Sophie May

“ How often had she heard Prudy say, “It’s a quarter of,” and seen her skip out of the house, kissing her hand for good by! As the door closed after her, Dotty had always felt as if it shut herself out of something beautiful—something every way desirable.
And now it was coming,—the day and the hour. She was about to be a school-girl at last. No longer a little child, who stays at home and plays with paper dolls, [12] but a little woman, who goes out to learn the ways of the world. ”

“ Prudy remembers it, I know.”
“I mean to go ask her,” said Dotty, dropping a collar and bounding away. “Prudy,” said she, rushing into the house breathless, her cheeks and the tip of her nose glowing with the kisses of the wind. “I’ll tell you something. Did you ever have nails sticking to your fingers?”
“Yes, and I have now,” replied Prudy, holding out her hands, and exhibiting her rosy finger-tips.
“O, those! Why, Prudy Parlin, I think you’re real too-bad, and Norah too! She didn’t want me to spread clo’es; so she told a hint. She’s always telling hints. ”

“ So Dotty was put into a water-proof cloak, and went with her two sisters; no more afraid of the storm than a snow-bird wrapped in his feathers.
“You here? O, ho!” said Tate, putting her arm around Dotty; “they like to not let me come; but I told ’em you and I had some business.”
“That’s what I told my mother,” said Dotty; “now let’s go right up to Miss Parker, and ask her.” ”

“ All those who have not whispered may hold up their hands.”
Dotty saw Tate’s hand go up fearlessly, as it always did. Why not hers too?
“If I’m some bad, I might as well be all bad.”
Dotty gave one glance at Miss Parker’s red ear-rings, one glance of shame at her own boots, and then began to raise her left arm slowly, slowly, for something seemed to hold it down. It felt as heavy as an iron weight. She almost needed the other hand to help her draw it up. At the same time something knocked loudly at her heart, “Stop! stop! stop!” ”

“ It happened that the next day was stormy, so Tate could not wear her ruffled apron.
“It looks as if we were going to have a heavy snow-storm,” said Mrs. Parlin, looking out of the window. “Edward, is it best to let Alice go to school?”
“O, yes, I think so,” said Mr. Parlin, “you are not very tender—are you, chickie?”
Dotty had two little front pockets in her wrapper, and they were full of pop-corn.
“No, papa,” said she, “I’m ever so tough,” and went on sprinkling salt into her pockets from the salt-box with holes in the top. “No, papa, I want to go to school to-day very partic’lar. ”

“ We don’t live near a burnt place. I don’t know where we are any more,” said Tate, sitting down and beginning to cry.
Dotty looked around quite bewildered. Neither did she know where they were. She presumed they must be in Portland, for they had not had time to be blown out of the city. Yes, it was Portland; but what street? The late fire had swept away all the old “landmarks,” and where there had been buildings were now only black ruins. Tate and Dotty were not the first who had been confused by these heaps of brick and mortar; many older people had lost their way that winter. ”

“ Every time Miss Parker happened to look that way, they were studying very hard; and she smiled, as if to say, “Good little girls! Dear little girls!”
“Very queer,” thought Dotty; “she says it’s against rules to whisper, but we can do it ’thout her scolding the leastest bit.”
“Yes,” replied Tate, “if I couldn’t see any better’n Miss Parker can, I’d wear spettycles.”
“But she sees us when we do things she [45] never told us not to, and not breaking rules at all,” said Dotty, scornfully. ”

“ She drew her sled to school nearly every day, for there was enough dirty snow and ice in the yard to afford a little coasting. Several of the other children had sleds, but Lina Rosenberg had none, and, remembering the former friendship between herself and Dotty, followed her like her shadow, begging for rides. ”

“ Parlin laughed.
“Miss Parker should be more careful how she puts out words. Is it not surprising how everybody contrives to cheat my little daughter, while she herself so seldom makes mistakes?”
Dotty did not see that her papa was joking, and feeling very much pleased with his remarks, she was about to pour out the story of her trials, when Prudy said,—
“‘Saw? saw?’ Is that a preposition, papa, or an adverb?”
Mr. Parlin laughed again, and remarked to his wife that he thought their children were “growing very learned.” ”

“ The men and women who seemed to be doing nothing at all but try to keep from tipping over, were actually singing, only the music, like the rippling of the looking-glass brooks, was so very low that it couldn’t be heard. ”

“ Dotty gave it with delight, and whenever her breath failed, Tate added a word of her own.
“If her nose hadn’t bled that time, Miss Parker, we were going to ask you something. Mayn’t we sit together? ’Cause Tate likes [145] me, and she don’t like Dice Prosser; do you, Tate?”
“Not much,” replied Tate, timidly; “but I don’t hate her near so bad as you do Lina Rosenberg.”
“O, I don’t hate anybody,” said Dotty, virtuously; “only I asked my mother which she wanted me to sit with, and she said ‘Tate,’ if you’re perfectly willing, Miss Parker. ”

“ As the two children walked on together in advance of Susy, every object looked to Dotty wondrous fair.
“Prudy,” said she, confidentially, “I’ve played enough. I may play a little more once in a while, but not much. I want to grow a great lady, like mamma, and read poetry, and write letters.” ”

“ I’m sorry.”
[62]
“I’m glad you did,” returned Miss Parker. “I’m glad you did. It is just possible there may be other little girls who act the lie. I thought I could read faces, but the best of us are liable to mistakes.”
Prudy hurried away, lest she should forget herself so far as to smile. After she had gone, Miss Parker called Dotty to her side.
“Your sister has been telling me all about it,” putting her arm around the child. “I forgive you freely.”
Dotty raised her face joyfully to meet her teacher’s kiss, and this time it did not feel like a coal of fire on her lips. ”

“ Your nose is just like an inkstand; every time anybody touches it, it tips over.”
“It isn’t any matter,” whispered Tate, “only I shall bleed the floor, and bleed my dress. I want to go home, and haven’t any apron on.”
“Here, take my slate, Tate Penny, and the sponge, too, while I ask Miss Parker if I mayn’t go home with you.”
“Tate has got the nose-bleed, Miss Parker,” said Dotty, “both sides of her nose, and I was the one that did it, but ’twas untennyshal. Mayn’t I take her home before she bleeds the house all up? She’s got it real hard, both sides, Miss Parker.” ”

“ I don’t want my little girl to go to school and never come home any more.’
“My father didn’t know what he’s doing, when he said I wasn’t tender! He thought I’d cough to death when I was little; he didn’t know this was a great deal worse’n the whooping-cough.”
Unhappy Dotty! Unhappy Tate! Two forlorn little creatures, fighting against a terrible fate!
“There don’t anybody care what ’comes of us,” said Dotty aloud, at last. “There isn’t anybody anywhere, Tate Penny, and nothing in this world but just snow!” ”

“ Dotty took up a handkerchief, shook it once or twice, and spread it on the line; but before she had secured it with a clothespin, it was frozen stiff.
“Why, Norah, what makes you starch [9] the clothes before you put them out? Why don’t you wait till they’re dry?”
“It isn’t starch, Miss Dotty; it’s the cold weather. You’d better run into the house before you freeze.” ”

“ Piper’s boys were all gone, but thinking that did not make the cats and hens any the less funny.
[156]
“The reason I want little children to come to my school is, because my hens and cats can’t talk to me, and sometimes I am lonesome. I teach my scholars to be good,” said she, turning to shake a little girl for snapping apple-seeds; “that is better than book-learning. I am talking to them to-day about truth. Do you always tell the truth, little dear?” said she to Dotty, so abruptly that Dotty found it hard to keep from laughing. ”

“ When Dotty looked out of the window, there lay the world, all dead and buried, nothing to be seen but mounds of snow.
“The streets are gone,” said Dotty, “and everything else. You could ride top o’ the houses, and not know the difference. The trees look as if they were sound asleep and [129] being rocked, with their night-caps on. Horses sleep standing up; so do trees, too.”
“My mother didn’t sleep,” said Tate. “I know she must a’ laid awake and cried. She can’t eat a speck o’ breakfast, and Nancy’ll bring her some toast in bed.”
“My mamma never eats in bed,” said Dotty ”

“ Miss Parker says you learn very fast.”
“O, Prudy, did you see her to-day; and what did she say about me and Tate?”
“She feels dreadfully, Dotty; the tears came to her eyes.”
“They did, Prudy? Well, I should think they would. Letting two little things like us lose ourself! Wasn’t it awful? She’ll kiss me when I go back to school, and she’ll want to give me pep’mints and taffy; but it wouldn’t be polite right before the other girls. ”

“ My mamma doesn’t wish me to tell things, Miss Parker. When it’s sober true that people do things, she won’t let me tell.”
Miss Parker pressed Dotty a little closer to her side.
“Very well, my dear. But it seems that, at any rate, you talk to Tate, and it makes your neck and face ache if you don’t talk; so perhaps I ought to separate you. What do you think?”
“Yes’m; no’m; I don’t know.”
“But I think I know, Dotty. I shall let [65] you sit with Lina Rosenberg. She is a very quiet child, and if you shut your lips together very tight, I think you may keep from whispering.” ”

“ The end of it all was, that as Dotty would not go to Mrs. Piper’s school, Tate left it, and went back to Miss Parker with Dotty.
“We want to sit together as long as we live,” said Dotty, coming home one night in a very happy frame of mind; “and the teacher says we are her little comforts!”
“Only think of Dotty’s being a comfort!” said Susy, with a curling lip; but Mrs. Parlin [167] looked at her oldest daughter reprovingly, and Susy added,—
“But you do grow better, Dotty, I declare you do!” and kissed the child on the forehead. ”

“ Prudy said she was willing. Prudy was always expected to stand with a little flask in her hand, ready to pour oil on Dotty’s troubled waters.
“Miss Parker,” whispered she, taking the teacher aside, “my little sister has done a dreadful thing, and she can’t be happy till you forgive her.”
“Why, what has she done?” asked Miss Parker. “She learns wonderfully fast. I am pleased with Dotty. She gives me more trouble than my little Prudy did; but I like her very much. What has she done?”
“She told you a wrong story last night, Miss Parker. She and Tate Penny whisper the whole time ”

“ I told her I’d tell my papa, and when the mayor took her to the jurymens, then how’d she feel!”
“Why, Dotty, did you talk so to Lina?”
“O, I didn’t say much, mamma; only told her she was an awful, wicked, horrid girl; and oughtn’t I to say so, you know? for it’s the black and blue truth, mamma, and you wouldn’t want me to tell a lie!”
Dotty’s tongue was running at such a rate that it must be stopped at once.
“You may go up stairs, Dotty, and get [81] your grandmother’s knitting; but do not let us hear another word about your pencil to-night.” ”

“ In fact, they [78] thought she was too young to study grammar.
“But all this while we have not heard from Dotty,” said Mrs. Parlin; “she began to speak a little while ago, and some of us interrupted her.”
“O, nothing, mamma, only Lina Rosenbug’s been stealing!”
“Stealing, Dotty!”
“Yes’m; my screw-up pencil.”
“Are you perfectly sure?”
“Yes, mamma; my pocket was next to her, and there’s where I put my pencil.”
“Wait a minute,” said Mr. Parlin. “Your pocket’s being next to a person doesn’t prove that that person has put his hand in it.” ”

“ I presume Nancy doesn’t hear her say her prayers half the time. She seems inclined to tell wrong stories lately; who knows but I could break up the habit, if, as Dotty Dimple says, I put her to bed myself?”
[123]
Mr. Parlin overtook Ben Penny, and helped him home. By that time he longed for shelter: but how could he rest until he had seen for himself that Dotty was safe? The Rosenberg boy had no doubt intended to tell the truth, but there might be some mistake; so the anxious father went all the way to Mr. Harris’s, and, when he arrived there, found the children fast asleep. ”

“ There were only ten scholars in it, and they all seemed to feel quite at home; but Dotty looked in vain for the gingerbread. There was a little earthen tea-pot on the air-tight stove, also a flat-iron.
“What a queer school!” thought she; for the hens in the back room cackled so loud as to drown the voice of a little girl reading. Mrs. Piper saw Dotty laugh behind Johnny’s shoulder, and she laughed too.
“You think I’m a funny old woman,” said she, “because I keep hens in the shed; but it’s a very warm place for ’em, dear. When I had little boys of my own, I didn’t keep cats and hens ”

“ I don’t care how much she loves you, Tate, if my father’d only come and take me home.”
“Cheer up, children,” said Mrs. Harris; “he’ll be here soon; just as soon as the men [130] can cut a road through the drifts. Now come and eat your breakfasts, dears.”
“She heard what you said, Tate Penny! You always talk so loud!” whispered Dotty.
[131]
CHAPTER X.
SAFE AT HOME.
It was nearly noon before Mr. Parlin could go for the children. Dotty was received at home as joyfully as if she had been gone on a long journey. ”