Mary Agnes Byrne

“ But when Alene, with an armful of flowers, reached the Lee house that evening, she found poor Nettie in a state of revolt; the process of being washed and dressed in her stiff-starched pique and having her plaits undone was very trying to both her and Laura.
She glanced up at the yellow canary swinging so blithely in his cage.
"I do wish people were like birds," she cried, "they are always dressed just in their feathers!" ”

“ Laura's eyes shone with sudden comprehension.
"Oh, you poor little lonely baby," she said to herself, and then aloud,
"Alene, I wish you could join the Happy-Go-Luckys."
"The Happy-Go-Luckys? What are they?"
"A kind of club—you know."
"A club," said Alene, in such a doubtful tone that Laura took a sudden fit of laughter.
"Oh, Alene, you're so funny! It's not a club to hit with, but just us—a crowd of girls—to go together for fun and to do things." ”

“ Laura, strange to say, for the first time found fault.
"Oh, Ivy, do put a little animation into it! One would think you were delivering a funeral oration," she cried testily.
Ivy's nerves, overwrought by the preceding irritations, gave way:
"Well, no wonder, for I hate it!"
"Hate that? Why, it's the finest thing in the whole piece; even the mother says 'a noble gift,' while she chides Alene for wanting mere beauty!"
Ivy's thin cheeks were like crimson roses. "I'd rather be a dancing beauty than a broken-winged robin!" she declared defiantly. ”

“ Alene's blushes of pleasure faded suddenly.
"But it's not my part, it's Ivy's! Why does everyone think when you're rich that's all you are good for or can wish for! This is my part," and she pointed tragically at the detested verse.
"Ah, I see," said Uncle Fred, glancing at the lines. "It's a pretty thing. 'Tis a pity to have it spoiled, as I fear it will be, since you dislike it. "Why not suggest a change?"
"I'm afraid Laura would feel hurt; besides it is more suitable to Ivy as she is a poet!" ”

“ Now, I rather fancy the part," said the young man; and taking the paper with an air of solemnity that the twinkling of his eyes belied, he proceeded to read the verse with an exaggerated air, emphasizing the wrong words and using gestures which seemed so funny to Alene that she threw herself on the rug and screamed with laughter. The noise attracted Mrs. Major and Kizzie, who reached the door in time to witness the bewildering wind-up, as the actor, dwelling softly on the words,
"And for a fairy foot as light
As is the young gazelle's in flight." ”

“ Alene, attracted by their restlessness, glanced round. There they sat, looking blankly at Hermione's mammoth hat, that shut away everything else from their gaze. To be sure, it was a beautiful creation of white chiffon, green foliage and pink ribbons; but when one has feasted his eyes for a week on gorgeous posters, and has been washed and starched and brought to the show to see wonderful things on a real stage, a girl's hat, be it ever so fine, is surely a poor substitute! ”

“ Sitting close together, Ivy half reclining among the cushions of the little sofa and Alene upon a leather arm chair with Laura between them on a hassock, all shut in by the crimson curtains of the cosy corner, where the rain beat against the window panes and the vines stirred in the wind emphasizing the comfort of their snug retreat, they spent a happy time reading and talking over the beautiful little stories until Prince's renewed barking attracted their attention. ”

“ Amid all the havoc Vera was the only one who preserved her calm. Seated in the rocking chair, she swung lazily back and forth, pausing occasionally to reach for a cube of sugar or to taste the various condiments on the table. She was enjoying herself thoroughly in spite of the consciousness that it was all on a par with tissue-paper hats and other affairs peculiar to the Happy-Go-Luckys, that queer club of which she had heard.
"They get a lot of fun out of it. I don't see why the girls in our set couldn't start one!" ”

“ Alene drew a breath of relief. "Oh, Laura, you know just what to do! I'm sure he wanted the purple-blue one awfully and he took the other just to please you!" she whispered as the boys left the boat with their treasures, giving a doubtful look backward at the abandoned pitcher.
Laura shrugged her shoulders.
"Oh, boys are funny; they mean well but their tastes run to bright things. Any girl in a gaudy dress is beautiful in their eyes!" ”

“ His celerity amazed Alene.
"How can you fill yours so quickly?"
"By sticking to a good bush when I find one!"
"You girls lose time by flitting from bush to bush like butterflies," added Mat.
"We are more like busy bees, Mat. We gather only the best as we fly! There's Laura, no boy can beat her picking berries," said Ivy.
"I believe there's a good deal in what Hugh says," remarked Laura, "not only in berry picking, but in work and study. We accomplish more by sticking to one thing at a time. ”

“ The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed and one of the girls got frightened and began to cry, which surprised me very much; not because she cried, but because she was a doctor's daughter—I don't know why I thought a doctor's daughter should be braver than anyone else's child!"
"It's funny the thoughts we have and the queer things we believe when we're small," returned Alene. "A girl told me one day if you put beads in the oven more beads would grow. ”

“ Overhead shone the midday sun in a sky of cloudless blue, but nature spread her canvas all in vain for Laura. Another time she would have paused to drink in the beauty of the scene, to follow with admiring eyes the movements of the boat which, brave in a new coat of paint, swept along in a wake of billowing foam, but to-day she stood unheeding. All that she saw was the pathetic figure of a little girl with crutches receding in the distance. ”

“ The girls were deep in blissful preparations the next ten days; the cheerful helpers, Mat and Hugh, held many consultations with Jed and the gardener and Uncle Fred; an array of pavilions, swings, maypoles, rustic seats and tables sprang up in the Towers' grounds, and the kitchen range glowed like a furnace, turning out enough good things to feed a multitude.
Laura, Ivy, and Alene spent two afternoons in the library, making out lists and addressing invitations. Uncle Fred peeped in once or twice, bringing sheets of postage-stamps. ”

“ We have work to do and precious little time for its doing," cried Laura, giving her a shaking. She sat up laughing.
"Sounds like a sermon on the shortness of time! What's time to us children of eternity? But what shall we give to poor old Mrs. Kump?"
"That's the question," said Laura, glad to have arrived at something practical, a matter she often found rather difficult with Ivy. "Mother has promised a loaf of bread."
"And I'll ask Mother to give some rolls—but that's bread too; sounds so dry—I hate dry bread!"
"Kizzie always gives me a dish of honey for breakfast. ”

“ Alene's look of pleased anticipation changed to dismay.
"I'm so sorry!"
"What for?"
"Why, Uncle Fred would have given me money to buy some, if I knew you wanted them!"
Laura's laugh rang out merrily.
"Why, Alene, it's votes! We don't buy them like 'lectioneers do—we get enough to give each member one red and one white gumdrop. Those who are for a candidate put in a white and those against her a red!"
Alene danced with joy.
"Then I'm elected!"
"You are now a member of the Happy-Go-Luckys and your name is duly inscribed on the books!" said Laura, in her judicial tone. ”

“ Ramsey.
"Philanthropy, indeed! Were I Alene's mother I wouldn't like it at all, throwing his money away. If he doesn't marry, it will all go to Alene!"
"She will have plenty in any case; her father is very well fixed!" commented Mr. Ramsey.
"Is Alene an heiress?" cried Vera. "How funny! No one would ever guess it from her manner!"
"It's well you are not; you would want an air-ship in order to live up in the clouds above the heads of ordinary people! Alene has brains!" returned Hermione. ”

“ A moment later he stood in the friendly grass of the berry-patch, with the gate closed securely between him and the foe.
"It's Mark Griffin!" cried Ivy.
"Yes, I knew him at once," returned Alene.
The three girls clapped their hands joyfully, starting a round of applause. Soon from every part of the patch came cheers and shouts and whistling; a small boy, who perhaps was the cause of all the trouble, scrambled from a tree near the big gate with a whoop that would have startled an Indian brave. ”

“ The unusually large number of mail-bearing pedestrians gave Main Street a gala air.
Ivy, on watch at the window, hugged herself and smiled contentedly, for was she not one of the conspirators who, in league with the Post-office Department, had sent all those little white flags a-flutter through the town?
It was Mr. Dawson who had suggested the idea.
"You have enjoyed so many merry-makings at your friends' hands, don't you think it would be a good thing to make some return, Alene alanna?" ”

“ Ramsey, resplendent in black net over coral-colored silk, who at that moment was explaining for his benefit:
"The tall, fair girl, wearing blue flowers, is my daughter Vera, and there is Hermione, my oldest, in white with the lilac wreath."
"The Happy-Go-Luckys are partial to tissue-paper," Mr. Dawson said, smilingly.
"The dear girls! And the tots look like fairies in those pretty caps!" said the lady, proud of her daughters' success.
"This active life has certainly done wonders for Freddie's little niece. She was pale and delicate when she came here in the spring and look at her now!" ”

“ Ramsey shook her head.
"This comes of the public schools, where the president's child is made to rub shoulders with the miner's!"
"And the miner's child often beats him in his lessons and the rest of the scholars are apt to remark and remember it," said Hermione. "Only for that, the rich boys could pose as being extra smart!"
"I should have got you girls a governess only papa said he couldn't possibly afford it, as times are dull; when the children are grown it's embarrassing to know how to meet their former schoolmates!" ”

“ She thinks people are what they are in themselves!"
"And thoughts are the most precious things—that's the reason she wanted to give you the pleasure of seeing His Gorgeous Lordship from the tower window!"
For a moment Ivy was silent; her gaze was far away; again she was looking from that little narrow window so close to the clouds.
"Do you know, Lol, if I owned the Big House I'd live in the tower when I wasn't in the library. But it wasn't me in particular, Lol, that Alene wanted. To her I'm only a lesser planet when you're near—it's hearts that count!" ”

“ Alene felt Prince's soft nose against her hand.
"You feel sorry, don't you, old fellow? But this is what the rest of the Happy-Go-Luckys have to bear all the time! I've been used to going through the world picking up everything I fancied, with never a thought for others who had to go without. This is a sort of experience week for me! But cheer up, Prince Sobersides, and come along for a run!"
"Girls, this is the Crimson Bag's last night, and it's my treat!" announced Alene, when she met her friends Saturday evening. ”

“ At the conclusion of several numbers the boy went through the crowd, holding out his battered cap.
Laura put in all she had, a bright new cent.
"I haven't a penny," lamented Ivy.
"I have just one solitary, shamed little fellow, done up in crimson satin and silver buckles," announced Alene, taking the pretty bag from her wrist.
Ivy giggled.
"Everybody is looking, Alene! They expect a piece of silver, at least, from that gorgeous purse!"
"Well, I can't help it! I paid a nickle postage on my letter, you know!" ”

“ I wouldn't mind it a bit with Laura and Ivy. We could do lots of things inside—but the Ramsey girls!"
"There's the tower room and the wide halls. Surely you can play some games there! It does seem unfortunate how things turn out sometimes, but we must just bear it!" said Mrs. Major.
"That's what makes it so much harder, we must bear it! Ivy says if we could take our burdens just because we wanted to for a noble cause, like some of the martyrs did, it wouldn't be half so hard as when they are put on one!" grumbled Alene. ”

“ No one in the city ever wears a hat at the theatre!"
A chorus of low laughter followed this remark, and Vera, not knowing it was made by Ivy, began to have doubts as to the correctness of her position.
It was Alene, she knew, who had inaugurated the style here, and she was from the city. Vera noticed, besides, that all over the hall the women and children who wore large hats were taking them off.
"Well, if it's the correct thing. But what's the use of having a fine hat if it's not to be worn in public?" she murmured, as with a show of complacency the "screen" was removed. ”

“ Claude and Nettie gave a murmur of joy when they beheld the beautiful painted canvas spread out before them.
At the end of the scene when the curtain fell, the lecturer in a few words thanked the ladies for their courtesy and thoughtfulness. "To have regard for the rights and feelings of others is to act upon the Golden Rule! Not alone for the audience but for myself also I thank you! Especially do I thank the little girls who set the good example." ”

“ An unobtrusive wall paper, a green-and-oak carpet, a bright rug before the fire-place, which was filled with tall ferns; a picture of the "Mammoth Trees of California," above the mantel, a lamp with a green globe hanging over the center-table, a few chairs, and Ivy's couch drawn close to the two windows with their snowy curtains—all beautifully neat and clean, but alas, so tiresomely familiar to the little prisoner. Even the sight of her books piled at the foot of the lounge wearied her!
She threw aside the beloved Sunset Book after vainly trying to get interested in it. ”

“ While she pictured herself presiding over the new club, which no one outside the favored few would be allowed to enter, the other girls, after careful measuring, had placed on the range a pot half filled with the materials necessary for the taffy of which Alene wished to make enough not for themselves only, but to share liberally with all the Lee and Bonner children.
"Sweets to make it sweet, and sours to make it sour, fire to heat, water to dissolve, and butter to make it run down our throats!" ”

“ Laura became suddenly occupied with her rowing and Alene felt called upon to answer.
"Why—" she hesitated.
"You needn't be afraid to say; I know they think I'm a bad case!"
"Oh—no, Hugh said you were all right by yourself!"
"Then he doesn't like my chums?"
"He said if you would give up those Stony Road boys—"
"I'm no snob to go back on a boy because he's poor!"
"Why, it's not that! Hugh and his chums are poor but—"
"They say they torture animals!" broke in Laura.
"I told them I was sure you wouldn't allow that," Alene protested. ”

“ I get lonesome all by myself!"
"I should think you would!" cried Laura compassionately.
"Let's sit down," suggested Alene. They did so, side by side, on the grass, while Prince reclined lazily beside them.
"Do you live in the Big House?" inquired Laura, glancing toward a building which stood far up on the level ground overlooking the terraced hill; a substantial house whose gray stone walls and square tower were partly hid with vines. It was the most pretentious habitation in the town and occupied the most beautiful site. ”

“ Alene told the cause of their predicament, which the boy had already guessed.
"It seems funny you thought we would object to being rescued by you; you didn't wait to find out if we objected or not, that day at the picnic, and the day you faced the mad bull!"
He laughed.
"Excuse me, you see the old fellow was so quick he didn't give me a chance! But this is different!"
Alene was silent. She was afraid he might think her a great baby were she to say how very, very much relieved she was by his presence.
"Well, I guess Hugh Bonner would object," returned the lad. ”

“ Hugh, coming in to supper just before Laura went home, peeped into the room in time to hear Ivy's laughing remark,
"We should confer upon Sir Mark the title of 'Rescuer-in-Chief to the Happy-Go-Luckys!'"
Hugh, with a hasty nod to the girls, turned away.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Hugh! I've just been telling Ivy how thrilling it was, when just in our moment of despair, Mark Griffin appeared—"
"Like the hero on a stage," interrupted Hugh.
"No, in a skiff," corrected Laura.
"I've no time for rhapsodies now," said Hugh curtly. He turned away with Ivy's voice, "Hear! Hear!" ”