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diff --git a/30088-0.txt b/30088-0.txt index a134f24..1647448 100644 --- a/30088-0.txt +++ b/30088-0.txt @@ -1,4826 +1,4826 @@ -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30088 ***
-
-[Illustration: Cover]
-
-
-
-
-DOROTHY DAINTY AT THE MOUNTAINS
-
-
-
-
-Popular Stories.
-
-
-BY AMY BROOKS.
-
-Each beautifully illustrated by the Author.
-
-THE RANDY BOOKS.
-
-12mo. Cloth. Cover Designs by the Author. Price $1.00 each.
-
- RANDY'S SUMMER.
- RANDY'S WINTER.
- RANDY AND HER FRIENDS.
- RANDY AND PRUE.
- RANDY'S GOOD TIMES.
- RANDY'S LUCK.
- RANDY'S LOYALTY.
- RANDY'S PRINCE.
-
-
-
-
-For Younger Readers.
-
-
-DOROTHY DAINTY SERIES.
-
-Large 12mo. Cloth. Cover Designs by the Author. Set in large English
-type. Price $1.00 each.
-
- DOROTHY DAINTY.
- DOROTHY'S PLAYMATES.
- DOROTHY DAINTY AT SCHOOL.
- DOROTHY DAINTY AT THE SHORE.
- DOROTHY DAINTY IN THE CITY.
- DOROTHY DAINTY AT HOME.
- DOROTHY DAINTY'S GAY TIMES.
- DOROTHY DAINTY IN THE COUNTRY.
- DOROTHY DAINTY'S WINTER.
- DOROTHY DAINTY AT THE MOUNTAINS.
- DOROTHY DAINTY'S HOLIDAYS.
- DOROTHY DAINTY'S VACATION.
- DOROTHY DAINTY'S VISIT.
- DOROTHY DAINTY AT CRESTVILLE.
-
-
-THE PRUE BOOKS.
-
-12mo. Cloth. Cover Designs by the Author. Price $1.00 each.
-
- LITTLE SISTER PRUE.
- PRUE AT SCHOOL.
- PRUE'S PLAYMATES.
- PRUE'S MERRY TIMES.
- PRUE'S LITTLE FRIENDS.
- PRUE'S JOLLY WINTER.
-
- A JOLLY CAT TALE. Large 12mo. Cloth. Profusely Illustrated.
- Price $1.00
-
-[Illustration: "HERE! HERE!" CRIED DOROTHY, AND ECHO ANSWERED,
-"HERE,--ERE!"--_Page 4._]
-
-
-
-
-DOROTHY DAINTY AT THE MOUNTAINS
-
-BY
-
-AMY BROOKS
-
- AUTHOR OF "DOROTHY DAINTY SERIES," "THE RANDY
- BOOKS," "THE PRUE BOOKS," AND
- "A JOLLY CAT TALE"
-
-_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR_
-
-[Illustration]
-
- BOSTON
- LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.
-
-
-
-
- DOROTHY DAINTY
- TRADE-MARK
- Registered in U. S. Patent Office
-
- Published, August, 1911
-
- COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.
-
- _All Rights Reserved_
-
- DOROTHY DAINTY AT THE MOUNTAINS
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Norwood Press
- Berwick & Smith Co.
- Norwood, Mass., U. S. A.
-
-
-
-
-CONTENTS
-
-
- CHAPTER PAGE
-
- I. AT THE CLEVERTON 1
-
- II. A DELIGHTFUL SURPRISE 21
-
- III. AN ENTERTAINMENT 42
-
- IV. IN A BIRCH ARBOR 62
-
- V. THE MOUNTAIN PARTY 81
-
- VI. THE ECHO CAPTURED 101
-
- VII. FLORETTA'S RETURN 122
-
- VIII. AT THE FAIR 141
-
- IX. FLOSSIE'S LETTER 162
-
- X. A GIFT OF WILDFLOWERS 182
-
- XI. ARABELLA MAKES A CALL 201
-
- XII. A SERENADE 222
-
-
-
-
-ILLUSTRATIONS
-
-
- "Here! Here!" cried Dorothy, and echo answered,
- "Here,--ere!" (_Page 4_) _Frontispiece_
-
- FACING PAGE
-
- Often she looked back, as she sped over the road 32
-
- "Oh, what a lovely, _lovely_ story!" said Dorothy 66
-
- With feet and hands she strove to loosen the tough,
- wiry vines 120
-
- She took a few tripping steps, smiling at her
- reflection 176
-
- She offered two cards to Floretta 210
-
-
-
-
-DOROTHY DAINTY AT THE MOUNTAINS
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER I
-
-AT THE CLEVERTON
-
-
-THE great hotel on the crest of the hill was bathed in sunlight that
-poured from a rift in the clouds, as if sent for the sole purpose of
-showing the grand portico, the broad piazza, and the flag that floated
-gracefully on the summer breeze.
-
-Its many windows seemed to be looking across the valley to opposite
-mountain peaks, and one could easily imagine that its wide, open
-doorway, smiled genially as if offering a welcome to all arriving
-guests.
-
-Two little girls ran across the lawn, the one with flaxen curls, the
-other with sunny brown ringlets.
-
-The fair-haired little girl had eyes as blue as the blue blossoms that
-she held in her hand, while her playmate's eyes were soft and brown, and
-told that her heart was loving and true.
-
-The little blue-eyed girl was Dorothy Dainty, and the child who clasped
-her hand was her dearest friend, Nancy Ferris.
-
-Nancy had no parents, and a few years before Dorothy's mamma had taken
-her under her care and protection, and she was being trained and
-educated as carefully as was Dorothy, the little daughter of the house.
-
-They had come to the Hotel Cleverton to spend the summer, and the first
-few days of their stay, they had explored all the land that lay
-immediately around the hotel, and had found many beautiful spots, but
-one thing held their interest,--they loved the echo, and never tired of
-awakening it.
-
-"Come!" cried Dorothy. "Run with me over to the white birches, and we'll
-shout, and listen!"
-
-Mrs. Dainty had told them the story of Echo, the nymph, who for loving
-Pan and following him and calling to him had been changed into a huge
-rock on the mountainside, and forever compelled to mock each voice she
-heard.
-
-The old legend of the nymph had caught their fancy, and often they
-paused in their play to shout, and listen to what seemed to them the
-voice of some fairy of the mountains.
-
-Now they stood beside the birches, Dorothy with one arm around a white
-trunk, and Nancy near her. At their feet were countless bluebells,
-overhead the blue sky, while across and beyond the valley rose the
-mountain capped by white clouds that looked as soft as swan's-down.
-
-"Here! Here!" cried Dorothy, and echo answered, "Here,--ere!"
-
-"Listen!" cried Dorothy, clasping her hands, and laughing with delight.
-"It answers as if it was a truly voice that heard and replied.
-
-"Nancy, I love you!" she cried, and again they plainly heard:--
-
-"Love you-oo!"
-
-They thought it great fun to shout and call, and hear their cries so
-cleverly repeated.
-
-And now another child ran out from the great doorway, paused a moment as
-if looking for some one, then, seeing the two little figures near the
-clump of birches, stole softly near them.
-
-On tiptoe, and with tread as soft and noiseless as a cat, she made her
-way over the short grass, until she was quite near them. Then, hiding
-behind a low bush, she watched them. How still she stood! For what was
-she waiting? Her bold eyes were full of mischief, as she whispered, "Oh,
-hurry _up_!"
-
-Dorothy Dainty put her hands to her mouth, trumpet fashion, and called:
-
-"Come and catch us!" and instantly the echo from the distant mountain
-and a shrill voice behind them, repeated:
-
-"Come and catch us!"
-
-"Oh, oh-o!" cried Dorothy, and Nancy ran to her, and threw her arms
-about her.
-
-"You ought not to frighten Dorothy like that!" cried Nancy.
-
-A saucy laugh answered her.
-
-"Well, it isn't nice to be shrieked at, and you do it just like the
-echo, you know you do, and it's enough to frighten any one," said Nancy.
-
-The little tease was not in the least abashed. She could imitate almost
-any sound that she had ever heard, and each success made her eager to
-repeat her efforts at mocking.
-
-"I made old Mrs. Hermanton fly up out of her chair, and drop her ball of
-worsted and knitting-needles, when I shouted close to her ear."
-
-"Why, Floretta!" cried Nancy.
-
-Now you think that was horrid, but _I_ tell you it was funny. She'd just
-been telling about her darling little lap-dog that died _ten years
-ago_, and she got out her handkerchief to cry, and put it up to her
-eyes.
-
-"'Oh, if I only could hear his lovely bark again!' she said, and right
-behind her chair, I said:
-
-"'Ki-yi! Yip! Yip!' and she jumped up much as a foot from her seat."
-
-Nancy laughed. How could she help it? The old lady had told every man,
-woman, and child who sat upon the piazza, how much she had suffered in
-the loss of the dog.
-
-One testy old gentleman who was troubled with gout, spoke rather
-plainly. "Madam," he said, "I've heard that story every day of this
-week, and all I can say is, I wish you had gout in your feet as I have,
-and you'd have no time to waste crying for a puppy!"
-
-He certainly was hopelessly rude, but one must admit every day is far
-too often to be forced to listen to an uninteresting tale.
-
-Floretta stood looking down at the toe of her shoe. She moved it from
-side to side along the grass for a moment, then she spoke again.
-
-"You know old Mr. Cunningham has gout, and is awful cross?"
-
-Dorothy and Nancy nodded. They did indeed know that.
-
-"Well, he sat on the piazza and laughed when I scared Mrs. Hermanton, so
-I want to know if he'll think it's funny _every_ time I do things. You
-know he puts one foot up on a chair, and every time any one touches that
-chair ever so little, he cries: '_Oh_, oh, oh!' and holds on to his
-foot.
-
-"The next time I'm near him, I'm going to make b'lieve hit my foot
-against something, and then I'll cry out, just 'zactly as he does:
-
-"'_Oh_, oh, oh!' and I'll hold on to my foot," said Floretta.
-
-"I know it's funny," said Dorothy, "but I don't think you ought to."
-
-"Well, _you_ needn't. P'raps you couldn't do it just like other folks,
-but I _can_, and I'm going to!" said Floretta.
-
-She was a handsome child, but her boldness marred her beauty.
-
-She was, indeed, a clever imitator, but she had been told so too often.
-Her mother constantly praised her cleverness, and unwise friends
-applauded her efforts, until Floretta acquired the idea that she must,
-on all occasions, mimic some one.
-
-Sometimes those whom she mocked thought it clever, and laughed when they
-had thus been held up to derision.
-
-At other times Floretta found that she had chosen the wrong person to
-mimic, and had received a sharp rebuke.
-
-This taught her nothing, however.
-
-She thought any one who did not enjoy her antics must be very
-ill-natured, while her silly mother considered that Floretta had been
-abused.
-
-While Dorothy and Nancy were talking with Floretta, they were picking
-large bouquets of bluebells and a tiny white flower that grew as
-abundantly as the bluebells, and blossomed as freely.
-
-It pleased her, for the moment, to gather some of the blossoms, and soon
-the three were too busy to talk, each trying to see which could gather
-the largest bouquet.
-
-On the hotel piazza Mrs. Paxton sat, occupied with her embroidery, but
-not too busy to talk. She was _never_ too busy to talk, if she could
-find any one to listen.
-
-Near her sat two ladies who had just arrived, and old Mr. Cunningham,
-who frowned darkly at the magazine that he was trying to read.
-
-It was not that the story displeased him that he frowned, but that he
-was bored with hearing what Mrs. Paxton was saying, mainly because she
-always said the same thing.
-
-"You see, with our wealth and position, it is impossible that little
-Floretta should ever make any use of her talents for any purpose other
-than the amusement of her friends," she said.
-
-One of the two ladies, whose fine face and sweet low voice bespoke
-refinement, looked fixedly at Mrs. Paxton, and wondered that any woman
-should be willing to boast so foolishly.
-
-The other, whose garments told of a great love of display, seemed
-interested, and even impressed.
-
-"What is her especial talent?" she asked, "I really should like to know.
-Is she musical?"
-
-"O dear, yes," Mrs. Paxton hastened to reply; "she plays delightfully,
-and she has a voice that is really quite unusual for a child; she
-dances, too, but her greatest gift is her power of imitation. She has a
-sensitive nature that is open to impressions, and she sees the funny
-side of everything. She really is a wonderful little mimic. You must see
-her to appreciate her charm."
-
-The quiet woman looked as if she thought this a doubtful accomplishment,
-but the one who had eagerly listened said:
-
-"Where is she? I should be _so_ pleased to see her. Not all children are
-so interesting. Many are dull."
-
-"And lucky they are!" growled old Mr. Cunningham, under his breath, but
-the ladies did not hear that.
-
- * * * * *
-
-"I don't want these flowers now I've picked them," cried Floretta. "You
-can have them if you want them," she said, as she turned toward Dorothy.
-
-"I can't hold any more than I have," said Dorothy, "but you could--"
-
-"Then here they go!" cried Floretta, as she flung them broadcast, to lie
-and wilt in the sunlight.
-
-"Oh, it was too bad to throw them away," said Dorothy. "I was going to
-say, if you didn't care for them, perhaps Mrs. Hermanton might like
-them. She said she liked wild flowers and used to pick them, but her
-rheumatism won't let her pick them now."
-
-"Pooh! I wouldn't have bothered to take them back to her," Floretta
-replied; and turning about, she ran back to the hotel.
-
-"Come here, Floretta!" said Mrs. Paxton. "This lady wishes to see you."
-
-Usually Floretta when asked to do anything, preferred to do something
-else.
-
-This time, thinking that she saw an opportunity for a lark, she went
-promptly and paused beside her mother's chair.
-
-"This is Mrs. Dayne, Floretta. Mrs. Dayne, this is my little daughter."
-
-Floretta looked up and smiled, but said nothing. She had never been
-taught that she must reply courteously when spoken to.
-
-Her pretty face pleased Mrs. Dayne, who was much the same sort of woman
-that Mrs. Paxton was. She wished that Floretta could be induced to
-perform.
-
-_Induced!_ She was already wondering if she would have a chance to show
-off.
-
-The opportunity came soon, and she was delighted.
-
-Mr. Cunningham had become drowsy, and his magazine dropped to the piazza
-floor.
-
-In stooping to recover it, he hurt his gouty foot, and cried out.
-
-"_Oh_, oh-o!" he cried, and like an echo, "_Oh_, oh-o!" cried Floretta,
-catching hold of her own foot and hopping wildly about.
-
-Of course Mrs. Paxton laughed gaily, as if Floretta had done a very
-smart thing, while Mrs. Dayne, who was as silly a woman as Mrs. Paxton,
-joined in the merriment, thus hoping to gain favor with her new friend.
-
-Mr. Cunningham, without a word, took his magazine and, limping
-painfully, left the piazza, and went indoors.
-
-Mrs. Vinton, an odd expression on her fine face, took her parasol from
-the chair where it lay, and went for a walk down the path toward the
-birches. She was disgusted with Mrs. Paxton, Floretta, and Mrs. Dayne,
-although she felt that the little girl was least of all at fault.
-
-She was only an untaught, untrained child, to be pitied rather than
-blamed. She knew that they would think her very unkind if she did not
-seem to approve of Floretta, and she could not laugh at cruelty.
-
-The child was indeed a clever imitator, but the fact remained that it
-_was_ cruel to mock an outcry caused by pain.
-
-Dorothy and Nancy were coming toward her, on their way toward the hotel,
-their hands filled with blossoms, faces bright and smiling.
-
-They greeted her gaily, and Dorothy offered her some of the flowers.
-
-"I'll give half to you, and half to mamma," said Dorothy. "I mean, I
-will if you'd like to have them."
-
-"It is a sweet gift, and I shall enjoy them in my room," Mrs. Vinton
-said. "I have a lovely vase that is worthy to hold such beautiful
-blossoms."
-
-"I'll divide mine between Aunt Charlotte and Mrs. Hermanton," said
-Nancy.
-
-"You both like to give," said Mrs. Vinton.
-
-"Oh, yes!" they cried together, and as she left them, Dorothy said:
-
-"Isn't she a sweet, lovely lady?"
-
-"Yes, and I like to hear her talk, her voice always sounds so pleasant."
-
-Mrs. Vinton, as she walked along the little path, her flowers in her
-hand, thought of Dorothy and Nancy.
-
-"They are two dear little girls," she said, "and add to the charm of
-this lovely place."
-
-"Would you dare to give Mr. Cunningham some bluebells for his
-buttonhole?" said Nancy. "I'd like to, but _I_ wouldn't dare."
-
-"I don't know," Dorothy said. "I'd like to, too, and he 'most always has
-a rosebud, but sometimes he doesn't. When we get back, if he's on the
-piazza, and hasn't a bud in his buttonhole, I'll try to dare to offer
-him some of these blossoms."
-
-Dear little Dorothy! She wondered if she would be rewarded with a
-frown!
-
-Floretta and her mother were not there, neither was Mrs. Dayne, but in a
-shady corner sat Mr. Cunningham.
-
-Nancy ran in to take her flowers to Aunt Charlotte and Mrs. Hermanton.
-
-Dorothy hesitated. She would have been even more timid, had she known
-how recently he had been offended.
-
-He looked up from his book, frowned, then smiled and nodded pleasantly.
-
-He had thought that Floretta had returned, and was pleasantly surprised
-to see Dorothy, instead.
-
-Softly she crossed the piazza until she stood beside him.
-
-"May I give you a few of these bluebells for your buttonhole?" she said.
-"They're only wild flowers, but they're pretty ones," she added, fearing
-that, after all, he might not care for them.
-
-"Why, thank you, my dear. I surely would like them, especially as they
-are offered me by a real little lady."
-
-He placed the cluster that she offered him in his lapel, as he spoke,
-and looked to Dorothy for approval.
-
-"They are wild flowers, truly," he said, "but I think they are quite as
-attractive as the buds I have been wearing," and Dorothy was glad that
-she had offered them.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER II
-
-A DELIGHTFUL SURPRISE
-
-
-THREE weeks had passed, and as nearly every day had been fair, the
-guests at the Cleverton had lived out of doors, appearing at the hotel
-at meal-time, and at night.
-
-Other wild flowers beside the bluebells were blossoming gaily, peeping
-up from the grass as if offering a welcome to all who looked at them;
-and even great rocks and ledges held tiny blossoming plants in their
-crevices.
-
-The pony, Romeo, had come to the mountains with the family, and seemed
-to enjoy the outing.
-
-Every morning Dorothy and Nancy went for a drive, and Romeo tossed his
-mane, and pranced as if to show his delight.
-
-One morning the pony was standing at the porch, waiting for his little
-mistress, who soon came running down the stairs.
-
-Floretta was standing in the hall, spinning a top.
-
-A sign on the wall plainly stated that children must not play in the
-hall, but that did not disturb Floretta.
-
-Deftly she wound the string, and the great top fell to the floor, where
-it hummed and spun as rapidly as if a boy's hand had flung it.
-
-She picked it up, and again wound it, this time throwing it with even
-greater force.
-
-"Look! Look!" she cried. "I b'lieve it spins faster every time I throw
-it!"
-
-Dorothy looked over the baluster at the humming top, but said nothing.
-
-She knew that Floretta had seen the notice; indeed a number of the
-children had stood in the hall when it had been tacked up.
-
-Looking up at Dorothy, Floretta noticed the whip in her hand.
-
-"Riding?" she asked.
-
-"Yes, for a little while," said Dorothy. "It's a lovely morning, and I
-mean to see how quickly Romeo will take me to the 'Spring.'"
-
-"I wouldn't care to ride horseback," said Floretta, rudely.
-
-"You won't care to spin tops in this hall if Matson catches you," cried
-a shrill voice, from an upper hall.
-
-"Pooh! I'm not afraid of Matson," Floretta said, boldly, looking up at
-the boy who had tried to frighten her.
-
-"Oh, aren't you?" said the boy in a teasing voice. "Well, he manages
-this hotel, and he'll _make_ you stop if he catches you!"
-
-"You stop, Jack Tiverton!" cried Floretta.
-
-"You'll be the one to stop!" said Jack, with a loud laugh.
-
-Dorothy crossed the hall, stepping around Floretta, who stood exactly in
-the way.
-
-Looking back, she saw Floretta show the tip of her tongue to Jack, while
-Jack, not to be outdone, made a most outrageous face.
-
-"I wish they weren't so horrid!" Dorothy said to herself, as she left
-the hall.
-
-Having mounted Romeo, with the groom's aid, she rode off down the
-lovely, shady road, the man on his horse, following at a respectful
-distance.
-
-She touched the pony lightly with her whip, and he responded by breaking
-into a gentle gallop.
-
-Dorothy's bright curls flew back from her flushed face, and she laughed
-as she flew over the road.
-
-The groom watched her admiringly, and marvelled that so small a girl
-could be such a perfect little equestrienne.
-
-The ride had brightened her eyes, and she always looked smaller than she
-really was when mounted upon Romeo.
-
-He was a handsome animal, with flowing mane and tail, and the groom
-spoke truthfully when he muttered:
-
-"Them two makes a high-bred pair. Miss Dorothy is a girl 'ristycrat, an'
-the little hoss is a hoss 'ristycrat, if ever there was one."
-
-The groom had been in the service of the Dainty family but a few
-months, but in that time he had become devoted to the little daughter of
-the house. All the servants loved Dorothy, and were almost as fond of
-Nancy Ferris.
-
-The young groom had heard Nancy's story, and he felt a deep interest in
-the little girl, who once had been a waif.
-
-Now, his pleasant face wore a smile as he followed Dorothy, and saw how
-firmly the little figure stuck to the saddle, and rode as if girl and
-pony were one and inseparable.
-
-They reached the "Spring," a spot whose beauty drew all travellers to
-it, and artists lingered there to paint, and thus perpetuate its charm.
-
-Romeo looked down at the clear stream that reflected his figure so
-perfectly.
-
-"He wants a drink," said Dorothy; "lead him to a good place, Thomas,
-please."
-
-He helped her to dismount, and then led the pony to a shady spot where
-he could drink, and enjoy the cool, clear water.
-
-Dorothy at once commenced to gather some of the lovely wild flowers that
-grew near the water's edge, but farther up the stream.
-
-"These are different from any that I've ever found here," she thought.
-
-Her hands were nearly filled with the lovely blossoms, and she was
-reaching out to grasp an especially pretty one, when a strangely
-familiar voice, just behind her, said:
-
-"I think I see some one I've _often_ seen before!"
-
-Dorothy turned, and a little cry of surprise and pleasure escaped her
-lips.
-
-There were Mrs. Barnet and dear little Flossie coming toward her, while
-very near her was the owner of the voice, Flossie's handsome,
-merry-hearted Uncle Harry! Just behind him was his lovely young wife,
-and the baby in charge of a maid.
-
-"Oh, I _am_ glad, _so_ glad to see you!" cried Dorothy. "And Flossie
-Barnet, did you know you were coming up here, when I said 'good-by' to
-you and Molly Merton at Merrivale?"
-
-"I didn't know _surely_, but I _almost_ knew," Flossie admitted, "but
-Uncle Harry said, 'Don't tell 'til you _know_,' and I didn't _truly_
-know until after you were gone."
-
-"Well, it's fine to have you here," said Dorothy, "but I do truly
-b'lieve it's almost nicer to be surprised, and have you;" and she threw
-her arm around Flossie, as she walked beside her.
-
-Tall, handsome Uncle Harry thought he saw a chance for a bit of a joke.
-
-"I wonder why some one isn't surprised to see _me_?" he said.
-
-"Oh, I am," said Dorothy, "and glad, too."
-
-"Well, thank you," said Uncle Harry; then with a face that he tried to
-make sad, he said:
-
-"But I know you aren't as glad as you were to see Flossie, because,--you
-didn't put your arm around _my_ waist!"
-
-He had tried to look very glum, but his blue eyes were laughing.
-
-Big, handsome Uncle Harry could not look woebegone, and the two little
-girls laughed at his attempt.
-
-"The barge is taking our party over to the 'Cleverton,' and I see you
-have the pony, Dorothy," said Uncle Harry. "Will you run a race with the
-barge?"
-
-"Oh, yes, yes!" cried Dorothy, "and Romeo will come in ahead!"
-
-"If he does," said Uncle Harry, "I'll surely decorate him with a blue
-ribbon!"
-
-With many a laugh and jest, and much guessing as to which would be the
-winner, the merry party clambered into the barge; Dorothy mounted Romeo,
-and they were off over the road, on the way to the hotel.
-
-The horses, like the average barge horses, were not beauties, but they
-saw the pony rush forward, and they made an effort at speed. They
-plunged forward, at what, to them, seemed a reckless pace, but the fine,
-handsome Romeo shot past them, his nostrils dilated, and his eyes
-bright with excitement. Dorothy's gay laugh rang out as she passed them,
-and Uncle Harry, as he looked after the flying figure, exclaimed:
-
-"The little fairy! I believe no other child could ride so fearlessly as
-that!"
-
-Often she looked back, as she sped over the road. Try as they would, the
-old horses could not overtake her.
-
-As soon as the barge appeared in sight between the trees, she touched
-Romeo lightly with her whip-stock, and then she laughed gaily as he
-plunged forward, the old barge rattling along far behind.
-
-She did not permit Romeo to again slacken his pace, and thus arrived at
-the Cleverton before the barge was in sight, so slow had been its
-progress.
-
-"Oh, Nancy!" she cried, "Who _do_ you think has come?"
-
-[Illustration: OFTEN SHE LOOKED BACK, AS SHE SPED OVER THE ROAD.--_Page
-31._]
-
-"Who has come?" Nancy asked. "Where are they?"
-
-"I mean you can't guess who is coming, and there they come now, Nancy,
-just look!"
-
-Nancy did look, saw the barge swinging around the curve of the road, saw
-a tiny handkerchief waving, and then a sweet little face looked out to
-smile at her.
-
-"Oh, it's Flossie Barnet!" cried Nancy, joyfully, "and her mamma,
-and,--why, yes it _is_! It's Flossie's Uncle Harry!"
-
-He heard the cry, and heard the welcome in her voice.
-
-"Yes, it's Flossie's Uncle Harry, and all the other little girls' Uncle
-Harry who care to claim him for an uncle," he said, with a laugh, as he
-lifted his little niece down from the barge.
-
-"Oh, I'm _so_ glad he came, too," said Dorothy, upon hearing which, he
-turned and lifting his hat, bowed, thus acknowledging the compliment
-that she had paid him. His eyes twinkled with pleasure, for he loved
-children, and he valued their regard. He was a big, manly fellow, with a
-warm heart, as loving, and as merry as that of a child.
-
-The Barnet party added much to the pleasure of little events and
-entertainments at the Hotel Cleverton. Flossie became, at once, a
-favorite with the other children, and her charming mother was deservedly
-popular with all.
-
-Uncle Harry, who possessed a fine voice, willingly sang whenever a
-musical program was arranged for an evening, while his lovely young
-wife, who was an accomplished pianist, played his accompaniments, or
-rendered solos, thus generously adding to the pleasure of the other
-guests.
-
- * * * * *
-
-"I tell you what it is," said old Mr. Cunningham, "that big bank of
-clouds hanging over that mountain means rain, and plenty of it, I
-believe."
-
-"I think you are right," said Uncle Harry, "and if we _do_ have a three
-days' rain, as we sometimes do, we shall have to use every effort to
-keep things humming, and so forget the storm."
-
-They had been sitting on the piazza, and talking of the days of
-uninterrupted sunshine that they had enjoyed, when, in a few minutes,
-the blue sky had been hidden, as if by a thin, pearly veil, while
-hanging over the mountain was the mass of leaden clouds that had seemed
-to prophesy rain.
-
-"Oh, _I_ don't want it to rain," wailed Floretta, who stood near them,
-her pretty face puckered into a most unpleasant frown.
-
-"I'm afraid the weather can't be arranged especially for you," said Mr.
-Cunningham.
-
-He, like all the guests, was very tired of the child who was either
-whining, or boisterously, rudely gay. Just at this point, Mrs. Paxton
-came out on the piazza, a small note-book and pencil in her hand.
-
-She hastened toward the two gentlemen, and smiled as if she were
-conferring a favor.
-
-"With the chance of a stormy evening, we are trying to arrange a program
-that will give us a pleasant evening indoors," she said. "I am sure you
-will help me."
-
-She had smiled at both, and old Mr. Cunningham, who heartily disliked
-her, was only too glad to reply.
-
-"I'm not musical, madam," he said, "but I'll whistle 'Hail Columbia' for
-you, if you will promise not to reprimand me if I get off the key."
-
-"Dear, dear!" she cried. "You are always so amusing. One never knows if
-you are joking, or serious."
-
-"It would be very serious, and no joke, I assure you, if you were
-actually obliged to listen to my whistling," was the curt reply, and he
-turned once more to scan the sky and the distant mountains.
-
-Uncle Harry, of course, agreed to sing, his wife promised to play, and
-Mrs. Paxton moved toward where Mrs. Dainty and her companion, Aunt
-Charlotte, were sitting, with Dorothy and Nancy near them.
-
-"Will your little daughter sing for us this evening?" she asked. "We
-are eager to have quite a fine program."
-
-"Dorothy shall sing for you, surely," Mrs. Dainty said, "and Nancy, I am
-sure, will give a little solo."
-
-"Oh, does Nancy sing or play?" Mrs. Paxton asked, in surprise, for thus
-far Nancy had not exhibited her talent, whatever it might be.
-
-"She will give you a solo that shall be neither singing nor playing,"
-Mrs. Dainty replied, with a quiet smile.
-
-"How very interesting!" said Mrs. Paxton. She had invited Dorothy to
-sing because other guests had expressed the wish to hear her.
-
-Here was a _second_ child with talent of _some_ kind! Well, Floretta's
-imitations of other people would certainly eclipse the efforts of the
-other little girls! Mrs. Paxton's sole idea in arranging the
-entertainment was for the purpose of showing Floretta's mimicry.
-
-A small figure paused a moment in the doorway, then stepped back, and
-peeped out, scanning the groups upon the piazza.
-
-"She isn't there!" he whispered. "She's backed out, an' she _said_ she'd
-do it!"
-
-He drew back into the shadow, and waited, hoping that when he looked
-again he might see her.
-
-A second peep at the guests on the piazza showed that Floretta was not
-among them.
-
-"She didn't _try_ to do it!" he muttered.
-
-He held something in his hand, which he kept behind his back.
-
-He was about to peep again when a light hand touched his shoulder.
-
-He turned, and there stood Floretta, looking prettier than usual in her
-short white frock, white shoes, and pink hair ribbons.
-
-"Did you get one?" whispered Jack.
-
-"Look!" said Floretta, and from behind her back she produced a long
-corn-cob. "I took mine from the table at noon, when ma wasn't looking,
-and ran from the dining-room, and hid it in our room," said Floretta.
-"How did you get yours?"
-
-"I asked the head waiter to get mine for me," said Jack, "and he acted
-as if he thought me a ninny. He gave it to me all the same, and asked
-what I was up to. I didn't tell him, though."
-
-They giggled softly.
-
-"Ready?" whispered Jack, softly.
-
-"Yes," whispered Floretta, and then, with corn-cobs held to their
-mouths, and their fingers working as if playing upon flutes, they
-marched out on to the piazza, loudly singing, "Hail Columbia."
-
-Some of the guests laughed, none so loudly as Mrs. Paxton, who declared
-that it taxed her intellect to imagine what put such outrageously funny
-notions into children's heads.
-
-"I can answer that, madam, and without trying very hard, either. It's
-Satan, madam, Satan, who from watching their actions, takes them to be
-his near relatives," said Mr. Cunningham.
-
-Meanwhile the little procession of two, encouraged by the laughter,
-marched in and out between the groups of guests, until unlucky Floretta
-let her corn-cob slip from her fingers, the moist, sticky thing falling
-upon the light silk skirt of a lady who sat near Mrs. Paxton.
-
-"There, there, Floretta, never mind," said Mrs. Paxton; then turning to
-the wearer of the gown, she said, "I don't think it will stain it in the
-least. Children will be children, and must have their fun!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER III
-
-AN ENTERTAINMENT
-
-
-MRS. PAXTON had laughed at what she chose to call the "funny" antics of
-Floretta and Jack, but in truth, she had been very angry.
-
-She swept from the piazza, Floretta, firmly grasped, walking beside her.
-Jack Tiverton's mother took him to her room, where she could talk to
-him, without fear of interruption.
-
-Floretta sat on a low divan, sullen and obstinate.
-
-For twenty minutes she had listened, while her mother had told what a
-disrespectful thing she had done.
-
-"I don't see how it was not respectful," grumbled Floretta, "we were
-just having a little fun."
-
-"And it was fun at my expense," said Mrs. Paxton. "I was annoyed, just
-when I was making plans for a _fine_ entertainment, to have you and that
-boy parade out on to the piazza with those old corn-cobs, singing, or
-rather _howling_, like young savages!"
-
-This, and much more Floretta was forced to listen to, but during the
-remainder of the scolding, she did not speak, or reply in any way.
-
-She was still very sullen when her mother left the room, and no one saw
-her until she appeared in the dining-room at dinner.
-
-She tasted one dish after another, but managed to eat but little dinner.
-She wished her mother to think that the scolding had made her ill.
-
-It proved to be wasted effort. Mrs. Paxton had been so interested in
-what Mrs. Dayne was saying that she had not noticed that Floretta let
-the various courses go untasted.
-
-She had hoped to worry her mother, but had only punished herself!
-
-She was very hungry when they left the table, and also very angry.
-
-"I might just as well have eaten my dinner," she muttered, "she never
-noticed that I didn't."
-
-When the hour arrived that had been set for the concert, every guest was
-present, and all were talking and laughing gaily, and very glad that an
-evening's amusement had been provided.
-
-Outside, the rain was descending in torrents, while a cold wind whistled
-around the corners, as if demanding admittance.
-
-Indoors the heavy red hangings were drawn over the lace draperies, great
-logs blazed in the fireplaces, while over all softly shaded lights gave
-an air of cozy comfort that made one feel sheltered and safe from the
-storm.
-
-A group of ladies sat chatting together, and one, a recent arrival, was
-saying that she had understood that children were not permitted as
-guests at the Cleverton.
-
-"There are only a few children here," Mrs. Vinton said, "and some of
-them are charming."
-
-"While others are _not_?" questioned the stranger, with an odd smile.
-
-"I'd rather not say just that," Mrs. Vinton said, "but I will say that
-Mrs. Dainty's little daughter, and Dorothy's little friend, Nancy, and
-Flossie Barnet, are three of the sweetest children I have ever met. My
-stay here is brighter and far pleasanter because they are also here."
-
-"Dorothy Dainty is an unusually fine singer for a child," another lady
-said, "and she is to sing for us to-night. I believe Nancy Ferris is to
-do something, but I do not know what. Does any one know if Nancy sings?"
-
-"I've not the least idea what her talent is," said a pleasant-voiced
-matron, "but she is such a bright, interesting child that I feel sure
-that whatever she is able to do at all, she will do exceedingly well."
-
-"Aunt Vera is to play a solo for the first number," said little Flossie
-Barnet, to a lady who sat near her.
-
-"That is delightful," said the lady, "and what are you to do?"
-
-"Oh, I'll listen, and listen," said Flossie, "and then, I'll clap to
-show how much I liked what the people did."
-
-"And your friend Dorothy is to sing," said the lady, "do you know what
-Nancy does?"
-
-"Oh, yes, I do!" cried Flossie, "and she does it so lovely, you'll
-wonder how she could! I'm not to tell _what_ she'll do, none of us are
-to tell. You'll _see_ when she does it!"
-
-"Dear little girl, you seem quite as happy as if you were to be a
-soloist," said the lady.
-
-"Why, yes," said Flossie, "for when the other little girls do pretty
-things, I see them, but I couldn't see myself do anything!"
-
-"Oh, you sweet, funny little girl," the pleasant-faced lady said, as she
-drew Flossie closer, "I never knew so dear a child."
-
-"Dorothy and Nancy are dear," said Flossie, "and oh, you haven't seen
-Molly Merton! She's another one of my little friends, and she's _always_
-lovely to play with. We're always together when I'm at home at
-Merrivale."
-
-Before the lady could express regret that she did not know Molly, the
-orchestra began the opening chords of an overture.
-
-The musicians gave an afternoon and evening concert daily, throughout
-the season, but to-night their numbers were to be interspersed with
-solos given by the guests.
-
-The orchestra was generously applauded, and then a slender figure in a
-gown of soft, pink satin seated itself at the piano, and with light
-touch and brilliant execution, played a rondo that delighted all.
-
-In response to repeated applause, she played the "Caprice Hongroise,"
-which aroused wild enthusiasm.
-
-She smiled, and bowed gracefully in acknowledgment, then turning toward
-her husband, who now stood beside her, took from his hand the duplicate
-of the song that he was to sing. She always played his accompaniments.
-
-How full of music was his rare voice, how like the tones of a silver
-trumpet when he sang "A Song of the Sea," how tender his tones when for
-a second number, he sang an "Italian Love Song!"
-
-"Didn't he sing _fine_, just _fine_?" Flossie asked, eagerly.
-
-"Indeed he did," the lady replied, "I never heard a more excellent
-voice."
-
-"Well, he's my own Uncle Harry!" said Flossie, a world of love and pride
-in her voice.
-
-A young girl played a serenade on the guitar, and a member of the
-orchestra played a waltz for violin, and both were encored.
-
-Those who were to perform were in a small room awaiting their turn. They
-were laughing and chatting while they waited, and all, save a little
-girl, who kept apart from the others, seemed bright and happy. Her eyes
-were dull, and her red lips pouting. It was Floretta Paxton, and she was
-watching Nancy Ferris, noticing every detail of her costume, and looking
-as unpleasant as possible.
-
-Nancy wore a frock of white gauze, thickly strewn with tiny gold
-spangles. Her girdle was white satin, her slippers were white, and she
-wore a cluster of pink rosebuds in her hair.
-
-"What's she going to do?" Floretta asked in a fretful voice, but Mrs.
-Paxton, who stood beside her, could not tell her that. She knew no more
-of Nancy's talent than Floretta did.
-
-Floretta had been angry in the afternoon; she had foolishly refused
-dinner, and was very hungry; she was made more angry because hers was
-not the first number on the program, and now, here was Nancy Ferris
-wearing a beautiful frock that far outshone her own!
-
-She was wearing a simple pink muslin, and had felt that she was finely
-dressed, until Nancy appeared.
-
-The satin girdle, the white slippers, and the spangles were more than
-she could forgive.
-
-"What's she going to _do?_" she asked again, more fretfully than before.
-
-"I _don't know_," Mrs. Paxton said.
-
-"Well, I won't do a thing 'til I do know!" said Floretta.
-
-Silly little girl! Always a jealous child, she now thought that Nancy
-_might_ be another impersonator or imitator, and she was nearly wild.
-
-The orchestra was now playing a dreamy waltz. Nancy's foot tapped the
-measure. Her eyes were brighter.
-
-"What _is_ she going to do?" whispered Floretta.
-
-The tall man, who had been announcing the numbers, now swung aside the
-portière, and Nancy slipped from her chair, ran out upon the stage, and
-then,--oh, the fairy motion of her arms, the lightness with which, on
-the tips of her toes, she flew across the stage!
-
-With her finger-tips she lifted the hem of her skirt, and courtesied
-low, then away in a dreamy whirl she sped, turning to look over her
-shoulder, and laugh at the faces that showed greatest surprise.
-
-On swept the strains of sweetest music, and little Nancy, carried away
-with love of the music, danced more charmingly than ever before.
-
-Aunt Charlotte and Mrs. Dainty watched her flying figure, and often as
-they had seen her, they knew that she was excelling herself.
-
-"Nancy, Nancy, dear child!" murmured Aunt Charlotte.
-
-Now, with her feet crossed, and still on the tips of her toes she
-whirled like a top, did the graceful rocking step, swayed like a flower
-in the wind, whirled about again, courtesied once more, and laughing
-like a merry, dark-eyed sprite, ran back into the little waiting-room.
-
-Oh, what thunders of applause greeted her, yet she sat quietly chatting
-with a lady who stood near her!
-
-Again and again they seemed to be begging that the little dancer might
-return.
-
-"I'll bow to them," said Nancy, and she ran out to do so.
-
-"Once more, once more!" cried an eager voice, and then more clapping,
-and even a few shrill whistles from some very young men begged her to
-respond.
-
-She extended her arms for a second, then whirling rapidly, she repeated
-the last half of the dance, courtesied again, and when she ran back to
-the little room, Dorothy embraced her tenderly.
-
-"Oh, Nancy darling!" she cried, "you never danced finer. Do you know how
-pleased every one is?"
-
-"I danced to please and surprise them," said Nancy. "I _do_ love to see
-people look happy. They couldn't remember how hard it was raining while
-I was whirling and dancing for them."
-
-Floretta, now more unhappy than before, turned so that she might not see
-Nancy, nor note the shimmer of her spangles.
-
-Mrs. Paxton, who had been talking with a friend, now turned toward
-Floretta.
-
-"Come!" she said, "now run out, and do your very best, Floretta."
-
-"I'm not going out!" said Floretta.
-
-"What an idea!" cried Mrs. Paxton. "Of course you'll run out, and show
-every one how cute you are. Why, I planned this entertainment just to
-give you a chance to show off!"
-
-"And made me the last one on the whole list!" snarled Floretta.
-
-"Come, come!" cried her mother, "every one couldn't be first. I thought
-I'd have the others perform first, and then _you_ could show who was the
-smartest! Come! They're just wild to see what you can do, and they're
-waiting."
-
-"They'll _have_ to wait!" hissed Floretta, like a cross little cat.
-
-It was no use to urge, plead, or insist. Floretta was stubborn, and when
-once she had determined what she would, or would not do, nothing could
-move her.
-
-Prayers and threats were equally useless.
-
-Dorothy sang very sweetly, and was cordially received.
-
-Uncle Harry and his wife sang a charming duet that delighted all, the
-orchestra played a military caprice, and then the remainder of the
-evening was spent in a little, informal dance.
-
-All was light, laughter, and music, and there were two kinds of music
-that gladdened their hearts,--the sweet music of the violins, and the
-still sweeter melody of happy voices!
-
-Silly little Floretta had ruined the evening for no one save her own
-jealous little self.
-
-Because she could not be the first on the program, she would not appear
-at all, although, at heart, she longed to show her really clever
-mimicry. Later, after having sulked during the early part of the
-evening, she refused to join the dancers, and ran away to her room,
-angry, very angry with every one save the one person who was really at
-fault,--herself.
-
-Her efforts at imitating would surely have amused, and would, doubtless,
-have been well received. She was rather a graceful dancer, in any of
-the ordinary ballroom dances, and she thus might have joined the other
-children when the concert was over. She had needlessly spent a most
-unhappy evening.
-
-Now, in her room, she heard the strains of the orchestra, and for the
-first time realized how foolish she had been.
-
-"I _had_ a chance, and I lost it," she sobbed, but her tears were not
-tears of grieving. They were angry tears, and the droll part of it was
-that while she alone was at fault, she was angry with every one but
-herself.
-
-For a few moments she lay, her face hidden in her pillow. Then, she
-turned over into a more comfortable position, and softly she whispered,
-"I'll do enough to-morrow to make up!"
-
-She did not say _what_ she intended to do, but the idea evidently
-pleased her, for she laughed through her tears.
-
-She sprang from her bed, found a box of bonbons that her mother had won
-as a prize in an afternoon whist party the day before, and crept back
-into bed. When she had eaten nearly all of the candy, she sat up and in
-the softly shaded light, looked at the box with its few remaining bits
-of candy. She was wondering where she could hide it.
-
-"Ma will surely notice the empty box, or anyway, I've made it _almost_
-empty," she said. "She might not miss it if I hid it!"
-
-She had never been taught to be honest, so whenever she did a naughty
-thing, her first thought was to hide, or cover up the act. She never
-felt regret.
-
-No one ever heard her gently say, "I'm sorry."
-
-Softly she crept from her bed, and made her way across the floor to the
-dressing-case.
-
-She put the box upon the floor, and pushed it well under it, and wholly
-out of sight.
-
-"There!" she whispered. "That's all right. I would have finished the
-candy, but I didn't want the whole of it. I ate the best of it. The
-others weren't very nice."
-
-Down in the long parlor the guests were no longer dancing.
-
-They were resting, and listening to a lovely barcarolle played softly by
-the orchestra.
-
-Flossie, clinging to Uncle Harry's hand, drew him toward the window.
-
-"Look!" she said, as she parted the curtains. "It isn't raining now, and
-the moon is coming out. It will be pleasant to-morrow! And it has been
-lovely in here to-night."
-
-"Dear little Flossie, dear little niece, it was your cheery, loving
-nature that led us to give your name to our baby. She has two fine
-names, she is Beatrice Florence. The first is Vera's mother's name, the
-second, dear, is yours."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IV
-
-IN A BIRCH ARBOR
-
-
-THE storm had cleared the air, no mist veiled the mountains, the
-sunlight lay everywhere, gilding valley and stream.
-
-Many of the guests had started early in the morning for a trip to a
-distant mountain from the summit of which a delightful view might be
-enjoyed.
-
-They were to ride over in the barge to the base of the mountain, have a
-picnic lunch under the trees, and then climb the rugged path up the
-mountain side.
-
-It would occupy half the day and it would be afternoon before the barge
-would return with its merry, tired party.
-
-Floretta Paxton and Jack Tiverton were usually in sight, or, as they
-were always noisy, within hearing might be nearer the truth, but they
-had gone over to a spot that the children called "The Pool," a bit of
-water not much larger than a big puddle.
-
-It existed only after a heavy rain, but near its edge the slender
-birches grew, and their silvery white trunks and the bright, blue sky
-were clearly reflected on its surface.
-
-Jack had decided to launch his toy boat there, and, as Floretta had
-hemmed the tiny sails, he had felt obliged to listen to her coaxing, and
-permit her to go with him.
-
-"I'll let you christen her," he had said, in a moment of generosity, and
-then regretted it.
-
-Floretta's idea of a christening ceremony was very elaborate, while
-Jack thought that shouting the vessel's name, and shoving it into the
-water was all that was necessary.
-
-Nancy was helping Aunt Charlotte, so when Dorothy ran out to the piazza,
-she found it deserted, and she stood looking in surprise at the rocking
-chairs and hammocks that were swaying in the wind.
-
-"Every one has gone somewhere," she thought; "didn't any one stay at
-home?"
-
-She stood for a moment in the doorway, wondering what to do. Suddenly
-her face brightened, and she clapped her hands.
-
-"The very thing!" she said, and she turned and hastened to her room to
-find her latest gift.
-
-It was a beautiful book of fairy tales, and although it had been given
-her over a week ago, she had read but a few of the stories. Mrs. Dainty
-had sent to the city for the book, and ever since the day of its arrival
-Dorothy had been wild to read it.
-
-Something had been planned for each sunny day, and as the weather had
-continued fair, the book had been opened but a few times, and then for
-only a brief glance at the tales or the illustrations.
-
-Mrs. Dainty had gone to the village, a ride of about an hour from the
-hotel, and Aunt Charlotte was still occupied with her letters.
-
-Nancy was sealing and stamping the envelopes, as Dorothy passed the
-door.
-
-"I'm going over to the little 'birch arbor,'" she said. "I'm taking my
-new fairy book for company."
-
-"I'll come, too, just as soon as I've finished these envelopes," said
-Nancy, and she began to work faster.
-
-[Illustration: "OH, WHAT A LOVELY, _LOVELY_ STORY!" SAID DOROTHY.--_Page
-67._]
-
-The "birch arbor" was not an actual arbor, but it was a lovely spot, and
-the birches were exceptionally fine. Nancy and Dorothy had often been
-there together, and they had given it the name.
-
-A tiny mountain brook ran through it, and it was a lovely spot in which
-to enjoy legends or fairy tales.
-
-In a few moments Dorothy had reached the place, and when she had seated
-herself, she opened the book where a fine picture showed the prince,
-whose father had given him three wishes as his only inheritance, and
-then had sent him out to seek his fortune.
-
-Twice she had commenced to read the story, and had been obliged to lay
-it aside. Now, with only the bees and the butterflies hovering about
-her, she read the fascinating tale.
-
-It proved to be even more charming than she had expected.
-
-The prince was tall, and dark, and handsome, and his heart was so good
-and true, that Dorothy felt that he richly deserved the beautiful
-princess whom he finally won.
-
-Her eyes sparkled as she read of the great court wedding.
-
-"And the lovely princess looked more beautiful than ever in her wedding
-gown of cloth of gold, thickly set with diamonds, and her crown of
-diamonds and sapphires."
-
-"Oh what a lovely, _lovely_ story!" said Dorothy, as she turned the
-page.
-
-"Tiny princes carried her train, and as the happy pair reached the
-palace gates, and were about to enter the royal coach, the blare of
-trumpets sounded, as the guards in blue and gold played a gay fanfare."
-
-"Toot! Toot! Toot!"
-
-Dorothy sprang to her feet.
-
-It was as if those silver-toned trumpets had sounded close beside her. A
-moment more, and a huge automobile appeared from behind the trees and
-shrubbery, and slackening its speed, came, at last, to a standstill, and
-an old lady leaned out to question her.
-
-"Are we going in the right direction, my dear, to reach the Hotel
-Cleverton?"
-
-Dorothy walked toward the car, and looked up into the hard, old face.
-
-"This little road is _right_," said Dorothy, "but the broad road that
-leads out of this one is not so rough, and it is a _little_ shorter."
-
-"There, Minturn, I _said plainly_ that I believed we could get there
-quicker some other way!"
-
-"You are _sure_ about the Cleverton?" the old lady asked. "You _know_
-where it is?"
-
-"I'm staying there with mamma, and that truly is the right way," said
-Dorothy, her soft eyes looking up into the hard, old face.
-
-"I guess I can trust you," the old lady said, not smiling, but looking a
-bit less stern.
-
-"Now, Minturn, we'll _try_ to reach the hotel, sometime before dark!"
-she said curtly.
-
-Puffing and whirring the big automobile started off up the road, the old
-lady sitting stern and erect, as if she thought her driver needed
-watching, and she was determined to keep a sharp eye upon him.
-
-"Why, how queer!" said Dorothy. "She didn't even say 'good-bye,' or
-'good-morning.' Perhaps she was very tired, and forgot,"--then after a
-moment she added, "but my beautiful mamma _never_ forgets."
-
-She went back to the pretty spot where she had been reading, and sitting
-down, opened the book, but she could not keep her mind upon the stories.
-The strange face of the old lady seemed to look at her from the printed
-page.
-
-How small and sharp her eyes had been, and how she asked the same
-question again and again. Did she doubt the answer given her?
-
-All these, and many more questions puzzled Dorothy, and with the open
-book lying upon her lap, she looked off where the sunlight lay upon the
-grass.
-
-She was still sitting thus when a merry voice aroused her, and she
-turned to see Nancy running toward her.
-
-"Oh, Dorothy!" she cried. "You ought to have been up at the hotel just a
-few moments ago. A new guest came, and she was so cross, it _must_ be
-that she didn't want to come. But if she truly _didn't_ want to, then
-why _did_ she?"
-
-"Why, Nancy, who wouldn't think it fine to come up here to the
-mountains, and stay at the Cleverton?" said Dorothy in surprise.
-
-"Well, you wouldn't have thought the old lady was glad to be there, if
-you'd seen her," said Nancy.
-
-"Oh, was it an old lady that you were talking about?" Dorothy asked
-quickly.
-
-"Yes, and you ought to have seen her eyes snap when she scolded her
-chauffeur. She told him she might have arrived an hour before just as
-well as not, and she kept right on scolding to herself, all the way up
-to the piazza, and, Dorothy, she looked so cross, I wouldn't wonder if
-she was scolding up in her room now!"
-
-"She must be the same one that was here just a little while ago,"
-Dorothy said, "and she asked me to tell her the nearest way to the
-Cleverton. When I told her, she made the man rush off over the road, and
-she was scolding him when they left here. Perhaps she was tired, and
-will feel pleasanter when she has rested."
-
-"Perhaps," agreed Nancy, "but I know Aunt Charlotte and your mamma don't
-act that way when they are tired."
-
-Dorothy could not dispute that, and soon the two little girls were
-enjoying the fairy book together.
-
-"Now, this is the story I've just been reading," said Dorothy, "and this
-is the picture of the prince. Isn't he handsome?"
-
-"Oh, yes," said Nancy, "and doesn't he look like Flossie's Uncle Harry?"
-
-"Why, he _does_, truly," cried Dorothy. "I'll show the picture to
-Flossie, and I'm sure she'll say it looks ever so much like him."
-
-"Oh, she will," agreed Nancy.
-
-"Why, it would look _exactly_ like him, if _he_ only had a cap with
-plumes," said Dorothy.
-
-Uncle Harry, coming briskly up the path, was just in time to hear the
-last few words.
-
-"I'm very curious to know who it is who needs a cap with plumes," he
-said.
-
-"Oh, who knew you were right here to hear it?" said Dorothy.
-
-"Oh, was it a state secret?" he asked. "Well, now it's a pity I heard
-it, but as it happens I _did_, I think I must ask for the rest of the
-secret."
-
-"Oh, _would_ you tell?" Dorothy asked, turning to Nancy, but before she
-could reply, Uncle Harry spoke.
-
-"I'm really too curious," he said, "so I think I'll threaten to sit on
-this stump, until you tell me the secret, and let me tell you two little
-friends, that _I've_ a secret; it's a nice one, too, but,--" he paused
-to watch the effect of his words.
-
-"But--But--" they cried.
-
-"But,--" said Uncle Harry, "I wouldn't tell mine _first_!"
-
-Wag that he was, he could not resist the temptation to tease just a bit.
-
-Dorothy took the pretty book, and opening it at the page that showed the
-picture of the prince, she said, "We only said the brave prince looked
-like you, no, I mean you look like him, and we said you'd look _just_
-like him if you had a cap with plumes."
-
-Uncle Harry appeared to study the picture very carefully. After a
-moment, he said:
-
-"That's a fine compliment, but there's one thing about it that worries
-me, so I'll have to ask about it.
-
-"In this picture the prince wears a blue blouse and a pair of green
-shoes, a pink cap with white plumes, gray hose, and crimson trunks. Now,
-if I should decide to purchase a pink cap with white plumes, would you
-expect me to come out arrayed in all those colors? I really feel that
-the costume is a _bit_, just a _bit_ too gay."
-
-"Oh, we'll not ask you to be quite as gay as that," said Dorothy, "and
-we'll promise one thing. We won't even ask you to buy a pink cap if
-you'll tell us your secret now."
-
-He laughed gaily.
-
-"Perhaps I really _ought_ to keep it a little longer. How would it do if
-I should tell you my secret some time next week?" he asked.
-
-"Oh, no, no!" they cried, "tell it now!"
-
-"Well, then, there's to be a fair 'way down in the village, a real
-country fair, and I'm intending to hire a barge, and take all of the
-_very_ young ladies over with me to see the fun. I mean ladies as young
-as you, and Nancy, and Flossie. I shall invite all the wee ladies that
-are stopping at the hotel, and I shall take all who accept."
-
-He looked into their bright faces, and laughed when Dorothy said:
-
-"As if _any_ little girl _wouldn't_ accept!"
-
-"You mustn't expect it to be a grand affair. It will be, as I said, a
-real old-fashioned country fair, but there will be a jolly ride over
-there, and the return trip, and I fancy you will enjoy it all," he said,
-"and I shall have the delight of giving pleasure."
-
-A friend who had been looking for Uncle Harry, now appeared on the
-winding path, a clump of large trees having hidden his approach.
-
-The two young men started off for a long tramp, and Dorothy and Nancy
-walked slowly back to the hotel.
-
-"The prince _did_ look like Uncle Harry," said Nancy, "and the picture
-of the naughty old fairy that enchanted the sleeping beauty, looks like
-the lady that came this morning, and was so very cross."
-
-"Then that _is_ the same one who stopped to ask the way, for she looked
-just like that. I'll always think, every time I look at her, that she's
-the black fairy."
-
-And when they ran up on to the piazza, there sat the very person whom
-they had been speaking of, looking somewhat cooler with her long
-travelling cloak removed.
-
-Her black gown was of some thin material, and just as the two little
-girls ran up on to the piazza, she dropped the large, black fan that she
-had been wielding.
-
-Nancy, who was nearer to her than Dorothy, picked up the fan for her.
-Without a smile, she took the fan, and they heard some slight sound.
-Possibly it might have been a softly murmured word of thanks, but it did
-not sound like it.
-
-"She seems very strange," said Dorothy, "but perhaps she's still tired."
-
-She was always unwilling to say that any one was wilfully rude or
-disagreeable.
-
-And now Aunt Charlotte, with Mrs. Dainty, came out to enjoy the fine
-air, and Dorothy and Nancy ran to them to tell them of the treat that
-Uncle Harry had in store for them.
-
-"It's only a few days to wait, and isn't he kind to take us?" said
-Dorothy.
-
-"He is indeed," said Mrs. Dainty, "and I hope all his little friends
-will be very thoughtful, and make him just as little trouble as
-possible. He takes quite a care in inviting so many children."
-
-"Oh, all the children love him, and there isn't one who would want to be
-any bother, unless it was Floretta," said Dorothy, "and perhaps she'll
-be having such a nice time, she won't think to be naughty."
-
-Mrs. Dainty smiled at this view of it. She could not help thinking that
-Floretta never needed time to think in order to be disagreeable, but
-she did not say so.
-
-Aunt Charlotte Grayson, seeing the stranger sitting alone, paused near
-her chair to say a friendly word.
-
-She remained but few moments, however, because the woman seemed not
-inclined to talk.
-
-Aunt Charlotte well knew that the stranger was not courteous, but she
-tried to think, as Dorothy had, that fatigue, after a long journey, made
-her eager for silence and rest.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER V
-
-THE MOUNTAIN PARTY
-
-
-AS the days flew by, the stranger became a bit more friendly, conversing
-sometimes with Mrs. Dainty and Aunt Charlotte, but often, far more
-often, with Mrs. Paxton.
-
-It was not that she sought to become acquainted with Floretta's mother;
-it was, rather, that Mrs. Paxton seemed determined to force the
-friendship.
-
-"Her name is Fenton, Mrs. Fenton, and isn't it odd, _my_ name was Fenton
-before I married. Floretta's middle name is Fenton. I really feel almost
-as if I were related to her, because of the name," declared Mrs. Paxton
-one morning, whereupon Mrs. Fenton, coming out on to the piazza,
-remarked:
-
-"Oh, indeed!"
-
-Mrs. Paxton blushed and hesitated, then recovering herself, she said:
-
-"I was just telling these ladies of my friendly feeling for you."
-
-"Oh, indeed!" Mrs. Fenton repeated, as she sank into a large rocker, and
-looked off across the valley to the distant mountains.
-
-After a few moments she seemed to have lost interest in the view, and,
-taking up a small embroidery frame, commenced to ply her needle as if
-she were eager to finish the pretty doily.
-
-Two little figures came slowly up the path to the piazza. They were
-returning from the christening of the little boat.
-
-"What is wrong, Jack? You don't look very happy," said Mrs. Tiverton.
-
-"He wanted me to christen his boat, but he wouldn't give it my name!"
-said Floretta, before Jack could reply.
-
-"She thought just because she hemmed the sails I'd name it the
-_Floretta_, but I wouldn't, so I shoved it into the water myself, and
-shouted _Carlotta_. That's the name of a girl that goes to my school,
-and I like her."
-
-"You say Floretta hemmed your sails," said Mrs. Tiverton.
-
-"Well, I thanked her for that, and I let her go to the launching, and I
-let her christen it, but I don't see that I need name it for her," said
-Jack, stoutly.
-
-Mrs. Fenton had not heeded what the children were saying. One might have
-fancied that she did not hear, although both Floretta and Jack stood
-quite near her chair.
-
-A large spool that she had wound with colored silk slipped from her lap,
-and rolled toward Floretta.
-
-"Pick it up, dear," Mrs. Paxton said.
-
-"Don't want to," said Floretta.
-
-Mrs. Fenton stooped, and recovered the spool, and, taking her embroidery
-frame in her hand, left the piazza, and mounted the stairs to her room.
-
-"Why _were_ you so rude?" said Mrs. Paxton, but Floretta, perching upon
-the low railing, began softly humming "Yankee Doodle."
-
-Jack Tiverton, espying a boy that he knew, whistled loudly, and then, as
-the other boy turned, ran after him, the two whooping and shouting like
-savages.
-
-"It is almost lunch time, Jack!" Mrs. Tiverton cried, and the boy
-turned, and waved his hand to show that he heard her.
-
-"Boys aren't apt to forget meal time," muttered old Mr. Cunningham
-behind his paper.
-
-True enough, Jack returned in ample time, and was the first at the
-table.
-
-Early in the afternoon Dorothy and Nancy went out for a drive with
-Romeo.
-
-It was one of those sunny days that tempt nearly every one to ride or
-walk.
-
-The mountain roads were rather lonely, and Mrs. Dainty insisted that
-whether Dorothy were riding Romeo, or driving in the phaeton, the groom
-must ride at a little distance behind her.
-
-There were the lovely, slender birches on either side of the roads,
-there were patches of bright green moss upon which the sunlight rested,
-there were blackberry vines and woodbine wreathing the low stone walls,
-and here and there a mullein raised its stately head from its base of
-velvet leaves.
-
-Oh, it seemed like an enchanted country, where new beauties were to be
-found on either hand!
-
-"Look!" cried Dorothy, "close beside that mullein is an evening
-primrose, and their blossoms are the same color."
-
-Then a tiny chipmunk sprang upon the wall, sat erect, and watched them
-for a moment, then ran up the trunk of a slender tree, where from a low
-branch he watched until they had passed. Then back to the wall he
-sprang, where he chattered as if scolding the little girls who had
-disturbed his solitude. It may be that, instead, he was talking to
-himself, and telling what charming little girls they were.
-
-A long way from the hotel they passed Jack Tiverton, with a number of
-other boys who were staying at a hotel a few miles distant from the
-Cleverton.
-
-They were all somewhat larger than Jack, and he thought it fine to be
-with them.
-
-He had met them at a ball game three weeks before, and he had been very
-busy holding their acquaintance ever since.
-
-"We're going to catch the echo, and keep it, too!" shouted Jack.
-
-"It's mocking you now," said Dorothy, with a laugh.
-
-"I know it," said Jack, "but we'll catch it, and fasten it so it can't
-get away."
-
-"_How_ will you fasten an echo?" Nancy asked, turning, and looking over
-her shoulder as the little phaeton sped past.
-
-"Trust us to find a way!" cried Jack, and the others laughed as if they
-already knew exactly how to do it.
-
-They left the road, and, vaulting over the wall, crossed the open
-field, singing a gay, rollicking song as they went.
-
-"They just _say_ they're going hunting for the echo," said Dorothy, "and
-they say it for fun, but I wonder where they are going, and what they
-truly are going to do."
-
-The groom, riding nearer, touched his hat.
-
-"Please, Miss Dorothy, I heard the lads saying that there's an old house
-over near that mountain, where a hermit lived years ago, and they're off
-to find it if they can."
-
-"Then why didn't they say so, instead of telling such a tale about
-catching the echo?" Dorothy asked.
-
-"They were saying that they wanted to find the hut, and hunt in it, and
-around it ter find things the old fellow may have hidden. They feared
-you or Miss Nancy might tell some other lad. They're wanting it all to
-themselves."
-
-Having told this bit of information, the groom allowed the carriage to
-pass him, and once more rode behind it.
-
-The two little girls talked of the long tramp that the boys would have
-before they would find the hermit's hut.
-
-"And perhaps they won't find it at all, after all their hunting," said
-Nancy.
-
-"Well, I hope they will," said Dorothy, "because it's so horrid to hunt
-and hunt, for nothing."
-
-"Oh, look!" she cried a moment later. "See the lovely mosses! Let's take
-some back to mamma and Aunt Charlotte."
-
-They were, indeed, beautiful. There was green moss that looked like
-velvet, and gray moss formed like tiny cups with scarlet edges, and
-other moss tipped with red.
-
-On an old stump they found shell-like fungus, some a creamy white,
-others white, with soft brown markings.
-
-Oh, a fine collection of rarely beautiful mosses and lichens they
-gathered, and heaped on the bottom of the phaeton.
-
-Romeo turned his head to watch them as if he wondered when they would
-have gathered enough.
-
-"Oh, we do keep you standing, dear, don't we?" Dorothy said, patting his
-neck as she spoke.
-
-"Oh, you needn't look for sugar," she said, laughing, "for I haven't any
-with me, but we'll get you some fresh clover."
-
-With Nancy's help she soon had a fine bunch of pink clover for Romeo,
-and he seemed quite as pleased as if it had been the cubes that he so
-often enjoyed.
-
- * * * * *
-
-When the party of boys had left the road to cross the fields that lay
-between them, and the forest at the foot of the mountain, they had
-believed that they knew exactly how to go to reach the hermit's hut.
-
-The old hermit had been dead for years, but every season the summer
-guests at the hotels and farmhouses searched all around the deserted
-hut, expecting to find some relic to take home and label as a bit of the
-hermit's property.
-
-The boys supposed that they had the woods to themselves, and that they
-would be uninterrupted in their search of the place.
-
-They did not know that the mountain climbers had taken the same
-direction, intending, before they enjoyed their lunch beneath the trees,
-to stop at the old, deserted house.
-
-Mrs. Paxton and little Floretta had worked more persistently than any
-others of the party, and Mrs. Paxton had found a small, brass button.
-
-The others had laughed at the prize, asking her if she intended to keep
-it as a souvenir.
-
-"Certainly," said Mrs. Paxton. "I'm sure this brass button must have
-belonged on some old coat that the hermit wore!"
-
-"Perhaps in his youth, before he came up here to live, he may have been
-a janitor," said a young man, with a saucy laugh.
-
-"Or a brakeman," suggested another.
-
-Mrs. Paxton pretended not to hear their teasing, and though the prize
-that she had found had been only a valueless thing, she kept it.
-
-Floretta was very eager to stay, and continue to peep into cracks in the
-floor and walls, and to poke with a stick under the doorsill, and in the
-soft earth around the hut.
-
-The older members of the party knew that if they were to ascend the
-mountain, see the view, and descend before twilight, they must start at
-once.
-
-As soon as their picnic lunch had been enjoyed they commenced to climb
-the rugged mountain path.
-
-It was very steep and rough, and it had been said that no children
-should be allowed in the party.
-
-Mrs. Paxton had insisted that her small daughter was a wonderful little
-climber, who was quite equal to the demands of a long tramp.
-
-Floretta had wished to remain at the hut, but as she could not do that,
-she proceeded to make herself as unpleasant as possible, by complaining
-every step of the way, until one young man voiced the feeling of the
-entire party.
-
-"This is a horrid, rough old path, and I'm tired. I wish I'd stayed at
-_home_!" said Floretta.
-
-"I wish so, _too_!" said the young man, and several of the party, too
-polite to say it, at heart, agreed with him.
-
-Floretta's was the only gloomy face, however. The others tramped gaily
-onward, singing snatches of song, and laughing as they stepped upon
-rolling stones, or tripped over long, gnarled roots that rose above the
-surface, as if especially designed to catch lagging feet.
-
- "All day upon the hills
- We've chased the chamois far,
- But deeper joy now thrills
- Beneath the evening star."
-
-The youth sang gaily, and several of his friends joined him in singing
-the old song.
-
-Arrived at the summit they rested, enjoyed the view, laughed and joked
-about their weariness, and made many wild guesses as to how long it
-would take them to make the descent and drive back to the hotel.
-
-"It will be three o'clock before we reach the Cleverton," said one.
-
-"Nonsense!" cried another, "this is really called a mountain by
-courtesy. It's only a big hill. I say we shall be on the piazza, and
-wondering what we can do next, as early as half-past two."
-
-"It's more likely to be half-past _three_!" declared another, and when
-all felt sufficiently rested, they commenced the descent.
-
-Floretta refused to keep closely beside her mother, insisting upon
-clinging to another member of the party, to whom she had taken a fancy.
-
-The party was a large one, much larger, indeed, than had at first been
-planned, and while half of the number were guests at the Cleverton, the
-others were from the Merlington, a hotel situated nearer the village,
-and from several large farmhouses that entertained summer boarders.
-
-The guests from the Cleverton had kept closely together during the trip,
-while those from the Merlington had done the same.
-
-They had reached the foot of the mountain, and were tramping along a
-path that ran nearly parallel to that on which the hermit's house stood.
-
-Floretta saw the boys, near the house, and also saw that Jack Tiverton
-was with them.
-
-Without a word, she left the lady to whose arm she had been clinging,
-and making her way along behind bushes and underbrush, she managed to
-sneak in at the door of the hut, without having been seen by the party
-of boys.
-
-The lady, with whom she had been walking, supposed that she had run back
-to join her mother, while Mrs. Paxton felt quite undisturbed, because
-she believed that her little girl was still clinging to the arm of the
-lady with whom she had chosen to walk.
-
-It had required two barges to convey the party, and now they found them
-waiting, the horses a bit impatient to be off.
-
-The guests from the Merlington clambered into the first barge, and they
-with a few of the farmhouse party filled it to overflowing, some of the
-men being obliged to ride homeward, seated upon the steps. Meanwhile the
-Cleverton people were forced to wait until the barge for their party
-drove up.
-
-The first barge had started, and was rolling along, and a chorus of
-college songs was wafted back on the breeze, while handkerchiefs
-fluttered as the gay passengers laughed at the crowd that had not yet
-started.
-
-Mrs. Paxton paused with her foot on the step, and looked back.
-
-"Why, where's Floretta?" she asked.
-
-"In the first barge," cried a voice in reply.
-
-"Are you _sure_?" she asked.
-
-"Why, certainly," said the other, "she's with that tall, fine-looking
-lady from the Merlington. She'll be home before you are."
-
-The second barge was soon filled and on its way. The horses were less
-fresh than those of the first barge, and seemed determined to lag.
-Indeed, they required constant urging to keep them from dropping into a
-slow walk.
-
-"Those other fellows ahead of us started some lively college songs,"
-said a disgusted passenger, "and they're actually out of sight now; but
-the way these nags are poking I couldn't think of anything to sing that
-would be slow enough to be appropriate."
-
-And while one barge was going over the road at a lively rate of speed,
-and the other jogging along at a snail's pace, Floretta, at the hut, was
-having a most exciting time.
-
-Once inside the place, she had crouched beneath a window to learn, if
-possible, what the boys were talking about.
-
-She had wanted to remain there when the party had started for the
-mountain path, and she had been very impatient during the long tramp.
-She cared nothing for the view, and determined, on the return, to stop,
-if only for a few moments, at the hut.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VI
-
-THE ECHO CAPTURED
-
-
-FLORETTA had intended to hunt for treasure, hoping to get something more
-valuable than the brass button that her mother had found.
-
-She was not at all afraid of Jack Tiverton, but of those larger boys she
-was not quite sure.
-
-As she knelt beneath the window she could hear only the voices of the
-boys that were nearest to the hut, and hearing only parts of their
-conversation, she could not understand what the first speaker expected
-to find.
-
-"If I find it, I'll put it where it will be safe," he said.
-
-There was a pause, and then a voice more distant replied.
-
-She did not hear what it said, but she did hear the answer made by the
-boy who had first spoken.
-
-"If the ghost of the old hermit was in the hut, it might hear you."
-
-"Yes, and what would he say about your hunting for things that may have
-belonged to him?" said another, with a teasing laugh.
-
-"Oh, I'm not afraid," was the careless answer.
-
-"You're not?" jeered a laughing voice.
-
-"I think we've poked around out here long enough without finding
-anything," said Jack Tiverton, "let's hunt inside the house."
-
-"Wait a minute," called a boy who had not yet spoken, "just till I've
-looked into this hollow tree trunk."
-
-"And _then_ what?" asked a merry voice.
-
-"_Then_ hunt in the house, of course!" was the curt reply.
-
-Floretta thought she saw a chance for fun.
-
-Softly, yet quickly, she crept up the rickety little stairway, built
-close against the wall, and leading to the tiny loft.
-
-The loft was really little more than a space beneath the roof where the
-old hermit might have stored a few provisions. She could not stand, or
-even sit, erect, and she crouched upon the bit of dusty flooring.
-
-She was none too soon, for in a few seconds the boys rushed in, and then
-began a discussion as to whether it would be safe to take a plank up
-from the floor to look beneath it for hidden treasure.
-
-"You oughtn't to do that," said Jack Tiverton, "somebody might arrest
-you, or all of us, if folks found out we did it."
-
-"Arrest us for spoiling a floor in this old hut!" cried an older boy. "I
-wonder you don't think the old hermit might holler if he heard us pull
-up a plank!"
-
-"Well," said Jack stoutly, "you'd be as scared as I would if he did
-holler!"
-
-"You're a small boy, Jack, and easily scared," was the taunting reply.
-
-"Well, pull up a plank, and see what happens. I dare you to!" cried
-Jack.
-
-"Here goes then!" said the older boy, and catching hold of a plank that
-had rotted at one end, he pulled it up.
-
-"_Oh, let it alone!_" groaned a boy in a farther corner of the room, in
-an attempt to imitate an old voice.
-
-"_Oh, let it alone!_" came in exactly the same voice from the loft.
-
-Sidney Cumston, the big boy, who had laughed at little Jack Tiverton,
-dropped the plank, and turned pale, while not a boy spoke or moved.
-
-"Come, come!" said Sidney, when he caught his breath, "we're a precious
-pack of sillies! Help me lift this big board, will you?"
-
-"Will you?" came from the loft, in the very manner in which he had said
-it.
-
-Again he dropped the plank.
-
-"What does it mean?" cried Sidney.
-
-"Mean?" came his last word repeated.
-
-The boys were now thoroughly frightened.
-
-"Come!" cried Sidney, "let's leave here!"
-
-"Here!" came a repetition of his last word, and big as he was, he had
-turned to run, when a faint ripple of smothered laughter came down from
-the loft.
-
-Immediately Sidney's pale face flushed red. It flashed through his mind
-that these younger boys had seen that he was frightened.
-
-He had been laughed at by the owner of the voice that had mocked him,
-and the boys would _never_ stop laughing.
-
-Quickly he mounted the steps, and roughly he dragged little Floretta
-from her hiding place, half carrying her down the stairway, because it
-was too narrow for two to descend.
-
-"So you thought it was funny, just _funny_ to mock us, did you?" he
-asked, when they reached the floor.
-
-Floretta was not laughing now.
-
-She was sullen, and at the same time frightened.
-
-What would they do to her?
-
-They crowded around her, frowning and making all sorts of wild
-suggestions as to what should be done with her.
-
-"Keep her mocking till she's got enough of it!" cried one.
-
-"Put her back in the loft, and leave her there! She seemed to like
-there," said another.
-
-The big boy, whose hand was still on her shoulder, was more angry than
-either of the others.
-
-He was a bully, always ready to torment some one smaller than himself.
-
-He had reason to be provoked with Floretta, and the fact that she was
-only a little girl, made no impression upon him.
-
-He would as willingly punish a girl, as a boy, and the fact that his
-captive was smaller than he, only proved that the task would be an easy
-one.
-
-"You think it's smart to imitate, and it is. P'raps you think you're the
-echo that's over in the mountain!" he sneered.
-
-She made no answer. She was crying now.
-
-"Say! Let her off!" cried Jack Tiverton. "She's only a girl!"
-
-The smallest boy in the crowd, he saw Sidney's cowardice.
-
-"Oh, are you sweet on Floretta?" jeered Sidney.
-
-Jack drew back abashed. He did not like Floretta at all, but he did
-think it mean for a big boy to frighten so small a girl.
-
-"I ain't going to hurt you," said Sidney, "but I'm going to give you a
-chance to play echo, till you're tired of it. I guess you'll get enough
-of it before you get through!
-
-"Come, fellows! Get some good long pieces of wild grape-vine! I'll
-fasten Miss Echo where she can shout all day, and nobody'll stop her!"
-
-"I won't go with you!" screamed Floretta, who had found her voice, "You
-sha'n't tie me!"
-
-"Oh, is that so?" said Sidney, in a teasing tone. "We'll tie you so you
-can't get away!"
-
-She pulled back.
-
-"No, you don't!" said Sidney, grasping her arm with a firmer hold.
-
-"Now, walk right along, or these other fellows will help me carry you!"
-he added, and Floretta thought best to walk.
-
-"Where'll you take her?" asked one.
-
-"Right there," said Sidney. "That rock is just covered with vines that
-cling fast to it. Hurry, now! Pull down some long, strong pieces! Here,
-you scratch like a cat! Stop that!"
-
-Floretta, half wild to get away, was attacking his hand in the manner of
-a little wild animal.
-
-"Let me go, then!" she screamed.
-
-"Not much!" cried Sidney, and with the help of another boy, he dragged
-her, screaming and kicking, all the way, until they reached the rocky
-ledge.
-
-"There, now! Hold on! You're showing too much temper!" cried a stout lad
-who was helping to bind her.
-
-"I won't stay! You sha'n't tie me!" she screamed, but without replying,
-they drew the tough vines closer about her, lashing her into such a
-network of stems and stout vines that it would be impossible for her to
-escape.
-
-"There!" cried Sidney, when he felt sure that she was securely made a
-little prisoner, "You can shout till you're tired, and if you want to
-mock any one, you can mock yourself! Good-afternoon, Miss Echo!"
-
-He lifted his cap, with elaborate courtesy, and marched off whistling:
-
- "The Girl I Left Behind Me."
-
-They did not look back. Sidney marched boldly away, believing that he
-had done a very smart thing, but the other boys felt less comfortable.
-
-They had been angry with her, and they had wished to see her punished,
-but they could not help thinking that she was a little girl, and they
-were leaving her alone in the woods!
-
-Jack Tiverton was, by far, the most uneasy.
-
-He was the smallest of the party, and, while he had asked Sidney to let
-Floretta go, he had known it was useless to do more.
-
-The eight other boys were stronger than he, and any attempt upon his
-part to free her would be worse than useless. They would not listen, but
-instead, would pounce upon him.
-
-The other boys talked, laughed, and whistled, to imply that they were
-not thinking of what they had done, but all the way back to the
-Cleverton, little Jack was wondering what he could do.
-
-He dared not go straight to Floretta's mother, and tell her of her
-little girl's plight.
-
-He knew if he did that, the boys would soon learn who had played
-"tell-tale," and then,--what would they do to _him_?
-
-And yet, he was determined, in some way, to help Floretta.
-
-How could he let a little girl stay out there in the woods all night?
-
-Of course some one, walking through the woods might find her, but if no
-one happened to?
-
-Jack knew that the risk was too great. It was just before he reached the
-Cleverton, that he thought of the best way that he could do it.
-
-He would write a note to Mrs. Paxton. He would drop that note into the
-mail box that hung at the side door. The letters were always distributed
-at four, and Sidney Cumston, who had a fine watch, had just said that it
-was three. He left the boys at the entrance to the Merlington, and
-hurried on that he might have plenty of time for his note.
-
-Mrs. Tiverton was out driving with a friend, and Jack had quite a hunt
-before he could find pencil or paper for his note.
-
-At last he found a blank book, and with a pencil he wrote this note.
-
- "Deer Mrs. Paxton:--
-
- "Yor litle girl is tied up in the woods opsite the
- hermits hut. You better go get her real quick or
- somethin may happen too her.
-
- "Yors trooly."
-
-He folded it, and, in place of the envelope that he could not find, he
-tied around it a bit of string that he found in his pocket.
-
-Boldly he addressed it, in very large letters, and sneaking down the
-stairway, and around on the piazza toward the side door, watched his
-chance, and slipped it into the mail box.
-
-There was much excitement on the front piazza, because the guests had
-arrived in the barge but a few moments before, and Mrs. Paxton had given
-a maid a generous "tip" to go over to the Merlington, and bring Floretta
-back with her.
-
-"She returned with the party that came from the Merlington, and I don't
-wish her to remain there. I want her to come right back to me," said
-Mrs. Paxton.
-
-"Very well, ma'am," the maid had replied, and with the coins in her
-hand, had started off at once toward the other hotel.
-
-When little Jack Tiverton ran around to the front piazza, the maid had
-just returned.
-
-"If you please, Mrs. Paxton, your little girl isn't over to the
-Merlington, and hasn't been there, and a lady that was with the party
-that came home from the mountain trip, says the child wasn't in their
-barge at all. I asked her if she was _sure_, and she said, she couldn't
-help being sure, because there wasn't _any_ child in their barge."
-
-Of course excitement reigned supreme. Mrs. Paxton seemed half wild, and
-every one shared her anxiety.
-
-The fact that Floretta was not a favorite made no difference. No one
-liked to think of a little girl out there alone on the mountain path, or
-in the woods, especially as it was already late afternoon.
-
-"What a dreadful thing!" cried Mrs. Paxton, wringing her hands, and
-walking up and down the piazza.
-
-"Who will go with me? I cannot go alone, and where, _where_ shall we
-look first? Who saw her last?"
-
-At this moment a man-servant came out from the hall with a tray of
-letters that he began to distribute.
-
-"One for you, Mrs. Paxton," said the man, as he touched her arm gently.
-
-"Oh, I can't think of letters now," she said, but something about the
-note seemed so unusual that she looked at it.
-
-She drew off the string that had been loosely tied, and read the hastily
-scrawled lines.
-
-She screamed, and Aunt Charlotte, who was standing near her, put her arm
-around her and supported her, or she would have fallen.
-
-Many of those who gathered around Mrs. Paxton were inclined to think the
-note a hoax, but Mrs. Dainty, coming forward, lifted her handsome head,
-and looking at the men who were lounging comfortably in the large
-rockers, or sitting upon the piazza railing, spoke the word that spurred
-them to action.
-
-"Is it safe to _guess_ that this is a joke? True, it is written in a
-boyish hand, and while it _may_ be a boy's joke, may it not be a boy's
-means of telling us what has actually happened? I would not, were I a
-man, take the responsibility or chance, of leaving Floretta out there,
-because I would go to the place, and thus learn, not guess, if this
-information be true."
-
-She had scarcely finished speaking when a number of men rose, and one,
-who chose to lead the party, lifted his hat to Mrs. Dainty, saying:
-
-"We are off, madam. We only needed an inspiration to move us to
-endeavor."
-
-She bowed and smiled, as she said:
-
-"One thing I ask of you. Go as quickly as possible, for the sake of the
-frightened child, and the anxious mother."
-
-"In all possible haste," was the quick reply, and she turned to offer
-what comfort she might to the woman who seemed nearly distracted.
-
- * * * * *
-
-And all this time, what had been happening in the wood? For a long time
-Floretta had cried, screamed, and shouted, hoping that the boys would
-come back and release her.
-
-Then, when she knew that they must be too far away to hear her, she tore
-at the clasping bonds, trying in every way to free herself. With feet
-and hands she strove to loosen the tough, wiry vines, kicking and
-trampling with her restless feet, beating and bending with her little
-hands, until they were torn and bleeding, and the tormenting vines
-seemed only to hold her with a firmer grasp, as if to prove how useless
-was her struggle.
-
-[Illustration: WITH FEET AND HANDS SHE STROVE TO LOOSEN THE TOUGH, WIRY
-VINES.--_Page 119_.]
-
-She had cried until she could cry no more, and the sturdy vines had cut
-and bruised her.
-
-So firmly was she bound that she could not sink to the grass to rest,
-and she had only the hard, rocky ledge to lean against.
-
-How still the woodland seemed! Sometimes a twig would snap, or a buzzing
-insect would pause, as if to look at her, but no one came to set her
-free.
-
-She waited for a moment to regain her breath, and then again she fought
-and struggled with those tough, sturdy vines.
-
-She tried to wrench them apart, to break, to tear them from her, but
-they only yielded enough to bend, and then snap back into the very
-place that she had pushed them from.
-
-Not a vine broke, not a stem gave way, and she set her lips tightly for
-yet greater effort!
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VII
-
-FLORETTA'S RETURN
-
-
-AT a far corner of the piazza sat Dorothy, her eyes terrified, and her
-cheeks pale. Nancy, close beside her, wound her arms about her, and
-sought, in every way, to comfort her.
-
-"They'll find her soon, Dorothy, so don't you be frightened," she
-whispered. "They'll _surely_ find her soon."
-
-Dear little Nancy knew, better than any of Dorothy's other friends could
-have known, how ready was her sympathy, how kind and loving was her
-heart.
-
-She had not loved Floretta, but with Dorothy, that did not count. It was
-the dreadful fear that something had happened to a little girl, who, so
-recently had been at play with them,--ah, that was what grieved sweet
-Dorothy.
-
-She was thinking of what Mrs. Dainty had said to Aunt Charlotte when the
-mountain trip was first talked of.
-
-"I think the long tramp is a rougher form of amusement than I can well
-endure. I should be so weary long before it was time to return, that I
-should derive but little pleasure from the trip. There is another
-thought in connection with the picnic," she continued, "and that is an
-element of danger. Not great danger perhaps, but such that I would not
-join the party, nor would I permit Dorothy, or Nancy to do so. One
-gentleman who was talking of the mountain path that they have chosen,
-spoke of the great danger to the climbers from small, rolling stones,
-and from places where the earth seems to crumble near the edge of the
-narrow foot-path. A careless step might lead to a fall that would mean,
-I hardly dare to say what!"
-
-Dorothy and Nancy had been wishing to join the party, but upon hearing
-this, they lost all interest in it, and had cheerfully taken the drive
-behind gentle Romeo, instead. Now, as Dorothy sat with Nancy's arms
-about her, she was glad that they had not been permitted to go, and she
-heartily wished that Floretta had remained at the Cleverton.
-
-"Had she rolled from the path, and fallen, fallen,--"
-
-Dorothy covered her eyes with her hands, as if she almost saw the little
-girl falling, down, down to the ravine so far below the path, and was
-trying to shut out the picture. Nancy, still striving to quiet her
-fear, heard some one telling what the scribbled note had said.
-
-"Oh, Dorothy!" she whispered, eagerly, "Floretta is just where they know
-how to find her, and they've promised to hurry, and bring her back."
-
-"Are you _sure_?" Dorothy asked.
-
-"Yes, _sure_!" said Nancy.
-
-Then Nancy climbed into the big chair beside her, and the two little
-girls sat, each tightly clasping the other's hands, while they waited
-and watched for the first glimpse of the men who should return, bringing
-Floretta with them.
-
-Mrs. Dainty and Aunt Charlotte remained with Mrs. Paxton, who seemed to
-have lost all control of herself.
-
-One moment she would cry as if her heart would break, and then she
-would spring up, threatening to follow the direction that the men had
-taken, and try to reach the woods, thus to sooner see her little girl.
-
-At last, after what seemed endless waiting, but was actually only an
-hour, some one espied the men in the distance, and cried out:
-
-"They're coming! They're coming!"
-
-"Have they got Floretta? Oh, _have_ they found her?" shrieked Mrs.
-Paxton.
-
-"We can't see from here," said the one who had spoken, and the mother
-rushed forward, shading her eyes with her hand, and straining to catch
-the first glimpse of her child.
-
-She would have rushed down the road to meet them, but Mrs. Dainty held
-her back. She had seen that they were carrying Floretta, and she
-thought, in case the child were injured, the mother would far better
-save her strength.
-
-Two of the men had clasped their hands to form an "arm-chair," and thus
-they brought to the piazza, a very limp, tired Floretta, whose vivacity
-was all gone, and whose face bore the trace of desperate weeping, while
-her arms and hands were covered with cuts and bruises, and her little
-frock was torn and tattered by her struggle with the tough and tightly
-knotted vines.
-
-She lay back against the shoulder of one man who supported her, and
-looked as if her strength were spent.
-
-She changed on the instant that they set her on her feet.
-
-Rushing to her mother, she permitted her to clasp her for a moment to
-her breast, then turning to the group that gathered around her, she
-cried fiercely:
-
-"Look! See my hands! See my arms! See the scratches, where I tried to
-get away, and it was Sidney Cumston who tied me! He _did_ it, but the
-other boys _let_ him. Not one tried to hinder him except Jack Tiverton,
-the littlest one of them all. He tried to make them let me go, but they
-wouldn't. Oh, somebody punish all but Jack! He _tried_, but he couldn't
-help me."
-
-She was hysterical, and sank to the floor of the piazza, sobbing, and
-crying, before her mother could catch her.
-
-She scrambled to her feet, and was clasped in her mother's arms.
-
-Old Mr. Cunningham surprised every one by speaking most kindly to her.
-She had so often tormented him that it seemed generous that he should
-offer a bit of comfort.
-
-"I don't think we shall let those young rascals escape without a sharp
-reprimand, and if I was to venture a guess about it, I should say that
-little Jack, after all, managed to help you, Floretta," he said.
-
-She turned in surprise to look at the old face, that now looked so
-kindly at her.
-
-"Come out here, Jack," said the old gentleman, "didn't you write the
-note that sent us searching for this little girl?"
-
-"Yes, sir," said Jack, "and I wrote it 'cause I thought the other big
-fellows were mean, but if they find out I told, they'll--"
-
-"No, they won't," said Mr. Cunningham. "You're no 'tell-tale.' You did
-just right, and the men here will stand by you. Those big boys were the
-cowards to torment a little girl. You're the best boy up here in the
-mountains."
-
-"Three cheers for young Tiverton!" shouted some one, and in the midst
-of the excitement, Mrs. Paxton, with her little daughter, slipped away
-to their room, after having thanked little Jack for his valuable
-assistance.
-
-Meanwhile old Mr. Cunningham had been searching in this pocket and that
-for something which he seemed most anxious to find.
-
-"Ah, I knew I had it! Come here, Jack!"
-
-Blushing and diffident, Jack walked over to the big rocker.
-
-"'Tisn't much, boy, but I think you ought to have a medal. Here's a
-silver dollar I've been keeping for a pocket piece. I'll give it to you
-for a medal, for being brave enough to tell what you knew _ought_ to be
-told. That's not tale-bearing, and as you were afraid to tell, for fear
-of those big bullies, it was a brave act. You're a lad that knows
-_what_ to do, _when_ to do, and then _does_ it!"
-
-"Hurrah for Jack Tiverton!" some one cried again, and this time they
-were given with a will.
-
-Mrs. Tiverton, returning from a long drive, wondered what all the
-excitement meant, and why they were cheering her little son.
-
-Jack, with his silver dollar tightly clasped, hung his head, and looked
-as if overpowered by his conspicuous position.
-
-Dorothy, now bright and happy, since Floretta was safe, saw that Jack
-hesitated.
-
-"Oh, Mrs. Tiverton," she said, "Jack has been truly the _best_ boy in
-the world, but he can't speak just now. When he tells you what he's
-done, you won't wonder why they cheered him!"
-
-Mrs. Barnet and Flossie, with Uncle Harry and his wife, now arrived in
-their big automobile from a three-days' trip that they had been
-enjoying.
-
-Of course Dorothy and Nancy tried to tell Flossie all about Floretta and
-Jack, and they were both so excited that Flossie got a very twisted idea
-of the affair.
-
-Uncle Harry, not dreaming that the matter was at all serious, turned,
-after greeting the children, to enter the house.
-
-"Oh, Uncle Harry!" cried Flossie, "you ought to hear about it. There
-were ever so many big boys, and only one little girl, and they tied her
-so she couldn't get away, and Jack wrote a note, and when they found
-her,--"
-
-"Now, Flossie, dear, I'm perfectly willing to be scared half out of my
-wits, but I _must_ know what I'm being scared about. You're getting me
-so mixed up that I've not the least idea what this is all about. Have
-you?" he asked.
-
-"Oh, no," said Flossie, "I don't _half_ understand it, but it does sound
-so frightful, that I'm so scared, I need to have you be scared, too."
-
-"Well, then," Uncle Harry replied, "if it will help you to know it, I'll
-admit that my teeth are chattering, and shivers are running up and down
-my spine!
-
-"I thought at first that it was the draft across this piazza, but
-perhaps, after all, it was caused by what you were telling me."
-
-When, at last, he had heard the story, he was full of disgust that any
-boy, and his friends, should have been guilty of such a contemptible
-act, and his sympathy for the little girl was deep and sincere.
-
-"She will need rest and quiet to-morrow," he said, "and you three
-little friends will be kind, I think, if you stay rather closely here,
-and help, in some quiet way, to amuse her."
-
-"We will," said Dorothy, "I'll let her read my new fairy book if she'd
-like to. She could lie in the hammock, and do that."
-
-"I'll keep the hammock swinging," said Nancy.
-
-"And I'll give her my new box of candy I just brought home," said
-Flossie.
-
-"That's right," said Uncle Harry, "and for your sweet promises of
-kindness toward the child who has suffered so much to-day I'll remind
-you that on day after to-morrow I shall give myself the pleasure of
-taking you all to the fair. I promise you a _fine_ time."
-
-He turned to look over his shoulder, and laugh at their wild little
-cries of delight.
-
-He was anticipating the pleasure quite as much as they.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Dorothy, Nancy, and Flossie kept the promise that they had made, and
-Floretta fully enjoyed their kindness. She seemed unusually gentle, and
-Mrs. Paxton thanked them for so sweetly helping to amuse her, and thus
-make her willing to spend the day quietly.
-
-The day set for the visit to the village fair dawned bright and sunny, a
-light breeze making it just cool enough to be delightful.
-
-The barge was waiting for its gay little passengers.
-
-The children stood with impatient feet on the piazza, waiting for their
-host, merry, handsome Uncle Harry.
-
-At last a firm tread caused them to turn, and there he was, looking
-gayer than ever, a picture of health, strength, and kindliness, and
-clad in a most becoming outing suit of light gray serge.
-
-The blue of his tie was not bluer than his fine eyes, and no one could
-have glanced at him without knowing that he possessed a generous, loving
-nature, a kind and merry heart.
-
-"Come, little friends!" he cried. "Is every young lady that I invited
-here?" he added, looking anxiously lest some child be late, and thus by
-chance, be left behind.
-
-"Every one is here!" said Flossie. "I know because I've counted."
-
-"Then we'll start at once, unless some one would rather wait 'til
-to-morrow?" he said, his eyes twinkling.
-
-"Oh, no! No!" they cried. "We just _couldn't_ wait!"
-
-"In that case we'll go now!" he said, with a droll expression, as if he
-started at once, merely as an accommodation.
-
-"Why, Uncle Harry! You're only joking," cried Flossie. "You wouldn't be
-willing to wait until to-morrow. I heard you tell Aunt Vera to hurry and
-find your tie, because you were in such a rush to start!"
-
-"To think that my own little niece would tell tales like that, and thus
-let out the secret. What chance have I now, of making them think that I
-was really very shy about riding with such a large party of girls?"
-
-Shouts of laughter greeted this speech, and Uncle Harry waited until it
-had subsided, then he said:
-
-"Oh, well, if no one _believes_ that I am shy or diffident, it's waste
-of time to try to appear so, so I shall not try. Instead, I shall be
-very bold. Come, dears, let me help you in!"
-
-And amid shouts of laughter from the children, he lifted each high in
-air, and placed her in the barge, thus saving her the trouble of
-mounting the steps.
-
-Then taking his seat in the middle of the laughing, chattering little
-party, he called to the driver to start.
-
-The long whip cracked, Jack Tiverton, from the piazza, blew loudly on a
-tin trumpet, and they were off over the road, the happiest party that
-ever filled a barge.
-
-Uncle Harry told some amusing stories, then, led by his fine voice, they
-sang some gay little songs, and before they dreamed that they had
-arrived at the fair, the driver shouted:
-
-"Here we are!" and sure enough, they had reached the fair grounds.
-
-"Why, I didn't suppose we were more than half-way here," said Dorothy,
-"and the reason is that the ride has been so jolly."
-
-"That's just it," agreed Nancy.
-
-"The reason _I_ enjoyed the ride," said Uncle Harry, "is because I was
-so charmed with my little guests."
-
-"And the reason why we had such a fine ride," said Flossie, "is because
-we had the _best_ man in the world taking care of us."
-
-Uncle Harry bowed low.
-
-"This must be a wedding party, if I'm the 'best man,'" he said with a
-laugh, "so we'll not fuss because there's no musician to play a march
-for us, but we'll play you are all bridesmaids, and we'll hurry right
-along. The entrance is this way, I think, and under that evergreen
-arch."
-
-A large tent had been pitched for the display of the various wares and
-numerous attractions; a smaller tent near it serving as fortune teller's
-booth.
-
-"We'll coax Uncle Harry to have his fortune told," whispered Flossie to
-Dorothy, when, to their great surprise, he said:
-
-"Oh, Flossie, you little witch! Uncle Harry heard what you said, and not
-only is he going to have his fortune told, but he's going to make every
-one of you little girls have yours told, also!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VIII
-
-AT THE FAIR
-
-
-THE fair proved a great delight to the children. They had all been to
-fine fairs patronized by fashionable matrons, whose names were quite
-enough to insure success, but the country fair was an absolute novelty.
-
-At the large city fairs, merry débutantes graced the booths, and sold
-flowers, or tickets for the various games of chance.
-
-Here in the mountain village all was different, and the novelty gave
-greater interest.
-
-Farmers' daughters were in the booths, and sold huge bouquets of
-old-fashioned garden flowers, homemade candy, and honey, while one
-rosy-cheeked lass dispensed sweet cider, or sweet apples, according to
-the preference of her customer.
-
-Uncle Harry purchased a huge stalk of hollyhocks for each of his guests,
-but for himself he chose an enormous sunflower which he insisted looked
-_fine_ in his buttonhole.
-
-There was music, if it could be called music, furnished by the local
-band.
-
-Uncle Harry said he had never seen such independent people as those
-musicians were. He declared that the music sounded, to him, as if each
-man commenced to play when he chose, and stopped when he got ready,
-regardless of what the other players were doing.
-
-"Oh, I do believe that is the way they play!" cried Dorothy, laughing.
-
-"Of course it is," cried Uncle Harry, "and a great deal of bother it
-saves, for no one has to direct them; they do not know that they are
-making discord, and thus they play and play with all their might, and
-are absolutely care-free and happy."
-
-There were heaps of giant pumpkins, and more red and yellow ears of corn
-than they had ever seen before, while everywhere was laughter, and
-friendly gossip, and chatter, that made the fair a jolly place in which
-to roam about.
-
-The children were determined to see every object in the big tent, and
-while some were interested in one thing, others wished to see something
-else, so they decided to divide into two groups.
-
-One half of the little party turned to the right intent upon seeing some
-gaudy patchwork quilts, while the others turned to the left declaring
-their intention of investing all their pennies in the "fish-pond."
-
-There were so many things to see on the way, that it was a long time
-before they met, as they had agreed, at the entrance.
-
-Somewhere on the way they had missed Uncle Harry, and they could not
-imagine where he had gone.
-
-It happened that Uncle Harry had seen a very small girl crying, and his
-first thought was to help her, and thus dry her tears.
-
-Upon questioning her, he found that the wee little maid had, by
-accident, knocked a small doll from one of the tables, and had been
-roundly scolded.
-
-"That pretty girl with the black eyes says I did it a-purpose, but I
-didn't," she cried, "I wanted to see it, and I just touched it, and it
-tumbled off the table."
-
-Her tears fell afresh, and in place of a handkerchief, she drew up her
-blue-checked apron, and hid her face in it.
-
-"Look up, little girl," Uncle Harry said, and his voice sounded so
-kindly, that she at once peeped at him through her tears.
-
-"Which is the table where all this happened?"
-
-"That one," said the child, "and the big girl is looking at me now."
-
-"Then give me your hand, and, just for fun, _we'll_ go and look at
-_her_."
-
-A moment she hesitated.
-
-"Come," he said, and with a sunny smile, the little girl placed her hand
-in his, and the big, handsome man with the wee country lass approached
-the table together.
-
-"I'll lift you up so you can see nicely," he said. "Now, which was the
-doll that fell from the table?"
-
-Before the child could reply, the girl spoke sharply.
-
-"'Twas that one, sir, and her meddlesome fingers,--"
-
-"Never mind about that," said Uncle Harry, then turning to the child he
-said:
-
-"Did you like that one best, or is that larger one finer?"
-
-"That large one is the loveliest. I didn't _ever_ see one so fine as
-that."
-
-"We'll have that one, then," he said, offering a bill to the astonished
-salesgirl.
-
-"There, little girl, she's yours," he said, as he placed the big doll in
-her arms.
-
-"I can hold her a little while?" she asked, eagerly.
-
-"You can hold her _always_, if you want to," he said gently, "I bought
-her for you."
-
-Rapturously she clasped the gift in her arms.
-
-"Oh, I love you, because you are good," she cried.
-
-"Then tell me your name," he said.
-
-"I'm Lois Ann Ferguson," chirped the little girl, "and father is Sandy
-Ferguson. Oh, there he is now. He's to play the pipes."
-
-She ran toward a sturdy man dressed in Highland costume, and carrying
-the bagpipes under his arm.
-
-Mr. Ferguson glanced at her flushed cheeks, saw the gorgeous doll that
-she flourished before his astonished eyes, and finally understood that
-the tall, handsome stranger had bestowed it upon his wee daughter, as a
-gift.
-
-He took her little hand, and hurried forward, saying:
-
-"I dinna ken why he should dae it for my wee lassie.
-
-"I wad gladly thank ye, sir," he said, "but I'm lost in wonder that ye
-made wee Lois sae blithe an' gay wi' the braw gift."
-
-"She's a dear little lass," said Uncle Harry, "and when I found her
-crying, I knew that a fine new doll would dry her tears. Don't bother to
-thank me. I made myself happy, when I comforted her."
-
-"I wish there were mair like ye," said Sandy Ferguson, "an' some day
-when ye're older, an' ha' a wee daughter of yer ain,--"
-
-"I have a wife and baby girl now," was the quick reply, "and they are my
-dearest possessions."
-
-"An' I thought ye a braw, bonny laddie, wi' yer fair hair an' blue een!
-Weel, weel, ye dinna hae tae live 'til ye're auld before ye ken tae dae
-a kindly act," Sandy Ferguson replied, "an' later when I play the
-pipes, an' Lois dances, she shall make her first bow tae her new
-friend."
-
-"Oh, Uncle Harry, _did_ you buy the new doll for the little girl?"
-
-It was little Flossie, who, after having searched every corner of the
-tent, had found him talking to the Scotchman and his little girl.
-
-"Is he your own uncle?" little Lois asked, looking up into Flossie's
-lovely face.
-
-"Oh, yes," said Flossie, "and he's the best uncle in the world."
-
-"I know he must be," said the little girl. "See how good he was to me."
-
-They turned to join the rest of their party, and little Lois looked over
-her shoulder, with one hand held fast in her father's, while with the
-other she tightly clasped the precious doll.
-
-"I saw the notice near the entrance when we came in, that a Scotch
-farmer would play, and his little daughter would dance," said Uncle
-Harry, "but that child is not much more than a baby. She cannot be more
-than four. It will be amusing to see her dance, and Nancy Ferris will
-enjoy it most of all."
-
-They found the others reading the notice of which they had been talking,
-and they were delighted when they heard what a very little girl it was
-who was to dance.
-
-They had a lunch served by girls dressed as dairy maids, and it was just
-such a lunch as might have been enjoyed at a farmhouse.
-
-The long table spread with its white cloth, and set with blue and white
-dishes, was decorated by a garland of small sunflowers that lay upon the
-cloth, down the centre, and the entire length of the table.
-
-There were plates heaped with biscuit, there were dishes of both wild
-and cultivated strawberries, and delicious cream to be eaten with them,
-there were sandwiches and little cakes, honey enough to tempt the bees
-to the feast, and the children thought it finer than a hotel dinner. How
-they laughed, and chattered, as they enjoyed the spread!
-
-Uncle Harry was in his sunniest mood, and told stories and jokes that
-kept them amused, and seemed to be the gayest member of the party.
-
-"Tell us a story about when you were a _little_ boy," said Flossie.
-
-"My small niece thinks I'm nothing but a _big_ boy now!" he said.
-
-"Well, the big Scotchman thought you were only a lad. I heard him say
-so," said Flossie.
-
-"When you were a boy were you ever naughty, _real_ naughty?" Floretta
-asked.
-
-She had been very quiet, and all were surprised at her question.
-
-"Once upon a time, when I was little," said Uncle Harry, "I was very,
-_very_ fond of good things, but the one thing that I liked better than
-anything else was strawberry jam.
-
-"I was always allowed to have it, but I felt sure that it would taste
-even nicer if I had more of it at a time, and still finer if I could
-have a long handled spoon, and eat it right from the jar.
-
-"I used often to think how fine it would be if I, some day, could have
-the chance to eat it that way, but I never could get even _very_ near
-the jar.
-
-"One day the opportunity came. My sister and I were in the nursery, and
-the maid had been down-stairs for a long time.
-
-"The rest of the family were away, and we were to have our tea in the
-nursery, as usual, only, as we had had to remain at home, we were to
-have an extra treat.
-
-"Among other good things, we were to have strawberry jam.
-
-"My sister, that is Flossie's mamma, was a little older than I, and she
-was always trying to give me lessons in good behavior.
-
-"'Now, Harry,' she said, 'while nurse is down-stairs, we might commence
-to set our table.'
-
-"'There isn't anything here to set it with but the tablecloth and the
-jam,' I said, 'but you're a girl, so you know how to put the cloth on,
-and I'll bring the jam.'"
-
-"I guess Uncle Harry was so fond of the jam, that he liked even to
-carry the jar," said Flossie.
-
-"We wondered why the nurse stayed so long down-stairs," continued Uncle
-Harry, "and I told my sister that I was tired of waiting for tea, and I
-said I'd taste of the jam, if only I had a long handled spoon.
-
-"'Why, Harry,' she answered in disgust, 'I wouldn't think you'd be so
-naughty, but,--if you really _want_ to taste it, here's the spoon beside
-the jar.'"
-
-"And _did_ you?" questioned Dorothy.
-
-"Well, yes, I have to admit that I did. In truth, I tasted and tasted
-until my sister cried:
-
-"'Why, Harry, you naughty boy! When you get done tasting, there won't be
-any left!'
-
-"'You won't care, because _you_ wouldn't be so naughty as to taste it!'
-I said.
-
-"'Oh, wouldn't I?' she cried. 'Well, you just let me take that spoon,
-and you'll see!'
-
-"Well, a funny mix-up followed, in which we each tried to get possession
-of the spoon and the jam. We were laughing while we struggled for it,
-but at last, one of us slipped, and fell, dragging the other down; the
-jar of jam tipped over, and her white frock, my gray jacket and
-trousers, and even my long, yellow curls became smeared with the jam.
-
-"Nurse opened the door, and screamed with terror, for the red jam looked
-as if we had been terribly hurt, and it was some time before we could
-convince her that we were not cut or bruised, but only _very sticky_!
-
-"Then came the scolding, and my sister tried to screen me.
-
-"'Harry couldn't help tasting it, he's so fond of jam,' she said.
-
-"'Well, he's got a good share of it, inside and out,' said nurse,
-grimly.
-
-"'She's got as much as I have,' I said, 'just look at her frock!'
-
-"Of course our clothes were changed, and the jam cleaned from the
-polished floor, but we had our tea without jam.
-
-"Nurse said we could eat our biscuits with the _memory_ of the jam we
-had already enjoyed."
-
-"Oh, Uncle Harry," cried Flossie, "I wish, even though you were naughty,
-she'd let you have more jam. She didn't know how good you'd be when you
-grew up."
-
-"I still am fond of jam!" he said, and the children laughed to see him
-pour honey over his berries that already were covered with sugar.
-
-"You like _anything_ that's sweet!" said Dorothy, "whether it's jam, or
-sugar, or honey,--"
-
-"Or little girls," said Uncle Harry. "You notice, I made this party all
-little girls, and I'm having a _lovely_ time."
-
-"So are we," laughed Dorothy.
-
-"And he says 'lovely' just as we do," said Nancy, "he does it to make us
-laugh."
-
-"Then why don't you laugh?" said Uncle Harry, and they _did_ laugh,
-every member of the party, and laughed because they could not help it.
-
-And when the merry feast was over, they hastened to the small tent where
-the old gypsy was telling fortunes.
-
-Each had intended to have her fortune told, and thus learn what the
-future held for her.
-
-To their great surprise, she flatly refused to tell any child's
-fortune, saying that she would only foretell events for "grown ups." The
-little girls were rather afraid of her, but Uncle Harry boldly offered
-his hand, saying:
-
-"Am I big enough to hear my fortune?"
-
-"No nonsense, young lad," she said, while the children dared not laugh.
-She bent over his palm for a moment, then she solemnly said:
-
-"You're a brave lad, and you need to be for you will fall in love with a
-girl who'll have red hair, and the temper that usually goes with it."
-
-"O dear!" sighed Uncle Harry.
-
-"Don't worry, young man," said the old gypsy, "because it will be some
-months before you marry."
-
-"Indeed," said Uncle Harry, "and what shall I do if the girl proves to
-have the temper you prophesy? Shall I try to calm her by holding her
-under a pump, or would you advise tying her until she feels less fiery?"
-
-"Young man, this is no laughing matter," was the sharp reply.
-
-"Guess it isn't!" said Uncle Harry. "I've seldom been so discouraged.
-Here am I, a man who has a lovely wife and baby girl, and yet I've got
-to marry a red-haired girl, with a temper like chain lightning! Who was
-ever in a worse fix?"
-
-The old gypsy flew into a rage. "You're poking fun at me!" she cried.
-
-"There! There! The fun was worth that!" he cried, laying a handful of
-small coins on the table before her.
-
-In her eagerness to count the money, she forgot her wrath, and they
-hastened from the tent, where, safely outside, they were free to laugh
-as much as they chose.
-
-As they re-entered the large tent, they saw that near the centre, a
-space had been cleared, and there was a crowd of people waiting, as if
-expecting some attraction to be exhibited.
-
-They had not long to wait, for almost immediately the Scotch piper
-appeared, and tightly clasping her precious new doll in her arms was wee
-Lois, dressed in Highland costume.
-
-Placing her doll on a table, and making sure that it was safe, she ran
-forward, courtesied first to Uncle Harry, as she had promised, and then,
-to the music of the pipes, the wee lassie did the "Highland Fling."
-
-She was such a round, dimpled little girl, one would never have dreamed
-that she could dance with such infantile grace.
-
-And when she had finished, with another courtesy, they crowded around
-her, and it was Nancy who most generously praised her. Dear little
-Nancy, who danced like a fairy, never had a jealous thought in her
-loving heart!
-
-It was Uncle Harry who caught little Lois, and lifted her so that he
-could look into her eyes.
-
-"I want my dolly, now," she cried, anxious lest it be lost or stolen.
-Dorothy brought the doll, and the child clasped it to her breast.
-
-"My wee lassie said she wisht she had a gift tae gi' ye," said Sandy.
-
-"I have a dear little girl of my own, and I prize her baby kisses," said
-Uncle Harry. "Will _you_ give me one, little Lois?"
-
-She clasped her arms around his neck, and kissed him softly.
-
-"Best man next to father," she said.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IX
-
-FLOSSIE'S LETTER
-
-
-THE children said "good-by" to little Lois, and as her father carried
-her away, she waved her hand to them.
-
-"Wasn't she cunning?" said Dorothy.
-
-"She was very sweet," said Nancy, "and how well she did her little
-dance!"
-
-"She didn't dance half as fine as you do, Nancy Ferris," said Floretta.
-"You _know_ that."
-
-"Oh, but I was trained for dancing," said Nancy, "and, beside, she was
-very little to dance so cleverly."
-
-Floretta made no reply, but she thought of what Nancy had said.
-
-"Trained for dancing. She said she was _trained_ to dance. I wonder
-where? I wish I knew, but I didn't quite dare to ask her."
-
-Once more they walked around the big tent, and Uncle Harry purchased a
-gift for each to carry home as a souvenir.
-
-There were little baskets that the gypsies had woven, and fancy boxes
-filled with woodland plants. The boxes were made from birch bark, and
-were very dainty.
-
-These the children prized, and lovingly they thanked him for the pretty
-gifts.
-
-At the candy table he purchased enough of the homemade bonbons to fill
-the baskets, and then they left the tent to start on the homeward trip.
-
-The barge was waiting for them, and they clambered in, tired, but very
-happy.
-
-"This is the nicest fair I ever went to," said Dorothy, "and I've had
-so many good things that I'm going to save my basket of candy until
-to-morrow."
-
-"So am I," cried all the others.
-
-"And so am _I_," said Uncle Harry, as he held up a huge basket filled
-with all kinds of candy.
-
-How they laughed, and accused him of having a "sweet-tooth."
-
-"Now, just a moment!" he cried, as he held up his finger for silence,
-"I'm taking this _big_ basket home to treat the _big_ ladies with. I
-took the _little_ ladies with me, but I've not forgotten the _big_
-ladies that I left at the hotel."
-
-"Because you don't ever forget any one," said Flossie, and the others
-cried:
-
-"That's it! Just it! He does nice things for every one."
-
-"Oh, spare my blushes," said Uncle Harry, but it was easy to see that
-their affection for him pleased him.
-
-The ride home seemed shorter than the trip to the fair.
-
-They joined in singing the merry songs that his fine voice led, and the
-horses, knowing that they were on the homeward trip, jogged along at a
-better pace than when they had started out.
-
-Uncle Harry had found some bells, and fastened them to their harnesses,
-and they made a jingling accompaniment to the merry voices.
-
-And when the barge drew up at the Cleverton, Uncle Harry, with elaborate
-courtesy, handed each young lady down, bowing low, and thanking her for
-the honor she had conferred upon him by permitting him to take her to
-the fair.
-
-"Oh, you do truly know we have to thank you for giving us such a lovely
-day!" said Dorothy.
-
-"But think how happy I have been," he said, and although his blue eyes
-were laughing, they knew that he meant it.
-
-"Oh, mamma, we had the finest time," cried Dorothy, "and see the fine
-basket of candy and the pretty birch bark box! See the little ferns
-growing in it. Isn't he _dear_?"
-
-"He surely is charming," said Mrs. Dainty. "His generous, sunny nature
-makes every one love him, and I believe he values the love of his
-friends more than most things."
-
-"He has been gay, and full of fun all day," said Nancy, "and it will
-take a long time to tell you all the pleasant things he did for us. I do
-wish you and Aunt Charlotte _could_ have been there when he had his
-fortune told."
-
-"And he couldn't have been any nicer to us if we'd been tall ladies,"
-said Floretta.
-
-"I hope every one of you little friends were real _little ladies_, thus
-rewarding him for his kindness," Aunt Charlotte said, gently.
-
-"Oh, we were," said Nancy, "not a single one of us did anything that
-could trouble him."
-
-"There were a number of little girls who only came here last week, so we
-weren't much acquainted with them, but they were all very nice, and he
-said he had as fine a time as we did," said Dorothy.
-
-She climbed into a large hammock, and with Nancy beside her, sat
-swinging, and thinking of the day that had been so delightfully spent.
-
-Mrs. Fenton came out upon the piazza, and, instead of sitting down,
-seemed to be looking for something.
-
-"Can I help you?" said Nancy, slipping from the hammock, and hastening
-toward her.
-
-"I've mislaid my glasses," she said, "and I can't find them."
-
-She did not thank Nancy for so kindly offering to help her, but Nancy
-seemed not to notice that. She peeped under chairs, lifted their
-cushions, and even looked between folds of newspapers that lay near at
-hand, but the glasses were not in sight.
-
-"How trying!" said Mrs. Fenton, "I have some letters that I wish to
-read, and I can't read them until my glasses are found."
-
-"Did you use them anywhere but just here?" Nancy asked.
-
-Mrs. Fenton stood for a moment thinking.
-
-"Seems to me I _did_ have them in the dining-room," she said.
-
-"I'll go and ask the waitresses if they have seen them," said Nancy, as
-she ran toward the hall.
-
-She paused in the doorway, amazed at what she saw.
-
-Floretta, with a pair of eyeglasses upon her small nose, was walking up
-and down the room, as nearly as possible, in Mrs. Fenton's manner, and
-exactly imitating her voice, while a group of waitresses, the cook, and
-two kitchen maids laughed, and applauded her.
-
-She cared not who composed her audience, so long as she obtained
-applause. Floretta was, evidently, quite herself once more!
-
-"Oh, Floretta!" cried Nancy, "you mustn't, truly you mustn't. Give me
-the glasses. Mrs. Fenton is looking everywhere for them!"
-
-"Well, I shan't give them to you!" said Floretta, rudely. "You aren't
-Mrs. Fenton."
-
-"But I've been helping her to hunt for them. She has some letters she
-wants to read, and she can't till she has her glasses," insisted Nancy.
-
-"Then let her come for them!" cried Floretta, when a quiet voice spoke.
-
-"Very well, I _have_ come for them," it said, and there in the doorway
-stood Mrs. Fenton.
-
-The silly maids who had laughed so loudly, now hastily disappeared in
-the kitchen.
-
-Floretta dropped the glasses upon the table, and then, wholly ashamed,
-crawled under it, where Mrs. Fenton's sharp eyes might not look at her.
-
-Mrs. Fenton took the glasses, and without another word, swept from the
-room.
-
-Nancy, waiting in the hall, crept softly toward her, and gently laid her
-hand on the lady's arm.
-
-"I'm _so_ sorry she did that. I wish I could have got the glasses from
-her, and brought them to you before you came to find them. Then you
-needn't have known how naughty,--" Nancy caught her breath.
-
-"Never mind that, Nancy. Remember, as _I_ shall, that _you_ were not the
-naughty, disgusting child," said Mrs. Fenton, and she turned, with her
-letters and glasses in her hand, and went up the long stairway to her
-room.
-
-It was nearly time to dress for dinner, which was always served
-promptly at six.
-
-Mrs. Dainty with Dorothy, and Aunt Charlotte with Nancy hastened to
-their rooms, to freshen their toilettes, and Nancy realized that there
-would not be time to tell Aunt Charlotte all about the unpleasant
-happening.
-
-"I've something to tell you, but I'll have to wait till we've plenty of
-time," she said.
-
-Aunt Charlotte, tying the soft, blue ribbon into the brown curls, looked
-into the mirror before which they were standing, and smiled at the
-thoughtful face.
-
-"Will it keep until then, dear?" she asked.
-
-"Oh, yes," said Nancy, "I only tell it to you because I love to tell you
-everything."
-
-"Dear child," said Aunt Charlotte, "I bless the day that you, as a
-little waif, were taken in by Mrs. Dainty, and that I was asked to come
-and care for you. I could not love you more if you were my own little
-girl."
-
-"I never saw my own mamma; she died when I was a baby," said Nancy, "so,
-because you love me, you seem like my very own."
-
-Gentle Aunt Charlotte's eyes were wet with happy tears, as she hooked
-the pretty, white muslin frock, with its slip of light blue, and tied
-the soft blue belt.
-
-"Your shoes must be changed, Nancy," she said. "You know how particular
-Mrs. Dainty is about the matter of shoes and stockings. They must match
-the frock."
-
-"Oh, yes," said Nancy, "and with this one she said: 'Wear blue
-stockings and bronze slippers,' so I will."
-
-She found the blue hose and the pretty bronze slippers, then, with elfin
-grace, she caught the edge of her skirt, and with rosy, bare feet,
-tripped across the floor in a graceful, gliding step, crying:
-
-"Look, Aunt Charlotte, look! This pretty step Bonfanti taught me."
-
-Aunt Charlotte did look, and as she watched the pretty child, and saw
-her joy in dancing, she marvelled that little Nancy could smile as she
-danced, remembering all that she had been taught, while apparently
-forgetting all the unhappy months upon the stage.
-
-She thought of poor little Nancy, forced to dance, night after night, to
-support her old Uncle Steve, who was too lazy to support himself.
-
-She thought of the time that the little pitiful note from Nancy had
-reached them, and, together, she and Mrs. Dainty had found the child,
-and brought her safely home.
-
-She did not speak of all this. Nancy's happy little heart should never
-be reminded of sad days that were past.
-
-Now her life was filled with bright sunshine, the sunshine of love, and
-it was reflected in her happy face.
-
-A gong rang out a silvery note.
-
-"Oh, my shoes!" cried Nancy, with a peal of merry laughter. "I wanted to
-show you those pretty steps, and I forgot all about dinner."
-
-It was the work of but a few seconds for Nancy to draw on the light blue
-hose, and even less time to put on the pretty slippers. She ran to the
-mirror, and courtesied, took a few tripping steps, smiling at her
-reflection, and then hastened to the hall to join Dorothy.
-
-[Illustration: SHE TOOK A FEW TRIPPING STEPS, SMILING AT HER
-REFLECTION.--_Page 176._]
-
-"All ready," cried Nancy, springing to her feet, to follow Dorothy.
-
-A pretty pair they made as with arms about each other's waist, they
-tripped along the hall.
-
-Fair, blue-eyed Dorothy Dainty was very lovely in a pale pink frock with
-soft frillings of fine lace. Her stockings were of the same shade, and
-her shoes were white. Mrs. Dainty in dark blue satin, and Aunt Charlotte
-in pearl color made, with the two children, a pleasing group.
-
-In the lower hall they met Mrs. Paxton with Floretta, the former wearing
-a gown of purple satin, while Floretta wore a frock of scarlet silk.
-Mrs. Fenton, passing, on her way to the dining-room, looked sharply
-at the two groups, and _did_ she look amused when her eyes rested upon
-Mrs. Paxton, and her small daughter? Dorothy noticed the look, and
-turned to her mamma.
-
-Mrs. Dainty read the question in Dorothy's eyes, and ever so slightly,
-shook her head, and they passed into the dining-room.
-
- * * * * *
-
-The next morning, when the mail was distributed, there was great
-excitement, because every one had so many letters.
-
-"See mine!" cried Flossie Barnet. "Everybody see mine! It looks like
-boy's writing. See it!"
-
-"If some very young man wrote it, he might not be delighted to have it
-so freely exhibited, Flossie," said Uncle Harry, with a laugh.
-
-"Oh, why should he care?" she asked in surprise. "Who do you s'pose
-wrote it? Guess, Uncle Harry!"
-
-"Well, now let me think," said Uncle Harry, covering his eyes with his
-hand, then peeping through his fingers.
-
-"There's a small boy at home, who glories in the name of Reginald Merton
-Deane. Open the letter, dear, and if I guessed right, you can give me a
-prize, and if I'm wrong, I'll give you one."
-
-Flossie studied the address for a moment, then she opened the letter,
-and laughed with delight.
-
-"I'll have to give you the prize, but why did he think to write to me?"
-
-Dear little Flossie had never seemed aware that small Reginald preferred
-her to any of his friends. Even when she was so little that she could
-not pronounce his name, and called him "Weginald," he thought her the
-dearest of all his playmates. And this was his letter:
-
- "DEAR FLOSSIE:
-
- "I miss you so much that I'm going to write, and
- tell you all the news.
-
- "Our old dog had a fit yesterday, and my brother
- got the vet'nary doctor. When he came, he said
- Carlo hadn't any fit. He was acting just awful. I
- said 'what makes him tare round so?' an he said
- maybe I'd tare round sum if I had a fish-bone in
- my throat! The doctor took it out, and then Carlo
- was so glad he tore round worsen ever!
-
- "Arabella Corryville is acting worse than Carlo
- did. You know her Aunt Matilda lives with them, an
- neether Arabella, or her pa, or her ma dare to do
- ennything without asking Aunt Matilda _first_.
- Well, her aunt has had to go way up to New
- Hampshur (I guess I didn't spell that rite) and
- Arabella thinks its just her chanse to act awful.
- Carlo is real quiet side of Arabella when she acts
- the way she does now.
-
- "She stays out doors most all the time, and goes
- just where she pleases.
-
- "Some days she's way down by the stashun until its
- almost dark.
-
- "You know she's always taking medesin, and carries
- the bottles in her pockets.
-
- "She carries em now, but she told me she's takin
- the kind she likes best. Theres two kinds her Aunt
- Matilda made her take, one tasted horrid, and the
- other tasted nice. Arabella threw the horrid one
- away, and ate the nice pills for candy. She told
- me this morning that her Aunt Matilda is coming
- home just for one day, and then they're all going
- up where you, and Dorothy, and Nancy are. I don't
- believe it, but if she does, and you see her, you
- needn't give my love to her.
-
- "Your tru friend,
- "REGINALD."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER X
-
-A GIFT OF WILDFLOWERS
-
-
-OF course, Dorothy and Nancy were greatly interested in the letter, and
-Uncle Harry said that he was glad that Reginald had thought to say that
-the fish-bone had been removed from Carlo's throat.
-
-He said it would have seemed quite a trip to take to leave the
-Cleverton, and go to Merrivale to feel Carlo's pulse, and inquire for
-his health.
-
-"Now that that bone is removed, I breathe easier," said Uncle Harry,
-"and so does Carlo!"
-
-"Oh, you wouldn't have gone home just to call on Carlo," said Flossie.
-
-"Well, I don't know," he said, trying to look solemn, "I wouldn't like
-Carlo to feel neglected, and now I think of it, does Reginald speak of
-the cat?"
-
-"No," said Flossie, "but when I answer the letter, I'll tell Reginald
-you're anxious about her."
-
-"I am," said Uncle Harry, "because the last time I saw her, Carlo was
-barking at her very rudely, and her back was up in a hump like a
-camel's. Reginald ought to have told us if her back is _still_ up, or
-whether she has taken the kink out of her spine. We might telephone and
-ask, instead of worrying."
-
-He rose, and walked toward the hall, whistling as he went, an old
-nursery song that he used to sing to Flossie.
-
- "The cat came fiddling out of the barn,
- With a pair of bagpipes under her arm."
-
-How the children laughed!
-
-"Look!" said Flossie, "he's going right toward the telephone, just to
-make us think that he's _truly_ going to ring up Reginald, and inquire
-for the cat."
-
-"Who is Arabella?" Floretta asked.
-
-"She lives near us," said Dorothy, "and she used to go to Aunt
-Charlotte's private school with us."
-
-"Doesn't she now?" asked Floretta.
-
-"No, she left our class, and went to a large school in the city."
-
-"By what the letter says, I'd think she was rather queer," said
-Floretta.
-
-"Well--" said Dorothy, hesitating, "Arabella _is_ queer."
-
-"Why don't you like to say so?" was the sharp reply.
-
-"Because Dorothy never likes to say anything that isn't kind about any
-one, but Arabella _is_ queer, so Dorothy won't say she isn't," said
-Nancy.
-
-It was a few days later that Dorothy was reminded of what Reginald had
-said in his letter to Flossie.
-
-She was waiting for Nancy to go for a walk, and stooping to pick some of
-the pretty wildflowers that blossomed everywhere.
-
-She had walked slowly along toward the clump of white birches where,
-when they had first arrived, they had called, and listened to the echo.
-
-She looked back toward the hotel, but Nancy was not yet in sight, so she
-seated herself upon the grass, and began to arrange the flowers in a
-fine bouquet.
-
-She was trying to mix the white blossoms and pink buds so as to show the
-beauty of each, when a carriage passed, and before she looked up a
-shrill little voice shouted:
-
-"Dorothy! Dorothy! We're over at the farmhouse just beyond the
-Merlington. Aunt Matilda wouldn't _let_ pa take us to a hotel. She
-doesn't approve of hotels. Aunt Matilda says,--"
-
-She was looking back to shout at Dorothy, and doubtless would have given
-even more particulars, but a firm hand had hastily forced her to turn
-around, and sit down.
-
-Nancy ran along the path a few moments later, and her eyes were dancing.
-
-"Did you see Arabella?" she asked. "_Did_ you?"
-
-"Yes, just a few moments ago, and she turned around in the carriage and
-screamed to me," said Dorothy.
-
-"I can guess what she said," laughed Nancy, "because she screamed at
-me. She told me she was staying at a farmhouse, and said that her Aunt
-Matilda didn't approve of hotels."
-
-"That is _just_ what she said," said Dorothy, "and she would have said
-more but some one, I think it was her Aunt Matilda, pulled her back into
-the carriage."
-
-"Why, that's just the way it was when I saw her. I ran out on to the
-piazza, and down the steps, and the carriage rolled by, and she twisted
-round to shout. There was this difference, though," said Nancy. "You
-were out here alone, and no one would know if you laughed, but when I
-ran out, our piazza was full of people, and when Arabella shouted, you'd
-ought to have seen them look.
-
-"Flossie and her Uncle Harry were on the lawn, and as she rode past, he
-said with a sigh:
-
- "'Arabella, Arabella,
- If I had my new umbrella,'
-
-and I was wild to know the rest of it, but his wife, who was standing
-near him, said:
-
-"'Hush, Harry, really you mustn't,' and he only laughed, and said:
-
-"'Oh, _mustn't_ I? Why, when I saw Arabella and her Aunt Matilda, I
-really felt as if I _must_!'"
-
-"Let's ask him what the rest of the verse is," said Dorothy.
-
-"I'm wild to hear it," Nancy said, "because the very way he looked made
-me think that the other lines, whatever they were, would be funny."
-
-She stooped to gather more of the little blossoms to add to Dorothy's
-bouquet, and then commenced to make a bouquet of her own.
-
-"Arabella will be coming over to see you," she said, a moment later,
-"and I wonder if it is naughty to say, 'I wish she wouldn't?' Do you
-think it is?"
-
-"I don't know," said Dorothy, "but I _do_ wish it. I wouldn't, only she
-is so hard to please. Mamma wishes us to be nice to every one, but,
-Nancy, you _do_ know that when we try the hardest to please Arabella, we
-don't please her at all."
-
-"I know it," agreed Nancy, "but perhaps she'll come some time when we
-are out, and then we won't have to amuse her."
-
-"I'm sure I ought not to say it, but I _do_ wish it would happen that
-way," said Dorothy.
-
-They had reached the birches, and they paused to wake the echo. What fun
-it was to hear their shouts repeated.
-
-Again and again they called, and then a droll thing happened. They had
-called this name and that, and each time the echo, like a voice from the
-mountain, had repeated it with wonderful distinctness. Then Dorothy,
-leaning forward, called, loudly:
-
-"Dorothy!"
-
-"_What?_" came the reply.
-
-She turned, and looked at Nancy. "Dorothy!" she cried, again.
-
-"_Dainty!_" was the answer, and upon looking toward a little path that
-was nearly opposite where they were standing, they saw the low bushes
-move, and faintly they heard a smothered laugh.
-
-Dorothy was laughing now.
-
-"Boys!" she cried, and back came the laughing echo:
-
-"_Girls!_" and then the boys peeped out a bit too far, and Dorothy saw
-who had been playing echo.
-
-It was Jack Tiverton and a boy whom he had chosen for a "chum." Jack had
-not intended so soon to be discovered, and he and his friend disappeared
-in a little grove, while Dorothy and Nancy continued their walk.
-
-There were sunny paths and bits of woodland that were so near the hotel
-as to be absolutely safe, where all the summer guests, especially the
-children, loved to roam at will. Along one of these little paths were
-sweet little yellow blossoms, and these they gathered to brighten their
-bouquets.
-
-"Let's have some of these little vines to hang from our bouquets," said
-Dorothy, and the graceful vines proved to be an added beauty.
-
-When they returned to the Cleverton there were but few people upon the
-piazza.
-
-Mrs. Dainty and Aunt Charlotte sat talking with Mrs. Vinton, and farther
-along, Mrs. Fenton sat with an open book upon her lap, although she was
-not reading.
-
-She often had a book or magazine, but rarely did she read them.
-
-She would sit looking off at the distant mountain-range, the white
-clouds, or the sunny valley over which those clouds cast floating
-shadows.
-
-Did she hear the conversation, or notice what was going on about her?
-Floretta Paxton said that Mrs. Fenton acted as if she sat there to watch
-some one; and was Floretta right? Mrs. Fenton's actions certainly
-seemed strange day after day. She talked little, took slight interest in
-what was going on about her, and was a mystery to all the other guests.
-
-But what, or whom could she be watching?
-
-Dorothy and Nancy, returning from their walk, saw the group, and also
-noticed Mrs. Fenton, who always chose to sit apart from the others.
-
-"I'll give my flowers to mamma and Mrs. Vinton," said Dorothy.
-
-"And I'll give mine to Aunt Charlotte and to Mrs. Fenton,--if she wants
-them," said Nancy, hesitating because it was so hard to guess what
-might, or might not, please Mrs. Fenton.
-
-Dorothy ran to show her blossoms to her mamma and to Mrs. Vinton, while
-Nancy, pausing beside Mrs. Fenton's chair, held forth her pretty
-bouquet, as she said:
-
-"We've just gathered them. Aren't they pretty?"
-
-"Lovely, very lovely," said Mrs. Fenton, with more interest than usual.
-"I remember picking just such flowers; even the long vines I know are
-like those I used to see when I was a little girl."
-
-"Would you enjoy some of these? I'd so like to give them to you," Nancy
-said, and she was surprised at the quick reply.
-
-"I would really prize them, Nancy, and you're a sweet child to give them
-to me," she said.
-
-Quickly Nancy divided the bouquet, and smiled as she laid the pretty
-things in Mrs. Fenton's lap.
-
-"I cannot let them wilt, so I will take them at once to my room," said
-Mrs. Fenton, and Nancy saw her bend to catch their perfume, as she
-turned toward the hall.
-
-That night, when nearly all the guests had entered the dining-room, Mrs.
-Fenton came in at the main entrance, and as she sat nearly opposite Mrs.
-Dainty's party, they noticed that the bodice of her black lace gown was
-given color by the pretty wildflowers that Nancy had given her. They
-were the first flowers that she had worn since her arrival.
-
-Nancy smiled with pleasure, and Mrs. Fenton, looking across the table,
-returned the smile.
-
-Had the gift of simple wildflowers cheered her?
-
-Thus far she had worn only black, but to-night a dull gold slip
-shimmered through the black lace; and were her eyes brighter?
-
-Nancy thought so, and without knowing why, was glad.
-
-There was a musicale in the evening, and Mrs. Fenton joined Mrs. Dainty
-and Aunt Charlotte, and seemed to enjoy the conversation, between the
-numbers of the program.
-
-Once, while she was talking, she laid her hand lightly upon Nancy's
-shoulder, and Nancy looked up to smile. Aunt Charlotte saw that the lady
-was more cheerful, and also noticed that she wore Nancy's flowers. The
-evening passed pleasantly, and Nancy's drowsy words, just before she
-went to sleep, were:
-
-"I do really think I cheered her."
-
- * * * * *
-
-A few days later Mrs. Dainty invited Mrs. Fenton to be her guest during
-a drive over a lovely road that neither of them had yet seen. It was
-said to be one of the most picturesque roads in that section of the
-country.
-
-Mrs. Fenton accepted, and with Aunt Charlotte and Mrs. Vinton they
-formed a pleasant party.
-
-Dorothy and Nancy were to drive in their little phaeton, and they felt
-quite as important as the four ladies in the barouche.
-
-True, Mrs. Dainty owned a handsome span of bays, but was not the pony,
-Romeo, a beauty?
-
-The road was some distance from the Cleverton, and there were some
-charming places to be seen on the way, so it happened that the trip,
-which proved to be most enjoyable, occupied the afternoon.
-
-Mrs. Paxton had a number of letters to write, and Floretta, feeling very
-lonely, and wishing that she had some one to play with, climbed into a
-hammock, and wondered what she might do to amuse herself.
-
-"Every one but me has gone somewhere, and I wish _I_ had," she said, as
-she gave a smart kick that sent the hammock higher.
-
-"What's the fun of swinging alone?" she grumbled, but there was no one
-on the piazza to answer her, and she let the hammock sway lazily while
-she looked down the sunny road, and thought how strange it was that the
-place seemed so still.
-
-Not a leaf stirred, and Floretta's disgust increased.
-
-"Nothing in sight, not even an old hen," she said, when, way down where
-the road looked so narrow and distant, a little figure appeared, coming
-directly toward the Cleverton. She watched the approaching figure, and
-wondered who it might be.
-
-"'Tisn't any one I know," she thought, "and _doesn't_ she look queer?"
-
-Any one who had ever known Arabella Corryville would also have known
-that she always looked decidedly odd and strange, and it was Arabella
-who was marching steadily along the road.
-
-So determined was her tread that one might have thought that there was a
-band behind her playing martial music to which she was obliged to keep
-step.
-
-"Well, whoever she is, she's carrying an umbrella, this pleasant day,"
-murmured Floretta; then as she came near, she added:
-
-"And wearing rubbers and a raincoat, as true as I live!"
-
-Arabella was more bundled and wrapped than at first appeared, for, as
-she came up the gravel walk, Floretta saw that a long veil was closely
-tied over her hat, and wound about her throat.
-
-From her appearance one might have thought that she expected freezing
-weather before night.
-
-She walked up on to the piazza, and then stood, for a moment, looking
-about, as if in search of some one.
-
-It was not politeness that prompted Floretta to speak. It was simply
-curiosity. She was wild to know who the strange-looking child was, and
-whom she wished to see.
-
-"Are you looking for some one?" she asked, at the same time slipping
-from the hammock, and going so close to Arabella that she could peep
-into the queer little face.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XI
-
-ARABELLA MAKES A CALL
-
-
-ARABELLA peered at Floretta through her spectacles, and was tempted not
-to reply, but after a moment's pause she changed her mind.
-
-"I came to see Dorothy Dainty, and Nancy Ferris," she said.
-
-"They're out driving," said Floretta.
-
-"How do you know?" Arabella asked, rudely.
-
-"Because I heard them say they were going, and because I saw them go,"
-was the quick reply.
-
-"It's a long way over here, and now I've got to take the same walk
-back," said Arabella.
-
-"They're going to be out all the afternoon," said Floretta, "but why
-don't you sit down, and rest a while before you go back?"
-
-It sounded kind, and Arabella at once seated herself, while Floretta sat
-near her.
-
-She thought it would be great fun to question this odd child, and there
-was no one near to check her.
-
-"Aren't you nearly roasted in that raincoat?" she asked.
-
-"Well, I'm not chilly," said Arabella, fixing her sharp eyes upon the
-other little girl.
-
-"Did you think it was going to rain?" was the next question. "You've
-rubbers, and umbrella."
-
-Floretta barely managed to hide the fact that she wanted to laugh. Her
-question seemed so absurd with the blue sky overhead, and the sunshine
-everywhere.
-
-"I didn't want to wear them," said Arabella, "and I told Aunt Matilda it
-was too pleasant to rain, but she said you never could tell, and she
-said, too, that I could wear them, or stay at home, so what could I do?"
-
-"_I'd_ have stayed at home," said Floretta, bluntly. "I wouldn't wear
-raincoat and rubbers, and lug an umbrella for any Aunt Matilda or Aunt
-Jemima!"
-
-"Who is Aunt Jemima?" Arabella asked, stupidly.
-
-"I don't know," said Floretta, sharply, "but then, I don't know your
-Aunt Matilda."
-
-She longed to say that she did not want to, but for once she did not
-quite dare to say what she thought.
-
-Then there was an awkward pause. Floretta could not think what to say
-next, while Arabella did not try.
-
-Silence never made her uneasy. She could stare at any one who sat
-opposite her, for a half-hour, without so much as winking, and it rather
-amused her if the other person became nervous, and wriggled uneasily
-beneath her persistent stare. At last Floretta spoke.
-
-"You might take some of those things off," she said; "you won't need
-them while you stay."
-
-"Aunt Matilda told me not to," said Arabella, "and if I _did_, it would
-be just my luck to have her come right by here, and see me with them
-off. My! _Wouldn't_ she be angry?"
-
-Arabella's eyes dilated as she asked the question.
-
-"Does your Aunt Matilda poke 'round after you like that?" asked
-Floretta.
-
-"She doesn't ever _seem_ to follow me, but all the same, she's always
-catching me doing something."
-
-"Then you _do_ risk doing what she tells you not to," said Floretta,
-with a saucy laugh.
-
-"Look here!" cried Arabella, "I don't know you, but I'm going to tell
-you something. I can't do one single thing I want to, neither can my
-papa or mamma. Aunt Matilda is little, and my papa is big. He says he
-was centre-rush on the college football team, but when Aunt Matilda
-tells him what to do, he says, 'Yes'm,' and does it. One of our
-neighbors at home says Aunt Matilda holds the purse-strings, but I don't
-know what that means. Her purse hasn't any strings on it."
-
-"Well, if it _had_, I'd cut 'em off," said Floretta, "so she _couldn't_
-hold 'em."
-
-"You wouldn't if she lived at _your_ house," said Arabella.
-
-Floretta, in spite of her boldness, was more than half convinced.
-
-"Well,--perhaps I wouldn't," she said. "Why, what are you taking?"
-
-"Pills," said Arabella, counting out six very pink pills from a little
-bottle, and taking them, then making a horrid face.
-
-"You don't look sick," said Floretta, "but you're taking medicine."
-
-"Aunt Matilda says these are for my color," was the answer.
-
-"You haven't any; you're pale as a sheet," said Floretta.
-
-"That's why I take them," said Arabella, "and look! I've got some green
-ones I take," and six green pills followed the pink ones.
-
-"Why, what are those for?" gasped Floretta. "Ought you to take two kinds
-at the same time?"
-
-Arabella, determined to startle her new acquaintance, took a third
-bottle from her pocket, and swallowed three very large white pills.
-
-She was delighted with the effect that she had produced.
-
-Floretta sprang to her feet, and tried to snatch the bottle, but
-Arabella had put it in her pocket, and was holding the pocket together.
-
-She narrowed her shrewd little eyes, and smiled broadly.
-
-"Guess you couldn't take all that, and not feel queer!" she said.
-
-"I wouldn't wonder if you felt funny. _Do_ you?" asked Floretta.
-
-"Not _yet_," said Arabella.
-
-Floretta was getting tired of her caller. She hoped that she hadn't any
-more kinds of medicine that she could take.
-
-She wished that Dorothy would return and amuse Arabella.
-
-She would have run away from any one else, and rudely left her alone,
-but there was something so strange about this child that she feared her.
-
-She had a nervous feeling that if she turned to leave her, Arabella
-might snatch at her, and draw her back. She certainly did look odd.
-
-There was something catlike in the way in which she kept her eyes
-riveted upon Floretta.
-
-She looked as if, at any moment, she might spring at her!
-
-She was not thinking of doing anything of the sort, however.
-
-The truth was that she _did_ feel just a bit queer.
-
-Was it the three kinds of pills? She could not tell, but she began to
-feel as if she would be glad if she were at home.
-
-"I guess I'll go now," she said. "I think it must be time."
-
-"What time did your Aunt Matilda tell you to come home?" Floretta asked.
-
-"She said I could stay to dinner if Dorothy asked me, but she doesn't
-come home, so I guess I won't wait."
-
-"Go to dinner at the Cleverton in that plaid gingham!" thought Floretta,
-for she had seen the plain little frock beneath the raincoat.
-
-[Illustration: SHE OFFERED TWO CARDS TO FLORETTA.--_Page 210._]
-
-Arabella grasped her big umbrella firmly, and turned, as she went down
-the steps, to say:
-
-"You may tell Dorothy Dainty that _Miss_ Corryville called."
-
-Floretta giggled.
-
-"And you might tell your Aunt Matilda that you talked with _Miss_
-Paxton," she said.
-
-"I will," said Arabella, without a sign of a smile.
-
-"I wonder you don't leave cards," said Floretta, and to her surprise,
-the queer child put her hand in the pocket of her raincoat, and, without
-looking at them, offered two cards to Floretta, saying:
-
-"There they are."
-
-Then, without looking back, she marched resolutely down the road. She
-did not thank Floretta for talking with her while she rested, nor did
-she say "good-by."
-
-For some moments Floretta stood watching the odd little figure as it
-tramped down the road, the umbrella, like a huge walking stick, thumping
-the gravel at every step. She thought Arabella would turn around, but
-she did not.
-
-One might have thought that she had already forgotten the child with
-whom she had been talking. When, at last, she disappeared behind a clump
-of trees that hid the curve of the road, Floretta looked at the two
-cards in her hand, stared at them in amazement, and then laughed,
-laughed until her eyes were full of tears.
-
-Who could have helped laughing? One card bore these lines:
-
- JAMES HORTON WORTH,
- PAINLESS DENTISTRY,
- 10 TREVOR STREET, MERRIVALE.
-
-While the other, equally interesting, bore this statement:
-
- ALTON JUSTUS MEER,
- JEWELLER,
- 90 RUPERT ROAD, MERRIVALE.
-
-"How perfectly funny," cried Floretta. "I'll run up and show them to
-mamma, and then I'll wait here to give them to Dorothy and Nancy when
-they come. I wonder if they'll have any choice?"
-
-Dorothy and Nancy felt, as did the older members of the party, that the
-ride had been the most delightful of any that they had enjoyed since
-their arrival.
-
-The horses were tossing their manes, and Romeo, as if in imitation,
-tossed his so that it showed all its silken beauty.
-
-"See him!" cried Dorothy. "He thinks he's as fine as any horse."
-
-"Well, he is as dear as they," said Nancy.
-
-"Oh, yes," said Dorothy, "and dearer."
-
-And when the horses and the pony had been led around to the stable, and
-the older members of the party had reached the piazza, Dorothy and
-Nancy, who had paused for a moment to talk, ran up the steps, intending
-to sit together in a large rocker.
-
-Before they reached the chair, Floretta flew toward them.
-
-"You had a funny caller while you were out driving," she said, with a
-giggle, "and she was so very fashionable that she left these cards. She
-told me to tell you that _Miss_ Corryville had called."
-
-"It was Arabella," said Nancy.
-
-"Did she truly say '_Miss_?'" Dorothy asked.
-
-"Well, didn't I _say_ so?" Floretta asked rudely; "and I told her to
-tell her Aunt Matilda that she talked with _Miss_ Paxton, and she said
-she would. She waited a long time for you to come home, because she said
-she meant to stay to dinner with you. Say! She had on a calico dress!
-Wouldn't she have looked gay?"
-
-"It isn't very kind to laugh at any one's clothes," said Dorothy, "and
-it's not very nice to laugh at other people's friends."
-
-"Pooh!" cried Floretta, "I shall laugh at whoever I please," and she
-turned and ran up to her room.
-
-But she had laughed once too often! During the ride, Mrs. Fenton had
-spoken of Floretta's rude ways, and of the day when, upon following
-Nancy to the dining-room, she had caught the provoking child in the act
-of mimicking her.
-
-"Your little Nancy was grieved and distressed because she knew that I
-saw it. What a difference there is in children! The Paxton child is
-disgusting, while Nancy, who, I have heard, was a little waif, is as
-gentle as Dorothy, who was born the little daughter of a fine, old
-family."
-
-Aunt Charlotte and Mrs. Dainty had told Mrs. Fenton something of Nancy's
-life, and noticed how deeply interested she seemed to be.
-
-Mrs. Paxton had realized that ever since the day that Floretta had told
-of being caught mimicking Mrs. Fenton for the amusement of the
-waitresses and maids, Mrs. Fenton had shunned them. She had made
-desperate efforts to win Mrs. Fenton's friendship, but never very
-successfully, as she found that her little daughter's silly act had
-rendered any intimacy quite impossible.
-
-A few days after the ride, Mrs. Fenton did not appear at lunch, or at
-dinner, and when Mrs. Paxton, with elaborate interest, inquired for her,
-she learned that the lady had left very early that morning, before any
-guests were on the piazza to see her depart.
-
-It certainly did seem odd that she should have left, without a word to
-those whom she had known, but Mrs. Dainty, with her customary good
-taste, made no comment, and Aunt Charlotte Grayson was equally silent.
-
-Mrs. Paxton did just as one might have expected. She expressed, in a
-very loud voice, her disgust at being thus pointedly slighted, for so
-she chose to feel.
-
-"After all my friendliness, I can't see how she could leave the
-Cleverton without so much as a word to me. Why, I felt almost like a
-relative, as my name was Fenton before I married!"
-
-"I guess Mrs. Fenton didn't have what you might call a family feeling,"
-said old Mr. Cunningham, which so angered Mrs. Paxton that she politely
-turned her back.
-
-Two letters arrived at the Cleverton that afternoon, and it would be
-difficult to say which caused the greater surprise.
-
-Mrs. Paxton told the contents of hers to all who would listen, and there
-were enough who were curious, to make a good audience.
-
-"TO MRS. CLARA FENTON PAXTON:" it began, refraining from any endearing
-terms.
-
-"I knew, before I met you, that you and your small daughter were related
-to my husband, and also knew that he entertained no admiration for you.
-He left his entire estate to me, and as you were but a distant relative,
-you could expect no inheritance. However, with a determination to deal
-fairly with all my kin (I have but three such), I came to the Cleverton
-to see you and your little daughter, intending, if she proved
-sweet-tempered and attractive, to will my property to her. She is the
-only one of the three relatives who bears my husband's name.
-
-"I do not wish to be harsh, but I am forced to admit that I find her to
-be bold, naturally unkind, and wholly lacking in the grace and courtesy
-which most children possess, either by training or inheritance.
-
-"I, therefore, have made my will in favor of Nancy Ferris, once a little
-waif, now a sweet, gentle, and attractive child, whose little acts of
-courtesy and kindness are fully appreciated by
-
- "Her friend,
- "CECILIA CULLEN FENTON."
-
-"A most singular woman, to leave her property to a waif, a child of the
-theatre, and not bequeath so much as a penny to my Floretta, whom _any_
-one could see is an aristocrat," said Mrs. Paxton.
-
-"Mrs. Fenton, or anybody else, would need some rather strong glasses to
-see _that_!" muttered Mr. Cunningham.
-
-He was a testy old fellow, and he, like other guests of the hotel, had
-become exceedingly tired of Mrs. Paxton and her unlovely child.
-
-The other letter gave surprise and delight to the two who had shared in
-the care and training of little Nancy.
-
-"TO MRS. RUDOLPH DAINTY, AND TO MRS. CHARLOTTE GRAYSON,
-
-"DEAR FRIENDS:--" was its greeting, and then followed the story of the
-writer's visit to the Cleverton, and the statement that her few
-relatives were too distant to have any valid claim to her estate.
-
-"I was greatly displeased with the two of my kin whom I came to observe,
-and I will not dwell upon that, but, instead, will take this time to say
-that Dorothy Dainty and Nancy Ferris, are the two dearest children that
-it has been my pleasure to know.
-
-"Dorothy's life has been sunny, and Nancy's story, as you told it to me,
-appealed to me, and I looked with even greater interest at the child
-who, under your loving care, had blossomed like a lovely flower.
-
-"Dorothy has her parents, and will inherit a fortune. Nancy has no
-parents, and I know, will be kindly cared for by you, but that fact
-will not deter me from making a bequest that gives me greatest pleasure.
-
-"I shall leave all of my estate to Nancy Ferris, and I remind her, in
-some little verses that I enclose, how deeply I have appreciated her
-many little kindnesses.
-
-
-TO NANCY
-
- "Dear little girl, I know that you will daily
- Do loving acts of kindness, and of cheer,
- Thus urging life to sing its song more gaily
- And making friendship lasting and more dear.
-
- "I felt your charm, dear child, I saw how sweetly
- You gave your kindness, with no thought of gain.
- I give you a reward, and how completely
- I joy in giving, words cannot explain."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XII
-
-A SERENADE
-
-
-JACK TIVERTON stood in the lower hall one morning, and appeared as if
-waiting for some one. In his hand was a short switch that he had cut
-from a shrub that grew beside the driveway. Often he looked up the
-staircase, and then, as no one appeared, he would continue to strike at
-the flies that flew past the doorway.
-
-At last he heard merry voices upon the landing, and then Dorothy and
-Nancy came hurrying down the stairs.
-
-"Good morning!" they called, but Jack, in his eagerness to ask
-questions, forgot to return their greeting.
-
-"Say!" he cried, "do you know that Mrs. Paxton and Floretta left this
-morning before breakfast?"
-
-No, the little girls did not know that.
-
-"Well, they have. I saw them go, and I'm glad. Floretta was fun to play
-with, but she wasn't fair. She'd get me to do things, and then if we got
-caught, she'd always say I planned it," said Jack.
-
-Dorothy tried to think of something kind to say of Floretta, but she
-knew that what Jack said was true. Floretta truly was not in the habit
-of playing "fair."
-
-"Her mamma said something queer just as she was going off. She was
-talking to a lady, I don't know what her name is, and Mrs. Paxton said:
-
-"'Well, Dorothy Dainty has always seemed to be fond of Nancy, but now
-that Nancy is to have a _fortune_, shell love her a deal more than she
-ever did before.'"
-
-And now Dorothy spoke, her blue eyes flashing, and her cheeks flushed.
-
-"That's not true!" she cried. "That's not true! I've always loved Nancy,
-and always will. I'd love her if she had just nothing at all! Nothing
-could make any difference. I love her all I can. Nancy knows that. Every
-one knows that."
-
-How keenly she felt Mrs. Paxton's silly speech!
-
-She was indignant that any one should think her love for Nancy so little
-worth while that fortune could make it stronger.
-
-How could she love Nancy more than she had always loved her?
-
-Nancy threw her arms about her, and drew her closer.
-
-"Don't you mind, Dorothy," she said, "_I_ know how truly you love me.
-Mrs. Paxton didn't know, because I guess she couldn't understand it.
-_She_ couldn't love the way you do."
-
-Dorothy smiled through the tears that had filled her eyes.
-
-"There's no one dearer than you, Nancy," she said.
-
-Jack swung his switch at a dragon-fly that flew past the doorway.
-
-"Did you see that darning-needle?" he asked.
-
-"Well," he continued, without waiting for an answer, "I was down the
-road a few days ago, trying to catch some of those big steel-colored
-ones in my fly-net. I hadn't seen any one after I left this piazza, but
-just as I swung my net round to catch the dragon-fly, somebody said:
-'Look out, or you'll get bitten!' and I turned round, but no one was in
-sight. I was just going to swing my net again, when some one giggled,
-and then I saw a little skinny girl looking at me from between some
-bushes."
-
-"What was she doing?" Dorothy asked.
-
-"You couldn't guess if you tried for a month!" said Jack.
-
-"She was sitting on a big stone, beside a big puddle that was left there
-after the shower. She said she was playing she was a frog, and when she
-stared at me through her glasses, and smiled, no, _grinned_ at me, I
-couldn't help thinking she looked like one. Say, she had on a green
-cloak, a regular frog-color."
-
-"It must have been _Arabella_!" said Nancy.
-
-"I don't know what her name was. I didn't ask her, but while I watched
-her she hopped off the stone into the puddle with both feet, and cried,
-'po-dunk!' just like an old bullfrog. My! Weren't her shoes wet!"
-
-"I wonder what her Aunt Matilda said when she went home with wet feet,"
-said Dorothy.
-
-Without noticing what she said, Jack continued.
-
-"I never saw such a queer girl!" he said, in disgust, "for when I told
-her dragonflies would never bite, she said: 'They will. They'll sew your
-eyes, and nose, and mouth up. Po-dunk!' and she hopped back on to the
-stone, and grinned at me just as she did at first. Say! She made me feel
-queer to look at her, and I turned and ran away. I wasn't afraid of her,
-of course, but she _did_ make me feel queer!"
-
-"She'd make any one feel queer," said Nancy as they turned toward the
-dining-room.
-
-Jack wished that they might have stayed longer in the hall. He had
-intended to ask them if they knew Arabella, and if she was always doing
-queer things, but Mrs. Dainty and Aunt Charlotte joined them, and they
-went in for breakfast.
-
-Mrs. Tiverton, coming in from an early walk, took Jack with her to the
-other side of the dining-room. He looked across at them, and wondered
-what they could have told of Arabella if they had had a chance. He
-decided to question them, whispering softly to himself:
-
-"I'll _make_ them tell me all they know about that funny girl."
-
-For several days he tried to catch Dorothy or Nancy at a time when he
-could question them.
-
-He chased Dorothy up the long stairway one morning, only to see her
-disappear into her room. He had not told her that he had wished to talk
-with her, and she, believing that he was only chasing her for fun, ran
-from him, laughing as she went.
-
-He found Nancy, a few minutes later, and coaxed her to wait on the
-landing.
-
-"Now, Nancy," he said, "you've got to tell me something about that queer
-girl that you and Dorothy know."
-
-"If you mean Arabella," said Nancy, "I don't see what I could tell you,
-only that she _is_ queer, and you know that now."
-
-"You'll better believe I know it!" cried Jack, "for I met her again
-yesterday, and guess what she was doing!"
-
-"Oh, I couldn't," said Nancy. "No one ever could guess what Arabella
-Corryville would do."
-
-"Well, she looked like a witch, and acted like one, too," Jack replied.
-"It was yesterday that I saw her. I was going across the field, and had
-nearly reached the wall, when I looked up, and saw her sitting on the
-top bar of the--the--oh, the place where they take down the bars to let
-the cattle through."
-
-"I know where you mean," said Nancy, "but why was it strange that she
-was sitting there?"
-
-"It was what she was doing that was funny," Jack replied, "and because
-you couldn't guess, I'll tell you.
-
-"She didn't look toward me, though I'm sure she must have heard me
-coming, for I was just tramping along, and whistling all the way. She
-was looking up at the clouds, and counting, 'one--two--three--' very
-slowly, and when I was close behind her, she said:
-
-"'Hush--sh--sh! I'm charming the crows!'
-
-"'How long does it take to do it?' I said, for it sounded like nonsense,
-and I wanted to hurry. It was almost lunch time.
-
-"'Hush--sh!' she said again. 'There comes one of them now!' and sure
-enough a big, black crow did come flying right down, and perched on the
-limb of an old tree near her."
-
-"Why, Jack Tiverton," cried Nancy, "you don't believe Arabella really
-_made_ him come down, do you?"
-
-"Of course not," cried Jack, "but she wanted me to think so. Say! She
-said she was saying a charm, and when I asked her what it was, she
-wouldn't tell me. She said it would spoil the charm to tell it. She
-looked funny sitting up there on the top rail, and staring at the crows
-till her eyes watered. She didn't look like a 'charmer.' She looked
-ever so much more like a scarecrow!"
-
-"Oh, Jack, it's horrid to say that!" cried Nancy, at the same time
-trying not to let him see how near she was to laughing.
-
-"Well, she _did_!" Jack insisted, "and you're almost laughing now, Nancy
-Ferris, and you'd have screamed if you'd seen her roosting there, and
-calling herself a charmer! Why, that old crow just flopped down there
-for fun, and when he saw the queer-looking girl, he cawed as if it made
-him mad, and I didn't blame him. Say! She had a shoe on one foot, and a
-slipper on the other. Her apron was put on back-side-to, and she had a
-hen's feather in each hand, and she waved them up and down while she
-mumbled some kind of a verse. She said her clothes were put on that way
-to help the charm. Isn't she a _ninny_?"
-
-Just at that moment, before Nancy could reply, Mrs. Tiverton called
-Jack, and Nancy ran to tell the story of Arabella's latest freak to
-Dorothy.
-
- * * * * *
-
-One afternoon, a number of little girls were sitting on the piazza at
-the Cleverton, and their merry voices attracted Jack Tiverton, who
-glanced up from the book that he was reading, and then, because he was
-curious to know what so interested them, crossed the piazza, and joined
-the group.
-
-Dorothy and Nancy, in the big hammock, held the book of fairy tales,
-Flossie Barnet sat near them, while the others, all little guests at the
-hotel, sat upon the railing, or in the large rockers that stood near.
-
-Jack joined the row perched upon the railing.
-
-"Tell a fellow what you are all talking about, will you? Will you,
-_please_, I mean?" he asked.
-
-"Dorothy Dainty has been reading us a lovely story," said a little girl,
-whose merry eyes showed that she had enjoyed it.
-
-"What's it about?" Jack asked, and then, "Oh, _fairy_ tales!" he said.
-
-"Don't you like fairy tales?" Flossie questioned, looking up at him.
-
-No one liked to differ with dear little Flossie, least of all, Jack
-Tiverton.
-
-"Oh, I like them _some_," he said, awkwardly, "but,--are there any
-stories about bandits or pirates in that book?"
-
-"Oh, no," they cried, in a laughing chorus, "and there aren't any wild
-Indians in it, either."
-
-"I don't care much about Indian stories," Jack replied, "but I do like
-to read about pirates."
-
-"But just hear what this one was about," said Nancy.
-
-"The wandering prince had, for years, been searching for a lovely
-princess, who should look like a beautiful picture that hung in his
-father's palace. One day he came to a castle where the people told him a
-handsome princess was imprisoned, and he asked why she was kept there.
-They told him that she was enchanted, and that some day, a wandering
-prince would sing beneath her window, and then the spell would be
-broken, and she would be free."
-
-Jack was interested.
-
-"But s'posing he couldn't sing?" he asked.
-
-"Oh, a prince could surely sing!" said Flossie.
-
-"And p'raps he could sing under her window, if he couldn't anywhere
-else," ventured a dreamy-eyed little girl who sat near Dorothy.
-
-"And how would he know _what_ to sing?" a cheery voice questioned, and a
-pair of merry eyes peered over the piazza railing.
-
-"Oh, Uncle Harry!" cried Flossie, "what difference would it make?"
-
-"All the difference in the world," declared Uncle Harry, "for while the
-proper melody would set the princess free, how are we to know that the
-wrong melody might not chain her closer than before!"
-
-"Why, the story doesn't say that," said Nancy.
-
-"Perhaps not, but the prince took an _awful_ risk when he chose what to
-sing," declared Uncle Harry.
-
-"You're laughing when you say it," said Dorothy.
-
-"He is," agreed Flossie, "and what he says is funny, but I know this:
-I'd love to hear some one singing under _my_ window!"
-
-Some ladies, who sat near enough to hear the conversation, were amused
-at the children's enthusiasm, and at Uncle Harry's evident interest.
-
-"The prince had his guitar slung over his shoulder by a ribbon," said
-Dorothy. "See the picture," and she slipped from the hammock, and
-offered the book that he might see the illustration.
-
-"I'm glad he carried his guitar instead of a banjo," he said.
-
-"Why are you glad of that?" Flossie asked.
-
-"Oh, because I really _am_, in fact, I might even say I am delighted,"
-he replied.
-
-"I do believe he intends to serenade those children," said a handsome
-woman, to her friend who sat beside her; "he is a brilliant man, and one
-who is blessed with many talents, and one of his greatest charms is his
-love of children. He will go far out of his way to afford them a bit of
-fun."
-
-That evening, when nearly every one had left the piazza, and all of the
-children were in their rooms, the soft twanging of guitar strings
-floated up toward Flossie's window.
-
-She was not yet asleep, and she sat up in bed, and listened.
-
-Yes, it was a guitar! Was it Uncle Harry's?
-
-A little prelude softly played, drew her toward the window.
-
-She crept closer, and peeped out. Yes, there he was, looking right up
-toward her window.
-
-Now his fine voice was softly singing, and Flossie held her breath.
-
- "Under thy window, my little lady,
- Under thy window, Flossie dear,
- Here where the moonbeams softly flicker,
- Sing I this song that you may hear.
-
- "Moonlight, and starlight weave enchantment,
- Yet shall my song your freedom bring,
- You shall be happy little lady,
- Give me your love for the song I sing."
-
-"Oh, Uncle Harry, you have it _now_!" cried Flossie. "I love you, when
-you're singing, and _all_ the time."
-
-"I know that, dear little girl, but I _must_ have my fun, so I came here
-to sing the song I made for you," he said gently.
-
-"Well, you're _dear_," she cried, "and I'll throw you a kiss," and she
-did, reaching far out of the window that he might surely see her.
-
-"I caught it!" he cried, and as he turned toward the porch, she heard
-him softly strumming the prelude again.
-
-Others had heard the pretty song, for Dorothy and Nancy had a room next
-to Flossie's.
-
-The next morning he was coaxed and teased to sing the song again, but he
-declared that he could only sing it in the moonlight, that the daylight
-would spoil its effect.
-
-The sunny days sped on wings, and soon the guests began to think of
-turning homeward.
-
-Mrs. Dainty's party and the Barnets were to leave the hotel at the same
-time, and Dorothy, Nancy, and Flossie were delighted that they were to
-take the return trip together.
-
-They were talking of the pleasures that they were looking forward to,
-and telling of some delightful events that were already planned, when
-Jack Tiverton gave them a genuine surprise.
-
-"Mamma has just told me something fine," he said, "and I ran right down
-to tell it to you."
-
-"Oh, tell it quick!" said Flossie.
-
-"We're going to live in Merrivale, and we'll be there soon after we
-leave here. I'm glad. Are you, _all_ of you?" he asked.
-
-"Of course we're glad," said Dorothy and Nancy; and Flossie hastened to
-add:
-
-"Every one of us is glad."
-
-There were bright days, and many pleasures in store for the little
-friends, and those who would like also to enjoy them, and to know what
-happened during the winter, may read of all this in
-
- "Dorothy Dainty's Holidays."
-
-
-
-
-THE DOROTHY DAINTY SERIES
-
-By AMY BROOKS
-
- * * * * *
-
-Large 12mo Cloth Illustrated by the Author
-
-Price, $1.00 each
-
-[Illustration]
-
- _Dorothy Dainty_
- _Dorothy's Playmates_
- _Dorothy Dainty at School_
- _Dorothy Dainty at the Shore_
- _Dorothy Dainty in the City_
- _Dorothy Dainty at Home_
- _Dorothy Dainty's Gay Times_
- _Dorothy Dainty in the Country_
- _Dorothy Dainty's Winter_
- _Dorothy Dainty in the Mountains_
- _Dorothy Dainty's Holidays_
- _Dorothy Dainty's Vacation_
-
- "LITTLE DOROTHY DAINTY is one of the most
- generous-hearted of children. Selfishness is not
- at all a trait of hers, and she knows the value of
- making sunshine, not alone in her own heart, but
- for her neighborhood and friends."--_Boston
- Courier._
-
- "DOROTHY DAINTY, a little girl, the only child of
- wealthy parents, is an exceedingly interesting
- character, and her earnest and interesting life is
- full of action and suitable
- adventure."--_Pittsburg Christian Advocate._
-
- "No finer little lady than DOROTHY DAINTY was ever
- placed in a book for children."--_Teachers'
- Journal, Pittsburg._
-
-[Illustration]
-
- "MISS BROOKS is a popular writer for the very
- little folks who can read. She has an immense
- sympathy for the children, and her stories never
- fail to be amusing."--_Rochester (N.Y.) Herald._
-
- * * * * *
-
- LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON
-
-
-
-
-_THE PRUE BOOKS_
-
-By AMY BROOKS
-
-Illustrated by the Author 12mo Cloth Price, $1.00 each
-
- * * * * *
-
-[Illustration]
-
-CUNNING little Prue, one of the most winsome little girls ever "put in a
-book," has already been met in another series where she gave no small
-part of the interest. She well deserved books of her own for little
-girls of her age, and they are now ready with everything in the way of
-large, clear type, and Miss Brooks's best pictures and her pleasing
-cover designs to make them attractive.
-
- _Little Sister Prue_
- _Prue at School_
- _Prue's Playmates_
- _Prue's Merry Times_
- _Prue's Little Friends_
- _Prue's Jolly Winter_
-
-[Illustration]
-
- "Miss Brooks always brings out the best ways of
- acting and living and provides a good deal of
- humor in her original country
- characters.--_Watchman, Boston._
-
- "Few writers have ever possessed the faculty of
- reaching the hearts and holding the interest of
- little girl readers to the extent Miss Brooks
- has."--_Kennebec Journal_, _Augusta, Me._
-
- "To know Prue is to love her, for no more winsome
- little girl was ever put in a book, and her keen
- wit and unexpected drolleries make her doubly
- attractive."--_Kindergarten Magazine._
-
- * * * * *
-
- _For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt
- of price by the publishers_
-
- LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON
-
-
-
-
-_THE RANDY BOOKS_
-
-_By AMY BROOKS_
-
- 12mo CLOTH ARTISTIC COVER DESIGN IN GOLD AND COLORS
- ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR PRICE $1.00 EACH
-
-[Illustration]
-
-The progress of the "Randy Books" has been one continual triumph over
-the hearts of girls of all ages, for dear little fun-loving sister Prue
-is almost as much a central figure as Randy, growing toward womanhood
-with each book. The sterling good sense and simple naturalness of Randy,
-and the total absence of slang and viciousness, make these books in the
-highest degree commendable, while abundant life is supplied by the
-doings of merry friends, and there is rich humor in the droll rural
-characters.
-
- _Randy's Summer_
- _Randy's Winter_
- _Randy and Her Friends_
- _Randy and Prue_
- _Randy's Good Times_
- _Randy's Luck_
- _Randy's Loyalty_
- _Randy's Prince_
-
-[Illustration]
-
- "The Randy Books are among the very choicest books
- for young people to make a beginning with."
- --_Boston Courier._
-
- "The Randy Books of Amy Brooks have had a deserved
- popularity among young girls. They are wholesome
- and moral without being goody-goody."
- --_Chicago Post._
-
- * * * * *
-
- LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON
-
-
-
-
-Only Dollie
-
-By NINA RHOADES Illustrated by Bertha Davidson Square 12mo Cloth $1.00
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-THIS is a brightly written story of a girl of twelve, who, when the
-mystery of her birth is solved, like Cinderella, passes from drudgery to
-better circumstances. There is nothing strained or unnatural at any
-point. All descriptions or portrayals of character are life-like, and
-the book has an indescribable appealing quality which wins sympathy and
-secures success.
-
- "It is delightful reading at all times."--_Cedar
- Rapids (Ia.) Republican._
-
- "It is well written, the story runs smoothly, the
- idea is good, and it is handled with
- ability.--_Chicago Journal._
-
-
-
-The Little Girl Next Door
-
-By NINA RHOADES Large 12mo Cloth Illustrated by Bertha Davidson $1.00
-
-
-A DELIGHTFUL story of true and genuine friendship between an impulsive
-little girl in a fine New York home and a little blind girl in an
-apartment next door. The little girl's determination to cultivate the
-acquaintance, begun out of the window during a rainy day, triumphs over
-the barriers of caste, and the little blind girl proves to be in every
-way a worthy companion. Later a mystery of birth is cleared up, and the
-little blind girl proves to be of gentle birth as well as of gentle
-manners.
-
-
-
-
-Winifred's Neighbors
-
-By NINA RHOADES Illustrated by Bertha G. Davidson Large 12mo Cloth $1.00
-
-[Illustration]
-
-LITTLE Winifred's efforts to find some children of whom she reads in a
-book lead to the acquaintance of a neighbor of the same name, and this
-acquaintance proves of the greatest importance to Winifred's own family.
-Through it all she is just such a little girl as other girls ought to
-know, and the story will hold the interest of all ages.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt
- of price by the publishers_
-
- LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD Co., BOSTON
-
-
-
-
-The Children on the Top Floor
-
-By NINA RHOADES Large 12mo Cloth Illustrated by Bertha Davidson $1.00
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-IN this book little Winifred Hamilton, the child heroine of "Winifred's
-Neighbors," reappears, living in the second of the four stories of a New
-York apartment house. On the top floor are two very interesting
-children, Betty, a little older than Winifred, who is now ten, and Jack,
-a brave little cripple, who is a year younger. In the end comes a glad
-reunion, and also other good fortune for crippled Jack, and Winifred's
-kind little heart has once more indirectly caused great happiness to
-others.
-
-
-
-
-How Barbara Kept Her Promise
-
-By NINA RHOADES Large 12mo Cloth Illustrated by Bertha Davidson $1.00
-
-
-TWO orphan sisters, Barbara, aged twelve, and little Hazel, who is "only
-eight," are sent from their early home in London to their mother's
-family in New York. Faithful Barbara has promised her father that she
-will take care of pretty, petted, mischievous Hazel, and how she tries
-to do this, even in the face of great difficulties, forms the story
-which has the happy ending which Miss Rhoades wisely gives to all her
-stories.
-
-
-
-
-Little Miss Rosamond
-
-By NINA RHOADES Illustrated by Bertha G. Davidson Large 12mo Cloth $1.00
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-ROSAMOND lives in Richmond, Va., with her big brother, who cannot give
-her all the comfort that she needs in the trying hot weather, and she
-goes to the seaside cottage of an uncle whose home is in New York. Here
-she meets Gladys and Joy, so well known in a previous book, "The Little
-Girl Next Door," and after some complications are straightened out,
-bringing Rosamond's honesty and kindness of heart into prominence, all
-are made very happy.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt
- of price by the publishers_
-
- LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON
-
-
-
-
-"_Brick House Books_"
-
-_By NINA RHOADES_
-
-_Cloth 12 mo Illustrated $1.00 each_
-
- * * * * *
-
-=Priscilla of the Doll Shop=
-
-[Illustration]
-
-THE "Brick House Books," as they are called from their well-known cover
-designs, are eagerly sought by children all over the country. There are
-three good stories in this book, instead of one, and it is hard to say
-which little girls, and boys, too, for that matter, will like the best.
-
-
-=Brave Little Peggy=
-
-PEGGY comes from California to New Jersey to live with a brother and
-sister whom she has not known since very early childhood. She is so
-democratic in her social ideas that many amusing scenes occur, and it is
-hard for her to understand many things that she must learn. But her good
-heart carries her through, and her conscientiousness and moral courage
-win affection and happiness.
-
-
-=The Other Sylvia=
-
-[Illustration]
-
-EIGHT-year-old Sylvia learns that girls who are "Kings' Daughters"
-pledge themselves to some kind act or service, and that one little girl
-named Mary has taken it upon herself to be helpful to all the Marys of
-her acquaintance. This is such an interesting way of doing good that she
-adopts it in spite of her unusual name, and really finds not only "the
-other Sylvia," but great happiness.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of
- price by the publishers_
-
- LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON
-
- * * * * *
-
-Transcriber's Notes:
-
-Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
-
-
-
-
-
-End of Project Gutenberg's Dorothy Dainty at the Mountains, by Amy Brooks
-
-*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30088 ***
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30088 *** + +[Illustration: Cover] + + + + +DOROTHY DAINTY AT THE MOUNTAINS + + + + +Popular Stories. + + +BY AMY BROOKS. + +Each beautifully illustrated by the Author. + +THE RANDY BOOKS. + +12mo. Cloth. Cover Designs by the Author. Price $1.00 each. + + RANDY'S SUMMER. + RANDY'S WINTER. + RANDY AND HER FRIENDS. + RANDY AND PRUE. + RANDY'S GOOD TIMES. + RANDY'S LUCK. + RANDY'S LOYALTY. + RANDY'S PRINCE. + + + + +For Younger Readers. + + +DOROTHY DAINTY SERIES. + +Large 12mo. Cloth. Cover Designs by the Author. Set in large English +type. Price $1.00 each. + + DOROTHY DAINTY. + DOROTHY'S PLAYMATES. + DOROTHY DAINTY AT SCHOOL. + DOROTHY DAINTY AT THE SHORE. + DOROTHY DAINTY IN THE CITY. + DOROTHY DAINTY AT HOME. + DOROTHY DAINTY'S GAY TIMES. + DOROTHY DAINTY IN THE COUNTRY. + DOROTHY DAINTY'S WINTER. + DOROTHY DAINTY AT THE MOUNTAINS. + DOROTHY DAINTY'S HOLIDAYS. + DOROTHY DAINTY'S VACATION. + DOROTHY DAINTY'S VISIT. + DOROTHY DAINTY AT CRESTVILLE. + + +THE PRUE BOOKS. + +12mo. Cloth. Cover Designs by the Author. Price $1.00 each. + + LITTLE SISTER PRUE. + PRUE AT SCHOOL. + PRUE'S PLAYMATES. + PRUE'S MERRY TIMES. + PRUE'S LITTLE FRIENDS. + PRUE'S JOLLY WINTER. + + A JOLLY CAT TALE. Large 12mo. Cloth. Profusely Illustrated. + Price $1.00 + +[Illustration: "HERE! HERE!" CRIED DOROTHY, AND ECHO ANSWERED, +"HERE,--ERE!"--_Page 4._] + + + + +DOROTHY DAINTY AT THE MOUNTAINS + +BY + +AMY BROOKS + + AUTHOR OF "DOROTHY DAINTY SERIES," "THE RANDY + BOOKS," "THE PRUE BOOKS," AND + "A JOLLY CAT TALE" + +_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR_ + +[Illustration] + + BOSTON + LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. + + + + + DOROTHY DAINTY + TRADE-MARK + Registered in U. S. Patent Office + + Published, August, 1911 + + COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. + + _All Rights Reserved_ + + DOROTHY DAINTY AT THE MOUNTAINS + + + + + + + Norwood Press + Berwick & Smith Co. + Norwood, Mass., U. S. A. + + + + +CONTENTS + + + CHAPTER PAGE + + I. AT THE CLEVERTON 1 + + II. A DELIGHTFUL SURPRISE 21 + + III. AN ENTERTAINMENT 42 + + IV. IN A BIRCH ARBOR 62 + + V. THE MOUNTAIN PARTY 81 + + VI. THE ECHO CAPTURED 101 + + VII. FLORETTA'S RETURN 122 + + VIII. AT THE FAIR 141 + + IX. FLOSSIE'S LETTER 162 + + X. A GIFT OF WILDFLOWERS 182 + + XI. ARABELLA MAKES A CALL 201 + + XII. A SERENADE 222 + + + + +ILLUSTRATIONS + + + "Here! Here!" cried Dorothy, and echo answered, + "Here,--ere!" (_Page 4_) _Frontispiece_ + + FACING PAGE + + Often she looked back, as she sped over the road 32 + + "Oh, what a lovely, _lovely_ story!" said Dorothy 66 + + With feet and hands she strove to loosen the tough, + wiry vines 120 + + She took a few tripping steps, smiling at her + reflection 176 + + She offered two cards to Floretta 210 + + + + +DOROTHY DAINTY AT THE MOUNTAINS + + + + +CHAPTER I + +AT THE CLEVERTON + + +THE great hotel on the crest of the hill was bathed in sunlight that +poured from a rift in the clouds, as if sent for the sole purpose of +showing the grand portico, the broad piazza, and the flag that floated +gracefully on the summer breeze. + +Its many windows seemed to be looking across the valley to opposite +mountain peaks, and one could easily imagine that its wide, open +doorway, smiled genially as if offering a welcome to all arriving +guests. + +Two little girls ran across the lawn, the one with flaxen curls, the +other with sunny brown ringlets. + +The fair-haired little girl had eyes as blue as the blue blossoms that +she held in her hand, while her playmate's eyes were soft and brown, and +told that her heart was loving and true. + +The little blue-eyed girl was Dorothy Dainty, and the child who clasped +her hand was her dearest friend, Nancy Ferris. + +Nancy had no parents, and a few years before Dorothy's mamma had taken +her under her care and protection, and she was being trained and +educated as carefully as was Dorothy, the little daughter of the house. + +They had come to the Hotel Cleverton to spend the summer, and the first +few days of their stay, they had explored all the land that lay +immediately around the hotel, and had found many beautiful spots, but +one thing held their interest,--they loved the echo, and never tired of +awakening it. + +"Come!" cried Dorothy. "Run with me over to the white birches, and we'll +shout, and listen!" + +Mrs. Dainty had told them the story of Echo, the nymph, who for loving +Pan and following him and calling to him had been changed into a huge +rock on the mountainside, and forever compelled to mock each voice she +heard. + +The old legend of the nymph had caught their fancy, and often they +paused in their play to shout, and listen to what seemed to them the +voice of some fairy of the mountains. + +Now they stood beside the birches, Dorothy with one arm around a white +trunk, and Nancy near her. At their feet were countless bluebells, +overhead the blue sky, while across and beyond the valley rose the +mountain capped by white clouds that looked as soft as swan's-down. + +"Here! Here!" cried Dorothy, and echo answered, "Here,--ere!" + +"Listen!" cried Dorothy, clasping her hands, and laughing with delight. +"It answers as if it was a truly voice that heard and replied. + +"Nancy, I love you!" she cried, and again they plainly heard:-- + +"Love you-oo!" + +They thought it great fun to shout and call, and hear their cries so +cleverly repeated. + +And now another child ran out from the great doorway, paused a moment as +if looking for some one, then, seeing the two little figures near the +clump of birches, stole softly near them. + +On tiptoe, and with tread as soft and noiseless as a cat, she made her +way over the short grass, until she was quite near them. Then, hiding +behind a low bush, she watched them. How still she stood! For what was +she waiting? Her bold eyes were full of mischief, as she whispered, "Oh, +hurry _up_!" + +Dorothy Dainty put her hands to her mouth, trumpet fashion, and called: + +"Come and catch us!" and instantly the echo from the distant mountain +and a shrill voice behind them, repeated: + +"Come and catch us!" + +"Oh, oh-o!" cried Dorothy, and Nancy ran to her, and threw her arms +about her. + +"You ought not to frighten Dorothy like that!" cried Nancy. + +A saucy laugh answered her. + +"Well, it isn't nice to be shrieked at, and you do it just like the +echo, you know you do, and it's enough to frighten any one," said Nancy. + +The little tease was not in the least abashed. She could imitate almost +any sound that she had ever heard, and each success made her eager to +repeat her efforts at mocking. + +"I made old Mrs. Hermanton fly up out of her chair, and drop her ball of +worsted and knitting-needles, when I shouted close to her ear." + +"Why, Floretta!" cried Nancy. + +Now you think that was horrid, but _I_ tell you it was funny. She'd just +been telling about her darling little lap-dog that died _ten years +ago_, and she got out her handkerchief to cry, and put it up to her +eyes. + +"'Oh, if I only could hear his lovely bark again!' she said, and right +behind her chair, I said: + +"'Ki-yi! Yip! Yip!' and she jumped up much as a foot from her seat." + +Nancy laughed. How could she help it? The old lady had told every man, +woman, and child who sat upon the piazza, how much she had suffered in +the loss of the dog. + +One testy old gentleman who was troubled with gout, spoke rather +plainly. "Madam," he said, "I've heard that story every day of this +week, and all I can say is, I wish you had gout in your feet as I have, +and you'd have no time to waste crying for a puppy!" + +He certainly was hopelessly rude, but one must admit every day is far +too often to be forced to listen to an uninteresting tale. + +Floretta stood looking down at the toe of her shoe. She moved it from +side to side along the grass for a moment, then she spoke again. + +"You know old Mr. Cunningham has gout, and is awful cross?" + +Dorothy and Nancy nodded. They did indeed know that. + +"Well, he sat on the piazza and laughed when I scared Mrs. Hermanton, so +I want to know if he'll think it's funny _every_ time I do things. You +know he puts one foot up on a chair, and every time any one touches that +chair ever so little, he cries: '_Oh_, oh, oh!' and holds on to his +foot. + +"The next time I'm near him, I'm going to make b'lieve hit my foot +against something, and then I'll cry out, just 'zactly as he does: + +"'_Oh_, oh, oh!' and I'll hold on to my foot," said Floretta. + +"I know it's funny," said Dorothy, "but I don't think you ought to." + +"Well, _you_ needn't. P'raps you couldn't do it just like other folks, +but I _can_, and I'm going to!" said Floretta. + +She was a handsome child, but her boldness marred her beauty. + +She was, indeed, a clever imitator, but she had been told so too often. +Her mother constantly praised her cleverness, and unwise friends +applauded her efforts, until Floretta acquired the idea that she must, +on all occasions, mimic some one. + +Sometimes those whom she mocked thought it clever, and laughed when they +had thus been held up to derision. + +At other times Floretta found that she had chosen the wrong person to +mimic, and had received a sharp rebuke. + +This taught her nothing, however. + +She thought any one who did not enjoy her antics must be very +ill-natured, while her silly mother considered that Floretta had been +abused. + +While Dorothy and Nancy were talking with Floretta, they were picking +large bouquets of bluebells and a tiny white flower that grew as +abundantly as the bluebells, and blossomed as freely. + +It pleased her, for the moment, to gather some of the blossoms, and soon +the three were too busy to talk, each trying to see which could gather +the largest bouquet. + +On the hotel piazza Mrs. Paxton sat, occupied with her embroidery, but +not too busy to talk. She was _never_ too busy to talk, if she could +find any one to listen. + +Near her sat two ladies who had just arrived, and old Mr. Cunningham, +who frowned darkly at the magazine that he was trying to read. + +It was not that the story displeased him that he frowned, but that he +was bored with hearing what Mrs. Paxton was saying, mainly because she +always said the same thing. + +"You see, with our wealth and position, it is impossible that little +Floretta should ever make any use of her talents for any purpose other +than the amusement of her friends," she said. + +One of the two ladies, whose fine face and sweet low voice bespoke +refinement, looked fixedly at Mrs. Paxton, and wondered that any woman +should be willing to boast so foolishly. + +The other, whose garments told of a great love of display, seemed +interested, and even impressed. + +"What is her especial talent?" she asked, "I really should like to know. +Is she musical?" + +"O dear, yes," Mrs. Paxton hastened to reply; "she plays delightfully, +and she has a voice that is really quite unusual for a child; she +dances, too, but her greatest gift is her power of imitation. She has a +sensitive nature that is open to impressions, and she sees the funny +side of everything. She really is a wonderful little mimic. You must see +her to appreciate her charm." + +The quiet woman looked as if she thought this a doubtful accomplishment, +but the one who had eagerly listened said: + +"Where is she? I should be _so_ pleased to see her. Not all children are +so interesting. Many are dull." + +"And lucky they are!" growled old Mr. Cunningham, under his breath, but +the ladies did not hear that. + + * * * * * + +"I don't want these flowers now I've picked them," cried Floretta. "You +can have them if you want them," she said, as she turned toward Dorothy. + +"I can't hold any more than I have," said Dorothy, "but you could--" + +"Then here they go!" cried Floretta, as she flung them broadcast, to lie +and wilt in the sunlight. + +"Oh, it was too bad to throw them away," said Dorothy. "I was going to +say, if you didn't care for them, perhaps Mrs. Hermanton might like +them. She said she liked wild flowers and used to pick them, but her +rheumatism won't let her pick them now." + +"Pooh! I wouldn't have bothered to take them back to her," Floretta +replied; and turning about, she ran back to the hotel. + +"Come here, Floretta!" said Mrs. Paxton. "This lady wishes to see you." + +Usually Floretta when asked to do anything, preferred to do something +else. + +This time, thinking that she saw an opportunity for a lark, she went +promptly and paused beside her mother's chair. + +"This is Mrs. Dayne, Floretta. Mrs. Dayne, this is my little daughter." + +Floretta looked up and smiled, but said nothing. She had never been +taught that she must reply courteously when spoken to. + +Her pretty face pleased Mrs. Dayne, who was much the same sort of woman +that Mrs. Paxton was. She wished that Floretta could be induced to +perform. + +_Induced!_ She was already wondering if she would have a chance to show +off. + +The opportunity came soon, and she was delighted. + +Mr. Cunningham had become drowsy, and his magazine dropped to the piazza +floor. + +In stooping to recover it, he hurt his gouty foot, and cried out. + +"_Oh_, oh-o!" he cried, and like an echo, "_Oh_, oh-o!" cried Floretta, +catching hold of her own foot and hopping wildly about. + +Of course Mrs. Paxton laughed gaily, as if Floretta had done a very +smart thing, while Mrs. Dayne, who was as silly a woman as Mrs. Paxton, +joined in the merriment, thus hoping to gain favor with her new friend. + +Mr. Cunningham, without a word, took his magazine and, limping +painfully, left the piazza, and went indoors. + +Mrs. Vinton, an odd expression on her fine face, took her parasol from +the chair where it lay, and went for a walk down the path toward the +birches. She was disgusted with Mrs. Paxton, Floretta, and Mrs. Dayne, +although she felt that the little girl was least of all at fault. + +She was only an untaught, untrained child, to be pitied rather than +blamed. She knew that they would think her very unkind if she did not +seem to approve of Floretta, and she could not laugh at cruelty. + +The child was indeed a clever imitator, but the fact remained that it +_was_ cruel to mock an outcry caused by pain. + +Dorothy and Nancy were coming toward her, on their way toward the hotel, +their hands filled with blossoms, faces bright and smiling. + +They greeted her gaily, and Dorothy offered her some of the flowers. + +"I'll give half to you, and half to mamma," said Dorothy. "I mean, I +will if you'd like to have them." + +"It is a sweet gift, and I shall enjoy them in my room," Mrs. Vinton +said. "I have a lovely vase that is worthy to hold such beautiful +blossoms." + +"I'll divide mine between Aunt Charlotte and Mrs. Hermanton," said +Nancy. + +"You both like to give," said Mrs. Vinton. + +"Oh, yes!" they cried together, and as she left them, Dorothy said: + +"Isn't she a sweet, lovely lady?" + +"Yes, and I like to hear her talk, her voice always sounds so pleasant." + +Mrs. Vinton, as she walked along the little path, her flowers in her +hand, thought of Dorothy and Nancy. + +"They are two dear little girls," she said, "and add to the charm of +this lovely place." + +"Would you dare to give Mr. Cunningham some bluebells for his +buttonhole?" said Nancy. "I'd like to, but _I_ wouldn't dare." + +"I don't know," Dorothy said. "I'd like to, too, and he 'most always has +a rosebud, but sometimes he doesn't. When we get back, if he's on the +piazza, and hasn't a bud in his buttonhole, I'll try to dare to offer +him some of these blossoms." + +Dear little Dorothy! She wondered if she would be rewarded with a +frown! + +Floretta and her mother were not there, neither was Mrs. Dayne, but in a +shady corner sat Mr. Cunningham. + +Nancy ran in to take her flowers to Aunt Charlotte and Mrs. Hermanton. + +Dorothy hesitated. She would have been even more timid, had she known +how recently he had been offended. + +He looked up from his book, frowned, then smiled and nodded pleasantly. + +He had thought that Floretta had returned, and was pleasantly surprised +to see Dorothy, instead. + +Softly she crossed the piazza until she stood beside him. + +"May I give you a few of these bluebells for your buttonhole?" she said. +"They're only wild flowers, but they're pretty ones," she added, fearing +that, after all, he might not care for them. + +"Why, thank you, my dear. I surely would like them, especially as they +are offered me by a real little lady." + +He placed the cluster that she offered him in his lapel, as he spoke, +and looked to Dorothy for approval. + +"They are wild flowers, truly," he said, "but I think they are quite as +attractive as the buds I have been wearing," and Dorothy was glad that +she had offered them. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +A DELIGHTFUL SURPRISE + + +THREE weeks had passed, and as nearly every day had been fair, the +guests at the Cleverton had lived out of doors, appearing at the hotel +at meal-time, and at night. + +Other wild flowers beside the bluebells were blossoming gaily, peeping +up from the grass as if offering a welcome to all who looked at them; +and even great rocks and ledges held tiny blossoming plants in their +crevices. + +The pony, Romeo, had come to the mountains with the family, and seemed +to enjoy the outing. + +Every morning Dorothy and Nancy went for a drive, and Romeo tossed his +mane, and pranced as if to show his delight. + +One morning the pony was standing at the porch, waiting for his little +mistress, who soon came running down the stairs. + +Floretta was standing in the hall, spinning a top. + +A sign on the wall plainly stated that children must not play in the +hall, but that did not disturb Floretta. + +Deftly she wound the string, and the great top fell to the floor, where +it hummed and spun as rapidly as if a boy's hand had flung it. + +She picked it up, and again wound it, this time throwing it with even +greater force. + +"Look! Look!" she cried. "I b'lieve it spins faster every time I throw +it!" + +Dorothy looked over the baluster at the humming top, but said nothing. + +She knew that Floretta had seen the notice; indeed a number of the +children had stood in the hall when it had been tacked up. + +Looking up at Dorothy, Floretta noticed the whip in her hand. + +"Riding?" she asked. + +"Yes, for a little while," said Dorothy. "It's a lovely morning, and I +mean to see how quickly Romeo will take me to the 'Spring.'" + +"I wouldn't care to ride horseback," said Floretta, rudely. + +"You won't care to spin tops in this hall if Matson catches you," cried +a shrill voice, from an upper hall. + +"Pooh! I'm not afraid of Matson," Floretta said, boldly, looking up at +the boy who had tried to frighten her. + +"Oh, aren't you?" said the boy in a teasing voice. "Well, he manages +this hotel, and he'll _make_ you stop if he catches you!" + +"You stop, Jack Tiverton!" cried Floretta. + +"You'll be the one to stop!" said Jack, with a loud laugh. + +Dorothy crossed the hall, stepping around Floretta, who stood exactly in +the way. + +Looking back, she saw Floretta show the tip of her tongue to Jack, while +Jack, not to be outdone, made a most outrageous face. + +"I wish they weren't so horrid!" Dorothy said to herself, as she left +the hall. + +Having mounted Romeo, with the groom's aid, she rode off down the +lovely, shady road, the man on his horse, following at a respectful +distance. + +She touched the pony lightly with her whip, and he responded by breaking +into a gentle gallop. + +Dorothy's bright curls flew back from her flushed face, and she laughed +as she flew over the road. + +The groom watched her admiringly, and marvelled that so small a girl +could be such a perfect little equestrienne. + +The ride had brightened her eyes, and she always looked smaller than she +really was when mounted upon Romeo. + +He was a handsome animal, with flowing mane and tail, and the groom +spoke truthfully when he muttered: + +"Them two makes a high-bred pair. Miss Dorothy is a girl 'ristycrat, an' +the little hoss is a hoss 'ristycrat, if ever there was one." + +The groom had been in the service of the Dainty family but a few +months, but in that time he had become devoted to the little daughter of +the house. All the servants loved Dorothy, and were almost as fond of +Nancy Ferris. + +The young groom had heard Nancy's story, and he felt a deep interest in +the little girl, who once had been a waif. + +Now, his pleasant face wore a smile as he followed Dorothy, and saw how +firmly the little figure stuck to the saddle, and rode as if girl and +pony were one and inseparable. + +They reached the "Spring," a spot whose beauty drew all travellers to +it, and artists lingered there to paint, and thus perpetuate its charm. + +Romeo looked down at the clear stream that reflected his figure so +perfectly. + +"He wants a drink," said Dorothy; "lead him to a good place, Thomas, +please." + +He helped her to dismount, and then led the pony to a shady spot where +he could drink, and enjoy the cool, clear water. + +Dorothy at once commenced to gather some of the lovely wild flowers that +grew near the water's edge, but farther up the stream. + +"These are different from any that I've ever found here," she thought. + +Her hands were nearly filled with the lovely blossoms, and she was +reaching out to grasp an especially pretty one, when a strangely +familiar voice, just behind her, said: + +"I think I see some one I've _often_ seen before!" + +Dorothy turned, and a little cry of surprise and pleasure escaped her +lips. + +There were Mrs. Barnet and dear little Flossie coming toward her, while +very near her was the owner of the voice, Flossie's handsome, +merry-hearted Uncle Harry! Just behind him was his lovely young wife, +and the baby in charge of a maid. + +"Oh, I _am_ glad, _so_ glad to see you!" cried Dorothy. "And Flossie +Barnet, did you know you were coming up here, when I said 'good-by' to +you and Molly Merton at Merrivale?" + +"I didn't know _surely_, but I _almost_ knew," Flossie admitted, "but +Uncle Harry said, 'Don't tell 'til you _know_,' and I didn't _truly_ +know until after you were gone." + +"Well, it's fine to have you here," said Dorothy, "but I do truly +b'lieve it's almost nicer to be surprised, and have you;" and she threw +her arm around Flossie, as she walked beside her. + +Tall, handsome Uncle Harry thought he saw a chance for a bit of a joke. + +"I wonder why some one isn't surprised to see _me_?" he said. + +"Oh, I am," said Dorothy, "and glad, too." + +"Well, thank you," said Uncle Harry; then with a face that he tried to +make sad, he said: + +"But I know you aren't as glad as you were to see Flossie, because,--you +didn't put your arm around _my_ waist!" + +He had tried to look very glum, but his blue eyes were laughing. + +Big, handsome Uncle Harry could not look woebegone, and the two little +girls laughed at his attempt. + +"The barge is taking our party over to the 'Cleverton,' and I see you +have the pony, Dorothy," said Uncle Harry. "Will you run a race with the +barge?" + +"Oh, yes, yes!" cried Dorothy, "and Romeo will come in ahead!" + +"If he does," said Uncle Harry, "I'll surely decorate him with a blue +ribbon!" + +With many a laugh and jest, and much guessing as to which would be the +winner, the merry party clambered into the barge; Dorothy mounted Romeo, +and they were off over the road, on the way to the hotel. + +The horses, like the average barge horses, were not beauties, but they +saw the pony rush forward, and they made an effort at speed. They +plunged forward, at what, to them, seemed a reckless pace, but the fine, +handsome Romeo shot past them, his nostrils dilated, and his eyes +bright with excitement. Dorothy's gay laugh rang out as she passed them, +and Uncle Harry, as he looked after the flying figure, exclaimed: + +"The little fairy! I believe no other child could ride so fearlessly as +that!" + +Often she looked back, as she sped over the road. Try as they would, the +old horses could not overtake her. + +As soon as the barge appeared in sight between the trees, she touched +Romeo lightly with her whip-stock, and then she laughed gaily as he +plunged forward, the old barge rattling along far behind. + +She did not permit Romeo to again slacken his pace, and thus arrived at +the Cleverton before the barge was in sight, so slow had been its +progress. + +"Oh, Nancy!" she cried, "Who _do_ you think has come?" + +[Illustration: OFTEN SHE LOOKED BACK, AS SHE SPED OVER THE ROAD.--_Page +31._] + +"Who has come?" Nancy asked. "Where are they?" + +"I mean you can't guess who is coming, and there they come now, Nancy, +just look!" + +Nancy did look, saw the barge swinging around the curve of the road, saw +a tiny handkerchief waving, and then a sweet little face looked out to +smile at her. + +"Oh, it's Flossie Barnet!" cried Nancy, joyfully, "and her mamma, +and,--why, yes it _is_! It's Flossie's Uncle Harry!" + +He heard the cry, and heard the welcome in her voice. + +"Yes, it's Flossie's Uncle Harry, and all the other little girls' Uncle +Harry who care to claim him for an uncle," he said, with a laugh, as he +lifted his little niece down from the barge. + +"Oh, I'm _so_ glad he came, too," said Dorothy, upon hearing which, he +turned and lifting his hat, bowed, thus acknowledging the compliment +that she had paid him. His eyes twinkled with pleasure, for he loved +children, and he valued their regard. He was a big, manly fellow, with a +warm heart, as loving, and as merry as that of a child. + +The Barnet party added much to the pleasure of little events and +entertainments at the Hotel Cleverton. Flossie became, at once, a +favorite with the other children, and her charming mother was deservedly +popular with all. + +Uncle Harry, who possessed a fine voice, willingly sang whenever a +musical program was arranged for an evening, while his lovely young +wife, who was an accomplished pianist, played his accompaniments, or +rendered solos, thus generously adding to the pleasure of the other +guests. + + * * * * * + +"I tell you what it is," said old Mr. Cunningham, "that big bank of +clouds hanging over that mountain means rain, and plenty of it, I +believe." + +"I think you are right," said Uncle Harry, "and if we _do_ have a three +days' rain, as we sometimes do, we shall have to use every effort to +keep things humming, and so forget the storm." + +They had been sitting on the piazza, and talking of the days of +uninterrupted sunshine that they had enjoyed, when, in a few minutes, +the blue sky had been hidden, as if by a thin, pearly veil, while +hanging over the mountain was the mass of leaden clouds that had seemed +to prophesy rain. + +"Oh, _I_ don't want it to rain," wailed Floretta, who stood near them, +her pretty face puckered into a most unpleasant frown. + +"I'm afraid the weather can't be arranged especially for you," said Mr. +Cunningham. + +He, like all the guests, was very tired of the child who was either +whining, or boisterously, rudely gay. Just at this point, Mrs. Paxton +came out on the piazza, a small note-book and pencil in her hand. + +She hastened toward the two gentlemen, and smiled as if she were +conferring a favor. + +"With the chance of a stormy evening, we are trying to arrange a program +that will give us a pleasant evening indoors," she said. "I am sure you +will help me." + +She had smiled at both, and old Mr. Cunningham, who heartily disliked +her, was only too glad to reply. + +"I'm not musical, madam," he said, "but I'll whistle 'Hail Columbia' for +you, if you will promise not to reprimand me if I get off the key." + +"Dear, dear!" she cried. "You are always so amusing. One never knows if +you are joking, or serious." + +"It would be very serious, and no joke, I assure you, if you were +actually obliged to listen to my whistling," was the curt reply, and he +turned once more to scan the sky and the distant mountains. + +Uncle Harry, of course, agreed to sing, his wife promised to play, and +Mrs. Paxton moved toward where Mrs. Dainty and her companion, Aunt +Charlotte, were sitting, with Dorothy and Nancy near them. + +"Will your little daughter sing for us this evening?" she asked. "We +are eager to have quite a fine program." + +"Dorothy shall sing for you, surely," Mrs. Dainty said, "and Nancy, I am +sure, will give a little solo." + +"Oh, does Nancy sing or play?" Mrs. Paxton asked, in surprise, for thus +far Nancy had not exhibited her talent, whatever it might be. + +"She will give you a solo that shall be neither singing nor playing," +Mrs. Dainty replied, with a quiet smile. + +"How very interesting!" said Mrs. Paxton. She had invited Dorothy to +sing because other guests had expressed the wish to hear her. + +Here was a _second_ child with talent of _some_ kind! Well, Floretta's +imitations of other people would certainly eclipse the efforts of the +other little girls! Mrs. Paxton's sole idea in arranging the +entertainment was for the purpose of showing Floretta's mimicry. + +A small figure paused a moment in the doorway, then stepped back, and +peeped out, scanning the groups upon the piazza. + +"She isn't there!" he whispered. "She's backed out, an' she _said_ she'd +do it!" + +He drew back into the shadow, and waited, hoping that when he looked +again he might see her. + +A second peep at the guests on the piazza showed that Floretta was not +among them. + +"She didn't _try_ to do it!" he muttered. + +He held something in his hand, which he kept behind his back. + +He was about to peep again when a light hand touched his shoulder. + +He turned, and there stood Floretta, looking prettier than usual in her +short white frock, white shoes, and pink hair ribbons. + +"Did you get one?" whispered Jack. + +"Look!" said Floretta, and from behind her back she produced a long +corn-cob. "I took mine from the table at noon, when ma wasn't looking, +and ran from the dining-room, and hid it in our room," said Floretta. +"How did you get yours?" + +"I asked the head waiter to get mine for me," said Jack, "and he acted +as if he thought me a ninny. He gave it to me all the same, and asked +what I was up to. I didn't tell him, though." + +They giggled softly. + +"Ready?" whispered Jack, softly. + +"Yes," whispered Floretta, and then, with corn-cobs held to their +mouths, and their fingers working as if playing upon flutes, they +marched out on to the piazza, loudly singing, "Hail Columbia." + +Some of the guests laughed, none so loudly as Mrs. Paxton, who declared +that it taxed her intellect to imagine what put such outrageously funny +notions into children's heads. + +"I can answer that, madam, and without trying very hard, either. It's +Satan, madam, Satan, who from watching their actions, takes them to be +his near relatives," said Mr. Cunningham. + +Meanwhile the little procession of two, encouraged by the laughter, +marched in and out between the groups of guests, until unlucky Floretta +let her corn-cob slip from her fingers, the moist, sticky thing falling +upon the light silk skirt of a lady who sat near Mrs. Paxton. + +"There, there, Floretta, never mind," said Mrs. Paxton; then turning to +the wearer of the gown, she said, "I don't think it will stain it in the +least. Children will be children, and must have their fun!" + + + + +CHAPTER III + +AN ENTERTAINMENT + + +MRS. PAXTON had laughed at what she chose to call the "funny" antics of +Floretta and Jack, but in truth, she had been very angry. + +She swept from the piazza, Floretta, firmly grasped, walking beside her. +Jack Tiverton's mother took him to her room, where she could talk to +him, without fear of interruption. + +Floretta sat on a low divan, sullen and obstinate. + +For twenty minutes she had listened, while her mother had told what a +disrespectful thing she had done. + +"I don't see how it was not respectful," grumbled Floretta, "we were +just having a little fun." + +"And it was fun at my expense," said Mrs. Paxton. "I was annoyed, just +when I was making plans for a _fine_ entertainment, to have you and that +boy parade out on to the piazza with those old corn-cobs, singing, or +rather _howling_, like young savages!" + +This, and much more Floretta was forced to listen to, but during the +remainder of the scolding, she did not speak, or reply in any way. + +She was still very sullen when her mother left the room, and no one saw +her until she appeared in the dining-room at dinner. + +She tasted one dish after another, but managed to eat but little dinner. +She wished her mother to think that the scolding had made her ill. + +It proved to be wasted effort. Mrs. Paxton had been so interested in +what Mrs. Dayne was saying that she had not noticed that Floretta let +the various courses go untasted. + +She had hoped to worry her mother, but had only punished herself! + +She was very hungry when they left the table, and also very angry. + +"I might just as well have eaten my dinner," she muttered, "she never +noticed that I didn't." + +When the hour arrived that had been set for the concert, every guest was +present, and all were talking and laughing gaily, and very glad that an +evening's amusement had been provided. + +Outside, the rain was descending in torrents, while a cold wind whistled +around the corners, as if demanding admittance. + +Indoors the heavy red hangings were drawn over the lace draperies, great +logs blazed in the fireplaces, while over all softly shaded lights gave +an air of cozy comfort that made one feel sheltered and safe from the +storm. + +A group of ladies sat chatting together, and one, a recent arrival, was +saying that she had understood that children were not permitted as +guests at the Cleverton. + +"There are only a few children here," Mrs. Vinton said, "and some of +them are charming." + +"While others are _not_?" questioned the stranger, with an odd smile. + +"I'd rather not say just that," Mrs. Vinton said, "but I will say that +Mrs. Dainty's little daughter, and Dorothy's little friend, Nancy, and +Flossie Barnet, are three of the sweetest children I have ever met. My +stay here is brighter and far pleasanter because they are also here." + +"Dorothy Dainty is an unusually fine singer for a child," another lady +said, "and she is to sing for us to-night. I believe Nancy Ferris is to +do something, but I do not know what. Does any one know if Nancy sings?" + +"I've not the least idea what her talent is," said a pleasant-voiced +matron, "but she is such a bright, interesting child that I feel sure +that whatever she is able to do at all, she will do exceedingly well." + +"Aunt Vera is to play a solo for the first number," said little Flossie +Barnet, to a lady who sat near her. + +"That is delightful," said the lady, "and what are you to do?" + +"Oh, I'll listen, and listen," said Flossie, "and then, I'll clap to +show how much I liked what the people did." + +"And your friend Dorothy is to sing," said the lady, "do you know what +Nancy does?" + +"Oh, yes, I do!" cried Flossie, "and she does it so lovely, you'll +wonder how she could! I'm not to tell _what_ she'll do, none of us are +to tell. You'll _see_ when she does it!" + +"Dear little girl, you seem quite as happy as if you were to be a +soloist," said the lady. + +"Why, yes," said Flossie, "for when the other little girls do pretty +things, I see them, but I couldn't see myself do anything!" + +"Oh, you sweet, funny little girl," the pleasant-faced lady said, as she +drew Flossie closer, "I never knew so dear a child." + +"Dorothy and Nancy are dear," said Flossie, "and oh, you haven't seen +Molly Merton! She's another one of my little friends, and she's _always_ +lovely to play with. We're always together when I'm at home at +Merrivale." + +Before the lady could express regret that she did not know Molly, the +orchestra began the opening chords of an overture. + +The musicians gave an afternoon and evening concert daily, throughout +the season, but to-night their numbers were to be interspersed with +solos given by the guests. + +The orchestra was generously applauded, and then a slender figure in a +gown of soft, pink satin seated itself at the piano, and with light +touch and brilliant execution, played a rondo that delighted all. + +In response to repeated applause, she played the "Caprice Hongroise," +which aroused wild enthusiasm. + +She smiled, and bowed gracefully in acknowledgment, then turning toward +her husband, who now stood beside her, took from his hand the duplicate +of the song that he was to sing. She always played his accompaniments. + +How full of music was his rare voice, how like the tones of a silver +trumpet when he sang "A Song of the Sea," how tender his tones when for +a second number, he sang an "Italian Love Song!" + +"Didn't he sing _fine_, just _fine_?" Flossie asked, eagerly. + +"Indeed he did," the lady replied, "I never heard a more excellent +voice." + +"Well, he's my own Uncle Harry!" said Flossie, a world of love and pride +in her voice. + +A young girl played a serenade on the guitar, and a member of the +orchestra played a waltz for violin, and both were encored. + +Those who were to perform were in a small room awaiting their turn. They +were laughing and chatting while they waited, and all, save a little +girl, who kept apart from the others, seemed bright and happy. Her eyes +were dull, and her red lips pouting. It was Floretta Paxton, and she was +watching Nancy Ferris, noticing every detail of her costume, and looking +as unpleasant as possible. + +Nancy wore a frock of white gauze, thickly strewn with tiny gold +spangles. Her girdle was white satin, her slippers were white, and she +wore a cluster of pink rosebuds in her hair. + +"What's she going to do?" Floretta asked in a fretful voice, but Mrs. +Paxton, who stood beside her, could not tell her that. She knew no more +of Nancy's talent than Floretta did. + +Floretta had been angry in the afternoon; she had foolishly refused +dinner, and was very hungry; she was made more angry because hers was +not the first number on the program, and now, here was Nancy Ferris +wearing a beautiful frock that far outshone her own! + +She was wearing a simple pink muslin, and had felt that she was finely +dressed, until Nancy appeared. + +The satin girdle, the white slippers, and the spangles were more than +she could forgive. + +"What's she going to _do?_" she asked again, more fretfully than before. + +"I _don't know_," Mrs. Paxton said. + +"Well, I won't do a thing 'til I do know!" said Floretta. + +Silly little girl! Always a jealous child, she now thought that Nancy +_might_ be another impersonator or imitator, and she was nearly wild. + +The orchestra was now playing a dreamy waltz. Nancy's foot tapped the +measure. Her eyes were brighter. + +"What _is_ she going to do?" whispered Floretta. + +The tall man, who had been announcing the numbers, now swung aside the +portière, and Nancy slipped from her chair, ran out upon the stage, and +then,--oh, the fairy motion of her arms, the lightness with which, on +the tips of her toes, she flew across the stage! + +With her finger-tips she lifted the hem of her skirt, and courtesied +low, then away in a dreamy whirl she sped, turning to look over her +shoulder, and laugh at the faces that showed greatest surprise. + +On swept the strains of sweetest music, and little Nancy, carried away +with love of the music, danced more charmingly than ever before. + +Aunt Charlotte and Mrs. Dainty watched her flying figure, and often as +they had seen her, they knew that she was excelling herself. + +"Nancy, Nancy, dear child!" murmured Aunt Charlotte. + +Now, with her feet crossed, and still on the tips of her toes she +whirled like a top, did the graceful rocking step, swayed like a flower +in the wind, whirled about again, courtesied once more, and laughing +like a merry, dark-eyed sprite, ran back into the little waiting-room. + +Oh, what thunders of applause greeted her, yet she sat quietly chatting +with a lady who stood near her! + +Again and again they seemed to be begging that the little dancer might +return. + +"I'll bow to them," said Nancy, and she ran out to do so. + +"Once more, once more!" cried an eager voice, and then more clapping, +and even a few shrill whistles from some very young men begged her to +respond. + +She extended her arms for a second, then whirling rapidly, she repeated +the last half of the dance, courtesied again, and when she ran back to +the little room, Dorothy embraced her tenderly. + +"Oh, Nancy darling!" she cried, "you never danced finer. Do you know how +pleased every one is?" + +"I danced to please and surprise them," said Nancy. "I _do_ love to see +people look happy. They couldn't remember how hard it was raining while +I was whirling and dancing for them." + +Floretta, now more unhappy than before, turned so that she might not see +Nancy, nor note the shimmer of her spangles. + +Mrs. Paxton, who had been talking with a friend, now turned toward +Floretta. + +"Come!" she said, "now run out, and do your very best, Floretta." + +"I'm not going out!" said Floretta. + +"What an idea!" cried Mrs. Paxton. "Of course you'll run out, and show +every one how cute you are. Why, I planned this entertainment just to +give you a chance to show off!" + +"And made me the last one on the whole list!" snarled Floretta. + +"Come, come!" cried her mother, "every one couldn't be first. I thought +I'd have the others perform first, and then _you_ could show who was the +smartest! Come! They're just wild to see what you can do, and they're +waiting." + +"They'll _have_ to wait!" hissed Floretta, like a cross little cat. + +It was no use to urge, plead, or insist. Floretta was stubborn, and when +once she had determined what she would, or would not do, nothing could +move her. + +Prayers and threats were equally useless. + +Dorothy sang very sweetly, and was cordially received. + +Uncle Harry and his wife sang a charming duet that delighted all, the +orchestra played a military caprice, and then the remainder of the +evening was spent in a little, informal dance. + +All was light, laughter, and music, and there were two kinds of music +that gladdened their hearts,--the sweet music of the violins, and the +still sweeter melody of happy voices! + +Silly little Floretta had ruined the evening for no one save her own +jealous little self. + +Because she could not be the first on the program, she would not appear +at all, although, at heart, she longed to show her really clever +mimicry. Later, after having sulked during the early part of the +evening, she refused to join the dancers, and ran away to her room, +angry, very angry with every one save the one person who was really at +fault,--herself. + +Her efforts at imitating would surely have amused, and would, doubtless, +have been well received. She was rather a graceful dancer, in any of +the ordinary ballroom dances, and she thus might have joined the other +children when the concert was over. She had needlessly spent a most +unhappy evening. + +Now, in her room, she heard the strains of the orchestra, and for the +first time realized how foolish she had been. + +"I _had_ a chance, and I lost it," she sobbed, but her tears were not +tears of grieving. They were angry tears, and the droll part of it was +that while she alone was at fault, she was angry with every one but +herself. + +For a few moments she lay, her face hidden in her pillow. Then, she +turned over into a more comfortable position, and softly she whispered, +"I'll do enough to-morrow to make up!" + +She did not say _what_ she intended to do, but the idea evidently +pleased her, for she laughed through her tears. + +She sprang from her bed, found a box of bonbons that her mother had won +as a prize in an afternoon whist party the day before, and crept back +into bed. When she had eaten nearly all of the candy, she sat up and in +the softly shaded light, looked at the box with its few remaining bits +of candy. She was wondering where she could hide it. + +"Ma will surely notice the empty box, or anyway, I've made it _almost_ +empty," she said. "She might not miss it if I hid it!" + +She had never been taught to be honest, so whenever she did a naughty +thing, her first thought was to hide, or cover up the act. She never +felt regret. + +No one ever heard her gently say, "I'm sorry." + +Softly she crept from her bed, and made her way across the floor to the +dressing-case. + +She put the box upon the floor, and pushed it well under it, and wholly +out of sight. + +"There!" she whispered. "That's all right. I would have finished the +candy, but I didn't want the whole of it. I ate the best of it. The +others weren't very nice." + +Down in the long parlor the guests were no longer dancing. + +They were resting, and listening to a lovely barcarolle played softly by +the orchestra. + +Flossie, clinging to Uncle Harry's hand, drew him toward the window. + +"Look!" she said, as she parted the curtains. "It isn't raining now, and +the moon is coming out. It will be pleasant to-morrow! And it has been +lovely in here to-night." + +"Dear little Flossie, dear little niece, it was your cheery, loving +nature that led us to give your name to our baby. She has two fine +names, she is Beatrice Florence. The first is Vera's mother's name, the +second, dear, is yours." + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +IN A BIRCH ARBOR + + +THE storm had cleared the air, no mist veiled the mountains, the +sunlight lay everywhere, gilding valley and stream. + +Many of the guests had started early in the morning for a trip to a +distant mountain from the summit of which a delightful view might be +enjoyed. + +They were to ride over in the barge to the base of the mountain, have a +picnic lunch under the trees, and then climb the rugged path up the +mountain side. + +It would occupy half the day and it would be afternoon before the barge +would return with its merry, tired party. + +Floretta Paxton and Jack Tiverton were usually in sight, or, as they +were always noisy, within hearing might be nearer the truth, but they +had gone over to a spot that the children called "The Pool," a bit of +water not much larger than a big puddle. + +It existed only after a heavy rain, but near its edge the slender +birches grew, and their silvery white trunks and the bright, blue sky +were clearly reflected on its surface. + +Jack had decided to launch his toy boat there, and, as Floretta had +hemmed the tiny sails, he had felt obliged to listen to her coaxing, and +permit her to go with him. + +"I'll let you christen her," he had said, in a moment of generosity, and +then regretted it. + +Floretta's idea of a christening ceremony was very elaborate, while +Jack thought that shouting the vessel's name, and shoving it into the +water was all that was necessary. + +Nancy was helping Aunt Charlotte, so when Dorothy ran out to the piazza, +she found it deserted, and she stood looking in surprise at the rocking +chairs and hammocks that were swaying in the wind. + +"Every one has gone somewhere," she thought; "didn't any one stay at +home?" + +She stood for a moment in the doorway, wondering what to do. Suddenly +her face brightened, and she clapped her hands. + +"The very thing!" she said, and she turned and hastened to her room to +find her latest gift. + +It was a beautiful book of fairy tales, and although it had been given +her over a week ago, she had read but a few of the stories. Mrs. Dainty +had sent to the city for the book, and ever since the day of its arrival +Dorothy had been wild to read it. + +Something had been planned for each sunny day, and as the weather had +continued fair, the book had been opened but a few times, and then for +only a brief glance at the tales or the illustrations. + +Mrs. Dainty had gone to the village, a ride of about an hour from the +hotel, and Aunt Charlotte was still occupied with her letters. + +Nancy was sealing and stamping the envelopes, as Dorothy passed the +door. + +"I'm going over to the little 'birch arbor,'" she said. "I'm taking my +new fairy book for company." + +"I'll come, too, just as soon as I've finished these envelopes," said +Nancy, and she began to work faster. + +[Illustration: "OH, WHAT A LOVELY, _LOVELY_ STORY!" SAID DOROTHY.--_Page +67._] + +The "birch arbor" was not an actual arbor, but it was a lovely spot, and +the birches were exceptionally fine. Nancy and Dorothy had often been +there together, and they had given it the name. + +A tiny mountain brook ran through it, and it was a lovely spot in which +to enjoy legends or fairy tales. + +In a few moments Dorothy had reached the place, and when she had seated +herself, she opened the book where a fine picture showed the prince, +whose father had given him three wishes as his only inheritance, and +then had sent him out to seek his fortune. + +Twice she had commenced to read the story, and had been obliged to lay +it aside. Now, with only the bees and the butterflies hovering about +her, she read the fascinating tale. + +It proved to be even more charming than she had expected. + +The prince was tall, and dark, and handsome, and his heart was so good +and true, that Dorothy felt that he richly deserved the beautiful +princess whom he finally won. + +Her eyes sparkled as she read of the great court wedding. + +"And the lovely princess looked more beautiful than ever in her wedding +gown of cloth of gold, thickly set with diamonds, and her crown of +diamonds and sapphires." + +"Oh what a lovely, _lovely_ story!" said Dorothy, as she turned the +page. + +"Tiny princes carried her train, and as the happy pair reached the +palace gates, and were about to enter the royal coach, the blare of +trumpets sounded, as the guards in blue and gold played a gay fanfare." + +"Toot! Toot! Toot!" + +Dorothy sprang to her feet. + +It was as if those silver-toned trumpets had sounded close beside her. A +moment more, and a huge automobile appeared from behind the trees and +shrubbery, and slackening its speed, came, at last, to a standstill, and +an old lady leaned out to question her. + +"Are we going in the right direction, my dear, to reach the Hotel +Cleverton?" + +Dorothy walked toward the car, and looked up into the hard, old face. + +"This little road is _right_," said Dorothy, "but the broad road that +leads out of this one is not so rough, and it is a _little_ shorter." + +"There, Minturn, I _said plainly_ that I believed we could get there +quicker some other way!" + +"You are _sure_ about the Cleverton?" the old lady asked. "You _know_ +where it is?" + +"I'm staying there with mamma, and that truly is the right way," said +Dorothy, her soft eyes looking up into the hard, old face. + +"I guess I can trust you," the old lady said, not smiling, but looking a +bit less stern. + +"Now, Minturn, we'll _try_ to reach the hotel, sometime before dark!" +she said curtly. + +Puffing and whirring the big automobile started off up the road, the old +lady sitting stern and erect, as if she thought her driver needed +watching, and she was determined to keep a sharp eye upon him. + +"Why, how queer!" said Dorothy. "She didn't even say 'good-bye,' or +'good-morning.' Perhaps she was very tired, and forgot,"--then after a +moment she added, "but my beautiful mamma _never_ forgets." + +She went back to the pretty spot where she had been reading, and sitting +down, opened the book, but she could not keep her mind upon the stories. +The strange face of the old lady seemed to look at her from the printed +page. + +How small and sharp her eyes had been, and how she asked the same +question again and again. Did she doubt the answer given her? + +All these, and many more questions puzzled Dorothy, and with the open +book lying upon her lap, she looked off where the sunlight lay upon the +grass. + +She was still sitting thus when a merry voice aroused her, and she +turned to see Nancy running toward her. + +"Oh, Dorothy!" she cried. "You ought to have been up at the hotel just a +few moments ago. A new guest came, and she was so cross, it _must_ be +that she didn't want to come. But if she truly _didn't_ want to, then +why _did_ she?" + +"Why, Nancy, who wouldn't think it fine to come up here to the +mountains, and stay at the Cleverton?" said Dorothy in surprise. + +"Well, you wouldn't have thought the old lady was glad to be there, if +you'd seen her," said Nancy. + +"Oh, was it an old lady that you were talking about?" Dorothy asked +quickly. + +"Yes, and you ought to have seen her eyes snap when she scolded her +chauffeur. She told him she might have arrived an hour before just as +well as not, and she kept right on scolding to herself, all the way up +to the piazza, and, Dorothy, she looked so cross, I wouldn't wonder if +she was scolding up in her room now!" + +"She must be the same one that was here just a little while ago," +Dorothy said, "and she asked me to tell her the nearest way to the +Cleverton. When I told her, she made the man rush off over the road, and +she was scolding him when they left here. Perhaps she was tired, and +will feel pleasanter when she has rested." + +"Perhaps," agreed Nancy, "but I know Aunt Charlotte and your mamma don't +act that way when they are tired." + +Dorothy could not dispute that, and soon the two little girls were +enjoying the fairy book together. + +"Now, this is the story I've just been reading," said Dorothy, "and this +is the picture of the prince. Isn't he handsome?" + +"Oh, yes," said Nancy, "and doesn't he look like Flossie's Uncle Harry?" + +"Why, he _does_, truly," cried Dorothy. "I'll show the picture to +Flossie, and I'm sure she'll say it looks ever so much like him." + +"Oh, she will," agreed Nancy. + +"Why, it would look _exactly_ like him, if _he_ only had a cap with +plumes," said Dorothy. + +Uncle Harry, coming briskly up the path, was just in time to hear the +last few words. + +"I'm very curious to know who it is who needs a cap with plumes," he +said. + +"Oh, who knew you were right here to hear it?" said Dorothy. + +"Oh, was it a state secret?" he asked. "Well, now it's a pity I heard +it, but as it happens I _did_, I think I must ask for the rest of the +secret." + +"Oh, _would_ you tell?" Dorothy asked, turning to Nancy, but before she +could reply, Uncle Harry spoke. + +"I'm really too curious," he said, "so I think I'll threaten to sit on +this stump, until you tell me the secret, and let me tell you two little +friends, that _I've_ a secret; it's a nice one, too, but,--" he paused +to watch the effect of his words. + +"But--But--" they cried. + +"But,--" said Uncle Harry, "I wouldn't tell mine _first_!" + +Wag that he was, he could not resist the temptation to tease just a bit. + +Dorothy took the pretty book, and opening it at the page that showed the +picture of the prince, she said, "We only said the brave prince looked +like you, no, I mean you look like him, and we said you'd look _just_ +like him if you had a cap with plumes." + +Uncle Harry appeared to study the picture very carefully. After a +moment, he said: + +"That's a fine compliment, but there's one thing about it that worries +me, so I'll have to ask about it. + +"In this picture the prince wears a blue blouse and a pair of green +shoes, a pink cap with white plumes, gray hose, and crimson trunks. Now, +if I should decide to purchase a pink cap with white plumes, would you +expect me to come out arrayed in all those colors? I really feel that +the costume is a _bit_, just a _bit_ too gay." + +"Oh, we'll not ask you to be quite as gay as that," said Dorothy, "and +we'll promise one thing. We won't even ask you to buy a pink cap if +you'll tell us your secret now." + +He laughed gaily. + +"Perhaps I really _ought_ to keep it a little longer. How would it do if +I should tell you my secret some time next week?" he asked. + +"Oh, no, no!" they cried, "tell it now!" + +"Well, then, there's to be a fair 'way down in the village, a real +country fair, and I'm intending to hire a barge, and take all of the +_very_ young ladies over with me to see the fun. I mean ladies as young +as you, and Nancy, and Flossie. I shall invite all the wee ladies that +are stopping at the hotel, and I shall take all who accept." + +He looked into their bright faces, and laughed when Dorothy said: + +"As if _any_ little girl _wouldn't_ accept!" + +"You mustn't expect it to be a grand affair. It will be, as I said, a +real old-fashioned country fair, but there will be a jolly ride over +there, and the return trip, and I fancy you will enjoy it all," he said, +"and I shall have the delight of giving pleasure." + +A friend who had been looking for Uncle Harry, now appeared on the +winding path, a clump of large trees having hidden his approach. + +The two young men started off for a long tramp, and Dorothy and Nancy +walked slowly back to the hotel. + +"The prince _did_ look like Uncle Harry," said Nancy, "and the picture +of the naughty old fairy that enchanted the sleeping beauty, looks like +the lady that came this morning, and was so very cross." + +"Then that _is_ the same one who stopped to ask the way, for she looked +just like that. I'll always think, every time I look at her, that she's +the black fairy." + +And when they ran up on to the piazza, there sat the very person whom +they had been speaking of, looking somewhat cooler with her long +travelling cloak removed. + +Her black gown was of some thin material, and just as the two little +girls ran up on to the piazza, she dropped the large, black fan that she +had been wielding. + +Nancy, who was nearer to her than Dorothy, picked up the fan for her. +Without a smile, she took the fan, and they heard some slight sound. +Possibly it might have been a softly murmured word of thanks, but it did +not sound like it. + +"She seems very strange," said Dorothy, "but perhaps she's still tired." + +She was always unwilling to say that any one was wilfully rude or +disagreeable. + +And now Aunt Charlotte, with Mrs. Dainty, came out to enjoy the fine +air, and Dorothy and Nancy ran to them to tell them of the treat that +Uncle Harry had in store for them. + +"It's only a few days to wait, and isn't he kind to take us?" said +Dorothy. + +"He is indeed," said Mrs. Dainty, "and I hope all his little friends +will be very thoughtful, and make him just as little trouble as +possible. He takes quite a care in inviting so many children." + +"Oh, all the children love him, and there isn't one who would want to be +any bother, unless it was Floretta," said Dorothy, "and perhaps she'll +be having such a nice time, she won't think to be naughty." + +Mrs. Dainty smiled at this view of it. She could not help thinking that +Floretta never needed time to think in order to be disagreeable, but +she did not say so. + +Aunt Charlotte Grayson, seeing the stranger sitting alone, paused near +her chair to say a friendly word. + +She remained but few moments, however, because the woman seemed not +inclined to talk. + +Aunt Charlotte well knew that the stranger was not courteous, but she +tried to think, as Dorothy had, that fatigue, after a long journey, made +her eager for silence and rest. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +THE MOUNTAIN PARTY + + +AS the days flew by, the stranger became a bit more friendly, conversing +sometimes with Mrs. Dainty and Aunt Charlotte, but often, far more +often, with Mrs. Paxton. + +It was not that she sought to become acquainted with Floretta's mother; +it was, rather, that Mrs. Paxton seemed determined to force the +friendship. + +"Her name is Fenton, Mrs. Fenton, and isn't it odd, _my_ name was Fenton +before I married. Floretta's middle name is Fenton. I really feel almost +as if I were related to her, because of the name," declared Mrs. Paxton +one morning, whereupon Mrs. Fenton, coming out on to the piazza, +remarked: + +"Oh, indeed!" + +Mrs. Paxton blushed and hesitated, then recovering herself, she said: + +"I was just telling these ladies of my friendly feeling for you." + +"Oh, indeed!" Mrs. Fenton repeated, as she sank into a large rocker, and +looked off across the valley to the distant mountains. + +After a few moments she seemed to have lost interest in the view, and, +taking up a small embroidery frame, commenced to ply her needle as if +she were eager to finish the pretty doily. + +Two little figures came slowly up the path to the piazza. They were +returning from the christening of the little boat. + +"What is wrong, Jack? You don't look very happy," said Mrs. Tiverton. + +"He wanted me to christen his boat, but he wouldn't give it my name!" +said Floretta, before Jack could reply. + +"She thought just because she hemmed the sails I'd name it the +_Floretta_, but I wouldn't, so I shoved it into the water myself, and +shouted _Carlotta_. That's the name of a girl that goes to my school, +and I like her." + +"You say Floretta hemmed your sails," said Mrs. Tiverton. + +"Well, I thanked her for that, and I let her go to the launching, and I +let her christen it, but I don't see that I need name it for her," said +Jack, stoutly. + +Mrs. Fenton had not heeded what the children were saying. One might have +fancied that she did not hear, although both Floretta and Jack stood +quite near her chair. + +A large spool that she had wound with colored silk slipped from her lap, +and rolled toward Floretta. + +"Pick it up, dear," Mrs. Paxton said. + +"Don't want to," said Floretta. + +Mrs. Fenton stooped, and recovered the spool, and, taking her embroidery +frame in her hand, left the piazza, and mounted the stairs to her room. + +"Why _were_ you so rude?" said Mrs. Paxton, but Floretta, perching upon +the low railing, began softly humming "Yankee Doodle." + +Jack Tiverton, espying a boy that he knew, whistled loudly, and then, as +the other boy turned, ran after him, the two whooping and shouting like +savages. + +"It is almost lunch time, Jack!" Mrs. Tiverton cried, and the boy +turned, and waved his hand to show that he heard her. + +"Boys aren't apt to forget meal time," muttered old Mr. Cunningham +behind his paper. + +True enough, Jack returned in ample time, and was the first at the +table. + +Early in the afternoon Dorothy and Nancy went out for a drive with +Romeo. + +It was one of those sunny days that tempt nearly every one to ride or +walk. + +The mountain roads were rather lonely, and Mrs. Dainty insisted that +whether Dorothy were riding Romeo, or driving in the phaeton, the groom +must ride at a little distance behind her. + +There were the lovely, slender birches on either side of the roads, +there were patches of bright green moss upon which the sunlight rested, +there were blackberry vines and woodbine wreathing the low stone walls, +and here and there a mullein raised its stately head from its base of +velvet leaves. + +Oh, it seemed like an enchanted country, where new beauties were to be +found on either hand! + +"Look!" cried Dorothy, "close beside that mullein is an evening +primrose, and their blossoms are the same color." + +Then a tiny chipmunk sprang upon the wall, sat erect, and watched them +for a moment, then ran up the trunk of a slender tree, where from a low +branch he watched until they had passed. Then back to the wall he +sprang, where he chattered as if scolding the little girls who had +disturbed his solitude. It may be that, instead, he was talking to +himself, and telling what charming little girls they were. + +A long way from the hotel they passed Jack Tiverton, with a number of +other boys who were staying at a hotel a few miles distant from the +Cleverton. + +They were all somewhat larger than Jack, and he thought it fine to be +with them. + +He had met them at a ball game three weeks before, and he had been very +busy holding their acquaintance ever since. + +"We're going to catch the echo, and keep it, too!" shouted Jack. + +"It's mocking you now," said Dorothy, with a laugh. + +"I know it," said Jack, "but we'll catch it, and fasten it so it can't +get away." + +"_How_ will you fasten an echo?" Nancy asked, turning, and looking over +her shoulder as the little phaeton sped past. + +"Trust us to find a way!" cried Jack, and the others laughed as if they +already knew exactly how to do it. + +They left the road, and, vaulting over the wall, crossed the open +field, singing a gay, rollicking song as they went. + +"They just _say_ they're going hunting for the echo," said Dorothy, "and +they say it for fun, but I wonder where they are going, and what they +truly are going to do." + +The groom, riding nearer, touched his hat. + +"Please, Miss Dorothy, I heard the lads saying that there's an old house +over near that mountain, where a hermit lived years ago, and they're off +to find it if they can." + +"Then why didn't they say so, instead of telling such a tale about +catching the echo?" Dorothy asked. + +"They were saying that they wanted to find the hut, and hunt in it, and +around it ter find things the old fellow may have hidden. They feared +you or Miss Nancy might tell some other lad. They're wanting it all to +themselves." + +Having told this bit of information, the groom allowed the carriage to +pass him, and once more rode behind it. + +The two little girls talked of the long tramp that the boys would have +before they would find the hermit's hut. + +"And perhaps they won't find it at all, after all their hunting," said +Nancy. + +"Well, I hope they will," said Dorothy, "because it's so horrid to hunt +and hunt, for nothing." + +"Oh, look!" she cried a moment later. "See the lovely mosses! Let's take +some back to mamma and Aunt Charlotte." + +They were, indeed, beautiful. There was green moss that looked like +velvet, and gray moss formed like tiny cups with scarlet edges, and +other moss tipped with red. + +On an old stump they found shell-like fungus, some a creamy white, +others white, with soft brown markings. + +Oh, a fine collection of rarely beautiful mosses and lichens they +gathered, and heaped on the bottom of the phaeton. + +Romeo turned his head to watch them as if he wondered when they would +have gathered enough. + +"Oh, we do keep you standing, dear, don't we?" Dorothy said, patting his +neck as she spoke. + +"Oh, you needn't look for sugar," she said, laughing, "for I haven't any +with me, but we'll get you some fresh clover." + +With Nancy's help she soon had a fine bunch of pink clover for Romeo, +and he seemed quite as pleased as if it had been the cubes that he so +often enjoyed. + + * * * * * + +When the party of boys had left the road to cross the fields that lay +between them, and the forest at the foot of the mountain, they had +believed that they knew exactly how to go to reach the hermit's hut. + +The old hermit had been dead for years, but every season the summer +guests at the hotels and farmhouses searched all around the deserted +hut, expecting to find some relic to take home and label as a bit of the +hermit's property. + +The boys supposed that they had the woods to themselves, and that they +would be uninterrupted in their search of the place. + +They did not know that the mountain climbers had taken the same +direction, intending, before they enjoyed their lunch beneath the trees, +to stop at the old, deserted house. + +Mrs. Paxton and little Floretta had worked more persistently than any +others of the party, and Mrs. Paxton had found a small, brass button. + +The others had laughed at the prize, asking her if she intended to keep +it as a souvenir. + +"Certainly," said Mrs. Paxton. "I'm sure this brass button must have +belonged on some old coat that the hermit wore!" + +"Perhaps in his youth, before he came up here to live, he may have been +a janitor," said a young man, with a saucy laugh. + +"Or a brakeman," suggested another. + +Mrs. Paxton pretended not to hear their teasing, and though the prize +that she had found had been only a valueless thing, she kept it. + +Floretta was very eager to stay, and continue to peep into cracks in the +floor and walls, and to poke with a stick under the doorsill, and in the +soft earth around the hut. + +The older members of the party knew that if they were to ascend the +mountain, see the view, and descend before twilight, they must start at +once. + +As soon as their picnic lunch had been enjoyed they commenced to climb +the rugged mountain path. + +It was very steep and rough, and it had been said that no children +should be allowed in the party. + +Mrs. Paxton had insisted that her small daughter was a wonderful little +climber, who was quite equal to the demands of a long tramp. + +Floretta had wished to remain at the hut, but as she could not do that, +she proceeded to make herself as unpleasant as possible, by complaining +every step of the way, until one young man voiced the feeling of the +entire party. + +"This is a horrid, rough old path, and I'm tired. I wish I'd stayed at +_home_!" said Floretta. + +"I wish so, _too_!" said the young man, and several of the party, too +polite to say it, at heart, agreed with him. + +Floretta's was the only gloomy face, however. The others tramped gaily +onward, singing snatches of song, and laughing as they stepped upon +rolling stones, or tripped over long, gnarled roots that rose above the +surface, as if especially designed to catch lagging feet. + + "All day upon the hills + We've chased the chamois far, + But deeper joy now thrills + Beneath the evening star." + +The youth sang gaily, and several of his friends joined him in singing +the old song. + +Arrived at the summit they rested, enjoyed the view, laughed and joked +about their weariness, and made many wild guesses as to how long it +would take them to make the descent and drive back to the hotel. + +"It will be three o'clock before we reach the Cleverton," said one. + +"Nonsense!" cried another, "this is really called a mountain by +courtesy. It's only a big hill. I say we shall be on the piazza, and +wondering what we can do next, as early as half-past two." + +"It's more likely to be half-past _three_!" declared another, and when +all felt sufficiently rested, they commenced the descent. + +Floretta refused to keep closely beside her mother, insisting upon +clinging to another member of the party, to whom she had taken a fancy. + +The party was a large one, much larger, indeed, than had at first been +planned, and while half of the number were guests at the Cleverton, the +others were from the Merlington, a hotel situated nearer the village, +and from several large farmhouses that entertained summer boarders. + +The guests from the Cleverton had kept closely together during the trip, +while those from the Merlington had done the same. + +They had reached the foot of the mountain, and were tramping along a +path that ran nearly parallel to that on which the hermit's house stood. + +Floretta saw the boys, near the house, and also saw that Jack Tiverton +was with them. + +Without a word, she left the lady to whose arm she had been clinging, +and making her way along behind bushes and underbrush, she managed to +sneak in at the door of the hut, without having been seen by the party +of boys. + +The lady, with whom she had been walking, supposed that she had run back +to join her mother, while Mrs. Paxton felt quite undisturbed, because +she believed that her little girl was still clinging to the arm of the +lady with whom she had chosen to walk. + +It had required two barges to convey the party, and now they found them +waiting, the horses a bit impatient to be off. + +The guests from the Merlington clambered into the first barge, and they +with a few of the farmhouse party filled it to overflowing, some of the +men being obliged to ride homeward, seated upon the steps. Meanwhile the +Cleverton people were forced to wait until the barge for their party +drove up. + +The first barge had started, and was rolling along, and a chorus of +college songs was wafted back on the breeze, while handkerchiefs +fluttered as the gay passengers laughed at the crowd that had not yet +started. + +Mrs. Paxton paused with her foot on the step, and looked back. + +"Why, where's Floretta?" she asked. + +"In the first barge," cried a voice in reply. + +"Are you _sure_?" she asked. + +"Why, certainly," said the other, "she's with that tall, fine-looking +lady from the Merlington. She'll be home before you are." + +The second barge was soon filled and on its way. The horses were less +fresh than those of the first barge, and seemed determined to lag. +Indeed, they required constant urging to keep them from dropping into a +slow walk. + +"Those other fellows ahead of us started some lively college songs," +said a disgusted passenger, "and they're actually out of sight now; but +the way these nags are poking I couldn't think of anything to sing that +would be slow enough to be appropriate." + +And while one barge was going over the road at a lively rate of speed, +and the other jogging along at a snail's pace, Floretta, at the hut, was +having a most exciting time. + +Once inside the place, she had crouched beneath a window to learn, if +possible, what the boys were talking about. + +She had wanted to remain there when the party had started for the +mountain path, and she had been very impatient during the long tramp. +She cared nothing for the view, and determined, on the return, to stop, +if only for a few moments, at the hut. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +THE ECHO CAPTURED + + +FLORETTA had intended to hunt for treasure, hoping to get something more +valuable than the brass button that her mother had found. + +She was not at all afraid of Jack Tiverton, but of those larger boys she +was not quite sure. + +As she knelt beneath the window she could hear only the voices of the +boys that were nearest to the hut, and hearing only parts of their +conversation, she could not understand what the first speaker expected +to find. + +"If I find it, I'll put it where it will be safe," he said. + +There was a pause, and then a voice more distant replied. + +She did not hear what it said, but she did hear the answer made by the +boy who had first spoken. + +"If the ghost of the old hermit was in the hut, it might hear you." + +"Yes, and what would he say about your hunting for things that may have +belonged to him?" said another, with a teasing laugh. + +"Oh, I'm not afraid," was the careless answer. + +"You're not?" jeered a laughing voice. + +"I think we've poked around out here long enough without finding +anything," said Jack Tiverton, "let's hunt inside the house." + +"Wait a minute," called a boy who had not yet spoken, "just till I've +looked into this hollow tree trunk." + +"And _then_ what?" asked a merry voice. + +"_Then_ hunt in the house, of course!" was the curt reply. + +Floretta thought she saw a chance for fun. + +Softly, yet quickly, she crept up the rickety little stairway, built +close against the wall, and leading to the tiny loft. + +The loft was really little more than a space beneath the roof where the +old hermit might have stored a few provisions. She could not stand, or +even sit, erect, and she crouched upon the bit of dusty flooring. + +She was none too soon, for in a few seconds the boys rushed in, and then +began a discussion as to whether it would be safe to take a plank up +from the floor to look beneath it for hidden treasure. + +"You oughtn't to do that," said Jack Tiverton, "somebody might arrest +you, or all of us, if folks found out we did it." + +"Arrest us for spoiling a floor in this old hut!" cried an older boy. "I +wonder you don't think the old hermit might holler if he heard us pull +up a plank!" + +"Well," said Jack stoutly, "you'd be as scared as I would if he did +holler!" + +"You're a small boy, Jack, and easily scared," was the taunting reply. + +"Well, pull up a plank, and see what happens. I dare you to!" cried +Jack. + +"Here goes then!" said the older boy, and catching hold of a plank that +had rotted at one end, he pulled it up. + +"_Oh, let it alone!_" groaned a boy in a farther corner of the room, in +an attempt to imitate an old voice. + +"_Oh, let it alone!_" came in exactly the same voice from the loft. + +Sidney Cumston, the big boy, who had laughed at little Jack Tiverton, +dropped the plank, and turned pale, while not a boy spoke or moved. + +"Come, come!" said Sidney, when he caught his breath, "we're a precious +pack of sillies! Help me lift this big board, will you?" + +"Will you?" came from the loft, in the very manner in which he had said +it. + +Again he dropped the plank. + +"What does it mean?" cried Sidney. + +"Mean?" came his last word repeated. + +The boys were now thoroughly frightened. + +"Come!" cried Sidney, "let's leave here!" + +"Here!" came a repetition of his last word, and big as he was, he had +turned to run, when a faint ripple of smothered laughter came down from +the loft. + +Immediately Sidney's pale face flushed red. It flashed through his mind +that these younger boys had seen that he was frightened. + +He had been laughed at by the owner of the voice that had mocked him, +and the boys would _never_ stop laughing. + +Quickly he mounted the steps, and roughly he dragged little Floretta +from her hiding place, half carrying her down the stairway, because it +was too narrow for two to descend. + +"So you thought it was funny, just _funny_ to mock us, did you?" he +asked, when they reached the floor. + +Floretta was not laughing now. + +She was sullen, and at the same time frightened. + +What would they do to her? + +They crowded around her, frowning and making all sorts of wild +suggestions as to what should be done with her. + +"Keep her mocking till she's got enough of it!" cried one. + +"Put her back in the loft, and leave her there! She seemed to like +there," said another. + +The big boy, whose hand was still on her shoulder, was more angry than +either of the others. + +He was a bully, always ready to torment some one smaller than himself. + +He had reason to be provoked with Floretta, and the fact that she was +only a little girl, made no impression upon him. + +He would as willingly punish a girl, as a boy, and the fact that his +captive was smaller than he, only proved that the task would be an easy +one. + +"You think it's smart to imitate, and it is. P'raps you think you're the +echo that's over in the mountain!" he sneered. + +She made no answer. She was crying now. + +"Say! Let her off!" cried Jack Tiverton. "She's only a girl!" + +The smallest boy in the crowd, he saw Sidney's cowardice. + +"Oh, are you sweet on Floretta?" jeered Sidney. + +Jack drew back abashed. He did not like Floretta at all, but he did +think it mean for a big boy to frighten so small a girl. + +"I ain't going to hurt you," said Sidney, "but I'm going to give you a +chance to play echo, till you're tired of it. I guess you'll get enough +of it before you get through! + +"Come, fellows! Get some good long pieces of wild grape-vine! I'll +fasten Miss Echo where she can shout all day, and nobody'll stop her!" + +"I won't go with you!" screamed Floretta, who had found her voice, "You +sha'n't tie me!" + +"Oh, is that so?" said Sidney, in a teasing tone. "We'll tie you so you +can't get away!" + +She pulled back. + +"No, you don't!" said Sidney, grasping her arm with a firmer hold. + +"Now, walk right along, or these other fellows will help me carry you!" +he added, and Floretta thought best to walk. + +"Where'll you take her?" asked one. + +"Right there," said Sidney. "That rock is just covered with vines that +cling fast to it. Hurry, now! Pull down some long, strong pieces! Here, +you scratch like a cat! Stop that!" + +Floretta, half wild to get away, was attacking his hand in the manner of +a little wild animal. + +"Let me go, then!" she screamed. + +"Not much!" cried Sidney, and with the help of another boy, he dragged +her, screaming and kicking, all the way, until they reached the rocky +ledge. + +"There, now! Hold on! You're showing too much temper!" cried a stout lad +who was helping to bind her. + +"I won't stay! You sha'n't tie me!" she screamed, but without replying, +they drew the tough vines closer about her, lashing her into such a +network of stems and stout vines that it would be impossible for her to +escape. + +"There!" cried Sidney, when he felt sure that she was securely made a +little prisoner, "You can shout till you're tired, and if you want to +mock any one, you can mock yourself! Good-afternoon, Miss Echo!" + +He lifted his cap, with elaborate courtesy, and marched off whistling: + + "The Girl I Left Behind Me." + +They did not look back. Sidney marched boldly away, believing that he +had done a very smart thing, but the other boys felt less comfortable. + +They had been angry with her, and they had wished to see her punished, +but they could not help thinking that she was a little girl, and they +were leaving her alone in the woods! + +Jack Tiverton was, by far, the most uneasy. + +He was the smallest of the party, and, while he had asked Sidney to let +Floretta go, he had known it was useless to do more. + +The eight other boys were stronger than he, and any attempt upon his +part to free her would be worse than useless. They would not listen, but +instead, would pounce upon him. + +The other boys talked, laughed, and whistled, to imply that they were +not thinking of what they had done, but all the way back to the +Cleverton, little Jack was wondering what he could do. + +He dared not go straight to Floretta's mother, and tell her of her +little girl's plight. + +He knew if he did that, the boys would soon learn who had played +"tell-tale," and then,--what would they do to _him_? + +And yet, he was determined, in some way, to help Floretta. + +How could he let a little girl stay out there in the woods all night? + +Of course some one, walking through the woods might find her, but if no +one happened to? + +Jack knew that the risk was too great. It was just before he reached the +Cleverton, that he thought of the best way that he could do it. + +He would write a note to Mrs. Paxton. He would drop that note into the +mail box that hung at the side door. The letters were always distributed +at four, and Sidney Cumston, who had a fine watch, had just said that it +was three. He left the boys at the entrance to the Merlington, and +hurried on that he might have plenty of time for his note. + +Mrs. Tiverton was out driving with a friend, and Jack had quite a hunt +before he could find pencil or paper for his note. + +At last he found a blank book, and with a pencil he wrote this note. + + "Deer Mrs. Paxton:-- + + "Yor litle girl is tied up in the woods opsite the + hermits hut. You better go get her real quick or + somethin may happen too her. + + "Yors trooly." + +He folded it, and, in place of the envelope that he could not find, he +tied around it a bit of string that he found in his pocket. + +Boldly he addressed it, in very large letters, and sneaking down the +stairway, and around on the piazza toward the side door, watched his +chance, and slipped it into the mail box. + +There was much excitement on the front piazza, because the guests had +arrived in the barge but a few moments before, and Mrs. Paxton had given +a maid a generous "tip" to go over to the Merlington, and bring Floretta +back with her. + +"She returned with the party that came from the Merlington, and I don't +wish her to remain there. I want her to come right back to me," said +Mrs. Paxton. + +"Very well, ma'am," the maid had replied, and with the coins in her +hand, had started off at once toward the other hotel. + +When little Jack Tiverton ran around to the front piazza, the maid had +just returned. + +"If you please, Mrs. Paxton, your little girl isn't over to the +Merlington, and hasn't been there, and a lady that was with the party +that came home from the mountain trip, says the child wasn't in their +barge at all. I asked her if she was _sure_, and she said, she couldn't +help being sure, because there wasn't _any_ child in their barge." + +Of course excitement reigned supreme. Mrs. Paxton seemed half wild, and +every one shared her anxiety. + +The fact that Floretta was not a favorite made no difference. No one +liked to think of a little girl out there alone on the mountain path, or +in the woods, especially as it was already late afternoon. + +"What a dreadful thing!" cried Mrs. Paxton, wringing her hands, and +walking up and down the piazza. + +"Who will go with me? I cannot go alone, and where, _where_ shall we +look first? Who saw her last?" + +At this moment a man-servant came out from the hall with a tray of +letters that he began to distribute. + +"One for you, Mrs. Paxton," said the man, as he touched her arm gently. + +"Oh, I can't think of letters now," she said, but something about the +note seemed so unusual that she looked at it. + +She drew off the string that had been loosely tied, and read the hastily +scrawled lines. + +She screamed, and Aunt Charlotte, who was standing near her, put her arm +around her and supported her, or she would have fallen. + +Many of those who gathered around Mrs. Paxton were inclined to think the +note a hoax, but Mrs. Dainty, coming forward, lifted her handsome head, +and looking at the men who were lounging comfortably in the large +rockers, or sitting upon the piazza railing, spoke the word that spurred +them to action. + +"Is it safe to _guess_ that this is a joke? True, it is written in a +boyish hand, and while it _may_ be a boy's joke, may it not be a boy's +means of telling us what has actually happened? I would not, were I a +man, take the responsibility or chance, of leaving Floretta out there, +because I would go to the place, and thus learn, not guess, if this +information be true." + +She had scarcely finished speaking when a number of men rose, and one, +who chose to lead the party, lifted his hat to Mrs. Dainty, saying: + +"We are off, madam. We only needed an inspiration to move us to +endeavor." + +She bowed and smiled, as she said: + +"One thing I ask of you. Go as quickly as possible, for the sake of the +frightened child, and the anxious mother." + +"In all possible haste," was the quick reply, and she turned to offer +what comfort she might to the woman who seemed nearly distracted. + + * * * * * + +And all this time, what had been happening in the wood? For a long time +Floretta had cried, screamed, and shouted, hoping that the boys would +come back and release her. + +Then, when she knew that they must be too far away to hear her, she tore +at the clasping bonds, trying in every way to free herself. With feet +and hands she strove to loosen the tough, wiry vines, kicking and +trampling with her restless feet, beating and bending with her little +hands, until they were torn and bleeding, and the tormenting vines +seemed only to hold her with a firmer grasp, as if to prove how useless +was her struggle. + +[Illustration: WITH FEET AND HANDS SHE STROVE TO LOOSEN THE TOUGH, WIRY +VINES.--_Page 119_.] + +She had cried until she could cry no more, and the sturdy vines had cut +and bruised her. + +So firmly was she bound that she could not sink to the grass to rest, +and she had only the hard, rocky ledge to lean against. + +How still the woodland seemed! Sometimes a twig would snap, or a buzzing +insect would pause, as if to look at her, but no one came to set her +free. + +She waited for a moment to regain her breath, and then again she fought +and struggled with those tough, sturdy vines. + +She tried to wrench them apart, to break, to tear them from her, but +they only yielded enough to bend, and then snap back into the very +place that she had pushed them from. + +Not a vine broke, not a stem gave way, and she set her lips tightly for +yet greater effort! + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +FLORETTA'S RETURN + + +AT a far corner of the piazza sat Dorothy, her eyes terrified, and her +cheeks pale. Nancy, close beside her, wound her arms about her, and +sought, in every way, to comfort her. + +"They'll find her soon, Dorothy, so don't you be frightened," she +whispered. "They'll _surely_ find her soon." + +Dear little Nancy knew, better than any of Dorothy's other friends could +have known, how ready was her sympathy, how kind and loving was her +heart. + +She had not loved Floretta, but with Dorothy, that did not count. It was +the dreadful fear that something had happened to a little girl, who, so +recently had been at play with them,--ah, that was what grieved sweet +Dorothy. + +She was thinking of what Mrs. Dainty had said to Aunt Charlotte when the +mountain trip was first talked of. + +"I think the long tramp is a rougher form of amusement than I can well +endure. I should be so weary long before it was time to return, that I +should derive but little pleasure from the trip. There is another +thought in connection with the picnic," she continued, "and that is an +element of danger. Not great danger perhaps, but such that I would not +join the party, nor would I permit Dorothy, or Nancy to do so. One +gentleman who was talking of the mountain path that they have chosen, +spoke of the great danger to the climbers from small, rolling stones, +and from places where the earth seems to crumble near the edge of the +narrow foot-path. A careless step might lead to a fall that would mean, +I hardly dare to say what!" + +Dorothy and Nancy had been wishing to join the party, but upon hearing +this, they lost all interest in it, and had cheerfully taken the drive +behind gentle Romeo, instead. Now, as Dorothy sat with Nancy's arms +about her, she was glad that they had not been permitted to go, and she +heartily wished that Floretta had remained at the Cleverton. + +"Had she rolled from the path, and fallen, fallen,--" + +Dorothy covered her eyes with her hands, as if she almost saw the little +girl falling, down, down to the ravine so far below the path, and was +trying to shut out the picture. Nancy, still striving to quiet her +fear, heard some one telling what the scribbled note had said. + +"Oh, Dorothy!" she whispered, eagerly, "Floretta is just where they know +how to find her, and they've promised to hurry, and bring her back." + +"Are you _sure_?" Dorothy asked. + +"Yes, _sure_!" said Nancy. + +Then Nancy climbed into the big chair beside her, and the two little +girls sat, each tightly clasping the other's hands, while they waited +and watched for the first glimpse of the men who should return, bringing +Floretta with them. + +Mrs. Dainty and Aunt Charlotte remained with Mrs. Paxton, who seemed to +have lost all control of herself. + +One moment she would cry as if her heart would break, and then she +would spring up, threatening to follow the direction that the men had +taken, and try to reach the woods, thus to sooner see her little girl. + +At last, after what seemed endless waiting, but was actually only an +hour, some one espied the men in the distance, and cried out: + +"They're coming! They're coming!" + +"Have they got Floretta? Oh, _have_ they found her?" shrieked Mrs. +Paxton. + +"We can't see from here," said the one who had spoken, and the mother +rushed forward, shading her eyes with her hand, and straining to catch +the first glimpse of her child. + +She would have rushed down the road to meet them, but Mrs. Dainty held +her back. She had seen that they were carrying Floretta, and she +thought, in case the child were injured, the mother would far better +save her strength. + +Two of the men had clasped their hands to form an "arm-chair," and thus +they brought to the piazza, a very limp, tired Floretta, whose vivacity +was all gone, and whose face bore the trace of desperate weeping, while +her arms and hands were covered with cuts and bruises, and her little +frock was torn and tattered by her struggle with the tough and tightly +knotted vines. + +She lay back against the shoulder of one man who supported her, and +looked as if her strength were spent. + +She changed on the instant that they set her on her feet. + +Rushing to her mother, she permitted her to clasp her for a moment to +her breast, then turning to the group that gathered around her, she +cried fiercely: + +"Look! See my hands! See my arms! See the scratches, where I tried to +get away, and it was Sidney Cumston who tied me! He _did_ it, but the +other boys _let_ him. Not one tried to hinder him except Jack Tiverton, +the littlest one of them all. He tried to make them let me go, but they +wouldn't. Oh, somebody punish all but Jack! He _tried_, but he couldn't +help me." + +She was hysterical, and sank to the floor of the piazza, sobbing, and +crying, before her mother could catch her. + +She scrambled to her feet, and was clasped in her mother's arms. + +Old Mr. Cunningham surprised every one by speaking most kindly to her. +She had so often tormented him that it seemed generous that he should +offer a bit of comfort. + +"I don't think we shall let those young rascals escape without a sharp +reprimand, and if I was to venture a guess about it, I should say that +little Jack, after all, managed to help you, Floretta," he said. + +She turned in surprise to look at the old face, that now looked so +kindly at her. + +"Come out here, Jack," said the old gentleman, "didn't you write the +note that sent us searching for this little girl?" + +"Yes, sir," said Jack, "and I wrote it 'cause I thought the other big +fellows were mean, but if they find out I told, they'll--" + +"No, they won't," said Mr. Cunningham. "You're no 'tell-tale.' You did +just right, and the men here will stand by you. Those big boys were the +cowards to torment a little girl. You're the best boy up here in the +mountains." + +"Three cheers for young Tiverton!" shouted some one, and in the midst +of the excitement, Mrs. Paxton, with her little daughter, slipped away +to their room, after having thanked little Jack for his valuable +assistance. + +Meanwhile old Mr. Cunningham had been searching in this pocket and that +for something which he seemed most anxious to find. + +"Ah, I knew I had it! Come here, Jack!" + +Blushing and diffident, Jack walked over to the big rocker. + +"'Tisn't much, boy, but I think you ought to have a medal. Here's a +silver dollar I've been keeping for a pocket piece. I'll give it to you +for a medal, for being brave enough to tell what you knew _ought_ to be +told. That's not tale-bearing, and as you were afraid to tell, for fear +of those big bullies, it was a brave act. You're a lad that knows +_what_ to do, _when_ to do, and then _does_ it!" + +"Hurrah for Jack Tiverton!" some one cried again, and this time they +were given with a will. + +Mrs. Tiverton, returning from a long drive, wondered what all the +excitement meant, and why they were cheering her little son. + +Jack, with his silver dollar tightly clasped, hung his head, and looked +as if overpowered by his conspicuous position. + +Dorothy, now bright and happy, since Floretta was safe, saw that Jack +hesitated. + +"Oh, Mrs. Tiverton," she said, "Jack has been truly the _best_ boy in +the world, but he can't speak just now. When he tells you what he's +done, you won't wonder why they cheered him!" + +Mrs. Barnet and Flossie, with Uncle Harry and his wife, now arrived in +their big automobile from a three-days' trip that they had been +enjoying. + +Of course Dorothy and Nancy tried to tell Flossie all about Floretta and +Jack, and they were both so excited that Flossie got a very twisted idea +of the affair. + +Uncle Harry, not dreaming that the matter was at all serious, turned, +after greeting the children, to enter the house. + +"Oh, Uncle Harry!" cried Flossie, "you ought to hear about it. There +were ever so many big boys, and only one little girl, and they tied her +so she couldn't get away, and Jack wrote a note, and when they found +her,--" + +"Now, Flossie, dear, I'm perfectly willing to be scared half out of my +wits, but I _must_ know what I'm being scared about. You're getting me +so mixed up that I've not the least idea what this is all about. Have +you?" he asked. + +"Oh, no," said Flossie, "I don't _half_ understand it, but it does sound +so frightful, that I'm so scared, I need to have you be scared, too." + +"Well, then," Uncle Harry replied, "if it will help you to know it, I'll +admit that my teeth are chattering, and shivers are running up and down +my spine! + +"I thought at first that it was the draft across this piazza, but +perhaps, after all, it was caused by what you were telling me." + +When, at last, he had heard the story, he was full of disgust that any +boy, and his friends, should have been guilty of such a contemptible +act, and his sympathy for the little girl was deep and sincere. + +"She will need rest and quiet to-morrow," he said, "and you three +little friends will be kind, I think, if you stay rather closely here, +and help, in some quiet way, to amuse her." + +"We will," said Dorothy, "I'll let her read my new fairy book if she'd +like to. She could lie in the hammock, and do that." + +"I'll keep the hammock swinging," said Nancy. + +"And I'll give her my new box of candy I just brought home," said +Flossie. + +"That's right," said Uncle Harry, "and for your sweet promises of +kindness toward the child who has suffered so much to-day I'll remind +you that on day after to-morrow I shall give myself the pleasure of +taking you all to the fair. I promise you a _fine_ time." + +He turned to look over his shoulder, and laugh at their wild little +cries of delight. + +He was anticipating the pleasure quite as much as they. + + * * * * * + +Dorothy, Nancy, and Flossie kept the promise that they had made, and +Floretta fully enjoyed their kindness. She seemed unusually gentle, and +Mrs. Paxton thanked them for so sweetly helping to amuse her, and thus +make her willing to spend the day quietly. + +The day set for the visit to the village fair dawned bright and sunny, a +light breeze making it just cool enough to be delightful. + +The barge was waiting for its gay little passengers. + +The children stood with impatient feet on the piazza, waiting for their +host, merry, handsome Uncle Harry. + +At last a firm tread caused them to turn, and there he was, looking +gayer than ever, a picture of health, strength, and kindliness, and +clad in a most becoming outing suit of light gray serge. + +The blue of his tie was not bluer than his fine eyes, and no one could +have glanced at him without knowing that he possessed a generous, loving +nature, a kind and merry heart. + +"Come, little friends!" he cried. "Is every young lady that I invited +here?" he added, looking anxiously lest some child be late, and thus by +chance, be left behind. + +"Every one is here!" said Flossie. "I know because I've counted." + +"Then we'll start at once, unless some one would rather wait 'til +to-morrow?" he said, his eyes twinkling. + +"Oh, no! No!" they cried. "We just _couldn't_ wait!" + +"In that case we'll go now!" he said, with a droll expression, as if he +started at once, merely as an accommodation. + +"Why, Uncle Harry! You're only joking," cried Flossie. "You wouldn't be +willing to wait until to-morrow. I heard you tell Aunt Vera to hurry and +find your tie, because you were in such a rush to start!" + +"To think that my own little niece would tell tales like that, and thus +let out the secret. What chance have I now, of making them think that I +was really very shy about riding with such a large party of girls?" + +Shouts of laughter greeted this speech, and Uncle Harry waited until it +had subsided, then he said: + +"Oh, well, if no one _believes_ that I am shy or diffident, it's waste +of time to try to appear so, so I shall not try. Instead, I shall be +very bold. Come, dears, let me help you in!" + +And amid shouts of laughter from the children, he lifted each high in +air, and placed her in the barge, thus saving her the trouble of +mounting the steps. + +Then taking his seat in the middle of the laughing, chattering little +party, he called to the driver to start. + +The long whip cracked, Jack Tiverton, from the piazza, blew loudly on a +tin trumpet, and they were off over the road, the happiest party that +ever filled a barge. + +Uncle Harry told some amusing stories, then, led by his fine voice, they +sang some gay little songs, and before they dreamed that they had +arrived at the fair, the driver shouted: + +"Here we are!" and sure enough, they had reached the fair grounds. + +"Why, I didn't suppose we were more than half-way here," said Dorothy, +"and the reason is that the ride has been so jolly." + +"That's just it," agreed Nancy. + +"The reason _I_ enjoyed the ride," said Uncle Harry, "is because I was +so charmed with my little guests." + +"And the reason why we had such a fine ride," said Flossie, "is because +we had the _best_ man in the world taking care of us." + +Uncle Harry bowed low. + +"This must be a wedding party, if I'm the 'best man,'" he said with a +laugh, "so we'll not fuss because there's no musician to play a march +for us, but we'll play you are all bridesmaids, and we'll hurry right +along. The entrance is this way, I think, and under that evergreen +arch." + +A large tent had been pitched for the display of the various wares and +numerous attractions; a smaller tent near it serving as fortune teller's +booth. + +"We'll coax Uncle Harry to have his fortune told," whispered Flossie to +Dorothy, when, to their great surprise, he said: + +"Oh, Flossie, you little witch! Uncle Harry heard what you said, and not +only is he going to have his fortune told, but he's going to make every +one of you little girls have yours told, also!" + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +AT THE FAIR + + +THE fair proved a great delight to the children. They had all been to +fine fairs patronized by fashionable matrons, whose names were quite +enough to insure success, but the country fair was an absolute novelty. + +At the large city fairs, merry débutantes graced the booths, and sold +flowers, or tickets for the various games of chance. + +Here in the mountain village all was different, and the novelty gave +greater interest. + +Farmers' daughters were in the booths, and sold huge bouquets of +old-fashioned garden flowers, homemade candy, and honey, while one +rosy-cheeked lass dispensed sweet cider, or sweet apples, according to +the preference of her customer. + +Uncle Harry purchased a huge stalk of hollyhocks for each of his guests, +but for himself he chose an enormous sunflower which he insisted looked +_fine_ in his buttonhole. + +There was music, if it could be called music, furnished by the local +band. + +Uncle Harry said he had never seen such independent people as those +musicians were. He declared that the music sounded, to him, as if each +man commenced to play when he chose, and stopped when he got ready, +regardless of what the other players were doing. + +"Oh, I do believe that is the way they play!" cried Dorothy, laughing. + +"Of course it is," cried Uncle Harry, "and a great deal of bother it +saves, for no one has to direct them; they do not know that they are +making discord, and thus they play and play with all their might, and +are absolutely care-free and happy." + +There were heaps of giant pumpkins, and more red and yellow ears of corn +than they had ever seen before, while everywhere was laughter, and +friendly gossip, and chatter, that made the fair a jolly place in which +to roam about. + +The children were determined to see every object in the big tent, and +while some were interested in one thing, others wished to see something +else, so they decided to divide into two groups. + +One half of the little party turned to the right intent upon seeing some +gaudy patchwork quilts, while the others turned to the left declaring +their intention of investing all their pennies in the "fish-pond." + +There were so many things to see on the way, that it was a long time +before they met, as they had agreed, at the entrance. + +Somewhere on the way they had missed Uncle Harry, and they could not +imagine where he had gone. + +It happened that Uncle Harry had seen a very small girl crying, and his +first thought was to help her, and thus dry her tears. + +Upon questioning her, he found that the wee little maid had, by +accident, knocked a small doll from one of the tables, and had been +roundly scolded. + +"That pretty girl with the black eyes says I did it a-purpose, but I +didn't," she cried, "I wanted to see it, and I just touched it, and it +tumbled off the table." + +Her tears fell afresh, and in place of a handkerchief, she drew up her +blue-checked apron, and hid her face in it. + +"Look up, little girl," Uncle Harry said, and his voice sounded so +kindly, that she at once peeped at him through her tears. + +"Which is the table where all this happened?" + +"That one," said the child, "and the big girl is looking at me now." + +"Then give me your hand, and, just for fun, _we'll_ go and look at +_her_." + +A moment she hesitated. + +"Come," he said, and with a sunny smile, the little girl placed her hand +in his, and the big, handsome man with the wee country lass approached +the table together. + +"I'll lift you up so you can see nicely," he said. "Now, which was the +doll that fell from the table?" + +Before the child could reply, the girl spoke sharply. + +"'Twas that one, sir, and her meddlesome fingers,--" + +"Never mind about that," said Uncle Harry, then turning to the child he +said: + +"Did you like that one best, or is that larger one finer?" + +"That large one is the loveliest. I didn't _ever_ see one so fine as +that." + +"We'll have that one, then," he said, offering a bill to the astonished +salesgirl. + +"There, little girl, she's yours," he said, as he placed the big doll in +her arms. + +"I can hold her a little while?" she asked, eagerly. + +"You can hold her _always_, if you want to," he said gently, "I bought +her for you." + +Rapturously she clasped the gift in her arms. + +"Oh, I love you, because you are good," she cried. + +"Then tell me your name," he said. + +"I'm Lois Ann Ferguson," chirped the little girl, "and father is Sandy +Ferguson. Oh, there he is now. He's to play the pipes." + +She ran toward a sturdy man dressed in Highland costume, and carrying +the bagpipes under his arm. + +Mr. Ferguson glanced at her flushed cheeks, saw the gorgeous doll that +she flourished before his astonished eyes, and finally understood that +the tall, handsome stranger had bestowed it upon his wee daughter, as a +gift. + +He took her little hand, and hurried forward, saying: + +"I dinna ken why he should dae it for my wee lassie. + +"I wad gladly thank ye, sir," he said, "but I'm lost in wonder that ye +made wee Lois sae blithe an' gay wi' the braw gift." + +"She's a dear little lass," said Uncle Harry, "and when I found her +crying, I knew that a fine new doll would dry her tears. Don't bother to +thank me. I made myself happy, when I comforted her." + +"I wish there were mair like ye," said Sandy Ferguson, "an' some day +when ye're older, an' ha' a wee daughter of yer ain,--" + +"I have a wife and baby girl now," was the quick reply, "and they are my +dearest possessions." + +"An' I thought ye a braw, bonny laddie, wi' yer fair hair an' blue een! +Weel, weel, ye dinna hae tae live 'til ye're auld before ye ken tae dae +a kindly act," Sandy Ferguson replied, "an' later when I play the +pipes, an' Lois dances, she shall make her first bow tae her new +friend." + +"Oh, Uncle Harry, _did_ you buy the new doll for the little girl?" + +It was little Flossie, who, after having searched every corner of the +tent, had found him talking to the Scotchman and his little girl. + +"Is he your own uncle?" little Lois asked, looking up into Flossie's +lovely face. + +"Oh, yes," said Flossie, "and he's the best uncle in the world." + +"I know he must be," said the little girl. "See how good he was to me." + +They turned to join the rest of their party, and little Lois looked over +her shoulder, with one hand held fast in her father's, while with the +other she tightly clasped the precious doll. + +"I saw the notice near the entrance when we came in, that a Scotch +farmer would play, and his little daughter would dance," said Uncle +Harry, "but that child is not much more than a baby. She cannot be more +than four. It will be amusing to see her dance, and Nancy Ferris will +enjoy it most of all." + +They found the others reading the notice of which they had been talking, +and they were delighted when they heard what a very little girl it was +who was to dance. + +They had a lunch served by girls dressed as dairy maids, and it was just +such a lunch as might have been enjoyed at a farmhouse. + +The long table spread with its white cloth, and set with blue and white +dishes, was decorated by a garland of small sunflowers that lay upon the +cloth, down the centre, and the entire length of the table. + +There were plates heaped with biscuit, there were dishes of both wild +and cultivated strawberries, and delicious cream to be eaten with them, +there were sandwiches and little cakes, honey enough to tempt the bees +to the feast, and the children thought it finer than a hotel dinner. How +they laughed, and chattered, as they enjoyed the spread! + +Uncle Harry was in his sunniest mood, and told stories and jokes that +kept them amused, and seemed to be the gayest member of the party. + +"Tell us a story about when you were a _little_ boy," said Flossie. + +"My small niece thinks I'm nothing but a _big_ boy now!" he said. + +"Well, the big Scotchman thought you were only a lad. I heard him say +so," said Flossie. + +"When you were a boy were you ever naughty, _real_ naughty?" Floretta +asked. + +She had been very quiet, and all were surprised at her question. + +"Once upon a time, when I was little," said Uncle Harry, "I was very, +_very_ fond of good things, but the one thing that I liked better than +anything else was strawberry jam. + +"I was always allowed to have it, but I felt sure that it would taste +even nicer if I had more of it at a time, and still finer if I could +have a long handled spoon, and eat it right from the jar. + +"I used often to think how fine it would be if I, some day, could have +the chance to eat it that way, but I never could get even _very_ near +the jar. + +"One day the opportunity came. My sister and I were in the nursery, and +the maid had been down-stairs for a long time. + +"The rest of the family were away, and we were to have our tea in the +nursery, as usual, only, as we had had to remain at home, we were to +have an extra treat. + +"Among other good things, we were to have strawberry jam. + +"My sister, that is Flossie's mamma, was a little older than I, and she +was always trying to give me lessons in good behavior. + +"'Now, Harry,' she said, 'while nurse is down-stairs, we might commence +to set our table.' + +"'There isn't anything here to set it with but the tablecloth and the +jam,' I said, 'but you're a girl, so you know how to put the cloth on, +and I'll bring the jam.'" + +"I guess Uncle Harry was so fond of the jam, that he liked even to +carry the jar," said Flossie. + +"We wondered why the nurse stayed so long down-stairs," continued Uncle +Harry, "and I told my sister that I was tired of waiting for tea, and I +said I'd taste of the jam, if only I had a long handled spoon. + +"'Why, Harry,' she answered in disgust, 'I wouldn't think you'd be so +naughty, but,--if you really _want_ to taste it, here's the spoon beside +the jar.'" + +"And _did_ you?" questioned Dorothy. + +"Well, yes, I have to admit that I did. In truth, I tasted and tasted +until my sister cried: + +"'Why, Harry, you naughty boy! When you get done tasting, there won't be +any left!' + +"'You won't care, because _you_ wouldn't be so naughty as to taste it!' +I said. + +"'Oh, wouldn't I?' she cried. 'Well, you just let me take that spoon, +and you'll see!' + +"Well, a funny mix-up followed, in which we each tried to get possession +of the spoon and the jam. We were laughing while we struggled for it, +but at last, one of us slipped, and fell, dragging the other down; the +jar of jam tipped over, and her white frock, my gray jacket and +trousers, and even my long, yellow curls became smeared with the jam. + +"Nurse opened the door, and screamed with terror, for the red jam looked +as if we had been terribly hurt, and it was some time before we could +convince her that we were not cut or bruised, but only _very sticky_! + +"Then came the scolding, and my sister tried to screen me. + +"'Harry couldn't help tasting it, he's so fond of jam,' she said. + +"'Well, he's got a good share of it, inside and out,' said nurse, +grimly. + +"'She's got as much as I have,' I said, 'just look at her frock!' + +"Of course our clothes were changed, and the jam cleaned from the +polished floor, but we had our tea without jam. + +"Nurse said we could eat our biscuits with the _memory_ of the jam we +had already enjoyed." + +"Oh, Uncle Harry," cried Flossie, "I wish, even though you were naughty, +she'd let you have more jam. She didn't know how good you'd be when you +grew up." + +"I still am fond of jam!" he said, and the children laughed to see him +pour honey over his berries that already were covered with sugar. + +"You like _anything_ that's sweet!" said Dorothy, "whether it's jam, or +sugar, or honey,--" + +"Or little girls," said Uncle Harry. "You notice, I made this party all +little girls, and I'm having a _lovely_ time." + +"So are we," laughed Dorothy. + +"And he says 'lovely' just as we do," said Nancy, "he does it to make us +laugh." + +"Then why don't you laugh?" said Uncle Harry, and they _did_ laugh, +every member of the party, and laughed because they could not help it. + +And when the merry feast was over, they hastened to the small tent where +the old gypsy was telling fortunes. + +Each had intended to have her fortune told, and thus learn what the +future held for her. + +To their great surprise, she flatly refused to tell any child's +fortune, saying that she would only foretell events for "grown ups." The +little girls were rather afraid of her, but Uncle Harry boldly offered +his hand, saying: + +"Am I big enough to hear my fortune?" + +"No nonsense, young lad," she said, while the children dared not laugh. +She bent over his palm for a moment, then she solemnly said: + +"You're a brave lad, and you need to be for you will fall in love with a +girl who'll have red hair, and the temper that usually goes with it." + +"O dear!" sighed Uncle Harry. + +"Don't worry, young man," said the old gypsy, "because it will be some +months before you marry." + +"Indeed," said Uncle Harry, "and what shall I do if the girl proves to +have the temper you prophesy? Shall I try to calm her by holding her +under a pump, or would you advise tying her until she feels less fiery?" + +"Young man, this is no laughing matter," was the sharp reply. + +"Guess it isn't!" said Uncle Harry. "I've seldom been so discouraged. +Here am I, a man who has a lovely wife and baby girl, and yet I've got +to marry a red-haired girl, with a temper like chain lightning! Who was +ever in a worse fix?" + +The old gypsy flew into a rage. "You're poking fun at me!" she cried. + +"There! There! The fun was worth that!" he cried, laying a handful of +small coins on the table before her. + +In her eagerness to count the money, she forgot her wrath, and they +hastened from the tent, where, safely outside, they were free to laugh +as much as they chose. + +As they re-entered the large tent, they saw that near the centre, a +space had been cleared, and there was a crowd of people waiting, as if +expecting some attraction to be exhibited. + +They had not long to wait, for almost immediately the Scotch piper +appeared, and tightly clasping her precious new doll in her arms was wee +Lois, dressed in Highland costume. + +Placing her doll on a table, and making sure that it was safe, she ran +forward, courtesied first to Uncle Harry, as she had promised, and then, +to the music of the pipes, the wee lassie did the "Highland Fling." + +She was such a round, dimpled little girl, one would never have dreamed +that she could dance with such infantile grace. + +And when she had finished, with another courtesy, they crowded around +her, and it was Nancy who most generously praised her. Dear little +Nancy, who danced like a fairy, never had a jealous thought in her +loving heart! + +It was Uncle Harry who caught little Lois, and lifted her so that he +could look into her eyes. + +"I want my dolly, now," she cried, anxious lest it be lost or stolen. +Dorothy brought the doll, and the child clasped it to her breast. + +"My wee lassie said she wisht she had a gift tae gi' ye," said Sandy. + +"I have a dear little girl of my own, and I prize her baby kisses," said +Uncle Harry. "Will _you_ give me one, little Lois?" + +She clasped her arms around his neck, and kissed him softly. + +"Best man next to father," she said. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +FLOSSIE'S LETTER + + +THE children said "good-by" to little Lois, and as her father carried +her away, she waved her hand to them. + +"Wasn't she cunning?" said Dorothy. + +"She was very sweet," said Nancy, "and how well she did her little +dance!" + +"She didn't dance half as fine as you do, Nancy Ferris," said Floretta. +"You _know_ that." + +"Oh, but I was trained for dancing," said Nancy, "and, beside, she was +very little to dance so cleverly." + +Floretta made no reply, but she thought of what Nancy had said. + +"Trained for dancing. She said she was _trained_ to dance. I wonder +where? I wish I knew, but I didn't quite dare to ask her." + +Once more they walked around the big tent, and Uncle Harry purchased a +gift for each to carry home as a souvenir. + +There were little baskets that the gypsies had woven, and fancy boxes +filled with woodland plants. The boxes were made from birch bark, and +were very dainty. + +These the children prized, and lovingly they thanked him for the pretty +gifts. + +At the candy table he purchased enough of the homemade bonbons to fill +the baskets, and then they left the tent to start on the homeward trip. + +The barge was waiting for them, and they clambered in, tired, but very +happy. + +"This is the nicest fair I ever went to," said Dorothy, "and I've had +so many good things that I'm going to save my basket of candy until +to-morrow." + +"So am I," cried all the others. + +"And so am _I_," said Uncle Harry, as he held up a huge basket filled +with all kinds of candy. + +How they laughed, and accused him of having a "sweet-tooth." + +"Now, just a moment!" he cried, as he held up his finger for silence, +"I'm taking this _big_ basket home to treat the _big_ ladies with. I +took the _little_ ladies with me, but I've not forgotten the _big_ +ladies that I left at the hotel." + +"Because you don't ever forget any one," said Flossie, and the others +cried: + +"That's it! Just it! He does nice things for every one." + +"Oh, spare my blushes," said Uncle Harry, but it was easy to see that +their affection for him pleased him. + +The ride home seemed shorter than the trip to the fair. + +They joined in singing the merry songs that his fine voice led, and the +horses, knowing that they were on the homeward trip, jogged along at a +better pace than when they had started out. + +Uncle Harry had found some bells, and fastened them to their harnesses, +and they made a jingling accompaniment to the merry voices. + +And when the barge drew up at the Cleverton, Uncle Harry, with elaborate +courtesy, handed each young lady down, bowing low, and thanking her for +the honor she had conferred upon him by permitting him to take her to +the fair. + +"Oh, you do truly know we have to thank you for giving us such a lovely +day!" said Dorothy. + +"But think how happy I have been," he said, and although his blue eyes +were laughing, they knew that he meant it. + +"Oh, mamma, we had the finest time," cried Dorothy, "and see the fine +basket of candy and the pretty birch bark box! See the little ferns +growing in it. Isn't he _dear_?" + +"He surely is charming," said Mrs. Dainty. "His generous, sunny nature +makes every one love him, and I believe he values the love of his +friends more than most things." + +"He has been gay, and full of fun all day," said Nancy, "and it will +take a long time to tell you all the pleasant things he did for us. I do +wish you and Aunt Charlotte _could_ have been there when he had his +fortune told." + +"And he couldn't have been any nicer to us if we'd been tall ladies," +said Floretta. + +"I hope every one of you little friends were real _little ladies_, thus +rewarding him for his kindness," Aunt Charlotte said, gently. + +"Oh, we were," said Nancy, "not a single one of us did anything that +could trouble him." + +"There were a number of little girls who only came here last week, so we +weren't much acquainted with them, but they were all very nice, and he +said he had as fine a time as we did," said Dorothy. + +She climbed into a large hammock, and with Nancy beside her, sat +swinging, and thinking of the day that had been so delightfully spent. + +Mrs. Fenton came out upon the piazza, and, instead of sitting down, +seemed to be looking for something. + +"Can I help you?" said Nancy, slipping from the hammock, and hastening +toward her. + +"I've mislaid my glasses," she said, "and I can't find them." + +She did not thank Nancy for so kindly offering to help her, but Nancy +seemed not to notice that. She peeped under chairs, lifted their +cushions, and even looked between folds of newspapers that lay near at +hand, but the glasses were not in sight. + +"How trying!" said Mrs. Fenton, "I have some letters that I wish to +read, and I can't read them until my glasses are found." + +"Did you use them anywhere but just here?" Nancy asked. + +Mrs. Fenton stood for a moment thinking. + +"Seems to me I _did_ have them in the dining-room," she said. + +"I'll go and ask the waitresses if they have seen them," said Nancy, as +she ran toward the hall. + +She paused in the doorway, amazed at what she saw. + +Floretta, with a pair of eyeglasses upon her small nose, was walking up +and down the room, as nearly as possible, in Mrs. Fenton's manner, and +exactly imitating her voice, while a group of waitresses, the cook, and +two kitchen maids laughed, and applauded her. + +She cared not who composed her audience, so long as she obtained +applause. Floretta was, evidently, quite herself once more! + +"Oh, Floretta!" cried Nancy, "you mustn't, truly you mustn't. Give me +the glasses. Mrs. Fenton is looking everywhere for them!" + +"Well, I shan't give them to you!" said Floretta, rudely. "You aren't +Mrs. Fenton." + +"But I've been helping her to hunt for them. She has some letters she +wants to read, and she can't till she has her glasses," insisted Nancy. + +"Then let her come for them!" cried Floretta, when a quiet voice spoke. + +"Very well, I _have_ come for them," it said, and there in the doorway +stood Mrs. Fenton. + +The silly maids who had laughed so loudly, now hastily disappeared in +the kitchen. + +Floretta dropped the glasses upon the table, and then, wholly ashamed, +crawled under it, where Mrs. Fenton's sharp eyes might not look at her. + +Mrs. Fenton took the glasses, and without another word, swept from the +room. + +Nancy, waiting in the hall, crept softly toward her, and gently laid her +hand on the lady's arm. + +"I'm _so_ sorry she did that. I wish I could have got the glasses from +her, and brought them to you before you came to find them. Then you +needn't have known how naughty,--" Nancy caught her breath. + +"Never mind that, Nancy. Remember, as _I_ shall, that _you_ were not the +naughty, disgusting child," said Mrs. Fenton, and she turned, with her +letters and glasses in her hand, and went up the long stairway to her +room. + +It was nearly time to dress for dinner, which was always served +promptly at six. + +Mrs. Dainty with Dorothy, and Aunt Charlotte with Nancy hastened to +their rooms, to freshen their toilettes, and Nancy realized that there +would not be time to tell Aunt Charlotte all about the unpleasant +happening. + +"I've something to tell you, but I'll have to wait till we've plenty of +time," she said. + +Aunt Charlotte, tying the soft, blue ribbon into the brown curls, looked +into the mirror before which they were standing, and smiled at the +thoughtful face. + +"Will it keep until then, dear?" she asked. + +"Oh, yes," said Nancy, "I only tell it to you because I love to tell you +everything." + +"Dear child," said Aunt Charlotte, "I bless the day that you, as a +little waif, were taken in by Mrs. Dainty, and that I was asked to come +and care for you. I could not love you more if you were my own little +girl." + +"I never saw my own mamma; she died when I was a baby," said Nancy, "so, +because you love me, you seem like my very own." + +Gentle Aunt Charlotte's eyes were wet with happy tears, as she hooked +the pretty, white muslin frock, with its slip of light blue, and tied +the soft blue belt. + +"Your shoes must be changed, Nancy," she said. "You know how particular +Mrs. Dainty is about the matter of shoes and stockings. They must match +the frock." + +"Oh, yes," said Nancy, "and with this one she said: 'Wear blue +stockings and bronze slippers,' so I will." + +She found the blue hose and the pretty bronze slippers, then, with elfin +grace, she caught the edge of her skirt, and with rosy, bare feet, +tripped across the floor in a graceful, gliding step, crying: + +"Look, Aunt Charlotte, look! This pretty step Bonfanti taught me." + +Aunt Charlotte did look, and as she watched the pretty child, and saw +her joy in dancing, she marvelled that little Nancy could smile as she +danced, remembering all that she had been taught, while apparently +forgetting all the unhappy months upon the stage. + +She thought of poor little Nancy, forced to dance, night after night, to +support her old Uncle Steve, who was too lazy to support himself. + +She thought of the time that the little pitiful note from Nancy had +reached them, and, together, she and Mrs. Dainty had found the child, +and brought her safely home. + +She did not speak of all this. Nancy's happy little heart should never +be reminded of sad days that were past. + +Now her life was filled with bright sunshine, the sunshine of love, and +it was reflected in her happy face. + +A gong rang out a silvery note. + +"Oh, my shoes!" cried Nancy, with a peal of merry laughter. "I wanted to +show you those pretty steps, and I forgot all about dinner." + +It was the work of but a few seconds for Nancy to draw on the light blue +hose, and even less time to put on the pretty slippers. She ran to the +mirror, and courtesied, took a few tripping steps, smiling at her +reflection, and then hastened to the hall to join Dorothy. + +[Illustration: SHE TOOK A FEW TRIPPING STEPS, SMILING AT HER +REFLECTION.--_Page 176._] + +"All ready," cried Nancy, springing to her feet, to follow Dorothy. + +A pretty pair they made as with arms about each other's waist, they +tripped along the hall. + +Fair, blue-eyed Dorothy Dainty was very lovely in a pale pink frock with +soft frillings of fine lace. Her stockings were of the same shade, and +her shoes were white. Mrs. Dainty in dark blue satin, and Aunt Charlotte +in pearl color made, with the two children, a pleasing group. + +In the lower hall they met Mrs. Paxton with Floretta, the former wearing +a gown of purple satin, while Floretta wore a frock of scarlet silk. +Mrs. Fenton, passing, on her way to the dining-room, looked sharply +at the two groups, and _did_ she look amused when her eyes rested upon +Mrs. Paxton, and her small daughter? Dorothy noticed the look, and +turned to her mamma. + +Mrs. Dainty read the question in Dorothy's eyes, and ever so slightly, +shook her head, and they passed into the dining-room. + + * * * * * + +The next morning, when the mail was distributed, there was great +excitement, because every one had so many letters. + +"See mine!" cried Flossie Barnet. "Everybody see mine! It looks like +boy's writing. See it!" + +"If some very young man wrote it, he might not be delighted to have it +so freely exhibited, Flossie," said Uncle Harry, with a laugh. + +"Oh, why should he care?" she asked in surprise. "Who do you s'pose +wrote it? Guess, Uncle Harry!" + +"Well, now let me think," said Uncle Harry, covering his eyes with his +hand, then peeping through his fingers. + +"There's a small boy at home, who glories in the name of Reginald Merton +Deane. Open the letter, dear, and if I guessed right, you can give me a +prize, and if I'm wrong, I'll give you one." + +Flossie studied the address for a moment, then she opened the letter, +and laughed with delight. + +"I'll have to give you the prize, but why did he think to write to me?" + +Dear little Flossie had never seemed aware that small Reginald preferred +her to any of his friends. Even when she was so little that she could +not pronounce his name, and called him "Weginald," he thought her the +dearest of all his playmates. And this was his letter: + + "DEAR FLOSSIE: + + "I miss you so much that I'm going to write, and + tell you all the news. + + "Our old dog had a fit yesterday, and my brother + got the vet'nary doctor. When he came, he said + Carlo hadn't any fit. He was acting just awful. I + said 'what makes him tare round so?' an he said + maybe I'd tare round sum if I had a fish-bone in + my throat! The doctor took it out, and then Carlo + was so glad he tore round worsen ever! + + "Arabella Corryville is acting worse than Carlo + did. You know her Aunt Matilda lives with them, an + neether Arabella, or her pa, or her ma dare to do + ennything without asking Aunt Matilda _first_. + Well, her aunt has had to go way up to New + Hampshur (I guess I didn't spell that rite) and + Arabella thinks its just her chanse to act awful. + Carlo is real quiet side of Arabella when she acts + the way she does now. + + "She stays out doors most all the time, and goes + just where she pleases. + + "Some days she's way down by the stashun until its + almost dark. + + "You know she's always taking medesin, and carries + the bottles in her pockets. + + "She carries em now, but she told me she's takin + the kind she likes best. Theres two kinds her Aunt + Matilda made her take, one tasted horrid, and the + other tasted nice. Arabella threw the horrid one + away, and ate the nice pills for candy. She told + me this morning that her Aunt Matilda is coming + home just for one day, and then they're all going + up where you, and Dorothy, and Nancy are. I don't + believe it, but if she does, and you see her, you + needn't give my love to her. + + "Your tru friend, + "REGINALD." + + + + +CHAPTER X + +A GIFT OF WILDFLOWERS + + +OF course, Dorothy and Nancy were greatly interested in the letter, and +Uncle Harry said that he was glad that Reginald had thought to say that +the fish-bone had been removed from Carlo's throat. + +He said it would have seemed quite a trip to take to leave the +Cleverton, and go to Merrivale to feel Carlo's pulse, and inquire for +his health. + +"Now that that bone is removed, I breathe easier," said Uncle Harry, +"and so does Carlo!" + +"Oh, you wouldn't have gone home just to call on Carlo," said Flossie. + +"Well, I don't know," he said, trying to look solemn, "I wouldn't like +Carlo to feel neglected, and now I think of it, does Reginald speak of +the cat?" + +"No," said Flossie, "but when I answer the letter, I'll tell Reginald +you're anxious about her." + +"I am," said Uncle Harry, "because the last time I saw her, Carlo was +barking at her very rudely, and her back was up in a hump like a +camel's. Reginald ought to have told us if her back is _still_ up, or +whether she has taken the kink out of her spine. We might telephone and +ask, instead of worrying." + +He rose, and walked toward the hall, whistling as he went, an old +nursery song that he used to sing to Flossie. + + "The cat came fiddling out of the barn, + With a pair of bagpipes under her arm." + +How the children laughed! + +"Look!" said Flossie, "he's going right toward the telephone, just to +make us think that he's _truly_ going to ring up Reginald, and inquire +for the cat." + +"Who is Arabella?" Floretta asked. + +"She lives near us," said Dorothy, "and she used to go to Aunt +Charlotte's private school with us." + +"Doesn't she now?" asked Floretta. + +"No, she left our class, and went to a large school in the city." + +"By what the letter says, I'd think she was rather queer," said +Floretta. + +"Well--" said Dorothy, hesitating, "Arabella _is_ queer." + +"Why don't you like to say so?" was the sharp reply. + +"Because Dorothy never likes to say anything that isn't kind about any +one, but Arabella _is_ queer, so Dorothy won't say she isn't," said +Nancy. + +It was a few days later that Dorothy was reminded of what Reginald had +said in his letter to Flossie. + +She was waiting for Nancy to go for a walk, and stooping to pick some of +the pretty wildflowers that blossomed everywhere. + +She had walked slowly along toward the clump of white birches where, +when they had first arrived, they had called, and listened to the echo. + +She looked back toward the hotel, but Nancy was not yet in sight, so she +seated herself upon the grass, and began to arrange the flowers in a +fine bouquet. + +She was trying to mix the white blossoms and pink buds so as to show the +beauty of each, when a carriage passed, and before she looked up a +shrill little voice shouted: + +"Dorothy! Dorothy! We're over at the farmhouse just beyond the +Merlington. Aunt Matilda wouldn't _let_ pa take us to a hotel. She +doesn't approve of hotels. Aunt Matilda says,--" + +She was looking back to shout at Dorothy, and doubtless would have given +even more particulars, but a firm hand had hastily forced her to turn +around, and sit down. + +Nancy ran along the path a few moments later, and her eyes were dancing. + +"Did you see Arabella?" she asked. "_Did_ you?" + +"Yes, just a few moments ago, and she turned around in the carriage and +screamed to me," said Dorothy. + +"I can guess what she said," laughed Nancy, "because she screamed at +me. She told me she was staying at a farmhouse, and said that her Aunt +Matilda didn't approve of hotels." + +"That is _just_ what she said," said Dorothy, "and she would have said +more but some one, I think it was her Aunt Matilda, pulled her back into +the carriage." + +"Why, that's just the way it was when I saw her. I ran out on to the +piazza, and down the steps, and the carriage rolled by, and she twisted +round to shout. There was this difference, though," said Nancy. "You +were out here alone, and no one would know if you laughed, but when I +ran out, our piazza was full of people, and when Arabella shouted, you'd +ought to have seen them look. + +"Flossie and her Uncle Harry were on the lawn, and as she rode past, he +said with a sigh: + + "'Arabella, Arabella, + If I had my new umbrella,' + +and I was wild to know the rest of it, but his wife, who was standing +near him, said: + +"'Hush, Harry, really you mustn't,' and he only laughed, and said: + +"'Oh, _mustn't_ I? Why, when I saw Arabella and her Aunt Matilda, I +really felt as if I _must_!'" + +"Let's ask him what the rest of the verse is," said Dorothy. + +"I'm wild to hear it," Nancy said, "because the very way he looked made +me think that the other lines, whatever they were, would be funny." + +She stooped to gather more of the little blossoms to add to Dorothy's +bouquet, and then commenced to make a bouquet of her own. + +"Arabella will be coming over to see you," she said, a moment later, +"and I wonder if it is naughty to say, 'I wish she wouldn't?' Do you +think it is?" + +"I don't know," said Dorothy, "but I _do_ wish it. I wouldn't, only she +is so hard to please. Mamma wishes us to be nice to every one, but, +Nancy, you _do_ know that when we try the hardest to please Arabella, we +don't please her at all." + +"I know it," agreed Nancy, "but perhaps she'll come some time when we +are out, and then we won't have to amuse her." + +"I'm sure I ought not to say it, but I _do_ wish it would happen that +way," said Dorothy. + +They had reached the birches, and they paused to wake the echo. What fun +it was to hear their shouts repeated. + +Again and again they called, and then a droll thing happened. They had +called this name and that, and each time the echo, like a voice from the +mountain, had repeated it with wonderful distinctness. Then Dorothy, +leaning forward, called, loudly: + +"Dorothy!" + +"_What?_" came the reply. + +She turned, and looked at Nancy. "Dorothy!" she cried, again. + +"_Dainty!_" was the answer, and upon looking toward a little path that +was nearly opposite where they were standing, they saw the low bushes +move, and faintly they heard a smothered laugh. + +Dorothy was laughing now. + +"Boys!" she cried, and back came the laughing echo: + +"_Girls!_" and then the boys peeped out a bit too far, and Dorothy saw +who had been playing echo. + +It was Jack Tiverton and a boy whom he had chosen for a "chum." Jack had +not intended so soon to be discovered, and he and his friend disappeared +in a little grove, while Dorothy and Nancy continued their walk. + +There were sunny paths and bits of woodland that were so near the hotel +as to be absolutely safe, where all the summer guests, especially the +children, loved to roam at will. Along one of these little paths were +sweet little yellow blossoms, and these they gathered to brighten their +bouquets. + +"Let's have some of these little vines to hang from our bouquets," said +Dorothy, and the graceful vines proved to be an added beauty. + +When they returned to the Cleverton there were but few people upon the +piazza. + +Mrs. Dainty and Aunt Charlotte sat talking with Mrs. Vinton, and farther +along, Mrs. Fenton sat with an open book upon her lap, although she was +not reading. + +She often had a book or magazine, but rarely did she read them. + +She would sit looking off at the distant mountain-range, the white +clouds, or the sunny valley over which those clouds cast floating +shadows. + +Did she hear the conversation, or notice what was going on about her? +Floretta Paxton said that Mrs. Fenton acted as if she sat there to watch +some one; and was Floretta right? Mrs. Fenton's actions certainly +seemed strange day after day. She talked little, took slight interest in +what was going on about her, and was a mystery to all the other guests. + +But what, or whom could she be watching? + +Dorothy and Nancy, returning from their walk, saw the group, and also +noticed Mrs. Fenton, who always chose to sit apart from the others. + +"I'll give my flowers to mamma and Mrs. Vinton," said Dorothy. + +"And I'll give mine to Aunt Charlotte and to Mrs. Fenton,--if she wants +them," said Nancy, hesitating because it was so hard to guess what +might, or might not, please Mrs. Fenton. + +Dorothy ran to show her blossoms to her mamma and to Mrs. Vinton, while +Nancy, pausing beside Mrs. Fenton's chair, held forth her pretty +bouquet, as she said: + +"We've just gathered them. Aren't they pretty?" + +"Lovely, very lovely," said Mrs. Fenton, with more interest than usual. +"I remember picking just such flowers; even the long vines I know are +like those I used to see when I was a little girl." + +"Would you enjoy some of these? I'd so like to give them to you," Nancy +said, and she was surprised at the quick reply. + +"I would really prize them, Nancy, and you're a sweet child to give them +to me," she said. + +Quickly Nancy divided the bouquet, and smiled as she laid the pretty +things in Mrs. Fenton's lap. + +"I cannot let them wilt, so I will take them at once to my room," said +Mrs. Fenton, and Nancy saw her bend to catch their perfume, as she +turned toward the hall. + +That night, when nearly all the guests had entered the dining-room, Mrs. +Fenton came in at the main entrance, and as she sat nearly opposite Mrs. +Dainty's party, they noticed that the bodice of her black lace gown was +given color by the pretty wildflowers that Nancy had given her. They +were the first flowers that she had worn since her arrival. + +Nancy smiled with pleasure, and Mrs. Fenton, looking across the table, +returned the smile. + +Had the gift of simple wildflowers cheered her? + +Thus far she had worn only black, but to-night a dull gold slip +shimmered through the black lace; and were her eyes brighter? + +Nancy thought so, and without knowing why, was glad. + +There was a musicale in the evening, and Mrs. Fenton joined Mrs. Dainty +and Aunt Charlotte, and seemed to enjoy the conversation, between the +numbers of the program. + +Once, while she was talking, she laid her hand lightly upon Nancy's +shoulder, and Nancy looked up to smile. Aunt Charlotte saw that the lady +was more cheerful, and also noticed that she wore Nancy's flowers. The +evening passed pleasantly, and Nancy's drowsy words, just before she +went to sleep, were: + +"I do really think I cheered her." + + * * * * * + +A few days later Mrs. Dainty invited Mrs. Fenton to be her guest during +a drive over a lovely road that neither of them had yet seen. It was +said to be one of the most picturesque roads in that section of the +country. + +Mrs. Fenton accepted, and with Aunt Charlotte and Mrs. Vinton they +formed a pleasant party. + +Dorothy and Nancy were to drive in their little phaeton, and they felt +quite as important as the four ladies in the barouche. + +True, Mrs. Dainty owned a handsome span of bays, but was not the pony, +Romeo, a beauty? + +The road was some distance from the Cleverton, and there were some +charming places to be seen on the way, so it happened that the trip, +which proved to be most enjoyable, occupied the afternoon. + +Mrs. Paxton had a number of letters to write, and Floretta, feeling very +lonely, and wishing that she had some one to play with, climbed into a +hammock, and wondered what she might do to amuse herself. + +"Every one but me has gone somewhere, and I wish _I_ had," she said, as +she gave a smart kick that sent the hammock higher. + +"What's the fun of swinging alone?" she grumbled, but there was no one +on the piazza to answer her, and she let the hammock sway lazily while +she looked down the sunny road, and thought how strange it was that the +place seemed so still. + +Not a leaf stirred, and Floretta's disgust increased. + +"Nothing in sight, not even an old hen," she said, when, way down where +the road looked so narrow and distant, a little figure appeared, coming +directly toward the Cleverton. She watched the approaching figure, and +wondered who it might be. + +"'Tisn't any one I know," she thought, "and _doesn't_ she look queer?" + +Any one who had ever known Arabella Corryville would also have known +that she always looked decidedly odd and strange, and it was Arabella +who was marching steadily along the road. + +So determined was her tread that one might have thought that there was a +band behind her playing martial music to which she was obliged to keep +step. + +"Well, whoever she is, she's carrying an umbrella, this pleasant day," +murmured Floretta; then as she came near, she added: + +"And wearing rubbers and a raincoat, as true as I live!" + +Arabella was more bundled and wrapped than at first appeared, for, as +she came up the gravel walk, Floretta saw that a long veil was closely +tied over her hat, and wound about her throat. + +From her appearance one might have thought that she expected freezing +weather before night. + +She walked up on to the piazza, and then stood, for a moment, looking +about, as if in search of some one. + +It was not politeness that prompted Floretta to speak. It was simply +curiosity. She was wild to know who the strange-looking child was, and +whom she wished to see. + +"Are you looking for some one?" she asked, at the same time slipping +from the hammock, and going so close to Arabella that she could peep +into the queer little face. + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +ARABELLA MAKES A CALL + + +ARABELLA peered at Floretta through her spectacles, and was tempted not +to reply, but after a moment's pause she changed her mind. + +"I came to see Dorothy Dainty, and Nancy Ferris," she said. + +"They're out driving," said Floretta. + +"How do you know?" Arabella asked, rudely. + +"Because I heard them say they were going, and because I saw them go," +was the quick reply. + +"It's a long way over here, and now I've got to take the same walk +back," said Arabella. + +"They're going to be out all the afternoon," said Floretta, "but why +don't you sit down, and rest a while before you go back?" + +It sounded kind, and Arabella at once seated herself, while Floretta sat +near her. + +She thought it would be great fun to question this odd child, and there +was no one near to check her. + +"Aren't you nearly roasted in that raincoat?" she asked. + +"Well, I'm not chilly," said Arabella, fixing her sharp eyes upon the +other little girl. + +"Did you think it was going to rain?" was the next question. "You've +rubbers, and umbrella." + +Floretta barely managed to hide the fact that she wanted to laugh. Her +question seemed so absurd with the blue sky overhead, and the sunshine +everywhere. + +"I didn't want to wear them," said Arabella, "and I told Aunt Matilda it +was too pleasant to rain, but she said you never could tell, and she +said, too, that I could wear them, or stay at home, so what could I do?" + +"_I'd_ have stayed at home," said Floretta, bluntly. "I wouldn't wear +raincoat and rubbers, and lug an umbrella for any Aunt Matilda or Aunt +Jemima!" + +"Who is Aunt Jemima?" Arabella asked, stupidly. + +"I don't know," said Floretta, sharply, "but then, I don't know your +Aunt Matilda." + +She longed to say that she did not want to, but for once she did not +quite dare to say what she thought. + +Then there was an awkward pause. Floretta could not think what to say +next, while Arabella did not try. + +Silence never made her uneasy. She could stare at any one who sat +opposite her, for a half-hour, without so much as winking, and it rather +amused her if the other person became nervous, and wriggled uneasily +beneath her persistent stare. At last Floretta spoke. + +"You might take some of those things off," she said; "you won't need +them while you stay." + +"Aunt Matilda told me not to," said Arabella, "and if I _did_, it would +be just my luck to have her come right by here, and see me with them +off. My! _Wouldn't_ she be angry?" + +Arabella's eyes dilated as she asked the question. + +"Does your Aunt Matilda poke 'round after you like that?" asked +Floretta. + +"She doesn't ever _seem_ to follow me, but all the same, she's always +catching me doing something." + +"Then you _do_ risk doing what she tells you not to," said Floretta, +with a saucy laugh. + +"Look here!" cried Arabella, "I don't know you, but I'm going to tell +you something. I can't do one single thing I want to, neither can my +papa or mamma. Aunt Matilda is little, and my papa is big. He says he +was centre-rush on the college football team, but when Aunt Matilda +tells him what to do, he says, 'Yes'm,' and does it. One of our +neighbors at home says Aunt Matilda holds the purse-strings, but I don't +know what that means. Her purse hasn't any strings on it." + +"Well, if it _had_, I'd cut 'em off," said Floretta, "so she _couldn't_ +hold 'em." + +"You wouldn't if she lived at _your_ house," said Arabella. + +Floretta, in spite of her boldness, was more than half convinced. + +"Well,--perhaps I wouldn't," she said. "Why, what are you taking?" + +"Pills," said Arabella, counting out six very pink pills from a little +bottle, and taking them, then making a horrid face. + +"You don't look sick," said Floretta, "but you're taking medicine." + +"Aunt Matilda says these are for my color," was the answer. + +"You haven't any; you're pale as a sheet," said Floretta. + +"That's why I take them," said Arabella, "and look! I've got some green +ones I take," and six green pills followed the pink ones. + +"Why, what are those for?" gasped Floretta. "Ought you to take two kinds +at the same time?" + +Arabella, determined to startle her new acquaintance, took a third +bottle from her pocket, and swallowed three very large white pills. + +She was delighted with the effect that she had produced. + +Floretta sprang to her feet, and tried to snatch the bottle, but +Arabella had put it in her pocket, and was holding the pocket together. + +She narrowed her shrewd little eyes, and smiled broadly. + +"Guess you couldn't take all that, and not feel queer!" she said. + +"I wouldn't wonder if you felt funny. _Do_ you?" asked Floretta. + +"Not _yet_," said Arabella. + +Floretta was getting tired of her caller. She hoped that she hadn't any +more kinds of medicine that she could take. + +She wished that Dorothy would return and amuse Arabella. + +She would have run away from any one else, and rudely left her alone, +but there was something so strange about this child that she feared her. + +She had a nervous feeling that if she turned to leave her, Arabella +might snatch at her, and draw her back. She certainly did look odd. + +There was something catlike in the way in which she kept her eyes +riveted upon Floretta. + +She looked as if, at any moment, she might spring at her! + +She was not thinking of doing anything of the sort, however. + +The truth was that she _did_ feel just a bit queer. + +Was it the three kinds of pills? She could not tell, but she began to +feel as if she would be glad if she were at home. + +"I guess I'll go now," she said. "I think it must be time." + +"What time did your Aunt Matilda tell you to come home?" Floretta asked. + +"She said I could stay to dinner if Dorothy asked me, but she doesn't +come home, so I guess I won't wait." + +"Go to dinner at the Cleverton in that plaid gingham!" thought Floretta, +for she had seen the plain little frock beneath the raincoat. + +[Illustration: SHE OFFERED TWO CARDS TO FLORETTA.--_Page 210._] + +Arabella grasped her big umbrella firmly, and turned, as she went down +the steps, to say: + +"You may tell Dorothy Dainty that _Miss_ Corryville called." + +Floretta giggled. + +"And you might tell your Aunt Matilda that you talked with _Miss_ +Paxton," she said. + +"I will," said Arabella, without a sign of a smile. + +"I wonder you don't leave cards," said Floretta, and to her surprise, +the queer child put her hand in the pocket of her raincoat, and, without +looking at them, offered two cards to Floretta, saying: + +"There they are." + +Then, without looking back, she marched resolutely down the road. She +did not thank Floretta for talking with her while she rested, nor did +she say "good-by." + +For some moments Floretta stood watching the odd little figure as it +tramped down the road, the umbrella, like a huge walking stick, thumping +the gravel at every step. She thought Arabella would turn around, but +she did not. + +One might have thought that she had already forgotten the child with +whom she had been talking. When, at last, she disappeared behind a clump +of trees that hid the curve of the road, Floretta looked at the two +cards in her hand, stared at them in amazement, and then laughed, +laughed until her eyes were full of tears. + +Who could have helped laughing? One card bore these lines: + + JAMES HORTON WORTH, + PAINLESS DENTISTRY, + 10 TREVOR STREET, MERRIVALE. + +While the other, equally interesting, bore this statement: + + ALTON JUSTUS MEER, + JEWELLER, + 90 RUPERT ROAD, MERRIVALE. + +"How perfectly funny," cried Floretta. "I'll run up and show them to +mamma, and then I'll wait here to give them to Dorothy and Nancy when +they come. I wonder if they'll have any choice?" + +Dorothy and Nancy felt, as did the older members of the party, that the +ride had been the most delightful of any that they had enjoyed since +their arrival. + +The horses were tossing their manes, and Romeo, as if in imitation, +tossed his so that it showed all its silken beauty. + +"See him!" cried Dorothy. "He thinks he's as fine as any horse." + +"Well, he is as dear as they," said Nancy. + +"Oh, yes," said Dorothy, "and dearer." + +And when the horses and the pony had been led around to the stable, and +the older members of the party had reached the piazza, Dorothy and +Nancy, who had paused for a moment to talk, ran up the steps, intending +to sit together in a large rocker. + +Before they reached the chair, Floretta flew toward them. + +"You had a funny caller while you were out driving," she said, with a +giggle, "and she was so very fashionable that she left these cards. She +told me to tell you that _Miss_ Corryville had called." + +"It was Arabella," said Nancy. + +"Did she truly say '_Miss_?'" Dorothy asked. + +"Well, didn't I _say_ so?" Floretta asked rudely; "and I told her to +tell her Aunt Matilda that she talked with _Miss_ Paxton, and she said +she would. She waited a long time for you to come home, because she said +she meant to stay to dinner with you. Say! She had on a calico dress! +Wouldn't she have looked gay?" + +"It isn't very kind to laugh at any one's clothes," said Dorothy, "and +it's not very nice to laugh at other people's friends." + +"Pooh!" cried Floretta, "I shall laugh at whoever I please," and she +turned and ran up to her room. + +But she had laughed once too often! During the ride, Mrs. Fenton had +spoken of Floretta's rude ways, and of the day when, upon following +Nancy to the dining-room, she had caught the provoking child in the act +of mimicking her. + +"Your little Nancy was grieved and distressed because she knew that I +saw it. What a difference there is in children! The Paxton child is +disgusting, while Nancy, who, I have heard, was a little waif, is as +gentle as Dorothy, who was born the little daughter of a fine, old +family." + +Aunt Charlotte and Mrs. Dainty had told Mrs. Fenton something of Nancy's +life, and noticed how deeply interested she seemed to be. + +Mrs. Paxton had realized that ever since the day that Floretta had told +of being caught mimicking Mrs. Fenton for the amusement of the +waitresses and maids, Mrs. Fenton had shunned them. She had made +desperate efforts to win Mrs. Fenton's friendship, but never very +successfully, as she found that her little daughter's silly act had +rendered any intimacy quite impossible. + +A few days after the ride, Mrs. Fenton did not appear at lunch, or at +dinner, and when Mrs. Paxton, with elaborate interest, inquired for her, +she learned that the lady had left very early that morning, before any +guests were on the piazza to see her depart. + +It certainly did seem odd that she should have left, without a word to +those whom she had known, but Mrs. Dainty, with her customary good +taste, made no comment, and Aunt Charlotte Grayson was equally silent. + +Mrs. Paxton did just as one might have expected. She expressed, in a +very loud voice, her disgust at being thus pointedly slighted, for so +she chose to feel. + +"After all my friendliness, I can't see how she could leave the +Cleverton without so much as a word to me. Why, I felt almost like a +relative, as my name was Fenton before I married!" + +"I guess Mrs. Fenton didn't have what you might call a family feeling," +said old Mr. Cunningham, which so angered Mrs. Paxton that she politely +turned her back. + +Two letters arrived at the Cleverton that afternoon, and it would be +difficult to say which caused the greater surprise. + +Mrs. Paxton told the contents of hers to all who would listen, and there +were enough who were curious, to make a good audience. + +"TO MRS. CLARA FENTON PAXTON:" it began, refraining from any endearing +terms. + +"I knew, before I met you, that you and your small daughter were related +to my husband, and also knew that he entertained no admiration for you. +He left his entire estate to me, and as you were but a distant relative, +you could expect no inheritance. However, with a determination to deal +fairly with all my kin (I have but three such), I came to the Cleverton +to see you and your little daughter, intending, if she proved +sweet-tempered and attractive, to will my property to her. She is the +only one of the three relatives who bears my husband's name. + +"I do not wish to be harsh, but I am forced to admit that I find her to +be bold, naturally unkind, and wholly lacking in the grace and courtesy +which most children possess, either by training or inheritance. + +"I, therefore, have made my will in favor of Nancy Ferris, once a little +waif, now a sweet, gentle, and attractive child, whose little acts of +courtesy and kindness are fully appreciated by + + "Her friend, + "CECILIA CULLEN FENTON." + +"A most singular woman, to leave her property to a waif, a child of the +theatre, and not bequeath so much as a penny to my Floretta, whom _any_ +one could see is an aristocrat," said Mrs. Paxton. + +"Mrs. Fenton, or anybody else, would need some rather strong glasses to +see _that_!" muttered Mr. Cunningham. + +He was a testy old fellow, and he, like other guests of the hotel, had +become exceedingly tired of Mrs. Paxton and her unlovely child. + +The other letter gave surprise and delight to the two who had shared in +the care and training of little Nancy. + +"TO MRS. RUDOLPH DAINTY, AND TO MRS. CHARLOTTE GRAYSON, + +"DEAR FRIENDS:--" was its greeting, and then followed the story of the +writer's visit to the Cleverton, and the statement that her few +relatives were too distant to have any valid claim to her estate. + +"I was greatly displeased with the two of my kin whom I came to observe, +and I will not dwell upon that, but, instead, will take this time to say +that Dorothy Dainty and Nancy Ferris, are the two dearest children that +it has been my pleasure to know. + +"Dorothy's life has been sunny, and Nancy's story, as you told it to me, +appealed to me, and I looked with even greater interest at the child +who, under your loving care, had blossomed like a lovely flower. + +"Dorothy has her parents, and will inherit a fortune. Nancy has no +parents, and I know, will be kindly cared for by you, but that fact +will not deter me from making a bequest that gives me greatest pleasure. + +"I shall leave all of my estate to Nancy Ferris, and I remind her, in +some little verses that I enclose, how deeply I have appreciated her +many little kindnesses. + + +TO NANCY + + "Dear little girl, I know that you will daily + Do loving acts of kindness, and of cheer, + Thus urging life to sing its song more gaily + And making friendship lasting and more dear. + + "I felt your charm, dear child, I saw how sweetly + You gave your kindness, with no thought of gain. + I give you a reward, and how completely + I joy in giving, words cannot explain." + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +A SERENADE + + +JACK TIVERTON stood in the lower hall one morning, and appeared as if +waiting for some one. In his hand was a short switch that he had cut +from a shrub that grew beside the driveway. Often he looked up the +staircase, and then, as no one appeared, he would continue to strike at +the flies that flew past the doorway. + +At last he heard merry voices upon the landing, and then Dorothy and +Nancy came hurrying down the stairs. + +"Good morning!" they called, but Jack, in his eagerness to ask +questions, forgot to return their greeting. + +"Say!" he cried, "do you know that Mrs. Paxton and Floretta left this +morning before breakfast?" + +No, the little girls did not know that. + +"Well, they have. I saw them go, and I'm glad. Floretta was fun to play +with, but she wasn't fair. She'd get me to do things, and then if we got +caught, she'd always say I planned it," said Jack. + +Dorothy tried to think of something kind to say of Floretta, but she +knew that what Jack said was true. Floretta truly was not in the habit +of playing "fair." + +"Her mamma said something queer just as she was going off. She was +talking to a lady, I don't know what her name is, and Mrs. Paxton said: + +"'Well, Dorothy Dainty has always seemed to be fond of Nancy, but now +that Nancy is to have a _fortune_, shell love her a deal more than she +ever did before.'" + +And now Dorothy spoke, her blue eyes flashing, and her cheeks flushed. + +"That's not true!" she cried. "That's not true! I've always loved Nancy, +and always will. I'd love her if she had just nothing at all! Nothing +could make any difference. I love her all I can. Nancy knows that. Every +one knows that." + +How keenly she felt Mrs. Paxton's silly speech! + +She was indignant that any one should think her love for Nancy so little +worth while that fortune could make it stronger. + +How could she love Nancy more than she had always loved her? + +Nancy threw her arms about her, and drew her closer. + +"Don't you mind, Dorothy," she said, "_I_ know how truly you love me. +Mrs. Paxton didn't know, because I guess she couldn't understand it. +_She_ couldn't love the way you do." + +Dorothy smiled through the tears that had filled her eyes. + +"There's no one dearer than you, Nancy," she said. + +Jack swung his switch at a dragon-fly that flew past the doorway. + +"Did you see that darning-needle?" he asked. + +"Well," he continued, without waiting for an answer, "I was down the +road a few days ago, trying to catch some of those big steel-colored +ones in my fly-net. I hadn't seen any one after I left this piazza, but +just as I swung my net round to catch the dragon-fly, somebody said: +'Look out, or you'll get bitten!' and I turned round, but no one was in +sight. I was just going to swing my net again, when some one giggled, +and then I saw a little skinny girl looking at me from between some +bushes." + +"What was she doing?" Dorothy asked. + +"You couldn't guess if you tried for a month!" said Jack. + +"She was sitting on a big stone, beside a big puddle that was left there +after the shower. She said she was playing she was a frog, and when she +stared at me through her glasses, and smiled, no, _grinned_ at me, I +couldn't help thinking she looked like one. Say, she had on a green +cloak, a regular frog-color." + +"It must have been _Arabella_!" said Nancy. + +"I don't know what her name was. I didn't ask her, but while I watched +her she hopped off the stone into the puddle with both feet, and cried, +'po-dunk!' just like an old bullfrog. My! Weren't her shoes wet!" + +"I wonder what her Aunt Matilda said when she went home with wet feet," +said Dorothy. + +Without noticing what she said, Jack continued. + +"I never saw such a queer girl!" he said, in disgust, "for when I told +her dragonflies would never bite, she said: 'They will. They'll sew your +eyes, and nose, and mouth up. Po-dunk!' and she hopped back on to the +stone, and grinned at me just as she did at first. Say! She made me feel +queer to look at her, and I turned and ran away. I wasn't afraid of her, +of course, but she _did_ make me feel queer!" + +"She'd make any one feel queer," said Nancy as they turned toward the +dining-room. + +Jack wished that they might have stayed longer in the hall. He had +intended to ask them if they knew Arabella, and if she was always doing +queer things, but Mrs. Dainty and Aunt Charlotte joined them, and they +went in for breakfast. + +Mrs. Tiverton, coming in from an early walk, took Jack with her to the +other side of the dining-room. He looked across at them, and wondered +what they could have told of Arabella if they had had a chance. He +decided to question them, whispering softly to himself: + +"I'll _make_ them tell me all they know about that funny girl." + +For several days he tried to catch Dorothy or Nancy at a time when he +could question them. + +He chased Dorothy up the long stairway one morning, only to see her +disappear into her room. He had not told her that he had wished to talk +with her, and she, believing that he was only chasing her for fun, ran +from him, laughing as she went. + +He found Nancy, a few minutes later, and coaxed her to wait on the +landing. + +"Now, Nancy," he said, "you've got to tell me something about that queer +girl that you and Dorothy know." + +"If you mean Arabella," said Nancy, "I don't see what I could tell you, +only that she _is_ queer, and you know that now." + +"You'll better believe I know it!" cried Jack, "for I met her again +yesterday, and guess what she was doing!" + +"Oh, I couldn't," said Nancy. "No one ever could guess what Arabella +Corryville would do." + +"Well, she looked like a witch, and acted like one, too," Jack replied. +"It was yesterday that I saw her. I was going across the field, and had +nearly reached the wall, when I looked up, and saw her sitting on the +top bar of the--the--oh, the place where they take down the bars to let +the cattle through." + +"I know where you mean," said Nancy, "but why was it strange that she +was sitting there?" + +"It was what she was doing that was funny," Jack replied, "and because +you couldn't guess, I'll tell you. + +"She didn't look toward me, though I'm sure she must have heard me +coming, for I was just tramping along, and whistling all the way. She +was looking up at the clouds, and counting, 'one--two--three--' very +slowly, and when I was close behind her, she said: + +"'Hush--sh--sh! I'm charming the crows!' + +"'How long does it take to do it?' I said, for it sounded like nonsense, +and I wanted to hurry. It was almost lunch time. + +"'Hush--sh!' she said again. 'There comes one of them now!' and sure +enough a big, black crow did come flying right down, and perched on the +limb of an old tree near her." + +"Why, Jack Tiverton," cried Nancy, "you don't believe Arabella really +_made_ him come down, do you?" + +"Of course not," cried Jack, "but she wanted me to think so. Say! She +said she was saying a charm, and when I asked her what it was, she +wouldn't tell me. She said it would spoil the charm to tell it. She +looked funny sitting up there on the top rail, and staring at the crows +till her eyes watered. She didn't look like a 'charmer.' She looked +ever so much more like a scarecrow!" + +"Oh, Jack, it's horrid to say that!" cried Nancy, at the same time +trying not to let him see how near she was to laughing. + +"Well, she _did_!" Jack insisted, "and you're almost laughing now, Nancy +Ferris, and you'd have screamed if you'd seen her roosting there, and +calling herself a charmer! Why, that old crow just flopped down there +for fun, and when he saw the queer-looking girl, he cawed as if it made +him mad, and I didn't blame him. Say! She had a shoe on one foot, and a +slipper on the other. Her apron was put on back-side-to, and she had a +hen's feather in each hand, and she waved them up and down while she +mumbled some kind of a verse. She said her clothes were put on that way +to help the charm. Isn't she a _ninny_?" + +Just at that moment, before Nancy could reply, Mrs. Tiverton called +Jack, and Nancy ran to tell the story of Arabella's latest freak to +Dorothy. + + * * * * * + +One afternoon, a number of little girls were sitting on the piazza at +the Cleverton, and their merry voices attracted Jack Tiverton, who +glanced up from the book that he was reading, and then, because he was +curious to know what so interested them, crossed the piazza, and joined +the group. + +Dorothy and Nancy, in the big hammock, held the book of fairy tales, +Flossie Barnet sat near them, while the others, all little guests at the +hotel, sat upon the railing, or in the large rockers that stood near. + +Jack joined the row perched upon the railing. + +"Tell a fellow what you are all talking about, will you? Will you, +_please_, I mean?" he asked. + +"Dorothy Dainty has been reading us a lovely story," said a little girl, +whose merry eyes showed that she had enjoyed it. + +"What's it about?" Jack asked, and then, "Oh, _fairy_ tales!" he said. + +"Don't you like fairy tales?" Flossie questioned, looking up at him. + +No one liked to differ with dear little Flossie, least of all, Jack +Tiverton. + +"Oh, I like them _some_," he said, awkwardly, "but,--are there any +stories about bandits or pirates in that book?" + +"Oh, no," they cried, in a laughing chorus, "and there aren't any wild +Indians in it, either." + +"I don't care much about Indian stories," Jack replied, "but I do like +to read about pirates." + +"But just hear what this one was about," said Nancy. + +"The wandering prince had, for years, been searching for a lovely +princess, who should look like a beautiful picture that hung in his +father's palace. One day he came to a castle where the people told him a +handsome princess was imprisoned, and he asked why she was kept there. +They told him that she was enchanted, and that some day, a wandering +prince would sing beneath her window, and then the spell would be +broken, and she would be free." + +Jack was interested. + +"But s'posing he couldn't sing?" he asked. + +"Oh, a prince could surely sing!" said Flossie. + +"And p'raps he could sing under her window, if he couldn't anywhere +else," ventured a dreamy-eyed little girl who sat near Dorothy. + +"And how would he know _what_ to sing?" a cheery voice questioned, and a +pair of merry eyes peered over the piazza railing. + +"Oh, Uncle Harry!" cried Flossie, "what difference would it make?" + +"All the difference in the world," declared Uncle Harry, "for while the +proper melody would set the princess free, how are we to know that the +wrong melody might not chain her closer than before!" + +"Why, the story doesn't say that," said Nancy. + +"Perhaps not, but the prince took an _awful_ risk when he chose what to +sing," declared Uncle Harry. + +"You're laughing when you say it," said Dorothy. + +"He is," agreed Flossie, "and what he says is funny, but I know this: +I'd love to hear some one singing under _my_ window!" + +Some ladies, who sat near enough to hear the conversation, were amused +at the children's enthusiasm, and at Uncle Harry's evident interest. + +"The prince had his guitar slung over his shoulder by a ribbon," said +Dorothy. "See the picture," and she slipped from the hammock, and +offered the book that he might see the illustration. + +"I'm glad he carried his guitar instead of a banjo," he said. + +"Why are you glad of that?" Flossie asked. + +"Oh, because I really _am_, in fact, I might even say I am delighted," +he replied. + +"I do believe he intends to serenade those children," said a handsome +woman, to her friend who sat beside her; "he is a brilliant man, and one +who is blessed with many talents, and one of his greatest charms is his +love of children. He will go far out of his way to afford them a bit of +fun." + +That evening, when nearly every one had left the piazza, and all of the +children were in their rooms, the soft twanging of guitar strings +floated up toward Flossie's window. + +She was not yet asleep, and she sat up in bed, and listened. + +Yes, it was a guitar! Was it Uncle Harry's? + +A little prelude softly played, drew her toward the window. + +She crept closer, and peeped out. Yes, there he was, looking right up +toward her window. + +Now his fine voice was softly singing, and Flossie held her breath. + + "Under thy window, my little lady, + Under thy window, Flossie dear, + Here where the moonbeams softly flicker, + Sing I this song that you may hear. + + "Moonlight, and starlight weave enchantment, + Yet shall my song your freedom bring, + You shall be happy little lady, + Give me your love for the song I sing." + +"Oh, Uncle Harry, you have it _now_!" cried Flossie. "I love you, when +you're singing, and _all_ the time." + +"I know that, dear little girl, but I _must_ have my fun, so I came here +to sing the song I made for you," he said gently. + +"Well, you're _dear_," she cried, "and I'll throw you a kiss," and she +did, reaching far out of the window that he might surely see her. + +"I caught it!" he cried, and as he turned toward the porch, she heard +him softly strumming the prelude again. + +Others had heard the pretty song, for Dorothy and Nancy had a room next +to Flossie's. + +The next morning he was coaxed and teased to sing the song again, but he +declared that he could only sing it in the moonlight, that the daylight +would spoil its effect. + +The sunny days sped on wings, and soon the guests began to think of +turning homeward. + +Mrs. Dainty's party and the Barnets were to leave the hotel at the same +time, and Dorothy, Nancy, and Flossie were delighted that they were to +take the return trip together. + +They were talking of the pleasures that they were looking forward to, +and telling of some delightful events that were already planned, when +Jack Tiverton gave them a genuine surprise. + +"Mamma has just told me something fine," he said, "and I ran right down +to tell it to you." + +"Oh, tell it quick!" said Flossie. + +"We're going to live in Merrivale, and we'll be there soon after we +leave here. I'm glad. Are you, _all_ of you?" he asked. + +"Of course we're glad," said Dorothy and Nancy; and Flossie hastened to +add: + +"Every one of us is glad." + +There were bright days, and many pleasures in store for the little +friends, and those who would like also to enjoy them, and to know what +happened during the winter, may read of all this in + + "Dorothy Dainty's Holidays." + + + + +THE DOROTHY DAINTY SERIES + +By AMY BROOKS + + * * * * * + +Large 12mo Cloth Illustrated by the Author + +Price, $1.00 each + +[Illustration] + + _Dorothy Dainty_ + _Dorothy's Playmates_ + _Dorothy Dainty at School_ + _Dorothy Dainty at the Shore_ + _Dorothy Dainty in the City_ + _Dorothy Dainty at Home_ + _Dorothy Dainty's Gay Times_ + _Dorothy Dainty in the Country_ + _Dorothy Dainty's Winter_ + _Dorothy Dainty in the Mountains_ + _Dorothy Dainty's Holidays_ + _Dorothy Dainty's Vacation_ + + "LITTLE DOROTHY DAINTY is one of the most + generous-hearted of children. Selfishness is not + at all a trait of hers, and she knows the value of + making sunshine, not alone in her own heart, but + for her neighborhood and friends."--_Boston + Courier._ + + "DOROTHY DAINTY, a little girl, the only child of + wealthy parents, is an exceedingly interesting + character, and her earnest and interesting life is + full of action and suitable + adventure."--_Pittsburg Christian Advocate._ + + "No finer little lady than DOROTHY DAINTY was ever + placed in a book for children."--_Teachers' + Journal, Pittsburg._ + +[Illustration] + + "MISS BROOKS is a popular writer for the very + little folks who can read. She has an immense + sympathy for the children, and her stories never + fail to be amusing."--_Rochester (N.Y.) Herald._ + + * * * * * + + LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON + + + + +_THE PRUE BOOKS_ + +By AMY BROOKS + +Illustrated by the Author 12mo Cloth Price, $1.00 each + + * * * * * + +[Illustration] + +CUNNING little Prue, one of the most winsome little girls ever "put in a +book," has already been met in another series where she gave no small +part of the interest. She well deserved books of her own for little +girls of her age, and they are now ready with everything in the way of +large, clear type, and Miss Brooks's best pictures and her pleasing +cover designs to make them attractive. + + _Little Sister Prue_ + _Prue at School_ + _Prue's Playmates_ + _Prue's Merry Times_ + _Prue's Little Friends_ + _Prue's Jolly Winter_ + +[Illustration] + + "Miss Brooks always brings out the best ways of + acting and living and provides a good deal of + humor in her original country + characters.--_Watchman, Boston._ + + "Few writers have ever possessed the faculty of + reaching the hearts and holding the interest of + little girl readers to the extent Miss Brooks + has."--_Kennebec Journal_, _Augusta, Me._ + + "To know Prue is to love her, for no more winsome + little girl was ever put in a book, and her keen + wit and unexpected drolleries make her doubly + attractive."--_Kindergarten Magazine._ + + * * * * * + + _For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt + of price by the publishers_ + + LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON + + + + +_THE RANDY BOOKS_ + +_By AMY BROOKS_ + + 12mo CLOTH ARTISTIC COVER DESIGN IN GOLD AND COLORS + ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR PRICE $1.00 EACH + +[Illustration] + +The progress of the "Randy Books" has been one continual triumph over +the hearts of girls of all ages, for dear little fun-loving sister Prue +is almost as much a central figure as Randy, growing toward womanhood +with each book. The sterling good sense and simple naturalness of Randy, +and the total absence of slang and viciousness, make these books in the +highest degree commendable, while abundant life is supplied by the +doings of merry friends, and there is rich humor in the droll rural +characters. + + _Randy's Summer_ + _Randy's Winter_ + _Randy and Her Friends_ + _Randy and Prue_ + _Randy's Good Times_ + _Randy's Luck_ + _Randy's Loyalty_ + _Randy's Prince_ + +[Illustration] + + "The Randy Books are among the very choicest books + for young people to make a beginning with." + --_Boston Courier._ + + "The Randy Books of Amy Brooks have had a deserved + popularity among young girls. They are wholesome + and moral without being goody-goody." + --_Chicago Post._ + + * * * * * + + LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON + + + + +Only Dollie + +By NINA RHOADES Illustrated by Bertha Davidson Square 12mo Cloth $1.00 + + +[Illustration] + +THIS is a brightly written story of a girl of twelve, who, when the +mystery of her birth is solved, like Cinderella, passes from drudgery to +better circumstances. There is nothing strained or unnatural at any +point. All descriptions or portrayals of character are life-like, and +the book has an indescribable appealing quality which wins sympathy and +secures success. + + "It is delightful reading at all times."--_Cedar + Rapids (Ia.) Republican._ + + "It is well written, the story runs smoothly, the + idea is good, and it is handled with + ability.--_Chicago Journal._ + + + +The Little Girl Next Door + +By NINA RHOADES Large 12mo Cloth Illustrated by Bertha Davidson $1.00 + + +A DELIGHTFUL story of true and genuine friendship between an impulsive +little girl in a fine New York home and a little blind girl in an +apartment next door. The little girl's determination to cultivate the +acquaintance, begun out of the window during a rainy day, triumphs over +the barriers of caste, and the little blind girl proves to be in every +way a worthy companion. Later a mystery of birth is cleared up, and the +little blind girl proves to be of gentle birth as well as of gentle +manners. + + + + +Winifred's Neighbors + +By NINA RHOADES Illustrated by Bertha G. Davidson Large 12mo Cloth $1.00 + +[Illustration] + +LITTLE Winifred's efforts to find some children of whom she reads in a +book lead to the acquaintance of a neighbor of the same name, and this +acquaintance proves of the greatest importance to Winifred's own family. +Through it all she is just such a little girl as other girls ought to +know, and the story will hold the interest of all ages. + + * * * * * + + _For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt + of price by the publishers_ + + LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD Co., BOSTON + + + + +The Children on the Top Floor + +By NINA RHOADES Large 12mo Cloth Illustrated by Bertha Davidson $1.00 + + +[Illustration] + +IN this book little Winifred Hamilton, the child heroine of "Winifred's +Neighbors," reappears, living in the second of the four stories of a New +York apartment house. On the top floor are two very interesting +children, Betty, a little older than Winifred, who is now ten, and Jack, +a brave little cripple, who is a year younger. In the end comes a glad +reunion, and also other good fortune for crippled Jack, and Winifred's +kind little heart has once more indirectly caused great happiness to +others. + + + + +How Barbara Kept Her Promise + +By NINA RHOADES Large 12mo Cloth Illustrated by Bertha Davidson $1.00 + + +TWO orphan sisters, Barbara, aged twelve, and little Hazel, who is "only +eight," are sent from their early home in London to their mother's +family in New York. Faithful Barbara has promised her father that she +will take care of pretty, petted, mischievous Hazel, and how she tries +to do this, even in the face of great difficulties, forms the story +which has the happy ending which Miss Rhoades wisely gives to all her +stories. + + + + +Little Miss Rosamond + +By NINA RHOADES Illustrated by Bertha G. Davidson Large 12mo Cloth $1.00 + + +[Illustration] + +ROSAMOND lives in Richmond, Va., with her big brother, who cannot give +her all the comfort that she needs in the trying hot weather, and she +goes to the seaside cottage of an uncle whose home is in New York. Here +she meets Gladys and Joy, so well known in a previous book, "The Little +Girl Next Door," and after some complications are straightened out, +bringing Rosamond's honesty and kindness of heart into prominence, all +are made very happy. + + * * * * * + + _For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt + of price by the publishers_ + + LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON + + + + +"_Brick House Books_" + +_By NINA RHOADES_ + +_Cloth 12 mo Illustrated $1.00 each_ + + * * * * * + +=Priscilla of the Doll Shop= + +[Illustration] + +THE "Brick House Books," as they are called from their well-known cover +designs, are eagerly sought by children all over the country. There are +three good stories in this book, instead of one, and it is hard to say +which little girls, and boys, too, for that matter, will like the best. + + +=Brave Little Peggy= + +PEGGY comes from California to New Jersey to live with a brother and +sister whom she has not known since very early childhood. She is so +democratic in her social ideas that many amusing scenes occur, and it is +hard for her to understand many things that she must learn. But her good +heart carries her through, and her conscientiousness and moral courage +win affection and happiness. + + +=The Other Sylvia= + +[Illustration] + +EIGHT-year-old Sylvia learns that girls who are "Kings' Daughters" +pledge themselves to some kind act or service, and that one little girl +named Mary has taken it upon herself to be helpful to all the Marys of +her acquaintance. This is such an interesting way of doing good that she +adopts it in spite of her unusual name, and really finds not only "the +other Sylvia," but great happiness. + + * * * * * + + _For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of + price by the publishers_ + + LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON + + * * * * * + +Transcriber's Notes: + +Obvious punctuation errors repaired. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Dorothy Dainty at the Mountains, by Amy Brooks + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30088 *** |