Jane Helen Findlater

“ Have you seen the crabs lying in the fish-shop windows twitching their claws? They look harmless enough, but with these claws they can hold on in the most terrible way, once they catch hold of you. Oh, how Peggy screamed! She ran towards the house splashing through the pools, with the big red crab hanging on to her hand. She was in an agony of pain and terror. The sound of her screams brought James running from the garden. Peggy ran straight to him, calling out for help; and James caught up a stone, and gave the crab such a blow on its claw that it let go in a moment, and fell to the ground. ”

“ The washing-green was very cool and pleasant, and Peggy lay on her face on the grass and searched for that four-leaved clover for a whole hour without being dull for a minute. Then she heard Janet calling her, and went running to the kitchen. There the great brass pan was full of boiling fruit, deep crimson, and with the most delicious smell. Janet gave her a saucer, and told her that with a large spoon she might skim the white froth from the edge of the pan. ”

“ Sea anemones are the creatures that Peggy had seen in the pool that were like little pink flowers. Janet had explained to her that it hurt anemones to be scraped off the rocks, and so they had to hunt till they found them growing on a small stone that it was possible to lift. It had been some time before they found this, but at last, at the bottom of a pool, Janet spied a small stone with two beautiful anemones sticking to it. Whenever she lifted the stone out of the water, the funny little creatures drew in all their pretty petal-like feelers, and became like lumps of red-currant jelly ”

“ Peggy would not say. It spoils a game so much to explain it to other people.
“I’d just like to stay and play in the garden,” she said.
Aunt Euphemia was not at all pleased. She thought it was because Peggy did not love her that she refused to go out with her.
“Very well,” she said; “of course, I do not wish to take a little girl with me who does not care for me.”
Peggy felt sorry, but she couldn’t explain; it would have spoilt everything, you know. She stood on the steps and watched Aunt Euphemia drive away, and then she clapped her hands, and danced off into the garden. ”

“ Martin came in, grim and rather pleased to have found Peggy out in such a fault.
“There’s no doing with her, Miss Roberts,” she said—“always in some mischief or other; and if I may suggest, I think a young lady that could do so wrong should just be kept in her bed all day. I doubt but she’ll have got a chill too. A day in bed will just be the best thing for her.”
Aunt Euphemia always agreed with everything Martin said, and Peggy knew her fate was sealed. Outside, the beautiful, happy world was all green and bright; but she was going to be put to bed and kept there all day. ”

“ Peggy shook her hand in the water, and saw the little crab scuttle away and get into his shell like lightning.
Janet had wanted to add a big red crab, like the one that nipped Peggy, but Peggy wouldn’t have it. There were some limpets, in their little pyramid-shaped shells, and then Janet had added a lot of seaweed of different kinds. Some of it was slimy green stuff, like long green hair, which Peggy didn’t at all admire; but there were pretty feathery pink weed and nice brown dulse. ”

“ All the rest of the evening Aunt Euphemia and Martin seemed to think that Peggy was in disgrace, because she had spoilt her frock, and perhaps also because she was a little bit sulky. It is a horrid thing to sulk. It does no good; but often one wants to do it so much. Aunt Euphemia went and sat out in the garden after tea, and made Peggy sit beside her playing with a doll, and all the time she was anxious to be pounding chalk instead, so she didn’t care in the least for her doll. ”

“ It is horrid to be kept in bed when one feels quite well. Peggy wanted to get up and go out next day, and instead, had to lie still with nothing to amuse her. The bed she was in was of a kind you never see nowadays, with four huge mahogany pillars supporting red damask curtains. It was just like sleeping in a tent.
Peggy found that by sitting high up on the pillows she could see out of the window. The sea was right in front of the house, and a little harbour filled with ships. There was a funny noise always going on at the harbour, and Martin told her it was the ships being loaded with coal. ”

“ Peggy felt ashamed of her own appearance, sitting there in her petticoat all covered with dust; but she decided that she must ask the lady to help her, however queer she was looking. So she ran forward into the road, and called out as the carriage came up.
The lady stopped her pony, and the groom jumped down and held its head.
“Is anything wrong with you, my dear?” the lady asked. “And how did you get here without your frock?”
“Oh, I’ve lost my way; I can’t get home,” cried Peggy. And indeed her tear-stained face and her strange garments told their own story. ”

“ Look at my flounders!”
One of the flounders, alas! was dead already, as well as the crab, and the other looked rather sorry for himself. Colonel Roberts, however, would not let Peggy cry.
“Look here, child,” he said; “they want to be put back into the sea—that’s all. There are too many of them all crowded together in the tub; we’ll take them back to a pool on the shore, and they will soon be as frisky as ever again.”
“Not the dead ones,” said Peggy solemnly.
“No, not the poor dead ones, but the sick ones. Go and fetch me a pail, and we’ll carry them down to the shore.” ”

“ Peggy thought it made up for the wasps.
“I’m glad the wasps made me ill,” she said, “or I wouldn’t have had this ride.”
At the gate they came in sight of the sea, and Peggy remembered what Martin had told her.
“Oh, Martin told me the men on the ships talked like monkeys and had rings in their ears,” she said, “and I want to see them.”
“Have you never been on a ship?” Dr. Seaton asked.
“No, never. The sea doesn’t come near home, you know,” Peggy explained.
“Well, would you like to come with me some day on to one? Would Aunt Euphemia let you? ”

“ Janet asked; “then she’d get no mischief.”
“Indeed, Janet, I see she must never be left alone for a minute; so when your work is done, you may certainly take the child out with you,” said Aunt Euphemia.
“Come away then, Miss Peggy,” said Janet; “ye’ll bide wi’ me till I make the currant tart, and in the afternoon we can gang till the shore.”
Peggy ran off to the kitchen as happy as possible to make the currant tart, and Janet told her that they would go down to the shore together, carrying Peggy’s tub, and fill it with all manner of sea beasts, and bring them back to the house. ”

“ Janet had picked up a very large shell, and put it into the tub, and Peggy asked her why. She said they would see before long. Now she took the large shell and laid it in the water. Peggy watched, and suddenly she saw a thin green leg come stealing out; then another and another, till at last a tiny green crab came scrambling altogether out of the shell, and ran rapidly about the tub.
“O Janet, it’s a little crab! How did you know? Do they always live in these big snail shells?” Peggy cried. ”

“ Peggy watched it for a long time, but as it wouldn’t put out its feelers, she turned to the other creatures.
There were a number of whelks. Whelks, you know, are sea-snails. They live in shells, and draw themselves in and out of them very quickly. The moment Peggy put them into the tub, they pushed their shells on to their backs as snails do, and began crawling slowly along the edges of the tub.
“O Janet, my whelks will walk out and get lost!” Peggy cried. But Janet told her she thought they liked the water best, and would stay in it. ”

“ THE SEA BEASTS. It was wonderful how many sea creatures Peggy and Janet found when they began. The little tub was quite full before long, and Peggy, looking into it, told Janet that she was afraid they wouldn’t be very comfortable.
Janet considered for a minute, and then told Peggy that there was an old washing-tub in the scullery which she was sure her aunt would let her use instead of her own little one; then there would be room enough for all the creatures to be happy. ”

“ It took only a few minutes for the frock to dry, and then Janet put a blanket with a sheet over it upon the lid of a large box, and gave the box to Peggy for an ironing table.
The little iron was not at all difficult to manage, and Peggy found that it was delightful to squeeze all the creases out of her doll’s robe. It looked as good as new when it was done.
“Why, Janet, Belinda won’t ever need new robes at all; I can go on washing and washing them,” Peggy said. ”

“ She shall not get into any mischief,” he said.
Peggy gave his hand a little squeeze to show what she felt about it, and Aunt Euphemia consented.
Dr. Seaton’s horse was tied to a ring at the door—a high, gray beast. It had taken a mouthful of the earwig roses, and was munching away at them when Peggy came down the steps.
“O horse, there are such lots of earwigs in these roses,” she said in disgust, “I am sure they can’t be nice to eat!”
Dr. Seaton laughed, and told Peggy the horse didn’t mind the taste of earwigs a bit. ”

“ THE WASHING DAY. onday morning was hopelessly wet. The rain came down in sheets, and the garden looked like a pond. But Peggy was delighted. “It’s such a good washing day,” she explained to her aunt, “and all my doll’s things are so black.”
Aunt Euphemia suggested that Janet would allow the washing to go on in the kitchen; and Peggy at once ran away to fetch the doll’s clothes and her little tub, and carry them all to the kitchen. Janet was very pleased. She put the tub on a stool, so that it should be just the right height for Peggy to wash at, and filled the tub with nice soapy hot water. ”

“ Peggy pleaded just to be taken to the next corner; so he said he would do that, but she must get out there.
“There’s a good little lady. Run home straight; take the first turn on the right, and you’ll be home in ten minutes,” he said, lifting Peggy down.
“I’m very sorry. I would like to drive on and on with you,” said Peggy. And at that the man reached up to the roof of the caravan, and pulled down a sweet little green basket, and gave it to Peggy as a present. Then he cracked his whip again, and the caravan rumbled off down the road. ”

“ THE ADVENTURE IN THE LANE. eggy had now been for nearly a week at Seafield, and it had not been very satisfactorily spent.
She arrived on Monday; that evening she had been scratched by Patrick. On Tuesday morning she had been stung by the wasps, so all Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in bed. On Thursday she had discovered the game of chalk-pounding which led her into such trouble that the half of Friday was spent in bed. Now, on Saturday, surely things would go better with her. We shall see if they did.
“Martin is busy this morning,” said Aunt Euphemia, “so you must play in the garden. ”