colic, it will be tears shed in a good cause.”
“Oh, Alice, how silly you are,” said Susy, laughing. “I suppose Mrs.Brice is just behind, and has stopped to talk to some one at the gate.She will take good care that no colic follows this festive scene.”
“Yes, you are right,” said Netty. “See! there comes a crowd of ladiesand gentlemen. Oh, dear, my heart is thumping so; I do wish it wouldstop.”
But although the three girls were having their fun all by themselves,they looked very demure to the people who came to take lemonade at theirtables. They stood quietly waiting, with their fresh muslin dress,dainty white aprons with pink ribbon bows on the pockets. Soon peoplebegan to come in crowds, and there was amusement for every one. Thosewho liked archery found bows and arrows waiting for them; those wholiked croquet had only to pick out their mallets and begin a game. Thetennis balls flew back and forth, and even the older ladies foundcomfortable chairs in the shade of tents or arbors where they could chataway the afternoon. As for the little people who came there was no endto their fun. They played “oats, peas, beans,” and tag and every sort ofdelightful game.
But the best of all was to see the cake and lemonade disappear. Againand again the plates were filled with cake, and the pitchers withlemonade, only to be emptied and refilled.
When the pleasant party was about to break up, Dr. Pool stood up andasked the people to give him their attention for a few minutes.
So every one listened, and he told them the story of poor Mrs. Thompsonand her brave struggle with poverty. “My little friends tell me,” saidhe, “that they have made ten dollars this afternoon.
“My kind little friends, Alice and Susy and Netty, have confided to methat they would like very much to take upon themselves the support ofthis family. You see, if we can just keep her mind easy and give hergood food for a few weeks, she will get up and be as strong as ever, Ithink. But she is in a bad way now, and unless care is taken of her atthe present time it will be too late.
“It has been suggested that we should have one of these delightfullemonade parties every Saturday for a few weeks, and so raise moneyenough to keep Mrs. Thompson until she is able to support herself.”
But suddenly a scream was heard, and every one ran in the direction ofthe sound, and what do you think they saw?
Mrs. Martin had come in the afternoon, but being obliged to go homeearly, she had left her two little girls, promising to send the nursefor them. The children consequently played around, enjoying themselvesimmensely, until looking up suddenly they saw their nurse approaching.
“There’s Elise,” whispered Nannie. “Oh, I don’t want to go home.”
“We’se better hide,” said Freddy.
“I don’t see any place to hide,” said Nannie.
“Let’s dit up on dis fence,” said Freddy, “and turn our backs, and shewill never see us.”
So the children climbed up, and sat very still with their backs turnedtowards Elise.
Of course they were discovered, and the scream of disappointmentfollowed. They insisted that it was too early to go, and that theywanted to stay. But at last they were coaxed into going pleasantly, andthen one after another of the party said good-bye, and the lawn was sooncleared of guests.
The next day Mrs. Grey went with the children to the village, andselected such provisions as she thought most suitable for Mrs.Thompson’s use. She also selected some calico for dresses for Sarah.
Mrs. Grey took the bundles, and getting back into the carriage theyproceeded on their way to Mrs. Thompson’s cottage.
Their knock was answered by Sarah, who opened the door with a brightsmile upon her face.
“Oh, ma’am,” she exclaimed, as she saw Mrs. Grey, “you don’t know howmuch better mother has been since you sent her the beef tea, and otherthings. Why she could speak quite loud this morning. Only,” she added,“she says she ought to get up and work now that she feels so muchbetter. But I’m sure she ought not, for the doctor said most particularas how she was to stay in bed.”
“She mustn’t think of getting up,” said Mrs. Grey. “I will go in and seeher.”
While Mrs. Grey was in the sick room the
children opened the bundle, and showed Sarah the dresses. She wasgreatly delighted, you may be sure. They then helped her to carry thegroceries into the kitchen and to select the best places in which tokeep them.
But Sarah said she would not put them away until she had washed off theshelves, and swept out the closet again.
So the three children, went out in the yard, and sat on the fence towait until their mother should be ready to return. They were very muchinterested in watching some boats which were blown about on the water,and in talking about the fair.
While Susy and Alice were telling Sarah of their plans for her mother,they suddenly saw in a field some distance from where they were sittinga little girl playing with a lamb.
“Why, who is that child?” said Susy. “She cannot live near here, forthere is no house for a great distance.”
“I am sure I do not know. I have never seen her before,” said Sarah.
“She has no hat on, and she looks dreadfully distressed aboutsomething.”
“I think we had better go and see what she is doing,” said Sarah;“perhaps she has lost her way.”
So the children jumped down from the fence, and, running for a littledistance, they came to the field where the child was standing.
As soon as she saw our little friends she began to run towards them asfast as she could go, crying:
“Oh, please, please, show me the way home. I want my mamma.”
Alice went up to the child, and, putting her arms around her, she kissedthe child gently, saying:
“Do not cry, dear. We will take you home, only tell us where you live.How did you get here? Have you lost your way?”
“Oh,” said the little girl, “I lost my lamb--he wandered away--so Ithought I would go and find him. I hunted and hunted for him, and atlast I found him in a big, big field. I was so glad to see him that Isat down and played with him. See! I made this chain of daisies; isn’tit pretty?
“Well, after we had played for a while we started to go home, but wedidn’t find the place. Somehow, we kept getting into more fields andmore fields, and then I got oh, so tired, and I called mamma but shedidn’t hear me.”
“Well, never mind now,” said Alice; “we will take you home in ourcarriage, and you shall soon see your mamma. What is your name?”
“My name is Linda Forest,” said the little girl, “but I can’t tell youwhere I live, for I don’t know the way. It is a big, big house with big,big trees all around it. It isn’t our city house, but our new house inthe country.”
“Well,” said Alice, “we will find out where it is when mamma comes out.There she is now,” she added. “Come take my hand and we will go andtell mamma.”
“Snowball must go, too,” said Linda, holding back a little; “I mustn’tleave him behind.”
Mrs. Grey came out of the door just then, so the children went to meether.
“Who is this little girl?”
Alice told her mother of Linda’s wanderings, and to her surprise hermother exclaimed:
“Why, of course I know where the child lives; don’t you, Alice? Mr.Forest has just bought the old Minor place; they only moved in lastweek. Why, yes, you poor little thing, you shall be with your mamma in alittle while; but how in the world did those little bits of feet carryyou so far from home?”
Mrs. Grey then got into the carriage, and then the children climbed in.
They saw a great many interesting things on their way home, but I canonly tell you of one
of them. They were driving along chatting merrily about all sorts ofthings, when suddenly, as they followed the turn in the road, whatshould appear before them but an encampment.
“Why, mamma, there’s a man lying flat down on the grass,” said Alice;“it looks like--why, mamma, mamma, it is Uncle Dick.”
Alice stood up on her
seat and called “Uncle Dick.”
Uncle Dick, for it was really he, walked rapidly towards the carriage,and in a few minutes they were all asking and answering questions.
Uncle Dick told them he was on a walking trip, and that they werestopping here for a day or two to rest.
“I was going up to call on you this afternoon,” said he.
“You must come up to tea instead,” said Mrs. Grey.
They had to go a good deal out of their way to reach Linda’s house, but,as Alice said, it was all the better, for they would have a pleasantdrive.
At length they reached the house. It was a delightful place surroundedby tall trees. Alice thought the only fault she could find with it wasthat it was too far from the ocean. A young girl, the gardener’sdaughter, was picking a basketful of flowers as she walked under thetrees.
When they drove in at the gate they saw that some great excitement hadtaken possession of everybody. The maids were running back and forth,and the house doors were all open.
As they drew nearer, Mrs. Grey began to guess what was the cause of allthis trouble.
“They are
Summer Days Page 3
