Elizabeth Weston Timlow

“ Eunice was white with excitement. She, forming the rank and file of the attacking army, had less to sustain her courage than General Cricket had. Definite action is always easier than to await an issue. Then, also, Cricket’s sublime unconsciousness that any one was particularly interested or concerned in what she did, saved her from the wonder, “What will people think?” which so often nips one’s finest projects in the bud. ”

“ Mamma, what can Hilda and I do this afternoon?”
“We girls are going to the museum again,” said Eunice. “Come with us.”
“No, we don’t want to. You like to see such disinteresting things. Mummies and all that. I only like the pictures and marbles, anyway.”
“We want something very nice,” put in Hilda, “because we kept house all day yesterday, and did very hard work.”
“Yes,” sighed Cricket, “I’ve learned two things lately. I don’t want to adopt a baby and have it keep me awake at night, and I don’t want to be poor and not have any books to read. Mamma, what can we do?” ”

“ Say ‘How do you do?’ baby.”
Mosina was a fine plaything, for she was exactly like a big wax doll. The children could do anything they pleased with her.
“You wouldn’t think this child could be such a torment at night,” said Cricket, feelingly. “In the daytime she is just like a lump of dough. She stays just where you put her. But at night—oh, goodness! she was just as if she had yeast in her. I was black and blue for a week after she slept with me that night. Oh, weren’t you bad!” addressing Mosina, with uplifted finger. ”

“ Not having any brothers or sisters, she was perfectly helpless with children.
“I don’t know, but I guess not,” said Cricket, feeling rather disturbed, herself. “There, baby! hush, dear! What shall I do for you? Mercy, Hilda, she’s getting black in the face! Do go for somebody.”
“Where shall I go?” asked Hilda helplessly, wringing her hands.
“Anywhere—down-stairs—in the next room. Find somebody quickly.”
Hilda flew for the door, and ran plump into Mrs. Brummagen, who rushed in breathlessly. In a twinkling, the baby was in her arms. Mosina was holding her breath, and was purple in the face. ”

“ Don deftly seized Johnnie-goat’s horns with one hand, and bent back his head with the other, pulling at the silk cord that drooped gracefully out from his mouth—thus rescuing the emery from its Jonah-like retreat.
“Oh! oh!” wailed Eunice, taking the wet and dirty object daintily by thumb and finger, “it’s all spoiled! You bad Johnnie-goat! Box his ears, Don. Look out, Cricket, there he goes at your new shoes. Do get him down stairs now. Ow! there goes my Dresden pin-tray!” ”

“ No amusements, of any kind, must prevent your being punctual at every rehearsal.”
“Just sometimes, mamma,” begged Eunice.
“Not even once. Your teachers are taking all this trouble for your benefit, and the least you can do is to be depended upon for your punctual presence. You know how provoking you say it is when any one is absent, and how badly the rehearsal goes on then.”
“That’s so: like a chicken on one leg,” said Cricket, thoughtfully. “Everything hitches. But I do wish I were in the play. I know all Isabel Fleming’s part much better than she does. Miss Raymond scolds her all the time.” ”

“ It’s most worn out,” said Cricket, mournfully, as they went up-stairs. “Think! the skating will surely be gone to-morrow! It never lasts but two or three days.”
As they finally shut the front door behind them and went down the steps, Mrs. Drayton’s carriage drew up before the house, and Emily’s eager head popped itself forward.
“Girls! girls! where are you going? I’m so glad I’m in time to catch you. I want you to go for a drive.”
“Oh, Emily!” cried Eunice, despairingly. “Don’t say one word about anything. I’m just about crazy! ”

“ THE BOY. Mrs. Ward came to the luncheon table the next day, holding up three pink tickets.
“A treat for the musical ones,” she said, gaily. “Mrs. Chester has just sent around these tickets for the matinée performance of that little musical wonder, this afternoon. For some reason they are unable to use them.”
“Hurrah!” said Marjorie, clapping her hands in true Cricket fashion, “I’ve been dying to hear him. Oh, Edith, people say he’s the greatest dear!”
“I thought you and Edith and Eunice could go, dear,” said Mrs. Ward. “You will enjoy it better than the younger ones.” ”

“ It can’t be the party!”
“A party we haven’t been to can’t make us sick. No; I’m afraid we’re going to have the lumbago in our throats, and I think that’s something dreadful.”
“Lumbago? It sounds dreadful. Why, I never heard of it. What is it?”
“Oh, I’ve heard of it. I heard papa telling mamma that May Chester’s grandmother had it, and you know how sick she’s been this fall.”
“This lump in my throat is bad enough for anything,” sighed Eunice, putting her hand to it. “But let’s stand it till the party is over, Cricket.” ”

“ You can be—let me see—you can be my daughter or my sister.”
“No, I won’t be either,” said Hilda with dignity. “I’ll be your mother, and wear a cap, and say ‘Arrah go bragh,’ and all those things.”
“Oh, splendid! you always do the old lady parts so well,” said Cricket, approvingly. “Let’s see what we can find for a cap. See! here’s a little white skirt of Mosina’s; guess it’s her best one. Have you any pins? We can pin the belt together and double the skirt, and here’s a beautiful cap with a ruffle and all, and so becoming!” adjusting the big cap, admiringly, and tucking up Hilda’s long curls. ”

“ The applause of the audience came to their ears. The call-boy repeated the summons in great impatience, knowing that he would be scolded for presumably not having given long enough notice.
“Very well,” said the Boy, getting up reluctantly. “Please go not till I return, gracious ladies. I will play fast. I do so much wish to see this strange thing together,” and off the child scampered, leaving the three girls staring in amazement at the remarkable manners of a prodigy.
“He’s a real little boy,” said Edith, drawing a long breath of surprise. ”

“ We mustn’t forget to play. You take care of the baby, mother, and I’ll iron. And—Hilda!” with a sudden change of tone, “Look here!” for the half-warm flat-iron on the damp sheet had left a long, black smooch. “What in the world is the matter? It keeps doing it;” for Cricket tried different places, with the result of producing a smallpox of black spots. “Did you ever?”
“Perhaps the iron is too hot, and scorches it,” suggested Hilda, surveying the places critically.
“I never want to hear the word ‘scorched’ again,” said Cricket, setting down her iron with a thump. ”

“ It was just the ‘chances of war.’ It is always so with practical joking. Each goes a step farther than the other, till some one—generally the weaker party—gets the worst of it. Suppose you drop it now, dear?”
“See here, auntie,” said Archie, awkwardly, “I—you know—well, Cricket really owes me one now. Let her go on and do me up, if she wants to. I’d a jolly lot rather she would; and I won’t do another single thing after that. Did she bluster much?”
“No,” said Mrs. Ward, smiling. “Cricket is always ‘game,’ as you boys say, and would not let me blame you. ”

“ Emily looked ready to cry.
“It’s too bad of you. You might come if you wanted to. You’d rather go to a mean old rehearsal than come with me. I know you would.”
230“Emily, how silly!” cried Cricket, in despair. “As if we wouldn’t rather go with you a billion times,—yes, a virgintillion. Don’t you see? We’ve promised.”
“Please don’t be cross about it,” begged Eunice. “You can get somebody and have a lovely drive, and we have to miss everything and be scolded for being late, besides. We must go, Cricket, or we’ll have our heads taken off.” ”

“ Hilda, who, living alone with her mother and grandmother, never heard bicycles talked about, really did not know.
“I think the Columbias would do for us to learn on,” she said, patronisingly. “You can’t ride, can you?”
“Yes, I learned last fall on some of the girls’ wheels at school. It’s just as easy as pie. It’s so funny that people make so much fuss about learning. I like a boy’s wheel best, though. Wish I was on one this minute,” said Cricket, with a little skip.
“Now what else shall we get with the rest of the money?” asked Hilda.
“A bicycle for Eunice,” answered Cricket immediately. ”

“ The girls delivered the box of cookies and the other things, and gave Mrs. Ward’s message.
Hilda stared about her. She had never, before, been in the home of the very poor.
“Why, that’s a bed! Does she sleep in the kitchen?” she whispered to Cricket, as Mrs. Brummagen went back to her washing, and Cricket lifted Mosina in her arms.
“This isn’t the kitchen; it’s all she has,” responded Cricket, in an equally low voice. “Lots of people have only one room.”
“Do they like it? Don’t they want more room?” said Hilda, amazed ”

“ Do hurry, girls!”
“Oh, jolly!” cried Cricket, flying away. Then she stopped short, and looked at Eunice.
“We can’t go, girls,” said Eunice, soberly. “We have rehearsal at three.”
“Oh, cut for once! All the girls have cut sometime, you know. You can’t be there always.”
“It’s such a nuisance when everybody isn’t there, though. But I’m just dying for a skate,” said Cricket, wistfully. “How I wish we could go!”
“Come, do cut,” some one urged. “Let Miss Raymond scold. Ask your mother. She’ll let you.” Eunice wavered. Wouldn’t mamma let her if she only knew about this? ”

“ Cricket buried herself in the book of instructions for a moment, then darted tragically at the camera.
“Oh, Eunice! See! the pamphlet says that after you take a picture, you must turn the key around three or four times, till the next number appears before the little window, and that will put a new film ready; and we never did it! What do you s’pose it will be?”
The two girls stared at each other in dismay.
“Oh, dear! dear!” exclaimed Eunice. “Then we’ve taken another picture right on top of Johnnie-goat and the twins, and they were so cunning!” ”

“ He is going to take you down-town to-morrow afternoon,—to choose them yourselves,—if you have no previous engagements.” Doctor Ward’s eyes twinkled.
“Don’t tease, papa! Isn’t that lovely of Don. What fun to choose our own pins, Eunice! And I love to go down-town with Don, anyway. He’s such a treaty fellow. He always gives us ice-cream and candy.”
The pins were duly selected, after much comparing, choosing, and rejecting. Donald quietly slipped a card into Cricket’s case, and when she reached home and displayed their final choice, she found Donald’s inscription with it. ”

“ What giddy-looking girls! 52I am proud of you. Be sure and be good girls. Don’t forget to ‘open your eyes and look very wise, although you feel very silly.’”
“But we don’t feel very silly,” returned Eunice with dignity. “We’re not Freshmen in college.”
“Been polishing your wits for the party, I see. Good plan, my Lady Greasewrister, and Madame Van Twister, your ladyship’s sister.”
“You always did call us names, and I s’pose you always will,” said Cricket tolerantly. “But it amuses you, and we don’t care—do we, Eunice? Isn’t it time to go, mamma?” ”

“ Cricket turned quickly to draw up the shade, that she might see better what inroads the “lumbago” had already made. The quick movement made her aching head dizzy. She stumbled forward, tripped over her long night-dress, 43and sat down, hitting the water pitcher which she had left the night before standing by the wash-stand. Over went the pitcher, and out came a deluge of water, almost setting bewildered Cricket afloat, as she lay huddled up on the floor.
“Cricket, what an awful racket you’re making,” said Eunice sleepily, from her bed. “Don’t get up yet. It isn’t time. It isn’t light enough.” ”

“ Would you dare lift her?”
“We’ll have to. You can’t sleep without any clothes over you, can you? Come up here, you rascal,” and Cricket lifted the small round ball gently in her arms and laid her, right side up, at the other end of the bed. Baby settled down with a gurgle.
After the girls were in bed, and silence and darkness had reigned for ten minutes, Eunice suddenly remarked:
“Do you know, Cricket, I never realised before how small this cot is. This midget seems to take up all the room. She slips right down into the middle.”
“Sleep on the other side,” murmured Cricket, drowsily. ”

“ I’ve got three hundred dollars in the savings bank already.”
“I tried to make money, once, to buy a bicycle,” said Cricket, meditatively. “I had a store on the dock at Marbury for one day. Sold peanuts and lemonade. It was pretty tiresome though, and I didn’t make very much. Auntie said I didn’t make anything, but I never could understand it, somehow. I had twenty-one cents to put in my bank at night. I had fifty cents in the morning, but we spent it buying things to sell. Business is so queer. I should think men’s heads would burst, finding out whether they are making money or losing it.” ”

“ Look at these messy things!”
“The worst of it is that we can’t eat the burned parts,” said Hilda, hungrily, “and there’ll be so little left.”
172“Hilda, let’s eat what we can of it right now,” proposed Cricket. “If we cook any more we’ll never get anything to eat.”
“I could eat fried boards,” said Hilda. “Yes, let’s scrape out what of the potatoes isn’t burned tight down, and eat it up fast;” and Hilda picked up the saucepan.
“Oh, Hilda, I forgot about Mosina! Aren’t you the bestest baby! She ought to have her milk, Hilda, and I’ll give her some while you’re fixing luncheon on the table.” ”

“ What a lovely grandma you always make!”
No wonder Hilda got on so well with Cricket, who always made things easy for her, and loved and admired her with all her unselfish little soul.
“You must pin up your skirts like a washerwoman,” said the old lady, quite delighted with her own appearance. “Now roll your sleeves up. Mosina is your baby, you know, and I’m her grandma. Now, what let’s do?”
160“I wonder what Mrs. Brummagen does when she isn’t washing? Do you s’pose she reads? Why, Hilda, there isn’t a book around! Don’t you s’pose she ever reads?” ”