Amy Ella Blanchard

“ Jamie at last grew tired of playing gardener, and left Benny to himself. He worked away busily and saw his pile of weeds growing bigger and bigger, while the flower beds began to look much more orderly. He was smoothing the earth around a rosebush which had been disturbed by the too close shouldering of a big nettle, when he saw something under the green leaves of the bush he had pushed aside. ”

“ Bentley. Kitty would not be left behind, and helped to convey peas and strawberries, a big bottle of rich cream, a fine roll of butter, eggs, [Pg 102] and home-made cake, and best of all, a huge bunch of roses, over which Benny’s blue eyes peeped as bright as two stars.
What a glad mother it was who welcomed home her darlings with sweet surprise! And how Kitty laughed as one after another of the country gifts were shown! And what a thankful little family it was that Mr. Bentley left that evening when it was all settled that they should go to live in Mr. Welch’s house! ”

“ It appeared [Pg 16] so easy to step aboard a little steamer and be borne along over the bay to the green shores melting away in the distance. Those shores from which were brought, on the little sailing vessels, mountains of green peas, crates of luscious strawberries, baskets of downy peaches. It represented to Benny a veritable Canaan, that country from which the little vessels came, and many a time he had sat on the pier looking off into the distance and dreaming of the fullness and plenty which he imagined existed there. ”

“ Molly remarked. “We took such a fancy to him at our house, with his homely, freckled little face. And his little sister Kitty is the dearest child. They have been very well brought up, and must have a very good mother.”
“Ben has been a great comfort to me,” returned Mrs. Bentley. “I don’t know what I should have done without him [Pg 98] while Roy has been sick. He is always so quick and cheerful, and his dear little round face is always so sunny. And—” here the tears came to her eyes—“I know Mr. Bentley will think he can’t do enough for him, for Alice is the apple of his eye.” ”

“ A regular surprise party there was to receive them—all the Welches and all the Bentleys. The dear collie puppy was made over to Ben by Joe Welch; Molly’s heifer lowed in the cowshed; ten fine hens and two pretty roosters strutted about in the little back yard; Mrs. Welch’s fat pig grunted in a new sty, and between [Pg 104] smiles and tears, Mrs. Jordan said that she had never seen any but a minister’s family so supplied with good things.
The next year Benny was not among the pickers; he was going to the district school with Kitty, whose pale cheeks had gained a wild rose hue. ”

“ Welch made his appearance. He and Mr. Bentley stood out by the fence a long time before they came to the house. Then they came and sat down one on each side of Benny, where he was on the doorstep listening to the whippoorwills.
“Benny, my lad,” said Mr. Welch, “you don’t know what you’ve done for us two men. You must let us do something for you.”
[Pg 99] “You have done ever so much for me. Oh, Mr. Welch, just think how kind you have been, you and Mr. Bentley, too. And do you think I could have let little Alice and Miss Molly get hurt without trying to do that? ”

“ Bentley, “but we’ll have him down early next year. Thad Welch says he is an uncommonly nice little fellow.”
“I’ll take him to the picnic with me,” said Mrs. Bentley, “he makes himself so useful, and will be such a help with the children; besides, he will enjoy a holiday.”
And so, to Benny’s great delight, he was told that he was invited to a Sunday-school picnic. He had heard great tales of it from the Welches, and Kitty was in a high state of excitement over it. ”

“ Bentley asked, as she saw his pride in the ornament.
“’Deed I do,” Benny replied.
“Then you shall work in my garden when you have helped me through the morning’s work. It has been sadly neglected of late, for we have been so short [Pg 67] of help. I reckon pulling weeds will be as easy as picking strawberries, and you will be in the shade part of the time, which is more than you would be out there in the fields. Now, come sit down, and help us eat some of the strawberries you have helped to pick. We have some famous big ones this morning; unless you are tired of them,” she added. ”

“ Benny hastened his step at Jennie’s call, wondering the while what this fine [Pg 81] surprise might be. “Maybe it’s some more puppies,” he thought, and he followed Jennie around to the side porch. “Sit down on that step,” said Jennie, “and you’ll see something fine.”
Benny did as he was bid, and the next moment two hands were clasped over his eyes. “Guess who!” cried Jennie, but before he could decide a familiar little laugh came to his ears, and the secret was out. “Kitty!” he cried, jumping up. “Oh, Kitty, how did you get here? Is mother with you?” ”

“ Bentley says he’ll stock it up for you with chickens and such things, and that you shall never want for fruit, and vegetables, and feed, while he has any. My wife says she has a fine little pig for you, and Molly has a young heifer that she insists upon calling yours. So if you want to come down here and live among people that will always look out for you, you’ve but to say the word.”
Benny looked from one to the other, only saying, “Oh! oh, sir! Oh, Mr. Welch!”
“Yes,” put in Mr. Bentley, “we’ll look [Pg 101] out for you, my boy. It was a lucky day for us when you got left on that steamboat. ”

“ Welch’s first, ’cause he was your first friend, and when you have learned all about storekeeping you can go to Mr. Bentley and manage his farm, and Miss Molly’s husband can be in Mr. Welch’s store.” Who Miss Molly’s husband is to be has not yet been decided, but no doubt when he does appear he will be glad to have his future so plainly set before him.
“That’s a right good plan,” was Benny’s reply to his sister.
“And if you see any poor little boys among your pickers you’ll make it worth [Pg 106] their while, won’t you, Benny?” said Kitty. ”

“ Three very happy children they were who went down to see the collie puppies, and who laughed to see the tiny speckled pigs with curly tails, and who viewed the poultry yard with much pride, Jennie, growing ecstatic over the broods of pretty downy chickens. It was while she was cuddling a yellow duckling that they were summoned to the house to help Mrs. Welch to make ice cream. Benny made himself most useful, pounding the [Pg 84] ice and turning the freezer with a good will.
“Is it anybody’s birthday? It’s just like a festival,” said Kitty. “Strawberries and ice cream and cake. ”

“ Bentley had told the overseer to watch the Polish boy. All this Benny well knew, and he wished he had kept his own counsel.
“You are to me disagreeable,” continued Ivan, “and now you are to be made take the disagreeable. You are to leave these things here, and to say you have lose, or I will beat you.”
Poor Benny! This was a hard alternative, to be untrue to the trust placed in him, to be false to himself and his employer, or to suffer bodily hurt. Then he suddenly remembered his father, and that he had once said, “Never be afraid of bodily hurt ”

“ Benny said.
“What has set you harping so on the country?” asked Mrs. Jordan.
“Why, I don’t know. I reckon it’s [Pg 13] hearing the men talk down at the wharf. One of ’em said this morning: ‘There’s no money for farmers nowadays. A man can’t make anything in the country.’ ‘He can always make a living,’ said the other, ‘and a pretty good one, too. How’d you like your wife and babies to be in the city this weather? Why, sir, there’s lots of folks would give anything to see their children tumble ’round on the grass under such trees as you’ve got and have all the good milk they wanted to drink. ”

“ I can’t have such an evil-minded person around here. There is no telling what he might do. He’ll have to go.”
And the next morning Benny was informed that Ivan had been dismissed, and had gone back to the city.
Benny breathed freer after this. He had dreaded immeasurably sleeping in the quarters, so close to Ivan, as he was obliged to be. And to his unspeakable relief, after supper, Mrs. Bentley said to him, “If you are going to be my helper, [Pg 64] Ben, I’d rather you’d sleep at the house. Those pickers are not very clean.” ”

“ Well, it didn’t matter; they were probably quarreling over their marbles, while he was feeding chickens and washing dishes.
Mrs. Bentley watched him narrowly, especially when during a moment’s respite [Pg 60] from kitchen work he played horse for the children.
But the black-browed Polish boy, Ivan, coming up to the pump for water, scowled as he saw the little fellow so at home with the children. “Sneakee!” he growled at Benny.
The boy’s face flushed. “I’m not a sneak,” he replied. “I don’t know what you mean by saying that.”
“You very fine, very good,” Ivan replied. “I pay. You see.” ”

“ They brought such a lot of strawberries to-day.”
“This weather ripens them fast. It is very early to have such heat.”
“I wish we lived in the country,” said Benny. “Isn’t it cheaper to live there?”
“Ye-es, if you have some one to work your garden and take care of your stock. But how could I make a living for you and Kitty?”
“We could help,” Benny replied.
“Not much, I’m afraid. A little boy ten years old and a little girl seven would scarcely be able to do much toward making a living.”
[Pg 11] “But shouldn’t you like to live there?” persisted Benny. ”

“ He doesn’t seem to make friends, and is a pretty mean enemy. You’d better keep out of his way. If he cuts up too high, just let me know, and I’ll drop him.”
Benny went back to his work much relieved, but it was evident that from henceforth Ivan bore him a grudge. He tried in numerous ways to annoy the little boy. Once he roughly ran against [Pg 44] him, upsetting his load of a dozen boxes of strawberries which Benny was carrying on a board to where Mr. Bentley was keeping tally. ”

“ He caught sight of a gray squirrel scampering up a tree, and saw a clumsy land turtle traveling slowly along.
“I never saw one of those queer chaps before,” said Benny to himself. “Isn’t it [Pg 50] funny how they carry their houses on their backs? It’s mighty convenient, I suppose, but I think I should find it rather tiresome. Oh, there’s a rabbit. My! but there’s a lot of things to see in the woods. Ever so many people live here, for all they keep out of sight most of the time.” And Benny chuckled to himself at the thought. ”

“ Jordan turned from her machine with a look of amazement. “Why, Benny, what do you mean?”
“Why, there’s a man, a Mr. Bentley, who is hunting up people to pick strawberries and peas for him, and maybe I could go. ”

“ People make a very poor mouth, but I notice when anyone wants farm hands of any kind it isn’t always so easy to get hold of ’em. Good pay and good food, with good, fresh air thrown in, and yet they shy off. Well, I can’t tarry; good-by.”
“Well, good luck to you,” returned his friend. And then, turning around he saw by his side an eager-faced little lad.
“Well, sonny?” said the man.
“If you please, sir, what did that man want?”
[Pg 18] “Pickers, to pick his strawberries and peas for him. Do you know anyone who wants a job in that line?”
“Could I do it?” and Benny’s blue eyes were very wistful. ”

“ If was all entirely too delightful not to give enjoyment during every minute of the day to the little city children who had scarcely ever been beyond brick walls, and they joined heartily in the homeward singing, going to bed at last with very tired bodies, but very happy hearts. ”

“ Bentley wants your help you just do what she tells you,” Mr. Bentley said to him, “and it will be the same as if you worked in the field. I’ll make it all right.” In consequence there were many times when Benny was bidden to go for the mail, which gave the happiness of a few words with Kitty; again, he was sent to get vegetables from the garden, to bring milk from the dairy, to help Mrs. Bentley with her chickens, until he learned many things of which he had hitherto been ignorant. He particularly liked to work in the garden, and Mrs. ”

“ Bentley; “you look so white, and no wonder. And Benny, I must patch up your poor head,” and she put her arm around the boy with a real mother-look on her face.
“I was just coming over to see if we could get some of your strawberries,” Molly said. “Ours are about gone. I’ve often driven this horse before; father thought him perfectly safe.”
[Pg 97] “Any horse would be scared at seeing such a thing as a baby carriage with a flapping parasol, in the road. Those pickers bring all sorts of things with them, and have so little discretion about where they leave things. ”

“ Mr. Welch says some day when Joe goes to the city to live he shall want a clerk in his store, and Mr. Bentley says some day he shall want an overseer on his farm. Therefore Benny finds it a [Pg 105] rather difficult matter to decide which of these two opportunities shall be his to take.
Kitty, however, settled it for him one evening when they were sitting out on their little vine-covered porch. “I think,” she said, “that you’d better go to Mr. ”