“ I am awful sorry, uncle Frank: I wouldn't have really hurt the kitten for the world; and I've cried some myself at thinking how miserable it looks, and what a hard time it's had, and how it may die."
"I don't think you are cruel or hard-hearted, Felix: your trouble is thoughtlessness; but, you see, thoughtlessness may amount to the same thing sometimes, in its effects, as real cruelty. I have known thoughtless persons who have even been the cause of the death of their dearest friends; so we will be thankful that, in this case, it is only a kitten who has had to suffer severely. ”

“ Johnny thought, with aching heart, of his mother's distress, and of what a sorrow it would be to her and his father and Sue if he should be found dead or dying. He thought of the horror of Felix's dying, too, of the double grief to his own parents, and of the despair of his uncle and aunt at the loss of their only child. Still, he did not really think that being out in the wind and rain all night could kill them. "I guess we could live through it, Felix," he returned cheerily: "boys are not killed so easily. Let's try and feel for the road once more." ”

“ Then, any Saturday you choose, or any other day, when any of us feel like going up there to enjoy the view, we can build a fire, even in mid-winter, and, lo! we are as good as out of doors, without the discomforts."
"What a grand place to see a winter storm from!" exclaimed Johnny, in delight.
"And to see the snow or ice all over the trees!" added Sue.
"This is a good illustration," remarked Mrs. Le Bras, "of how some of the things which we dread most turn out to be among the most fortunate incidents that come to us. To think how we all dreaded Felix's visit! ”

“ This made Felix laugh. "It would be good as a play to see you try," he said; "I just wish you could; it would give us some fun to see you wobble about on it, and scream every time you thought it was going to fall over."
"Why don't you have Johnny try?" suggested Sue; "it would be pretty near as much fun; only Johnny wouldn't scream, if he did fall over; he never screams at any thing."
"That's an idea," said Felix. "Yes, Johnny, you try the bicycle: it's great fun to see a beginner." ”

“ Frothingham and the children had disappeared up the road, looking back, and waving their handkerchiefs, Mr. Le Bras said,—
"What a contrast Mrs. Frothingham is to Mrs. Shepard! Mrs. Shepard is so afraid her husband will like any one except herself, that she has acted in a manner which must always cause her husband to distrust her, if not positively dislike her; while Mrs. Frothingham, by being so glad to have her husband have some child to love, and so ready to love the same child herself, and be the happier for her presence, is increasing her husband's affection and admiration for herself." ”

“ Johnny whispered back: "I'm waiting for Felix to get through."
"He never will get through," returned Sue: "when he makes a little pause, you just say something as quick as ever you can."
"What if I should set Clyde on the kitten?" said Felix to Julia.
"You'd better not, young man: I'll never forgive you if you do!"
"Just let me get a sight of her, that's all," returned Felix, running off in the direction of the cottage in which Julia lived, looking back, and laughing roguishly as he ran. "Come, Clyde!" he called back; and Clyde, who was lying in the piazza, jumped up and followed him. ”

“ Sue, thus reminded, thought, herself, the blue calico would look rather odd in the fine carriage, by the side of their best clothes; and yet, somehow, it didn't seem as though it ought to, since the blue calico was the best dress Ruth had, and it was not her fault that she could not dress as well as they did.
"She's a real nice girl, anyhow," said Sue, "and just as good as we are,—if not better."
"It don't make any difference about her being good," returned Felix: "rich folks are rich folks, and poor folks are poor folks, and they can't go together." ”

“ The children could hear Ruth's last words, as she walked away from the house, which were, "Yes, ma'am, I'll be sure and remember."
"Let's go and meet her," said Sue, slipping from the wall, and walking down the road. Johnny and Julia followed. They met Ruth about half way.
"I'm ever so glad to see you again, Ruth," said Johnny: "this is a neighbor of ours, Julia Peterson; and this is my sister Sue."
"I'm so glad you can go," said Sue, taking Ruth's hand, and walking along by her. "I think your new dress is real pretty. You must be awful proud that you made it all yourself." ”

“ Le Bras, "I feel wonderfully happy at the way it has all turned out. I always thought I would like to have you and Felix love each other as his father and I love one another, but I was afraid it never could come about. Just to think, Johnny, how you wanted to get away from him, and we couldn't blame you either, and how the sky-room was contrived as a refuge!
"And Johnny let him right into it, first thing," said Sue.
"But I am glad we discovered the room, father," replied Johnny.
"Certainly! It is a great acquisition: it opens a new world. ”

“ Shepard and Ruth might have been!"
"Perhaps it is just as well, for all except Mrs. Shepard," replied Mr. Le Bras; "for it has secured a much happier life for Mr. and Mrs. Frothingham, who were suffering so keenly for the loss of their children; and Mr. Shepard cannot but be proud of the bright prospects before his little niece."
"I don't think any thing can make up for domestic discomfort," replied Mrs. Le Bras; "and I am afraid they never can be really happy at the lighthouse, with the memory of the way Mrs. Shepard treated Ruth always before her and her husband." ”

“ Sue went off into the dining-room, where Kate was, with tears in her eyes, and something very like a pout about her mouth.
"I think papa was too bad!" she said.
"What is it, father?" asked Johnny, after Sue had disappeared.
"I think I'll let Sue tell, when she gets over her pet," replied Mr. Le Bras. "The heavens are not going to fall, Johnny. I think you are enough of a philosopher to rise above the calamity, although I really suppose you will feel pretty badly in the first place." ”

“ Shepard will take more pains to tell all he knows about it. Nobody takes pains to explain things to boys."
"There is a good enough reason for that," said Julia: "how much would such a boy as Felix or Jack listen to explanations? I think you are a kind of a man, Johnny: you only look like a boy. And you don't look so very much like a boy when you have your glasses on. I think I shall call you Professor, as Sue and Felix do."
"It's great if a boy must be called a man and a professor just because he likes to understand about matters! ”

“ Frank Le Bras laughed at this remark, as if it were a very good joke. "I don't know of any way of teaching a boy to do well right along, Louis, without the proper kind of government continues right along until the boy is grown up,—unless, indeed, the boy were so remarkable that he might be taught to govern himself by his own reason and conscience; and such boys are very rare: in fact, I don't know as I ever saw such a boy. But I shall do the best I can by Felix, not only for his sake and yours, but for my own comfort and that of my household. ”

“ But the men who own the houses are millionnaires, and my father says they build big houses to use up some of their money: they don't know what else to do with it."
"I should feel lonely in such a great house, unless it had a good many folks in it," replied Johnny. "I think I should look up some folks to enjoy it with me, or else I should think of some other use for my money."
"I would build a great, magnificent ship, and sail around the world in it," said Felix. ”

“ I suppose that here in the orchard more of the rays striking the parts that are not protected by the trees gives a different reflection. As for the sun being yellow, it isn't always yellow; that is, I mean it doesn't always look yellow; I have seen it look quite red."
"If it isn't yellow, I'd like to know what color it is!" exclaimed Felix, rather impatiently.
"I don't suppose it is any color at all, though it gives the impression of a good many colors to our minds: color is nothing but a sensation produced by the kind of light that is reflected to our eyes. ”

“ But now I think we can have very nice times, unless,"—and she looked questioningly at Johnny,—"unless Johnny is as great a tease as Felix is."
"Johnny is not a bit of a tease," said Sue: "I don't know as he ever tried to tease me in his life; though I tease him once in a great while, when I have what he calls one of my 'high times.'"
"He must be a new kind of a boy if he don't tease," returned Julia: "every boy I ever knew liked to tease, but Felix is the very worst boy to plague any one I ever saw." ”

“ Le Bras, Oliver, and Felix were standing near,—Felix with his hands behind him, and a very sober, perplexed look upon his face.
As soon as Julia and Sue saw the poor, emaciated object, Julia screamed, and Sue turned away and began to cry. Then Julia began to cry bitterly, and exclaimed,—
"Oh, dear! my beautiful little kitten! She's dying! She's been dreadfully treated! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! What shall I do!"
Mrs. Le Bras, who was sitting in the veranda, heard the wailing, and ran out to the barn in a great fright. She was followed by Mary and Kate. ”

“ By this time, Pierre had fallen asleep in the hammock.
"I guess, while the girls are gone, I'll go out and pick some huckleberries for supper, father is so fond of them," said Johnny; "and Katie says we haven't more than half enough. She wanted us all to pick some; but it was too warm after dinner, and I don't believe the girls will be back in time. It is getting cool now, because there is such a breeze."
"I'll bet there'll be a storm before long," replied Felix, looking at the sky. "But it's too stupid picking berries! Can't we do something else?" ”

“ I will go directly and ask him to pardon you and spare his rod."
"No, no!" cried Rick excitedly. "If you do, I will never forgive you!"
"But do you know, my child, that a whipping hurts?"
"Of course I do! Don't I switch Skip with my whip, to make her go faster, and to mind what I tell her? And haven't I switched myself with it, too, for fun? And haven't I seen boys whipped ever so many times, and crying and dancing about? But I shall neither dance nor cry, because I shall like it." ”

“ At intervals along the beach were handsome great cottages, as large as Mr. Frothingham's. There was also a lighthouse on the beach. At a little distance back of the lighthouse was a pretty grove with seats, swings, and revolving hobby-horses. The children spent the rest of the morning in the grove, and along the shore. Then came the novel event of the day,—dinner in the great dining-room at the hotel, with colored waiters, and all the courses, from soup to nuts. The tables were filled with handsomely dressed, merry persons. ”

“ Shepard," said Julia: "he is the lighthouse keeper. Shall we go and see him, and ask if we can go up in the lighthouse? Or shall we call at the house first, and ask to see Ruth?"
"Let's see Ruth first," replied Sue, "'cause that's what we came for; and we want to give our invitation to dinner, so she will have time to get ready while we are in the lighthouse."
"I don't believe we had better ask to see the lighthouse, until we come with some grown persons," said Johnny: "perhaps they won't want to take that trouble for all the children who come over." ”

“ I have seen it very often," said Alec: "the reason it looks different from coal, and burns differently, then, is because it has lost its hydrogen?"
"Yes," replied Johnny: "almost all ordinary combustibles are composed of carbon and hydrogen,—wood, coal, oil, etc.; and there are a great many other things that oxygen has a great affinity for, and will combine with at the right temperature: the things that it won't combine with are such as have all the oxygen in them that they will contain, like dirt and stones and ashes." ”