Sophie May

“ It was a dreadful, dreadful story, which she had heard Tommy Winters, a naughty boy, tell, and her mamma had forbidden her ever to repeat it; but she forgot that. She only wanted to see if Rose would scream as loud as she herself had screamed on hearing it.
Scream? Poor Rosie fairly shrieked.
"Stop! O, do stop," said Flaxie.
But Rose could not stop.
"There isn't any such woman," said Flaxie.
But Rose cried all the same.
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"There never was such a woman! Now won't you stop?"
"O, dear, dear, dear!" sobbed Rose.
"There never will be such a woman, you darling. There, now won't you stop? ”

“ Mrs. Gray tried not to smile when Flaxie said such strange things about God; but this time Ninny laughed aloud.
"Now, Ninny, you needn't laugh to me," said Flaxie. "I'm going to be mad with you a whole week."
"What for?"
"'Cause you won't make Pep'mint Drop no boots, and that's because."
"Seems to me you scold very hard at your sister," said Grandma Pressy. "I think she is a very good sister."
Ninny was standing by the sink at that very moment, washing Peppermint Drop's stockings in a pint dipper; and Flaxie was beside her, cutting soap. ”

“ It was thought at first that Flaxie and the baby, who had neither of them had the fever, must be sent away. But the doctor said, "No, there would be danger of their carrying the dreadful disease to others.
"It is better that they should stay at home," said he: "only Flaxie must be very sure never to see her sick cousin or go into her room."
"Never see Rosie! Yes, that was what Dr. Papa said," sobbed Flaxie. "O Dodo, did he mean never?"
How could Dodo tell? How could even poor, white-faced Aunt Jane tell, who came at once to nurse her darling daughter. She had to wait like all the rest. ”

“ Her mother and her sister Floy met her at the door, not knowing what had happened.
"My baby is lost, my baby is lost!" wailed she, and fainted away in Aunt Kitty's arms.
A dispatch was sent to Grandma Curtis at Louisville, and another to Dr. Gray at Rosewood, New York. The poor doctor was wakened in the middle of the night to learn that his little boy was drowned!
Morning came at last; it always comes. [93] The sun shone too; it is just as likely to shine when people are sad as when they are happy. ”

“ Abbott's, had given these rabbits to Preston Gray and Bert Abbott, for their own. It was very kind of him; but he made one mistake—he forgot to say which of the boys should have the white rabbit. The brown one was "very respectable," as Ninny said; but the other was lovely—as plump and white as a snowball, with pink eyes that glowed like gems.
"Poh, who cares which is which?" said Bert.
"I'm sure I don't," said Preston, as he hunted all over the stable for an old rabbit cage Crawford had brought there last year. "If we keep 'em together it's all the same." ”

“ Just now Aunt Jane had a lively young niece from Albany spending the fall with her, named Gussie Ricker. One day, when Flaxie Frizzle was at Aunt Jane's, Gussie proposed that Flaxie and Lucy should make a call upon a little girl who was visiting Mrs. Prim.
"O, yes," said Lucy, "we truly must call on Dovey Sparrow. She has frizzly curls like Flaxie's, and she can play five tunes on the piano. But, Gussie, how do you make calls?"
"O," replied Miss Gussie, with a twinkle in her eye, "all sorts of ways. Sometimes we take our cards; but it isn't really necessary for little girls to do that. ”

“ Ah, Flaxie, Flaxie! To think you should know no better than to meddle with such dreadful things! The antimony was as poisonous as it could be; but, if anybody had told you so, you would have swallowed it all the same, I suppose, you silly little creature!
How much antimony Flaxie took, I'm sure I don't know, but it was a great deal; [23] and it frightens me now to think of it, for this is a true story.
"I'm a doctor's chillen; I mus' take mederson," said she, making a wry face as she found it did not taste at all "nice." ”

“ My mamma's a great deal better'n Mrs. Prim."
"O, well, lots of folks are better than Mrs. Prim," said Ninny, growing earnest. "Now, there's Mrs. Stillman; if she didn't live so far off we could pick for her. Why once she gave Eva Snow all she got on three boxes, and told her to keep it, for it was hard work to pick in such a broiling sun. Eva took the money, and bought her mother a great piece of salmon."
"O, my," cried Lucy; "why don't we take some of the money Mr. Potter pays us, and not give it to Mrs. Prim? I'd like to buy my mamma a great big piece of—something." ”

“ Flaxie danced for joy.
"There, I knew you'd be happy now, Flaxie Frizzle," said Ninny, who stood anxiously looking on.
"I hope the kitty'll be happy," sighed Lena, who thought that was far more important. "I hope you'll feed it well; it's used to it," she added, a little proudly.
"O, yes, what do you feed it with?" asked Ninny.
"Sour milk," drawled the little French girl.
"I never heard of sour milk for a cat," said Ninny, when Lena had left; "but perhaps this is a French cat." ”

“ He struggled with all his might; but it was two against one, and he could not help himself.
"Oogle, oogle, goggle!" screamed he; for his mouth was so full of water that he could not speak.
"Pat him on the back," said Jack Snow, always ready with advice.
"Oogle, oogle, oggle, goggle!" cried Preston, striking out both arms, and determined to dive again; but the boys held [32] him fast. If they had not held him, he would certainly have drowned, but he could not have saved Flaxie. He had courage enough, and will enough for a grown man; but, alas, his strength was only that of a little boy. ”

“ I don't know what I should do without you, now Bertie's gone to New Jersey."
"A dear good boy he is," thought Aunt Jane, as the little fellow disappeared with the gallon jug; and Grandpa Pressy, as if he had heard her thought, answered,—
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"Yes, Preston is a dear good boy, Jane. His mother worries for fear he'll fall into bad company; but it's my opinion she is over-anxious. Preston will come out all right."
"O, yes, we all think so," responded Aunt Jane. "And who ever heard of such a child to do errands? He and Ninny are alike about that; they are both a great deal better than Lucy. ”

“ Who ever said they had seeds!"
"I don't like to have you call me niggeramus," said Rose, with a quivering lip. "My mamma never said so."
"Well, my sister Ninny says so; and she studies hist'ry. You don't know what words mean, Rosie; you don't go to school!"
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"No," said Rose, hanging her head, "I haven't never been to school, 'cause mamma says I'm not velly well."
"'Fore I'd be a cry-baby, Mrs. Midge," returned Flaxie, enjoying the very humble look on her cousin's face. "You wouldn't dare go to school, 'cause there are cows in the road." ”

“ Flaxie threw the vial and the box behind the looking-glass, and answered, in an innocent tone,—
"Here I is!"
Of course she knew Dora meant her; for Dora never, never called anybody else a "try-patience."
"What are you up in this chair for, rummaging round in folks' bureaux?" said Dora, hugging and scolding and shaking her, all in a breath.
"I wasn't doin' nuffin," said guilty little [24] Flaxie, pouting. "If you scold to me, Dodo, I'll make me a naughty little goorl!"
"You're always naughty, without making. There, now, come away: this room is no place for you." ”

“ I s'pose it's me that's to blame," said Flaxie, rather sulkily, though she was very sorry too. "I can't say a single thing but she cries."
"Well, you must be kind to her; she isn't used to cross words. Her sister Lucy is very different from you," said Ninny, [123] taking Rose into her arms, in a motherly way.
"You blame me, and everybody blames me," growled Flaxie; "but I can't say an eeny-teeny thing but she cries."
Flaxie kept telling herself Rose was a cry-baby; but in her heart she knew it was her own rudeness which had wounded her sensitive little cousin in the first place. ”

“ The travellers had not been home a week before Grandpa Pressy sent for Ninny to go and make him and grandma a visit, and this left Flaxie Frizzle rather lonesome; for Preston did not care to play with girls when he could be with Bert Abbott. Besides, he and his cousin Bert were uncommonly busy about this time, getting up a pin-show in Dr. Gray's barn.
So Flaxie's mamma often let her run over to Aunt Jane Abbott's to see Lucy and Rose. I have not told you before of these cousins, because there have been so many other things to talk about that I have not had time. ”

“ Mrs. Gray began; and, when she got as far as this,—"Cinderella asked her mother, and her mother said, 'No, Cinderella, you can't go to the party,'" then Flaxie smiled. Somehow she liked to hear about Cinderella's having a hard time: she thought she had a hard time herself. But, when the story was half done, she wanted something else.
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"You don't tell good stories, mamma. I wish you'd never been made!"
"O, how can you talk so to your good mother?" said Ninny, much shocked. "You'd better tell a story yourself, and see if you can do better than she does." ”

“ They said, "You ain't a bit to blame for getting mad, Preston. It's pretty plain who killed your rabbit. Wonder how Bert Abbott'd like it if you should give a sling at Old Brownie? 'Twould be no more'n fair!"
"That's so," said Preston, growing angrier and angrier, as they talked over his wrongs, till it seemed to him he couldn't stand it [78] another minute without revenging himself on Bert.
"If he kills my rabbit, why shouldn't I kill his?" he argued with himself, stealing round by Aunt Jane Abbott's on his way home from school at noon. ”

“ Papa. "If he never has any teeth of his own, I will buy him some gold ones."
"O, that'll be so nice," cried Flaxie. "I never saw any gold teeth in all my life."
That year, late in September, Flaxie Frizzle went with her mamma and baby Phil to the city of Louisville, in Kentucky, to see Grandpa and Grandma Curtis. Dr. Gray staid at home with Ninny and Preston.
"Poor papa couldn't come, 'cause he has to give folks their mederson," explained Miss Frizzle, before she had taken off her bonnet in grandma's parlor. ”

“ Prim herself took the berries off the large white platters and [181] arranged them in the boxes: she never let the children do that; and Ninny always observed that she was very sure to put the largest berries on top.
"They are unusually nice to-day," said Mrs. Prim, as she placed the boxes carefully in a market-basket, and gave the basket to the little girls; "and you may tell Mr. Potter that I expect half a dollar a box for them, and am not willing to take a cent less."
"Yes'm," murmured Flaxie, as Lucy and Ninny trudged off down the dusty street, with the basket between them. ”

“ As the cage was Preston's, and kept in his mother's clothes-yard, it followed that Preston saw more of the rabbits, and had more care of them than Bert. But, alas, Flaxie had the care of them too! When Preston was gone to school, she hovered around them, saying to herself,—
"I mustn't lose these wabbits. It isn't my wabbits. If I should lose 'em, I should be 'spised; and, when I grow up a woman, [71] then folks will look to me and say, 'Flaxie, where's those wabbits?'"
And, saying this, she let them out of the cage. ”

“ Gray went out of the yard, he said to his stable-boy,—
"Crawford, I think the crows are getting too much of that corn we planted. Can't you put up a scarecrow?"
Crawford thought he could, and went into the house to ask Dora for some old clothes.
"I'll tell you what you'd better do, Crawford," said Dora. "Make a little [17] scarecrow, and dress it up like Flaxie Frizzle. I'll get you some of her old clothes."
"That's just the thing," replied Crawford. "Give me her red hood and waterproof, and I'll stuff 'em out with hay. O, my, won't the crows be scared?" ”

“ The next summer after this, when Flaxie was "going on seven years old," she and sister Ninny and Lucy Abbott made a bargain with Mrs. Prim to pick strawberries for her at three cents a box. They were glad to do it, for they were saving money to buy a pretty white vase for Rosa's grave; and they wanted to earn it all themselves. Flaxie thought she helped as much as anybody ”

“ It was about the right size to throw at a rabbit's head.
Poor, unsuspecting Brownie! There she was, in the garden, munching cabbage-leaves, when Preston crept toward her, looking this way and that, to make sure nobody saw him. She heard the slight sound of his boots, and sat up on her [79] haunches, perfectly motionless, to listen. Certainly he never could have had a better chance to aim at her than then. ”

“ She's real white; and I can't stand it," said Preston, stroking her cold cheeks in alarm.
At that Flaxie began to cry. She was not in pain, as she had been when she got the slate-pencil up her nose; but somehow she felt very unhappy.
"Guess I's goin' to die," sobbed she.
"Why, Flaxie Frizzle Gray, what do you mean by such talk as that? What do YOU know about dying?"
"O, I know 'bout it; we'll all die some [29] day, mamma said so; guess it's some day now," gasped Flaxie, mournfully.
"That's not a pretty way to talk," said Bert Abbott. "Here, eat a raisin, Flaxie, that's a good baby." ”

“ After supper she undressed Philly and put him in his little berth; for they were not likely to reach Shawneetown, at this rate, before morning.
"They are all longing to see us," thought Mrs. Gray, kissing her sleeping baby. Mrs. Hyde was her own mother, [90] and they had not met for two years. "O, yes, Philly, your grandma has a nice supper ready, and your Aunt Floy has been at the window all the afternoon. How slowly we do go. Hush, Philly, don't cry,—
'The owl and the pussy cat went to sea,
In a beautiful pea-green boat.'"
Philly dropped off to sleep at last. ”