EH 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.: 
 
 1.25 
 
 ISO ""^ m^M 
 
 m 
 
 2.0 
 
 Urn 
 
 1.4 
 
 1.6 
 
 m 
 
 <p^ 
 
 A 
 
 A 
 
 r 
 
 .^ ;V 
 
 
 ^5. 
 
 V 
 
 /I 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 873-4503 
 
CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHM/ICIVIH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may be bibliographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming, are checked below. 
 
 L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details 
 do cet exemplaire qui sont peut-§tre uniques du 
 point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la m^thode normale de filmage 
 sont indiquds ci-dessous. 
 
 n 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 n 
 
 Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 □ Covers damaged/ 
 Couverture endommagde 
 
 □ Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaur^e et/ou pellicu!6e 
 
 Cover title missing/ 
 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 I I Coloured maps/ 
 
 Cartes gdographiques en couleur 
 
 Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 □ Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 Reli6 avec d'autres documents 
 
 I I Coloured pages/ 
 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommagies 
 
 □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 Pages restaurdes et/ou pelliculdes 
 
 Bl 
 
 Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ 
 Pages ddcolordes, tachet6es ou piqu^es 
 
 □ Pages detached/ 
 Pages d6tachdes 
 
 I ~Y Showthrough/ 
 \-l\ Transparence 
 
 I I Quality of print varies/ 
 
 D 
 
 Quality in6gale de I'impression 
 
 Includes supplementary material/ 
 Comprend du materiel supplementaire 
 
 n 
 
 n 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 La reliure serr^e peut causer de Tombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la marge intdrieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties 
 lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, 
 mais, lorsque cela itait possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas 6t6 film6es. 
 
 n 
 
 Only edition available/ 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to 
 ensure the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou partiellement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, 
 etc., ont 6t6 filmies d nouveau de facon h 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 D 
 
 Additional comments:/ 
 Commentaires suppl^mentaires; 
 
 This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ce document est filmi au taux de rMuction indiqui ci-dessous. 
 
 10X 14X 18X 22X 
 
 26X 
 
 30X 
 
 4 
 
 12X 
 
 16X 
 
 2DX 
 
 24X 
 
 28X 
 
 32X 
 
ails 
 
 du 
 
 difier 
 
 jne 
 
 lage 
 
 The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks 
 to the generosity of: 
 
 National Library of Canada 
 
 The Images appearing here are the best quality 
 polsible considering the condition and legibility 
 of the original copy and in keeping with the 
 filming contract specifications. 
 
 L'exemplaire fiim6 fut reproduit grfice d la 
 g6n6rosit6 de: 
 
 Ribliothdque nationale du Canada 
 
 Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le 
 plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et 
 de la nettete de l'exemplaire filmd, et en 
 conformity avec les conditions du contrat de 
 filmage. 
 
 Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed 
 beginning with the front cover and ending on 
 the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All 
 other original copies are filmed beginning on the 
 first page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, and ending on the last page with a printed 
 or illustrated impression. 
 
 The last recorded frame on each microfiche 
 shall contain the symbol ^*- {meaning "CON- 
 TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), 
 whichever applies. 
 
 Maps, pletes, charts, etc., may be filmed at 
 different reduction ratios. Those too large to be 
 entirely included in one exposure are filmed 
 beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to 
 right and top to bottom, as many frames as 
 required. The following diagrams illustrate the 
 method: 
 
 Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en 
 papier est imprim6e sont film6s en commen^ant 
 par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la 
 dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration. soit par le second 
 plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires 
 originaux sont film6s en commenpant par la 
 premidre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par 
 la Harnidre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 Un dos symboies suivants apparaitra sur la 
 dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le 
 cas: le symbole — •- signifie "A SUIVRE ", le 
 symbole V signifie "FIN". 
 
 Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre 
 film6s d des taux de reduction diff^rents. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre 
 reproduit en un seul clichd, il est filmd d partir 
 de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, 
 et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre 
 d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants 
 illustrent la mdthode. 
 
 rata 
 
 
 
 telure. 
 
 3 
 
 32X 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 

 (A 
 
 M 
 
 K 
 
 (< 
 
 * 
 

 Eight Cousins; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE AUNT-HILL. 
 
 BY 
 
 LOUISA M. ALCOTT, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "little WOMEN," "aN OLD-FASHIONED GIKL," '• LITTLE MEN," 
 
 "hospital sketches," "avnt jo's scrap-bag," "work." 
 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 'ontreal : 
 
 DAWSON BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS. 
 
 1875. 
 
 *»■ 
 
 wpmii 
 
culture. ' *"^''' ^**''' *"<* Sbarlb, in the office of the Miuwter of AjTrr 
 
 Agri- 
 
 D-i s ,, TORONTO: 
 Frint«l by Hmmm, Rosr ft Oo. 
 
 
 Mto.*»»«»««iB»ii iiiiiWWtilWwaiiiiilBWiWiwaii^i 
 
 '"'•att^'*'^'''**''*^'** 
 
w^ 
 
 cJ c 
 
 
 Ow^ 
 
 
 O-A 
 
 
 
I , 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The Author is quite aware of the defects of this little 
 
 story, many of which were unavoidable, as it first appeared 
 
 serially. But, as Uncle Alec's experiment was intended 
 
 to amuse the young folks, rather than suggest educational 
 
 improvements for the consideration of the elders, she 
 
 trusts that these short-comings will be overlooked by the 
 
 friends of the Eight Cousins, and she will try to make 
 
 amends in a second volume, which shall attempt to show 
 
 The Rose in Bloom. 
 
 L. M. A. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 ♦ 
 
 CTBAPTBK y^gjj 
 
 I. Two Girls 1 
 
 n. The Clan iq 
 
 III. Uncles 28 
 
 IV. Aunts 57 
 
 V. A Belt and a Box :'. , .47 
 
 VI. Uncle Alec'3 Room ........ 59 
 
 VII. A Trip to China 71 
 
 VHI. And what Came of it 84 
 
 IX. Phebe's Secret 93 
 
 X. Rose's Sacrifice 108 
 
 XI. Poor Mac 118 
 
 XII. " The Other Fellows '* 129 
 
 Xin. CosEY Corner 141 
 
 XIV. A Happy Birthday 149 
 
 XV. Ear-Rings 165 
 
 XVI. Bread and Button-Holes . . . . . 179 
 
 , XVn. Good Bargains 191 
 
 XVIII. Fashion and Physiology . ..... 204 
 
 XIX. Brother Bones ........ 216 
 
 XX. Under the Mistletoe ....... 226 
 
 XXI. A Scare 241 
 
 XXH. Something to do . .- . 253 
 
 XXIII. Peace-makinq .......... 265 
 
 XXIV. Which? ............ 279 
 
mmm 
 
 ' "''Si 
 
EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 CHAPTER I, 
 
 TWO GIRLS. 
 
 ROSE sat all alone in the big best parlor, with her 
 little handkerchief laid ready to catch the first 
 tear, for she was thinking of her troubles, and a shower 
 was expected. She had retired to this room as a good 
 place in which to be miserable ; for it was dark and 
 still, full of ancient furniture, sombre curtains, and 
 hung all ix>und with portraits of solemn old gentlemen 
 in wigs, severe-nosed ladies in top-heavy caps, and star- 
 ing children in little bob-tailed coats or short-waisted 
 frocks. It wa^ an excellent place for woe; and the 
 fitful spring rain that pattered on the window-pane 
 seemed to sob, " Cry away : I 'm with you." 
 
 Rose really did have some cause to be sad ; for she 
 had no mother, and had lately lost her father also, 
 which left her no home but this with her great-aunts. 
 She had been with them only a week, and, though the 
 dear old ladies had tried their best to make her happy, 
 they had not succeeded very well, for she was unlike 
 any child they had ever seen, and they felt very much 
 as if they had the care i)f a low-spirited butterfly. 
 
 They had given her the freedom of the house, and 
 
EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 for a day or two she had amused herself roaming all 
 over it, for it was a capital old mansion, and was full 
 of all manner of odd nooks, charming rooms, and mys- 
 terious passages. Windows broke out in unexpected 
 places, little balconies overhung the garden most ro- 
 mantically, and there was £ long upper hall full of 
 curiosities from all parts of the world ; for the Camp- 
 bells had been sea-captains for generation^. 
 
 Aunt Plenty had even allowed Rose to rummage in 
 her great china closet, — a spicy retreat, rich in all the 
 " goodies " that children love ; but Rose seemed to care 
 little for these toothsome temptations ; and when that 
 hope failed, Aunt Plenty gave up in despair. 
 
 Gentle Aunt Peace had tried all sorts of pretty 
 needle-work, and planned a doll's wardrobe that wouJd 
 have won the heart of even an older child. But Rose 
 took little interest in piijk satin hats and tiny hose, 
 though she sewed dutifully till her aunt caught her 
 wiping tears away with the train of a wedding-dress, 
 and that discovery put an end to the sewing society. 
 
 Then both old ladies put their heads together and 
 picked out the model child of the neighborhood to 
 come and play with their niece. But Ariadne Blish 
 was the worst failure of all, for Rose could not bear 
 the sight of her, and said she was so like a wax doU 
 she longed to give her a pinch and see if she would 
 squeak. So prim little Ariadne was sent home, and 
 'the exhausted aunties left Rose to her own devices for 
 a day or two. 
 
 Bad weather and a cold kept her in-doors, and she 
 spent most of her time in the library where her father's 
 books were stored. Here she read a great deal, cried 
 
TWO GIRLS. 
 
 8 
 
 
 a little, and dreamed many of the innocent bright 
 dreams in which imaginative children find such com- 
 fort and delight. This suited her better than any thing 
 else, but it was not good for her, and she grew pale, 
 heavy-eyed, and listless, though Aunt Plenty gave her 
 iron enough to make a cooking-stove, and Aunt Peace 
 petted her like a poodle. 
 
 Seeing this, the poor aunties racked their brains for 
 a new amusement, and determined to venture a bold 
 stroke, though not very hopeful of its success. They 
 said nothing to Rose about their plan for this Saturday 
 afternoon, but let her alone till the time came for the 
 grand surprise, little dreaming that the odd child 
 would find pleasure for herself* in a most unexpected 
 quarter. 
 
 Before she had time to squeeze out a single tear a 
 sound broke the stillness, making her prick up her 
 ears. It was only the soft twitter of a bird, but it 
 seemed to be a peculiarly gifted bird, for while she 
 listened the soft twitter changed to a lively whistle, 
 then a trill, a coo, a chirp, and ended in a musical mixt- 
 ure of all the notes, as if the bird burst out laughing. 
 Rose laughed also, and, forgetting her woes, jumped 
 up, saying eagerly,— 
 
 " It is a mocking-bird. Where is it ? " 
 
 Running down the long hall, she peeped out at both 
 doors, but saw nothing feathered except a draggle- 
 tailed chicken under a burdock leaf. She listened 
 again, and the sound seemed to be in the house. Away 
 she went, much excited by the chase, and following 
 the changeful song it led her to the china-closet door. 
 
 " In there ? How funny ! " she said. But when she 
 
EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 entered, not a bird appeared except the everlastingly 
 kissing swallowB on the Canton china that lined the 
 shelves. All of a sudden Rose's face brightened, and, 
 softly opening the slide, she peered into the kitchen. 
 But the music had stopped, and all she saw was a girl 
 in a blue apron scrubbing the hearth. Rose stared 
 about her for a minute, and then asked abruptly, — 
 
 " Did you hear that mocking-bird ? " 
 
 " I should call it a phebe-bird," answered the girl, 
 looking up with a twinkle in her black eyes. 
 
 "Where did it go?" 
 
 "It is here still." 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 " In my throat. Do you want to hear it ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes I I '11 come in." And Rose crept through 
 the slide to the wide shelf on the other side, being too 
 hurried and puzzled to go round by the door. 
 
 The girl wiped her hands, crossed her feet on the 
 little island of cai^et where she was stranded in a nea 
 of soap-suds, and then, sure enough, out of her slender 
 throat came the swallow's twitter, the robin's whistle, 
 the blue-jay's call, the thrush's song, the wood-dove's 
 coo, and many another familiar note, all ending as 
 before with the musical ecstasy of a bobolink singing 
 and swinging among the meadow grass on a bright 
 June day. 
 
 Rose was so astonislied that she nearly fell off her 
 perch, and when the little concert was over clapped 
 her hands delightedly. 
 
 "Oh, it V as lovely I Who taught you ? " 
 
 <* The b ds," answered the girl, with a smile, aa she 
 fell to work again. 
 
 i'M 
 
TWO GIRLS. 
 
 " It is very wonderful ! I can sing, but notLing half 
 BO fine as that. What is your name, please ? " 
 
 "Phebe Moore." 
 
 "I.Ve heard of phebe-birds ; but I don't believe the 
 real ones could do that," laughed Rose, adding, as she 
 watched with interest the scattering of dabs of soft 
 soap over the bricks, " May I stay and see you work ? 
 It is very lonely in the parlor." 
 
 "Yes, indeed, if you want to," answered Phebe, 
 wringing out her cloth in a capable sort of way that 
 impressed Rose very much. 
 
 " It must be fun to swash the water round and dig 
 out the soap. I 'd love to do it, only aunt would n't 
 like it, I suppose," paid Rose, quite taken with the new 
 employment. 
 
 " You 'd soon get tired, so you 'd better keep tidy 
 and look on." 
 
 " I suppose you help your mother a good deal? " 
 
 " I have n't got any folks." 
 
 " Why, where do you live, then ? " 
 
 " I 'm going to live here, I hope. Debby wants some 
 one to help round, and I Ve come to try for a week." 
 
 " I hope you will stay, for it is very dull," said Rose, 
 who had taken a sudden fancy to this girl, who sung 
 like a bird and worked like a woman. 
 
 " Hope I shall ; for I 'm fifteen now, and old enough 
 to earn my own living. You have come to stay a spell, 
 have n't you ? " asked Phebe, looking up at her guest 
 and wondering how life coitld be dull to a girl who 
 wore a silk frock, a daintily frilled apron, a pretty 
 I^oket, and had her hair tied up with a velvet snood. 
 
 '* Yes, I shall stay till my uncle comes. He is my 
 
6 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 guardian now, and I don't know what he will do with 
 me. Have you a guardian ? " 
 
 " My sakes, no I I was left on the poor-house steps 
 a little mite of a baby, and Miss Rogers took a liking 
 to me, so I Ve been there ever since. But she is dead 
 now, and I take care of myself." 
 
 " How interesting I It is like Arabella Montgomery 
 in the * Gypsy's Child.' Did you ever read that sweet 
 story ? '' asked Robe, who was fond of tales of found- 
 lings, and had read many. 
 
 " I don't have any books to read, and all the spare 
 time I get I run off into the woods; that rests me 
 better than stories," answered Phebe, as she finished 
 one job and began on another. 
 
 Rose watched her as she got out a great pan of beans 
 to look over, and wondered how it would seem to have 
 life all work and no play. Presently Phebe seemed 
 to think it was her turn to ask questions, and said, 
 wistfully, — 
 
 " You 've had lots of schooling, I suppose ? " 
 
 "Oh, dear me, yes! I've been at boarding-school 
 nearly a year, and I 'm almost dead with lessons. The 
 more I got, the more Miss Power gave me, and I was 
 so miserable I 'most cried my eyes out. Papa never 
 gave me hard things to do, and he always taught me 
 Bo pleasantly I loved to study. Oh, we were so happy 
 and so fond of one another ! But now he is gone, and 
 I am left all alone." 
 
 The toar that would not come when Rose sat wait- 
 ing for it came now of its own accord, — two of them 
 in fact, — and ro'led down her cheeks, telling the tale 
 of love and sorrow better than any words could do it. 
 
TWO GIRLS. 
 
 For a minute there was no sound in the kitchen but 
 the little daughter's sobbing and the sympathetic pat- 
 ter of the rain. Phebe stopped rattling her beans from 
 one pan to the other, and her eyes were full of pity as 
 they rested on the curly head bent down on Rose's 
 knee, for she saw that the heart under the pretty locket 
 ached with its loss, and the dainty apron was used to 
 dry sadder tears than any she had ever shed. 
 
 Somehow, she felt more contented with her brown 
 calico gown and blue-checked pinafore ; envy changed 
 to compassion ; and if she had dared she would have 
 gone and hugged her afflicted guest. 
 
 Fearing that might not be considered proper, she 
 said, in her cheery voice, — 
 
 " I 'm sure you ain't all alone with such a lot of folks 
 belonging to you, and all so rich and clever. You 'H 
 be petted to pieces, Debby says, because you are the 
 only girl in the family." 
 
 Phebe's last words made Rose smile in spite of her 
 tears, and she looked out from behind her apron with 
 an April face, saying in a tone of comic distress, — 
 
 " That 's one of my troubles ! I 've got six aunts, and 
 they all want me, and I don't know any of them very 
 well. Papa named this place the Aunt-hill, and now 
 I see why." 
 
 Phebe laughed with her as she said encouragingly, — 
 
 " Every one calls it so, and it 's a real good name, 
 for all the Mrs. Campbells live handy by, and keep 
 coming up to see the old ladies." 
 
 "I could stand the aunts, but there are dozens, of 
 cousins, dreadful boys all of them, and I detest boys ! 
 Some of them came to see me last Wednesday, but I 
 
 V 
 
EIGHT COUSINS: 
 
 was lying down, and when auntie came to call Ida 
 I went under the quilt and pretended to be asleep. I 
 shall Aaue to see them some time, but I do dread it so " 
 And Rose gave a shudder, for, having lived alone with 
 her invalid father, she knew nothing of boys, and con- 
 sidered them a species of wild animal. 
 
 " Oh ! I guess you '11 like 'em. I 've seen 'em flying 
 round when they come over from the Point, some- 
 times in their boats and sometimes on horseback. If 
 you like boats and horses, you'll enjoy yourself " first- 
 rate." 
 
 " But I don't ! I 'm afraid of horses, and boats make 
 me ill, and I hate boys ! " And poor Rose wrung her 
 hands at the awful prospect before her. One of these 
 horrors alone she could have borne, but all together 
 were too much for her, and she began to think of a 
 speedy return to the detested school. 
 
 Phebe laughed at her woe till the beans danced in 
 the pan, but tried to comfort her by suggesting a means 
 of relief. * 
 
 " Perhaps your uncle will take you away where there 
 ain't any boys. Debby says he is a real kind- man, and 
 always brings heaps of nice things when he comes." 
 
 " Yes, but you see that is another trouble, for I don't 
 know Uncle Alec at all. He hardly ever came to see 
 us, though he sent me pretty things very often. Now 
 I belong to him, and shall have to mind him, till I am 
 eighteen. I may not like him a bit, and I fret about it 
 all the time.'' ^ 
 
 " Well, I would n't borrow trouble, but have a real 
 good time. I 'm sure I should think I was in clover if 
 I had folks and money, and nothing to do but enjoy 
 
TWO GIRLS. 9 
 
 myself,*' began Phebe, but got no further, for a sudden 
 rush and rumble outside made them both jump. 
 
 " It 's thunder," said Phebe. 
 
 " It 's a circus ! " cried Rose, who from her elevated 
 perch had caught glimpses of a gay cart of some sort 
 and several ponies with flying manes and tails. 
 
 The sound died away, and the girls were about to 
 continue their confidences when old Debby appeared, 
 looking rather cross and sleepy after her nap. 
 
 " You are wanted in the parlor. Miss Rose." 
 
 " Has anybody come ? " 
 
 " Little girls should n't ask questions, but do as they 
 are bid," was all Debby would answer. 
 
 " I do hope it is n't Aunt Myra ; she always scares 
 me out of my wits asking how my cough is, and groan- 
 ing over me as if I was going to die," said Rose, pre- 
 paring to retire the way she came, for the slide, being 
 cut for the admission of bouncing Christmas turkeys 
 and puddings, was plenty large enough for a slender 
 girl. 
 
 " Guess you '11 wish it was Aunt Myra when you see 
 who has come. Don't never let me catch you coming 
 into my kitchen that way again, or I'll shut you up in 
 the big biler," growled Debby, who thought it her diity 
 to snub children on all occasions. 
 
 !♦ 
 
* » 
 
 . V 
 
 
 
 
 CHAPTER n. 4 
 
 _-■' 
 
 
 THE CLAN. 
 
 - r 
 
 
 ROSE scrambled into the china-closet as rapidly as 
 possible, and there refreshed herself by making 
 faces at Debby, while she settled her plumage and 
 screwed up her courage. Then she crept softly down 
 the hall and peeped into the parlor. No one appeared, 
 and all was so still she felt sure the company was up- 
 stairs. So she skipped boldly through the half-open 
 folding-doors, to behold on the other side a sight that 
 nearly took her breath away. 
 
 Seven boys stood in a row, — all ages, all sizes, all 
 yellow-haired and blue-eyed, all in full Scotch costume, 
 and all smiling, nodding, and saying as with one voice, 
 " How are you, cousin ? " 
 
 Rose gave a little gasp and looked wildly about her 
 as if ready to fly, for fear magnified the seven and the 
 room seemed full of boys. Before she could run, how- 
 ever, the tallest lad stepped out of the line, saying 
 pleasantly, — 
 
 " Don't be frightened. This is the Clan come to 
 welcome you; and I'm the chief, Archie, at your 
 service.** 
 
 He held out his hand as hd spoke, and Rose timidly 
 
THE CLAN. 
 
 11 
 
 '•\ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ¥A$iC 
 
 
 ^1^^ 
 
 <& 
 
 h 
 
 I 'I (] i. , I I 
 
 #i!:-< 
 
 *«;:^ '^ • --^ 
 
 ( 
 
 ^C.M.fOM£U^ 
 
 The Eight Cousins. — Page lo. 
 
12 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS, 
 
 put her own into a brown paw, which closed over the 
 white morsel and held it as the chief continued his 
 introductions. 
 
 "We came in full rig, for we always turn out m 
 style on grand occasions. Hope you like it. Now 
 I '11 tell you who these chaps are, and then we shall be 
 all right. This big one is Prince Charlie, Aunt Clara's 
 boy. She has but one, so he is an extra good one. 
 This old fellow is Mac, the bookworm, called Worm 
 for short. This sweet creature is Steve the Dandy. 
 Look at his gloves and top-knot, if you please. They 
 are Aunt Jane's lads, and a precious pair you 'd better 
 believe. These are the Brats, my brothers, Geordie 
 and Will, and Jamie the Baby. Now, my men, step 
 out and show your manners." 
 
 At this command, to Rose's great dismay, six more 
 hands were offered, and it was evident that she was 
 expected to shake them all. It was £ trying moment 
 to the bashtul child; but, remembering that they 
 were her kinsmen come to welcome her, she tried her 
 best to return the greeting cordially. 
 
 This impressive ceremony being over, the clan broke 
 ranks, and both rooms instantly appeared to be per- 
 vaded with boys. Rose hastily retired to the shelter 
 of a big chair and sat there watching the invaders 
 and wondering when her aunt would come and rescue 
 her. 
 
 As if bound to do their duty manfully, yet rather 
 oppressed by it, each lad paused beside her chair in 
 Ms wanderings, made a brief remark, received a still 
 briefer answer, and then i^eevod off with a relieved 
 expression. 
 
 ^ 
 
THE CLAN. 
 
 18 
 
 StS 
 
 Archie came first, and, leaning over the chair-back, 
 observed in a paternal tone, — 
 
 " I 'm glad you Ve come, cousin, and I hope you 11 
 find the Aunt-hill pretty jolly." 
 
 « I think I shaU-." 
 
 Mac shook his hair out of his eyes, stumbled over a 
 stool, and asked abruptly, — 
 
 " Did you bring any books with you ? '* 
 
 " Four boxes full. They are in the library." 
 
 Mac vanished from the room, and Steve, striking 
 an attitude which displayed his costume effectively, 
 said with an afEable smile, — 
 
 "We W3re sorry not to see you last Wednesday. 
 I hope your cold is better." 
 
 "Yes, thank you." And a smile began to dimple 
 about Rose's mouth as she remembered her retreat 
 under the bed-cover. 
 
 Feeling that he had been received with distin- 
 guished marks of attention, Steve strolled away with 
 his top-knot higher than ever, and Prince Charlie 
 pranced across the room, saying in a free and easy 
 tone, — 
 
 " Mamma sent her love and hopes you will be well 
 enough to come over for a day next week. It must 
 be desperately dull here for a little thing like you." 
 
 " I 'm thirteen and a half, though I do look small," 
 cried Rose, forgetting her shyness in indignation at 
 this insult to her newly acquired teens. 
 
 "Beg piirdon, ma'am; never should have guessed 
 it." And Charlie went ofE with a laugh, glad to have 
 struck a spark out of his meek cousin. 
 
 Geordie and Will came together, two sturdy eleven 
 
 ( 
 
14 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 and twelve year olders, and, fixing their round blue 
 eyes on Rose, fired off a question apiece as if it was 
 a shooting match and she the target. 
 . " Did you bring your monkey ? " 
 
 " No ; he is dead." 
 
 " Are you going to have a boat ? " 
 
 " I hope not." 
 
 Here the two, with a right-about-face movement, 
 abruptly marched away, and little Jamie demanded 
 with childish frankness, — 
 
 " Did you bring me any thing nice ? " 
 
 "Yes, lots of candy," answered Rose, whereupon 
 Jamie ascended into her lap with a sounding kiss and 
 the announcement that he liked her very much. 
 
 This proceeding rather startled Rose, for the other 
 lads looked and laughed, and in her confusion she said 
 hastily to the young usurper, — 
 
 " Did you see the circus go by ? " 
 
 "When? Where?" cried all the boys in great 
 excitement at once. 
 
 " Just before you came. At least I thought it was 
 a circus, for I saw a red and black sort of oart and 
 ever so many little ponies, and — " 
 
 She got no farther, for a general shout made her 
 pause suddenly, as Archie explained the joke by saying 
 in the middle of his laugh, — 
 
 " It was our new dog-cart and the Shetland -ponies. 
 You '11 never hear the last of your circus, cousin." 
 
 "But there weie so many, and they went so fast, 
 and the cart was so very red," began Rose, trying to 
 explain her mistake. 
 
 " Come and see them all I " cried the Prince. And 
 
THE CLAN. 
 
 15 
 
 before she knew what was happening she was borne 
 away to the bam and tumultuously introduced to three 
 shaggy ponies and the gay new dog-cart. 
 
 She had never visited these regions before, and had 
 her doubts as to the propriety of her being there now, 
 but when she suggested that " Auntie might not like 
 it," there was a general cry of, — 
 
 " She told us to amuse you, and we can do it ever 
 so much be^er out here than poking round in the 
 house." 
 
 "I'm afraid I shall get cold without my sacque," 
 began Rose, who wanted to stay, but felt rather out 
 of her element. 
 
 " No, you won't ! We '11 fix you," cried the lads, 
 as one clapped his cap on her head, another tied a 
 rough jacket round her neck by the sleeves, a third 
 nearly smothered her in a carriage blanket, and a 
 fourth threw open the door of the old barouche that 
 stood there, saying with a flourish, — 
 
 " Step in, ma'am, and make yourself comfortable 
 while we show you some fun." 
 
 So Rose sat in state enjoying herself very much, 
 for the lads proceeded to dance a Highland Fling with 
 -a spirit and skill that made her clap her hands and 
 laugh as she had not done for weeks. 
 
 " How is that, my lassie ? " asked the Prince, coming 
 up all flushed and breathless when the ballet was over. 
 
 " It was splendid ! I never went to the theatre but 
 once, and the dancing was not half so pretty as this. 
 What clever boys you must be I" s^d Rose, smiling 
 upon her kinsmen like a little queen upon her subjects. 
 
 " Ah, we 're a fine lot, and that is only the begin- 
 
It) 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 ning of our larks. We haven't got the pipes here 
 
 or we 'd 
 
 * Sing for you, play for you 
 A dulcy melody.' " 
 
 answered Charlie, looking much elated at her praise. 
 
 " I did not know we were Scotch ; papa never said 
 any thing about it, or seemed to care about Scotland, 
 except tc have me sing th^ old ballads," said Rose, be- 
 ginning to feel as if she had left America behind her 
 somewhere. 
 
 "Neither did we till lately. We've been reading 
 Scott's novels, and all of a sudden we remembered that 
 our grandfather was a Scotchman. So we hunted up 
 the old stories, got a bagpipe, put on our plaids, and 
 went in, heart and soul, for the glory of the clan. 
 We've been at it some time now, and it 's great fun. 
 Our people like it, and I think we are a pretty canny 
 set.^' 
 
 Archie said this from the other coach-step, where 
 he had perched, while the rest climbed up before and 
 behind to join in the chat as they rested. 
 
 •* I'm Fitzjames and he 's Roderick Dhu, and we 11 
 give you the broadsword combat some day. It's a 
 great thing, you 'd better believe," added the Prince. 
 
 "Yes, and you should hear Steve play the pipes.- 
 He makes 'em skirl like a good one," cried Will from 
 the box, eager to air the accomplishments of his race. 
 
 "Mac's the fellow to L-v\t up the old stories and 
 tell us how to dress right, and pick out rousing bita 
 for us to speak and sing," put in Geordie, saying a 
 good word for the absent Worm. 
 
 "And what do you and Will do?" asked Rose of 
 
TEE CLAN. 
 
 IT 
 
 Jamie, who sat beside her as if bound to keep her in 
 sight till the promised gift had been handed over. 
 
 " Oh, I 'm the little foot-page, and do errMids, and 
 Will and Geordie are the troops when we march, and 
 the stags when we hunt, and the traitors when we 
 want to cut any heada off." 
 
 " They are very obligmg, I 'm sure," said Rose, 
 whereat the " utility men " beamed with modest pride, 
 and resolved to enact Wallace and Montrose as soon 
 as possible for their cousin's special benefit. 
 
 " Let *8 hare a game of tag," cried the Prince, swing- 
 ing himself up to a beam with a sounding slap on 
 Stevie's shoulder. 
 
 Regardless of his gloves, Dandy tore after him, and 
 the rest swarmed in every direction as if bent on 
 breaking thoii- necks and dislocating their joints as 
 rapidly as possible. 
 
 It was a new and astonishing spectacle to Rose, 
 fresh from a prim bbarding-school, and she watched 
 the active lads with breathless interest, thinking their 
 antics far superior to those of Mops, the deai* departed 
 monkey. 
 
 Will had just covered himself with glory by pitch- 
 ing off of a high loft head first and coming up all right, 
 when Phebe appeared with a cloak, hood, and rubbers, 
 also a message from Aunt Plenty that "Miss Rose 
 was to come in directly." 
 
 "All right; we'll bring her I" answered Archie, 
 issuing some mysterious order, which was so promptly 
 obeyed that, before Rose could get out of the carriage, 
 the boys had caught hold of the pole and rattled her 
 out of the barn, round the oval and up to the front 
 
18 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 doer with a cheer that brought two caps to an upper 
 window, and caused Debby to cry aloud from the 
 back porch, — 
 
 " Them harum-scarum boys will certainly be the 
 death of that delicate little creter I " 
 
 But the " delicate little creter " seemed all the 
 better for her trip, and ran up the steps looking rosy, 
 gay, and dishevelled, to be received with lamentation 
 by Aunt Plenty, who begged her to go and lie down 
 at once. 
 
 " Oh, please don't ! We have come to tea with our 
 cousin, and we '11 be as good as gold if you '11 let us 
 stay, auntie," clamored the boys, who not only ap- 
 proved of " our cousin," but had no mind to lose their 
 tea, for Aunt Plenty's name but feebly expressed her 
 bountifrJ nature. 
 
 " Well, dears, you can ; only be quiet, and let Rose 
 go and take her iron and be made tidy, and then we 
 will see what we can find for supper," said the old 
 lady as she trotted away, followed by a volley of direc- 
 tions for the approaching feast. 
 
 " Marmalade for me, auntie." 
 
 " Plenty of plum-cake, please." 
 
 " Tell Debby to trot out the baked pears." 
 
 " I 'm your man for lemon-pie, ma'am." 
 
 " Do have fritters ; Rose will like ' em." 
 
 " She 'd rather have tarts, / know." 
 
 'When Rose came down, fifteen minutes later, with 
 every curl smoothed and her most beruffled apron on, 
 she found the boys loafing about the long hall, and 
 paused on the half-way landing to take an observation, 
 for till now she had not really examined her new-foucd 
 ooubIzia. 
 
TH^ CLAN. 
 
 19 
 
 There was a strong family resemblance among them, 
 though some of the yellow heads were darker than 
 others, some of the cheeks brown instead of rosy, and 
 the ages varied all the way from sixteen-year-old 
 Archie to Jamie, who was ten years younger. None 
 of them were especially comely but the Prince, yet all 
 were hearty, happy-looking lads, and Rose decided 
 that boys were not as dreadful as she had expected 
 to find them. 
 
 They were all so characteristically employed that 
 she could not help smiling as she looked. Archie and 
 Charlie, evidently great cronies, were pacing up and 
 down, shoulder to shoulder, whistling " Bonnie Dun- 
 dee;" Mac was reading in a corner, with his book 
 close to his near-sighted eyes; Dandy was arranging 
 his hair before the oval glass in the hat-stand ; Geordie 
 and Will investigating the internal economy of the 
 moon-faced clock ; and Jamie lay kicking up his heels 
 on the mat at the foot of the stairs, bent on demand- 
 ing his sweeties the instant Rose appeared. 
 
 She guessed his intention, and forestalled his de- 
 mand by dropping a handful of sugar-plums down 
 upon him. 
 
 At his cry of rapture the other lads looked up and 
 smiled involuntarily, for the little kinswoman stand- 
 ing there above was a winsome sight with her shy, 
 soft eyep, bright hair, and laughing face» The black 
 frock reminded them of her loss, and filled the boyish 
 hearts with a kindly desire to be good to " our cousin," 
 who had no longer any home but this. 
 
 " There she is, as fine as you please," cried Steve, 
 kissing his hand to her. 
 
(.. 
 
 20 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " Come on, Missy ; tea is ready," added the Prince 
 encouragingly. 
 
 " / shall take her in." And Archie offered his arm 
 with great dignity, an honor that made Rose turn as 
 red as a cherry and long to run upstairs again. 
 
 It was a merry supper, and the two elder boys 
 added much to the fun oy tormenting the rest with 
 dark hints of some interesting event which was about 
 to occur. Something uncommonly fine they declared 
 it was, but enveloped in the deepest mystery for the 
 present. 
 
 " Did I ever see it ? " asked Jamie. 
 
 "Not to remember it; but Mac and Steve have, 
 and liked it inmiensely," answered Archie, thereby 
 causing the two mentioned to neglect Debby's delect- 
 able fritters for several minutes, while they cudgelled 
 their brains. 
 
 "Who will have it first?" asked Will, with his 
 mouth full of marmalade. 
 
 " Aunt Plenty, I guess." 
 
 "When will she have it?" demanded GJeordie, 
 bouncing in his seat with impatience. 
 
 " Sometime on Monday." 
 
 "Heart alive! what is the boy talking about?" 
 cried the old iidy from behind the tall urn, which 
 left little to be seen but the topmost bow of her cap. 
 
 " Does n*t auntie know ? " asked a chorus of voices. 
 
 "No; and that's the best of the joke, for she is 
 desperately fond of it." 
 
 " What color is it ? " asked Rose, joining in the fun. 
 
 " Blue and brown." 
 
 «* Is it good to eat ? " adked Jamie. 
 
THE CLAN. 
 
 21 
 
 
 K^ 
 
 "Some people think so, but I shouldn't like to 
 try it," answered Charlie, laughing so he spilt his 
 tea. 
 
 " Who does it belong to ? " put in Steve. 
 
 Archie and the Prince stared at one another rather 
 blankly for a minute, then Archie answered with a 
 twinkle of the eye that made Charlie explode again, — 
 
 " To Grandfather Campbell." 
 
 This was a poser, and they gave up the puzzle, 
 though Jamie confided to Rose that he did not think 
 he could live till Monday without knowing what this 
 remarkable thing was. 
 
 Soon after tea the Clan departed, singing ** All the 
 blue bonnets are over the border" at the tops of their 
 voices. 
 
 " Well, dear, how cIo you like your cousins?" asked 
 Aunt Plenty, as the last pony frisked round the corner 
 and the din died away. 
 
 "Pretty weh, ma'am; but I like Phebe better." 
 An answer which caused Aunt Plenty to hoM up her 
 hands in despair and trot away to tell sister Peace 
 that she never shotUd understand that child, and it 
 was a mercy Alec was coming soon to take the respon- 
 sibility off their hands. 
 
 Fatigued by the unusual exertions of the afternoon. 
 Rose curled herself up in the sofa comer to rest and 
 think about the great mystery, little guessing that she 
 was to know it first of all. 
 
 Right in the middle of her meditations, she fell 
 asleep and dreamed she was at home again in her own 
 little bed. She seemed to wake and see her father 
 bending over her ; to hear him say, " My little Rose ; " 
 
22 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 to ans\v er, " Yes, papa ; " and then to feel him take her 
 in his arms and kiss her tenderly. So sweet, so real 
 was the dream, that she started up with a cry of joy 
 to find herself in the arms of a brown, bearded man, 
 who held her close, and whispered in a voice so like 
 her father's that she clung to him involuntarily, — 
 " This is my little girl, and I am Uncle Alec." 
 
 ■\ 
 
CHAPTER in. 
 
 UNCLES. 
 
 w 
 
 HEN Rose woke next morning, she was not 
 sure whether she had dreamed what occurred 
 the night before, or it had actually happened. So 
 she hopped up and dressed, although it was an hour 
 earlier than she usually rose, for she could not sleep 
 any more, being possessed with a strong desire to t,lip 
 down and see if the big portmanteau and packing-cases 
 were really in the hall. She seemed to remember tum- 
 bling over them when she went to bed, for the aunts 
 had sent her off very punctually, because they wanted 
 their pet nephew all to themselves. 
 
 The sun was shining, and Rose opened her window 
 to let in the soft M&y air fresh from the sea. As she 
 leaned over her little balcony, watching ain early bird 
 get the ^orm, and wondering how she should like 
 Uncle Alec, she saw a man leap the garden wall and 
 come whistling up the path. At first she thought it 
 was some trespasser, but a second look showed her that 
 it was her uncle returning from an early dip into the 
 sea. She had hardly dared to look at him the night 
 before, because whenever she tried to do so she always 
 found a pair of keen blue eyes looking at her. Now 
 
24 
 
 EIGET COUSINS. 
 
 she conld take a good stare at him as he lingered along, 
 looking about him as if glad to see the eld place again. 
 A brown, breezy man, in a blue jacket, with no hat 
 on the curly head which he shook now and then like a 
 water-dog ; broad-shouldered, alert in his motions, and 
 with a general air of strength and stability about him 
 which pleased Rose, though she could not explain the 
 feeling of comfort it gave her. She had just said to 
 herself, with a sense of relief, " I guess I shall like him, 
 though he looks as if he made people mind," when he 
 lifted his eyes to examine the budding horse-chestnut 
 overhead, and saw the eager face peering down at him. 
 He waved his hand to her, nodded, and called out in a 
 bluff, cheery voice, — 
 " You are on deck early, little niece." 
 " I got up to see if you had really come, uncle." 
 " Did you ? Well, come down here and make sure 
 of it." 
 " I 'm not allowed to go out before breakfast, sir." 
 "Oh, indeed!" with a shrug, "Then I'll come 
 aboard and salute," he added ; and, to Rose's great 
 amazement. Uncle Alec went up one of the pillars of 
 the back piazza hand over hand, stepped across the 
 roof, and swung himself into her balcony, saying, as he 
 landed on the wide balustrade : ".Have you any doubts 
 about me now, ma'am?" 
 
 Rose was so taken aback, she could only answer with 
 a smile as she went to meet him. 
 
 "How does my girl do this morning?" he asked, 
 taking the little cold hand she gave him in both his big 
 warm ones. 
 " Pretty well, thank you, sir," 
 
UNCLES. 
 
 25 
 
 " Ah, but it should be very well. Why is n't it ? " 
 
 •" I always wake up with a headache, and feel tired." 
 
 " Don't you sleep well ? " 
 
 *' I lie awake a long time, and then I dream, and my 
 sleep does not seem to rest me much." 
 
 " What do you do all day ? " 
 
 '^ Oh, I read, and sew a little, and take naps, and sit 
 with auntie." 
 
 " No running about out of doors, or house-work, or 
 riding, hey ? " 
 
 " Aunt Plenty says I 'm not strong enough for much 
 exercise. I drive out with her sometimes, but I don't 
 care for it." 
 
 " I 'm not surprised at that," said Uncle Alec, half 
 to himself, adding, in his quick way : " Who have you 
 had to play with ? " 
 
 *<No one but Ariadne Blish, and she was such a 
 goose I couldn't bear her. The boys came yesterday, 
 and seemed rather nice ; but, of course, I could n't play 
 with them." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " I 'm too old to play with boys." 
 
 "Not a* bit of it: that's just what you need, for 
 you 've been molly-coddled too much. They are good 
 lads, and you '11 be mixed up with them more or less 
 for years to come, so you may as well be friends and 
 playmates at once. I will look yon up some girls also, 
 if I can find a sensible one who is not spoilt by her 
 nonsensical education." 
 
 " Phebe is sensible, I 'm sure, and I like her, though 
 I only saw her yesterday," cried Bose, waking up sud* 
 denly. 
 
 8 
 
26 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " And who is Phebe, if you please ?" 
 
 Rose eagerly told all she knew, and Uncle Aleo lis- 
 tened, with an odd smile lurking about his mouth, 
 though his eyes were quite sober as he watched the 
 face before him, 
 
 *^I'm glad to see that you are not aristocratic in 
 your tastes, but I don't quite make out why you like 
 this young lady from the poor-house." 
 
 " You may laugh at me, but I do. I can't tell why, 
 only she seems so happy and busy, and sings so beauti- 
 fully, and is strong enough to scrub and sweep, and 
 has n't any troubles to plague her," said Hose, making 
 a funny jumble of reasons in her efforts to explain. 
 
 " How do you know that ? " 
 
 ** Oh, I was telling her about mine, and asked if she 
 had any, and she said, ^ No, only I 'd like to go to school, 
 and I mean to some day.' " 
 
 " So she does n't call desertion, poverty, and hard 
 work, troubles ? She 's a brave little grirl, and I shall 
 be proud to know her." And Uncle Alec gave an ap- 
 proving nod, that made Hose wish she had been the 
 one to earn it. 
 
 "But what are these troubles of yours, child?" he 
 asked, after a minute of silence. 
 
 " Please don't ask me, uncle." 
 
 " Can't you tell them to me as well as to Phebe ?" 
 
 Something in his tone made Rose feel that it would 
 be better to speak out and be done with it, so she 
 answered, with sudden color and averted eyes, — 
 
 " The greatest one was losing dear papa." 
 
 As she said that, Uncle Alec's arm came gently 
 round her, and he drew her to him, saying, in the voice 
 80 like papa's, — 
 
UNCLES. 
 
 27 
 
 " That 18 a. trouble which I cannot cure, my child ; 
 but I shall try to make you feel it less. What else, 
 dear?" 
 
 " t am so tired and poorly all the time, I can't do 
 any thing I want to, and it makes me cross," sighed 
 Rose, rubbing the aching head like a fretful child. 
 
 " That we can cure and we will^ said her uncle, with 
 a decided nod that made the curls bob on his head, 
 so that Rose saw the gray ones underneath the brown. 
 
 "Aunt Myra says I have no constitution, and never 
 shall be strong," observed Rose, in a pensive tone, as if 
 it was rather a nice thing to be an invalid. 
 
 "Aunt Myra is a — ahem! — an excellent woman, 
 but it is her hobby to believe that every one is totter- 
 ing on the brink of the grave ; and, upon my life, I 
 believe she is offended if people don't fall into it ! We 
 will show her how to make constitutions and turn pale- 
 faced little ghosts into rosy, hearty ^rls. That 's my 
 business, you know," he added, more quietly, for his 
 sudden outburst had rather startled Rose. 
 
 " I had forgotten vou were a doctor. I 'm glad of it, 
 for I do want to be well, only I hope you won't give 
 me much medicine, for I 've taken quarts already, and 
 it does me no good." 
 
 As she spoke. Rose pointed to a little table just in- 
 side the window, on which appeared a regiment of 
 bottles. 
 
 " Ah, ha ! Now we '11 see what mischief these blessed 
 women have been at." And, making a long arm. Dr. 
 Alec set the bottles on the wide railing before him, 
 examined each carefully, smiled over some, frowned 
 over others, and said, as he put down the last ; ** Now 
 
\s 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 I '11 show you the best way to take these messes.** And, 
 as quick as a flash, he sent one after another smashing 
 down into the posy-beds below. 
 
 " But Aunt Plenty won't like it ; and Aunt Myra will 
 be angry, for she sent most of them 1 " cried Rose, half 
 frightened and half pleased at such energetic measures. 
 
 " You are my patient now, and I '11 take the respon- 
 sibility. My way of giving physic is evidently the 
 best, for you look better already," he said, laughing so 
 infectiously that Rose followed suit, saying saucily, — 
 
 "K I don't like your medicines any better than 
 those, I shall throw them into the garden, and then 
 what will you do ? " 
 
 " When I prescribe such rubbish, 1 11 give you leave 
 to pitch it overboard as soon as you like. Now what 
 is the next trouble ?" 
 
 " I hoped you would forget to ask." 
 
 "But how can I help you if I don't know them? 
 Come, let us have No. 3." 
 
 " It is very wrong, I suppose, but I do sometimes 
 wish I had not quite so many aunts. They are all very 
 good to me, and I want to please them ; but they are 
 so different, I feel sort of pulled to pieces among them," 
 said Rose, trying to ex ress the emotions of a stray 
 chicken with six hens all clucking over it at once. 
 
 Fnde Alec threw back his head and laughed like a 
 boy, for he could entirely understand how the good 
 ladies had each put in her oar and tried to paddle her 
 own way, to the great disturbance of the waters and 
 the entire bewilderment of poor Rose. 
 
 ** I intend to try a course of uncles now, and see how 
 that suits your constitution. I 'm going to have you 
 
UNCLES. 
 
 29 
 
 all to myself, and no one is to give a word of advice 
 unless I ask it. There is no other way to keep order 
 aboard, and I am captain of this little craft, for a tune 
 at least. What comes next ? " 
 
 But Rose stuck there, and grew so red, her uncle 
 guessed what that trouble was. 
 
 " I don't think I can tell this one. It would n't be 
 polite, and I feel pretty sure that it isn't going to be a 
 trouble any more." 
 
 As she blushed and stammered over these words, Dr. 
 Alec turned his eyes away to the distant sea, and said 
 so seriously, so tenderly, that she felt every word and 
 long remembered them, — 
 
 " My child, I don't expect you to love and trust me 
 all at once, but I do want you to believe that I shall 
 give my whole heart to this new duty; and if I make 
 mistakes, as I probably shall, no one will grieve over 
 them more bitterly than I. It is my fault that I am a 
 stranger to you, when I want to be your best friend. 
 That is one of my mistakes, and I never repented it 
 more deeply than I do now. Your father and I had 
 a trouble once, and I thought I never could forgive 
 him ; so I kept away for years. Thank God, we made 
 it all up the last time I saw him, and he told me then, 
 that if he was forced to leave her he should bequeath 
 his little gitl to me as a token of his love. I can't fill 
 his place, but I shall try to be a father to her ; and if 
 she learns to love me half as well as she did the good 
 one she has lost, I shall be a proud and happy man. 
 Will she believe this and try?" 
 
 Something in Uncle Alec's face touched Rose to the 
 heart, and when he held out his hand with that anx- 
 
 > 
 
30 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS, 
 
 ious, troubled look in his eyes, she was moved to put 
 up her innocent lips and seal the contract with a con- 
 fiding kiss. The strong arm held her close a minute, 
 and she felt the broad chest heave once as if with a 
 greai sigh of relief ; but not a word was spoken till a 
 tap at the door made both start. 
 
 Rose popped her head through the window to say 
 " come in," while Dr. Alec hastily rubbed the sleeve 
 of his jacket across his eyes and began to whistle 
 again. 
 
 Phebe appeared with a cup of coffee. 
 
 " Debby told me to bring this and help you get up," 
 she said, opening her black eyes wide, as if she won- 
 dered how on earth " the sailor man " got there. 
 
 " I 'm all dressed, so I don't need any help. I hope 
 that is good and strong," added Rose, eying the steam* 
 ing cup with an eager look. 
 
 But she did not get it, for a brown hand took pos- 
 session of it as her uncle said quickly, — 
 
 " Hold hard, my lass, and let me overhaul that dose 
 before you take it. Do you drink all this strong coffee 
 every morning. Rose ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, and I like it. Auntie says it * tones' me 
 up, and I always feel better after it." 
 
 " This accounts for the sleepless nights, the flutter 
 your heart gets into at the least start, and this is why 
 that cheek of yours is pale yellow instead of rosy red. 
 No more coffee for you, my dear, and by and by you 'U 
 see that I am right. Any new milk downstabs, 
 Phebe ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, plenty, — right in from the barn." 
 
 ** That's the drink for my patient. Gk> bring me a 
 
UNCLES. 
 
 31 
 
 pitcherful, and another cup ; I want a draught myself. 
 This won't hurt the honeysuckles, for they have no 
 nerves to speak of." And, to Rose's great discomfort, 
 the coffee went after the medicine. 
 
 Dr. Alec saw the injured look she put on, but took 
 no notice, and presently banished it by saying pleas- 
 antly, — 
 
 " I Ve got a capital little cup among my traps, and 
 I '11 give it to you to drink your milk in, as it is made 
 of wood that is supposed to improve whatever is put 
 into it, — something like a quassia cup. That reminds 
 rae ; one of the boxes Phebe wanted to lug upstairs 
 last night is for you. Knowing that I was coming 
 home to find a ready-made daughter, 7 picked up all 
 sorts of odd and pretty trifles along tii3 way, hoping 
 she would be able to find something she liked among 
 them all. Early to-morrow we '11 have a gr^nd rum- 
 mage. Here 's our milk ! I propose the health of Miss 
 Rose Campbell — and drink it v;ith all my heart." 
 
 It was impossible for Rose to pout with the prospect 
 of a delightful boxful of gifts dancing before her eyes ; 
 so, in spite of herself, she smiled as she drank her own 
 health, and found .that fresh milk was not a hard dose 
 to take. 
 
 " Now I must be off, before I am caught again with 
 my wig in a toss," said Dr. Alec, preparing to descend 
 the way he came. 
 
 " Do you always go in and out like a cat, uncle ? " 
 asked Rose, much amused at his odd weys. 
 
 " I used to sneak out of my window when I was a 
 boy, so I need not disturb the aunts, and now I rather 
 like it, for it's the shortest road, aid it keeps me lim- 
 
32 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 ber when I have no rigging to climb. 6ood-by till 
 breakfast." And away he went down the water-spout, 
 over the roof, and vanished among the budding honey- 
 suckles below. 
 
 "Ain't he a funny guardeen?" exclaimed Phebe, as 
 she went o£E with the cups. 
 
 " He is a very kind one, I think," answered Rose, 
 following, to prowl round the big boxes and try to 
 guess which was hers. 
 
 When her uncle appeared at sound of the bell, he 
 found her surveying with an anxious face a new dish 
 that smoked upon the table. 
 
 " Got a fresh trouble, Rosy ? " he asked, stroking Ler 
 smooth head. 
 
 "Uncle, are you going to make me eat oatmeal?" 
 asked Rose, in a tragic tone* 
 
 "Don't you like it?" 
 
 " I de-test it ! " answered Rose, with all the emphasis 
 which a turned-up nose, a shudder, and a groan could 
 give to the three words. 
 
 " YoT are not a true Scotchwoman, if you don't like 
 the * parritch.' It 's a pity, for I made it myself, and 
 thought we'd have such a good time with all that 
 cream to float it in. Well, never mind." And he sat 
 down with a disappointed air. 
 
 Rose had made up her mind to be obstinate about 
 it, because she did heartily " detest" the dish ; but as 
 Uncle Alec did not attempt to make her obey, she 
 suddenly phanged her mind and thought she would. 
 
 " I H try to eat it to please you, uncle ; but people 
 are always saying how wholesome it is, and that makes 
 me hate it," she said, half ashamed at her silly excuse. 
 
UNCLES, 
 
 88 
 
 " I do want you to like it, because I wish my girl to 
 be as well and strong as Jessie's boys, who are brought 
 up on this in the good old fashion. No hot bread and 
 fried stu£E for them, and they are the biggest and bon- 
 niest lads of the lot. Bless you, auntie, and good 
 morning ! " 
 
 Dr. Alec turned to greet the old lady, and, with a 
 firm resolve to eat or die in the attempt. Rose sat 
 down. 
 
 In five minutes she forgot what she was eating, so 
 interested was she in the chat that went on. It amused 
 her very much to hear Aunt Plenty call her forty-year- 
 old nephew " my dear boy ; " and Uncle Alec was so 
 full of lively gossip about all creation in general, and 
 the Aunt-hill in particular, that the detested porridge 
 vanished without a murmur. 
 
 " You will go to church with us, I hope. Alec, if you 
 are not too tired," said the old lady, when breakfast 
 was over. 
 
 " I came all the way from Calcutta for that express 
 purpose, ma'am. Only I must send the sisters word of 
 my arrival, for they don't expect me till to-morrow, 
 you know, and there will be a row in church if those 
 boys see me without warning." 
 
 " I 'U send Ben up the hill, and you can step over to 
 Myra's yourself ; it will please her, and you will have 
 plenty of time." 
 
 Dr. Alec was off at once, and they saw no more 
 of him till the old barouche was at the door, and 
 Aunt Plenty just rustling downstairs in her Sunday 
 best, with Rose like a little black shadow behind 
 her. 
 
 2» ' 
 
84 
 
 EIGHT COUSiys. 
 
 Away they drove in state, and all the way Uncle 
 Alec's hat was more off his head than on, for every one 
 they met smiled and bowed, and gave him as blithe a 
 greeting as the day permitted. 
 
 It was evident that the warning had been a wise one, 
 for, in spite of time and place, the lads were in such a 
 ferment that their elders sat in momentary dread of 
 an unseemly outbreak somewhere. It was simply im- 
 possible to keep those fourteen eyes off Uncle Alec, 
 and the dreadful things that were done during sermon- 
 time will hardly be believed. 
 
 Rose dared not look up 'after a while, for these bad 
 boys vented their emotions upon her till she was 
 ready to laugh and cry with mingled amusement and 
 vexation. Charlie winked rapturously at her behind 
 his mother's fan ; Mac openly pointed to the tall fig- 
 ure beside her; Jamie stared fixedly over the back 
 of his pew, till Rose thought his round eyes would 
 drop out of his head; George fell over a stool and 
 dropped three books in his excitement; Will drew 
 sailors and Chinamen on his clean cuffs, and displayed 
 them, to Rose's great tribulation ; Steve nearly upset 
 the whole party by burning his nose with salts, as he 
 pretended to be overcome by his joy ; even dignified 
 Archie disgraced himself by writing in his hymn-book, 
 "Isn't he blue and brown F^^ and passing it politely 
 to Rose. 
 
 Her only salvation was trying to fix her attention 
 upon Uncle Mao, — a portly, placid gentleman, who 
 Beemed entirely unconscious of the iniquities of the 
 Clan, and dozed peacefully in his pew corner. This 
 was the only uncle Rose had met for years, for Uncle 
 
UNCLES. 
 
 85 
 
 Jem and TTncle Steve, the husbands of Aunt Jessie 
 and Aunt Clara, were at sea, and Aint Myra was 
 «, widow. Uncle Mac was a merchant, very rich 
 and busy, and as quiet as a mouse at home, for he 
 was in such a minority among the women folk he 
 dared not open his lips, and let his wife rule undis- 
 turbed. 
 
 Rose liked the big, kindly, silent man who came to 
 her when papa died, was always sending her splendid 
 boxes of goodies at school, and often invited her into 
 his great warehouse, full of teas and spices, wines and 
 all sorts of foreign fruits, there to eat and carry away 
 whatever she liked. She had secretly regretted that 
 he was not to be her guardian ; but since she had seen 
 Uncle Aleo she felt better about it, for she did not 
 particularly admire Aunt Jane. 
 
 When church w^as over. Dr. Alec got into the porch 
 as quickly as possible, and there the young bears had 
 a hug all round, while the sisters shook hands and wel- 
 comed him with bright faces and glad hearts. Rose 
 was nearly crushed flat behind a door in that danger- 
 ous passage from pew to porch ; but Uncle Mac res- 
 cued her, and put her into the carriage for safe 
 keeping. 
 
 " Now, girls, I want you all to come and dine with 
 Alec; Mac also, of course. But I cannot ask the 
 boys, for we did not expect this dear fellow till to- 
 morrow, you know, so I made no preparations. Send 
 the lads home, and let them wait till Monday, for 
 really I was shocked at their behavior in church," 
 said Aunt Plenty, as she followed Rose. 
 
 In any other place the defrauded boys would have 
 
^■ii«i 
 
 mmw 
 
 36 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS, 
 
 set up a howl ; as it was, they growled and protested 
 till Dr. Alec settled the matter by saying,— 
 
 "Never mind, old chaps, I'll make it up to ycm 
 to-morrow, if you sheer off quietly ; if you don't, not 
 a blessed thing shall you have out of my big boxes." 
 
 ^1 
 
 ¥ 'i 
 
 -a-« 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AUNTS. 
 
 ALL dinner-time Rose felt that she was going to be 
 talked about, and afterward she was sure of it, 
 for Aunt Plenty whispered to her as they went into 
 the parlor, — 
 
 " Run up and sit awhile with Sister Peace, my dear. 
 She likes to have you read while she rests, and we are 
 going to be busy." 
 
 Rose obeyed, and the quiet rooms above were so 
 like a church that she soon composed her ruffled feel- 
 ings, and was unconsciously a little minister of happi- 
 ness to the sweet old lady, who for years had sat there 
 patiently waiting to be set free from pain. 
 
 Rose knew the sad romance of her life, and it gave 
 a certain tender charm to this great-aunt of hers, 
 whom she already loved. When Peace was twenty, 
 she was about to be married ; all was done, the wed- 
 ding-dress lay ready, the flowers were waiting to be 
 put on, the happy hour afc hand, when word came 
 that the lover was dead. They thought that gentle 
 Peace would die too; but she bore it bravely, put 
 away her bridal gear, took up her life afresh, and 
 lived on, — a bejiutiful, meek woman, with hair as 
 
38 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 white as snow and cheeks that never bloomed again. 
 She wore no black, but soft, pale colors, as if always 
 ready for the marriage that had never come. 
 
 For thirty years she had lived on, fading slowly, 
 but cheerful, busy, and full of interest in all that went 
 on in the family ; especially the joys and sorrows of 
 the young girls growing up about her, and to them 
 she was adviser, confidante, and friend in all their 
 tender trials and delights. A truly beautiful old 
 maiden, with her silvery hair, tranquil face, and an 
 atmosphere of repose about her that soothed whoever 
 came to her I 
 
 Aunt Plenty was utterly dissimilar, being a stout, 
 brisk old lady, with a sharp eye, a lively tongue, and 
 a face like a winter-apple. Always trotting, chatting, 
 and bustling, she was a regular Martha, cumbered 
 with the cares of this world and quite happy in them. 
 
 Rose was right; and while she softly read psalms 
 to Aunt Peace, the other ladies were talking about 
 her little self in the frankest manner. 
 
 " Well, Alec, how do you like your ward ? " began 
 Aunt Jane, as they all settled down, and Uncle Mac 
 deposited himself in a corner to finish his doze. 
 
 " I should like her better if I could have begun at 
 the beginning, and so got a fair start. Poor George 
 led such a solitary life that the child has suffered in 
 many ways, and since he died she has been going on 
 worse than ever, judging from the state I find her in." 
 
 ** My dear boy, we did what we thought best while 
 waiting for you to wind up your affairs and get home. 
 I always told George he was wrong to bring her up as 
 he did ; but he never took my advice, and now here 
 
 mtmm 
 
AUNTS. 
 
 39 
 
 we are with this poor dear child upon our hands. 
 I, for one, freely confess that I don't know what to 
 do with her any more than if she was one of those 
 strange, outlandish birds you used to bring home 
 from foreign parts." And Aunt Plenty gave a per- 
 plexed shake of the head which caused great commo- 
 tion among the stiff loops of purple ribbon that bristled 
 all over her cap like crocus buds. 
 
 "If my advice had been taken, she would have 
 remained at the ex«ellent school where I placed her. 
 But our aunt thought best to remove her because she 
 con: plained, and she . has been dawdling about ever 
 sin e she came. A most ruinous state of things for 
 a morbid, spoilt girl like Rose," said Mrs. Jane, 
 severely. 
 
 ^ She had never forgiven the old ladies for yielding 
 to Rose's pathetic petition that she might wait her 
 guardian's arrival before beginning anotht term at 
 the school, which was a regular Blimber hot-bed, and 
 turned out many a feminine Toots. 
 
 " I never thought it the proper school for a child 
 in good circumstances, — an heiress, in fact, as Rose is. 
 It is all very well for girls who are to get their own 
 living by teaching, and that sort of thing ; but all she 
 needs is a year or two at a fashionable finishing-school, 
 so that at eighteen she can come out with ec/a^," put 
 in Aunt Clara, who had been a beauty and a belle, and 
 was still a handsome woman. 
 
 "Dear, dear! how short-sighted you all are to be 
 discussing education and plans for the future, when 
 this unhappy child is so plainly marked for the tomb," 
 sighed Aunt Myra, with a lugubrious sniff and a sol- 
 
40 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 emn wag of the funereal bonnet, which she refused 
 to remove, being afflicted with a chronic catarrh. 
 
 "Now, it is my opinion that the dear thing only- 
 wants freedom, rest, and care. There is a look in her 
 eyes that goes to my heart, for it shows that she feels 
 the need of what none of us can give her, — a mother," 
 said Aunt Jessie, with tears in her own bright eyes at 
 the thought of her boys being left, as Rose was, to the 
 care of others. 
 
 Uncle Alec, who had listened silently as each spoke, 
 turned quickly toward the last sister, and said, with a 
 decided nod of approval, — 
 
 " You've got it, Jessie ; and, with you to help me, I 
 hope to make the child feel that she is not quite father- 
 less and motherless.' 
 
 " I '11 do my best. Alec ; and I think you wiU need 
 me, for, wise as you are, you cannot understand a ten- 
 der, timid little creature like Rose as a woman can," 
 said Mrs. Jessie, smiling back at him with a heart full 
 of motherly good-will. 
 
 "I cannot help feeling that I, who have had a 
 daughter of my own, can best bring up a girl ; and I 
 am very much surprised that George did not intrust 
 her to me," observed Aunt Myra, with an air of mel- 
 ancholy importance, for she was the only one who had 
 given a daughter to the family, and she felt that she 
 had distinguished herself, though ill-natured people 
 said that she had dosed her darling to death. 
 
 " I never blamed him in the least, when I remember 
 the perilous experiments you tried with poor Carrie," 
 began Mrs. Jane, in her hard voice. 
 
 " Jane Campbell, I will not hear a word ! My sainted 
 
 c«b.<w,w.,w.ua 
 
AUNTS. 
 
 41 
 
 Caroline is a sacred subject," cried Aunt Myra, rising 
 as if to leave the room. 
 
 Dr. Alec detained her, feeling that he must define 
 his position at once, and maintain it manfully if he 
 hoped to have any success in his new undertaking. 
 
 " Now, my dear souls, don't let us quarrel and make 
 Rose a bone of contention, — though, upon my word, 
 she is almost a bone, poor little lass I You have had 
 her among you for a year, and done what you liked. 
 I cannot say that your success is great, but that is 
 owing to too many fingers in the pie. Now, I intend 
 to try my way for a year, and if at the «nd of it she 
 is not in better trim than now, I '11 give up the case, 
 and hand her over to some one else. That 's fair, I 
 think." 
 
 " She will not be here a year hence, poor darling, so 
 no one need dread future responsibility," said Aurit 
 Myra, folding her black gloves as if all ready for ohe 
 funeral. 
 
 "By Jupiter, Myra, you are enough to damp the 
 ardor of a saint ! " cried Dr. Alec, with a sudden spark 
 in his eyes. "Your croaking will worry that child 
 out of her wits, for she is an imaginative puss, and 
 will fret and fancy imtold horrors. You have put it 
 into her head that she has no constitution, and she 
 rather likes the idea. If she had not had a pretty 
 good one, she would have been * marked for the tomb ' 
 by this time, at the rate you have been going on with 
 her. I will not have any interference, — please under- 
 stand that ; so just wash your hands of her, and let me 
 manage till I want help, then 1 '11 ask for it." 
 
 "Hear, hear! "came from the comer where Uncle 
 Mac was apparently wrapt in slumber, 
 
42 
 
 BIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " You were appointed guardian, so we can do noth- 
 ing. But I predict that the girl will be spoilt, utterly 
 spoilt," answered Mrs. Jane, grimly. 
 
 " Thank you, sister. I have an idea that if a woman 
 can bring up two boys as perfectly as you do yours, a 
 man, if he devotes his wliole mind to it, may at least 
 attempt as much with one giri," replied Dr. Alec, with 
 a humorous look that tickled the others immensely, for 
 it was a well-known fact in the family that Jane's boys 
 were more indulged than all the other lads put to- 
 gether. 
 
 " I am quite easy, for I really do think that Alec 
 will improve the child's health ; and by the time his 
 year is out, it will be quite soon enough for her to go 
 to Madame Roccabella's and be finished off," said Au'^ 
 Clara, settling her rings, and thinking, with langu 
 satisfaction, of the time when she could bring out a 
 pretty and accomplished niece. 
 
 " I suppose you will stay here in the old place, unless 
 you think of marrying, and it 's high time you did," 
 put in Mrs. Jane, much nettled at her brother's last 
 hit. 
 
 "No, thank you. Come and have a cigar, Mac," 
 said Dr. Alec, abruptly. 
 
 , "Don't marry; women enough in the family al- 
 ready." muttered Uncle Mac ; and then the gentlemen 
 hastily fled. 
 
 " Aunt Peace would like to see you all, she says," 
 was the message Rose brought before the ladies could 
 begin again. 
 
 " Hectic, hectic ! — dear me, dear me!" murmured 
 Aunt Myra, as the shadow of her ^loom^ bonnet fell 
 
AUNTS, 
 
 43 
 
 upon Rose, and the stiff tips of a black glove touched 
 the cheek where the color deepened under so many 
 eyes. 
 
 " I am glad these pretty curls are natural ; they will 
 be invaluable by and by," said Aunt Clara, taking an 
 observation with her head on one side. 
 
 " Now that your uncle has come, I no longer expect 
 you to review the studies of the past year. I trust 
 your time will not be entirely wasted in frivolous sports, 
 however," added Aunt Jane, sailing out of the room 
 with the air of a martyr. 
 
 Aunt Jessie said not a word, but kissed her little 
 niece, with a look of tender sympathy that made Rose 
 cling to her a minute and follow her with grateful 
 eyes as the door closed behind her. 
 
 After everybody had gone home. Dr. Alec paced up 
 and down the lower hall in the twilight for an hour, 
 thinking so intently that sometimes he frowned, some- 
 times he smiled, and more than once he stood still in a 
 brown study. All of a sudden he said, half aloud, as 
 if he had made up his mind, — 
 
 " I might as well begin at once, and ^ve the child 
 something new to think about, for Myra's dismals and 
 Jane's lectures have made her as blue as a little indigo 
 bag." 
 
 Diving into one of the trunks that stood in a comer, 
 he brought up, after a brisk rummage, a silken cushion, 
 prettily embroidered, and a quaint cup of dark carved 
 wood. 
 
 " This will do for a start," he said, as he plumped 
 up the cushion and dusted the cup. " It Won't do to 
 begin too energetically, or Rose will be frightened. I 
 
44 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 must beguile her gently and pleasantly along till I Ve 
 won her confidence, and then she will be ready for 
 any thing." 
 
 Just then Phebe came out of the dining-room with 
 a plate of brown bread, for Rose had been allowed no 
 hot biscuit for tea. 
 
 " I '11 relieve you of some of that," said Dr. Ale«, 
 and, helping himself to a generous slice, he retired to 
 the study, leaving Phebe to wonder at his appetite. 
 
 She would have wondered still more if she had seen 
 him making that brown bread into neat little pills, 
 which he packed into an attractive ivory box, out of 
 which he emptied his own bits of lovage. 
 
 " There ! if they insist on medicine, I '11 order these, 
 and no harm will be done. I will have my own way, 
 but I'll keep the peace, if possible, and confess the 
 joke when my experiment has succeeded," he said to 
 himself, looking very much like a mischievous boy, as 
 he w'ent off with his innocent prescriptions. ^ 
 
 Rose was playing softly on the small organ that 
 stood in the upper hall, so that Aunt Peace could 
 enjoy it; and al) the while he talked with the old 
 ladies Uncle Alec was listening to the fitful mrsic of 
 the child, and thinking of another Rose who used to 
 JH play for him. 
 
 As the clock struck eight, he called out, — 
 
 " Time for my girl to be abed, else she won't be up 
 early, and I 'm full of jolly plans for to-morrow. Come 
 and see what I have found for you to begin upon." 
 
 Rose ran in and listened with bright, attentive face, 
 while Dr. Alec said, impressively, — i 
 
 «' In my wanderings over the face of the earth, I 
 
AUNTS. 
 
 45 
 
 have picked up some excellent remedies, and, as they 
 are rather agreeable ones, I think you and I will try 
 them. This is an herb-pillow, given to me by a wise 
 old woman when I was ill in India. It is filled with 
 saffron, poppies, and other soothing plants ; so lay your 
 little head on it to-night, sleep sweetly without a dream, 
 and wake to-morrow without a pain." 
 
 " Shall I really ? How nice it smells." And Rose 
 willingly received the pretty pillow, and stood enjoying 
 its faint, sweet odor, as she listened to the doctor^s 
 next remedy. 
 
 " This is the cup I told you of. Its virtue depends, 
 they say, on the drinker filling it himself ; so you must 
 learn to milk. I '11 teach you." 
 
 " I 'm afraid I never can," said Rose ; but she sur- 
 veyed the cup with favor, for a funny little imp danced 
 on the handle, as if all ready to take a header into the 
 white sea below. 
 
 ^ "Don't you think she ought to have something 
 more strengthening than milk. Alec ? I really shall 
 feel anxious if she does not have a tonic of some sort," 
 said Aunt Plenty, eying the new remedies suspiciously, 
 for she had more faith in her old-fashioned doses than 
 all the magic cups and poppy pillows of the East. 
 
 " Well, ma*am, I 'm willing to give her a pill, if you 
 think best It is a very simple one, and very large 
 quantities may be taken without harm.. You know 
 hasheesh is the extract of hemp? Well, this is a 
 preparation of corn and rye, much used in old times, 
 and I hope it will be again." 
 
 " Dear me, how singular ! " said Aunt Plenty, bring- 
 ing her spectacles to bear upon the pills, with a face 
 
46 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 so fall of respe tful interest that it was almost too 
 muoh for Dr. Alec's gravity. 
 
 "Take one in the morning, and a good-night to 
 you, my dear,'' he said, dismissing his patient with a 
 hearty kiss. 
 
 Then, a» she vanished, he put both hands into his 
 hair, exclaiming, with a comical mixture of anxiety and 
 amusement, — 
 
 " When I think what I have undertaken, I declare 
 to you, aunt, I feel like running away and not coming 
 back till Rose is eighteen 1 " 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 A BELT AND A BOX. 
 
 WHEN Rose came out of her chamber, cup in 
 hand, next morning, the first person she saw 
 was Uncle Alec standing on the threshold of the room 
 opposite, which he appeared to be exaihining with 
 care. When he heard her step, he turned about and 
 began to sing, — 
 
 " Where are you going, my pretty maid ? " 
 
 " I 'm going armilking, sir, she said," answered Rose, 
 waving the cup ; and then they finished the verse to- 
 gether in fine style. 
 
 Before either spoke, a head, in a nightcap so large 
 and beruffled that it looked like a cabbage, popped 
 out of a room farther down the hall, and an astonished 
 voice exclaimed, — 
 
 "What in the world are you about so early?" 
 
 " Clearing our pipes for the day, ma'am. Look here, 
 auntie, can I have this room ? " said Dr. Alec, making 
 her a sailor's bow. 
 
 " Any room you like, except sister's." 
 
 " Thanks. And may I go rummaging round in the 
 garrets and glory-holes to furnish it as I like?" 
 
 "My dear boy, you may turn the house upside 
 down if you will only stay in it." 
 
48 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 "That's a handsome offer, I'm sure. I'll stay, 
 ma'am ; here 's my little anchor, so you will get more 
 than you want of me this time." 
 
 "That's impossible! Put on your jacket, Rose. 
 Don't tire her out with antics, Alec. Yes, sister, 
 I 'm coming ! " and the cabbage vanished suddenly. 
 
 The first milking lesson was a droll one ; but after 
 several scares and many vain attempts. Rose at last 
 managed to fill her cup, while Ben held Clover's tail 
 so that it could not flap, and Dr. Alec kept her from 
 turning to stare at the new milk-maid, who objected 
 to both these proceedings very much. 
 
 " You look chilly in spite of all this laughing. 
 Take a smart run round the garden and get up a 
 glow," said the doctor, as they left the bam. 
 
 " I 'm too old for running, uncle ; Miss Power said 
 it was not lady-like for girls in their teens," answered 
 Rose primly. 
 
 " I take the liberty of differing from Madame 
 Prunes and Prisms, and, as your physician, I order 
 you to run. Off with you!" said Uncle Alec, with 
 a look and a gesture that made Rose scurry away 
 as fast as she could go. 
 
 Anxious to please him, she raced round the beds till 
 she came back to the porch where he stood, and, 
 dropping down upon the steps, she sat panting, with 
 cheeks as rosy as the rigolette on her shoulders. 
 
 " Very well done, child ; I see you have not lost the 
 use of your limbs though you are in your teens. That 
 belt is too tight ; unfasten it, then you can take a long 
 breath without panting so." 
 
 " It is n't tight, sir ; I can breathe perfectly wen,** 
 began Rose, trying to compose herself. 
 
A BELT AND A BOX. 
 
 49 
 
 Her uncle's only answer was ,to lift her up and 
 unhook the new belt of which she was so proud. 
 The moment the clasp was open the belt flew apart 
 several inches, for it was impossible to restrain the 
 involuntary sigh of relief that flatly contradicted her 
 words. 
 
 "Why, I didn't know it was tight! it didn't feel 
 so a bit. Of course it would open if I puff like this, 
 but I never do, because I hardly ever run," explained 
 Rose, rather discomfited by this discovery. 
 
 "I see you don't half fill your lungs, and so you 
 can wear this absurd thing without feeling it. The 
 idea of cramping a tender Uttle waist in a stiff band 
 of leather and steel just when it ought to be growing," 
 said Dr. Alec, surveying the belt with great disfavor 
 as he put the clasp forward several holes, to Rose's 
 secret dismay, for she was proud of her slender figure, 
 -and daily rejoiced that she wasn't as stout as Luly 
 Miller, a former schoolmate, who vainly tried to re- 
 press her plumpness. 
 
 " It will fall off if it is so loose," she said anxiously, 
 as she stood watching hi^n pull her precious belt 
 about. 
 
 " Not if you keep taking long breaths to hold it on. 
 That is what I want you to do, and when you have fiUed 
 this out we will go on enlarging it till your waist is 
 more like that of Hebe, goddess of health, and less 
 like that of a fashion-plate, — the ugliest thing imagi- 
 nable." 
 
 "How it does look I" and Rose gave a glance of 
 Bcom at the loose belt hanging round her trim little 
 waist. "It will be lost, and then I shall feel badly, 
 
 8 D 
 
50 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 for it cost ever so much, and is real steel and Russia 
 leather. Just smell how nice." 
 
 "If it is lost I'll give you a better one. A soft 
 silken sash is much fitter for a pretty child like you 
 than a plated harness like this ; and I 've got no end 
 of Italian scarfs and Turkish sashes among my traps. 
 Ah ! that makes you feel better, does n't it ? " and he 
 pinched the check that had suddenly dimpled with a 
 smile. 
 
 " It is very silly of me, but I can't help liking to 
 know that" — here uhe stopped and blushed and held 
 down her head, ashamed tc add, "you think I am 
 pretty." 
 
 Dr. Alec's eyes twinkled, but he said very so- 
 berly,— 
 
 "Rose, are you vain?" 
 
 "I'm afraid I am," answered a very meek voice 
 from behind the veil of hair that hid the red face. 
 
 " That is a sad fault." And he sighed as if grieved 
 at the confession. 
 
 " I know it is, and I try not to be ; but people praise 
 me, and I can't help liking it, for I really don't think 
 I am repulsive." 
 
 The last word and the funny tone in which it was 
 uttered were too much for Dr. Alec, and he laughed 
 in spite of himself, to Rose's great relief. 
 
 " I quite agree with you ; and in order that you 
 may be still less repulsive, I want you to grow as fine 
 a girl as Phebe." 
 
 "Phebel" and Rose looked so amazed that her 
 ancle nearly went off again. 
 
 ♦•Tee, Phebe; for she has what you need, — health. 
 
A BELT AND A BOX, 
 
 51 
 
 If you dear little girls would only learn what real 
 beauty is, and not pinch and starve and bleach your- 
 selves out so, you 'd save an immense deal of time and 
 money and pain. A happy soul in a healthy body 
 makes the best sort of beauty for man or woman. Do 
 you understand that, my dear?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," answered Rose, much taken dovn by 
 this comparison with the girl from the poor-house. 
 It nettled her sadly, and she showed that it did by 
 saying quickly, — 
 
 " I suppose you would like to have me sweep and 
 scrub, and wear an old brown dress, and go round 
 with my sleeves rolled up, as Phebe does?" 
 
 "I should very much, if you could work as well as 
 she does, and show as strong a pair of arms as she 
 can. I have n't seen a prettier picture for some time 
 than she made of herself this mornings up to the elbows 
 in suds, singing lik*^ a blackbird while she scrubbed on 
 the back stoop." 
 
 "Well, I do think you are the queerest man that 
 ever lived I " was all Rose could find to say after this 
 display of bad taste. 
 
 " I have n't begun to show my oddities yet, so you 
 must r\ake up your mind to worse shocks than this," 
 he saia, with suci . a whimsical look that she was glad 
 the sound of a bell prevented her showing more plainly 
 what a blow her little vanities had already received. 
 
 " You will find your box all open up in auntie's parlor, 
 and there you can amuse her and yourself by rum- 
 maging to your heart's content ; I 've got to be cruising 
 round all the morning getting my room to rights," 
 said Dr. Alec, as they rose from breakfast. 
 
52 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " Can't I help you, uncle ? " asked Rose, quite burn- 
 ing to be useful. 
 
 " No, thank you. I 'm going to borrow Phebe for 
 a while, if Aunt Plenty can spare her." 
 
 " Anybody, — any thing. Alec. You will want me, 
 I know, so I'll give orders about dinner and be all 
 ready to lend a hand ; " and the old lad} bustled away 
 full of interest and good-wiil. 
 
 " Uncle will find that I can do some things that 
 Phebe can't ; so now ! " thought Rose, with a toss of 
 the head as sh? flew to Aunt Peace and the long- 
 desired box. 
 
 Every little girl can easily imagine what an extra 
 good time she had diving into a sea of treasures and 
 fishing up one pretty thing after another, till the air 
 was full of the mingled odors of musk and sandal-wood, 
 the room gay with bright colors, and Rose in a rapture 
 of delight. She began to forgive Dr. Alec for the 
 oatmeal diet when she saw a lovely ivory work-box ; 
 became resigned to the state of her belt when she 
 found a pile of rainbow-colored sashes ; and when she 
 came to some distractingly pretty bottles of attar of 
 rose, she felt that they aljnost atoned for the great 
 sin of thinking Phebe the finer girl of the two. 
 
 Dr. Alec meanwhile had apparently taken Aunt 
 Plenty at her word, and was turning the house upside 
 down. A general revolution was evidently going on 
 in the green-room, for the dark damask curtains were 
 seen bundling away in Phebe's arms; the air-tight 
 stove retiring to the cellar on Ben's shoulder ; and the 
 great bedstead going up garret in a fragmentary state, 
 escorted by three bearers. Aunt Plenty was constantly 
 
A BELT AND A BOX. 
 
 53 
 
 on the trot among her store-rooms, camphor-chests, 
 and linen-closets, looking as if the new order of things 
 both amazed and amused her. 
 
 ' Half the peculiar performances of Dr. Alec cannot 
 be revealed ; but as Rose glanced up from her box 
 now and then she caught glimpses of him striding by, 
 bearing a bamboo chair, a pair of ancient andirons, a 
 queer Japanese screen, a rug or two, and finally a large 
 bathing-pan upon his head. 
 
 " What a curious room it will be," she said, as she 
 sat resting and refreshing herself with "Lumps of 
 Delight," all the way from Cairo. 
 
 "I fancy you will like it, deary," answered Aunt 
 Peace, looking* up with a smile from some pretty trifle 
 she was making with blue silk and white muslin. 
 
 Rose did not see the smile, for just at that moment 
 her uncle paused at the door, and she sprang up to 
 dance before him, saying, with a face full of childish 
 happiness, — 
 
 " Look at me 1 look at me I I 'm so splendid I don't 
 know myself, I haven't put these things on right, I 
 dare say, but I do like them so much ! " 
 
 " You look as gay as a parrot in your fez and cabaja, 
 and it does my heart good to see the little black 
 shadow turned into a rainbow," said Uncle Alec, 
 surveying the bright fig'^iC before him with great 
 approbation. 
 
 He did not say it, but he thought she made a much 
 prettier picture than Phebe at the wash-tub, for she 
 had stuck a purple fez on her blonde head, tied several 
 brilliant scarfs about her waist, and put on a truly 
 gorgeous scarlet jacket with a golden sun embroidered 
 
54 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 on the back, a silver moon on the front, and stars of 
 all sizes on the sleeves. A pair of Turkish slippers 
 adorned her feet, and necklaces of amber, coral, and 
 filigree hung about her neck, while one hand held a 
 smelling-bottle, and the other the spicy box of oriental 
 sweetmeats. 
 
 " I feel like a girl in the * Arabian Nights,' and ex- 
 pect to find a magic carpet or a wonderful talisman 
 somewhere. Only I don't see how I ever can thank 
 you for all these lovely things," she said, stopping her 
 dance, as if suddenly oppressed with gratitude. 
 
 " I '11 tell you how, — by leaving off the black clothes, 
 that never should have been kept so long on such a 
 child, and wearing the gay ones I 've brought. It will 
 do your spirits good, and cheer up this sober old 
 house. Won't it, auntie?" 
 
 "I think you are right, Alec, and it is fortunate 
 that we have not begun on her spring clothes yet, 
 for Myra thought she ought not to wear any thing 
 brighter than violet, and she is too pale for that." 
 
 " You just let me direct Miss Hemming how to 
 make some of these things. You will be surprised to 
 see how much I know about piping hems and gathering 
 arm-holes and shirring biases," began Dr. Alec, pat- 
 ting a pile of mus|^n, cloth, and silk with a knowing 
 air. 
 
 Aunt Peace and Rose laughed so that he could not 
 display his knowledge any farther till they stopped, 
 when he said good-naturedly, — 
 
 " That will go a great way toward filling out the 
 "belt, so laugh away, Morgiana, and I '11 go back to ray 
 work, or I never shall be done." 
 
A BELT AND A BOX. 
 
 55 
 
 ** I could n't help it, ' shirred biases ' were so very 
 funny ! " Rose said, as she turned to her box after the 
 splendid laugh. " But really, auntie," she added so- 
 berly, " I feel as if I ought not to have so many nice 
 things. I suppose it would n't do to give Phebe some 
 of them ? Uncle might not like it." 
 
 " He would not mind ; but they are not suitable for 
 Phebe. Some of the dresses you are done with would 
 be more useful, if they can be made over to fit her," 
 answered Aunt Peace in the prudent, moderate tone 
 which is so trying to our feelings when we indulge in 
 little fits of charitable enthusiasm. 
 
 " I 'd rather give her new ones, for I think she is a 
 little bit proud and might not like old things. If she 
 was my sister it would do, because sisters don't mind, 
 but she is n't, and that makes it bad, you see. I know 
 how I can manage beautifully ; I '11 adopt her I " and 
 Rose looked quite radiant with this new idea. 
 
 " I 'm afraid you could not do it legally till you are 
 older, but you might see if she likes the plan, and at 
 any rate you can be very kind to her, for in one sense 
 we are all sisters, and should help one another." 
 
 The sweet old face looked at her so kindly that 
 Rose was fired with a desire to settle the matter at 
 once, and rushed away to the kitchen just as she was. 
 Phebe was there, polishing up the antique andiron^? so 
 busily that she started when a voice cried out : " Smell 
 that, taste this, and look at me ! " 
 
 Phebe sniffed attar of rose, crunched the " Lump of 
 Delight" tucked into her mouth, and stared with all 
 her eyes at little Morgiana prancing about the room 
 like a brilliant paroquet. 
 
m 
 
 56 
 
 EIGHT COl/aiNS. 
 
 "My stars, ain't you splendid!" was all -she could 
 say, holding up two dusty hands. 
 
 Rose Ain> Phebe. 
 
 "I've got heaps of lovely things upstairs, and I'll 
 show them all to you, and I 'd go halves, only auntie 
 thinks they wouldn't be useful, so I shall give you 
 
A BELT AND A BOX. 
 
 67 
 
 something else; and you won't mind, will you? be- 
 cause I want to adopt you as Arabella was in the 
 story. Won't that be nice?" 
 
 " Why, Miss Rose, have you lost your wits ? " 
 
 No wonder Phebe asked, for Rose talked very fast, 
 and looked so odd in her new costume, and was so 
 eager she could not stop to explain. Seeing Phebe's 
 bewilderment, she quieted down and said, with a 
 pretty air of earnestness, — 
 
 " It is n't fair that I should have so much and you 
 so little, and I want to be as good to you as if 
 you were my sister, for Aunt Peace says we are all 
 sisters really. I thought if I adopted you as much 
 as I can now, it would be nicer. Will you let me, 
 please?" 
 
 To Rose's great surprise, Phebe sat down on the 
 floor and hid her face in her- apron for a minute with- 
 out answering a word. 
 
 "Oh dear, now she's offended, and I don't know 
 what to do," thought Rose, much discouraged by this 
 reception of her offer. - 
 
 "Please, forgive me; I didn't mean to hurt your 
 feelings, and hope you won't think — " she faltered 
 presently, feeling that she must undo the mischief 
 if possible. 
 
 But Phebe gave her another surprise, by dropping 
 the apron and showing a face all smiles, in spite of 
 tears in the eyes, as she put both arms round Rose 
 and said, with a laugh and sob, — 
 
 " I think you are the dearest girl in the world, and 
 I'll let you do any thing you like with me." 
 
 " Then you do like the plan ? You did n't cry be- 
 8» 
 
68 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 cause I seemed to be kind of patronizing? I truly 
 did n't mean to be," cried Rose, delighted. 
 
 " I guess I do like it I and cried because no one was 
 ever so good to me before, and I couldn't help it. 
 As for patronizing, you may walk on me if you want 
 to, and I won't mind," said Phebe, in a burst of grati- 
 tude, for the words, " we are aU sisters," went straight 
 to her lonely heart and nestled there. 
 
 " Well, now, we can play I 'm a good sprite out of 
 the box, or, what is better, a fairy godmother come 
 down the chimney, and you are Cin'^erella, and must 
 say what you want," said Rose, trying to put the 
 question delicately. 
 
 Phebe understood that, for she had a good deal of 
 natural refinement, though she did come from the 
 poor-house. 
 
 "I don't feel as if I wanted any thing now. Miss 
 Rose, but to find some way of thanking you for all 
 youVe done," she said, rubbing off a tear that went 
 rolling down the bridge of her nose in the most un- 
 romantic way. 
 
 "Why, I haven't done any thing but given you 
 a bit of candy I Here, have some more, and eat 'em 
 while you work, and think what I can do. I must 
 go and clear up, so good-by, and don't forget I've 
 adopted you." 
 
 "You've given me sweeter things than candy, and 
 I'm not likely to forget it." And carefully wiping 
 off the brick-dust, Phebe pressed the little hand Rose 
 offered warmly in both her hard ones, while the black 
 eyes followed the departing visitor with a grateful 
 look that made theift very soft and bright. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 UNCLE ALEC'S ROOM. 
 
 SOON after dinner, and before she had got ac- 
 quainted with half her new possessions, Dr. Alec 
 proposed a drive, to carry round the first instalment 
 of gifts to the aunts and cousins. Rose was quite 
 ready to go, being anxious to try a certain soft bur- 
 nous from the box, which not only possessed a most 
 engaging little hood, but had funny tassels bobbing 
 in all directions. 
 
 The big carriage was full of parcels, and even Ben's 
 seat was loaded with Indian war-clubs, a Chinese kite 
 of immense size, and a pair of polished ox-horns from 
 Africa. Uncle Alec, very blue as to his clothes, and 
 very brown as to his face, sat bolt upright, surveying 
 well-knowi) j>1accs with interest, while Rose, feeling 
 unusually elegant and comfortable, leaned back folded 
 in her soft mantle, and played she was an Eastern 
 princess making a r</yal progress among her subjects. 
 
 At three of ^hc, phw^ei* their calls were brief, for 
 Aunt Myra's catarrh was unusually bad; Aunt Clara 
 had a room full of company; and Aunt Jane showed 
 such a tendency to discusB the population, productions, 
 and politics of Europe, Asia, and Africa, that even 
 
60 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 Dr. Alec was dismayed, and got away as goon as 
 possible. 
 
 " Now we will Jiave a good time 1 I do hope the 
 boys will be at home," said Rose, with a sigh of relief, 
 as they womid yet higher up the hill to Amit Jessie's. 
 
 "I left this for the last call, so that we might find 
 the lads just in from school. Yes, there is Jamie on 
 the gate watching for us; now you'll see the Clan 
 gather; they are always swarming about together." 
 
 The instant Jamie saw the approaching guests he 
 gave a shrill whistle, which was answered by echoes 
 from meadow, house, and barn, as the cousins camo 
 running from all directions, shouting, "Hooray for 
 Uncle Alec!" They went at the carriage like high- 
 waymen, robbed it of every parcel, took the occupants 
 prisoners, and marched them into the house with great 
 exultation. 
 
 " Little Mum ! little Mum ! here they are with lots 
 of goodies ! Come down and see the fun right away ! 
 quick!" bawled Will and Geordie amidst a general 
 ripping off of papers and a reckless cutting of strings 
 that soon turned the tidy room into a chaos. 
 
 Down came Aunt Jessie with her pretty cap half on, 
 but such a beaming face below it that one rather 
 thought the fly-away head-gear an improvement than 
 otherwise. She had hardly time to greet Rose and 
 the doctor before the boys were about her, each 
 clamoring for her to see his gift and rejoice over it 
 with him, for "little Mum" went halves in every 
 thing. The great horns skirmished about her as if to 
 toss her to the ceiling ; the wir-clubs hurtled over her 
 head as if to annihilate her ; an amazing medley from 
 
UNCLE ALEC'S ROOM. 
 
 61 
 
 the four quarters of the globe filled her lap, and seven 
 excited boys all talked to her at once. 
 
 But she liked it; oh dear, yes! and sat smiling, 
 admiring, and explaining, quite untroubled by the 
 din, which made Rose cover up her ears and Dr. Alec 
 threaten instant flight if the riot was not quelled. 
 That threat produced a lull, and while the uncle re- 
 ceived thanks in one corner, the aunt had some little 
 C'»nfidence8 made to her in the other. 
 
 •*Well, dear, and how are things going with you 
 now? Better, I hope, than they were a week ago." 
 
 " Aunt Jessie, I think I 'm going to be very happy, 
 now uncle has come. He does the queerest things, 
 but he is so good to me I can't help loving him;" 
 and, nestling closer to little Mum, Rose told all that 
 had happened, ending with a rapturous account of 
 the splendid box. 
 
 " I am very glad, dear. But, Rose, I must warn you 
 of one thing ; don't let uncle spoil you." 
 
 " But I like to be spoilt, auntie." 
 
 " I don't doubt it ; but if you turn out badly when 
 the year 's over he will be blamed, and his experiment 
 prove a i. ire. That would be a pit v% wouldn't it? 
 when he wants to do so much for you, and can do it 
 if his kind heart does not get in the way of his good 
 judgment." 
 
 "I never thought of that, and 111 try not to be 
 spoilt. But how cmi I lelp it?" asked Rose anx- 
 iously. 
 
 "Bv not OHUpiai&ing of the wholesome things he 
 waua you to do; by giving him cheerful obedience 
 as well as love; and even making some small sao- 
 rifiees for his sake." 
 
62 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 "I will, I truly will! and when I get in a worry 
 about things may I come to you? Uncle told me 
 to, and I feel as if I should n't be afraid." 
 
 "You may, darling; this is the place where little 
 troubles are best cured, and this is what mothers are 
 for, I fancy ; " and Aunt Jessie drew the curly head 
 to her shoulder with a tender look that proved how 
 well she knew what medicine the child most needed. 
 
 It was so sweet and comfortable that Rose sat still 
 enjoying it till a little voice said, — 
 
 "Mamma, don't you think Pokey would like some 
 of my shells? Rose gave Phebe some of her nice 
 things, and it was very good of her. Can I?" 
 
 "Who is Pokey?" asked Rose, popping up her 
 head, attracted by the odd name. 
 
 " My dolly ; do you want to see her ? " asked Jamie, 
 who had been nHidi impressed by the tale of adoption 
 he had overheard. 
 
 " Yes ; I 'm fond of dollies, only don't tell the boys, 
 or they will au^ at me." 
 
 " They don't iaugh at me, and they play with my 
 dolly a great deal ; but she likes me best ; " and Jamie 
 ran uway to produce his pet. 
 
 " I brought my old doll, but I keep her hidden be- 
 cause I am too big to play with her, and yet I can't 
 bear t« throw her away, I'm so fond of her," said 
 Rose, contimiins; her confidences in a whisper. 
 
 " Y'>a can come and play with Jamie's whenever 
 you l&e, for we believer m dollies up here," began 
 Aunt Jessie, smiling to herself as if something amused 
 ber. 
 
 Just then Jamie came back, and Rose understood 
 
UNCLE ALEC'S STORY. 
 
 63 
 
 the smile, for his dolly proved to be a pretty four- 
 year-old little girl, who trotted in as fast as her fat 
 legs would carry her, and, making straight for the 
 shells, scrambled up an armful, saying, with a laugh 
 that showed her little white teeth, — 
 " All for Dimmy and me, for Dimmy and me ! " 
 
 JAMIE AND HT8 DOLLY. 
 
 "That's my dolly; isn't she a nice one?" asked 
 Jamie, proudly surveying his pet with his hands behind 
 him and his short legs rather far apart, — a manly at- 
 titude copied from his brothers. 
 
 "She is a dear dolly. But why call her Pokey?" 
 asked Rose, charmed with the new plaything. 
 
 " She is such an inquisitive little body she is always 
 poking that mite of a nose into ev^ery thing ; and as 
 
 
64 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 ^' 
 
 Paul Pry did not suit, the boys fell to calling her 
 Pokey. Not a pretty name, but very expr< ssive." 
 
 It certainly was, for, having examined the shells, 
 the busy tot laid hold of every thing she could find, and 
 continued her researches till Archie caught her suck- 
 ing his carved ivory chessmen to see if they were not 
 barley-sugar. Rice-paper pictures were also discov- 
 ered crumpled up in her tiny pocket, and she nearly 
 smashed Will's ostrich egg by trying to sit upon it. 
 
 " Here^ Jim, take her away; she 's worse than the 
 puppies, and we can't have her round," commanded 
 the elder brother, picking her up and handing her over 
 to the little fellow, who received her with open arms 
 and the warning remark, — 
 
 " You 'd better mind what you do, for I 'm going to 
 'dopt Pdkey like Rose did Phebe, and then you'll 
 havf* to be very good to her, you big fellows." 
 
 "'Dopt away, baby, and I'll give you a cage to 
 keep her in, or you won't have her long, for she is get- 
 ting worse than a monkey ; " and Archie went back to 
 his mates, while Aunt Jessie, foreseeing a crisis, pro- 
 posed that Jamie should take his dolly home, as she 
 was borrowed, and it was time her visit ended. 
 
 "JM^ dolly is better than yours, isn't she? 'cause 
 she can walk and talk and sing and dance, and yours 
 can't do any thing, can she ? " asked Jamie with pride, 
 as he regarded his Pokey, who just then had been 
 moved to execute a funny little jig and warble the 
 well-known couplet, — 
 
 " ' Puss-tat, pus8-tftt, where you been 1 ' 
 ' I been Lunnin, to saw a a. ./een.' *' 
 
 After which superb display shfe retired, escorted by 
 
UNCLE ALEC'S ROOM. 
 
 65 
 
 Jamie, both making a fearful din blowing on conch 
 bhells. 
 
 "We must tear ourselves away, Rose, because I 
 want to get you home before sunset. Will you come 
 for a drive, Jessie ? " said Dr. Alec, as the music died 
 away in the distance. * 
 
 " No, thank you ; but I see the boys want a scam- 
 per, so, if you don't mind, they may escort you home, 
 but not go in. That is only allowed on holidays." 
 
 The words were hardly out of Aunt Jessie's mouth 
 when Archie said, in a tone of command, — 
 
 "Pa^s the word, lads. Boot and saddle, and be 
 quick about it." 
 
 "All right!" And in a moment not a vestige of 
 boy remained but the litter on the floor. 
 
 The cavalcade went down the hill at a pace that 
 made Rose cling to her uncle's arm, for the fat old 
 horses got excited by the antics of the ponies careering 
 all about them, and went as fast as they could pelt, 
 with the gay dog-cart rattling in front, for Archie and 
 Charlie scorned shelties since this magnificent equi- 
 page had been set up. Ben enjoyed the fun, and the 
 lads cut up capers till Rose declared that " circus " 
 was the proper name for them after all. 
 
 When they reached the house they dismounted, and 
 stood, three on each side the steps, in martial attitudes, 
 while her ladyship was handed out with great elegance' 
 by Uncle Alec. Then the clan saluted, mounted at 
 word of command, and with a wild whoop tore down 
 the avenue in what they considered the true Arab 
 style. 
 
 That was splendid, now it is safely ended," said 
 
 i( 
 
IrT^ 
 
 &6 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 
 Rose, skipping up the steps with her head over her 
 shoulder to watch the dear tassels bob about. 
 
 " I shall get you a pony as soon as you are a little 
 stronger," said Dr. Alec, watching her with a smile. 
 
 "Oh, I couldn't ride one of those horrid, frisky 
 little beasts I They roll their eyes and bounce about 
 so, I should die of fright," cried Kyso, clasping her 
 hands tragically. 
 " Are you a coward ? " 
 " About horses I am." 
 
 " Never mind, then ; come and see my new room ; " 
 and he led the way upstairs without another word. 
 
 As Rose followed she remembered her promise to 
 Aunt Jessie, and was sorry she had objected so decid- 
 edly. She was a great deal more sorry five minutes 
 later, and well she might be. 
 
 " Now take a good look, and tell me what you think 
 of it," said Dr. Alec, opening the door and letting her 
 enter before him, while Phebe was seen whisking down 
 the backstairs with a dust-pan. 
 
 Rose walked to the middle of the room, stood still, 
 and gazed about her with eyes that brightened as they 
 looked, for all was changed. 
 
 This chamber had been built out over the library to 
 suit some fancy, and had been unused for years, except 
 at Christmas times, when the old house overflowed. 
 It had three windows, — one to the east, that over- 
 looked the bay ; one to the south, where the horse- 
 chestnuts waved their green fans ; and one to the west, 
 toward the hills and the evening sky. A ruddy sunset 
 burned there now, filling the room with an enchanted 
 glow; the soft murmur of the sea was heard, and 
 
UNCLE ALEC'S ROOM. 
 
 67 
 
 a robin chirped "Good night!" among the budding 
 trees. 
 
 Rose saw and heard these things first, and felt their 
 beauty with a child's quick instinct ; then her eye took 
 in the altered aspect of the room, once so shrouded, 
 still and solitary, now so full of light and warmth and 
 simple luxury. 
 
 India matting covered the floor, with a gay rug here 
 and there ; the antique andirons shone on th© wide 
 hearth, where a cheery blaze dispelled the dampness 
 of the long-closed room. Bamboo lounges and chairs 
 stood about, and quaint little tables in cosey comers ; 
 one bearing a pretty basket, one a desk, and on a third 
 lay several familiar-looking books. In a recess stood 
 a narrow white bed, with a lovely Madonna hanging 
 over it. The Japanese screen half folded back showed^ 
 a delicate toiletnservice of blue and white set forth on 
 a marble slab, and near by was the great bath-pan, 
 with Turkish towels and a sponge as big as Rose's 
 head. 
 
 "Uncle must love cold water like a duck," she 
 thought, with a shiver. 
 
 Then her eye went on to the tall cabinet, where 
 a half-open door revealed a tempting array of the 
 drawers, shelves, and " cubby holes," which so delight 
 the hearts of children. 
 
 "What a grand place for my new things," she 
 thought, wondering what her uncle kept in that cedar 
 retreat. 
 
 " Oh me, what a sweet toilet-table I " was her next 
 mental exclamation, as she approached this inviting 
 spot. 
 
68 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS 
 
 A round old-fashioned mirror hung over it, with a 
 gilt eagle a-top, holding in his beak the knot of blue 
 ribbon that tied up a carta in of muslin falling on either 
 side of the table, where appeared little ivory-handled 
 brushes, two slender silver candlesticks, a porcelain 
 match-box, several pretty trays for small matters, and, 
 most imposing of all, a plump blue silk cushion, coquet- 
 tishly trimmed with lace, and pink rose-buds at the 
 corners. 
 
 That cushion rather astonished Rose ; in fact, the 
 whole table did, and she was just thinking, with a sly 
 smile, — 
 
 " Uncle is a dandy, but I nev r should have guessed 
 it," when he opened the door of a large closet, saying, 
 with a careless wave of the hai — 
 
 " Men like plenty of room tor their rattle-traps ; 
 don't you think that ought to satisfy me?" 
 
 Rose peeped in and gave a start, though ?U she saw 
 was what one usually finds in closets, — clothes and 
 boots, boxes and bags. Ah ! but you see these clothes 
 were small black and white frocks ; the row of little 
 boots that stood below had never been on Dr. Alec's 
 feet ; the green bandbox had a gray veil straying out 
 of it, and, — yes! the bag hanging on the door was 
 certainly her own piece-bag, with a hole in one corner. 
 She gave a quick look round the room and understood 
 now why it had seemed too dainty for a man, why her 
 Testament and Prayer-book were on the table by the 
 bed, and what those rose-buds meant on the blue 
 cushion. It came upon her in one delicious burst that 
 this little paradise was all for her, and, not knowing 
 how else to express her gratitude, she caught Dr. Aleo 
 round the neck, saying impetuously, — 
 
UNCLE ALECS ROOM. 
 
 69 
 
 "O uncle, you are too good to me! I'll do any 
 thing you ask me ; ride wild horses and take freezing 
 baths and eat bad-tasting messes, and let my clothes 
 hang on me, to show how much I thank you for this 
 dear, sweet, lovely room ! " 
 
 "You like it, then? But why do you think it is 
 yours, my lass ? " asked Dr. Alec, as he sat down look- 
 ing well pleased, and drew his excited little niece to 
 his knee. 
 
 ." I don't thinks I know it is for me ; I see it in your 
 face, and I feel as if I did n't half deserve it. Aunt 
 Jessie said you would spoil me, and I must not let you. 
 I 'm afraid this looks like it, and perhaps, — oh me 1 — 
 perhaps I ought not to have this beautiful room after 
 all I " and Rose tried to look as if she could be heroic 
 enough to give it up if it was best. 
 
 " I owe Mrs. Jessie one for that," said Dr. Alec, 
 trying to frown, though in his secret soul he felt that 
 she was quite right. Then he smiled that cordial 
 smile, which was like sunshine on his brown face, as 
 he said, — 
 
 " Thi is part of the cure. Rose, and I put you here 
 t* «>+ J . might take my three great remedies in the 
 best and easiest way. Plenty of sun, fresh air, and 
 cold water ; also cheerful surroundings and some work ; 
 for Phebe is to show vou how to take care of this 
 room, and be your little maid as well as friend and 
 teacher. Does that sound hard and disagreeable to 
 yon, dear?" 
 
 " No, sir ; very, very pleasant, and I '11 do my best 
 to be a good patient. But I really don't think any 
 one coidd be sick in this delightful room," she said, 
 
70 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 With a long 8igh of happiness as her eye went from one 
 pleasant object to another. 
 "Then you like my sort of medicine better than 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A TRIP TO CHINA. 
 
 " /^^OME, little girl, I Ve got another dose for you. 
 
 v-^ I fancy you won't take it as well as you did 
 the last, but you will like it better after a while," said 
 l5r. Alec, about a week after the grand surprise. 
 
 Rose was sitting in her pretty room, where she 
 would gladly have spent all her time if it had been 
 allowed ; but she looked up with a smile, for she had 
 ceased to fear her uncle's remedies, and was always 
 ready to try a new one. The last had been a set 
 of light gardening tools, with which she had helped 
 him put the flower-beds in order, learning all sorts 
 of new and pleasant things about the plants as she 
 worked, for, though she had studied botany at school, 
 it seemed very dry stufE compared with Uncle Alec's 
 lively lesson. 
 
 " What is it now ? " she asked, shutting her work- 
 box without a murmur. ' 
 
 "Salt-water." 
 
 "How must I take it?" 
 
 "Put on the new suit Miss Hemming sent home 
 yesterday, and come down to the beach; then I'll 
 show you." 
 
72 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 "Yes, sir," answered Rose obediently, adding to 
 herself, with a shiver, as he went off : " It is too early 
 for bathing, so I know it is something to do with a 
 dreadful boat." 
 
 Putting on the new suit of blue flannel, prettily 
 trimmed with white, and the little sailor-hat with 
 long streamers, diverted her mind from the approach- 
 ing trial, till a shrill whistle reminded her that her 
 uncle Tvns waitii 5. Away she ran through the gar- 
 den, down the sandy path, out upon the strip of beach 
 that belonged to the house, and here she found Dr. 
 Alec busy with a slender red and white boat that lay 
 rocking on the rising tide. 
 
 " That is a dear little boat ; and ' Bonnie Belle ' is 
 a pretty name," she s»id, trying not to show how 
 nervous she felt. 
 
 " It is for you ; so sit in the stem and learn to 
 steer, till you are ready to learn to row " §■ 
 
 "Do all boats wiggle about in that way?" she 
 asked, lingering as if to tie her hat more firmly. 
 
 "Oh, yes, pitch about like nut-shells when the sea 
 is a bit rough," answered her sailor uncle, neve"* 
 guessing her secret woe. 
 
 "Is it rough to-day?" 
 
 "No'i very ; I looks a trifle squally to the eastward, 
 but we are all right till the wind changes. Come." 
 
 " Can you swim, uncle ? " asked Rose, clutching at 
 his arm as he took her hand. 
 
 " Like a fish. Now then." 
 
 "Oh, please hold me very tight till I get there I 
 Why do you have the stern so far away?" and, 
 fitifling several squeaks of alarm in her passage, Rose 
 
A TRIP TO CHINA. 
 
 73 
 
 w 
 
 a 
 
 o 
 
 (A 
 
 o 
 
 H 
 O 
 
 n 
 
 a 
 
 > 
 
 
\ 
 
 74 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 crept to the distant seat, and sat there holding on 
 with both hands and looking as if she expected every 
 wave to bring a sudden shipwreck. 
 
 Uncle Alec took no notice of her fear, but patiently 
 instructed her in the art of steering, till she was so 
 absorbed i-i remembering which was starboard and 
 which larboard, that she forgot to say " Ow ! " every 
 time a big wave slapped against the boat. 
 
 " Now where shall we go ? " she asked, as the wind 
 blew freshly in her face, and a few long, swift strokes 
 sent them half across the little bay. 
 
 " Suppose we go to China?" 
 
 " Is n't that rather a long voyage ? " 
 
 " Not as I go. Steer round the Point into the har- 
 bor, and I '11 give you a glimpse of China in twenty 
 minutes or so." 
 
 " I should like that ! " and Rose sat wondering what 
 he meant, while she enjoyed the new sights all about 
 her. 
 
 Behind them the green Aunt-hill sloped gently up- 
 ward to the grove at the top, and all along the sea- 
 ward side stood familiar houses, stately, cosey, or 
 picturesque. As they rounded the Point, the great 
 bay opened before them full of shipping, and the city 
 lay beyond, its spires rising above the tall masts with 
 their gay streamers. 
 
 "Are we going' there?" she asked, for she had 
 never seen this aspect of the rich and busy old city 
 before. 
 
 " Yes. Uncle Mac has a ship just in from Hong 
 Kong, and I thought you would like to go and see it." 
 
 ♦* Oh, I should I I love dearly to go poking about 
 
A TRIP TO CHINA. 
 
 76 
 
 in the warehouses with Uncle Mac; every thing is 
 so curious and new to me ; and I 'm specially inter- 
 ested in China because you have been there." 
 
 " I '11 show you two genuine Chinamen who have 
 just arrived. You will like to welcome Whang Lo 
 and Fun See, I 'm sure." 
 
 " Don't ask me to speak to them, unc le ; I shall be 
 sure to laugh at the odd names and the pig-tails and 
 the slanting eyes. Please let me just trot round after 
 you ; I like that best." 
 
 "Very well; now steer toward the wharf where 
 the big ship with the queer flag is. That's the 
 * Rajah,' and we will go aboard if we can." 
 
 In among the ships they went, by the wharves 
 where the water was green and still, and queer bar- 
 nacles gi'ew on the slippery piles. Odd smells saluted 
 her nose, and odd sights met her eyes, but Rose liked 
 it all, and played she was really landing in Hong Kong 
 when they glided up to the steps in the shadow of the 
 tall " Rajah." Boxes and baits were rising out of the 
 hold and being carried into the warehouse by stout 
 porters, who tugged and bawled and clattered about 
 with small trucks, or worked cranes with iron claws 
 that came down and clutched heavy weights, whisking 
 them aloft to where wide doors like mouths swallowed 
 them up. 
 
 Dr. Alec took her aboard the ship, and she had the 
 satisfaction of poking her inquisitive little nose into 
 every available corner, at the risk of being crushed, 
 lost, or drowned. 
 
 " WeU, child, how would you like to take a voyage 
 round the world with me in a jolly old craft like 
 
76 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 this ? " asked her uacle, as they rested a minute in 
 the captain's cabin. 
 
 " I should like to see the world, but not in sucL 
 a small, untidy, smelly place as this. We would go 
 in a yacht all clean and comfortable ; Charlie says 
 that is the proper way," answered Rose, surveying 
 the close quarters with little favor. 
 
 " You are not a true Campbell if you don't like the 
 smell of tar and salt-water, nor Charlie either, with 
 his luxurious yacht. Now come ashore and chin-chin 
 with the Celestials." 
 
 After a delightful progress through the great ware- 
 house, peeping and picking asv they went, they found 
 Uncle Mac and the yellow gentlemen in his private 
 room, where samples, gifts, curiosities, and newly 
 arrived treasures of all sorts were piled up in pleasing 
 pro-fusion and con-fusion. 
 
 As soon as possible Rose retired to a corn._, with 
 a porcelain god on one side, a green dragon on the 
 other, and, what was still more embarrassing. Fun 
 See sat on a tea-chest in front, and stared at her with 
 his beady black eyes till she did not know where to 
 look. 
 
 Mr. Whang Lo was an elderly gentleman in Ameri- 
 can costume, with his pig-tail neatly wound round his 
 head. He spoke English, and was talking busily with 
 Uncle Mac in the most commonplace way, — so Rose 
 considered him a failure. But Fun See was delight- 
 fully Chinese from his junk-like shoes to the button 
 on his pagodp hat ; for he had got himself up in style, 
 and was a mass of silk jackets and slouchy trousers. 
 He was short and fat, and waddled comi'^Jly; his 
 
A TRIP TO CHINA. 
 
 t7 
 
 eyes were very "slanting," as Rose said; his queue 
 was long, so were his nails ; his yellow face was plump 
 and shiny, and ^ e was altogether a highly satisfactory 
 Chinaman. 
 
 Uncle Alec told her that Fun See had come oijit to 
 be educated, and could only speak a little pigeon 
 E aglish ; so she must be kind to the poor fellow, for 
 he was only a lad, though he looked nearly as old as 
 Mr. Whang Lo. Rose said she would be kind; but 
 had not the least idea how to entertain the queer 
 guest, who looked as if he had walked out of one 
 ^■^ the rice-paper landscapes on the wall, and sat 
 nodding at her so like a toy Mandarin that she could 
 hardly keep sober. 
 
 In the midst of her polite perplexity, Uncle Mac 
 saw the two young people gazing wistfully at one 
 another, and seemed to enjoy the joke of this making 
 acquaintance under difficulties. Taking a box from 
 his table, he gave it to Fun See with an order that 
 seemed to please him very much. 
 
 Descending from his perch, he fell to unpacking it 
 with great neatness and despatch, while Rose watched 
 him, wondering what was going to happen. Pres- 
 ently out from the wrappings came a teapot, which 
 oaustd her to clasp her hands wi^h delight, for it was 
 made in the likeness of a plmnp ^^oile Chinaman. His 
 hat was the cover, his queue the handle, and his pipe 
 the nose. It stood upon feet in shoes turned up at 
 the toes, and the smile on the fat, sleepy face was so 
 like that on Fun's when he displayed the teapot, that 
 Rose could n't help laughing, which pleased him much. 
 
 Two pretty cups with covers, and a fine scarlet tray, 
 
 J' 
 
mw 
 
 78 
 
 BIGHT COUSINS, 
 
 Fun signified in pantomime that they were hers. — Page 79. 
 
 .^.r ■';-it':"'"'.;*i..^:' Aiv 
 
A TRIP TO CHINA. 
 
 79 
 
 ^\ 
 
 completed the set, and made one long to have a " dish 
 of tea," even in Chinese style, without cream or sugar. 
 
 When he had arranged them on a little table before 
 her. Fun signified in pantomime that they were hers, 
 from her uncle. She returned her thanks in the same 
 way, whereupon he returned to his tea-chest, and, 
 having no other means of communication, they sat 
 smiling and nodding at one another in an absurd sort 
 of way till a new idea seemed to strike Fun. Tum- 
 bling off his seat, he waddled away as fast as his petti- 
 coats permitted, leaving Rose hoping that he had not 
 gone to get a roasted rat, a stewed puppy, or any other 
 foreign mess which civility would oblige her to eat. 
 
 While she waited for her funny new frienrl, she 
 improved her mind in a way that would have charmed 
 Aunt Jane. The gemlemen were talking over all 
 sorts of things, and sht listened attentively, storing 
 up much of what she heard, for she had an excellent 
 memory, and longed to distinguish herseli by being 
 able to produce some useful information when re- 
 proached with her ignorance. 
 
 She was just trying to impress upon her mind that 
 Amoy was two hundred and eighty miles from Hong- 
 Kong, when Fun came scuffling back, bearing what 
 she thought was a small sword, till ho unfuiled an 
 immense fan, and presented it with a string of Chi- 
 nese compliments, the meaning of which would have 
 amused her even more than the sovmd if she could 
 have understood it. 
 
 She had never seen such an astonishing fan, and at 
 once became absorbed in examining it. Of course, 
 there was no perspective whatever, which only gave 
 
80 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 it a peculiar charm to Rose, for in one place a lovely 
 lady, with blue knitting-needles in her hair, sat di- 
 rectly upon the spire of a stately pagocla. In another 
 charming view a brook appeared to flow in at the 
 front door of a stout gentleman's house, and out at 
 his chimney. In a third a zigzag wall went up into 
 the sky like a flash of lightning, and a bird with two 
 tails was apparently brooding over a fisherman whose 
 boat was just going aground upon the moon. 
 
 It was altogether a fascinating thing, and she would 
 have sat wafting it to and fro all the afternoon, to 
 Fun's great satisfaction, if Dr. Alec's attention had 
 not suddenly been called to her by a breeze from the 
 big fan that blew his hair into his eyes, and reminded 
 him that they must go. So the pretty china was re- 
 packed, Rose furled her fan, and with several parcels 
 of choice teas for the old ladies stowed away in Dr. 
 Alec's pockets, they took their leave, after Fun had 
 saluted them with the " three bendings and the nine 
 knockings," as they salute the Emperor, or " Son of 
 Heaven," at home. 
 
 " I feel as if I had really been to China, and I 'm 
 sure I look so," said Rose, as they glided out of the 
 shadow ^2 the "Rajah." 
 
 She certainly did, for Mr. Whang Lo had given 
 her a Chinese umbrella; Uncle Alec had got some 
 lanterns to light up her balcony ; the great fan lay in 
 her lap, and the tearset reposed at her feet. 
 
 " This is not a bad way to study geography, is it ? " 
 asked her uncle, who had observed her attention to 
 the talk. 
 
 *' It is a very pleasant way, and I really think I 
 
A TRIP TO CHINA. 
 
 81 
 
 ■it 
 
 have learned more about China to-day than in all the 
 lessons I had at school, though I used to rattle off the 
 answers as fast as I could go. No one explained any 
 thing to us, so all I remember is that tea and silk come 
 from there, and the women have little bits 07 feet. I 
 saw Fun looking at mine, and he must have though*, 
 them perfectly immense," answered Rose, surveying 
 her stout boots with sudden contempt. 
 
 " We will have out the maps and the globe, and I '11 
 show you some of my journeys, telling s Lories as we 
 go. That will be next best to doing it actually." 
 
 " You are so fond of trai elling, I should think it 
 would be very dull for you here, uncle. Do you 
 know. Aunt Plenty says she is sure you will be off 
 in a year or two." 
 
 " Very Ukely." 
 
 "Oh me! what shall I do then?" sighed Rose, in 
 a tone of despair that made Uncle Alec's face brighten 
 with a look of genuine pleasure as he said signifi- 
 cantly, — 
 
 " Next time I go I shall take my little anchor with 
 me. How will that suit ? " 
 
 " Really, uncle ? " 
 
 " Really, niece." 
 
 Rose gave a little bounce of rapture which caused 
 the boat to " wiggle " in a way that speedily quieted 
 her down. But she sat beaming joyfully and trying 
 to think which of some hundred questions she would 
 ask first, when Dr. Alec said, pointing to a boat that 
 was coming up behind them in great style, — 
 
 " How well those fellows row ! Look at them, and 
 take notes for your own use by and by." 
 
 4* F 
 
82 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 The " Stormy Petrel " was manned by half a dozen 
 jaunty-looking sailors, who made a fine display of blue 
 shirts and shiny hats, with stars and anchors in every 
 direction. 
 
 " How beautifully they go, and they are only boys. 
 Why, I do believe they are our boys ! Yes, I see 
 Charlie laughing over his shoulder. Row, uncle, row I 
 oh, please do, and not let them catch up with us ! " 
 cried Rose, in such a state of excitement that the new 
 umbrella nearly went overboard. 
 
 " All right, here we go I " and away they did go 
 with a long steady sweep of the oars that carried the 
 " Bonnie Belle " through the water with a rush. 
 
 The lads pulled their prettiest, but Dr. Alec would 
 have reached the Point first, if Rose, in her flurry, had 
 not retarded him by jerking the rudder ropes in a 
 most unseamanlike way, and just as she got right 
 again her hat blew off. That put an end to the race, 
 and while they were still fishing for the hat the other 
 boat came alongside, with all the oars in the air, and 
 the jolly young tars ready for a frolic. 
 
 "Did you catch a crab, uncle?" 
 
 " No, a blue-fish," he answered, as the dripping hat 
 "- was landed on a seat to dry. 
 
 "What have you been doing?" 
 
 " Seeing Fun." 
 
 "Good for you, Rose! I know what you mean. 
 We are going to have him up to show us how to fly 
 the big kite, for we can't get the hang of it. Is n*t 
 he great fun, though?" 
 
 " No, Lctle Fun." 
 
 •* Ck)me, stop joking, and show us what you Ve got." 
 
 
A TRIP TO CHINA. 
 
 88 
 
 "You'd better hoist that fan for a sail." 
 
 " Lend Dandy yuur umbrella ; he hates to bum his 
 pretty nose." 
 
 " I say, uncle, are you going to have a Feast of 
 , Lanterns ? " 
 
 " No, I 'm going to have a feast of bread and butter, 
 If or it's tea-time. If that black cloud does it lie, we 
 shall have a gust before long, ho ,ou had better get 
 home as soon as you can, or your mother will be 
 l'^ anxious, Archie." 
 
 " Ay, ay, skipper. Good-night, Rose ; come out 
 often, and we '11 teach you all there is to know about 
 rowing," was Charlie's modest invitation. 
 
 Then the boats parted company, and across the 
 water from the "Petrel's" crew came a verse from 
 one of the Nonsense Songs in which the boys de- 
 lighted. 
 
 " Oh, Timballoo ! how happy we are, 
 We live in a sieve and a crockery jar ! 
 And all inght long, in the starlight pale, ^ 
 
 We sail a, ay, with a pea-green sail, 
 And whistle and warble a moony song 
 To the echoing sound of a coppery gong. 
 
 Far and few, far and few 
 Are the lands where the Junablies live ; 
 Their heads are green, and their hands are blue. 
 
 And they went to sea in a sieve." 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 / 
 
 A 
 
 
 m 
 
 4c 
 
 ^ 
 
 1^ 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 I^IM 12.5 
 
 |50 *^* IM^S 
 
 vx 1^ 
 
 2.0 
 
 18 
 
 U III! 1.6 
 
 ^' 
 
 m. 
 
 » 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 / 
 
 w ^ 
 
 %!,. 
 
 /A 
 
 T 
 
 HiotograpiJic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STRUT 
 
 WEBSTIR.N.Y. USM 
 
 (716)872-4503 
 
4 
 
 '4^ 
 
 '» 
 
 1^. 
 
 1 
 
 !^. 
 
 O^ 
 
 k 
 
If 
 
 i 
 
 CHAPTER Vm. 
 
 AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 
 
 "T TNCLE, could you lend me a ninepence? I'll 
 
 v-/ return it as soon as I get my pocket-money," 
 said Rose, coming into the library in a great hurry 
 that evening. 
 
 'I think I could, and I won't charge any interest 
 for it, so you need not be in any hurry to repay me. 
 Come back here and help me settle these books if you 
 have nothing pleasanter to do," answered Dr. Alec, 
 handing out the money with that readiness which is 
 so delightful when we ask small loans. 
 
 " I '11 come in a minute ; I 've been longing to fix 
 my books, but didn 't dare to touch them, because you 
 always shake your head when I read." 
 
 "I shall shake my head when you write, if you 
 don't do it better than you did in making out this 
 catalogue." 
 
 " I know it 's bad, but I was in a hurry when I did 
 it, and I am in one now." And away went Rose, glad 
 to escape a lecture. 
 
 But she got it when she came back, for Uncle Al«c 
 was still knitting his brows over the list of books, and 
 sternly demanded, pointing to a tipsy-looking title 
 staggering down the page, — 
 
AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 
 
 85 
 
 " Is that meant for * Pulverized Bones,' ma'am ? " 
 
 " No, »\T ; it 's * Paradise Lost.' " 
 
 " Well, I 'm glad to know it, for I began to think 
 you were planning to study surgery or farming. And 
 what is this, if you please ? * Babies' Aprons ' is all / 
 can make of it." 
 
 Rose looked hard at the scrawl, and presently an- 
 nounced, with an air of superior wisdom, — 
 
 "Oh, that's 'Bacon's Essays.'" 
 
 " Miss Power did not teach any thing so old-fashioned 
 as writing, I see. Now look at this little memorandum 
 Aunt Plenty gave me, and see what a handsome plain 
 hand that is. She went to a dame-school and learnt a 
 few useful things well ; that is better than a smatter- 
 ing of half a dozen so-called higher branches, I take 
 the liberty of thinking." 
 
 " Well, I 'm sure I was considered a bright girl at 
 school, and learned every thing I was taught. Luly 
 and me were the finest in all our classes, and 'specially 
 praised for our French and music and those sort of 
 things," said Rose, rather offended at Uncle Alec'o 
 criticism. 
 
 " I dare say ; but if your French grammar was no 
 better than your English, I think the praise was not 
 deserved, my dear." 
 
 " Why, uncle, we did study English grammar, and 
 I could parse beautifully. Miss Power used to have 
 us up to show off when people came. I don't see but 
 I talk as right as most girls." 
 
 " I dare say you do, but.we are all too careless about 
 our English. Now, think a minute and tell me if 
 these expressions are correct, — *Luly and me,' * those 
 sort of things,' and * as right as most girls.' " 
 
86 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 Rose pulled her pet curl and put up her lip, but had 
 to own that she was wrpng, and said meekly, after a 
 pause which threatened to be sulky, — 
 
 " I suppose I should have said ' Luly and I,' in that 
 case, and *that sort of things' and 'rightly,' though 
 * correctly ' would have been a better word, I guess." 
 
 " Thank you ; and if you will kindly drop * I guess,' 
 I shall like my little Yankee all the better. Now, see 
 here. Rosy, I don't pretend to set myself up for a 
 model in any thing, and you may come down on my 
 grammar, manners, or morals as often as you think 
 I 'm wrong, and I '11 thank you. I 've been knocking 
 about the world for years, and have got careless, but I 
 want my girl to be what I call well educated, even if 
 she studies nothing but the * three Rs ' for a year to 
 come. Let us be thorough, no matter how. slowly 
 we go." 
 
 He spoke so earnestly and looked so sorry to have 
 ruffled her that Rose went and sat on the arm of his 
 chair, saying, with a pretty air of penitence, — 
 
 " I 'm sorry I was cross, uncle, when I ought to thank 
 you for taking so much interest in me. I guess, — no, 
 I think you are right about being thorough, for I used 
 to understand a great deal better when papa taught 
 me a few lessons than when Miss Power hurried me 
 through so many., I declare my head used to be such 
 a jumble of French and German, history and arithme- 
 tic, grammar and music, I used to feel sometimes as if 
 it would split. I'm sure I don't wonder it ached." 
 Aiid she held on to it as if ^the mere memory of the 
 " jumble " made it swim. 
 
 *' Yet that is considered an excellent school, I find, 
 
AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 
 
 87 
 
 and I dare say it would be if the benighted lady did 
 not think it necessary to cram her pupils like Thanks- 
 giving turkeys, instead of feeding them in a natural 
 and wholesome way. It is the fault with most Amer- 
 ican schools, and the poor little heads will go on aching 
 till we learn better." 
 
 This was one of Dr. Alec's .hobbies, and Rose was : 
 afraid he was off for a gallop, but he reined himself in 
 and gave her thoughts a new turn by saying suddenly, 
 as he pulled out a fat pocket-book, — 
 
 " tJncle Mac has put all your affairs into my hands 
 now, and here is your month's pocket-money. You 
 keep your own little accounts, I suppose ? " 
 
 " Thank you. Yes, Uncle Mac gave me an account- 
 book when I went to school, and I used to put down 
 my expenses, but I could n't make them go very well, 
 for figures are the one thing I am not at all clever 
 about," said Rose, rummaging in her desk for a dilapi- 
 dated Jittle book, which she was ashamed to show 
 when she found it. 
 
 "Well, as figures are rather important things to 
 most of us, and you may have a good many accounts 
 to keep some day, would n't it be wise to begin at once 
 and learn to manage your pennies before the pounds 
 come to perplex you ? " 
 
 "I thought you would do all that fussy part and 
 take care of the pounds, as you call them. Need I 
 worry about it ? I do hate sums so I " 
 
 " I shall take care of things till you are of age, but 
 I mean that you shall knpw how your property is man- 
 aged and do as much of it as you can by and by; 
 then you won't be dependent on the honesty of other 
 people." 
 
86 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " Gracious me ! as if I would n't trust you with mil- 
 lions of billions if I had them," cried Rose, scandalized 
 at the mere suggestion. 
 
 " Ah, but I might be tempted ; guardians are some- 
 times ; so you d better keep your eye on me, and in 
 order to do that you must learn all about these affairs," 
 answered Dr. Alec, as he made an entry in his own 
 very neat account-book. 
 
 Rose peeped over his shoulder at it, and then turned 
 to the arithmetical puzzle in her hand with a sigh of 
 despair. 
 
 "Uncle, when you add up your expenses do you 
 ever find you have got more money than you had in 
 the beginning?" 
 
 " No ; i usually find that I have a good deal less than 
 I had in the beginning. Are you troubled in the pe- 
 culiar way you mention ? " 
 
 "Yes; it is very curious, but I never can make 
 things come out square." 
 
 " Perhaps I can help you," began Uncle Alec, in the 
 most respectful tone. 
 
 " I think you had better, for if I have got to keep 
 accounts I may as well begin in the right way. But 
 please don't laugh I I know I 'm very stupid, and my 
 book is a disgrace, but I never could get it straight." 
 And with great trepidation Rose gave up her funny 
 little accounts. 
 
 It really Moas good in Dr. Alec not to laugh, and 
 Rose felt deeply grateful when he said, in a mildly 
 suggestive tone, — 
 
 "The dollars and cents seem to be rather mixed; 
 perhaps if I just straightened them out a bit we should 
 find things all right." 
 
AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 
 
 89 
 
 " Please do, and then show me on a fresh leaf how 
 to make mine look nice and ship-shape as yours do." 
 
 As Rose stood by him watching the ease with which 
 he quickly brought order out of chaos, she privately 
 resolved to hunt up her old arithmetic and perfect 
 herself in the four first rules, with a good tug at frac- 
 tions, before she read any more fairy tales. 
 
 " Am I a rich girl, uncle ? " she asked suddenly, as 
 he was copying a column of figures. 
 
 " Rather a poor one, I should say, since you had to 
 borrow a ninepence." 
 
 " That wao your fault, because you forgot my pocket- 
 money. But, really, shall I be rich by and by ? " 
 
 " I am afraid you will." 
 
 «« Why afraid, uncle?" 
 
 " Too much money is a bad thing." 
 
 " But I can give it away, you know ; that is always 
 the pleasantest part of having it, I think." 
 
 " I 'm glad you feel so, for you can do much good 
 with your fortune if you know how to use it well." 
 
 " You shall teach me, and when I am a woman we 
 will set up a school where nothing but the three Rs 
 shall be taught, and all the children live on oatmeal, 
 and the girls have waists a yard round," said Rose, 
 with a sudden saucy smile dimpling her cheeks. 
 
 " You are an impertinent little baggage, to turn on 
 me in that way right in the midst of my first attempt 
 at teaching. IVever mind, I'll have an extra bitter 
 dose for you next time, miss." 
 
 "I knew you want 3d to laugh, so I gave you a 
 chance. Xow I will be good, master, and do my 
 lesson nicely." 
 
90 
 
 EIGHT COUSmS. 
 
 \ 
 
 So Dr. Alec had his laugh, and then Kose sat down 
 and took a lefison in accounts which she never forgot. 
 
 "Now Qome and read aloud to me; my eyes are 
 tired, and it ifc pleasant to sit here by the fire while 
 the rain pourn outside and Aunt Jane lectures up- 
 stairs," said Uncle Alec, when last month's accounts 
 had been put in good order and a fresh page neatly 
 begun. 
 
 Rose liked to read aloud, and gladly gave him the 
 chapter in " Nicholas Nickleby " where the Miss Ken- 
 wigses take their French lesson. She did her very 
 best, feeling that she was being criticised, and hoping 
 that she might not be found wanting in this as in 
 other things. 
 
 " Shall I go on, sir ? " she asked very meekly when 
 the chapter ended. 
 
 "K you are not tired, dear. It is a pleasure to 
 hear you, for you read remarkably well," was the an- 
 swer that filled her heart with pride and pleasure. 
 
 " Do you really think so, uncle ? I 'm so glad I papa 
 taught me, and I read for hours to him, but I thought, 
 perhaps, he liked it because he was fond of me." 
 
 "So am I ; but you really do read unusually well) 
 and I am very glad of it, for it is a rare accomplish- 
 ment, and one I value highly. Come here in this cosey, 
 low chair ; the light is better, and I can pull these curls 
 if you go too fast. I see you are going to be a great 
 comfort as well as a great credit to your old uncle, 
 Rosy." And Dr. Alec drew her close beside him with 
 such a fatherly lock and tone that she felt it would 
 be very easy to love and obey him since he knew how 
 to mix praise and blame so pleasantly together. 
 
AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 
 
 91 
 
 Another chapter was just finished, when the sound 
 of a carriage warned them that Aunt Jane was about 
 to depart. Before they could go to meet her, however, 
 she appeared in the door-way looking like an unusually 
 tall mummy in her waterproof, with her glasses shin- 
 ing like cat's eyes from the depths of the hood. 
 
 " Just as I thought I petting that child to death and 
 letting her sit up late 'reading trash. I do hope you 
 feel the. weight of the responsibility you have taken 
 upon yourself, Alec," she said, with a certain grim 
 sort of satisfaction at seeing things go wrong. 
 
 " I think I have a very realizing sense of it, sister 
 Jane," answered Dr. Alec, with a comical shrug of the 
 shoulders and a glance at Rose's bright face. 
 
 " It is sad to see a great girl wasting these precious 
 hours so. Now, my boys have studied all day, and 
 Mac is still at his books, I've no doubt, while you 
 have not had a lesson since you came, I suspect." 
 
 " I have had five to-day, ma'am," was Rose's very 
 unexpected answer. 
 
 " I 'm glad to hear it ; and what were they, pray ? " 
 
 Rose looked very demure as she replied, — 
 
 " Navigation, geography, grammar, arithmetic, and 
 keeping my temper." 
 
 " Queer lessons, I fancy ; and what have you learned 
 from this remarkable mixture, I should like to know? " 
 
 A naughty ^sparkle came into Rose's eyes as she 
 answered, with a droll look at her uncle, — 
 
 "I can't tell you all, ma'am, but I have collected 
 some useful information about China, which you may 
 like, especially the teas. The best are Lapsing 
 Souchong, Assam Pekoe, rare Ankoe, Flowery Pekoe, 
 
92 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 Howqua's mixture, Scented Caper, Padral tea, black 
 Congou, and green Twankey. Shanghai is on the 
 Woosung River. Hong Kong means * Island of sweet 
 waters.' Singapore is 'Lion's Town.' 'Chops' are 
 the boats they live in ; and they drink tea out of little 
 saucers. Principal productions are porcelain, tea, 
 cinnamon, shawls, tin, tamarinds, and opium. They 
 have beautiful temples and queer gods ; and in Canton 
 is the Dwelling of the Holy Pigs, fourteen of them, 
 very big, and all blind." 
 
 The effect of this remarkable burst was immense, 
 especially the fact last mentioned. It entirely took 
 the wind out of Aunt Jane's sails ; it was so sudden, 
 so varied and unexpected, that she had not a word to 
 say. The glasses remained fixed full upon Rose for a 
 moment, and then, with a hasty " Oh, indeed ! " the 
 excellent lady bundled into her carriage and drove 
 away, soniewhat bewildered and very much disturbed. 
 
 She would have been more so if she had seen her 
 reprehensible brother-in-law dancing a triumphal polka 
 down the hall with Rose in honor of having silenced 
 the enemy's battery for once. 
 
.,■ "^ 
 
 k- ■ 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 y ' PHEBE'S SECRET. 
 
 W3 Y do you keep smiling to yourself, Phebe?'* 
 asked Rose, as they were working together 
 one m( rning, for Dr. Alec considered house-work the 
 best so rt of gymnastics for girls ; so Rose took lessons 
 of Phebe in sweeping, dusting, and bed-making. 
 
 "I was thinking about a nice little secret I know, 
 and could n't help smiling." 
 
 " Shall I know it sometime ? " 
 
 " Guess you will." 
 
 "Shall I like it ?^' 
 
 " Oh, won't you, though I " 
 
 " Will it happen soon ? " 
 
 " Sometime this week." 
 
 " I know what it is ! The boys are going to have 
 fire-works on the Fourth, and have got some surprise 
 for me. Have n't they ? " 
 
 " That's telling." 
 
 "Well, I can wait; only tell me one thing, — is 
 imcle in it?" 
 
 "Of course he is; there's never any fun without 
 him." 
 
 " Then it is all right, and sure to be nice." 
 
 -c *: 
 
*^ 
 
 94 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 Rose went out on the balcony to shake the rugs, 
 and, having given them a vigorous beating, hung 
 them on the balustrade to air, while she took a look 
 at her plants. Several tall vases and jars stood there, 
 and a month of June s.un and rain had worked won- 
 ders with the seeds and slips she had planted. Morn- 
 ing-glories and nasturtiums ran all over the bars, 
 making haste to bloom. Scarlet beans and honey- 
 suckles were climbing up from below to meet their 
 pretty neighbors, and the woodbine was hanging its 
 green festoons wherever it could cling. 
 
 The waters of the bay were dancing in the sunshine, 
 a fresh wind stirred the chestnut-trees with a pleasant 
 sound, and the garden below was full of roses, butter- 
 flies, and bees. A great chirping and twittering went 
 on among the birds, busy with their summer house- 
 keeping, and, far away, the white-winged gulls were 
 dipping and diving in the sea, where ships, like larger 
 birds, went sailing to and fro. 
 
 " Oh, Phebe, it 's such a lovely day, I do wish your 
 fine secret was going to happen right away! I feel 
 just like having a good time; don't you?" said Kose, 
 waving her arms as if she was going to fly. 
 
 " I often feel that way, but I have to wait for my 
 good times, and don't stop working to wish for 'em. 
 There, now you can finish as soon as the dust settles ; 
 t must go do my stairs," and Phebe trudged away 
 with the broom, singing as she went. 
 
 Rose leaned where she was, and fell to thinking 
 ho^'^ many good times she had had lately, for the 
 gardening had prospered finely, and she was learning 
 to swim and row,, and there were drives and walks, 
 
PHEBE'S SECRET. 
 
 95 
 
 and quiet hours of reading and talk with Uncle Alec, 
 and, best of all, the old pain and ennui seldom 
 troubled her now. She could work and play all day, 
 sleep sweetly all night, and enjoy life with the zest of 
 a healthy, happy child. She was far from being as 
 strong and hearty as Phebe, but she was getting on ; 
 the once pale cheeks had color in them now, the hands 
 were growing plump and brown, and the belt was not 
 much too loose. No one talked to her about her 
 health, and she forgot that she had " no constitution." 
 She took no medicine but Dr. Alec's three great 
 remedies, and they seemed to suit her excellently. 
 Aunt Plenty said it was the pills ; but, as no second 
 batch ever followed the first, I think the old lady was 
 mistaken. 
 
 Rose looked worthy of her name as she stood 
 smiling to herself over a happier secret than any 
 Phebe had, — a secret which she did not know herself 
 till she found out, some yeai*8 later, the magic of good 
 health. 
 
 " * Look only/ said the brownie, 
 ' At the pretty gown of blue, 
 At the kerchief pinned about her head, 
 And at her little shoe,' " 
 
 said a voice from below, as a great cabbage-rose came 
 flying against her cheek, 
 
 " What is the princess dreaming about up there in 
 her hanging-garden?" added Dr. Alec as she flung 
 back a morning-glory. 
 
 "I was wishing I could do something pleasant this 
 fine day ; something very new and interesting, for the 
 wind makes me feel frisky and gay." 
 

 96 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 "Suppose we take a pull over to the Island? I 
 intended to go this afternoon; but if you feel more 
 like it now, we can be off at once." 
 
 " I do ! 1 (JO ! I '11 come in fifteen minutes, uncle. 
 I must just scrabble my room to rights, for Phebe 
 has got a great deal to do." 
 
 Rose caught up the rugs and vanished as she spoke, 
 while Dr. Alec went in, saying to himself, with an 
 indulgent smile, — 
 
 "It may upset things a trifle, but half a child's 
 pleasure consists in having their fun when they want 
 it." 
 
 Never did duster flap more briskly than the one 
 Rose used that day, and never was a room " scrab- 
 bled" to rights in such haste as hers. Tables and 
 chairs flew into their places as if alive ; curtains shook 
 as if a gale was blowing; china rattled and small 
 articles tumbled about as if a young earthquake was 
 playing with them. The boating suit went on in a 
 twinkling, and Rose was off with a hop and a skip, 
 little dreaming how many hours it would be before 
 she saw her pretty room again. . - 
 
 Uncle Alec was putting a large basket into the boat 
 when she arrived, and before they were off Phebe 
 came running down with a queer, knobby bundle 
 done up in a water-proof. 
 
 " We can't eat haK that luncheon, and I know we 
 shall not need so many wraps. J would n't lumber 
 the boat up so," said Rose, who still had secret scares 
 when on the water, 
 
 "Couldn't you make a smaller parcel, Phebe?" 
 fUftked Dr. Alec, eying the bundle suBpioiously. 
 
PHEBE'S SECRET. 
 
 c 
 
 ^^^^^^ 
 
 97 
 
 " No, sir, not in such a hurry," and Phebe laughed 
 as she gave a particularly large knob a good poke. 
 
 " Well, it will do for ballast. Don't forget the note 
 to Mrs. Jessie, I beg of you." 
 
 " No, sir. I '11 send it right off," and Phebe ran up 
 the bank as if she had wings to her feet. 
 
 " We '11 take a look at the light-house first, for you 
 have not been there yet, and it is worth seeing. By 
 the time we have done that it will be pretty warm, 
 and we will have lunch under the trees on the Island." 
 
 Rose was ready for any thing, and enjoyed her visit 
 to the light-house on the Point very much, especially 
 climbing up the narrow stairs and going inside the 
 gi'eat lantern. They made a long stay, for Dr. Alec 
 seemed in no hurry to go, and kept looking through 
 his spy-glass as if he expected to discover something 
 remarkable on sea or land. It was past twelve before 
 they reached the Island, and Hose was ready for her 
 lunch long before she got it. 
 
 " Now this is lovely I I do wish the boys were 
 here. Won't it be nice to have them with us all their 
 vacation? Why, it begins to-day, doesn't it? Oh, 
 I wish I'd remembered it sooner, and perhaps they 
 would have come with us," she said, as they lay lux- 
 uriously eating sandwiches under the old apple-tree. 
 
 " So we might. Next time we won't be in such a 
 hurry. I expect the lads will take our heads o£E when 
 they find us out," answered Dr. Alec, placidly drink- 
 ing cold ten,. 
 
 " Uncle, I smell a frying sort of a smell," Rose said,- 
 pausing suddenly as she was putting away the remains 
 of the lunch half an hour later. 
 
* 
 
 p 
 98 ^^r 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " So do I ; it is fish, I think." 
 
 VoT a moment they both sat with their noses in the 
 air, sniffing like hounds; then Dr. Alec sprang up, 
 saying with great decision, — 
 
 " Now this won't dc ! No one is permitted on this 
 island without asking leave. I must see who dares to 
 fry fish on my private property." 
 
 Taking the basket on one arm and the bundle on 
 the other, he strode away toward the traitorous smell, 
 looking as fierce as a lion, while Rose marched behind 
 under her umbrella. 
 
 " We are Robinson Crusoe and his man Friday 
 goitig to see if the savages have come," she said 
 presently, for her fancy was full of the dear old 
 stories that all children love so well. 
 
 "And there they are! Two tents and two boats, 
 as I live ! These rascals mean fco enjoy themselves, 
 that's evident." 
 
 "There ought to be more boats and no tents. I 
 wonder where the prisoners are?" 
 
 " There are traces of them," and Dr Alec pointed 
 to the heads and tails of fishes strewn on the grass. 
 
 " And there are more," said Rose, laughing, as she 
 pointed to a scarlet heap of what looked like lobsters. 
 
 " The savages are probably eating their victims now j 
 don't you hear the knives rattle in that tent?" 
 
 " We ought to creep up and peep ; Crusoe was cau- 
 tious, you know, and Friday scared out of his wits," 
 added Rose, still keeping up the joke. 
 
 "But this Crusoe is going to pounce upon them 
 regardk s of consequences. If I am killed and eaten, 
 you sei the basket and run for the boat; there are 
 provisions enough for yCur voyage hbme," 
 
PHEBE'S SECRET. 
 
 m 
 
 99 
 
 With that Uncle Alec slipped round to the front of 
 the tent, and, casting in the hig bundle like a bomb- 
 shell, roared out, in a voice of thunder, — 
 
 " Pirates, surrender ! " 
 
 A crash, a shout, a laugh, and out came the savages, 
 brandishing knives and forks, chicken bones, and tin 
 mugs, and all fell upon the intruder, pommelling him 
 unmercifully as they cried, — 
 
 " You came too soon ! We are not half ready ! 
 You 've spoilt it all! Where is Rose ? " 
 
 " Here I am." answered a half-stifled voice, and Rose 
 was discovered sitting on the pile of red flannel bath- 
 ing-clothes, which she had mistaken for lobsters, and 
 where she had fallen in a fit of merriment when she 
 discovered that t je cannibals were her merry cousins. 
 
 "You good-for-nothing boys! You are always 
 bursting out upon me in some ridiculous way, and I 
 always get taken in because I'm not used to such 
 pranks. Uncle is as bad as the rest, and it's great 
 fun," she said, as the lads came round her, half scold- 
 ing, half welcoming, and wholly ^joying the double 
 surprise. 
 
 " You were not to come till afternoon, and mamma 
 was 'jO be here to receive you# Every thing is in a 
 mess now, except your tent ; we got that in order the 
 first thing, and you can sit there and see us work," 
 said Archie, doing the honors as usual. 
 
 " Rose felt it in her bones, as Dolly says, that some- 
 thing was in the wind, and wanted to be off at once. 
 So I let her come, and should have kept her away an 
 hour longer if your fish had not betrayed you," ex- 
 plained Uncle Alec, subsiding from a ferocious Crusoe 
 into his good-natured self again. 
 

 # 
 
 loo 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS, 
 
 
 w 
 
 dl 
 O 
 
 H 
 M 
 
 < 
 O 
 
 H 
 S 
 O 
 
 Q 
 
 < 
 
 a" 
 o 
 
 < 
 
 H 
 
 O 
 
 X 
 
 (A 
 

 PHEBE'S SECRET. 
 
 101 
 
 " As this seat is rather damp, I think I '11 rise," said 
 Rose, as the excitement lessened a little. 
 
 Several fishy hands helped her up, and Charlie said, 
 as he scattered the scarlet garments over the grass 
 with an oar, — 
 
 "We had a jolly good swim before dinner, and I 
 told the Brats to spread these to dry. Hope you 
 brought your things. Rose, for you belong to the Lob- 
 sters, you know, and we can have no end of fun teach- 
 ing you to dive and float and tread water." 
 
 "I didn't bring any thing — " began Rose, but 
 was interrupted by the Brats (otherwise Will and 
 Geordie) , who appeared bearing the big bundle, so 
 much demoralized by its fall that a red flannel tunic 
 trailed out at one end and a little blue dressing-gown 
 at the other, while the knobs proved to be a toilet-case, 
 rubbers, and a silver mug. \ 
 
 " Oh, that sly Phebe I This was the secret, and she 
 bundled up those things after I went down to the 
 boat," cried Rose, with sparkling eyes. 
 
 " Guess something is smashed inside, for a bit of 
 glass fell out," observed Will, as they deposited the 
 bundle at her feet. 
 
 "Catch a girl going anywhere without a looking- 
 glass. We have n't got one among the whole lot of 
 us," added Mac, with masculine scorn. 
 
 " Dandy has ; I caught him touching up his wig be- 
 hind the trees after our swim," cut in Geordie, wagging 
 a derisive finger at Steve, who promptly silenced him 
 by a smart rap on the head with the drum-stick he 
 had just polished off. 
 
 " Come, come, you lazy lubbers, fall to work, or we 
 
102 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 I 
 
 shall not be ready for mamma. Take Rose's things to 
 her tent, and tell her all about it, Prince. Mao and 
 Steve, you cut away and bring up the rest of the 
 straw ; and you small chaps clear off the table, if you 
 have stuffed all you can. Please, uncle, I 'd like your 
 advice about the boundary lines and the best place for 
 the kitchen." 
 
 Every one obeyed the Chief, and Rose was escorted 
 to her tent by Charlie, who devoted himself to her 
 service. She was charmed with her quarters, and still 
 more so with the programme which he unfolded before 
 her as they worked. 
 
 " We always camp out somewhere in vacation, and 
 this year we thought we 'd try the Island. It is handy, 
 and our fire-works will show off well from here." 
 
 " Shall we stay over the Fourth ? Three whole 
 days ! Oh, me ! what a frolic it will be !" 
 
 " Bless your heart, we often camp for a week, we 
 big fellows ; but this year the small chaps wanted to 
 come, so we let them. "We have great larks, as you '11 
 see ; for we have a cave and play Captain Kidd, and 
 have shipwrecks, and races, and all sorts of games. 
 Arch and I are rather past that kind of thing now, but 
 we do it to please the children," added Charlie, with a 
 sudden recollection of his sixteen years. 
 
 ** I had no idea boys had such good times. Their 
 plays never seemed a bit interesting before. But I 
 suppose that was because I never knew any boys very 
 well, or perhaps you are unusually nice ones," bbserved 
 Rose, with an artless air of appreciation that was very 
 flattering. 
 
 ♦* We are a pretty clever set, I fancy ; but we have a 
 
 ,> 'V 
 
PHEBE'S SECRET. 
 
 1G3 
 
 good many advantages, you see. There are a tribe of 
 us, to begin with ; then our family has been here for 
 ages, and we have plenty of ' spondulics,' so we can 
 rather lord it over the other fellows and do as we like. 
 There, ma'am, you can hang your smashed glass on 
 that nail and do up your back hair as fine as you please. 
 You can have a blue blanket or a red one, and a straw 
 pillow or an air cushion for your head, whichever you 
 like. You can trim up to any extent, and be as free 
 and easy as squaws in a wigwam, for this corner is set 
 apart for you ladies, and we never cross the line uncle 
 is drawing until we ask leave. Any thing more I can 
 do for you, cousin ? " 
 
 " No, thank you. I think I '11 leave the rest till 
 auntie comes, and go and help you somewhere else, if 
 I may." 
 
 " Yes, indeed, come on and see to the kitchen. Can 
 you cook ? " asked Giarlie, as he led the way to the 
 rocky nook where Archie was putting up a sail-cloth 
 awning. 
 
 " I can make tea and toast bread." 
 
 " Well, we '11 show you how to fry fish and make 
 chowder. Now you just set these pots and pans round 
 tastefully, and sort oi tidy up a bit, for Aunt Jessie 
 insists on doing some of the work, and I want it to be 
 decent here." 
 
 By four o'clock the camp was in order, and the 
 weary workers settled down on Lookout Rock to 
 watch for Mrs. Jessie and Jamie, who was never far 
 from mamma's apron-string. They looked like a flock 
 of blue-birds, all being in sailor rig, with blue ribbon 
 enough flying from the seven hats to have set up a 
 
104 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS, 
 
 milliner. Very tuneful blue-birds they were, too, for 
 all the lads sang, and the echo of their happy voices 
 reached Mrs. Jessie long before she saw them. 
 
 The moment the boat hove in sight up went the 
 Island flag, and the blue-jackets cheered lustily, as 
 they did on every possible occasion, like true young 
 Americans. This welcome was answered by the flapping 
 of a handkerchief and the shrill " Rah I Rah I Rah ! " 
 of the one small tar who stood in the stern waving his 
 hat manfully, while a maternal hand clutched him 
 firmly in the rear. 
 
 Cleopatra landing from her golden galley never re- 
 ceived a heartier greeting than " Little Mum " as she 
 was borne to her tent by the young folk, for love of 
 whom she smilingly resigned herseK to three days of 
 discomfort; while Jamie immediately attached him- 
 self to Rose, assuring her of his protection from the 
 manifold perils which might assail them. 
 
 Taught by long experience that boys are always 
 hungry. Aunt Jessie soon proposed supper, and pro- 
 ceeded to get it, enveloped in an immense apron, with 
 an old hat of Archie's stuck atop of her cap. Rose 
 helped, and tried to be as handy as Phebe, though the 
 peculiar style of table she had to set made it no easy 
 task. It was accomplished at last, and a very happy 
 party lay about under the trees, eating and drinking out 
 of anyone's plate and cup, and quite untroubled by the 
 frequent appearance of ants and spiders in places which 
 these interesting insects are not expected to adorn. 
 
 " I never thought I should like to wash dishes, but 
 I do," said Rose, as she sat in a boat after supper 
 lazily rinsing plates in the sea, and rocking luxuriously 
 as she wiped them. 
 
PHEBE'S SECRET. 
 
 105 
 
 "Mum is mighty particular; we just give 'em a 
 scrub with sand, and dust 'em off with a bit of paper. 
 It 's much the best way, I think," replied Geordie, who 
 reposed in another boat alongside. 
 
 " How Phebe would like this I I wonder uncle did 
 not have her come." 
 
 " I believe he tried to, but Dolly was as cross as two 
 sticks, and said she cc .ild n't spare her. I 'm sorry, for 
 we all like the Phebe bird, and she'd chirp like a good 
 one out here, would n't she ? " 
 
 " She ought to have a holiday like the rest of us. 
 It 's too bad to leave her out. " 
 
 This thought came back to Rose several times that 
 evening, for Phebe would have added much to the 
 little concert they had in the moonlight, would have 
 enjoyed the stories told, been quick at guessing the 
 conundrums, and laughed with all her heart at the fun. 
 Tibe merry going to bed would have been best of all, 
 for Rose wanted some one to cuddle under the blue 
 blanket-with her, there to whisper and giggle and tell 
 secrets, as girls delight to do. 
 
 Long after the rest were asleep, Rose lay wide 
 awake, excited by the novelty of all about her, and a 
 thought that had come into her mind. Far away she 
 heard a city clock strike twelve ; a large star like a 
 mild eye peeped in at the opening of the tent, and the 
 soft plash of the waves seemed calling her to come out. 
 Aunt Jessie lay fast asleep, with Jamie rolled up like 
 a kitten at her feet, and neither stirred as Rose in her 
 wrapper crept out to see how the world looked at 
 midnight. 
 
 She found it very lovely, and sat down on a cracker 
 
106 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 keg to enjoy it with a heart full of the innocent senti- 
 ment of her years. Fortunately, Dr. Alec saw her 
 before she had time to catph cold, for coming out to 
 tie back the door-flap of his tent for more air, he be- 
 held the small figure perched in the moonlight. Hav- 
 ing no fear of ghosts, he quietly approached, and, 
 seeing that she was wide awake, said, with a hand on 
 her shining hair, — ' 
 
 " What is my girl doing here ? " 
 
 " Having a good time," answered Rose, not at all 
 startled. 
 
 " I wonder what she was thinking about with such 
 a sober look ? " 
 
 " The story you told of the brave sailor who gave 
 up his place on the raft to the woman, and the last 
 drop of water to the poor baby. People who make 
 sacrifices are very much loved and admired, aren't 
 they ? " she acJced, earnestly. 
 
 "If the sacrifice is a true one. But many of the 
 bravest never are known, and get no praise. That 
 does not lessen their beauty, though perhaps it makes 
 them harder, for we all like sympathy," and Dr. Alec 
 sighed a patient sort of sigh. 
 
 " I suppose you have made a great many ? Would 
 you mind telling me one of them ? " asked Rose, ar- 
 rested by the sigh, ' 
 
 ^^Mj last was to give up smoking," was tha very 
 imromantic answer to her pensive question. 
 
 "Why did you?" 
 
 " Bad example for the boys." 
 
 " That was very good of you, uncle ! Was it hard ? " 
 , " I 'm ashamed to say it was, But as a wise old fel- 
 
PHEBE'S SECRET. 
 
 107 
 
 low once said, ' It is necessary to do right ; it is not 
 necessary to be happy.' " 
 
 Rose pondered over the saying as if it pleased her, 
 and then said, with a clear, bright look, — 
 
 " A real sacrifice is giving up something you want 
 or enjoy very much, isn't it?" 
 
 «Yes." 
 
 " Doing it one's own self because one loves another 
 person very much and wants her to be happy?" 
 
 « Yes." 
 
 " And doing it pleasantly, and being glad about it, 
 and not minding the praise if it does n't come ? " 
 
 " Yes, dear, that is the true spirit of self-sacri/ice ; 
 you seem to understand it, and I dare say you will 
 have many chances in your life to try the real thing. 
 I hope they won't be very hard ones." 
 
 " I think they will," began Rose, and there stopped 
 short. 
 
 " Well, make one now, and go to sleep, or my girl 
 will be ill to-morrow, and then the aunts will say 
 camping out was bad for her." 
 
 "I '11 go, — goodnight!" and throwing him a kiss, 
 the little ghost vanished, leaving Uncle Alec to pace 
 the shore and think about some of the unsuspected 
 sacrifices that had made him what he was. 
 
 <* i 
 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 ROSE'S SACRIFICE. 
 
 THERE certainly were "larks" on Campbell's Isl- 
 and next day, as Charlie had foretold, and 
 Rose took her part in them like one intent on enjoy- 
 ing every minute to the utmost. There was a merry 
 breakfast, a successful fishing expedition, and then the 
 lobsters came out in full force, for even Aunt Jessie 
 appeared in red flannel. There was nothing Uncle 
 Alec could not do in the water, and the boys tried 
 their best to equal him in strength and skill, so there 
 was a great diving and ducking, for every one was 
 bent on distinguishing himself. 
 
 Rose swam far out beyond her depth, with uncle to 
 float her back ; Aunt Jessie splashed placidly in the 
 shallow pools, with Jamie paddling near by like a 
 little whale beside its mother ; while the lads careered 
 about, looking like a flock of distracted flamingoes, 
 and acting like the famous dancing party in "Alice's 
 Adventures in Wonderland." 
 
 Nothing but chowder would have lured them from 
 their gambols in the briny deep; that time-honored 
 dish demanded the concentrated action of several 
 mighty minds ; so the " Water Babies " came ashore 
 ^nd fell to cooking. - 
 
HOSE'S SACRIFICE, 
 
 109 
 
 It is unnecessary to say that, when done, it was the 
 most remarkable chowder ever cooked, and the quan- 
 tity eaten would have amazed the world if Ihe secret 
 had been divulged. After this exertion a siesta was 
 considered the thing, and people lay about in tents or 
 out as they pleased, the boys looking like warriors 
 slumbering where they fell. 
 
 The elders had just settled to a comfortable nap 
 when the youngsters rose, refreshed and ready for 
 further exploits. A hint sent them all off to the cave, 
 and there were discovered bows and arrows, battle 
 clubs, old swords, and various relics of an interesting 
 nature. Perched upon a commanding rock, with Jamie 
 to " splain " things to her. Rose beheld a series of stir- 
 ring scenes enacted with great vigor and historical 
 accuracy by her gifted relatives. 
 
 Captain Cook was murdered by the natives of Owhy- 
 hee in the most thrilling manner. Captain Kidd 
 buried untold wealth in the chowder kettle at the dead 
 of night, and shot both the trusting villains who shared 
 the secret of the hiding-place. Sinbad came ashore 
 there and had manifold adventures, and numberless 
 wrecT s bestrewed the sands. 
 
 Rose considered them by far the most exciting 
 dramas she had ever witnessed ; and when the perform- 
 ance closed with a grand ballet of Feejee Islanders, 
 whose barbaric yells alarmed the gulls, she had no 
 words in which to express her gratification. 
 
 Another swim at sunset, another merry evening on 
 the rocks watching the lighted steamers pass seaward 
 and the pleasure-boats come into port, ended the 
 second day of the camping out, and sent every one to 
 
no 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 bed early that they might be ready for the festivities 
 of the morrow. 
 
 " Archie, did n't I hear uncle ask you to row home 
 in the morning for fresh milk and things ? " 
 
 "Yes: why?" 
 
 " Please, may I go too ? I have something of great 
 importance to arrange ; you know I was carried off in 
 a hurry," Rose said in a confidential whisper as she 
 was bidding her cousins good-night. 
 
 " I 'm willing, and I guess Charlie won't mind." 
 
 " Thank you ; be sure you stand by me when I ask 
 leave in the morning, and don't say any thing till then, 
 except to Charlie. Promise," urged Rose, so eagerly 
 that Archie struck an attitude, and cried dramati- 
 cally,— 
 
 " By yonder moon I swear ! " 
 
 " Hush I it 's all right, go along ; " and Rose departed 
 as if satisfied. 
 
 " She's a queer little thing, is n't she. Prince ? " 
 
 " Rather a nice little thing, 7" think. I 'm quite fond 
 of her." 
 
 Rose's quick ears caught both remarks, and she re- 
 tu'ed to her tent, saying to herself with sleepy dig- 
 nity, -— 
 
 " Little thing, indeed ! Those boys talk as if I was 
 a baby. They will treat me with more respect aftei 
 to-morrow, I guess." 
 
 Ardhie did stand by her in the morning, and her 
 request was readily granted, as :* e lads were coming 
 directly back. Off they went, and Rose waved her 
 hand to the islanders with a somewhat pensive air, for 
 an heroic purpose glowed within her, and the spirit of 
 
noSB'S SACRIFICE. 
 
 Ill 
 
 self-sacrifice was about to be illustrated in a new and 
 touching manner. 
 
 While the boys got the milk Rose ran to Phebe, 
 ordered her to leave her dishes, to put on her hat 
 and take a note back to Uncle Alec, which would ex- 
 plain this somewhat mysterious performance. Phebe 
 obeyed, and when she went to the boat Rose accompa- 
 nied her, telling the boys she was not ready to go yet, 
 but they could some of them come for her when she 
 hung a white signal on her balcony. 
 
 " But why not come now ? What are you about, 
 miss? Uncle won't like it," protested Charlie, in great 
 amazement. 
 
 " Just do as I tell you, little boy ; uncle will under- 
 stand and explain. Obey, as Phebe does, and ask no 
 questions. J can have secrets as well as other people ; " 
 and Rose walked off with an air of lofty independence 
 that impressed her friends immensely. 
 
 "It's some plot between uncle and herself, so 
 we won't meddle. All right, Phebe? Pull away. 
 Prince;" and off they went, to be received with 
 much surprise by the islanders. 
 
 This was the note Phebe bore : — 
 
 " Dear Uncle, — I am going to take Phebe's place to-day, and 
 let her have all the f irn she can. Please don't mind what she says, 
 but keep her, and tell the boys to be very good to her for my sake. 
 Don't think it is easy to do this ; it is very hard to give up the 
 best day of all, but I feel so selfish to have all the pleasure, and 
 Phebe none, that I wish to make this sacrifice. Do let me, and 
 don't laugh at it ; I truly do not wish to be praised, and I truly 
 ,want to do it. Love to all from " Roain." 
 
 "Bless the little dear, what a generous heart she 
 has! Shall we go after her, Jessie, or let her have 
 
112 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 her tv^ay?" said Dr. Alec, after the first mingled 
 amusement and astonishment had subsided. 
 
 " Let her alone, and don't spoil her little sacrifice. 
 She means it, I know, and the best way in which we 
 can show our respect for her effort is to give 1 hebe 
 a pleasant day. I'm sure she has earned it;" and 
 Mrs. Jessie made a sign to the boys to suppress their 
 disappointment and oxert themselves to please Hose's 
 guest. 
 
 Phebe was with difficulty kept from going fitraight 
 home, and declared that she should not enjoy herself 
 one bit without Miss Rose. 
 
 " She won't hold out all day, and we shall see her 
 paddling back before noon, I '11 wager any thing," said 
 Charlie ; and the rest so strongly inclined to his 
 opinion th^,t they resigned themselves to the loss of 
 the little queen of the revels, sure that it would be 
 only a temporary one. 
 
 But hour after hour passed, and no signal appeared 
 on the balcony, though Phebe watched it hopefully. 
 No passing boat brought the truant back, though 
 more than one pair of eyes looked out for the bright 
 hair under the round hat ; and sunset came, bringing 
 no Rose but the' lovely color in the western sky. 
 
 "I really did not think the child had it in her. I 
 fancied it was a bit of sentiment, but I see she was 
 in earnest, and means that her sacrifice shall be a true 
 one. Dear little soul ! I '11 make it up to her a thou- 
 sand times over, and beg her pardon for thinking it 
 might be done for effect," Dr. Alec said remorsefully, 
 as £e strained his eyes through the dusk, fancying he 
 saw a small figure sitting in the garden as it had sat 
 
HOSE'S SACRIFICE. 
 
 113 
 
 on the keg the night before, laying the generous little 
 plot that had cost more than he could guess. 
 
 " Well, she can't help sec mg the fire-works any 
 way, unless she is goose enough to think she must 
 liide in a dark closet and not look," said Archie, who 
 was rather disgusted at Rose's seeming ingratitude. 
 
 " She will see ours capitally, but miss the big ones 
 on the hill, unless papa has forgotten all about them," 
 added Steve, cutting short the harangue Mac had 
 begun upon the festivals of the ancients. 
 
 " I 'ra sure the sight of her will be better than the 
 finest fire-works that ever went off," said Phebe, 
 meditating an elopement with one of the boats if 
 she could get a chance. 
 
 " Let things work ; if she resists the brilliant in- 
 vitation we give her she will be a heroine," added 
 Uncle Alec, secretly hoping that she would not. 
 
 Meanwhile Rose had spent a quiet, busy day help- 
 ing Dolly, waiting on Aunt Peace, and steadily re- 
 sisting Aunt Plenty's attempts to send her back to 
 the happy island. It had been hard in the morning 
 to come in from the bright world outside, with flags 
 flying, cannon booming, crackers popping, and every 
 one making ready for a holiday, and go to washing 
 cups, while Dolly grumbled and the aunts lamented. 
 It was very hard to see the day go by,, knowing how 
 gay each hour must have been across the water, and 
 how a word from her would take her where she 
 longed to be with all her heart. But it was hardest 
 of all when evening came and Aunt Peace v/as asleep, 
 Aunt Plenty seeing a gossip in the parlor, Dolly 
 established in the porch to enjoy the show, and noth- 
 
114 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 ing left for the little maid to do but sit alone in her 
 balcony and watch the gay rockets whizz up from 
 island, hill, and city, while bands played and boats 
 laden with happy people went to and fro in the fitful 
 light. 
 
 Then it must be confessed that a tear or two dimmed 
 the blue eyes, and once, when a very brilliant display 
 illuminated the island for a moment, and she fancied 
 she saw the tents, the curly head went down on the 
 railing, and a wide-awake nasturtium heard a little 
 whisper,— 
 
 " I hope some one wishes I was there ! " 
 
 The tears were all gone, however, and she was 
 watching the hill and island answer each other with 
 what Jamie called " whizzers, whirligigs, and busters," 
 and smiling as she thought how hard the boys must 
 be working to keep up such a steady fire, when Uncle 
 Mac came walking in upon her, saying hurriedly, — 
 
 . " Come, child, put on your tippet, pelisse, or what- 
 ever you call it, and run off with me. I came to get 
 Phebe, but aunt says she is gone, so 1 want you. I Ve 
 got Fun down in the boat, and I want you to go with 
 us and see my fire-works. Got them up for you, and 
 you mustn't miss them, or I shall be disappointed." 
 
 **But, undo," began Rose, feeling as if she ought to 
 refuse even a glimpse of bliss, " perhaps — " 
 
 " I know, my dear, I know ; aunt told me ; but no 
 one needs you now so much as I do, and I insist on 
 your coming," said Uncle Mac, who seemed in a great 
 hurry to be off, yet was unusually kind. 
 
 So Bose went and found the little Chinaman with 
 a funny lantern waiting to help her in and convulse 
 
 \ 
 
ROSE'S SACRIFICE. 
 
 115 
 
 n 
 
 I 
 
 ) 
 1 
 
 \ 
 
 her with laughter trying to express his emotions in 
 pigeon English. The city clocks were striking nine 
 as they got out into the bay, and the island fire-works 
 seemed to be o/er, for no rocket answered the last 
 Roman candle that shone on the Aunt-hill. 
 
 "Ours are done, I see, but they are going up all 
 round the city, and how pretty they are," said Rose, 
 folding her mantle about her and surveying the scene 
 with a pensive interest. 
 
 "Hope my fellows have not got into trouble up 
 there," muttered Uncle Mac, adding, with a satisfied 
 chuckle, as a spark shone out, "No; there it goes! 
 Look, Rosy, and see how you like this one; it was 
 ordered especially in honor of your coming." 
 
 Rose looked with all her eyes, and saw the spark 
 grow into the likeness of a golden vase, then green 
 leaves came out, and then a crimson flower glowing 
 on the darkness with a splendid lustre. 
 
 "Is it a xose, uncle ?" she asked, clasping her 
 hands with delight ias she recognized the handsome 
 flower. 
 
 " Of course it is ! Look again, and guess what 
 those are," answered Uncle Mac, chuckling and enjoy- 
 ing it all like a boy. 
 
 A wreath of what looked at first like purple brooms 
 appeared below the vase, but Rose guessed what they 
 were meant for and stood straight up, holding by his 
 shoulder, and crying excitedly, — * 
 
 " Thistles, uncle, Scotch thistles ! There are seven 
 of tbeih, — one for each boy! Oh, what a jokel" 
 and she laughed so that she plumped into the bottom 
 of the boat and stayed there till the brilliant spectacle 
 was quite gone. 
 
 
116 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS, 
 
 i 
 
nOSE'S SACRIFICE. 
 
 117 
 
 "Tnat was rather a neat thing, I flatter myself," 
 said Uncle Mac in high glee at the success of his 
 illumination. " Now, shall I leave you on the Island 
 or take you home again, my good little girl?" he 
 added, lifting her up with such a tone of approbation 
 in his voiqe that Rose kissed him on the spot. 
 
 " Home, please, uncle ; and I thank you very, very 
 much for the beautiful fire -work you got up for me. 
 I 'm so glad I saw it ; and I know I shall dream about 
 it," answered Rose steadily, though a wistful glance 
 went toward the Island, now so near that she could 
 smell powder and see shadowy figures flitting about. 
 
 Home they went; and Rose fell asleep saying to 
 herself, " It was harder than I thought, but I 'm glad 
 I did it, and I truly don't want any reward but 
 Phebe's pleasure.^ 
 
 i> 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 POOR MAC. 
 
 ROSE'S sacrifice was a failure in one respect, for, 
 though the elders loved her the better for it, 
 and showed that they did, the boys were not inspired 
 with the sudden respect which she had hoped for. In 
 fact, her feelings were much hurt by overhearing 
 Archie say that he couldn't see any sense in it ; and 
 the Prince added another blow by pronouncing her 
 " the queerest chicken ever seen.'* 
 
 It is apt to be so, and it is hard to bear ; for, though 
 we do not want trumpets blown, we do like to have 
 our little virtues appreciated, and cannot help feeling 
 disappointed if they are not. 
 
 A time soon came, however, when Rose, quite un- 
 consciously, won not only the respect of her cousins, 
 but their gratitude and affection likewise. 
 
 Soon after the Island episode, Mac had a sun-stroke, 
 and was very ill for some time. It was so sudden that 
 every one was startled, and for some days the boy's 
 life was in danger. He pulled through, however ; and 
 .then, just as the family were rejoicing, a new trouble 
 appeared which cast a gloom over them all. 
 
 '■!'fj 
 '1 
 
 h 
 
POOR MAC. 
 
 119 
 
 i 
 
 Poor Mac's eyes gave out ; and well they might, for 
 he had abused them, and never bemg very strong, 
 they suffered doubly now. 
 
 No one dared to tell him the dark predictions of the 
 great oculist who came to look at them, and the boy 
 tried to be patient, thinking that a few weeks of rest 
 would repair the overwork of several years. 
 
 He was forbidden to look at a book, and as that was 
 the one thing he most delighted in, it was a terrible 
 affliction to the Worm. Every one was very ready to 
 read to him, and at first the lads contended for this 
 honor. But as week after week went by, and Mac 
 was still condemned to idleness and a darkened room, 
 their zeal abated, and one after the other fell off. It 
 was hard for the active fellows, right in the midst of 
 their vacation ; and nobody blamed them when they 
 contented themselves with brief calls, running of er- 
 rands, and warm expressions of sympathy. 
 
 The elders did their best, but Uncle Mac was a busy 
 man. Aunt Jane's reading was of a funereal sort, im- 
 posriible to listen to long, and the other aunties ^ore 
 all absorbed in their own cares, though they supplied 
 the boy with every delicacy they could invent. 
 
 Uncle Alec was a host in himself, but he could not 
 ^ve all his time to the invalid ; and if it had not been 
 for Rose, the afflicted Worm would have fared ill. 
 Her pleasant voice suited him, her patience was unfail- 
 ing, her time of no apparent value, and her eager 
 good-will was very comforting. 
 
 The womanly power of self-devotion was strong in 
 the child, and she remained faithfully at her post when 
 all the rest dropped away. Hour after hour she sat in 
 
120 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 the dusky room, with one ray of light on her book, 
 reading to the boy, who lay with shaded eyes silently 
 enjoying the only pleasure that lightened the weary 
 days. Sometimes he was peevish and hard to please, 
 sometimes he growled because his reader could not 
 manage the dry books he wished to hear, and some- 
 times he was so despondent that her heart ached to 
 see him. Through all these trials Rose persevered, 
 using all her little arts to please him. When he fret- 
 ted, she was patient ; when he growled, she ploughed 
 bravely through the hard pages, — not dry to her in 
 one sense, for quiet tears dropped on them now and 
 then ; and when Mac fell into a despairing mood, she 
 comforted him with every hopeful word she dared to 
 offer. 
 
 He said little, but she knew he was grateful, for she 
 suited him better than any one else. If she was late, 
 he was impatient ; when she had to go, he seemed for- 
 lorn ; and when the tired head ached worst, she could 
 always soothe him to sleep, crooning the old songs her 
 father used to love. 
 
 " I don't know what I should do without that child," 
 Aunt Jane often said. 
 
 " She's worth all those racketing fellows put to- 
 gether," Mac would add, fumbling about to discover 
 if the little chair was ready for her coming. 
 
 That was the sort of reward Rose liked, the thanks 
 ,that cheered her ; and whenever she grew very tired, 
 one look at the green sh^de, the curly head so restless 
 on the pillow, and the poor groping hands, touched 
 her tender heart and put new spirit into the weary 
 voice. 
 
POOR MAC. 
 
 121 
 
 She did not know how much she was learning, both 
 from the books she read and the daily sacrifices she 
 made. Stories and poetry were her delight, but Mac 
 did not care for them ; and since his favorite Greeks 
 and Romans were forbidden, he satisfied himself with 
 travels, biographies, and the history of great inventions 
 of discoveries. Rose despised this taste at first, but 
 soon got interested in Livingstone's adventures. Hob- 
 son's stirring life in India, and the brave trials and 
 triumphs of Watt and Arkwright, Fulton, and " Pal- 
 issy, the Potter." The true, strong books helped the 
 dreamy girl ; her faithful service and sweet patience 
 touched and won the boy; and long afterward both 
 learned to see how useful those seemingly hard and 
 weary hours had been to them. 
 
 One bright morning, as Rose sat down to begin a 
 fat volume entitled "History of the French Revolu- 
 tion," expecting to come to great grief over the long 
 names, Mac, whq was lumbering about the room like 
 a blind bear, stopped her by asking abruptly, — 
 
 « What day of the month is it ? " 
 
 " The seventh of August, I believe." 
 
 " More than half my vacation gone, and I Ve only 
 had a week of it ! I call that hard," and he groaned 
 dismally. 
 
 " So it is ; but there is more to come, and you may 
 be able to enjoy that." 
 
 "Jtfay be able I I will be able! Does that old 
 noodle think I 'm going to stay stived up here much 
 longer ? " 
 
 " I guQss he does, unless your eyes get on faster than 
 they have yet." 
 
 
 W.-:. 
 
122 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " Has he said any thing more lately ? " 
 
 "I have n't seen him, you know. Shall I begin? 
 — this looks rather nice." 
 
 " Read away ; it 's all one to me." And Mac cast 
 himself down upon the old lounge, where his heavy 
 head felt easiest. 
 
 Rose began with great spirit, and kept on gallantly 
 for a couple of chapters, getting over the unpronounce- 
 able names with unexpected success, she thought, for 
 her listener did not correct her once, and lay so still 
 she fancied he was deeply interested. All of a sudden 
 she vas arrested in the middle of a fine paragraph by 
 Mac, who sat bolt upright, brought both feet down 
 with a thump, and said, in a rough, excited tone, — 
 
 " Stop ! I don't hear a word, and you may as well 
 save your breath to answer my question." 
 
 " What is it ? " asked Rose, looking uneasy, for she 
 had something on her mind, and feared that he sus- 
 pected what it was. His next words proved that she 
 was right. 
 
 "Now look here, I want to know something, and 
 you 've got to tell me." 
 
 " Please, don't, — " began Rose, beseechingly. 
 
 " You must, or I '11 pull c^ this shade and stare at 
 the sun as hard as ever I caa stare. Come now ! " Mid 
 he half rose, as if ready to execute the threat. 
 
 "I will! oh, I will tell, if I know I But don't be 
 reckless and do any thing so crazy as that," cried Rose, 
 in great distress. 
 
 " Very well ; then listen, and don't dodge, as every 
 ore else does. Did n't the doctor think my eyes worse 
 the last time he came ? Mother won't say, but you 
 ahaUr ' 
 
POOR MAC. 
 
 128 
 
 
 s, 
 
 
 " I believe he did," faltered Rose. 
 
 " I thought so 1 Did he say I should be. able to go 
 to school when it begins ? " 
 
 " No, Mac," very low. 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 That was all, but Rose saw her cousin set his lips 
 together and take a long breath, as if she had hit him 
 hard. He bore the disappointment bravely, however, 
 and asked quite steadily in a minute, — 
 
 " How soon does he think I can study again ? " 
 
 It was so hard to answer that I Yet Rose knew she 
 must, for Aunt Jane had declared she could not do it, 
 and Uncle Mac had begged her to break the truth to 
 the poor lad. 
 
 " Not for a good many months." 
 
 "How many?" he asked with a pathetic sort of 
 gruffness. 
 
 "A year, perhaps." 
 
 " A whole year I Why, I expected to be ready for 
 college by that time." And, pushing up the shade, 
 Mac stared at her with startled eyes, that soon blinked 
 and fell before the one ray of light. 
 
 " Plenty of time for that ; you must be patient now, 
 and get them thoroughly well, or they will trouble 
 you again when it will be harder to spare them," she 
 said, with tears in her own eyes. 
 
 " I won't do it ! I will study and get through some- 
 how. It's aU humbug about taking care so long. 
 These doctors like to keep hold of a fellow if they 
 can. But I won't stand it, — I vow I won't!" and 
 he banged his fist down on the unoffending pillow 
 as if he were pommelling the hard-hearted doctor. 
 
124 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " Now, Mac, listen to me," Rose said very earnestly, 
 though her voice shook a little and her heart ached. 
 " You know you have hurt your eyes reading by fire- 
 light and in the dusk, and sitting up late, and now 
 you '11 have to pay for it ; the doctor said so. You 
 must be carefol, and do as he tells you, or you will 
 be — bUnd." 
 
 "No!" 
 
 " Yes, it is true, and he wanted us to tell you that 
 nothing but entire rest would cure you. I know it 's 
 dreadfully hard, but we '11 all help you ; I '11 read all 
 day long, and lead you, and wait upon you, and try 
 to make it easier — " 
 
 She stopped there, for it was evident that he did 
 not hear a sound ; the word " blind " seemed to have 
 knocked him down, for he had buried his face in the 
 pillow, and lay so still that Rose was frightened. 
 She sat motionless for many minutes, longing to 
 comfort him, but not knowing how, and wishing 
 Uncle Alec would come, for he had promised to tell 
 Mac. 
 
 Presently, a sort of choking sound came out of the 
 pillow, and went straight to her heart, — the most 
 pathetic sob she ever heard, for, though it was the 
 most natural means of relief, the poor fellow must 
 not indulge in it because of the afflicted eyes. The 
 "French Revolution" tumbled out of her lap, and, 
 running to the sofa, she knelt down by it, saying, with 
 the motherly sort of tenderness girls feel for any 
 sorrowing creature, — 
 
 " Oh, my dear, you must n't cry ! It is so bad for 
 your poor eyes. Take your head out of that hot 
 
POOR MAC. 
 
 125 
 
 
 pillow, and let me cool it. I don't wonder you feel 
 so, but please don't cry. I 'U cry for you ; it won't 
 hurt me." 
 
 •yi'.PAV/^'S. 
 
 " BUNNINO TO THE SOFA, SHE KNELT DOWN BY IT." 
 
 As she spoke, she pulled away the cushion with 
 gentle force, and saw the ^^reon shade all crushed 
 and stained with the few hot tears that told how 
 
126 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 bitter the disappointment had been. Mac felt her 
 sympathy, but, being a boy, did not thank her for it ; 
 only sat up with a jerk, saying, as he tried to rub 
 away the tell-tale drops with the sleeve of his jacket: 
 "Don't bother; weak eyes always water. I'm all 
 right." 
 
 But Rose cried out, and caught his arm: "Don't 
 touch them with that rough woollen stuff ! Lie down 
 and let me bathe them, there 's a dear boy ; then there 
 will be no harm done." 
 
 "They do smart confoundedly. I say, don't you 
 tell the other fellows that I made a baby of myself, 
 will you?" he added, yielding with a sigh to tlie 
 orders of his nurse, wha had flown for the eye-wash 
 and linen cambric handkerchief. 
 
 " Of course I won't ; but any one would be upset 
 at the idea of being — well — troubled in this way. 
 I'm sure you bear it splendidly, and you know it 
 is n't haM so bad when you get used to it. Besides, 
 it is only for a time, and you can do lots of pleasant 
 things if you can't study. You'll have to wear blue 
 goggles, perhaps; won't that be funny?" 
 
 And while she was pouring out all the comfortable 
 words she could think of. Rose was softly bathing the 
 eyes and dabbing tLe hot forehead with lavender- 
 water, as her patient lay quiet with a look on his 
 face that grieved her sadly. 
 
 "Homer was blind, and so was Milton, and they 
 did something to be remembered by, in spite of it," 
 he said, as if to himself, in a solemn tone, for even 
 the blue goggles did not bring a smile. 
 
 "Papa had a picture of Milton and his daughters 
 
POOR MAC. 
 
 127 
 
 writing for him. It was a very sweet picture, I 
 thought," observed Rose in a serious voice, trying 
 to meet the sufferer on his own ground. 
 
 " Perhaps I could study if some one read and did 
 the eye part. Do you suppose I could, by and by ? " 
 he asked, with a sudden ray of hope. 
 
 " I dare say, if your head is strong enough. This 
 sun-stroke, you know, is what upset you, and your 
 brains need rest, the doctor says." 
 
 " I '11 have a talk with the old fellow next time he 
 comes, and find out just what I may do ; then I shall 
 know where I am. What a fool I was that day to be 
 stewing my brains and letting the sun glare on my 
 book till the letters danced before me ! I see 'em 
 now when I shut my eyes ; black balls bobbing round, 
 and stars and all sorts of queer things. Wonder if 
 g-U blind people do ? " 
 
 " Don't think about them ; I '11 go on reading, shall 
 I? We shall come ^>o the exciting part soon, and 
 then you'll forget all this," suggested Rose. 
 
 " No, 1 never shall forget. Hang the old * Revolu- 
 tion ! ' I don't want to hear another word of it. My 
 head aches, and I'm hot. Oh, wouldn't I like to go 
 for a pull in the * Stormy Petrel ! ' " and poor* Mac 
 tossed about as if he did not know what to do with 
 himself. ' 
 
 " L<3t me sing, and perhaps you 'U drop off ; then 
 the day will seem shorter," said Rose, taking up a 
 fan and sitting down beside him. 
 
 "Perhaps I shall; I didn't sleep much last night, 
 and when I did I dreamed like fun. See here, you 
 tell the people that I know, and it's all right, and 
 
128 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 I don't want them to talk about it or howl over me. 
 That 's all ; now drone away, and I '11 try to sleep. 
 Wish I could for a year, and wake up cui*ed." 
 
 " Oh, I wish, I wish you could I " 
 
 !^ose said it so fervently, that Mac was moved to 
 grope for her apron and hold on to a corner of it, as 
 if it was comfortable to feel her near him. But all 
 he said was, — 
 
 " You are a good little soul. Rosy. Give us * The 
 Birks ; ' that is a drowsy one that always sends me 
 off." 
 
 Quite contented with this small return for all her 
 sympathy, Rose waved her fan and sang, in a dreamy 
 tone-, the pretty Scotch air, the burden of which is, — 
 
 ^ " Bonny lassie, will ye gang, will ye gang 
 
 To the Birks of Aberfeldie ? " 
 
 Whether the lassie went or not I cannot say, but ^ 
 the laddie was off to the land of Nod in about ten 
 minutes, quite worn out with hearing the bad tidings 
 and the effort to bear them manfully. 
 
 yi^ 
 

 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ''THE OTHER FELLOWS.'' 
 
 -r 
 
 ►,5 
 
 ROSE did tell "the people" what had passed, 
 and no one "howled" over Mac, or said a 
 word to trouble him. He had his talk with the 
 doctor, and got very little comfort out of it, for he 
 found that "just what he might do" was nothing at 
 all; though the prospect of some study by and by, 
 if all went well, gave him courage to bear the woes 
 of the present. Having made up his mind to this, 
 he behaved so well that every one was astonished, 
 never having suspected so much manliness in the 
 quiet Worm. 
 
 The boys were much impressed, both by the great- 
 ness of the affliction which hung over him and by 
 his way of bearing it. They were very good to him, 
 but not always particularly wise in their attempts to 
 cheer and amuse ; and Rose often found him much 
 downcast after a visit of condolence from the Clan. 
 She still kept her place as head-nurse and chief-reader, 
 though the boys did their best in an irregular sort of 
 way. They were rather taken aback sometimes at 
 finding Rose's services preferred to theirs, and pri- 
 vately confided to one another that <*01d Mac was 
 
 6* I 
 
130 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 getting fond of being molly-coddled." But they could 
 not heip seeing how useful she was, and owning that 
 the alone had remained faithful, — a fact which caused 
 some of them much secret compunction now and 
 then. 
 
 Rose felt that she ruled in that room, if nowhere 
 else, for Aunt Jane left a great deal to her, finding 
 that her experience with her invalid father fitted her 
 for a nurse, and in a case like this her youth was an 
 advantage rather than a drawback. Mac soon came 
 to think that no one could take care of him so well 
 as Rose, and Rose soon grew fond of her patient, 
 though at first she had considered this cousin the least 
 attractive of the seven. He was not polite and sensi- 
 ble like Archie, nor gay and handsome like Prince 
 Charlie, nor neat and obliging like Steve, nor amusing 
 like the "Brats," nor confiding and affectionate like 
 little Jamie. He was rough, absent-minded, careless, 
 and awkward, rather priggish, and not at air agreeable 
 to a dainty, beaucy-loving girl like Rose. 
 
 But when his trouble came upon him, she discov- 
 ered many good things in this cousin of hers, and 
 learned not only to pity but to respect and love the 
 poor Worm, who tried to be patient, brave, and cheer- 
 ful, and found it a harder task than any one guessed, 
 except the little nurse, who saw him in his gloomiest 
 moods. She soon came to' think that his friends did 
 not appreciate him, and upon one o^3casion was mpved 
 to free her mind in a way that made a deep impression 
 on the boys. 
 
 Vacation was almost over, and the time drawing near 
 when Mac would be left outside the happy school-world 
 
 f 
 
''THE OTHER FELLOWS.'' 
 
 131 
 
 whioh he so much enjoyed. This made him rather 
 low in his mind, and his cousins exerted themselves 
 to cheer him up, especially one afternoon when a spasm 
 of devotion seemed to seize them all. Jamie trudged 
 down the hill with a basket of blackberries which he 
 had " picked all his ownself," as his scratched fingers 
 and stained lips plainly testified. Will and Geordie 
 brought their puppies to beguile the weary hours, and 
 the three elder lads called to discuss base-ball, cricket, 
 and kindred subjects, eminently fitted to remind the 
 invalid of his privations. 
 
 Rose had gone to drive with Uncle Alec, who de- 
 clared she was getting as pale as a potato sprout, living 
 so much in a dark room. But her thoughts were with 
 her boy all the while, and she ran up to him the mo- 
 ment she returned, to find things in a fine state of con- 
 fusion. 
 
 With the best intentions in life, the lads had done 
 more harm than good, and the spectacle that met 
 Nurse Rose's eye was a trying one. The puppies 
 were yelping, the small boys romping, and the big 
 boys all talking at once; the curtains were up, tho 
 room close, berries scattered freely about, Mac's shade 
 half off, his cheeks flushed, his temper ruffled, and his 
 voice loudest of all as he disputed hotly with Steve 
 about lending certain treasured books which he could 
 no longer use. 
 
 Now Rose considered this her special kingdom, and 
 came down upon the invaders with an energy whicli 
 amazed them and quelled the riot at once. They had 
 never seen her roused before, and the effect was tre- 
 mendous ; also comical, for she drove the whole flock. 
 
182 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 
 M 
 O 
 
 (5 
 
 > 
 
 H 
 
 (A 
 
 < 
 
 M 
 (/) 
 M 
 
 lA 
 
 
 3 
 
 H 
 
i 
 
 ^'THE OTHER FELLOWS:' 
 
 188 
 
 M 
 
 Oh 
 I 
 
 .< = 
 
 O 
 U 
 
 >« 
 
 (A 
 
 tn 
 
 H 
 
 of boys out of the room like an ind^jjaant little hen 
 defending her brood. They all went as meekly as 
 sheep ; the small lads fled from the house precipitately, 
 but the three elder ones only retired to the next room, 
 and remained there hoping for a chance to explain and 
 apologize, and so appease the irate young lady, who 
 had suddenly turned the tables and clattered them 
 about their ears. 
 
 As they waited, they observed her proceedings 
 through the half-open door, and commented upon 
 them briefly but expressively, feeling quite bowed 
 down with remorse at the harm they had innoccDtly 
 ( >ne. 
 
 " She 's put the room to rights in a jiffy. What 
 jacks we were to let those dogs in and kick up such a 
 row," observed Steve, after a prolonged peep. 
 
 "The poor old Worm turns as if she w s treading 
 on him instead of cuddling him like a pussy oat. 
 Is n't he cross, though ? " added Charlie, as Mac was 
 heard growling about his " confounded head." 
 
 "She will manage him; but it's mean in us to rum- 
 ple him up and then leave her to smooth him down. 
 I 'd go and help, but I don't know how," said Archie, 
 looking much depressed, for he was a conscientious 
 fellow, and blamed himself for his want of thought. 
 
 " No more do I. Odd, is n't it, what a knack women 
 have for taking care of sick folks ? " and Charlie fell 
 a-musing over this undeniable fact. 
 
 " She ha« been ever so good to Mac," began Steve, 
 in a seK-reproachful tone. 
 
 " Better than his own brother, hey?" cut in Archie, 
 finding relief for his own regret in the delinquencies 
 of another. 
 
134 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " Well, you need n't preach ; you did n't any of yon 
 do any more, and you might have, for Mac likes you 
 better than he does me. I always fret him, he says, 
 and it is n't my fault if I am a quiddle," protested 
 Steve, in self-defence. 
 
 " We have all been selfish and neglected him, so we 
 won't fight about it, but try and do better," said 
 Archie, generously taking more than his share of 
 blame, for he had been less inattentive than either of 
 the others. 
 
 " Rose has stood by him like a good one, and it 's 
 no wonder he likes to have her round best. I should 
 myself if I was down on my luck as he is," put in 
 Charlie, feeling that he really had not done " the little 
 thing " justice. 
 
 "I'll tell you what it is, boys, — we haven't been 
 half good enough to Rose, and we 've got to make it 
 up to her somehow," said Archie, who had a very 
 manly sense of honor about paying his debts, even to 
 a girl. 
 
 "I'm awfully sorry I made fun of her doll when 
 Jamie lugged it out; and I called her *baby bunting' 
 when she cried over the dead kitten. Girls are such 
 geese sometimes, I can't help it," said Steve, confess- 
 ing his transgressions handsomely, and feeling quite 
 ready to atone for them if he only knew how. 
 
 " I '11 go down on my knees and beg her pardon for 
 treating hey as if she was a child. Don't it make her 
 mad, though? Come to think of it, she's only two 
 years or so younger than I am. But she is so small 
 and pretty, she always seems like a dolly to me," and 
 the Prince looked down from his lofty height of five 
 
*'THE OTHER FELLOWS.'' 
 
 136 
 
 feet five as if Rose was indeed a pygmy beside 
 him. 
 
 " That dolly has got a real good little heart, and a 
 bright mind of her own, you 'd better believe. Mac 
 says she understands some things quicker than he can, 
 and mother thinks she is an uncommonly nice girl, 
 though she don't know all crea' ion. You need n't put 
 on airs, Charlie, though you are a tall one, for Rose 
 likes Archie better than you ; she said she did because 
 he treated her respectfully." 
 
 " Steve looks as fierce as a game-cock ; but don't you 
 get excited, my son, for it won't do a bit of good. Of 
 course, everybody likes the Chief best ; they ought to, 
 and I'll punch their heads if they don't. So calm 
 yourself, Dandy, and mend your own manners before 
 you come down on other people's." 
 
 Thus the Prince with great dignity and perfect g jod 
 nature, while Archie looked modestly grat^ed with 
 the flattering opinions of his kinsfolk, and Steve sub- 
 sided, feeling he had done his duty as a cousin and a 
 brother. A pause ensued, during which Aunt Jane 
 appeared in the other room, accompanied by a tea-tray 
 sumptuously spread, and prepared to feed her big nest- 
 ling, as that was a task she allowed no one to share 
 with her. 
 
 " If you have a minute to spare before you go, child, 
 I wish you 'd just make Mac a fresh shade ; this has 
 got a berry stain on it, and he must be tidy, for he is 
 to go out to-morrow if it is a cloudy day," said Mrs. 
 Jane, spreading toast in a stately manner, while Mac 
 slopped his tea about without receiving a word of re- 
 proof. 
 
186 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 "Yes, aunt," answered Rose, so meekly that the 
 boys could hardly believe it could be the same voice 
 which had issued the stern command, " Out of this 
 room, every one of you ! " not very long ago. 
 
 They had not time to retire, without unseemly haste, 
 before she walked into the parlor and sat down at the 
 work-table without n word. It was funny to see the 
 look the three tall lads cn^st at the little person sedately 
 threading a needle with green silk. They all wanted 
 to say something expressive of repentance, but no one 
 knew how to begin, and it was evident, from the prim 
 expression of Rose's face, that she intended to stand 
 upon her dignity till they had properly abased them- 
 selves. The pause was becoming very awkward, when 
 Charlie, who possessed all the persuasive arts of a born 
 scapegrace, went slowly down upon his knees ^ '>fore 
 her, beat his breast, and said, in a heart-broken - 
 
 "Please forgive me this time, and I'll never do 
 so any more." 
 
 It was very hard to keep sober, but Rose managed 
 it, and answered gravely, — 
 
 "It is Mac's pardon you should ask, not mine, *f or 
 you have n't hurt me, and I should n't wonder if you 
 had him a great deal, with all that light and racket, 
 and talk about things that only worry him." 
 
 " Do you really think we 've hurt him, cousin ?" 
 asked Archie, with a troubled look, while Charlie 
 settled down in a remorseful heap among the table 
 legs. 
 
 " Yes, I do, for he has got a raging headache, and 
 his eyes are as red as — as this emery bag," answered 
 Rose, solemnly plunging her needle into a tat flannel 
 strawberry. 
 
 i 
 
''THE OTHER FELLOWS.'' 
 
 187 
 
 
 Steve tore his hair, metaphorically speaking, for 
 he clutched his cherished top-knot and wildly dishev 
 elled it, as if that was the heaviest penance he could 
 inflict upon himself at such short notice. Charlie laid 
 himself out flat, melodrjimatically begging some one 
 to take him away and hang him; but Archie, who 
 felt worst of all, said nothing except to vow within 
 himself that he would read to Mac till his own eyes 
 were as red as a dozen emery bags combined. 
 
 Seeing the wholesome effects of her treatment upon 
 these culprits. Rose felt that she might relent and 
 allow them a gleam of hope. She found it impossible 
 to help trampling upon the prostrate Prince a little, 
 in words at least, for he had hurt her feelings oftener 
 than he knew ; R'> she gave him a thimble-pie on the 
 top of his head, and said, with the air of an infinitely 
 superior being, — 
 
 " Don't be silly, but get up, and I '11 tell you some- 
 thing much better to do than sprawling on the floor 
 and getting all over lint." 
 
 Charlie obediently sat himself upon a hassock at her 
 feet ; the other sinners drew near to catch the words 
 of wisdom about to fall from her lips, and Rose, soft- 
 ened by this gratifying humility, addressed them in 
 her most maternal tone. 
 
 " Now, boys, if you really want to be good to Mac, 
 you can do it in this way. Don't keep talking about 
 things he can't do, or go and tell what fun you have 
 had batting your ridiculous balls about. Gret some 
 nice book and read quietly ; cheer him up about 
 School, and offer to help him study by and by ; you 
 can do that better than I, because I'm only a girl, 
 
 % 
 
n^ 
 
 138 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 and don't learn Greek and Latin and all Borts of 
 headachy stuff." 
 
 " Yes, but you can do heaps of things better than 
 we can; youVe proved that," said Archie, with an 
 approving look that delighted Rose, though she could 
 not resist giving Charlie one more rebuke, by saying, 
 with a little bridling up of the head, and a curl of the 
 lip that wanted to smile instead, — 
 
 "I'm glad you think so, though I am a 'queer 
 chicken.' " 
 
 This scathing remark caused the Prince to hide his 
 face for shame, and Steve to erect his head in the 
 proud consciousness that this shot was not meant for 
 him. Archie laughed, and Rose, seeing a merry blue 
 eye winking at her from behind two brown hands, 
 gave Charlie's ear a friendly tweak, and extended the 
 olive-branch of peace. 
 
 "Now we'll all be good, and plan nice things for 
 poor Mac," she said, smiling so graciously that the 
 boys felt as if the sun had suddenly burst out from 
 behind a heavy cloud and was shining with great 
 brilliancy. 
 
 The storm had cleared the air, and quite a heavenly 
 cakn succeeded, during which plans of a most varied 
 and surprising sort were laid, for every one burned 
 to make noble sacrifices upon the shrine of "poor 
 Mac," and Rose was the guiding star to whom the 
 others looked with most gratifying submission. Of 
 course, this elevated state of things could not endure 
 long, but it was very nice while it lasted, and left an 
 excellent effect upon the minds of all when the first 
 ardor had subsided. 
 
 ?.| 
 
''THE OTHER FELLOWS.'' 
 
 139 
 
 " There, that 's ready for to-morrow, and I do hope 
 it will be cloudy," said Rose, as she finished off 
 the new shade, the progress of which the boys had 
 watched with interest. 
 
 " I 'd bespoken an extra sunny day, but I '11 tell the 
 clerk of the weather to change it. He's an obliging 
 fellow, and he '11 attend to it ; so make yourseK easy," 
 said Charlie, who had become quite perky again. 
 
 "It is very easy for you to joke, but how would 
 you like to^ wear a blinder like that for weeks and 
 weeks, sir?" and Rose quenched his rising spirits 
 by slipping the shade over his eyes, as he still sat 
 on the cushion at her feet. 
 
 "It's horrid! Take it off, take it off I I don't 
 wonder the poor old boy has the blues with a thing 
 like that on ; " and Giarlie sat looking at what seemed 
 to him an instrument of torture, with such a sober face 
 that Rose took it gently away, and went in to bid 
 Mac good-night. 
 
 " I shall go home with her, for it is getting dark- 
 ^ ish, and she is rathe timid," said Archie, forgetting 
 that he had often laughed at this very timidity. 
 
 "I think I might, for she's taking care of my 
 brother," put in Steve, asserting his rights. 
 
 " Let 's all go ; that will please her," proposed 
 Charlie, with a burst of gallantry which electrified 
 his mates. 
 
 "We ^dlll" they said with one voice, and they, 
 did, to Rose's great surprise and secret contentment ; 
 though Archie had all the care of her, for the other 
 two were leaping fences, running races, and having 
 wrestling matches all the way down. 
 
 I 
 ■%■■ 
 
140 
 
 BIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 They composed themselves on reaching the door 
 however; sl.ook hands cordiaUy aU ronndfm^e t^eb 
 best bows and retired with great elegance and d'^ 
 mty leavmg Rose to say to he«elf, with girul 
 satisfaction, as she went in, — ^ 
 
 « Now, tlmt is the Way I lie to be treated." 
 
CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 COSEY CORNER. 
 
 VACATION was over, the boys went back to 
 school, and poor Mac was left lamenting. He 
 was out of the darkened room now, and promoted to 
 blue goggles, through which he took a gloomy view of 
 life, as might have been expected ; for there was noth- 
 ing he could do but wander about, and try to amuse 
 himself without using his eyes. Any one who has 
 ever been condemned to that sort of idleness knows 
 how irksome it is, and can understand the state of 
 mind which caused Mac to say to Rose in a desperate 
 tone one day, — 
 
 " Look here, if you don*t invent some new employ- 
 ment or amusement for me, I shall knock myself on 
 the head as sure as you Uve." 
 
 Rose flew to Uncle Alec for advice, and he ordered 
 both patient and nurse to the mountains for a month, 
 with Aunt Jessie and Jamie as escort. Pokey and her 
 mother joined the party, and one bright Septeinber 
 morning six very happy-looking people were aboard 
 the express train for Portland, — two smiling mammas, 
 laden with luncheon baskets and wraps; a pretty 
 young girl with a bag of books on her arm; a tall, 
 thin lad with his hat over his eyes; and two small 
 
m 
 
 142 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 children, who sat with their short legs straight oat 
 before them, and their chubby faces beaming with 
 the first speechless delight of "truly travelling." 
 
 An especially splendid sunset seemed to have been 
 prepared to welcome them when, after a long day's 
 journey, they drove into a wide, green door-yard, 
 where a white colt, a red cow, two cats, four kittens, 
 many hens, and a dozen people, old and young, were 
 gayly disporting themselves. Every one nodded and 
 smiled in the friendliest manner, and a lively old lady 
 kissed the new-comers all round, as she said heart- 
 
 iiy,- 
 
 "Well, now, I'm proper glad to see you! Come 
 right in and rest, and we'll have tea in less than no 
 time, for you must be tired. Lizzie, you show the 
 folks upstairs; Kitty, you fly round and help father 
 in with the trunks; and Jenny and I will have the 
 table all ready by the time you come down. Bless 
 the dears, they want to go see the pussies, and so they 
 shall ! " 
 
 The three pretty daughters did "fly round," and 
 every one felt at home at once, all were so hospitable 
 and kind. Aunt Jessie had raptures over the home- 
 made carpets, quilts, and quaint furniture ; Rose could 
 not keep away from the windows, for each framed a 
 lovely picture; and the little folks made friends at 
 once with the other children, who filled their arms 
 with chickens and kittens, and did the honors hand- 
 somely. 
 
 The toot of a horn called all to supper, and a 
 goodly party, including six children besides the Camp- 
 bells, assembled in the long dining-room, armed with 
 
 v^ 
 
COSEY CORNER. 
 
 143 
 
 mountain appetites and the gayest spirits. It was 
 impossible for any one to be shy or sober, for such 
 gales of merriment arose they blew the starch out 
 of the stiffest, and made the saddest jolly. Mother 
 Atkinson, as all called their hostess, was the merriest 
 there, and the busiest ; for she kept flying up to wait 
 on the children, to bring' out some new dish, or to 
 banish the live stock, who were of such a social turn 
 that the colt came into the entry and demanded sugar ; 
 the cats sat about in people's laps, winking sugges- 
 tively at the food; and speckled hens cleared the 
 kitchen floor of crumbs, as they joined in the chat 
 with a cheerful clucking. 
 
 Everybody turned out after tea to watch the sun- 
 set till all the lovely red was gone, and mosquitoes 
 wound their shrill horns to sound the retreat. The 
 music of an organ surprised the new-comers, and in 
 the parlor they found Father Atkinson playing sweetly 
 on the little instrument made by himself. All the 
 children gathered about him, and, led by the tuneful 
 sisters, sang prettily till Pokey fell asleep behind the 
 door, and Jamie gaped audibly right in the middle of 
 his favorite, — 
 
 " Coo," said the little doves : " Coo," said she, 
 ** All in the top of the old pine-tree." 
 
 The older travellers, being tired, went to " bye low " 
 at the same time, and slept like tops in home-spun 
 sheets, on husk mattresses made by Mother Atkinson, 
 who seemed to have put some soothing powder among 
 them, BO deep and sweet was the slumber that came. 
 
 Kext day began the wholesome out-of-door life, 
 
144 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 
 which works such wonders with tired minds and 
 feeble bodies. The weather was perfect, and the 
 mountain air made the children as frisky as young 
 lambs; while the flders went about smiling at one 
 another, and saying, " Is n't it splendid ? " Even 
 Mac, the " slow coach," was seen to leap over a fence 
 as if he really could not help it ; and when i\oae ran 
 after him with his broad-brimmed hat, he made the 
 spirited proposal to go into the woods and hunt for a 
 catamount. 
 
 Jamie and Pokey were at once enrolled in the 
 Cosey Corner Light Infantry, — a truly superb com- 
 pany, composed entirely of officers, all wearing cocked 
 hats, carrying flags, wa '^ing swords, or beating drums. 
 It was a spectacle to stir the dullest soul when this 
 gallant band marched out of the yard in full regimen- 
 tals, with Captain Dove — a solemn, big-headed boy 
 of eleven — issuing his orders with the gravity of a 
 general, and his Falstaffian regiment obeying them 
 with more docility than skill. The little Snow chil- 
 dren did very well, and Lieutenant Jack Dove was 
 fine to see ; so was Drummer Frank, the errand-boy 
 of the house, as he rub-a-dub-dubbed with all his heart 
 and drumsticks. Jamie had "trained" before, and 
 was made a colonel at once ; but Pokey was the best 
 of all, and called forth a spontaneous burst of applause 
 from the. spectators as she brought up the rear, her 
 cocked hat all over one eye, her flag trailing over her 
 shoulder, and her wooden sword straight up in the 
 air; her face beaming and every curl bobbing with 
 delight as her fat legs tottered in the vain attempt to 
 keep step nianfally. 
 
COSEY CORNER. 
 
 145 
 
 Mac and Kose were picking blackberries in the 
 bushes beside the road when the soldiers passed with- 
 out seeing them, and they witnessed a sight that was 
 both pretty and comical. A little farther on was one 
 of the family burial spots so common in those parts, 
 and just this side of it Captain Fred Dove ordered 
 his company to halt, explaining his reason for so 
 doing in the following words: — 
 
 " That 's a graveyard, and it 's proper to muffle the 
 drums and lower the flags as we go by, and we'd 
 better take off our hats, too ; it 's more respectable, 
 I think." 
 
 " Is n't that cunning of the dears ? " whispered Rost , 
 as the little troop marched slowly by to the muffled 
 roll of the drums, every flag and sword held low, all 
 the little heads uncovered, and the childish faces very 
 sober as the leafy shadows flickered over them. 
 
 "Let's follow and see what they are after," pro- 
 posed Mac, who found sitting (n a wall and being 
 fed with blackberries luxurious ^mt tiresome. 
 
 So they followed and hearc the music grow lively, 
 fiaw the banners wave in the breeze again when the 
 ^aveyard was passed, and watched the company file 
 into the dilapidated old church that stood at the corner 
 o^ three woodland roads. Presently the sound of sing- 
 ing made the outsiders quicken their steps, and, stealing 
 up, they peeped in at one of the broken windows. 
 
 Captain Dove was up in the old wooden pulpit, 
 gazing solemnly down upon his company, who, hav- 
 ing stacked their arms in the porch, no\r sat in the 
 bare pews singing a Sunday-school hymr, with great 
 vigor and relish. 
 
 7 jr 
 
146 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 "Let us pray," said Captain Dove, with as much 
 reverence as an army chaplain; and, folding his 
 hands, he repeated a prayer which he thought all 
 would know, — an excellent little prayer, but not 
 exactly appropriate to the morning, for it was, — 
 
 " Now I lay me down to sleep." 
 
 Bvery one joined in saying it, and it was a pretty 
 sight to see the little creatures bowing their curly 
 heads and lisping out the words they knew so well. 
 Tears came into Rose's eyes as she looked ; Mac took 
 his hat off involuntarily, and then clapped it on again 
 as if ashL.med of showing any feeling. 
 
 " Now I shall preach you a short sermon, and my 
 text is, 'Little children, love one another.' I asked 
 mamma to give me one, and she thought that would 
 be good ; so you all sit still and I '11 preach it. You 
 mustn't whisper, Marion, but hear me. It means 
 that we should be good to each other, and play fair, 
 and not quarrel as we did this very day about the 
 wagon. Jack can't always drive, and need n't be mad 
 because I like to go with Frank. Annette ought to 
 be horse sometimes and not always driver ; and Willie 
 may as well make up his mind to let Marion build her 
 house by his, for she will do it, and he need n't fuss 
 about it. Jamie seems to be a good boy, but I shall 
 preach to him if he isn't. No, Pokey, people don't 
 kiss in church or put their hats on. Now you must 
 all remember what I tell you, because I'm the cap- 
 tain, and you should mind me." 
 
 Here Lieutenant Jack spoke right^out in meeting 
 with the rebellious remark, — 
 
 [ ■ 
 
COSEY CORNER. 
 
 147 
 
 "Don't care if you are; you'd better mind your- 
 self, and tell how you took away my strap, and kept 
 the biggest doughnut, and did n't draw fair when we 
 had the truck." 
 
 " Yes, and you slapped Frank ; I saw you," bawled 
 Willie Snow, bobbing up in his pew. 
 
 "And you took my book away and hid it 'cause 
 I would n't go and swing when you wanted me to," 
 added Annette, the oldest of the Snow trio. 
 
 " I shanH build my house by Willie's if he don't 
 want me to, so now I " put in little Marion, joining 
 the mutiny. 
 
 " I will tiss Dimmy 1 and I tored up my hat. 'tause 
 a pin picked me," shouted Pokey, regardless of Jamie's 
 efforts to restrain her. 
 
 Captain Dove looked rather taken aback at this 
 outbreak in the ranks ; but, being a dignified and calm 
 personage, he quelled the rising rebellion with gi xat 
 tact and skill by saying, briefly, — 
 
 " We will sing the last hymn ; * Sweet, sweet good- 
 by,' — yoji all know that, so do it nicely, and then 
 we will go and have luncheon.^" 
 
 Peace was instantly restored, and a burst of melody 
 drowned the suppressed giggles of Rose and Mac, who 
 found it impossible to keep sober during the latter 
 part of this somewhat remarkable service. Fifteen 
 minutes of repose rer^ered iu a physical impossibility 
 for the company to x^^arch out as quietly as they had 
 marched in. I grieve to state that the entire troop 
 raced home as hard as they could pelt, and were soon 
 skirmishing briskly over their lunch, utterly oblivious 
 of what Jamie (who had been much impressed by the 
 sermon) called " the cantain's beautiful teck." 
 
 
 VM 
 
148 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 
 It was astonishing how much they all found to do 
 at Cosey Corner ; and Mac, instead of lying in a ham- 
 mock and being read to, as he had expected, was 
 busiest of all. He was invited to survey and lay out 
 Skeeterville, a town which the children were getting 
 up in a huckleberry pasture ; and he found much 
 amusement in planning little roads, staking off house- 
 lots, attending to the water-works, and consulting 
 with the " selectmen " about the best sites for public 
 buildings ; for Mac was a boy still, in spite of his 
 fifteen years and his love of books. 
 
 Then he went fishing with a certain jovial gentle- 
 man from the West ; and though they seldom caught 
 any thing but colds they had great fun and exercise 
 chasing the phantom trout they were bound to have. 
 Mac also developed a geological mania, and went 
 tapping about at rocks and stones, discoursing wisely 
 of "strata, periods, and fossil remains;" while Rose 
 picked up leaves and lichens, and gave him lessons 
 in botany, in return for his lectures on geology. 
 
 They led a very merry life ; for the Atl^son girls 
 kept up a sort of perpetual picnic ; and did it so capi- 
 tally, that one was never tired of it. So their visitors 
 throve finely, and long before the month was out it 
 was evident that Dr. Alec had prescribed the right 
 medicine for his patients. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. 
 
 THE twelfth of October was Rose's birthday, but 
 no one seemed to remember that interesting 
 fact, and she felt delicate about mentioning it, so fell 
 asleep the night before wondering if she would have 
 any presents. That question was settled early the 
 next morning, for she was awakened by a soft tap 
 on her face, and opening her eyes she beheld a little 
 black and white figure sitting on her pillow, staring 
 at her with a pair of round eyes very like blueberries, 
 while one downy paw patted her nose to attract her 
 notice. It was Kitty Comet, the prettiest of all the 
 pussies, and Comet evidently had a mission to per- 
 form, for a pink bow adorned her neck, and a bit of 
 paper was pinned to it bearing the words, " For Miss 
 Rose, from Frank." 
 
 That ple;ised her extremely, and that was only the 
 beginning of the fun, for surprises and presents kept 
 popping out in the most delightful manner all through 
 the day, the Atkinson girls being famous jokers and 
 Rose a favorite. But the best gift of all came on the 
 way to Mount Windy-top, where it was decided to 
 picnic in honor of the great occasion. Three jolly 
 
160 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 loads set off soon after breakfast, for everybody went, 
 and everybody seemed bound to have an extra good 
 time, especially Mother Atkinson, who wore a hat as 
 broad-brimmed as an umbrella, and took the dinner- 
 horn to keep her flock from straying away. 
 
 "I'm going to drive aunty and a lot of the babies, 
 so you must ride the pony. And please stay behind 
 us a good bit when we go to the station, for a pjircel 
 is coming, and you are not to see it till dinner-time. 
 You won't mind, will you?" said Mac in a confi- 
 dential aside during the wild flurry of the start. 
 
 "Not a bit," answered Rose. "It hurts my feel- 
 ings very much to be told to keep out of the way 
 at any other time, but birthdays and Christmas it is 
 part of the fun to be blind and stupid, and poked 
 into corners. I'll be ready as soon as you are, Gig- 
 lamps." 
 
 " Stop under the big maple till I call, — then you 
 can't possibly see any thing," added Mac, as he 
 mounted her on the pony his father had sent up for 
 his use. "Barkis" 'ras so gentle and so " willin," 
 however, that Rose was ashamed to be afraid to ride 
 him ; so she had learned, that she might surprise Dr. 
 Alec when she got horn ; meantime she had many a 
 fine canter "over the hills and far away" with Mac, 
 who preferred Mr. Atkinson's old Sorrel. 
 
 Away they went, and, coming to the red maple. 
 Rose obediently paused; but could not help stealing 
 a glance in the forbidden direction before the call 
 came. Yes, there was a hamper going under the 
 seat, and then she caught sight of a tall man whom 
 Mac seemed to be hustling into the carriage in a great 
 
A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. 
 
 151 
 
 hurry. One look was enough, and, with a cry of de- 
 light. Rose was off down the road as fast as Barkis 
 could go. 
 
 "WHICH CAUSED BARKIS TO SHY." 
 
 " Now I '11 astonish uncle," she thought. "I '11 dash 
 up in grand style, and show him that I am not a 
 coward, after all." 
 
152 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 Fired by tliis ambition, she startled Barkis by a sharp 
 cut, and still more bewildered him by leaving him to 
 his own guidance down the steep, stony road. The 
 approach would have been a fine success if, just as 
 Rose was about to pull up and salute, two or three 
 distracted hens had not scuttled across the road with 
 a great squawking, which caused Barkis to shy and 
 stop so suddenly that his careless rider landed in an 
 ignominious heap just under old Sorrel's astonished 
 nose. 
 
 Rose was up again before Dr. Alec was out of the 
 carryall, and threw two dusty ?rtns about his neck, 
 crying with a breathless voice, — 
 
 "O uncle, I'm so glad to see you I It is better 
 than a cart-load of goodies, and so dear of you to 
 cornel" 
 
 " But are n't you hurt, child ? That was a rough 
 tumble, and I'm afraid you must be damaged some- 
 where," answered the Doctor, full of fond anxiety, as 
 he surveyed his girl with pride. 
 
 "My feelings are hurt, but my bones are all safe. 
 It 's too bad I I was going to do it so nicely, and those 
 stupid hens spoilt it all," said Rose, quite crest-fallen, 
 as well as much shaken. 
 
 " I could n't believe my eyes when I asked * "Where 
 is Rose ? ' and Mac pointed to the little Amazon pelt- 
 ing down the hill at such a rate. You could n't have 
 done any thing that would please me more, and I 'm 
 delighted to see how well you ride. Now, will you 
 mount again, or shall we turn Mac out and take you 
 in?" asked Dr. Alec, as Aunt Jessie proposed a start, 
 f cr the others were beckoning them to follow. 
 
A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. 
 
 163 
 
 " Pr.de goeth before a fall, — better not try to show 
 off again, ma'am," said Mac, who would have been 
 more than mortal if he had refrauied from teasing 
 when so good a chance offered. 
 
 "Pride does go before a fall, but I wonder if a 
 sprained ankle always comes after it ? " thought Rose, 
 bravely concealing her pain, as she answered, witii 
 great dignity, — 
 
 " I prefer to ride. Come on, and see who will cJ:(^k 
 up first." 
 
 She was up and away as she spoke, doing her best 
 to efface the memory of her downfall by sitting very . 
 erect, elbows down, head well up, and taking the mo- 
 tion of the pony as Barkio cantered along as easily as 
 a rocking-chair. 
 
 "You ought to see her go over a fence and race 
 when we ride together. She can scud, too, like a deer 
 when we play * Follow the leader,' and skip stones and 
 bat balls almost as well as I can," said Mac, in reply 
 to his uncle's praise of his pupil. 
 
 " I 'm afraid ^-^ou will think her a sad tomboy. Alec ; 
 but really she seems so well and happy, I have not 
 the heart to check her. She has broken out in the 
 most unexpected way, and frisks like a colt ; for she 
 says sh«i feels so full of spirits she must run and shout 
 whether it is proper or not," added Mrs. JeE>die, who 
 had been a pretty hoyden years ago herself. 
 
 " Grood, — g<)<j<\ ! that 's the best news you could tell 
 me ; " and Pr. Alec r».. bed his hands heartily. " Let 
 the girl run w»^ shout as much as she will, — it is a 
 sure sign of health, and aa natural to a happy child as 
 frisking is to any young animal full of life. Tomboys 
 7* 
 
164 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 make strong women usually, and I had far lather fin<3 
 Rose playing f<K)t-ball with Mac than puttv^ring over 
 bead-work like that affected midget, Ariadne Blish." 
 
 " But she cannot go on playing football very long ; 
 and we must not forget that she has a woman's work 
 to do by and by," began Mrs. Jessie. 
 
 " Neither will Mac play foot-ball much longer, but 
 he will be all the better fitted fOr business, because of 
 the health it gives him. Polish is easily added, if the 
 foundations are strong ; but no amount of gilding will 
 be of use if your timber is not sound. I 'm sure I 'm 
 right, Jessie ; and if I can do as well by my girl dur- 
 ing the next six months as I have the last, my expf^ri- 
 ment will succeed." 
 
 " It certainly will ; for when I contrast that bright, 
 blooming face with the pale, listless one that made my 
 heart ache a while ago, I can believe in almost any 
 miradle," said Mrs. Jessie, as Rose looked round to 
 point out a lovely view, with cheeks like the ruddy 
 apples in the orchard near by, eyes clear as the autumn 
 sky overhead, and vigor in every line of her girlish 
 figure. 
 
 A general scramble among the rocks was followed 
 by a regular gypsy lunch, which the young folks had 
 the rapture of helping to prepare. Mother Atkmsou 
 put on her apron, turned up her sleeves, and fell to 
 work as gayly as if in her own kitchen, boUing the 
 kettle slung on three sticks over a fire of cones and 
 fir-boughs ; whuie the girls spread the mossy table with 
 a feast of country goodies, and the children tumbled 
 about in every one's way till the toot of the horn made 
 them settle down like a flock of hungry birds. 
 
A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. 
 
 156 
 
 As soon as the merry meal and a brief interval of 
 repose were over, it was unanimously voted to have 
 some charades. A smooth, green spot between two 
 stately pines was chosen for the stage ; shawls hung 
 np, properties collected, audience and actors separated, 
 and a word quickly chosen. 
 
 The first scene discovered Mac in a despondent 
 attitude and shabby dress, evidently much troubled 
 in mind. To him entered a remarkable creature with 
 a brown-paper bag over its head. A little pink nose 
 peeped through one hole in the middle, white teeth 
 through another, and above two eyes glared fiercely. 
 Spires of grass stuck in each side of the mouth seemed 
 meant to represent whiskers ; the upper corners of the 
 bag were twisted like ears, and no one could doubt 
 for a moment that the black scarf pinned on behind 
 was a tail. 
 
 This singular animal seemed in pantomime to be 
 comforting his master and offering advice, which was 
 finally acted upon, for Mac pulled off his boots, helped 
 the little beast into them, and gave him a bag ; then, 
 kissing his paw with a hopeful gesture, the creature 
 retir ^, purring so successfully that there was a general 
 cry ot Cat, puss, boots ! " 
 
 " Cat is the word," replied a voice, and the curtain 
 fdl. 
 
 The next scene was a puzzler, for in came another 
 animal, on all-fours this time, with a new sort of tail 
 and long ears. A gray shawl concealed its face, but 
 an inquigitiv sunbeam betrayed the glitter as of gog- 
 gles under tLe trmgi'. On iti* back rode a small gen- 
 deman in Eastern costume, who appeared to find some 
 
156 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 I 
 
 difficulty in keeping his seat as his steed jogged along. 
 Suddenly a spirit appeared, all in white, with long 
 newspaper wings upon its back and golden locks about 
 its face. Singularly enough, the beast beheld this ap-« 
 parition and backed instantly, but the rider evidently 
 saw nothing and whipped up unmercifully, also un- 
 successfully, for the spirit stood directly in the path, 
 and the amiable beast would not budge a foot. A 
 lively skirmish followed, which ended in the Eastern 
 gentleman's being upset into a sweet-fern bush, while 
 the better-bred animal abased itself before the shining 
 one. 
 
 The children were all in the dark till Mother Atkin- 
 son said, in an inquiring tone, — 
 
 <* If that is n't Balaam and the ass, I 'd like to know 
 what it is. Rose makes a sweet angel, don't she ? " 
 
 " Ass " was eridently the word, and the angel re- 
 tired, smiling with mundane satisf.^tion over the com- 
 pliment that reached her ears. 
 
 The next was a pretty little scene from the immortal 
 story of ".^abes in the Wood." Jamie and Pokey 
 came trotting in, hand-in-hand, and,^ having been 
 through the partB many times before, acted with great 
 ease and much fluency, audibly directing each other 
 from time to time as they went along. The berries 
 were picked, the way lost, tears shed, baby consolation 
 admimifitered, and then the little pair lay down among 
 the k^rakes snd died with their eyes wide open and the 
 toes of their four little VK>ots turned up to the daisies 
 in the most pathetic manner. 
 
 " Now tl» wobins tum. You be twite dead, Dimmy, 
 and I '11 peep and see 'em," one defunct innocent was 
 heard to say. 
 
A HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 
 
 157 
 
 " I hope they '11 be quick, for I 'm lying on a stone, 
 and ants are walking up my leg like fury," murmured 
 the other. 
 
 Here the robins came flapping in with red scarfs 
 over their breasts and leaves in their mouths, which 
 they carefully laid upon the babes wherever they 
 would show best. A prickly blackberry-leaf placed 
 directly over Pokey's nose caused her to sneeze so 
 violently that her little legs flew into the air ; Jamie 
 gave a startled "Ow!" and the pitying fowls fled 
 giggling. 
 
 After some discussion it was decided that the syl- 
 lable must be " strew or strow," and then they waited 
 to see if it was a good guess. 
 
 This scene discovered Annette Snow in bed, evi- 
 dently very ill ; Miss Jenny was her anxious mamma, 
 and her merry conversation amused the audience till 
 Mac came in as a physician, and made great fun with 
 his big watch, pompous manner, and absurd questions. 
 He prescribed one pellet with an unpronounceable 
 name, and left after demanding twenty dollars for his 
 brief visit. 
 
 The pellet was administered, and such awful agonies 
 immediately set in that the distracted mamma bade a 
 sympathetic neighbor run for Mother Know-all. The 
 neighbor ran, and in came a brisk little old lady in 
 cap and specs, with a bundle of herbs under her arm, 
 which she at once applied in all sorts of funny ways, 
 explaining their virtues as she clapped a plantain 
 poultice here, put a pounded catnip plaster there, or 
 tied a couple of mullein leaves round the sufferer's 
 throat. Instant relief ensued, the dying child sat up 
 
—n 
 
 158 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 and demanded baked beans, the grateful parent offered 
 fifty dollars ; but Mother Know-all indignantly refused 
 it and went smiling away, declaring that a neighborly 
 turn needed no reward, and a doctor's /ee was all a 
 humbug. 
 
 The audience were in fits of laughter over this scene, 
 for Kose imitated Mrs. Atkinson capitally, and the 
 herb-cure was a good hit at the excellent lady's belief 
 that " yarbs " would save mankind if properly applied. 
 No one enjoyed it more than herself, and the saucy 
 children prepared for the grand JincUe in high feather. 
 
 This closing scene was brief but striking, for two 
 trains of cars whizzed in from opposite sides, met with 
 a terrible collision in the middle of the stage, and a 
 general smash-up completed the word catastrophe, 
 
 " Now let us act a proverb. I 've got one all ready," 
 said Kose, who was dying to distinguish herself in 
 some way before Uncle Aleo. 
 
 So every one but Mac, the gay Westerner, and 
 Kose, took their places on the rocky seats and dis- 
 cussed the late beautiful and varied charade, in which 
 Pokey frankly pronounced her own scene the " bestest 
 of aU." 
 
 In five minutes the curtain was lifted ; nothing ap- 
 peared but a very large sheet of brown paper pinned 
 to a tree, and on it was drawn a clock-face, the hands 
 pointing to four. A small note below informed the 
 public that 4 a.m. was the time. Hardly had the 
 audience grasped this important fact when a long 
 water-proof serpent was seen uncoiling itself from 
 behind a stump. An inch-worm, perhaps, would be a 
 better description, for it trave^^^^d in the same humpy 
 
A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. 
 
 159 
 
 way as that pleasing reptile. Suddenly a very wide- 
 awake and active fowl advanced, pecking, chirping, 
 and scratching vigorously. A tuft of green leaves 
 waved upon his crest, a larger tuft of brakes made an 
 umbrageous tail, and a shawl of many colors formed 
 his flapping wings. A truly noble bird, whose legs 
 had the genuine strut, whose eyes shone watchfully, 
 and whose voice had a ring that evidently struck ter- 
 ror into the caterpillar's soul, if it was a caterpillar. 
 He squirmed, he wriggled, he humped as fast as he 
 could, trying to escape ; but all iv vain. The tufted 
 bird espied him, gave one warbling sort of crow, 
 pounced upon him, and flapped triumphantly away. 
 
 "That early bird got such a big worm he could 
 hardly carry him off," laughed Aunt Jessie, as the 
 children shouted over the joke suggested by Mac's 
 nickname. 
 
 " That is one of uncle's favorite proverbs, so I got 
 it up for his especial benefit," said Rose, coming up 
 with the two-legged worm beside her. 
 
 "Very clever; what next?" asked Dr. Alec as she 
 sat down beside him. 
 
 " The Dove boys are going to give us an * Incident 
 in the Life of Napoleon,' as they call it ; the children 
 think it very splendid, and the little fellows do it rather 
 nicely," answered Mac with condescension. 
 
 A tent appeared, and pacing to and fro before it 
 was a little sentinel, who, in a brief soliloquy, informed 
 the observers that the elements were in a great state 
 of confusion, that he had marched some hundred miles 
 or so that day, and that he was dying for want of sleep. 
 Then he paused, leaned upon his gun, and seemed to 
 
160 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 doze ; dropped slowly down, overpowered with slum-^ 
 ber, and finally lay flat, with his gun beside him, a 
 faithless little sentinel. Enter Napoleon, cocked hat, 
 gray coat, high boots, folded arms, grim mouth, and a 
 melodramatic stride. Freddy Dove always covered 
 himself with glory in this part, and ''took the stage" 
 vfiih a Napoleonic attitude that bro\ight down the 
 house ; for the big-headed boy, with solemn, dark eyes 
 ard square brOw, was "the very mor; J of that rascal, 
 Boneyparty," Mother Atkinson said. 
 
 Some gi'eat scheme was evidently brewing in his 
 mighty mind, — a trip across the iilps, a bonfire at 
 Moscow, or a little skirmish at Waterloo, perhaps, for 
 he marched in silent majesty till suddenly a gentle 
 snore disturbed the imperial reverie. He saw the 
 sleeping soldier and glared upon him, saying in an 
 awful tone, — 
 
 "Ha! asleep at his post! Death is the penalty, — 
 he must die!" 
 
 Picking up the musket, he is about to execute sum- 
 mary justice, as emperors are in the habit of doing, 
 when something in the face of the weary sentinel 
 appears to touch him. And well it might, for a most 
 engaging little warrior was Jack as he lay with his 
 shako half o£E, his childish face trying to keep sober, 
 and a great black moustache over his rosy mouth. 
 It would have softened the heart of any Napoleon, 
 and the Little Corporal pro^'ed himself a man by 
 relenting, and saying, with a lofty gesture of forgive- 
 ness, — 
 
 " Brave fellow, he is worn out ; I will let him sleep, 
 and mount guard in his place." r 
 
A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. 
 
 161 
 
 'Pi 
 
 Then, shouldering the gun, this noble being strode 
 to and fro with a dignity which thrilled the younger 
 spectators. The sentinel awakes, sees what has hap- 
 pened, and gives himself up for lost. But the Emperor 
 restores his weapon, and, with that smile which won 
 all hearts, says, pointing to a high rock whereon a 
 crow happens to be sitting : " Be brave, be vigilant, 
 and remember that from yonder Pyramid generations 
 are beholding you," and with these memorable words 
 he vanishes, leaving the grateful soldier bolt upright, 
 with his hand at his temple and deathless devotion 
 stamped upon his youthful countenance. 
 
 The applause which followed this superb piece had 
 hardly subsided, when a sudden splash and a shrill 
 cry caused a general rush toward the waterfall that 
 went gambolling down the rocks, singing sweetly as 
 it ran. Pokey had tried to gambol also, and had 
 tumbled into a shallow pool, whither Jamie had 
 gallantly followed, in a vain attempt to fish her out, 
 and both were paddling about half frightened, half 
 pleased with the unexpected bath. 
 
 This mishap made it necessary to get the dripping 
 infants home as soon as possible ; so the wagons were 
 loaded up, and away they weni, as merry as if the 
 mountain air had really been "Oxygenated Sweets 
 not Bitters,*' as Dr. Alec suggested when Mac said 
 he felt as jolly as if he had been drinking champagne 
 instead of the currant wine that came with a great 
 frosted cake wreathed with sugar roses in Aunt 
 Plenty's hampei of goodies. 
 
 Rose took part in all the fun, and never betrayed 
 by look or word the twinges of pain she suffered in 
 
162 
 
 ei^tHt cousins. 
 
 her ankle. She excused herself from the games in the 
 evening, however, and sat talking to Uncle Alec in a 
 lively way, that both amazed and delighted him ; for 
 she confided to him that she played horse with the 
 children, drilled with the light infantry, climbed trees, 
 and did other dreadful things that would have caused 
 the aunts to cry aloud if they knew of them. 
 
 "I don't care a pin what they say if you don't 
 mind, uncle," she answered, when he pictured the 
 dismay of the good ladies. 
 
 " Ah, it 's all very well to defy them^ but you are 
 getting so rampant, I'm afraid you will defy me 
 next, and the where are we ? " 
 
 " No, I won't I I should n't dare ; because you are 
 my guardian, tid can put me in a strait-jacket if 
 you like;" ana Rose laughed in his face, even while 
 she nestled closer with a confiding gesture pleasant to 
 see. 
 
 "Upon my word. Rosy, I begin to leel like the 
 man who bought an elephant, and then didn't know 
 what to do with him. I thought I had got a pet and 
 plaything for years to come ; but here you are grow- 
 ing up like a bean-stalk, and I shall find I 've got a 
 strong-minded little woman on my hands before I can 
 turn round. There's a predicament for a man and 
 an uncle ! " 
 
 Dr. Alec's comic distress was mercifully relieved for 
 the time being by a dance of goblins on the lawn, 
 where the children, with pumpkin lanterns on their 
 heads, frisked about like will-o' the-wisps, as a parting 
 surprise. 
 
 When Rose went to bed, she found that Uncle 
 
 \m 
 
A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. 
 
 163 
 
 Alec had not forgotten lier; for on the table stood 
 A delicate little easel, holding two miniatures set in 
 v^elvet. She knew them both, and stood looking at 
 them till her eyes brimmed over with tears that were 
 both sweet and sad; for they were the faces of her 
 father and mother, beautifully copied from portraits 
 fast fading away. 
 
 Presently she knelt down, and, putting her arms 
 round the little shrine, kissed one after the other, 
 saying with an earnest voice, " I '11 truly try to make 
 them glad to see me by and by." 
 
 And that was Rose's little prayer on the night of 
 her fourteenth birthday. 
 
 Two days later, the Campbells went home, a larger 
 party than when they came ; for Dr. Alec was escort, 
 and Kitty Comet was borne in state in a basket, with 
 a bottle of milk, some tiny sandwiches, and a doll's 
 dish to drink out of, as well as a bit of carpet to lie 
 on in her palace car, out of which she kept popping 
 her head in the most fascinating manner. 
 
 There was a great kissing and cuddling, waving 
 of handkerchiefs, and last good-bys, as they went; 
 and wlun they had started. Mother Atkinson came 
 running after them, to tuck in some little pies, hot 
 from the oven, " for the dears, who might get tired 
 of bread and butter during that long day's travel." 
 
 Another start, and another halt ; for the Snow 
 -clnldren came shrieking up to demand the three 
 kittens that Pokey was coolly carrying off in a 
 travelling-bag. The unhappy kits were rescued, half 
 smothered, and restored to their lawful owners, amid 
 dire lamentation from the little kidnapper, who de- 
 
 %> 
 
 '^ 
 
164 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 dared that she only "tooked um 'cause they'd want 
 to go wid their sister Tomit." 
 
 Start number three and stoppage number three, 
 as Frank hailed them with the luncheon-basket, which 
 had been forgotten, after every one had protested 
 that it was safely in. 
 
 All went well after that, and the long journey was 
 pleasantly beguiled by Pokey and Pussy, who played 
 together so prettily that they were considered public 
 benefactors. 
 
 '* Rose does n't want to go home, for she knows the 
 aunts won't let her rampage as she did up at Cosey 
 Comer," said Mac, as they approached the old house. 
 
 "I can't rampage if I want to, — for a time, at 
 least ; and I '11 tell you why. I sprained my ankle 
 when I tmnbled off of Barkis, and it gets worse and 
 worse; though I've done all I know to cure it and 
 hide it, so it shouldn't trouble any one," whispered 
 Rose, knitting her brows with pain, as she prepared 
 to descend, wishing her uncle would take her instead 
 of her bundles. 
 
 How he did it, she never knew; but Mac had her 
 up the steps and on the parlor sofa before she could 
 put her foot to the ground. 
 
 "There you are, — right side up with care; and 
 mind, now, if your ankle bothers you, and you arc 
 laid up with it, J am to be your footman. It 's only 
 fair, you know; for I don't forget how good you 
 have been to me." And Mac went to call Phebe, 
 BO full of gratitude and good-will that his very 
 goggles shone. 
 
 V, 
 
 *~r^ •» 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 EAR-RINGS. 
 
 ROSE'S sprain proved to be a serious one, owing 
 to neglect, and Dr. Alec ordered her to lie on 
 the sofa for a fortnight at least ; whereat she groaned 
 dismally, but dared not openly complain, lest the 
 boys turn upon her with some of the wise little 
 sermons on patience which she had delivered for 
 their benefit. 
 
 It was Mac's turn now, and honorably did he re- 
 pay his debt; for, as school was still forbidden, he 
 had plenty of leisure, and devoted most of it to Rose. 
 He took many steps for her, and even allowed her to 
 teach him to knit, after assuring himself that many 
 a brave Scotchman knew how to "click the pricks." 
 She was obliged to take a solemn vow of secrecy, 
 however, before he would consent ; for, though he 
 did not mind being called "Giglamps," ** Granny" 
 was more than his boyish soul could bear, and at the 
 approach of any of the clan his knitting vanished as 
 if by magic, which frequent " chucking " out of sight 
 did not improve the stripe he was doing for Rose's 
 new afghan. 
 
 She was busy with this pretty work one bright 
 
■IP 
 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 { 
 
 : 
 
 October afternoon, all nicely established on her sofa 
 in the upper hall, while Jamie and Pokey (lent for 
 h<n- amusement) were keeping house in a corner, with 
 Comet and Rose's old doll for their " childems." 
 
 Presently, Phebe appeared with a card. Hose read 
 it, made a grimace, then laughed and said, — 
 
 "I'll see Miss Blish," and immediately put on her 
 company face, pulled out her locket, and settled her 
 sui'k 
 
 "You dear thing, how do you do? I've been 
 tryinp" to call every day since you got back, but I hs,ve 
 so many engagements, I really couldn't manage it 
 till to-day. So glad you are alone, for manmia said 
 I could sit awhile, and I brought my lace-work to 
 show you, for it 's perfectly lovely," cried Miss Blish, 
 greeting Rose with a kiss, which was not very warmljr 
 returned, though Rose politely thanked her for com- 
 ing, and bid Phebe roll up the easy chair. 
 
 " How nice to have a maid I " said Ariadne, as she 
 settled herself with much commotion. "Still, dear, 
 you muGt be very lonely, and feel the need of a bosom 
 friend." 
 
 "I have my cousins," began Rose, with dignity, tov 
 her visitor's patronizing manner ruffled her temper. 
 
 "Gracious, child! you don't make friends of those 
 great boys, do you? Mamma says she really doesn't 
 think it 's proper for you to be with them so much.'' 
 
 'They are like brothers, and my aunts do think 
 it 's proper," replied Rose, rather sharply, for it struck 
 her that this was none of Miss Blish's business. 
 
 " 1 was merely going to say I sliould be glad to 
 have you for my bosom friend, for Hatty Mason and 
 
EAR-RINGS. 
 
 167 
 
 I have had an awful quarrel, and don't speak. She is 
 too mean to live, so I gave her up. Just think, she 
 never paid back one of the caramels I've given her, 
 and never invited me to her party. I could have 
 forgiven the caramels, but to be left out in that rude 
 way was more than I could bear, and I told her never 
 to look at me again as long as she lived." 
 
 "You are very kind, but I don't think I want a 
 bosom friend, thank you," said Rose, as Ariadne 
 stcr>ped to bridle and shake her flaxen head over the 
 delinquent Hatty Mason. 
 
 Now, in her heart Miss Blish thought Rose "a 
 stuck-up pu38," but the other girls wanted to know 
 her and could n't, the old house was a charming place 
 to visit, the lads were considered fine fellows, and the 
 Campbells "are one of our first families," mamma 
 said. So Ariadne concealed her vexation at Rose's 
 coolness, and changed the subject as fast as possible. 
 
 "Studying French, I see; who is your teacher?" 
 she asked, flirting over the leaves of "Paul and 
 Virginia," that lay on tne table. 
 
 "I don't study it, for I read French as well as 
 English, and uncle and I often speak it for hours. 
 He talks like a native, and says I have a remarkably 
 good accent." 
 
 Rose really could not help this small display of 
 superiority, for French was one of her strong points, 
 and she was vain of it, though she usually managed 
 to hide this weakness. She felt that Ariadne would 
 be the better for a little crushing, and could not resist 
 the temptation to patronize in her turn. 
 
 " Oh, indeed I " said Miss Blish, rather blankly, for 
 French was not /ler strong point by any means. 
 
168 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 li • 
 
 "I am to go abroad with uncle in a year or two, 
 and he knows how important it is to understand the 
 language^. Half the girls who leave school can't 
 speak decent French, and when they go abroad they 
 are so mortified. I shall be very glad to help you, 
 if you like, for of course you have no one to talk with 
 at home." 
 
 Now Ariadne, though she looked like a wax doll, 
 had feelings within her instead of sawdust, and these 
 feelings were hurt by Rose's lofty tone. She thought 
 her more " stuck up " than ever, but did not know 
 how to bring her down, yet longed to do it, for she 
 felt as if she had received a box on the ear, and in- 
 voluntarily put her hand up to it. The touch of an 
 ear-ring consoled her, and suggested a way of return- 
 ing tit for tat in a telling manner. 
 , " Thank you, dear ; I don't need any help, for oUr 
 teacher is from Paris, and of course he speaks better 
 French than your uncle." Then she added, with a 
 gesture of her head that set the little bells on her 
 ears to tingling : " How do you liko my new ear-rings ? 
 Papa gave them to me last week, and every one says 
 they are lovely." 
 
 Rose came down from her high horse with a 
 rapidity that was comical, for Ariadne had the uppei 
 hand now. Rose adored pretty things, longed to 
 wear them, and the desire of her girlish soul was to 
 have her ears bored, only Dr. Alec thought it fool- 
 ish, so she never had done it. She would gladly have 
 given all the Freich she could jabber for a pair of 
 golden bells with pearl-tipped tongues, like those 
 Ariadne wore ; and, clasping her hands, she answered, 
 in a tone that went to the hearer's heait^, — 
 
EAR-RINGS. 
 
 169 
 
 "They are too sweet for any thing! If uncle 
 would only let me wear some, I should be perfectly 
 happy." 
 
 "I wouldn't mind what he says. Papa laughed 
 at me at first, but he likes them now, and says I shall 
 have diamond solitaires when I am eighteen," said 
 Ariadne, quite satisfied with her shot. 
 
 "I've got a pa:r now that were mamma's, and a 
 beautiful little pair of pearl and turquoise ones, that 
 I am dying to wear," sighed Rose. 
 
 "Then do it. I'll pierce your ears, and you must 
 wear a bit of silk in them till they are well ; your curls 
 will hide them nicely ; then, some day, slip in your 
 smallest ear-rings, and see if your uncle don't like 
 them." 
 
 " I asked him if it would n't do my eyes good once 
 when they were red, and he only laughed. People do 
 cure weak eyes that way, don't they ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed; and yours are sort of rer* . Let me 
 see. Yes, I really think you ought to do it before 
 they get worse," said Ariadue, peering into the large 
 clear eye offered for inspection. 
 
 "Does it hurt much?" asked Rose, wavering. 
 
 " Oh dear, no ! just a prick and a pull, and it 's all 
 over. I've done lots of ears, and know just how. 
 Come, push up your hair and get a big needle." 
 
 " I don't quite like to do it without asking uncle's 
 leave," faltered Rose, when all was ready for the oper- 
 ation- 
 
 " Did he ever forbid it ? " demanded Ariadne, hov- 
 ering over her prey like a vampire. 
 
 " No, never I " 
 8 
 
170 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
EAR-RINGS. 
 
 171 
 
 I'j' •-! 
 
 i 
 
 fft 
 
 (4 
 
 "Then do it, unless you are afraid^'* cried Miss 
 Blish, bent on accomplishing the deed. 
 
 That last word settled the matter, and, closing her 
 eyes ^^se said " Punch ! " in the tone of one giving 
 the fatal order " Fire ! " 
 
 Ariadne punched, and the victim bore it in heroic 
 silence, though she turned pale and her eyes were I'ull 
 of tears of anguish. 
 
 " There I Now pull the bits of silk often, and cold- 
 cream your ears every night, and you '11 soon be ready 
 for the rings," said Ariadne, well pleased with her job, 
 for the girl who spoke French with " a fine accent " 
 lay flat upon the sofa, looking as exhausted as if she 
 had had both ears cut oflt. 
 
 " It does hurt dreadfully, and I know uncle won't 
 like it," sighed Rose, as remorse began to gnaw. 
 " Promise not to tell, or I shall be teased to death," she 
 added, anxiously, entirely forgetting the two little 
 pitchers gifted with eyes as well as ears, who had been 
 watching the whole performance from afar. 
 
 " Never. Mercy me, what 's that ? " and Ariadne 
 started as a sudden sound of steps and voices came up 
 from below. 
 
 " It 's the boys ! Hide the needle. Do my ears 
 show ? Don't breathe a word I " whispered Rose, 
 scrambling about to coroeal all traces of their iniquity 
 from the sharp eyes . f the clan. 
 
 Up they came, all in good order, laden with the pro- 
 ceeds of a nutting expedition, for they always reported 
 to Rose and paid tributJ to their queen in the hand- 
 somest manner. 
 
 " How many, and how big I We '11 have a grand 
 
172 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS 
 
 roasting frolic after tea, won i w^e?" said Rose, plung- 
 ing both hands into a bag of glossy brown nuts, while 
 the clan " stood at ease " and nodded to Ariadne. 
 
 " That lot was picked especially for you, Rosy. I 
 got every one myself, and they are extra whackers," 
 said Mao, presenting a bushel or so. 
 
 " You should have seen Giglamps when he was after 
 them. He pitched out of the tree, and would have 
 broken his olessed old neck if Arch had not caught 
 him," observed Steve, as he lounged gracefully in the 
 window seat. 
 
 " You need n't talk, Dandy, when you did n't know 
 a chestnut from a beech, and kept on thrashing till I 
 told you of it," .'etorted Mac, festooning himself over 
 the back of the sofa, being a privileged boy. 
 
 "I don't make mistakes when I thrash you, old 
 Worm, so you 'd bf^tter mind what you are about," an- 
 swered Steve, without a ray of proper respect for his 
 elder brother. 
 
 " It is getting dark, and 1 must go, or mamma will 
 be alarmed," said Ariadne, rising in sudden haste, 
 though she hoped to be asked to remain to the nut- 
 party. 
 
 No one invited her ; and all the while she was put- 
 ting on her things and chatting to Rose the boys were 
 telegraphing to one another the sad fact that some one 
 ought to escort the young lady home. Not a boy felt 
 heroic enough to cast himself into the breach, however ; 
 even polite Archie shirked the duty, saying to Charlie, 
 as they quietly slipped into an adjoining room, — 
 
 "I'm not going to do all the giilli van ting. Let 
 Steve take that chit homo and show his manners." 
 
MAR-RINGS. 
 
 178 
 
 " I '11 be hanged if I do ! " answered Prince, who dis- 
 liked Miss Blish because she tried to be coquettish with 
 him. 
 
 " Then I will," and, to the dismay of both recreant 
 lads. Dr. Alec walked out of the room to offer his ser- 
 vices to the " chit." 
 
 He was too late, however, for Mac, obeying a look 
 from Rose, had already made a victim of himself, and 
 trudged meekly away, wishing the gentle Ariadne at 
 the bottom of the Red Sea. 
 
 " Then I will take this lady down to tea, as the other 
 one has found a gentleman to go home with her. I see 
 the lamps are lighted below, and I smell a smell which 
 tells me that aunty has something extra nice for us 
 to-night." 
 
 As he spcke, Dr. Alec was preparing to carry Rose 
 downstairs fs usual; but Archie and Prince rushed 
 forward, begging with penitent eagerness for the honor 
 of carrying her in an arm-chair. Rose consented, fear- 
 ing that her uncle's keen eye would discover the fatal 
 bits of silk ; so the boys crossed hands, and, taking a 
 good grip of each curly pate, she was borne down ir 
 state, while the others followed by way of the banis- 
 ters. 
 
 Tea was ordered earlier than usual, so that Jamie 
 and liis dolly could have a taste, at least, of the holi- 
 day fun, for they were to stay till seven, and be al- 
 lowed twelve roasted chestnuts apiece, which they were 
 under bonds not to eat till next day. 
 
 Tea was despatched rapidly, therefore, and the party 
 gathered round the wide hearth in the dining-room, 
 where the nuts were soon dancing gayly on hot shov- 
 
 % 
 
 ; 
 
 W 
 
174 
 
 BIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 els or bouncing out among the company, thereby caus- 
 ing delightful panics among the Httle ones. 
 
 " Come, Rosy, tell us a story while we work, for you 
 can't help much, and must amuse us as your share," 
 proposed Mac, who sat in the shade pricking nuts, and 
 who knew by experience what a capital little Scheher- 
 azade his cousin was. 
 
 "Yes, we poor monkeys can't burn our paws for 
 nothing, so tell away. Pussy," added Charlie, as he 
 threw several hot nuts into her lap and shook his fin- 
 gers afterward. 
 
 " Well, I happen to have a little story with a moral 
 to it in my mind, and I will tell it, though it is in- 
 tended for younger children than you," answered Rose, 
 who was rather fond of telling instructive tales. 
 
 " Fire away," said Geordie, and she obeyed, little 
 thinking what a disastrous story it would prove to her- 
 self. 
 
 " Well, once upon a time, a little girl went to see a 
 young lady who was very fond of her. Now, the young 
 lady happened to be lame, and had to have her foot 
 bandaged up every day; so she kept a basketful of 
 bandages, all nicely rolled and ready. The little girl 
 liked to play with this basket, and one day, when she 
 thought no one saw her, she took one of the rolls with- 
 out asking leave, and put it in her pocket." 
 
 Here Pokey, who had been peering lovingly down 
 
 at the five warm nuts that lay at the bottom of her 
 
 tiny pocket, suddenly looked up and said, " Oh 1 " in a 
 
 startled tone, as if the moral tale had become intensely 
 
 interesting all at once. 
 
 Rose h«ard and saw the innocent betrayal of the 
 
EAR-RINGS. 
 
 176 
 
 3 a 
 
 small sinner, and went on in a most impressive man- 
 ner, while the beys nudged one another and ranked as 
 they caught the ^'oke. 
 
 "But an eye lid see this naughty little girl, and 
 whose eye do you think it was ? " 
 
 " Eye of Dod," murmured ooiis^ience-stricken Pokey, 
 spreading two chubby little hands before the round 
 face, which they were not l^ilf big enou^'ii to hide. 
 
 Rose was rather taken aback by this reply, but, 
 feeling that she was producing a good effect, she 
 added, seriously, — 
 
 " Yes, God saw her, and so did the young lady, but 
 she did not say rmy thing; she waited to see what the 
 little girl would do about it. Sho had been very 
 happy before she took the bandage, but when it was 
 in her pocket she seemed troubled, and pretty soon 
 stopped playing and sat down in a comer, looking 
 very sober. She thought a few minutes, and then 
 went and put back the roll very softly, and her face 
 cleared up, and she was a happy child again. The 
 young lady was glad to see that, and wondered viiat 
 made the little girl put it back." 
 
 " Tonscience p'icked her," murmured a contrite 
 voice from behind the small hands pressed tightly 
 over Pokey's red face. 
 
 "And why did she take it, do you suppose?" 
 asked Rose, in a school-marmish tone, feeling that 
 all the listeners were interested in her tale and its 
 unexpected application. 
 
 " It was so nice and wound, and she wanted it 
 deffly," answered thf little voice. 
 
 "Well, I'm glad she hud such a good conscience. 
 
176 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 The moral is that people who steal don't enjoy what 
 they take, and are not happy till they put it back. 
 What makes that little girl hide her face?" asked 
 Rose, as she concluded. 
 
 " Me 's so 'shamed of Pokey," sobbed the small 
 culprit, quite overcome by remorse and confusion at 
 this awful disclosure. 
 
 "Come, Rose, it's too bad to tell her little tricks 
 before every one, and preach at her in that way; 
 you wouldn't like it yourself," began Dr. Alec, tak- 
 ing the weeper on his knee and administering conso- 
 lation in the shape of kisses and nuts. 
 
 Before Rose could express her regret, Jamie, who 
 had been reddening and ruffling like a little turkey- 
 xiock for several minutes, burst out indignantly, bent 
 on avenging the wound given to his beloved dolly. 
 
 " I know something bad that you did, and I 'm 
 going to tell right out. You thought we didn't see 
 you, but we did, and you said uncle would n't like it, 
 and the boys would tease, and you made Ariadne 
 promise not to tell, and she punched holes in your 
 ears to put ear-rings in. So now! and that's much 
 badder than to take an old piece of rag ; and I hate 
 you for making my Pokey cry." 
 
 Jamie's somewhat incoherent explosion produced 
 such an effect that Pokey's small sin was instantly 
 forgotten, and Rose felt that her hour had come. 
 
 " What I what I what 1 " cried the boys in a chorus, 
 dropping their shovels and knives to gather round 
 Rose, for a guilty clutching at her ears betrayed her, 
 and with a feeble cry of " Ariadne made me 1 " she 
 hid her head among the pillows like an absurd little 
 ostrich. 
 
EAR-RINGS. 
 
 177 
 
 ►rus, 
 und 
 her, 
 slie 
 ittle 
 
 " Now she '11 go prancing round with bird-cages 
 and baskets and carts and pigs, for all I kh<>w, in 
 her ears, as the other girls do, and won't feht^ look 
 like a goose ? " asked one tormentor, tweaking a curl 
 that strayed out from the cushions. 
 
 " I did n't think she 'd be 8( silly," said Mac, in a 
 tone of disappointment that told Rose she had sunk 
 in the esteem of her wise cousin. 
 
 "That Blish girl is a nuisance, and ought not to be 
 allowed to come here with her nonsensical notions," 
 said the Prince, feeling a strong desire to shake that 
 young person as an angry dog might shake a mis- 
 chievous kitten. 
 
 "How do you like it, uncle?" asked Archie, who, 
 being the head of a family himself, believed in pre- 
 serving discipline at all costs. 
 
 " I am very much surprised ; but I see she is a 
 girl, after all, and must have her vanities like all the 
 rest of them," answered Dr. Alec, with a sigh, as if 
 he hnd expected to find Rose a sort of angel, above 
 all earthly temptation. 
 
 "What shall you do about it, sir?" inquired 
 Geordie, wondering what punishment would be in- 
 flicted on a feminine culprit. 
 
 "As she is fond of ornaments, perhaps we had 
 better give her a nose-ring also. I have one some- 
 where that a Fiji belle once wore; I'll look it up," 
 and, leaving Pokey to Jamie's care, Dr. Alec rose 
 as if to carry out his suggestion in earnest. 
 
 "Good! good! We'll do it right away! Here's 
 a gimlet, so you hold her, boys, while I get her dear 
 little nose all ready," cried Charlie, whisking away 
 8* L 
 
 
%. 
 
 ^24^j^r.<^^- 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 
 
 A 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 !.25 
 
 ■41321 
 
 ■so 
 
 2.5 
 
 ^ 12.2 
 
 US 
 
 li£ III 2.0 
 
 ^ u 
 
 1.8 
 
 U ill 1.6 
 
 1^ 
 
 V] 
 
 '^'y 
 
 
 7: 
 
 
 V 
 
 # 
 
 Hiotographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STKEET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0 
 
 (716) •73-4903 
 
^4r 
 
 i 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
•mmmmm Hrj ^' " 
 
 \ 
 
 178 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 the pillows as the other boys danced about the sofa 
 in true Fiji style. 
 
 It was a drea<liul moment, for Rose could not run 
 away, — she could only grasp her precious nose with 
 one hand and extend the other, crying distractedly, — 
 
 " O uncle, save me, save me ! " 
 
 Of course he saved her ; and when she was securely 
 barricaded by his strong arm, she confessed her folly 
 in such humiliation of spirit that the lads, after a 
 good laugh at her, decided to forgive her and lay 
 all the blame on the tempter, Ariadne. Even Dr. 
 Alec relented so far as to propose two gold rings 
 for the ears instead of one copper one for the nose ; 
 a proceeding which proved that if Rose had all the 
 weakness of her sex for jewellery, he had all the in- 
 consistency of his in giving a pretty penitent exactly 
 what she wanted, spite of hia better judgment. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 BREAD AND BUTTON-HOLES. 
 
 u 
 
 WHAT in the world is my girl thinking about 
 all alone here, with such a solemn face ? " 
 asked Dr. Alec, coming into the study, one November 
 day, to find Rose sitting there with folded hands and 
 a very thoughtful aspect. 
 
 " Uncle, I want to have some serious conversation 
 with you, if you have time," she said, coming out of a 
 brown study, as if she had not heard his question. 
 
 " I 'm entirely at your service, and most happy to 
 listen," he answered, in his politest manner, for when 
 Rose put on her womanly little airs he always treated 
 her with a playful sort of respect that pleased her very 
 much. 
 
 Now, as he sat down beside her, she said, very so- 
 berly, — 
 
 "I've been trying to decide what trade I would 
 learn, and I want you to advise me." 
 
 " Trade, my dear ? " and Dr. Alec looked so aston- 
 ished that she hastened to explain. 
 
 " I forgot that you did n't iiear the talk about it up 
 at Cosey Corner. You see we used to sit under the 
 pines and sew, and talk a great deal, — all the ladies, I 
 
 » 
 
 ^ 
 
180 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 mean, — and I liked it very much. Mother Atkinson 
 thought that every one should have a trade, or some- 
 thing to make a living cut of, for rich people may grow 
 poor, you know, and poor people have to work. Her 
 girls were very clever, and could do ever so many 
 things, and Aunt Jessie thought the old lady was 
 right; so when I saw how happy and independent 
 those young ladies were, I wanted to have a trade, and 
 then it would n't matter about money, though I like to 
 have it well enough." 
 
 Dr. Alec listened to this explanation with a curious 
 mixture of surprise, pleasure, and amusement in hia 
 face, and looked at his little niece as if she had sud- 
 denly changed into a young woman. She had grown 
 a good deal in the last six months, and an amount of 
 thinking had gone on in that young head which would 
 have astonished him greatly could he have known it 
 all, for Rose was one of the children who observe and 
 meditate much, and now and then nonplus their friends 
 by a wise or curious remark. 
 
 " I quite agree with the ladies, and .shall be glad to 
 help you decide on something if I can," said the Doctor 
 seriously. " What do you incline to ? A natural taste 
 or talent is a great help in choosing, you know." 
 
 " I have n't any talent, or any especial taste that I 
 can see, rmd that is why I can't decide, uncle. So, I 
 think it would be a good plan to pick out some very 
 useful business and learn it, because I don't do it for 
 pleasure, you see, but as a part of my education, and 
 
 to be ready in case I 'm ever poor," answered Rose, 
 looking as if she rather longed for a little poverty so 
 that her useful gift might be exercised. 
 
BREAD AND BUTTON-HOLES. 
 
 181 
 
 » 
 
 I 
 
 Fy 
 
 lov 
 
 Ind 
 
 Ise, 
 
 so 
 
 Well, now, there is one very excellent, necessary, 
 and womanly accomplishment that no girl should be 
 without, for it is a help to rich and poor, and the com- 
 fort of families depends upon it. This fine talent is 
 neglected nowadays, and considered old-fashioned, 
 which is a sad mistake, and one that I don't mean to 
 make in bringing up my girl. It should be a part of 
 every girl's education, and I know of a most accom- 
 plished lady who will teach you in the best and pleas- 
 antest manner." 
 
 " Oh, what is it ? " cried Rose eagerly, charmed to 
 be met in this helpful and cordial way. 
 
 " Housekeeping ! " answered Dr. Alec. 
 
 "Is that an accomplishment?" asked Rose, while 
 her face fell, for she had indulged in all sorts of vague, 
 delightful dreams. 
 
 " Yes ; it is one of the most beautiful as well as use- 
 ful of all the arts a woman can learn. Not so roman- 
 tic, perhaps, as singing, painting, writing, or teaching, 
 even ; but one that makes many happy and comf orta^ 
 ble, and home the sweetest place in the world. Yes, 
 you may open your big eyes ; but it is a fact that I 
 had rather see you a good housekeeper than the great- 
 est belle in the city. It need not interfere with any 
 talent you may possess, but it is a necessary part of 
 your training, and I hope that you will set about it at 
 once, now that you are well and strong." 
 
 " Who is the lady ? " asked Rose, rather impressed 
 by her uncle's earnest speech. 
 
 " Aunt Plenty." 
 
 " Is she accomplished ? " began Rose in a wondering 
 tone, for this great-aunt of hers had seemed the least 
 cultivated of them all. 
 
 s 1 
 
 15 
 
11^ 
 
 I jpjyiwp 
 
 182 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " In the good old-iashioned way she is very accom- 
 plished, and has made this house a happy home to us 
 all, ever since we can remember. She is not elegant, 
 but genuinely good, and so beloved and respected that 
 there will be universal mourning for her when her place 
 is empty. No one can fill it, for the solid, homely 
 virtues of the dear soul have gone out of fashion, as I 
 say, and nothing new can be half so satisfactory, to me 
 at least." 
 
 " I should like to have people feel so about me. Can 
 she teach me to do what she does, and to grow as 
 good ? " asked Rose, with a little prick of remorse for 
 even thinking that Aunt Plenty was a commonplace 
 old lady. 
 
 " Yes, if you don't despise such simple lessons as she 
 can give. I know it would fill her dear old heart with 
 pride and pleasure to feel that any one cared to learn 
 of her, for she fancies her day gone by. Let her teach 
 you how to be what she has been, — a skilful, frugal, 
 cheerful housewife; the maker and the keeper of a 
 happy home, and by and by you will see what a val- 
 uable lesson it is." 
 
 " I will, uncle. But how shall I begin ? " 
 
 " I '11 speak to her about it, and she will make it all 
 right with Dolly, for cooking is one of the main things, 
 you know." 
 
 " So it is I I don't mind that a. bit, for I like to 
 mess, and used to try at home ; but I had no one to 
 tell me, so I never did much but spoil my aprons. 
 Pies are great fun, only Dolly is so cross, I don't 
 believe she will ever lot me do a thing in the kitchen." * 
 
 **Then well cook in the parlor. I fancy Aunt 
 
hREAD AND BUTTON-HOLES. 
 
 183 
 
 Plenty will manage her, so don't be troubled. Only- 
 mind this, I 'd rather you learned how to make good 
 bread than the best pies ever baked. When you bring 
 me a handsome, wholesome loaf, entirely made by your- 
 self, I shall be more pleased than if you offered me a 
 pair of slippers embroidered in the very latest style. 
 I don't wish to bribe you, but I '11 give you my hearti- 
 est kiss, and promise to eat every crumb of the loaf 
 myself." ' 
 
 " It 's a bargain ! it 's a bargain ! Come and tell 
 aunty all about it, for I 'm in a hurry to begin," otried 
 Rose, dancing before him toward the parlor, where 
 Miss Plenty sat alone knitting contentedly, yet ready 
 to run at the first call for help of any sort, from any 
 quarter. 
 
 No need to tell how surprised and gratified she was 
 at the invitation she received to teach the child the 
 domestic arts which were her only accomplishments, 
 nor to relate how energetically she set about her pleas- 
 ant task. Dolly dared not grumble, for Miss Plenty 
 was the one person whom she obeyed, and Phebe 
 openly rejoiced, for these new lessons brought Rose 
 nearer to her, and glorified the kitchen in the good 
 girl's eyes. ^ 
 
 To tell the truth, the elder aunts had sometimes felt 
 that they did not have quite their share of the little 
 niece who had won their hearts long ago, and was the 
 sunshine of the house. They talked it over together 
 sometimes, but always ended by saying that as Alec 
 had all the responsibility, he should have the larger 
 share of the dear girl's love and time, and they would 
 be contented with such crumbs of comfort as they 
 oould get. 
 
 \ 
 
 S 
 
184 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 Dr. Alec had found out this little secret, and, after 
 reproaching himself for being blind and selfish, was 
 varying to devise some way of mending matters with- 
 
 UNOLE AliEO COULD NOT BESISX PEEPING IN AT THE DOOB. — Page 186. 
 
 out troubling any one, when Rose's new whim sug- 
 gested an excellent method of weaning her a little 
 from himself. He did not know how fond he was 
 
BREAD AND BUTTON-HOLES. 
 
 185 
 
 ^\ 
 
 of her till he gave her up to the new teacher, and 
 often could not resist peeping in at the door, to see 
 how she got on, or stealing sly looks through the 
 slide when she was deep in dough, or listening in- 
 tently to some impressive lecture from Aunt Plenty. 
 They caught him at it now and then, and ordered 
 him off the premises at the point of the rolling-pin ; 
 or, if unusually successful, and, therefore, in a milder 
 mood, they lured him away with bribes of ginger- 
 bread, a stray pickle, or a tart that was not quite 
 symmetrical enough to suit their critical eyes. 
 
 Of course he made a point of partaking copiously ^ 
 of all the delectable messes that now appeared at 
 table, for both the cooks were on their mettle, and 
 he fared sumptuously every day. But an especial 
 relish was given to any dish when, in reply to his 
 honest praise of it. Rose colored up with innocent 
 pride, and said modestly, — 
 
 "I made that, uncle, and I'm glad you like it." 
 
 It was some time before the perfect loaf appeared, 
 for bread-making is an art not easily learned, and 
 Aunt Plenty was very thorough in her teaching; 
 so Rose studied yeast first, and through various stages 
 of cake and biscuit came at last to the crowning glory 
 of the "handsome, wholesome loaf." It appeared at 
 tea-time, on a silver salver, proudly borne in by 
 Phebe, who could not refrain from whispering, with 
 a beaming face, as she set it down before Dr. Alec, — 
 
 " Ain't it just lovely, sir ? " 
 
 "It is a regularly splendid loaf I Did my girl 
 make it all herself ? " he asked, surveying the shapely, 
 sweet-smelling object, with real interest and pleasure. 
 
 I 
 
 
186 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 "Every particle herself, and never asked a bit of 
 help or advice from any one," answered Aunt Plenty, 
 folding her hands with an air of unmitigated satis- 
 faction, for her pupil certainly did her great credit. 
 
 "I've had so many failures and troubles that I 
 really thought I never should be able to do it alone. 
 Dolly let one splendid batch burn up because I forgot 
 it. She was there and smelt it, but never did a thing, 
 for she said, when I undertook to bake bread I must 
 give my whole mind to it. Wasn't it hard? She 
 might have called me at least," said Rose, recollect- 
 ing, with a sigh, the anguish of that moment. 
 
 " She meant you should learn by experience, as 
 Rosamond did in that little affair of the purple jar, 
 you remember." 
 
 " I always thought it very unfair in her mother 
 not to warn the poor thing a little bit ; and she was 
 regularly mean when Rosamond asked for a bowl to 
 put the purple stuff in, and she said, in such a pro- 
 voking way, ' I did not agree to lend you a bowl, but 
 I will, my dear.' Ugh ! I always want to shake 
 that hateful woman, though she was a moral mamma." 
 
 "Never mind her now, but tell me all about; my 
 loaf," said Dr. Alec, much amused at Rose's burst of 
 indignation. 
 
 " Thef e 's nothing to tell, uncle, except that I did 
 my best, gave my mind to it, and sat watching over 
 it all the while it was in the oven till I was quite 
 baked myself. Every thing went right this time, and 
 it came out a nice, round, crusty loaf, as you see. 
 Now taste it, and tell me if it is good as well as hand- 
 
 some. 
 
 >» 
 
BREAD AND BUTTON-HOLES. 
 
 18" 
 
 " Must I cut it ? Can't I put it under a glass cover 
 and keep it in the parlor as they do wax flowers and 
 fine works of that sort ? " 
 
 "What an idea, uncle! It would mould and be 
 spoilt. Besides, people would laugh at us, and make 
 fun of my old-fashioned accomplishment. You prom- 
 ised to eat it, and you must ; not all at once, but as 
 soon as you can, so I can make you some more." 
 
 Dr. Alec solemnly cut off his favorite crusty slice, 
 and solemnly ate it ; then wiped his lips, and brush- 
 ing back Rose's hair, solemnly kissed her on the fore- 
 head, saying heartily, — 
 
 " My dear, it is perfect bread, and you are an honor 
 to your teacher. When we have our model school 
 I shall ofEer a prize for the best bread, and you will 
 get it." 
 
 " I Ve got it already, and I 'm quite satisfied," said 
 Rose, slipping into her seat, and trying to hide her 
 right hand which had a burn on it. 
 
 But Dr. Alec saw it, guessed how it came there, 
 and after tea insisted on easing the pain which she 
 would hardly confess. 
 
 "Aunt Clara says I am spoiling my hands, but I 
 don't care, for I've had such good times with Aunt 
 Plenty, and I think she has enjoyed it as much as I 
 have. Only one thing troubles me, uncle, and I want 
 to ask you about it," said Rose, as they paced up and 
 down the hall in the twilight, the bandaged hand very 
 carefully laid on Dr. Alec's arm. 
 
 " More little confidences ? I like them immensely, 
 so tell away, my dear." 
 
 Well, you see I feel as if Aunt Peace would like 
 
 (( 
 
188 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 to do something for me, and I Ve found out what it 
 can be. You know she can't go about like Aunty 
 Plen, and we are so busy nowadays that she is rather 
 lonely, I 'm afraid. So I want to take lessons in sew- 
 ing of her. She works so beautifully, and it is a 
 useful thing, you know, and I ought to be a good 
 needlewoman as well as housekeeper, oughtn't I?" 
 
 "Bless your kind little heart, that is what I was 
 thinking of the other day when Aunt Peace said' 
 she saw you very seldom now, you were so busy. 
 I wanted to speak of it, but fancied you had as 
 much on your hands as you could manage. It would 
 delight the dear woman to teach you all her delicate 
 handicraft, especially button-holes, for I believe that 
 is where young ladies fail ; at least I 've heard them 
 say so. So, do you devote your mind to button-holes ; 
 make 'em all over my clothes if you want something 
 to practice on. I '11 wear any quantity." 
 
 Rose laughed at this reckless offer, but promised 
 to attend to that important branch, though she con- 
 fessed that darning was her weak point. Whereupon 
 Uncle Alec engaged to supply her with socks in all 
 stages of dilapidation, and to have a new set at once, 
 so that she could run the heels for him as a pleasant 
 beginning. 
 
 Then they went up to make their request in due 
 form, to the great delight of gentle Aunt Peace, who 
 got quite excited with the fun that went on while 
 they wound yarn, looked up darning-needles, and 
 fitted out a nice little mending basket for her pupil. 
 
 Very busy and very happy were Rose's days now, 
 for in the morning she went about the house with 
 
 0.;.:,..jv>-.,.':: ;Ci?Ml|ViJi-^v,,4?^v'-ir 
 
BREAD AND BUTTON-HOLES. 
 
 189 
 
 Aunt Plenty attending to linen-closets and store- 
 rooms, pickling and preserving, exploring garret and 
 cellar to see that all was right, and learning, in the 
 good old-fashioned manner, to look well after the 
 ways of the household. 
 
 In the afternoon, after her walk or drive, she sat 
 with Aunt Peace plying her needU*, while Aunt 
 Plenty, whose eyes were failing, knit and chatted 
 briskly, telling many a pleasant story of old times, 
 till the three were moved to laugh and cry together, 
 for the busy needles were embroidering all sorts of 
 bright patterns on the lives of the workers, though 
 they seemed to be only stitching cotton and darning 
 hose. 
 
 It was a pretty sight to see the rosy-faced little 
 maid sitting between the two old ladies, listening du- 
 tifully to their instructions, and cheering the lessons 
 with her lively chatter and blithe laugh. If the kitchen 
 had proved attractive to Dr. Alec when Rose was there 
 at work, the sewing-room was quite irresistible, and he 
 made himself so agreeable that no one had the heart 
 to drive him away, especially when he read aloud or 
 spun yarns. 
 
 " There ! I Ve made you a new set of warm night- 
 gowns with four button-holes in each. See if they are 
 not neatly done," said Rose, one day, some weeks after 
 the new lessons began. 
 
 " Even to a thread, and nice little bars across the 
 end so I can't tear them when I twitch the buttons 
 out. Most superior work, ma'am, and I'm deeply 
 grateful; so much so, that I'll sew on these buttons 
 myself, and save those tired fingers from another 
 prick." 
 
u 
 
 190 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 "You sew them on?" cried Rose, witli her eyes 
 wide open in amazement. 
 
 " Wait a bit till I get my sewing tackle, and then 
 you shall see what I can do." 
 
 "Can he, really?" asked Rose of Aunt Peace, as 
 Uncle Alec marched off with a comical air of impor- 
 tance. 
 
 " Oh, yes, I taught him years ago, befoi:e he went 
 to sea ; and I suppose he has had to do things for 
 himself, more or less, ever since ; so he has kept his 
 hand in.'* 
 
 He evidently had, for he was soon back with a funny 
 little work-bag, out of which he produced a thimble 
 without a top; and; having threaded his needle, he 
 proceeded to sew on the buttons so handily that Rose 
 was much impressed and amused. 
 
 " I wonder if there is any thing in the world that 
 you cannot do," she said, in a tone of respectful ad- 
 miration. 
 
 " There are one or two things that I am not up to 
 yet," he answered, with a laugh in the comer of his 
 eye, as he waxed his thread with a flourish. 
 
 "I should like to know what?" 
 
 "Bread and button-holes, ma'am." 
 
JHAPTER XVII. 
 
 GOOD BARGAINS. 
 
 IT was a rainy Sunday afternoon, and four boys were 
 trying to spend it quietly in the "liberry," as 
 Jamie called the room devoted to books and boys, at 
 Aunt Jessie's. Will and Geordie were sprawling on 
 the sofa, deep in the adventures of the scapegraces 
 and ragamuffins whose histories are now the fashion. 
 Archie lounged in the easy chair surrounded by news- 
 papers ; Charlie stood upon the rug, in an Englishman's 
 favorite attitude, and, I regret to say, both were smok- 
 ing cigars. 
 
 "It is my opinion that this day will never come to 
 an end," said Prince, with a yawn that nearly rent 
 him asunder. , , 
 
 " Read and improve your mind, my son," answered 
 Archie, peering solemnly over the paper behind which 
 he had been dozing. 
 
 " Don't you preach, parson ; but put on your boots 
 and come out for a tramp, instead of mulling over the 
 fire like a granny." 
 
 " No, thank you, tramps in an easterly storm don't 
 strike me as amusing." There Archie stopped and 
 held up his hand, for a pleasant voice was heard saying 
 outside, — 
 
 
192 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " Are the boys in the library, auntie ? " 
 " Yes, dear, and longing for sunshine ; so run in and 
 make it for them," answered Mrs. Jessie. 
 
 " It 's Rose," and Archie threw his cigar into the 
 fire. 
 
 « What 's that for ? " asked Charlie. 
 
OOOD BARGAINS. 
 
 193 
 
 and 
 
 the 
 
 " Gentlemen don't smoke before ladies." 
 
 " True ; but I 'm not going to waste my weed," and 
 Prince poked his into the empty inkstand that served 
 them for an ash tray. 
 
 A gentle tap at the door was answered by a chorus 
 of " Come in," and Rose appeared, looking blooming 
 and breezy with the chilly air. 
 
 " If I disturb you, say so, and I '11 go away," she 
 began, pausing on the threshold with modest hesita- 
 tion, for something in the elder boys' faces excited her 
 curiosity. 
 
 " You never disturb us, cousin," said the smokers, 
 while the readers tore themselves from the heroes of 
 the bar-room and gutter long enough to nod affably to 
 their guest. 
 
 As Rose bent to warm her hands, one end of Archie's 
 cigar stuck out of the ashes, smoking furiously and 
 smelling strongly. 
 
 " Oh, you bad boys, how could you do it, to-day of 
 all days?" she said reproachfully. 
 
 " Where's the harm ? " asked Archie. 
 
 " You know as well as I do ; yotir mother does n't 
 like it, and it 's a bad habit, for it wastes money and 
 does you no good." 
 
 " Fiddle-sticks ! every man smokes, even Uncle Alec, 
 whom you think so perfect," began Charlie, in his 
 teasing way. 
 
 " No, he does n't I He has given it up, and I know 
 why," cried Rose eagerly. 
 
 "Now I think of it, I haven't seen the old meer- 
 schaum since he came home. Did he stop it on our 
 account?" asked Archie. 
 
 9 M 
 
 i 1 
 
F'/'./ 
 
 194 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 "Yes," and Rose told the little scene on the sea- 
 shore in the camping-out time. 
 
 Archie seemed much impressed, and said manfully, — 
 " He won't have done that in vain so far as I 'm con- 
 cerned. I don't care a pin about smoking, so can give 
 it up as easy as not, and I promise you I will. I only 
 do it now and then for fun." 
 
 " You too ? " and Rose looked up at the bonny 
 Prince, who never looked less bonny than at that mo- 
 ment, for he had resumed his cigar, just to torment 
 her. 
 
 Now Charlie cared as little as Archie about smok- 
 ing, but it woulc. not do to yield too soon ; so he shook 
 his head, gave a great puff, and said loftily, — 
 
 " You women are always asking us to give up harm- 
 less little things, just because you don't approve of 
 them. How would you like it if we did the same by 
 
 you, 
 
 Miss ? " 
 
 " If I did harmful or silly things, I 'd thank you for 
 telling me of them, and I 'd try to mend my ways," 
 answered Rose heartily. 
 
 "Well, now, we'll see if you mean what you say. 
 I '11 give up smoking to please you, if you will give up 
 something to please me," said Princt,, seeing a good 
 chance to lord it over the weaker vessel at small cost 
 to himself. ^ 
 
 -" I '11 agree if it is as foolish as cigars." 
 
 " Oh, it 's ever so much sillier." 
 
 " Then I promise ; what is it ? " and Rose quite 
 trembled with anxiety to know which of her pet 
 habits or possessions she must lose. 
 
 "Give up your ear-rings," and Charlie laughed 
 
GOOD BARGAINS. 
 
 195 
 
 wickedly, sure that she would never hold to that 
 bargain. 
 
 Rose uttered a cry and clapped both hands to her 
 ears where the gold rings hung. 
 
 "O Charlie, wouldn't any thing else do as well? 
 I Ve been through so much teasing and trouble, I do 
 want to enjoy my pretty ear-rings, for I can wear 
 them now." 
 
 "Wear as many as you like, and I'll smoke in 
 peace," returned this bad boy. 
 
 "Will nothing else satisfy you?" imploringly. 
 
 " Nothing," sternly. 
 
 Rose stood silent for a minute, thinking of some- 
 thing Aunt Jessie once said, — "You have more in- 
 fluence over the boys than you know; use it for 
 their good, and I shall thank you all my life." Here 
 was a chance to do some good by sacrificing a little 
 vanity of her own. She felt it was right to do it, 
 yet found it very hard, and asked wistfully, — 
 
 " Do you mean never wear them, Charlie ? " 
 
 " Never ^ unless you want me to smoke." 
 
 " I never do." 
 
 " Then clinch the bargain." 
 
 He had no idea she would do it, and was much 
 surprised when she took the dear rings from her 
 ears, with a quick gesture, and held them out to 
 him, saying, in a tone that made the color come up 
 to his brown cheek, it was so full of sweet good 
 wiU,— 
 
 " I care more for my cousins than for my ear- 
 rings, so I promise, and I'll keep my word." 
 
 "For shame. Prince! let her wear her little dan- 
 
196 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 glers if she likes, and don't bargain about doing 
 wbat you know is right," cried Archie, coming out 
 of his grove of newspapers with an indignant bounce. 
 
 But Rose was bent on showing her aunt that she 
 could use her influence for the boys' good, and said 
 steadily, — 
 
 "It is fair, and I want it to be so, then you will 
 believe I 'm in earnest. Here, each of you wear one 
 of these on your watch-guard to remind you. I shall 
 not forget, because very soon I cannot wear ear-rings 
 if I want to." 
 
 As she spoke. Rose offered a little ring to each 
 cousin, and the boys, seeing how sincere she was, 
 obeyed her. When the pledges were safe. Rose 
 stretched a hand to each, and the lads gave hers 
 a hearty grip, half pleased and half ashamed of their 
 part in the compact. 
 
 Just at that moment Dr. Alec and Mrs. Jessie 
 came in. 
 
 " What 's this ? Dancing Ladies Triumph on Sun- 
 day ? " exclaimed Uncle Alec, surveying the trio with 
 surprise. 
 
 "No, sir, it is the Anti-Tobacco League. Will 
 you join?" said Charlie, while Rose slipped away 
 to her aunt, and Archie buried both cigars behind 
 the back log. 
 
 When the mystery was explained, the elders were 
 weU pleased, and Rose received a vote of thanks, 
 which made her ieel as if she had done a service to 
 her country, as she had, for every boy who grows up 
 free from bad habits bids fair to make a good citizen. 
 
 <*I wish Rose would drive a bargain with Will 
 
GOOD BARGAINS 
 
 197 
 
 and Greordie also, for I think these books are as 
 bad for the small boys as cigars for the large ones," 
 said Mrs. Jessie, sitting down on the sofa between 
 the readers, who politely eurled up their legs to 
 make room for her. 
 
 "I thought they were all the fashion," answered 
 Dr. Alec, settling in the big chair with Rose. 
 
 "So is smoking, but it is harmful. The writars 
 of these popular stories intend to do good, I have 
 no doubt, but it seems to me they fail because their 
 motto is, * Be smart, and you will be rich,' instead 
 of 'Be honest, and you wiU be happy.' I do not 
 judge hastily. Alec, for I have read a dozen, at least, 
 of these stories, and, with much that is attractive to 
 boys, I find a great deal to condemn in them, and 
 other parents say the same when I ask them." 
 
 "Now, Mum, that's too bad! I like 'em tip-top. 
 This one is a regular screamer," cried Will. 
 
 " They 're bully books, and I 'd like to know where's 
 the harm," added Geordie. 
 
 "You have just shown us one of the chief evils, 
 and that is slang," answered their mother quickly. 
 
 "Must have it, ma'am. If these chaps talked all 
 right, there 'd be no fun in 'em," protested Will. 
 
 "A boot-black mustn't use good grammar, and a 
 newsboy must swear a little, or he wouldn't be 
 natural," explained Geordie, both boys ready to fight 
 gallantly for their favorites. 
 
 "But my sons are neither boot-blacks nor news- 
 boys, and I object to hearing them use such words as 
 * screamer,' * bully,' and * buster.' In fact, I fail to 
 see the advantage of writing books about such people 
 
^i' 
 
 198 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 unless it is done in a very different way. I cannot 
 think they will help to refine the ragamuffins, if they 
 read them, and I 'm sure they can do no good to the 
 better class of boys, who through these books are 
 introduced to police courts, counterfeiters' dens, gam- 
 bling houses, drinking saloons, and all sorts of low 
 life." 
 
 "Some of them are about first-rate boys, mother; 
 and they go to sea and study, and sail round the 
 world, having great larks all the way." 
 
 " I have read about them, Greordie, and though they 
 are better than the others, I am not satisfied with 
 these optical delusions, as I call them. Now, I put it 
 to you, boys, is it natural for lads from fifteen to 
 eighteen to command ships, defeat pirates, outwit 
 smugglers, and so cover themselves with glory, that 
 Admiral Farragut invites them to dinner, saying : 
 * Noble boy, you are an honor to your country ! ' Or, 
 if the hero is in the army, he has hair-breadth escapes 
 and adventures enough in one small volume to turn 
 his hair white, and in the end he goes to Washington 
 at the express desire of the President or Commander- 
 in-Chief to be promoted to no end of stars and bars. 
 Even if the hero is merely an honest boy trying to 
 get his living, he is not permitted to do so in a natural 
 way, by hard work and years of patient effort^ but 
 is suddenly adopted by a millionaire whose pocket-book 
 he has returned; or a rich uncle appears from sea, 
 just in the nick of time ; or the remarkable boy earns 
 a few dollars, speculates in pea-nuts or neckties, and 
 grows rich so rapidly that Sinbad in the diamond val- 
 ley is a pauper compared to him. Is n*t it so, boys ? " 
 
GOOD BARGAINS, 
 
 199 
 
 " Well, the fellows in these books are mighty lucky, 
 and very smart, I must say," answered Will, surveying 
 an illustration on the open page before him, where a 
 small but virtuous youth is upsetting a tipsy giant in a 
 bar-room, and under it the elegant inscription : " Dick 
 Dauntless punches the head of Sara Soaker." 
 
 "It gives boys such wrong ideas of life and busi- 
 ness ; sh'^ws them so much evil and vulgarity that they 
 need not know about, and makes the one success worth 
 having a fortune, a lord's daughter, or some worldly 
 honor, often not worth the time it takes to win. It 
 does seem to me that some one might write stories that 
 should be lively, natural, and helpful, — tales in which 
 the English should be good, the morals pure, and the 
 characters such as we can love in spite of the faults 
 that all may have. I can't bear to see such crowds of 
 eager little fellows at the libraries reading such trash ; 
 weak, when it is not wicked, and totaUy unfit to feed 
 the hungry minds that feast on it for want of some- 
 thing better. There! my lecture is done; now I 
 should like to hear what you gentlemen have to say," 
 and Aunt Jessie subsided with a pretty flush on the 
 face that was full of motherly anxiety for her boys. 
 
 " Tom Brown just suits mother, and me too, so I 
 wish Mr. Hughes would write another story as good," 
 said Archie. 
 
 " You don't find things of this sort in Tom Brown ; 
 yet these books are all in the Sunday-school libraries " 
 <^- and Mrs. Jessie read the following paragraph firom 
 the book she had taken from Will's hand : — 
 
 " * In this place we saw a tooth of John the Baptist. 
 Ben said he could see locust and wild honey sticking 
 
200 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 to it. I could n't. Perhaps John used a piece of the 
 true cross for a toothpick.' " 
 
 " A larky sort of a boy says that, Mum, and we 
 skip the parts where they describe what the/ saw in 
 the different countries," cried Will. 
 
 "And those descriptions, taken mostly from guide- 
 books, I fancy, ai'e the only parts of any real worth. 
 The scrapes of the bad boys make up the rest of the 
 story, and it is for those you read these books, I think," 
 answered his mother, stroking back the hair off the 
 honest little face that looked rather abashed at this 
 true statement of the case. 
 
 "Any way, mother, the ship part is useful, for we 
 learn how to sail her, and by and by that will all come 
 handy when we go to sea," put in Geordie. 
 
 "Indeed; then you can explain this manoeuvre to 
 me, of course — " and Mrs. Jessie read from another 
 page the following nautical paragraph: — 
 
 " The wind is south-south-west, and we can have her 
 up four points closer to the wind, and still be six points 
 off the wind. As she luffs up we shall man the fore 
 and main sheets, slack on the weather, and haul on the 
 lee braces." 
 
 , " I guess I could, if I was n't afraid of uncle. He 
 knows so much more than I do, he'd laugh," began 
 Geordie, evidently puzzled by the question. 
 
 "Ho, you know you can't, so why make believe? 
 We don't understand half of the sea lingo. Mum, and 
 I dare say it 's all wrong," cried Will, suddenly going 
 over to the enemy, to Geordie's great disgust. 
 
 " I do wish the- boys would n't talk to me as if / was 
 a ship," said Rose, bringing forward a private grievance. 
 
GOOD BARGAINS. 
 
 201 
 
 "Coming home from church, this morning, the wind 
 blew me about, and Will called out, right in the street, 
 * Brail up the foresail, and take in the flying-jib, that 
 will ease her.' " 
 
 The boys shouted at the plaintive tone in which 
 Rose repeated the words that offended her, and Will 
 vainly endeavored to explain that he only meant to 
 tell her to wrap her cloak closer, and tie a veil over 
 the tempest-tossed feathers in her hat. 
 
 " To tell the truth, if the boys must have slang, I 
 can bear the * sea lingo,' as Will calls it, better than 
 the other. It afflicts me less to hear my sons talk 
 about 'brailing up the foresail' than doing as they 
 ' dam please,' and * cut your cable ' is decidedly prefer- 
 able to * let her rip.' I once made a rule that I would 
 have no slang in the house. I give it up now, for I 
 cannot keep it ; but I will not have rubbishy books ; 
 so, Archie, please send these two after your cigars." 
 
 Mrs. Jessie held both the small boys fast with an 
 arm round each neck, and when she took this base 
 advantage of them they could only squirm with dis- 
 may. " Yes, right behind the back log," she continued, 
 energetically. "There, my hearties — (you like sea 
 slang, so I' 11 give you a bit) — now, I want you to 
 promise not to read any more stufi" for a month, and 
 I '11 agree to supply you with wholesome fiire." 
 
 "O mother! not a single one?" cried Will. 
 
 "Couldn't we just finish those?" pleaded Geordie. 
 
 " The boys threw away half-smoked cigars ; and your 
 books must go after them. Surely you would not be 
 outdone by the *old fellows,' as you call them, or be 
 less obedient to little Mum than they were to Rose." 
 9* 
 
202 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS, 
 
 "Course not! Gome on, Geordie," and Will took 
 the vow like a hero. His brother sighed, and obeyed, 
 but privately resolved to finish his story the minute 
 the month was over. 
 
 " You have laid out a hard task for yourself, Jessie, 
 in trying to provide good reading for boys who have 
 been living on sensation stories. It will be like going 
 from raspberry tarts to plain bread and butter; but 
 you will probably save them from a bilious fever," said 
 Dr. Alec, much amused at the proceedings. 
 
 "I remember hearing grandpa say that a love for 
 good books was one of the best safeguards a man could 
 have," began Archie, staring thoughtfully at the fine 
 library before him. 
 
 "Yes, but there's no time to read nowadays; a 
 fellow has to keep scratching round to make money 
 or he 's nobody," cut in Charlie, trying to look worldly- 
 wise. 
 
 " This love of money is the curse of America, and 
 for the sake of it men will sell honor and honesty, till 
 we don't know whom to trust, and it is only a genius 
 like Agassiz who dares to say, * I cannot waste my time 
 in getting rich,' " said Mrs. Jessie sadly. 
 
 " Do you want us to be poor, mother?" asked Archie, 
 wondering. 
 
 "No, dear, and you never need be, while you can 
 use your hands ; but I am afraid of this thirst for wealth, 
 and the temptations it brings. O my boys ! I trem- 
 bk for the time when I must let you go, because I think 
 it would break my heart to have you fail as so many 
 fail. It would be far easier to see you dead if it could 
 be said of you as of Somner, — < No man dared offer 
 him a bribe.'" 
 
 % 
 
GOOD BARGAINS 
 
 203 
 
 I 
 
 Mrs. Jessie was so earnest in her motherly anxiety 
 that her voice faltered over the last words, and she 
 hugged the yellow heads closer in her arms, as if she 
 feared to let them leave that safe harbor for the great 
 sea where so many little boats go down. The younger 
 lads nestled closer to her, and Archie said, in his quiet, 
 resolute way, — 
 
 **I cannot promise to be an Agassiz or a Sumner, 
 mother ; but I do promise to be an honest man, please 
 God." 
 
 *' Then I 'm satisfied ! ^ and holding fast the hand he 
 gave her, she sealed his promise with a kiss that had 
 all a mother's hope and faith in it. 
 
 " I don't see how they ever can be bad, she is so 
 fond and proud of them," whispered Rose, quite touched 
 by the little scene. 
 
 " You must help her make them what they should 
 be. You have begun already, and when I see those 
 rings where they are, my girl is prettier in my sight 
 than if the biggest diamonds that ever twinkled shone 
 in her ears," answered Dr. Alec, looking at her with 
 approving eyes. 
 
 " I 'm so glad you think I can do any thing, for I 
 perfectly ache to be useful, every one is so good to me, 
 especially Aunt Jessie." 
 
 ** I think you are in a fair way to pay your debts, 
 Rosy, for when girls give up their little vanities, and 
 boys their small vices, and try to strengthen each other 
 in well-doing, matters are going as they ought. Work 
 away, my dear, and help their mother keep these sons 
 fit fHends for an innocent creature like yourself; they 
 will be the manlier men for it, I can assure you." 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 FASHION AND PHYSIOLOGY. 
 
 u 
 
 PLEASE, sir, I guess you 'd better step up right 
 away, or it will be too late, for I heard Miss 
 Rose say she knew you wouldn't like it, and she'd 
 never dare to let you see her." 
 
 Phebe said this as she popped her head into the 
 study, where Dr. Alec sat reading a new book. 
 
 "They are at it, are they?" he said, looking up 
 quickly, and giving himself a shake, as if ready for a 
 battle of some sort. 
 
 " Yes, sir, as hard as they can talk, and Miss Rose 
 don't seem to know what to do, for the things are ever 
 so stylish, and she looks elegant in 'em ; though I like 
 her best in the old ones," answered Phebe. 
 
 "You are a girl of sense. I'll settle matters for 
 Rosy, and you '11 lend a hand. Is every thing ready 
 ip her room, and are you sure you understand how 
 they go?" 
 
 " Oh, yes, sir ; but they are so funny I I know Miss 
 Rose will think .> 's a joke," and Phebe laughed as if 
 something tickled her immensely. 
 
 <( Never mind what she thinks so long as she obeys. 
 Tell her to do it for my sake, and she will find it the 
 
FASHION AND PHYSIOLOGY. 
 
 205 
 
 V 
 
 
 best joke she ever saw. I expect to have a tough 
 time of it, but we '11 win yet," said the Doctor, as he 
 marched upstairs with the book in his hand, and an 
 odd smile on his face. 
 
 There was such a clatter of tongues in the sewing 
 room that no one heard his tap at the door, so he 
 pushed it open and took an observation. Aunt Plenty, 
 Aunt Clara, and Aunt Jessie were all absorbed in gaz- 
 ing at Rose, who slowly revolved between them and 
 the great mirror, in a full winter costume of the latest 
 fashion. 
 
 " Bless my heart ! worse even than I expected," 
 thought the Doctor, with an inward groan, for, to his 
 benighted eyes, the girl looked like a trussed fowl, and 
 the fine new dress had neither grace, beauty, nor fit- 
 ness to recommend it. 
 
 The suit was of two peculiar shades of blue, so ar- 
 ranged that patches of light and dark distracted the 
 eye. The upper skirt was tied so tightly back that it 
 was impossible to take a long step, and the under one 
 was so loaded with plaited frills that it " wobbled " — 
 no other word will express it — ungracefully, both fore 
 and aft. A bunch of iolds was gathered up just below 
 the waist behind, and a great bow rode a-top. A small 
 jacket of the same material was adorned with a high 
 ru£E at the back, and laid well open over the breast, to 
 display some lace and a locket. Heavy fringes, bows, 
 puffs, ruffles, and revers finished off the dress, making 
 one's head ache to think of the amount of work wasted, 
 for not a single graceful line struck the eye, and the 
 beauty of the material was quite lost in the profusion 
 of ornament. 
 
206 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 A high velvet hat, audaciously turned up in front, 
 with a bunch of pink roses and a sweeping plume, was 
 cooked over one ear, and, with her curls braided into a 
 club at the back of her neck, Rose's head looked more 
 like that of a dashing young cavalier than a modest 
 little girPs. High-heeled boots tilted her well forward, 
 a tiny mu£E pinioned her arms, and a spotted veil tied 
 so closely over her face that her eyelashes were rumpled 
 by it> gave the last touch of absurdity to her appear- 
 ance. 
 
 " Now she looks like other girls, and as I like to see 
 her," Mrs. Clara was saying, with an air of great sat- 
 isfaction.' 
 
 *' She does look like a fashionable young lady, but 
 somehow I miss my little Rose, for children dressed 
 like children in my day," answered Aunt Plenty, peer- 
 ing through her glasses with a troubled look, for she 
 could not imagine the creature before her ever sitting 
 in her lap, running to wait upon her, or making the 
 house gay with a child's blithe presence. 
 
 " Things have changed since your day, Aunt, and it 
 takes time to get used to new ways. But you, Jessie, 
 surely like this costume better than the dowdy things 
 Rose has been wearing all summer. Now, bo honest, 
 and own you do," said Mrs. Clara, bent on being praised 
 for her work. 
 
 " Well, dear, to be quite honest, then, I think it is 
 frightful," answered Mrs. Jessie with a candor that 
 caused revolving Rose to stop in dismay. 
 
 '< Hear, hear," cried a deep voice, and with a general 
 start the ladies became aware that the enemy was 
 among thorn. 
 
 0b^ 
 
FASHION AND PHYSIOLOGY. 
 
 207 
 
 Rose blushed up to her hat brim, and stood, lookmg, 
 as she felt, like a fool, while Mrs. Clara hastened to 
 explain. 
 
 " Of courje I don't expect you to like it. Alec, but 
 I don't consider you a judge of what is proper and be- 
 coming for a young lady. Therefore I have taken the 
 liberty of providing a pretty street suit for Rose. She 
 need not wear it if you object, for I Know we prom- 
 ised to let you do what you liked with the poor dear 
 for a year." 
 
 " It is a street costume, is it ? " asked the Doctor, 
 mildly. " Do you know, I never should have guessed 
 that it was meant for winter weather and brisk loco- 
 motion. Take a turn. Rosy, and let me see all its 
 beauties and advantages." 
 
 Rose tried to walk off with her usual free tread, but 
 the under-skirt got in her way, the over-skirt was so 
 tight she could not take n long step, and her boots 
 made it impossible to carry herself perfectly erect. 
 
 " I have n't got used to it yet," she said, petulantly, 
 kicking at her train, as she turned to toddle back again. 
 
 " Suppose a mad dog or a runaway horse was after 
 you, could you get out of the way without upsetting. 
 Colonel?" asked the Doctor, with a twinkle in the eyes 
 that were fixed on the rakish hat. 
 
 " Don't think I could, but I '11 try," and Rose made 
 a rush across the room. Her boot-heels caught on a 
 rug, several strings broke, her hat tipped over her eyes, 
 and she plunged promiscuously into a chair, where she 
 sat laughing so infectiously that all but Mrs. Clara 
 joined in her mirth. 
 
 *•*■ I should say that a walking suit in which one could 
 
 •.muf* » ' 
 
 ■» 
 
208 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS, 
 
 
 not walk, and a winter suit which exposes the throiitt, 
 head, and feet to cold and damp, was rather a failure, 
 Clara ; especially as it has no heauty to reconcile one 
 to its utter unfitness," said Dr. Aleo, as he helped Rose 
 undo her veil, adding, in a low tone, " Nice thing for the 
 eyes ; you '11 soon see spots when it is off as well as 
 when it is on, and, by and by, be a case for an oculist." 
 
 " No beauty 1 " cried Mrs. Clara, warmly. " Now 
 that is just a man's blindness. This is the best of silk 
 and camel's hair, real ostrich feathers, and an expensive 
 ermine muff. What could be in better taste, or more 
 proper for a young girl ? " 
 
 "I'll show ycu, if Rose will go to her room and 
 oblige me by putting on what she finds there," answered 
 the Doctor, with unexpected readiness. 
 
 " Alec, if it is a Bloomer, I shall protest. I 've been 
 expecting it, but I know I cannot bear to see that 
 pretty child sacrificed to your wild ideas of health. 
 Tell me it is n't a Bloomer I " and Mrs. Clara clasped 
 her hands imploringly. 
 
 " It is not." 
 
 " Thank Heaven I " and she resigned herself with a 
 sigh of relief, adding plaintively, " I did hope you 'd 
 accept my suit, for poor Rose has been afflicted with 
 frightful clothes long enough to spoil the taste of any 
 girl." 
 
 " You talk of my afflicting the child, and then make 
 a helpless guy like that of her I " answered the Doctor, 
 pointing to the little fashion plate that was scuttling 
 out of sight as fast as it could go. ' 
 
 He closed the door with a shrug, but before any one 
 could speak, his quick eye fell iipon an object which 
 
 k 
 
FASHWN AND PHYSIOLOGY. 
 
 209 
 
 caused him to frown, and demand in an indignant 
 tone, — 
 
 "After all I have said, were you really going to 
 tempt my girl with those abominable things?" 
 
 " I thought we put them away when she would n't 
 wear them," murmured Mrs. Clara, whisking a little 
 pair of corsets out of sight, with guilty haste. " I only 
 brought them to try, for Rose is growing stout, and 
 will have no figure if it is not attended to soon," she 
 added, with an air of calm conviction that roused the 
 Doctor still m^ore, for this was one of his especial abom- 
 inations. 
 
 "Growing stout! Yes, thank Heaven, she is, and 
 shall continue to do it, for Nature knows how to mould 
 a woman better than any corset-maker, and I won't 
 have her interfered with. My dear Clara, have you 
 • lost your senses that you can for a moment dream of 
 putting a growing girl into an instrument of torture 
 like this?" and with a sudden gesture he plucked 
 forth the offending corsets from under the sofa cushion, 
 and held them out with the expression one would wear 
 on beholding the thumbscrews or the rack of ancient 
 times. 
 
 "Don't be absurd. Alec. There is no torture about 
 it, for tight lacing is out of fashion, and we have nice, 
 sensible things nowadays. Every one wears Jihem ; 
 even babies have stiffened waists to support their weak 
 little backs," began Mrs. Clara, rushing to the defence 
 of the peli delusion of most women. 
 
 " I know it, and so the poor little souls have weak 
 backs all their days, as their mothers had before them. 
 It is vain to argue the matter, and I won't try, but I 
 
■H 
 
 210 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS, 
 
 wish to state, once for all, that if I ever see a pair of 
 corsets near Rose, I '11 put them in the fire, and you 
 may send the bill to me." 
 
 As he spoke, the corsets were on their way to de- 
 struction, but Mrs. Jessie caught his arm, eitclaiming 
 merrily, " Don't burn them, for mercy sake. Alec ; they 
 are full of whalebones, and will make a dreadful odor. 
 Give them to me. I '11 see that tlicy do no harm." 
 
 " Whalebones indeed ! A regular fence of them, and 
 metal gate-posts in front. As if our own bones were 
 not enough, if w<j'd give them a chance to do their 
 duty," growled the Doctor, yielding up the bone of con- 
 tention with a last shake of contempt. Then his face 
 cleared suddenly, and he held up his finger, saying, with 
 a smile, " Hear those girls laugh ; cramped lungs could 
 not make hearty music like that." 
 
 Peals of laughter issued from Rose's room, and smiles 
 ^voluntarily touched the lips of those who listened to 
 the happy sound. 
 
 "Some new prank of yours. Alec?" asked Aunt 
 Plenty, indulgently, for she had come to believe in 
 most of her nephew's odd notions, because they seemed 
 to work so well. 
 
 " Yes, ma *am, my last, and I hope you will like it. 
 I discovered what Clara was at, and got my rival suit 
 read^ for to-day. I 'm not going to * afflict ' Rose, but 
 let her choose, and if I 'm not entirely mistaken, she 
 will like my rig best. While we wait I '11 explain, and 
 then you will appreciate the general effect better. I 
 got hold of this little book, and.i^as struck with its 
 good senile and good taste, fo.. it suggests a way to 
 clothe women both healthfully and handsomely, and 
 
 a_. 
 
FASHION AND PHYSIOLOGY. 
 
 211 
 
 that is a great point. It begins at the foundations, as 
 you will see if you will look at these pictures, and I 
 should think women would rejoice at this lightening of 
 their burdens." 
 
 As he spoke, the Doctor laid the book before Aunt 
 Plenty, who obediently brought her spectacles to bear 
 upon the illustrations, and after a long look exclaimed 
 with a scandalized face, — 
 
 " Mercy on us, these things are like the night-drawers 
 Jamie wears I You don't mean to say you want Rose 
 to come out in this costume ? It 's not proper, and I 
 won't consent to it I " 
 
 "I do mean it, and I'm sure my sen&ible aunt will 
 consent when she understands that these, — well, — I '11 
 call them by an Indian name, and say, — pajamas, — 
 are for underwear, and Rose can have as pretty frocks 
 as she likes outside. These two suits of flannel, each 
 in one piece fro:- head to foot, with a skirt or so hung 
 on this easily fitting waist, will keep the child warm 
 without burdening her with belts, and gathers, and 
 buckles, and bunches round the waist, and leave iree 
 the muscles that need plenty of room to work in. She 
 shall never have the back-ache if I can help it, nor the 
 long list of ills you dear women think you cannot es- 
 cape." 
 
 "-Z" don't consider it modest, and I'm sure Rose will 
 be shocked at it," began Mrs. Clara, but stopped sud- 
 denly as Rose appeared in the door-way, not looking 
 shocked a bit. 
 
 " Come on, my hygienic model, and let us see you," 
 said her uncle, with an approving glance, as she walked 
 m looking so mischievously merry, that it was evident 
 she enjoyed the joke. 
 
 
212 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " Well, I don't see any thing remarkable. That is a 
 neat, plain suit ; tie materials are good, v\d it 's not 
 unbecoming, if you want her to look like a little school- 
 girl ; but it has not a particle of style, and no one would 
 ever give it a second glance," said Mrs. Clara, feeling 
 that her last remark condemned the whole thing. 
 
 "Exactly what I want," answered the provoking 
 Doctor, rubbing his hands with a satisfied air. " Rosy 
 looks now like what she is, a modest little girl, who 
 does not want to be stared at. I think she would get 
 a glance of approval, though, from people who like 
 sense and simplicity, rather than fuss and feathers. 
 Revolve, my Hebe, and let me refresh my eyes by.the 
 sight of you." 
 
 There was very little to see, however, only a pretty 
 Gabrielle dress, of a soft, warm shade of brown, com- 
 ing to the tops of a trim pair of boots with low heels. 
 A seal-skin sack, cap, and mittens, with a glimpse of 
 scarlet at the throat, and the pretty curls tied up with 
 a bright velvet of the same color, completed the exter- 
 nal adornment, making her look like a robin red- 
 breast, — wintry, yet warm. 
 
 "How do you like it, Rosy?" asked the Doctor, feel- 
 ing that her opinion was more important to the success 
 of his new idea than that of all the aunts on the hill. 
 
 " I feel very odd and light, but I 'm warm as a toast, 
 aiid nothing seems to be in my way," answered Rose, 
 with a skip which displayed shapely gaiters on legs 
 that now might be as free and active as a boy's under 
 the modest skirts of the girl. 
 
 "You can run away from the mad dogs, and walk 
 off at a smart pace without tumbling on your nose, 
 now, I fancy?" 
 
FASHION AND PHYSIOLOGY. 
 
 218 
 
 " Yes, uncle I suppose the dog coming, I just hop 
 over a wall so — and when I walk of a cold day, I 
 go like this — " 
 
 Entering fully into the spirit of the thing. Rose 
 swung herself over the high back of the sofa as easily 
 as one of her cousins, and then went down the long 
 hall as if her stoat boots were related to the famous 
 seven-leaguers. 
 
 " There ! you see how it will be ; dress her in that 
 boyish way aad she will act like a boy. I do hate all 
 these inventions of strong-minded women ! " exclaimed 
 Mrs. Clara, as Rose came back at a run. 
 
 " Ah, but you see some of these sensible inventions 
 come from the brain of a fashionable modiste, who 
 will make you lovely, or what you value more, — 
 * stylish' outside and comfortable within. Mrs. Van 
 Tassel has been to Madame Stone, and is wearing a 
 full suit of this sort. Van himself told me, when I 
 asked how she was, that she had given up lying on 
 the sofa, and was going about in a most astonishing 
 way, considering her feeble health." 
 
 " You don't say so ! liCt m'" see that book a mo- 
 ment," and Aunt Clara examined the new patterns 
 with a more respectful air, for if the elegant Mrs. Van 
 Tassel wore these " dreadful things " it would never 
 do to be left behind, in spite of her prejudices. 
 
 Dr. Alec looked at Mrs. Jessie, and both smiled, for 
 " little Mum " had been in the secret, and enjoyed it 
 mightily. 
 
 "I thought that would settle it," he said with a 
 nod. 
 
 *' I did n't wait for Mrs. Van to lead the way, and 
 
214 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 for once in my life I have adopted a new fashion before 
 Clara. My freedom suit is ordered, and you may see 
 me playing tag with Rose and the boys before long," 
 answered Mrs. Jessie, nodding back at him. 
 
 Meantime Aunt Plenty was examining Rose's cos- 
 tume, for the hat and sack were off, and the girl was 
 eagerly explaining the new under-garments. 
 
 " See, auntie, all nice scarlet flannel, and a gay little 
 petticoat, and long stockings, oh, so warm I Phebe 
 and I nearly died laughing when I put this rig on, but 
 I like it ever so much. The dress is so comfortable, 
 and does n't need any belt or sash, and I can sit with- 
 out rumpling any trimming, that 's such a comfort ! I 
 like to be tidy, and so, when I wear fussed-up things, 
 I 'm thinking of my clothes all the time, and that 's 
 tiresome. Do say you like it. I resolved I would, 
 just to please uncle, for he does know more about 
 health than any one else, I 'm sure, and I 'd wear a bag 
 if he asked me to do it." 
 
 " I don't ask that. Rose, but I wish you 'd weigh and 
 compare the two suits, and then choose which seems 
 best. I leave it to your own common-sense," answered 
 Dr. Alec, feeling pretty sure he had won. 
 
 " Why, I take this one, of course, uncle. The other 
 is fashionable, and — yes — I must say I think it 's 
 pretty — but it 's very heavy, and I should have to go 
 round like a walking doll if I wore it. I'm much 
 obliged to auntie, but I '11 keep this, please." 
 
 Rose spoke gently but decidedly, though there was 
 a look of regret when her eye fell on the other suit 
 which Phebe had brought in ; and it was very natural 
 to like tc look as other girls did. Aunt Clara sighed ; 
 Uncle Alec smiled, and said heartily, — 
 
FASHION AND PHYSIOLOGY. 
 
 215 
 
 "Thank you, dear; now read this book and you 
 will understand why I ask it of you. Then, if you 
 like, I '11 give you a new lesson ; you asked for one 
 yesterday, and this is more necessary than French or 
 housekeeping." 
 
 " Oh, what ? " and Rose caught up the book which 
 Mrs. Clara had thrown down with a disgusted look. 
 
 Though Dr. Alec was forty, the boyish love of teasing 
 was not yet dead in him, and, being much elated at his 
 victory, he could not resist the temptation of shocking 
 Mrs. Clara by suggesting dreadful possibilities, so he 
 answered, half in earnest half in jest : " Physiology, 
 Rose. Would n't you like to be a little medical student 
 with Uncle Doctor for teacher, and be ready to take 
 up his practice when he has to stop ? If you agree, 
 I '11 hunt up my old skeleton to-morrow." 
 
 That was too much for Aunt Clara, and she hastily 
 departed with her mind in a sad state of perturbation 
 about Mrs. Van Tassel's new costume, and Rose's new 
 study. 
 
T 
 
 -X^ T- 
 
 tJHAPTER XIX. 
 BROTHER BONES, 
 
 ROSE accepted her uncle's offer, as Aunt Myi'a 
 discovered tWo or three days later. Coming in 
 for an early call, alid hearing voices in the study, she 
 opened the door, gave a cry and shut it quickly, 
 looking a good deal startled. The Doctor appeared 
 in a moment, and hegged to know what the matter 
 was. 
 
 "How can you ask when that long box looks so 
 like a coffin I thought it was one, and that dreadful 
 thing stared me in the face a^ I opened the door," 
 answered Mrs. Myra, pointing to the skeleton that 
 hung from the chandelier cheerfully grinning at all 
 beholders. 
 
 "This is a medical college where women are freely 
 adm'tted, so walk in, madam, and join the class if 
 you 11 do me the honor," said the Doctor, waving 
 her forward with his politest bow. 
 
 "Do, auntie; it's perfectly splendid," cried Rose's 
 voice, and Rose's blooming face was seen behind the 
 ribs of the skeleton, smiling and noddmg in the gayest 
 possible manner. 
 
 "What are you doing, child?" demanded Aunt 
 Myra, dropping into a chair and staring about her. 
 
BROTHER BONES. 
 
 21T 
 
 *'0h, I'm learning bones to-day, and I like it so 
 much. There are twelve ribs, you know, and the two 
 lower ones are called floating ribs, because they are 
 not fastened to the breast bone. That 's why they go 
 in so easily if you lace tight and squeeze the lungs and 
 heart in the — let me see, what was that big word — 
 oh, I know — thoracic cavity," and Rose beamed with 
 pride as she aired her little bit of knowledge. 
 
 "Do you think that is a good sort of thing f^^- her 
 to be poking over ? She is a nervous child, and I 'm 
 afraid it will be bad for her," said Aunt Myra, watch- 
 ing Rose as she counted vertebrae, and waggled a hip- 
 joint in its socket with an inquiring expression. 
 
 "An excellent study, for she enjoys it, and I mean 
 to teach her how to manage her nerves so that they 
 won't be a curse to her, as many a woman's become* 
 through ignorance or w.mt of thought. To make a 
 mystery or a terror of these things is a mistake, and I 
 mean Rose shall understand 'ind respect her body so 
 well that she won't dare to trifle with it as most 
 women do." 
 
 "And she really likes it?" 
 
 "Very much, auntie! It's all so wonderful, and 
 so nicely planned, you can hardly believe what you 
 see. Just think, there are 600,000,000 air cells in one 
 pair of lungs, and 2,000 pores to a square inch of 
 surface; so you see what quantities of air we must 
 have, and what care we should take of our skin so all 
 the little doors will open and shut right. And brains, 
 auntie, you've no idea how curious they are; I 
 haven't got to them yet, but I long to, and uncle 
 is going to show me a manikin that you can take to 
 10 
 
218 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 pieces. Just think how nice it will be to see all the 
 organs in their places ; I only wish they could be made 
 to work as ours do." 
 
 It was funny to see Aunt Myra*s face as Rose stood 
 before her talking rapidly with one hand laid in the 
 friendliest manner on the skeleton's shoulder. Every 
 word both the Doctor and Rose uttered hit the good 
 lady in her weakest spot, and as she looked and 
 listened a long array of bottles and pill-boxes rose up 
 before her, reproaching her with the "ignorance and 
 want of thought" that made he» what she was, a 
 nervous, dyspeptic, unhappy old woman. 
 
 " Well, I don't know but you may be right. Alec, 
 only I would n't carry it too far. Women don't need 
 much of this sort of knowledge, and are not fit for it. 
 I could n't bear to touch that ugly thing, and it gives 
 me the creeps to hear about * organs,' " said Aunt 
 Myra, with a sigh and her hand on her side. 
 
 " Would n't it be a comfort to know that your liver 
 was on the right side, auntie, and not on the left?" 
 asked Rose with a naughty laugh in her eyes, for she 
 had lately learned that Aunt Myra's liver complaint 
 was not in the proper place. 
 
 " It 's a dying world, child, and it don't much matter 
 where the pain is, for sooner or later we all drop off 
 and are seen no more,"- was Aunt MjTa's cheerful 
 reply. 
 
 " Well, I intend to know what kills me if I can, and 
 meantime I'm going to enjoy myself in spite of a 
 dying world. I wish you 'd do so too, and come and 
 study with uncle, it would do you good I'm sure," 
 and Rose went back to counting vertebraB with such 
 
BROTHER BONES. 
 
 219 
 
 a happy face that Aunt Myra had not the heart to say 
 a word to dampen her ardor. 
 
 " Perhaps it 's as well to let her do what she likes 
 the little while she is with us. But pray be careful of 
 her, Alec, and not allow her to overwork," she whis- 
 pered as she went out. 
 
 " That's exactly what I'm trying to do, ma*ara, and 
 rather a hard job I find it," he added, as he shut the 
 door, for the dear aunts were dreadfully in his way 
 sometimes. 
 
 Half an hour later came another interruption in the 
 shape of Mac, who announced his arrival by the brief 
 but elegant remark, — 
 
 " Hullo ! what new game is this ? " 
 
 Rose explained, M-^c gave a long whistle of surprise, 
 and then took a prou^enade round the skeleton, ob- 
 serving gravely, — 
 
 " Brother Bones looks very jolly, but I can't say 
 much for his beauty." 
 
 " You mus n't make fun of him, for he's a good old 
 fellow, and you 'd be just as ugly if your flesh was off," 
 said Rose, defending her new friend with warmth. 
 
 " I dare say, so I '11 keep my flesh on, thank you. 
 You are so busy you can't read to a fellow, I suppose ? " 
 asked Mac, whose eyes were better, but still too weak 
 for books 
 
 " Don't you want to come and join my class ? uncle 
 explains it all to us, and you can take a look at the 
 plates as they come along. We '11 give up bones to- 
 day and have eyes instead ; that will be more interest- 
 Mig to you" added Rose, seeing no ardent thirst for 
 physiological information in his face. 
 
220 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 "Rose, we must not fly about from one thing to 
 another in this way," began Dr. Alec ; but she whis- 
 pered quickly, with a nod towards Mac, whose goggles 
 were turned wistfully in the direction of the forbidden 
 books, — 
 
 " He 's blue to-day, and we must amuse him ; give a 
 little lecture on eyes, and it will do him good. No 
 matter about me, uncle." 
 
 " Very well ; the class will please be seated," and 
 the Doctor gave a sounding rap on the table. 
 
 " Come, sit by me, dear, then we can both see the 
 pictures; and if your head gets tired you can lie 
 down," said Rose, generously 0|>eBir, • her little college 
 to a brother, and kindly providing for the weaknesses 
 that all humanity is subject to. 
 
 Side by side they sat and listened to a very simple 
 explanation of the mechanism of the eye, finding it as 
 wonderful as a fairy tale, for fine plates illustrated it, 
 and a very willing teacher did his best to make the 
 lesson pleasant. 
 
 " Jove I if I 'd known what mischief I was doing to 
 that mighty delicate machine of mine, you would n't 
 have caught me reaaing by fire light, ;. ; studying 
 with a glare of sunshine on my book," sa^ ' 1 J[dc, peer- 
 ing solemnly at a magnified eyeball; then, | 'i uing it 
 away, he added indignantly : " Why is n't a fellow 
 taught all about his works, and how to manage 'em, 
 and not left to go blundering into all sorts of worries ? 
 Telling him after he 's down is n't much use, for then 
 he 's found it out himself and won't thank you." 
 
 " Ah, Mac, that's just what I keep lecturing about, 
 and people i/7on'^ listen. You lads need. that sort of 
 
BROTHER BONES. 
 
 221 
 
 knowledge so much, and fathers and mothers ought 
 to be able to give it to you. Few of them are able, 
 and so we ^11 go blundering, as you say. Less Greek 
 and Latin and more knowledge of the laws of health 
 for my boys, if I had them. Mathematics are all very 
 well, but morals are better, and I wish, how I wish 
 that I could help teachers and parents to feel it as 
 they ought.'* 
 
 " Some do ; Aunt Jessie and her boys have capital 
 talks, and I wish we could ; but mother *s so busy with 
 her housekeeping, and father with his business, there 
 never seems to be any time for that sort of thing ; even 
 if there was, it don't seem as if it would be easy to 
 talk to them, because we 've never got into the way of 
 it, you know." 
 
 Poor Mac was right there, and expressed a want 
 that many a boy and girl feels. Fathers and mothers 
 are too absorbed in business and housekeeping to study 
 their children, arid cherish that sweet and natural 
 confidence which is a child's surest safeguard, and a 
 parent's subtlest power. So the young hearts hide 
 trouble or temptation till the harm is done, and mutual 
 regret comes too late. Happy the boys and girls who 
 tell all things freely to father or mother, sure of pity, 
 help, and pardon ; and thrice happy the parents who, 
 out of their own experience, and by their own virtues, 
 can teach and uplift the souls for which they are re- 
 sponsible. 
 
 This longing stirred in the hearts of Rose and Mac, 
 and by a natural impulse both turned to Dr. Alec, for 
 in this queer world of ours, fatherly and motherly 
 hearts often beat warm and wise in the breasts of 
 
 '£■' 
 
222 
 
 SIGHr COUSINS. 
 
 bachelor uncles ana maiden aunts ; and it is my private 
 opinion that these worthy creatures are a beautiful 
 provision of nature for the cherishing of other people's 
 children. They certainly get great comfort out of it, 
 and receive much innocent affection that otherwise 
 would be lost. 
 
 Dr. Alec was one of these, and his big heart had 
 room for every one of the eight cousins, especially 
 orphaned Rose and afflicted Mac ; so, when the boy 
 uttered .that unconscious reproach to his parents, and 
 Rose added with a sigh, " It must be beautiful to have 
 a mother ! " — the good Doctor yearned over them, 
 and, shutting his book with a decided slam, said in 
 that cordial voice of his, — 
 
 " Now, look here, children, you just come and tell 
 me all your worries, and with God's help I '11 settle 
 them for you. That is what I 'm here for, I believe, 
 and it will be a great happiness to me if you can trust 
 
 me." 
 
 " We can, uncle, and we will ! " both answered with 
 a heartiness that gratified him much. 
 
 " Good ! now school is dismissed, and I advise you 
 to go and refresh your 600,000,000 air cells by a brisk 
 run in the garden. Come again whenever you like, 
 Mac, and we '11 teach you all we can about your 
 * works,' as you call them, so you can keep them 
 running SLioothly." 
 
 " We '11 come, sir, much obliged," and tho class in 
 physiology went out to walk. 
 
 Mao did come again, glad to find something he could 
 study in spite of his weak eyes, and learned much that 
 was of more value than any thing his school had ever 
 taught him. 
 
BROTHER BONES. 
 
 223 
 
 Of course, the other lads made great fun of the whole 
 thing, and plagued Dr. Alec's students half out of their 
 lives. But they kept on persistently, and one day 
 something happened which made the other fellows 
 behave themselves for ever after. 
 
 It was a holiday, and Rose up in her room thought 
 she heard the voices of her cousins, so she ran down 
 to welcome them, but found no one there. 
 
 " Never mind, they will be here soon, and then we '11 
 have a frolic," she said to herself, and thinking she had 
 been mistaken she went into the study to wait. She 
 was lounging over the table looking at a map when 
 an odd noise caught her ear. A gentle tapping some- 
 where, and following the soimd it seemed to come from 
 the inside of the long case in which the skeleton lived 
 when not professionally engaged. This case stood 
 upright in a niche between two book-cases at the back 
 of the room, a darkish corner, where Brother Bones, 
 as the boys would call him, was out of the way. 
 
 As Rose stood looking in that direction, and won- 
 dering if a rat had got shut in, the door of the case 
 swung slowly open, and with a great start she saw 
 a bony arm lifted, and a bony finger beckon to her. 
 For a minute she was frightened, and ran to the study 
 door with a fluttering heart, but just as she touched 
 the handle a queer, stifled sort of giggle made her stop 
 short and turn red with anger. She paused an instant 
 to collect herself, and then went softly toward the bony 
 beckoner. A nearer look revealed black threads tied 
 to the arm and fingers, the ends of threads disappearing 
 through holes bored in the back of the case. Peeping 
 into the deep recess, she also caught sight of th» tip of 
 
224 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 an elbow covered with a rough gray cloth which she 
 knew very well. 
 
 Quick as a flash she understood the joke, her 
 fear vanished, and with a wicked smile, she whipped 
 out her scissors, cut the threads, and the bony arm 
 dropped with a rattle. Before she could say, " Come 
 out, Charlie, and let my skeleton alone," a sudden irrup- 
 tion of boys all in a high state of tickle proclaimed to 
 the hidden rogue that his joke was a failure. 
 
 " I told him not to do it, because it might give you 
 a start," explained Archie, emerging from the closet. 
 
 "I had a smelling-bottle all ready if she fainted 
 away,"^ added Steve, popping up from behind the 
 great chair. 
 
 " It 's too bad of you not to squawk and run ; we 
 depended on it, it's such fun to howl after you," said 
 Will and Geordie, rolling out from under the sofa in a 
 promiscuous heap. 
 
 "You are getting altogether too strong-minded. 
 Rose ; most girls would have been in a jolly tw^itter 
 to see this old fellow waggling his finger at them," 
 complained Charlie, squeezing out from his tight 
 quarters, dusty and disgusted. 
 
 " I 'm used to your pranks now, so I 'm always on 
 the watch and prepared. But I won't have Brother 
 Bones made fun of. I know uncle would n't like it, 
 so please don't," began Rose just as Dr. Alec came in, 
 and, seeing the state of the case at a glance, he said 
 quietly, — 
 
 " Hear how I got that skeleton, and then I 'm sure 
 you will treat it with respect." 
 
 Thd boys settled down at once on any article of 
 furniture that was nearest and listened dutifully. 
 
BROTHER BONES. 
 
 225 
 
 " Years ago, when I was in the hospital^ a poor fel- 
 low was brought there with a rare and very painful 
 disease. There was no hope for him, but we did our 
 best, and he was so grateful that when he died he left 
 us "his body that we might discover the mysteries of 
 bis complaint, and so be able to help others afflicted in 
 the same way. It did do good, and his brave patien<)e 
 made us remember him long after he was gone. He 
 thought I had been kind to him, and said to a fellow- 
 student of mine : ' Tell the Doctor I lave him me 
 bones, for I 've nothing else in the wide world, and 
 I '11 not be wanting *em at all, at all, when the great 
 pain has kilt me entirely.' So that is how they came 
 to be mine, and why I 've kept them carefully ; for, 
 though only a poor, ignorant fellow, Mike Nolan did 
 what he could to help others, and prove his gratitude 
 to those who tried to help him." 
 
 As Dr. Alec paused, Archie closed the door of the 
 case as respectfully as if the mummy of an Egyptian 
 king was inside ; Will and Geordie looked solemnly 
 at one another, evidently much impressedj and Charlie 
 pensively remarked from the coal-hod where he sat, — 
 
 " I 've often heard of a skeleton in the house, but I 
 think few people have one as useful and as interesting 
 
 as ours. 
 
 » 
 
 10» 
 
:ac 
 
 wmm 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 UNDER THE MISTLETOE. 
 
 ! " 
 
 ROSE made Phebe promise that she woald bring 
 her stocking into the "Bower," as she called 
 her pretty room, on Christmas morning, becaase that 
 first delicious rummage loses half its charm if two 
 little night-caps at least do not meet over the treas- 
 ures, and two happy voices Oh and Ah together. 
 
 So when Rose opened her eyes that day tney fell 
 upon faithful Phel^e, rolled up in a shawl, sitting on 
 the rug before a blazing fire, with her untouched 
 stocking laid beside her. 
 
 " Merry Christmas ! " cried the little mistress, smil- 
 
 inggayly. 
 
 "Merry Christmas!" answered the little maid, so 
 heartily that it did one good to hear her. 
 
 " Bring the stockings right away, Phebe, and let 's 
 see what we Ve got," said Rose, sitting up among the 
 pillows, and looking as eager as a child. 
 
 A pair of long knobby hose were laid out iipon the 
 coverlet and their contents examined with delight, 
 though each knew every blessed thing that had been 
 put into the other's stocking. 
 
 Never mind what they were ; it is evident that they 
 
UNDER THE MISTLETOE. 
 
 227 
 
 were quite satisfactory, for as Rose leaned buck, she 
 said, with a luxurious sieh of satisfaction : " Now, I 
 believe I Ve got every thing in the world that I want," 
 and Phebe answered, smiling over a lapful of treas- 
 ures : " This is the most splendid Christmas I ever had 
 since I was born." Then, she added with an impor- 
 tant air, — 
 
 " Do wish for something else, because I happen to 
 know of two more presents outside the door this min- 
 ute." 
 
 " Oh, me, what richness ! " cried Rose, much ex- 
 cited. "I used to wish for a pair of glass slippers 
 like Cinderella's, but as I can't have them, I really 
 don't know what to ask for." 
 
 Phebe clapped her hands as she skipped off the bed 
 and ran to the door, saying merrily : " One of them 
 ^& for your feet any way. I don't know what you '11 
 say to the other, but I thin' it 's elegant." 
 
 So did Rose, when a shining pair of skates and a 
 fine sled appeared. 
 
 " Uncle sent those ; I know he did ; and, now I see 
 them, I remember that I did want to skate and coast. 
 Is n't it a beauty ? See ! they fit nicely," and, sit- 
 ting on the new sled. Rose tried a skate on her little 
 bare foot, while Phebe stood by admiring the pretty 
 tableau. 
 
 "Now we must hurry and get dressed, for there 
 is a deal to do to^ay, and I want to get through in 
 time to try my sled before dinner." 
 
 " Gracious me, and I ought to be dusting my par- 
 lors this blessed minute ! " and mistress and maid sep- 
 arated with such happy faces that any onis would have 
 known what day it was without being told. 
 
IS 
 
 228 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 "Birnam Wood has come to Dansinane, Rosy," 
 said Dr. Alec, as he left the breakfast table to open 
 the door for a procession of holly, hemlock, and cedar 
 boughs that came marching up the steps. 
 
 Snowballs and "Merry Christmases I " flew about 
 pretty briskly for several minutes ; then all fell to 
 work trimming up the old house, for the family al- 
 ways dined together there on that day. ' 
 
 " I rode miles and mileses, as Ben says, to get this 
 fine bit, and I 'm going to hang it there ^as the last 
 touch to the rig-a-madooning,'* said Charlie, as he 
 fastened a dull green branch to the chandelier in the 
 front parlor. 
 
 " It is n't very pretty," said Rose, who was trim- 
 ming the chimney-piece with glossy holly sprays. 
 
 " Never mind that, it *s mistletoe, and any one who 
 stands under it will get kissed whether they like it or 
 not. Kow's your time, ladies," answered the saucy 
 Prince, keeping his place and looking sentimentally at 
 the girls, who retired precipitately from the dangerous 
 spot. 
 
 ." You won't catch me," said Rose, with great dig- 
 nity. - 
 
 " See if I don't I " 
 
 " I 've got my eye on Phebe," observed Will, in a 
 patronizing tone that made them all laugh. 
 
 " Bless the dear; I sha'n't mind it a bit," answered 
 Phebe, with such a maternal Jlir that Will's budding 
 gallantry was chilled to death. 
 
 " Oh, the mistletoe bough I " sang Rose. 
 
 " Oh, the mistletoe bough I " echoed all the boys, 
 and the teasing ended in the plaintive ballad they all 
 liked i|o well. 
 
UNDER THE MISTLETOE. 
 
 229 
 
 There was plenty of time to try the new skates 
 before dinner, and then Rose took her first lesson on 
 the little bay, which seemed to have frozen over for 
 that express purpose. She found tumbling down and 
 getting up again warm work for a time, but, with six 
 boys to teach her, she managed at last to stand alone ; 
 and, satisfied with that success, she refreshed he self 
 with a dozen grand coasts on the Amazon, as her sled 
 was called. 
 
 * " Ah, that fatal color ! it breaks my heart to see 
 it," croaked Aunt Myra, as Rose came down a little 
 late, with cheeks almost as ruddy as the holly berries 
 on the wall, and every curl as smooth as Phebe's care- 
 ful hands could make it. 
 
 " I 'm glad to see that Alec allows the poor child to 
 make herself pretty in spite of his absurd notions," 
 added Aunt Clara, taking infinite satisfaction in the 
 fact that Rose's blue silk dress had three frills on it. 
 
 " 3he is a very intelligent child, {*nd has a nice little 
 manper of her own," observed Aunt Jane, with un- 
 usual affability ; for Rose had just handed Mac a screen 
 to guard his eyes from the brilliant fire. 
 
 " If I had a daughter like that to show my Jem 
 when he gets home, I should be a very proud and 
 happy woman," thought Aunt Jessie, and then re- 
 proached herself for not being perfectly satisfied with 
 her four brave lads. 
 
 Aunt Plenty was too absorbed in the dinner to have 
 an eye for any thing else; if she had not been, she 
 would have seen what an effect her new cap produced 
 upon the boys. The good lady owned that she did 
 "love a dressy cap," and on this occasion her head- 
 
 I 
 
280 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 l\ 
 
 gear was magnificent; for the towering stmcture of 
 lace was adorned with buff ribbons to such an extent 
 that it looked as if a flock of yellow butterflies had 
 settled on her dear old head. When she trotted about 
 the rooms the ruches quivered, the little bows all stood 
 erect, arid the streamers waved in the breeze so comi- 
 cally lb at it was absolutely necessary for Archie to 
 smother tne Brats in the curtains till they had had 
 their first laugh out. * 
 
 Uncle Mao had brought Fun See to dinner, and it 
 was a mercy he did, for the elder lads found a venv 
 for their merriment in joking the young Chinaman on 
 his improved appearance. He was in American cos- 
 tume now, with a cropped head, and spoke remarkably 
 good English after six months at school ; but, for all 
 that, his yellow face and bead' ves made a curious 
 contrast to the blonde Campbei ^A about him. Will 
 called him the " Typhoon," meaning Tycoon, and the 
 name stuck to him to his great disgust. 
 
 Aunt Peace was brought down and set in the chair 
 of state at table, for she never failed to join the family 
 on this day, and sat smiling at them all '^ like an em- 
 bodiment of Peace on earth," Uncle Alec said, as he 
 took his place beside her, while Uncle Mac supported 
 Aunt Plenty at the other end. 
 
 " I ate hardly any breakfast, and I Ve done every 
 thing I know to make myself extra hungry, but I really 
 don't think I can eat straight through, unless I burst 
 my buttons off," whispered Geordie to Will^ as he sur- 
 veyed the bounteous stores before him with a hopeless 
 wgh, 
 
 " A fellow never knows what he can do till he tries," 
 
 1 
 
JNDER THE MISTLETOE. 
 
 231 
 
 answered Will, attacking his heapud-up plate with the 
 evident intention of doing his duty like a man. 
 
 Everybody knows what a Christmas dinner is, so we 
 need waste no words in describing this one, but hasten 
 at once to tell what happened at the end of it. The 
 end, by the way, was so long in coming" that the gas 
 was lighted before dessert was over, for a snow flurry 
 had come on and the wintry daylight faded fast But 
 that only made it all the jollier in the warm, bright 
 rooms, full of happy souls. Every one was very merry, 
 but Archie seemed particularly uplifted, — so much so, 
 that Charlie confided to Rose that he was afraid the 
 Chief had been at the decanters. 
 
 Rose indignantly denied the insinuation, for when 
 healths vere drunk in the good old-fashioned way to 
 suit the elders, she had observed that Aunt Jessie's 
 boys filled their glasses with water, and had done the 
 same herself in spite of the Prince's jokes about " the 
 rosy." 
 
 But Archie certainly was unusually excited, and 
 when some one remembered that it was the anniversary 
 of Uncle Jem's wedding, and wished he was there to 
 make a speech, his son electrified the family by trying 
 to do it for him. It was rather incoherent and flowery, 
 as maiden speeches are apt to be, but the end was con- 
 sidered superb ; for, turning to his mother with a queer 
 little choke in his voice, he said that she " deserved to 
 be blessed with peace and plenty, to be crowned with 
 roses and lads-love, and to receive the cargo of happi- 
 ness sailing home to her in spite of wind or tide to 
 add another Jem to the family jewels." 
 
 That allusion to the Captain, now on his return trip, 
 
 i 
 
232 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 made Mrs. Jessie sob in her napkin, and set the boys 
 cheeiing. Then, as if that was not sensation enough, 
 Archie suddenly dashed out of the room as if he had 
 lost his wits. 
 
 " Too bashful to stay and be praised," began Charlie, 
 excusing the peculiarities of his chief as in duty 
 bound. " 
 
 "Phebe beckoned to him; I saw her," cried Rose, 
 staring hard at the door. 
 
 " Is it more presents coming ? " asked Jamie, just as 
 his brother re-appeared looking more excited than 
 ever. 
 
 " Yes ; a present for mother, land here it is I " roared 
 Archie, flinging wide the door to let in a tall man who 
 cried out, — 
 
 " Where 's my little woman ? The first kiss for her, 
 then the rest may come on as fast as they like." 
 
 Before the words were out of his mouth, Mr-s. Jessie 
 was half hidden under his rough great-coat, and four 
 boys were prancing about him clamoring for their turn. 
 
 Of course, there was a joyful tumult for a time, dur- 
 ing which Rose slipped into the window recess and 
 watched what went on, as if it were a chapter in a 
 Christmas story. It was good to see bluff Uncle Jem 
 look proudly at his tall son, and fondly hug the little 
 ones. It was better still to see him shake his brothers* 
 hands as if he would never leave off, and kiss all the 
 sisters in a way that made even solemn Aunt Myra 
 brighten up for a minute. But it was best of all to see 
 him finally established in grandfather's chair, with his 
 " little woman " beside him, his three youngest boys in 
 his lap, and Archie hovering over him like a large- 
 
UNDER THE MISTLETOE, 
 
 288 
 
 31 
 
 \ 
 
 sized cherub. That really was, as Charlie said, "A 
 landscape to do one's heart good." 
 
 " All hearty and all here, thank God ! " said Captain 
 Jem in the first pause that came, as he looked about 
 him with a grateful face. 
 
 ** AH but Rose," answered loyal little Jamie, remem- 
 bering the absent. 
 
 ** Faith, I forgot the child 1 Where is George's little 
 girl ? " asked the Captain, who had not seen her since 
 she was a baby. 
 
 "You'd better say Alec's great girl," said Uncle 
 Mac, who professed to be madly jealous of his brother. 
 
 " Here I am, sir," and Rose appeared from behind 
 the curtains, looking as if she had rather have staid 
 there. 
 
 ** Saint George Germain, how the mite has grown ! " 
 cried Captain Jem, as he tumbled the boys out of his 
 lap, and rose to greet the tall girl, like a gentleman as 
 he was. But, somehow, when he shook her hand it 
 looked so small in his big one, and her face reminded 
 him so strongly of his dead brother, that he was not 
 satisfied with so cold a welcome, and with a sudden 
 softening of the keen eyes he took her up in his arms, 
 whispering, with a rough cheek against her smooth 
 one, — 
 
 " God bless you, child I forgive me if I forgot you 
 for a minute, and be sure that not one of your kinsfolk 
 is happier to see you here than Uncle Jem." 
 
 That made it all right ; and when he set her down, 
 Rose's &iipi was so bright it was evident that some 
 spell had becin used to banish the feeling of neglect 
 that had kept ber moping behind the curtain so long. 
 
 \ 
 
""^?m!^HI!D«"P?f«l"ff"'W?P" 
 
 234 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS, 
 
 / 
 
 Then every one sat round and heard all about the 
 voyage home, — how the Captain had set his heart on 
 getting there in time to keep Christmas ; how every 
 thing had conspired to thwart his plan ; and how, at 
 the very last minute, he had managed to do it, and 
 had sent a telegram to Archie, bidding him keep the 
 secret, and be ready for his father at any moment, for 
 the ship got into another port, and he might be late. 
 
 Then Archie told how that telegram had burnt in 
 his pocket all dinner-time ; how he had to take Phebe 
 into his confidence, and how clever she was to keep the 
 Captain back till the speech was over, and he could 
 come in with effect. 
 
 The elders would have sat and talked all the even- 
 ing, but the young folks were bent on having their 
 usual Christmas frolic ; so, after an hour of pleasant 
 chat, they began to get restless, and having consulted 
 together in dumb show, they devised a way to very 
 effectually break up the family council. : 
 
 Steve vanished, and, sooner than the boys imagined 
 Dandy could get himself up, the skirl of the bag-pipe 
 was heard in the hall, and the bonny piper came to 
 lead Clan Campbell to the revel. 
 
 " Draw it mild, Stenie, my man ; ye play unco weel, 
 but ye mak a most infernal din," cried Uncle Jem, 
 with his hands over his ears, for this accomplishment 
 was new to him, and " took him all aback," as he ex- 
 pressed it. 
 
 So Steve droned out a Highland reel as softly as he 
 could, and the boys danced it to a circle of admiring 
 relations. Cap'^ain Jem was a true sailor, however, 
 and could not stand idle while any thing lively was 
 
UNDER THE MISTLETOE. 
 
 236 
 
 going on ; so, when the piper's breath gave out, he 
 cut a splendid pigeon-wing into the middle of the hall, 
 saying, "Who can dance a Fore and After?" and, 
 waiting for no reply, began to whistle the air so invit- 
 ingly that Mrs. Jessie " set " to him laughing like a 
 girl ; Rose and Charlie took their places behind, and 
 away went the four with a spirit and skill that inspired 
 all the rest to " cut in " as^ fast as they could. 
 
 That was a grand beginning, and they had many 
 another dance before any one would own they were 
 tired. Even Fun See distinguished himself with Aunt 
 Plenty, whom he greatly admired as the stoutest lady 
 in the company ; plumpness being considered a beauty 
 in his country. The meiTy old soul professed herself 
 immensely flattered by his admiration, and the boys 
 declared she " set her cap at him," else he would never 
 have dared to catch her under the mistletoe, and, ris- 
 ing on the tips of his own toes, gallantly salute her fat 
 cheek. 
 
 How they all laughed at her astonishment, and how 
 Fun's little black eyes twinkled over this exploit! 
 Charlie put him up to it, and Charlie was so bent on 
 catching Rose, that he laid all sorts of pitfalls for her, 
 and bribed the other lads to help him. But Rose was 
 wide-awake, and escaped all his snares, professing great 
 contempt for such foolish customs. Poor Phebe did 
 not fare so well, and Archie was the one who took a 
 base advantage of her as she stood innocently offering 
 tea to Aunt Myra, whom she happened to meet just 
 under the fatal bough. If his father's arrival had not 
 rather upset him, I doubt if the dignified Chief would 
 have done it, for he apologized at once in the hand- 
 
 ■4 aiBfe 
 
mmm 
 
 236 
 
 EIGHT COUSIj^S. 
 
 somest manner, and caugjit the tray that nearly dropped 
 from Phebe*8 hands. ^ 
 
 Jamie boldly invited a/? the ladies to come and salute 
 him J- and a« for Uncle Jem, he behaved as if the entire 
 
UNDER THE MISTLETOE. 
 
 237 
 
 room was a grove of mistletoe. Uncle Alec slyly laid 
 a bit of it on Aunt Peace's cap, and then softly kissed 
 her; which little joke seemed to please her very much, 
 for she liked to have part in all the home pastimes, 
 and Alec was her favorite nephew. 
 
 Charlie alone failed to catch his shy bird, and the 
 oftener she escaped the more determined he was to 
 ensnare her. When every other wile had been tried 
 in vain, he got Archie to propose a game with for- 
 feits. 
 
 " I understand that dodge," thought Rose, and was 
 on her guard so carefully that not one among the pile 
 soon collected belonged to her. 
 
 " Now let us redeem them and play something else," 
 said Will, quite unconscious of thfli deeply laid plots 
 all about him. , 
 
 " One more round and then we will," answered the 
 Prince, who had now baited his trap anew. 
 ' Just as the question came to Rose, Jamie's voice 
 was heard in the hall crying distressfully, " Oh, come 
 quick, quick I " Rose started up, missed the question, 
 and was greeted with a general cry of "Forfeit! 
 forfeit!" m which the little traitor came to join. 
 
 "Now I've got her," thought the young rascal, 
 exulting in his fun-loving soul. 
 
 " Now I 'm lost," thought Rose, as she gave up' her 
 pin-cushion with a sternly defiant look that would have 
 daunted any one, but the reckless Prince. In fact, it 
 made jeven him think twice, and resolve to " let Rose 
 off easy," she had been so clever. 
 
 "Here's a very pretty pawn, and what shall be 
 done ta redeem it?" asked Steve, holding the pin- 
 
238 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 cushion over Charlie^s head, for he had insisted on 
 being judge, and kept that for the last. 
 
 " Fir e or supei*fine ? " 
 
 "Super." " . 
 
 *^ Ham, well, she shall take old Mac under the 
 mistletoe and kiss him prettil^^. Won't he be mad, 
 though?" — and this bad boy chuckled over the dis- 
 comfort he had caused two harmless beings. 
 
 There was an impress* ve pause among the young 
 folks in their comer, for they all knev that Mac 
 would "be mad," since he hated nonsense of this 
 sort, and had gone to talk with the elders when 
 the game began. At this moment he was standing 
 before the fire, listening to a discussion between his 
 uncles and his father, looking as wise as a young 
 owl, and blissfully unconscious of the plots against 
 him. 
 
 Charlie expected that Rose would say, " I won't ! " 
 therefore he was rather astonished, not to say grati- 
 fied, when, after a lock at the victim, she laughed 
 suddenly, and, going up to the group of gentlemen, 
 drew her uncle Mac under the mistletoe and surprised 
 him with a hearty kiss. 
 
 " Thank you, my dear," said the innocent gentle- 
 man, looking much pleased at the unexpected honor. 
 
 "Oh, come; that's not fair," began Charlie. But 
 Rose cut him short by saying, ^s she made him a fine 
 courtesy, — 
 
 "You said *01d Mac,' and though it was very 
 disrespectfiil, I did it. That was your last chance, 
 sir, and you've lost it." 
 
 He certainly had, for, as she spoke, Rose pulled 
 
 • •V. 
 
UNDER THE MISTLETOE. 
 
 239 
 
 do\ni the mistletoe and threw it into the fire, while 
 the boys jeered at the crest-fallen Prince, and exalted 
 quick-witted Rose to the skies. 
 
 "What's the joke?" asked young Mac, waked 
 out of a brown study by the laughter, in which the 
 elders joined. 
 
 But there was a regular shout when, the matter 
 having been explained to him, Mac took a medi- 
 tative stare at Rose through his goggles, and said in 
 a philosophical tone, " Well, I don't think I should 
 have minded much if she Jiad done it." 
 
 That tickled the lads immensely, and nothing but 
 the appearance of a slight refection w >uld have in- 
 duced them to stop cht'ffing the poor Worm, who 
 could not see any thing funny in the beautiful resig- 
 nation he had shown on this trying occasion. 
 
 Soon after this, the discovery of Jamie curled up 
 in the sofa corner, as sound asleep as a dormouse, 
 bUggested the propi iety of going home, and a general 
 move was made. 
 
 They were aLl standing about the hall lingering 
 over the good-nights, when the sound of a voice 
 softly singing " Sweet Home," made them pause 
 and listen. It was Phebe, poor little Phebe, who 
 never had a home, never knew the love of father 
 or mother, brother or sister; who stood all alone 
 in the wide world, yet was not sad nor afraid, but 
 took her bits of happiness gratefully, and sung over 
 her work without a thought of discontent. 
 
 I fancy the happy family standing there together 
 remembered this and felt tlie beauty of it, for when 
 the solitary voice came to the burden of its song) 
 
240 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 other voices took it up and finished it so sweetly, 
 that the old house seemed to echo the word **Home" 
 in the ears of both the orphan girls, who had just 
 spent their first Christmas under its hospitable roof. 
 
 4 < 
 
 \\ ,y 
 
 ,1 « 
 
 ■•^i 
 
 ^ 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 A SCARE, 
 
 "ID BOTHER ALEC, you surely don't mean to 
 
 -■-' allow that child to go out such a bitter cold 
 day as this," said Mrs. Myra, looking into the study, 
 where the Doctor sat reading his paper, one February 
 morning. 
 
 " Why not ? If a delicate invalid like yourself can 
 bear it, surely my hearty girl can, especially as she is 
 dressed for cold weather," answered Dr. Alec with 
 provoking confidence. 
 
 " But you have no idea how sharp the wind is. I 
 am chilled to the very marrow of my bones," answered 
 Aunt Myra, chafing the end of her purple nose with 
 her sombre glove. 
 
 " I don't doubt it, ma'am, if you will wear crape and 
 silk instead of fur and flannel. Rosy goes out in all 
 weathers, and will be none the worse for an hour's 
 brisk Bki ing." 
 
 " Well, I warn you that you are trifling with the 
 child's health, and depending too much on the seeming 
 improvement she has made this year. She is a delicate 
 creature for all that, and will drop away suddenly at 
 the first serious attack, as her poor mother did," croaked 
 Axrnt Myra, with a despondent wag of the big bonnet. 
 11 p 
 
242 
 
 EIOHT COUSINS. 
 
 " I '11 risk it," answered Dr. Alec, knitting his brows, 
 as he always did when any allusion was made to that 
 other Rose. 
 
 "Mark my words, you will repent it," and, with 
 that awful prophecy. Aunt Myra departed like a black 
 shadow. 
 
 Now it must be confessed that among the Doctor's 
 failings — and he had his share — was a very masculine 
 dislike of advice which was thrust upon hun unasked. 
 He always listened with respect to the great-aunts, and 
 often consulted Mrs. Jessie ; but the other three ladies 
 tried his patience sorely, by constant warnings, com- 
 plaints, '»nd counsels. Aunt Myra was an e^tpecial 
 trial, and he always turned contrary the moment she 
 began to talk. He could not help it, and often laughed 
 about it with comic frankness. Here now was a sample 
 of it, for he had just been thinking that Rose had 
 better defer her run till the wind went down and the 
 sun was warmer. But Aunt Myra spoke, and he could 
 not resist the temptation to make light of her advice, 
 and let Rooe brave the cold. He had no fear of 'its 
 harming her, for she went out every day, and it was 
 a great satisfaction to him to see her run down the 
 avenue a minute afterward, with her skates on her 
 arm, looking like a rosy-faced Esquimaux in her seal- 
 skin suit, as she smiled at Aunt Myra stalking along 
 as solemnly as a crow. 
 
 " I hope the child won't stay out long, for this wind 
 is enough to chill the marrow in younger bones than 
 Myra's," thought Dr. Alec, half an hour later, as he 
 drove toward the city to see the few patients he had 
 oonsented to take for old acquaintance' sake. 
 
A SCARE. 
 
 248 
 
 The thought returned several times that morning, 
 for it was truly a bitter day, and, in spite of his bear- 
 skin coat, the Doctor shivered. But he had great 
 faith in Rose's good sense, and it never occurred to 
 him that she was making a little Casablanca of herself, 
 with the difference of freezing instead of burning at 
 her post. 
 
 Tou see, Mac had made an appointment to meet 
 her at a certain spot, and have a grand skating bout 
 as soon as the few lessons he was allowed were over. 
 She had promised to wait for him, and did so with a 
 faithfulness that t3ost her dear, because Mac forgot his 
 appointment when the lessons were done, and became 
 absorbed in a chemical experiment, till a general com- 
 bustion of gases drove him out of his laboratory. 
 Then he suddenly remembered RoRe, and would gladly 
 have hurried away to her, but his mother forbade his 
 going out, for the sharp wind would hurt his eyes. 
 
 " She will wait and wait, mother, for she always 
 keeps her word, and I told her to hold on till I came," 
 explained Mac, with visions of a shivering little figure 
 watching on the windy hill-top. 
 
 " Of course, your uncle won't let her go out such a 
 day as this. If he does, she will have the sense to 
 come here for you, or to go home again when you 
 don't appear," said Aunt Jane, returning: to her " Watts 
 on the Mind." 
 
 " I wish Steve would just cut up and see if she's 
 there, since I can't go," began Mac, anxiously. 
 
 " Steve won't stir a peg, thank you. He 's got his 
 own toes to thaw out, and wants his dinner," answered 
 Dandy, just in from school, and wrestling impatiently 
 with his boots. 
 
244 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 So Mac resigned himself, and Rose waited dutifully 
 till dinner-time assured her that her waiting was in 
 vain. She had done her best to keep warm, had skated 
 till she was tired and hot, then stood watching others 
 
 '^^.-^•S 
 
 till she was chilled ; tried to get up a glow again by 
 trotting up and down the road, but failed to do so, 
 and finally cuddled disconsolately under a pine-tree to 
 wait and watch. When she at length started for 
 
A SCARE. 
 
 245 
 
 in 
 Bd 
 srs 
 
 &. 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 by 
 
 SO, 
 
 I to 
 for 
 
 home, she was benumbed with the cold, and could 
 hardly make her way against the wind that buffeted 
 the frost-bitten rose most unmercifully. 
 
 Dr. Alec v/aj basking in the warmth of the study 
 fire, after his drive, when the sound of a stifled sob 
 made him hurry to the door and look anxiously into 
 the hall. RoRe lay in a shivering bunch near the 
 register, with Ver things half off, wringing her hands, 
 and trying no^j to cry with the pain returning warmth 
 brought to bir half-frozen fingers. 
 
 " My d?./7lng, what is it ? " and Uncle Alec had her 
 in his ariLfi in a minute. 
 
 " Ma^ did n't come — I can 't get warm — the fire 
 makos me ache ! " and with a long shiver Rose burst 
 out crying, while her teeth chattered, and her poor 
 little nose was so blue, it made one's heart ache to 
 see it. 
 
 In less time than it takes to tell it, Dr. Alec had her 
 on the sofa rolled up in the bear-skin coat, with Phebe 
 rubbing her cold feet while he rubbed the aching hands, 
 and Aunt Plenty made a comfortable hot drink, and 
 Aunt Peace sent down her own foot-warmer and em- 
 broidered blanket " for the dear." 
 
 Full of remorseful tenderness. Uncle Alec worked 
 over his new patient till she declared she was all right 
 again. He would not let her get up to dinner, but fed 
 her himself, and then forgot his own while he sat 
 watching her fall into a drowse, for Aunt Plenty's 
 cordial made her sleepy. 
 
 She lay so several hours, for the drowse deepened 
 into a heavy sleep, and Uncle Alec, still at his post, 
 saw with growing anxiety that a feverish color began 
 
246 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 to bum in her cheeks, that her breathing was quick 
 and uneven, and now and then she gave a little moan, 
 as if in pain. Suddenly she woke up with a start, and 
 seeing Aunt Plenty bending over her, put out her arms 
 like a sick child, saying wearily, — 
 
 " Please, could I go to bed ? " 
 
 " The best place for you, deary. Take her right up, 
 Alec ; I 've got the hot water ready, and after a nice 
 bath, she shall have a cup of my sage tea, and be rolled 
 up in blankets to sleep off her cold," answered the old 
 lady, cheerily, as she bustled away to give orders. 
 
 " Are you in pain, darling ? " asked Uncle Alec, as 
 he carried her up. 
 
 " My side aches when I breathe, and I feel stiff and 
 queer ; but it is n't bad, so don't be troubled, uncle," 
 whispered Rose, with a little hot hand against his 
 cheek. 
 
 But the poor Doctor did look troubled, and had 
 cause to do so, for just then Rose tried to laugii at 
 Dolly charging into the room with a warming-pan, but 
 could not, for the sharp pain that took her breath 
 away, and made her cry out. 
 
 " Pleurisy," sighed Aunt Plenty, from the depths of 
 the bath-tub. 
 
 "Pewmonia!" groaned Dolly, burrowing among 
 the bedclothes with the long-handled pan, as if bent 
 on fishing up that treacheroufi * disease. 
 
 " Oh, is it bad ? " asked Phebe, nearly dropping a 
 pail of hot water in her dismay, for she knew nothing 
 of sickness, and DoUy^s suggestion had a peculiarly 
 drei^dful sound to her. 
 
 ** Hush I " ordered the Doctor, in a tone that silenoed 
 
A SCARE. 
 
 247 
 
 all further predictions, and made every one work with 
 a will. 
 
 "Make her as comfortable as you can, and when 
 she is in her little bed 1 *ll come and say good-night," 
 he added, when the bath was ready and the blankets 
 browning nicely before the fire. 
 
 Then he went away to calk quite cheerful] y to Aunt 
 Peace about its being " only a ohill ; " after which he 
 tramped up and down the hall, pulling, hk beard and 
 knitting his brows, sure signs of great inward pertur- 
 bation. 
 
 " I thought it would be too good luck to get through 
 the year without a downfall. Confound my perver- 
 sity ! why could n't I take Myra's advice and keep Rose 
 at home. It's not fair that the poor child should 
 8u£Per for my sinful over-confidence. She shall not 
 suffer for it I Pneumonia, indeed I I defy it I " and 
 he shook his fist in the ugly face of an Indian idol 
 that happened to be before him, as if that particularly 
 hideous god had some spite against his own little god- 
 dess. 
 
 In spite of his defiance his heart sunk when he saw 
 Ptose again, for the pain was worse, and the bath and 
 blankets, the warming-pan and piping-hot sage tea, 
 were all in vain. For several hours there was no rest 
 for the poor child, and all manner of gloomy forebod- 
 ingly haunted the minds of those who hovered about 
 her with *ices full of the tenderest anxiety. 
 
 In th« Ttiidst of the worst paroxysm Charlie came to 
 le»v« ft message from his mothei, and was met by 
 Phebe coming despondently downatairs with a mus- 
 tard piastre r that had brought no relief. 
 
248 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " What the dickens is the n atter ? You look as dis- 
 mal as a tombstone," he said, ^s she held up her hand 
 to stop his lively whistling. 
 
 " Miss Rose is dreadful sick." 
 
 "The deuce she is!" 
 
 " Don't swear, Mr. Charlie ; she really is, and it 's 
 Mr. Mac's fault," and Phebe told the sad tale in a few 
 sharp words, for she felt at war with the entire race of 
 boys at that moment. 
 
 "I'll give it to him, make your mind easy about 
 that," said Charlie, with an ominous doubling up of 
 his fist. " But Rose is n't dangerously ill, is she ? " he 
 added anxiously, as Aunt Plenty was seen to trot 
 across the upper hall, shaking a bottle violently as she 
 w«it. 
 
 ''Oh, but she is, though. The Doctor don't say 
 much, but he don't call it a * chill ' any more. It 's 
 * pleurisy ' now, and I 'm so afraid it will be pewmonia 
 to-morrow," answered Phebe, with a despairing glance 
 at the plaster. 
 
 Charlie exploded into a stifled laugh at the new pro- 
 nunciation of pneumonia, to Phebe's great indigntu 
 tion. 
 
 " How can you have the heart to do it, and she in 
 such horrid pain ? Hark to that, and then laugh if you 
 darst," she said with a tragic gesture, and her black 
 eyes full of fire. 
 
 Charlie listened and heard little moans that went to 
 his heart and made his face as sober as Phebe's. " O 
 uncle, please stop the pain and let me rest a minute I 
 Don't tell the boys I was n't brave. I try to bear it, 
 but it 's so sharp I can't help crying." 
 
A SCARE. 
 
 249 
 
 Neither could Charlie, when he heard the broken 
 ^oice say that ; but, boy-like, he would n't own it, and 
 jaid pettishly, as he rubbed his sleeve across his eyes, — 
 
 " Don't hold that confounded thing right under my 
 nose ; the mustard makes my eyes smart." 
 
 "Don't see how it can, when it hasn't any more 
 strength in it than meal. The Doctor said so, and I 'm 
 going to get some better," began Phebe, not a bit 
 ashamed of the great tears that were bedewing the 
 condemned plaster. 
 
 " I '11 go I " and Charlie was off like a shot, glad of 
 an excuse to get out of sight for a few minutes. 
 
 When he came back all inconvenient emotion had 
 been disposed of, and, having delivered a box of the 
 hottest mustard procurable for money, he departed to 
 " blow up " Mac, that being his next duty in his opin- 
 ion. He did it so energetically and thoroughly, that 
 the poor Worm was cast into the depths of remorseftil 
 despair, and went to bed that evening feeling that he 
 was an outcast from among men, and bore the mark of 
 Cain upon his brow. 
 
 Thanks to the skill of the Doctor, and the devotion 
 of his helpers. Rose grew easier about midnight, and 
 all hoped that the worst was over. Phebe was making 
 tea by the study fire, for the Doctor had forgotten to 
 eat and drink since Ros<' was ill, and Aunt Plenty in- 
 sisted on his having a " good, cordial dish of tea " after 
 his exertions. A tap on the window startled Phebe, 
 and, looking up, she saw a face peering in. She was 
 aot afraid, for ; second look showed her that it was 
 Beicher ghost nor burglar, but Mac, looking pale and 
 "wild in the wintry moonlight. 
 11* 
 
 •A 
 
250 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " Come and let a fellow in," he said in a low tone, 
 and when he stood in the hall he clutched Phebe's arm, 
 whispering grujBiy, " How is Rose ? " 
 
 "Thanks be to goodness, she's better," answered 
 Phebe, with a smile that was like broad sunshine to 
 the poor lad's anxious heart. 
 
 " And she will be all right again to-morrow ? " 
 
 " Oh, dear, no. Dolly says she 's sure to have rheu- 
 matic fever, if she don't have noo-monia I " answered 
 Phebe, careful to pronounce the word rightly this 
 time. 
 
 Down went Mac's face, and remorse began to gnaw 
 at him again as he gave a great sigh and said doubt- 
 folly,- 
 
 "I suppose I couldn't see her?" 
 
 " Of course not at this time of night, when we want 
 her to go to sleep ! " 
 
 Mac opened his mouth to say something more, when 
 a meeze came upon him unawares, and a loud "Ah 
 rash hoo I " awoke the echoes of the quiet house. 
 
 " Why did n't you stop it ? " ^aid Phebe reproach- 
 f idly. " I dare say you 've waked her up." 
 
 "Didn't know it was coming. Just my luckl" 
 groaned Mac, turning to go before his unfortunate 
 presence did more harm. 
 
 But a voice from the stair-head called softly, " Mac, 
 come up ; Rose wants to see you." 
 
 Up he went, and found his uncle waiting for him. 
 
 "What brings you here, at this hour, my boy?" 
 aHked the Doctor in a whisper. ( 
 
 " Charlie said it was all ray fault, and if she died I 'd 
 killed her. T could n't sleep, so I came to see how she 
 
A SCARE. 
 
 251 
 
 was, and no one knows it but Steve," he said with such 
 a troubled face and voice that the Doctor had not the 
 heart to blame him. 
 
 Before he could say any thing more a feeble voice 
 called " Mac I " and with a hasty " Stay a minute just 
 to please her, and then slip away, for I want her to 
 sleep," the Doctor led him into the room. 
 
 The face on the pillow looked very pale and 
 childish, and the smile that welcomed Mac was very 
 faint, for Rose was spent with pain, yet could not 
 rest till she had said a word of comfort to her cousin. 
 
 " I knew your funny sneeze, and I guessed that 
 you came to see how I did, though it is very late. 
 Don't be worried. I'm better now, and it is my 
 fault I was ill, not yours; for I needn't have been 
 so silly as to wait in the cold just because I said I 
 would." 
 
 Mac hastened to explain, to load himself with 
 reproaches, and to beg her not to die on any ac- 
 count, for Charlie's lecture had made a deep im- 
 pression on the poor boy's mind. 
 
 "I didn't know there was any danger of my 
 dying," and Rose looked up at him with a solemn 
 expression in her great eyes. 
 
 " Oh, I hope not ; but people do sometimes go 
 suddenly, you know, and I couldn't re.t till I'd 
 asked you to forgive me," faltered Mac, thinking 
 that Rose looked very like an angel already, with 
 the golden hair loose on the pillow, and the meek- 
 ness of suffering on her little white face. 
 
 "I don't think I shall die; uncle won't let me; 
 but if I do, remember I forgave you." 
 
252 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 She looked at him with a tender light in her eyes, 
 and, seeing how pathetic his dumb grief was, she 
 added softly, drawing his head down: "I wouldn't 
 lass you under the mistletoe, but I will now, for 
 I want you to be sure I do foi-give and love you just 
 the same." 
 
 That quite upset poor Mac ; he could only murmur 
 his thanks and get out of the room as fast as possible, 
 to grope his way to the couch at the far end of the 
 hall, and lie there till he fell asleep, worn out with 
 trying not to "make a baby" of himself. 
 
CHAPTER XXn. 
 
 SOMETHING TO DO, 
 
 WHATEVER danger there might have been 
 from the effects of that sudden chill, it was 
 soon over, though of course Aunt Myra refused to 
 believe it, and Dr. Alec cherished his girl with re- 
 doubled vigilance and tenderness for months after- 
 ward. Rose quite enjoyed being sick, because as 
 soon as the pain ended the fun began, and for a week 
 or two she led the life of a little princess secluded 
 in the Bower, while every one served, amused, and 
 watched over her in the most delightful manner. 
 But the Doctor was called away to see an old friend 
 who was dangerously ill, and then Rose felt like a 
 young bird deprived of its mother's sheltering wing; 
 especially en one afternoon when the aunts were 
 taking their naps, and the house was very still 
 within while snow fell softly without. 
 
 "I'll go and hunt up Phebe, she is always nice 
 and busy, an<l likes to have me help her. If Dolly 
 is out of the way we can make caramels and surprise 
 the boys when they come," Rose said to herself, as 
 she threw down her book and felt ready for society 
 of some sort. 
 
254 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 She took the precaution to peep through the slide 
 before she entered the kitchen, for Dolly allowed 
 no messing when she was round. But the coast was 
 clear, and no one but Phebe appeared, sitting at 
 the table with her herd on her arms apparently 
 asleep. Rose was just about to wake her with a 
 " Boo ! " when she lifl^^d her head, dried her wet 
 eyes with her blue apro i, and fell to work with a 
 resolute face on something she was evidently much 
 interested in. Rose coald not make out what it 
 was, and her curiosity vas greatly excited, for Phebe 
 was writing with a sputtering pen on some bits of 
 brown paper, apparently copying something from a 
 little book. 
 
 "I must know what the dear thing is about, and 
 why she cried, and then set her lips tight and went 
 to work with all her might," thought Rose, forgetting 
 all about the caramels, and, going round to the door, 
 she entered the kitchen, saying pleasantly, — 
 
 "Phebe, I want something to do. Can't you let 
 me help you about any thing? or shall I be in the 
 way?" 
 
 " Oh, dear, no, miss ; I always love to have you 
 round when things are tidy. What would you like 
 to do?" answered Phebe, opening a drawer as if 
 about to sweep her own affairs out of sight : but Rose 
 stopped her, exclaiming, like a curious child, — 
 
 "Let me seel What is it? I won't tell if you'd 
 rather not have Dolly know." 
 
 " I 'm only trying to study a bit ; but I 'm so stupid 
 I don't got on much," answered the girl reluctantly, 
 permitting her little mistress to examine the poor 
 oontrivanoes she was tr3ring to work with. 
 
SOMETHING TO DO, 
 
 255 
 
 A broken slate that had blown off the roof, an 
 inch or two of pencil, an old almanac for a reader, 
 several bits of brown or yellow paper ironed smoothly 
 and sewed together for a copy-book, and the copies 
 sundry receipts written in Aunt Plenty's neat hand. 
 These, with a small bottle of ink and a rusty pen, 
 made up Phebe's outfit, and it was little wonder that 
 she did not "get on" in spite of the patient per- 
 sistence that dried the desponding tears and drove 
 along the sputtering pen with a will. 
 
 "You may laugh if you want to, Miss Rose, I 
 know my things are queer, and that's why I hide 
 'em ; but I don't mind since you 've found me out, 
 and I ain't a bit ashamed except of being so back- 
 ward at my age," said Phebe humbly, though her 
 cheeks grew redder as she washed out some crooked 
 capitals with a tear or two not yet dried upon the 
 slate. 
 
 " Laugh at you ! I feel more like crying to think 
 what a selfish girl I am, to have loads of books and 
 things and never remember to give you some. Why 
 didn't you come and ask me, and not go struggling 
 along alone in this way? It was very wrong of you, 
 Phebe, and I '11 never forgive you if you do so again," 
 answered Rose, with one hand on Phebe's shoulder 
 while the other gently turned the leaves of the poor 
 little copy-book. 
 
 "I didn't like to ask for any thing more when 
 y'>u are so good to me all the time, miss, dear," 
 began Phebe, looking up with grateful eyes. 
 
 "O you proud thing I just as if it wasn't fun to 
 give away, and I had the best of it. Now, see here, 
 
266 
 
 riOHT COUSINS, 
 
 I've got a plan and you mustn't say no, or I shall 
 scold. I want something to do, and I'm going to 
 teach you all I know ; it won't take long," and Rose 
 laughed as she put her arm around Phehe's neck, and 
 patted the smooth dark head with the kind little hand 
 that so loved to give. 
 
 "It would be just heavenly!" and Phebe's face 
 shone at the mere idea; but fell again as she added 
 wistfully, " Only I 'm afraid I ought not to let you 
 do it. Miss Rose. It will take time, and maybe the 
 Doctor wouldn't like it." 
 
 " He did n't want me to study mnoh, but he never 
 said a worci about teaching, and I don't believe he 
 will mind a bit. Any way, we can try it till he comes, 
 so pack up or things and go right to my room and 
 we '11 begin this very day ; I 'd truly like to do it, 
 and we '11 have nice times, see if we don't 1 " cried 
 Rose eagerly. 
 
 It was a pretty sight to see Phebe bundle her 
 humble outfit into her apron, and spring up as if 
 the desire of her heart had suddenly been made a 
 happy fact to her ; it was a still prettier sight to see 
 Rose run gayly on before, smiling like a good fairy 
 as she beckoned to the other, singing as she went, — 
 
 ** The way into my parlor is up a winding stair. 
 And many are the curious things I '11 show you when you 're 
 there. 
 
 Will you, will yoa walk in, Phebe dear t" 
 
 " Oh, won't I ! " answered Phebe fervently, adding, 
 as they entered the Bower, **You are the dearest 
 spider that ever was, and I'm the happiest fly." 
 
 ** I'm going to be very strict, so sit down in that 
 
SOMETJiINO TO DO. 
 
 267 
 
 ohair and don't say a word till school is ready to 
 open," ordered Rose, delighted with the prospect of 
 Buoh a useful and pleasant " something to do." 
 
 So Phebe sat demurely in her place while her new 
 teacher laid forth books and slates, a pretty inkstand 
 and a little globe ; hastily tore a bit off her big sponge, 
 sharpened pencils with more energy than skill, and 
 wlien all was ready gave a prance of satisfaction that 
 set the pupil laughing. 
 
 > " Now the school is open, and I shall hear you read, 
 so that I may know in which class to put you, Miss 
 Moore," began Rose with great dignity, as she laid a 
 book before her scholar, and sat down in the easy chair 
 with a long rule in her hand. 
 
 Phebe did pretty well, only tripping now and then 
 over a hard word, and pronouncing identical " iden- 
 tickle," in a sober way that tickled Rose, though never 
 a smile betrayed her. The spelling lesson which fol- 
 lowed was rather discouraging ; Phebe's ideas of geog- 
 raphy were very vague, and granunar was nowhere, 
 though the pupil protested that she tried so hard to 
 " talk nice like educated folks " that Dolly called her 
 " a stuck-up piece who did n't know her place." 
 
 " Dolly 's an old goose, so don't you mind her, for 
 she will say * nater,' * vittles,' and ' doos ' as long as 
 she lives, and insist that they are right. You do talk 
 very nicely, Phebe, I 've observed it, and grammar 
 will help you, and show why some things are right and 
 others ain't, — are not, I mean," added Rose, correcting 
 herself, and feeling that she must mind her own parts 
 of speech if she was to serve as an example for Phebe. 
 
 When the arithmetic came the little teacher was 
 
268 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 surprised to find her scholar quicker in some things 
 than herself, for Fhebe had worked away at the col- 
 umns in the butcher's and baker's books till she could 
 add so quickly and correctly that Rose was amazed, 
 and felt that in this branch the pupil would soon excel 
 the teacher if she kept on at the same pace. Her 
 praise cheered Phebe immensely, and they went bravely 
 on, both getting so interested that tirae flew unheeded 
 till Aunt Plenty appeared, exclaiming, as she f tared &t 
 the two heads bent over one slate, — 
 
 " Bless my heart, what is going on now ? '*^ 
 
 " School, aunty. I *m teaching Phebe, and it 's 
 
 great 
 face. 
 
 fun I " cried Rose, looking up with a bright 
 
 But Phebe's was brighter, though she added, with a 
 wistful look, — 
 
 " Maybe I ought to have asked leave first ; only 
 when Miss Rose proposed this, I was so happy I for- 
 got to. Shall I stop, ma'am ? " 
 
 " Of course not, child ; I 'm glad to see you fond of 
 your book, and to find Rose helping you along. My 
 blessed mother used to sit at work with her maids 
 about her, teaching them many a useful thing in the 
 good old fashion that's gone by now. Only don't 
 neglect your work, dear, or let the books interfere 
 with the duties." 
 
 As A^ nt Plenty spoke, with her kind old face beam- 
 ing approvingly upon the girls, Phebe glanced at the 
 clock, saw that it pointed to five, knew that Dolly 
 would soon be down, expecting to find preparations 
 for supper under way, and, hastily dropping her pencil, 
 Hhe jumped up, saying, — 
 
SOMETHING TO DO. 
 
 250 
 
 " Please, can I go ? I '11 clear up after I Ve done my 
 chores." 
 
 " School is dismissed," answered Rose, and with a 
 grateful " Thank you, heaps and heaps I " Phebe ran 
 a^^ay singing the multiplication table as she set the tea 
 ditto. 
 
 That was the way it began, and for a week the class 
 of one went on with great pleasure and profit to all con- 
 cerned ; for the pupil proved a bright one, and came 
 to her lessons as to a feast, while the young teacher 
 did her best to be worthy the high opinion held of her, 
 for Phebe firmly believed that Miss Rose knew every 
 thing in the way of learning. 
 
 Of course the lads found out what was going on, 
 and chaffed the girls about the " Seminary," as they 
 called the new enterprise ; but they thought it a good 
 thing on the whole, kindly offered to give lessons in 
 Greek and Latin gratis, and decided among themselves 
 that " Rose was a little trump to give ^ihe Phebe-bird 
 such a capital boost." 
 
 Rose herself had some doubts as to how it would 
 strike her uncle, and concocted a wheedlesome speech 
 which should at once convince him that it was the 
 most useful, wholesome, and delightful plan ever de- 
 vised. But she got no chance to deliver her address, 
 for Dr. Alec came upon her so unexpectedly that it 
 went out of her head entirely. She was sitting on the 
 floor in the library, poring over a big book laid open 
 in her lap, and knew nothing of the long-desired arrival 
 till two large, warm hands met under her chin and 
 gently turned her head back, so that some one could 
 kiss her heartily on either cheek, while a fatherly voioe 
 
260 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 said, half reproachfully, "Why is my girl brooding over 
 a dusty Encyclopedia when she ought to be running to 
 meet the old gentleman who could n't get on another 
 minute without her ? " 
 
 " O uncle t I 'm so glad ! and so sorry ! Why 
 did n't you let us know what time you 'd be here, or 
 call out the minute you came ? Have n't I been home- 
 sick for you ? and now I *m so happy to have you back 
 I could hug your dear old curly head off," cried Rose, 
 as the Encyclopedia went down with a bang, and she 
 up with a spring that carried her into Dr. Alec's arms, 
 to be kept there in the sort of embrace a man gives to 
 the dearest creature the world holds for him. 
 
 Presently he was in his easy chair with Rose upon 
 his knee smiling up in his face and talking as fast as 
 her tongue could go, while he watched her with an 
 expression of supreme content, as he stroked the 
 smooth round cheek, or held the little hand in his, 
 rejoicing to see how rosy was the one, how plump and 
 strong the other. 
 
 " Have you had a good time ? I^d you save the 
 poor lady ? Are nH you glad to be home again with 
 your girl to torment you ? " 
 
 "Yes, to all those questions. Now tell me what 
 you've been at, little sinner? Aunty Plen says you 
 want to consult tdc about some new and remarkable 
 project which you have dared to start in my absence." 
 
 « She did n't tell you, I hope ? " 
 
 "Not a word more except that you were rather 
 doubtful how I'd take it, and so wanted to *fe8s' 
 yourself and get round me as you always try to do, 
 though ;^ou don't often succeed. Now, then, own up 
 and take the consequences." 
 
SOMETHING TO DO. 
 
 261 
 
 »» 
 
 
 So Rose told about her school in her pretty, earnest 
 way, dwelling on Phebe's hunger for knowledge, and 
 the delight it was to help her, adding, with a wise 
 nod, — 
 
 '^ And it helps me too, uncle, for she is so quick and 
 eager I have to do my best or she will get ahead of 
 me in some things. To-day, now, she had the word 
 '• cotton ' in a lesson and asked all about it, and I was 
 ashamed to find I really knew so little that I could 
 only say that it was a plant that grew down South in 
 a kind of a pod, and was made into cloth. That *s 
 what I was reading up when you came, and to-morrow 
 I shall tell her all about it, and indigo too. So you 
 see it teaches me also, and is as good as a general 
 review of what I Ve learned, in a pleasanter way than 
 going over it alone." 
 
 "You artful little baggage! that's the way you 
 expect to get round me, is it ? That 's not studying, I 
 suppose ? " 
 
 "No, sir, it's teaching; and please, I like it much 
 better than having a good time all by myself. Besides, 
 you know, I adopted Phebe and promised to be a sister 
 to her, so I am bound to keep my word, am I not ? " 
 answered Rose, looking both anxious and resolute as 
 she waited for her sentence. 
 
 Dr. Alec was evidently already won, for Rose had 
 described the old slate and brown paper copy-book 
 with pathetic effect, and the excellent man had not 
 only decided to send Phebe to school long before the 
 story was done, but reproached himself for forgetting 
 his duty to one little girl in his love for another. So 
 when Rose tried to look meek amd failed utterly, he 
 
 'I 
 
2(S2 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 laughed and pinched her cheek, and answered in that 
 genial way which adds such warmth and grace to any 
 favor, — 
 
 " I have n't the slightest objection in the world. In 
 fact, I was beginning to think I might let you go at 
 your books again, moderately, since you are so well ; 
 and this is an excellent way to try your powers. Phebe 
 is a brave, bright lass, and shall have a fair chance in 
 the world, if we can give it to her, so that if she ever 
 finds her friends they need not be ashamed of her." 
 
 " I think she has found some already," began Rose 
 eagerly. 
 
 "Hey? what? has any one turned up since I've 
 been gone?" asked Dr. Alec quickly, for it was a 
 firm belief in the family that Phebe would prove to 
 be " somebody " sooner or later. 
 
 "No, her best friend turned up when you came 
 home, uncle," answered Rose with an approving pat, 
 adding gratefully, " I can't half thank you for being 
 so good to my girl, but she will, because I know she 
 is going to make a woman to be proud of, she 's so 
 strong and true, and loving." 
 
 " Bless your dear heart, I have n't begun to do any 
 thing yet, more shame to me I But I 'm going at it 
 now, and as soon as she gets on a bit, she shall go to 
 school as long as she likes. How will that do for a 
 beginning ? " 
 
 " It will be * just heavenly,' as Phebe says, for it is 
 the wish of her life to * get lots of schooling,' and she 
 will be to 7 happy when I tell her. May I, please ? — 
 it will be so lovely to see the dear thing open her big 
 eyes and clap her hands at the splendid news." 
 
SOMETHING TO DO. 
 
 26a 
 
 ** No one shall have a finger in this nice little pie ; 
 you shall do it all yourself, only don't go too fast, or 
 make too many castles in the air, my dear ; for time 
 and patience must go into this pie of ours if it is to 
 turn out well." 
 
 " Yes, uncle, only when it is opened won't ' the birds 
 begin to sing ? ' " laughed Rose, taking a turn about 
 the room as a vent for the joyful emotions that made 
 her eyes shine. All of a sudden she stopped and asked 
 soberly, — 
 
 " If Phebe goes to school who will do her work ? 
 I 'm willing, if I can." 
 
 "Come here and I'll tell you a secret. Dolly's 
 * bones ' are getting so troublesome, and her dear old 
 temper so bad, that the aunts have decided to pension 
 her off and let her go and live with her daughter, who 
 has married very well. I saw her this week, and she 'd 
 like to have her mother come, so in the spring we shall 
 have a grand change, and get a new cook xnd chamber- 
 girl if any can be found to suit our honored relatives." 
 
 " Oh, me ! how can I ever get on without Phebe ? 
 Could n't she stay, just so I could see her ? I 'd pay 
 her board rather than have her go, I 'm so fond of 
 her." 
 
 How Dr. Alec laughed at that proposal, and how 
 satisfied Rose waa when he explained that Phebe was 
 still to be her maid, with no duties except such as she 
 could easily perform between school-hours. 
 
 " She is a proud creature, for all her humble ways, 
 and even from us would not take a favor if she did not 
 earn it somehow. So this arrangement makes it all 
 square and comfortable, you see, and she will pay for 
 
2t54 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 the schooling by curling these goldilocks a dozen times 
 a day if you let her." 
 
 " Your plans are always so wise and kind ! That 's 
 why they work so well, I suppose, and why people let 
 you do what you like with them. I really don't see 
 how other girls get along without an Uncle Alec ! " 
 answered Rose, with a sigh of pity for those who had 
 missed so great a blessing. 
 
 When Phebe was told the splendid news, she did 
 not "stand on her head with rapture," as Charlie 
 prophesied she would, but took it quietly, because 
 it was such a happy thing she had no words " big 
 and beautiful enough to thank them in," she said ; 
 but every hour of her day was brightened by this 
 granted wish, and dedicated to the service of those 
 who gave it. 
 
 Her heart was so full of content that it overflowed 
 
 sweet V ^^'*e singing all about the 
 
 m 
 
 music, and the 
 
 house gave thanks so blitu^^/ that no other words 
 were needed. Her willing feet were never tired of 
 taking steps for those who had nmoothed her way ; her 
 skilful hands were always busy in some labor of love 
 for them, and on the face fast growing in comeliness 
 there was an almost womanly expression of devotion, 
 which proved how well Phebe had already learned 
 ope of life's great lessons^ — gratitude. 
 
les 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 PEACE-MAKING. 
 
 « OTEVE, I want you to tell me something," said 
 >^ Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at him- 
 self in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the 
 note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty. 
 " P'raps I will, and p'raps I won't. What is it ? " 
 "Haven't Arch and Charlie quarrelled?" 
 " Dare spy ; we fellows are always having little rows, 
 you know . I do believe a sty is coming on my star- 
 board eye," and Steve affected to be absorbed in a 
 survey of his yellow lashes. 
 
 " No, that won't do ; I want to know all about it ; 
 for I 'm sure something more serious than a * little row ' 
 is the matter. Come, please tell me, Stenie, there 'a a 
 
 >» 
 
 aear. 
 
 " Botheration I you don't want me to turn telltale, 
 do you?" growled Steve, pulling his top-knot, as he 
 always did when perplexed. 
 
 "Yes, I do," Wiis Rose's decided answer, — for she 
 saw from hi** manner that she was right, and deter- 
 mined to have the secret out of him if coaxing would 
 do it. " I don't wish you to tell things to every oae, of 
 course, but to mcj you may, and you must, because I 
 have a right to know. You boys need somebody to 
 look after you, and I 'm going to do it, for girls are 
 12 
 
 '3 
 
 ; , 
 
266 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS, 
 
 nioe peaoe-makers, and kjow how to manage people. 
 Uncle said so, and he is never wrong." 
 
 Steve was about to indulge in a derisive hoot at the 
 idea of her looking after them, but a sudden thought 
 restrained him, and suggested a way in which he could 
 satisfy Rose, and better himself at the same time. 
 
 " What will you give me if I '11 tell you every bit 
 about it?" he asked, with a sudden red in his cheeks, 
 and an uneasy look in his eyes, for he was half ashamed 
 of the proposition. 
 
 " What do you want ? " and Rose looked up rather 
 surprised at his question. 
 
 "I'd like to borrow some money. I shouldn't 
 think of arking you, only Mac never has a cent since 
 he 's set up his old chemical shop, where he '11 blow 
 himself to bits Pome day, and you and uncle will have 
 the fun of putting him together again," and Steve tried 
 to look as if the idea amused him. 
 
 " 1 11 lend it to you with pleasure, so tell away," said 
 Rose, bound to get at tae secret. 
 
 Evidently much relieved by the promise, Steve set 
 his top-knot cheerfully erect again, and briefly stated 
 the case. 
 
 " As you say, it 's all right to tell you^ but don't let 
 the boys know I blabbed, or Prince will take my head 
 off. You see, Archie don't like some of the fellows 
 Charlie goos with, and cuts 'em. That makes Prince 
 mad, and he holds on just to plague Arch, so they don't 
 speak to one another, if they can help it, and that 's 
 the row." 
 
 "Are those boys bad?" asked Rose, anxiously. 
 
 "Guess not, only rather wild. They are older than 
 
PEACE-MAKING. 
 
 267 
 
 our fellows, but they like Prince, he's such a jolly 
 boy ; sings so well, dances jigs and breakdowns, you 
 know, and plays any game that's going. He beat 
 Morse at billiards, and that's something to brag of, 
 for Morse thinks he knows every thing. I saw the 
 match, and it was great fun I " 
 
 Steve got quite excited over the prowess of Charlie, 
 whom he admired immensely, and tried to imitate. 
 Rose did not know half the danger of such gifts and 
 tastes as Charlie's, but felt instinctively that something 
 must be wrong if Archie disapproved. 
 
 " If Prince likes any billiard-playing boy better than 
 Archie, I don't think much of his sense," she said se- 
 verely. 
 
 "Of course he doesn't; hut, you see, Charlie and 
 Arch are both as proud as they can be, and won't give 
 in. I suppose Arch is right, but I don't blame Charlie 
 a bit for liking to be with the others sometimes, they 
 are such a jolly set," and Steve shook his head morally, 
 even while his eye twinkled over the memory of some 
 of the exploits of the " jolly set." 
 
 " Oh, dear me I " sighed Rose, " I don't see what I 
 can do about it, but I wish the boys would rr;ake up, 
 for Prince can't come to any harm with Archie, he's 
 so good and sensible." 
 
 " That 's the trouble ; Arch preaches, and Prince 
 won't stand it. He told Arch he was a prig and a 
 parson, and Arch told him he wasn't a gentleman. 
 M; boots I were n't they both mad though ! I thought 
 foi' a minute they'd pitch into one another and have 
 it out. Wish they had, and not gone stalking round 
 stiff and glum ever since. Mac and I settle our rows 
 
 li 
 
268 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 with a bat or so over the head, and then we are all 
 right." 
 
 RTEVB SHOWS HOW IT'P DONB. 
 
 Rose could n't help laughing as Steve sparred away 
 at a fat sofa-pillow, to illustrate his meaning ; and, hav- 
 ing gi^en it several scientific whacks, he pulled down 
 
PEACE'MAKING. 
 
 269 
 
 his cuffs and smiled upon her with benign pity for her 
 feminin ) ignorance of this summary way of settling 
 a quarrtjl. 
 
 " What droll things boys are ! " she said, with a 
 mixture of admiration and perplexity in her face, which 
 Steve accepted as a compliment to his sex. 
 
 " We are a pretty clever invention, miss, and you 
 can't get on without us," he ansvered, with his nose 
 in the air. Then, taking a sudden plunge into business, 
 he added, " How about that bit of money you were 
 going to lend me ? I Ve told, now you pay up." 
 
 " Of course I will ! How much do you want ? " and 
 Rose pulled out her purse. 
 
 " Codd you spare five oollars? I want to pay a 
 little debt of honor that is rather pressing," and Steve 
 put on a mannish air that was comical to see. 
 
 " Are n't all debts honorable ? " asked innocent Rose. 
 
 " Yes, of course ; but this is a bet I made, and it 
 ought to be settled up at once," began Steve, finding 
 it awkward to explain. 
 
 " Oh, don't bet, it 's not right, and I know your father 
 would n't like it. Promise you won't do so again, please 
 promise ! " and Rose held fast the hand into which she 
 had just put the money. 
 
 . " Well, I won't. It 's worried me a good deal, but 
 I was joked into it. Much obliged, cousin, I'm all 
 right now," and Steve departed hastily. 
 
 Having decided to be a peace-maker. Rose waited 
 for an opportunity, and very soon it came. 
 
 She was spending the day with Aunt Clara, who 
 had been enteitaiining some young guests, and invited 
 Rose to meet them, for she thought it high time her 
 
 
270 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 nieoe conqaered her bashfulness, and saw a little of 
 society. Dinner was over, and every one had gone. 
 Aunt Clara was resting before going out to an evening 
 party, and Rose was waiting for Charlie to come and 
 take her home. 
 
 She sat alone in the elegant drawing-room, feeling 
 particularly nice and pretty, for she had her best frock 
 on, a pair of gold bands her aunt had just given her, 
 and a tea-rose bud in her sash, like the beautiful Miss 
 Van Tassel, whom every one admired. She had spread 
 out her little skirts to the best advantage, and, leaning 
 back in a luxurious chair, sat admiring her own feet in 
 new slippers with rosettes almost as big as dahlias. 
 Presently Charlie came lounging in, looking rather 
 sleepy and queer. Rose thought. On seeing her, how- 
 ever, he roused up and said with a smile that ended in 
 a gape, — 
 
 " I thought you were with mother, so I took forty 
 winks after I got Ihose girls off. Now, I *m at your 
 service, Rosamunda, whenever you like." 
 
 " You look as if your head ached. If it does, don't 
 mind me. I 'm not afraid to run home alone, it 's so 
 early," answered Rose, observing the flushed cheeks 
 and heavy eyes of her cousin. 
 
 " I think I see myself letting you do it. Champagne 
 always makes my head ache, but the air will set me 
 up." 
 
 "Why do you drink it, then?" asked Rose, anx- 
 iously. 
 
 " Can't help it, when I 'm host. Now, don't you 
 begin to lecture ; I 've had enough of Archie's old- 
 fashioned notions, and I don't want any more." 
 
PEACE-^MAKING. 
 
 271 
 
 Charlie's tone was decidedly rross, and his whole 
 manner so unlike his usual merry good-nature, that 
 Rose felt crushe'l, and answered meekly, — 
 
 " I was n't going to lecture, only whe? people like 
 other people, they can't ber.r to see them sufEer pain." 
 
 That brought Charlie round at once, for Rose's lips 
 trembled a little, thougb she tried to hide it by smelling 
 the flower she pulled from her sash. 
 
 "I'm a regular bear, and I beg your pardon for 
 being so cross, Uoh} ,'' he said in the old frank way 
 that was so winning. 
 
 " I wish you 'd beg Archie's too, and be good friends 
 again. You never wero cross when he was your chum," 
 Rose said, looking up at him as he bent toward her 
 from the low chimney-piece, where he had been leaning 
 his elbows. 
 
 In an instant he stood as stiff and straight as a ram- 
 rod, and the heavy eyes kindled with an angry spark 
 as he said, in his high and mighty manner, — 
 
 " You 'd bettor not meddle with what you don't 
 understand, cousi^i." 
 
 " But I do understand, and it troubles me very much 
 to see you so cold and stiff to one another. You 
 always used to be together, and now you hardly speak. 
 You are so ready to beg my pardon I don't see why 
 you can't beg Archie's, if you are in the wrong." 
 
 " I 'm not I " this was so short and sharp that Rose 
 started, and Charlie added in a calmer but still very 
 haughty tone: "A gentleman always begs pardon 
 when he has been rude to a lady, but one man does n't 
 apologize to another man who has insulted him." 
 
 " Oh, my heart, what a pepperpot I " thought Rose, 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-S) 
 
 ^ 
 
 s? 
 
 
 ^ % <f^ 
 
 /. 
 
 /K^.. 
 
 i/.x 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1^ 12.8 
 
 |50 "^= 
 
 2.5 
 
 li 
 
 
 
 1.25 1.4 1 , ^ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 6" 
 
 ► 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 S^ 
 
 \ 
 
 <J 
 
 ,v 
 
 \^ 
 
 l\ 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 ?3 WIST MAiN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 
 ^<^ 
 

 
272 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 and, hoping to make him laugh, she added slyly : *^ I 
 was not talking about men, but boys, and one of them 
 a Prince, who ought to set a good example to his 
 subjects." 
 
 But Charlie would not relent, and tried to turn the 
 subject by saying gravely, as he unfastened the little 
 gold ring from his watch-guard, — 
 
 " I Ve broken my word, so I want to give this back 
 and free you from the bargain. I 'm sorry, but I think 
 it a foolish promise, and don't intend to keep it. Choose 
 a pair of ear-rings to suit yourself, as my forfeit. You 
 have a right to wear them now." < 
 
 " No, I can only wear one, and that is no use, for 
 Archie will keep hia word I 'm sure ! " Kose was so 
 mortified and grieved at this downfall of her hopes 
 that she spoke sharply, and would not take the ring 
 the deserter offered her. 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders, and threw it into her 
 lap, trying to look cool and careless, but failing entirely, 
 for he was ashamed of himself, and out of sorts generally. 
 Rose wanted to cry, but pride would not let her, and, 
 being very angry, she relieved herself by talk instead 
 of tears. Looking pale and excited, she rose out of 
 her chair, cast away the ring, and said in a voice that 
 she vainly tried to keep steady, — 
 
 "You are not at all the boy I thought you were, 
 and I don't respect you one bit. I Ve tried to help 
 you be good, but you won't let me, and I shall not 
 try any more. You talk a great deal about being a 
 gentleman, but you are not, for you 've broken your 
 word, and I can never trust you again. I don't wish 
 you to go home with me. I'd rather have Mary. 
 Gpod-night." 
 
PEACE-MAKING. 
 
 273 
 
 And with that last dreadful blow, Rose walked out 
 of the room, leaving Charlie as much astonished as if 
 one of his pet pigeons had flown in his face and peeked 
 at him. She was so seldom angry, that when her 
 temper did get the better of her it made a deep im- 
 pression on the lads, for it was generally a righteous 
 sort of indignation at some injustice or wrong-doing, 
 not childish passion. 
 
 Her little thunder-storm cleared off in a sob or two 
 as she put on her things in the entry-closet, and when 
 she emerged she looked the brighter for the shower. 
 A hasty good-night to Aunt Clara, — now under the 
 hands of the hair-dresser, — and then she crept down 
 to find Mary the maid. But Mary was out, so was 
 the man, and Rose slipped away by the back-door, 
 flattering herself that she had escaped the awkward- 
 ness of having Charlie for escort. ^ « - - •*■■--■ 
 
 There she was mistaken, however, for the gate had 
 hardly closed behind her when a well-known tramp 
 was heard, and the Prince was beside her, saying in a 
 tone of penitent politeness that banished Rose's wrath 
 like magic, — 
 
 ** You need n't speak to me if you don't choose, but 
 I must see you safely home, cousin." 
 
 She turned at once, put out her hand, and answered 
 heartily, — 
 
 " I was the cross one. Please forgive me, and let 's 
 be friends again." 
 
 Now that was better than a dozen sermons on the 
 beauty of forgiveness, and did Charlie more good, for 
 it showed him how sweet humility was, and proved 
 that Rose practised as she preached. 
 12» K 
 
 
 r «■' 
 
■P 
 
 274 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 He shook the hand warmly, then drew it through 
 his arm and said, as if anxious to recover the good 
 opinion with the loss of which he had been threat- 
 ened, — 
 
 "Look here, Kosy, I've put the ring bick, and I'm 
 going to try again. But you don't know how hard it 
 is to stand being laughed at." 
 
 " Yes, I do ! Ariadne plagues me every tiine I see 
 her, because I don't wear ear-rings after all the trouble 
 I had getting ready for them." 
 
 "Ah, but her twaddle is n't half as bad as the chaffing 
 I get. It takes a deal of pluck to hold out when you 
 are told you are tied to an apron-string, and all that 
 sort of thing," sighed Charlie. 
 
 " I thought you had a * deal of pluck,' as you call it. 
 The boys all say you are the bravest of the seven," 
 said Rose. 
 
 " So I am about some things, but I cannot bear to 
 be laughed at." 
 
 " It is hard, but if one is right won't that make it 
 easier ? " 
 
 " Not to me ; it might to a pious parson like Arch." 
 
 " Please don't call him names ! I gaess he has what 
 is called moral courage, and yov. physical courage. 
 Uncle explained the difference to me, and moral is the 
 best, though often it doesn't look so," said Rose 
 thoughtfully. 
 
 Charlie didn't like that, and answered quickly, " I 
 don't believe he 'd stand it any better than I do, if he 
 had those fellows at him." 
 
 " Perhaps that 's why he keeDS out of their way, and 
 wants you to." 
 
 k'*' 
 
PEACE-MAKING. 
 
 276 
 
 Rose had him there, and Charlie felt it, but would 
 not give in just yet, though he was going fast, for, 
 somehow, in the dark he seemed to see things clearer 
 than in the light, and found it very easy to be confi- 
 dential when it was " only Rose." 
 
 " If he was my brother, now, he 'd have some right 
 to interfere," began Charlie, in an injured tone. 
 
 " I wish he was I " cried Rose. / _ 
 
 " So do I," answered Charlie, and then they both 
 laughed at his inconsistency. . - , , ,, 
 
 The laugh did them good, and when Prince spoke 
 again, it was in a different tone, — pensive, not proud 
 nor perverse. ',-■•. ^ :-.ww.-/. • ..,:./ -.^ ■■'.■: .^'■- "■ 
 
 " You see, it 's hard upon me that I have no brothers 
 and sisters. Th€ others are better off and need n't go 
 abroad for chums if they don't like. I am all alone, 
 and I 'd be thankful even for a little sister." 
 
 Rose thought that very pathetic, and, overlooking 
 the uncomplimentary word " even" in that last sentence, 
 she said, with a timid sort of earnestness that conquered 
 her cousin at once, — ^ i ' 
 
 " Play I was a little sister. I know I 'm silly, but 
 perhaps I 'm better than nothing, and I 'd dearly love 
 to do it." 
 
 " So should I ! and we will, for you are not silly, my 
 dear, but a very sensible girl, we all think, and I 'm 
 proud to have you for a sister. There, now ! " and 
 Charlie looked down at the curly head bobbing along 
 beside him, with real affection in his face. 
 
 Rose gave a skip of pleasure, and laid one seal-skin 
 mitten over the other on his arm, as she said hap- 
 pily,— . - 
 
 ' ■ " ! 
 
 w 
 
 _- 1 
 
276 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 " That 's so nice of you ! Now, you need n't be 
 lonely any more, and I '11 try to fill Archie's place till 
 he comes back, for I know he will, as soon as you let 
 him." 
 
 " Well, I don't mind telling you that while he was 
 my mate I never missed brothers and sisters, or wanted 
 any one else ; but since he cast me off, I '11 be hanged 
 if I don't feel as forlorn as old Crusoe before Friday 
 turned up." 
 
 This burst of confidence confirmed Rose in her pur- 
 pose of winning Charlie's Mentor back to him, but she 
 said no more, contented to have done so well. They 
 parted excellent friends, and Prince went home, won- 
 dering why " a fellow did n't mind saying things to a 
 girl or woman which they would die before they 'd own 
 to another fellow." 
 
 Rose also had some sage reflections upon the sub- 
 ject, and fell asleep thinking that there were a great 
 many curious things in this world, and feeling that she 
 was beginning to find out some of them. 
 
 Next day she trudged up the hill to see Archie, and 
 having told him as much as she thought best about 
 her talk with Charlie, begged him to forget and for- 
 give. 
 
 " I 've been thinking that perhaps I ought to, though 
 I am in the right. I 'm no end fond of Charlie, and 
 he 's the best-hearted lad alive; but he can't. say No, 
 and that will play the mischief with him, if he does not 
 take care," said Archie in his grave, kind way. 
 " While father was home, I was very busy with him, 
 so Prince got into a set I don't like. They try to be 
 fast, and think it 's manly, and they flatter him, and 
 
PEACE-MAKING. 
 
 277 
 
 lead him on to do all sorts of things, — play for money, 
 and bet, and loaf about. I hate to have him do so, 
 and tried to stop it, but went to work the wrong way, 
 so we got into a mess." 
 
 " He is all ready to make up if you don't say much, 
 for he owned to me he was wrong ; but I don't think 
 he will own it to you, in words," began Rose. 
 , " I don't care for that ; if he '11 just drop those row- 
 dies and come back, I '11 hold my tongue and not 
 preach. I wonder if he owes those fellows money, 
 and so does n't like to break off till he can pay it. I 
 hope not, but don't dare to ask; though, perhaps, 
 Steve knows, he's always after Prince, more's the 
 pity," and Archie looked anxious. 
 
 " I think Steve does know, for he talked about debts 
 of honor the day I gave him — ^" There Rose stopped 
 short and turned scarlet. 
 
 But Archie ordered her to " fess," and had the whole 
 story in five minutes, for none dared disobey the Chief. 
 He completed her affliction by putting a five-dollar bill 
 into her pocket by main force, looking both indignant 
 and resolute as he said, — 
 
 " Never do so, again ; but send Steve to me, if he is 
 afraid to go to his father. Charlie had nothing to do 
 with that ; he would n't borrow a penny of a girl, don't 
 'think it. But that's the harm he does Steve, who 
 adores him, and tries to be like him in all things. 
 Don't say a word ; I '11 make it all right, and no one 
 fihall blame you." 
 
 " Oh, me ! I always mate trouble by trying to help, 
 and then letting out the wrong thing," sighed Rose, 
 much depressed by her slip of the tongue. 
 
 'K' 
 
 it 
 
 •« 
 
278 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 Archie comforted her with the novel remark that it 
 was always best to tell the truth, and made her quite 
 cheerful by promising to heal the breach with Charlie, 
 as soon as possible. 
 
 He kept his word so well that the very next after- 
 noon, as Rose looked out of the window, she beheld 
 the joyful spectacle of Archie and Prince coming up 
 the avenue, arm-in-arm, as of old, talking away as if to 
 make up for the unhappy silence of the past weeks. 
 
 Rose dropped her work, hurried to the door, and, 
 opening it wide, stood there smiling down upon them 
 so happily, that the faces of the lads brightened as 
 they ran up the steps eager to show that all was well 
 with them. 
 
 " Here's our little peace-maker I " said Archie, shak- 
 ing hands with vigor. <■ 
 
 But Charlie added, with a look that made Rose very 
 proud and happy, " And mi/ little sister." 
 
h 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 ' WHICH ^ 
 
 " T T-^^-"^^' ^ ^''^^'® discovered what girls are made 
 
 ^ for," said Rose, the day after the reconcilia- 
 tion of Archie and the Prince. 
 
 " Well, my dear, what is it ? " asked Dr. Alec, who 
 was " planking the deck," as he called his daily prom- 
 enade up and down the hall. 
 
 " To take care of boys," answered Rose, quite beam- 
 ing with satisfaction as sha spoke. " Phebe laughed 
 when I told her, and said she thought girls had better 
 learn to take care of themselves first. But that 's be- 
 cause she has n't got seven boy-cousins as I have." 
 
 " She is right, nevertheless. Rosy, and so are you, for 
 the two things go together, and in helping seven lads 
 you are unconsciously doing much to improve one 
 lass," said Dr. Alec, stopping to nod and smile at the 
 bright-faced figure resting on the old bamboo chair, 
 after a lively game of battledore and shuttlecock, in 
 place of a run which a storm prevented. 
 
 " Am I ? I 'm glad of that, but really, uncle, I do 
 feel as if I must take care of the boys, for they come 
 to me in all sorts of troubles, and ask advice, and I 
 like it SQ much. Only I don't always know what to 
 
 ;^l 
 
 W' 
 
 
 If: 
 
 11 
 
280 
 
 EIGHT COUSINi^. 
 
 do, and I 'm going to consult you privately and theii 
 surprise them with my wisdom." 
 
 " All right, my dear ; what 's the first worry ? I see 
 you have something on your little mind, so come and 
 tell uncle." 
 
 Rose put her arm in his, and, pacing to and fro, 
 told him all about Charlie, asking what she could do 
 to keep him straight, and be a real sister to him. 
 
 " Could you make up your mind to go and stay with 
 Aunt Clara a month ? " asked the Doctor, when she 
 ended. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; but I should n't like it. Do you really 
 want me to go ? " 
 
 " The best cure for Charlie is a daily dose of Rose 
 water, or Rose and water ; will you go and see that he 
 takes it?" laughed Dr. Alec. 
 
 " You mean that if I 'm there and try to make it 
 pleasant, he will stay at home and keep out of mis- 
 chief?" 
 
 « Exactly." 
 
 " But c(mld I make it pleasant ? He would want 
 the boys." 
 
 " No danger but he 'd have the boys, for they swarm 
 after you like bees after their queen. Have n't you 
 found that out ? " 
 
 " Aunt Plen often says they never used to be here 
 half so much before I came, but I never thought I 
 made the difference, it seemed so natural to have them 
 round." 
 
 ** Little Modesty does n't know what a magnet she 
 is ; but she will find it out some day," and the Doctor 
 softly stroked the cheek that had grown rosy with 
 
■^V'V' 
 
 WHICHf 
 
 281 
 
 pleasure at the thought of being so much loved. 
 " Now, you see, if I move the magnet to Aunt Clara's, 
 the lads will go there as sure as iron to steel, and 
 Charlie will be so happy at home he won't care for 
 these mischievous mates of his; I hope," added the 
 Doctor, well knowing how hard it was to wean a 
 seventeen-year-old boy from his first taste of what 
 is called "seeing life," which, alas! often ends in 
 seeing death. v - 
 
 " I '11 go, uncle, right away ! Aunt Clara is always 
 asking me, and will be glad to get me. I shall have to 
 dress and dine late, and see lots of company, and be 
 very fashionable, but I '11 try not to let it hurt me ; 
 and if I get in a puzzle or worried about any thing I 
 can run to you," answered Rose, good-will conquering 
 timidity. 
 
 So it was decided, and without saying much about 
 the real reason for this visit, Rose was transplanted to 
 Aunt Clara's, feeling that she had a work to do, and 
 very eager to do it well. 
 
 Dr. Alec was right about the bees, for the boys did 
 follow their queen, and astonished Mrs. Clara by 
 their sudden assiduity in making calls, dropping in to 
 dinner, and getting up evening frolics. Charlie was a 
 devoted host, and tried to show his gratitude by being 
 very kind to his " little sister," for he guessed why she 
 came, and his heart was touched by her artless endeav- 
 ors to " help him be good." 
 
 Rose often longed to be back in the old house, with 
 the simpler pleasures and more useful duties of the life 
 there ; but, having made up her mind, in spite of 
 Phebe, that " girls were made to take care of boys," 
 
282 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 her motherly little soul found much to enjoy in the 
 new task she had unc^'^rtaken. 
 
 It was a pretty sight to see the one earnest, sweet- 
 faced girl among the flock of tall lads, trying to under- 
 stand, to help and please them with a patient affection 
 that worked many a small miracle unperceived. Slang, 
 rough manners, and careless habits were banished or 
 bettered by the presence of a little gentlewoman ; and 
 all the manly virtues cropping up were encouraged by 
 the hearty admiration bestowed upon them by one 
 whose good opinion all valued more than they con- 
 fessed; while Rose tried to imitate the good quali- 
 ties she praised in them, to put away her girlish 
 vanities and fears, to be strong and just and frank 
 and brave as well as modest, kind, and beautiful. 
 
 This trial worked so well that when the month was 
 over, Mac and Steve demanded a visit in their turn, 
 and Rose went, feeling that she would like to hear 
 grim Aunt Jane say, as Aunt Clara did at parting, " I 
 wish I could keep you all my life, dear." 
 
 After Mac and Steve had had their turn, Archie 
 and Company bore her away for some weeks ; and 
 with them she was so happy, she felt as if she would 
 like to stay for ever, if she could have Uncle Alec also. 
 
 Of course. Aunt Myra could not be neglected, and, 
 with secret despair. Rose went to the " Mausoleum," 
 as the boys called her gloomy abode. Fortunately, 
 she was very near home, and Dr. Alec dropped in 
 so often that her visit was far less dismal than she 
 expected. Between them, they actually made Aunt 
 Myra laugh heartily more than once ; and Rose did 
 her BO much good by letting in the sunshine, singing 
 
WHlCff^ 
 
 283 
 
 about the silent house, cooking wholesome messes, and 
 amusing the old lady with funny little lectures on 
 physiology, that she forgot to take her pills and gave 
 up "Mum's Elixir," because she slept so well, after 
 the long walks and drives she was beguiled into tak- 
 ing, that she needed no narcotic. 
 
 So the winter flew rapidly away, and it was May 
 before Rose was fairly settled again at home. They 
 called her the " Monthly Rose," because she had spent 
 a month with each of the aunts, and left such pletisant 
 memories of bloom and fragrance behind her, that all 
 wanted the family flower back again. • -. , * 
 
 Dr. Alec rejoiced greatly over his recovered treas- 
 ure ; but as the time drew near when his year of ex- 
 periment ended, he had many a secret fear that Rose 
 might like to make her home for the next twelvemonth 
 with Aunt Jessie, or even Aunt Clara, for Charlie's 
 sake. He said nothing, but waited with much anxiety 
 for the day when the matter should be decided ; and 
 while he waited he did his best to finish as far as pos- 
 sible the task he had begun so well. 
 
 Rose was very happy now, being out nearly all day 
 enjoying the beautiful awakening of the world, for 
 spring came bright and early, as if anxious to do 
 its part. The old horse-chestnuts budded round her 
 windows, green things sprung up like magic in the 
 garden under her hands, hardy flowers bloomed as 
 fast as they could, the birds sang blithely overhead, 
 and every day a chorus of pleasant voices cried, 
 "Good morning, cousin, isn't it jolly weather?" 
 
 No one remembered the date of the eventful coii- 
 rersation 'V7hich resulted in the Doctor's experiment 
 
 
284 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 (no one but himself at least) ; so when the aunts were 
 invited to tea one Saturday they came quite unsuspi- 
 ciously, and were all sitting together having a social 
 chat, when Brother Alec entered with two photographs 
 in his hand. 
 
 "Do you remember that?" he said, showing one 
 to Aunt Clara, who happened to be nearest. 
 
 "Yes, indeed; it is very like her when she came. - 
 Quite her sad, unchildlike expression, and thin little 
 face, with the big dark eyes." 
 
 The picture was passed round, and all agreed that 
 " it was very like Rose a year ago." This point being 
 settled, the Doctor showed the second picture, which?;, 
 was received with great approbation, and pronounced 
 a " charming likeness." 
 
 If certainly was, and a striking contrast to the 
 first one, for it was a blooming, smiling face, full 
 of girlish spirit and health, with no sign of mel- 
 ancholy, though the soft eyes were thoughtful, and 
 the lines about the lips betrayed a sensitive nature. 
 
 Dr. Alee set both photographs on the chimney- 
 pi3ce, and, falling back a step or two, surveyed them 
 with infinite satisfaction for several minutes, then 
 wheeled round, saying briefly, as he pointed to the 
 owo faces, — 
 
 "Time is up; how do you think my experiment 
 has succeeded, ladies?" 
 
 " Bless me, so it is I " cried Aunt Plenty, dropping 
 a Htitch in her surprise. 
 
 " Beautifully, dear," answered Aunt Peace, smiling 
 entire approval. 
 
 "She certainly Aa« improved, but appearances are 
 
WHICH 7 
 
 285 
 
 i . 
 
 «> 
 
 deceitful, and she had no constitution to build upon," 
 croaked Aunt Myra. 
 
 " I am willing to allow that, as far as mere health 
 goes, the experiment is a success," graciously ob- 
 served Aunt Jane, unable to forget Rose's kindness 
 to her Mac. 
 
 " So am I ; and I '11 go farther, for I really do 
 believe Alec has done wonders for the child ; she 
 will be a beauty in two or three years," added Aunt 
 Clara, feeling that she could say nothing better than 
 that. 
 
 "I always knew he would succeed, and I'm so 
 glad you all allow it, for he deserves more credit 
 than you know, and more praise than he will ever 
 get," cried Aunt Jessie, clapping her hands with 
 an enthusiasm that caused Jamie's little red stocking 
 to wave like a triumphal banner in the air. 
 
 Dr. Alec made them a splendid bow, looking much 
 gratified, and then said soberly, — 
 
 "Thank you; now the question is, shall I go 
 on? — for this is only the beginning. None of you 
 know the hinderances I've had, the mistakes I've 
 made, the study I 've given the case, and the anxiety 
 I've often felt. Sister Myra is right in one thing, — 
 Rose is a delicate creature, quick to flourish in the 
 sunshine, and as quick to droop without it. She 
 has no special weakness, but inherits her mother's 
 sensitive nature, and needs the wisest, tenderest care 
 to keep a very ardent little soul from wearing out 
 a finely organized little body. I think I have found 
 the right treatment, and, with you to help me, I l^e- 
 lieve we may build up a lovely and a noble woman, 
 who will be a pride and comfort to us all." 
 
 f.v 
 
 ' 
 
 
286 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 
 There Dr. Alec stopped to get his breath, for he 
 had spoken very earnestly, and his voice got a little 
 husky over the last words. A gentle murmur from 
 the aunts seemed to encourage him, and he went 
 on with an engaging smile, for the good man was 
 slyly trying to win all the ladies to vote for him 
 when the time came. 
 
 " Now, I don't wish to be selfish or arbitrary, be- 
 cause I am her guardian, and I shall leave Rose free 
 to choose for herself. We all want her, and if she 
 likes to make her home with any of you rather than 
 with me, she shall do so. In fact, I encouraged her 
 visits last winter, that she might see what we can all 
 offer her, and judge where she will be happiest. Is 
 not that the fairest way ? Will you agree to abide by 
 her choice, as I do ? " 
 
 " Yes, we will," said all the aunts, in quite a flutter 
 of excitement, at the prospect of having Rose for a 
 whole year. 
 
 " Good I she will be here directly, and then we will 
 settle the question for another year. A most impor- 
 tan4^i year, mind you, for she has got a good start, and 
 will blossom rapidly now if all goes well with her. 
 So I beg of you don't undo my work, but deal very 
 wisely and gently with my little girl, for if any harm 
 come to her, I think it would break my heart." 
 
 As he spoke. Dr. Alec turned his back abruptly and 
 affected to be examining the pictures again ; but the 
 aunts understood how dear the child was to the soli- 
 tary man who had loved her mother years ago, and 
 who now found his happiness in cherishing the little 
 Rose who was so like her. The good ladies nodded 
 
WHICH? 
 
 287 
 
 and sighed, and telegraphed to one another that none 
 of them would complain if not chosen, or ever try to 
 
 **THB COUSINS HAD BEEN A-MAYINO." 
 
 rob Brother Alec of his " Heart's Delight," as the boys 
 called Rose. 
 
 Just then a pleasant sound of happy voices came up 
 
288 
 
 EIGHT COUSms. 
 
 from the garden, and smiles broke out on all serious 
 faces. Dr. Alec turned at once, saying, as he threw 
 back his head, " There she is ; ^now for it ! " 
 
 The cousins had been a-Maying, and soon came flock- 
 ing in laden with the spoils. 
 
 " Here is our bonny Scotch rose with all her thorns 
 about her," said Dr. Alec, surveying her with unusual 
 pride and tenderness, as she went to show Aunt Peace 
 her basket ftill of early flowers, fresh leaves, and curious 
 lichens. 
 
 " Leave your clutter in the hall, boys, and sit quietly 
 .down if you choose to stop here, for we are busy," said 
 Aunt Plenty, shaking her finger at the turbulent clan, 
 who were bubbling over with the jollity born of spring 
 sunshine and healthy exercise. 
 
 " Of course, we choose to stay I Would n't miss our 
 Saturday high tea for any thing," said the Chief, as he 
 restored order among his men with a nod, a word, and 
 an occasional shake. 
 
 " What is up ? a court-martial ? " asked Charlie, look- 
 ing at the assembled ladies with affected awe and real 
 curiosity, for their faces betrayed that some interesting 
 business was afloat. 
 
 Dr. Alec explained in a few words, which he made 
 as brief and calm as he could ; but the efiect was excit- 
 ing, nevertheless, for each of the lads began at once to 
 bribe, entice, and wheedle " our cousin " to choose his 
 home. 
 
 ** You really ought to come to us for mother's sake. 
 as a relish, you know, for she must be perfectly satiated 
 with boys," began Archie, using the strongest argu 
 ment he could think of at the moment. 
 
WHICH'i 
 
 289 
 
 « Ah 1 yea,'* she thought, « he wants me most I I 
 
 ve 
 
 often longed to give him something that he wished for 
 very much, and now I can." 
 
 So, when, at a sudden gesture from Aunt Peace, 
 silence fell, Rose said slowly, with a pretty color in her 
 cheeks, and a beseeching look about the room, as if 
 asking pardon of the boys, — 
 
 " It 's very hard to choose when everybody is so fond 
 of me : therefore I think I 'd better go to the one who 
 seems to need me most." ^^:^^^^^^^^^^^ x^^^^ 
 
 " No, dear, the one you love the best and will be 
 nappiest with," said Dr. Alec quickly, as a doleful sniff 
 from Aunt Myra, and a murmur of " My sainted Caro- 
 line," made Rose pause and look that way. « * 
 
 " Take time, cousin ; don't be in a hurry to make up 
 your mind, and remember, *Codlin's your friend,"* 
 added Charlie, hopeful still. ? 1 ii n 
 
 " I don't want any time ! I know who I love best, 
 who I 'm happiest with, and I choose uncle. Will he 
 have me ? " cried Rose, in a tone that produced a sym- 
 pathetic thrill among the hearers, it was so full of ten- 
 der confidence and love. 
 
 If she really had any doubt, the look in Dr. Alec's 
 face banished it without a word, as he opened wide his 
 arms, and she ran into them, feeling that home was 
 there. 
 
 No one spoke for a minute, but there were signs of 
 emotion among the aunts, which warned the boys to 
 bestir themselves before the water-works began to 
 play. So they took hands and began to prance about 
 uncle and niece, singing, with sudden inspiration, the 
 nursery rhyme, — 
 
 " Ring around a Rosy ! " 
 
ip 
 
 290 
 
 EIGHT COUSINS. 
 
 Of course that put an end to all sentiment, and Ros6 
 emerged laughing from Dr. Alec's bosom, with the 
 mark of a waistcoat button nicely imprinted on her 
 left cheek. He saw it, and said with a meiTy kiss that 
 half effaced it, "This is my ewe lamb, and I have set 
 my mark on her, so no one can steal her away." 
 
 That tickled the boys, and they set up a shout of 
 
 " Uncle had a little lamb ! " 
 
 But Rose hushed the noise by slipping into the cir- 
 cle, and making them dance prettily, — like lads and 
 lasses round a May-pole ; while Phebe, coming in with 
 fresh water for the flowers, began to twitter, chirp, and 
 coo, as if all the birds of the air had come to join in 
 the spring revel of the eight cousins. 
 
 END OF PART FIRST. 
 
,-Ji---