Flaxie

“ Poor little Flaxie, I know [Pg 76] she's rushing round that car and crying! What will she do with herself? She won't get off anywhere? Oh, no, Flaxie isn't such a goose as to get off a car unless there's some sense in it! There's only one goose in the family, and that's Preston Gray. No, she won't get off. And let's see, the conductor will remember her, on account of that cracker. ”

“ Flaxie dropped her head and blushed. “Oh, yes’m, I can stay. I’ve sent Preston home, and locked the door!”
Mrs. Proudfit smiled into the oven as she looked at her gingerbread, and thought—of course she did—that Flaxie Frizzle was a very queer child.
It did seem as if that gingerbread never38 would bake! A cloud came up, the wind blew, the baby cried so Patty couldn’t play, the children quarrelled, and the kitten ran round in a fit.
Nothing seemed half as nice as it had seemed an hour ago; and when supper was ready, that gingerbread was burnt, and, as true as you live, the preserves were sour! ”

“ 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.
[122]
"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? ”

“ It was, oh dear! it was the bell; and there was Mrs. Proudfit at the back door ringing it. Grown people are always thinking what time it is; they never forget.
“I’m sorry you can’t stay to tea, Miss Flaxie,” said Mrs. Proudfit, politely.
“Oh, I guess I can; I’ll go ask grammy,” replied the little girl, dashing off up the hill, followed by Patty.
“Oh, grammy, they want me to stay orf’ly,” she cried, out of breath, before they got to the house.
“Well, stay another hour, then,” said the dear grandma, though baby was very cross and her arms ached, and Flaxie could have been such a help. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Flaxie’s mother was so nice! Perhaps she had cows, and needed a little girl to milk them? But, oh dear, she wouldn’t hire anybody that couldn’t “behave!”
After this, Pecielena hovered about Camp Comfort longingly, but would have got no farther than the door-stone, if Flaxie had not come out and urged her to enter.
[188]
“Oh yes, come in, Pecy, come in, and have some raisins.”
It had been a bright day for Pecy when the Quintette came to Camp Comfort, a brighter day than she knew. Miss Pike had a “plan” for her. ”

“ This, with a side-glance at Mary. “I’d as lief let her have my handbag as not,” remarked Blanche Jones.
[182]
“Shan’t you do anything, Flaxie? You have so much money of your own.”
Mrs. Gray could scarcely restrain an amused smile as Mary replied in a low voice,
“Perhaps I’ll do something—I’ll see”—and then had to steal out of the room for fear she might add,—
“Yes, indeed I’m going to do more than all the rest of you put together. And if mamma’s willing, I shall teach Pecy her letters too!” ”

“ Me velly much obliged!"
"There, there, hush, Kittyleen," said Flaxie, crossly, "I want to go to sleep."
"Wish I had dolly here now; want to luf her this way," continued the little prattler, smoothing Flaxie's cheek with her tiny hand.
"No, no, you mustn't love my doll in that way; it isn't the way to love dolls. You mustn't touch her at all; you mustn't go anywhere near her, Kittyleen Garland," exclaimed Flaxie, growing alarmed. ”

“ Abbott," said she. "Everybody knows you are a high-minded, good woman; but I always thought you were rather too easy with your children: you don't know how Bert and Lucy behave when they are out of your sight; and I felt it my duty to come and tell you about this! I—"
"O! O! O!" struck in Flaxie, distressed by the sad faces around her; "I wish I's dead! I wish we's all dead and gone to heaven!"
Of course Flaxie's tears were of no more consequence than so much rain-water; but her mother had to take her in her arms and soothe her, while Aunt Jane answered Mrs. Prim. ”

“ Then the school was “perfickly elegant,” taught by that same dear teacher, Miss Pike. What if her nose was red, and her mouth so large that little Betty Chase called her “the lady that can’t shut her face”? She was just lovely for all that, and Flaxie and Milly couldn’t forget that she had saved the schoolhouse when it was set on fire by mistake. After that she hadn’t looked homely a minute,—only “a beautiful homely,” that is ever and ever so much better than handsome;—and the little girls fairly adored her. ”

“ It’s the biggest thing that’ll be done to-morrow, see if it isn’t?”
Mary looked doubtful.
“I was a goose to tell you, though, Flaxie; I might have known girls always make a fuss.”
[62]
“Oh, it isn’t because I’m a girl, Fred! Girls like fun as well as anybody, only girls have more——.” She did not know whether to say “delicacy” or “discretion,” but decided that either word would give offence; “girls are different.” ”

“ 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 ”

“ Flaxie pondered upon this speech as she sat rattling along in the cars, munching peanuts, while Mrs. Prim took care of the shells.
“Troublesome. Oh, my! ’s if I ever troubled anybody! ’Cept Grandma Gray; and that’s ’cause she’s got something in her back. But mamma always thinks Milly is nicer than me! Queer what makes mammas never like their own little girls!—I mean, not much. Now Aunt Charlotte thinks I’m the nicest. She scolds to Milly sometimes, but she don’t scold to ME!” ”

“ She’s going to scald me to death, and I s’pose you know I’m sick,” whined Flaxie, sinking down on the doormat, where the light of the lamp shone full upon her, and Mrs. Hunter saw—what she might have seen before, if she had not been so nervous—that the little girl wore a checked flannel nightie, and her feet were done up in poultices. ”

“ And one day after Flaxie had taught the little folks all the games she could possibly remember, she thought of a new thing to do.
“See there, Milly,” said she, pointing to a high pile of boards behind the schoolhouse, under one of the windows. “A man has gone and put those down there, and now let’s make a house of ’em, and live in it!” ”

“ First, though she longed for the visit, she regretted to miss "dear, darling Miss Pike," who was coming from Hilltop next week. Still, as this excellent lady intended to spend the winter at Dr. Gray's as governess in his family, Flaxie's being gone at the very first of her stay did not really matter so much.
As for the second bitter drop, it seemed to Flaxie that if she could only take this [Pg 51] journey alone, with the sole care of her own self, her own ticket, and her own valise, she should be "perfectly happy." She was no longer so very young. ”

“ And he did bear it nobly and patiently, and the whole family helped him. That is one comfort of having a father and mother, and brothers and sisters; they always do help you bear your troubles.
“Let’s read to him,” said Milly to Flaxie.160 So they read,—first one of them, and then the other,—whenever he wished. This would have been very pleasant if he had liked “nice books” such as little girls enjoy; but no, he chose stories of lion-tamers, and sea-serpents, and wild, dreadful Indians.
“Isn’t it just awful?” said Flaxie to Milly; but they read away like young martyrs. ”

“ Abbott's guest-chamber before the tall looking-glass. "Do tell me, Flaxie, does my hat look polite? I mean is it style enough?"
"It's as style as mine," replied Flaxie, gazing into the glass with Lucy. How pretty she thought Lucy was, because her eyes were black and her hair was dark and didn't "friz!"
"I wish I wasn't a 'tow-head,' and I wish I was as tall as you!" sighed she.
"Well, you don't care," said Lucy, graciously. "You'll grow. You're just as [102] good as I am if you only behave well. You mustn't run out your tongue, Flaxie: it looks as if you were catching flies. ”

“ This was the last Flaxie remembered. When the postmaster found her, she was sitting up, fast asleep, with her little tow head against the door, and the kitty in her arms. The kitty was still alive.
Eva Snow had come and let Ninny out of the closet long ago; and lots of people had been hunting ever since for Flaxie Frizzle. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Phil had a grieved lip. He hardly liked the little pink morsel in the nurse’s lap; but he was glad to see Flaxie, and stood on his head with delight.74
Mamma looked very happy, and so did Dr. Papa. Ninny went singing about the house, and Preston whistled more than ever.
It was all beautiful, only Flaxie wanted to have a “talk” with mamma, but nurse said, “You’d better go down-stairs to play;” and then, not long after supper, she said again, “And now you’d better go to bed!”
“A queer woman, scolding so to other people’s little girls,” thought Flaxie. ”

“ And who saved it?”
“Miss Pike!” broke forth all the children in chorus.
“Yes,” said Johnny; “but she marched us all out first, so the little ones wouldn’t get burnt. Never said a word about the fire till we got out!”106
“She always does things just right. She’s one of God’s girls,” cried Freddy.
“Yes,” broke in Flaxie, strongly excited; “I don’t care if I can’t see her soul. I’ve seen it shine! Oh, it’s beautiful to be homely!”
Nobody smiled—they all thought Flaxie was right.
“Yes, it is beautiful to be homely in just Miss Pike’s way,” said Aunt Charlotte. ”

“ Neither was Mary conscious this evening of her own looks and appearance. Her tresses “of crisped gold” floated unheeded, and she never once looked down at her new dress to admire the color. Her thoughts were not of herself but of others.
“Dr. Gray,” said Miss Pike in a low tone, “don’t you agree with me that this last year has been the best year of Mary’s life? I believe she will grow up to be a thoughtful, unselfish woman.”
“Flaxie Growing Up!” said Dr. Gray, blinking and rubbing his eyes. ”

“ 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." ”

“ It must be she is running away,” said the bridge-man’s wife, as Flaxie left her door. “I ought to have stopped her; but somebody will, of course.”
But nobody did. People only laughed at her kitty, and then passed on.
Soon the sun set, and the new moon shone white against the blue sky. Flaxie had often seen the moon, but it looked larger and rounder than this. What ailed it now?
“Oh, I know,” said she, “God has doubled it up.”
She had changed her mind, and did not want to go to her grandmother’s.
“Mr. Pratt fought I was bare-headed, and grandma’ll fink I’m bare-headed. ”

“ We shall never be able to leave Flaxie in charge of any thing; you might as well set a squirrel to watch a weasel," said Dr. Gray.
"I know it," replied his wife; "but I never saw a child six years old that could take charge of any thing, did you?"
Flaxie began to call for her supper the moment her father and mother and little Phil were out of sight.
"'Cause there's queam-cakes, too, I saw 'em. And then I guess I'd better go see Lucy; she's spectin' me."
[163]
"No, ma'am, Flaxie Frizzle," said Preston, firmly. "You're not going further than the weeping-willow this day ”

“ 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. ”