Lucy Ellen Guernsey

“ You are mighty particular about the truth all at once," said Osric, scornfully. "You were not so very careful this morning. You just as good as told sister a lie about that book, and you know you did. So!"
"I didn't, either," said Elsie, almost crying.
"You let her think what wasn't true, and that is just the same," persisted Osric. "Mother always says so, and you very often do."
"If I did, it was for your sake, Ozzy," returned Elsie. "I never meant to tell a lie, only to keep you from being blamed. And I do wish you would tell mother the truth about your running away from school. ”

“ As the two boys were wrangling at the far end of the vault, they heard outside a noise of horses' feet and wheels and subdued voices. The funeral train had come up, and they had not seen it, after all.
"We can't get out now, anyhow," said Osric. "We shall have to wait till they bring in the coffin, and then we can see that, at any rate, and slip out with the rest of the people."
"But somebody will be sure to see us," said Christopher, on whose mind the idea of going to jail for trespass had taken a strong hold. "I don't see how we can ever get out at all." ”

“ You are always making a fuss about something," returned Osric, who felt uneasy himself, and as usual felt a strong desire to revenge that uneasiness on somebody. "You just spoil all the comfort of my life, Elsie Dennison, and especially since you've got to be so wonderful pious. I wish you were not my sister at all. You do nothing but plague me all the time." ”

“ What shall I do?"
"Oh, Ozzy, don't be such a coward," said Elsie, disgusted in spite of herself. "Suppose he does? Wouldn't you rather be punished, even, than to have poor Christopher out in this storm, and perhaps dying of fright? Just think! If he dies in consequence of your keeping back the truth, you will be the cause of his death. Come, do tell me! Where did you and Christopher go?"
"We went to the funeral," said Osric, reluctantly, at last. "We watched till Isaac went away, and then hid in the vault to see the coffin. ”

“ The society of the Parsons boys was of great benefit to Osric. They were brave, truthful, manly lads, good both at work and play, and they did their best to make a man of him. Every one noticed the improvement when Osric went back to school in the winter, and no one rejoiced in it more than Elsie.
Children, when any one tries to make you do wrong by laughing at or threatening you, remember that "the fear of man bringeth a snare," while "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom," and that no man can really hurt you while you put your trust in him. ”

“ David Parsons; who was himself a good boy and fond of his little cousin, used to say that Christy was certainly to be known by the company he kept, for when he was with good boys he was a good boy himself, and when he was with bad boys, he was ready to be as bad as any of them.
"Don't you wish we could go and see the funeral, Ozzy?" he asked as he threw himself down on the grass at Osric's side.
"Yes, indeed! I think that Miss Hilliard is real mean," returned Osric.
"She is a regular old maid, and I hate old maids, anyway. They are always just as mean and spiteful as they can be." ”

“ She never will let any one have any fun that she can help," said Osric. "I think it is too bad."
"I don't call a funeral very great fun," said Alice Brown, rather indignantly. "I guess thee wouldn't think so, if it was thy sister that was to be buried instead of Miss Lilla."
"Rich folks don't have feelings like poor folks," said Mary, tossing her head. "They just like to make a show, that's all. I can't bear such people. They are always just as disagreeable as they can be."
"I am sure Miss Lilla was not disagreeable," remarked Elsie, who had come up in time to hear Mary's words. ”

“ I know when our baby died, sister Avice sent and bought the muslin for a beautiful white frock, and sat up all night to make it. She let me buy the white ribbon for it, with my own money that aunt gave me, and it was a comfort," said Elsie, wiping away the tears that overflowed at the remembrance of the little baby-sister.
"But such a lot of money," said Anna. "Now, do you think it is right, Alice Brown?"
"I shouldn't feel free to do it," said Alice, who had been brought up among "Friends." "It is not our way, but thee knows, Anna, that we are not to judge one another. ”

“ You get such robes as those, my dears, and then you won't fear to die any more than she did."
"It must have been rather sudden at last," remarked Hetty, after a little silence. "I saw her riding out in the carriage last week, when I was over at the Springs. Let's see! why, that was only last Friday."
"Yes, she rode out the morning of the day she died, but her death wasn't sudden more than any death is sudden," replied Jeduthun. "They have been expecting it any time for the last year. In fact, Miss Lilla has never been well like other people since she was born. ”

“ Alice knew well enough what Elsie meant, for Osric's faults were no secret at school, whatever they might be at home. She said nothing of him, however, but answered quietly:
"I think, Elsie, I should try to cast my burden on the Lord."
"Yes, but how?" asked Elsie. "I don't understand, Alice."
"Well, thee knows, Elsie, that we always have liberty to tell him all our troubles in our prayers, because he himself invites us, and promises us his help. If we see our friends going wrong, as thee says, and cannot help it ourselves, we must just ask the Lord to take the case in hand. ”

“ Elsie was playing with some girls on the meeting-house steps, and she would not come for ever so long."
"Why, Ozzy!" exclaimed Elsie, perfectly aghast at this new falsehood.
"Well, you were, and you know it! Everybody thinks you are so good, and you tell more lies than any girl I know. You made me wait ever so long, and you wouldn't come at all till I said I'd tell mother."
"That does not agree very well with the story you told me when you first came home—that Miss Hilliard had kept you after school, and that Elsie waited for you," said his mother. "Which are we to believe?"
Osric was silent. ”

“ They have got a coffin covered with white, with silver nails-and handles, and a great silver cross on the breast, with Miss Lilla's name, and a text of Scripture, and heaps of lovely white flowers of all kinds."
"Miss Lilla always liked white," remarked Elsie. "I hardly ever saw her wear anything else in summer, and even in quite cold weather. Don't you remember, Anna, when we were little girls, our wishing we could have such white frocks as Miss Lilla's? Kissy was doing them up, and she showed them to us."
"She had better white robes than any that money could buy," said Jeduthun, solemnly. ”

“ When the trumpet shall sound and the dead be raised, it will not matter much whether we are received from a grass-covered grave, or a stone vault, or the waters of the sea. We shall all meet the Lord in the air, to be ever with him, and that is the great thing."
Alice Brown was the oldest girl in school—quite a grown-up young woman. All the girls looked up to her, and she was kind to them all, but she was especially fond of Elsie and Anna. They on their part loved Alice dearly, told her all their troubles, and went to her for help and advice on all occasions. ”

“ Cooke?" returned Anna, with spirit. "I am sure there is not a nicer woman in the world than Kissy Cooke. I only wish I was half as good!"
Hetty had nothing to reply to that, but she laid it up in her mind, determined to "pay" Anna for it later in the day.
"I didn't know the Dents had any relations round here," said David. "It looks kind of strange to see that dark door open, don't it? I think it looks as if it was waiting for somebody."
"I suppose it is," replied Elsie. "It didn't open itself."
"There is Jeduthun Cooke sitting in the mill door," said Osric. "Let us go and ask him. ”

“ People are neither wicked because they are rich nor good because they are poor. There are temptations in both states of life. Rich people, when they are so disposed, have it in their power to do a great deal of good, but we all have opportunities enough in that way if we are only willing to use them. We will now begin our lessons."
Osric had paid very little attention to what Miss Hilliard said. He sat up straight and behaved well outwardly, but all the time, and all through the reading and prayer, he was thinking how he could manage to slip away and go to see the funeral. ”

“ All at once he heard the mill-bell ring. It was six o'clock, then. Every one would be going home to supper. His mother would have the table all ready, with the pitcher of new milk, the sweet-smelling loaf of bread, and all the other good things, and every one would be wondering what had become of Christopher. David would be called, and would go all over the village asking for him. Well, Miss Hilliard would know that he had gone out with Osric after a pail of water. David would go out to Mr. Dennison's and question Osric, and so the truth would come out. ”

“ She was not one of those mothers who pet their children when they are little, and turn them off like a brood of last month's chickens as soon as a younger one comes along. When her biggest boy, who was a rising lawyer in the city, came home for a visit, he came to his mother for his good-night and good-morning kiss as regularly as little Harry, who was only seven years old. ”

“ You know the little boys like to play up and down the creek. Let us go back and see if any news has come from the woods. My! What a flash that was! I am afraid we are going to have a great storm. It's not a good night to be out in."
"The wind is rising too," said David. "Oh what will become of that poor little child?"
"We'll give that Osric a lesson, anyhow!" said John Lee. "The little rascal! He is always in some mischief or other! Won't he catch it from Miss Hilliard, though?" ”

“ Osric and Elsie were twins twelve years old, but strangers always took Elsie to be the elder, not only because she was taller than her brother, but because she was so much more thoughtful and sensible. Elsie was constantly watching for chances to help people. She always saw it if her mother's scissors fell on the floor, or her needle wanted threading; and if her father lost his snuff-box or glasses, or left his handkerchief up stairs, or mislaid his paper, it was Elsie who found them, and so about everything else. Her sister Avice often called her Little Helpful. ”

“ Elsie is one of those who always have to carry other people's burdens, and I suspect she feels Osric's being kept after school far more than he does. She is so good herself that she rarely has any faults of her own to repent of, and she makes it up by repenting of her brother's. ”

“ I came back to the Springs on the cars, and walked the rest of the way. The last I saw of Christopher, he and Osric Dennison were talking together over Osric's dinner."
"It is very strange," said Mrs. Parsons. "Christy never stays so late."
"I don't exactly see what could happen to him between here and the village," said David. "He always comes by the road when he is alone, and even if he had started to come through the woods, the path is perfectly plain. ”

“ There are other woods about a quarter of a mile away—real woods which have never been cleared, and which run along both sides of the road more than three miles. There is an old tavern at Boonville, which was very busy long ago in the days when post-coaches ran between Albany and Buffalo, and heavy teams conveyed all the goods which did not go by the canal. The tavern is quiet enough now. The grass grows up between the stones round the door, and nobody stops there except now and then a teamster or farmer having business at the mills. ”

“ Osric gained his point, and Christopher promised to go with him to the funeral. It would not have been easy to tell exactly why he was so anxious to lead Christopher away with him, only people who do wrong are usually desirous to have others do wrong likewise. ”

“ Of course there wasn't anything at the Springs good enough for the Parmalees," added Mary, imitating with considerable success the tone in which she had heard her mother say these words.
"I wonder they didn't send to the city and have done with it," remarked Osric.
"They have everything just as nice in Hobartown as they do in the city," said Mary. "Of course they would, because so many rich people live there. Anyhow, it shows that Miss Lilla's friends haven't any very deep feelings for her, or they wouldn't be thinking of making such a fuss. ”

“ Antis, wakened by the cries of the child and screams of murder from the woman, appeared on the scene, he found Jeduthun engaged in ducking Tom Collins in the mill-dam, and with some trouble prevailed on him to let the man come out of the water before he was quite drowned. Tom Collins brought an action for assault, and Jeduthun was fined seventy-five cents, which he cheerfully paid, remarking that he thought he had got the worth of his money. Eben was taken away from his cruel relation and placed with a farmer in the neighbourhood, and Tom Collins found it expedient to move away from Boonville. ”

“ She has got a long way beyond that by this time," said Jeduthun. "Yes, Miss Lilla has been in heaven two days already. They are going to bring her over here, and put her in old General Dent's vault. The Parmalees are kind of connections of the Dents, somehow. Kissy, she knows all about it. The boss was there yesterday, and last night, the general and his sister drove over. The funeral is to be at half-past one o'clock, and they'll get here about three, I expect."
"There's somebody mowing the grass before the door of the vault," remarked Osric, looking across the river. ”