Skip to main content

Full text of "What Katy did : a story"

See other formats 


W 


h 


READING  ROON» 


*K44X<,**c&  y>^£a4</e>n 


1  I 


i 

^  -  - 1  i 


:     -v^-^^ 


'  *X* 


Sk  I 


■  n3&^X**fifo£ 


1 '  ■  -  <r- 


^1 

41' 


Si    ' 

r 


ENTERING     PARADISE.  —  Page  23. 

So  in  they  marched.  Katy  and  Cecy  heading  the  procession,  and  Dorry,  with  his  great 
trailing  bunch  of  boughs,  bringing  up  the  rear. 


I 

What  Katy  Did. 


a  STORT. 


BY 


SUSAN   COOLIDGE, 

AUTHOR   OF   "THE   NEW   YEAR'S   BARGAIN,"    "  WHAT   KATY   DID   AT   SCHOOL." 
AND    "MISCHIEF'S   THANKSGIVING." 


With   Illustrations   by  Addie   Led  yard. 


BOSTON: 

ROBERTS    BROTHERS. 
1875. 


Entered   according  to    Act  of   Congress,    in   the   year   1872,   by 

ROBERTS  BROTHERS, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PROPERTY  QP 
CITY  OF  NEW  YOWC 


cr> 

I/O 

Q- 
UJ 
CO 


r4R 
KI324I6 


TO    FIVE. 


Six  of  us  once,  my  darlings,  played  together 
Beneath  green  boughs,  which  faded  long  ago, 

Made  merry  in  the  golden  summer  weather, 
lVlted  each  other  with  new-fallen  snow. 

Did  the  sun  always  shine  ?     I  can't  remember 
A  single  cloud  that  dimmed  the  happy  blue,  — 

A  single  lightning-bolt  or  peal  of  thunder, 

To  daunt  our  bright,  unf earing  lives  :  can  you? 

We  quarrelled  often,  but  made  peace  as  quickly, 


Shed  many  tears,  but  laughed  the  while  they  fell, 
Had  our  small  woes,  our  childish  bumps  and  bruises, 
But  Mother  always  "  kissed  and  made  them  well." 

Is  it  long  since?  —  it  seems  a  moment  only: 
Yet  here  we  are  in  bonnets  and  tail-coats, 

Grave  men  of  business,  members  of  committees, 
Our  play-time  ended  :  even  Baby  votes  I 

And  star-eyed  children,  in  whose  innocent  faces 
Kindles  the  gladness  which  was  once  our  own, 

Crowd  round  our  knees,  with  sweet  and  coaxing  voices, 
Asking  for  stories  of  that  old-time  home. 

(Hi) 


IV  TO   FIVE. 

"Were  you  once  little  too?  "  they  say,  astonished; 

"  Did  you  too  play  ?     How  funny  !  tell  us  how." 
Almost  we  start,  forgetful  for  a  moment; 

Almost  we  answer,  "  We  are  little  now  !  " 

Dear  friend  and  lover,  whom  To-day  we  christen, 
Forgive  such  brief  bewilderment,  —  thy  true 

And  kindly  hand  we  hold ;  we  own  thee  fairest. 
But  ah !  our  yesterday  was  precious  too. 

So,  darlings,  take  this  little  childish  story, 

In  which  some  gleams  of  the  old  sunshine  pl-iy, 

A  nd,  as  with  careless  hands  you  turn  the  pages, 
Look  back  and  smile,  as  here  I  smile  to-day. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

F4SI 

Tfie  Little  Carrs 7 

CHAPTER    II. 
Paradise 21 

CHAPTER    III. 
Tue  Day  of  Scrapes 35 

CHAPTER    IV. 
KlKERI 52 

CHAPTER    V. 
In  the  Loft 71 

CHAPTER    VI. 
Intimate  Friends 90 

CHAPTER    VII. 
Cousin  Helen's  Visit 117 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
To-Morrow .  1^4 

(v) 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    IX. 

PA  OB 

Dismal  Days 1G4 

CHAPTER  X. 
St.  Nicholas  and  St.  Valentine 189 

CHAPTER  XI. 
A  New  Lesson  to  Learn.        ......  218 

CHAPTER   XII. 
Two  Years  Afterward 235 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
At  Last *  259 


WHAT  KATY  DID. 


CHAPTER    I. 


THE   LITTLE    CARES. 


WAS  sitting  in  the  meadows  one  day, 
not  long  ago,  at  a  place  where  there  was 
a  small  brook.  It  was  a  hot  day.  The 
sky  was  very  blue,  and  white  clouds,  like  great 
swans,  went  floating  over  it  to  and  fro.  Just 
opposite  me  was  a  clump  of  green  rushes,  with 
dark  velvety  spikes,  and  among  them  one  single 
tall,  red  cardinal  flower,  which  was  bending  over 
the  brook  as  if  to  see  its  own  beautiful  face  in  the 
water.  But  the  cardinal  did  not  seem  to  be  vain. 
The  picture  was  so  pretty  that  I  sat  a  long 
time  enjoying  it.  Suddenly,  close  to  me,  two 
small  voices    began   to   talk  —  or   to    sing,  for  I 

(?) 


8  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

couldn't  tell  exactly  which  it  was.  One  voice 
was  shrill;  the  other,  which  was  a  little  deeper, 
sounded  very  positive  and  cross.  They  were 
evidently  disputing  about  something,  for  they 
said  the  same  words  over  and  over  again.  These 
were  the  words  —  "Katy  did."  "Katy  didn't." 
"She  did."  "She  didn't."  "She  did."  "She 
didn't."  "Did."  "Didn't."  I  think  they  must 
have  repeated  them  at  least  a  hundred  times. 

I  got  up  from  my  seat  to  see  if  I  could  find  the 
speakers ;  and  sure  enough,  there  on  one  of  the 
cat-tail  bulrushes,  I  spied  two  tiny  pale-green 
creatures.  Their  eyes  seemed  to  be  weak,  for 
they  both  wore  black  goggles.  They  had  six 
legs  apiece, — two  short  ones,  two  not  so  short, 
and  two  very  long.  These  last  legs  had  joints 
like  the  springs  to  buggy-tops ;  and  as  I  watched, 
they  began  walking  up  the  rush,  and  then  I  saw 
that  they  moved  exactly  like  an  old-fashioned 
gig.  In  fact,  if  I  hadn't  been  too  big,  I  think 
I  should  have  heard  them  creak  as  they  went 
along.  They  didn't  say  anything  so  long  as  I 
■was  there,  but  the  moment  my  back  was  turned 
they  began  to  quarrel  agaiu,  and  in  the  same  old 


THE    LITTLE    CARRS.  tJ 

words  — "Katydid."   "Katy  didn't."   "She  did." 
"She  didn't." 

As  I  walked  home  I  fell  to  thinking  about 
another  Katy,  —  a  Katy  I  once  knew,  who 
planned  to  do  a  great  many  wonderful  things, 
and  in  the  end  did  none  of  them,  but  something 
quite  different, — something  she  didn't  like  at  all 
at  first,  but  which,  on  the  whole,  was  a  great  deal 
better  than  any  of  the  doings  she  had  dreamed 
about.  And  as  I  thought,  this  little  story  grew 
in  my  head,  and  I  resolved  to  write  it  down  for 
you.  I  have  done  it;  and,  in  memory  of  my 
two  little  friends  on  the  bulrush,  I  give  it  their 
name.  Here  it  is  —  the  story  of  What  Katy 
Did. 

ATY'S  name  was  Katy  Carr.  She  lived 
in  the  town  of  Burnet,  which  wasn't  a 
very  big  town,  but  was  growing  as  fast 
as  it  knew  how.  The  house  she  lived  in  stood  on 
the  ed<ZQ  of  the  town.  It  was  a  larffe  square  house, 
white,  with  green  blinds,  and  had  a  porch  in  front, 
over  which  roses  and  clematis  made  a  thick  bower. 
Four  tall  locust  trees  shaded  the  gravel  path  which 


10  WHAT   KATT   DID. 

led  to  the  front  gate.  On  one  side  of  the  house  was 
an  orchard  ;  on  the  other  side  were  wood  piles  and 
barns,  and  an  ice-house.  Behind  was  a  kitchen 
garden  sloping  to  the  south ;  and  behind  that  a 
pasture  with  a  brook  in  it,  and  butternut  trees, 
and  four  cows  —  two  red  ones,  a  yellow  one  with 
sharp  horns  tipped  with  tin,  and  a  dear  little 
white  one  named  Daisy. 

There  were  six  of  the  Carr  children  —  four 
girls  and  two  boys.  Katy,  the  oldest,  was  twelve 
years  old ;  little  Phil,  the  youngest,  was  four,  and 
the  rest  fitted  in  between. 

Dr.  Carr,  their  Papa,  was  a  dear,  kind,  busy 
man,  wrho  was  away  from  home  all  day,  and 
sometimes  all  night,  too,  taking  care  of  sick  peo- 
ple. The  children  hadn't  any  Mamma.  She  had 
died  when  Phil  was  a  baby,  four  years  before  my 
story  began.  Katy  conld  remember  her  pretty 
well ;  to  the  rest  she  was  but  a  sad,  sweet  name, 
spoken  on  Sunday,  and  at  prayer-times,  or  when 
Papa  was  specially  gentle  and  solemn. 

In  place  of  this  Mamma,  whom  they  recol- 
lected so  dimly,  there  was  Aunt  Izzie,  Papa's  sis- 
ter, who  came  to  take  care  of  them  when  Mamma 


THE    LITTLE    CARRS.  11 

went  away  on  that  long  journey,  from  which,  for 
so  many  months,  the  little  ones  kept  hoping  she 
miffht  return.  Aunt  Izzie  was  a  small  woman, 
sharp-faced  and  thin,  rather  old-looking,  and 
very  neat  and  particular  about  everything.  She 
meant  to  be  kind  to  the  children,  but  they  puz- 
zled her  much,  because  they  were  not  a  bit 
like  herself  when  she  was  a  child.  Aunt  Izzie 
had  been  a  gentle,  tidy  little  thing,  who  loved  to 
sit  as  Curly  Locks  did,  sewing  long  seams  in  the 
parlor,  and  to  have  her  head  patted  by  older 
people,  and  be  told  that  she  was  a  good  girl ; 
whereas  Katy  tore  her  dress  every  day,  hated 
sewing,  and  didn't  care  a  button  about  being  called 
"good,"  while  Clover  and  Elsie  shied  off  like 
restless  ponies  when  any  one  tried  to  pat  their 
heads.  It  was  very  perplexing  to  Aunt  Izzie,  and 
she  found  it  hard  to  quite  forgive  the  children  for 
being  so  "  unaccountable,"  and  so  little  like  the 
good  boys  and  girls  in  Sunday-school  memoirs, 
who  were  the  young  people  she  liked  best,  and 
understood  most  about. 

Then  Dr.  Carr  was  another  person  who  worried 
her.     He  wished  to  have  the  children  hardy  and 


12  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

bold,  and  encouraged  climbing  and  rough  plays,  in 
spite  of  the  bumps  and  ragged  clothes  which  re- 
sulted. In 'fact,  there  was  just  one  half-hour  of 
the  day  when  Aunt  Izzie  was  really  satisfied  about 
her  charges,  and  that  was  the  half-hour  before 
breakfast,  when  she  had  made  a  law  that  they 
were  all  to  sit  in  their  little  chairs  and  learn  the 
Bible  verse  for  the  day.  At  this  time  she  looked 
at  them  with  pleased  eyes,  they  were  all  so  spick 
and  span,  with  such  nicely-brushed  jackets  and 
such  neatly-combed  hair.  But  the  moment  the 
bell  rang  her  comfort  Avas  over.  From  that  time 
on,  they  were  what  she  called  "not  fit  to  be  seen." 
The  neighbors  pitied  her  very  much.  They  used 
to  count  the  sixty  stiff  white  pantalettc  legs  hung 
out  to  dry  every  Monday  morning,  and  say  to  each 
other  what  a  sight  of  washing  those  children  made, 
and  what  a  chore  it  must  be  for  poor  Miss  Carr  to 
keep  them  so  nice.  But  poor  Miss  Carr  didn't 
think  them  at  all  nice  ;  that  was  the  worst  of  it. 

"  Clover,  go  up  stairs  and  wash  your  hands !. 
Dorry,  pick  your  hat  off  the  floor  and  hang  it  on 
the  nail !  Not  that  nail  —  the  third  nail  from  the 
corner !  ':     These   were  the  kind  of  things  Aunt 


THE    LITTLE    CAKRS.  13 

Izzie  was  saying  all  clay  long.  The  children 
minded  her  pretty  well,  but  they  didn't  exactly 
love  her,  I  fear.  They  called  her  "Aunt  Izzie' 
always,  never  "Aunty."  Boys  and  girls  will 
know  what  that  meant. 

I  want  to  show  you  the  little  Carrs,  and  I  don't 
know  that  I  could  ever  have  a  better  chance  than 
one  day  when  five  out  of  the  six  were  perched  on 
top  of  the  ice-house,  like  chickens  on  a  roost. 
This  ice-house  was  one  of  their  favorite  places 
It  was  only  a  low  roof  set  over  a  hole  in  the 
ground,  and,  as  it  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  side- 
yard,  it  always  seemed  to  the  children  that  the 
shortest  road  to  every  place  was  up  one  of  its 
slopes  and  down  the  other.  They  also  liked  to 
mount  to  the  ridge-pole,  and  then,  still  keeping  the 
sitting  position,  to  let  go,  and  scrape  slowly  down 
over  the  warm  shingles  to  the  ground.  It  was  bad 
for  their  shoes  and  trousers,  of  course,  but  what  of 
that?  Shoes  and  trousers,  and  clothes  generally, 
were  Aunt  Izzie's  affair ;  theirs  was  to  slide  and 
enjoy  themselves. 

Clover,  next  in  age  to  Katy,  sat  in  the  middle. 
She  was  a  fair,  sweet  dumpling  of  a  girl,  witb 


14  WHAT   KATT   DID. 

thick  pig-tails  of  light  brown  hair,  and  short- 
sighted blue  eyes,  which  seemed  to  hold  tears, 
just  ready  to  foil  from  under  the  blue.  Really, 
Clover  was  the  jolliest  little  thing  in  the  world ; 
but  these  eyes,  and  her  soft  cooing  voice,  always 
made  people  feel  like  petting  her  and  taking 
her  part.  Once,  when  she  was  very  small,  she 
ran  away  with  Katy's  doll,  and  when  Katy  pur- 
sued, and  tried  to  take  it  from  her,  Clover  held 
fast  and  would  not  let  go.  Dr.  Carr,  who  wasn't 
attending  particularly,  heard  nothing  but  the 
pathetic  tone  of  Clover's  voice,  as  she  said  :  "  Me 
won't!  Me  want  dolly  ! "  and,  without  stopping 
to  inquire,  he  called  out  sharply:  "For  shame, 
Katy  !  give  your  sister  her  doll  at  once  ! "  which 
Katy,  much  surprised,  did ;  while  Clover  purred 
in  triumph,  like  a  satisfied  kitten.  Clover  was 
sunny  and  sweet-tempered,  a  little  indolent,  and 
very  modest  about  herself,  though,  in  fact,  she 
was  particularly  clever  in  all  sorts  of  games,  and 
extremely  droll  and  funny  in  a  quiet  way.  Every- 
body loved  her,  and  she  loved  everybody,  espec- 
ially Katy,  whom  she  looked  up  to  as  one  of  the 
wisest  people  in  the  world. 


THE    LITTLE    CARRS.  15 

Pretty  little  Phil  sat  next  on  the  roof  to  Clover, 
and  she  held  him  tiirht  with  her  arm.  Then  came 
Elsie,  a  thin,  brown  child  of  eight,  with  beautiful 
dark  eyes,  and  crisp,  short  curls  covering  the 
whole  of  her  small  head.  Poor  little  Elsie  was 
the  "  odd  one  "  anions:  the  Carrs.  She  didn't  seem 
to  belong  exactly  to  either  the  older  or  the  younger 
children.  The  great  desire  and  ambition  of  her 
heart  was  to  be  allowed  to  go  about  with  Katy 
and  Clover  and  Cecy  Hall,  and  to  know  their  se- 
crets, and  be  permitted  to  put  notes  into  the  little 
post-offices  they  were  forever  establishing  in  all 
sorts  of  hidden  places.  But  they  didn't  want 
Elsie,  and  used  to  tell  her  to  "run  away  and  play 
with  the  children,"  which  hurt  her  feelings  very 
much.  When  she  wouldn't  run  aWay,  I  am  sorry 
to  say  they  ran  away  from  her,  which,  as  their 
legs  were  longest,  it  was  easy  to  do.  Poor  Elsie, 
left  behind,  would  cry  bitter  tears,  and,  as  she  was 
too  proud  to  play  much  with  Dorry  and  John,  her 
principal  comfort  was  tracking  the  older  ones  about 
and  discovering  their  mysteries,  especially  the 
post-offices,  which  were  her  greatest  grievance. 
Her  eyes  were  bright  and  quick  as  a  bird's.     She 


16  WHAT    KATY   DID. 

would  peep  and  peer,  and  follow  and  watch,  till 
at  last,  in  some  odd,  unlikely  place,  the  crotch  of 
a  tree,  the  middle  of  the  asparagus  bed,  or,  per- 
haps, on  the  very  top  step  of  the  scuttle  ladder, 
she  spied  the  little  paper  box,  with  its  load  of 
notes,  all  ending  with  :  "Be  sure  and  not  let  Elsie 
know."  Then  she  would  seize  the  box,  and, 
marching  up  to  wherever  the  others  were,  she 
would  throw  it  down,  saying,  defiantly  :  "There's 
your  old  post-office  !  "  but  feeling  all  the  time  just 
like  crying.  Poor  little  Elsie  !  In  almost  every 
big  family,  there  is  one  of  these  unmated,  left- 
out  children.  Katy,  who  had  the  finest  plans 
in  the  world  for  being  "heroic,"  and  of  use,  never 
saw,  as  she  drifted  on  her  heedless  way,  that  here, 
in  this  lonely  little  sister,  was  the  very  chance  she 
wanted  for  being  a  comfort  to  somebody  who 
needed  comfort  very  much.  She  never  saw  it, 
and  Elsie's  heavy  heart  went  uncheered. 

Dorry  and  Joanna  sat  on  the  two  ends  of  the 
ridge  pole.  Dorry  was  six  years  old ;  a  pale, 
pudgy  boy,  with  rather  a  solemn  face,  and  smears 
of  molasses  on  the  sleeve  of  his  jacket.  Joanna, 
whom  the  children  called  "John,"  and  "Johnnie," 


THE    LITTLE    CARES.  17 

was  a  square,  splendid  child,  a  year  younger  than 
Dorry ;  she  had  big  brave  eyes,  and  a  wide  rosy 
mouth,  wrhich  always  looked  ready  to  laugh. 
These  two  were  great  friends,  though  Dorry 
seemed  like  a  girl  who  had  got  into  boy's  clothes 
by  mistake,  and  Johnnie  like  a  boy  who,  in  a  fit 
of  fun,  had  borrowed  his  sister's  frock.  And 
now,  as  they  all  sat  there  chattering  and  giggling, 
the  window  above  opened,  a  glad  shriek  was  heard, 
and  Katy's  head  appeared.  In  her  hand  she  held 
a  heap  of  stockings,  which  she  waved  trium- 
phantly. 

"Hurray  !  "  she  cried,  " all  done,  and  Aunt  Izzie 
says  we  may  go.  Are  you  tired  out  waiting?  I 
couldn't  help  it,  the  holes  were  so  big,  and  took 
so  long.  Hurry  up,  Clover,  and  get  the  things  ! 
Cecy  and  I  will  be  down  in  a  minute." 

The  children  jumped  up  gladly,  and  slid  down 
the  roof.  Clover  fetched  a  couple  of  baskets 
from  the  wood-shed.  Elsie  ran  for  her  kitten. 
Dorry  and  John  loaded  themselves  with  two  great 
fagots  of  green  boughs.  Just  as  they  were  ready, 
the  side-door  banged,  and  Katy  and  Cecy  Hall 
came  into  the  yard. 

2 


18  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

I  must  tell  you  about  Cecy.     She  was  a  great 
friend   of  the    children's,  and   lived   in   a  house 
next  door.     The  yards  of  the  houses  were  only 
separated  by  a  green  hedge,  with  no  gate,  so  that 
Cecy  spent  two-thirds  of  her  time  at  Dr.  Carr's, 
and  was  exactly  like  one  of  the  family.     She  was 
a  neat,  dapper,  pink-and-white-girl,  modest  and 
prim  in  manner,  with  light  shiny  hair,  which  al- 
ways kept  smooth,  and  slim  hands,  which  never 
looked  dirty.    How  different  from  my  poor  Katy  ! 
Katy's  hair  was   forever   in  a  snarl ;    her  gowns 
were  always  catching  on  nails  and  "  tearing  them- 
selves " ;    and,  in  spite  of  her  age  and  size,  she 
was  as  heedless  and  innocent  as  a  child  of  six. 
Katy  was   the    longest  girl   that  was  ever  seen. 
What  she  did  to  made  herself  grow  so,  nobody 
could  tell ;  but  there  she  was  —  up  above  Papa's 
ear,  and  half  a  head  taller  than  poor  Aunt  Izzie. 
Whenever  she  stopped  to  think  about  her  height 
she  became  very  awkward,  and  felt  as  if  she  were 
all  legs  and  elbows,  and  angles  and  joints.     Hap- 
pily, her   head  was    so   full  of  other  things,  of 
plans  and  schemes,  and  fancies  of  all  sorts,  that 
she  didn't  often  take  time  to  remember  how  tall 


THE    LITTLE    CARRS.  19 

she  was.  She  was  a  dear,  loving  child,  for  all 
her  careless  habits,  and  made  bushels  of  good 
resolutions  every  week  of  her  life,  only  unluckily 
she  never  kept  any  of  them.  She  had  fits  of  re- 
sponsibility about  the  other  children,  and  longed 
to  set  them  a  good  example,  but  when  the  chance 
came,  she  generally  forgot  to  do  so.  Katy's  days 
flew  like  the  wind ;  for  when  she  wasn't  studying 
lessons,  or  sewing  and  darning  with  Aunt  Izzie, 
which  she  hated  extremely,  there  were  always 
so  many  delightful  schemes  rioting  in  her  brains, 
that  all  she  wished  for  was  ten  pairs  of  hands  to 
carry  them  out.  These  same  active  brains  got 
her  into  perpetual  scrapes.  She  was  fond  of 
building  castles  in  the  air,  and  dreaming  of  the 
time  when  something  she  had  done  would  make 
her  famous,  so  that  everybody  would  hear  of  her, 
and  want  to  know  her.  I  don't  think  she  had 
made  up  her  mind  what  this  wonderful  thing  was 
to  be ;  but  while  thinking  about  it  she  often  for- 
got to  learn  a  lesson,  or  to  lace  her  boots,  and 
then  she  had  a  bad  mark,  or  a  scolding  from  Aunt 
Izzie.  At  such  times  she  consoled  herself  with 
planning  how,  by  and  by,  she  would  be  beautiful 


20  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

and  beloved,  and  amiable  as  an  angel.  A  great 
deal  was  to  happen  to  Katy  before  that  time 
came.  Her  eyes,  which  were  black,  were  to  turn 
blue;  her  nose  was  to  lengthen  and  straighten, 
and  her  mouth,  quite  too  large  at  present  to  suit 
the  part  of  a  heroine,  was  to  be  made  over  into  a 
sort  of  rosy  button.  Meantime,  and  until  these 
charming  changes  should  take  place,  Katy  forgot 
her  features  as  much  as  she  could,  though  still,  I 
think,  the  person  on  earth  whom  she  most  envied 
was  that  lady  on  the  outside  of  the  Tricopherous 
bottles  with  the  wonderful  hair  which  sweeps  the 
ground. 


CHAPTER    II. 


PARADISE. 


HE  place  to  which  the  children  were 
going  was  a  sort  of  marshy  thicket  at 
the  bottom  of  a  field  near  the  house.  It 
wasn't  a  bi<?  thicket,  but  it  looked  big,  because  the 
trees  and  bushes  grew  so  closely  that  you  could  not 
see  just  where  it  ended.  In  winter  the  ground  was 
damp  and  boggy,  so  that  nobody  went  there,  except- 
ing cows,  who  don't  mind  getting  their  feet  wet ; 
but  in  summer  the  water  dried  away,  and  then  it  was 
all  fresh  and  green,  and  full  of  delightful  things  — 
wild  roses,  and  sassafras,  and  birds'  nests.  Nar- 
row, winding  paths  ran  here  and  there,  made  by 
the  cattle  as  they  wandered  to  and  fro.  This 
place  the  children  called  "Paradise,"  and  to  them 
it  seemed  as  wide  and  endless  and  full  of  adven- 
ture as  any  forest  of  fairy  land. 

The  way  to  Paradise  was  through  some  wooden 

(21) 


22  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

bars.  Katy  and  Cecy  climbed  these  with  a  hop, 
skip  and  jump,  while  the  smaller  ones  scrambled 
underneath.  Once  past  the  bars  they  were  fairly 
in  the  field,  and,  with  one  consent,  they  all  began 
to  run  till  they  reached  the  entrance  of  the  wood. 
Then  they  halted,  with  a  queer  look  of  hesitation 
on  their  faces.  It  was  always  an  exciting  occa- 
siou  to  go  to  Paradise  for  the  first  time  after  the 
Ions:  winter.  Who  knew  what  the  fairies  misrht 
not  have  done  since  any  of  them  had  been  there 
to  see? 

"  Which  path  shall  we  go  in  by?  "  asked  Clover, 
at  last. 

"  Suppose  we  vote,"  said  Katy.  "  I  say  by  the 
Pilgrim's  Path  and  the  Hill  of  Difficulty." 

"  So  do  I ! "  chimed  in  Clover,  who  always 
agreed  with  Katy. 

"  The  Path  of  Peace  is  nice,"  suggested  Cecy. 

"  No,  no  !  We  want  to  go  by  Sassafras  Path  !  " 
cried  John  and  Dorry. 

However,  Katy,  as  usual,  had  her  way.  It  was 
agreed  that  they  should  first  try  Pilgrim's  Path, 
and  afterward  make  a  thorough  exploration  of  the 
whole  of  their  little  kingdom,  and  see  all  that  had 


PARADISE.  23 

happened  since  last  they  were  there.  So  in  they 
marched,  Katy  and  Cecy  heading  the  procession, 
and  Dorry,  with  his  great  trailing  bunch  of 
boughs,  bringing  up  the  rear. 

"Oh,  there  is  the  dear  Rosary,  all  safe  ! "  cried 
the  children,  as  they  reached  the  top  of  the  Hill 
of  Difficulty,  and  came  upon  a  tall  stump,  out 
of  the  middle  of  which  waved' a  wild  rose-bush, 
budded  over  with  fresh  green  leaves.  This  "Ro- 
sary "  was  a  fascinating  thing  to  their  minds. 
They  were  always  inventing  stories  about  it,  and 
were  in  constant  terror  lest  some  hungry  cow 
should  take  a  fancy  to  the  rose-bush  and  eat  it  up. 

"  Yes,"  said  Katy,  stroking  a  leaf  with  her 
finger,  "  it  was  in  great  danger  one  night  last  win- 
ter, but  it  escaped." 

"  Oh  !  how  ?  Tell  us  about  it !  "  cried  the  oth- 
ers, for  Katy's  stories  were  famous  in  the  family. 

"It  was  Christmas  Eve,"  continued  Katy,  in  a 
mysterious  tone.  "The  fairy  of  the  Rosary  was 
quite  sick.  She  had  taken  a  dreadful  cold  in  her 
head,  and  the  poplar-tree  fairy,  just  over  there, 
told  her  that  sassafras  tea  is  <?ood  for  colds.  So  she 
made  a  large  acorn-cup  full,   and    then   cuddled 


24  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

herself  in  where  the  wood  looks  so  black  and  soft, 
and  fell  asleep.  In  the  middle  of  the  night,  when 
she  was  snoring  soundly,  there  was  a  noise  in  the 
forest,  and  a  dreadful  black  bull  with  fiery  eyes 
galloped  up.  He  saw  our  poor  Rosy  Posy,  and, 
opening  his  big  mouth,  he  was  just  going  to  bite 
her  in  two  ;  but  at  that  minute  a  little  fat  man, 
with  a  wand  in  his  hand,  popped  out  from  behind 
the  stump.  It  was  Santa  Claus,  of  course.  He 
gave  the  bull  such  a  rap  with  his  wand  that  he 
moo-ed  dreadfully,  and  then  put  up  his  fore-paw, 
to  see  if  his  nose  was  on  or  not.  He  found  it 
was,  but  it  hurt  him  so  that  he  f moo-ed'  again, 
and  galloped  off  as  fast  as  he  could  into  the  woods. 
Then  Santa  Claus  waked  up  the  fairy,  and  told 
her  that  if  she  didn't  take  better  care  of  Rosy 
Posy  he  should  put  some  other  fairy  into  her 
place,  and  set  her  to  keep  guard  over  a  prickly, 
scratchy,  blackberry-bush." 

"Is  there  really  any  fairy?"  asked  Dorry,  who 
had  listened  to  this  narrative  with  open  mouth. 

"Of  course,"  answered   Katy.     Then    bending 
down   toward   Dorry,  she    added   in  a  voice  in- 


PARADISE.  25 

tended  to  be  of  wonderful  sweetness:  "I  am  a 
fairy,  Dony !  " 

"  Pshaw  !  "  was  Dorry's  reply ;  "  you're  a  gi- 
raffe —  Pa  said  so  !  " 

The  Path  of  Peace  got  its  name  because  of  its 
darkness  and  coolness.  Hijjh  bushes  almost  met 
over  it,  and  trees  kept  it  shady,  even  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  day.  A  sort  of  white  flower  grew 
there,  which  the  children  called  Polly  pods,  be- 
cause they  didn't  know  the  real  name.  They 
staid  a  long  while  picking  bunches  of  these  flow- 
ers, and  then  John  and  Dony  had  to  grub  up  an 
armful  of  sassafras  roots  ;  so  that  before  they  had 
fairly  gone  through  Toadstool  Avenue,  Rabbit 
Hollow,  and  the  rest,  the  sun  was  just  over  their 
heads,  and  it  was  noon. 

"I'm  getting  hungry,"  said  Dorry. 

"Oh,  no,  Dorry,  you  mustn't  be  hungry  till  the 
bower  is  ready  !  "  cried  the  little  girls,  alarmed, 
for  Dorry  was  apt  to  be  disconsolate  if  he  was 
kept  waiting  for  his  meals.  So  they  made  haste 
to  build  the  bower.  It  did  not  take  long,  being 
composed  of  boughs  hung  over  skipping-ropes, 
which  were  tied  to  the  very  poplar  tree  where  the 


86  WHAT   KATT   DID. 

fairy  lived  who  had  recommended  sassafras  tea  to 
the  Fairy  of  the  Rose. 

When  it  was  done  they  all  cuddled  in  under- 
neath. It  was  a  very  small  bower — just  big 
enough  to  hold  them,  and  the  baskets,  and  the 
kitten.  I  don't  think  there  would  have  been 
room  for  anybody  else,  not  even  another  kitten. 
Katy,  who  sat  in  the  middle,  untied  and  lifted 
the  lid  of  the  largest  basket,  while  all  the  rest 
peeped  eagerly  to  see  what  was  inside. 

First  came  a  great  many  ginger  cakes.  These 
were  carefully  laid  on  the  grass  to  keep  till 
tvanted :  buttered  biscuit  came  next  —  three  a 
piece,  with  slices  of  cold  lamb  laid  in  between  ; 
and  last  of  all  were  a  dozen  hard-boiled  eggs,  and 
a  layer  of  thick  bread  and  butter  sandwiched  with 
corned-beef.  Aunt  Izzie  had  put  up  lunches  for 
Paradise  before,  you  see,  and  knew  pretty  well 
what  to  expect  in  the  way  of  appetite. 

Oh,  how  good  everything  tasted  in  that  bower, 
with  the  fresh  wind  rustling  the  poplar  leaves, 
sunshine  and  sweet  wood-smells  about  them,  and 
birds  singing  overhead !  No  grown-up  dinner 
party  ever  had  half  so  much  fun.     Each   mouth- 


PARADISE.  27 

ful  was  a  pleasure ;  and  when  the  last  crumb 
had  vanished,  Katy  produced  the  second  basket, 
and  there,  oh,  delightful  surprise  !  were  seven  little 
pies — molasses  pies,  baked  in  saucers  —  each 
with  a  brown  top  and  crisp  candified  edge,  which 
tasted  like  toffy  and  lemon-peel,  and  all  sorts  of 
good  things  mixed  up  together. 

There  was  a  general  shout.  Even  demure 
Cecy  was  pleased,  and  Dorry  and  John  kicked 
their  heels  on  the  ground  in  a  tumult  of  joy. 
Seven  pairs  of  hands  were  held  out  at  once  to- 
ward the  basket ;  seven  sets  of  teeth  went  to 
work  without  a  moment's  delay.  In  an  incred- 
ibly short  time  every  vestige  of  pie  had  disap- 
peared, and  a  blissful  stickiness  pervaded  the 
party. 

"What  shall  we  do  now?"  asked  Clover,  while 
little  Phil  tipped  the  baskets  upside  down,  as  if 
to  make  sure  there  was  nothing  left  that  could 
possibly  be  eaten. 

"I  don't  know,"  replied  Katy,  dreamily.  She 
had  left  her  seat,  and  was  half-sitting,  half-lying 
on  the  low,  crooked  bough  of  a  butternut  tree, 
which  hung  almost  over  the  children's  heads. 


28  WHAT    KATY   DTD. 

w  Let's  play  we're  grown  up,"  said  Cecy,  w  and 
tell  what  we  mean  to  do." 

"Well,"  said  Clover,  "you  begin.  What  do 
you  mean  to  do  ?  " 

"I  mean  to  have  a  black  silk  dress,  and  pink 
roses  in  my  bonnet,  and  a  white  muslin  long- 
shawl,"  said  Cecy;  "and  I  mean  to  look  exactly 
like  Minerva  Clark  !  I  shall  be  very  good,  too  ; 
as  good  as  Mrs.  Bedell,  only  a  great  deal  prettier. 
All  the  young  gentlemen  will  want  me  to  go  and 
ride,  but  I  sha'n't  notice  them  at  all,  because  you 
know  I  shall  always  be  teaching  in  Sunday-school, 
and  visiting  the  poor.  And  some  day,  when  I  am 
bendinsr  over  an  old  woman  and  feeding  her  with 
currant  jelly,  a  poet  will  come  along  and  see 
me,  and  he'll  go  home  and  write  a  poem  about 
me,"  concluded  Cecy,  triumphantly. 

"Pooh!"  said  Clover.  "I  don't  think  that 
would  be  nice  at  all.  Tm  goin^r  to  be  a  beautiful 
lady  —  the  most  beautiful  lady  in  the  world ! 
And  I'm  going  to  live  in  a  yellow  castle,  with  yel- 
low pillars  to  the  portico,  and  a  square  thing  on 
top,  like  Mr.  Sawyer's.  My  children  are  going  tc 
have  a  play-house  up  there.     There's  going  to  be  a 


PARADISE.  29 

spy-glass  in  the  window,  to  look  out  of.  I  shall 
wear  gold  dresses  and  silver  dresses  every  day, 
and  diamond  rings,  and  have  white  satin  aprons 
to  tie  on  when  I'm  dusting,  or  doing  anything 
dirty.  In  the  middle  of  my  back-yard  there  will 
be  a  pond-full  of  Lubin's  Extracts,  and  whenever 
I  want  any  I  shall  go  just  out  and  dip  a  bottle  in. 
And  I  sha'n't  teach  in  Sunday-schools,  like  Cecy, 
because  I  don't  want  to ;  but  every  Sunday  I'll 
go  and  stand  by  the  gate,  and  when  her  scholars 
go  by  on  their  way  home,  I'll  put  Lubin's  Extracts 
"Hi  their  handkerchiefs." 

"I  mean  to  have  just  the  same,"  cried  Elsie, 
whose  imagination  was  fired  by  this  gorgeous 
vision,  "only  my  pond  will  be  the  biggest.  I 
shall  be  a  great  deal  beautifuller,  too,"  she  added. 

"You  can't,"  said  Katy  from  overhead.  "  Cloven 
is  going  to  be  the  most  beautiful  lady  in  the  world/ 

"But  I'll  be  more  beautiful  than  the  most  beau 
tiful,"  persisted  poor  little  Elsie;  "and  I'll  be 
big,  too,  and  know  everybody's  secrets.  And 
everybody'll  be  kind,  then,  and  never  run  away 
and  hide  ;  and  there  won't  be  any  post-offices,  or 
anything  disagreeable." 


30  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

"  What'll  you  be,  Johnnie?"  asked  Clover,  anx- 
ious to  change  the  subject,  for  Elsie's  voice  was 
growing  plaintive. 

But  Johnnie  had  no  clear  ideas  as  to  her  future. 
She  laughed  a  great  deal,  and  squeezed  Dorry's 
arm  very  tight,  but  that  was  all.  Dorry  was 
more  explicit. 

"I  mean  to  have  turkey  every  day,"  he  de- 
clared, "  and  batter-puddings ;  not  boiled  ones, 
you  know,  but  little  baked  ones,  with  brown 
shiny  tops,  and  a  great  deal  of  pudding  sauce  to 
eat  on  them.  And  I  shall  be  so  big  then  that 
nobody  will  say,  f  Three  helps  is  quite  enough 
for  a  little  boy.'  " 

"Oh,  Dorry,  you  pig!"  cried  Katy,  while  the 
others  screamed  with  laughter.  Dorry  was  much 
affronted. 

"I  shall  just  go  and  tell  Aunt  Izzie  what  you 
called  me,"  he  said,  getting  up  in  a  great  pet. 

But  Clover,  who  was  a  born  peacemaker, 
caught  hold  of  his  arm,  and  her  coaxings  and 
entreaties  consoled  him  so  much  that  he  finally 
said  he  would  stay ;  especially  as  the  others  were 


PARADISE.  31 

quite  grave  now,  and  promised  that  they  wouldn't 
laugh  any  more. 

"And  now,  Katy,  it's  your  turn,"  said  Cecy ; 
"  tell  us  what  you're  going  to  be  when  you  grow 
up." 

"I'm  not  sure  about  what  I'll  be,"  replied  Katy, 
from  overhead  ;  "  beautiful,  of  course,  and  good  if 
I  can,  only  not  so  good  as  you,  Cecy,  because  it 
would  be  nice  to  go  and  ride  with  the  young  gen- 
tlemen sometimes.  And  I'd  like  to  have  a  large 
house  and  a  splendiferous  garden,  and  then  you 
could  all  come  and  live  with  me,  and  we  would 
play  in  the  garden,  and  Dorry  should  have  turkey 
five  times  a  day  if  he  liked.  And  we'd  have  a 
machine  to  darn  the  stockings,  and  another  ma- 
chine to  put  the  bureau  drawers  in  order,  and 
we'd  never  sew  or  knit  garters,  or  do  anything  we 
didn't  want  to.  That's  what  I'd  like  to  be.  But 
now  I'll  tell  you  what  I  mean  to  do." 

"Isn't  it  the  same  thing?"  asked  Cecy. 

"Oh,  no  !"  replied  Katy,  "quite  different;  for 
you  sec  I  mean  to  do  something  grand.  I  don't 
know  what,  yet ;  but  when  I'm  grown  up  I  shall 
find  out."     (Poor  Katy  always   said  "  when   I'm 


32  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

grown  up,"  forgetting  how  very  much  she  had 
grown  already.)  "Perhaps,"  she  went  on,  "it 
will  be  rowing  out  in  boats,  and  saving  peoples' 
lives,  like  that  girl  in  the  book.  Or  perhaps  I 
shall  go  and  nurse  in  the  hospital,  like  Miss  Night- 
ingale. Or  else  I'll  head  a  crusade  and  ride  on 
a  white  horse,  with  armor  and  a  helmet  on  my 
head,  and  carry  a  sacred  flag.  Or  if  I  don't 
do  that,  I'll  paint  pictures,  or  sing,  or  scalp  — 
sculp,  —  what  is  it?  you  know  —  make  figures  in 
marble.  Anyhow  it  shall  be  something.  And 
when  Aunt  Izzie  sees  it,  and  reads  about  me  in 
the  newspapers,  she  will  say,  'The  dear  child! 
I  always  knew  she  would  turn  out  an  ornament  to 
the  family.'  People  very  often  say,  afterward, 
that  they  'always  knew,'"  concluded  Katy,  saga- 
ciously. 

"Oh,  Katy!  how  beautiful  it  will  be!"  said 
Clover,  clasping  her  hands.  Clover  believed  in 
Katy  as  she  did  in  the  Bible. 

"I  don't  believe  the  newspapers  would  be  so 
silly  as  to  print  things  about  you,  Katy  Can,"  put 
in  Elsie,  vindictively. 


PARADISE.  33 

"  Yes  they  will !  "  said  Clover ;  and  gave  Elsie 
a  push. 

By  and  by  John  and  Dorry  trotted  away  on 
mysterious  errands  of  their  own. 

"Wasn't  Dorry  funny  with  his  turkey?"  re- 
marked Cecy ;  and  they  all  laughed  again. 

"If  you  won't  tell,"  said  Katy,  "I'll  let  you  see 
Dorry's  journal.  He  kept  it  once  for  almost  two 
weeks,  and  then  gave  it  up.  I  found  the  book, 
this  morning,  in  the  nursery  closet." 

All  of  them  promised,  and  Katy  produced  it 
from  her  pocket.     It  began  thus  : 

"March  12.  —  Have  resolved  to  keep  a  jurnal. 

March  13.  — Had  rost  befe  for  diner,  and  cab- 
age,  and  potato  and  appel  sawse,  and  rice  puding. 
I  do  not  like  rice  puding  when  it  is  like  ours. 
Charley  Slack's  kind  is  rele  good.  Mush  and 
sirup  for  tea. 

March  19. — Fonnt  what  did.  John  and  me 
saved  our  pie  to  take  to  schule. 

March  21.  —  Forgit  what  did.  Gridcl  cakes 
for  brekfast.     Debby  didn't  fry  enufF. 

March  24. — This  is  Sunday.  Corn  befe  for 
dinnir.     Studdied    my  Bibel    leson.     Aunt   Issy 

3 


34  WHAT    KATY   DID. 

said  I  was  gredy.  Have  resollved  not  to  think 
so  much  about  things  to  ete.  Wish  I  was  a  beter 
boy.     Nothing  pertikeler  for  tea. 

March  25.  —  Fonrit  what  did. 

March  27.  —  Forgit  what  did. 

March  29.  —Played. 

March  31.  —  Forgit  what  did. 

April  1.  —  Have  dissided  not  to  kepe  a  jurnal 
enny  more." 

Here  ended  the  extracts ;  and  it  seemed  as  if 
only  a  minute  had  passed  since  they  stopped 
laughing  over  them,  before  the  long  shadows 
began  to  fall,  and  Mary  came  to  say  that  all 
of  them  must  come  in  to  get  ready  for  tea.  It 
was  dreadful  to  have  to  pick  up  the  empty  bas- 
kets and  go  home,  feeling  that  the  long,  delight- 
ful Saturday  was  over,  and  that  there  wouldn't 
be  another  for  a  week.  But  it  was  comforting  to 
remember  that  Paradise  was  always  there ;  and 
that  at  anv  moment  when  Fate   and   Aunt    Izzie 

■ 

were  willing,  they  had  only  to  climb  a  pair  of 
bars  —  very  easy  ones,  and  without  any  fear  of  an 
angel  with  flaming  sword  to  stop  the  way --enter 
in,  and  take  possession  of  their  Eden. 


CHAPTER     III. 

THE    DAY   OF   SCRAPES. 

RS.  KNIGHT'S  school,  to  which  Katy 
and  Clover  and  Cecy  went,  stood  quite 
at  the  other  end  of  the  town  from  Dr. 
Carr's.  It  was  a  low,  one-story  building,  and  had  a 
yard  behind  it,  in  which  the  girls  played  at  recess. 
Unfortunately,  next  door  to  it  was  Miss  Miller's 
school,  equally  large  and  popular,  and  with  a  yard 
behind  it  also.  Only  a  high  board  fence  separated 
the  two  play-grounds. 

Mrs.  Knight  was  a  stout,  gentle  woman,  who 
moved  slowly,  and  had  a  face  which  made  you 
think  of  an  amiable  and  well-disposed  cow.  Miss 
Miller,  on  the  contrary,  had  black  eyes,  with  black 
corkscrew  curls  waving  about  them,  and  was  gen- 
erally brisk  and  snappy.  A  constant  feud  raged 
between  the  two  schools  as  to  the  respective  merits 
of  the  teachers  and  the  instruction.     The  Knight 

(35) 


36  WHAT   KATY   DID.    - 

girls,  for  some  unknown  reason,  considered  them- 
selves genteel  and  the  Miller  girls  vulvar,  and 
took  no  pains  to  conceal  this  opinion  ;  while  the 
Miller  girls,  on  the  other  hand,  retaliated  by 
being  as  aggravating  as  they  knew  how.  They 
spent  their  recesses  and  intermissions  mostly  in 
making  faces  through  the  knot-holes  in  the  fence, 
and  over  the  top  of  it  when  they  could  get  there, 
which  wasn't  an  easy  thing  to  do,  as  the  fence 
was  pretty  high.  The  Knight  girls  could  make 
faces  too,  for  all  their  gentility.  Their  yard  had 
one  great  advantage  over  the  other :  it  possessed 
a  wood-shed,  with  a  climbable  roof,  which  com- 
manded Miss  Miller's  premises,  and  upon  this  the 
girls  used  to  sit  in  rows,  turning  up  their  noses  at 
the  next  yard,  and  irritating  the  foe  by  jeering 
remarks.  "Knights,"  and  "  Millerites,"  the  two 
schools  called  each  other :  and  the  feud  raged  so 
high,  that  sometimes  it  was  hardly  safe  for  a 
Knight  to  meet  a  Millerite  in  the  street ;  all  of 
which,  as  may  be  imagined,  was  exceedingly  im- 
proving both  to  the  manners  and  morals  of  the 
young  ladies  concerned. 

One  morning,  not  long  after  the  day  in  Paradise, 


THE    DAY    OF    SCRAPES.  37 

Katy  was  late.  She  could  not  find  her  things. 
Her  algebra,  as  she  expressed  it,  had  "gone  and 
lost  itself,"  her  slate  was  missing,  and  the  string 
was  off  her  sun-bonnet.  She  ran  about,  searching 
for  these  articles  and  banging  doors,  till  Aunt 
Izzie  was  out  of  patience. 

"As  for  your  algebra,"  she  said,  "if  it  is  that 
very  dirty  book  with  only  one  cover,  and  scribbled 
all  over  the  leaves,  you  will  find  it  under  the 
kitchen-table.  Philly  was  playing  before  break- 
fast that  it  was  a  pig :  no  wonder,  I'm  sure, 
for  it  looks  good  for  nothing  else.  How  you  do 
manage  to  spoil  your  school-books  in  this  manner, 
Katy,  T  cannot  imagine.  It  is  less  than  a  month 
since  your  father  got  you  a  new  algebra,  and  look 
at  it  now — not  fit  to  be  carried  about.  I  do  wish 
you  would  realize  what  books  cost ! 

"About  your  slate,"  she  went  on,  "I  know 
nothing ;  but  here  is  the  bonnet-string ;"  taking  it 
out  of  her  pocket. 

"Oh,  thank  you  I  "  said  Katy,  hastily  sticking  it 
on  with  a  pin. 

"Katy  Carr!"  almost  screamed  Miss  Izzie, 
"  what  are  you  about?     Pinning  on  your  bonnet- 


SS  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

string!  Mercy  on  me,  what  shiftless  thing  will 
you  do  next?  Now  stand  still,  and  don't  fidget! 
You  sha'n't  stir  till  I  have  sewed  it  on  properly." 

It  wasn't  easy  to  "stand  still  and  not  fidget," 
with  Aunt  Izzie  fussing  away  and  lecturing,  and 
now  and  then,  in  a  moment  of  forgetfulness,  stick- 
ing her  needle  into  one's  chin.  Katy  bore  it  as 
well  as  she  could,  only  shifting  perpetually  from 
one  foot  to  the  other,  and  now  and  then  uttering  a 
little  snort,  like  an  impatient  horse.  The  minute 
she  was  released  she  flew  into  the  kitchen,  seized 
the  algebra,  and  rushed  like  a  whirlwind  to  the 
gate,  where  good  little  Glover  stood  patiently 
waiting,  though  all  ready  herself,  and  terribly 
afraid  she  should  be  late. 

"  We  shall  have  to  run,"  gasped  Katy,  quite  out 
of  breath.  "  Aunt  Izzie  kept  me.  She  has  been 
so  horrid  ! " 

They  did  run  as  fast  as  they  could,  but  time  ran 
faster,  and  before  they  were  half  way  to  school  the 
town  clock  struck  nine,  and  all  hope  was  over. 
This  vexed  Katy  very  much  ;  for,  though  often  late, 
6he  was  always  eager  to  be  early. 

"There,"  she  said,   stopping  short,"  I  shall  just 


THE    DAY    OF    SCRAPES.  39 

toll  Aunt  Izzie  that  it  was  her  fault.  It  is  too  bad." 
And  she  marched  into  school  in  a  very  cross  mood. 
A  day  begun  in  this  manner  is  pretty  sure  to 
end  badly,  as  most  of  us  know.  All  the  morning 
through,  things  seemed  to  go  wrong.  Katy  missed 
twice  in  her  grammar  lesson,  and  lost  her  place  in 
the  class.  Her  hand  shook  so  when  she  copied 
her  composition,  that  the  writing,  not  good  at 
best,  turned  out  almost  illegible,  so  that  Mrs. 
Knight  said  it  must  all  be  done  over  again.  This 
made  Katy  crosser  than  ever ;  and  almost  before 
she  thought,  she  had  whispered  to  Clover,  "  How 
hateful!"  And  then,  when  just  before  recess  all 
who  had  M  communicated  "  were  requested  to  stand 
up,  her  conscience  gave  such  a  twinge  that  she 
was  forced  to  get  up  with  the  rest,  and  see  a  black 
mark  put  against  her  name  on  the  list.  The  tears 
came  into  her  eyes  from  vexation  ;  and,  for  fear 
the  other  girls  would  notice  them,  she  made  a  bolt 
for  the  yard  as  soon  as  the  bell  rang,  and  mounted 
up  all  alone  to  the  wood  house-roof,  where  she 
sat  with  her  back  to  the  school,  fi^htim*  with  her 
eyes,  and  trying  to  get  her  face  in  order  before 
the  reel  should  come. 


40  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

Miss  Miller's  clock  was  about  four  minutes  slower 
than  Mrs.  Knight's,  so  the  next  play-ground  was 
empty.  It  was  a  warm,  breezy  day,  and  as  Katy 
sat  there,  suddenly  a  gust  of  wind  came,  and  seiz- 
ing her  sun-bonnet,  which  was  only  half  tied  on, 
whirled  it  across  the  roof.  She  clutched  after  it 
as  it  flew,  but  too  late.  Once,  twice,  thrice,  it 
flapped,  then  it  disappeared  over  the  edge,  and 
Katy,  flying  after,  saw  it  lying  a  crumpled  lilac 
heap  in  the  very  middle  of  the  enemy's  yard. 

This  was  horrible  !  Not  merely  losing  the  bonnet, 
for  Katy  was  comfortably  indifferent  as  to  what 
became  of  her  clothes,  but  to  lose  it  so.  In 
another  minute  the  Miller  girls  would  be  out.  Al- 
ready she  seemed  to  see  them  dancing  war-dances 
round  the  unfortunate  bonnet,  pinning  it  on  a  pole, 
using  it  as  a  foot-ball,  waving  it  over  the  fence, 
and  otherwise  treating  it  as  Indians  treat  a  captive 
taken  in  war.  Was  it  to  be  endured?  Never f 
Better  die  first !  And  with  very  much  the  feeling 
of  a  person  who  faces  destruction  rather  than  for- 
feit honor,  Katy  set  her  teeth,  and  sliding  rapidly 
down  the  roof,  seized  the  fence,  and  with  one 
bold  leap  vaulted  into  Miss  Miller's  yard. 


THE    DAY    OF   SCRAPES.  41 

Just  then  the  recess  bell  tinkled  ;  and  a  little 
Millerite  who  sat  by  the  window,  and  who,  for 
two  seconds,  had  been  dying  to  give  the  exciting 
information,  squeaked  out  to  the  others  :  "  There's 
Katy  Carr  in  our  back-yard  !  " 

Out  poured  the  Millerites,  big  and  little.  Their 
wrath  and  indignation  at  this  daring  invasion  can- 
not be  described.  With  a  howl  of  fury  they  pre- 
cipitated themselves  upon  Katy,  but  she  was  quick 
as  they,  and  holding  the  rescued  bonnet  in  her 
hand,  was  already  half-way  up  the  fence. 

There  are  moments  when  it  is  a  fine  thing  to  be 
tall.  On  this  occasion  Katy's  long  legs  and  arms 
served  her  an  excellent  turn.  Nothing  but  a 
Daddy  Long  Legs  ever  climbed  so  fast  or  so 
wildly  as  she  did  now.  In  one  second  she  had 
gained  the  top  of  the  fence.  Just  as  she  went 
over  a  Millerite  seized  her  by  the  last  foot,  and 
almost  drained  her  boot  oif. 

Almost,  not  quite,  thanks  to  the  stout  thread 
with  which  Aunt  Izzie  had  sewed  on  the  buttons. 
With  a  frantic  kick  Katy  released  herself,  and  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  her  assailant  go  head 
over    heels    backward,    while,   with    a    shriek    of 


42  WHAT   KATY   DTD. 

triumph  and  fright,  she  herself  plunged  headlong 
into  the  midst  of  a  group  of  Knights.  They  were 
listening  with  open  mouths  to  the  uproar,  and 
now  stood  transfixed  at  the  astonishing  spectacle 
of  one  of  their  number  absolutely  returning  alive 
from  the  camp  of  the  enemy. 

I  cannot  tell  you  what  a  commotion  ensued. 
The  Knights  were  beside'  themselves  with  pride 
and  triumph.  Katy  was  kissed  and  hugged,  and 
made  to  tell  her  story  over  and  over  again,  while 
rows  of  exulting  girls  sat  on  the  wood-house  roof 
to  crow  over  the  discomfited  Millerites :  and 
when,  later,  the  foe  rallied  and  began  to  retort  over 
the  fence,  Clover,  armed  with  a  tack-hammer, 
was  lifted  up  in  the  arms  of  one  of  the  tall  girls 
to  rap  the  intruding  knuckles  as  they  appeared  on 
the  top.  This  she  did  with  such  good-will  that  the 
Millerites  were  glad  to  drop  down  again,  and 
mutter  vengeance  at  a  safe  distance.  Altogether 
it  was  a  great  day  for  the  school,  a  day  to  be  re- 
membered. As  time  went  on,  Katy,  what  with 
the  excitement  of  her  adventure,  and  of  being 
praised  and  petted  by  the  big  girls,  grew  perfectly 
veckless,  and  hardly  knew  what  she  said  or  did. 


THE    DAY    OF    SCRAPES.  43 

A  good  many  of  the  scholars  lived  too  far  from 
school  to  go  home  at  noon,  and  were  in  the  habit 
of  bringing  their  lunches  in  baskets,  and  staying 
all  day.  Katy  and  Clover  were  of  this  number. 
This  noon,  after  the  dinners  were  eaten,  it  was 
proposed  that  they  should  play  something  in  the 
school-room,  and  Katy's  unlucky  star  put  it  into 
her  bead  to  invent  a  new  game,  which  she  called 
the  Game  of  Rivers. 

It  was  played  in  the  following  manner :  Each 
girl  took  the  name  of  a  river,  and  laid  out  for  her- 
self an  appointed  path  through  the  room,  winding 
among  the  desks  and  benches,  and  making  a  low, 
roaring  sound,  to  imitate  the  noise  of  water. 
Cecy  was  the  Platte,  Marianne  Brooks,  a  tall  girl, 
the  Mississippi,  Alice  Blair,  the  Ohio,  Clover, 
the  Penobscot,  and  so  on.  They  were  instructed 
to  run  into  each  other  once  in  a  while,  because, 
as  Katy  said,  "rivers  do."  As  for  Katy  herself, 
she  was  "Father  Ocean,"  and,  growling  horribly, 
raged  up  and  down  the  platform  where  Mrs. 
Knight  usually  sat.  Every  now  and  then,  when 
the  others  were  at  the  far  end  of  the  room, 
she  would  suddenly  cry   out,  "  Now  for  a  meet* 


44  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

ing  of  the  waters  !  "  whereupon  all  the  rivers 
bouncing,  bounding,  scrambling,  screaming, 
would  turn  and  run  toward  Father  Ocean , 
while  he  roared  louder  than  all  of  them  put  to- 
gether, and  made  short  rushes  up  and  down,  to 
represent  the  movement  of  waves  on  a  beach. 

Such  a  noise  as  this  beautiful  game  made  was 
never  heard  in  the  town  of  Burnet  before  or  since. 
It  was  like  the  bellowing  of  the  bulls  of  Bashan, 
the  squeaking  of  pigs,  the  cackle  of  turkey-cocks, 
and  the  laugh  of  wild  hyenas  all  at  once ;  and,  in 
addition,  there  was  a  great  banging  of  furniture 
and  scraping  of  many  feet  on  an  uncarpeted  floor. 
People  going  by  stopped  and  stared,  children  cried, 
an  old  lady  asked  why  some  one  didn't  run  for  a 
policeman ;  while  the  Miller  girls  listened  to  the 
proceedings  with  malicious  pleasure,  and  told 
everybody  that  it  was  the  noise  that  Mrs.  Knight's 
scholars  "  usually  made  at  recess." 

Mrs.  Knight  coming  back  from  dinner,  was 
much  amazed  to  see  a  crowd  of  people  collected 
in  front  of  her  school.  As  she  drew  near,  the 
sounds  reached  her,  and  then  she  became  really 
frightened,     for     she     thought     somebody     was 


THE    DAY    OF    SCRAPES.  45 

being  murdered  on  her  premises.  Hurrying  in, 
she  threw  open  the  door,  and  there,  to  her  dis- 
may, was  the  whole  room  in  a  frightful  state  of 
confusion  and  uproar :  chairs  flung  down,  desks 
upset,  ink  streaming  on  the  floor ;  while  in  the 
midst  of  the  ruin  the  frantic  rivers  raced  and 
screamed,  and  old  Father  Ocean,  with  a  face  as 
red  as  fire,  capered  like  a  lunatic  on  the  platform. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  gasped  poor  Mrs. 
Knight,  almost  unable  to  speak  for  horror. 

At  the  sound  of  her  voice  the  Rivers  stood  still ; 
Father  Ocean  brought  his  prances  to  an  abrupt 
close,  and  slunk  down  from  the  platform.  All  of 
a  sudden,  each  girl  seemed  to  realize  what  a  con- 
dition the  room  was  in,  and  what  a  horrible  thins1 
she  had  done.  The  timid  ones  cowered  behind 
their  desks,  the  bold  ones  tried  to  look  uncon- 
scious, and,  to  make  matters  worse,  the  scholars 
tvho  had  gone  home  to  dinner  began  to  return, 
»taring  at  the  scene  of  disaster,  and  asking,  in 
whispers,  what  had  been  going  on? 

Mrs.  Knight  rans*  the  bell.  When  the  school 
had  come  to  order,  she  had  the  desks  and  chairs 
picked  up,  while  she  herself  brought  wet  cloths  to 


46  WHAT    KATY   DID. 

sop  the  ink  from  the  floor.  This  was  done  in  pro- 
found silence  ;  and  the  expression  of  Mrs.  Knight's 
face  was  so  direful  and  solemn,  that  a  fresh  damp 
fell  upon  the  spirits  of  the  guilty  Rivers,  and 
Father  Ocean  wished  himself  thousands  of  miles 
away. 

When  all  was  in  order  again,  and  the   girls  had 
taken  their  seats,  Mrs.  Knight  made  a  short  speech. 
She  said  she  never  was  so  shocked  in  her  life  be- 
fore ;    she    had    supposed    that    she    could    trust 
them    to  behave  like  ladies  when  her  back    was 
turned.     The  idea  that  they  could  act  so  disgrace- 
fully, make  such  an  uproar  and  alarm  people  going 
by,  had  never  occurred  to  her,  and  she  was  deeply 
pained.     It  was  setting  a  bad  example  to  all  the 
neighborhood  —  by  which  Mrs.  Knight  meant   the 
rival  school,  Miss  Miller  having  just  sent  over  a 
little  girl,  with  her  compliments,  to  ask  if  any  one 
was  hurt,  and  could  she  do  anything?  which  wai 
naturally  aggravating  !     Mrs.  Knight  hoped    thev 
were  sorry ;    she  thought  they  must  be  —  sorr} 
and  ashamed.     The  exercises  could  now   go  on  as 
usual.     Of  course  some  punishment  would  be  in- 
flicted for  the  offence,  but  she  should  have  to  re- 


THE    DAY    OF    SCRAPES.  47 

fleet  before  deciding  what  it  ou^ht  to  be.  Mean- 
time  she  wanted  them  all  to  think  it  over  seriously  ; 
and  if  any  one  felt  that  she  was  more  to  blame 
than  the  others,  now  was  the  moment  to  rise 
and  confess  it. 

Katy's  heart  gave  a  great  thump,  but  she  rose 
bravely  :  "I  made  up  the  game,  and  I  was  Father 
Ocean,"  she  said  to  the  astonished  Mrs.  Knight, 
who  glared  at  her  for  a  minute,  and  then  re- 
plied solemnly  :  "  Very  well,  Katy  —  sit  down  ;  " 
which  Katy  did,  feeling  more  ashamed  than  ever, 
but  somehow  relieved  in  her  mind.  There  is  a 
saving  grace  in  truth  which  helps  truth-tellers 
through  the  worst  of  their  troubles,  and  Katy  found 
this  out  now. 

The  afternoon  was  lon^and  hard.  Mrs.  Knight 
did  not  smile  once  ;  the  lessons  dragged  ;  and 
Katy,  after  the  heat  and  excitement  of  the  fore- 
noon, began  to  feel  miserable.  She  had  received 
more  than  one  hard  blow  during  the  meetings  of 
the  waters,  and  had  bruised  herself  almost  with- 
out knowing  it,  against  the  desks  and  chairs.  All 
these  places  now  began  to  ache  :  her  head  throbbed 


48  WHAT    KAVY   DID. 

so  that  she  could  hardly  see,  and  a  .urap  of  some- 
thing heavy  seemed  to  be  lying  on  her  heart. 

When  school  was  over,  Mrs.  Knight  rose  and  said, 
"The  young  ladies  who  took  part  in  the  game  this 
afternoon  are  requested  to  remain.  "  All  the 
others  went  away,  and  shut  the  door  behind  them. 
It  was  a  horrible  moment :  the  girls  never  forgot 
it,  or  the  hopeless  sound  of  the  door  as  the  last 
departing  scholar  clapped  it  after  her  as  she  left. 

I  can't  begin  to  tell  you  what  it  was  that  Mrs. 
Knight  said  to  them  :  it  was  very  affecting,  and  be- 
fore long  most  of  the  girls  began  to  cry.  The  pen- 
alty for  their  offence  was  announced  to  be  the  loss 
of  recess  for  three  weeks  ;  but  that  wasn't  half  so  bad 
as  seems:  Mrs.  Knight  so  "religious  and  afflicted," 
as  Cecy  told  her  mother  afterward.  One  by  one 
the  sobbing  sinners  depai  ted  from  the  school-room. 
When  most  of  them  were  gone,  Mrs.  Knight 
called  Katy  up  to  the  platform,  and  said  a  few 
words  to  her  specially.  She  was  not  really  severe, 
but  Katy  was  too  penitent  and  worn  out  to  bear 
much,  and  before  long  was  weeping  like  a  water- 
spout, or  like  the  ocean  she  had  pretended  to  bp. 
At  this,   tender-hearted  Mrs.    Knight    was   so 


•    !      r      ' 


n 

IL 


— •-.  (" 
J 


r    r   <■     * 


r  :- 


..'■'-..•■■   i 
>iH    r,  ■ 


< 


All  the  way  home  she  sobbed,  faithful  little  Clover  running  along  by  her  side,  in  great 

distre-s  —  Page  49. 


THE    DAY   OF    SCRAPES.  49 

much  affected  that  she  let  her  off  at  once,  and 
even  kissed  her  in  token  of  forgiveness,  which 
made  poor  Ocean  sob  harder  than  ever.  All  the 
way  home  she  sobbed;  faithful  little  Clover,  run- 
n-Mg  along  by  her  side  in  great  distress,  boshing 
her  to  stop  crying,  and  trying  in  vain  to  hold  up 
the  fragments  of  her  dress,  which  was  lorn  in  at 
least  a  dozen  places.  Katy  could  not  stop  crying, 
and  it  was  fortunate  that  Aunt  Izzie  happened  to 
be  out,  and  that  the  only  person  who  saw  her  in 
this  piteous  plight  was  Mary,  the  nurse,  who 
doted  on  the  children,  and  was  always  ready  to 
help  them  out  of  their  troubles. 

On  this  occasion  she  petted  and  cosseted  Katy 
exactly  as  if  it  had  been  Johnny  or  little  Phil. 
She  took  her  on  her  lap,  bathed  the  hot  head, 
brushed  the  hair,  put  arnica  on  the  bruises,  and 
produced  a  clean  frock,  so  that  by  tea-time  the 
poor  child,  except  for  her  red  eyes,  looked  like 
herself  again,  and  Aunt  Izzie  didn't  notice  any- 
thing unusual. 

For  a  wonder,  Dr.  Carr  was  at  home  that  even- 
ing. It  was  always  a  great  treat  to  the  children 
when   this  happened,   and   Katy   thought  herself 


50  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

happy  when,  after  the  little  ones  had  gone  to  bed, 
she  got  Papa  to  herself,  and  told  him  the  whole 
story. 

"  Papa,"  she  said,  sitting  on  his  knee,  which,  big 
girl  as  she  was,  she  liked  very  much  to  do,  "  what 
is  the  reason  that  makes  some  days  so  lucky  ana 
other  days  so  unlucky?  Now  to-day  began  all 
wrong,  and  everything  that  happened  in  it  was 
wrong,  and  on  other  days  I  begin  right,  and  all 
goes  right,  straight  through.  If  Aunt  Izzie  hadn't 
kept  me  in  the  morning,  I  shouldn't  have  lost  my 
mark,  and  then  I  shouldn't  have  been  cross,  and 
then  perhaps  I  shouldn't  have  got  in  my  other 
scrapes." 

"But  what  made  Aunt  Izzie  keep  you,  Katy?" 
"To  sew  on  the  string  of  my  bonnet,  Papa." 
"  But  how  did  it  happen  that  the  string  was  off?  " 
"Well, "  said  Katy,  reluctantly,"  I  am  afraid  that 
was  my  fault,  for  it  came  off  on  Tuesday,  and  I 
didn't  fasten  it  on." 

"  So  you  see  we  must  go  back  of  Aunt  Izzie  for 
the  beginning  of  this  unlucky  day  of  yours,  Childie. 
Did  you  ever  hear  the  old  saying  about  f  For  the 
want  of  a  nail  the  shoe  was  lost '  ?  " 


THE    DAY    OF    SCRAPES.  51 

"No,  never  —  tell  it  to  me!"  cried  Katy,  who 
loved  stories  as  well  as  when  she  was  three  years 
old. 

So  Dr.  Carr  repeated  — 

"For  the  want  of  a  nail  the  shoe  was  lost, 
For  the  want  of  a  shoe  the  horse  was  lost, 
For  the  want  of  a  horse  the  rider  was  lost, 
For  the  want  of  the  rider  the  battle  was  lost, 
For  the  want  of  the  battle  the  kingdom  was  lost, 
And  all  for  want  of  a  horse-shoe  nail." 

"  Oh,  Papa  !  "exclaimed  Katy,  giving  him  a  great 
hug  as  she  got  off  his  knee,  "  I  see  what  you  mean  ! 
Who  would  have  thought  such  a  little  speck  of  a 
thing  as  not  sewing  on  my  string  could  make  a 
difference?  But  I  don't  believe  I  shall  get  in  any 
more  scrapes,  for  I  sha'n't  ever  forget  — 

'For  the  want  of  a  nail  the  shoe  was  lost.' M 


CHAPTER    IV. 

KIKERI. 

UT  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  my  poor, 
thoughtless  Katy  did  forget,  and   did 
get  into  another  scrape,   and  that   no 
later  than  the  very  next  Monday. 

Monday  was  apt  to  be  rather  a  stormy  day  at 
the  Carr's.  There  was  the  big  wash  to  be  done, 
and  Aunt  Izzie  always  seemed  a  little  harder  to 
please,  and  the  servants  a  good  deal  crosser  than 
on  common  days.  But  I  think  it  was  also,  in 
part,  the  fault  of  the  children,  who,  after  the 
quiet  of  Sunday,  were  specially  frisky  and  up- 
roarious, and  readier  than  usual  for  all  sorts  of 
mischief. 

To  Clover  and  Elsie,  Sunday  seemed  to  begin 
at  Saturday's  bed-time,  when  their  hair  was  wet, 
and  screwed  up  in  papers,  that  it  might  curl  next 
day.       Elsie's    waved    naturally,    so    Aunt     Izzie 

(52) 


KIKERI.  58 

didn't  think  it  necessary  to  pin  her  papers  very 
tight ;  but  Clover's  thick,  straight  locks  required 
to  be  pinched  hard  before  they  would  give  even 
the  least  twirl,  and  to  her,  Saturday  night  was 
one  of  misery.  She  would  lie  tossing,  and  turn- 
ing, and  trying  first  one  side  of  her  head  and 
then  the  other ;  but  whichever  way  she  placed 
herself,  the  hard  knobs  and  the  pins  stuck 
out  and  hurt  her ;  so  when  at  last  she  fell 
asleep,  it  was  face  down,  with  her  small  nose 
buried  in  the  pillow,  which  was  not  comfort- 
able, and  gave  her  bad  dreams.  In  consequence 
of  these  sufferings  Clover  hated  curls,  and  when 
she  "made  up"  stories  for  the  younger  children, 
they  always  commenced :  "  The  hair  of  the  beau- 
tiful princess  was  as  straight  as  a  yard-stick,  and 
she  never  did  it  up  in  papers  —  never  ! " 

Sunday  always  began  with  a  Bible  story,  fol- 
lowed by  a  breakfast  of  baked  beans,  which  two 
things  were  much  tangled  up  together  in  Philly's 
mind.  After  breakfast  the  children  studied  their 
Sunday-school  lessons,  and  then  the  big  carryall 
came  round,  and  they  drove  to  church,  which  was 
a  good  mile  off.     It  was  a   large,   old-fashioned 


54  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

church,  with  galleries,  mid  long  pews  with  high 
red-cushioned  seats.  The  choir  sat  at  the  end, 
behind  a  low,  green  curtain,  which  slipped  from 
side  to  side  on  rods.  When  the  sermon  began, 
they  would  draw  the  curtain  aside  and  show 
themselves,  all  ready  to  listen,  but  the  rest  of  the 
time  they  kept  it  shut.  Katy  always  guessed 
that  they  must  be  having  good  times  behind  the 
green  curtain — eating  orange-peel,  perhaps,  or 
reading  the  Sunday-school  books  —  and  she  often 
wished  she  might  sit  up  there  among  them. 

The  seat  in  Dr.  Carr's  pew  was  so  high  that 
none  of  the  children,  except  Katy,  could  touch 
the  floor,  even  with  the  point  of  a  toe.  This 
made  their  feet  go  to  sleep  ;  and  when  they  felt 
the  queer  little  pin-pricks  which  drowsy  feet  use 
to  rouse  themselves  with,  they  would  slide  off  the 
seat,  and  sit  on  the  benches  to  get  over  it.  Once 
there,  and  well  hidden  from  view,  it  was  almost 
impossible  not  to  whisper.  Aunt  Izzie  would 
frown  and  shake  her  head,  but  it  did  little  good, 
especially  as  Phil  and  Dorry  were  sleeping  with 
their  heads  on  her  lap,  and  it  took  both  her  hands 
to  keep  them  from  rolling  off  into  the  bottom  of 


KIKERI.  53 

the  pew.  When  good  old  Dr.  Stone  said, 
"Finally,  my  brethren,"  she  would  begin  waking 
them  up.  It  was  hard  work  sometimes,  but  gen- 
erally she  succeeded,  so  that  during  the  last 
hymn  the  two  stood  together  on  the  seat,  quite 
brisk  and  refreshed,  sharing  a  hymn-book,  and 
makiug  believe  to  siug  like  the  older  people. 

After  church  came  Sunday-school,  which  the 
children  liked  very  much,  and  then  they  went 
home  to  dinner,  which  was  always  the  same  on 
Sunday  —  cold  corned-beef,  baked  potatoes,  and 
rice  pudding.  They  did  not  go  to  church  in  the 
afternoon  unless  they  wished,  but  were  pounced 
upon  by  Katy  instead,  and  forced  to  listen  to  the 
reading  of  The  Sunday  Visitor,  a  religious  paper, 
of  which  she  was  the  editor.  This  paper  was  partly 
written,  partly  printed,  on  a  large  sheet  of  foolscap, 
and  had  at  the  top  an  ornamental  device,  in  lead 
pencil,  with  "  Sunday  Visitor "  in  the  middle  of 
it.  The  reading  part  began  with  a  dull  little  piece 
of  the  kind  which  grown  people  call  an  editorial, 
about  "  Neatness,"  or  "  Obedience,"  or  "  Punc- 
tuality." The  children  always  fidgeted  when 
listening    to    this,    partly,    I    think,    because    it 


56  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

aggravated  them  to  have  Katy  recommending  on 
paper,  as  very  easy,  the  virtues  which  she  herself 
found  it  so  hard  to  practise  in  real  life.  Next 
came  anecdotes  about  dogs  and  elephants  and 
snakes,  taken  from  the  Natural  History  book, 
and  not  very  interesting,  because  the  audience 
knew  them  by  heart  already.  A  hymn  or  two 
followed,  or  a  string  of  original  verses,  and,  last 
of  all,  a  chapter  of  "  Little  Maria  and  Her  Sisters," 
a  dreadful  tale,  in  which  Katy  drew  so  much 
moral,  and  made  such  personal  allusions  to  the 
faults  of  the  rest,  that  it  was  almost  more  than 
they  could  bear.  In  fact,  there  had  just  been  a 
nursery  rebellion  on  the  subject.  You  must 
know  that,  for  some  weeks  back,  Katy  had  been 
too  lazy  to  prepare  any  fresh  Sunday  Visitors, 
and  so  had  forced  the  children  to  sit  in  a  row 
and  listen  to  the  back  numbers,  which  she  read 
aloud  from  the  very  beginning!  ?  Little  Maria ': 
sounded  much  worse  when  taken  in  these  large 
doses,  and  Clover  and  Elsie,  combining  for  once, 
made  up  their  minds  to  endure  it  no  longer.  So, 
watching  their  chance,  they  carried  off  the  whole 
edition,  and  poked  it  into  the  kitchen  fire,  where 


KIKERI.  57 

they  watched  it  burn  with  a  mixture  of  fear  and 
delight  which  it  was  comical  to  witness.  They 
da*ed  not  confess  the  deed,  but  it  was  impossible 
not  to  look  conscious  when  Katy  was  flying  about 
and  rummaging  after  her  lost  treasure,  and  she 
suspected  them,  and  was  very  irate  in  conse- 
quence. 

The  evenings  of  Sunday  were  always  spent  in 
repeating  hymns  to  Papa  and  Aunt  Izzie.  This 
was  fun,  for  they  all  took  turns,  and  there 
was  quite  a  scramble  as  to  who  should  secure  the 
favorites,  such  as  "The  west  hath  shut  its  gate  oi 
gold,"  and  "Go  when  the  morning  shineth."  On 
the  whole,  Sunday  was  a  sweet  and  pleasant  day, 
and  the  children  thought  so  ;  but,  from  its  being 
so  much  quieter  than  other  days,  they  always  got 
up  on  Monday  full  of  life  and  mischief,  and  ready 
to  fizz  over  at  any  minute,  like  champagne  bottles 
with  the  wires  just  cut. 

This  particular  Monday  was  rainy,  so  there 
couldn't  be  any  out-door  play,  which  was  the 
usual  vent  for  over-high  spirits.  The  little  ones, 
cooped  up  in  the  nursery  all  the  afternoon,  had 
grown   perfectly  riotous.       Philly  was    not   quite 


53  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

well,  and  had  been  taking  medicine.  The 
medicine  was  called  Elixir  Pro,  It  was  a 
great  favorite  with  Aunt  Izzie,  who  kept  a 
bottle  of  it  always  on  hand.  The  bottle  was 
large  and  black,  with  a  paper  label  tied  round  its 
neck,  and  the  children  shuddered  at  the  sight 
of  it. 

After  Phil  had  stopped  roaring  and  spluttering, 
and  play  had  begun  again,  the  dolls,  as  was  only 
natural,  were  taken  ill  also,  and  so  was  "  Pikery," 
John's  little  yellow  chair,  which  she  always  pre- 
tended was  a  doll  too.  She  kept  an  old  apron 
tied  on  his  back,  and  generally  took  him  to  bed 
with  her  —  not  into  bed,  that  would  have  been 
troublesome  ;  but  close  by,  tied  to  the  bed-post. 
Now,  as  she  told  the  others,  Pikery  was  very 
sick  indeed.  He  must  have  some  medicine,  just 
like  Philly. 

<?  Give  him  some  water,"  suggested  Dorry. 

"No,"  said  John,  decidedly,  "  it  must  be  black 
and  out  of  a  bottle,  or  it  won't  do  any  good." 

After  thinking  a  moment,  she  trotted  quietly 
across  the  passage  into  Aunt  Izzie's  room.  No- 
body was  there,  but  John  knew  where  the  Elixir 


KIKERI.  59 

Pro  was  kept  —  in  the  closet  on  the  third  shelf. 
She  pulled  one  of  the  drawers  out  a  little,  climbed 
up,  and  reached  it  down.  The  children  were  en- 
chanted when  she  marched  hack,  the  bottle  in  one 
hand,  the  cork  in  the  other,  and  proceeded  to 
pour  a  liberal  dose  on  to  Pikery's  wooden  seat, 
which  John  called  his  lap. 

There!  there!  my  poor  boy,"  she  said,  pat- 
ting his  shoulder  —  I  mean  his  arm  —  "  swallow  it 
down  —  it'll  do  you  good." 

Just  then  Aunt  Izzie  came  in,  and  to  her  dis- 
may saw  a  long  trickle  of  something  dark  and 
sticky  running  down  on  to  the  carpet.  It  was 
Pikery's  medicine,  which  he  had  refused  to 
swallow. 

"What  is  that?"  she  asked  sharply. 

"My  baby  is  sick,"  faltered  John,  displaying 
the  guilty  bottle. 

Aunt  Izzie  rapped  her  over  the  head  with  a 
thimble,  and  told  her  that  she  was  a  very  naughty 
child,  whereupon  Johnnie  pouted,  and  cried  a  lit- 
tle. Aunt  Izzie  wiped  up  the  slop,  and  taking 
away  the  Elixir,  retired  with  it  to  her  closet,  say- 


GO  WPIAT   KATY   DID. 

ing   that    she    "  never   knew  anything  like  it  —  it 
was  always  so  on  Mondays." 

What  further  pranks  were  played  in  the  nursery 
that  clay,  I  cannot  pretend  to  tell.  But  late  in 
the  afternoon  a  dreadful  screaming  was  heard,  and 
when  people  rushed  from  all  parts  of  the  house  to 
see  what  was  the  matter,  behold,  the  nursery 
door  was  locked,  and  nobody  could  get  in.  Aunt 
Izzie  called  through  the  keyhole  to  have  it  opened, 
but  the  roars  were  so  loud  that  it  was  Ions:  before 
she  could  get  an  anwer.  At  last  Elsie,  sobbing 
violently,  explained  that  Dorry  had  locked  the 
door,  and  now  the  key  wouldn't  turn,  and  they 
couldn't  open  it.  Would  they  have  to  stay  there 
always,  and  starve? 

"Of  course  you  won't,  you  foolish  child,"  ex- 
claimed Aunt  Izzie.  "Dear,  dear,  what  on  earth 
will  come  next  ?  Stop  crying,  Elsie  —  do  you  hear 
me?     You  shall  all  be  got  out  in  a  few  minutes." 

And  sure  enough,  the  next  thing  came  a  rattling 
at  the  blinds,  and  there  was  Alexander,  the  hired 
man,  standing- outside  on  a  tall  ladder  and  nodding 
his  head  at  the  children.  The  little  ones  forgot 
their  fright.     They  flew  to  open  the  window,  and 


KIKERI.  61 

frisked  and  jumped  about  Alexander  as  he  climbed 
in  and  unlocked  the  door.  It  struck  them  as  be- 
ing such  a  line  thing  to  be  let  out  in  this  way,  that 
Dorry  began  to  rather  plume  himself  for  fastening 
them  in. 

But  Aunt  Izzie  didn't  take  this  view  of  the  case. 
She  scolded  them  well,  and  declared  they  were  trou- 
blesome children,  who  couldn't  be  trusted  one  mo- 
ment out  of  sight,  and  that  she  was  more  than  half 
sorry  she  had  promised  to  go  to  the  Lecture  that 
evening.  "How  do  I  know,"  she  concluded, 
"that  before  I  come  home  you  won't  have  set  the 
house  on  fire,  or  killed  somebody?" 

"Oh,  no  we  won't!  no  we  won't!"  whined  the 
children,  quite  moved  by  this  frightful  picture. 
But  bless  you  —  ten  minutes  afterward  the}'  had 
forgotten  all  about  it. 

All  this  time  Katy  had  been  sitting  on  the  ledge 
of  the  bookcase  in  the  Library,  poring  over  a 
book.  It  was  called  Tasso's  Jerusalem  Delivered. 
The  man  who  wrote  it  was  an  Italian,  but  some- 
body had  done  the  story  over  into  English.  It 
was  rather  a  queer  book  for  a  little  girl  to  take  a 
fancy  to,  but  somehow  Katy  liked  it  very  much. 


62  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

It  told  about  knights,  and  ladies,  and  giants,  and 
battles,  and  made  her  feel  hot  and  cold  by  turns 
as  she  read,  and  as  if  she  must  rush  at  something, 
and  shout,  and  strike  blows.  Katy  was  naturally 
fond  of  reading.  Papa  encouraged  it.  He  kept  a 
few  books  locked  up,  and  then  turned  her  loose  in 
the  Library.  She  read  all  sorts  of  things  :  travels, 
and  sermons,  and  old  magazines.  Nothing  was 
so  dull  that  she  couldn't  get  through  with  it.  Any- 
thing really  interesting  absorbed  her  so  that  she 
never  knew  what  was  going  on  about  her.  The 
little  girls  to  whose  houses  she  went  visiting  had 
found  this  out,  and  always  hid  away  their  story- 
books when  she  was  expected  to  tea.  If  they 
didn't  do  this,  she  was  sure  to  pick  one  up  and 
plunge  in,  and  then  it  was  no  use  to  call  her,  or 
tug  at  her  dress,  for  she  neither  saw  nor  heard 
anything  more,  till  it  was  time  to  go  home. 

This  afternoon  she  read  the  Jerusalem  till  it 
was  too  dark  to  see  any  more.  On  her  way  up 
stairs  she  met  Aunt  Izzie,  with  bonnet  and  shawl 
on. 

"Where  have  you  been?"  she  said.  "I  have 
been  calling  you  for  the  last  half-hour." 


KIKERI.  63 

"  I  didn't  hear  you,  ma'am." 

"But  where  were  3rou?'    persisted  Miss  Izzie. 

ff  In  the  Library,  reading,"  replied  Katy. 

Her  aunt  gave  a  sort  of  sniff,  but  she  knew 
Katy's  ways,  and  said  no  more. 

"  I'm  o-oino^  out  to  drink  tea  with  Mrs.  Hall 
and  attend  the  evening  Lecture,"  she  went  on. 
w  Be  sure  that  Clover  gets  her  lesson,  and  if  Cecy 
comes  over  as  usual,  you  must  send  her  home 
early.     All  of  you  must  be  in  bed  by  nine." 

K  Yes'm,"  said  Katy,  but  I  fear  she  was  not  at- 
tending much,  but  thinking,  in  her  secret  soul, 
how  jolly  it  was  to  have  Aunt  Izzie  go  out  for 
once.  Miss  Carr  was  very  faithful  to  her  duties : 
she  seldom  left  the  children,  even  for  an  evening  ; 
so  whenever  she  did,  they  felt  a  certain  sense  of 
novelty  and  freedom,  which  was  dangerous  as 
well  as  pleasant. 

Still,  I  am  sure  that  on  this  occasion  Katy 
meant  no  mischief.  Like  all  excitable  people, 
she  seldom  did  mean  to  do  wrong,  she  just  did  it 
when  it  came  into  her  head.  Supper  passed  off 
successfully,  and  all  might  have  gone  well,  had  it 
not  been  that  after  the  lessons  were  learned,  and 


64  *  WHAT   KATF   DID. 

Cecy   had   come   in,   they   fell   to  talking   about 
«  Kikeri." 

Kikeri  was  a  game  which   had  been  very  pop- 
ular  with    them   a   year   before.      They   had    in- 
vented it  themselves,  and  chosen  for  it  this  queer 
name  out  of  an  old  fairy  story.     It  was  a  sort  of 
mixture  of  Blindman's  Buff  and  Tag  —  only  instead 
of  any  one's  eyes  being  bandaged,  they  all  played 
in  the  dark.     One  of  the  children  would  stay  out 
in  the   hall,   which  was  dimly   lighted  from  the 
stairs,  while  the  others  hid  themselves  in  the  nurs- 
ery.     When    they  were    all   hidden,  they  would 
call  out  "Kikeri,"  as  a  signal  for  the   one  in  the 
hall  to  come  in  and  find  them.     Of  course,  com 
ins  from  the  lisrht  he  could  see  nothing,  while  the 
others  could  see  only  dimly.     It  was  very  excit- 
ing to  stand  crouching  up   iu  a  corner  and  watch 
the  dark   figure  stumbling  about  and   feeling  to 
right  and   left,  while  every  now  and  then   some- 
body, just  escaping  his  clutches,  would  slip  past 
and  gain  the  hall,  which  was  "Freedom  Castle," 
with  a  joyful  shout  of  "Kikeri,  Kikeri,  Kikeri, 
Ki ! "     Whoever  was  caught  had  to  take  the  place 
of  the  catcher.    For  a  long  time  this  game  was  the 


KIKERI.  65 

delight  of  the  Carr  children  ;  but  so  many  scratches 
and  black-and-blue  spots  came  of  it,  and  so  many 
of  the  nursery  things  were  thrown  down  and 
broken,  that  at  last  Aunt  Izzie  issued  an  order 
that  it  should  not  be  piayed  any  more.  This  was 
almost  a  year  since  ;  but  talking  of  it  now  put  it 
into  their  heads  to  want  to  try  it  again. 

"After  all  we  didn't  promise,"  said  Cecy. 

"No,  and  Pajpa  never  said  a  word  about  our 
not  playing  it,"  added  Katy,  to  whom  "Papa" 
was  authority,  and  must  always  be  minded,  while 
Aunt  Izzie  might  now  and  then  be  defied. 

So  they  all  went  up  stairs.  Dorry  and  John, 
though  half  undressed,  were  allowed  to  join  the 
game.     Philly  was  fast  asleep  in  another  room. 

It  was  certainly   splendid   fun.      Once  Clover 

climbed   up   on  the  mantle-piece   and    sat  there, 

and  when  Katy,  who  was   finder,  groped  about  a 

little  more   wildly  than    usual,    she  caught    hold 

of  Clover's   foot,  and  couldn't  imagine  where  it 

came  from.     Dorry  got  a  hard   knock,  and  cried, 

and  at  another  time   Katy's  dress  caught  on  the 

bureau  handle  and  was  frightfully  torn,  but  these 

were  too  much  affairs  of  every  day  to  interfere  in 
5 


66  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

the  least  with  the  pleasures  of  Kikeri.  The  fun 
and  frolic  seemed  to  grow  greater  the  longer  they 
played.  In  the  excitement,  time  went  on  much 
faster  than  any  of  them  dreamed.  Suddenly,  in 
the  midst  of  the  noise,  came  a  sound  —  the  sharp 
distinct  slam  of  the  carryall-door  at  the  side  en- 
trance. Aunt  Izzie  had  returned  from  her 
Lecture ! 

The  dismay  and  confusion  of  that  moment  I 
Cecy  slipped  down  stairs  like  an  eel,  and  fled  on 
the  wings  of  fear  along  the  path  which  led  to  her 
home.  Mrs.  Hall,  as  she  bade  Aunt  Izzie  good- 
night, and  shut  Dr.  Carr's  front  door  behind  her 
with  a  bang,  might  have  been  struck  with  the 
singular  fact  that  a  distant  bang  came  from  her 
own  front  door  like  a  sort  of  echo.  But  she  was 
not  a  suspicious  woman ;  and  when  she  went  up 
stairs  there  were  Cecy's  clothes  neatly  folded  on  a 
chair,  and  Cecy  herself  in  bed,  fast  asleep,  only 
with  a  little  more  color  than  usual  in  her  cheeks. 

Meantime,  Aunt  Izzie  was  on  her  way  up 
stairs,  and  such  a  panic  as  prevailed  in  the 
nursery !  Katy  felt  it,  and  basely  scuttled  off 
to  her  own  room,  where  she  went  to  bed  with  all 


KIKERI.  67 

possible  speed.  But  the  others  found  it  much 
harder  to  go  to  bed ;  there  were  so  many  of 
them,  all  getting  into  each  other's  way,  and  with 
no  lamp  to  see  by.  Dorry  and  John  popped 
under  the  clothes  half  undressed,  Elsie  dis- 
appeared, and  Clover,  too  late  for  either,  and 
hearing  Aunt  Izzie's  step  in  the  hall,  did  this 
horrible  thing  —  fell  on  her  knees,  with  her  face 
buried  in  a  chair,  and  began  to  say  her  prayers 
very  hard  indeed. 

Aunt  Izzie,  coming  in  with  a  candle  in  her 
hand,  stood  in  the  doorway,  astonished  at  the 
spectacle.  She  sat  down  and  waited  for  Clover 
to  get  through,  while  Clover,  on  her  part,  didn't 
dare  to  get  through,  but  went  on  repeating  "Now 
I  lay  me"  over  and  over  again,  in  a  sort  of  de- 
spair. At  last  Aunt  Izzie  said  very  griml}' : 
"That  will  do,  Clover,  you  can  get  up!"  and 
Clover  rose,  feeling  like  a  culprit,  which  she  was, 
for  it  was  much  naughtier  to  pretend  to  be  pray- 
ing than  to  disobey  Aunt  Izzie  and  be  out  of  bed 
after  ten  o'clock,  though  I  think  Clover  hardly 
understood  this  then. 

Aunt  Izzie  at  once  began  to  undress  her,  and 


68  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

while  doing  so  asked  so  many  questions,  that  be- 
fore Ions:  she  had  got  at  the  truth  of  the  whole 
matter.  She  gave  Clover  a  sharp  scolding,  and 
leaving  her  to  wash  her  tearful  face,  she  went  to  the 
bed  where  John  and  Dorry  lay,  fast  asleep,  and 
snoring  as  conspicuously  as  they  knew  how. 
Something  strange  in  the  appearance  of  the  bed 
made  her  look  more  closely  :  she  lifted  the  clothes, 
and  there,  sure  enough,  they  were — -half  dressed, 
and  with  their  school-boots  on. 

Such  a  shake  as  Aunt  Izzie  gave  the  little 
scamps  at  this  discovery,  would  have  roused  a 
couple  of  dormice.  Much  against  their  will, 
John  and  Dorry  were  forced  to  wake  up,  and  be 
slapped  and  scolded,  and  made  ready  for  bed, 
Aunt  Izzie  standing  over  them  all  the  while,  like 
a  dragon.  She  had  just  tucked  them  warmly 
in,  when  for  the  first  time  she  missed  Elsie. 

"  Where  is  my  poor  little  Elsie  ?  "  she  exclaimed. 

"In  bed,"  said  Clover,  meekly. 

"In  bed!"  repeated  Aunt  Izzie,  much  amazed. 
Then  stooping  down,  she  gave  a  vigorous  pull. 
The  trundle-bed  came  into  view,  and  sure  enough, 
there  was  Elsie,  in  full  dress,  shoes  and  all,  but 


KIKERI.  69 

so  fast  asleep  that  not  all  Aunt  Izzie's  shakes,  and 
pinches,  and  calls,  were  able  to  rouse  her.  Her 
clothes  were  taken  off,  her  boots  unlaced,  her 
uight-gown  put  on ;  but  through  it  all  Elsie 
slept,  and  she  was  the  only  one  of  the  children 
who  did  not  get  the  scolding  she  deserved  that 
dreadful  night. 

Katy  did  not  even  pretend  to  be  asleep  when 
Aunt  Izzie  went  to  her  room.  Her  tardy  con- 
science had  waked  up,  and  she  was  lying  in  bed, 
very  miserable  at  having  drawn  the  others  into  a 
scrape  as  well  as  herself,  and  at  the  failure  of  her 
last  set  of  resolutions  about  "  setting  an  example 
to  the  younger  ones."  So  unhappy  was  she,  that 
Aunt  Izzie'*  severe  words  were  almost  a  relief; 
and  though  she  cried  herself  to  sleep,  it  was  rather 
from  the  burden  of  her  own  thoughts  than  be- 
cause  she  had  been  scolded. 

She  cried  even  harder  the  next  day,  for  Dr. 
Carr  talked  to  her  more  seriously  than  he  had  ever 
done  before.  He  reminded  her  of  the  time  when 
her  Mamma  died,  and  of  how  she  said,  ,f  Katy  must 
be  a  Mamma  to  the  little  ones,  when  she  grows 
up."     And  he  asked  her  if  she  didn't  think  the 


70  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

time  was  come  for  beginning  to  take  this  dear 
place  towards  the  children.  Poor  Katy !  She 
sobbed  as  if  her  heart  would  break  at  this,  and 
though  she  made  no  promises,  I  think  she  was 
never  quite  so  thoughtless  again,  after  that  day. 
As  for  the  rest,  Papa  called  them  together  and 
made  them  distinctly  understand  that  "  Kikeri " 
was  never  to  be  played  any  more.  It  was  so  sel- 
dom that  Papa  forbade  any  games,  however  bois- 
terous, that  this  order  really  made  an  impression 
on  the  unruly  brood,  and  they  never  have  played 
Kikeri  again,  from  that  day  to  this. 


CHAPTER  V. 


IN    THE    LOFT. 


DECLARE,  said  Miss  Petingill,  laying 
down  her  Work,   "  if  them  children  don't 
beat  all !     What  on  airth  are  they  goin<? 
to  do  now  ?  " 

Miss  Petingill  was  sitting  in  the  little  room  ir 
the  back  building,  which  she  always  had  when  she 
came  to  the  Carr's  for  a  week's  mending  and  mak- 
ing over.  She  was  the  dearest,  funniest  old 
woman  who  ever  went  out  sewing  by  the  day. 
Her  face  was  round,  and  somehow  made  you 
think  of  a  very  nice  baked  apple,  it  was  so  criss- 
crossed, and  lined  by  a  thousand  good-natured 
puckers.  She  was  small  and  wiry,  and  wore  caps 
and  a  false  front,  which  was  just  the  color  of  a 
dusty  Newfoundland  dog's  back.  Her  eyes  were 
dim,  and  she  used  spectacles  ;  but  for  all  that,  she 
was  an  excellent  worker.     Every  one  liked  Miss 

(71) 


72  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

Petingill,  though  Aunt  Izzie  did  once  say  that  her 
tongue  f  was  hunsr  in  the  middle. "  Aunt  Izzie 
made  this  remark  when  she  was  in  a  temper,  and 
was  by  no  means  prepared  to  have  Phil  walk  up 
at  once  and  request  Miss  Petingill  to  "  stick  it 
out,"  which  she  obligingly  did ;  while  the  rest 
of  the  children  crowded  to  look.  They  couldn't 
see  that  it  was  different  from  other  tongues,  but 
Philly  persisted  in  finding  somethiug  curious  about 
it;  there  mast  be,  you  know — since  it  was  hung 
in  that  queer  way  ! 

Wherever  Miss  Petinsrill  went,  all  sorts  of 
treasures  went  with  her  The  children  liked  to 
have  her  come,  for  it  was  as  good  as  a  fairy  story, 
or  the  circus,  to  see  her  things  unpacked.  Miss 
Petingill  was  very  much  afraid  of  burglars ;  she 
lay  awake  half  the  night  listening  for  them,  and 
nothing  on  earth  would  have  persuaded  her  to 
go  anywhere,  leaving  behind  what  she  called  her 
"Plate."  This  stately  word  meant  six  old  tea* 
spoons,  very  thin  and  bright  and  sharp,  and  a 
butter-knife,  whose  handle  set  forth  that  it  was 
'A  testimonial  of  gratitude,  for  saving  the  life 
of  Ithuriel  Jobson,  aged   seven,  on   the  occasion 


IN   THE    LOFT.  73 

of  his  being  attacked  with  quinsy  sore  throat." 
Miss  Petingill  was  very  proud  of  her  knife.  It 
and  the  spoons  travelled  about  in  a  little  basket 
which  huna:  on  her  arm,  and  was  never  allowed  to 
be  out  of  her  sight,  even  when  the  family  she  was 
sewing  for  were  the  houestest  people  in  the  world. 
Then,  beside  the  plate-basket,  Miss  Petingill 
never  stirred  without  Tom,  her  tortoise-shell  cat. 
Tom  was  a  a  beauty,  and  knew  his  power ;  he 
ruled  Miss  Petingill  with  a  rod  of  iron,  and 
always  sat  in  the  rocking-chair  when  there  was 
one.  It  was  no  matter  where  she  sat,  Miss  Pet- 
ingill told  people,  but  Tom  was  delicate,  and 
must  be  made  comfortable.  A  big  family  Bible 
always  came  too,  and  a  special  red  merino  pin- 
cushion, and  some  "  shade  pictures"  of  old  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Petingill  and  Peter  Petingill,  who  was 
drowned  at  sea ;  and  photographs  of  Mrs.  Porter, 
who  used  to  be  Marcia  Petingill,  and  Mrs.  Por- 
ter's husband,  and  all  the  Porter  children.  Many 
little  boxes  and  jars  came  also,  and  a  long  row  of 
phials  and  bottles,  filled  with  home-made  physic 
and  herb  teas.  Miss  Petingill  could  not  have  slept 
without  having  them   beside  her,  for,  as  she  said, 


74  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

how  did  she  know  that  she  might  not  be  ff  took 
sudden "  with  something,  and  die  for  want  of  a 
little  ginger-balsam  or  pennyroyal  ? 

The  Carr  children  always  made  so  much  noise, 
that  it  required  something  unusual  to  make  Miss 
Petingill  drop  her  work,  as  she  did  now,  and  fly 
to  the  window.  In  fact  there  was  a  tremendous 
hubbub :  hurrahs  from  Dorry,  stamping  of  feet, 
and  a  great  outcry  of  shrill,  glad  voices.  Look- 
ing down,  Miss  Petingill  saw  the  whole  six  —  no, 
seven,  for  Cecy  was  there  too  —  stream  out  of  the 
wood-house  door  —  which  wasn't  a  door,  but  only 
a  tall  open  arch  —  and  rush  noisily  across  the 
yard.  Katy  was  at  the  head,  bearing  a  large 
black  bottle  without  any  cork  in  it,  while  the 
others  carried  in  each  hand  what  seemed  to  be  a 
cookie. 

"Katherine  Carr!  K.ather-ine  1 "  screamed  Miss 
Petingill,  tapping  loudly  on  the  glass.  "  Don't 
you  see  that  it's  raining?  you  ought  to  be  ashamed 
to  let  your  little  brothers  and  sisters  go  out  and 
get  wet  in  such  a  way  !  "  But  nobody  heard  her, 
and  the  children  vanished  into  the  shed,  where 
nothing  could  be  seen  but  a  distant  flapping  of 


IN    THE    LOFT.  75 

pantalettes  and  frilled  trousers,  going  up  what 
seemed  to  be  a  ladder,  farther  hack  in  the  shed. 
So,  with  a  dissatisfied  cluck,  Miss  Petingill  drew 
back  her  head,  perched  the  spectacles  on  her  nose, 
and  went  to  work  again  on  Katy's  plaid  alpaca, 
which  had  two  immense  zi^zasr  rents  across  the 
middle  of  the  front  breadth.  Katy's  frocks, 
strange  to  say,  always  tore  exactly  in  that  place  ! 

If  Miss  Petingill's  eyes  could  have  reached  a 
little  farther,  they  would  have  seen  that  it  wasn't 
a  ladder  up  which  the  children  were  climbing,  but 
a  tall  wooden  post,  with  spikes  driven  into  it 
about  a  foot  apart.  It  required  quite  a  stride  to  get 
from  one  spike  to  the  other  ;  in  fact  the  littler  ones 
couldn't  have  managed  it  at  all,  had  it  not  been 
for  Clover  and  Cecy  "  boosting  "  very  hard  from 
below,  while  Katy,  making  a  long  arm,  clawed 
from  above.  At  last  they  were  all  safely  up,  and 
in  the  delightful  retreat  which  I  am  about  to 
describe  : 

Imagine  a  low,  dark  loft  without  any  windows, 
and  with  only  a  very  little  light  coming  in 
through  the  square  hole  in  the  floor,  to  which  the 
spikey  post   led.     There   was  a  strong   smell   of 


76  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

corn-cobs,  though  the  corn  had  been  taken  away ; 
a  great  deal  of  dust  and  spider-web  in  the  cor- 
ners, and  some  wet  spots  on  the  boards ;  for  the 
roof  always  leaked  a  little  in  rainy  weather. 

This  was  the  place,  which  for  some  reason  I  have 
never  been  able  to  find  out,  the  Carr  children 
preferred  to  any  other  on  rainy  Saturdays,  when 
they  could  not  play  out-doors.  Aunt  Izzie  was 
as  much  puzzled  at  this  fancy  as  I  am.  When 
she  was  young  (a  vague,  far-off  time,  which  none 
of  her  nieces  and  nephews  believed  in  much), 
she  had  never  had  any  of  these  queer  notions 
about  getting  off  into  holes  and  corners,  and  poke- 
away  places.  Aunt  Izzie  would  gladly  have  for- 
bidden them  to  go  to  the  loft,  but  Dr.  Carr  had 
given  his  permission,  so  all  she  could  do  was  to 
invent  stories  about  children  who  had  broken 
their  bones  in  various  dreadful  wTays,  by  climbing 
posts  and  ladders.  But  these  stories  made  no  im- 
pression on  any  of  the  children  except  little  Phil, 
and  the  self-willed  brood  kept  on  their  way,  and 
climbed  their  spiked  post  as  often  as  they  liked. 

"What's  in  the  bottle?"  demanded  Dorry,  the. 
minute  he  was  fairly  landed  in  the  loft. 


IN   THE    LOFT.  77 

"Don't  be  greedy,"  replied  Katy,  severely; 
"you  will  know  when  the  time  conies.  It  13 
something  delicious,  I  can  assure  you. 

"Now,"  she  went  on,  having  thus  quenched 
Dorry,"  all  of  you  had  better  give  me  your  cookies 
to  put  away:  if  you  don't,  they'll  be  sure  to  be 
eaten  up  before  the  feast,  and  then  you  know  there 
wouldn't  be  anything  to  make  a  feast  of." 

So  all  of  them  handed  over  their  cookies. 
Dorry,  who  had  begun  on  his  as  he  came  up  the 
ladder,  was  a  little  unwilling,  but  he  was  too 
much  in  the  habit  of  minding  Katy  to  dare  to  dis- 
obey. The  big  bottle  was  set  in  a  corner,  and  a 
stack  of  cookies  built  up  around  it. 

"  That's  right,"  proceeded  Katy,  who,  as  old- 
est and  biggest,  always  took  the  lead  in  their 
plays.  "  Now  if  we're  fixed  and  ready  to 
begin,  the  Fete  (Katy  pronounced  it  Feet)  can 
commence.  The  opening  exercise  will  be  f  A 
Tragedy  of  the  Alhambra,'  by  Miss  Hall." 

"No,"  cried  Clover;  "  first  f  The  Blue  Wizard, 
or  Edwitha  of  the  Hebrides,'  you  know,  Katy." 

"Didn't  I  tell  you?"  said  Katy  ;  "a  dreadful  ac- 
cident has  happened  to  that." 


78  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

"Oh,  what?"  cried  all  the  rest,  for  Edwitha  was 
rather  a  favorite  with  the  family.  It  was  one  of 
the  many  serial  stories  which  Katy  was  forever 
writing,  and  was  about  a  lady,  a  knight,  a  blue 
wizard,  and  a  poodle  named  Bop.  It  had  been 
going  on  so  many  months  now,  that  everybody  had 
forgotten  the  beginning,  and  nobody  had  any 
particular  hope  of  living  to  hear  the  end,  but  still 
the  news  of  its  untimely  fate  was  a  shock. 

"  I'll  tell  you,"  said  Katy.  "  Old  Judge  Kirby 
called  this  morning  to  see  Aunt  Izzie ;  I  was 
studying  in  the  little  room,  but  I  saw  him  come 
in,  and  pull  out  the  big  chair  and  sit  down,  and 
I  almost  screamed  out f  don't ! '  " 

"Why?"  cried  the  children. 

"Don't  you  see?  I  had  stuffed  'Edwitha'  down 
between  the  back  and  the  seat.  It  was  a  beautiful 
hiding-place,  for  the  seat  goes  back  ever  so  far; 
but  Edwitha  was  such  a  fat  bundle,  and  old  Jud^e 
Kirby  takes  up  so  much  room,  that  I  was  afraid 
there  would  be  trouble.  And  sure  enough,  he 
had  hardly  dropped  down  before  there  was  a  great 
crackling  of  paper,  and  he  jumped  up  again  and 
called  out,  'Bless  me  !  what  is  that?'     And  then 


IN   THE    LOFT.  79 

he  began  poking,  and  poking,  and  just  as  he  had 
poked  out  the  whole  bundle,  and  was  putting  on 
his  spectacles  to  see  what  it  was,  Aunt  Izzie  came 
in." 

"Well,  what  next?"  cried  the  children,  im- 
mensely tickled. 

M  Oh  !  "  continued  Katy,  "  Aunt  Izzie  put  on 
her  glasses  too,  and  screwed  up  her  eyes  —  you 
know  the  way  she  does,  and  she  and  the  judge 
read  a  little  bit  of  it ;  that  part  at  the  first,  you 
remember,  where  Bop  steals  the  blue-pills,  and 
the  Wizard  tries  to  throw  him  into  the  sea.  You 
can't  think  how  funny  it  was  to  hear  Aunt  Izzie 
reading  ' Edwitha '  out  loud  —  "and  Katy  went 
into  convulsions  at  the  recollection  "where  she 
got  to  '  Oh  Bop  —  my  angel  Bop  — '  I  just 
rolled  under  the  table,  and  stuffed  the  table-cover 
in  my  mouth  to  keep  from  screaming  right  out. 
By  and  by  I  heard  her  call  Debby,  and  give 
her  the  papers,  and  say:  'Here  is  a  mass  of 
trash  which  I  wish  you  to  put  at  once  into  the 
kitchen  fire.'  And  she  told  me  afterward  that 
she  thought  I  would  be  in  an  insane  asylum 
before  I    was  twenty.     It   was   too   bad,"   ended 


80  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

Katy,  half  laughing  and  half  crying,  "to  burn 
up  the  new  chapter  and  all.  But  there's  one  good 
thing — she  didn't  find  f  The  Fairy  of  the  Dry 
Goods  Box,'  that  was  stuffed  farther  back  in  the 
seat. 

"  And  now,"  continued  the  mistress  of  ceremo- 
nies, "we  will  begin.     Miss  Hall  will  please  rise." 

"  Miss  Hall,"  much  flustered  at  her  fine  name, 
got  up  with  very  red  cheeks. 

"It  was  once  upon  a  time,"  she  read,  "Moonlight 
lay  on  the  halls  of  the  Alhambra,  and  the  knight, 
striding  impatiently  down  the  passage,  thought 
she  would  never  come." 

"Who,  the  moon?"  asked  Clover. 

"No,  of  course  not,"  replied  Cecy,  "a  lady  he 
was  in  love  with.  The  next  verse  is  £oin£  to  tell 
about  her,  only  you  interrupted. 

"She  wore  a  turban  of  silver,  with  a  jewelled 
crescent.  As  she  stole  down  the  corre^idor  the 
beams  struck  it  and  it  glittered  like  stars. 

"r  So  you  are  come,  Zuleika?  ' 

"'Yes,  my  lord.' 

"  Just  then  a  sound  as  of  steel  smote  upon  the 
ear,  and  Zuleika's  mail-clad  father  rushed  in.     He 


IN    THE    LOFT.  81 

drew  his  sword,  so  did  the  other.  A  moment 
more,  and  they  both  lay  dead  and  stiff  in  the 
beams  of  the  moon.  Zuleika  gave  a  loud  shriek, 
and  threw  herself  upon  their  bodies.  She  was 
dead,  too  !  And  so  ends  the  Tragedy  of  the  Al- 
hambra." 

"That's  lovely,"  said  Katy,  drawing  a  long 
breath,  "  only  very  sad!  What  beautiful  stories 
you  do  write,  Cecy  !  But  I  wish  you  .wouldn't 
always  kill  the  people.  Why  couldn't  the  knight 
have  killed  the  father,  and  —  no,  I  suppose  Zu- 
leika wouldn't  have  married  him  then.  Well, 
the  father  might  have — oh,  bother!  why  must 
anybody  be  killed,  anyhow?  why  not  have  them 
fall  on  each  other's  necks,  and  make  up?" 

"Why,  Katy!"  cried  Cecy,  "it  wouldn't  have 
been  a  tragedy  then.  You  know  the  name  was 
A  Tragedy  of  the  Alhambra." 

"Oh,  well,"  said  Katy,  hurriedly,  for  Cecy's  lips 
were  beginning  to  pout,  and  her  fair,  pinkish  face 
to  redden,  as  if  she  were  about  to  cry  ;  "  perhaps 
it  was  prettier  to  have  them  all  die;  only 
your  ladies  and  gentlemen  always  do  die,  and  I 
thought,  for  a  change,  you  know  !  — What  a  lovely 

6 


82  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

word    that    was — » f  Corregidor ' — what    does    it 
mean  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Cecy,  quite  consoled. 
r  It  was  in  the  f  Conquest  of  Granada.'  Something 
to  walk  over,  I  believe." 

"The  next,"  went  on  Katy,  consulting  her  paper, 
"is  *  Yap,'  a  Simple  Poem,  by  Clover  Carr." 

All  the  children  giggled,  but  Clover  got  up 
composedly,  and  recited  the  following  verses  : 


a 


Did  you  ever  know  Yap? 

The  best  little  dog 
Who  e'er  sat  on  lap 

Or  barked  at  a  frog. 

"  His  eyes  were  like  beads, 
His  tail  like  a  mop, 
And  it  waggled  as  if 
It  never  would  stop. 

"  His  hair  was  like  silk 

Of  the  glossiest  sheen, 
He  always  ate  milks 
And  once  the  cold-cream 

"  Off  the  nursery  bureau 
(That  line  is  too  long!) 
It  made  him  quite  ill, 
So  endeth  my  song. 


IN    THE    LOFT.  83 

"For  Yappy  he  died 

Just  two  months  ago, 
And  we  oughtn't  to  sing 
At  a  funeral,  you  know." 

The  "  Poem  "  met  with  immense  applause  ;  all 
the  children  laughed,  and  shouted,  and  clapped, 
till  the  loft  rang  again.  But  Clover  kept  her 
face  perfectly,  and  sat  down  as  demure  as  ever, 
except  that  the  little  dimples  came  and  went  at 
the  corners  of  her  mouth  ;  dimples,  partly  natural, 
and  partly,  I  regret  to  say,  the  result  of  a  pointed 
slate-pencil,  with  which  Clover  was  in  the  habit 
of  deepening  them  every  day  while  she  studied 
her  lessons. 

"  Now,"  said  Katy,  after  the  noise  had  subsided, 
"now  comes  r  Scripture  Verses,'  by  Miss  Elsie 
and  Joanna  Carr.  Hold  up  your  head,  Elsie, 
and  speak  distinctly  ;  and  oh,  Johnnie,  you  mustn't 
giggle  in  that  way  when  it  comes  your  turn  I ,: 

But  Johnnie  only  giggled  the  harder  at  this 
appeal,  keeping  her  hands  very  tight  across  her 
mouth,  and  peeping  out  over  her  fingers.  Elsie, 
however,  was  solemn  as  a  little  judge,  and  with 
great  dignity  began : 


84  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

"  An  angel  with  a  fiery  sword, 

Came  to  send  Adam  and  Eve  abroad; 
And  as  they  journeyed  through  the  skies, 
They  took  one  look  at  Paradise. 
They  thought  of  all  the  happy  hours 
Among  the  birds  and  fragrant  bowers, 
And  Eve  she  wept,  and  Adam  bawled, 
And  both  together  loudly  squalled." 

Dorry  snickered  at  this,  but  sedate  Clover 
hushed  him. 

"You  mustn't,"  she  said;  "its  about  the  Bible, 
you  know.     Now  John,  it's  your  turn." 

But  Johnnie  would  persist  in  holding  her  hands 
over  her  mouth,  while  her  fat  little  shoulders 
shook  with  laughter.  At  last,  with  a  great  effort, 
she  pulled  her  face  straight,  and  speaking  as  fast 
as  she  possibly  could,  repeated,  in  a  sort  of  burst : 

"  Balaam's  donkey  saw  the  Angel, 
And  stopped  short  in  fear. 
Balaam  didn't  see  the  Angel, 
"Which  is  very  queer." 

After  which  she  took  refuge  again  behind  her 
fingers,  while  Elsie  went  on  — 


IN   THE    LOFT.  85 

"Eljah  by  the  creek, 
He  by  ravens  fed, 
Took  from  their  horny  beak 
Pieces  of  meat  and  bread." 

"Come  Jolmuie,"  said  Katy,  but  the  incorrig- 
ible Johnnie  was  shaking  again,  and  all  they  could 
make  out  was  — 

"  The  bears  came  down,  and  ate and  ate." 

These  "  Verses  "  were  part  of  a  grand  project  on 
which  Clover  and  Elsie  had  been  busy  for  more 
than  a  year.  It  was  a  sort  of  rearrangement  of 
Scripture  for  infant  minds ;  and  when  it  was  fin- 
ished, they  meant  to  have  it  published,  bound  in 
red,  with  daguerreotypes  of  the  two  authoresses 
on  the  cover.  "  The  Youth's  Poetical  Bible  "  was 
to  be  the  name  of  it.  Papa,  much  tickled  with 
the  scraps  which  he  overheard,  proposed,  instead, 
"  The  Trundle-Bed  Book,"  as  having  been  com- 
posed principally  in  that  spot,  but  Elsie  and  Clover 
were  highly  indignant,  and  would  not  listen  to  the 
idea  for  a  moment. 

After  the  "  Scripture  Verses,"  came  Dorry's 
turn.     He  had  been  allowed  to  choose  for  himself 


86  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

which  was  unlucky,  as  his  taste  was  peculiar,  not 
to  say  gloomy.  Ou  this  occasion  he  had  selected 
that  cheerful  hymn  which  begins  — 

"  Hark,  from  the  tombs  a  doleful  sound." 

And  he  now  began  to  recite  it  iu  a  lugubrious 
voice  and  with  great  emphasis,  smackiug  his  lips, 
as  it  were,  over  such  lines  as  — 

*'  Princes,  this  clay  shall  be  your  bed, 

* 

In  spite  of  all  your  towers." 

The  older  children  listened  with  a  sort  of  fasci- 
nated horror,  rather  enjoying  the  cold  chills  which 
ran  down  their  backs,  and  huddling  close  together, 
as  Dorry's  hollow  tones  echoed  from  the  dark  cor- 
ners of  the  loft.  It  was  too  much  for  Philly, 
however.  At  the  close  of  the  piece  he  was  found 
to  be  iu  tears. 

"  I  dou't  want  to  st-a-a-y  up  here  and  be  groaned 
at,"  he  sobbed. 

"There,  you  bad  boy  !  "  cried  Katy,  all  the  more 
angry  because  she  was  conscious  of  having  enjoyed 
it  herself,  "that's  what  you  do  with  your  horrid 
hymns,    frightening     us    to    death    and    making 


IN    THE    LOFT.  87 

Phil  cry  !  "  And  she  gave  Dorry  a  little  shake. 
He  began  to  whimper,  and  as  Phil  was  still  sobbing, 
and  Johnnie  had  begun  to  sob  too,  out  of  sympa- 
thy with  the  others,  the  Feet  in  the  Loft  seemed 
likely  to  come  to  a  sad  end. 

n  I'm  going  to  tell  Aunt  Izzy  that  I  don't  like 
you,"  declared  Dorry,  putting  one  leg  through 
the  opening  in  the  floor. 

"No  you  aren't,"  said  Katy,  seizing  him,  "you 
are  going  to  stay,  because  noiv  we  are  going  to 
have  the  Feast !  Do  stop,  Phil ;  and  Johnnie,  don't 
be  a  goose,  but  come  and  pass  round  the  cookies." 

The  word  "Feast"  produced  a  speedy  effect  on 
the  spirits  of  the  party.  Phil  cheered  at  once, 
and  Dorry  changed  his  mind  about  going.  The 
black  bottle  was  solemnly  set  in  the  midst,  and 
the  cookies  were  handed  about  by  Johnnie,  who 
was  now  all  smiles.  The  cookies  had  scalloped 
edges  and  caraway  seeds  inside,  and  were  very 
nice.  There  were  two  apiece  ;  and  as  the  last  was 
finished,  Katy  put  her  hand  in  her  pocket,  and, 
amid  great  applause,  produced  the  crowning  ad- 
dition to  the  repast  —  seven  long,  brown  sticks 
of  cinnamon. 


88  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

"Isn't  it  fun?"  she  said.  "  Debby  was  real 
good-natured  to-day,  and  let  me  put  my  own 
hand  into  the  box,  so  I  picked  out  the  longest 
sticks  there  were.  Now,  Cecy,  as  you're  com- 
pany, you  shall  have  the  first  drink  out  of  the 
bottle." 

The  "  something  delicious  "  proved  to  be  weak 
vinegar-aud- water.  It  was  quite  warm,  but 
somehow,  drank  up  there  in  the  loft,  and  out  of  a 
bottle,  it  tasted  very  nice.  Beside,  they  didn't 
call  it  vinesmr-and-water  —  of  course  not !  Each 
child  gave  his  or  her  swallow  a  different  name,  as 
if  the  bottle  were  like  Signor  Blitz's  and  could 
pour  out  a  dozen  things  at  once.  Clover  called 
her  share  "  Raspberry  Shrub,"  Dorry  christened 
his  "Ginger  Pop,"  while  Cecy,  who  was  romantic, 
took  her  three  sips  under  the  name  of  "  Hydomel," 
which  she  explained  was  something  nice,  made, 
she  believed,  of  beeswax.  The  last  drop  gone, 
and  the  last  bit  of  cinnamon  crunched,  the  com- 
pany came  to  order  again,  for  the  pu-posc  f^f 
hearing  Phi lly  repeat  his  one  piece, — 

"  Little  drops  of  water," 


IN   THE    LOFT.  89 

which  exciting  poem  he  had  said  every  Saturday 
as  far  back  as  they  could  remember.  After  that 
Katy  declared  the  literary  part  of  the  "Feet" 
over,  and  they  all  fell  to  playing  "  Stage-coach," 
which,  in  spite  of  close  quarters  and  an  occasional 
bump  from  the  roof,  was  such  good  fun,  that  a 
general  "  Oh  dear  !  "  welcomed  the  ringing  of  the 
tea-bell.  I  suppose  cookies  and  vinegar  had 
taken  away  their  appetites,  for  none  of  them 
were  hungry,  and  Dorry  astonished  Aunt  Izzie 
very  much  by  eyeing  the  table  in  a  disgusted  way, 
and  saying  :  "  Pshaw  !  only  plum  sweetmeats  and 
sponge  cake  and  hot  biscuit !  I  don't  want  auy 
supper." 

r  What  ails  the  child?  he  must  be  sick,"  said 
Dr.  Carr  ;  but  Katy  explained. 

"Oh  no,  Papa,  it  isn't  that  —  only  we've  been 
having  a  feast  in  the  loft." 

*  Did  you  have  a  good  time?"  asked  Papa, 
while  Aunt  Izzie  gave  a  dissatisfied  groan.  And 
all  the  children  answered  at  once :  "  Splendifer- 
ous I " 


CHAPTER    VI. 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS. 


UNT  Izzie,  may  I  ask  Imogen  Clark  to 
spend  the  day  here  on  Saturday  ?  "  cried 
Katy,  bursting  in  one  afternoon. 
"  Who   on   earth   is    Imogen    Clark  ?      I   never 
heard  the  name  before,"  replied  her  aunt. 

"  Oh,  the  loveliest  girl !  She  hasn't  been  going 
to  Mrs.  Knight's  school  but  a  little  while,  but 
we're  the  greatest  friends.  And  she's  perfectly 
beautiful,  Aunt  Izzie.  Her  hands  are  just  as 
white  as  snow,  and  no  bigger  than  that.  She's 
got  the  littlest  waist  of  any  girl  in  school,  and 
she's  real  sweet,  and  so  self-denying  and  unselfish  I 
I  don't  believe  she  has  a  bit  good  times  at  home, 
either.     Do  let  me  ask  her !  " 

"  How  do  you  know  she's  so  sweet  and  self- 
denying,    if  you've    known     her    such    a    short 

f90) 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  91 

time?"   asked    Aunt    Izzie,    in   an   unpromising 
tone. 

"Oh,  she  tells  me  everything!  We  always 
walk  together  at  recess  now.  I  know  all  about 
her,  and  she's  just  lovely  !  Her  father  used  to  be 
real  rich,  but  they're  poor  now,  and  Imogen  had 
to  have  her  boots  patched  twice  last  winter.  I 
guess  she's  the  flower  of  her  family.  You  can't 
think  how  I  love  her !  "  concluded  Katy,  senti- 
mentally. 

"No,  I  can't,"  said  Aunt  Izzie.  "  I  never  could 
see  into  these  sudden  friendships  of  yours,  Katy, 
and  I'd  rather  you  wouldn't  invite  this  Imogen, 
or  whatever  her  name  is,  till  I've  had  a  chance  to 
ask  somebody  about  her." 

Katy  clasped  her  hands  in  despair.  "  Oh,  Aunt 
Izzie  ! "  she  cried,  "Imogen  knows  that  I  came  in 
to  ask  you,  and  she's  standing  at  the  gate  at  this 
moment,  waiting  to  hear  what  you  say.  Please 
let  me,  just  this  once  !  I  shall  be  so  dreadfully 
ashamed  not  to." 

r  Well,"  said  Miss  Izzie,  moved  by  the  wretch- 
edness of  Katy's  face,  "  if  you've  asked  her  al- 
ready, it's  no  use  my  saying  no,  I  suppose.     But 


92  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

recollect,  Katy,  this  is  not  to  happen  again.  I 
can't  have  you  inviting  girls,  and  then  coming  for 
my  leave.  Your  father  won't  be  at  all  pleased. 
He's  very  particular  about  whom  you  make  friends 
with.     Remember  how  Mrs.  Spenser  turned  out." 

Poor  Katy  !  Her  propensity  to  fall  violently  in 
love  with  new  people  was  always  getting  her  into 
scrapes.  Ever  since  she  began  to  walk  and  talk, 
"Katy's  intimate  friends"  had  been  one  of  the 
jokes  of  the  household. 

Papa  once  undertook  to  keep  a  list  of  them, 
but  the  number  grew  so  great  that  he  gave  it  up 
in  despair.  First  on  the  list  was  a  small  Irish 
child,  named  Marianne  O'Riley.  Marianne  lived 
in  a  street  which  Katy  passed  on  her  wa}'  to 
school.  It  was  not  Mrs.  Knight's,  but  an  A 
B  C  school,  to  which  Dorry  and  John  now  went. 
Marianne  used  to  be  always  making  sand-pies  in 
front  of  her  mother's  house,  and  Katy,  who  was 
about  five  years  old,  often  stopped  to  help  her. 
Over  this  mutual  pastry  they  grew  so  intimate, 
that  Katy  resolved  to  adopt  Marianne  as  her  own 
little  girl,  and  bring  her  up  in  a  safe  and  hidden 
corner. 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  93 

She  told  Clover  of  this  plan,  but  nobody  else. 
The  two  children,  full  of  their  delightful  secret, 
began  to  save  pieces  of  bread  and  cookies  from 
their  supper  every  evening.  By  degrees  they 
collected  a  great  heap  of  dry  crusts,  and  other  re- 
freshments, which  they  put  safely  away  in  the  gar- 
ret. They  also  saved  the  apples  which  were  given 
them  for  two  weeks,  and  made  a  bed  in  a  big 
empty  box,  with  cotton  quilts,  and  the  dolls' 
pillows  out  of  the  baby-house.  When  all  was 
ready,  Katy  broke  the  plan  to  her  beloved  Mari- 
anne, and  easily  persuaded  her  to  run  away  and 

take  possession  of  this  new  hone. 

- 

"  We  won't  tell  Papa  and  Mamma  till  she's 
quite  grown  up,"  Katy  said  to  Clover  ;  "  then  we'll 
bring  her  down  stairs,  and  won't  they  be  surprised: 
Don't  let's  call  her  Marianne  any  longer,  either. 
It  isn't  pretty.  We'll  name  her  Susquehanna 
instead  —  Susquehanna  Can*.  Recollect,  Mari- 
anne, you  mustn't  answer  if  I  call  you  Marianne 
—  only  when  I  say  Susquehanna." 

■vYes'm,"  replied  Marianne,  very  meekly. 

For  a  whole  day  all  went  on  delightfully.  Sus- 
quehanna lived    in  her  wooden    box,   ate    all  the 


94  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

apples  and  the  freshest  cookies,  and  was  happy. 
The  two  children  took  turns  to  steal  away  and 
play  with  the  "  Baby,"  as  they  called  Marianne, 
though  she  was  a  great  deal  bigger  than  Clover. 
But  when  night  came  on,  and  nurse  swooped  on 
Katy  and  Clover,  and  carried  them  off  to  bed, 
Miss  O'Riley  began  to  think  that  the  garret  was  a 
dreadful  place.  Peeping  out  of  her  box,  she  could 
see  black  things  standing  in  corners,  which  she 
did  not  recollect  seeing  in  the  day-time.  They 
were  really  trunks  and  brooms  and  warming-pans, 
but  somehow,  in  the  darkness,  they  looked  differ- 
ent—  big  and  awful.  Poor  little  Marianne  bore 
it  as  long  as  she  could ;  but  when  at  last  a  rat  be- 
gan to  scratch  in  the  wall  close  beside  her,  her 
courage  gave  way  entirely,  and  she  screamed  at 
the  top  of  her  voice. 

"What  is  that?"  said  Dr.  Carr,  who  had  just 
come  in,  and  was  on  his  way  up  stairs. 

"It  sounds  as  if  it  came  from  the  attic,"  said 
Mrs.  Carr  (for  this  was  before  Mamma  died). 
"  Can  it  be  that  one  of  the  children  has  got  out  of 
bed  and  wandered  up  stairs  in  her  sleep  ? ' 

No,  Katy  and  Clover  were  safe  in  the  nursery ; 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  95 

so  Dr.  Carr  took  a  candle  and  went  as  fast  as  he 
could  to  the  attic,  where  the  yells  were  growing 
terrific.  When  he  reached  the  top  of  the  stairs, 
the  cries  ceased.  He  looked  about.  Nothing  was 
to  be  seen  at  first,  then  a  little  head  appeared  over 
the  edge  of  a  big  wooden  box,  and  a  piteous  voice 
sobbed  out : 

R  Ah,  Miss  Katy,  and  indeed  I  can't  be  stayin' 
any  longer.     There's  rats  in  it !  " 

"  Who  on  earth  are  you  f "  asked  the  amazed 
Doctor. 

"  Sure  I'm  Miss  Katy's  and  Miss  Clover's  Baby. 
But  I  don't  want  to  be  a  baby  any  longer.  I  want 
to  go  home  and  see  my  mother."  And  again  the 
poor  little  midge  lifted  up  her  voice  and  wept. 

I  don't  think  Dr.  Carr  ever  laughed  so  hard  in 
his  life,  as  when  finally  he  got  to  the  bottom  of 
the  story,  and  found  that  Kat}r  and  Clover  had 
been  "adopting"  a  child.  But  he  was  very  kind 
to  poor  Susquehanna,  and  carried  her  down  stairs 
in  his  arms,  to  the  nursery.  There,  in  a  bed  close 
to  the  other  children,  she  soon  forgot  her  trou- 
bles and  fell  asleep. 

The    little   sisters    were    much   surprised   when 


96  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

they  waked  up  in  the  morning,  and  found  their 
Baby  asleep  beside  them.  But  their  joy  was 
speedily  turned  to  tears.  After  breakfast,  Dr. 
Carr  carried  Marianne  home  to  her  mother,  who 
was  in  a  great  fright  over  her  disappearance,  and 
explained  to  the  children  that  the  garret  plan  must 
be  given  up.  Great  was  the  mourning  in  the 
nursery ;  but  as  Marianne  was  allowed  to  come 
and  play  with  them  now  and  then,  they  gradually 
£ot  over  their  on-ief.  A  few  months  later  Mr. 
O'Rile}^  moved  away  from  Burnet,  and  that  was 
the  end  of  Katy's  first  friendship. 

The  next  was  even  funnier.  There  was  a  queer 
old  black  woman  who  lived  all  alone  by  herself  in 
a  small  house  near  the  school.  This  old  woman 
had  a  very  bad  temper.  The  neighbors  told  hor- 
rible stories  about  her,  so  that  the  children  were 
afraid  to  pass  the  house.  They  used  to  turn 
always  just  before  they  reached  it,  and  cross  to  the 
other  side  of  the  street.  This  they  did  so  reg- 
ularly, that  their  feet  had  worn  a  path  in  the 
grass.  But  for  some  reason  Katy  found  a  great 
fascination  in  the  little  house.  She  liked  to  dodge 
about  the  door,  always  holding  herself  ready  to 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  97 

turn  and  run  in  case  the  old  woman  rushed  out 
upon  her  with  a  broomstick.  One  day  she 
begged  a  large  cabbage  of  Alexander,  and  rolled 

CO  o  o  * 

it  iu  at  the  door  of  the  house.  The  old  woman 
seemed  to  like  it,  and  after  this  Katy  always 
stopped  to  speak  when  she  went  by.  She  even 
got  so  far  as  to  sit  on  the  step  and  watch  the  old 
woman  at  work.  There  was  a  sort  of  perilous 
pleasure  in  doing  this.  It  was  like  sitting  at  the 
entrance  of  a  lion's  caire,  uncertain  at  what  mo- 
Qient  his  Majesty  might  take  it  into  his  head  to 
give  a  spring  and  eat  you  up. 

After  this,  Katy  took  a  fancy  to  a  couple 
of  twin  sisters,  daughters  of  a  German  jewel- 
ler. They  were  quite  grown-up,  and  always 
wore  dresses  exactly  alike.  Hardly  any  one 
could  tell  them  apart.  They  spoke  very  lit- 
tle English,  and  as  Katy  didn't  know  a  word 
of  German,  their  intercourse  was  confined  to 
smiles,  and  to  the  giving  of  bunches  of  flowers, 
which  Katy  used  to  tie  up  and  present  to  them 
whenever  they  passed  the  gate.  She  Avas  too 
shy  to  do  more  than  just  put  the  flowers  m  their 
hands  and  run  away ;  but  the  twins  were  evi- 
7 


98  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

dently  pleased,  for  one  clay,  when  Clover  hap- 
pened to  be  looking  out  of  the  window,  she  saw 
them  open  the  gate,  fasten  a  little  parcel  to  a 
bush,  and  walk  rapidly  off.  Of  course  she  called 
Katy  at  once,  and  the  two  children  flew  out  to 
see  what  the  parcel  was.  It  held  a  bonnet  —  a 
beautiful  doll's  bonnet  of  blue  silk,  trimmed  with 
artificial  flowers ;  upon  it  was  pinned  a  slip  of 
paper  with  these  words,  in  an  odd  foreign  hand : 

"To  the  nice  little  girl  who  was  so  kindly  to 
give  us  some  flowers." 

You  can  judge  whether  Katy  and  Clover  were 
pleased  or  not. 

This  was  when  Katy  was  six  years  old.  I  can't 
begin  to  tell  you  how  many  different  friends  she 
had  set  up  since  then.  There  was  an  ash-man, 
and  a  steam-boat  captain.  There  was  Mrs.  Saw- 
yer's cook,  a  nice  old  woman,  who  gave  Katy  les- 
sons in  cooking,  and  taught  her  to  make  soft  custard 
and  sponge-cake.  There  was  a  bonnet-maker, 
pretty  and  dressy,  whom,  to  Aunt  Izzie's  great 
indignation,  Katy  persisted  in  calling  "Cousin 
Estelle ! "  There  was  a  thief  in  the  town-jail, 
under  whose  window  Katy  used  to  stand,  saying, 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  09 

"  Fin  so  sorry,  poor  m:m  !  "  and  "  have  you  got 
any  little  girls  like  me?"  in  the  most  piteous  way. 
The  thief  had  a  piece  of  string  which  he  let  down 
from  the  window.  Katy  would  tie  rose-buds  and 
cherries  to  this  string,  and  the  thief  would  draw 
them  up.  It  was  so  interesting  to  do  this,  that 
Katy  felt  dreadfully  when  they  carried  the  man  off 
to  the  State  Prison.  Then  followed  a  short  inter- 
val of  Cornelia  Perham,  a  nice,  good-natured  girl, 
whose  father  was  a  fruit-merchant.  I  am  afraid 
Katv's  liking  for  prunes  and  white  grapes  played 
a  part  in  this  intimacy.  It  was  splendid  fun  to 
go  with  Cornelia  to  her  father's  big  shop,  and  have 
whole  boxes  of  raisins  and  drums  of  figs  opened 
for  their  amusement,  and  be  allowed  to  ride  up 
and  down  in  the  elevator  as  much  as  they  liked. 
But  of  all  Katy's  queer  acquaintances,  Mrs.  Spen- 
ser, to  whom  Aunt  Izzic  had  alluded,  was  the 
queerest. 

.Mrs.  Spenser  was  a  mysterious  lady  whom 
nobody  ever  saw.  Her  husband  was  a  handsome, 
rather  bad-looking  man,  who  had  come  from  parts 
unknown,  and  rented  a  small  house  in  Burnet. 
He  didn't  seem  to   have  any  particular  business, 


100  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

and  was  away  from  home  a  great  deal.  His  wife 
was  said  to  be  an  invalid,  and  people,  when  they 
spoke  of  him,  shook  their  heads  and  wondered 
how  the  poor  woman  got  on  all  alone  in  the  honse, 
while  her  husband  was  absent. 

Of  course  Katy  was  too  young  to  understand 
these  whispers,  or  the  reasons  why  people  were 
not  disposed  to  think  well  of  Mr.  Spenser.  The 
romance  of  the  closed  door  and  the  lady  whom 
nobody  saw,  interested  her  very  much.  She 
used  to  stop  and  stare  at  the  windows,  and  wonder 
what  was  ^oinji  on  inside,  till  at  last  it  seemed  as 
if  she  ?nust  know.  So,  one  day  she  took  some 
flowers  and  Victoria,  her  favorite  doll,  and  boldly 
marched  into  the  Spenser's  yard. 

She  tapped  at  the  front  door,  but  nobody  an- 
swered. Then  she  tapped  again.  Still  nobody 
answered.  She  tried  the  door.  It  was  locked. 
So  shouldering:  Victoria,  she  trudged  round  to  the 
back  of  the  house.  As  she  passed  the  side-door 
she  saw  that  it  was  open  a  little  way.  She 
knocked  for  the  third  time,  and  as  no  one  came, 
she  went  in,  and  passing  through  the  little  hall, 
began  to  tap  at  all  the  inside  doors. 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  101 

There  seemed  to  be  no  people  in  the  house. 
Katy  peeped  into  the  kitchen  first.  It  was  bare 
and  forlorn.  All  sorts  of  dishes  were  standing 
about.  There  was  no  fire  in  the  stove.  The  par- 
lor was  not  much  better.  Mr.  Spenser's  boots 
lay  in  the  middle  of  the  floor.  There  were  dirty 
glasses  on  the  table.  On  the  mantle-piece  was  a 
platter  with  bones  of  meat  upon  it.  Dust  lay 
thick  over  everything,  and  the  whole  house  looked 
as  if  it  hadn't  been  lived  in  for  at  least  a  year. 

Katy  tried  several  other  doors,  all  of  which 
were  locked,  and  then  she  went  up  stairs.  As 
she  stood  on  the  top  step,  grasping  her  flowers, 
and  a  little  doubtful  what  to  do  next,  a  feeble 
voice  from  a  bed-room  called  out : 

"Who  is  there?" 

This  was  Mrs.  Spenser.  She  was  lying  on  her 
bed,  which  was  very  tossed  and  tumbled,  as  if  it 
hadn't  been  made  up  that  morning.  The  room 
was  as  disorderly  and  dirty  as  all  the  rest  of  the 
house,  and  Mrs.  Spenser's  wrapper  and  night-cap 
were  by  no  means  clean,  but  her  face  was  sweet, 
and  she  had  beautiful  curling  hair,  which  fell  over 
the  pillow.     She  was  evidently  very  sick,  and  al- 


102  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

together  Katy  felt  sorrier  for  her  than  she   had 
ever  done  for  anybody  in  her  life. 

"Who  are  yon,  child?"  asked  Mrs.  Spenser. 

"I'm  Dr.  Carr's  little  girl,"  answered  Katy\ 
going  straight  up  to  the  bed.  "I  came  to  bring 
you  some  flowers."  And  she  laid  the  bouquet  on 
the  dirty  sheet. 

Mrs.  Spenser  seemed  to  like  the  flowers.  She 
took  them  up  and  smelled  them  for  a  long  time, 
without  speaking. 

"But  how  did  you  get  in?"  she  said  at  last. 

"The  door  was  open,"  faltered  Katy,  who  was 
beginning  to  feel  scared  at  her  own  daring,  "and 
they  said  you  were  sick,  so  I  thought  perhaps  you 
would  like  me  to  come  and  see  you." 

"You  are  a  kind  little  girl,"  said  Mrs.  Spenser, 
and  £ave  her  a  kiss. 

After  this  Katy  used  to  go  every  day.  Some- 
times Mrs.  Spenser  would  be  up  and  moving  feebly 
about;  but  more  often  she  was  in  bed,  and  Katy 
would  sit  beside  her.  The  house  never  looked  a 
bit  better  than  it  did  that  first  day,  but  after  a 
while  Katy  used  to  brush  Mrs.  Spenser's  hair,  and 
wash  her  face  with  the  corner  of  a  towel. 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  103 

I  think  her  visits  were  a  comfort  to  the  poor 
lady,  who  was  very  ill  and  lonely.  Sometimes, 
when  she  felt  pretty  well,  she  would  tell  Katy 
stories  about  the  time  when  she  was  a  little  girl 
and  lived  at  home  with  her  father  and  mother. 
But  she  never  spoke  of  Mr.  Spenser,  and  Katy 
never  saw  him  except  once,  when  she  was  so 
frightened  that  for  several  days  she  dared  not  go 
near  the  house.  At  last  Cecy  reported  that  she 
had  seen  him  go  oif  in  the  stage  with  his  carpet- 
bag, so  Katy  ventured  in  again.  Mrs.  Spenser 
cried  when  she  saw  her. 

f'I  thought  you  were  never  coming  any  more," 
she  said. 

Katy  was  touched  and  flattered  at  having  been 
missed,  and  after  that  she  never  lost  a  day.  She 
always  carried  the  prettiest  flowers  she  could  find, 
and  if  any  one  gave  her  a  specially  nice  peach  or 
a  bunch  of  grapes,  she  saved  it  for  Mrs.  Spenser. 

Aunt  Izzie  was  much  worried  at  all  this.  But 
Dr.  Can*  would  not  interfere.  He  said  it  was  a 
case  where  grown  people  could  do  nothing,  and 
if  Katy  was  a  comfort  to  the  poor  lady  he  was 
glad.     Katy  was  glad  too,  and  the  visits  did  her 


104  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

as  much  good  as  they  did  Mrs.  Spenser,  for  the 
intense  pity  she  felt  for  the  sick  woman  made  her 
gentle  and  patient  as  she  had  never  been  before. 

One  day  she  stopped,  as  usual,  on  her  way 
home  from  school.  She  tried  the  side-door — it 
was  locked ;  the  back-door,  it  was  locked  too. 
All  the  blinds  were  shut  tight.  This  was  very 
puzzling. 

As  she  stood  in  the  yard  a  woman  put  her  head 
out  of  the  window  of  the  next  house.  *  It's  no 
use  knocking,"  she  said,  "  all  the  folks  have  gone 
away." 

"  Gone  away  where  ?  "  asked  Katy. 

"Nobody  knows,"  said  the  woman;  "the  gen- 
tleman came  back  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  and 
this  morning,  before  light,  he  had  a  wagon  at  the 
door,  and  just  put  in  the  trunks  and  the  sick  lady, 
and  drove  off.  There's  been  more  than  one 
a-knocking  besides  you,  since  then.  But  Mr. 
Pudgett,  he's  got  the  key,  and  nobody  can  get  in 
without  sfoin'  to  him." 

It  was  too  true.  Mrs.  Spenser  was  gone,  and 
Katy  never  saw  her  again.  In  a  few  days  it  came 
out  that  Mr.  Spenser   was  a  very  bad   man,  and 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  105 

had  been  making  false  money  —  counterfeiting,  as 
grown  people  call  it.  The  police  were  searching 
for  him  to  put  him  in  jail,  and  that  was  the  reason 
he  had  come  back  in  such  a  hurry  and  carried  off 
his  poor  sick  wife.  Aunt  Izzie  cried  with  morti- 
fication, when  she  heard  this.  She  said  she 
thought  it  was  a  disgrace  that  Katy  should  have 
been  visiting  in  a  counterfeiter's  family.  But  Dr. 
Carr  only  laughed.  He  told  Aunt  Izzie  that  he 
didn't  think  that  kind  of  crime  was  catching,  and 
as  for  Mrs.  Spenser,  she  was  much  to  be  pitied.  But 
Aunt  Izzie  could  not  get  over  her  vexation,  and 
every  now  and  then,  when  she  was  vexed,  she 
would  refer  to  the  affair,  though  this  all  happened 
so  long  ago  that  most  people  had  forgotten  all 
about  it,  and  Phillyand  John  had  stopped  playing 
at  'Putting  Mr.  Spenser  in  Jail,"  which  for  a 
long  time  was  one  of  their  favorite  games. 

Katy  always  felt  badly  when  Aunt  Izzie  spoke 
unkindly  of  her  poor  sick  friend.  She  had  tears 
in  her  eyes  now,  as  she  walked  to  the  gate,  and 
looked  so  very  sober,  that  Imogen  Clark,  who 
stood  there  waiting,  clasped  her  hands  and  said  : 

"Ah,  I  see  !     Your  aristocratic  Aunt  refuses." 


106  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

Imogen's  real  name  was  Elizabeth.  She  was 
rather  a  pretty  girl,  with  a  sere  wed- up,  sentimen- 
tal mouth,  shiny  brown  hair,  and  a  little  round 
curl  on  each  of  her  cheeks.  These  curls  must 
have  been  fastened  on  with  glue  or  tin  tacks,  one 
would  think,  for  the}'  never  moved,  however 
much  she  laughed  or  shook  her  head.  Imogen 
was  a  bright  girl,  naturally,  but  she  had  read  so 
many  novels  that  her  brain  was  completely  turned. 
It  was  partly  this  which  made  her  so  attractive  to 
Katy,  who  adored  stories,  and  thought  Imogen 
was  a  real  heroine  of  romance. 

"Oh  no,  she  doesn't,"  she  replied,  hardly  able 
to  keep  from  laughing,  at  the  idea  of  Aunt  Izzie's 
being  called  an  "  aristocratic  relative"  —  "  she  says 
she  shall  be  my  hap — "  But  here  Katy's  con- 
science gave  a  prick,  and  the  sentence  ended  in 
"urn,  urn,  um — "  "So  you'll  come,  won't  you, 
darling?     I  am  so  glad  !  " 

"And  I!"  said  Imogen,  turning  up  her  eyes 
theatrically. 

From  this  time  on  till  the  end  of  the  week,  the 
children  talked  of  nothing  but  Imogen's  visit,  and 
the  nice  time  they  were  going  to  have.     Before 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  107 

Dreakfast  on  Saturday  morning,  Katy  and  Clover 
were  at  work  building  a  beautiful  bower  of  aspar- 
agus boughs  under  the  trees.  All  the  playthings 
were  set  out  in  order.  Debby  baked  them  some 
cinnamon  cakes,  the  kitten  had  a  pink  ribbon  tied 
round  her  neek,  and  the  dolls,  including  "Pikery," 
were  arrayed  in  their  best  clothe*. 

About  half-past  ten  Imogen  arrived.  She  was 
dressed  in  a  light-blue  barege,  with  low  neck  and 
short  sleeves,  and  wore  coral  beads  in  her  hair, 
white  satin  slippers,  and  a  pair  of  yellow  gloves. 
The  gloves  and  slippers  were  quite  dirty,  and  the 
barege  was  old  and  darned  ;  but  the  general  effect 
was  so  very  gorgeous,  that  the  children,  who  were 
dressed  for  play,  in  gingham  frocks  and  white 
aprous,  were  quite  dazzled  at  the  appearance  of 
their  guest. 

f  Oh,  Imogen,  you  look  just  like  a  young  lady 
in  a  story  !  "  said  simple  Katy  ;  whereupon  Imogen 
tossed  her  head  and  rustled  her  skirts  about  more 
than  ever. 

Somehow,  with  these  fine  clothes,  Imogen 
seemed  to  have  put  on  a  fine  manner,  quite  differ- 
ent from  the  one  she  used  every  day.     You   know 


108  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

some  people  always  do,  when  they  go  out  visiting. 
You  would  almost  have  supposed  that  this  was  a 
different  Imogen,  who  was  kept  in  a  box  most  of 
the  time,  and  taken  out  for  Sundays  and  grand 
occasions.  She  swam  about,  and  diddled,  and 
lisped,  and  looked  at  herself  in  the  glass,  and  was 
generally  grown-up  and  airy.  When  Aunt  Izzie 
spoke  to  her,  she  fluttered  and  behaved  so  queerly, 
that  Clover  almost  laughed  ;  and  even  Katy,  who 
could  see  nothing  wrong  in  people  she  loved,  was 
glad  to  carry  her  away  to  the  play-room. 

"  Come  out  to  the  bower,"  she  said,  putting  hei 
arm  round  the  blue  baresre  waist. 

"  A  bower  ! "  cried  Imogen.  "  How  sweet !  "  But 
when  they  reached  the  asparagus  boughs  her  face 
fell.  "Why  it  hasn't  any  roof,  or  pinnacles,  or 
any  fountain  !  "  she  said. 

"Why  no,  of  course  not,"  said  Clover,  staring; 
"we  made  it  ourselves." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Imogen.  She  was  evidently  dis- 
appointed. Katy  and  Clover  felt  mortified  ;  but 
as  their  visitor  did  not  care  for  the  bower,  they 
tried  to  think  of  something  else. 

"Let  us  go  to  the  Loft,"  they  said. 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  109 

So  they  all  crossed  the  yard  together.  Imogen 
picked  her  way  daintily  in  the  white  satin  slip- 
pers, but  when  she  saw  the  spiked  post,  she  gave 
a  scream. 

*  Oh,  not  up  there,  darling,  not  up  there  !  "  she 
cried  ;  "  never,  never  !  " 

rf  Oh,  do  try  !  It's  just  as  easy  as  can  be,"  plead- 
ed Katy,  going  up  and  down  half  a  dozen  times 
in  succession  to  show  how  easy  it  was.  But  Imo- 
gen wouldn't  be  persuaded. 

fDo  not  ask  me,"  she  said  affectedly ;  'my 
nerves  would  never  stand  such  a  thins: !  And 
beside  —  my  dress  !  " 

'What  made  you  wear  it?"  said  Philly,  who 
was  a  plain-spoken  child,  and  given  to  questions. 
While  John  whispered  to  Dorry,  "That's  a  real 
stupid  girl.  Let's  go  off  somewhere  and  play  by 
ourselves." 

So,  one  by  one,  the  small  fry  crept  away,  leav- 
ing Katy  and  Clover  to  entertain  the  visitor  by 
themselves.  They  tried  dolls,  but  Imogen  did 
not  care  for  dolls.  Then  they  proposed  to  sit 
down  in  the  shade,  and  cap  verses,  a  game  they 
all    liked.     But   Imogen    said    that    though     she 


110  WHAT    KATY   DID. 

adored  poetry,  she  never  could  remember  any. 
So  it  ended  in  their  going  to  the  orchard,  where 
Imogen  ate  a  great  many  plums  and  early  apples, 
and  really  seemed  to  enjoy  herself.  But  when 
she  could  eat  no  more,  a  dreadful  dulness  fell 
over  the  party.     At  last  Imogen  said  : 

"Don't  you  ever  sit  in  the  drawing-room?" 

"The  what?"  asked  Clover. 

"The  drawing-room,"  repeated  Imogen. 

"  Oh,  she  means  the  parlor  !  "  cried  Katy.  "  No, 
we  don't  sit  there  except  when  Aunt  Izzie  has 
company  to  tea.  It  is  all  dark  and  poky,  you 
know.  Beside,  it's  so  much  pleasanter  to  be  out- 
doors.    Don't  you  think  so?" 

"Yes,  sometimes,"  replied  Imogen,  doubtfully  ; 
"  but  I  think  it  would  be  pleasant  to  go  in  and  sit 
there  for  a  while,  now.  My  head  aches  dread- 
fully, being  out  here  in  this  horrid  sun." 

Katy  was  at  her  wit's  end  to  know  what  to  do. 
They  scarcely  ever  went  into  the  parlor,  which 
Aunt  Izzie  regarded  as  a  sort  of  sacred  place. 
She  kept  cotton  petticoats  over  all  the  chairs  for 
fear  of  dust,  and  never  opened  the  blinds  for  fear 
of  flies.     The  idea  of  children  with  dusty  boots 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  Ill 

going  in  there  to  sit !  On  the  other  hand,  Katy'a 
natural  politeness  made  it  hard  to  refuse  a  visitor 
anything  she  asked  for  And  beside,  it  was  dread- 
ful to  think  that  Imogen  might  go  away  and  report 
"Katy  Carr  isn't  allowed  to  sit  in  the  best  room, 
even  when  she  has  company  ! "  With  a  quak- 
ing heart  she  led  the  way  to  the  parlor.  She 
dared  not  open  the  blinds,  so  the  room  looked 
very  dark.  She  could  just  see  Imogen's  figure  as 
she  sat  on  the  sofa,  and  Clover  twirling  uneasily 
about  on  the  piano-stool.  All  the  time  she  kept 
listening  to  hear  if  Aunt  Izzie  were  not  coming, 
and  altogether  the  parlor  was  a  dismal  place  to 
her ;  not  half  so  pleasant  as  the  asparagus  bovver, 
where  they  felt  perfectly  safe. 

But  Imogen,  who,  for  the  first  time,  seemed 
comfortable,  began  to  talk.  Her  talk  was  about 
herself.  Such  stories  she  told  about  the  things 
which  had  happened  to  her !  All  the  young 
ladies  in  The  Ledger  put  together,  never  had 
stranger  adventures.  Gradually,  Katy  and  Clo- 
ver got  so  interested  that  they  left  their  seats  and 
crouched  down  close  to  the  sofa,  listening  with 
open  mouths  to  these  stories.    Katy  forgot  to  listen 


112  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

for  Aunt  Izzie.  The  parlor  door  swung  open,  but 
she  did  not  notice  it.  She  did  not  even  hear  the 
front  door  shut,  when  Papa  came  home  to  dinner. 

Dr.  Carr,  stopping  in  the  hall  to  glance  over 
his  newspaper,  heard  the  high-pitched  voice  run- 
ning on  in  the  parlor.  At  first  he  hardly  listened  ; 
then  these  words  caught  his  ear : 

"Oh,  it  was  lovely,  girls,  perfectly  delicious  ! 
I  suppose  I  did  look  well,  for  I  was  all  in  white, 
with  my  hair  let  down,  and  just  one  rose,  you 
know,  here  on  top.  And  he  leaned  over  me,  and 
said  in  a  low,  deep  tone,  rLad}r,  I  am  a  Brigand, 
but  I  feel  the  enchanting  power  of  beauty.  You 
are  free  ! ' " 

Dr.  Carr  pushed  the  door  open  a  little  farther. 
Nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  some  indistinct  figures, 
but  he  heard  Katy's  voice  in  an  eager  tone  : 

"Oh,  do  go  on.     What  happened  next?" 

"Who  on  earth  have  the  children  got  in  the 
parlor?"  he  asked  Aunt  Izzie,  whom  he  found  in 
the  dining-room. 

"The  parlor!"  cried  Miss  Izzie,  wrathfully, 
"why,  what  are  they  there  for?"  Then  going  to 
the  door,  she  called  out,  "Children,  what  are  you 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  113 

doing  iu   the   parlor?     Come   out  right  away.     I 
thought  you  were  playing  out-doors." 

"Imogen  had  a  head-ache,"  faltered  Katy.  The 
three  girls  came  out  into  the  hall ;  Clover  and 
Katy  looking  scared,  and  even  the  Enchanter  of 
the  Brigand  quite  crest-fallen. 

f  Oh,"  said  Aunt  Izzie,  grimly,  "I  am  sorry  to 
hear  that.  Probably  you  are  bilious.  Would 
you  like  some  camphor  or  anything?" 

*No,  thank  you,"  replied  Imogen,  meekly. 
But  afterwards  she  whispered  to  Katy : 

"Your  aunt  isn't  very  nice,  I  think.  She's 
just  like  Jackima,  that  horrid  old  woman  I  told 
you  about,  who  lived  in  the  Brigand's  Cave  and 
did  the  cooking." 

f  I  don't  think  you're  a  bit  polite  to  tell  me  so," 
retorted  Katy,  very  angry  at  this  speech. 

rf  Oh,  never  mind,  dear,  don't  take  it  to  heart !  " 
replied  Imogen,  sweetly.  "  We  can't  help  having 
relations  that  ain't  nice,  you  know." 

The  visit  was  evidently  not  a   success.     Papa 

was  very  civil  to  Imogen  at  dinner,  but  he  watched 

her  closely,   and   Katy  saw  a  comical   twinkle   in 

his  eye,  which  she  did  not  like.      Papa  had  very 
8 


114  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

droll  eyes.     They  saw  everything,  and  sometimes 

c 

they  seemed  to  talk  almost  as  distinctly  as  his 
tongue.  Katy  began  to  feel  low-spirited.  She 
confessed  afterward  that  she  should  never  have 
got  through  the  afternoon  if  she  hadn't  run  up 
stairs  two  or  three  times,  and  comforted  herself 
by  reading  a  little  in  "  Rosamond." 

w  Aren't  you  glad  she's  gone?"  whispered  Clo- 
ver, as  they  stood  at  the  gate  together  watching 
Imosren  walk  down  the  street. 

"Oh,  Clover!  how  can  you?"  said  Katy.  But 
she  gave  Clover  a  great  hug,  and  I  think  in  her 
heart  she  was  glad. 

"Katy,"  said  Papa,  next  day,  "you  came  into 
the  room  then,  exactly  like  your  new  friend  Miss 
Clark." 

"How?  I  don't  know  what  you  mean," 
answered  Katy,  blushing  deeply. 

"  So"  said  Dr.  Carr ;  and  he  got  up,  raising  his 
shoulders  and  squaring  his  elbows,  and  took  a 
few  mincing  steps  across  the  room.  Katy  couldn't 
help  laughing,  it  was  so  funny,  and  so  like  Imo- 
gen. Then  Papa  sat  down  again  and  drew  her 
close  to  him. 


INTIMATE    FRIENDS.  115 

"My  dear,"  he  said,  "you're  an  affectionate 
child,  and  I'm  glad  of  it.  But  there  is  such  a 
thing  as  throwing  away  one's  affection.  I  didn't 
fancy  that  little  girl  at  all  yesterday.  What 
makes  you  like  her  so  much?" 

"I  didn't  like  her  so  much  yesterday,"  admit- 
ted Kilty,  reluctantly.  "  She's  a  great  deal  nicer 
than  that  at  school,  sometimes." 

"  I'm  orlad  to  hear  it,"  said  her  father.  "  For  I 
should  l)e  sorry  to  think  that  you  really  admired 
such  silly  manners.  And  what  was  that  nonsense 
T  heard  her  telling  vou  about  Brigands?  " 

"It  really  hap  —  "  began  Katy. — Then  she 
caught  Papa's  eye,  and  bit  her  lip,  for  he  looked 
very  quizzical.  "  Well,"  she  went  on,  laughing, 
"I  suppose  it  didn't  really  all  happen  ;  —  but  it  was 
ever  so  funny,  Papa,  even,  if  it  was  a  make-up. 
And  Imogen's  just  as  good-natured  as  can  be. 
All  the  girls  like  her." 

'Make-ups  are  all  very  well,"  said  Papa,  "as 
long  as  people  don't  try  to  make  you  believe  they 
are  true.  When  they  do  that,  it  seems  to  me  it 
comes  too  near  the  edge  of  falsehood  to  be  very 
safe    or   pleasant.     If  I  were  you,  Katy,  I'd  be  a 


116  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

little  shy  of  swearing  eternal  friendship  for  Miss 
Clark.  She  may  be  good-natured,  as  you  say,  but 
I  think  two  or  three  years  hence  she  won't  seem 
so  nice  to  you  as  she  does  now.  Give  me  a  kiss, 
Chick,  and  run  away,  for  there's  Alexander  with 
the  buggy." 


CHAPTER    Vn. 


cousin  Helen's  visit. 


LITTLE  knot  of  the  school-girls  were 


©j 


walking  home  together  one  afternoon 
in  July.  As  they  neared  Dr.  Carr's 
gate,  Maria  Fiske  exclaimed,  at  the  sight  of  a  pretty 
bunch  of  flowers  lying  in  the  middle  of  the  side- 
walk : 

"  Oh  my !  "  she  cried,  M  see  what  somebody's 
dropped  !  I'm  going  to  have  it."  She  stooped 
to  pick  it  up.  But,  just  as  her  fingers  touched 
the  stems,  the  nosegay,  as  if  bewitched,  began  to 
move.  Maria  made  a  bewildered  clutch.  The 
nosegav  moved  faster,  and  at  last  vanished  under 
the  "rate,  while  a  giggle  sounded  from  the  other 
side  of  the  hedge. 

"Did  you  see  that?"  shrieked  Maria;  "those 
flowers  ran  away  of  themselves." 

"Nonsense,"  said  Katy,  "  it's  those  absurd  chil- 

(117) 


118  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

dren."  Then,  opening  the  gate,  she  called: 
"John!  Dorry  !  come  out  and  show  yourselves 
But  nobody  replied,  and  no  one  could  be  seen. 
The  nosegay  lay  on  the  path,  however,  and  pick- 
ing it  up,*  Katy  exhibited  to  the  girls  a  long  end 
of  black  thread,  tied  to  the  stems. 

f  That's  a  very  favorite  trick  of  Johnny's,"  she 
said  ;  "she  and  Dorry  are  always  tying  up  flowers, 
and  putting  them  out  on  the  walk  to  tease  people. 
Here,  Maria,  take  'em  if  you  like.  Though  I 
don't  think  John's  taste  in  bouquets  is  very 
good." 

"Isn't  it  splendid  to  have  vacation  come?"  said 
one  of  the  bigger  girls.  "  What  are  you  all  go- 
ing to  do?     We're  going  to  the  sea-side." 

"  Pa  says  he'll  take  Susie  and  me  to  Niagara,'' 
said  Maria. 

"I'm  going  to  make  my  aunt  a  visit,"  said 
Alice  Blair.  "  She  lives  in  a  real  lovely  place  in 
the  country,  and  there's  a  pond  there ;  and  Tom 
(that's  my  cousin)  says  he'll  teach  me  to  row. 
What  are  you  going  to  do,  Katy?" 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  ;  play  round  and  have  splen- 
lid    times,"  replied  Katy,  throwing   her   bag  of 


cousin  Helen's  visit.  119 

books  into  the  air,  and  catching  it  again.  But  the 
other  girls  looked  as  if  they  didn't  think  this 
good  fun  at  all,  and  a?  if  they  were  sorry  for  her; 
and  Katy  felt  suddenly  that  her  vacation  wasn't 
going  to  be  so  pleasant  as  that  of  the  rest. 

WI  wish  Papa  ivould  take  us  somewhere,"  shf 
said  to  Clover,  as  they  walked  up  the  gravel  path. 
"All  the  other  girls'  Papas  do." 

'He's  too  busy,"  replied  Clover.  "Beside,  I 
don't  think  any  of  the  rest  of  the  girls  have  half 
such  good  times  as  we.  Ellen  Bobbins  says  she'd 
give  a  million  of  dollars  for  such  nice  brothers 
and  sisters  as  ours  to  play  with.  And,  you 
know,  Maria  and  Susie  have  awful  times  at  home, 
though  they  do  go  to  places.  Mrs.  Fiske  ia 
so  particular.  She  always  says  '  Don't,'  and  they 
haven't  got  any  yard  to  their  house,  or  anything. 
I  wouldn't  change." 

"Nor  I,"  said  Katy,  cheering  up  at  these  words 
of  wisdom.  "Oh,  isn't  it  lovely  to  think  there 
won't  be  any  school  to-morrow?  Vacations  are 
just  splendid  ! "  and  she  gave  her  bag  another 
toss.     It  fell  to  the  ground  with  a  crash. 


L20  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

"There,  you've  cracked  your  slate,"  said 
Clover. 

"  No  matter,  I  shaVt  want  it  again  for  eight 
weeks,"  replied  Katy,  comfortably,  as  they  ran  up 
the  steps. 

They  burst  open  the  front  door  and  raced 
up  stairs,  crying  "Hurrah!  hurrah!  vacation's 
begun.  Aunt  Izzie,  vacation's  begun  !  "  Then 
they  stopped  short,  for  lo !  the  upper  hall 
was  all  in  confusion.  Sounds  of  beating  and 
dusting  came  from  the  spare  room.  Tables 
and  chairs  were  standing  about ;  and  a  cot-bed, 
which  seemed  to  be  taking  a  walk  all  by  itself, 
had  stopped  short  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  and 
barred  the  way. 

"Why,  how  queer!  "  said  Katy,  trying  to  get 
by.  "What  can  be  going  to  happen?  Oh,  there's 
Aunt  Izzie!  Aunt  Izzie,  who's  coming?  What 
are  you  moving  the  things  out  of  the  Blue-room 
for?" 

"Oh,  gracious!  is  that  you?"  replied  Aunt 
Izzie,  who  looked  very  hot  and  flurried.  "Now, 
children,  it's  no  use  for  you  to  stand  there  asking 
questions;    I   haven't  got  time   to  answer   them. 


COUSIN   HELEN'S    VISTT.  121 

Let  the  bedstead  alone,  Katy,  you'll  push  it  into 
the  wall.  There,  I  told  you  so  !  "  as  Katy  gave 
an  impatient  shove,  "you've  made  a  bad  mark  on 
the  paper.  What  a  troublesome  child  you  are  ! 
Go  right  down  stairs,  both  of  you,  and  don't 
come  up  this  way  again  till  after  tea.  I've  just 
as  much  as  I  can  possibly  attend  to  till  then." 

"  Just  tell  us  what's  going  to  happen,  and  we 
will,"  cried  the  children. 

"Your  Cousin  Helen  is  coming  to  visit  us,"  said 
Miss  Izzie,  curtly,  and  disappeared  into  the  Blue- 
room. 

This  was  news  indeed.  Katy  and  Clover  ran 
down  stairs  in  great  excitement,  and  after  consult- 
ing a  little,  retired  to  the  Loft  to  talk  it  over  in 
peace  and  quiet.  Cousin  Helen  coming !  It 
seemed  as  strange  as  if  Queen  Victoria,  gold 
crown  and  all,  had  invited  herself  to  tea.  Or  as 
if  some  character  out  of  a  book,  Robins  ju  Crusoe, 
say,  or  "Amy  Herbert,"  had  driven  up  with  a 
trunk  and  announced  the  intention  of  spending  a 
week.  For  to  the  imaginations  of  the  children, 
Cousin  Helen  was  as  interesting  and  unreal  as 
anybody    in     the     Fairy   Tales :     Cinderella,    or 


122  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

Blue-Beard,  or  dear  Red  Riding-Hood  herself. 
Only  there  was  a  sort  of  mixture  of  Sunday- 
school  book  in  their  idea  of  her,  for  Cousin  Helen 
was  very,  very  good. 

None  of  them  had  ever  seen  her.  Philly  said 
he  was  sure  she  hadn't  any  legs,  because  she  never 
went  away  from  home,  and  lay  on  a  sofa  all  the 
time.  But  the  rest  knew  that  this  was  because 
Cousin  Helen  was  ill.  Papa  always  went  to  visit 
her  twice  a  year,  and  he  liked  to  talk  to  the  chi) 
dren  about  her,  and  tell  how  sweet  and  patient 
she  was,  and  what  a  pretty  room  she  lived  in. 
Katy  and  Clover  had  "  played  Cousin  Helen "  so 
long,  that  now  they  were  frightened  as  well  as 
glad  at  the  idea  of  seeing  the  real  one. 

"  Do  you  suppose  she  will  want  us  to  say  hymns 
to  her  all  the  time  ?  "  asked  Clover 

"  Not  all  the  time,"  replied  Katy,  "  because  you 
know  she  '11  get  tired,  and  have  to  take  naps  in  the 
afternoons.  And  then,  of  course,  she  reads  the 
Bible  a  great  deal.  Oh  dear,  how  quiet  we  shall 
have  to  be  I     I  wonder  how  long  she's  going  tc 


stay  t 


9" 


cousin  Helen's  visit.  123 

"What  do  you  suppose  she  looks  like?  "  went 
on  Clover. 

"Something  like  f  Lucy/  in  Mrs.  Sherwood,  I 
guess,  with  blue  eyes,  and  curls,  and  a  long, 
straight  nose.  And  she'll  keep  her  hands  clasped 
so  all  the  time,  and  wear  'frilled  wrappers,' and 
lie  on  the  sofa  perfectly  still,  and  never  smile, 
but  just  look  patient.  We'll  have  to  take  off  our 
boots  in  the  hall,  Clover,  and  go  up  stairs  in 
stocking  feet,  so  as  not  to  make  a  noise,  all  the 
time  she  stays." 

"  Won't  it  be  funny  !  "  giggled  Clover,  her  sober 
little  face  growing  bright  at  the  idea  of  this  vari- 
atiou  on  the  hymns. 

The  time  seemed  very  long  till  the  next  after- 
noon, when  Cousin  Helen  was  expected.  Aunt 
Izzie,  who  was  in  a  great  excitement,  gave  the  chil- 
dren many  orders  about  their  behavior.  They  were 
to  do  this  and  that,  and  not  to  do  the  other.  Dorry, 
at  last,  announced  that  he  wished  Cousin  Helen 
would  just  stay  at  home.  Clover  and  Elsie,  who 
had  been  thinking  pretty  much  the  same  thing  in 
private,  were  glad   to  hear  that  she  was  on  her 


124  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

way  to  a  Water  Cure,  and  would  stay  only  four 
days. 

Five  o'clock  came.  They  all  sat  on  the  steps 
waiting  for  the  carriage.  At  last  it  drove  up. 
Papa  was  on  the  box.  He  motioned  the  children 
to  stand  back.  Then  he  helped  out  a  nice-look- 
ing young  woman,  who,  Aunt  Izzie  told  them, 
was  Cousin  Helen's  nurse,  and  then,  very  care- 
fully, lifted  Cousiu  Helen  in  his  arms  and  brought 
her  in. 

f  Oh,  there  are  the  chicks  !"  were  the  first  words 
the  children  heard,  in  such  a  gay,  pleasant  voice. 
"Do  set  me  down  somewhere,  uncle.  I  want  to 
see  them  so  much  !  " 

So  Papa  put  Cousin  Helen  on  the  hall  sofa. 
The  nurse  fetched  a  pillow,  and  when  she  was 
made  comfortable,  Dr.  Carr  called  to  the  little 
ones. 

"Cousin  Helen  wants  to  see  you,"  he  said. 

"Indeed  I  do,"  said  the  bright  voice.  "So 
this  is  Katy  ?  Why,  what  a  splendid  tall  Katy  it 
is!  And  this  is  Clover,"  kissing  her;  "and  this 
dear  little  Elsie.  You  all  look  as  natural  as  pos- 
sible— just  as  if  I  had  seen  you   before."     And 


cousin  Helen's  visit.  125 

she  hugged  them  all  round,  not  as  if  it  was  polite 
to  like  them  because  they  were  relations,  but  as 
if  she  had  loved  them  and  wanted  them  all  her 
life. 

There  was  something  in  Cousin  Helen's  face  and 
manner,  which  made  the  children  at  home  with  her 
at  once.  Even  Philly,  who  had  backed  away  with 
his  hands  behind  him,  after  staring  hard  for  a 
minute  or  two,  came  up  with  a  sort  of  rush  to  get 
his  share  of  kissing. 

Still,  Katy's  first  feeling  was  one  of  disappoint- 
ment. Cousin  Helen  was  not  at  all  like  "  Lucy," 
in  Mrs.  Sherwood's  story.  Her  nose  turned  up 
the  least  bit  in  the  world.  She  had  brown  hair, 
which  didn't  curl,  a  brown  skin,  and  bright  eyes, 
which  danced  when  she  laughed  or  spoke.  Her 
face  was  thin,  but  except  for  that  you  wouldn't 
have  jniessod  that  she  was  sick.      She  didn't  fold 

o 

her  hands,  and  she  didn't  look  patient,  but  abso- 
lutely glad  and  merry.  Her  dress  wasn't  a  "  frilled 
wrapper,"  but  a  sort  of  loose  travelling  thing  of 
pretty  gray  stuff,  with  a  rose-colored  bow,  and 
bracelets,  and  a  round  hat  trimmed  with  a  gray 
feather.     All  Katy's  dreams  about  the    "  saintly 


126  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

mvalid ':  seemed  to  take  wings  and  fly  away. 
But  the  more  she  watched  Cousin  Helen  the  more 
she  seemed  to  like  her,  and  to  feel  as  if  she  were 
nicer  than  the  imaginary  person  which  she  and 
Clover  had  invented. 

"She  looks  just  like  other  people,  don't  she?" 
whispered  Cecy,  who  had  come  over  to  have  a 
peep  at  the  new  arrival. 

"Y-e-s,"  replied  Katy,  doubtfully,  "only  a 
great,  great  deal  prettier. " 

By  and  by,  Papa  carried  Cousin  Helen  up 
stairs.  All  the  children  wanted  to  go  too,  but  he 
told  them  she  was  tired,  and  must  rest.  So  they 
went  out  doors  to  play  till  tea-time. 

"Oh,  do  let  me  take  up  the  tray,"  cried  Katy 
at  the  tea-table,  as  she  watched  Aunt  Izzie  getting 
ready  Cousin  Helen's  supper.  Such  a  nice  sup- 
per !  Cold  chicken,  and  raspberries  and  cream, 
and  tea  in  a  pretty  pink-and- white  china  cup. 
And  such  a  snow-white  napkin  as  Aunt  Izzie 
spread  over  the  tray  ! 

"No  indeed,"  said  Aunt  Izzie;  "you'll  drop 
it  the  first  thing."     But  Katy's  eyes  begged  so 


cousin  Helen's  visit.  127 

hard,  that  Dr.  Carr  said,  "Yes,  let  her,  Izzie ;  I 
like  to  see  the  girls  useful." 

So  Katy,  proud  of  the  commission,  took  the 
tray  and  carried  it  carefully  across  the'  hall. 
There  was  a  bowl  of  flowers  on  the  table.  As  she 
passed,  she  was  struck  with  a  bright  idea.  She 
set  down  the  tray,  and  picking  out  a  rose,  laid 
it  on  the  napkin  beside  the  saucer  of  crimson 
raspberries.  It  looked  very  pretty,  and  Katy 
smiled  to  herself  with  pleasure. 

What  are  you  stopping  for?"  called  Aunt 
Izzie,  from  the  dining-room.  "  Do  be  careful, 
Katy,  I  really  think  Bridget  had  better  take  it." 

"Oh  no,  no!"  protested  Katy,  "I'm  most  up 
already."  And  she  sped  up  stairs  as  fast  as  she 
could  go.  Luckless  speed  !  She  had  just  reached 
the  door  of  the  Blue-room,  when  she  tripped  upon 
her  boot-lace,  which,  as  usual,  was  dangling,  made 
i  misstep,  and  stumbled.  She  caught  at  the 
door  to  save  herself;  the  door  flew  open;  and 
Katy,  with  the  tray,  cream,  raspberries,  rose 
and  all,  descended  in  a  confused  heap  upon  the 
carpet. 


128  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

"  I  told  you  so  ! "  exclaimed  Aunt  Izzie  from 
the  bottom  of  the  stairs. 

Katy  never  forgot  how  kind  Cousin  Helen  was 
on  this  occasion.  She  was  in  bed,  and  was  of 
course  a  good  deal  startled  at  the  sudden  crash 
and  tumble  on  her  floor.  But  after  one  little 
jump,  nothing  could  have  been  sweeter  than  the 
way  in  which  she  comforted  poor  crest-fallen  Katy, 
and  made  so  merry  over  the  accident,  that  even 
Aunt  Izzie  almost  forgot  to  scold.  The  broken 
dishes  were  piled  up  and  the  carpet  made  clean 
again,  while  Aunt  Izzie  prepared  another  tray  just 
as  nice  as  the  first. 

"  Please  let  Katy  bring  it  up  !  "  pleaded  Cousin 
Helen,  in  her  pleasant  voice,  "I  am  sure  she  will 
be  careful  this  time.  And  Katy,  I  want  just  such 
another  rose  on  the  napkin.  I  guess  that  was 
your  doing  —  wasn't  it?" 

Katy  was  careful. — This  time  all  went  well. 
The  tray  was  placed  safely  on  a  little  table  beside 
the  bed,  and  Katy  sat  watching  Cousin  Helen  eat 
her  supper  with  a  warm,  loving  feeling  at  her 
heart.     I  think  we  are  scarcely  ever  so  grateful 


cousin  Helen's  visit.  129 

to  people  as  when  they  help  us  to  get  back  our 
own  self-esteem. 

Cousin  Helen  hadn't  much  appetite,  though  she 
declared  everything  was  delicious.  Katy  could 
see  that  she  was  very  tired. 

"Now,"  she  said,  when  she  had  finished,  w  if 
you'll  shake  up  this  pillow,  so;  —  and  move  this 
other  pillow  a  little,  I  think  I  will  settle  myself  to 
sleep.  Thanks — that's  just  right.  Why,  Katy 
dear,  you  are  a  born  nurse.  Now  kiss  me.  Good- 
night !     To-morrow  we  will  have  a  nice  talk.'* 

Katy  went  down  stairs  very  happy.  "  Cousin 
Helen's  perfectly  lovely,"  she  told  Clover.  "  And 
she's  got  on  the  most  beautiful  night-gown,  all  lace 
and  ruffles.    It's  just  like  a  night-gown  in  a  book." 

"Isn't  it  wicked  to  care  about  clothes  when 
you're  sick?"  questioned  Cecy. 

"I  don't  believe  Cousin  Helen  could  do  anything 
wicked,"  said  Katy. 

"I  told  Ma  that  she  had  on  bracelets,  and  Ma 
said  she  feared  your  cousin  was  a  worldly  person," 
retorted  Cecy,  primming  up  her  lips. 

Katy  and  Clover  were  quite  distressed  at  this 

0 


130  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

opinion.     They  talked  about  it  while  they  were 
undressing. 

:f  I  mean  to  ask  Cousin  Helen  to-morrow,"  said 
Katy. 

Next  morning  the  children  got  up  very  early. 
They  were  so  glad  that  it  was  vacation  !  If  it 
hadn't  been,  thev  would  have  been  forced  to  £o  to 
school  without  seeing  Cousin  Helen,  for  she  didn't 
wake  till  late.  They  grew  so  impatient  of  the 
delay,  and  went  up  stairs  so  often  to  listen  at  the 
door,  and  see  if  she  were  moving,  that  Aunt 
Izzie  finally  had  to  order  them  off.  Katy  rebelled 
against  this  order  a  good  deal,  but  she  consoled 
herself  bj'  going  into  the  garden  and  picking  the 
prettiest  flowers  she  could  find,  to  give  to  Cousin 
Helen  the  moment  she  should  see  her. 

Wheu  Aunt  Izzie  let  her  go  up,  Cousin  Helen 
was  lying  on  the  sofa  all  dressed  for  the  day  in  a 
fresh  blue  muslin,  with  blue  ribbons,  and  cunning 
bronze  slippers  with  rosettes  on  the  toes.  The 
sofa  had  been  wheeled  round  with  its  back  to  the 
light.  There  was  a  cushion  with  a  pretty  fluted 
cover,  that  Katy  had  never  seen  before,  and  sev 
eral  other  things  were  scattered  about,  which  gave 


Cousin  Helen  was  lying  on  the  sofa,  all  dressed  for  the  day.  —  Page  130. 


cousin  iielen's  visit.  131 

the  room  quite  a  different  air.  All  the  house  was 
neat,  but  somehow  Aunt  Izzie's  rooms  never  were 
'pretty.  Children's  eyes  are  quick  to  perceive  such 
things,  and  Katy  saw  at  once  that  the  Blue-room 
had  never  looked  like  this. 

Cousin  Helen  was  white  and  tired,  but  her  eyes 
and  smile  were  as  bright  as  ever.  She  was  de- 
lighted with  the  flowers,  which  Katy  presented 
rather  shyly. 

"  Oh,  how  lovely  !  "  she  said  ;  w  I  must  put  them 
in  water  right  away.  Katy  dear,  don't  you  want 
to  brins:  that  little  vase  on  the  bureau  and  set  it 
on  this  chair  beside  roe  ?  And  please  pour  a  little 
water  into  it  first." 

"  What  a  beauty  !  "  cried  Katy,  as  she  lifted  the 
graceful  white  cup  swung  on  a  gilt  stand.  "  Is  it 
yours,  Cousin  Helen?" 

"Yes,  it  is  my  pet  vase.  It  stands  on  a  little 
table  beside  me  at  home,  and  I  fancied  that  the 
Water  Cure  would  seem  more  home-like  if  I  had 
it  with  me  there,  so  I  brought  it  along.  But  why 
do  you  look  so  puzzled,  Katy?  Does  it  seem 
queer  that  a  vase  should  travel  about  in  a  trunk  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Katy,  slowly,  "I  was  only  thinking 


132  WHAT   KAT*    DID. 

—  Cousin  Helen,   is    it  worldly   to  have    pretty 
things  when  you're  sick  ?  " 

Cousin  Helen  laughed  heartily. 

"  What  put  that  idea  into  your  head  ? "  she 
asked. 

"  Cecy  said  so  when  I  told  her  about  your  beau- 
tiful night-^own." 

Cousin  Helen  laughed  a^ain. 

"Well,"  she  said,  "I'll  tell  you  what  I  think, 
Katy.  Pretty  things  are  no  more  f  worldly '  than 
ugly  ones,  except  when  they  spoil  us  by  makiug  us 
vain,  or  careless  of  the  comfort  of  other  people. 
And  sickness  is  such  a  disagreeable  thing  in  itself, 
that  unless  sick  people  take  great  pains,  they  soon 
grow  to  be  eyesores  to  themselves  and  everybody 
about  them.  I  don't  think  it  is  possible  for  di\ 
invalid  i;o  be  too  particular.  And  when  one  has 
the  back-ache,  and  the  head-ache,  and  the  all-uver 
ache,"  she  added,  smiling,  "there  isn't  much  dan- 
ger of  growing  vain  because  of  a  ruffle  more  or 
less  on  one's  night-gown,  or  a  bit  of  bright  rib- 
bon." 

Then  she  began  to  arrange  the  flowers,  touch- 


COUSIN    HELEN'S    VISIT.  133 

ing  each  separate  one  gently,  and  as  if  she  loved 
it. 

"  What  a  queer  noise  !  "  she  exclaimed,  suddenly 
stopping. 

It  ivas  queer  —  a  sort  of  snuffling  and  snorting 
sound,  as  if  a  walrus  or  a  sea-horse  were  prom- 
enading up  and  down  in  the  hall.  Katy  opened 
the  door.  Behold  !  there  were  John  and  Dorry, 
very  red  in  the  face  from  flattening  their  noses: 
against  the  key-hole,  in  a  vain  attempt  to  see  if 
Cousin  Helen  were  up  and  ready  to  receive  com- 
pany. 

f  Oh,  let  them  come  in ! "  cried  Cousin  Helen 
from  her  sofa. 

So  they  came  in,  followed,  before  long,  by 
Clover  and  Elsie.  Snch  a  merry  morning  as 
they  had  !  Cousin  Helen  proved  to  possess  a  per- 
fect genius  for  story-teJIing,  and  for  suggesting 
games  which  could  be  played  about  her  sofa,  and 
did  not  make  more  noise  than  she  could  bear. 
Aunt  Izzie,  dropping  in  about  eleven  o'clock,  found 
them  having  such  a  good  time,  that  almost  before 
she  knew  it,  she  <vi*s  drawn  into  the  game  too. 
Nobody  had  ever   heard  of  such  a  tLiiig  before  ! 


134  WHAT    KATT    DID. 

There  sat  Aunt  Izzie  on  the  floor,  with  three  long 
lamp-lighters  stuck  in  her  hair,  playing,  "I'm  a 
genteel  Lady,  always  genteel,"  in  the  jolliest  man- 
ner possible.  The  children  were  so  enchanted  at 
the  spectacle,  that  they  could  hardly  attend  to 
the  game,  and  were  always  forgetting  how  many 
"  horns  "  they  had.  Clover  privately  thought  that 
Cousin  Helen  must  be  a  witch  ;  and  Papa,  when  he 
came  home  at  noon,  said  almost  the  same  thing. 

"What  have  you  been  doing  to  them,  Helen?" 
he  inquired,  as  he  opened  the  door,  and  saw  the 
merry  circle  on  the  carpet.  Aunt  Izzie's  hair 
was  half  pulled  down,  and  Philly  was  rolling 
over  and  over  in  convulsions  of  laughter.  But 
Cousin  Helen  said  she  hadn't  done  anything,  and 
pretty  soon  Papa  was  on  the  floor  too,  playing 
away  as  fast  as  the  rest. 

"I  must  put  a  stop  to  this,"  he  cried,  when 
everybody  was  tired  of  laughing,  and  everybody's 
head  was  stuck  as  full  of  paper  quills  as  a  porcu- 
pine's back.  "Cousin  Helen  will  be  worn  out. 
Run  away,  all  of  you,  and  don't  come  near  this 
door  again  till  the  clock  strikes  four.  Do  you 
hear,  chicks?     Run  —  run  !     Shoo  !  shoo  !  " 


cousin  Helen's  visit.  135 

The    children   scuttled   away  like   a  brood   of 
fowls  —  all    but   Katy.       "Oh,    Papa,    I'll  be    so 
quiet!"  she  pleaded.     "Mightn't  I   stay  just  till 
the  dinner-bell  rin^s?  " 

"Do  let  her!"  said  Cousin  Helen,  so  Papa  said 
"Yes." 

Katy  sat  on  the  floor  holding  Cousin  Helen's 
hand,  and  listening  to  her  talk  with  Papa.  It  in- 
terested her,  though  it  was  about  things  and 
people  she  did  not  know. 

"How  is  Alex?  "  asked  Dr.  Carr,  at  length. 

"Quite  well  now,"  replied  Cousin  Heleu,  with 
one  of  her  brightest  looks.  "  He  was  run  down 
and  tired  in  the  Spring,  and  we  were  a  little 
anxious  about  him,  but  Emma  persuaded  him  to 
take  a  fortnight's  vacation,  and  he  came  back  all 
right." 

"  Do  you  see  them  often  ?  " 

"Almost  every  day.  And  little  Helen  comes 
every  day,  you  know,  for  her  lessons." 

"  Is  she  as  pretty  as  she  used  to  be  ?  " 

"Oh  yes  —  prettier,  I  think.  She  is  a  lovely 
little  creature  :  having  her  so  much  with  me  is  one 
of  my  greatest  treats.    Alex  tries  to  think  that  she 


136  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

looks  a  little  as  I  used  to.     But  that  is  a  compli- 
ment so  great,  that  I  dare  not  appropriate  it." 

Dr.  Carr  stooped  and  kissed  Cousin  Helen  as 
if  he  could  not  help  it.  "My  dear  child,"  he 
said.  That  was  all ;  but  something  in  the  tone 
made  Katy  curious. 

"Papa,"  she  said,  after  dinner,  "who  is  Alex, 
that  you  and  Cousin  Helen  were  talking  about?" 

"  Why,  Katy  ?  What  makes  you  want  to 
know  ?  " 

"  I  can't  exactly  tell  —  only  Cousin  Helen  looked 
so  ;  —  and  you  kissed  her ;  —  and  I  thought  per- 
haps it  was  something  interesting." 

"  So  it  is,"  said  Dr.  Carr,  drawing  her  on  to  his 
knee.  "I've  a  mind  to  tell  you  about  it,  Katy, 
because  you're  old  enough  to  see  how  beautiful  it 
is,  and  wise  enough  (I  hope)  not  to  chatter  or 
ask  questions.  Alex  is  the  name  of  somebody 
who,  Ions:  a^o,  when  Cousin  Helen  was  well  and 
strong,  she  loved,  and  expected  to  marry." 
,  "Oh  !  why  didn't  she?"  cried  Katy. 

"  She  met  with  a  dreadful  accident,"  continued 
Dr.  Can*.  "For  a  long  time  they  thought  she 
would  die.     Then  she  grew  slowly  better,  and  the 


COUSIN    HELEN'S    VISIT.  '137 

doctors  told  her  that  she  might  live  a  good  many 
years,  but  that  she  would  have  to  lie  on  her  sofa 
always,  and  be  helpless,  and  a  cripple. 

"Alex  felt  dreadfully  when  he  heard  this.  He 
wanted  to  marry  Cousin  Helen  just  the  same,  and 
be  her  nurse,  and  take  care  of  her  always ;  but 
she  would  not  consent.  She  broke  the  engage- 
ment, and  told  him  that  some  day  she  hoped  he 
would  love  somebody  else  well  enough  to  marry 
her.  So  after  a  good  many  years,  he  did,  and  now 
he  and  his  wife  live  next  door  to  Cousin  Helen,  and 
are  her  dearest  friends.  Their  little  ^irl  is  named 
'  Helen. '  All  their  plans  are  talked  over  with 
her,  and  there  is  nobody  in  the  world  they  think 
so  much  of." 

"But  doesn't  it  make  Cousin  Helen  feel  bad, 
when  she  sees  them  walking  about  and  enjoying 
themselves,  and  she  can't  move?"  asked  Katy. 

"No,"  said  Dr.  Carr, "  it  doesn't,  because 
Cousin  Helen  is  half  an  angel  already,  and  loves 
other  people  better  than  herself.  I'm  very  glad 
she  could  come  here  for  once.  She's  an  example 
to  us  all,  Katy,  and  I  couldn't  ask  anything  hotter 


138  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

than  to  have  my  little  girls  take  pattern  after 
her." 

"It  must  be  awful  to  be  sick,"  soliloquized 
Katy,  after  Papa  was  gone.  "  Why,  if  I  had  to 
stay  in  bed  a  whole  week  —  I  should  die,  I  know 
I  should." 

Poor  Katy !  It  seemed  to  her,  as  it  does  to 
almost  all  young  people,  that  there  is  nothing  in 
the  world  so  easy  as  to  die,  the  moment  things 
go  wrong ! 

This  conversation  with  Papa  made  Cousin  Helen 
doubly  interesting  in  Katy's  eyes.  "It  was  just 
like  something  in  a  book,"  to  be  in  the  same 
house  with  the  heroine  of  a  love-story  so  sad  and 
sweet. 

The  play  that  afternoon  was  much  interrupted, 
for  every  few  minutes  somebody  had  to  run  in 
and  see  if  it  wasn't  four  o'clock.  The  instant 
the  honr  came,  all  six  children  galloped  up  stairs. 

"I  think  we'll  tell  stories  this  time,"  said 
Cousin  Helen. 

So  they  told  stories.  Cousin  Helen's  were 
the  best  of  all.  There  was  one  of  them  about  a 
robber,  which  ao,nt  delightful  chills  creeping  down 


cousin  Helen's  visit.  139 

all  their  backs.  All  but  Philly.  He  was  so  ex- 
cited, that  he  grew  warlike. 

"I  ain't  afraid  of  robbers,"  he  declared,  strut- 
ting up  and  down.  "  When  they  come,  I  shall 
just  cut  them  in  two  with  my  sword  which 
Papa  gave  me.  They  did  come  once.  I  did  cut 
them  in  two  —  three,  five,  eleven  of  'em.  You'll 
see  ! " 

But  that  evening,  after  the  younger  children 
were  gone  to  bed,  and  Katy  and  Clover  were  sit- 
ting in  the  Blue-room,  a  lamentable  howling  was 
heard  from  the  nursery.  Clover  ran  to  see  what 
was  the  matter.  Behold  —  there  was  Phil,  sit- 
ting up  in  bed,  and  crying  for  help. 

"There's  robbers  under  the  bed,"  he  sobbed; 
"  ever  so  many  robbers." 

M  Why  no,  Philly  !  "  said  Clover,  peeping  under 
the  valance  to  satisfy  him;  "  there  isn't  anybody 
there." 

"Yes,  there  is,  I  tell  you,"  declared  Phil,  hold- 
ing her  tight.  "  I  heard  one.  They  were  chew- 
ing my  india-rubbers." 

"  Poor  little  fellow  !  "  said  Cousin  Helen,  when 
Clover,  having  pacified  Phil,  came  back  to  report. 


140  WIIAT   KATT   DTD. 

"  It's  a  warning  against  robber  stories.  But  this 
one  ended  so  well,  that  I  didn't  think  of  anybody's 
being  frightened." 

It  was  no  use,  after  this,  for  Aunt  Izzie  to  make 
rules  about  going  into  the  Blue-room.  She  might 
as  well  have  ordered  flies  to  keep  away  from  a 
sugar-bowl.  By  hook  or  by  crook,  the  children 
would  get  up  stairs.  Whenever  Aunt  Izzie  went 
in,  she  was  sure  to  find  them  there,  just  as  close 
to  Cousin  Helen  as  they  could  get.  And  Cousin 
Helen  begged  her  not  to  interfere. 

"We  have  only  three  or  four  days  to  be  to- 
gether," she  said.  "Let  them  come  as  much  as 
they  like.     It  won't  hurt  me  a  bit." 

Little  Elsie  clung  with  a  passionate  love  to  this 
new  friend.  Cousin  Helen  had  sharp  eyes.  She 
saw  the  wistful  look  in  Elsie's  face  at  once,  and 
took  special  pains  to  be  sweet  and  tender  to  her. 
This  preference  made  Katy  jealous.  She  couldn't 
bear  to  share  her  cousin  with  anybody. 

When  the  last  evening  came,  and  they  went  up 
after  tea  to  the  Bine-room,  Cousin  Helen  was 
opening  a  box  which  had  just  come  by  Ex- 
press. 


COUSIN    HELEN'S    VISIT.  141 

"It  is  a  Good-by  Box,"  she  said.  "All  of  you 
must  sit  down  in  a  row,  and  when  I  hide  my 
hands  behind  me,  so,  you  must  choose  in  turn 
which  you  will  take." 

So  they  all  chose  in  turn,  "Which  hand  will 
you  have,  the  right  or  the  left?"  and  Cousin 
Helen,  with  the  air  of  a  wise  fairy,  brought  out 
from  behind  her  pillow  something  pretty  for  each 
one.  First  came  a  vase  exactly  like  her  own, 
which  Katy  had  admired  so  much.  Katy  screamed 
with  delight  as  it  was  placed  in  her  hands  : 

"  Oh,   how   lovely !    how    lovely ! "    she    cried 
"I'll  keep  it  as  long  as  I  live  and  breathe." 

"  If  you  do,  it'll  be  the  first  time  you  ever  kept 
anything  for  a  week  without  breaking  it,"  re- 
marked Aunt  Izzie. 

Next  came  a  pretty  purple  pocket-book  for 
Clover.  It  was  just  what  she  wanted,  for  she  had 
lost  her  porte-monnaie.  Then  a  cunning  little 
locket  on  a  bit  of  velvet  ribbon,  which  Cousin 
Helen  tied  round  Elsie's  neck. 

"  There's  a  piece  of  my  hair  in  it,"  she  said. 
"Why,  Elsie,  darling,  what's  the  matter?  Don't 
cry  so ! " 


142  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

"Oh,  you're  s-o  beautiful,  and  s-o  sweet!" 
sobbed  Elsie  ;  "  and  you're  go-o-ing  away." 

Dorry  had  a  box  of  dominoes,  and  John  a  sol- 
itaire board.  For  Phil  there  appeared  a  book  — 
w  The  History  of  the  Robber  Cat." 

M  That  will  remind  you  of  the  night  when  the 
thieves  came  and  chewed  your  india-rubbers," 
said  Cousin  Helen,  with  a  mischievous  smile. 
They  all  laughed,  Phil  loudest  of  all. 

Nobody  was  forgotten.  There  was  a  note-book 
for  Papa,  and  a  set  of  ivory  tablets  for  Aunt  Izzie. 
Even  Cecy  was  remembered.  Her  present  was 
"The  Book  of  Golden  Deeds,"  with  all  sorts  of 
stories  about  boys  and  girls  who  had  done  brave 
and  good  things.  She  was  almost  too  pleased  to 
speak. 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  Cousin  Helen  ! "  she  said  at 
last.  Cecy  wasn't  a  cousin,  but  she  and  the  Carr 
children  were  in  the  habit  of  sharing  their  aunts 
and  uncles,  and  relations  generally,  as  they  did 
their  other  srood  things. 

Next  day  came  the  sad  parting.  All  the  little 
ones  stood  at  the  gate,  to  wave  theii  pocket-hand- 
kerchiefs as  the  carriage  drove  away       When  it 


cousin  Helen's  visit.  143 

was  quite  oat  of  sight,  Katy  rushed  off  to  "  weep 
a  little  weep,"  all  by  herself. 

"Papa  said  he  wished  we  were  all  like  Cousin 
Helen,"  she  thought,  as  she  wiped  her  eyes,  "and 
I  mean  to  try,  though  I  don't  suppose  if  I  tried  a 
thousand  years  I  should  ever  get  to  be  half  so 
good.  I'll  study,  and  keep  my  things  in  order, 
and  be  ever  so  kind  to  the  little  ones.  Dear  me  — 
if  only  Aunt  Izzie  was  Cousin  Helen,  how  easy  it 
would  be  !  Never  mind  —  I'll  think  about  her  all 
the  time,  and  I'll  begin  to-iiiorrow." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


TO-MORROW. 


O-MORROW  I  will  begin,"  thought 
Katy,  as  she  dropped  asleep  that  night. 
How  often  we  all  do  so  !  Ana  what  a 
pity  it  is  that  when  morning  comes  and  to-morrow 
is  to-day,  we  so  frequently  wake  up  feeling  quite 
differently ;  careless  or  impatient,  and  not  a  bit 
inclined  to  do  the  fine  things  we  planned  over- 
night. 

Sometimes  it  seems  as  if  there  must  be  wicked 
little  imps  in  the  world,  who  are  kept  tied  up 
so  long  as  the  sun  shines,  but  who  creep  into 
our  be*>  i-ooras  when  we  are  asleep,  to  tease  us 
and  ruffle  our  tempers.  Else,  why,  when  we  go 
to  rest  good-natured  and  pleasant,  should  we 
wake  up  so  cross?  Now  there  was  Katy.  Her 
last  sleepy  thought  was  an  intention  to  be  an 
angel  from  that  time  on,  and  as  much  like  Cousin 

(144) 


TO-MORROW.  145 

Helen  as  she  could  ;  and  when  she  opened  her 
eves  she  was  all  out  of  sorts,  and  as  fractious  as  a 
boar  !  Old  Mary  said  that  she  got  out  of  bed  on 
the  wrong  side.  I  wonder,  by  the  way,  if  any- 
body will  ever  be  wise  enough  to  tell  us  which 
side  that  is,  so  that  we  may  always  choose  the 
other?  How  comfortable  it  would  be  if  they 
could  ! 

You  know  how,  if  we  begin  the  day  in  a  cross 
mood,  all  sorts  of  unfortunate  accidents  seem  to 
occur  to  add  to  our  vexations.  The  very  first 
thing  Katy  did  this  morning  was  to  break  her 
precious  vase  —  the  one  Cousin  Helen  had  given 
her. 

It  was  standing  on  the  bureau  with  a  little 
cluster  of  blush-roses  in  it.  The  bureau  had  a 
swing-glass.  While  Katy  was  brushing  her 
hair,  the  glass  tipped  a  little  so  that  she  could  not 
see.  At  a  good-humored  moment,  this  accident 
wouldn't  have  troubled  her  much.  But  being  out 
of  temper  to  begin  with,  it  made  her  angry.  She 
gave  the  glass  a  violent  push.  The  lower  part 
swung  forward,  there  was  a  smash,  and  the  first 
thing  Katy  knew,  the  blush-roses  lay  scattered  all 

10 


146  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

over  the  floor,  and  Cousin  Helen's  pretty  present 
was  ruined. 

Katy  just  sat  down  on  the  carpet  and  cried  as 
hard  as  if  she  had  been  Phil  himself.  Aunt  Izzie 
heard  her  lamenting,  and  came  in. 

"I'm  very  sorry,"  she  said,  picking  up  the 
broken  glass,  "but  it's  no  more  than  I  expected, 
you're  so  careless,  Katy.  Now  don't  sit  there  in 
that  foolish  way !  Get  up  and  dress  yourself. 
You'll  be  late  to  breakfast." 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Papa,  noticing 
Katy's  red  eyes  as  she  took  her  seat  at  the  table. 

"I've  broken  my  vase,"  said  Katy,  dolefully. 

"  It  was  extremely  careless  of  you  to  put  it  in 
such  a  dangerous  place,"  said  her  aunt.  "You 
might  have  known  that  the  glass  would  swing 
and  knock  it  off."  Then,  seeing  a  big  tear  fall  in 
the  middle  of  Katy's  plate,  she  added:  "Really, 
Katy,  you're  too  big  to  behave  like  a  baby.  Why 
Dorry  would  be  ashamed  to  do  so.  Pray  control 
yourself! " 

This  snub  did  not  improve  Katy's  temper.  She 
went  on  with  her  breakfast  in  sulky  silence. 

"  What  are  you  all  going  to  do  to-day  ?  "  asked 


TO-MORROW.  147 

Dr.  Carr,  hoping  to  give  things  a  more  cheerful 
turn. 

"  Swing  !  "  cried  John  and  Dorry  both  together. 
"Alexanders  put  us  up  a  splendid  one  in  the 
wood-shed." 

KNo  you're  not,"  said  Aunt  Izzie,  in  a  positive 
tone,  "the  swing  is  not  to  be  used  till  to-mor- 
row. Remember  that,  children.  Not  till  to-mor- 
row.    And  not  then,  unless  I  give  you  leave." 

This  was  unwise  of  Aunt  Izzie.  She  would 
better  have  explained  farther.  The  truth  was, 
that  Alexander,  in  putting  up  the  swing,  had 
cracked  one  of  the  staples  which  fastened  it  to  the 
roof.  He  meant  to  get  a  new  one  in  the  course 
of  the  day,  and,  meantime,  he  had  cautioned  Miss 
Carr  to  let  no  one  use  the  swing,  because  it  really 
was  not  safe.  If  she  had  told  this  to  the  children, 
all  would  have  been  right ;  but  Aunt  Izzic's  theory 
was,  that  young  people  must  obey  their  elders 
without  explanation. 

John,  and  Elsie,  and  Dorry,  all  pouted  when 
they  heard  this  order.  Elsie  recovered  her  good- 
humor  first. 

"  I  don't  care,"  she  said,  "'cause  I'm  going  to 


148  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

be  very  busy  ;  I've  got  to  write  a  letter  to  Cousin 
Helen  about  somefing."  (Elsie  never  could  quite 
pronounce  the  tli.) 

"  What  ?  "  asked  Clover. 

frOh,  somefing,"  answered  Elsie,  waging:  her 
head  mysteriously.  "  None  of  the  rest  of  you 
must  know,  Cousin  Helen  said  so,  it's  a  secret  she 
and  me  has  got." 

"  I  don't  believe  Cousin  Helen  said  so  at  all," 
said  Kiity,  crossly.  "She  wouldn't  tell  secrets  to 
a  silly  little  girl  like  you." 

"Yes  she  would  too,"  retorted  Elsie,  angrily. 
"  She  said  I  was  just  as  good  to  trust  as  if  I  was 
ever  so  big.  And  she  said  I  was  her  pet.  So 
there  !  Katy  Can* !  " 

"Stop  disputing,"  said  Aunt  Izzie.  "Katy, 
your  top-drawer  is  all  out  of  order.  I  never  saw 
anything  look  so  badly.  Go  up  stairs  at  once 
and  straighten  it,  before  you  do  anything  else. 
Children,  you  must  keep  in  the  shade  this  morn- 
ing. It's  too  hot  for  you  to  be  running  about  in 
the  sun.  Elsie,  go  into  the  kitchen  and  tell 
Debby  I  want  to  speak  to  her." 

"Yes,"  said  Elsie,  in  an  important  tone.     "And 


TO-MORROW.  142* 

afterwards  I'm  coming  back  to  write  my  letter  to 
Cousin  Helen." 

Katy  went  slowly  up  stairs,  dragging  one  foot 
after  the  other.  It  was  a  warm,  languid  day. 
Her  head  ached  a  little,  and  her  eyes  smarted  and 
felt  heavy  from  crying  so  much.  Everything 
seemed  dull  and  hateful.  She  said  to  herself,  that 
Aunt  Izzie  was  very  unkind  to  make  her  work  in 
vacation,  and  she  pulled  the  top-drawer  open  with 
a  disgusted  groan. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Miss  Izzie  was  right. 
A  bureau-drawer  could  hardly  look  worse  than 
this  one  did.  It  reminded  one  of  the  White 
Knight's  recipe  for  a  pudding,  which  began  with 
blotting-paper,  and  ended  with  sealing-wax  and 
gunpowder.  All  sorts  of  things  were  mixed  to- 
gether, as  if  somebody  had  put  in  a  long  stick, 
and  stirred  them  well  up.  There  were  books  and 
paint-boxes  and  bits  of  scribbled  paper,  and  lead- 
pencils  and  brushes.  Stocking-legs  had  come  un- 
rolled, and  twisted  themselves  about  pocket-hand- 
kerchiefs, and  ends  of  ribbon,  and  linen  collars. 
Ruffles,  all  crushed  out  of  shape,  stuck  up  from 
under  the  heavier  things,  and  sundry  little    paper 


150  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

boxes  lay  empty  on  top,  the  treasures  they  once 
held  having  sifted  down  to  the  bottom  of  the 
drawer,  and  disappeared  beneath  the  general  mass. 

It  took  much  time  and  patience  to  bring  order 
out  of  this  confusion.  But  Katy  knew  that  Aunt 
Tzzie  would  be  up  by  and  by,  and  she  dared  not 
stop  till  all  was  done.  By  the  time  it  was 
finished,  she  was  very  tired.  Going  down  stairs, 
she  met  Elsie  coming  up  with  a  slate  in  her  hand, 
which,  as  soon  as  she  saw  Katy,  she  put  behind 
her. 

"You  mustn't  look,"  she  said,  "it's  my  letter 
to  Cousin  Helen.  Nobody  but  me  knows  the 
secret.     It's  all  written,  and  I'm  going  to  send  it 

7  o  o 

to  the  office.  See  —  there's  a  stamp  on  it;"  and 
she  exhibited  a  corner  of  the  slate.  Sure  enough, 
there  was  a  stamp  stuck  on  the  frame. 

"You  little  goose!"  said  Katy,  impatiently, 
"you  can't  send  that  to  the  post-office.  Here,  give 
me  the  slate.  I'll  copy  what  you've  written  on 
paper,  and  Papa  '11  give  you  an  envelope." 

"No,  no,"  cried  Elsie,  struggling,  "you  mustn't! 
You'll  see  what  I've  said,  and  Cousin  Helen  si:id 
I  wasn't    to   tell.     It's  a  secret.     Let  go  of   mv 


TO-MORROW.  151 

slate,  I  say !     I'll  tell  Cousin  Helen  what  a  mean 
girl  you  are,  and  then  she  won't  love  you  a  bit." 

"There,  then,  take  your  old  slate  !  "  said  Katy, 
giving  her  a  vindictive  push.  Elsie  slipped, 
screamed,  caught  at  the  banisters,  missed  them, 
and  rolling  over  and  over,  fell  with  a  thump 
on  the  hall  floor. 

It  wasn't  much  of  a  fall,  only  half-a-dozen  steps, 
but  the  bump  was  a  hard  one,  and  Elsie  roared 
as  if  she  had  been  half  killed.  Aunt  Izzie  and 
Mary  came  rushing  to  the  spot. 

"Katy — pushed  —  me,"  sobbed  Elsie.  "She 
wanted  me  to  tell  her  my  secret,  and  I  wouldn't. 
She's  a  bad,  naughty  girl !  " 

"  Well,  Katy  Carr,  I  should  think  you'd  be 
ashamed  of  yourself,"  said  Aunt  Izzie,  "wreaking 
your  temper  on  your  poor  little  sister !  I  think 
your  Cousin  Helen  will  be  surprised  when  she 
hears  this.  There,  there,  Elsie  !  Don't  cry  any 
more,  dear.  Come  up  stairs  with  me.  I'll  put 
on  some  arnica,  and  Katy  sha'u't  hurt  you  again." 

So  they  went  up  stairs.  Katy,  left  below,  felt 
very  miserable  :  repentant,  defiant,  discontented, 
and  sulky  all  at  once.    She  knew  in  her  heart  that 


152  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

she  had  not  meant  to  hurt  Elsie,  and  was  thor 
oughly  ashamed   of  that  push ;  but  Aunt  Izzie'i 
hint  about  telling  Cousin  Helen,  had  made  her  too 
angry  to  allow  of  her  confessing  this  to  herself  or 
anybody  else. 

"I  don't  care  !  "  she  murmured,  choking  back  her 
tears.  "Elsie  is  a  real  cry-baby,  anyway.  And 
Aunt  Izzie  always  takes  her  part.  Just  because  I 
told  the  little  silly  not  to  go  and  send  a  great 
heavy  slate  to  the  post-office  !  " 

She  went  out  by  the  side-door  into  the  yard. 
As  she  passed  the  shed,  the  new  swing  caught  her 
eye. 

"How  exactly  like  Aunt  Izzie,"  she  thought, 
"ordering  the  children  not  to  swing  till  she  gives 
them  leave.  I  suppose  she  thinks  it's  too  hot,  or 
something.     Zsha'n't  mind  her,  anyhow." 

She  seated  herself  in  the  swing.  It  was  a  first- 
rate  one,  with  a  broad  comfortable  seat,  and  thick 
new  ropes.  The  seat  hung  just  the  right  distance 
from  the  floor.  Alexander  was  a  capital  hand  at 
putting  up  swings,  and  the  wood-shed  the  nicest 
possible  spot  in  which  to  have  one. 

It  was  a  big  place,  with  a  very  high  roof.    There 


to-morrow.  153 

was  not  ranch  wood  left  in  it  just  now,  and  tho 
little  there  was,  was  piled  neatly  about  the  sides  of 
the  shed,  so  as  to  leave  plenty  of  room.  The  place 
felt  cool  and  dark,  and  the  motion  of  the  swing 
seemed  to  set  the  breeze  blowing.  It  waved 
Katy's  hair  like  a  great  fan,  and  made  her 
dreamy  and  quiet.  All  sorts  of  sleepy  ideas  be- 
gan to  flit  through  her  brain.  Swinging  to  and 
fro  like  the  pendulum  of  a  great  clock,  she  gradu- 
ally rose  higher  and  higher,  driving  herself  along 
by  the  motion  of  her  body,  and  striking  the  floor 
smartly  with  her  foot,  at  every  sweep.  Now  she 
was  at  the  top  of  the  high  arched  door.  Then 
she  could  almost  touch  the  cross-beam  above  it, 
and  through  the  small  square  window  could  see 
pigeons  sitting  and  pluming  themselves  on  the 
eaves  of  the  barn,  and  white  clouds  blowing  over 
the  blue  sky.  She  had  never  swung  so  high  be- 
fore. It  was  like  flying,  she  thought,  and  she 
bent  and  curved  more  strongly  in  the  seat,  trying 
to  send  herself  yet  higher,  and  graze  the  roof  with 
her  toes. 

Suddenly,   at   the    very    highest    point    of    the 
sweep,  there  was  a  sharp  noise  of  cracking.     Tho 


154  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

swing  gave  a  violent  twist,  spun  half  round,  and 
tossed  Katy  into  the  air.  She  clutched  the  rope, — 
felt  it  dragged  from  her  grasp, — then,  down, 
—  down  —  down  —  she  fell.  All  grew  dark,  and 
she  knew  no  more. 

When  she  opened  her  eyes  she  was  lying  on  the 
sofa  in  the  dining-room.  Clover  was  kneeling  be- 
side her  with  a  pale,  scared  face,  and  Aunt  Izzie 
was  dropping  something  cold  and  wet  on  her  fore- 
head. 

"  What's  the  matter?"  said  Katy,  faintly. 

"  Oh,  she's  alive  —  she's  alive  !  "  and  Clover  put 
her  arms  round  Katy's  neck  and  sobbed. 

"Hush,  dear!"  Aunt  Izzie's  voice  sounded  un- 
usually gentle.  "You've  had  a  bad  tumble,  Katy. 
Don't  you  recollect?  " 

"A  tumble?  Oh,  yes — out  of  the  swing," 
said  Katy,  as  it  all  came  slowly  back  to  her. 
"Did  the  rope  break,  Aunt  Izzie?  I  can't  re- 
member about  it." 

"No,  Katy,  not  the  rope.  The  staple  drew  out 
of  the  roof.  It  was  a  cracked  one,  and  not  safe. 
Don't  you  recollect  my  telling  you  not  to  swing 
tv*-rliiv?     Did  von  forsret?" 


TO-MORROW.  155 

"No,  Aunt  Izzie  —  I  didn't  forget.  I  —  n  but 
here  Katy  broke  down.  She  closed  her  eyes, 
and  big  tears  rolled  from  under  the  lids. 

"  Don't  cry,"  whispered  Clover,  crying  herself, 
"please  don't.  Aunt  Izzie  isn't  going  to  scold 
you."  But  Katy  was  too  weak  and  shaken  not  to 
cry. 

rf  I  think  I'd  like  to  go  up  stairs  and  lie  on  the 
bed,"  she  said.  But  when  she  tried  to  get  off  the 
sofa,  everything  swam  before  her,  and  she  fell 
back  again  on  the  pillow. 

:  \\  ny,  I  can't  stand  up  !  "  she  gasped,  looking 
very  much  frightened. 

f  I'm  afraid  you've  given  yourself  a  sprain 
somewhere,"  said  Aunt  Izzie,  who  looked  rather 
frightened  herself.  "  You'd  better  lie  still  a 
while,  dear,  before  you  to  try  to  move.  Ah, 
here's  the  doctor!  well,  I  am  glad."  And  she 
went  forward  to  meet  him.  It  wasn't  Papa,  but 
Dr.  Alsop,  who  lived  quite  near  them. 

"I  am  so  relieved  that  you  could  come,"  Aunt 
Izzie  said.  r  My  brother  is  gone  out  of  town  not 
to  return  (ill  to-morrow,  and  one  of  the  little 
girls  has  had  a  bad  fall." 


I 


156  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

Dr.  Alsop  sat  clown  beside  the  sofa  and  counted 
Katy's  pulse.  Then  he  began  feeling  all  over 
her. 

"  Can  you  move  this  leg?  "  he  asked. 

Katy  gave  a  feeble  kick. 

"  And  this  ?  " 

The  kick  was  a  good  deal  more  feeble. 

"Did  that  hurt  you?"  asked  Dr.  Alsop,  seeing 
a  look  of  pain  on  her  face. 

"  Yes,  a  little,"  replied  Katy,  trying  hard  not 
to  cry. 

"In  your  back,  eh?  Was  the  pain  high  up 
or  low  down?"  And  the  doctor  punched  Katy's 
spine  for  some  minutes,  making  her  squirm  un- 
easily. 

"  I'm  afraid  she's  done  some  mischief,"  he  said 
at  last,  "  but  it's  impossible  to  tell  yet  exactly 
what.  It  may  be  only  a  twist,  or  a  slight 
sprain,"  he  added,  seeing  the  look  of  terror  on 
Katy's  face.  "You'd  better  get  her  up  stairs 
and  undress  her  as  soon  as  you  can,  Miss  Carr. 
I'll  leave  a  prescription  to  rub  her  with."  And 
Dr.  Alsop  took  out  a  bit  of  paper  and  began  to 
write. 


TO-MORROW.  157 

"Oh,  must  I  go  to  bed?"  said  Katy.  "How 
long  will  I  have  to  stay  there,  doctor?" 

"That  depends  on  how  fast  you  get  well,"  re- 
plied the  doctor;  "not  long,  I  hope.  Perhaps 
only  a  few  days." 

"A  few  days  ! "  repeated  Katy,  ill  a  despairing 

tone. 

After  the  doctor  was  gone,  Aunt  Izzie  and 
Debby  lifted  Katy,  and  carried  her  slowly  up  stairs. 
It  was  not  easy,  for  every  motion  hurt  her, 
and  the  sense  of  being  helpless  hurt  most  of 
all.  She  couldn't  help  crying  after  she  was  un- 
dressed and  put  into  bed.  It  all  seemed  so  dread- 
ful and  strange.  If  only  Papa  was  here,  she 
thought.  But  Dr.  Carr  had  gone  into  the  coun- 
try to  see  somebody  who  was  very  sick,  and 
couldn't  possibly  be  back  till  to-morrow. 

Such  a  long:,  long  afternoon  as  that  was  !  Aunt 
Izzie  sent  up  some  dinner,  but  Katy  couldn't  eat. 
Her  lips  were  parched  and  her  head  ached  vio- 
lently. The  sun  began  to  pour  in,  the  room  grew 
warm.  Flies  buzzed  in  the  window,  and  tormented 
her  by  lighting  on  her  face.  Little  prickles  of 
pain  ran  up  and  down  her  back.     She  lay  with 


158  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

her  eyes  shut,  because  it  hurt  to  keep  them  open, 
and  all  sorts  of  uneasy  thoughts  went  rushing 
through  her  mind. 

"Perhaps,  if  my  back  is  really  sprained,  I  shall 
have  to  lie  here  as  much  as  a  week,"  she  said  to 
herself.  tf  Oh  dear,  dear  !  I  can't.  The  vacation 
is  only  eight  weeks,  and  I  was  going  to  do  such 
lovely  things  !  How  can  people  be  so  patient  as 
Cousin  Helen  when  they  have  to  lie  still  ?  Won't 
she  be  sorry  when  she  hears  !  Was  it  really 
yesterday  that  she  went  away?  It  seems  a  year. 
If  only  I  hadn't  got  into  that  nasty  old  swing  !  " 
And  then  Katy  began  to  imagine  how  it  would 
have  been  if  she  hadn't,  and  how  she  and  Clover 
had  meant  to  go  to  Paradise  that  afternoon.  They 
misrht  have  been  there  under  the  cool  trees  now. 
As  these  thoughts  ran  through  her  mind,  her  head 
grew  hotter  and  her  position  in  the  bed  more  un- 
comfortable. 

Suddenly  she  became  conscious  that  the  glaring 
lisjht  from  the  window  was  shaded,  and  that  the 
wind  seemed  to  be  blowing  freshly  over  her.  She 
opened  her  heavy  eyes.     The   blinds  were  shut, 


TO-MORROW.  159 

and  there  beside  the  bed  sat  little  Elsie,  fanning 
her  with  a  palm-leaf  fan. 

"Did  I  wake  you  up,  Katy?"  she  asked  in  a 
timid  voice. 

Katy  looked  at  her  with  startled,  amazed  eyes. 

"Don't  be  frightened,"  said  Elsie,  "I  won't  dis- 
turb you.  Johnny  and  me  are  so  sorry  you're 
sick,"  and  her  little  lips  trembled.  "  But  we 
mean  to  keep  real  quiet,  and  never  bang  the  nur- 
sery door,  or  make  noises  on  the  stairs,  till  you're 
all  well  again.  And  I've  brought  you  someiing 
real  nice.  Some  of  it's  from  John,  and  some  from 
me.  It's  because  you  got  tumbled  out  of  the 
swing.  See  —  "  and  Elsie  pointed  triumphantly  to 
a  chair,  which  she  had  pulled  up  close  to  the  bed, 
and  on  which  were  solemnly  set  forth  :  1st.  A 
pewter  tea-set;  2d.  A  box  with  a  glass  lid,  on 
which  flowers  were  painted  ;  3d.  A  jointed  doll  ; 
4th.  A  transparent  slate;  and  lastly,  two  new 
lead  pencils  ! 

"They're  all  yours — yours  to  keep,"  said  gen- 
erous little  Elsie.  "You  can  have  Pikery,  too,  if 
you  want.     Only  he's   pretty  big,  and  I'm  afraid 


160  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

he'd  be  lonely  without  me.     Don't  you  like  the 
fiugs,  Katy?     They're  real  pretty  !  " 

It  seemed  to  Katy  as  if  the  hottest  sort  of  a  coal 
of  fire  was  burning  into  the  top  of  her  head  as  she 
looked  at  the  treasures  on  the  chair,  and  then  at 
Elsie's  face  all  lighted  up  with  affectionate  self- 
sacrifice.  She  tried  to  speak,  but  began  to  cry 
instead,  which  frightened  Elsie  very  much. 

"Does  it  hurt  you  so  bad?"  she  asked,  crying, 
too,  from  sympathy. 

"Oh,  no!  it  isn't  that,"  sobbed  Katy,  "but  I 
was  so  cross  to  you  this  moruing,  Elsie,  and 
pushed  you.     Oh,  please  forgive  me,  please  do  !  " 

"  Why  it's  got  well !  "  said  Elsie,  surprised. 
"Aunt  Izzie  put  a  fiug  out  of  a  bottle  on  it,  aud 
the  bump  all  went  away.  Shall  I  go  aud  ask  her 
to  put  some  on  you  too  —  I  will."  And  she  ran 
toward  the  door. 

"  Oh,  no  !  "  cried  Katie,  "  don't  go  away,  Elsie 
Come  here  and  kiss  me,  instead." 

Elsie  turned  as*if  doubtful  whether  this  invita- 
tion could  be  meant  for  her.  Katy  held  out  her 
arms.  Elsie  ran  ri^ht  into  them,  and  the  hi* 
sister  and  the  little,  exchanged  an  embrace  which 


TO-MORROW.  1G1 

seemed  to  bring  their  hearts  closer  together  than 
they  had  ever  been  before. 

"  You're  the  most  precious  little  darling,"  mur- 
mured Katy,  clasping  Elsie  tight.  "  I've  been 
real  horrid  to  vou,  Elsie.  But  I'll  never  be  again; 
You  shall  play  with  me  and  Clover,  and  Cecy, 
just  as  much  as  you  like,  and  write  notes  in  all 
the  post-offices,  and  everything  else." 

"  Oh,  goody  !  goody  !  "  cried  Elsie,  executing 
little  skips  of  transport.  "How  sweet  you  are, 
Katy  !  I  mean  to  love  you  next  best  to  Cousin 
Helen  and  Papa  !  And  "  —  racking  her  brains  for 
some  way  of  repaying  this  wonderful  kindness  — 
"  I'll  tell  you  the  secret,  if  you  want  me  to  very 
much.     I  guess  Cousin  Helen  would  let  me." 

"No,"  said  Katy;  "never  mind  about  the  se- 
cret. I  don't  want  you  to  tell  it  to  me.  Sit  down 
by  the  bed,  and  fan  me  some  more  instead." 

"No  !"  persisted  Elsie,  who,  now  that  she  had 
made  up  her  mind  to  part  with  the  treasured  se- 
cret, could  not  bear  to  be  stopped.  "Cousin 
Helen  gave  me  a  half-dollar,  and  told  me  to  give  it 
to  Debby,  and  tell  her  she  was  much  obliged   to 

her  for  making  her  such  nice  things  to  eat.      And 
11 


162  WHAT    KATY   DID. 

I  did.  And  Debby  was  real  pleased.  And  1 
wrote  Cousin  Helen  a  letter,  and  told  her  that 
Debby  liked  the  half-dollar.  That's  the  secret ! 
Isn't  it  a  nice  one?  Only  you  mustn't  tell  any- 
body about  it,  ever — just  as  long  as  you  live." 

"No  !  "  said  Katy,  smiling  faintly,  "  I  won't." 

All  the  rest  of  the  afternoon  Elsie  sat  beside 
the  bed  with  her  palm-leaf  fan,  keeping  off  the 
flies,  and  "  shue  "-ing  away  the  other  children  when 
they  peeped  in  at  the  door.  "  Do  you  really  like 
to  have  me  here?"  she  asked,  more  than  once, 
and  smiled,  oh,  so  triumphantly  !  when  Katy  said 
"  Yes  !  "  But  though  Katy  said  yes,  I  am  afraid  it 
was  only  half  the  truth,  for  the  sight  of  the  dear 
little  forgiving  girl,  whom  she  had  treated  uu- 
kindly,  gave  her  more  pain  than  pleasure. 

"  I'll  be  so  good  to  her  when  I  get  well,"  she 
thought  to  herself,  tossinsr  uneasily  to  and  fro. 

Aunt  Izzie  slept  in  her  room  that  night.  Katy 
was  feverish.  When  morning  came,  and  Dr.  Carr 
returned,  he  found  her  in  a  good  deal  of  pain,  hot 
and  restless,  with  wide-open,  anxious  eyes. 

K  Papa  !  "  she  cried  the  first  thing,  "  must  I  lie 
here  as  much  as  a  week?" 


TO-MORROW.  163 

"My  darling,  I'm  afraid  yoa  must,"  replied 
her  father,  who  looked  worried,  and  very  grave. 

"  Dear,  dear  !  "  sobbed  Katy,  "  how  can  I  bear 
it?" 


CHAPTER    IX. 


DISMAL   DAYS. 


F  anybody  had  told  Katy,  that  first  after- 
noon, that  at  the  end  of  a  week  she 
would  still  be  in  bed,  and  in  pain,  and 
with  no  time  fixed  for  getting  up,  I  think  it  would 
have  almost  killed  her.  She  was  so  restless  and 
eager,  that  to  lie  still  seemed  one  of  the  hardest 
things  in  the  world.  But  to  lie  still  and  have  her 
back  ache  all  the  time,  was  worse  yet.  Day  after 
day  she  asked  Papa  with  quivering  lip:  "Mayn't 
I  get  up  and  go  down  stairs  this  morning?  "  And 
when  he  shook  his  head,  the  lip  would  quiver 
more,  and  tears  would  come.  But  if  she  tried  to 
get  up,  it  hurt  her  so  much,  that  in  spite  of  her- 
self she  was  glad  to  sink  back  asrain  on  the  soft 
pillows  and  mattress,  which  felt  so  comfortable  to 
her  poor  bones. 

Then  there  came  a  time  when   Katv  didn't  even 


DISMAL   DAYS.  If) 5 

ask  to  be  allowed  to  get  up.  A  time  when  sharp, 
dreadful  pain,  such  as  she  never  imagined  before, 
took  hold  of  her.  When  days  and  nights  got  all 
confused  and  tangled  up  together,  and  Aunt  Izzie 
never  seemed  to  go  to  bed.  A  time  when  Papa 
was  constantly  in  her  room.  When  other  doctors 
came  and  stood  over  her,  and  punched  and  felt  her 
back,  and  talked  to  each  other  in  low  whispers. 
It  was  all  like  a  long,  bad  dream,  from  which  she 
couldn't  wake  up,  though  she  tried  ever  so  hard. 
Now  and  then  she  would  rouse  a  little,  and  catch 
the  sound  of  voices,  or  be  aware  that  Clover  or 
Elsie  stood  at  the  door,  crying  softly ;  or  that 
Aunt  Izzie,  in  creaking  slippers,  was  going  about 
the  room  on  tiptoe.  Then  all  these  things  would 
slip  away  again,  and  she  would  drop  off  into  a 
dark  place,  where  there  was  nothing  but  pain,  and 
sleep,  which  made  her  forget  pain,  and  so  seemed 
the  best  thins*  in  the  world. 

We  will  hurry  over  this  time,  for  it  is  hard  to 
think  of  our  bright  Katy  in  such  a  sad  plight. 
By  and  by  the  pain  grew  less,  and  the  si  cop 
quieter.  Then,  as  the  pain  became  easier  still, 
Katy  woke  up  as  it  were  —  began  to  take  notice 


166  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

of  what  was  going  on  about  her;  to   put  ques- 
tions. 

"  How  long  have  I  been  sick  ?  "  she  asked  one 
morning. 

"It  is  four  weeks,  yesterday,"  replied  Papa. 

"  Four  weeks  !  "  said  Katy.  "  Why,  I  didn't 
know  it  was  so  long  as  that.  Was  I  very  sick, 
Papa?" 

"  Very,  dear.  But  you  are  a  great  deal  better 
now." 

"How  did  I  hurt  me  when  I  tumbled  out  of 
the  swing?  "  asked  Katy,  who  was  in  an  unusually 
wakeful  mood. 

"I  don't  believe  I  could  make  you  understand, 
dear." 

"  But  try,  Papa  !  " 

"  Well  —  did  you  know  that  you  had  a  long 
bone  down  your  back,  called  a  spine  ?  " 

"I  thought  that  was  a  disease,"  said  Katy; 
"  Clover  said  that  Cousin  Helen  had  the  spine  !  " 

"No  — the  spine  is  a  bone.  It  is  made  up  of  a 
row  of  smaller  bones  —  or  knobs  — and  in  the  mid- 
dle of  it  is  a  sort  of  rope  of  nerves  called  the  spinal 
cord.     Nerves,  you  know,  are  the  things  we  feel 


DISMAL    DATS.  167 

with.  Well,  this  spinal  cord  is  rolled  up  for  safe 
keeping  in  a  soft  wrapping,  called  membrane. 
When  you  fell  out  of  the  swing,  you  struck 
against  one  of  these  knobs,  and  bruised  the  mem- 
brane inside,  and  the  nerve  inflamed,  and  gave  you 
a  fever  in  the  back.      Do  you  sec?" 

"A  little,"  said  Katy,  not  quite  understanding, 
but  too  tired  to  question  farther.  After  she  had 
rested  a  while,  she  said  :  r  Is  the  fever  well  now, 
Papa?  Can  I  get  up  again  and  go  down  stairs 
right  away  ?  " 

"Not  right  away,  I'm  afraid,"  said  Dr.  Carr, 
trying  to  speak  cheerfully. 

Katy  didn't  ask  any  more  questions  then  An- 
other week  passed,  and  another.  The  pain  was 
almost  gone.  It  only  came  back  now  and  then 
for  a  few  minutes.  She  could  sleep  now,  and  eat, 
and  be  raised  in  bed  without  feeling  giddy.  But 
still  the  once  active  limbs  hung  heavy  and  lifeless, 
and  she  was  not  able  to  walk,  or  even  stand 
alone. 

M  My  legs  feel  so  queer,"  she  said  one  morning, 
"  they  are  just  like  the  Prince's  legs  which  were 
turned  to   black  marble   in    the  Arabian    Nights. 


1G8  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

* 

What  do  you  suppose  is  the  reason,  Papa?    Won't 
they  feel  natural  soon  ?  " 

"  Not  soon,"  answered  Dr.  Carr.  Then  he  said 
to  himself:  "Poor  child!  she  had  better  know 
the  truth."  So  he  went  on,  aloud,  "  I  am  afraid, 
my  darling,  that  you  must  make  up  your  mind  to 
stay  in  bed  a  long  time." 

"How  long?"  said  Katy,  looking  frightened; 
"  a  month  more  ?  " 

"I  can't  tell  exactly  how  long,"  answered  her 
father.  "The  doctors  think,  as  I  do,  that  the  in- 
jury to  your  spine  is  one  which  you  will  outgrow 
by  and  by,  because  you  are  so  young  and  strong. 
But  it  may  take  a  good  while  to  do  it.  It  may  be 
that  you  will  have  to  lie  here  for  months,  or  it 
may  be  more.  The  only  cure  for  such  a  hurt  is 
time  and  patience.  It  is  hard,  darling"  —  for 
Katy  began  to  sob  wildly  — "but  you  have  Hope 
to  help  you  along.  Think  of  poor  Cousin  Helen, 
bearing  all  these  years  without  hope  !  " 

"  Oh,  Papa !  "  gasped  Katy,  between  her  sobs, 
"doesn't  it  seem  dreadful,  that  just  getting  into 
the  swins:  for  a  few  minutes  should  do  so  much 
harm  ?     Such  a  little  tiling  as  that  ! " 


DISMAL    DATS.  109 

rr  Yes,  such  a  little  thing  !  "  repeated  Dr.  Carr, 
sadly.  "And  it  was  only  a  little  thing,  too,  for- 
getting Aunt  Tzzie's  order  about  the  swing.  Just 
for  the  want  of  the  small  c  horse-shoe  nail '  of 
Obedience,  Katy." 

Years  afterwards,  Katy  told  somebody  that  the 
six  longest  weeks  of  her  life  were  those  which  fol- 
lowed  this  conversation  with  Papa.  Now  that  she 
knew  there  was  no  chance  of  getting  well  at  once, 
the  days  dragged  dreadfully.  Each  seemed  duller 
and  dismaller  than  the  day  before.  She  lost  heart 
about  herself,  and  took  no  interest  in  anything. 
Aunt  Izzie  brought  her  books,  but  she  didn't  want 
to  read,  or  to  sew.  Nothing  amused  her.  Clover 
and  Cecy  would  come  to  sit  with  her,  but  hearing 
them  tell  about  their  plays,  and  the  things  they  had 
been  doing,  made  her  cry  so  miserably,  that  Aunt 
Izzie  wouldn't  let  them  come  often.  They  were 
very  sorry  for  Katy,  but  the  room  was  so  gloomy, 
and  Katy  so  cross,  that  they  didn't  mind  much 
not  being  allowed  to  see  her.  In  those  days 
Katy  made  Aunt  Izzie  keep  the  blinds  shut  tight, 
and  she  lay  in  the  dark,  thinking  how  mis- 
erable she  was,  and  how  wretched  all  the  rest  of 


170  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

■ 

her  life  was  going  to  be.  Everybody  was  very 
kind  and  patient  with  her,  but  she  was  too  rel- 
fishly  miserable  to  notice  it.  Aunt  Izzie  ran  up 
and  down  stairs,  and  was  on  her  feet  all  day,  try- 
ing to  get  something  which  would  please  her,  but 
Katy  hardly  said  "Thank  you,"  and  never  saw 
how  tired  Aunt  Izzie  looked.  So  long  as  she  was 
forced  to  stay  in  bed,  Katy  could  not  be  grateful 
for  anything  that  was  done  for  her. 

But  doleful  as  the  days  were,  they  were  not  so 
bad  as  the  nights,  when,  after  Aunt  Izzie  was 
asleep,  Katy  would  lie  wide  awake,  and  have  long, 
hopeless  fits  of  crying.  At  these  times  she  would 
think  of  all  the  plans  she  had  made  for  doing  beau- 
tiful things  when  she  was  grown  up.  "And  now 
I  shall  never  do  any  of  them,"  she  would  say  to 
herself,  "  only  just  lie  here.  Papa  says  I  may 
get  well  by  and  by,  but  I  sha'n't,  I  know  I  sha'n't. 
And  even  if  I  do,  I  shall  have  wasted  all  these 
years,  and  the  others  will  grow  up  and  get  ahead 
of  me,  and  I  sha'n't  be  a  comfort  to  them  or  to  any- 
body else.  Oh  dear !  oh  dear !  how  dreadful  it 
is ! " 

The  first  thing  which  broke  in   upon  this  sad 


DISMAL    DAYS.  171 

state  of  affairs,  was  a  letter  from  Cousin  Helen, 
which  Papa  brought  one  morning  and  handed  to 
-Aunt  Izzie. 

"Helen  tells  me  she's  going  home  this  week," 
said  Aunt  Izzie,  from  the  window,  where  she  had 
gone  to  read  the  letter.  "Well,  I'm  sorry,  but  I 
think  she's  quite  right  not  to  stop.  It's  just  as 
she  says  :  one  invalid  at  a  time  is  enough  in  a 
house.     I'm  sure  I  have  my  hands  full  with  Katy." 

"Oh,  Aunt  Izzie!"  cried  Katy,  "is  Cousin 
Helen  coming  this  way  when  she  goes  home? 
Oh  !  do  make  her  stop.  If  it's  just  for  one  day, 
do  ask  her  !  I  want  to  see  her  so  much  !  I  can't  tell 
you  how  much  !  Won't  you?  Please!  Please, 
dear  Papa  !  " 

She  was  almost  crying  with  eagerness. 

"Why,  yes,  darling,  if  you  wish  it  so  much," 
said  Dr.  Carr.  "It  will  cost  Aunt  Izzie  some 
trouble,  but  she's  so  kind  that  I'm  sure  she'll  man- 
age it  if  it  is  to  give  you  so  much  pleasure.  Can't 
you,  Izzie?  "     And  he  looked  eagerly  at  his  sister. 

"Of  course  I  will!"  said  Miss  Izzie,  heartily. 
Katy  was  so  glad,  that,  for  the  first  time   in  her 


172  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

life,  she  threw  her  arms  of  her  own  accord  round 
Aunt  Izzie's  neck,  and  kissed  her. 

"  Thank  you,  dear  Aunty  !  "  she  said. 

Aunt  Izzie  looked  as  pleased  as  could  be.  She 
had  a  warm  heart  hidden  under  her  fidgety  ways 
—  only  Katy  had  never  been  sick  before,  to  find  it 
out. 

For  the  next  week  Katy  was  feverish  with 
expectation.  At  last  Cousin  Helen  came.  This 
time  Katy  was  not  on  the  steps  to  welcome  her, 
but  after  a  little  while  Papa  brought  Cousin  Helen 
in  his  arms,  and  sat  her  in  a  big  chair  beside  the 
bed. 

"How  dark  it  is!"  she  said,  after  they  had 
kissed  each  other  and  talked  for  a  minute  or  two ; 
"I  can't  see  your  face  at  all.  Would  it  hurt 
your  eyes  to  have  a  little  more  light?" 

"  Oh  no  !  "  answered  Katy.  "  It  don't  hurt  my 
eyes,  only  I  hate  to  have  the  sun  come  in.  It 
makes  me  feel  worse,  somehow." 

"  Push  the  blind  open  a  little  bit  then,  Clover  ;  " 
and  Clover  did  so. 

"  Now  I  can  see,"  said  Cousin  Helen. 

It  was   a   forlorn-looking  child  enough   which 


DISMAL    DAYS.  173 

she  saw  lying  before  her.  Kilty's  face  had  grown 
thin,  and  her  eyes  had  red  eireles  about  them 
from  continual  crying.  Her  hair  had  been 
brushed  twice  that  morning  by  Aimt  Izzie,  but 
Katy  had  run  her  fingers  impatiently  through  it, 
till  it  stood  out  above  her  head  like  a  frowsy 
hush.  She  wore  a  calico  dressing-gown,  which, 
though  clean,  was  particularly  ugly  in  pattern  ; 
and  the  room,  for  all  its  tidiness,  had  a  dismal 
look,  with  the  chairs  set  up  against  the  wall,  and 
a  row  of  medicine-bottles  on  the  chimney-piece. 

"Isn't  it  horrid?"  sighed  Katy,  as  Cousin  Helen 
looked  around.  "Everything's  horrid.  But  I 
don't  mind  so  much  now  that  you've  come.  Oh, 
Cousin  Helen,  I've  had  such  a  dreadful,  dreadful 
time!" 

"I  know,"  said  her  cousin,  pityingly.  "I've 
heard  all  about  it,  Katy,  and  I'm  so  very  sorry 
for  you  !     It  is  a  hard  trial,  my  poor  darling." 

"But  how  do  you  do  it?  "  cried  Katy.  "  How 
do  you  manage  to  be  so  sweet  and  beautiful  and 
patient,  when  you're  feeling  badly  all  the  time, 
and  can't  do  anything,  or  walk,  or  stand?"  — 
her  voice  was  lost  in  sobs. 


174  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

Cousin  Helen  didn't  say  anything  for  a  little 
while.     She  just  sat  and  stroked  Katy's  hand. 

"  Katy,"  she  said  at  last,  "  has  Papa  told  you 
that  he  thinks  you  are  going  to  get  well  by  and 
by?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Katy,  "he  did  say  so.  But 
perhaps  it  won't  be  for  a  long,  long  time.  And  I 
wanted  to  do  so  many  things.  And  now  I  can't 
do  anything  at  all !  " 

"What  sort  of  things?" 

f  Study,  and  help  people,  and  become  famous. 
And  I  wanted  to  teach  the  children.  Mamma  said 
I  must  take  care  of  them,  and  I  meant  to.  And 
now  I  can't  go  to  school  or  learn  anything  myself. 
And  if  I  ever  do  get  well,  the  children  will  be 
almost  grown  up,  and  they  won't  need  me." 

"But  why  must  you  wait  till  you  get  well?'' 
asked  Cousin  Helen,  smiling. 

"  Why,  Cousin  Helen,  what  can  I  do  lying  hero 
in  bed  ?  " 

"A  good  deal.  Shall  I  tell  you,  Katy,  what  it 
seems  to  me  that  I  should  say  to  myself  if  I  were  in 
jo  r  place  ?  " 

Yes,  please  !  "  replied  Katy,  wonderingly. 


DISMAL   DAYS.  175 

"  I  should  say  this :  f  Now,  Katy  Carr,  you 
wanted  to  go  to  school  and  learn  to  be  wise  and 
useful,  and  here's  a  chance  for  you.  God  is  going 
to  let  you  go  to  His  school  —  where  He  teaches  all 
sorts  of  beautiful  things  to  people.  Perhaps  he 
will  only  keep  you  for  one  term,  or  perhaps  it 
may  be  for  three  or  four;  but  whichever  it  is,  you 
must  make  the  very  most  of  the  chance,  because 
He  irives  it  to  you  Himself. '  " 

"But  what  is  the  school?"  asked  Katy.  "I 
don't  know  what  you  mean." 

"  It  is  called  The  School  of  Pain,"  replied  Cousin 
Helen,  with  her  sweetest  smile.  f?  And  the  place 
where  the  lessons  are  to  be  learned  is  this  room 
of  yours.  The  rules  of  the  school  are  pretty  hard, 
but  the  good  scholars,  who  keep  them  best,  mid 
out  after  a  while  how  right  and  kind  they  are. 
And  the  lessons  aren't  easy,  either,  but  the  more 
you  study  the  more  interesting  they  become." 

"What  are  the  lessons?"  asked  Katy,  getting 
interested,  and  beginning  to  feel  as  if  Cousin 
Helen  were  telling  her  a  story. 

"  Well,  there's  the  lesson  of  Patience.  That's 
one  of  the  hardest  studies.     You  can't  learn  much 


176  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

of  it  at  a  time,  but  every  bit  you  get  by  heart, 
makes  the  next  bit  easier.  And  there's  the  lesson 
of  Cheerfulness.  And  the  lesson  of  Making  the 
Best  of  Things." 

"  Sometimes  there  isn't  anything  to  make  the 
best  of,"  remarked  Katy,  dolefully. 

"Yes  there  is,  always!  Everything  in  the 
world  has  two  handles.  Didn't  you  know  that? 
One  is  a  smooth  handle.  If  you  take  hold  of  it, 
the  thing  comes  up  lightly  and  easily,  but  if  you 
seize  the  rough  handle,  it  hurts  your  hand  and  the 
thing  is  hard  to  lift.  Some  people  always  manage 
to  fret  hold  of  the  wronsj  handle." 

"  Is  Aunt  Izzie  a  f  thing  ? ' "  asked  Katy.  Cousin 
Helen  was  glad  to  hear  her  laugh. 

"  Yes  —  Aunt  Izzie  is  a  thing  —  and  she  has  a 
nice  pleasant  handle  too,  if  you  just  try  to  find  it. 
And  the  children  are  'things,'  also,  in  one  senee. 
All  their  handles  are  different.  You  know  human 
beings  aren't  made  just  alike,  like  red  flower-pots. 
We  have  to  feel  and  2:uess  before  we  can  make 
out  just  how  other  people  go,  and  how  we  ought 
to  take  hold  of  them.  It  is  very  interesting,  I 
advise  you  to  try  it.     And  while  you  are  trying, 


DISMAL    DAYS.  177 

you  will  learn  all  sorts  of  things  which  will  help 
you  to  help  others." 

"If  I  only  could  !  "  sighed  Katy.  "Arc  there 
any  other  studies  in  the  School,  Cousin  Helen?" 

"Yes,  there's  the  lesson  of  Hopefulness.  That 
class  has  ever  so  many  teachers.  The  Sun  is 
one.  He  sits  outside  the  window  all  day  waiting 
a  chance  to  slip  in  and  get  at  his  pupil.  He's  a 
first-rate  teacher,  too.  I  wouldn't  shut  him  out, 
if  I  were  you. 

"  Every  morning,  the  first  thing  when  I  woke  up, 
I  would  say  to  myself:  fI  am  going  to  get  well, 
so  Papa  thinks.  Perhaps  it  may  be  to-morrow. 
So,  in  case  this  should  be  the  last  day  of  my  sick- 
ness, let  me  spend  it  beautifully,  and  make  my 
sick-room  so  pleasant  that  everybody  will  like  to 
remember  it.' 

"Then,  there  is  one  more  lesson,  Katy — the 
lesson  of  Neatness.  School-rooms  must  be  kept  in 
order,  you  know.  A  sick  person  ought  to  be 
as  fresh  and  dainty  as  a  rose." 

"  But  it  is  such  a  fuss,"  pleaded  Katy.  "  I  don't 
believe  you've   any   idea   what   a  bother  it  is  to 

alwavs  be   nice  and   in   order.      You  never   were 

•j 

12 


178  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

careless  like  me,  Cousin  Helen ;  you   were  born 
neat." 

"  Oh,  was  I?  "  said  her  Cousin.  «  Well,  Katy, 
we  won't  dispute  that  point,  but  I'll  tell  you  a 
story,  if  you  like,  about  a  girl  I  once  knew,  who 
wasn't  1)0 rn  neat." 

"Oh,  do!"  cried  Katy,  enchanted.  Cousin 
Helen  had  done  her  good,  already.  She  looked 
brighter  and  less  listless  than  for  days. 

"  This  girl  was  quite  young,"  continued  Cousin 
Helen;  "she  was  strong  and  active,  and  liked 
to  run,  and  climb,  and  ride,  and  do  all  sorts 
of  jolly  things.  One  day  something  happened  — 
an  accident  —  and  thev  told  her  that  all  the  rest 
of  her  life  she  had  2fot  to  lie  on  her  back  and  suf- 
fer  pain,  and  never  walk  an}r  more,  or  do  any  of 
the  things  she  enjoyed  most." 

"Just  like  you  and  me!'  whispered  Katy, 
squeezing  Cousin  Helen's  hand. 

"  Something  like  me;  but  not  so  much  like 
you,  because,  you  know,  we  hope  you  are  going 
to  get  well  one  of  these  days.  The  girl  didn't 
mind  it  so  much  when  they  first  told  her,  for  she 
was  so  ill  that  she  felt  sure  she  should  die.     But 


DISMAL    DAYS.  179 

when  she  ofot  better,  .and  began  to  think  of  the 
long  life  which  lay  before  her,  that  was  worse 
than  ever  the  pain  had  been.  She  was  so 
wretched,  that  she  didn't  care  what  became  of 
anything,  or  how  anything  looked.  She  had  no 
Aunt  Izzie  to  look  after  things,  so  her  room  soon 
got  into  a  dreadful  state.  It  was  full  of  dust  and 
confusion,  and  dirty  spoons  and  phials  of  physic. 
She  kept  the  blinds  shut,  and  let  her  hair  tangle 
every  which  way,  and  altogether  was  a  dismal 
spectacle. 

"  This  girl  had  a  dear  old  father,"  went  on 
Cousin  Helen,  "  who  used  to  come  every  day  and 
sit  beside  her  bed.      One  morning  he  said  to  her  : 

"'My  daughter,  I'm  afraid  you've  got  to  live  in 
this  room  for  a  lorn?  time.  Now  there's  one  thing 
I  want  you  to  do  for  my  sake.' 

'What  is  that?'  she  asked,  surprised  to  hear 
there  was  anything  left  which  she  could  do  for 
anybody. 

"  f  I  want  you  to  turn  out  all  these  physic  bot- 
tles, and  make  your  room  pleasant  and  pretty 
for  me  to  come  and  sit  in.  You  see,  I  shall 
spend  a  good  deal  of  my  time  here  !     Now  I  don't 


180  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

like  dust  and  darkness.  I  like  to  see  flowers  on 
the  table,  and  sunshine  in  at  the  window.  Will 
you  do  this  to  please  me  ? ' 

"'Yes,'  said  the  girl,  but  she  gave  a- sigh,  and  I 
am  afraid  she  felt  as  if  it  was  Quoins:  to  be  a  dread- 
ful  trouble. 

"'Then,  another  thing,'  continued  her  father, 
'I  want  you  to  look  pretty.  Can't  night-gowns 
and  wrappers  be  trimmed  and  made  becoming  just 
as  much  as  dresses  ?  A  sick  woman  who  isn't  neat 
is  a  disagreeable  object.  Do,  to  please  me,  send 
for  something  pretty,  and  let  me  see  you  looking 
nice  again.  I  can't  bear  to  have  my  Helen  turn 
into  a  slattern.' " 

"  Helen ! "  exclaimed  Katy,  with  wide-open 
eyes,  "  was  it  you  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  her  cousin,  smiling.  "It  was  I, 
though  I  didn't  mean  to  let  the  name  slip  out  so 
soon.  So,  after  my  father  was  gone  away,  I  sent 
for  a  looking-glass.  Such  a  sight,  Katy  !  My 
hair  was  a  perfect  mouse's  nest,  and  I  had  frowned 
so  much  that  my  forehead  was  all  criss-crossed 
with  lines  of  pain,  till  it  looked  like  an  old 
woman's." 


DISMAL,   DAYS.  181 

Katy  stared  at  Cousin  Helen's  smooth  brow 
and  glossy  hair.  "I  can't  believe  it,"  she  said; 
"your  hair  never  could  be  rough." 

"Yes  it  was  —  worse,  a  great  deal,  than  yours 
looks  now.  But  that  peep  in  the  glass  did  me 
good.  I  began  to  think  how  selfishly  I  was  be- 
having, and  to  desire  to  do  better.  And  after 
that,  when  the  pain  came  on,  I  used  to  lie  and 
keep  my  forehead  smooth  with  my  fingers,  and 
try  not  to  let  my  face  show  what  I  was  enduring. 
So  by  and  by  the  wrinkles  wore  away,  and  though 
I  am  a  good  deal  older  now,  they  have  never 
come  back. 

tf  It  was  a  great  deal  of  trouble  at  first  to  have  to 
think  and  plan  to  keep  my  room  and  myself  look- 
ing nice.  But  after  a  while  it  grew  to  be  a  habit, 
and  then  it  became  easy.  And  the  pleasure  it 
gave  my  dear  father  repaid  for  all.  He  had  been 
proud  of  his  active,  healthy  girl,  but  I  think  she 
was  never  such  a  comfort  to  him  as  his  sick  one, 
lying  there  in  her  bed.  My  room  was  his  favorite 
sitting-place,  and  he  spent  so  much  time  there, 
that  now  the  room,  and  everything  in  it,  makes  me 
think  of  him." 


182  WHAT    KATT    DID. 

There  were  tears  in  Cousin  Helen's  eyes  as  she 
ceased  speaking.  But  Katy  looked  bright  and 
eager.  It  seemed  somehow  to  be  a  help,  as  well 
as  a  great  surprise,  that  ever  there  should  have 
been  a  time  when  Cousin  Helen  was  less  perfect 
than  she  was  now. 

"  Do  you  really  think  I  could  do  so  too  ?  "  she 
asked. 

"Do  what?  Comb  your  hair?"  Cousin  Helen 
was  smiling  now. 

"Oh  no  !  Be  nice  and  sweet  and  patient,  and  a 
comfort  to  people.     You  know  what  I  mean." 

"I  am  sure  you  can,  if  you  try." 

"  But  what  would  you  do  first?"  asked  Katy; 
who,  now  that  her  mind  had  grasped  a  new  idea, 
was  easier  to  begin. 

"Well  —  first  I  would  open  the  blinds,  and 
make  the  room  look  a  little  less  dismal.  Are  you 
taking  all  those  medicines  in  the  bottles  now?" 

"  No  —  only  that  big  one  with  the  blue  label." 

"Then  you  might  ask  Aunt  Izzie  to  take  away 
the  others.  And  I'd  get  Clover  to  pick  a  bunch 
of  fresh  flowers  every  day  for  your  table.  By  the 
way,  I  don't  see  the  little  white  vase." 


DISMAL   DAYS.  183 

44  No  —  it  got  broken  the  very  day  after  you 
went  away  ;  the  day  I  fell  out  of  the  swing,"  said 
Katy,  sorrowfully. 

"  Never  mind,  pet,  don't  look  so  doleful.  I 
know  the  tree  those  vases  grow  upon,  and  you 
shall  have  another.  Then,  after  the  room  is 
made  pleasant,  I  would  have  all  my  lesson-books 
fetched  up,  if  I  were  you,  and  I  would  study  a 
couple  of  hours  every  morning." 

"  Oh  ! '  cried  Katy,  making  a  wry  face  at  the 
idea. 

Cousin  Helen  smiled.  "  I  know,"  said  she, 
"  it  sounds  like  dull  work,  learning  geography  and 
doing  sums  up  here  all  by  yourself.  But  I  think 
if  you  make  the  effort  you'll  be  glad  by  and  by. 
You  won't  lose  so  much  ground,  you  see  —  won't 
slip  back  quite  so  far  in  your  education.  And 
then,  studying  will  be  like  working  at  a  garden, 
where  things  don't  grow  easily.  Every  flower 
you  raise  will  be  a  sort  of  triumph,  and  you  will 
value  it  twice  as  much  as  a  common  flower  which 
has  cost  no  trouble." 

"Well,"  said  Katy,  rather  forlornly,  "  I'll  try. 
But  it  won't  be  a  bit  nice  studying  without  any- 


184  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

body  to  study  with  me.  Is  their  anything  else, 
Cousin  Helen  ?  " 

Just  then  the  door  creaked,  and  Elsie  timidly 
put  her  head  into  the  room. 

"Oh,  Elsie,  run  away!  "  cried  Katy.  "Cousin 
Helen  and  I  are  talking.     Don't  come  just  now." 

Katy  didn't  speak  unkindly,  but  Elsie's  face 
fell,  and  she  looked  disappointed.  She  said  noth- 
ing, however,  but  shut  the  door  and  stole  away. 

Cousin  Helen  watched  this  little  scene  without 
speaking.  For  a  few  minutes  after  Elsie  was  gone, 
she  seemed  to  be  thinking. 

"Katy,"  she  said  at  last,  "you  were  saying  just 
now,  that  one  of  the  things  you  were  sorry  about 
was  that  while  you  were  ill  you  could  be  of  no 
use  to  the  children.  Do  you  know,  I  don't  think 
you  have  that  reason  for  being  sorry." 

"Why  not?"  said  Katy,  astonished. 

"Because  you  can  be  of  use.  It  seems  to  me 
that  you  have  more  of  a  chance  with  the  children 
uow,  than  you  ever  could  have  had  when  you  wero 
well,  and  flying  about  as  you  used.  You  might 
do  almost  anything  you  liked  with  them." 

"I  can't  think  what  you  mean,"  said  Katy,  sadly- 


DISMAL    DAYS.  ?  85 

"Why,  Cousin  Helen,  half  the  time  I  don't  even 
know  where  they  are,  or  what  they  are  doing. 
And  I  can't  get  up  and  go  after  them,  you  know." 

"But  you  can  make  your  room  such  a  delightful 
place,  that  they  will  want  to  come  to  you  !  Don't 
you  see,  a  sick  person  has  one  splendid  chance  — 
she  is  always  on  hand.  Everybody  who  wants 
her  knows  just  where  to  go.  If  people  love  her, 
she  gets  naturally  to  be  the  heart  of  the  house. 

"  Once  make  the  little  ones  feel  that  your  room 
is  the  place  of  all  others  to  come  to  when  they  are 
tired,  or  happy,  or  grieved,  or  sorry  about  any- 
thing, and  that  the  Katy  who  lives  there  is  sure 
to  give  them  a  loving  reception  —  and  the  battle 
is  won.  For  you  know  we  never  do  people  good 
by  lecturing;  only  by  living  their  lives  with  them, 
and  helping  a  little  here,  and  a  little  there,  to  make 
them  better.  And  when  one's  own  life  is  laid 
aside  for  a  while,  as  yours  is  now,  that  is  the  very 
time  to  take  up  other  people's  lives,  as  we  can't 
do  when  we  are  scurrying  and  bustling  over  our 
own  affairs.  But  I  didn't  mean  to  preach  a  ser- 
mon.    I'm  afraid  you're  tired." 

"No  I'm  not,  a  bit,"  said  Katy,  holding  Cousin 


186  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

Helen's  hand  tight  in  hers;  "you  can't  think 
how  much  better  I  feel.  Oh,  Cousin  Helen,  I 
will  try ! " 

"It  won't  be  easy,"  replied  her  cousin.  "  There 
will  be  days  when  your  head  aches,  and  you  feel 
cross  and  fretted,  and  don't  want  to  think  of  any 
one  but  yourself.  And  there'll  be  other  days 
when  Clover  and  the  rest  will  come  in,  as  Elsie 
did  just  now,  and  you  will  be  doing  something 
else,  and  will  feel  as  if  their  coming:  was  a  bother. 
But  you  must  recollect  that  every  time  you  forget, 
and  are  impatient  or  selfish,  you  chill  them  and 
drive  them  farther  away.  They  are  loving  little 
things,  and  are  so  sorry  for  you  now,  that  nothing 
yon  do  makes  them  angry.  But  by  and  by  they 
will  get  used  to  having  you  sick,  and  if  you  haven't 
won  them  as  friends,  they  will  grow  away  from 
you  as  they  get  older. " 

Just  then,  Dr.  Carr  came  in. 

"  Oh,  Papa !  you  haven't  come  to  take  Cousin 
Helen,  have  you?"  cried  Katy. 

"Indeed  I  have,"  said  her  father.  "I  think 
the  bis:  invalid  and  the  little  invalid  have  talked 
quite  long  enough.     Cousin  Helen  looks  tired." 


DISMAL    DAYS.  18" 

For  a  minute,  Katy  felt  just  like  crying.  But 
she  choked  back  the  tears.  "  My  first  lesson  in 
Patience,"  she  said  to  herself,  and  managed  to 
give  a  faint,  watery  smile  as  Papa  looked  at  her. 

"That's  right,  dear,"  whispered  Cousin  Helen, 
as  she  bent  forward  to  kiss  her.  "  And  one  last 
word,  Katy.  In  this  school,  to  which  you  and  I 
belong,  there  is  one  Great  comfort,  and  that  is 
that  the  Teacher  is  always  at  hand.  He  never 
goes  away.  If  things  puzzle  us,  there  He  is, 
close  by,  ready  to  explain  and  make  all  easy. 
Try  to  think  of  this,  darling,  and  don't  be  afraid 
to  ask  Him  for  help  if  the  lesson  seems  too  hard." 

Katy  had  a  strange  dream  that  night.  She 
thought  she  was  trying  to  study  a  lesson  out  of  a 
book  which  wouldn't  come  quite  open.  She 
could  just  see  a  little  bit  of  what  was  inside,  but 
it  was  in  a  language  which  she  did  not  under- 
stand.  She  tried  in  vain  :  not  a  word  could  she 
read  ;  and  yet,  for  all  that,  it  looked  so  interest- 
ing that  she  longed  to  go  on. 

"Oh,  if  somebody  would  only  help  me!"  she 
<ricd  impatiently. 

Suddenly  a  hand  came  over  her  shoulder  and 


188  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

took  hold  of  the  book.  It  opened  at  once,  .and 
showed  the  whole  page.  And  then  the  forefinger 
of  the  hand  began  to  point  to  line  after  line,  and 
as  it  moved  the  words  became  plain,  and  Katy 
could  read  them  easily.  She  looked  up.  There, 
stooping  over  her,  was  a  great  beautiful  Face. 
The  eyes  met  hers.     The  lips  smiled. 

"  Why  didn't  you  ask  me  before,  Little  Scholar  ?  " 
said  a  voice. 

"Why,  it  is  You,  just  as  Cousin  Helen  told 
me  !  "  cried  Katy. 

She  must  have  spoken  in  her  sleep,  for  Aunt 
Izzie  half  woke  up,  and  said : 

"  What  is  it?     Do  you  want  anything?  " 

The  dream  broke,  and  Katy  roused,  to  find  her- 
self in  bed,  with  the  first  sunbeams  struggling  in 
at  the  window,  and  Aunt  Izzie  raised  on  her 
elbow,  looking  at  her  with  a  sort  of  sleepy 
wonder. 


CHAPTER    X. 


ST.  NICHOLAS    AND    ST.  VALENTINE. 


[HAT  are  the  children  all  doing  to-day?" 
said  Katy,  laying  down  "Norway  and 
the  Norwegians,"  which  she  was  read- 
ing for  the  fourth  time  ;  "I  haven't  seen  them  since 
breakfast." 

Aunt  Izzie,  who  was  sewing  on  the  other  side  of 
the  room,  looked  up  from  her  work. 

"I  don't  know,"  she  said,  "they're  over  at 
Cecy's,  or  somewhere.  They'll  be  back  before 
long,  I  guess." 

Her  voice  sounded  a  little  odd  and  mysterious, 
but  Katy  didn't  notice  it. 

"I  thought  of  such  a  nice  plan  yesterday,"  she 
went  on.  "That  was  that  all  of  them  should  ham* 
their  stockings  up  here  to-morrow  night  instead 
of  in  the  nursery.  Then  I  could  see  them  open 
their  presents,  you  know.  Mayn't  they,  Aunt 
Izzie?     It  would  be  real  fun." 

H89} 


190  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

"I   don't   believe  there  will   be  any  objection," 
replied  her  aunt.     She  looked  as  if  she  were  try 
iug  not  to  laugh.     Katy  wondered  what  was  the 
matter  with  her. 

It  was  more  than  two  months  now  since  Cousin 
Helen  went  away,  and  Winter  had  fairly  come. 
Snow  was  falling  out-doors.  Katy  could  see  the 
thick  flakes  go  whirling  past  the  window,  but  the 
sight  did  not  chill  her.  It  only  made  the  room 
look  warmer  and  more  cosy.  It  was  a  pleasant 
room  now.  There  was  a  bright  fire  in  the  s:rate. 
Everything  was  neat  and  orderly,  the  air  was 
sweet  with  mignonette,  from  a  little  glass  of  flow- 
ers  which  stood  on  the  table,  and  the  Katy  who 
lay  in  bed,  was  a  very  different-looking  Katy  from 
the  forlorn  girl  of  the  last  chapter. 

Cousin  Helen's  visit,  though  it  lasted  only  one 
day,  did  great  good.  Not  that  Katy  grew  perfect 
all  at  once.  None  of  us  do  that,  even  in  books 
But  it  is  everything  to  be  started  in  the  right  path. 
Katy's  feet  were  on  it  now ;  and  though  she  often 
stumbled  and  slipped,  and  ofteu  sat  down  dis- 
couraged, she  kept  on  pretty  steadily,  in  spite  of 


ST.    NICHOLAS    AND    ST.  VALENTINE.  191 

bad  days,  which  made  her  say  to  herself  that  she 
was  not  getting  forward  at  all. 

These  bad  days,  when  everything  seemed  hard, 
and  she  herself  was  cross  and  fretful,  and  drove 
the  children  out  of  her  room,  cost  Katy  many 
bitter  tears.  But  after  them  she  would  pick  her- 
self up,  and  try  again,  and  harder.  And  I  think 
that  in  spite  of  drawbacks,  the  little  scholar,  on 
the  whole,  was  learning  her  lesson  pretty  well. 

Cousin  Helen  was  a  Great  comfort  all  this  time 
She  never  forgot  Katy.     Nearly  every  week  some 
little  thing  came  from  her.     Sometimes  it  was  a 
pencil   note,  written  from  her  sofa.     Sometimes 
it  was  an  interesting  book,  or  a  new  magazine,  or 
some  pretty  little  thing  for  the  room.     The  crim- 
son wrapper  which  Katy  wore   was  one    of  hei 
presents,  so  were  the  bright  chromos  of  AutumL 
leaves  which  hung  on  the  wall,  the  little  stand  fo. 
the  books  —  all  sorts  of  things.     Katy  loved  to 
look  about  her  as  she  lay.     All  the  room  seemed 
full  of  Cousin  Helen  and  her  kindness. 

"I  wish  I  had  something  pretty  to  put  into 
everybody's  stocking,"  she  went  on,  wistfully; 
"but   I've  only  got   the  muffatees  for  Papa,  and 


192  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

these  reins  for  Phil."  She  took  them  from  under 
her  pillow  as  she  spoke  —  gay  worsted  affairs, 
with  bells  sewed  on  here  and  there.  She  had  knit 
them  herself,  a  very  little  bit  at  a  time. 

"There's  my  pink  sash,"  she  said  suddenly,  "I 
might  give  that  to  Clover.  I  only  wore  it  once, 
you  know,  and  I  don't  think  I  got  any  spots  on  it. 
Would  you  please  fetch  it  and  let  me  see,  Aunt 
Izzie?     It's  in  the  top  drawer." 

Aunt  Izzie  brought  the  sash.  It  proved  to  be 
quite  fresh,  and  they  both  decided  that  it  would 
do  nicely  for  Clover. 

"  You  know  I  sha'n't  want  sashes  for  ever  so 
long,"  said  Katy,  in  rather  a  sad  tone.  "  And 
this  is  a  beautv." 

When   she  spoke  next,   her  voice   was  bright 


again. 


"I  wish  I  had  something  real  nice  for  Elsie. 
Do  you  know,  Aunt  Izzie  —  I  think  Elsie  is  the 
dearest  little  girl  that  ever  was." 

"  I'm  glad  you've  found  it  out,"  said  Aunt  Izzie, 
who  had  always  been  specially  fond  of  Elsie. 

"  What  she  wants  most  of  all  is  a  writing-desk," 
continued   Katy.     "  And    Johnny  wants    a   sled. 


ST.    NICHOLAS    AND    ST.  VALENTINE.  193 

But,  oh  dear !  those   are  such   bis*  things.     And 
I've  only  got  two  dollars  and  a  quarter." 

Aunt  Izzie  marched  out  of  the  room  without 
saying  anything.  When  she  came  back  she  had 
something  folded  up  in  her  hand. 

"I  didn't  know  what  to  give  you  for  Christmas, 
Katy,"  she  said,  "  because  Helen  sends  you  such 
a  lot  of  things  that  there  don't  seem  to  be  any- 
thing you  haven't  already.  So  I  thought  I'd  give 
you  this,  and  let  you  choose  for  yourself.  But  if 
you've  set  your  heart  on  getting  presents  for  the 
children,  perhaps  you'd  rather  have  it  now."  So 
saying,  Aunt  Izzie  laid  on  the  bed  a  crisp,  new 
five-dollar  bill ! 

"How  good  you  are  !  "  cried  Katy,  flushed  with 
pleasure.  And  indeed  Aunt  Izzie  did  seem  to 
have  grown  wonderfully  good  of  late.  Perhaps 
Katy  had  got  hold  of  her  smooth  handle  ! 

Being  now  in  possession  of  seven  dollars  and  a 
quarter,  Katy  could  afford  to  be  gorgeously  gen- 
erous. She  gave  Aunt  Izzie  an  exact  description 
of  the  desk  she  wanted. 

"It's  no  matter  about  it's  being  very  big,"  said 
Katy,  "but  it  must  have  a  blue  velvet  lining,  and 
13 


194  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

an  inkstand,  with  a  silver  top.  And  please  buy 
some  little  sheets  of  paper  and  envelopes,  and  a 
pen-handle  ;  the  prettiest  you  can  find.  Oh  !  and 
there  must  be  a  lock  and  key.  Don't  forget  that, 
Aunt  Izzie." 

"No,  I  won't.     What  else?" 

"I'd  like  the  sled  to  be  green,"  went  on  Katy, 
"and  to  have  a  nice  name.  Sky-Scraper  would 
be  nice,  if  there  was  one.  Johnny  saw  a  sled  once 
called  Sky-Scraper,  and  she  said  it  was  splendid. 
And  if  there's  money  enough  left,  Aunty,  won't 
you  buy  me  a  real  nice  book  for  Dorry,  and 
another  for  Cecy,  and  a  silver  thimble  for  Mary? 
Her  old  one  is  full  of  holes.  Oh  !  and  some 
candy.  And  something  for  Debby  and  Bridget  — 
some  little  thing,  you  know.     I  think  that's  all  !  " 

Was  ever  seven  dollars  and  a  quarter  expected 
to  do  so  much?  Aunt  Izzie  must  have  been  a 
witch,  indeed,  to  make  it  hold  out.  But  she  did, 
and  next  day  all  the  precious  bundles  came  home. 
How  Katy  enjoyed  untying  the  strings  ! 

Everything  was  exactly  right. 

"  There  wasn't  any  Sky-Scraper,"  said  Aunt 
Izzie,  "  so  I  got  ?  Snow-Skimmer '  instead." 


ST.    NICHOLAS   AND    ST.   VALENTINE.  195 

"It's  beautiful,  and  I  like  it  just  as  well,"  said 
Katy  contentedly. 

"Oh,  hide  them,  hide  them!"  she  cried  with 
sudden  terror,  "somebody's  coming."  But  the 
somebody  was  only  Papa,  who  put  his  head  into 
the  room  as  Aunt  Izzie,  laden  with  bundles, 
scuttled  across  the  hall. 

Katy  was  glad  to  catch  him  alone.  She  had  a 
little  private  secret  to  talk  over  with  him.  It  was 
about  Aunt  Izzie,  for  whom  she,  as  yet,  had  no 
present. 

"I  thought  perhaps  you'd  get  me  a  book  like 
that  one  of  Cousin  Helen's,  which  Aunt  Izzie 
liked  so  much,"  she  said.  "I  don't  recollect  the 
name  exactly.  It  was  something  about  a  Shadow. 
But  I've  spent  all  my  money." 

"Never  mind  about  that,"  said  Dr.  Carr. 
"We'll  make  that  right.  'The  Shadow  of  the 
Cross'  — was  that  it?"  I'll  buy  it  this  after- 
noon." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  Papa  !  And  please  get  a  brown 
cover,  if  you  can,  because  Cousin  Helen's  was 
brown.  And  you  won't  let  Aunt  Izzie  know,  will 
you?     Be  careful,  Papa  1  " 


196  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

"I'll  swallow  the  book  first,  brown  cover  and 
all,"  said  Papa,  making  a  funny  face.  He  was 
pleased  to  see  Katy  so  interested  about  anything 
again. 

These  delightful  secrets  took  up  so  much  of 
her  thoughts,  that  Katy  scarcely  found  time  to 
wonder  at  the  absence  of  the  children,  who  gen- 
erally haunted  her  room,  but  who  for  three  days 
1  back  had  hardly  been  seen.  However,  after  sup- 
per they  all  came  up  in  a  body,  looking  very 
merry,  and  as  if  they  had  been  having  a  good  time 
somewhere. 

"  You  don't  know  what  we've  been  doing,"  began 
Philly. 

"Hush,  Phil !  "  said  Clover,  in  a  warning  voice. 
Then  she  divided  the  stockings  which  she  held 
in  her  hand.  And  everybody  proceeded  to  hang 
them  up. 

Dorry  hung  his  on  one  side  of  the  fireplace, 
and  John  hers  exactly  opposite.  Clover  and  Phil 
suspended  theirs  side  by  side,  on  two  handles  of 
the  bureau. 

"I'm  going  to  put  mine  here,  close  to  Katy,  so 


ST.    NICHOLAS    AND    ST.  VALENTINE.  197 

that  she  can  see  it  the  first   fing  in  the  morning," 
said  Elsie,  pinning  hers  to  the  bed-post. 

Then  they  all  sat  down  round  the  fire  to  write 
their   wishes  on   bits  of  paper,  and   see   whether 
they  would  burn,  or  fly  up  the  chimney.     If  they 
did  the  latter,  it  was  a  sign  that  Santa  Claus  had 
them  safe,  and  would  bring  the  things  wished  for. 
John  wished  for  a  sled  and  a  doll's  tea-set,  and 
the  continuation  of  the  Swiss   Family  Robinson. 
Dorry's  list  ran  thus  : 
"A  plum-cake, 
A  new  Bibel, 
Harry  and  Lucy, 
A  Kellidescope, 

Everything  else  Santa  Claus  likes. " 
When  they  had  written  these  lists  they  threw 
them  into  the  fire.  The  fire  gave  a  flicker  just 
then,  and  the  papers  vanished.  Nobody  saw  ex- 
actly how.  John  thought  they  flew  up  chimney, 
but  Dorry  said  they  didn't. 

Phil   dropped  his  piece  in  very  solemnly.     It 
flamed  for  a  minute,  then  sank  into  ashes. 

There,  you  won't  get  it,  whatever  it  was!" 
said  Dorry.     "  What  did  you  write,  Phil?" 


198  WHAT    KATT    DID. 

"Nofing,"  said  Phil,  "only  just  Philly  Carr." 

The  children  shouted. 

"  I  wrote  f  a  writing-desk  '  on  mine,"  remarked 
Elsie,  sorrowfully,  "But  it  all  burned  up." 

Katy  chuckled  when  she  heard  this. 

And  now  Clover  produced  her  list.  She  read 
aloud  : 

"'Strive  and  Thrive,' 
A  pair  of  kid  gloves, 
A  muff, 

A  good  temper  ! " 
Then  she  dropped  it  into  the  fire.     Behold,   it 
flew  straight  up  chimney. 

"  How  queer  !  "  said  Katy  ;  "  none  of  the  rest  of 
them  did  that." 

The  truth  was,  that  Clover,  who  was  a  canny 
little  mortal,  had  slipped  across  the  room  and 
opened  the  door  just  before  putting  her  wishes  in. 
This,  of  course,  made  a  draft,  and  sent  the  paper 
right  upward. 

Pretty  soon  Aunt  Izzie  came  in  and  swept  them 
all  off  to  bed. 

"I  know  how  it  will  be  in  the  morning,"  she 
6aid,  "you'll  all  be  up  and  racing  about  as   soon 


ST.    NICHOLAS    AND    ST.  VALENTINE.         199 

as  it  is  light.  So  you  must  get  your  sleep  now,  if 
ever." 

After  they  had  gone,  Katy  recollected  that  no- 
body  had  offered  to  hang  a  stocking  up  for  her. 
She  felt  a  little  hurt  when  she  thought  of  it.  "But 
I  suppose  they  forgot,"  she  said  to  herself. 

A  little  later  Papa  and  Aunt  Izzie  came  in,  and 
they  filled  the  stockings.  It  was  great  fun.  Each 
was  brought  to  Katy,  as  she  lay  in  bed,  that  she 
might  arrange  it  as  she  liked. 

The  toes  were  stuffed  with  candy  and  oranges. 
Then  came  the  parcels,  all  shapes  and  sizes,  tied 
in  white  paper,  with  ribbons,  and  labelled. 

"What's  that?"  asked  Dr.  Carr,  as  Aunt  Izzie 

rammed  a  long,  narrow  package  into  Clover's 
stocking. 

:t  A  nail-brush,"  answered  Aunt  Izzie  ;  "  Clover 
needed  a  new  one." 

How  Papa  and  Katy  laughed  !  "I  don't  believe 
Santa  Claus  ever  had  such  a  thing  before,"  said  Dr. 
Carr. 

"He's  a  very  dirty  old  gentleman,  then,"  ob- 
served Aunt  Izzie,  grimly. 

The  desk  and  sled  were  too  big  to  go  into  anv 


200  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

stocking,  so  they  were  wrapped  in  paper  and  hung 
beneath  the  other  things.     It  was  ten  o'clock  be- 

CD 

fore  all  was  done,  and  Papa  and  Aunt  Izzie  went 
away.  Katy  lay  a  long  time  watching  the  queer 
shapes  of  the  stocking-legs  as  they  dangled  in  the 
firelight.     Then  she  fell  asleep. 

It  seemed  only  a  minute,  before  something 
touched  her  and  woke  her  up.  Behold,  it  was 
day-time,  and  there  was  Philly  in  his  night-gown, 
climb  .ng  up  on  the  bed  to  kiss  her  !  The  rest  of 
the  children,  half  dressed,  were  dancing  about 
with  their  stockings  in  their  hands. 

"  Merry  Christmas  !  Merry  Christmas  !  "  they 
cried.  "Oh,  Katy,  such  beautiful,  beautiful 
things ! " 

"Oh!"  shrieked  Elsie,  who  at  that  moment 
spied  her  desk,  "  Santa  Claus  did  bring  it,  after 
all !  Why,  its  got  *  from  Katy  '  written  on  it ! 
Oh,  Katy,  it's  so  sweet,  and  I'm  so  happy  !  "  and 
Elsie  hugged  Katy,  and  sobbed  for  pleasure. 

But  what  was  that  strange  thins:  beside  the  bed  ? 
Katy  stared,  and  rubbed  her  eyes.  It  certainly 
had  not  been  there  when  she  went  to  sleep.  How 
had  it  come  ? 


ST.    NICHOLAS    AND    ST.  VALENTINE.  201 

It  was  a  little  evergreen  tree  planted  in  a  red 
flower-pot.  The  pot  had  stripes  of  gilt  paper 
stuck  on  it,  and  gilt  stars  and  crosses,  which 
made  it  look  very  gay.  The  boughs  of  the  tree 
were  hung  with  oranges,  and  nuts,  and  shiny  red 
apples,  and  pop-corn  balls,  and  strings  of  bright 
berries.  There  were  also  a  number  of  little 
packages  tied  with  blue  and  crimson  ribbon,  and 
altogether  the  tree  looked  so  pretty,  that  Katy 
gave  a  cry  of  delighted  surprise. 

"It's  a  Christmas-tree  for  you,  because  you're 
sick,  you  know  !"  said  the  children,  all  trying  to 
hii£  her  at  once. 

'  We  made  it  ourselves,"  said  Dorry,  hopping 
about  on  one  foot;  "I  pasted  the  black  stars  on 
the  pot." 

"And  I  popped  the  corn  !  "  cried  Philly. 

!fDo  you  like  it?'  asked  Elsie,  cuddling  close 
to  Katy.  "  That's  my  present  —  that  one  tied 
with  a  green  ribbon.  I  wish  it  was  nicer  !  Don't 
you  want  to  open  'em  right  away?" 

Of  course  Katy  wanted  to.  All  sorts  of 
things  came  out  of  the  little  bundles.     The  chil- 


202  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

dren    had  arranged  every  parcel   themselves.     No 
grown  person  had  been  allowed  to  help  in  the  least. 

Elsie's  present  was  a  pen-wiper,  with  a  gray 
flannel  kitten  on  it.  Johnnie's,  a  doll's  tea-tray  of 
scarlet  tin. 

"Isn't  it  beau-ti-ful?  "  she  said,  admiringly. 

Dorry's  gift,  I  regret  to  say,  was  a  huge  red- 
and-yellow  spider,  which  whirred  wildly  when 
waved  at  the  end  of  its  string. 

"They  didn't  want  me  to  buy  it,"  said  he,  "but 
I  did !  I  thought  it  would  amoose  you.  Does  it 
amoose  you,  Katy?" 

"Yes  indeed,"  said  Katy,  laughing  and  blinking 
as  Dorry  waved  the  spider  to  and  fro  before  her 
eyes. 

!  You  can  play  with  it  when  we  ain't  here  and 
you're  all  alone,  you  know,"  remarked  Dorry, 
highly  gratified. 

"But  you  don't  notice  what  the  tree's  standing 
upon,"  said  Clover. 

It  was  a  chair,  a  very  large  and  curious  one, 
with  a  long-cushioned  back,  which  ended  in  a 
footstool. 

"That's  Papa's  present,"  said  Clover;  "see,  it 


"  How  perfectly  lovely  everybody  is,"  said  Katy,  with  grateful  tears  in  her 

eyes.  —  Page  203. 


ST.    NICHOLAS    AND    ST.  VALENTINE.  203 

tips  bach  so  as  to  be  just  like  a  bed.  And  Papa 
says  he  thinks  pretty  soon  you  can  lie  on  it,  in 
the  window,  where  you  can  see  us  play." 

"Does  he  really?"  said  Katy,  doubtfully.  It 
si  ill  hurt  her  very  much  to  be  touched  or  moved. 

tf  And  see  what's  tied  to  the  arm  of  the  chair," 
said  Elsie. 

It  was  a  little  silver  bell,  with  "  Katy  "  engraved 
on  the  handle. 

"Cousin  Helen  sent  it.  It's  for  you  to  ring 
when  you  want  anybody  to  come,"  explained 
Elsie. 

More  surprises.  To  the  other  arm  of  the  chair 
was  fastened  a  beautiful  book.  It  was  "  The 
Wide  Wide  World  "  —  and  there  was  Katy's  name 
written  on  it,  f  from  her  affectionate  Cecy.'  On 
it  stood  a  great  parcel  of  dried  cherries  from 
Mrs.  Hall.  Mrs.  Hall  had  the  most  delicious  dried 
cherries,  the  children  thought. 

rfIIo\v  perfectly  lovely  everybody  is!"  said 
Katy,  with  grateful  tears  in  her  eyes. 

That  was  a  pleasant  Christmas.  The  children 
declared  it  to  be   the  nicest  they  had  ever  had. 


204  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

And  though  Katy  couldn't  quite  say  that,  she  en- 
joyed it  too,  and  was  very  happy. 

It  was  several  weeks  before  she  was  able  to  use 
the  chair,  but  when  once  she  became  accustomed 
to  it,  it  proved  very  comfortable.  Aunt  Izzie 
would  dress  her  in  the  morning,  tip  the  chair  back 
till  it  was  on  a  level  with  the  bod,  and  then,  very 
gently  and  gradually,  draw  her  over  on  to  it. 
Wheeling  across  the  room  was  always  painful,  but 
sitting  in  the  window  and  looking  out  at  the 
clouds,  the  people  going  by,  and  the  children 
playing  in  the  snow,  was  delightful.  How  de- 
lightful nobody  knows,  excepting  those  who,  like 
Katy,  have  lain  for  six  months  in  bed,  without  a 
peep  at  the  outside  world.  Every  day  she  grew 
brighter  and  more  cheerful. 

"  How  jolly  Santa  Claus  was  this  year  !  "  she 
happened  to  say  one  day,  when  she  was  talking 
with  Cecy.  "I  wish  another  Saint  would  come 
and  pay  us  a  visit.  But  I  don't  know  any  more, 
except  Cousin  Helen,  and  she  can't." 

"  There's  St.  Valentine,"  suggested  Cecy. 

"  Sure  enough.  What  a  bright  thought !  "  cried 
Katy,  clapping  her  hands.     "  Oh,  Cecy,  let's  do 


ST.    NICHOLAS    AND    ST.  VALENTINE.  205 

something  funny  on  Valentinc's-Day !  Such  a 
good  idea  has  just  popped  into  my  mind." 

So  the  two  girls  put  their  heads  together  and 
held  a  long,  mysterious  confabulation.  What  it 
was  about,  we  shall  see  farther  on. 

Valentine's-Day  was  the  next  Friday.  When 
the  children  came  home  from  school  on  Thurs- 
day afternoon,  Aunt  Izzie  met  them,  and,  to  their 
great  surprise,  told  them  that  Cecy  was  come  to 
drink  tea,  and  they  must  all  go  up  stairs  and  be 
made  nice. 

"But  Cecy  comes  most  every  day,"  remarked 
Dorry,  who  didn't  see  the  connection  between  this 
fact  and  having  his  face  washed. 

fYes  —  but  to-night  you  are  to  take  tea  in 
Katy's  room,"  said  Aunt  Izzie;  "here  are  the 
invitations  :  one  for  each  of  you." 

Sure  enough,  there  was  a  neat  little  note  for 
each,  requesting  the  pleasure  of  their  company  at 
"Queen  Katharine's  Palace,"  that  afternoon,  at  six 
o'clock. 

This  put  quite  a  different  aspect  on  the  affair. 
The  children  scampered  up  stairs,  and  pretty  soon, 
all  nicely  brushed  and  washed,  they  were  knock- 


20 G  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

nig  formally  at  the  door  of  the  "Palace."     How 
fine  it  sounded  ! 

The  room  looked  bright  and  inviting.  Katy,  in 
her  chair,  sat  close  to  the  fire,  Cecy  was  beside  her, 
and  there  was  a  round  table  all  set  out  wTith  a 
white  cloth  and  mugs  of  milk  and  biscuit,  and 
strawberry -jam  and  doughnuts.  In  the  middle 
was  a  loaf  of  frosted  cake.  There  was  something 
on  the  icing  which  looked  like  pink  letters,  and 
Clover,  leaning  forward,  read  aloud,  "  St.  Valen- 
tine." 

"What's  that  for?"  asked  Dorry. 

"Why,  you  know  this  is  St.  Valentine's-Eve," 
replied  Katy.  "Debby  remembered  it,  I  guess,  sc 
she  put  that  on." 

Nothing  more  was  said  about  St.  Valentine  just 
then.  But  when  the  last  pink  letter  of  his  name 
had  been  eaten,  and  the  supper  had  been  cleared 
away,  suddenly,  as  the  children  sat  by  the  fire, 
their  was  a  loud  rap  at  the  door. 

"Who  can" that  be?"  said  Katy;  "please  see, 
Clover ! " 

So  Clover  opened  the  door.     There  stood  Brid- 


ST.    NICHOLAS    AND    ST.  VALENTINE.  207 

get,  Irving  very  hard  not  to  laugh,  and  holding  a 
letter  in  her  hand. 

*  It's  a  note  as  has  come  for  you,  Miss  Clover," 
she  said. 

"For  me/"  cried  Clover,  much  amazed.  Then 
she  shut  the  door,  and  brought  the  note  to  the 
table. 

"How  very  funny!"  she  exclaimed,  as  she 
looked  at  the  envelope,  which  was  a  green  and 
white  one.  There  was  something  hard  inside. 
Clover  broke  the  seal.  Out  tumbled  a  small 
green  velvet  pincushion  made  in  the  shape  of  a 
clover-leaf,  with  a  tiny  stem  of  wire  wound  with 
green  silk.  Pinned  to  the  cushion  was  a  paper, 
with  these  verses  : 


"  Some  people  love  roses  well, 
Tulips,  gayly  dressed, 
Some  love  violets  blue  and  sweet, 
I  love  Clover  best. 

"  Though  she  has  a  modest  air, 
Though  no  grace  she  boast, 
Though  no  gardener  call  her  fair, 
I  love  Clover  most. 


208  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

"  Butterfly  may  pass  her  by, 
He  is  but  a  rover, 
I'm  a  faithful,  loving  Bee  — 
And  I  stick  to  Clover." 


This  was  the  first  valentine  Clover  had  ever 
had.     She  was  perfectly  enchanted. 

"Oh,  who  do  yon  suppose  sent  it?  "  she  cried. 

But  before  anybody  could  answer,  there  came 
another  loud  knock  at  the  door,  which  made  them 
all  jump.  Behold,  Bridget  again,  with  a  second 
letter ! 

"It's  for  you,  Miss  Elsie,  this  time,"  she  said 
with  a  grin. 

There  was  an  instant  rush  from  all  the  children, 
and  the  envelope  was  torn  open  in  the  twinkling  of 
an  eye.  Inside  was  a  little  ivory  seal  with  "  Elsie  " 
on  it  in  old  English  letters,  and  these  rhymes  : 


"  I  know  a  little  girl, . 

She  is  very  dear  to  me, 
She  is  just  as  sweet  as  honey 
When  she  chooses  so  to  be, 
And  her  name  begins  with  E,  and  ends  with  E. 


ST.    NICHOLAS    AND    ST.  VALENTINE.  209 

"  She  has  brown  hair  which  curls, 
And  black  eyes  for  to  see 
With,  teeth  like  tiny  pearls, 
And  dimples,  one,  two  —  three, 
And  her  name  begins  with  E,  and  ends  with  E. 

"  Her  little  feet  run  faster 
Than  other  feet  can  flee, 
As  she  brushes  quickly  past,  her 
Voice  hums  like  a  bee, 
And  her  name  begins  with  E,  and  ends  with  E. 

"  Do  you  ask  me  why  I  love  her? 
Then  I  shall  answer  thee, 
Because  I  can't  help  loving, 
She  is  so  sweet  to  me, 
This  little  girl  whose  name  begins  and  ends  with  '  E.'  " 


*  It's  just  like  a  fairy  story,"  said  Elsie,  whose 
eyes  had  grown  as  big  as  saucers  from  surprise, 
while  these  verses  were  being  read  aloud  by  Cecy. 
Another  knock.  This  time  there  was  a  perfect 
handful  of  letters.  Everybody  had  one.  Katy, 
to  her  great  surprise,  had  two. 

t  Why,  what  can  this  be?  "  she  said.    But  when 
she  peeped  into  the  second  one,  she  saw  Cousin 
14 


210  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

Helen's   handwriting,    and    she    put    it    into   her 
pocket,  till  the  valentines  should  be  read. 

Dorry's  was  opened  first.  It  had  the  picture 
of  a  pie  at  the  top — I  ought  to  explain  that 
Dorry  had  lately  been  having  a  siege  with  the 
dentist. 


"  Little  Jack  Horner 
Sat  in  his  corner, 

Eating  his  Christmas  pie, 
When  a  sudden  grimace 
Spread  over  his  face, 

And  he  began  loudly  to  cry. 

"  His  tender  Mamma 
Heard  the  sound  from  afar, 

And  hastened  to  comfort  her  child ; 

*  What  aileth  my  John?  ' 
She  inquired  in  a  tone 

Which  belied  her  question  mild. 

«  «  Oh,  Mother,'  he  said, 

*  Every  tooth  in  my  head 

Jumps  and  aches  and  is  loose,  O  my ! 
And  it  hurts  me  to  eat 
Anything  that  is  sweet  — 

So  what  will  become  of  my  pie  ?  ' 


8T.    NICHOLAS    AND    ST.  VALP:NTINE.  211 

•'  It  wore  vain  to  describe 
How  lie  roared  and  he  cried, 

And  howled  like  a  miniature  tempest; 
Suffice  it  to  say, 
That  the  very  next  day 

He  had  all  his  teeth  pulled  by  a  dentist!  n 


This  valentine  made  the  children  laugh  for  a 
lonsj  time. 

Johnnie's  envelope  held  a  paper  doll  named 
"Red  Kidin<?-Hood."     These  were  the  verses  : 

"  I  send  you  my  picture,  dear  Johnnie,  to  show 
That  I'm  just  as  alive  as  you, 
And  that  you  needn't  cry  over  my  fate 
Any  more,  as  you  used  to  do. 

"  The  wolf  didn't  hurt  me  at  all  that  day, 
For  I  kicked  and  fought  and  cried, 
Till  he  dropped  me  out  of  his  mouth,  and  ran 
Away  in  the  woods  to  hide. 

"  And  Grandma  and  I  have  lived  ever  since 
In  the  little  brown  house  so  small, 
And  churned  fresh  butter  and  made  cream  cheeses, 
Nor  seen  the  wolf  at  all. 


212  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

*'  So  cry  no  more  for  fear  I  ara  eaten, 
The  naughty  wolf  is  shot, 
And  if  you  will  come  to  tea  some  evening. 
You  shall  see  for  yourself  I'm  not." 


Johnny  was  immensely  pleased  at  this,  for 
Red  Riding-Hood  was  a  great  favorite  of  hers. 

Philly  had  a  bit  of  india-rubber  in  his  letter, 
which  was  written  with  very  black  ink  on  a  big 
sheet  of  foolscap : 


"  I  was  once  a  naughty  man, 
And  I  hid  beneath  the  bed, 
To  steal  your  india-rubbers, 
But  I  chewed  them  up  instead. 

"  Then  you  called  cut,  '  Who  is  there? ' 
I  was  thrown  most  in  a  fit, 
And  I  let  the  india-rubbers  fall  — 
All  but  this  little  bit. 

"  I'm  sorry  for  my  naughty  ways, 
And  now,  to  make  amends, 
I  send  the  chewed  piece  back  again, 
And  beg  we  may  be  friends. 

"  Robber." 


ST.    NICHOLAS    AND    ST.   VALENTINE.  213 

"Just   listen    to    mine,"    said    Cecy,    who    had 

all   along  pretended   to  be  as  much  surprised   as 

anybody,  and  now  behaved  as  if  she  could  hardly 

wait    till    Philly's   was   finished.     Then    she  read 

aloud  : 

"TO  cecy. 
"  If  I  were  a  bird 
And  you  were  a  bird, 

What  would  we  do? 
Why  you  should  be  little  and  I  would  be  big, 
And,  side  by  side  on  a  cherry-tree  twig, 
We'd  kiss  with  our  yellow  bills,  and  coo  — 
That's  what  we'd  do  I 

"  If  I  were  a  fish 
And  you  were  a  fish, 

What  would  we  do? 
We'd  frolic,  and  whisk  our  little  tails, 
And  play  all  sorts  of  tricks  with  the  whales, 
And  call  on  the  oysters,  and  order  a  '  stew,' 
That's  what  we'd  do! 

"  If  I  were  a  bee 
And  you  were  a  bee, 

What  would  we  do? 
We'd  find  a  home  in  a  breezy  wood, 
And  store  it  with  honey  sweet  and  good. 
You  should  feed  me  and  I  would  feed  you, 
That's  what  we'd  do  I 

"  Valentine.* 


214  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

"I  think  that's  the  prettiest  of  all,"  said 
Clover. 

"I  don't,"  said  Elsie.  "I  think  mine  is  the 
prettiest.  Cecy  didn't  have  any  seal  in  hers, 
either."  And- she  fondled  the  little  seal,  which 
all  this  time  she  had  held  in  her  hand. 

"  Katy,  you  ought  to  have  read  yours  first,  be» 
cause  you  are  the  oldest,"  said  Clover. 

"Mine  isn't  much,"  replied  Katy,  and  she  read: 

"The  rose  is  red,  the  violet  blue, 
Sugar  is  sweet,  and  so  are  you." 

"What  a  mean  valentine!"  cried  Elsie,  with 
flashing  eves.  "It's  a  real  shame,  Katy  1  You 
ouofht  to  have  had  the  best  of  all." 

Katy  could  hardly  keep  from  laughing.  The 
fact  was  that  the  verses  for  the  others  had  taken 
so  lonp;,  that  no  time  had  been  left  for  writing  a 
valentine  to  herself.  So,  thinking  it  would  excite 
suspicion  to  have  none,  she  had  scribbled  this 
old  rhyme  at  the  last  moment. 

"It  isn't  very  nice,"  she  said,  trying  to  look  as 
pensive  as  she  could,  "  but  never  mind." 


ST.    NICHOLAS   AND    ST.  VALENTINE.  215 

"It's  a  shame!"  repeated  Elsie,  petting  her 
very  hard  to  make  up  for  the  injustice. 

"Hasn't  it  been  a  funny  evening?  "  said  John  ; 
and  Dorry  replied,  "Yes;  we  never  had  such 
good  times  before  Katy  was  sick,  did  we?" 

Katy  heard  this  with  a  mingled  feeling  of  pleas- 
ure and  pain.  "I  think  the  children  do  love  me 
a  little  more  of  late,"  she  said  to  herself.  "But, 
oh,  why  couldn't  I  be  good  to  them  when  I  was 
well  and  strong }  " 

She  didn't  open  Cousin  Helen's  letter  until  the 
rest  were  all  gone  to  bed.  I  think  somebody 
must  have  written  and  told  about  the  valentine 
party,  for  instead  of  a  note  there  were  these  verses 
in  Cousin  Helen's  own  clear,  pretty  hand.  It 
wasn't  a  valentine,  because  it  was  too  solemn,  as 
Katy  explained  to  Clover,  next  day.  "  But,"  she 
added,  "it  is  a  great  deal  beautifuller  than  any 
valentine  that  ever  was  written."  And  Clover 
thought  so  too. 

These  were  the  verses : 


216  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

"IN   SCHOOL. 

"  I  used  to  go  to  a  bright  school 

Where  Youth  and  Frolic  taught  in  turn ; 
But  idle  scholar  that  I  was, 

I  liked  to  play,  I  would  not  learn ; 
So  the  Great  Teacher  did  ordain 
That  I  should  try  the  School  of  Pain. 

"  One  of  the  infant  class  I  am 
With  little,  easy  lessons,  set 
In  a  great  book ;  the  higher  class 

Have  harder  ones  than  I,  and  yet 
I  find  mine  hard,  and  can't  restrain 
My  tears  while  studying  thus  with  Pain. 

'*  There  are  two  Teachers  in  the  school, 
One  has  a  gentle  voice  and  low, 
And  smiles  upon  her  scholars,  as 

She  softly  passes  to  and  fro. 
Her  name  is  Love ;  'tis  very  plain 
She  shuns  the  sharper  teacher,  Pain. 

"  Or  so  I  sometimes  think ;  and  then, 
At  other  times,  they  meet  and  kiss, 
And  look  so  strangely  like,  that  I 

Am  puzzled  to  tell  how  it  is, 
Or  whence  the  change  which  makes  it  vain 
To  guess  if  it  be  —  Love  or  Pain. 


ST.    NICHOLAS    AND    ST.  VALENTINE.  217 

"  They  tell  me  if  I  study  well, 

And  learn  my  lessons,  I  shall  be 
Moved  upward  to  that  higher  class 

Where  dear  Love  teaches  constantly; 
And  I  work  hard,  in  hopes  to  gain 
Reward,  and  get  away  from  Pain. 

M  Yet  Pain  is  sometimes  kind,  and  helps 

Me  on  when  I  am  very  dull ; 
I  thank  him  often  in  my  heart; 

But  Love  is  far  more  beautiful ; 
Under  her  tender,  gentle  reign 
I  must  learn  faster  than  of  Pain. 

"  So  I  will  do  my  very  best, 

Nor  chide  the  clock,  nor  call  it  slew; 
That  when  the  Teacher  calls  me  up 

To  see  if  I  am  fit  to  go, 
I  may  to  Love's  high  class  attain. 
And  bid  a  sweet  good-by  to  Pain." 


CHAPTER    XL 

A  NEW  LESSON   TO   LEARN. 

T  was  a  long  time  before  the  children 
ceased  to  talk  and  laugh  over  that  jolly 
evening.       Dorry    declared   he  wished 
there  could  be  a  Valentine's-Day  every  week. 

w  Don't  you  think  St.  Valentine  would  be  tired 
of  writing  verses  ?  "  asked  Katy.  But  she,  too,  had 
enjoyed  the  frolic,  and  the  bright  recollection 
helped  her  along  through  the  rest  of  the  long, 
cold  winter. 

Spring  opened  late  that  year,  but  the  Sum- 
mer, when  it  came,  was  a  warm  one.  Katy  felt 
the  heat  very  much.  She  could  not  change  her 
seat  and  follow  the  breeze  about  from  window  to 
window  as  other  people  could.  The  long  burn- 
ing days  left  her  weak  and  parched.  She  hung 
her  head,  and  seemed  to  wilt  like  the  flowers  in 
the  garden-beds.     Indeed  she  was  wor.se  off  than 

(218) 


A   NEW   LESSON   TO    LEARN.  219 

they,  for  every  evening  Alexander  gave  them  a 
watering  with  the  hose,  while  nobody  was  able  to 
bring  a  watering-pot  and  pour  out  what  she 
needed — a  shower  of  cold,  fresh  air. 

It  wasn't  easy  to  be  good-humored  under  these 
circumstances,  and  one  could  hardly  have  blamed 
Katy  if  she  had  sometimes  forgotten  her  resolu- 
tions and  been  cross  and  fretful.  But  she  didn't 
—  not  very  often.  Now  and  then  bad  days  came, 
when  she  was  discouraged  and  forlorn.  But 
Katy's  long  year  of  schooling  had  taught  her  self- 
control,  and,  as  a  general  thing,  her  discomforts 
were  borne  patiently.  She  could  not  help  growing 
pale  and  thin,  however,  and  Papa  saw  with  concern 
that,  as  the  summer  went  on,  she  became  too 
languid  to  read,  or  study,  or  sew,  and  just  sat 
hour  after  hour,  with  folded  hands,  gazing  wist- 
fully out  of  the  window. 

He  tried  the  experiment  of  taking  her  to  drive. 
But  the  motion  of  the  carriage,  and  the  being 
lifted  in  and  out,  brought  on  so  much  pain,  that 
Katy  begged  that  he  would"  not  ask  her  to  go 
again.  So  there  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  wait 
for   cooler   weather.     The  summer   dragged   on, 


220  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

and   all   who   loved   Katy  rejoiced  when   it  was 
over. 

When  September  came,  with  cool  mornings 
and  nights,  and  fresh  breezes,  smelling  of  pine 
woods  and  hill-tops,  all  things  seemed  to  revive, 
and  Katy  with  them.  She  began  to  crochet  and 
to  read.  After  a  while  she  collected  her  books 
again,  and  tried  to  study  as  Cousin  Helen  had 
advised.  But  so  many  idle  weeks  made  it  seem 
harder  work  than  ever.  One  day  she  asked  Papa 
to  let  her  take  French  lessons. 

"You  see  I'm  forgetting  all  I  knew,"  she  said, 
"and  Clover  is  going  to  begin  this  term,  and  I 
don't  like  that  she  should  get  so  far  ahead  of  me. 
Don't  you  think  Mr.  Berger  would  be  willing  to 
come  here,  Papa?  He  does  go  to  houses  some- 
times." 

.  "I  think  he  would  if  we  asked  him,"  said  Dr. 
Can*,  pleased  to  see  Katy  waking  up  with  some- 
thing like  life  again. 

So  the  arrangement  was  made.  Mr.  Berger 
came  twice  every  week,  and  sat  beside  the  big 
chair,  correcting  Katy's  exercises  and  practising 
her  in  the  verbs  and  pronunciation.     He  was  a 


A   NEW    LESSON    TO   LEARN.  221 

lively  little  old  Frenchman,  and  knew  how  to 
make  lesson-time  pleasant. 

"You  take  more  pain  than  you  used,  Madem- 
oiselle," he  said  one  day;  "if  you  go  on  so,  you 
sail  be  my  best  scholar.  And  if  to  hurt  the  back 
make  you  study,  it  would  be  well  that  some  other 
of  my  young  ladies  shall  do  the  same." 

Katy  laughed.  But  in  spite  of  Mr.  Berger 
and  his  lessons,  and  in  spite  of  her  endeavors  to 
keep  cheerful  and  busy,  this  second  winter  was 
harder  than  the  first.  It  is  often  so  with  sick 
people.  There  is  a  sort  of  excitement  in  being  ill 
which  helps  along  just  at  the  beginning.  But  as 
months  go  on,  and  everything  grows  an  old  story, 
and  one  day  follows  another  day,  all  just  alike 
and  all  tiresome,  courage  is  apt  to  flag  and  spir- 
its to  grow  dull.  Spring  seemed  a  long,  long 
way  off  whenever  Katy  thought  about  it. 

"I  wish  something  would  happen,"  she  often 
said  to  herself.  And  something  was  about  to 
happen.  But  she  little  guessed  what  it  was  going 
to  be. 

"  Katy  1 "  said  Clover,  coming  in  one  day  in 


222  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

November,    "do  you    know  where    the  camphor 
is?     Aunt  Izzie  has  got  such  a  headache." 

*  No,"  replied  Katy,  "  I  don't.  Or  —  wait—  Clo- 
ver, it  seems  to  me  that  Debby  came  for  it  the 
other  day.  Perhaps  if  you  look  in  her  room 
you'll  find  it." 

f  How  very  queer  !  "  she  soliloquized,  when  Clo- 
ver was  gone ;  "  I  never  knew  Aunt  Izzie  to  have 
a  headache  before." 

"How  is  Aunt  Izzie?"  she  asked,  when  Papa 
came  in  at  noon. 

"Well,  I  don't  know.  She  has  some  fever  and 
a  bad  pain  in  her  head.  I  have  told  her  that  she 
had  better  lie  still,  and  not  try  to  get  up  this  eve- 
ning. Old  Mary  will  come  in  to  undress  you, 
Katy.     You  won't  mind,  will  you  dear?" 

"N-o!"  said  Katy,  reluctantly.  But  she  did 
mind.  Aunt  Izzie  had  grown  used  to  her  and 
her  ways.    Nobody  else  suited  her  so  well. 

"It  seems  so  strange  to  have  to  explain  just 
how  every  little  thing  is  to  bo  done,"  she  re- 
marked to  Clover,  rather  petulantly. 

It  seemed  stranger  yet,  when  the  next  day,  and 
the  next,  and  the  next  after  that  passed,  and  still 


A  NEW  LESSON  TO  LEARN.        223 

110  Aunt  Izzie  came  near  her.  Blessings  brighten 
as  they  take  their  flight.  Katy  began  to  appreci- 
ate for  the  first  time  how  much  she  had  learned  to 
rely  on  her  aunt.     She  missed  her  dreadfully. 

"When  is  Aunt  Izzie  goim?  to  getwell?"  she 
asked  hei  father ;  "  I  want  her  so  much." 

'  We  all  want  her,"  said  Dr.  Carr,  who  looked 
disturbed  and  anxious. 

f  Is  she  very  sick?"  asked  Katy,  struck  by  the 
expression  of  his  face. 

"  Pretty  sick,  I'm  afraid,"  he  replied.  "  I'm 
going  to  get  a  regular  nurse  to  take  care  of  her." 

Aunt  Izzie's  attack  proved  to  be  typhoid  fever. 
The  doctors  said  that  the  house  must  be  kept 
quiet,  so  John,  and  Dorry,  and  Phil  were  sent 
over  to  Mrs.  Hall's  to  stay.  Elsie  and  Clover 
were  to  have  gone  too,  but  they  begged  so  hard, 
and  made  so  many  promises  of  good  behavior, 
that  finally  Papa  permitted  them  to  remain.  The 
dear  little  things  stole  about  the  house  on  tiptoe, 
as  quietly  as  mice,  whispering  to  each  other,  and 
waiting  on  Katy,  who  would  have  been  lonely 
enough  without  them,  for  everybody  else  was  ab- 
sorbed in  Aunt  Izzie. 


224  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

It  was  a  confused,  melancholy  time.  The  three 
girls  didn't  know  much  about  sickness,  but  Papa's 
grave  face,  and  the  hushed  house,  weighed  upon 
their  spirits,  and  they  missed  the  children  very 
much. 

"  Oh  dear  !  "  sisrhed  Elsie.  "  How  I  wish  Aunt 
Izzie  would  hurry  and  get  well." 

"We'll  be  real  ^ood  to  her  when  she  does,  won't 
we?"  said  Clover.  "I  never  mean  to  leave  my 
rubbers  in  the  hat-stand  any  more,  because  she 
don't  like  to  have  me.  And  I  shall  pick  up  the 
croquet-balls  and  put  them  in  the  box  every 
night." 

"Yes,"  added  Elsie,  "so  will  I,  when  she  gets 
well." 

It  never  occurred  to  either  of  them  that  perhaps 
Aunt  Izzie  might  not  get  well.  Little  people  are 
apt  to  feel  as  if  grown  folks  are  so  strong  and  so 
big,  that  nothing  can  possibly  happen  to  them. 

Katy  was  more  anxious.  Still  she  did  not 
fairly  realize  the  danger.  So  it  came  like  a  sud- 
den and  violent  shock  to  her,  when,  one  morning 
on  waking  up,  she  found  old  Mary  crying  quietly 


A    NEW   LESSON    TO   LEARI7.  225 

beside  the  bed,  with  her  apron  at  her  eyes.     Aunt 
Izzie  had  died  in  the  night ! 

All  their  kind,  penitent  thoughts  of  her;  their 
resolutions  to  please — their  plans  for  obeying  her 
wishes  and  saving  her  trouble,  were  too  late ! 
For  the  first  time,  the  three  girls,  sobbing  in  each 
other's  arms,  realized  what  a  good  friend  Aunt 
Izzie  had  been  to  them.  Her  worrying  ways  were 
all  forgotten  now.  They  could  only  remember 
the  many  kind  things  she  had  done  for  them  since 
they  were  little  children.  How  they  wished  that 
they  had  never  teased  her,  never  said  sharp  words 
about  her  to  each  other !  But  it  was  no  use  to 
wish. 

'What  shall  we  do  without  Aunt  Izzie?" 
thought  Katy,  as  she  cried  herself  to  sleep  that 
night.  And  the  question  came  into  her  mind 
again  and  again,  after  the  funeral  was  over  and 
the  little  ones  had  come  back  from  Mrs.  Hall's, 
and  things  began  to  go  on  in  their  usual  manner. 

For  several  days  she  saw  almost  nothing  of 
her  father.  Clover  reported  that  he  looked  very 
tired,  and  scarcely  said  a  word. 

15 


226  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

■ 

"Did  Papa  eat  any  dinner?"  asked  Katy,  one 
afternoon. 

"Not  much.  He  said  he  wasn't  hungry.  And 
Mrs.  Jackson's  bov  came  for  him  before  we  were 
through." 

"  Oh  dear  !  "  sighed  Katy,  "  I  do  hope  lie  isn't 
going  to  be  sick.  How  it  rains  !  Clovy,  I  wish 
you'd  run  down  and  get  out  his  slippers  and  put 
them  by  the  fire  to  warm.  Oh,  and  ask  Debby 
to  make  some  cream-toast  for  tea !  Papa  likes 
cream-toast." 

After  tea,  Dr.  Carr  came  up  stairs  to  sit  a  while 
in  Katy's  room.  He  often  did  so,  but  this  was 
the  first  time  since  Aunt  Izzie's  death. 

Katy  studied  his  face  anxiously.  It  seemed  to 
her  that  it  had  grown  older  of  late,  and  there  was 
a  sad  look  upon  it,  which  made  her  heart  ache. 
She  longed  to  do  something  for  him,  but  all  she 
could  do  was  to  poke  the  fire  bright,  and  then  to 
possess  herself  of  his  hand,  and  stroke  it  gently 
with  both  hers.  It  wasn't  much,  to  be  sure,  but 
I  think  Papa  liked  it. 

"  What  have  you  been  about  all  day  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Oh,  nothing,  much,"  said  Katy.      "I  studied 


A   NEW   LESSON   TO   LEARN.  227 

my  French  lesson  this  morning.  And  after 
school,  Elsie  and  John  brought  in  their  patch- 
work, and  we  had  a  f  Bee/     That's  all." 

"  I've  been  thinking  how  we  are  to  manaire 
about  the  housekeeping,"  said  Dr.  Carr.  "  Of 
course  we  shall  have  to  get  somebody  to  come  anil 
take  charge.  But  it  isn't  easy  to  find  just  the  right 
person.  Mrs.  Hall  knows  of  a  woman  who  might 
do,  but  she  is  out  West,  just  now,  and  it  will  be 
a  week  or  two  before  we  can  hear  from  her.  Do 
you  think  you  can  get  on  as  you  are  for  a  few 
days?" 

:f  Oh,  Papa  !  "  cried  Katy,  in  dismay,  "must  we 
have  anybody?" 

r  Why,  how  did  you  suppose  we  were  going  to 
arrange  it?  Clover  is  much  too  young  for  a 
housekeeper.  And  beside,  she  is  at  school  all 
day." 

"I  don't  know  —  I  hadn't  thought  about  it," 
said  Katy,  in  a  perplexed  tone. 

But  she  did  think  about  it  —  all  that  evening, 
and  the  first  thinsj  when  she  woke  in  the  morning. 

"  Papa,"  she  said,  the  next  time  she  got  him  tc 
herself,  "I've  been  thinking  over  what  you  were 


228  WHAT   KATT   DID. 

saying  last  night,  about  getting  somebody  to  keep 
the  house,  you  know.  And  I  wish  you  wouldu't. 
I  wish  you  would  let  me  try.  Really  and  truly, 
I  think  I  could  manage." 

"But  how?"  asked  Dr.  Carr,  much  surprised. 
"I  really  don't  see.  If  you  were  well  and  strong, 
perhaps  —  but  even  then  you  would  be  pretty 
young  for  such  a  charge,  Katy." 

"I  shall  be  fourteen  in  two  weeks,"  said  Katy, 
drawing  herself  up  in  her  chair  as  straight  as  she 
could.  "And  if  1  were  well,  Papa,  I  should  be 
going  to  school,  you  know,  and  then  of  course  I 
couldn't.  No,  I'll  tell  you  my  plan.  I've  been 
thinking  about  it  all  day.  Debby  and  Bridget 
have  been  with  us  so  long,  that  they  know  all  Aunt 
Izzie's  ways,  and  they're  such  good  women,  that 
all  they  want  is  just  to  be  told  a  little  now  and 
then.  Now,  why  couldn't  they  come  up  to  me 
when  anything  is  wanted — just  as  well  as  to 
have  me  go  down  to  them?  Clover  and  old  Mary 
will  keep  watch,  you  know,  and  see  if  anything 
is  wrong.  And  you  wouldn't  mind  if  things  were 
a  little  crooked  just  at  first,  would  you?  be- 
cause,   you   know,    I  should  be  learning  all    the 


A  NEW   LESSON   TO    LEARN.  229 

time.  Do  let  me  try !  It  will  be  real  nice  to 
have  something  to  think  about  as  I  sit  up  here 
alone,  so  much  better  than  having  a  stranger  in 
the  house  who  doesn't  know  the  children  or  any- 
thing. I  am  sure  it  will  make  me  happier.  Please 
say  4  Yes,'  Papa,  please  do  !  " 

"  It's  too  much  for  you,  a  great  deal  too  much," 
replied  Dr.  Carr.  But  it  was  not  easy  to  resist 
Katy's  "  Please !  Please ! "  and  after  a  while  it 
ended  with  — 

"  Well,  darling,  you  may  try,  though  I  am 
doubtful  as  to  the  result  of  the  experiment.  I 
will  tell  Mrs.  Hall  to  put  off  writing  to  Wisconsin 
for  a  month,  and  we  will  see. 

"  Poor  child,  anything  to  take  her  thoughts  off 
herself ! '  he  muttered,  as  he  walked  down  stairs. 
"  She'll  be  glad  enough  to  give  the  thing  up  by  the 
end  of  a  month." 

But  Papa  was  mistaken.  At  the  end  of  a 
month  Katy  was  eager  to  go  on.  So  he  said, 
"  Very  well  —  she  might  try  it  till  Spring. " 

It  was  not  such  hard  work  as  it  sounds.  Katy 
had  plenty  of  quiet  thinking-time  for  one  thing. 
The   children   were   at   school    all    day,  and   few 


230  WHAT   KATY  DID. 

visitors  came  to  interrupt  her,  so  she  could  plan 
out  her  hours  and  keep  to  tb^  plans.  That  is  a 
great  help  to  a  housekeeper. 

Then  Aunt  Izzie's  regular,  punctual  ways  was 
so  well  understood  by  the  servants,  that  the  house 
seemed  almost  to  keep  itself.  As  Katy  had  said, 
all  Debb}'  and  Bridget  needed  was  a  little  "  tell- 
insr"  now  and  then. 

As  soon  as  breakfast  was  over,  and  the  dishes 
were  washed  and  put  away,  Debby  would  tie  on  a 
clean  apron,  and  come  up  stairs  for  orders.  At 
first  Katy  thought  this  great  fun.  But  after 
ordering  dinner  a  good  many  times,  it  began  to 
grow  tiresome.  She  never  saw  the  dishes  aftei 
they  were  cooked ;  and,  being  inexperienced,  it 
seemed  impossible  to  think  of  things  enough  to 
make  a  variety. 

"Let  me  see — there  is  roast  beef — leg  of 
mutton  —  boiled  chicken,"  she  would  say,  count- 
ing on  her  finsrers,  "roast  beef — le<?  of  mutton 
—  boiled  chicken.  Debby,  you  might  roast  the 
chickens.  Dear  !  —  I  wish  somebody  would  invent 
a  new  animal !  Where  all  the  things  to  eat  are 
gone  to,  I  can't  imagine  1 " 


A   NEW   LESSON   TO    LEARN.  231 

Then  Katy  would  send  for  every  recipe-book  in 
the  house,  and  pore  over  them  by  the  hour,  till 
her  appetite  was  as  completely  gone  as  if  she  had 
swallowed  twenty  dinners.  Poor  Debby  learned 
to  dread  these  books.  She  would  stand  by  the 
door  with  her  pleasant  red  face  drawn  up  into  a 
pucker,  while  Katy  read  aloud  some  impossible- 
sounding  rule. 

'This  looks  as  if  it  were  delicious,  Debby,  I 
wish  you'd  try  it :  Take  a  gallon  of  oysters,  a 
pint  of  beef  stock,  sixteen  soda  crackers,  the 
juice  of  two  lemons,  four  cloves,  a  glass  of  white 
wine,  a  sprig  of  marjoram,  a  sprig  of  thyme,  a 
sprig  of  bay,  a  sliced  shalott  —  " 

"Please,  Miss  Katy,  what's  them?" 

rfOh,  don't  you  know,  Debby?  It  must  be 
something  quite  common,  for  it's  in  almost  all  the 
recipes." 

"No,  Miss  Katy,  I  never  heard  tell  of  it  be- 
fore. Miss  Carr  never  gave  me  no  shell-outs  at 
all  at  all !  " 

"Dear  me,  how  provoking!"  Katy  would  cry, 
flapping  over  the  leaves  of  her  book ;  "  then  wo 
must  try  something  else." 


232  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

Poor  Debby !  If  she  hadn't  loved  Katy  so 
dearly,  I  think  her  patience  must  have  given  way. 
But  she  bore  her  trials  meekly,  except  for  an  oc- 
casional grumble  when  alone  with  Bridget.  Dr. 
Can*  had  to  eat  a  great  many  queer  things  in 
those  days.  But  he  didn't  mind,  and  as  for  the 
children,  they  enjoyed  it.  Dinner-time  became 
quite  exciting,  when  nobody  could  tell  exactly 
what  any  dish  on  the  table  Avas  made  of.  Dorry, 
who  was  a  sort  of  Dr.  Livingstone  where  strange 
articles  of  food  were  concerned,  usually  made  the 
first  experiment,  and  if  he  said  that  it  was  good, 
the  rest  followed  suit. 

After  a  while  Katy  grew  wiser.  She  ceased 
teasing  Debby  to  try  new  things,  and  the  Carr 
family  went  back  to  plain  roast  and  boiled,  much 
to  the  advantage  of  all  concerned.  But  then  an- 
other  series  of  experiments  began.  Katy  got 
hold  of  a  book  upon  "The  Stomach,"  and  was 
seized  with  a  rage  for  wholesome  food.  She  en- 
treated Clover  and  the  other  children  to  give  up 
sugar,  and  butter,  and  gravy,  and  pudding-sauce, 
and  buckwheat  cakes,  and  pies,  and  almost  every- 
thing else  that  they  particularly   liked.      Boiled 


A   NEW    LESSON    TO    LEARN.  233 

rice  seemed  to  her  the  most  sensible  dessert,  and 
she  kept  the  family  on  it  until  finally  John  and 
Dorry  started  a  rebellion,  and  Dr.  Carr  was  forced 
to  interfere, 

"My  dear,  you  are  overdoing  it  sadly,"  he  said, 
as  Katy  opened  her  book  and  prepared  to  explain 
her  views;  "I  am  irlad  to  have  the  children  eat 
simple  food  —  but  really,  boiled  rice  five  times  in 
a  week  is  too  much." 

Katy  sighed,  but  submitted.  Later,  as  the 
Spring  came  on,  she  had  a  fit  of  over-anxiousness, 
and  was  always  sending  Clover  down  to  ask 
Debby  if  her  bread  was  not  burning,  or  if  she  was 
sure  that  the  pickles  were  not  fermenting  in  their 
jars?  She  also  fidgeted  the  children  about 
wearing  india-rubbers,  and  keeping  on  their 
coats,  and  behaved  altogether  as  if  the  cares  of 
the  world  were  on  her  shoulders. 

But  all  these  were  but  the  natural  mistakes  of 
a  beginner.  Katy  was  too  much  in  earnest  not  to 
improve.  Month  by  month  she  learned  how  to 
manage  a  little  better,  and  a  little  better  still. 
Matters  went  on  more  smoothly.  Her  cares 
ceased  to   fret  her.      Dr.  Carr   watching  the   in- 


234  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

creasing  brightness  of  her  face  and  manner,  felt 
that  the  experiment  was  a  success.  Nothing  more 
was  said  about  "  somebody  else,"  and  Katy,  sitting 
up  stairs  in  her  big  chair,  held  the  threads  of  the 
house  firmly  in  her  hands. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

TWO   YEARS    AFTERWARD. 


T  was  a  pleasant  morning  in  early  June. 
A  warm  wind  was  rustling  the  trees, 
which  were  covered  thickly  with  half- 
opened  leaves,  and  looked  like  fountains  of  green 
spray  thrown  high  into  the  air.  Dr.  Carr's  front 
duor  stood  wide  open.  Through  the  parlor  win- 
dow came  the  sound  of  piano  practice,  and  on  the 
steps,  under  the  budding  roses,  sat  a  small  figure, 
busilv  sewing. 

This  was  Clover,  little  Clover  still,  though  more 
than  two  years  had  passed  since  we  saw  her  last, 
and  she  was  now  over  fourteen.  Clover  was 
never  intended  to  be  tall.  Her  eyes  were  as  blue 
and  sweet  as  ever,  and  her  apple-blossom  cheeks 
as  pink.  But  the  brown  pig-tails  were  pinned  up 
into  a  round  knot,  and  the  childish  face  had  gained 
almost  a  womanly  look.     Old  Mary  declared   that 


236  WHAT    KATY   DID. 

Miss  Clover  was  getting  quite  young-ladyfied,  and 
"Miss  Clover"  was  quite  aware  of  the  fact,  and 
mightily  pleased  with  it.  It  delighted  her  to 
turn  up  her  hair ;  and  she  was  very  particular 
about  havinsr  her  dresses  made  10  come  below  the 
tops  of  her  boots.  She  had  also  left  off  ruffles, 
and  wore  narrow  collars  instead,  and  little  cuffs 
with  sleeve-buttons  to  fasten  them.  These  sleeve- 
buttons,  which  were  a  present  from  Cousin  Helen, 
Clover  liked  best  of  all  her  things.  Papa  said  that 
he  was  sure  she  took  them  to  bed  with  her,  but 
of  course  that  was  only  a  joke,  though  she  cer- 
tainly was  never  seen  without  them  in  the  clay- 
time.  She  glanced  frequently  at  these  beloved 
buttons  as  she  sat  sewing,  and  every  now  and  then 
laid  down  her  work  to  twist  them  into  a  better 
position,  or  give  them  an  affectionate  pat  with  her 
forefinger. 

Pretty  soon  the  side-gate  swung  open,  and 
Philly  came  round  the  corner  of  the  house.  He 
had  grown  into  a  big  boy.  All  his  pretty  baby 
curls  were  cut  off,  and  his  frocks  had  given  place 
to  jacket  and  trousers.  In  his  hand  he  held 
something.     What,  Clover  could  not  see. 


TWO   YEARS   AFTERWARD.  237 

"What's  that?"  she  said,  as  he  reached  the 
steps. 

"  Fm  going  up  stairs  to  ask  Katy  if  these  are 
ripe,"  replied  Phil,  exhibiting  some  currants 
faintly  streaked  with  red. 

"  Why,  of  course  they're  not  ripe  !  "  said  Clover, 
putting  one  into  her  mouth.  "  Can't  you  tell  by 
the  taste?     They're  as  green  as  can  be." 

"I  don't  care,  if  Katy  says  they're  ripe  I  shall 
eat  'em,"  answered  Phil,  defiantly,  marching  into 
the  house. 

"What  did  Philly  want?"  asked  Elsie,  opening 
the  parlor  door  as  Phil  went  up  stairs. 

"Only  to  know  if  the  currants  are  ripe  enough 
to  eat." 

"How  particular  he  always  is  about  asking 
now  !  "  said  Elsie  ;  "  he's  afraid  of  another  dose  of 
salts." 

"I  should  think  he  would  be,"  replied  Clover, 
laughing.  "  Johnnie  says  she  never  was  so  scared 
in  her  life  as  when  Papa  called  them,  and  they 
looked  up,  and  saw  him  standing  there  with  the 
bottle  in  one  hand  and  a  spoon  in  the  other !  " 

"  Yes,"  went  on  Elsie,  "  and  you  know  Dorry 


238  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

held  his  in  his  mouth  for  ever  so  long,  and  then 
went  round  the  corner  of  the  house  and  spat  it 
out !  Papa  said  he  had  a  good  mind  to  make  him 
take  another  spoonful,  but  he  remembered  that 
after  all  Dorry  had  the  bad  taste  a  great  deal 
longer  than  the  others,  so  he  didn't.  I  think  it 
was  an  awful  punishment,  don't  you  ?  " 

w  Yes,  but  it  was  a  good  one,  for  none  of  them 
have  ever  touched  the  green  gooseberries  since. 
Have  you  got  through  practising?  It  doesn't 
seem  like  an  hour  yet." 

"Oh,  it  isn't  —  it's  only  twenty-five  minutes. 
But  Katy  told  me  not  to  sit  more  than  half  an 
hour  at  a  time  without  getting  up  and  running 
round  to  rest.  I'm  fifoin^  to  walk  twice  down  to 
the  gate,  and  twice  back.  I  promised  her  I 
would."  And  Elsie  set  off,  clapping  her  hands 
briskly  before  and  behind  her  as  she  walked. 

"Why — what  is  Bridget  doing  in  Papa's  room?  " 
she  asked,  as  she  came  back  the  second  time. 
"She's  flapping  things  out  of  the  window.  Are 
the  girls  up  there?  I  thought  they  were  cleaning 
the  dining-room." 

"  They're  doing  both.     Katy  said  it  was  such  a 


TWO   YEARS   AFTERWARD.  239 

good  chance,  having  Papa  away,  that  she  would 
have  both  the  carpets  taken  up  at  once.  There 
isn't  going  to  be  any  dinner  to-day,  only  just 
bread  and  butter,  and  milk,  and  cold  ham,  up  in 
Katy's  room,  because  Debby  is  helping  too,  so  as 
to  get  through  and  save  Papa  all  the  fuss.  And 
see,"  exhibiting  her  sewing,  "Katy's  making  a 
new  cover  for  Papa's  pincushion,  and  I'm  hemming 
the  ruffle  to  go  round  it." 

"How  nicely  you  hem  !  "  said  Elsie.  "I  wish  I 
had  something  for  Papa's  room  too.  There's  my 
washstand  mats  —  but  the  one  for  the  soap-dish 
isn't  finished.  Do  you  suppose,  if  Katy  would  ex- 
cuse me  from  the  rest  of  my  practising,  I  could 
get  it  done?  I've  a  great  mind  to  go  and  ask 
her." 

w  There's  her  bell !  "  said  Clover,  as  a  little  tinkle 
sounded  up  stairs;  "I'll  ask  her,  if  you  like." 

"No,  let  me  go.  I'll  see  what  she  wants."  But 
Clover  was  already  half-way  across  the  hall,  and 
the  two  girls  ran  up  side  by  side.  There  was 
often  a  little  strife  between  them  as  to  which 
should  answer  Katy's  bell.  Both  liked  to  wait  on 
her  so  much. 


240  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

Katy  came  to  meet  them  as  they  entered.  Not 
on  her  feet :  that,  alas  !  was  still  only  a  far-off  pos- 
sibility ;  but  in  a  chair  with  large  wheels,  with 
which  she  was  rolling  herself  across  the  room.  This 
chair  was  a  great  comfort  to  her.  Sitting  in  it, 
she  could  get  to  her  closet  and  her  bureau-drawers, 
and  help  herself  to  what  she  wanted  without 
troubling  anybody.  It  was  only  lately  that  she 
had  been  able  to  use  it.  Dr.  Carr  considered  her 
doing  so  as  a  hopeful  sign,  but  he  had  never  told 
Katy  this.  She  had  grown  accustomed  to  her  in- 
valid life  at  last,  and  was  cheerful  in  it,  and  he 
thought  it  unwise  to  make  her  restless,  bv 
exciting  hopes  which  might  after  all  end  in  fresh 
disappointment. 

She  met  the  girls  with  a  bright  smile  as  they 
came  in ,  and  said  : 

"Oh,  Clovy,  it  was  you  I  rang  for!  I  am 
troubled  for  fear  Bridget  will  meddle  with  the 
things  on  Papa's  table.  You  know  he  likes  them 
to  be  left  just  so.  Will  you  please  go  and  remind 
her  that  she  is  not  to  touch  them  at  all?  After 
the  carpet  is  put  down,  I  want  you  to  dust  the 


TWO   YEARS    AFTERWARD.  241 

« 

table,  so  as  to  be  sure  that  every  thing  is  put  back 
in  the  same  place.     AVill  you?" 

"  Of  course  I  will !  "  said  Clover,  who  was  a 
born  housewife,  and  dearly  loved  to  act  as  Katy'a 
prime  minister. 

"  ShaVt  I  fetch  you  the  pincushion  too,  while 
I'm  there?" 

"Oh  yes,  please  do  !     I  want  to  measure." 

"  Katy,"  said  Elsie,  "  those  mats  of  mine  are 
most  done,  and  I  would  like  to  finish  them  and 
put  them  on  Papa's  washstand  before  he  comes 
back.  Mayn't  I  stop  practising  now,  and  bring 
my  crochet  up  here  instead?" 

"  Will  there  be  plenty  of  time  to  learn  the  new 
exercise  before  Miss  Phillips  comes,  if  you  do?" 

"I  think  so,  plenty.  She  doesn't  come  till 
Friday,  you  know." 

"  Well,  then  it  seems  to  me  that  you  might 
just  as  well  as  not.  And  Elsie,  dear,  run  into 
Papa's  room  first,  and  bring  me  the  drawer  out  of 
his  table.     I  want  to  put  that  in  order  myself." 

Elsie  went  cheerfully.  She  laid  the  drawer 
across  Katy's  lap,  and  Katy  began  to  dust  and  ar- 

16 


242  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

range  the  contents.      Pretty  soon  Clover  joined 
them. 

"Here's  the  cushion,"  she  said.  "Now  we'll 
have  a  nice  quiet  time  all  by  ourselves,  won't  we? 
I  like  this  sort  of  clay,  when  nobody  comes  in  to 
interrupt  us." 

Somebody  tapped  at  the  door,  as  she  spoke. 
Katy  called  out,  "  Come  ! "  And  in  marched  a 
tall,  broad-shouldered  lad,  with  a  solemn,  sensible 
face,  and  a  little  clock  carried  carefully  in  both 
his  hands.  This  was  Dorry.  He  has  grown  and 
improved  very  much  since  we  saw  him  last,  and  is 
turning  out  clever  in  several  ways.  Among  the 
rest,  he  has  developed  a  strong  turn  for  mechan- 
ics. 

"Here's  your  clock,  Katy,"  he  said.  "I've  got 
it  fixed  so  that  it  strikes  all  right.  Only  you 
must  be  careful  not  to  hit  the  striker  when  you 
start  the  pendulum." 

"  Have  you,  really  ?  "  said  Katy.  "  Why,  Dorry, 
you're  a  genius  !     I'm  ever  so  much  obliged." 

"It's  four  minutes  to  eleven  now,"  went  on 
Dony.  "  So  it'll  strike  pretty  soon.  I  guess  I'd 
better  stay  and  hear  it,  so  as  to   be   sure   that  it 


TWO   TEARS    AFTERWARD.  243 

is  right.     That  is,"    he  added  politely,    "  unless 
you're  busy,  and  would  rather  not." 

"I'm  never  too  busy  to  want  you,  old  fellow," 
said  Katy,  stroking  his  arm.  "  Here,  this  drawer 
is  arranged  now.  Don't  vou  want  to  carry  it  into 
Papa's  room  and  put  it  back  into  the  table?  Your 
hands  are  stronger  than  Elsie's." 

Dorry  looked  gratified.  When  he  came  back 
the  clock  was  just  beginning  to  strike. 

"  There  !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  "that's  splendid,  isn't 
it?" 

But  alas  !  the  clock  did  not  stop  at  eleven.  It 
went  on  —  Twelve,  Thirteen,  Fourteen,  Fifteen, 
Sixteen  ! 

"  Dear  me  ! "  said  Clover,  "  what  does  all  this 
mean?     It  must  be  day  after  to-morrow,  at  least." 

Dorry  stared  with  open  mouth  at  the  clock, 
which  was  still  striking  as  though  it  would  split 
its  sides.  Elsie,  screaming  with  laughter,  kept 
count. 

"  Thirty,  Thirty-one  —  Oh,  Dorry  !  Thirty-two  ! 
Thirty-three  !  Thirty-four  !  " 

"You've  bewitched  it,  Dorry!"  said  Katy,  as 
much  entertained  as  the  rest. 


244  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

Then  they  all  began  counting.  Dony  seized 
the  clock  —  shook  it,  slapped  it,  turned  it  upside- 
down.  But  still  the  sharp,  vibrating  sounds  con- 
tinued, as  if  the  clo^k,  having  got  its  own  way  for 
once,  meant  to  go  on  till  it  was  tired  out.  At 
last,  at  the  one-hundred-and-thirtieth  stroke,  it 
suddenly  ceased  ;  and  Dorry,  with  a  red,  amazed 
countenance,  faced  the  laughing  company. 

"It's  very  queer,"  he  said,  "but  I'm  sure  it's  not 
because  of  anything  I  did.  I  can  fix  it,  though, 
if  you'll  let  me  try  again.  May  I,  Katy?  I'll 
promise  not  to  hurt  it." 

For  a  moment  Katy  hesitated .  Clover  pulled  her 
sleeve,  and  whispered,  "  Don't !  "  Then  seeing  the 
mortification  on  Dorry'sface,  she  made  up  her  mind. 

"Yes  !  take  it,  Dorry.  I'm  sure  you'll  be  care- 
ful. But  if  I  were  you,  I'd  carry  it  down  to  TVeth- 
erell's  first  of  all,  and  talk  it  over  with  them. 
Together  you  could  hit  on  just  the  right  thing. 
Don't  you  think  so?" 

"Perhaps,"  said  Dorry;  "yes,  I  think  I  will." 
Then  he  departed  with  the  clock  under  his  arm, 
while  Clover  called  after  him  teasingly,  "  Lunch 
at  132  o'clock  ;  don't  forget !  " 


TWO    YEARS    AFTERWARD.  245 

"No,  I  won't !  "  said  Dorry.  Two  3Tears  before 
he  would  not  have  borne  to  be  laughed  at  so  good- 
naturedly. 

"How    could    you    let    him   take    your    clock 
again?"  said  Clover,  as  soon  as  the  door  was  shut 
"  He'll  spoil  it.     And  you  think  so  much  of  it." 

"I  thought  he  would  feel  mortified  if  I  didn't 
let  him  try,"  replied  Katy,  quietly,  "I  don't  be- 
lieve he'll  hurt  it.  WetherelFs  man  likes  Dorry, 
and  he'll  show  him  what  to  do." 

rYou  were  real  good  to  do  it,"  responded 
Clover ;  "  but  if  it  had  been  mine  I  don't  think  I 
could." 

Just  then  the  door  flew  open,  and  Johnnie 
rushed  in,  two  years  taller,  but  otherwise  looking 
exactly  as  she  used  to  do. 

"  Oh,  Katy  !  "  she  gasped,  "won't you  please  tell 
Philly  not  to  wash  the  chickens  in  the  rain-water 
tub?  lie's  put  in  every  one  of  Speckle's,  and  is 
inst  be^innins:  on  Dame  Durden's.  I'm  afraid 
one  little  yellow  one  is  dead  already  — " 

"  AVhy,  ho  mustn't  —  of  course  he  mustn't !  "  said 
Katy ;  "  what  made  him  think  of  such  a  thing?  " 


246  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

"  He  says  they're  dirty,  because  they've  just  come 
out  of  egg-shells  !  And  he  insists  that  the  yellow 
on  thera  is  yolk-of-egg.  I  told  him  it  wasn't,  but 
he  wouldn't  listen  to  me."  And  Johnnie  wrung 
her  hands. 

*  Clover !  "  cried  Katy,  "  won't  you  run  down 
and  ask  Philly  to  come  up  to  me?  Speak  pleas- 
antly, you  know  !  " 

"  I  spoke  pleasantly  —  real  pleasantly,  but  it 
wasn't  any  use,"  said  Johnnie,  on  whom  the  wrongs 
of  the  chicks  had  evidently  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion. 

"  What  a  mischief  Phil  is  getting  to  be  !  "  said 
Elsie.      "Papa  says  his  name  ought  to  be  Pickle." 

"Pickles  turn  out  very  nice  sometimes,  you 
know,"  replied  Katy,  laughing. 

Pretty  soon  Philly  came  up,  escorted  by  Clover. 
He  looked  a  little  defiant,  but  Katy  understood 
how  to  manage  him.  She  lifted  him  into  her  lap, 
which,  big  boy  as  he  was,  he  liked  extremely; 
and  talked  to  him  so  affectionately  about  the  poor 
little  shivering  chicks,  that  his  heart  was  quite 
melted. 


TWO   YEARS    AFTERWARD.  247 

"I  didn't  mean  to  hurt  'em,  really  and  truly," 
he  said,  "but  they  were  all  dirty  and  yellow  — 
with  egg,  you  know,  and  I  thought  you'd  like  me 
to  clean  'em  up." 

But  that  wasn't  egg,  Philly  —  it  was  dear  little 
clean  feathers,  like  a  canary-bird's  wings." 

M  Was  it  ?  " 

"Yes.  And  now  the  chickies  are  as  cold  and 
forlorn  as  you  would  feel  if  you  tumbled  into 
a  pond  and  nobody  gave  you  any  dry  clothes. 
Don't  you  think  you  ought  to  go  and  warm 
them  ?  " 

"  How  ?  " 

"Well — in  your  hands,  very  gently.  And 
then  I  would  let  them  run  round  in  the  sun." 

f  I  will !  "  said  Philly,  getting  down  from  her 
lop.  "  Only  kiss  me  first,  because  I  didn't  mean 
to,  you  know  !  "  —  Philly  was  very  fond  of  Katy. 
Miss  Petingill  said  it  was  wonderful  to  see  how 
that  child  let  himself  be  managed.  But  I  think 
the  secret  was  that  Katy  didn't  "manage,"  but 
tried  to  be  always  kind  and  loving,  and  consider- 
ate of  Phil's  feelings. 

Before  the   echo  of  Phil's   boots  had  fairly  died 


248  WHAT   KATT   DID. 

away  on  the  stairs,  old  Mary  put  her  head  into 
the  door.  There  was  a  distressed  expression  on 
her  face. 

T  Miss  Katy,"  she  said,  "I  wish  you'd  speak  to 
Alexander  about  putting  the  wood-shed  in  order. 
I  don't  think  you  know  how  bad  it  looks." 

"  I  don't  suppose  I  do,"  said  Katy,  smiling,  and 
then  sischinsr.  She  had  never  seen  the  wood-shed 
since  the  day  of  her  fall  from  the  swing.  "  Never 
mind,  Mary,  I'll  talk  to  Alexander  about  it,  and 
he  shall  make  it  all  nice." 

Mary  trotted  down  stairs  satisfied.  But  in  the 
course  of  a  few  miuutes  she  was  up  again. 

"  There's  a  man  come  with  a  box  of  soap,  Miss 
Katy,  and  here's  the  bill.     He  says  its  resated." 

It  took  Katy  a  little  time  to  find  her  purse,  and 
then  she  wanted  her  pencil  and  account-book,  and 
Elsie  had  to  move  from  her  seat  at  the  table. 

"Oh  dear!"  she  said,  "I  wish  people  wouldn't 
keep  coming  and  interrupting  us.  Who'll  be  the 
next,  I  wonder?  " 

She  was  not  left  to  wonder  long.  Almost  as 
she  spoke ,  there  was  another  knock  at  the  door. 


TWO   YEARS    AFTERWARD.  249 

"  Come  in  !  "  said  Katy,  rather  wearily.  The 
door  opened. 

"Shall  I?"  said  a  voice.  There  was  a  rustle  of 
skirts,  a  clatter  of  boot-heels,  and  Imogen  Clark 
swept  into  the  room.  Katy  could  not  think  who 
it  was,  at  first.  She  had  not  seen  Imogen  for 
almost  two  years. 

"J  found  the  front  door  open,"  explained  Imo- 
gen, in  her  high-pitched  voice,  "  and  as  nobody 
seemed  to  hear  when  I  rang  the  bell,  I  ventured 
to  come  right  up  stairs.  I  hope  I'm  not  inter- 
rupting anything  private?" 

"Not  at  all,"  said  Katy,  politely.  "Elsie, 
dear,  move  up  that  low  chair,  please.  Do  sit 
down,  Imogen  !  I'm  sorry  nobody  answered  your 
ring,  but  the  servants  are  cleaning  house  to-day, 
and  I  suppose  they  didn't  hear." 

So  Imogen  sat  down  and  be°ran  to  rattle  on  in 
her  usual  manner,  while  Elsie,  from  behind  Katy's 
chair,  took  a  wide-awake  survey  of  her  dress.  It 
was  of  cheap  material,  but  very  gorgeously 'made 
and  trimmed,  with  flounces  and  puffs,  and  Imogen 
wore  a  jet  necklace  and  long  black  car-rings, 
which   jingled   and   clicked    when   she  waved   her 


250  WHAT   KATY    DID. 

head  about.  She  still  had  the  little  round  curls 
stuck  on  to  her  cheeks,  and  Elsie  wondered  anew 
what  kept  them  in  their  places. 

By  and  by  the  object  of  Imogen's  visit  came 
out.  She  had  called  to  say  good-by.  The  Clark 
family  were  all  going  back  to  Jacksonville  to  live. 

"Did  you  ever  see  the  Brigand  again  ?"  asked 
Clover,  who  had  never  forgotten  that  eventful 
tale  told  in  the  parlor. 

'  Yes,"  replied  Imogen,  "several  times.  And 
I  get  letters  from  him  quite  often.  He  writes 
beautiful  letters.  I  wish  I  had  one  with  me,  so 
that  I  could  read  you  a  little  bit.  You  would  en- 
joy it,  I  know.  Let  me  see  —  perhaps  I  have." 
And  she  put  her  hand  into  her  pocket.  Sure 
enough  there  ivas  a  letter.  Clover  couldn't  help 
suspecting  that  Imogen  knew  it  all  the  time. 

The  Brigand  seemed  to  write  a  bold,  black 
hand,  and  his  note-paper  and  envelope  was  just 
like  anybody's  else.  But  perhaps  his  band  had 
surprised  a  pedlar  with  a  box  of  stationery. 

"  Let  me  see,"  said  Imogen,  running  her  eye 
clown  the  page.  "?  Adored  Imogen'  —  that 
wouldn't  interest  you  —  hm,  hm,  hm  —  ah,  here's 


TWO    YEARS    AFTERWARD.  251 

something!  fI  took  dinner  at  the  Rock  House 
on  Christmas.  It  was  lonesome  without  you.  I 
had  roast  turkey,  roast  goose,  roast  beef,  mince 
pie,  plum  pudding,  and  nuts  and  raisins.  A 
pretty  good  dinner,  was  it  not?  But  nothing 
tastes  first-rate  when  friends  are  away.'  " 

Katy  and  Clover  stared,  as  well  they  might. 
Such  language  from  a  Brigand  I 

"John  Billings  has  bought  a  new  horse,"  con- 
tinned  Imogen;  "hm,  hm,  hm  —  him.  I  don't 
think  there  is  anything  else  you'd  care  about.  Oh 
yes  !  just  here,  at  the  end,  is  some  poetry : 

"  '  Come,  little  dove,  with  azure  wing, 
And  brood  upon  my  breast.' 

"That's  sweet,  ain't  it?" 

"  Hasn't  he  reformed  ?  "  said  Clover ;  "  he  writes 
as  if  he  had." 

"Reformed  !"  cried  Imogen,  with  a  toss  of  the 
jingling  ear-rings.  "  He  was  always  just  as  good 
as  he  could  be  !  " 

There  was  nothing  to  be  said  in  reply  to  this. 
Katy  felt  her  lips  twitch,  and  for  fear  she  should 
be  rude,  and  laugh  out,  she  began  to  talk  as  fast  as 
she  could  about  something  else.     All  the  time  she 


252  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

found  herself  taking  measure  of  Imogen,  and 
thinking — "Did  I  ever  really  like  her?  How 
queer  !     Oh,  what  a  wise  man  Papa  is  !  " 

Imogen  stayed  half  an   hour.      Then  she  took 
her  leave. 

"She  never  asked  how  you  were  !  "  cried  Elsie, 
indignantly;    "I    noticed,    and    she    didn't — not 


once." 


"  Oh  well  —  I  suppose  she  forgot.  We  were 
talking  about  her,  not  about  me,"  replied  Katy. 

Th^  little  group  settled  down  again  to  their 
work.  This  time  half  an  hour  went  by  without 
any  more  interruptions.  Then  the  door-bell  rang, 
and  Bridget,  with  a  disturbed  face,  came  up  stairs. 

"  Miss  Katy,"  she  said,  "  it's  old  Mrs.  Worrett, 
and  I  reckon  she's  come  to  spend  the  day,  for 
she's  brought  her  bag.  What  ever  shall  I  tell 
her?" 

Katy  looked  dismayed.  "Oh  dear!"  she  said, 
"how  unlucky.      What  can  we  do?" 

Mrs.  Worrett  was  an  old  friend  of  Aunt  Izzie's, 
who  lived  in  the  country,  about  six  miles  from 
Burnet,  and  was  in  the  habit  of  coming  to  Dr. 
Carr's  for  lunch,  on  days  when  shopping  or  other 


TWO    YEARS    AFTERWARD.  253 

business  brought  her  into  town.  This  did  not 
occur  often  ;  and,  as  it  happened,  Katy  had  never 
had  to  entertain  her  before. 

"  Tell  her  ye're  busy,  and  can't  see  her,"  sug- 
gested Bridget ;  "  there's  no  dinner  nor  nothing, 
you  know." 

The  Katy  of  two  years  ago  would  probably  have 
jumped  at  this  idea.  But  the  Katy  of  to-day  was 
more  considerate. 

ffN-o,"  she  said;  "I  don't  like  to  do  that. 
We  must  just  make  the  best  of  it,  Bridget.  Run 
down,  Clover,  dear,  that's  a  good  girl !  and  tell 
Mrs.  Worrett  that  the  dining-room  is  all  in  con- 
fusion,  but  that  we're  going  to  have  lunch  here, 
and,  after  she's  rested,  I  should  be  glad  to  have  her 
come  up.  And,  oh,  Clovy  !  give  her  a  fan  the  first 
thing.  She'll  be  so  hot.  Bridget,  you  can  bring 
up  the  luncheon  just  the  same,  only  take  out  some 
canned  peaches,  by  way  of  a  dessert,  and  make 
Mrs.  "Worrett  a  cup  of  tea.  She  drinks  tea  al- 
ways, I  believe. 

"  I  can't  bear  to  send  the  poor  old  lady  away 
when  she  has  come  so  far,"  she  explained  to  Elsie, 
after  the  others  were  gone.     "Pull   the  rocking- 


254  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

chair  a  little  this  way,  Elsie.  And  oh  !  push  all 
those  little  chairs  back  against  the  wall.  Mrs. 
Worrett  broke  down  in  one  the  last  time  she  was 
here  —  don't  you  recollect?  " 

It  took  some  time  to  cool  Mrs.  Worrett  off, 
so  nearly  twenty  minutes  passed  before  a  heavy, 
creaking  step  on  the  stairs  announced  that  the 
guest  was  on  her  way  up.  Elsie  began  to  giggle. 
Mrs.  Worrett  always  made  her  giggle.  Katy  had 
just  time  to  give  her  a  warning  glance  before  the 
door  opened. 

Mrs.  Worrett  was  the  most  enormously  fat 
person  ever  seen.  Nobody  dared  to  guess  how 
much  she  weighed,  but  she  looked  as  if  it  mi^ht 
be  a  thousand  pounds.  Her  face  was  extremely 
red.  In  the  coldest  weather  she  appeared  hot, 
and  on  a  mild  day  she  seemed  absolutely  ready 
to  melt.  Her  bonnet-strings  were  flying  loose  as 
she  came  in,  and  she  fanned  herself  all  the  way 
across  the  room,  which  shook  as  she  walked. 

"Well,  my  dear,"  she  said,  as  she  plumped  her- 
self into  the  rocking-chair,  "  and  how  do  you  do  ?  " 

"Very  well,  thank  you,"  replied  Katy,  think- 
ing that  she  never  saw  Mrs.  Worrett  look  half  so 


TWO   YEARS    AFTERWARD.  255 

fat  before,  and  wondering  how  she  was  to  enter- 
tain her. 

"And  how's  your  Pa?"  inquired  Mrs.  Worrett. 
Katy  answered  politely,  and  then  asked  after  Mrs. 
Worrett's  own  health. 

"Well,  I'm  so's  to  be  round,"  was  the  reply, 
which  had  the  effect  of  sending  Elsie  off  into  a 
fit  of  convulsive  laughter  behind  Katv's  chair. 

"I  had  business  at  the  bank,"  continued  the 
visitor,  "  and  I  thought  while  I  was  about  it  I'd 
step  up  to  Miss  PetingilPs  and  see  if  I  couldn't 
get  her  to  come  and  let  out  my  black  silk.  It 
was  made  quite  a  piece  back,  and  I  seem  to  have 
fleshed  up  since  then,  for  I  can't  make  the  hooks* 
and  eyes  meet  at  all.  But  when  I  got  there,  she 
was  out,  so  I'd  my  walk  for  nothing.  Do  you 
know  where's  she's  sewing  now?  " 

"No,"  said  Katy,  feeling  her  chair  shake,  and 
keeping  her  own  countenance  with  difficulty,  "  she 
was  here  for  three  days  last  week  to  make  John- 
nie a  school-dress.  But  I  haven't  heard  anything 
about  her  since.  Elsie,  don't  you  want  to  run 
down  stairs  and  ask   Bridget  to  bring  a  —  a  —  a 


256  WHAT    KATY   DID. 

glass  of  iced  water  for  Mrs.  "Worrett?     She  looks 

warm  after  her  walk." 

Elsie,  dreadfully  ashamed,  made  a  bolt  from 
the  room,  and  hid  herself  in  the  hall  closet  to 
have  her  lau^h  out.  She  came  back  after  a 
while,  with  a  perfectly  straight  face.  Luncheon 
was  brought  up.  Mrs.  Worrett  made  a  good 
meal,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  everything.  She  was 
so  comfortable  that  she  never  stirred  till  four 
o'clock  !  Oh,  how  Ions:  that  afternoon  did  seem 
to  the  poor  girls,  sitting  there  and  trying  to 
think  of  something  to  say  to  their  vast  visitor  ! 

At  last  Mrs.  Worrett  got  out  of  her  chair,  and 
prepared  to  depart. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  tying  her  bonnet-strings, 
"I've  had  a  good  rest,  and  feel  all  the  better  for 
it.  Ain't  some  of  you  young  folks  coming  out  to 
see  me  one  of  these  days?  I'd  like  to  have  you, 
first-rate,  if  you  will.  'Tain't  every  girl  would 
know  how  to  take  care  of  a  fat  old  woman,  and 
make  her  feel  to  home,  as  you  have  me,  Katy.  J 
wish  your  aunt  could  see  you  all  as  you  are  now. 
She'd  be  right  pleased  ;  I  know  that." 


TWO    YEARS    AFTERWARD.  257 

Somehow,  this  sentence  rang  pleasantly  in  Ka- 
ty's  ears. 

"  Ah  !  don't  laugh  at  her,"  she  said  later  in  the 
evening,  when  the  children,  after  their  tea  in  the 
clean,  fresh-smelling  dining-room,  were  come  up  to 
sit  with  her,  and  Cecy,  in  her  pretty  pink  lawn  and 
white  shawl,  had  dropped  in  to  spend  an  hour  or 
two  ;  "  she's  a  real  kind  old  woman,  and  I  don't 
like  to  have  you.  It  isn't  her  fault  that  she's  fat. 
And  Aunt  Izzie  was  fond  of  her,  you  know.  It 
is  doing  something  for  her  when  we  can  show  a 
little  attention  to  one  of  her  friends.  I  was  sorry 
when  she  came,  but  now  it's  over,  I'm  glad." 

"  It  feels  so  nice  when  it  stops  aching,"  quoted 
Elsie,  mischievously,  while  Cecy  whispered  to 
Clover. 

"  Isn't  Katy  sweet  ?  " 

"  Isn't  she  !  "  replied  Clover.  "  I  wish  I  was  half 
so  good.  Sometimes  I  think  I  shall  really  be 
sorry  if  she  ever  gets  well.  She's  such  a  dear  old 
darling  to  us  all,  sitting  there  in  her  chair,  that  it 
wouldn't  seem  so  nice  to  have  her  anywhere  else. 
But  then,  I  know  it's  horrid  in  me.  And  I  don't 
17 


258  WHAT   KATY    DTD. 

believe  she'd  be  different,  or  grow  slam-bang  and 
horrid,  like  some  of  the  girls,  even  if  she  were 
well.', 
"  Of  course  she  wouldn't !  "  replied  Cecy. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

AT    LAST. 

T  was  about  six  weeks  after  this,  that 
one  day,  Clover  and  Elsie  were  busy 
down  stairs,  they  were  startled  by 
the  sound  of  Katy's  bell  ringing  in  a  sudden 
and  agitated  manner.  Both  ran  up  two  steps 
at  a  time,  to  see    what  was  wanted. 

Katy  sat  in  her  chair,  looking  very  much 
flushed  and  excited. 

"Oh,  girls!"  she  exclaimed,  "what  do  you 
think?     I  stood  up  !  " 

"  What?  "  cried  Clover  and  Elsie. 
"I  really  did!     I  stood   up   on   my  feet!    by 
myself!" 

The  others  were  too  much  astonished  to  speak, 
so  Katy  went  on  explaining. 

"It  was  all  at  once,  you  see.  Suddenly,  I  had 
the  feeling  that  if  I  tried  I  could,  and  almost 
before  I  thought,  I   did  try,  and  there  I  was,  up 

(259) 


260  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

and  out  of  the  chair.  Only  I  kept  hold  of  the 
arm  all  the  time  !  I  don't  know  how  I  got  back, 
I  was  so  frightened.  Oh,  girls!"  —  and  Katy 
buried  her  face  in  her  hands. 

:?Do  you  think  I  shall  ever  be  able  to  do  it 
again?"  she  asked,  looking  up  with  wet  eyes. 

"  Why,  of  course  you  will !  "  said  Clover  ;  while 
Elsie  danced  about,  crying  out  anxiously:  "Be 
careful  !     Do  be  careful !  " 

Katy  tried,  but  the  spring  was  gone.  She 
could  not  move  out  of  the  chair  at  all.  She  be- 
gan to  wonder  if  she  had  dreamed  the  whole 
thin^. 

But  next  day,  when  Clover  happened  to  be 
in  the  room,  she  heard  a  sudden  exclamation,  and 
turning,  there  stood  Katy,  absolutely  on  her  feet. 

"Papa  !  papa  !  shrieked  Clover,  rushing  down 
stairs.  "Dorry,  John,  Elsie  —  come  !  Come  and 
see  ! " 

Papa  was  out,  but  all  the  rest  crowded  up  at 
once.  This  time  Katy  found  no  trouble  in  "  doing 
it  a^ain."  It  seemed  as  if  her  will  had  been 
asleep;  and  now  that  it  had  waked  up,  the  limbs 
recognized  its  orders  and  obeyed  them. 


AT    LAST.  201 

When  Papa  came  in,  he  was  as  much  txcited 
as  any  of  the  children.  He  walked  round  and 
round  the  chair,  questioning  Katy  and  making  her 
stand  up  and  sit  down. 

"Am  I  really  going  to  get  well?  "  she  asked, 
almost  in  a  whisper. 

"  Yes,  my  love,  I  think  you  are,"  replied  Dr. 
Carr,  seizing  Phil  and  giving  him  a  toss  into  the 
air.  None  of  the  children  had  ever  before  seen 
Papa  behave  so  like  a  boy.  But  pretty  soon, 
noticing  Katy's  burning  cheeks  and  excited  eyes, 
he  calmed  himself,  sent  the  others  all  away,  and 
sat  down  to  soothe  and  quiet  her  with  gentle 
words. 

"I  think  it  is  coming,  my  darling,"  he  said, 
"but  it  will  take  time,  and  you  must  have  a  great 
deal  of  patience.  After  being  such  a  good  child 
all  these  years,  I  am  sure  you  won't  fail  now. 
Remember,  any  imprudence  will  put  you  back. 
You  must  be  content  to  gain  a  very  little  at  a 
time.  There  is  no  royal  road  to  walking  any 
more  than  there  is  to  learning.  Every  baby  finds 
that  out." 


262  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

"Oh,  Papa!"  said  Kat}r,  "  it's  no  matter  if  it 
takes  a  year  —  if  only  I  get  well  at  last." 

How  happy  she  was  that  night  —  too  happy  to 
sleep.  Papa  noticed  the  dark  circles  under  her 
eyes  in  the  morning,  and  shook  his  head. 

'You  must  be  careful,"  he  told  her,  "or  you'll 
be  laid  up  again.  A  course  of  fever  would  put  you 
back  for  years." 

Katy  knew  Papa  was  right,  and  she  was  care- 
ful, though  it  was  by  no  means  easy  to  be  so  with 
that  new  life  tingling  in  every  limb.  Her  progress 
was  slow,  as  Dr.  Carr  had  predicted.  At  first 
she  only  stood  on  her  feet  a  few  seconds,  then 
a  minute,  then  five  minutes,  holding  tightly  all 
the  while  by  the  chair.  Next  she  ventured  to  let 
go  the  chair,  and  stand  alone.  After  that  she 
began  to  walk  a  step  at  a  time,  pushing  a  chair 
before  her,  as  children  do  when  they  are  learning 
the  use  of  their  feet.  Clover  and  Elsie  hovered 
about  her  as  she  moved,  like  anxious  mammas.  It 
was  droll,  and  a  little  pitiful,  to  see  tall  Katy  with 
her  feeble,  unsteady  progress,  and  the  active  fig- 
ures of  the  little  sisters  following  her  protectingly. 
But  Katy  did  not  consider  it  either  droll  or  pitiful , 


AT    LAST.  263 

to  her  it  was  simply  delightful  —  the  most  delight- 
ful thing  possible.  No  baby  of  a  year  old  was  ever 
prouder  of  his  first  steps  than  she. 

Gradually  she  grew  adventurous,  and  ventured 
on  a  bolder  flight.  Clover,  running  up  stairs  one 
day  to  her  own  room,  stood  transfixed  at  the  sight 
of  Katy  sitting  there,  flushed,  panting,  but  en- 
joying the  surprise  she  caused. 

fYou  see,"  she  explained,  in  an  apologizing 
tone,  "  I  was  seized  with  a  desire  to  explore.  It 
is  such  a  time  since  I  saw  any  room  but  my  own ! 
But  oh  dear,  how  Ions:  that  hall  is  !  I  had  forgot- 
ten  it  could  be  so  long.  I  shall  have  to  take  a 
good  rest  before  I  go  back." 

Katy  did  take  a  good  rest,  but  she  was  very 
tired  next  day.  The  experiment,  however,  did 
no  harm.  In  the  course  of  two  or  three  weeks, 
she  was  able  to  walk  all  over  the  second  story. 

This  was  a  great  enjoyment.  It  was  like  read- 
ing an  interesting  book  to  see  all  the  new  things, 
and  the  little  changes.  She  was  forever  wonder- 
ing  over  something. 

w  Why  Dorry,"  she  would  say,  "  what  a  pretty 
book-shelf!   When  did  you  get  it?" 


2G4  WHAT    KATY    DID. 

"That  old  thing!  Why,  I've  had  it  two  years. 
Didn't  I  ever  tell  you  about  it?" 

"Perhaps  you  did,"  Katy  would  reply,  "  but  you 
see  I  never  saw  it  before,  so  it  made  no  impres- 
sion. 

By  the  end  of  August  she  was  grown  so  strong, 
that  she  begau  to  talk  about  going  down  stairs. 
But  Papa  said,  "  Wait." 

"It  will  tire  you  much  more  than  walking 
about  on  a  level,"  he  explained,  "you  had  better 
put  it  off  a  little  while  —  till  you  are  quite  sure  of 
vour  feet." 

'  think  so  too,"  said  Clover;  "and  beside,  I 
want  to  have  the  house  all  put  in  order  and  made 
nice,  before  your  sharp  eyes  see  it,  Mrs.  House- 
keeper. Oh,  I'll  tell  you  !  Such  a  beautiful  idea 
has  come  into  my  head  !  You  shall  fix  a  day  to 
come  down,  Katy,  and  we'll  be  all  ready  for  you, 
and  have  a  "  celebration  "  among  ourselves.  That 
would  be  just  lovely  !  How  soon  may  she,  Papa?  " 

"Well — in  ten  days,  I  should  say,  it  might 
be  safe." 

"  Ten  days  !  that  will  bring  it  to  the  seventh 
of  September,  won't  it?  "  said  Katy.   "  Then  Papa, 


AT    LAST.  2f>5 

if  I  may,  I'll  come  down  for  the  first  time  on  the 
eighth.  It  was  Mamma's  birthday,  you  know," 
she  added  in  a  lower  voice. 

So  it  was  settled.  "  How  delicious  !  "  cried 
Clover,  skipping  about  and  clapping  her  hands ; 
tf  I  never,  never,  never  did  hear  of  anything  so 
perfectly  lovely.  Papa,  when  are  you  coming 
down  stairs?    I  want  to  speak  to  you  dreadfully." 

"Right  away  —  rather  than  have  "my  coat-tails 
pulled  off,"  answered  Dr.  Carr,  laughing,  and  they 
went  away  together.  Katy  sat  looking  out  of  the 
window  in  a  peaceful,  happy  mood. 

w  Oh  ! "  she  thought,  "  can  it  really  be  ?  Is 
School  going  to  '  let  out/ just  as  Cousin  Helen's 
hymn  said  ?     Am  I  going  to 

'  Bid  a  sweet  good-bye  to  Pain  ?  ' 

» 

But   there  was  Love  in   the  Pain.     I  see  it  now. 
How  good  the  dear  Teacher  has  been  to  me  !  " 

Clover  seemed  to  be  very  busy  ail  the  rest  of 
/.hat  week.  She  was  tf  having  windows  washed," 
she  said,  but  this  explanation  hardly  accounted  for 
her  long  absences,  and  the  mysterious  exultation 
on  her  face,  not  to  mention  certain  sounds  of  ham- 


266  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

merino:  and  sawing  which  came  from  down  stairs. 
The  other  children  had  evidently  been  warned  to 
say  nothing ;  for  once  or  twice  Philly  broke  out 
with,  "Oh,  Katy  !  "  and  then  hushed  himself  up, 
saying,  "  I  most  forgot !  "  Katy  grew  very  curi- 
ous. But  she  saw  that  the  secret,  whatever  ii 
was,  gave  immense  satisfaction  to  everybody  ex- 
cept herself;  so,  though  she  longed  to  know,  she 
concluded  not  to  spoil  the  fun  by  asking  any  ques- 
tions. 

At  last  it  wanted  but  one  day  of  the  important 
occasion. 

"  See,"  said  Katy,  as  Clover  came  into  the 
room  a  little  before  tea-time.  "Miss  Petingill 
has  brought  home  my  new  dress.  I'm  going  to 
wear  it  for  the  first  time  to  go  down  stairs  in." 

"  How  pretty ! "  said  Clover,  examining  the 
dress,  which  was  a  soft,  dove-colored  cashmere, 
trimmed  with  ribbon  of  the  same  shade.  "But, 
Katy,  I  came  up  to  shut  your  door.  Bridget's 
going  to  sweep  the  hall,  and  I  don't  want  the  dust 
to  fly  in,  because  your  room  was  brushed  this 
morning,  you  know." 

"  What   a   queer   time  to   sweep  a  hall ! "  said 


AT   LAST.  267 

Katy,  wonderingly.     "  Why  don't  you  make  her 
wait  till  morning?" 

"  Oh,  she  can't !  There  are  —  she  has  —  I  mean 
there  will  be  other  things  for  her  to  do  to-morrow. 
It's  a  great  deal  more  convenient  that  she  should 
do  it  now.  Don't  worry,  Katy,  darling,  but 
just  keep  your  door  shut.  You  will,  won't  you? 
Promise  me  !  " 

"  Very  well,"  said  Katy,  more  and  more  amazed, 
but  yielding  to  Clover's  eagerness,  "  I'll  keep  it 
shut."  Her  curiosity  was  excited.  She  took  a 
book  and  tried  to  read,  but  the  letters  danced  up 
and  down  before  her  eyes,  and  she  couldn't  help 
listening.  Bridget  was  ma  king  a  most  ostenta- 
tious  noise  with  her  broom,  but  through  it  all, 
Katy  seemed  to  hear  other  sounds  — feet  on  the 
stairs,  doors  opening  and  shutting  —  once,  a  sti- 
fled giggle.     How  queer  it  all  was  ! 

"Never  mind,"  she  said,  resolutely  stopping 
her  ears,  "I  shall  know  all  about  it  to-morrow." 

To-morrow  dawned  fresh  and  fair  —  the  very 
ideal  of  a  September  day. 

"  Katy ! "  said  Clover,  as  she  came  in  from 
the  garden  with  her  hands  full  of  flowers,  "  that 


268  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

dress  of  yours  is  sweet.  You  never  looked  so 
nice  before  in  your  life  !  "  And  she  stuck  a  beau- 
tiful carnation  pink  under  Katy's  breast-pin,  and 
fastened  another  in  her  hair. 

"There!"  she  said,  "now  you're  adorned. 
Papa  is  coming  up  in  a  few  minutes  to  take  you 
down." 

Just  then  Elsie  and  Johnnie  came  in.  They 
had  on  their  best  frocks.  So  had  Clover.  It  was 
evidently  a  festival-day  to  all  the  house.  Cecy 
followed,  invited  over  for  the  special  purpose  of 
seeing  Katy  walk  down  stairs.  She,  too,  had  on 
a  new  frock. 

"  How  fine  we  are  ! "  said  Clover,  as  she  remarked 
this  magnificence.  "  Turn  round,  Cecy  —  a  panier, 
I  do  declare  —  and  a  sash !  You  are  getting 
awfully  grown  up,  Miss  Hall." 

"  None  of  us  will  ever  be  so  r  grown  up '  as 
Katy,"  said  Cecy,  laughing. 

And  now  Papa  appeared.  Very  slowly  they  all 
went  down  stairs,  Katy  leaning  on  Papa,  with 
Dorry  on  her  other  side,  and  the  girls  behind, 
while  Philly  clattered  ahead.  And  there  were 
Debby  and  Bridget  and  Alexander,    peeping  out 


AT   LAST.  269 

of  the  kitchen  door  to  watch  her,  and   dear  old 
Mary  with  her  apron  at  her  eyes,  crying  for  joy. 

"  Oh,  the  front  door  is  open  !  "  said  Katy,  in  a 
delighted  tone.  "  How  nice  !  And  what  a  pretty 
oil-cloth.     That's  new  since  I  was  here." 

"Don't  stop  to  look  at  that/"  cried  Philly, 
who  seemed  in  a  great  hurry  about  something. 
"  It  isn't  new.  It's  been  there  ever  and  ever  so 
long  I     Come  into  the  parlor  instead." 

"Yes!"  said  Papa,  "dinner  isn't  quite  ready 
yet,  you'll  have  time  to  rest  a  little  after  your 
walk  down  stairs.  You  have  borne  it  admirably, 
Katy.     Are  you  very  tired  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit !  "  replied  Katy,  cheerfully.  "I  could 
do  it  alone,  I  think.  Oh  I  the  bookcase  door  has 
been  mended  !     How  nice  it  looks." 

"Don't  wait,  oh,  don't  wait!"  repeated  Phil, 
in  an  agony  of  impatience. 

So  they  moved  on.  Papa  opened  the  parlor 
door.  Katy  took  one  step  into  the  room  —  then 
stopped.  The  color  flashed  over  her  face,  and 
she  held  by  the  door-knob  to  support  herself. 
What  was  it  that  she  saw  ? 

Not  merely  the  room  itself,  with  its  fresh  mus- 


270  WHAT   KATY   DID. 

lin  curtains  and  vases  of  flowers.  Nor  even  the 
wide,  beautiful  window  which  had  been  cut  to- 
ward the  sun,  or  the  inviting  little  couch  and  table 
which  stood  there,  evidently  for  her.  No,  then 
was  something  else !  The  sofa  was  pulled  out 
and  there  upon  it,  supported  by  pillows,  hei 
bright  eyes  turned  to  the  door,  lay  —  Cousin 
Helen !  When  she  saw  Katy,  she  held  out  her 
arms. 

Clover  and  Cecy  agreed  afterward  that  they 
never  were  so  frightened  in  their  lives  as  at  this 
moment ;  for  Katy,  forgetting  her  weakness,  let 
go  of  Papa's  arm,  and  absolutely  ran  toward  the 
sofa.  "Oh,  Cousin  Helen!  dear,  dear  Cousin 
Helen  I "  she  cried.  Then  she  tumbled  down  by 
the  sofa  somehow,  the  two  pairs  of  arms  and  the 
two  faces  met,  and  for  a  moment  or  two  not  a 
word  more  was  heard  from  anybody. 

M  Isn't  it  a  nice  'prise  ?  "  shouted  Philly ,  turning 
a  somerset  by  way  of  relieving  his  feelings, 
while  John  and  Dorry  executed  a  sort  of  war- 
dance  round  the  sofa. 

Phil's  voice  seemed  to  break  the  spell  of  silence, 


AT   LAST.  271 

and   a  perfect  hubbub  of  questions  and  exclama- 
tions began. 

It  appeared  that  this  happy  thought  of  getting 
Cousin  Helen  to  the  "  Celebration,"  was  Clover's. 
She  it  was  who  had  proposed  it  to  Papa,  and 
made  all  the  arrangements.  And,  artful  puss! 
she  had  set  Bridget  to  sweep  the  hall,  on  purpose 
that  Katy  might  not  hear  the  noise  of  the  arrival. 

"  Cousin  Helen's  going  to  stay  three  weeks  this 
time  —  isn't  that  nice?"  asked  Elsie,  while  Clover 
anxiously  questioned :  M  Are  you  sure  that  you 
didn't  suspect?  Not  one  bit?  Not  the  least  tiny, 
weeny  mite?  " 

"No,  indeed  —  not  the  least.  How  could  I 
suspect  anything  so  perfectly  delightful  ?  "  And 
Katy  gave  Cousin  Helen  another  rapturous  kiss. 

Such  a  short  day  as  that  seemed  !  There  was 
so  much  to  see,  to  ask  about,  to  talk  over,  that 
the  hours  flew,  and  evening  dropped  upon  them 
all  like  another  great  surprise. 

Cousin  Helen  was  perhaps  the  happiest  of  the 
party.  Beside  the  pleasure  of  knowing  Katy  to 
be  almost  well  again,  she  had  the  additional  en- 
joj'ment  of  seeing  for  herself  how  many  changes 


272  WHAT   KATF   DID. 

for  the  better  had  taken  place,  during  the  foui 
years,  among  the  little  cousins  she  loved  so 
much. 

It  was  very  interesting  to  watch  them  all.  Elsie 
and  Dorry  seemed  to  her  the  most  improved  of  the 
family.  Elsie  had  quite  lost  her  plaintive  look 
and  little  injured  tone,  and  was  as  bright  and 
beaming  a  maiden  of  twelve  as  any  one  could  wish 
to  see.  Dorry's  moody  face  had  grown  open 
and  sensible,  and  his  manners  were  good-humored 
and  obliging.  He  was  still  a  sober  boy,  and  not 
specially  quick  in  catching  an  idea,  but  he  prom- 
ised to  turn  out  a  valuable  man.  And  to  him,  as 
to  all  the  other  children,  Katy  was  evidently  the 
centre  and  the  sun.  They  all  revolved  about  her, 
and  trusted  her  for  everything.  Cousin  Helen 
looked  on  as  Phil  came  in  crying,  after  a  hard 
tumble,  and  was  consoled ;  as  Johnnie  whispered 
an  important  secret,  and  Elsie  begged  for  help  in 
her  work.  She  saw  Katy  meet  them  all  pleas- 
antly and  sweetly,  without  a  bit  of  the  dictatorial 
elder-sister  in  her  manner,  and  with  none  of  her 
old,  impetuous  tone.  And  best  of  all,  she  saw  the 
change  in  Katy's  own  face  :  the  gentle  expression 


AT    LAST.  273 

of  her  eyes,  the  womanly  look,  the  pleasant  voice, 
the  politeness,  the  tact  in  advising  the  others, 
without  seeminsr  to  advise. 

"Dear  Katy,"  she  said  a  day  or  two  after  hei 
arrival,  "  this  visit  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me  — 
you  can't  think  how  great.  It  is  such  a  contrast 
to  the  last  I  made,  when  you  were  so  sick,  and 
everybody  so  sad.     Do  you  remember?" 

"Indeed  I  do  !  And  how  good  you  were,  and 
how  you  helped  me  !     I  shall  never  forget  that." 

"I'm  glad  !  But  what  I  could  do  was  very  little. 
You  have  been  learning  by  yourself  all  this  time. 
And  Katy,  darling,  I  want  to  tell  you  how  pleased 
I  am  to  see  how  bravely  you  have  worked  your 
way  up.  I  can  perceive  it  in  everything  —  in 
Papa,  in  the  children,  in  yourself.  You  have 
won  the  place,  which,  you  recollect,  I  once  told 
you  an  invalid  should  try  to  gain,  of  being  to 
everybody  "The  Heart  of  the  House." 

"  Oh,  Cousin  Helen,  don't  I  "  said  Katy,  her  eyes 
filling  with  sudden  tears.  "I  haven't  been  brave. 
You  can't  think  how  badly  I  sometimes  have  be- 
haved—  how  cross  and  ungrateful  I  am,  and  how 
stupid  and  slow.     Every  day  I  see  things  which 

18 


274  WHAT    KATY   DID. 

oiisrht  to  be  done,  and  I  don't  do  them.  It's  too 
delightful  to  have  you  praise  me  —  but  you 
mustn't.     I  don't  deserve  it." 

But  although  she  said  she  didn't  deserve  it,  I 
think  that  Katy  did  I 


SUSAN   COOLIDGE'S  POPULAR  BOOKS. 


*- bi 

jLM. 


ft  i 


poTTY  A^p 


3 


"As  there  was  nobody  to  see,  he  just  sat  down  and  cried  as  hard  as  Dotty 

herself." 

THE   NEW-YEAR'S   BARGAIN. 

WITH     TWENTY-  SEVEN     ILLUSTRATIONS 
BY    ADDIE    LEDYARD. 

One  handsome,  square    i6mo  volume,   bound  in  cloth,  black  and  gilt 
lettered.     Price,  $1.50 


ROBERTS    BROTHERS,  Publishers, 

Boston. 


SUSAN  COOLIDGE'S   POPULAR  BOOKS. 


"Now,  Katy,  do, —ah,  do,  do."  —  Page  108. 

WHAT.  KATY  DID  AT  SCHOOL. 

WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS     BY     MARY    A.    HALLOCK. 

One  handsome  square   i6mo  volume,  bound  in  cloth,   black  and  gilt 
lettered.     Price,  $1.50. 

ROBERTS    BROTHERS,  Publishers,  Boston. 


M  r 


r\l> 


o 


wnl