Sophie May

“ Why, lawful sakes, your face is as white as a pond-lily!"
"It's my heart," whispered Prudy, faintly; "it whisks just like the eggs Norah beats in a bowl. But it's no matter, sir; I don't think I'm afraid,—or only a little speck," added she, in a lower whisper; for, though anxious to be polite, she did not mean to tell anything but the "white truth."
The little girl's gentle ways won the soap-boiler's heart at once. "What's your fathers name, little dear?" inquired he, as they went clattering through the streets.
"His name is Mr. Edward Parlin.—But O, I don't see a single thing of Dotty!" ”

“ Prudy's fresh delight and surprise were so pleasant to witness that her mother allowed her to linger for a while, mincing berries for the nestlings supper.
When, at last, they reached Mrs. Eastman's, Prudy eagerly described the young wonders she had found.
"It was like a story," said she, "of little widow-children,—how the mother was dead, and the children had to stay alone."
"Children are never widows," said Susy, laughing; "it isn't possible! But if their parents die, they are orphans sometimes." ”

“ Very few were the people who seemed to remember that her name was Alice.
She had a pair of busy dimples, which were a constant delight to her sisters.
"They twinkle, twinkle like little stars, only they don't shine," cried Prudy.
"Why," said Susy, "it's just as if her cheeks were made of water, and we were skipping pebbles in 'em."
And because of these tiny whirl pools, the child was usually called Dotty Dimple. From the time she could stand on her own little feet, she was a queen of a baby, and carried her small head very high. ”

“ Parlin suggested that she would like to call the baby Alice Barrow, in honor of a dear friend, now in heaven.
She grew to be a fair, fat baby; and while her teeth were pricking through, like little pointed pearls, Susy's front teeth were dropping out. Then she grew to be a toddling child; and while she was learning to walk, Prudy was beginning to sew patchwork. For time does not stand still; it passed, minute by minute, over the heads of Susy, Prudy, and Alice, as well as all the rest of the world. And soon it brought an end to Alice's babyhood. ”

“ Prudy said she had to sing to herself for all the things she saw looked as happy as if they were alive. As Prudy talked, she flew from flower to flower, like a honey-bee.
"I can't wait for Prudy to walk so zigzag," said Susy.
Mrs. Parlin suggested that Susy should keep on, and tell her aunt Eastman they were coming. Then she allowed Prudy to walk as "zigzag" as she pleased; for Mrs. Parlin had long patience with her children.
"O, mamma," said Prudy, suddenly stopping short, and standing on one foot; "if there isn't a cow!" ”

“ Then she went into the parlor, like a little gray cloud.
"O, dear; I don't like this house, 'cause it's got a top to it! Wish I was somewhere else!"
"Poor child," said Colonel Allen, who was seated on the sofa, looking out of the bay-window upon the garden; "do you love home better than this beautiful spot?"
"No," replied the little one, shaking her head. "I don't love my home, 'cause I live there; I don't love nothin'. O, hum, suz!"
Then Dotty wandered into the nursery, and stood all alone, leaning against the lounge. ”

“ How do you do, little sister?"
The baby made no reply.
"Why! don't you love me? This is me: my name's Prudy. I've got a red pocket dress;—Santa Claw bringed it."
Still the little stranger paid no heed,—only winked her small, bright eyes, and at last closed them entirely.
"O, my stars! she don't hear the leastest thing," sobbed Prudy, glad of an excuse to cry again. "She can't hear the leastest mite of a thing! Where's the holes in her ears gone to? O, dear, dear!"
It seemed to Susy that this was the happiest day of her life. She stole up to her mother and kissed her. ”

“ Who's you goin' to marry, Prudy?"
"Nobody, Dotty, as long as I live! I shall stay at home with my mother, and she'll be sitting in the rocking-chair, knitting, and father'll be sitting by the window, reading the paper.—But there," added she, "aunt Madge might be married three or four times, and I wouldn't care. It's her going to New York that makes my heart ache so."
"Well, shell come back bimeby," said Dotty, soothingly.
"O," replied Prudy, with a wise smile; "seems to me when I was four years old I knew a great deal more than you do, child! People that are married stay away always." ”

“ What do you suppose aunt Martha'll say? 'Bravo! those are smart children, to be rowing all alone, by themselves'!"
"O, Susy, what a hubble-bubble we make in the water! Look at the bubbles winkin' their eyes! See those pretty wrinkles, all puckered up in the water!"
"I see them," said Susy, steadily plying her shingle; "but why don't you sit still? You'll tip us both over, as sure as this world; and if we get drowned I guess grandma'll scold! I shall be the one to have all the blame."
"O, dear," said Dotty, reeling about from side to side, "the boat's dizzy! ”

“ Dotty tucked in the kitty's tail, and drew the carriage about the room, to give "Pusheen" an airing. "Pusheen" was her kitty's name in Irish.
"You can't think how dreadful it is, Dotty, to grow up and not know anything!"
Dotty turned a short corner. Pusheen had a fall; down came the little cab, kitty and all.
"To grow up and not know anything," continued Prudy. "O, it's enough to break anybody's heart!"
"Be you goin' to cry?" said Dotty, in a soft voice, kneeling, and peeping up into Prudy's eyes, with some curiosity. ”

“ But Zip was allowed to go to Willow-brook; and Dotty watched him all the way, scarcely allowing him to stir from the seat beside her.
"No," said she, holding him firmly by both ears; "Dotty'd be glad to let you get down, but she doesn't think it's best. You is only a doggie, and you'd get runned over and die. So now, Zippy, you'll have to give up, and it's no use to bark."
But Zip, having the spirit of a dog, would bark.
The whole party reached Willow-brook in safety, and had a joyful welcome.
"Prudy, my aunt Louise is the handsomest lady there is in this world," said Dotty, privately. ”

“ Dotty was not allowed to attend Sabbath school again that year; but it was a long time before she forgot some of the things she had heard Miss Carlisle say. Many of the strange words rang in her ears for weeks after wards, though she said nothing about them.
One day she rushed into the nursery out of breath. Prudy was kneeling before her little trunk, putting in order the paper dolls, which Dotty had scattered over the floor. They were a sad sight. Some of them had lost their heads, and some had lost their fine clothes, which are worth as much as heads any day—to dolls. ”

“ She can tuck her candy in, and her pyunes and pfigs, and teenty apples. Oho!"
"'Twill be as mother says about giving her your dress, Prudy; but we shall be glad to see you kind to the new sister," said Susy, who was fond of giving small lectures to Prudy. "We ought to be kind to her, for God sent her down on purpose. Of course it will be me that will take the most care of her; but maybe they'll let you watch her sometimes when she's asleep. Don't blow open her eyes any more, Prudy; that's very naughty. If we do just as we ought to, and are kind to her, she'll be a comfort, and grow up a lady!" ”

“ The girls looked on and smiled, and Dotty gave a little purr of satisfaction.
"Everybody'll think mother doesn't teach her good manners," thought poor Susy, hardly knowing whether she ate bread or ashes.
"Dear, dear," said Prudy to herself; "Dotty may die some time, and then I should be sorry, and cry. ”

“ Next day she was duly punished by being tied to the bedpost with the clothes-line.
"I wish her reasons would begin to grow," sighed Prudy. "I never can feel happy when Dotty gets into a fuss."
"I've been thinking it all over," replied Susy, "and I've made up my mind that God allows her to mortify you and me. You know we must have some kind of a trial, or we shouldn't grow gentle and sweet tempered."
"As mother is," added Prudy. ”

“ Dotty sighed as she cast a last glance at the table, and then, without a word, went up stairs, unwilling to be seen by aunt Martha with her "hair all over her head."
Then Abby's heart beat fast. She heard voices in the parlor, and knew that at any moment some one might enter the dining-room, and discover her. So making a hasty choice of two large pieces of jelly-cake, and half a dozen tarts, she swept out of the room just in time to escape meeting grandma Parlin. ”

“ Zip looked rather uneasy, but followed close by her side. Dotty walked on and on, till the track had faded quite away. This was not the road to aunt Martha's. Why didn't Abby come?
Dotty, too proud to cry, too angry to look back, wandered till she came to the edge of the Parlin woods. Here was a little creek, tumbling over some small gray rocks; the same "creek" where Horace had sometimes gone fishing.
"True as you live," said Dotty to herself, "here's a teenty-tonty river." ”

“ Strange to say, dearly as Dotty loved this kind sister, she enjoyed seeing her punished. She was vexed because Prudy was allowed, after all, to sit at the table with the rest of the family. The little creature was very tired, for she had driven ducks all the long summer day. She was also a little sleepy; and, more than all, it was one of her "temper days," when everything went wrong.
After tea she had a serious quarrel with her little cousin Johnny, over a dead squirrel, which they both tried to feed with sugared water, from a teaspoon. ”

“ Dotty looked as unmoved as one of the stone lions, and took no notice of the request.
"What made they put two trees 'side that one tree?" asked she, by way of changing the subject.
"Now, Dotty, you will go, that's a little love," said Susy, wringing her hands. "Only think, if you don't you'll lose five kisses to-night, and I dare say mamma will punish you, too."
"There's a man goin' by—old all over, and a white whisker. Who is it?" inquired Dotty, changing the subject again. "The whisker looks like snow, 's if his chin's cold!"
"Never mind the man," returned Prudy. ”

“ It was well for Susy that her over-strained feelings now found vent in words and tears. "There is no grief like the grief which does not speak." Her dumb agony gave way, and she wept and raved like a little wild thing.
Mrs. Parlin ordered the boys to lead the pony around to the back door, and there she washed out his wounds, trying all the while to soothe Susy, whose heart was beating a quick-step, and who trembled in every limb.
"Old Grimes is dead, that good old man!" repeated Prudy, with angry emphasis ”

“ Dear me, I can't stop to hunt; and here it is five o'clock long ago! O, I'll take this good smooth shingle, I declare! I guess it washed ashore on purpose; it's almost equal to a paddle.—Now we'll go, all so nice," continued Susy, fearlessly dipping the chance-found shingle into the water.
"O, my suz," said Dotty, clapping her hands, which had any amount of dimples on the backs; "we're goin'!"
"Of course we're going!" said Susy, proudly. "What did you expect? I can do five times as well with a shingle as Lonnie can with a paddle. ”

“ We was playing 'thimble-coop.' She broked it all to smash!"
"O, mother," said Susy, running out to the kitchen; "Dotty's making up fibs as fast as she can speak! You'll have to shut her up in the closet."
"Not so fast, my dear. Let us wait till we hear both sides of the story."
And, as it turned out, Dotty really did not deserve to be punished for wrong stories. She and Prudy had each assisted in breaking the teapot; one had knocked it off the bureau, and the other had stepped on it. But Dotty, who gloried in "a fuss," had begged to be the one to tell Susy the startling news. ”

“ One of these days, when her reason grows, she will be a real blessing to us all.'"
Mrs. Parlin proceeded to put on Dotty's outer wrappings, saying she must be taken home. The child struggled and screamed, and declared she "would be good, she would be a comfort;" but her mother was firm, though her sweet temper never for a moment forsook her. Susy and Prudy looked on, and learned a lesson in patience which was worth twenty lectures.
Percy Eastman was as glad to carry his spirited little cousin back as he had been to bring her to his house. Mrs. Parlin rode too; but Susy and Prudy walked. ”

“ What right had a man to abuse anybody's horse—more especially hers?
"Mr. Grimes ought to be 'dited, and sent to the Reform School or State's Prison this very night," said she, in her wrath. Prudy thought precisely the same; also Miss Dimple, who looked upon the whole affair as a joke, intended for her amusement.
When Mr. Parlin came home to tea, and heard the story, he did not blame Susy in the least for her indignation, but started off for the blacksmith's with the limping pony, saying he meant to "inquire into the business." ”

“ Prudy'd cry! There goes the blacksmif's shop." Dotty meant the blacksmith. "His mother lets him go everywhere. Everybody's mother lets 'em go everywhere."
A prettily dressed little girl passed the window.
"How do you do, little girl?" whispered Dotty, in a voice so low that even the cat did not hear. "O, what a booful hat you've got! Would your mamma make you wear a rainy dress, like mine? No, she wouldn't. Your mamma lets you go to parties all the days only Sundays. My mamma has sticked me into the nursery, and nothin' but a dar'needle to sew with! ”

“ Dotty said the picture looked "like Zip with an umbrella over him."
After the second story, she was tired of the business.
"Look out the window, Prudy. See that whale! O, you April fool!"
The young sister sighed over her sister's light-minded behavior. When they came to C, which stood for cat, Dotty seized her kitty and tried to feed her with lozenges. But Pusheen turned away her head with a gesture which signified,—
"Candy isn't fit to touch. I'd eat a mouse with you, with pleasure."
"Talk," said Dotty; "say 'thank you,' Pusheen! No, indeed, you needn't do it; I's just in fun. ”