Elsie's children

by Martha Finley

  "Good! good!" cried the children. "Oh, delightful! But where are wegoing?"

  "To the grove adjacent to the schoolhouse," replied the governess. "Wecould not find a lovelier spot, and its proximity to the mansion rendersit most eligible."

  "'Proximity, eligible, adjacent;' what do you mean by those words, MissFisk?" asked Gertrude, a little contemptuously.

  "I desire you to consult one of our standard lexicographers. You will thenbe far more likely to retain the definitions in your memory," returned thegoverness, ignoring the tone of her pupil.

  Gertrude shrugged her shoulders, with impatience, muttering audibly, "Iwish you'd talk like other people, and not like a dictionary."

  "You quarrel with my phraseology, because you do not understand it,"observed Miss Fisk, nonchalantly, "which is very irrational, since were Inever to employ, in conversing with you, words beyond your comprehension,you would lose the advantage of being induced to increase your stock ofinformation by a search for their meaning."

  "If that's what you do it for, you may as well give it up at once,"returned Gertrude, "for I don't care enough about your meaning to takehalf that trouble."

  "Miss Gertrude, permit me to remark that you are lacking in respect toyour instructress," returned Miss Fisk, reddening.

  "Do you mean that it is convenient, because of being so near this house,Miss Fisk?" asked Eddie respectfully.

  "Yes, convenient and safe; on which account both Mrs. Travilla and Mrs.Ross stipulated that our picnic for to-day should be held there."

  "Well, let's go right away," said Gertrude, jumping up and pushing backher chair.

  "Immediately, Miss Ross," corrected the governess. "Right away isexceedingly inelegant."

  "How tiresome!" muttered Gertrude. Then aloud to Violet, as the governessleft the room, "I say, Vi, does your mamma reprove you for saying rightaway?"

  "I don't remember that I ever said it. Mamma----"

  "Said it?" interrupted Gertrude, with a twinkle of fun in her eye, "whydon't you say 'used the expression'? my dear," mimicking Miss Fisk'stones, "you should never condescend to make use of a sixpenny word, when afifty cent one would express your sentiments fully as correctly, orperchance even more so."

  Vi could not help joining in the laugh with which Gertrude concluded,though feeling rather ashamed of herself, as she seemed to see the gravelook of disapproval mamma would have given her if present.

  "Oh, Gertrude," she said, "we oughtn't to----"

  "Yes, we ought," returned Gertrude, as they ran out of the room together;"mamma always laughs when I take off old finikin Fisk. She wouldn't haveme talk like her for the world. Would your mamma wish you to?"

  "No, but she never says----"

  "Right away? No, of course not; she says 'immediately' or 'at once' orsomething that sounds nice. Well, so will I when I'm grown up."

  Miss Fisk was on the porch taking an observation of the weather, thechildren crowding about her, and clamoring to be allowed to set outimmediately for the grove. The day was fine, and there seemed everyindication that it would continue so.

  "Yes," said the governess, "you may request your maids to see that you aresuitably arrayed for the occasion, and as promptly as possible, and wewill repair to the appointed place; taking our departure hence inprecisely thirty minutes."

  The children were ready and impatiently waiting, when Miss Fisk came downfrom her room, "suitably arrayed for the occasion."

  They set out at once, the whole party in high good humor, the boyscarrying their balls, marbles, and fishing rods, the girls their dolls anda set of toy dishes, to play tea-party with. Miss Fisk had a bit of fancywork and a book, and two servants brought up the rear with camp-chairs, anafghan and rugs to make a couch for the little ones when they should growsleepy. Luncheon was in course of preparation by the cook, and was to besent by the time the young picnickers were likely to feel an appetite forit.

  The boys took the lead, bounding on some distance ahead, with Ranger intheir midst. They were in no mood just then for sitting still, sodepositing their fishing tackle in the schoolhouse, went roving about insearch of more active amusement than that of catching trout.

  "That'll be good fun when we want to sit down and rest," said Eddie.

  "Oh, I see a bird's nest, and I'm going to have it!" exclaimed Archie,beginning to climb a tree.

  "Oh don't," cried Harold, "mamma says it's very cruel and wicked to robthe poor little birds."

  "Pooh! you're a baby!" answered Archie, half breathlessly, pulling himselfup higher and yet higher. "There, I'll have it in a minute," reaching outhis hand to lay hold of the branch that held the nest.

  Ranger was barking loudly at the foot of the tree, Harry and Eddie werecalling to Archie to "Take care!" and he hardly knew how it was himself,but he missed the branch, lost his hold of the tree, and fell, lightingupon Ranger's back.

  The boy gave a scream, the dog a yelp, and the rest of the party camerunning to ask what was the matter.

  Archie picked himself up, looking quite crestfallen, and the fright of theothers was turned to laughter, as they discovered that he had received nodamage beyond a slight scratch on his hand and a rent in his jacket.

  Miss Fisk, making him promise not to repeat the experiment, went back toher seat under the trees and the book she had brought from the house forher own enjoyment.

  The morning passed without any further incident worth recording, thechildren amusing themselves with various quiet plays, the girls keepinghouse, each under her own particular tree, and exchanging visits; the boyscatching trout, which they sent to the house to be cooked for dinner. Theywanted to make a fire and cook them themselves, but Miss Fisk wiselyforbade it.

  She would have had the meal served in the schoolhouse, but yielded to theclamor for an out-door repast. Several desks were brought out into theshade of the trees, a dainty table-cloth spread over them and the partypresently sat down to a delightful collation, to which they brought keenappetites.

  Ranger had disappeared. They missed him as they were leaving the table.

  "Where can he have gone?" Harry was saying, when Vi cried out, "Oh yonderhe is! and he has a dear little bird in his mouth! Oh you wicked, crueldog!" And running to him she tried to take it from him.

  Be dropped it and snapped at her, Eddie jerking her back just in time tosave her from his teeth, while Archie, who was very fond of Vi, struck thedog a blow with a stick, crying furiously, "You just do that again, sir,and I'll kill you!"

  Ranger then flew at him, but the boy avoided the attack by jumping nimblybehind a tree.

  The other children were screaming with fright, and a catastrophe appearedimminent, but one of the maids came running with some tempting morsels forRanger which appeased his wrath, and the danger was averted.

  Ranger's attention being absorbed with the satisfying of his appetite, thechildren now looked about for the bird. It was not quite dead, but soonbreathed its last in Vi's lap with her tears dropping fast upon it.

  "Oh don't, Vi!" said Archie, "I can't bear to see you feel so sorry. Andthe bird isn't being hurt now, you know; 'twon't ever be hurt any more;will it, Ed?"

  "No," said Harry, "we might as well let the dog have it."

  "No, no!" said Eddie, "it would just encourage him to catch another."

  "So it would," said Gertrude, "let's make a grand funeral and bury it atthe foot of a tree. If we only knew now which one it used to live on."

  The motion was about to be carried by acclamation, but Vi entered adecided protest. "No, no, I want to keep it."

  "But you can't, Vi," remonstrated Eddie, "dead things have to be buried,you know."

  "Not the skin and feathers, Eddie; they do stuff them sometimes and I'llask mamma to let me have this one done."

  "Oh what's the use?" expostulated Gertrude; "it's only a common robin."

  "But I love it; the poor dear little thing! and mamma will let me, I knowshe will," returned Vi, wiping away her tears as though comforted by thevery thought.

/>   The other children wandered off to their play leaving her sitting whereshe was, on a fallen tree, fondling the bird; but Archie soon came backand seated himself by her side.

  "Such a pity; isn't it?" he said, "I hate that Ranger, don't you, Vi?"

  "No-o I hope not, Archie," she answered doubtfully: "folks kill birds toeat them and may be 'tain't any worse for dogs," she added, with a freshburst of tears. "Poor little birdie; and may be there are some young onesin the nest that have no mamma now to feed or care for them."

  "That old Ranger! and he snapped at you too. Here he comes again. I'llkill him!" cried the boy, with vehemence. "Oh no, I know what I'll do!Here Ranger! here Ranger!" and starting up he rushed away in a directionto take him farther from the schoolhouse and the rest of his party.

  He had spied in the distance a farmer's boy, a lad of fourteen, with whomhe had some slight acquaintance. "Hallo, Jared Bates!" he shouted.

  "Well, what's wantin'?" and Jared stood still, drawing the lash of hiscarter's whip slowly between his fingers. "Hurry up now, for I've got togo back to my team. Whose dog's that?" as Ranger came running up andsaluted him with a sharp, "Bow, wow, wow!"

  "Ours," said Archie, "and I'm mad at him 'cause he killed a bird and triedto bite Vi Travilla, when she went to take it from him."

  "Like enough," returned Jared, grinning. "But what about it?"

  "I thought may be you'd like to have him."

  "So I would, what'll you sell him for?"

  "Ten cents."

  "I hain't got but two."

  "Haven't you, Jared? truly, now?"

  "No, nary red, 'cept them," and diving into his pantaloons' pocket, Jaredproduced a handful of odds and ends--a broken knife, a plug of tobacco,some rusty nails, a bit of twine, etc.,--from which he picked out twonickels. "There, them's um, and they's all I got in the world," he saidgravely, passing them over to Archie.

  "Well, it's very cheap," observed the latter, pocketing the cash, "but youcan have him. Good-bye," and away he ran back to the spot where he hadleft Vi.

  "You're a green 'un!" laughed Jared, looking after him; then whistling tothe dog to follow, he went on his way.