was nothing but a heap -of crumbling boards. Had they ever lived there, and been so happy? - -"It'll never be the same place again," said Granny, listening to the -summer's improvements. "I am glad we came away. I couldn't have seen -the old house torn down. Maybe it's the flowers here, and the children, -that makes it seem like home to me; but most of all I think it must be -you, dear Hal. And so I'm satisfied, as the good Lord knows." - -Her caps were a trifle more pretentious, and her gowns more in modern -style; but she was Granny still, and not one of them would have had her -changed. When she sat in her rocking-chair, with her hands crossed in -her lap, Hal thought her the prettiest thing in the house. - -"Hooray!" exclaimed Kit, rushing home one evening out of breath, and -covered with snow. "What _do_ you think? Granny, you could never guess!" - -"I never was good at guessing," returned Granny meekly. - -"Something wonderful! Oh, a new fiddle!" said Dot. - -"No: and Hal won't try. Well"--with a long breath--"I'm going--to -play--at a concert!" - -"Oh!" the three exclaimed in a breath. - -"And it's the oddest thing," began Kit, full of excitement. "You see, -there's to be a concert given in New York, to help raise funds to give -the newsboys, and other homeless children, a great Christmas dinner. -Mr. Kriessman has it in hand; and, because it's for boys, he wants me -to play--all alone." - -"O Kit! you can't," said Hal. "When you faced the audience, it would -seem so strange, and you would lose your courage." - -"No I wouldn't, either! I'd say to myself, 'Here's a dinner for a -hungry boy,' and then I wouldn't mind the people. Mr. Kriessman is sure -I can do it; and I've been practising all the evening. A real concert! -Think of it. Oh, if Joe can only be here!" - -Dot put her arms round his neck, and kissed him. Hal winked his eyes -hard, remembering the old dreams in the garret. - -He went to see Mr. Kriessman the next day. - -"The boy is a genius, I tell you, Mr. Kenneth," said the enthusiastic -professor. "He will be a great man,--you see, you see! He has the soul, -the eyes, the touch. He fail!" and an expression of lofty scorn crossed -the fair, full face. - -"But he has had so little practice"-- - -"It will all be right. You see, you see! Just leave him to me. And he -is so little!" - -Hal smiled. Kit did not bid fair to become the family giant, it was -true. - -Not a moment did the child lose. Dot declared that he could hardly eat. -Charlie was in high delight when she heard of it; for Mr. Darol was -going to take her and Miss Charteris. Hal hardly knew whether he dared -venture, or not. - -But Joe did come just in the nick of time, and insisted that everybody -should go, ordering a carriage, and bundling Dot and Granny into it; -poor Granny being so confused that she could hardly make beginning or -end of it. And, when they were seated in the great hall that was as -light as day, she glanced helplessly around to Joe. - -"Never you mind, Granny! I'm not a bit afraid," he whispered. "He will -fiddle with the best of them." - -'The wonderful boy violinist,' it said on the programme. "If he should -not be so wonderful," thought Hal quietly, with a great fear in his -soul. He could not tell what should make him so nervous. - -Mr. Darol came and spoke to them. "Isn't it odd?" he said with a laugh. -"Why, I never dreamed of it until Charlie told me! I wouldn't have -missed it for any thing." - -The concert began. There was an orchestral overture, then a fine -quartet, a cornet solo, and so they went on. Hal followed the programme -down. Then he drew a long breath, and looked neither to the right nor -the left. That little chap perched up on the stage, Kit? making his -bow, and adjusting his violin, and--hark! - -It was not the story of the child lost in the storm, but something -equally pathetic. Mr. Kriessman had made a fortunate selection. -Curiosity died out in the faces of the audience, and eagerness took its -place. Ah, what soft, delicious strains! Was it the violin, or the -soul of the player? Not a faltering note, not a sign of fear; and Hal -laughed softly to himself. On and on, now like the voice of a bird, -then the rustle of leaves, the tinkle of waters, fainter, fainter, a -mere echo,--a bow, and he was gone. - -There was a rapturous round of applause. It nearly subsided once, then -began so vehemently that it brought Kit out again. But this time he was -the gayest little fiddler that ever played at an Irish fair. People -nodded and smiled to each other, and felt as if they must dance a jig -in another moment. - -Joe bent over to Granny. - -"Isn't that gay?" he asked. "Kit has beaten the lot of us. Granny, if -you are not proud of him, I'll take you straight home, and keep you on -bread and water for a month." - -Proud of him! Why, Granny sat there crying her old eyes out from pure -joy. Her darling little Kit! - -"Dot," exclaimed Mr. Darol as they were going out, "we shall hear of -you as an actress next. I never knew of such wonderful people in my -life." - -"Oh, it was magnificent!" said Charlie. "And the applause!" - -"That I should have lived to see the day!" - -"Why, Granny, it would have been very unkind of you if you had not," -declared Joe solemnly. - -How they all reached home, they never exactly knew. They laughed and -cried, and it was almost morning before they thought of going to bed. - -But the notices next day were as good as a feast. There could be no -doubt now. Hal understood that from henceforth Kit and his fiddle would -be inseparable. It was "born in him," as Joe said. As for Kit, he -hardly knew whether he were in the body, or out of the body. - -Hal and Dot set about making up accounts the day before Christmas. The -three-months' proceeds had been two hundred and sixty dollars; pretty -fair for a beginning, and a whole green-house full of flowers coming -into bloom. He was on the high road to prosperity. So he fastened his -glasses, put on his coal, and arranged his heat cut-offs for the night, -and came into the house. There were Dot and Kit and Charlie, and the -supper waiting. - -"And there is the six-months' interest," said Hal. "Next year we can -let up a little on dear, generous Joe. And to-night is Christmas Eve." - -Joe rushed in. - -"What do you think, Granny? I've just come from Flossy's. They have a -beautiful little boy named Hal Kenneth,--a real Christmas gift, and no -mistake. Here's to your namesake, Hal; though, try his best, he can -never be half as good as you." - -I do believe poor, foolish Hal had his eyes full of tears, thinking -of Flossy's great joy. But Charlie and Kit cheered in a tremendous -fashion. - -After the supper was cleared away, they sat in a little circle, and -talked. There always was so much to say, and Joe liked nothing half so -well as to hear of every event that had transpired in his absence. They -all kept such a warm interest in each other! - -Somehow they strayed back to the last Christmas, and the "songs in the -night." - -"Sing again," besought Granny. - -Dot's birdlike voice was first to raise its clear notes. One hymn was -dearer than all the rest. The music quivered a little when they came to -this verse, as if tears and heart-throbs were not far off:-- - - "Wonderful night! - Sweet be thy rest to the weary! - Making the dull heart and dreary - Laugh with a dream of delight. - Wonderful, wonderful night!" - -And then a tender silence fell over them. They clasped each other's -hands softly, and the breaths had a strangled sound. Granny alive, Joe -raised from the dead, Kit some day to be a famous musician! - -Joe crept up to Granny, and kissed her wrinkled face. Somehow it seemed -as if the furrows began to fill out. - -"Oh," he said huskily, "there's nothing in the world so wonderful, -nor so sweet, nor so precious as 'The Old Woman who lived in a Shoe!' -When I think of her love, her patient toil, her many cares, and the -untiring devotion with which she has labored for us all, I feel that we -can never, never repay her. O Granny!" - -"I've been glad to have you all, God knows. There wasn't one too many." - -Not one of the loving arms that encircled her could have been spared. -There she sat enthroned, a prouder woman to-night, poor old Granny -Kenneth, than many a duchess in a blaze of diamonds. Fair Florence; -laughing Joe, with his great, warm heart; sweet, tender Hal; racketing -Charlie; Kit, with his scalp-lock waving in the breeze; and dear little -Dot,--jewels enough for any woman, surely! - -Ah, children! love her with the best there is in your fresh young -souls. Make the paths smooth for her weary feet, remembering the years -she has trudged on the thorny highway of life for your sakes. When the -eyes grow dim, bring the brightest in your lives to glorify her way. -Cling to her, kiss warmth into the pale lips; for when she has gone to -heaven it will seem all too little at the best. True, she will reap her -reward there; but it is sweet to have a foretaste of it in your smiles, -as well. Dear Granny, who has made toil heroic, and old age lovely, and -out of whose simple, every-day existence have blossomed the roses that -still render this old world bright and glorious,--Love, Labor, Faith! - - - - - THE DOUGLAS NOVELS. - - BY MISS AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. - - _Uniform Volumes. Price $1.50 Each._ - - - FLOYD GRANDON'S HONOR. - -"Fascinating throughout, and worthy of the reputation of the -author."--_Philadelphia Methodist._ - - - WHOM KATHIE MARRIED. - -Kathie was the heroine of the popular series of Kathie Stories for -young people, the readers of which were very anxious to know with whom -Kathie settled down in life. Hence this story, charmingly written. - - - LOST IN A GREAT CITY. - -"There is the power of delineation and robustness of expression that -would credit a masculine hand in the present volume, and the reader -will at no stage of the reading regret having commenced its perusal. In -some parts it is pathetic, even to eloquence."--_San Francisco Post._ - - - THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE. - -"The romances of Miss Douglas's creation are all thrillingly -interesting."--_Cambridge Tribune._ - - - HOPE MILLS; or, Between Friend and Sweetheart. - -"Amanda Douglas is one of the favorite authors of American -novel-readers."--_Manchester Mirror._ - - - FROM HAND TO MOUTH. - -"There is real satisfaction in reading this book, from the fact that we -can so readily 'take it home' to ourselves."--_Portland Argus._ - - - NELLY KINNARD'S KINGDOM. - -"The Hartford Religious Herald" says, "This story is so fascinating, -that one can hardly lay it down after taking it up." - - - IN TRUST; or, Dr. Bertrand's Household. - -"She writes in a free, fresh, and natural way; and her characters are -never overdrawn."--_Manchester Mirror._ - - - CLAUDIA. - -"The plot is very dramatic, and the _denoument_ startling. Claudia, the -heroine, is one of those self-sacrificing characters which it is the -glory of the female sex to produce."--_Boston Journal._ - - - STEPHEN DANE. - -"This is one of this author's happiest and most successful attempts at -novel-writing, for which a grateful public will applaud her."--_Herald._ - - - HOME NOOK; or, the Crown of Duty. - -"An interesting story of home-life, not wanting in incident, and written -in forcible and attractive style."--_New-York Graphic._ - - - SYDNIE ADRIANCE; or, Trying the World. - -"The works of Miss Douglas have stood the test of popular judgment, -and become the fashion. They are true, natural in delineation, pure and -elevating in their tone."--_Express, Easton, Penn._ - - - SEVEN DAUGHTERS. - -The charm of the story is the perfectly natural and home-like air which -pervades it. - - -_Sold by all booksellers, and sent by mail, postpaid, on receipt of -price._ - - - LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. - - - - - SOPHIE MAY'S "GROWN-UP" BOOKS. - - _Uniform Binding. All Handsomely Illustrated. $1.50._ - - - JANET, A POOR HEIRESS. - -"The heroine of this story is a true girl. An imperious, fault-finding, -unappreciative father alienates her love, and nearly ruins her temper. -The mother knows the father is at fault, but does not dare to say -so. Then comes a discovery, that she is only an adopted daughter; a -forsaking of the old home; a life of strange vicissitudes; a return; a -marriage under difficulties; and a discovery, that, after all, she is -an heiress. The story is certainly a very attractive one."--_Chicago -Interior._ - - - THE DOCTOR'S DAUGHTER. - -"Sophie May, author of the renowned Prudy and Dotty books, has achieved -another triumph in the new book with this title just issued. She has -taken 'a new departure' this time, and written a new story for grown-up -folks. If we are not much mistaken, the young folks will want to read -it, as much as the old folks want to read the books written for the -young ones. It is a splendid story for all ages."--_Lynn Semi-Weekly -Recorder._ - - - THE ASBURY TWINS. - -"The announcement of another work by this charming and popular writer -will be heartily welcomed by the public. And in this sensible, -fascinating story of the twin-sisters, 'Vic' and 'Van,' they have -before them a genuine treat. Vic writes her story in one chapter, and -Van in the next, and so on through the book. Van is frank, honest, and -practical; Vic wild, venturesome, and witty; and both of them natural -and winning. At home or abroad, they are true to their individuality, -and see things with their own eyes. It is a fresh, delightful volume, -well worthy of its gifted author."--_Boston Contributor._ - - - OUR HELEN. - -"'Our Helen' is Sophie May's latest creation; and she is a bright, -brave girl, that the young people will all like. We are pleased to meet -with some old friends in the book. It is a good companion-book for the -'Doctor's Daughter,' and the two should go together. Queer old Mrs. -O'Neil still lives, to indulge in the reminiscences of the young men of -Machias; and other Quinnebasset people with familiar names occasionally -appear, along with new ones who are worth knowing. 'Our Helen' is a -noble and unselfish girl, but with a mind and will of her own; and the -contrast between her and pretty, fascinating, selfish little Sharley, -is very finely drawn. Lee & Shepard publish it."--_Holyoke Transcript._ - - - QUINNEBASSET GIRLS. - -"The story is a very attractive one, as free from the sensational and -impossible as could be desired, and at the same time full of interest, -and pervaded by the same bright, cheery sunshine that we find in the -author's earlier books. She is to be congratulated on the success of -her essay in a new field of literature, to which she will be warmly -welcomed by those who know and admire her 'Prudy Hooks.'" - - - _Sold by all booksellers and newsdealers, and sent by mail, postpaid, - on receipt of price._ - - - LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Trancriber's note: - -Some missing punctuation has been inserted. - -The oe-ligature has been expanded to "oe." - - Page 12 The repeated word "the" has been deleted - Page 12 honsysuckle is now honeysuckle - Page 33 onimous is now ominous - Page 141 retty is now pretty - Page 156 slighest is now slightest - Page 283 "I b-b-leive is now lieve - Page 340 weren't me is now weren't we - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE*** - - -******* This file should be named 43659.txt or 43659.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/3/6/5/43659 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/43659.zip b/43659.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c3ab600..0000000 --- a/43659.zip +++ /dev/null |