THE LIBRARY 
 
 * > $. *V- 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 BEQUEST OF 
 
 Alice E. Hilgard 
 
*#^ 1\. 
 
 A<*4 
 
 7 
 
 ///; 
 
TOM 
 
POLLY. 
 

 /^yy, 
 AN OLD-FASHIONED GIRL 
 
 BY 
 
 LOUISA M. ALCOTT, 
 
 AOTHOR OF "UTTLE WOMEN," " LITTLE MEN," " WORK," " SHAWL-STRAPS." 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS. 
 
 1880. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the yeir 1870, by 
 
 LOUISA M. ALCOTT, 
 In the Clerk s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 
 
 By the Same Author. 
 
 LITTLE WOMEN; OR, MEG, Jo, BETH, AND AMY. In 
 Two Parts. Price $3 oo. 
 
 LITTLE MEN: LIFE AT PLUMFIELD WITH Jo s BOYS. 
 Price $1.50. 
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES, AND CAMP AND FIRESIDE 
 STORIES. Price $1.50. 
 
 MY BOYS. Being Aunt Jo s Scrap-Bag, Vol. I. Price 
 
 $1.00. 
 
 SHAWL-STRAPS. Being Aunt Jo s Scrap-Bag, Vol. II. 
 Price $1.00. 
 
 CUPID AND CHOW-CHOW. Being Aunt Jo s Scrap- 
 Bag, Vol. III. Price $1.00. 
 
 WORK: A STORY OF EXPERIENCE. Price $1.75. 
 Mailed, postpaid, by the Publishers, 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS, 
 
 Boston. 
 
 UNIVERSITY PRESS: JOHN WILSON & SON, 
 CAMBRIDGE 
 
 Add l 
 
. Or 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Paxe. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 POLLY ARRIVES . 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 NEW FASHIONS 19 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 POLLY S TROUBLES 37 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 LITTLE THINGS 53 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 SCRAPES 72 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 GRANDMA 90 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 GOOD-BY 126 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 SIX YEARS AFTERWARD 145 
 
 M865541 
 
4 Index. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 LESSONS 167 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 BROTHERS AND SISTERS 186 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 NEEDLES AND TONGUES 210 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 FORBIDDEN FRUIT 230 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 THE SUNNY SIDE 251 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 NIPPED IN THE BUD 272 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 BREAKERS AHEAD 292 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 A DRESS PARADE 313 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 PLAYING GRANDMOTHER 327 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 THE WOMAN WHO DID NOT DARE 350 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 TOM S SUCCESS , . 36G 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 A S a preface is the only place where an author can 
 with propriety explain a purpose or apologize for 
 shortcomings, I venture to avail myself of the privilege 
 to make a statement for the benefit of my readers. 
 
 As the first part of "An Old-Fashioned Girl" was 
 written in 1869, the demand for a sequel, in beseeching 
 little letters that made refusal impossible, rendered it nec 
 essary to carry my heroine boldly forward some six or 
 seven years into the future. The domestic nature of the 
 story makes this audacious proceeding possible; while 
 the lively fancies of my young readers will supply all 
 deficiencies, and overlook all discrepancies. 
 
 This explanation will, I trust, relieve those well-regu 
 lated minds, who cannot conceive of such literary lawless 
 ness, from the bewilderment which they suffered when 
 the same experiment was tried in a former book. 
 
 The " Old-Fashioned Girl " is not intended as a perfect 
 model, but as a possible improvement upon the Girl of 
 the Period, who seems sorrowfully ignorant or ashamed 
 of the good old fashions which make woman truly beau 
 tiful and honored, and, through her, render home what ii 
 
6 Preface. 
 
 should be, a happy place, where parents and children, 
 brothers and sisters, learn to love and know and help one 
 another. 
 
 If the history of Polly s girlish experiences suggests a 
 hint or insinuates a lesson, I shall feel that, in spite of 
 many obstacles, I have not entirely neglected my duty 
 toward the little men and women, for whom it is an honor 
 and a pleasure to write, since in them I have always found 
 my kindest patrons, gentlest critics, warmest friends. 
 
 L. M. A. 
 
AN OLD-FASHIONED GIRL. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 POLLY ARRIVES. 
 
 f{ TT S time to go to the station, Tom." 
 
 -I- " Come on, then." 
 
 " Oh, I m not going ; it s too wet. Should n t 
 have a crimp left if I went out such a day as this ; 
 and I want to look nice when Polly comes." 
 
 u You don t expect me to go and bring home a 
 strange girl alone, do you?" And Tom looked as 
 much alarmed as if his sister had proposed to him 
 to escort the \*ild woman of Australia. 
 
 44 Of course 1 do. It s your place to go and get 
 her ; and if you was n t a bear, you d like it." 
 
 " Well, I call that mean ! I supposed I d got to 
 go ; but you said ) ou d go, too. Catch me bothering 
 about your friends another time ! No, sir I " And 
 Tom rose from the sofa with an ah* of indignant reso 
 lution, the impressive effect of which was somewhat 
 damaged by a tousled head, and the hunched appear 
 ance of his garments generally. 
 
2 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Now, don t be cross ; and I 11 get mamma to let 
 you have that horrid Ned Miller, that you are so fond 
 of, come and make you a visit after Polly s gone," 
 said Fanny, hoping to soothe his ruffled feelings. 
 
 " How long is she going to stay ? " demanded 
 Tom, making his toilet by a promiscuous shake. 
 
 " A month or two, maybe. She s ever so nice ; 
 and I shall keep her as long as she s happy." 
 
 " She won t stay long then, if I can help it," mut 
 tered Tom, who regarded girls as a very unnecessary 
 portion of creation. Boys of fourteen are apt to 
 think so, and perhaps it is a wise arrangement ; for, 
 being fond of turning somersaults, they have an 
 opportunity of indulging in a good one, metaphori 
 cally speaking, when, three or four years later, they 
 become the abject slaves of " those bothering girls." 
 
 " Look here ! how am I going to know the creature i* 
 I never saw her, and she never saw me. You 11 have 
 to come too, Fan," he added, pausing on his way to 
 the door, arrested by the awful idea that he might 
 have to address several strange girls before he got the 
 right one. 
 
 " You 11 find her easy enough ; she 11 probably be 
 standing round looking for us. I dare say she ll 
 know you, though I m not there, because I ve de 
 scribed you to her." 
 
 " Guess she won t, then ; " and Tom gave a hasty 
 smooth to his curly pate and a glance at the mirror, 
 feeling sure that his sister had n t done him justice, 
 Sisters never do, as " we fellows " know too well. 
 
 "Do go along, or you ll be too late; and then, 
 what will Polly think of me?" cried Fanny, with the 
 
Polly Arrives. 3 
 
 impatient poke which is peculiarly aggravating to 
 masculine dignity. 
 
 " She 11 think you cared more about your frizzles 
 than your friends, and she 11 be about right, too." 
 
 Feeling that he said rather a neat and cutting thing, 
 Tom sauntered leisurely awa}% perfectly conscious 
 that it was late, but bent on not being hurried while 
 in sight, though he ran himself off his legs to make 
 up for it afterward. 
 
 " If I was the President, I d make a law to shut up 
 all boys till they were grown ; for they certainly are 
 the most provoking toads in the world," said Fanny, 
 as she watched the slouchy figure of her brother stroll 
 ing down the street. She might have changed her 
 mind, however, if she had followed him, for as soon 
 as he turned the corner, his whole aspect altered ; his 
 hands came out of his pockets, he stopped whistling, 
 buttoned his jacket, gave his cap a pull, and went off 
 at a great pace. 
 
 The train was just in when he reached the station, 
 panting like a race-horse, and as red as a lobster with 
 the wind and the run. 
 
 " Suppose she 11 wear a top-knot and a thingumbob, 
 like every one else ; and however shall I know her ? 
 Too bad of Fan to make me come alone ! " thought 
 Tom, as he stood watching the crowd stream through 
 the depot, and feeling rather daunted at the array of 
 young ladies who passed. As none of them seemed 
 looking for any one, he did not accost them, but eyed 
 each new batch with the air of a mart}T. " That s 
 her," he said to himself, as he presently caught sight 
 of a girl in gorgeous array, standing with her hands 
 
4 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 folded, and a very small hat perched on the top of a 
 very large "chig-non," as Tom pronounced it. "I 
 suppose I ve got to speak to her, so here goes ; " 
 and, nerving himself to the task, Tom slowly ap 
 proached the damsel, who looked as if the wind had 
 blown her clothes into rags, such a flapping of sashes, 
 scallops, ruffles, curls, and feathers was there. 
 
 " 1 say, if you please, is your name Polly Milton?" 
 meekly asked Tom, pausing before the breezj 7 stranger. 
 
 " No, it is n t," answered the young lady, with a 
 cool stare that utterly quenched him. 
 
 " Where in thunder is she? " growled Tom, walking 
 off in high dudgeon. The quick tap of feet behind 
 him made him turn in time to see a fresh-faced little 
 girl running down the long station, and looking as if 
 she rather liked it. As she smiled, and waved her 
 bag at him, he stopped and waited for her, saying to 
 himself, " Hullo ! I wonder if that s Polly ? " 
 
 Up came the little girl, with her hand out, and a 
 hall-shy, half-merry look in her blue eyes, as she said, 
 inquiringly, " This is Tom, is n t it? " 
 
 " Yes. How did you know?" and Tom got over 
 the ordeal of hand-shaking without thinking of it, he 
 was so surprised. 
 
 " Oh, Fan told me you d got curly hair, and a funny 
 nose, and kept whistling, and wore a gray cap pulled 
 over your eyes ; so I knew you directly." And 
 Polly nodded at him in the most friendly manner, 
 having politely refrained from calling the hair " red," 
 the nose " a pug," and the cap " old," all of which 
 facts Fanny had carefully impressed upon her memory. 
 
 " Where are your trunks?" asked Tom, as he was 
 
Polly Arrives. 5 
 
 reminded of his duty by her handing him the bag, 
 which he had not offered to take. 
 
 " Father told me not to wait for any one, else I d 
 lose my chance of a hack ; so I gave my check to a 
 man, and there he is with my trunk ; " and Polly 
 walked off after her one modest piece of baggage, 
 followed by Tom, who felt a trifle depressed by his 
 own remissness in polite attentions. 
 
 " She isn t a bit of a young lady, thank goodness ! 
 Fan did n t tell me she was pretty. Don t look like 
 city girls, nor act like em, neither," he thought, trud 
 ging in the rear, and eyeing with favor the brown 
 curls bobbing along in front. 
 
 As the carriage drove off, Polly gave a little bounce 
 on the . springy seat, and laughed like a delighted 
 child. u I do like to ride in these nice hacks, and see 
 all the fine things, and have a good time, don t you ? " 
 she said, composing herself the next minute, as if it 
 suddenly occurred to her that she was going a-visiting. 
 
 " Not much," said Tom, not minding what he said, 
 for the fact that he was shut up with the strange girl 
 suddenly oppressed his soul. 
 
 " How s Fan ? Why did n t she come, too ? " asked 
 Polly, trying to look demure, while her eyes danced 
 in spite of her. 
 
 " Afraid of spoiling her crinkles ; " and Tom smiled, 
 for this base betrayal of confidence made him feel his 
 own man again. 
 
 " You and I don t mind dampness. I m much 
 obliged to you for coming to take care of me." 
 
 It was kind of Polly to say that, and Tom felt it ; 
 for his red crop was a tender point, and to be 
 
6 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 associated with Polly s pretty brown curls seemed 
 to lessen its coppery glow. Then he hadn t done 
 anything for her but carry the bag a few steps ; yet, 
 she thanked him. He felt grateful, and in a burst of 
 confidence, offered a handful of peanuts, for his pock 
 ets were always supplied with this agreeable deli 
 cacy, and he might be traced anywhere by the trail of 
 shells he left behind him. 
 
 As soon as he had done it, he remembered that 
 Fanny considered them vulgar, and felt that he had 
 disgraced his family. So he stuck his head out of 
 the window, and kept it there so long, that Polly 
 asked if anything was the matter. " Pooh ! who cares 
 for a countrified little thing like her," said Tom man 
 fully to himself; and then the spirit of mischief 
 entered in and took possession of him. 
 
 " He s pretty drunk ; but I guess he can hold his 
 horses," replied this evil-minded boy, with an air of 
 calm resignation. 
 
 " Is the man tipsy? Oh, dear ! let s get out ! Are 
 the horses bad ? It s very steep here ; do you think 
 it s safe?" cried poor Polly, making a cocked hat 
 of her little beaver, by thrusting it out of the half- 
 open window on her side. 
 
 44 There s plenty of folks to pick us up if anything 
 happens ; but perhaps it would be safer if I got out 
 and sat with the man ; " and Tom quite beamed with 
 the brilliancy of this sudden mode of relief. 
 
 44 Oh, do, if you ain t afraid ! Mother would be so 
 anxious if anything should happen to me, so far 
 away ! " cried Polly, much distressed. 
 
 44 Don t you be worried. I 11 manage the old chap, 
 
Polly Arrives. 7 
 
 and the horses too ; " and opening the door, Tom 
 vanished aloft, leaving poor victimized Polly to quake 
 inside, while he placidly revelled in freedom and pea 
 nuts outside, with the staid old driver. 
 
 Fanny eaino flying down to meet her "darling 
 Polly," as Tom presented her, with the graceful 
 remark, " I ve got her ! " and the air of a dauntless 
 hunter, producing the trophies of his skill. Polly 
 was instantly whisked up stairs ; and having danced 
 a double-shuffle on the door-mat, Tom retired to tht 
 diuing-room, to restore exhausted nature with half a 
 dozen cookies. 
 
 " Ain t you tired to death ? Don t you want to 
 lie down ? " said Fanny, sitting on the side of the bed 
 in Polly s room, and chattering hard, while she 
 examined everything her friend had on. 
 
 "Not a bit. I had a nice time coming, and no 
 trouble, except the tipsy coachman ; but Tom got out 
 and kept him in order, so I was n t much frightened," 
 answered innocent Polly, taking off her rough-and- 
 ready coat, and tfee plain hat without a bit of a 
 feather. 
 
 " Fiddlestick ! he was n t tipsy ; and Tom only did 
 it to get out of the way. He can t bear girls/ 1 said 
 Fanny, with a superior air. 
 
 " Can t he? Why, I thought he was very pleasant 
 and kind ! " and Polly opened her eyes with a sur 
 prised expression. 
 
 " He *s an awful boy, my dear ; and if you have 
 anything to do with him, he 11 torment you to death. 
 Boys are all horrid ; but he s the horridest one I ever 
 saw." 
 
8 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Fanny went to a fashionable school, where the 
 young ladies were so busy with their French, German, 
 and Italian, that there was no time for good English. 
 Feeling her confidence much shaken in the youth, 
 Polly privately resolved to let him alone, and changed 
 the conversation, by saying, as she looked admiringly 
 about the large, handsome room, " How splendid it 
 is ! I never slept in a bed with curtains before, or 
 had such a fine toilet-table as this." 
 
 "I m glad you like it ; but don t, for mercy sake, 
 say such things before the other girls ! " replied 
 Fanny, wishing Polly would jvear ear-rings, as every 
 one else did. 
 
 " Why not?" asked the country mouse of the city 
 mouse, wondering what harm there was in liking 
 other people s pretty things, and saying so. 
 
 "Oh, they laugh at everything the least bit odd, 
 and that is n t pleasant." Fanny did n t saj 
 " countrified," but she meant it, and Polly fell 
 uncomfortable. So she shook out her little black- 
 silk apron with a thoughtful face, and resolved not ta 
 allude to her own home, if she could help it. 
 
 " I in so poorly, mamma says I needn t go t<i 
 school regularly, while } r ou are here, only two 01 
 three times a week, just to keep up my music ana 
 French. You can go too, if you like ; papa said so 
 Do, it s such fun!" cried Fanny, quite surpris* 
 ing her friend by this unexpected fondness foi 
 school. 
 
 " I should be afraid, if all the girls dress as finely 
 as you do, and know as much," said Polly, beginning 
 to feel shy at the thought 
 
Polly Arrives. 9 
 
 " La, child ! you need n t mind that. I 11 take care 
 of you, and fix you up, so you won t look odd." 
 
 * Am I odd ? " asked Polly, struck by the word, 
 and hoping it did n t mean anything very bad. 
 
 " You are a dear, and ever so much prettier than 
 you were last summer, only you Ve been brought up 
 differently from us ; so your ways ain t like ours, 
 you see," began Fanny, finding it rather hard to 
 explain. 
 
 " How different?" asked Polly again, for she liked 
 to understand things. 
 
 44 Well, you dress like a little girl, for one thing." 
 
 44 1 am a little girl ; so why should n t I ? " and 
 Polly looked at her simple blue merino frock, stout 
 boots, and short hair, with a puzzled air. 
 
 44 You are fourteen ; and we consider ourselves 
 young ladies at that age," continued Fanny, sur 
 veying, with complacency, the pile of hair on the top 
 of her head, with a fringe of fuzz round her forehead, 
 and a wavy lock streaming down her back ; likewise, 
 her scarlet-and-black suit, with its big sash, little pan 
 nier, bright buttons, points, rosettes, and, heaven 
 knows what. There was a locket on her neck, ear 
 rings tinkling in her ears, watch and chain at her 
 belt, and several rings on a pair of hands that would 
 have been improved by soap and water. 
 
 Polly s eye went from one little figure to the other, 
 and she thought that Fanny looked the oddest of the 
 two ; for Polty lived in a quiet country town, and 
 knew very little of city fashions. She was rather 
 impressed by the elegance about her, ne>ver having 
 seen Fanny s home before, as they got acquainted 
 
io An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 while Fanny paid a visit to a friend who lived near 
 Polly. But she didn t let the contrast between 
 herself and Fan trouble her; for in a minute she 
 laughed and said, contentedly, " My mother likes me 
 f .o dress simply, and I don t mind. I shouldn t 
 know what to do rigged up as you are. Don t you 
 ever forget to lift your sash and fix those puffy things 
 when you sit down ? " 
 
 Before Fanny could answer, a scream from below 
 made both listen. " It s only Maud ; she fusses all 
 day long," began Fanny ; and the words were hardly 
 out of her mouth, when the door was thrown open, 
 and a little girl, of six or seven, came roaring in. 
 She stopped at sight of Polly, stared a minute, then 
 took up her roar just where she left it, and cast her 
 self into Fanny s lap, exclaiming wrathfully, " Tom a 
 laughing at me ! Make him stop ! " 
 
 " What did } r ou do to set him going ? Don t 
 scream so, you 11 frighten Polly ! " and Fan gave the 
 cherub a shake, which produced an explanation. 
 
 " I only said we had cold cweam at the party, last 
 night, and he laughed ! " 
 
 " Ice-cream, child ! " and Fanny followed Tom s 
 reprehensible example. 
 
 " I don t care ! it was cold ; and I warmed mine at 
 the wegister, and then it was nice ; only, Willy Bliss 
 spilt it on my new Gabwielle ! " and Maud wailed 
 again over her accumulated woes. 
 
 " Do go to Katy ! You re as cross as a little bear 
 to-day ! " said Fanny, pushing her away. 
 
 "Katy don t amoose me ; and I must be amoosed, 
 cause I m f wactious ; mamma said I was 1 " sobbed 
 
Polly Arrives. \ \ 
 
 Maud, evidently laboring under the delusion that frao- 
 tiousness was some interesting malady. 
 
 " Come down and have dinner ; that will amuse 
 you ; " and Fanny got up, pluming herself as a Jjird 
 does before its flight. 
 
 Polly hoped the " dreadful boy " would not be pres 
 ent ; but he was, and stared at her all dinner-time, 
 in a most t^iug manner. Mr. Shaw, a busy-looking 
 gentleman, said, u How do you do, my dear? Hope 
 }X)U 11 enjoy yourself ;" and then appeared to forget 
 her entirely. Mrs. Shaw, a pale, nervous woman, 
 greeted her little guest kindly, and took care that she 
 wanted for nothing. Madam Shaw, a quiet old lady, 
 with an imposing cap, exclaimed on seeing Polly, 
 u Bless my heart ! the image of her mother a sweet 
 woman how is she, dear ? " and kept peering at the 
 new comer over her glasses, till, between Madam and 
 Tom, poor Polly lost her appetite. 
 
 Fanny chatted like a magpie, and Maud fidgeted, 
 till Tom proposed to put her under the big dish-cover, 
 which produced such an explosion, that the young 
 lady was borne screaming away, by the much-endur 
 ing Katy. It was altogether an uncomfortable din 
 ner, and Polly was very glad when it was over. 
 They all went about their own affairs ; and after 
 doing the honors of the house, Fan was called to the 
 dressmaker, leaving Polly to amuse herself in the 
 great drawing-room. 
 
 Polly was glad to be alone for a few minutes ; and, 
 having examined all the pretty things about her, be 
 gan to walk up and down over the soft, flowery car 
 pet, humming to herself, as the daylight faded, and 
 
12 An Old-Fashioned GirL 
 
 only the ruddy glow of the fire filled the room. Pres 
 ently Madam came slowly in, and sat down in hor 
 arm-chair, saying, " That s a fine old tune ; sing it to 
 me, jny dear. I have n t heard it this many a day." 
 
 Polly did n t like to sing before strangers, for she 
 had had no teaching but such as her busy mother 
 could give her ; but she had been taught the utmost 
 respect for old people, and having no reason for re 
 fusing, she directly went to the piano, and did as she 
 was bid. 
 
 " That s the sort of music it s a pleasure to hear. 
 Sing some more, dear," said Madam, in her gentle 
 way, when she had done. 
 
 Pleased with this praise, Polly sang away in a fresh 
 little voice, that went straight to the listener s heart 
 and nestled there. The sweet old tunes that one is 
 never tired of were all Polly s store ; and her favorites 
 were Scotch airs, such as, " Yellow-Haired Laddie," 
 "Jock o Hazeldean," " Down amang the Heather," and 
 44 Birks of Aberfeldie." The more she sung, the bet 
 ter she did it ; and when she wound up with " A 
 Health to King Charlie," the room quite rung with 
 the stirring music made by the big piano and the little 
 raaid. 
 
 " By George, that s a jolly tune ! Sing it again, 
 please," cried Tom s voice ; and there was Tom s red 
 head bobbing up over the high back of the chair where 
 he had hidden himself. 
 
 It gave Polly quite a turn, for she thought no one 
 was hearing her but the old lady dozing by the fire. 
 44 1 can t sing anymore; I m tired," she said, and 
 walked away to Madam in the other room. The red 
 
Polly Arrives. 13 
 
 Dead vanished like a meteor, for Polly s tone had 
 been decidedly cool. 
 
 The old lady put out her hand, and drawing Polly 
 to her knee, looked into her face with such kind eyes, 
 that Polly forgot the impressive cap, and smiled at 
 her confidingly ; for she saw that her simple music 
 had pleased her listener, and she felt glad to know it. 
 
 " You must n t mind my staring, dear," said Mad 
 am, softly pinching her rosy cheek. " I have n t seen 
 a little girl for so long, it does my old eyes good to 
 look at you." 
 
 Polly thought that a very odd speech, and could n t 
 help saying, " Are n t Fan and Maud little girls, 
 too?" 
 
 u Oh, dear, no ! not what / call little girls. Fan 
 has been a young lady this two years, and Maud is a 
 spoiled baby. Your mother s a very sensible woman, 
 my child." 
 
 " What a very queer old lady I " thought Polly ; 
 but she said ** Yes m " respectfully, and looked at 
 the fire. 
 
 "You don t understand what I mean, do you? * 
 asked Madam, still holding her by the chin. 
 
 " No m ; not quite." 
 
 " Well, dear, I 11 tell you. In my day, children of 
 fourteen and fifteen did n t dress in the height of the 
 fashion ; go to parties, as nearly like those of grown 
 people as it s possible to make them; lead idle, 
 giddy, unhealthy lives, and get blase at twenty. We 
 were little folks till eighteen or so ; worked and 
 studied, dressed and played, like children ; honored 
 our parents ; and our days were much longer in the 
 land than now, it seems to me." 
 
14 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 The old lady appeared to forget Polly at the end oi 
 tier speech ; for she sat patting the plump little hand 
 that lay in her own, and looking up at a faded pic 
 ture of an old gentleman with a ruffled shirt and a 
 queue. 
 
 " Was he your father, Madam?" 
 
 " Yes, dear ; my honored father. I did up his 
 frills to the day of his death ; and the first money I 
 ever earned was five dollars which he offered as a 
 prize to whichever of his six girls would lay the hand 
 somest darn in his silk stockings." 
 
 " How proud you must have been ! " cried Polly, 
 leaning on the old lady s knee with an interested 
 face. 
 
 " Yes ; and we all learned to make bread, and 
 cook, and wore little chintz gowns, and were as gay 
 and hearty as kittens. All lived to be grandmothers 
 and fathers ; and I m the last, seventy, next birth 
 day, my dear, and not worn out j-et ; though daughter 
 Shaw is an invalid at forty." 
 
 " That s the way I was brought up, and that s 
 why Fan calls me old-fashioned, I suppose. Tell 
 more about your papa, please ; I like it," said 
 Polly. 
 
 " Say father/ We never called him papa ; and if 
 one of my brothers had addressed him as gover 
 nor, as boys do now, I really think he d have him 
 cut off with a shilling." 
 
 Madam raised her voice in saying this, and nodded 
 significantly ; but a mild snore from the other room 
 seemed to assure her that it was a waste of shot to 
 fire in that direction. 
 
 Before she could continue, in came Fanny with 
 
Polly Arrives. 15 
 
 the joyful news that Clara Bird had invited them 
 both to go to the theatre with her that very evening, 
 and would call for them at seven o clock. Polly was 
 so excited by this sudden plunge into the dissipations 
 of city life, that she flew about like a distracted but 
 terfly, and hardly knew what happened, till she found 
 herself seated before the great green curtain in the 
 brilliant theatre. Old Mr. Bird sat on one side, 
 Fanny on the other, and both let her alone, for which 
 she was very grateful, as her whole attention was so 
 absorbed in the scene around her, that she could n t 
 talk. 
 
 Polly had never been much to the theatre ; and the 
 few plays she had seen were the good old fairy tales, 
 dramatized to suit young beholders, lively, bright, 
 and full of the harmless nonsense which brings the 
 laugh without the blush. That night she saw one of 
 tho new spectacles which have lately become the rage, 
 and run for hundreds of nights, dazzling, exciting, 
 and demoralizing the spectator by every allurement 
 French ingenuity can invent, and American prodi 
 gality execute. Never mind what its name was, it was 
 very gorgeous, very vulgar, and very fashionable ; so, 
 of course, it was much admired, and every one went 
 to see it. At first, Polly thought she had got into 
 fairy-land, ami saw only the sparkling creatures who 
 danced and sung in a world of light and beauty ; but, 
 presently, she began to listen to the songs and con 
 versation, and then the illusion vanished ; for the 
 lovety phantoms sang negro melodies, talked slang, 
 and were a disgrace to the good old-fashioned elves 
 whom she knew and loved so well. 
 
1 6 An Old- Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Our little girl was too innocent to understand half 
 the jokes, and often wondered what people were 
 laughing at ; but, as the first enchantment subsided, 
 Polly began to feel uncomfortable, to be sure her 
 mother would n t like to have her there, and to wist) 
 she had n t come. Somehow, things seemed to get 
 worse and worse, as the play went on ; for our small 
 spectator was being rapidly enlightened by the gossip 
 going on all about her, as well as by her own quick 
 eyes and girlish instincts. When four-and-twenty 
 girls, dressed as jockeys, came prancing on to the stage, 
 cracking their whips, stamping the heels of their top- 
 boots, and winking at the audience, Polly did not 
 think it at all funny, but looked disgusted, and was 
 glad when they were gone ; but when another set 
 appeared in a costume consisting of gauze wings, and 
 a bit of gold fringe round the waist, poor unfashiona 
 ble Polly did n t know what to do ; for she felt both 
 frightened and indignant, and sat with her eyes on 
 her. play-bill, and her cheeks getting hotter and hotter 
 every minute. 
 
 " What are you blushing so for ? " asked Fanny, as 
 the painted sylphs vanished. 
 
 " I m so ashamed of those girls," whispered Polly, 
 taking a long breath of relief. 
 
 " You little goose, it s just the way it was done 
 in Paris, and the dancing is splendid. It seen) a 
 queer at first ; but you 11 get used to it, afc I did." 
 
 " I 11 never come again," said Polly, decidedly ; 
 for her innocent nature rebelled against the spectacle, 
 which, as yet, gave her more pain than pleasure. 
 She did not know how easy it was to " get used to 
 
Polly Arrives. 17 
 
 it," as Fanny did ; and it was well for her that the 
 temptation was not often offered. She could not 
 explain the feeling ; but she was glad when the play 
 was done, and they were safe at home, where kind 
 grandma was waiting to see them comfortably into 
 bed. 
 
 " Did you have a good time, dear ? " she asked, 
 looking at Polly s feverish cheeks and excited eyes. 
 
 " I don t wish to be rude, but I did n t," answered 
 Polly. " Some of it was splendid ; but a good deal 
 of it made me want to go under the seat. People 
 seemed to like it, but / don t think it was proper." 
 
 As Polly freed her mind, and emphasized her opin 
 ion with a decided rap of the boot she had just taken 
 off, Fanny laughed, and said, while she pirouetted 
 about the room, like Mademoiselle Therese, "Polly 
 was shocked, grandma. Her eyes were as big as 
 saucers, her face as red as my sush, and once I 
 thought she was going to cry. Some of it was rather 
 queer ; but, of course, it was proper, or all our set 
 would n t go. I heard Mrs. Smythe Perkins sa} r , 4 It 
 was charming ; so like dear Paris ; and she has 
 lived abroad ; so, of course, she knows what is 
 what." 
 
 " I don t care if she has. I know it wasn t proper 
 for little girls to see, or I should n t have been so 
 ashamed ! " cried sturdy Polly, perplexed, but not 
 convinced, even by Mrs. Smythe Perkins. 
 
 " I think } r ou are right, my dear ; but you have 
 lived in the country, and haven t yet learned that 
 modest} 7 has gone out of fashion." And with a good 
 night kiss, grandma left Polly to dream dreadfully of 
 a 
 
1 8 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 dancing in jockey costume, on a great stage ; while 
 Tom played a big drum in the orchestra; and the 
 audience all wore the faces of her father and mother, 
 looking sorrowfully at her, with eyes like saucers, 
 and faces as red as Fanny s sash. 
 
CHAPTER 11. 
 
 NEW FASHIONS. 
 
 f( T M going to school this morning; so come up 
 
 * and get ready," said Fanny, a day or two 
 after, as she left the late breakfast-table. 
 
 " You look very nice ; what have you got to do? " 
 asked Polly, following her into the hall. 
 
 " Prink half an hour, and put on her wad," answered 
 the irreverent Tom, whose preparations for school 
 consisted in flinging his cap on to his head, and strap 
 ping up several big books, that looked as if they were 
 sometimes used as weapons of defence. 
 
 " What is a wad ? " asked Polly, while Fanny 
 inarched up without deigning any reply. 
 
 44 Somebody s hair on the top of her head in the 
 place where it ought not to be ; " and Tom went whist 
 ling away with an air of sublime indifference as to 
 the state of his own u curly pow." 
 
 u Why must you be so fine to go to school?" asketJ 
 Polly, watching Fan arrange the little frizzles on her 
 forehead, and settle the various streamers and festoons 
 belonging to her dress. 
 
 44 All the girls do ; and it s proper, for you never 
 know who you uiay meet. I m going to walk, after 
 
2O An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 my lessons, so I wish you d wear your best hat and 
 sack," answered Fanny, trying to stick her own hat on 
 at an angle which defied all the laws of gravitation. 
 
 " I will, if you don t think this is nice enough. I 
 like the other best, because it has a feather ; but this 
 is warmer, so I wear it every day." And Polly ran 
 into her own room, to prink also, fearing that her 
 friend might be ashamed of her plain costume. 
 " Won t your hands be cold in kid gloves?" she said, 
 as they went down the snowy street, with a north 
 wind blowing in their faces. 
 
 44 Yes, horrid cold ; but my muff is so big, I won t 
 carry it. Mamma won t have it cut up, and my ermine 
 one must be kept for best ; " and Fanny smoothed her 
 Bismark kids with an injured air. 
 
 44 1 suppose my gray squirrel is ever so much too 
 big ; but it s nice and cos} 7 , and you may warm your 
 hands in it if you want to," said Polly, surveying her 
 new woollen gloves with a dissatisfied look, though she 
 had thought them quite elegant before. 
 
 44 Perhaps I will, by and by. No\v, Polly, don t you 
 be shy. I 11 only introduce two or three of the girls ; 
 and you need n t mind old Monsieur a bit, or read if 
 you don t want to. We shall be in the anteroom ; so 
 you 11 only see about a dozen, and they will be so 
 busy, they won t mind you much." 
 
 44 1 guess I won t read, but sit and look on. I like 
 to watch people, everything is so new and queer 
 here." 
 
 But Polly did feel and look very shy, when she was 
 ushered into a room full of young ladies, as they 
 seemed to her, all very much dressed, all talking 
 
New Fashions. 2 1 
 
 together, and all turning to examine the new-comer 
 with a cool stare which seemed to be as much the 
 fashion as eye-glasses. They nodded affably when 
 Fanny introduced her, said something civil, and made 
 room for her at the table round which they sat waiting 
 for Monsieur. Several of the more frolicsome were 
 imitating the Grecian Bend, some were putting their 
 heads together over little notes, nearly all were eating 
 confectionery, and the entire twelve chattered like 
 magpies. Being politely supplied with caramels, 
 Polly sat looking and listening, feeling very young 
 and countrified among these elegant young ladies. 
 
 " Girls, do you know that Carrie has gone abroad ? 
 There has been so much talk, her father could n t bear 
 it, and took the whole family off. Isn t that gay?" 
 said one lively damsel, who had just come in. 
 
 "I should think they d better go. My mamma 
 says, if I d been going to that school, she d have 
 taken me straight away," answered another girl, with 
 an important air. 
 
 " Carrie ran away with an Italian music- teacher, 
 and it got into the papers, and made a great stir," 
 explained the first speaker to Polly, who looked mys 
 tified. 
 
 " How dreadful ! " cried Polly. 
 
 "/ think it was fun. She was only sixteen, and he 
 was perfectly splendid ; and she has plenty of money, 
 and every one talked about it ; and when she went 
 anywhere, people looked, you know, and she liked 
 it ; but her papa is an old poke, so he s sent them 
 all away. It s too bad, for she was the jolliest thing 
 I ever knew. " 
 
22 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Polly had nothing to say to lively Miss Belle ; but 
 Fanny observed, " I like to read about such things ; 
 but it s so inconvenient to have it happen right here, 
 because it makes it harder for us. I wish you could 
 have heard ray papa go on. He threatened to send a 
 maid to school with me every daj% as they do in New 
 York, to be sure I come all right. Did you ever ? " 
 
 44 That s because it came out that Carrie used to 
 forge excuses in her mamma s name, and go prom 
 enading with her Oreste, when they thought her safe 
 at school. Oh, wasn t she a sly minx?" cried Belle, 
 as if she rather admired the trick. 
 
 " I think a little fun is all right ; and there s no 
 need of making a talk, if, now and then, some one- 
 does run off like Carrie. Boys do as they like ; and 
 7 don t see why girls need to be kept so dreadfully 
 close. I d like to see anybody watching and guard 
 ing me ! " added another dashing } r oung lady. 
 
 " It would take a policeman to do that, Trix, or a 
 little man in a tall hat," said Fanny, slyly, which 
 caused a general laugh, and made Beatrice toss her 
 head coquettishly. 
 
 " Oh, have you read ( The Phantom Bride ? It s 
 perfectly thrilling ! There s a regular rush for it at 
 the library ; but some prefer 4 Breaking a Butterfly. 
 "V/Tiich do you like best?" asked a pale girl of Polly, 
 in one of the momentary lulls which occurred. 
 
 u I have n t read either." 
 
 " You must, then. I adore Guy Livingston s books, 
 ai /d Yates s. 4 Ouida s are my delight, only they are 
 so long, I get worn out before I in through." 
 
 " I have n t read anything but one of the Mu hi bach 
 
New Fashions. 23 
 
 novels since I came. I like those, because there is 
 history in them," said Polly, glad to have a word to 
 say for herself. 
 
 44 Those are well enough for improving reading ; 
 but 1 like real exciting novels ; don t you?" 
 
 Polly was spared the mortification of owning that 
 she had never read an} 7 , by the appearance of Mon 
 sieur, a gray-headed old Frenchman, who went 
 through his task with the resigned air of one who 
 was used to being the victim of giggling school-girls. 
 The young ladies gabbled over the lesson, wrote an 
 exercise, and read a little French history. But it did 
 not seem to make much impression upon them, though 
 Monsieur was very ready to explain ; and Polly quite 
 blushed for her friend, when, on being asked what 
 famous Frenchman fought in our Revolution, she 
 answered Lamartine, instead of Lafayette. 
 
 The hour was soon over ; and when Fan had taken 
 a music lesson in another room, while Polly looked 
 on, it was time for recess. The younger girls walked 
 up and down the court, arm in arm, eating bread and 
 butter ; others stayed in the school-room to read and 
 gossip ; but Belle, Trix, and Fanny went to lunch at 
 a fashionable ice-cream saloon near by, and Polly 
 meekly followed, not daring to hint at the ginger 
 bread grandma had put in her pocket for luncheon. 
 So the honest, brown cookies crumbled away in 
 obscurity, while Polly tried to satisfy her hearty 
 appetite on one ice and three macaroons. 
 
 The girls seemed in great spirits, particularly after 
 the r y were joined by a short gentleman with such a 
 young face that Polly would have called him a boy, if 
 
24 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 he had not worn a tall beaver. Escorted by this im 
 pressive youth, Fanny left her unfortunate friends to 
 return to school, and went to walk, as she called a 
 slow promenade down the most crowded streets. 
 Polly discreetly fell behind, and amused herself 
 Booking into shop-windows, till Fanny, mindful of 
 her manners, even at such an interesting time, took 
 her into a picture gallery, and bade her enjoy the 
 works of art while they rested. Obedient Polly went 
 through the room several times, apparently examin 
 ing the pictures with the interest of a connoisseur, 
 and trying not to hear the mild prattle of the pair on 
 the round seat. But she couldn t help wondering 
 what Fan found so absorbing in an account of a 
 recent German, and why she need promise so sol 
 emnly not to forget the concert that afternoon. 
 
 When Fanny rose at last, Polly s tired face re 
 proached her ; and taking a hasty leave of the small 
 gentleman, she turned homeward, saying, confiden 
 tially, as she put one hand in Polly s muff, " Now, 
 my dear, you must n t say a word about Frank Moore, 
 or papa will take my head off. / don t care a bit for 
 him, and he likes Trix ; only they have quarrelled, 
 and he wants to make her mad by flirting a little 
 with me. I scolded him well, and he promised to 
 make up with her. We all go to the afternoon con 
 certs, and have a gay time, and Belle and Trix are to 
 be there to-day ; so just keep quiet, and everything 
 will be all right." 
 
 " I m afraid it won t," began Polly, who, not being 
 used to secrets, found it very hard to keep even a 
 small one. 
 
New Fashions. 25 
 
 u Don t worry, child. It s none of our business ; 
 so we can go and enjoy the music, and if other peo 
 ple flirt, it won t be our fault," said Fanny, impa 
 tiently. 
 
 " Of course not ; but, then, if your father don t 
 like you to do so, ought you to go?" 
 
 " I tell mamma, and she don t care. Papa is fussy, 
 and grandma makes a stir about every blessed thing 
 I do. You will hold your tongue, won t you?" 
 
 " Yes ; I truly will ; I never tell tales." And 
 Polly kept her word, feeling sure Fan did n t mean to 
 deceive her father, since she told her mother every 
 thing. 
 
 " Who are you going with ? " asked Mrs. Shaw, 
 when Fanny mentioned that it was concert-day, just 
 before three o clock. 
 
 " Only Polly ; she likes music, and it was so stormy 
 I could n t go last week, you know," answered Fan ; 
 adding, as they left the house again, " If any one 
 meets us on the way, I can t help it, can I ? " 
 
 " You can tell them not to, can t you ? " 
 
 "That s rude. Dear me! here s Belle s brother 
 Gus he always goes. Is my hair all right, and my 
 hat?" 
 
 Before Polly could answer, Mr. Gus joined them as 
 a matter of course, and Polly soon found herself trot 
 ting on behind, feeling that things were not " all 
 right," though she did n t know how to mend them. 
 Being fond of music, she ignorantly supposed that 
 every one else went for that alone, and was much 
 disturbed by the whispering that went on among the 
 young people round her. Belle and Trix weie there 
 
26 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 in full dress ; and, in the pauses between different 
 pieces, Messrs. Frank and Gus, with several other 
 " splendid fellows," regaled the young ladies witli 
 college gossip, and bits of news full of interest, to 
 judge from the close attention paid to their eloquent 
 remarks. Polly regarded these noble beings with 
 awe, and they recognized her existence with the con 
 descension of their sex ; but they evidently consid 
 ered her only " a quiet little thing," and finding her 
 not up to society talk, blandly ignored the pretty 
 child, and devoted themselves to the young ladies. 
 Fortunately for Polly, she forgot all about them in 
 her enjoyment of the fine music, which she felt rather 
 than understood, and sat listening with such a happy 
 face, that several true music-lovers watched her smil 
 ingly, for her heart gave a blithe welcome to the mel 
 ody which put the little instrument in tune. It was 
 dusk when they went out, and Polly was much 
 relieved to find the carriage waiting for them, be 
 cause playing third fiddle was not to her taste, and 
 she had had enough of it for one day. 
 
 " I m glad those men are gone ; they did worry 
 me so talking, when I wanted to hear," said Polly, as 
 they rolled away. 
 
 " Which did you like best?" asked Fanny, with a 
 languid air of superiority. 
 
 " The plain one, who did n t say much ; he picked 
 up my muff when it tumbled down, and took care of 
 me in the crowd ; the others did n t mind anything 
 about me." 
 
 " They thought you were a little girl, I suppose." 
 
 " My mother says a real gentleman is as polite to 
 
New Fashions. 27 
 
 a little girl as to a woman ; so I Jjke Mr. Sydney 
 best, because he was kind to me." 
 
 " What a sharp child you are, Polly. I should n t 
 have thought you d mind things like that," said Fan 
 ny, beginning to understand that there may be a good 
 deal of womanliness even in a little girl. 
 
 " I in used to good manners, though I do live in 
 the country," replied Polly, rather warmly, for she 
 did n t like to be patronized even by her friends. 
 
 " Grandma says your mother is a perfect lady, and 
 you are just like her ; so don t get in a passion with 
 those poor fellows, and I 11 see that they behave bet 
 ter next time. Tom has no manners at all, and 
 you don t complain of him," added Fan, with a 
 hiugh. 
 
 * I don t care if he has n t ; he s a boy, and acts 
 like one, and I can get on with him a great deal bet 
 ter than I can with those men." 
 
 Fanny was just going to take Polly to task for 
 saying " those men " in such a disrespectful tone, 
 when both were startled by a smothered " Cock-a- 
 doodle-doo ! " from under the opposite seat; 
 
 " It s Tom ! " cried Fanny ; and with the words out 
 tumbled that incorrigible boy, red in the face, and 
 breathless with suppressed laughter. Seating him 
 self, he surveyed the girls as if well satisfied with the 
 success of his prank, and waiting to be congratulated 
 upon it. "Did you hear what we were saying?" 
 demanded Fanny, uneasily. 
 
 "Oh, did n t I, every word?" And Tom exulted 
 over them visibly. 
 
 " Did you ever see such a provoking toad, Polly ? 
 
28 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Now, I suppose you ll go and tell papa a great 
 story." 
 
 " P r aps I shall, and p r aps I shan t. How Polly 
 did hop when I crowed ! I heard her squeal, and 
 saw her cuddle up her feet." 
 
 " And you heard us praise your manners, did n t 
 you?" asked Polly, slyly. 
 
 " Yes, and you liked em ; so I won t tell on you" 
 said Tom, with a re-assuring nod. 
 
 "There s nothing to tell." 
 
 "Ain t there, though? What do you suppose the 
 governor will say to you girls going on so with those 
 dandies ? I saw you." 
 
 " What has the Governor of Massachusetts to do 
 with us ? " asked Polly, trying to look as if she meant 
 what she said. 
 
 " Pooh ! you know who I mean ; so you need n t 
 try to catch me up, as grandma does." 
 
 "Tom, I ll make a bargain with you," cried Fanny, 
 eagerly. " It was n t my fault that Gus and Frank 
 were there, and I could n t help their speaking to me. 
 I do as well as I can, and papa need n t be angry ; for 
 I behave ever so much better than some of the girls. 
 Don t I, Polly?" 
 
 "Bargain?" observed Tom, with an eye to busi 
 ness. 
 
 " If you won t go and make a fuss, telling what 
 you d no right to hear it was so mean to hide and 
 listen ; I should think you d be ashamed of it ! I 11 
 help you tease for your velocipede, and won t say a 
 word against it, when mamma and granny beg papa 
 not to let you have it." 
 
New Fashions. 29 
 
 " Will you?" and Tom paused to consider the offer 
 in all its bearings. 
 
 44 Yes, and Polly will help ; won t you?" 
 
 " I d rather not have anything to do with it ; but 
 Pll be quiet, and not do any harm." 
 
 u "Why won t you ? " asked Tom, curiously. 
 
 " Because it seems like deceiving." 
 
 " Well, papa need n t be so fussy," said Fan, petu 
 lantly. 
 
 " After hearing about that Carrie, and the rest, I 
 don t wonder he is fussy. Why don t you tell right 
 out, and not do it any more, if he don t want you 
 to ? " said Polly, persuasively. 
 
 44 Do you go and tell your father and mother every 
 thing right out ? " 
 
 " Yes, I do ; and it saves ever so much trouble." 
 
 "Ain t you afraid of them?" 
 
 44 Of course I m not. It s hard to tell sometimes ; 
 but it s so comfortable when it s over." 
 
 44 Let s ! " was Tom s brief advice. 
 
 44 Mercy me ! what a fuss about nothing ! " said 
 Fanny, ready to cry with vexation. 
 
 44 T is n t nothing. You Tmow you are forbidden to 
 go gallivanting round with those chaps, and that s 
 the reason you re in a pucker now. I won t make 
 any bargain, and I will tell," returned Tom, seized 
 with a sudden fit of moral firmness. 
 
 44 Will you if I promise never, never to do so any 
 more ? " asked Fannj^ meekly ; for when Thomas took 
 matters into his own hands, his sister usually sub 
 mitted in spite of herself. 
 
 44 I 11 think about it ; and if you behave, maybe I 
 
30 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 won t do it at all. I can watch you better than papa 
 can ; so, if you try it again, it s all up with you, 
 miss," said Tom, finding it impossible to resist the 
 pleasure of tyrannizing a little when he got the 
 chance. 
 
 " She won t ; don t plague her any more, and she 
 will be good to you when you get into scrapes," an 
 swered Polly, with her arm round Fan. 
 
 " I never do ; and if I did, I shouldn t ask a girl to 
 help me out." 
 
 "Why not? P(L ask you in a minute, if I was 
 in trouble," said Polly, in her confiding way. 
 
 " Would you? Well, I d put you through, as sure 
 as my name s Tom Shaw. Now, then, don t slip, 
 Polly," and Mr. Thomas helped them out with unus 
 ual politeness, for that, friendly little speech gratified 
 him. He felt that one person appreciated him ; and 
 it had a good effect upon manners and temper made 
 rough and belligerent by constant snubbing and 
 opposition. 
 
 After tea4hat evening, Fanny proposed that Polly 
 should show her how to make molasses candy, as it 
 was cook s holiday, and the coast would be clear. 
 Hoping to propitiate her tormentor, Fan invited Tom 
 to join in the revel, and Polly begged that Maud 
 might sit up and see the fun ; so all four descended 
 to the big kitchen, armed with aprons, hammers, 
 spoons, and pans, and Polly assumed command of the 
 forces. Tom was set to cracking nuts, and Maud to 
 picking out the meats, for the candy was to be " tip 
 top." Fan waited on Polly cook, who hovered over 
 the kettle of boiling molasses till her face was the 
 
New Fashions. 3 1 
 
 color of a peony. " Now, put in the nuts," she said 
 at last ; and Tom emptied his plate into the foamy 
 syrup, while the others watched with deep interest 
 the mysterious concoction of this well-beloved sweet 
 meat. " I pour it into the buttered pan, you see, and 
 it cools, and then we can eat it," explained Polly, 
 suiting the action to the word. 
 
 "Why, it s all full of shells!" exclaimed Maud, 
 peering into the pan. 
 
 " Oh, thunder ! I must have put em in by mis 
 take, and ate up the meats without thinking," said 
 Tom, trying to conceal his naughty satisfaction, aa 
 the girls hung over the pan with faces full of disap 
 pointment and despair. 
 
 " You did it on purpose, you horrid boy ! I ll never 
 let } T OU have anything to do with my fun again ! " 
 cried Fan, in a passion, trying to catch and shake 
 him, while ho dodged and chuckled in high glee. 
 
 Maud began to wail over her lost delight, and Polly 
 gravely poked at the mess, which was quite spoilt. 
 But her attention was speedily diverted by the squab 
 ble going on in the corner ; for Fanny, forgetful of 
 her young-ladyism and her sixteen years, had boxed 
 Tom s ears, and Tom, resenting the insult, had forci 
 bly seated her in the coal-hod, where he held her with 
 one hand while he returned the compliment with the 
 other. Both were very angry, and kept twitting one 
 another with every aggravation they could invent, as 
 they scolded and scuffled, presenting a most unlovely 
 spectacle. 
 
 Polly was not a model girl by any means, and had 
 her little pets and tempers like the rest of us j but sl> 
 
32 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 did n t fight, scream, and squabble with her brothers 
 and sisters in this disgraceful way, and was much 
 surprised to see her elegant friend in such a passion. 
 " Oh, don t ! Please, don t ! You ll hurt her, Tom ! 
 Let him go, Fanny ! It s no matter about the candy ; 
 we can make some more ! " cried Polly, try ing to part; 
 them, and looking so distressed, that .they stopped 
 ashamed, and in a minute sorry that she should see 
 such a display of temper. 
 
 u I ain t going to be hustled round ; so you d bet 
 ter let me alone, Fan," said Tom, drawing off with a 
 threatening wag of the head, adding, in a different 
 tone, " I only put the shells in for fun, Polly. You 
 cook another kettleful, and I 11 pick }^ou some meats 
 all fair. Will you?" 
 
 "It s pretty hot work, and it s a pity to waste 
 things ; but I 11 try again, if you want me to," said 
 Polly, with a patient sigh, for her arms were tired 
 and her face uncomfortably hot. 
 
 " We don t want you ; get away ! " said Maud, 
 shaking a sticky spoon at him. 
 
 " Keep quiet, cry-baby. I m going to stay and 
 help; may n t I, Polly?" 
 
 " Bears like sweet things, so you want some candy, 
 I guess. Where is the molasses ? We ve used up 
 all there was in the jug," said Polly, good-naturedly, 
 beginning again. 
 
 " Down cellar ; I 11 get it ; " and taking the lamp 
 and jug, Tom departed, bent on doing his duty now 
 like a saint. 
 
 The moment his light vanished, Fanny bolted the 
 door, saying, spitefully, " Now, we are safe from any 
 
New Fashions. 33 
 
 mote tricks. Let him thump and call, it only serves 
 him right ; and when the candy is done, we ll let the 
 rascal out." 
 
 "How can we make it without molasses?" asked 
 Polly, thinking that would settle the matter. 
 
 u There s plenty in the store-room. No; you 
 shan t let him up till I in ready. He s got to learn 
 that I m not to be shaken by a little chit like him. 
 Make your candy, and let him alone, or I 11 go and 
 tell papa, and then Tom will get a lecture." 
 
 Polly thought it was n t fair ; but Maud clamored 
 for her candy, and finding she could do nothing to 
 appease Fan, Polly devoted her mind to her cookery 
 till the nuts were safely in, and a nice panful set ic 
 the yard to cool. A few bangs at the locked door, & 
 few threats of vengeance from the prisoner, such as 
 setting the house on fire, drinking up the wine, and 
 smashing the jelly-pots, and then all was so quiet that 
 the girls forgot him in the exciting crisis of their 
 work. 
 
 " He can t possibly get out anywhere, and as soon 
 as we ve cut up the candy, we 11 unbolt the door and 
 run. Come and get a nice dish to put it in," said 
 Fan, when Polly proposed to go halves with Tom, 
 lest he should come bursting in somehow, and seize 
 the whole. 
 
 When they came down with the dish in which to 
 set forth their treat, and opened the back-door to find 
 it, imagine their dismay on discovering that it was 
 gone, pan, candy and all, utterly and myste 
 riously gone ! 
 
 A general lament arose, when a careful rummage 
 
 8 
 
34 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 left no hope ; for the fates had evidently decreed that 
 candy was not to prosper on this unpropitious night. 
 
 " The hot pan has melted and sunk in the snow, 
 perhaps/ said Fanny, digging into the drift where it 
 was left. 
 
 "Those old cats have got it, I guess," suggested 
 Maud, too much overwhelmed by this second blow to 
 howl as usual. 
 
 "7 he gate isn t locked, and some beggar has 
 stolen it. I hope it will do him good," added Polly, 
 returning from her exploring expedition. 
 
 " If Tom could get out, I should think he d carried 
 it off; but not being a rat, he can t go through the 
 bits of windows ; so it was n t him," said Fanny, dis 
 consolately, for she began to think this double loss a 
 punishment for letting angry passions rise. 
 
 "Let s open the door and tell him about it," pro 
 posed Polly. 
 
 "He ll crow. over us. No; we ll open it and go 
 to bed, and he can come out when he likes. Provok 
 ing boy ! if he had n t plagued us so, we should have 
 had a nice time." 
 
 Unbolting the cellar door, the girls announced to 
 the invisible captive that they were through, and then 
 departed much depressed. Half-way up the second 
 flight, they all stopped as suddenly as if they had 
 seen a ghost ; for looking over the banisters was 
 Tom s face, crocky but triumphant, and in either 
 hand a junk of candy, which he waved above them as 
 he vanished, with the tantalizing remark, " Don t you 
 wish you had some ? " 
 
 " How in the world did he get out ? " cried Fanny, 
 
New Fashions. 35 
 
 steadying herself after a start that nearly sent all 
 three tumbling down stairs. 
 
 " Coal-hole ! " answered a spectral voice from the 
 gloom above. 
 
 " Good gracious ! He must have poked up the 
 cover, climbed into the street, stole the candy, and 
 sneaked in at the shed-window while we were looking 
 for it." 
 
 " Cats got it, didn t they?" jeered the voice in a 
 tone that made Polly sit down and laugh till she 
 could n t laugh any longer. 
 
 " Just give Maud a bit, she s so disappointed. Fan 
 and I are sick of it, and*so will you be, if you eat it 
 all," called Polly, when she got her breath. 
 
 "Go .to bed, Maudie, and look under your pillow 
 when you get there," was the oracular reply that 
 came down to them, as Tom s door closed after a 
 jubilant solo on the tin pan. 
 
 The girls went to bed tired out ; and Maud slum 
 bered placidly, hugging the sticky bundle, found 
 where molasses candy is not often discovered. Polly 
 was very tired, and soon fell asleep ; but Fanny, who 
 slept with her, lay awake longer than usual, thinking 
 about her troubles, for her head ached, and the dis 
 satisfaction that follows anger would not let her rest 
 with the tranquillity that made the rosy face in the lit 
 tle round nightcap such a pleasant sight to see as it 
 lay beside her. The gas was turned down, but Fanny 
 saw a figure in a gray wrapper creep by her door, and 
 presently return, pausing to look in. " Who is it? " 
 she cried, so loud that Polly woke. 
 
 " Only me, dear," answered grandma s mild voice. 
 
36 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Poor Tom has got a dreadful toothache, and I came 
 down to find some creosote for him. He told me not 
 to tell you ; but I can t find the bottle, and don t 
 want to disturb mamma." 
 
 " It *s in my closet. Old Tom will pay for his trick 
 this time," said Fanny, in a satisfied tone. 
 
 " I thought he d get enough of our candy," laughed 
 Polly ; and then they fell asleep, leaving Tom to the 
 delights of toothache and the tender mercies of kind 
 old grandma. 
 
CHAPTER in. 
 
 POLLY S TROUBLES. 
 
 POLLY soon found that she was in a new world, a 
 world where the manners and customs were so 
 different from the simple ways at home, that she fell 
 like a stranger in a strange land, and often wished 
 that she had not come. In the first place, she had 
 nothing to do but lounge and gossip, read novels, 
 parade the streets, and dress ; and before a week was 
 gone, she was as heartily sick of all this, as a healthy 
 person would be who attempted to live on confection 
 ery. Fanny liked it, because she was used to it, and 
 had never known anything better ; but Polly had, and 
 often felt like a little wood-bird shut up in a gilded 
 cage. Nevertheless, she was much impressed by the 
 luxuries all about her, enjoyed them, wished she 
 owned them, and wondered why the Shaws were not 
 a happier family. She was not wise enough to know 
 where the trouble lay ; she did not attempt to say 
 which of the two lives was the right one ; she only 
 knew which she liked best, and supposed it was 
 merely another of her " old-fashioned " ways. 
 
 Fanny s friends did not interest her much ; she was 
 rather afraid of them, they seemed so much older and 
 wiser than herself, even those younger in years 
 
38 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 They talked about things of which she knew nothing, 
 and when Fanny tried to explain, she did n t find them 
 interesting ; indeed, some of them rather shocked and 
 puzzled her ; so the girls let her alone, being civil 
 when they met, but evidently feeling that she was too 
 " odd " to belong to their set. Then she turned to 
 Maud for companionship, for her own little sister was 
 excellent company, and Polly loved her dearly. But 
 Miss Maud was much absorbed in her own affairs, for 
 she belonged to a " set " also ; aod these mites of five 
 and six had their " musicals," their parties, recep 
 tions, and promenades, as well as their elders ; and 
 the chief idea of their little lives seemed to be to ape 
 the fashionable follies they should have been too inno 
 cent to understand. Maud had her tiny card-case, and 
 paid calls, " like mamma and Fan " ; her box of dainty 
 gloves, her jewel-drawer, her crimping-pins, as fine 
 and fanciful a wardrobe as a Paris doll, and a French 
 maid to dress her. Polly could n t get on with her at 
 first, for Maud did n t seem like a child, and often 
 corrected Polly in her conversation and manners, 
 though little mademoiselle s own were anything but 
 perfect. Now and then, when Maud felt poorly, or 
 had a "fwactious" turn, for she had "nerves" as 
 well as mamma, she would go to Polly to be 
 " amoosed," for her gentle ways and kind forbearance 
 soothed the little fine lady better than anything 
 else. Polly enjoyed these times, and told stories, 
 played games, or went out walking, just as Maud 
 liked, slowly and surely winning the child s heart, and 
 relieving the whole house of the young tyrant who 
 ruled it. 
 
Polly s Troubles. 39 
 
 Toin soon got over staring at Polly, and at first did 
 not take much notice of her, for, in his opinion, " girls 
 did n t amount to much, any way " ; and, considering 
 the style of girl he knew most about, Polly quite 
 agreed with him. He occasionally refreshed himself 
 by teasing her, to see how she d stand it, and caused 
 Polly much anguish of spirit, for she never knew 
 where he would take her next. He bounced out at 
 her from behind doors, booed at her in dark entries, 
 clutched her feet as she went up-stairs, startled her 
 by shrill whistles right in her ear, or sudden tweaks 
 of the hair as he passed her in the street ; and as sure 
 as there was company to dinner, he fixed his round 
 eyes on her, and never took them off till she was 
 reduced to a piteous state of confusion and distress. 
 She used to beg him not to plague her ; but he said 
 he did it for her good ; she was too shy, and needed 
 toughening like the other girls. In vain she protested 
 that she did n t want to be like the other girls in that 
 respect ; he only laughed in her face, stuck his red 
 hair straight up all over his head, and glared at her, 
 till she fled in dismay. 
 
 Yet Polly rather liked Tom, for she soon saw that 
 he was neglected, hustled out of the way, and left to 
 get on pretty much by himself. She often wondered 
 wh} r his mother did n t pet him as she did the girls ; 
 why his father ordered him about as if he was a born 
 rebel, and took so little interest in his only son. 
 Fanny considered him a bear, and was ashamed of 
 him, but never tried to polish him up a bit; and 
 Maud and he lived together like a cat and dog who 
 did not belong to a " happy family." Grandma was 
 
40 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 the only one who stood by poor old Tom ; and Polly 
 more than once discovered him doing something kind 
 for Madam, and seeming very much ashamed when it 
 was found out. He was n t respectful at all ; he 
 called her " the old lady," and told her he " would n t 
 be fussed over " ; but when anything was the matter, 
 he always went to " the old lady," and was very 
 grateful for the " fussing." Polly liked him for this, 
 and often wanted to speak of it ; but sha had a feel 
 ing that it would n t do, for in praising their affection, 
 she was reproaching others With neglect ; so she held 
 her tongue, and thought about it all the more. 
 
 Grandma was rather neglected, too, and perhaps 
 that is the reason why Tom and she were such good 
 friends. She was even more old-fashioned than Polly ; 
 but people did n t seem to mind it so much in her, as 
 her day was supposed to be over, and nothing was 
 expected of her but to keep out of everybody s way, 
 and to be handsomely dressed when she appeared 
 " before people." Grandma led a quiet, solitary life 
 up in her own rooms, full of old furniture, pictures, 
 books, and relics of a past for which no one cared but 
 herself. Her son went up every evening for a little 
 call, was very kind to her, and saw that she wanted 
 nothing money could buy ; but he was a busy man, so 
 intent on getting rich that he had no time to enjoy 
 ^ hat he already possessed. Madam never complained, 
 interfered, or suggested ; but there was a sad sort ol 
 quietude about her, a wistful look in her faded eyes, 
 as if she wanted something which money could not , 
 buy, and when children were near, she hovered about 
 them, evidently longing to cuddle and caress them as 
 
Pollys Troubles. 41 
 
 only grandmothers can. Polly felt this ; and, as she 
 missed the home-petting, gladly showed that she liked 
 to see the quiet old face brighten as she entered the 
 solitary room, where few children came, except the 
 phantoms of little sons and daughters, who, to the 
 motherly heart that loved them, never faded or grew 
 up. Polly wished the children would be kinder to 
 grandma ; but it was not for her to tell them so, 
 although it troubled her a good deal, and she could 
 only try to make up for it by being as dutiful and 
 affectionate as if their grandma was her own. 
 
 Another thing that disturbed Polly was the want of 
 exercise. To dress up and parade certain streets for 
 an hour every day, to stand talking in doorways, or 
 drive out in a line carriage, was not the sort of exer 
 cise she liked, and Fan would take no other. Indeed, 
 she was so shocked, when Polly, one day, proposed a 
 run clown the mall, that her friend never dared sug 
 gest such a thing again. At home, Polly ran and 
 rode, coasted and skated, jumped rope and raked hay, 
 worked in her garden and rowed her boat ; so no 
 wonder she longed for something more lively than a 
 daily promenade with a flock of giddy girls, who 
 tilted along in high-heeled boots, and costumes which 
 made Polly ashamed to be seen with some of them. 
 So she used to slip out alone sometimes, when Fanny 
 was absorbed in novels, company, or millinery, and 
 get fine brisk walks round the park, on the unfashiona 
 ble side, where the babies took their airings ; or she 
 went inside, to watch the boys coasting, and to wish 
 she could coast too, as she did at home. She never 
 went far, and always came back rosy and gay. 
 
42 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 One afternoon, just before dinner, she felt so tired 
 of doing nothing, that she slipped out for a run. It 
 had been a dull day ; but the sun was visible now, set 
 ting brightly below the clouds. It was cold but still, 
 and Polly trotted down the smooth, snow-covered mall, 
 humming to herself, and trying not to feel homesick. 
 The coasters were at it with all their might, and she 
 watched them, till her longing to join the fun grew 
 irresistible. On the hill, some little girls were play 
 ing with their sleds, real little girls, in warm hoods 
 and coats, rubber boots and mittens, and Polly felt 
 drawn toward them in spite of her fear of Fan. 
 
 " I want to go down, but I darsn t, it s so steep," 
 said one of these " common children," as Maud called 
 them. 
 
 " If you 11 lend me your sled, and sit in my lap, 
 I 11 take you down all nice," answered Polly, in a 
 confidential tone. 
 
 The little girls took a look at her, seemed satisfied, 
 and accepted her offer. Polly looked carefully round 
 to see that no fashionable eye beheld the awful deed, 
 and finding all safe, settled her freight, and spun 
 away down hill, feeling all over the delightsome 
 excitement of swift motion which makes coasting 
 such a favorite pastime with the more sensible portion 
 of the child-world. One after another, she took the 
 little girls down the hill and dragged them up again, 
 while they regarded her in the light of a gray-coated 
 angel, descended for their express benefit. Polly was 
 just finishing off with one delicious " go " all by her 
 self, when she heard a familiar whistle behind her, 
 and before she could get off, up came Tom, looking 
 
Polly s Troubles. 43 
 
 aa much astonished as if he had found her mounted 
 on an elephant. 
 
 "Hullo, Polly! What 11 Fan say to you?" waa 
 his polished salutation. 
 
 " Don t know, and don t care. Coasting is no 
 harm ; I like it, and I m going to do it, now I ve got 
 a chance ; so clear the lul-la !" And away went inde 
 pendent Polly, with her hair blowing in the wind, and 
 an expression of genuine enjojinent, which a very red 
 nose did n t damage in the least. 
 
 " Good for you, Polly !" And casting himself upon 
 his sled, with the most reckless disregard for his ribs, 
 off whizzed Tom after her, and came alongside just as 
 she reined up " General Grant " on the broad path 
 below. "Oh, won t you get it when we go home?" 
 cried the young gentleman, even before he changed 
 his graceful attitude. 
 
 " I shan t, if you don t go and tell ; but of course 
 you will," added Polly, sitting still, while an anxious 
 expression began to steal over her happy face. 
 
 " I just won t, then," returned Tom, with the nat- 
 aral perversity of his tribe. 
 
 " If they ask me, I shall tell, of course ; if they 
 don t ask, I think there s no harm in keeping still. 
 I should n t have done it, if I had n t known my mother 
 was willing ; but I don t wish to trouble, your mother 
 by telling of it. Do you think it was very dreadful 
 of me ? " asked Polly, looking at him. 
 
 " I think it was downright jolly ; and I won t tell, 
 if you don t want me to. Now, come up and have 
 another," said Tom, heartily. 
 
 "Just one more; the little girls want to go, and 
 this is their slrd." 
 
44 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Let era take it, t is n t good for much ; and you 
 come on mine. Mazeppa s a stunner ; you see if he 
 isn t." 
 
 So Polly tucked herself up in front, Tom hung en 
 behind in some mysterious manner, and Mazeppa 
 proved that he fully merited his master s sincere if 
 inelegant praise. They got on capitally now, for 
 Tom was in his proper sphere, and showed his best 
 side, being civil and gay in the bluff boy-fashion that 
 was natural to him ; while Polly forgot to be shy, and 
 liked this sort of " toughening " much better than the 
 other. They laughed and talked, and kept taking 
 "just one more," till the sunshine was all gone, and 
 the clocks struck dinner-time. 
 
 " We shall be late ; let s run," said Polly, as they 
 came into the path after the last coast. 
 
 " You just sit still, and I 11 get you home in a 
 jiffy ; " and before she could unpack herself, Tom 
 trotted off with her at a fine pace. 
 
 " Here s a pair of cheeks ! I wish you d get a 
 color like this, Fanny," said Mr. Shaw, as Polly came 
 into the dining-room after smoothing her hair. 
 
 " Your nose is as red as that cranberry sauce," 
 answered Fan, coming out of the big chair where she 
 had been curled up for an hour or two, deep in " Lady 
 Audley s Secret." 
 
 " So it is," said Polly, shutting one eye to look at 
 the offending feature. " Never mind ; I ve had a 
 good time, anyway," she added, giving a little prance 
 in her chair. 
 
 " I don t see much fun in these cold runs you are 
 so fond of taking," said Fanny, with a yawn and A 
 shiver. 
 
Pollys Troubles. 45 
 
 " Perhaps you would if you tried it ; " and Polly 
 laughed as she glanced at Tom. 
 
 " Did you go alone, dear ? " asked grandma, patting 
 the rosy cheek beside her. 
 
 44 Yes m ; but I met Tom, and we came home 
 together." Polly s eyes twinkled when she said that, 
 and Tom choked in his soup. 
 
 u Thomas, leave the table ! " commanded Mr. Shaw, 
 as his incorrigible son gurgled and gasped behind his 
 napkin. 
 
 " Please, don t send him away, sir. I made him 
 laugh," said Polly, penitently. 
 
 u What s the joke?" asked Fanny, waking up at 
 last. 
 
 " I should n t think you d make him laugh, when 
 he s always making you cwy," observed Maud, who 
 had just come in. 
 
 44 What have you been doing now, sir?" demanded 
 Mr. Shaw, as Tom emerged, red and solemn, from his 
 brief obscurit} 7 ". 
 
 u Nothing but coast," he said, gruffly, for papa was 
 always lecturing him, and letting the girls do just as 
 they liked. 
 
 44 So s Polly ; I saw her. Me and Blanche were 
 coming home just now, and we saw her and Tom wid- 
 ing down the hill on his sled, and then he dwagged 
 aer ever so far ! " cried Maud, with her mouthful. 
 
 44 You did n t ? " And Fanny dropped her fork with 
 a scandalized face. 
 
 44 Yes, I did, and liked it ever so much," answered 
 Polly, looking anxious but resolute. 
 
 "Did any one see you?" cried Fanny, 
 
46 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Only some little girls, and Tom." 
 
 " It was horridly improper ; and Torn ought to 
 have told you so, if you did n t know any better. 1 
 should be mortified to death if any of my friends saw 
 you," added Fan, much disturbed. 
 
 " Now, don t you scold. It s no harm, and Polly 
 shall coast if she wants to ; may n t she, grandma ? " 
 cried Tom, gallantly coming to the rescue, and secur 
 ing a powerful ally. 
 
 " My mother lets me ; and if I don t go among the 
 boys, I can t see what harm there is in it," said Polly, 
 before Madam could speak. 
 
 u People do many things in the country that are 
 not proper here," began Mrs. Shaw, in her reproving 
 tone. 
 
 " Let the child do it if she likes, and take Maud 
 with her. I should be glad to have one hearty girl in 
 my house," interrupted Mr. Shaw, and that was the 
 end of it. 
 
 "Thank you, sir," said Polly, gratefully, and 
 nodded at Tom, who telegraphed back " All right ! " 
 and fell upon his dinner with the appetite of a young 
 wolf. 
 
 " Oh, you sly-boots ! you re getting up a flirtation 
 with Tom, are you ? " whispered Fanny to her friend, 
 as if much amused. 
 
 " What ! " and Polly looked so surprised and in 
 dignant, that Fanny was ashamed of herself, and 
 changed the subject by telling her mother she needed 
 some new gloves. 
 
 Polly was very quiet after that, and the minute 
 dinner was over, she left the room to go and have a 
 
Pollys Troubles. 47 
 
 quiet " think " about the whole matter. Before she 
 got half-way up stairs, she saw Tom coming after, 
 and immediately sat down to guard her feet. He 
 laughed, and said, as he perched himself on the post 
 of the banisters, " I won t grab you, honor bright. 
 I just wanted to say, if you 11 come out to-morrow 
 some time, we 11 have a good coast." 
 
 " No," said Polly, " I can t come." 
 
 k Why not ? Are you mad ? I did n t tell." And 
 Tom looked amazed at the change which had come 
 over her. 
 
 " No ; you kept your word, and stood by me like a 
 good boy. I m not mad, either ; but I don t mean to 
 coast any more. Your mother don t like it." 
 
 u That is n t the reason, / know. You nodded to 
 me after she d freed her mind, and you meant to go 
 then. Come, now, what is it?" 
 
 " I shan t tell you ; but I m not going," was Polly s 
 determined answer. 
 
 u Well, I >did think you had more sense than most 
 girls ; but you have n t, and I would n t give a six 
 pence for you." 
 
 " That s polite," said Polly, getting ruffled. 
 
 " Well, I hate cowards." 
 
 " I ain t a coward." 
 
 " Yes, you are. You re afraid of what folks will 
 say ; ain t you, now ? " 
 
 Polly knew she was, and held her peace, though 
 she longed to speak ; but how could she ? 
 
 " Ah, I knew you d back out." And Tom walked 
 away with an air of scorn that cut Polly to the heart. 
 
 " It s too bad ! Just as he was growing kind to 
 
48 An O Id-Fashioned GirL 
 
 me, and I was going to have a good time, it s all 
 spoilt by Fan s nonsense. Mrs. Shaw don t like rt, 
 nor grandma either, I dare say. There 11 be a fuss 
 if I go, and Fan will plague me ; so I ll give it up, 
 and let Tom think I m afraid. Oh, dear ! I never 
 did see such ridiculous people." 
 
 Polly shut her door hard, and felt ready to cry 
 with vexation, that her pleasure should be spoilt by 
 such a silly idea ; for, of all the silly freaks of this 
 fast age, that of little people playing at love is about 
 the silliest. Polly had been taught that it was a very 
 serious and sacred thing ; and, according to her no 
 tions, it was far more improper to flirt with one boy 
 than to coast with a dozen. She had been much 
 amazed, only the day before, to hear Maud say to 
 her mother, " Mamma, must I have a beau? The 
 girls all do, and say I ought to have Fweddy Lovell ; 
 but I don t like him as well as Hawry Fiske." 
 
 " Oh, yes ; I d have a little sweetheart, dear, it s 
 so cunning," answered Mrs. Shaw. And Maud an 
 nounced soon after that she was engaged to " Fweddy, 
 cause Hawry slapped her " when she proposed the 
 match. 
 
 Polly laughed with the rest at the time ; but when 
 the thought of it afterward, and wondered what her 
 own mother would have said, if little Kitty had put 
 such a question, she did n t find it cunning or funny, 
 but ridiculous and unnatural. She felt so now about 
 herself; and when her first petulance was over, re- 
 solved to give up coasting and everything else, rather 
 than have any nonsense with Tom, who, thanks to his 
 neglected education, was as ignorant as herself of the 
 
Pollys Troubles. 49 
 
 charms of this new amusement for school-children. 
 So Polly tried to console herself by jumping rope in 
 the back-yard, and playing tag with Maud in the dry 
 ing-room, where she likewise gave lessons in " nas- 
 gim-nics," as Maud called it, which did that little 
 person good. Fanny came up sometimes to teach 
 them a new dancing step, and more than once was 
 betrayed into a game of romps, for which she was 
 none the worse. But Tom turned a cold shoulder to 
 Polly, and made it evident, by his cavalier manner, 
 that he really did n t think her " worth a sixpence." 
 
 Another thing that troubled Polly was her clothes, 
 for, though no one said anything, she knew they were 
 very plain ; and now and then she wished that her 
 blue and mouse colored merinos were rather more 
 trimmed, her sashes had bigger bows, and her little 
 ruffles more lace on them. She sighed for a locket, 
 and, for the first time in her life, thought seriously of 
 turning up her pretty curls and putting on a " wad." 
 She kept these discontents to herself, however, after 
 she had written to ask her mother if she might have 
 her best dress altered like Fanny s, and received this 
 reply : 
 
 " No, dear ; the dress is proper and becoming as it 
 is, and the old fashion of simplicity the best for all 
 of us. I don t want my Polly to be loved for her 
 clothes, but for herself; so wear the plain frocks 
 mother took such pleasure in making for you, and 
 let the panniers go. The least of us have some influ 
 ence in this big world ; and perhaps my little girl can 
 do some good by showing others that a contented 
 bear t and a happy face are better ornaments than any 
 
 4 
 
50 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Paris can give her. You want a locket, deary ; so I 
 send one that my mother gave me years ago. You 
 will find father s face on one side, mine on the other ; 
 and when things trouble you, just look at your talis 
 man, and I think the sunshine will come back again." 
 
 Of course it did, for the best of all magic was 
 shut up in the quaint little case that Polly wore inside 
 her frock, and kissed so tenderly each night and 
 morning. The thought that, insignificant as she 
 was, she yet might do some good, made her very 
 careful of her acts and words, and so anxious to keep 
 heart contented and face happy, that she forgot her 
 clothes, and made others do the "same. She did not 
 know it, but that good old fashion of simplicity made 
 the plain gowns pretty, and the grace of unconscious 
 ness beautified their little wearer with the charm that 
 makes girlhood sweetest to those who truly love 
 and reverence it. One temptation Polly had already 
 yielded to before the letter came, and repented heart 
 ily of afterward. 
 
 " Polly, I wish you d let me call you Marie," said 
 Fanny one day, as they were shopping together. 
 
 " You may call me Mary, if you like ; but I won t 
 have any ie put on to my name. I m Polly at home, 
 and I m fond of being called so ; but Marie is French 
 ified and silly." 
 
 " I spell my own name with an ie, and so do all the 
 girls." 
 
 " And what a jumble of Netties, Nellies, Hatties, 
 and Sallies there is. How Pollie * would look spelt 
 so!" 
 
 " Well, never mind ; that was n t what I began to 
 
Pollys Troubles. 51 
 
 say. There s one thing you must have, and that is, 
 bronze boots," said Fan, impressively. 
 
 " Why must I, when I ve got enough without?" 
 
 " Because it s the fashion to have them, and you 
 can t be finished oif properly without. I m going to 
 get a pair, and so must you." 
 
 " Don t they cost a great deal?" 
 
 44 Eight or nine dollars, I believe. I have mine 
 charged ; but it don t matter if you have n t got the 
 monejr. I can lend you some." 
 
 " I ve got ten dollars to do what I like with ; but 
 I meant to get some presents for the children." And 
 Polly took out her purse in an undecided way. 
 
 " You can make presents easy enough. Grandma 
 knows all sorts of nice contrivances. They ll do 
 just as well ; and then you can get your boots." 
 
 "Well; I ll look at them," said Polly, following 
 Fanny into the store, feeling rather rich and impor 
 tant to be shopping in this elegant manner. 
 " Are n t they lovely ? Your foot is perfectly divine 
 in that boot, Polly. Get them for my party ; you 11 
 dance like a fairy," whispered Fan. 
 
 Polly surveyed the dainty, shining boot with the 
 scalloped top, the jaunty heel, and the delicate toe, 
 thought her foot did look very well in it, and after a 
 little pause, said she would have them. It was all 
 very delightful till she got home, and was alone ; 
 then, on looking into her purse, she saw one dollar 
 and the list of things she meant to get for mother 
 and the children. How mean the dollar looked 
 all alone! and how long the list grew when there 
 was nothing to buy the articles. 
 
52 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " I can t make skates for Ned, nor a desk for 
 Will ; and those are what they have set their hearts 
 upon. Father s book and mother s collar are impos 
 sible now ; and I m a selfish thing to go and spend 
 all my money for myself. How could I do it ? " And 
 Polly eyed the new boots reproachfully, as they stood 
 in the first position as if ready for the party. " They 
 are lovely ; but I don t believe they will feel good, for 
 I shall be thinking about my lost presents all the 
 time," sighed Polly, pushing the enticing boots out 
 of sight. "I ll go and ask grandma what I can do ; 
 for if I ve got to make something for every one, I 
 must begin right away, or I shan t get done ; " and 
 off she bustled, glad to forget her remorse in hard 
 work. 
 
 Grandma proved equal to the emergency, and 
 planned something for every one, supplying mate 
 rials, taste, and skill in the most delightful manner. 
 Polly felt much comforted ; but while she began to 
 knit a pretty pair of white bed-socks, to be tied with 
 rose-colored ribbons, for her mother, she thought 
 some very sober thoughts upon the subject of tempta 
 tion ; and if any one had asked her just then what 
 made her sigh, as if something lay heavy on her con 
 science, she would have answered, "Bronze boots." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 ((TT S so wainy, I can t go out, and evwybody is 
 
 -* so cwoss they won t play with me," said Maud, 
 when Polly found her fretting on the stairs, and 
 paused to ask the cause of her wails. 
 
 11 1 11 play with you ; only don t scream and wake 
 your mother. What shall we play ? " 
 
 " I don t know ; I m tired of evwything, cause my 
 toys are all bwoken, and my dolls are all sick but 
 Clawa," moaned Maud, giving a jerk to the Paris doll 
 which she held upside down by one leg in the most 
 unmaternal manner. 
 
 " I m going to dress a dolly for my little sister; 
 would n t you like to see me do it ? " asked Polly, per 
 suasively, hoping to beguile the cross child and finish 
 her own work at the same time. 
 
 " No, I should n t, cause she ll look nicer than my 
 Clawa. Her clothes won t come off; and Tom spoilt 
 em picking ball with her in he yard." 
 
 " Would n t you like to rip these clothes off, and 
 have me show you how to make some new ones, so 
 you can dress and undress Clara as much as you 
 like?" 
 
54 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 ** Yes ; I love to cut." And Maud s face bright 
 ened ; for destructiveness is one of the earliest traits 
 of childhood, and ripping was Maud s delight. 
 
 Establishing themselves in the deserted dining- 
 room, the children fell to work ; and when Fanny 
 discovered them, Maud was laughing with all her 
 heart at poor Clara, who, denuded of her finery, was 
 cutting up all sorts of capers in the hands of her 
 merry little mistress. 
 
 " I should think you M be ashamed to play with 
 dolls, Polly. I haven t touched one this ever so 
 long," said Fanny, looking down with a superior 
 air. 
 
 " I ain t ashamed, for it keeps Maud happy, and 
 will please my sister Kitty ; and I think sewing is 
 better than prinking or reading silly novels, so, now." 
 And Polly stitched away with a resolute air, for she 
 and Fanny had had a little tiff, because Polly would n t 
 let her friend do up her hair " like other folks," and 
 bore her ears. 
 
 " Don t be cross, dear, but come and do something 
 nice, it s so dull to-day," said Fanny, anxious to be 
 friends again, for it was doubly dull without Polly. 
 
 " Can t ; I m busy." 
 
 " You always are busy. I never saw such a girl. 
 What in the world do you find to do all the time ? " 
 asked Fanny, watching with interest the set of the 
 little red merino frock Polly was putting on to her 
 doll. 
 
 " Lots of things -; but I like to be lazy sometimes 
 as much as you do; just lie on the sofa, and read 
 fairy stories, or, think about nothing. Would you 
 
Little Things. 55 
 
 have a white-muslin apron or a black silk ? " added 
 Polly, surveying her work with satisfaction. 
 
 " Muslin, with pockets and tiny blue bows. I 11 
 show you how." And forgetting her late contempt 
 for dolls, down sat Fanny, soon getting as much 
 absorbed as either of the others. 
 
 The dull day brightened wonderfully after that, and 
 the time flew pleasantly, as tongues and needles went 
 together. Grandma peeped in, and smiled at the 
 busy group, saying, " Sew away, my dears ; dollies 
 are safe companions, and needlework an accomplish 
 ment that s sadly neglected nowadays. Small 
 stitches, Maud ; neat buttonholes, Fan ; cut carefully, 
 Polly, and don t waste your cloth. Take pains ; and 
 the best needlewoman shall have a pretty bit of white 
 satin for a doll s bonnet." 
 
 Fanny exerted herself, and won the prize, for Polly 
 helped Maud, and neglected her own work ; but she 
 did n t care much, for Mr. Shaw said, looking at the 
 three bright faces at the tea-table, " I guess Polly has 
 been making sunshine for you to-day." 
 
 u No, indeed, sir, I haven t done anything, only 
 dress Maud s doll." 
 
 And Polly did n t think she had done much ; but it 
 was one of the little things which are always waiting 
 to be done in this world of ours, where rainy days 
 come so often, where spirits get out of tune, and duty 
 won t go hand in hand with pleasure. Little things 
 of this sort are especially good work for little people ; 
 a kind little thought, an unselfish little act, a cheery 
 (ittle word, are so sweet and comfortable, that no one 
 can fail to feel, their beauty and love the giver, no 
 
56 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 matter bow small they are. Mothers do a deal of 
 this sort of thing, unseen, unthanked, but felt and re 
 membered long afterward, and never lost, for this is 
 the simple magic that binds hearts together, and 
 keeps home happy. Polly had learned this seciet. 
 She loved to do the u little things" that others did 
 not see, or were too busy to stop for ; and while do 
 ing them, without a thought of thanks, she made sun 
 shine for herself as well as others. There was so 
 much love in her own home, that she quickly felt the 
 want of it in Fanny s, and puzzled herself to find out 
 why these people were not kind and patient to one 
 another. She did not try to settle the question, but 
 did her best to love and serve and bear with each ; 
 and the good will, the gentle heart, the helpful ways 
 and simple manners of our Polly made her dear to 
 every one, for these virtues, even in a little child, are 
 lovely and attractive. 
 
 Mr. Shaw was very kind to ii^r, for he liked her 
 modest, respectful manners ; and Polly was so grate 
 ful for his many favors, that she soon forgot her fear, 
 and showed her affection in all sorts of confiding little 
 ways, which pleased him extremely. She used to 
 walk across the park with him when he went to his- 
 office in the morning, talking busily all the way, and 
 saying " Good-by " with a nod and a smile when they 
 parted at the great gate. At first, Mr. Shaw did not 
 care much about it ; but soon he missed her if she 
 didn t come, and found that something fresh and 
 pleasant seemed to brighten all his day, if a small, 
 gray-coated figure, with an intelligent face, a merry 
 voice, and a little hand slipped confidingly into his, 
 
Little Things. 57 
 
 went with him through the wintry park. Coining 
 home late, he liked to see a curly, brown head watch 
 ing at the window ; to find his slippers ready, his 
 paper in its place, and a pair of willing feet, eager to 
 wait upon him. u I wish my Fanny was more like 
 her," he often said to himself, as he watched the girls, 
 while they thought him deep in politics or the state 
 of the money market. Poor Mr. Shaw had been so 
 busy getting rich, that he had not found time to teach 
 his children to love him ; he was more at leisure now, 
 and as his boy and girls grew up, he missed some 
 thing. Polly was unconsciously showing him what it 
 was, and making child-love so sweet, that he felt he 
 could not do without it any more, yet did n t quite 
 know how to win the confidence of the children, who 
 had always found him busy, indifferent, and absent- 
 minded. 
 
 As the girls were going to bed one night, Polly 
 kissed grandma, as usual, and Fanny laughed at her, 
 saying, " What a baby you are ! We are too old for 
 such things now." 
 
 " I don t think people ever are too old to kiss their 
 fathers and mothers," was the quick answer. 
 
 " Right, my little Polly ; " and Mr. Shaw stretched 
 out his hand to her with such a kindly look, that 
 Fanny ptared surprised, and then said, shyly, "1 
 thought you did n t care about it, father." 
 
 " I do, my dear." And Mr. Shaw put out the 
 other hand to Fanny, who gave him a daughterly kiss, 
 quite forgetting everything but the tender feeling that 
 sprung up in her heart at the renewal of the childish 
 custom which we never need outgrow. 
 
58 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Mrs. Shaw was a nervous, fussy invalid, who 
 wanted something every five minutes ; so Polly found 
 plenty of small things to do for her, and did them so 
 cheerfully, that the poor lady loved to have the quiet, 
 helpful child near, to wait upon her, read to her, run 
 errands, or hand the seven different shawls which 
 were continually being put on or off. 
 
 Grandma, too, was glad to find willing hands and 
 feet to serve her ; and Polly passed man} 7 happy hours 
 in the quaint rooms, learning all sorts of pretty arts, 
 and listening to pleasant chat, never dreaming how 
 much sunshine she brought to the solitary old lad} T . 
 
 Tom was Polly s rock ahead for a long time, 
 because he was always breaking out in a new place, 
 and one never knew where to find him. He tor 
 mented yet amused her ; was kind one clay, and a 
 bear the next ; at times she fancied he was never 
 going to be bad again, and the next thing she knew 
 he was deep in mischief, and hooted at the idea of 
 repentance and reformation. Polly gave him up as a 
 hard case ; but was so in the habit of helping any one 
 who seemed in trouble, that she was good to him sim 
 ply because she could n t help it. 
 
 " What s the matter? Is your lesson too hard for 
 fou?" she asked one evening, as a groan made her 
 Jook across the table to where Tom sat scowling over 
 d pile of dilapidated books, with his hands in his 
 hair, as if his head was in danger of flying asunder 
 Rrith the tremendous effort he was making. 
 
 u Hard ! Guess it is. What in thunder do I care 
 <tbout the old Carthagenians ? Regulus was n t bad ; 
 Dut I m sick of him ! " And Tom dealt " Harkness s 
 
Little Things. 59 
 
 Latin Reader" a thump, which expressed his feelings 
 better than words. 
 
 44 1 like Latin, and used to get on well when I 
 studied it with Jimmy. Perhaps I can help you a 
 little bit," said Polly, as Tom wiped his hot face and 
 refreshed himself with a peanut. 
 
 44 You? Pooh ! girls Latin don t amount to much, 
 any way," was the grateful reply. 
 
 But Polly was used to him now, and, nothing 
 daunted, took a look at the grimy page in the middle 
 of which Tom had stuck. She read it so well, that 
 the young gentleman stopped munching to regard her 
 with respectful astonishment, and when she stopped, 
 he said, suspiciously, "You are a sly one, Polly, to 
 study up so you can show off before me. But it 
 won t do, ma am ; turn over a dozen pages, and try 
 again." 
 
 Polly obeyed, and did even better than before, saying, 
 as she looked up, with a laugh, 44 I ve been through 
 the whole book ; so you won t catch me that way, 
 Tom." 
 
 44 1 say, how came you to know such a lot? " asked 
 Tom, much impressed. 
 
 44 1 studied with Jimmy, and kept up with him, for 
 father let us be together in all our lessons. It was 
 so nice, and we learned so fast ! " 
 
 k4 Tell about Jimmy. He s your brother, is n t he ? " 
 
 4 Yes ; but he s dead, you know. I ll tell about 
 him some other time ; you ought to study now, and 
 perhaps I can help you," said Polly, with a little 
 quiver of the lips. 
 
 "Shouldn t wonder if you could." And Tom 
 
6o An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 spread the book between them with a grave and 
 business-like air, for he felt that Polly had got the 
 better of him, and it behooved him to do his best for 
 the honor of his sex. He went at the lesson with a 
 will, and soon floundered out of his difficulties, for 
 Polly gave him a lift here and there, and they went 
 on swimmingly, till they came to some rules to be 
 learned. Polly had forgotten them, so they both 
 committed them to memory ; Tom, with hands in 
 his pockets^ rocked to and fro, muttering rapidly, while 
 Polly twisted the little curl on her forehead and stared 
 at the wall, gabblmg with all her might. 
 
 4 Done ! " cried Tom, presently. 
 
 u Done ! " echoed Polly ; and then they heard each 
 other recite till tx>th were perfect. 
 
 " That s pretty good fun," said Tom, joyfully, toss 
 ing poor Harkness away, and feeling that the pleasant 
 excitement of companionship could lend a charm even 
 to Latin Grammar. 
 
 " Now, ma am, w* 11 take a turn at algiftfeera. I 
 like that as much as I bate Latin." 
 
 Polly accepted the inritalion, and soon owned that 
 Tom could beat her here. This fact restored his 
 equanimity ; but he did n t crow over her, far from it ; 
 for he helped her with a paternal patience that made 
 her eyes twinkle with suppressed fun, as he soberly 
 explained and illustrated, unconsciously imitating 
 Dominie Deane, till Polly found it difficult to keep 
 from laughing in his face. 
 
 " You may have another go at it any time you like," 
 generously remarked Tom, as he shied the Algebra 
 after the Latin Reader 
 
Little Things. 61 
 
 "I ll come every evening, then. I d like to, for I 
 have n t studied a bit since I came. You shall try and 
 make me like algebra, and I ll try and make you 
 like Latin ; will you? " 
 
 " Oh, I d like it well enough, if there was any one 
 to explain it to me. Old Deane puts us through 
 double-quick, and don t give a fellow time to ask 
 questions when we read." 
 
 44 Ask your father ; he knows." 
 
 " Don t believe he does ; should n t dare to bother 
 him, if he did." 
 
 u Why not?" 
 
 " lie d pull my ears, and call me a stupid, or tell 
 me not to worry him." 
 
 " I don t think he would. He s very kind to me, 
 and I ask lots of questions." 
 
 " He likes you better than he does me." 
 
 44 Now, Tom ! it s wrong of you to say so. Of 
 course he loves you ever so much more than he does 
 me," cried Polly, reprovingly. 
 
 44 Why don t he show it, then?" muttered Tom, 
 with a half-wistful, half-defiant glance toward the 
 library door, which stood ajar. 
 
 44 You act so, how can he ? " asked Polly, after a 
 pause, in which she put Tom s question to herself, and 
 could find no better reply than the one she gave him. 
 
 44 Why don t he give me my velocipede? He said, 
 if I did well at school for a month, I should have it ; 
 and I ve been pegging away like fury for most six 
 weeks, and he don t do a thing about it. The girli 
 get their duds, because they tease. I won t do that, 
 any way ; but you don t catch me studying myself to 
 death, and DO pay for it " 
 
62 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " It is too bad ; but you ought to do it because it s 
 right, and never mind being paid," began Polly, try 
 ing to be moral, but secretly sympathizing heartily 
 with poor Tom. 
 
 " Don t you preach, Polly. If the governor took 
 any notice of me, and cared how I got on, I would n t 
 mind the presents so much ; but he don t care a hang, 
 and never even asked if I did well last declamation 
 day, when I d gone and learned 4 The Battle of Lake 
 Regillus, because he said he liked it." 
 
 "Oh, Tom! Did you say that? It s splendid! 
 Jim and I used to say Horatius together, and it was 
 such fun. Do speak your piece to me, I do so like 
 4 Macaulay s Lays. " 
 
 "It s dreadful long," began Tom; but his face 
 brightened, for Polly s interest soothed his injured 
 feelings, and he was glad to prove his elocutionary 
 powers. lie began without much spirit ; but soon 
 the martial ring of the lines fired him, and before he 
 knew it, he was on his legs thundering away in grand 
 style, while Polly listened with kindling face and ab 
 sorbed attention. Tom did declaim well, for he quite 
 forgot himself, and delivered the stirring ballad with 
 an energy that made Polly flush and tingle with ad 
 miration and delight, and quite electrified a second 
 listener, who had heard all that went on, and watched 
 the little scene from behind his newspaper. 
 
 As Tom paused, breathless, and Polly clapped her 
 hands enthusiastically, the sound was loudly echoed 
 from behind him. Both whirled round, and there was 
 Mr. Shaw, standing in the doorwa} 7 , applauding with 
 all his might. 
 
 Tom looked much abashed, and said not a word ; 
 
Little Things. 63 
 
 but Polly ran to Mr. Shaw, and danced before him, 
 saying, eagerly, " Was n t it splendid ? Did n t he do 
 it well? Mayn t he have his velocipede now?" 
 
 " Capital, Tom ; you 11 be an orator yet. Lear 
 another piece like that, and I 11 come and hear you 
 speak it. Are you ready for your velocipede 
 hey?" 
 
 Polly was right ; and Tom owned that " the gov 
 ernor " was kind, did like him, and had n t entirely 
 forgotten his promise. The boy turned red with 
 pleasure, and picked at the buttons on his jacket, 
 while listening to this unexpected praise ; but when 
 he spoke, he looked straight up in his father s face, 
 while his own shone with pleasure, as he answered, 
 all in one breath, "Thankee, sir. I ll do it, sir. 
 Guess I am, sir ! " 
 
 u Very good ; then look out for your new "horse 
 to-morrow, sir." And Mr. Shaw stroked the fuzzy 
 red head with a kind hand, feeling a fatherly pleasure 
 in the conviction that there was something in his boy 
 after all. 
 
 Tom got his velocipede next day, named it Black 
 Auster, in memory of the horse in " The Battle of 
 Lake Regillus," and came to grief as soon as he be 
 gan to ride his new steed. 
 
 " Come out and see me go it," whispered Tom to 
 Polly, after three days practice in the street, for he 
 had already learned to ride in the rink. 
 
 Polly and Maud willingly went, and watched his 
 struggles with deep interest, till he got an upset, 
 which nearly put an end to his velocipeding forever. 
 
 " Hi, there 1 Auster s coming ! " shouted Tom, as 
 
64 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 he came rattling down the long, steep street outside 
 the park. 
 
 They stepped aside, and he whizzed by, arms and 
 legs going like mad, with the general appearance of a 
 runaway engine. It would have been a triumphant 
 descent, if a big dog had not bounced suddenly 
 through one of the openings, and sent the whole con 
 cern helter-skelter into the gutter. Polly laughed as 
 she ran to view the ruin, for Tom lay flat on his back 
 with the velocipede atop of him, while the big dog 
 barked wildly, and his master scolded him for his 
 awkwardness. But when she saw Tom s face, Polly 
 was frightened, for the color had all gone out of it, 
 his 63 T es looked strange and dizz} , and drops of blood 
 began to trickle from a great cut on his forehead. 
 The man saw it, too, and had him up in a minute ; 
 but lie could n t stand, and stared about him in a 
 dazed sort of wa} 1 , as he sat on the curbstone, while 
 Polly held her handkerchief to his forehead, and pa 
 thetically begged to know if he was killed. 
 
 " Don t scare mother, I m all right. Got upset, 
 did n t I ? " he asked, presently, eyeing the prostrate 
 velocipede with more anxiety about its damages than 
 his own. 
 
 "I knew you d hurt yourself with that horrid 
 thing. Just let it be, and come home, for your head 
 bleeds dreadfully, and everybody is looking at us," 
 whispered Polly, trying to tie the little handkerchief 
 over the ugly cut. 
 
 " Come on, then. Jove ! how queer my head feels ! 
 Give us a boost, please. Stop howling, Maud, and 
 come home. You bring the machine, and I ll pay 
 
Little Things. 65 
 
 vou, Pat." As he spoke, Torn slowly picked himself 
 up, and steadying himself by Polly s shoulder, issued 
 bis commands, and the procession fell into line. 
 First, the big dog, barking at intervals ; then the 
 pxxxl-natured Irishman, trundling " that divil of a 
 whirligig," as he disrespectfully called the idolized 
 velocipede ; then the wounded hero, supported by the 
 faithful Polly ; and Maud brought up the rear in tears, 
 bearing Tom s cap. 
 
 Unfortunately, Mrs. Shaw was out driving with 
 grandma, and Fanny was making calls ; so that there 
 was no one but Polly to stand by Tom, for the par 
 lor-maid turned faint at the sight of blood, and the 
 chamber-maid lost her wits in the flurry. It was a bad 
 cut, and must be sewed up at once, the doctor said, as 
 soon as he came. " Somebody must hold his head," 
 he added, as he threaded his queer little needle. 
 
 " I 11 keep still, but if anybody must hold me, let 
 Polly. You ain t afraid, are you ? " asked Tom, with 
 an imploring look, for he did n t like the idea of being 
 sewed a bit. 
 
 Polly was just going to shrink away, saying, u Oh, 
 I can t ! " when she remembered that Tom once called 
 her a coward. Here was a chance to prove that she 
 was n t ; besides, poor Tom had no one else to help 
 him ; so she came up to the sofa where he lay, and 
 nodded reassuringly, as she put a soft little hand on 
 either side of the damaged head. 
 
 " You are a trump, Polly," whispered Tom. Then 
 
 he set his teeth, clenched his hands, lay quite still, 
 
 and bore it like a man. It was all over in a minute 
 
 or two, and when he had had a glass of wine, and was 
 
 6 
 
66 An Old-Fashioned GirL 
 
 nicely settled on his bed, he felt pretty comfortable, 
 in spite of the pain in his head ; and being ordered 
 to keep quiet, he said, " Thank you ever so much, 
 Polly," and watched her with a grateful face as she 
 crept away. 
 
 He had to keep the house for a week, and laid 
 about looking very interesting with a great black 
 patch on his forehead. Every one petted him ; for 
 the doctor said, that if the blow had been an inch 
 nearer the temple, it would have been fatal, and the 
 thought of losing him so suddenly made bluff old Tom 
 very precious all at once. His father asked him how 
 he was a dozen times a day ; his mother talked con 
 tinually of " that dear boy s narrow escape " ; and 
 grandma cockered him up with every delicacy she 
 could invent ; and the girls waited on him like devoted 
 slaves. This new treatment had an excellent effect ;* 
 for when neglected Tom got over his first amazement 
 at this change of base, he blossomed out delightfully, 
 as sick people do sometimes, and surprised his family 
 by being unexpectedly patient, grateful, and amiable. 
 Nobody ever knew how much good it did him ; for 
 boys seldom have confidences of this sort except with 
 their mothers, and Mrs. Shaw had never found the 
 key to her son s heart. But a little seed was sowed 
 then that took root, and though it grew very slowty, 
 it came to something in the end. Perhaps Polly 
 helped it a little. Evening was his hardest time, for 
 want of exercise made him as restless and nervous aa 
 it was possible for a hearty lad to be on such a short 
 notice. He could n t sleep, so the girls amused him ; 
 Fanny played and read aloud ; Polly sung, and 
 
Little Tilings. 67 
 
 told stories and did the latter so well, that it got to 
 be a regular thing for her to begin as soon as twilight 
 came, and Tom was settled in his favorite place on 
 grandma s sofa. 
 
 " Fire away, Polly," said the young sultan, one 
 evening, as his little Scheherazade sat down in her low 
 chair, after stirring up the fire till the room was bright 
 and cosy. 
 
 " I don t feel like stories to-night, Tom. I ve told 
 ail I know, and can t make up any more," answered 
 Polly, leaning her head on her hand with a sorrowful 
 look that Tom had never seen before. He watched 
 her a minute, and then asked, curiously, " What were 
 you thinking about, just now, when you sat staring 
 at the fire, and getting soberer and soberer every 
 minute ? " 
 
 " I was thinking about Jimmy." 
 
 " Would you mind telling about him? You know, 
 you said you would some time ; but don t, if you d 
 rather not," said Tom, lowering his rough voice 
 respectfully. 
 
 u I like to talk about him ; but there is n t much to 
 tell," began Polly, grateful for his interest. " Sitting 
 here with you reminded me of the way I used to sit 
 with him when he was sick. We used to have such 
 happy timefe, and it s so pleasant to think about them 
 now." 
 
 " He was awfully good, was n t he ? " 
 
 " No, he was n t ; but he tried to be, and mother 
 says that is half the battle. We used to get tired of 
 trying ; but we kept making resolutions, and working 
 hard to keep em. I don t think I got on much ; but 
 Jimmy did, and every one loved him." 
 
68 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Didn t you ever squabble, as we do?" 
 
 "Yes, indeed, sometimes; but we couldn t stay 
 mad, and always made it up again as soon as we 
 could. Jimmy used to come round first, and say, 
 All serene, Polly, so kind and jolly, that I could n t 
 help laughing and being friends right away." 
 
 " Did he know a lot ? " 
 
 " Yes, I think he did, for he liked to study, and 
 wanted to get on, so he could help father. People 
 used to call him a fine boy, and I felt so proud to 
 hear it ; but they did n t know half how wise he was, 
 because he didn t show off a bit. 1 suppose sisters 
 always are grand of their brothers ; but I don t 
 believe many girls had as much right to be as I had." 
 
 " Most girls don t care two pins about their broth 
 ers ; so that shows you don t know much about it." 
 
 " Well, they ought to, if they don t ; and they 
 would if the boys were as kind to them as Jimmy was 
 to me." 
 
 " Why, what did he do ?" 
 
 " Loved me dearly, and was n t ashamed to show it," 
 cried Polly, with a sob in her voice, that made her 
 answer very eloquent. 
 
 4t What made him die, Polly? " asked Tom, soberly, 
 after a little pause. 
 
 " He got hurt coasting, last winter ; but he never 
 told which boy did it, and he only lived a week. I 
 helped take care of him ; and he was so patient, I 
 used to wonder at him, for he was in dreadful pain all 
 the time. He gave me his books, and his dog, and 
 his speckled hens, and his big knife, and said, 4 Good- 
 by, Polly/ and kissed me the last thing and then 
 O Jimmy I Jimmy ! If he only could come back !" 
 
Little Things* 69 
 
 Poor Polly s eyes had been getting fuller and fuller, 
 her lips trembling more and more, as she went on ; 
 and when she came to that " good-by," she could n t 
 get any further, but covered up her face, and cried as 
 if her heart would break. Tom was full of sympath} , 
 but did n t know how to show it ; so he sat shaking 
 up the camphor bottle, and trying to think of some 
 thing proper and comfortable to say, when Fanny 
 came to the rescue, and cuddled Polly in her arms, 
 with soothing little pats and whispers and kisses, till 
 the tears stopped, and Polly said, she " did n t mean 
 to, and would n t any more. I ve been thinking 
 about my dear boy all the evening, for Tom reminds 
 me of him," she added, with a sigh. 
 
 44 Me? How can I, when I ain t a bit like him? " 
 cried Tom, amazed. 
 
 "But you are in some ways." 
 
 " Wish I was ; but I can t be, for he was good, you 
 know." 
 
 44 So are you, when you choose. Has n t he been 
 good and patient, and don t we all like to pet him 
 when he s clever, Fan ? " said Polly, whose heart was 
 still aching for her brother, and ready for his sake to 
 find virtues even in tormenting Tom. 
 
 44 Yes ; I don t know the boy lately ; but he 11 be as 
 bad as ever when he swell," returned Fanny, who 
 had n t much faith in sick-bed repentances. 
 
 44 Much you know about it," growled Tom, lying 
 down again, for he had sat bolt upright when Polly 
 made the astounding declaration that he was like the 
 well-beloved Jimmy. That simple little history had 
 made a deep impression on Tom, and the tearful end- 
 
70 An Old- Fashioned GirL 
 
 ing touched the tender spot that most boys hide so 
 carefully. It is very pleasant to be loved and ad 
 mired, very sweet to think we shall be missed and 
 mourned when we die ; and Tom was seized with a 
 sudden desire to imitate this boy, who hadn t done 
 anything wonderful, yet was so dear to his sister, that 
 she cried for him a whole year after he was dead ; so 
 studious and clever, that people called him " a fine 
 fellow " ; and so anxious to be good, that he kept on 
 trying, till he was better even than Polly, whom Tom 
 privately considered a model of virtue, as girls go. 
 
 " I just wish I had a sister like you," he broke out, 
 all of a sudden. 
 
 " And I just wish I had a brother like Jim," cried 
 Fanny, for she felt the reproach in Tom s words, and 
 knew she deserved it. 
 
 44 I should n t think you d envy anybody, for you ve 
 got one another," said Polly, with such a wistful look, 
 that it suddenly set Tom and Fanny to wondering 
 why they did n t have better times together, and enjoy 
 themselves, as Polly and Jim did. 
 
 44 Fan don t care for anybody but herself," said 
 Tom. 
 
 4k Tom is such a bear," retorted Fanny. 
 
 44 1 wouldn t say such things, for if anything 
 should happen to either of you, the other one would 
 feel so sorry. Every cross word I ever said to 
 Jimmy comes back now, and makes me wish I 
 hadn t." 
 
 Two great tears rolled down Polly s cheeks, and 
 were quietly wiped away ; but I think they watered 
 that sweet sentiment, called fraternal love, which till 
 
Little Things. 71 
 
 now had been neglected in the hearts of this brother 
 and sister. They did n t say anything then, or make 
 an}^ plans, or confess any faults ; but when they parted 
 for the night, Fanny gave the wounded head a gentle 
 pat (Tom never would have forgiven her if she had 
 kissed him), and said, in a whisper, "I hope you ll 
 have a good sleep, Tommy, dear." 
 
 And Tom nodded back at her, with a hearty " Same 
 to you, Fan." 
 
 That was all ; but it meant a good deal, for the 
 voices were kind, and the eyes met full of that affec 
 tion which makes words of little consequence. Polly 
 saw it ; and though she did n t know that she had 
 made the sunshine, it shone back upon her so pleas 
 antly, that she fell happily asleep, though her Jimmy 
 was n t there to say "good-night." 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 SCRAPES. 
 
 A FTEB being unusually good, children are apt to 
 * turn short round and refresh themselves by act 
 ing like Sancho. For a week after Tom s mishap, 
 the young folks were quite angelic, so much so that 
 grandma said she was afraid " something was going 
 to happen to them." The dear old lady need n t have 
 felt anxious, for such excessive virtue doesn t last 
 long enough to lead to translation, except with little 
 prigs in the goody story-books ; and no sooner was 
 Tom on his legs again, when the whole party went 
 astray, and much tribulation was the consequence. 
 
 It all began with " Polly s stupidity," as Fan said 
 afterward. Just as Polly ran down to meet Mr. 
 Shaw one evening, and was helping him off with his 
 coat, the bell rang, and a fine bouquet of hothouse 
 flowers was left in Polly s hands, for she never could 
 learn city ways, and opened the door herself. 
 
 " Hey ! what s this? My little Polly is beginning 
 early, after all," said Mr. Shaw, laughing, as he 
 watched the girl s face dimple and flush, as she. smelt 
 the lovely nosegay, and glanced at a note half hidden 
 in the heliotrope. 
 
Scrapes. 73 
 
 Now, if Polly had n t been " stupid," as Fan said, 
 she would have had her wits about her, and let it 
 pass ; but, you see, Polly was an honest little soul, 
 and it never occurred to her that there was any need of 
 concealment, so she answered in her straightforward 
 way, " Oh, they ain t for me, sir ; they are for Fan ; 
 fiom Mr. Frank, I guess. She 11 be so pleased." 
 
 44 That puppy sends her things of this sort, doea 
 he ? " And Mr. Shaw looked far from pleased as he 
 pulled out the note, and coolly opened it. 
 
 Polly had her doubts about Fan s approval of that 
 " sort of thing," but dared not say a word, and stood 
 thinking how she used to show her father the funny 
 valentines the bo} 7 s sent her, and how they laughed over 
 them together. But Mr. Shaw did not laugh when 
 he had read the sentimental verses accompanying the 
 bouquet, and his face quite scared Polly, as he asked, 
 angrily, " How long has this nonsense been going 
 on ? " 
 
 "Indeed, sir, I don t know. Fan doesn t mean 
 any harm. I wish I had n t said anything ! " stam 
 mered Polly, remembering the promise given to 
 Fanny the day of the concert. She had forgotten all 
 about it, and had become accustomed to see the " big 
 boys," as she called Mr. Frank and his friends, with 
 the girls on all occasions. Now, it suddenly occurred 
 to her that Mr. Shaw didn t like such amusements, 
 and had forbidden Fan to indulge in them. "Oh, 
 dear ! how mad she will be. Well, I can t help it. 
 Girls shouldn t have secrets from their fathers, then 
 there would n t be any fuss," thought Polty, as she 
 watched Mr. Shuw twist up the pink note and poke it 
 
74 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 back among the flowers which he took from her, 
 saying, shortly, " Send Fanny to me in the library." 
 
 " Now you Ve done it, you stupid thing ! " cried 
 Fanny, both angry and dismayed, when Polly deliv 
 ered the message. 
 
 u Why, what else could I do?" asked Polly, much 
 disturbed. 
 
 " Let him think the bouquet was for you ; then 
 there d have been no trouble." 
 
 " But that would have been doing a lie, which is 
 most as bad as telling one." 
 
 44 Don t be a goose. You Ve got me into a scrape, 
 and you ought to help mo out." 
 
 " I will if I can ; but I won t tell lies for any 
 body ! " cried Polly , getting excited. 
 
 " Nobody wants you to. Just hold your tongue, 
 and let me manage." 
 
 " Then I *d better not go down," began Polly, when 
 a stern voice from below called, like Bluebeard, " Are 
 you coming down ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir," answered a meek voice ; and Fanny 
 clutched Polly, whispering, " You must come ; I m 
 frightened out of my wits when he speaks like that. 
 Stand by me, Polly ; there s a dear." 
 
 " I will," whispered " sister Ann " ; and down they 
 went with fluttering hearts. 
 
 Mr. Shaw stood on the rug, looking rather grim ; 
 the bouquet lay on the table, and beside it a note, 
 directed to " Frank Moore, Esq.," in a very decided 
 hand, with a fierce-looking flourish after the u Esq." 
 Pointing to this impressive epistle, Mr. bhaw said, 
 knitting his black eyebrows as he looked at Fanny, 
 
Scrapes. 75 
 
 " T m going to put a stop to this nonsense at once ; 
 and if I see any more of it, I 11 send you to school in 
 a Canadian convent." 
 
 This awful threat quite took Polly s breath away ; 
 but Fanny had heard it before, and having a temper 
 of her own, said, pertly, "I m sure I haven t done 
 anything so very dreadful. I can t help it if the boys 
 send me \ hilopena presents, as they do to the other 
 girls." 
 
 " There was nothing about philopenas in the note. 
 But that s not the question. I forbid you to have 
 anything to do with this Moore. He s not a boy, but 
 a fast fellow, and I won t have him about. You 
 knew this, and yet disobeyed me." 
 
 " I hardly ever see him," began Fanny. 
 
 " Is that true ? " asked Mr. Shaw, turning suddenly 
 to Polly. 
 
 " Oh, please, sir, don t ask me. I promised I 
 wouldn t that is Fanny, will tell you," cried 
 Polly, quite red with distress at the predicament she 
 was in. 
 
 * 4 No matter about your promise ; tell me all you 
 know of this absurd affair. It will do Fanny more 
 good than harm." And Mr. Shaw sat down looking 
 more amiable, for Polly s dismay touched him. 
 
 " May I ? " she whispered to Fanny. 
 
 " I don t care," answered Fan, looking both angry 
 and ashamed, as she stood sullenly tying knots in her 
 handkerchief. 
 
 So Polly told, with much reluctance and much 
 questioning, all she knew of the walks, the lunches, 
 the meetings, and the notes. It wasn t much, and 
 evidently less serious than Mr. Shaw expected ; for, 
 
76 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 as he listened, his eyebrows smoothed themselves out, 
 and more than once his lips twitched as if he wanted 
 to laugh, for, after all, it was rather comical to see 
 how the young people aped their elders, playing the 
 new-fashioned game, quite unconscious of its real 
 beauty, power, and sacredness. 
 
 " Oh, please, sir, don t blame Fan much, for she 
 truly is n t half as silly as Trix and the other girls. 
 She wouldn t go sleigh-riding, though Mr. Frank 
 teased, and she wanted to ever so much. She s sor 
 ry, I know, and won t forget what you say any more, 
 if you 11 forgive her this once," cried Polly, very ear 
 nestly, when the foolish little story was told. 
 
 " I don t see how I can help it, when you plead so 
 well for her. Come here, Fan, nnd mind this one 
 thing ; drop all this nonsense, and attend to your 
 books, or off you go ; and Canada is no joke in win 
 ter time, let me tell you." 
 
 As he spoke, Mr. Shaw stroked his sulky daughter s 
 cheek, hoping to see some sign of regret ; but Fanny 
 felt injured, and would n t show that she was sorry, so 
 she only said, pettishly, " I suppose I can have my 
 flowers, now the fuss is over." 
 
 "They are going straight back where they came 
 from, with a line from me, which will keep that puppy 
 from ever sending you any more." Ringing the bell, 
 Mr. Shaw despatched the unfortunate posy, and then 
 turned to Polly, saying, kindly but gravely, " Set 
 this silly child of mine a good example, and do your 
 best for her, won t you ? " 
 
 " Me? What can I do, sir? " asked Polly, looking 
 ready, but quite ignorant how to begin. 
 
 Make her as like yourself as possible, my dear ; 
 
Scrapes. 77 
 
 nothing would please me better. Now go, and let us 
 hear no more of this folly." 
 
 They went without a word, and Mr. Shaw heard no 
 more of the affair ; but poor Polly did, for Fan 
 scolded her, till Polly thought seriously of packing 
 up and going home next day. I really have n t the 
 heart to relate the dreadful lectures she got, the snubs 
 she suffered, or the cold shoulders turned upon her 
 for several- days after this. Polly s heart was full, 
 but she told no one, and bore her trouble silently, 
 feeling her friend s ingratitude and injustice deeply. 
 
 Tom found out what the matter was, and sided with 
 Polly, which proceeding led to scrape number two. 
 
 "Where s Fan?" asked the young gentleman, 
 strolling into his sister s room, where Polly lay on the 
 sofa, trying to forget her troubles in an interesting 
 book. 
 
 " Down stairs, seeing company." 
 
 " Why did n t you go, too ? " 
 
 " I don t like Trix, and I don t know her fine New 
 York friends." 
 
 u Don t want to, neither, why don t you say?" 
 
 " Not polite." 
 
 " Who cares ? I say, Polly, come and have some 
 flm." 
 
 " I d rather read." 
 
 " That is n t polite." 
 
 Polly laughed, and turned a page. Tom whistled a 
 minute, then sighed deeply, and put his hand to his 
 forehead, which the black plaster still adorned. 
 
 " Does your head ache?" asked Polly. 
 
 " Awfully." 
 
78 An Old-Faskioned Girl. 
 
 " Better lie down, then." 
 
 " Can t ; I m fidgety, and want to be 4 amoosed/ 
 as Pug says." 
 
 " Just wait till I finish my chapter, and then I 11 
 come," said pitiful Polly. 
 
 " All right," returned the perjured boy, who had 
 discovered that a broken head was sometimes more 
 useful than a whole one, and exulting in his base 
 stratagem, he roved about the room, till Fan s bureau 
 arrested him. It was covered with all sorts of finery, 
 for she had dressed in a hurry, and left everything 
 topsy-turvy. A well-conducted boy would have let 
 things alone, or a moral brother would have put 
 things to rights ; being neither, Tom rummaged to 
 his heart s content, till Fan s drawers looked as if 
 some one had been making hay in them. He tried 
 the effect of ear-rings, ribbons, and collars ; wound 
 up the watch, though it was n t time ; burnt his in 
 quisitive nose with smelling-salts ; deluged his grimy 
 handkerchief with Fan s best cologne ; anointed his 
 cur4y crop with her hair-oil ; powdered his face with 
 her violet-powder ; and finished off by pinning on a 
 bunch of false ringlets, which Fanny tried to keep a 
 profound secret. The ravages committed by this bad 
 boy are beyond the power of language to describe, as 
 he revelled in the interesting drawers, boxes, and 
 cases, which held his sister s treasures. 
 
 When the curls had been put on, with much prick 
 ing of fingers, and a blue ribbon added, a la Fan, he 
 surveyed himself with satisfaction, and considered the 
 effect so fine, that he was inspired to try a still greater 
 metamorphosis. The dress Fan had taken off lay OD 
 
Scrapes. 79 
 
 a chair, and into it got Tom, chuckling with sup 
 pressed laughter, for Polly was absorbed, and the bed- 
 ourtains hid his iniquity. Fan s best velvet jacket 
 and hat, ermine muff, and a sofa-pillow for pannier, 
 finished off the costume, and tripping along with 
 elbows out, Tom appeared before the amazed Polly 
 just as the chapter ended. She enjoyed the joke so 
 heartily, that Tom forgot consequences, and pro 
 posed going down into the parlor to surprise the 
 girls. 
 
 44 Goodness, no ! Fanny never would forgive us if 
 you showed her curls and things to those people. 
 There are gentlemen among them, and it would n t be 
 proper," said Polly, alarmed at the idea. 
 
 44 All the more fun. Fan has n t treated you well, 
 and it will serve her right if you introduce me as your 
 dear friend, Miss Shaw. Come on, it will be a jolly 
 lark." 
 
 44 1 would n t for the world ; it would be so mean. 
 Take em off, Tom, and I 11 play anything else you 
 like." 
 
 44 1 ain t going to dress up for nothing ; I look so 
 lovely, some one must admire me. Take me down, 
 Polly, and see if they don t call me 4 a sweet crea 
 ture. " 
 
 Tom looked so unutterably ridiculous as he tossed 
 his curls and pranced, that Polly went off into another 
 gale of merriment ; but even while she laughed, sh^ 
 resolved not to let him mortify his sister. 
 
 44 Now, then, get out of the way if you won t come ? 
 I in going down," said Tom. 
 
 44 No, you re not." 
 
8o An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " How will 3 r ou help it, Miss Prim ? " 
 
 " So." And Polly locked the door, put the key in 
 her pocket, and nodded at him defiantly. 
 
 Tom was a pepper-pot as to temper, and anything 
 like opposition always had a bad effect. Forgetting 
 his costume, he strode up to Polly, saying, with a 
 threatening wag of the head, " None of that. 1 won t 
 stand it." 
 
 " Promise not to plague Fan, and I 11 let you out. * 
 
 " Won t promise anything. Give me that key, or 
 1 11 make you." 
 
 " Now, Tom, don t be savage. I only want to keep 
 you out of a scrape, for Fan will be raging if you go. 
 Take off her things, and I 11 give up." 
 
 Tom vouchsafed no reply, but marched to the other 
 door, which was fast, as Polly knew, looked out of 
 the three-story window, and finding no escape possi 
 ble, came back with a wrathful face. " Will you give 
 me that key ? " 
 
 u No, I won t," said Polly, valiantly. 
 
 " I m stronger than you are ; so you d better hand 
 over." 
 
 " I know you are ; but it s cowardly for a great boy 
 like you to rob a girl." 
 
 "I don t want to hurt you; but, by George! I 
 won t stand this ! " 
 
 Tom paused as Polly spoke, evidently ashamed of 
 himself; but his temper was up, and he would n t give 
 in. If Polly had cried a little just here, he would 
 have yielded ; unfortunately she giggled, for Tom s 
 fierce attitude was such a funny contrast to his dress 
 that she could n t help it. That settled the matter. 
 
Scrapes. 81 
 
 No girl that ever lived should giggle at him, much 
 less lock him up like a small child. Without a word, 
 he made a grab at Pony s arm, for the hand holding 
 the key was still in ner pocket. With her other hand 
 she clutchec) her frock, and for a minute held on 
 stoutly. But Tom s strong fingers were irresistible ; 
 rip went the pocket, out came the hand, and with a 
 cry of pain from Polly, the key fell on the floor. 
 
 " It s your own fault if you } re hurt. I did n t 
 mean to," muttered Tom, as he hastily departed, leav 
 ing Polly to groan over her sprained wrist. lie went 
 down, but not into the parlor, for somehow the joke 
 seemed to have lost its relish ; so he made the girls in 
 the kitchen laugh, and then crept up the back way, hop 
 ing to make it all right with Polly. But she had gone 
 to grandma s room, for, though the old lady was out, 
 it seemed a refuge. He had just time to get things in 
 order, when Fanny came up, crosser than ever; for 
 Trix had been telling her of all sorts of fun in which she 
 might have had a share, if Polly had held her tongue. 
 
 " Where is she?" asked Fan, wishing to vent her 
 vexation on her friend. 
 
 u Moping in her room, I suppose," replied Tom, 
 who was discovered reading studiously. 
 
 Now, while this had been happening, Maud had 
 been getting into hot water also ; for when her maid 
 left her, to see a friend below, Miss Maud paraded 
 into Polly s room, and solaced herself with mischief 
 In an evil hour Polly had let her play boat in her big 
 trunk, which stood empty. Since then Polly had 
 stored some of her most private treasures in the up 
 per tray, so that she might feel sure they were safe 
 
82 Art Old- Fashioned Girl. 
 
 from all eyes. She had forgotten to lock the trunk, 
 and when Maud raised the lid to begin her voyage, 
 several objects of interest met her eyes. She was 
 deep in her researches when Fan came in and looked 
 over her shoulder, feeling too cross with Polly to 
 chide Maud. 
 
 As Polly had no money for presents, she had ex 
 erted her ingenuity to devise all sorts of gifts, hoping 
 by quantity to atone for any shortcomings in quality. 
 Some of her attempts were successful, others were 
 failures ; but she kept them all, fine or funny, know 
 ing the children at home would enjoy anything new. 
 Some of Maud s cast-off toys had been neatly mended 
 for Kitty ; some of Fan s old ribbons and laces were 
 converted into dolls finery ; and Tom s little figures, 
 whittled out of wood in idle minutes, were laid away 
 to show Will what could be done with a knife. 
 
 " What rubbish ! " said Fanny. 
 
 " Queer girl, is n t she ? " added Tom, who had fol 
 lowed to see what was going on. 
 
 " Don t you laugh at Polly s things. She makes 
 nicer dolls than you, Fan ; and she can wite and 
 dwar ever so much better than Tom," cried Maud. 
 
 " How do you know? I never saw her draw," said 
 Tom. 
 
 " Here s a book with lots of pictures in it. I can t 
 wead the witing ; but the pictures are so funny." 
 
 Eager to display her friend s accomplishments, 
 Maud pulled out a fat little book, marked " Polly s 
 Journal," and spread it in her lap. 
 
 " Only the pictures ; no harm in taking a look at 
 em," said Tom. 
 
Scrapes. 83 
 
 * Just one peep," answered Fanny ; and the next 
 minute both were laughing at a droll sketch of Tom 
 in the gutter, with the big dog howling over him, and 
 the velocipede running away. Very rough and faulty, 
 but so funny, that it was evident Polly s sense of 
 humor was strong. A few pages farther back came 
 Fanny and Mr. Frank, caricatured ; then grandma, 
 carefully done ; Tom reciting his battle-piece ; Mr. 
 Shaw and Polly in the park; Maud being borne 
 away by Katy ; and all the school-girls turned into 
 ridicule with an unsparing hand. 
 
 " Sly little puss, to make fun of us behind our 
 backs," said Fan, rather nettled by Polly s quiet re 
 taliation for many slights from herself and friends. 
 
 " She does draw well," said Tom, looking critically 
 at the sketch of a boy with a pleasant face, round 
 whom Polly had drawn rays like the sun, and under 
 which was written, " My dear Jimmy." 
 
 " You wouldn t admire her, if you knew what she 
 wrote here about you," said Fanny, whose eyes had 
 strayed to the written page opposite, and lingered 
 there long enough to read something that excited her 
 curiosity. 
 
 " What is it?" asked Tom, forgetting his honor 
 able resolves for a minute. 
 
 " She says, I try to like Tom, and when he is 
 pleasant we do very well ; but he don t stay so long. 
 He gets cross and rough, and disrespectful to his 
 father and mother, and plagues us girls, and is so 
 horrid I almost hate him. It s very wrong, but I 
 can t help it. How do you like that ? " asked Fanny. 
 
 " Go ahead, and see how she comes down on you, 
 ma am," retorted Tom, who had read on a bit. 
 
84 An O Id-Fashioned GirL 
 
 "Does she?" And Fanny continued, rapidly: 
 " As for Fan, I don t think we can be friends any 
 more ; for she told her father a lie, and won t forgive 
 rne for not doing so too. I used to think her a very 
 fine girl ; but I don t now. If she would be as she 
 was when I first knew her, I should love her just the 
 same ; but she is n t kind to me ; and though she is 
 always talking about politeness, I don t think it is 
 polite to treat company as she does me She thinks 
 I am odd and countrified, and I dare say I am ; but I 
 should n t laugh at a girl s clothes because she was 
 poor, or keep her out of the way because she did n t 
 do just as other girls do here. I see her make fun of 
 me, and I can t feel as I did ; and I d go home, only 
 it would seem ungrateful to Mr. Shaw and grandma, 
 and I do love them dearly." 
 
 u I sa} r , Fan, you ve got it now. Shut the book 
 and come away," cried Tom, enjoying this broadside 
 immensely, but feeling guilty, as well he might. 
 
 " Just one bit more," whispered Fanny, turning on 
 a page or two, and stopping at a leaf that was blurred 
 here and there, as if tears had dropped on it. 
 
 " Sunday morning, early. Nobody is up to spoil 
 my quiet time, and I must write my journal, for I ve 
 been so bad lately, I couldn t bear to do it. I m 
 glad my visit is most done, for things worry me here, 
 and there is n t any one to help me get right when I 
 get wrong. I used to envy Fanny ; but I don t now, 
 for her father and mother don t take care of her as 
 mine do of me. She is afraid of her father, and makes 
 her mother do as she likes. I m glad I came though, 
 for I see money don t give people everything ; but I d 
 like a little all the same, for it is so comfortable to 
 
Scrapes. 85 
 
 buy nice things. I read over my journal just now, 
 and I m afraid it s not a good one ; for I have said 
 all sorts of things about the people here, and it is n t 
 kind. I should tear it out, only I promised to keep 
 my diary, and I want to talk over things that puzzle 
 me with mother. I see now that it is my fault a good 
 deal ; for I have n t been half as patient and pleasant 
 as I ought to be. I will truly try for the rest of the 
 time, and be as good and grateful as I can ; for I want 
 them to like me, though I m only 4 an old-fashioned 
 country girl. " 
 
 That last sentence made Fanny shut the book, with 
 a face full of self-reproach ; for she had said those 
 words herself, in a fit of petulance, and Polly had 
 made no answer, though her eyes filled and her cheeks 
 burned. Fan opened her lips to say something ; 
 but not a sound followed, for there stood Polly look 
 ing at them with an expression they had never seen 
 before. 
 
 " What are you doing with my things ? " she 
 demanded, in a low tone, while her eyes kindled 
 and her color changed. 
 
 "Maud showed us a book she found, and we were 
 Just looking at the pictures," began Fanny, dropping 
 it as if it burnt her fingers. 
 
 44 And reading my journal, and laughing at my 
 presents, and then putting the blame on Maud. It s 
 the meanest thing I ever saw ; and I 11 never forgive 
 vou as long as I live ! " 
 
 Polly said this all in one indignant breath, and then 
 as if afraid of saying too much, ran out of the 
 room with such a look of mingled contempt, grief, 
 and anger, that the three culprits stood dumb with 
 
86 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 shame. Tom had n t even a whistle at his command ; 
 Maud was so scared at gentle Polly s outbreak, that 
 she sat as still as a mouse ; while Fanny, conscience- 
 stricken, laid back the poor little presents with a 
 respectful hand, for somehow the thought of Polly s 
 poverty came over her as it never had done before ; 
 and these odds and ends, so carefully treasured up for 
 those at home, touched Fanny, and grew beautiful 
 in her eyes. As she laid by the little book, the 
 confessions in it reproached her more sharply than 
 any words Polly could have spoken ; for she had 
 laughed at her friend, had slighted her sometimes, 
 and been unforgiving for an innocent offence. The 
 last page, where Polly took the blame on herself, and 
 promised to " truly try" to be more kind and patient, 
 went to Fanny s heart, melting all the coldness away, 
 and she could only lay her head on the trunk, sob 
 bing, " It was n t Polly s fault ; it was all mine." 
 
 Tom, still red with shame at being caught in such 
 a scrape, left Fanny to her tears, and went manfully 
 away to find the injured Polly, and confess his mani 
 fold transgressions. But Polly couldn t be found. 
 He searched high and low in every room, yet no sign 
 of the girl appeared, and Tom began to get anxious. 
 " She can t have run away home, can she?" he said 
 to himself, as he paused before the hat-tree. There 
 was the little round hat, and Tom gave it a remorse 
 ful smooth, remembering how many times he had 
 tweaked itjialf off, or poked it over poor Polly s eyes, 
 " Maybe she s gone down to the office, to tell pa. 
 *T is n t a bit like her, though. Any way, I 11 take a 
 look round the corner." 
 
 Eager to get his boots, Tom pulled open the door 
 
Scrapes. 87 
 
 of a dark closet under the stairs, and nearly tumbled 
 over backward with surprise ; for there, on the floor, 
 with her head pillowed on a pair of rubbers, lay Polly 
 in an attitude of despair. This mournful spectacle 
 sent Tom s penitent speech straight out of his head, 
 and with an astonished " Hullo I * he stood and stared 
 in impressive silence. Polly was n t crying, and lay 
 so still, that Tom began to think she might be in a fit 
 or a faint, and bent anxiously down to inspect the 
 pathetic bunch. A glimpse of wet eyelashes, a round 
 cheek redder than usual, and lips parted by quick 
 breathing, relieved his mind upon that point; so, 
 taking courage, he sat down on the boot-jack, and 
 begged pardon like a man. 
 
 Now, Polly was very angry, and I think she had a 
 right to be ; but she was not resentful, and after the 
 first flash was over, she soon began to feel better 
 about it. It was n t easy to forgive ; but, as she lis 
 tened to Tom s honest voice, getting gruff with 
 remorse now and then, she could n t harden her heart 
 against him, or refuse to make up when he so frankly 
 owned that it " was confounded mean to read her 
 book that way." She liked his coming and begging 
 pardon at once ; it was a handsome thing to do ; she 
 appreciated it, and forgave him in her heart some 
 time before she did with her lips ; for, to tell the 
 truth, Polly had a spice of girlish malice, and rather 
 liked to see domineering Tom eat humble-pie, just 
 enough to do him good, you know. She felt that 
 atonement was proper, and considered it no more than 
 just that Fan should drench a handkerchief or two 
 with repentant tears, and that Tom should sit on a 
 
88 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 very uncomfortable seat and call himself hard names 
 for five or ten minutes before she relented. 
 
 4 Come, now, do say a word to a fellow. I m get 
 ting the worst of it, any way ; for there s Fan, crying 
 her eyes out upstairs, and here are you stowed away 
 in a dark closet as dumb as a fish, and nobody but 
 me to bring you both round, I d have cut over to 
 the Smythes and got ma home to fix things, only it 
 looked like backing out of the scrape ; so I did n t," 
 said Tom, as a last appeal. 
 
 Polly was glad to hear that Fan was crying. It 
 would do her good; but she couldn t help softening 
 to Tom, who did seem in a predicament between two 
 weeping damsels. A little smile began to dimple the 
 cheek that wasn t hidden, and then a hand came 
 slowly out from under the curly bead, and was 
 stretched toward him silently. Tom was just going 
 to give it a hearty shake, when he saw a red mark on 
 the wrist, and knew what made it. His face changed, 
 and he took the chubby hand so gently, that Polly 
 peeped to see what it meant. 
 
 " Will you forgive that, too?" he asked, in a whis 
 per, stroking the red wriet. 
 
 " Yes ; it don t hurt much now." And Polly drew 
 her hand away, sorry he had seen it. 
 
 " 1 was a beast, that s what I was ! " said Tom, in 
 a tone of great disgust; and just at that awkward 
 minute down tumbled his father s old beaver over his 
 head and face, putting a comical quencher on his self- 
 reproaches. 
 
 Of course, neither could help laughing at that ; and 
 when he emerged, Polly was sitting up, looking as 
 
Scrapes. 89 
 
 much better for her shower as he did for his momen 
 tary eclipse. 
 
 u Fan feels dreadfully. Will you kiss and be 
 fi lends, if I trot her down ? " asked Tom, remember 
 ing his fellow-sinner. 
 
 " I 11 go to her." And Polly whisked out of the 
 closet as suddenly as she had whisked in, leaving 
 Tom sitting on the boot-jack, with a radiant counte 
 nance. 
 
 How the girls made it up no one ever knew ; but 
 after much talking and crying, kissing ami laughing, 
 the breach was healed, and peace declared. A slight 
 haze still lingered in the air after the storm, for Fanny 
 was very humble and tender that evening ; Tom a 
 trifle pensive, but distressingly polite, and Polly mag 
 nanimously friendly to every one ; for generous na 
 tures like to forgive, and Polly enjoyed the petting 
 after the insult, like a very human girl. 
 
 As she was brushing her hair at bedtime there came 
 a tap on her door, and, opening it, she beheld nothing 
 but a tall black bottle, with a strip of red flannel tied 
 round it like a cravat, and a cocked-hat note on the 
 cork. Inside were these lines, written in a sprawling 
 hand with very black ink : 
 
 "DEAR POLLY, Opydilldock is first-rate for 
 sprains. You put a lot on the flannel and do up 
 your wrist, and I guess it will be all right in the 
 morning. Will you come a sleigh-ride to-morrow? 
 I m awful sorry I hurt you. TOM." 
 
CHAFrER VL 
 
 GRANDMA. 
 
 {( "WHERE S Polly?" asked Fan one snowy after- 
 noon, as she earne into the dining-rooni where 
 Tom was reposing on the sofa with his boots in the 
 air, absorbed in one of those delightful books in which 
 boys are cast away on desert islands, where every 
 known fruit, vegetable and flower is in its prime all the 
 year round ; or, lost in boundless forests, where the 
 young heroes have thrilling adventures, kill impossible 
 beasts, and, when the author s invention gives out, sud 
 denly find their way home, laden with tiger skins, tame 
 buffaloes and other pleasing trophies of their prowess. 
 
 " Dun no," was Tom s brief reply, for he was just 
 escaping from an alligator of the largest size. 
 
 " Do put down that stupid book, and let s do 
 something," said Fanny, after a listless stroll round 
 the room. 
 
 "Hi, they ve got him ! " was the only answer vouch 
 safed by the absorbed reader. 
 
 "Where s Polly?" asked Maud, joining the party 
 with her hands full of paper dolls all suffering for 
 ball-dresses. 
 
 " Do get along, and don t bother me," cried Tom, 
 exasperated at the interruption. 
 
Grandma. 91 
 
 " Then tell us where she is. I m sure you know, 
 for she was down here a little while ago," said 
 Fanny. 
 
 " Up in grandma s room, maybe." 
 
 " Provoking thing ! you knew it all the time, and 
 did n t tell, just to plague us," scolded Maud. 
 
 But Tom was now under water stabbing his alliga 
 tor, and took no notice of the indignant departure of 
 the young ladies. 
 
 " Polly s always poking up in grandma s room. I 
 don t see what fun there is in it," said Fanny as they 
 went up stairs. 
 
 " Polly s a verwy queer girl, and gwandma pets her 
 a gweat deal more than she does me," observed Maud, 
 with an injured air. 
 
 u Let s peek and see what they are doing," whis 
 pered Fan, pausing at the half-open door. 
 
 Grandma was sitting before a quaint old cabinet, 
 the doors of which stood wide open, showing glimpses 
 of the faded relics treasured there. On a stool, at 
 the old lady s feet, sat Polly, looking up with intent 
 face and eager eyes, quite absorbed in the history of 
 a high-heeled brocade shoe which lay in her lap. 
 
 " Well, my dear," grandma was saying, " she 
 had it on the very day that Uncle Joe came in as she 
 sat at work, and said, * Dolly, we must be married at 
 once. 4 Very well, Joe, says Aunt Dolly, and 
 down she went to the parlor, where the minister was 
 waiting, never stopping to change the dimity dress 
 she wore, and was actually married with her scissors 
 and pin-ball at her side, and her thimble on. That 
 was in war times, 1812, my dear, and Uncle Joe 
 was in the army, so he had to go, and he took 
 
92 An O Id-Fashioned GirL 
 
 that very little pin-ball with him. Here it is, with 
 the mark of a bullet through it, for he always said his 
 Dolly s cushion saved his life." 
 
 u How interesting that is ! " cried Polly, as she ex 
 amined the faded cushion with the hole in it. 
 
 " Why, grandma, you never told me that story," 
 said Fanny, hurrying in, finding the prospect was a 
 pleasant one for a stormy afternoon. 
 
 "You never asked me to tell you anything, my 
 dear, so I kept my old stories to myself," answered 
 grandma, quietly. 
 
 " Tell some now, please. May we stay and see 
 the funny things ? " said Fan and Maud, eyeing the 
 open cabinet with interest. 
 
 " If Polly likes ; she is my company, and I am try 
 ing to entertain her, for I love to have her come," 
 said grandma, with her old-time politeness. 
 
 " Oh, yes ! do let them stay and hear the stories. 
 I ve often told them what good times we have up 
 here, and teased them to come, but they think it s too 
 quiet. Now, sit down, girls, and let grandma go on. 
 You see I pick out something in the cabinet that 
 looks interesting, and then she tells me about it," 
 said Polly, eager to include the girls in her pleasures, 
 and glad to get them interested in grandma s remi 
 niscences, for Polly knew how happy it made the lonely 
 old lady to live over her past, and to have the children 
 round her. 
 
 " Here are three drawers that have not been 
 opened yet ; each take one, and choose something from 
 it for me to tell about," said Madam, quite excited 
 at the unusual interest in her treasures. 
 
 So the girls each opened a drawer and turned over 
 
Grandma. 93 
 
 the contents till they found something they wanted to 
 know about. Maud was ready first, and holding up 
 an oddly shaped linen bag, with a big blue F embroi 
 dered on it, demanded her story. Grandma smiled 
 as she smoothed the old thing tenderly, and began 
 her story with evident pleasure. 
 
 " My sister Nelly and I went to visit an aunt of 
 ours, when we were little girls, but we didn t have a 
 very good time, for she was extremely strict. One 
 afternoon, when she had gone out to tea, and old 
 Debby, the maid, was asleep in her room, we sat on 
 the door-step, feeling homesick, and ready for any 
 thing to amuse us. 
 
 " * What shall we do? said Nelly. 
 
 " Just as she spoke, a ripe plum dropped bounce on 
 the grass before us, as if answering her question. It 
 was all the plum s fault, for if it had n t fallen at that 
 minute, I never should have had the thought which 
 popped into my mischievous mind. 
 
 u Let s have as many as we want, and plague Aunt 
 Betsey, to pay her for being so cross/ I said, giving 
 Nelly half the great purple plum. 
 
 " 4 It would be dreadful naughty/ began Nelly, ; but 
 I guess we will/ she added, as the sweet mouthful 
 slipped down her throat. 
 
 " 4 Debby s asleep. Come on, then, and help me 
 shake, I said, getting up, eager for the fun. 
 
 * We shook and shook till we got red in the face, but 
 not one dropped, for the tree was large, and our little 
 urms were not strong enough to stir the boughs. 
 Then we threw stones, but only one green and one 
 half-ripe one came down, and my last stone broke the 
 shed window, so there was an end of that. 
 
94 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 V 
 
 14 It s as provoking as Aunt Betsey herself/ said 
 Nell^, as we sat down, out of breath. 
 
 " I wish the wind would come and blow em down 
 for us, panted I, staring up at the plums with long 
 ing eyes. 
 
 " If wishing would do any good, I should wish em 
 in my lap at once, added Nelly. 
 
 " You might as well wish em in your mouth and 
 done with it, if you are too lazy to pick em up. If 
 the ladder was n t too heavy we could try that, said 
 I, determined to have them. 
 
 " You know we can t stir it, so what is the use of 
 talking about it? You proposed getting the plums, 
 now let s see you do it, answered Nelly, rather 
 crossly, for she had bitten the green plum, and it 
 puckered her mouth. 
 
 " * Wait a minute, and you will see me do it, cried 1, 
 as a new thought came into my naughty head. 
 
 " What are yeu taking your shoes and socks off 
 for ? You can t climb the tree, Fan. 
 
 " Don t ask questions, but be ready to pick em up 
 when they fall, Miss Laz}^bones. 
 
 " With this mysterious speech I pattered into the 
 house bare-footed and full of my plan. Up stairs I 
 went to a window opening on the shed roof. Out I 
 got, and creeping carefully along till I came near the 
 tree, I stood up, and suddenly crowed like the little 
 rooster. Nelly looked up, and stared, and laughed, 
 and clapped her hands when she sa^y what I was 
 going to do. 
 
 " I m afraid you ll slip and get hurt. 
 
 " Don t care if I do ; I 11 have those plums if I 
 break my neck doing it, and half sliding, half walk- 
 
Grandma. 95 
 
 Ing, I went down the sloping roof, till the boughs of 
 the tree were within my reach. 
 
 44 * Hurrah ! * cried Nelly, dancing down below, as my 
 first shake sent a dozen plums rattling round her. 
 
 44 Hurrah ! " cried I, letting go one branch and try- 
 ijig to reach another. But as I did so my foot slipped, 
 I tried to catch something to hold by, but found noth 
 ing, and with a cry, down I fell, like a very big plum, 
 on the grass below. 
 
 44 Fortunately the shed was low, the grass was thick, 
 and the tree broke my fall, but I got a bad bump and 
 a terrible shaking. Nelly thought I was killed, and 
 began to cry with her mouth full. But I picked my 
 self up in a minute, for I was used to such tumbles, 
 and didn t mind the pain half as much as the loss of 
 the plums. 
 
 44 * Hush ! Debby will hear and spoil all the fun. I 
 said I d get em and I have. See what lots have 
 come down with me/ 
 
 44 So there had, for my fall shook the tree almost as 
 much as it did me, and the green and purple fruit lay 
 all about us. 
 
 44 By the time the bump on my forehead had swelled 
 as big as a nut, our aprons were half full, and we sat 
 down to enjoy ourselves. But we didn t. O dear, 
 no ! for many of the plums were not ripe, some were 
 hurt by the birds, some crushed in falling, and many 
 as hard as stones. Nelly got stung by a wasp, my 
 head began to ache, and we sat looking at one an 
 other rather dismally, when Ne ly had a bright idea. 
 
 44 4 Let s cook em, then they 11 be good, and wo can 
 put some away in our little pails for to-morrow. 
 
96 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " That will be splendid! There s a fire in the 
 kitchen, Debby always leaves the kettle on, and we 
 can use her saucepan, and I know where the sugar 
 is, and we 11 have a grand time/ 
 
 " In we went, and fell to work very quietly. It was 
 a large, open fire-place, with the coals nicely covered 
 up, and the big kettle simmering on the hook. We 
 raked open the fire, put on the saucepan, and in it the 
 best of our plums, with water enough to spoil them. 
 But we did n t know that, and felt very important as 
 we sat waiting for it to boil, each armed with a big 
 spoon, while the sugar box stood between us ready to 
 be used. 
 
 " How slow they were, to be sure ! I never knew 
 such obstinate things, for they wouldn t soften, 
 though they danced about in the boiling water, and 
 bobbed against the cover as if they were doing their 
 best. 
 
 " The sun began to get low, we were afraid Debby 
 would come down, and still those dreadful plums 
 would n t look- like sauce. At last they began to 
 burst, the water got a lovely purple, we put lots of 
 sugar in, and kept tasting till our aprons and faces 
 were red, and our lips burnt with the hot spoons. 
 
 " There s too much juice/ said Nelly, shaking her 
 head wisely. 4 It ought to be thick and nice like 
 mamma s/ 
 
 " 4 1 11 pour off some of the juice, and we can drink 
 it, said I, feeling that I d made a mistake in my 
 cooking. 
 
 " So Nelly got a bowl, and I got a towel and lifted 
 the big saucepan carefully off. It was heavy and hot, 
 
Grandma. 97 
 
 and I was a little afraid of it, but did n t like to say 
 BO. Just as I began to pour, Debby suddenly called 
 from the top of the stairs, 4 Children, what under the 
 sun are you doing ? 
 
 4 * It startled us both. Nelly dropped the bowl and 
 ran. I dropped the saucepan and did n t run, for a 
 part of the hot juice splashed upon ray bare feet and 
 tinkles, and made me scream with dreadful pain. 
 
 44 Down rushed Debby to find me dancing about the 
 kitchen with a great bump on my forehead, a big 
 spoon in my hand, and a pair of bright purple feet. 
 The plums were lying all over the hearth, the sauce 
 pan in the middle of the room, the basin was broken, 
 and the sugar swimming about as if the bowl had 
 turned itself over trying to sweeten our mess for us. 
 
 44 Debby was very good to me, for she never stopped 
 to scold, but laid me down on the old sofa, and bound 
 up my poor little feet with oil and cotton wool. Nelly, 
 seeing me lie white and weak, thought I was dying, 
 and went over to the neighbor s for Aunt Betsey, and 
 burst in upon the old ladies sitting primly at their 
 tea, crying, distractedly, 
 
 4 Oh, Aunt Betsey, come quick ! for the saucepan 
 fell off the shed, and Fan s feet are all boiled purple ! 
 
 44 Nobody laughed at this funny message, and Aunt 
 Betsey ran all the way home with a muffin in her 
 hand and her ball in her pocket, though the knitting 
 was left behind. 
 
 44 1 suffered a great deal, but I was n t sorry after 
 ward, for I learned to love Aunt Betsey, who nursed 
 me tenderly, and seemed to forget her strict ways in 
 her anxiety for me. 
 
98 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " This bag was made for my special comfort, and 
 hung on the sofa where I lay all those weary days. 
 Aunt kept it full of pretty patchwork, or, what I 
 liked better, ginger-nuts and peppermint drops, lo 
 amuse me, though she didn t approve of cosseting 
 children up, any more than I do now." 
 
 " 1 like that vewy well, and I wish I could have 
 been there," was Maud s condescending remark, as 
 she put back the little bag, after a careful peep inside, 
 as if she hoped to find an ancient ginger-nut, or a well- 
 preserved peppermint drop still lingering in some 
 corner. 
 
 l We had plums enough that autumn, but di& 
 n t seem to care much about them, after all, for our 
 prank became a household joke, and, for years, we 
 never saw the fruit, but Nelly would look at me 
 with a funny face, and whisper, 4 Purple stockings, 
 Fan ! " 
 
 "Thank you, ma am," said Polly. " Now, Fan, 
 your turn next." 
 
 " Well, I ve a bundle of old letters, and I d like to 
 know if there is any story about them," answered 
 Fanny, hoping some romance might be forthcoming. 
 
 Grandma turned over the little packet tied up with 
 a faded pink ribbon ; a dozen yellow notes written on 
 rough, thick paper, with red wafers still adhering to 
 the folds, showing plainly that they were written 
 before the day of initial note-paper and self-sealing 
 envelopes. 
 
 " They are not love-letters, deary, but notes from 
 my mates after I left Miss Cotton s boarding schooL 
 I don t think there is any story about them," and 
 
Grandma. 99 
 
 grandma turned them over with spectacles before the 
 dim eyes, so young and bright when they first read 
 the very same notes. 
 
 Fanny was about to say, " I 11 choose again," when 
 grandma began to laugh so heartily that the girls felt 
 sure she had caught some merry old memory which 
 would amuse them. 
 
 " Bless my heart, I have n t thought of that frolic 
 this forty years. Poor, dear, giddy Sally Pomroy, 
 and she s a great-grandmother now ! " cried the old 
 lady, after reading one of the notes, and clearing the 
 mist off her glasses. 
 
 "No^ please tell about her; I know it s some- 
 thing funny to make you laugh so," said Polly aL i 
 Fan together. 
 
 u Well, it was droll, and I m glad I remembered it 
 for it s just the story to tell you young things. 
 
 " It was years ago," began grandma, briskly, " and 
 teachers were very much stricter than they are now. 
 The girls at Miss Cotton s were not allowed lights in 
 their rooms after nine o clock, never went out alone, 
 and were expected to behave like models of propriety 
 from morning till night. 
 
 "As you may imagine, ten young girls, full of 
 spirits and fun, found these rules hard to keep, and 
 made up for good behaviour in public by all sorts of 
 frolics in private. 
 
 " Miss Cotton and her brother sat in the back par 
 lor after school was over, and the young ladies were 
 sent to bed. Mr. John was very deaf, and Miss Pris- 
 cilla very near-sighted, two convenient afflictions 
 for the girls on some occasions, but once they proved 
 quite the reverse, as you shall hear. 
 
ioo An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " We had been very prim for a week, and our bot 
 tled up spirits could no longer be contained ; so we 
 planned a revel after our own hearts, and set our wits 
 to work to execute it. 
 
 " The firsc obstacle was surmounted in this way . 
 As none of us could get o.ut alone, we resolved to 
 lower Sally from the window, for she was light and 
 small, and very smart. 
 
 " With our combined pocket-money she was to buy 
 nuts and candy, cake and fruit, pie, and a candle, so 
 that we might have a light, after Betsey took ours 
 away as usual. 
 
 "We were to darken the window of the inner 
 chamber, set a watch in the little entry, light up, and 
 then for a good time. 
 
 " At eight o clock on the appointed evening, several 
 of us professed great weariness, and went to our 
 room, leaving the rest sewing virtuously with Miss 
 Cotton, who read Hannah More s Sacred Dramas 
 aloud, in a way that fitted the listeners for bed as 
 well as a dose of opium would have done. 
 
 " I am sorry to say I was one of the ringleaders ; 
 and as soon as we got up stairs, produced the rope 
 provided for the purpose, and invited Sally to be 
 lowered. It was an old-fashioned house, sloping 
 down behind, and the closet window chosen by us 
 was not many feet from the ground. 
 
 "It was a summer evening, so that at eight o clock 
 It was still light ; but we were not afraid of being 
 seen, for the street was a lonely one, and our only 
 neighbors two old ladies, who put down their curtains 
 at sunset, and never looked out till morning. 
 
 " Sally had been bribed by promises of as many 
 
Grandma. 101 
 
 1 goodies as she could eat, and being a regular mad 
 cap, she was ready for anything. 
 
 kt Tying the rope round her waist she crept out, and 
 we let her safely down, sent a big basket after her, 
 and saw her slip round the corner in my big sun-bon 
 net and another girl s shawl, so that she should not 
 be recognized. 
 
 " Then we put our night-gowns over our dresses, 
 and were laid peacefully in bed when Betsey came up, 
 earlier than usual ; for it was evident that Miss Cot 
 ton felt a little suspicious at our sudden weariness. 
 
 " For half an hour we lay laughing and whispering, 
 as we waited for the signal from Sally. At last we 
 heard a cricket chirp shrilly under the window, and 
 flying up, saw a little figure below in the twilight. 
 
 u i O, quick ! quick ! cried Sally, panting with 
 haste. 4 Draw up the basket and then get me in, for I 
 saw Mr. Cotton in the market, and ran all the way 
 home, so that I might get in before he came. 
 
 " Up came the heavy basket, bumping and scraping 
 on the way, and smelling, O, so nice ! Down went 
 the rope, and with a long pull, a strong pull, and a 
 pull all together, we hoisted poor Sally half-way up to 
 the window, when, sad to tell, the rope slipped and 
 down she fell, only being saved from broken bones by 
 the hay-cock under the window. 
 
 " 4 He s coming ! he s coming ! O pull me up, for 
 mercy sake ! cried Sally, scrambling to her feet 
 unhurt, but a good deal shaken. 
 
 " We saw a dark figure approaching, and dragged 
 her in with more bumping and scraping, and embraced 
 her with rapture, for we had just escaped being de- 
 
102 An O Id-Fashioned Girl 
 
 tected by Mr. John, whose eyes were as sharp as his 
 ears were dull. 
 
 " We heard the front-door shut, then a murmur 
 of voices, and then Betsey s heavy step coming up 
 stairs. 
 
 u Under the bed went the basket, and into the beds 
 went the conspirators, and nothing could have been 
 more decorous than the appearance of the room when 
 Betsey popped her head in. 
 
 " Master s an old fidget to send me travelling up 
 again, just because he fancied he saw something 
 amiss at the window. Nothing but a curtain flap 
 ping, or a shadder, for the poor dears is sleeping 
 like lambs/ 
 
 " We heard her say this to herself, and a general 
 titter agitated the white coverlets as she departed. 
 
 u Sally was in high feather at the success of her 
 exploit, and danced about like an elf, as she put her 
 night-gown on over her frock, braided her hair in 
 funny little tails all over her head, and fastened the 
 great red pin-cushion on her bosom for a breastpin in 
 honor of the feast. 
 
 "The other girls went to their rooms as agreed 
 upon, and all was soon dark and still up stairs, while 
 Miss Cotton began to enjoy herself below, as she 
 always did when her young charges were safely 
 disposed of. 
 
 " Then ghosts began to walk, and the mice scuttled 
 back to their holes in alarm, for white figures glided 
 from room to room, till all were assembled in the little 
 chamber. 
 
 " The watch was set at the entry door, the signal 
 
Grandma. 103 
 
 agreed upon, the candle lighted, and the feast spread 
 forth upon a newspaper on the bed, with the coverlet 
 arranged so that it could be whisked over the refresh 
 ments at a moment s notice. 
 
 " How good everything was, to be sure ! I don t 
 think I ve eaten any pies since that had such a deli 
 cious flavor as those broken ones, eaten hastily, in 
 that little oven of a room, with Sally making jokes, 
 and the others enjoying stolen sweets with true girlish 
 relish. Of course it was very wicked, but I must tell 
 the truth. 
 
 " We were just beginning on the cake when the 
 loud scratching of a rat disturbed us. 
 
 " The signal ! fly ! run ! hide ! Hush, don t laugh ! 
 cried several voices, and we scuttled into bed as 
 rapidly and noiselessly as possible, with our mouths 
 and hands full. 
 
 " A long pause, broken by more scratching ; but as 
 no one came, we decided on sending to inquire what 
 it meant. I went and found Mary, the picket guard, 
 half asleep, and longing for her share of the feast. 
 
 " It was a real rat ; I ve not made a sound. Do 
 go and finish ; I m tired of this, said Mary, slapping 
 away at the mosquitoes. 
 
 " Back I hurried with the good news. Every one 
 flew up, briskly. We lighted the candle again, and 
 returned to our revel. The refreshments were some 
 what injured by Sally s bouncing in among them, but 
 we did n t care, and soon finished the cake. 
 
 u Now let s have the nuts, I said, groping for the 
 paper bag. 
 
 " They are almonds and peanuts, so we can crack 
 
IO4 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 them with our teeth. Be sure you get the bag by the 
 right end/ said Sally. 
 
 " < I know what I m about/ and to show her that it 
 was ail right, I gave the bag a little shake, when out 
 flew the nuts, rattling like a hail-storm all over the 
 uucarpeted floor. 
 
 " Now you ve done it, cried Sally, as Mary 
 scratched like a mad rat, and a door creaked below, 
 for Miss Cotton was not deaf. 
 
 " Such a flurry as we were in ! Out went the can 
 dle, and each one rushed away with as much of the 
 feast as she could seize in her haste. Sally dived 
 into her bed, recklessly demolishing the last pie, and 
 scattering the candy far and wide. 
 
 " Poor Mary was nearly caught, for Miss Cotton was 
 quicker than Betsey, and our guard had to run for 
 her life. 
 
 " Our room was the first, and was in good order, 
 though the two flushed faces on the pillows were 
 rather suspicious. Miss Cotton stood staring about 
 her, looking so funny, without her cap, that my bed 
 fellow would have gone off in a fit of laughter, if I 
 had not pinched her warningly. 
 
 " 4 Young ladies, what is this unseemly noise? 
 
 " No answer from us but a faint snore. Miss Cotton 
 marched into the next room, put the same question, 
 and received the same reply. 
 
 " In the third chamber lay Sally, and we trembled 
 as the old lady went in. Sitting up, we peeped and 
 listened breathlessly. 
 
 " Sarah, I command you to tell me what this aJI 
 means ? 
 
Grandma. 105 
 
 " But Sally only sighed in her sleep, and mattered, 
 wickedly, c Ma, take me home. I m starved at Cot 
 ton s. 
 
 " Mercy on me ! is the child going to have a 
 fever? cried the old lady, who did not observe the 
 telltale nuts at her feet. 
 
 u k So dull, so strict ! O take me home ! moaned 
 Sally, tossing her arms and gurgling, like a naughty 
 little gypsy. 
 
 " That last bit of acting upset the whole concern, 
 for as she tossed her arms she showed the big red 
 cushion on her breast. Near-sighted as she was, that 
 ridiculous object could not escape Miss Cotton, 
 neither did the orange that rolled out from the 
 pillow, nor the boots appearing at the foot of the 
 bed. 
 
 " With sudden energy the old lady plucked off the 
 cover, and there lay Sally with her hair dressed a la 
 Tops/, her absurd breast-pin and her dusty boots, 
 among papers of candy, bits of pie and cake, oranges 
 and apples, and a candle upside down burning a hole 
 in the sheet. 
 
 " At the sound of Miss Cotton s horrified excla 
 mation Sally woke* up, and began laughing so 
 merrily that none of us could resist following her 
 example, and the rooms rang with merriment for 
 many minutes. I really don t know when we should 
 have stopped if Sally had not got choked with the 
 nut she had in her mouth, and so frightened us neurly 
 out of our wits." 
 
 u What became of the things, and how were you 
 punished?" asked Fun, in the middle of her laughter 
 
ro6 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " The remains of the feast went to the pig, and we 
 were kept on bread and water for three days." 
 
 " Did that cure you ? " 
 
 "Oh, dear, no! we had half a dozen other frolics 
 that very summer ; and although I cannot help 
 laughing at the remembrance of this, you must not 
 think, child, that I approve of such conduct, or ex 
 cuse it. No, no, my dear, far from it." 
 
 " I call that a tip-top story ! Drive on, grandma, 
 and tell one about boys," broke in a new voice, and 
 there was Tom astride of a chair, listening and laugh 
 ing with all his might, for his book had come to an 
 end, and he had joined the party unobserved. 
 
 " Wait for your turn, Tommy. Now, Polly, dear, 
 what will you have ? " said grandma, looking so lively 
 and happy, that it was very evident " reminiscing " 
 did her good. 
 
 " Let mine come last, and tell one for Tom next," 
 said Polly, looking round, and beckoning him nearer. 
 
 He came and sat himself cross-legged on the floor, 
 before the lower drawer of the cabinet, which grandma 
 opened for him, saying, with a benign stroke of the 
 curly head, 
 
 "There, dear, that s where I keep the little memo 
 rials of. my brother Jack. Poor lad, he was lost at 
 sea, you know. Well, choose anything you like, and 
 I 11 try to remember a story about it." 
 
 Tom made a rapid rummage, and fished up a little 
 broken pistol. 
 
 u There, that s the chap for me ! Wish it was n t 
 spoilt, then we d have fun popping away at the cats 
 iu the yard. Now, then, grandma " 
 
Grattdma. 107 
 
 u I remember one of Jack s pranks, when that was 
 used with great effect," said grandma, after a thought 
 ful pause, during which Tom teased the girls by 
 snapping the lock of the pistol in their faces. 
 
 " Once .upon a time," continued Madam, much flat 
 tered by the row of interested faces before her, " my 
 father went away on business, leaving mother, aunt, 
 and us girls to Jack s care. Very proud he was, to 
 be sure, of the responsibility, and the first thing he 
 did was to load that pistol and keep it by his bed, to 
 our great worriment, for we feared he d kill himseK 
 with it. For a week all went well ; then we were star 
 tled by the news that robbers were about. All sorts 
 of stories flew through the town (we were living in 
 the country then) ; some said that certain houses were 
 marked with a black cross, and those were always 
 robbed ; others, that there was a boy in the gang, for 
 windows, so small that they were considered safe, 
 were entered by some little rogue. At one place the 
 thieves had a supper, and left ham and cake in the 
 front yard. Mrs. Jones found Mrs. Smith s shawl in 
 her orchard, with a hammer and an unknown teapot 
 near it. One man reported that some one tapped at 
 his window, in the night, saying, softly, Is any one 
 here ? and when he looked out, two men were seen to 
 run down the road. 
 
 " We lived just out of town, in a lonely place ; the 
 house was old, with convenient little back windows, 
 and five outside doors. Jack was the only man 
 about the place, and he was barely thirteen. Mother 
 and aunt were very timid, and the children were n t 
 old enough to be of any use, so Jack and I were the 
 home-guard, and vowed to defend the family manfully." 
 
io8 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Good for you ! Hope the fellows came ! " 
 Tom, charmed with this opening. 
 
 " One day, an ill-looking man came in and 
 for food," continued grandma, with a mysterious nod 
 and while he ate, I saw him glance sharply about 
 from the wooden buttons on the back-doors, to tlw 
 silver urn and tankards on the dining-room side 
 board. A strong suspicion took possession of me. 
 and I watched him as a cat does a mouse. 
 
 " 4 He came to examine the premises, I m sure ol 
 it, but we will be ready for him, I said, fiercely, as 
 I told the family about him. 
 
 " This fancy haunted us all, and our preparations 
 were very funny. Mother borrowed a rattle, and 
 kept it under her pillow. Aunt took a big bell to 
 bed with her ; the children had little Tip, the terrier, 
 to sleep in their room ; while Jack and I mounted 
 guard, he with the pistol, and I with a hatchet, for I 
 didn t like fire-arms. Biddy, who slept in the attic, 
 practised getting out on the shed roof, so that she 
 might run away at the first alarm. Every night we 
 arranged pit-falls for the robbers, and all filed up to 
 bed, bearing plate, money, weapons and things to bar 
 ricade with, as if we lived in war times. 
 
 " We waited a week and no one came, so we began 
 to feel rather slighted, for other people got 4 a scare, 5 
 as Tom says, and after all our preparations we really 
 felt a trifle disappointed that we had had no chance 10 
 show our courage. At last a black mark was found 
 upon our door, and a great panic ensued, for we felt 
 that now our time had come. 
 
 " That night we put a tub of water at the bottom of 
 the back-stairs, and a pile of tin pans at the top of the 
 
Grandma. 109 
 
 front stairs, so that any attempt to come up would 
 produce a splash or a rattle. Bells were hung on 
 door handles, sticks of wood piled up in dark corners 
 for robbers to fall over, and the family retired, all 
 armed and all provided with lamps and matches. 
 
 " Jack and I left our doors open, and kept asking 
 one another if we did n t hear something, till he fell 
 asleep. I was wakeful and lay listening to the crickets 
 till the clock struck twelve ; then I got drowsy, and 
 was just dropping off when the sound of steps outside 
 woke me up staring wide awake. Creeping to the 
 window I was in time to see by the dim moonlight a 
 shadow glide round the corner and disappear. A 
 queer little thrill went over me, but I resolved to keep 
 quiet till I was sure something was wrong, for I had 
 given so many false alarms, I did n t want Jack to 
 laugh at me again. Popping my head out of the door 
 I listened, and presently heard a scraping sound near 
 the shed. 
 
 " There they are ; but I won t rouse the house till 
 the bell rings or the pans fall. The rogues can t go 
 far without a clatter of some sort, and if we could 
 only catch one of them we should get the reward and 
 a deal of glory/ I said to myself, grasping my 
 hatchet firmly. 
 
 " A door closed softly below, and a step came creep 
 ing towards the back-stairs. Sure now of my prey, ] 
 was just about to scream Jack ! * when something 
 went splash into the tub at the foot of the back 
 stairs. 
 
 " In a minute every one was awake and up, for Jack 
 fired his pistol before he was half out of bed, and 
 
no An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 roared l Fire ! so loud it roused the house. Mother 
 sprung her rattle, aunt rang her bell, Jip barked like 
 mad, and we all screamed, while from below came up 
 a regular Irish howl. 
 
 " Some one brought a lamp, and we peeped anx 
 iously down, to see our own stupid Biddy sitting ID 
 the tub wringing her hands and wailing dismally. 
 
 " Och, murther, and it s kilt I am ! The saints be 
 about us ! how iver did I come forninst this say iv 
 wather, just crap in in quiet afther a bit iv sthroli wid 
 Blike Mahoney, me own b y, that s to marry me in- 
 Cirely, come Saint Patrick s day nixt. 
 
 4 We laughed so we could hardly fish the poor thing 
 ap, or listen while she explained that she had slipped 
 our of ner window for a word with Mike, and found it 
 fastened when she wanted to come back, so she had 
 sat on the rooi, trying to discover the cause of this 
 mysterious Darring out, till she was tired, when she 
 prowled round tne house till she found a cellar win 
 dow unfastened, after ail our care, and got in quite 
 cleverly, she thought ; but the tub was a new arrange 
 ment which she knew nothing about ; and when she 
 fell into the 4 say, she was bewildered and could 
 only howl. 
 
 " This was not all the damage either, for aunt fainted 
 with the fright, mother cut her hand with a broken 
 lamp, the children took cold hopping about on the wet 
 stairs, Jip barked himself sick, 1 sprained my ankle, 
 and Jack not only smashed a looKicg-glass with his 
 bullets, but spoilt his pistol by the heavy charge put 
 in it. After the damages were repaired and the flurry 
 was well over, Jack confessed that he had marked the 
 
Grandma. 1 1 1 
 
 door for fun, and shut Biddy out as a punishment for 
 1 gallivanting, of which he did n t approve. Such a 
 rogue as that boy was ! " 
 
 44 But did n t the robbers ever come?" cried Tom, 
 enjoying the joke, but feeling defrauded of the fight. 
 
 " Never, my dear ; but we had our scare, and 
 tested our courage, and that was a great satisfaction 
 of course," answered grandma, placidly. 
 
 " Well, I think you were the bravest of the lot. 
 I d like to have seen you flourishing round there with 
 your hatchet," added Tom, admiringly, and the old 
 lady looked as much pleased with the compliment as 
 if she had been a girl. 
 
 " I choose this," said Polly, holding up a long white 
 kid glove, shrunken and yellow with time, but look 
 ing as if it had a history. 
 
 " Ah, that now has a story worth telling ! " cried 
 grandma ; adding, proudly, " Treat that old glove 
 respectfully, my children, for Lafayette s honored 
 hand has touched it." 
 
 " Oh, grandma, did you wear it ? Did you see him ? 
 Do tell us all about it, and that will be the best of the 
 whole," cried Polly, who loved history, and knew a 
 good deal about the gallant Frenchman and his brave 
 life. 
 
 Grandma loved to tell this story, and always as- 
 /sximed her 4 most imposing air to do honor to her 
 theme. Drawing herself up, therefore, she folded her 
 hands, and after two or three little " hems," began 
 \nth an absent look, as if her eyes beheld a far-away 
 time, which brightened as she gazed. 
 
 " The first visit of Lafayette was before my time, 
 
12 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 of course, but I heard so much about it from my 
 grandfather that I really felt as if I d seen it all. 
 Our Aunt Hancock lived in the Governor s house, 
 on Beacon Hill, at that time." Here the old lady 
 bridled up still more, for she was very proud of u our 
 aunt." " Ah, my dears, those were the good old 
 times ! " she continued, with a sigh. " Such dinners 
 and tea parties, such damask table cloths and fine 
 plate, such solid, handsome furniture and elegant car 
 riages ; aunt s was lined with red silk velvet, and 
 when the coach was taken away from her at the Gov- 
 e*rnor s death, she just ripped out the lining, and we 
 girls had spencers made of it. Dear heart, how well 
 I remember playing in aunt s great garden, and chas 
 ing Jack up and down those winding stairs ; and my 
 blessed father, in his plum-colored coat and knee 
 buckles, and the queue I used to tie up for him every 
 day, handing aunt in to dinner, looking so digniued 
 and splendid." 
 
 Grandma seemed to. forget her story for a minute, 
 and become a little girl again, among the playmates 
 dead and gone so many years. Polly motioned the 
 others to be quiet, and no one spoke till the old lady, 
 frith a long sigh, came back to the present, and went 
 on. 
 
 " Well, as I was saying, the Governor wanted to 
 give a breakfast to the French officers, and Madam, 
 who was a hospitable soul, got up a splendid one for 
 them. But by some mistake, or accident, it was dis 
 covered at the last minute that there was no milk. 
 
 " A great deal was needed, and very little could be 
 bought or borrowed, so despair fell upon the cooka 
 
Grandma. 113 
 
 and maids, and the great breakfast would have been 
 a failure, if Madam, with the presence of mind of her 
 sex, had not suddenly bethought herself of the cows 
 feeding on the Common. 
 
 " To be sure, they belonged to her neighbors, and 
 there was no time* to ask leave, but it was a national 
 affair ; our allies must be fed ; and feeling sure that 
 her patriotic friends would gladly lay their cows on 
 the altar of their country, Madam Hancock covered 
 herself with glory, by calmly issuing the command, 
 4 Milk em ! 
 
 " It was done, to the great astonishment of the 
 cows, and the entire satisfaction of the guests, among 
 whom was Lafayette. 
 
 44 This milking feat was such a gpod joke, that no 
 one seems to have remembered much about the great 
 man, though one of his officers, a count, signalized 
 himself by getting very tipsy, and going to bed 
 with his boots and spurs on, which caused, the 
 destruction of aunt s best yellow damask coverlet, 
 for the restless sleeper kicked it into rags by morn- 
 Ing. 
 
 44 Aunt valued it very much, even in its tattered 
 condition, and kept it a long while, as a memorial of 
 her distinguished guests. 
 
 44 The time when / saw Lafayette was in 1825, and 
 there were no tipsy counts then. Uncle Hancock (a 
 sweet man, my dears, though some call him mean 
 now-a-days) was dead, and aunt had married Cap 
 tain Scott. 
 
 44 It was not at all the thing for her to do ; however, 
 that s neither here nor there. She was living in Fed- 
 8 
 
H4 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 eral Street at the time, a most aristocratic street 
 then, children, and we lived close by. 
 
 " Old Josiah Quincy was rc^or of the city, and he 
 sent aunt word that the Marquis Lafayette wished to 
 pay his respects to her. 
 
 u Of course she was delighted, and we all flew about 
 to make ready for him. Aunt was an old lady, but 
 she made a grand toilet , and was as anxious to look 
 well as any girl." 
 
 " What did she wear?" asked Fan, with interest. 
 
 " She wore a steel-colored satin, trimmed with black 
 lace, and on her cap was pinned a Lafayette badge 
 of white satin. 
 
 " I never shall forget how b-e-a-utifully she looked 
 as she sat in state on the front parlor sophy, right 
 under a great portrait of her first husband ; and on 
 either side of her sat Madam Storer and Madam 
 Williams, elegant to behold, in their stiff silks, rich 
 lace, and stately turbans. We don t see such splen 
 did old ladies now-a-days " 
 
 " I think we do sometimes," said Polly, slyly. 
 
 Grandma shook her head, but it pleased her very 
 much to be admired, for she had been a beauty in hei 
 
 " We girls had dressed the house with flowers ; old 
 Mr. Coolidge sent in a clothes-basket full. Joe Joy 
 provided the badges, and aunt got out some of the 
 Revolutionary wine from the old Beacon street cel 
 lar. 
 
 " I wore my green and white palnryrine, my hair 
 bowed high, the beautiful leg-o -mutton sleeves that 
 were so becoming, and these very gloves. 
 
Grandma. 1 1 5 
 
 "Well, by-and-by the General, escorted by the 
 Mayor, drove up. Dear me, I see him now ! a lit 
 tle old man in nankeen trousers and vest, a long blue 
 coat and ruffled shirt, leaning on his cane, for he was 
 lame, and smiling and bowing like a true Frenchman. 
 
 " As he approached, the three old ladies rose, and 
 courtesied with the utmost dignity. Lafayette bowed 
 first to the Governor s picture, then to the Governor s 
 widow, and kissed her hand. 
 
 " That was droll ; for on the back of her glove was 
 stamped Lafayette s likeness, and tjie gallant old 
 gentleman kissed his own face. 
 
 " Then some of the young ladies were presented ; 
 and, as if to escape any further self-salutations, the 
 marquis kissed the pretty girls on the cheek. 
 
 " Yes, my dears, here is just tha spot where the dear 
 old man saluted me. I m quite as proud of it now as 
 I was then, for he was a brave, good man, and helped 
 us in our trouble. 
 
 " He did not stay long, but we were very merry, 
 drinking his health, receiving his compliments, and 
 enjoying the honor he did us. 
 
 u Down in the street there was a crowd, of course, 
 and when he left they wanted to take out the horses 
 and drag him home in triumph. But he did n t wish 
 it ; and while that affair was being arranged, we girls 
 had been pelting him with the flowers which we tore 
 from the vases, the walls, and our own topknots, to 
 scatter over him. 
 
 " He liked that, and laughed, and waved his hand to 
 us, while we ran, and pelted, and begged him to come 
 again. 
 
n6 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " We young folks quite lost our heads that night, 
 and I have n t a very clear idea of how I got home. 
 The last thing I remember was hanging out of the win 
 dow with a flock of girls, watching the carriage roll 
 away, while the crowd cheered as if they were mad. 
 
 " Bless my heart, it seems as if I heard em now ! 
 * Hurrah for Lafayette and Mayor Quincy ! Hurrah 
 for Madam Hancock and the pretty girls ! Hurrah 
 for Col. May ! Three cheers for Boston ! Now, 
 then ! Hurrah ! Hurrah ! Hurrah ! " 
 
 And here the old lady stopped, out of breath, with 
 her cap askew, her spectacles on the end of her nose, 
 and her -knitting much the worse for being waved en 
 thusiastically in the air, while she hung over the arm 
 of her chair, shrilly cheering an imaginary Lafayette. 
 
 The girls clapped their hands, and Tom hurrahed 
 with all his might, saying, when he got his breath, 
 
 " Lafayette was a regular old trump ; I always 
 liked him." 
 
 " My dear ! what a disrespectful way to speak of 
 that great man," said grandma, shocked at Young 
 America s irreverence. 
 
 " Well, he was a trump, any way, so why not call 
 him one ? " asked Tom, feeling that the objectionable 
 word was all that could be desired. 
 
 " What queer gloves you wore then," interrupted 
 Fann}^, who had been trying on the much-honored 
 glove, and finding it a tight fit. 
 
 " Much better and cheaper than we have now," 
 returned grandma, ready to defend " the good old 
 times " against every insinuation. " You are an ex 
 travagant set now-a-days, and I really don t know 
 
Gr&ndma. 1 1 7 
 
 what you are coming to. By the way, I ve got 
 somewhere two letters written by two young ladies, 
 one in 1517, and the other in 1868. The contrast 
 between the two will amuse 3 r ou, I think." 
 
 After a little search, grandma produced an old 
 portfolio, and selecting the papers, read the following 
 letter, written by Anne Boleyn before her marriage to 
 Henry VIII., and now in the possession of a celebra 
 ted antiquarian : 
 
 DEAR MARY : 
 
 I have been in town almost a month, j r et I cannot 
 say I have found anything in London extremely 
 agreeable. We rise so late in the morning, seldom 
 before six o clock, and sit up so late at night, 
 being scarcely in bed before ten, that I am quite 
 sick of it ; and was it not for the abundance of fine 
 things I am every day getting, I should be impatient 
 of returning into the country. 
 
 My indulgent mother bought me, 3 esterday, at a 
 merchant s in Cheapside, three new shifts, that cost 
 fourteen pence an ell, and I am to have a pair of new 
 stuff shoes, for m} Lord of Norfolk s ball, which will 
 be three shillings. 
 
 The irregular life I have led since my coming to 
 this place has quite destroyed my appetite. You 
 know I could manage a pound of bacon and a tankard 
 of good ale for my breakfast, in the county, but in 
 London I find it difficult to get through half the quan 
 tity, though I must own I am generally eager enough 
 for the dinner hour, which is here delayed till twelve, 
 In your polite society. 
 
n8 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 I played at hot cockles, last night, at my Lord of 
 Leicester s. The Lord of Surrey was there, a very 
 elegant young man, who sung a song of his own com 
 position, on the " Lord of Kildare s Daughter." It 
 was much approved, and my brother whispered me 
 that the fair Geraldine, for so my Lord of Surrey calls 
 his sweetheart, is the finest woman of the age. I 
 should be glad to see her, for I hear she is good as 
 she is beautiful. 
 
 Pray take care of the poultry during my absence. 
 Poor things ! I always fed them myself ; and if Mar 
 gery has knitted me the crimson worsted mittens, I 
 should be glad if they were sent up the first oppor 
 tunity. 
 
 Adieu, dear Mary. I am just going to mass, and 
 you shall speedily have the prayers, as you have now 
 the kindest love of your own 
 
 ANNE BOLEYN. 
 
 " Up before six, and think it late to go to bed at 
 ten ! What a countrified thing Anne must have been. 
 Bacon and ale for breakfast, and dinner at twelve ; 
 how very queer to live so ! " cried Fanny. " Lord 
 Surrey .and Lord Leicester sound fine, but hot 
 cockles, and red mittens, and shoes for three shil 
 lings, are horrid." 
 
 " I like it," said Polly, thoughtfully, " and I m glad 
 poor Anne had a little fun before her troubles began. 
 May I copy that letter some time, grandma?" 
 
 " Yes, dear, and welcome. Now, here s the other, 
 by a modern girl on her first visit to London. This 
 will suit you better, Fan," and grandma read what a 
 
Grandma. 119 
 
 friend had sent her as a pendent to Anne s little pic 
 ture of London life long ago : 
 
 MY DEAREST CONSTANCE: 
 
 After three months of intense excitement I snatch 
 a leisure moment to tell you how much I enjoy my 
 first visit to London. Having been educated abroad, 
 it really seems like coming to a strange city. At 
 first the smoke, dirt and noise were very disagreeable, 
 but I soon got used to these things, and now find all I 
 see perfectly charming. 
 
 We plunged at once into a whirl of gayety, and I 
 have had no time to think of anything but pleasure. 
 It is the height of the season, and every hour is en 
 gaged either in going to balls, concerts, theatres, fStes 
 and church, or in preparing for them. We often go 
 to two or three parties in an evening, and seldom get 
 home till morning, so of course we don t rise till 
 noon next day. This leaves very little time for our 
 drives, shopping, and calls before dinner at eight, and 
 then the evening gayeties begin again. 
 
 At a ball at Lady Russell s last night, I saw the 
 Prince of Wales, and danced in the set with him. He 
 is growing stout, and looks dissipated. I was disap~ 
 pointed in him, for neither in appearance nor con 
 versation was he at all princely. I was introduced 
 to a very brilliant and delightful young gentleman 
 from America. I was charmed with him, and rather 
 surprised to learn that he wrote the poems which 
 were so much admired last season, also that he is 
 the son of a rich tailor. How odd these Ameri 
 cans are, with their money, and talent, and inde 
 pendence I 
 
I2O An Old- Fashioned Girl. 
 
 my dear, I must not forget to tell you the great 
 event of my first season. I am to be presented at 
 the next Drawing Room ! Think how absorbed I 
 must be in preparation for this grand affair. Mamma 
 is resolved that I shall do her credit, and we have 
 spent the last two weeks driving about from milliners 
 to mantua-makers, from merchants to jewellers. I 
 am to wear white satin and plumes, pearls and roses. 
 My dress will cost a hundred pounds or more, and is 
 very elegant. 
 
 My cousins and friends lavish lovely things upon 
 me, and you will open your unsophisticated eyes when 
 I display my silks and laces, trinkets and French hats, 
 not to mention billet doux, photographs, and other 
 relics of a young belle s first season. 
 
 You ask if I ever think of home. I really have n t 
 time, but I do sometimes long a little for the quiet, the 
 pure air and the girlish amusements I used to enjoy 
 so much. One gets pale, and old, and sadly fagged 
 out, with all this dissipation, pleasant as it is. I feel 
 quite blase already. 
 
 If you could send me the rosy cheeks, bright eyes 
 and gay spirits I always had at home, I d thank you. 
 As you cannot do that, please send me a bottle of 
 June rain water, for my maid tells me it is better than 
 any cosmetic for the complexion, and mine is getting 
 ruined by late hours. 
 
 1 fancy some fruit off our own trees would suit me, 
 for I have no appetite, and mamma is quite desolee 
 about me. One cannot live on French cookery with 
 out dyspepsia, and one can get nothing simple here, 
 for food, like everything else, is regulated by the 
 fashion. 
 
Grandma. 121 
 
 Adieu, ma c/iere, I must dress for church. I only 
 wish you could see my new hat and go with me, for 
 Lord Rockingham promised to be there. 
 
 Adieu, yours eternally, 
 
 FLORENCE." 
 
 " Yes, J do like that better, and I wish I had been 
 in this girl s place, don t you, Polly?" said Fan, as 
 grandma took off her glasses. 
 
 u I should love to go to London, and have a good 
 time, but I don t think I should care about spending 
 ever so much money, or going to Court. Maybe I 
 might when I got there, for I do like fun and splen 
 dor," added honest Polly, feeling that pleasure was a 
 very tempting thing. 
 
 " Grandma looks tired; let s go and play in the 
 dwying-woom," said Maud, who found the conversa 
 tion getting beyond her depth. 
 
 41 Let us all kiss and thank grandma, for amusing 
 us so nicely, before we go," whispered Polly. Maud 
 and Fanny agreed, and grandma looked so gratified by 
 their thanks, that Tom followed suit, merely waiting 
 till " those girls " were out of sight, to give the old 
 lady a hearty hug, and a kiss on the very cheek 
 Lafayette had saluted. 
 
 When he reached the play-room Polly was sitting 
 in the swing, saying, very earnestly, " I always told 
 you it was nice up in grandma s room, and now you 
 see it is. I wish you d go oftener; she admires to 
 have you, and likes to tell stories and do pleasant 
 things, only she thinks you don t care farther quiet 
 sort of fun. / do, any way, and / think she s the 
 
122 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 kindest, best old lady that ever lived, and I love her 
 dearly!" 
 
 " I did n t say she was n t, only old people are sort 
 of tedious and fussy, so I keep out of their way," said 
 Fanny. 
 
 u Well, you ought not to, and you miss lots of 
 pleasant times. My mother says we ought to be 
 kind and patient and respectful to all old folks just 
 because they are old, and I always mean to be." 
 
 " Your mother s everlastingly preaching," muttered 
 Fan, nettled by the consciousness of her own short 
 comings with regard to grandma. 
 
 " She don t preach ! " cried Polly, firing up like a 
 flash ; " she only explains things to us, and helps us 
 be good, and never scolds, and I d rather have her 
 than any other mother in the world, though she don t 
 wear velvet cloaks and splendid bonnets, so now ! " 
 
 " Go it, Polly ! " called Tom, who was gracefully 
 hanging head downward from the bar put up for his 
 special benefit. 
 
 " Polly s mad ! Polly s mad ! " sung Maud, skip 
 ping rope round the room. 
 
 " If Mr. Sydney could see you now he would n t 
 think you such an angel any more," added Fanny, 
 tossing a bean-bag and her head at the same time. 
 
 Polly was mad, her face was very red, her eyes very 
 bright and her lips twitched, but she held her tongue 
 and began to swing as hard as she could, fearing to 
 say something she would be sorry for afterward. 
 For a few minutes no one spoke, Tom whistled and 
 Maud hummed, but Fan and Polly were each soberly 
 thinking of something, for they had reached an ago 
 
Grandma. 123 
 
 when children, girls especially, begin to observe, con 
 trast, and speculate upon the words, acts, manners, 
 and looks of those about them. A good deal of think 
 ing goes on in the heads of these shrewd little folks, 
 and the elders should mind their ways, for they get 
 criticised pretty sharply and imitated very closely. 
 
 Two little things had happened that day, and the 
 influence of a few words, a careless action, was still 
 working in the active minds of the girls. 
 
 Mr. Sydney had called, and while Fanny was talk 
 ing with him she saw his eye rest on Polly, who sat 
 apart watching the faces round her with the modest, 
 intelligent look which many found so attractive. At 
 that minute Madam Shaw came in. and stopped to 
 speak to the little girl. Polly rose at once, and 
 remained standing till the old lady passed on. 
 
 " Are you laughing at Polly s prim ways?" Fanny 
 had asked, as she saw Mr. Sydney smile. 
 
 " No, I am admiring Miss Polly s fine manners," 
 he answered in a grave, respectful tone, which had 
 impressed Fanny very much, for Mr. Sydney was 
 considered by all the girls as a model of good breed 
 ing, and that indescribable something whioh they called 
 tk elegance." 
 
 Fanny wished she had done that little thing, and 
 won that approving look, for she valued the young 
 man s good opinion, because it was so hard to win, 
 by her set at least. So, when Polly talked about old 
 people, it recalled this scene and made Fan cross. 
 
 Polly was remembering how, when Mrs. Shaw came 
 Qome that day in her fine visiting costume, and Maud 
 :an to welcome iier with unusual affection, she gatherer! 
 
124 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 up her lustrous silk and pushed the little girl away, 
 saying, impatiently, "Don t touch me, child, your 
 hands are dirty." Then the thought had come to 
 Polly that the velvet cloak did n t cover a right 
 motherly heart, that the fretful face under the nod 
 ding purple plumes was not a tender motherly face, 
 and that the hands in the delicate primrose gloves- 
 had put away something very sweet and precious. 
 She thought of another woman, whose dress never 
 was too fine for little wet cheeks to lie against, or 
 loving little arms to press ; whose face, in spite of 
 many lines and the gray hairs above it, was never 
 sour or unsympathetic when children s eyes turned 
 towards it ; and whose hands never wore too busy, too 
 full or too nice to welcome and serve the little sons 
 and daughters who freely brought their small hopes 
 and fears, sins and sorrows, to her, who dealt out jus 
 tice and mercy with such wise love. " Ah, that s a 
 mother ! " thought Polly, as the memory came warm 
 into her heart, making her feel very rich, and pity 
 Maud for being so poor. 
 
 This it was that caused such sudden indignation at 
 Fanny s dreadful speech, and this it was that made 
 quick-tempered Polly try to calm her wrath before 
 she used toward Fanny s mother the disrespectful 
 tone she so resented toward her own. As the swing 
 came down after some dozen quick journeys to and 
 fro, Polly seemed to have found a smile somewhere 
 up aloft, for she looked toward Fan, saying pleasantly, 
 as she paused a little in her airy exercise, " I m not 
 mad now, shall I come and toss with you ? " 
 
 "No, I ll come and swing with you," answered 
 
Grandma. 125 
 
 Fanny, quick to feel the generous spirit of her friend. 
 * You are an angel, and I 11 never be so rude again," 
 she added, as Polly s arm came round her, and half 
 the seat was gladly offered. 
 
 " No, I ain t ; but if I ever get at all like one, it 
 will be mother s preaching * that did it," said Polly, 
 with a happ} laugh. 
 
 " Good for you, Polly Peacemaker, " cried Tom, 
 quoting his father, and giving them a grand push as 
 the most appropriate way of expressing his approba 
 tion of the sentiment. 
 
 Nothing more was said ; but from that day there 
 slowly crept into the family more respect for grandma, 
 more forbearance with her infirmities, more interest in 
 her little stories, and many a pleasant gossip did the 
 dear old lady enjoy with the children as they gathered 
 round her fire, solitary so long. 
 
CHAPTER VJL 
 
 GOOD-BY. 
 
 , dear ! Must you really go home Saturday?" 
 said Fan, some days after what Tom called the 
 " grand scrimmage." 
 
 " I really must ; for I only came to stay a month, 
 and here I ve been nearly six weeks," answered Polly, 
 feeling as if she had been absent a year. 
 
 "Make it two months, and stay over Christmas. 
 Come, do, now," urged Tom, heartily. 
 
 " You are very kind ; but I would n t miss Christ 
 mas at home for anything. Besides, mother says 
 they can t possibly do without me." 
 
 " Neither can we. Can t you tease your mother, 
 and make up your mind to stay ? " began Fan. 
 
 " Polly never teases. She says it s selfish ; and I 
 don t do it now much," put in Maud, with a virtuous 
 air. 
 
 " Don t you bother Polly. She d rather go, and I 
 don t wonder. Let s be just as jolly as we can while 
 she stays, and finish up with your party, Fan," said 
 Tom, in a tone that settled the matter. 
 
 Polly had expected to be very happy in getting 
 ready for the party ; but when the time came, she 
 
Good-by. 127 
 
 was disappointed ; for somehow that naughty thing 
 called envy took possession of her, and spoiled her 
 pleasure. Before she left home, she thought her new 
 white muslin dress, with its fresh blue ribbons, the 
 most elegant and proper costume she could have ; but 
 i,ow, when she saw Fanny s pink silk, with a white 
 tarlatan tunic, and innumerable puffings, bows, and 
 streamers, her own simple little toilet lost all its 
 charms in her eyes, and looked very babyish and old- 
 fashioned. 
 
 Even Maud was much better dressed than herself, 
 and looked very splendid in her cherry-colored and 
 white suit, with a sash so big she could hardly 
 carry it, and little white boots with red buttons. 
 They both had necklaces and bracelets, ear-rings and 
 brooches ; but Polly had no ornament, except the 
 plain locket on a bit of blue velvet. Her sash was 
 only a wide ribbon, tied in a simple bow, and nothing 
 but a blue snood in the pretty curls. Her only com 
 fort was the knowledge that the modest tucker drawn 
 up round the plump shoulders was real lace, and that 
 her bronze boots cost nine dollars. 
 
 Poor Polly, with all her efforts to be contented, and 
 not to mind looking unlike other people, found it hard 
 work to keep her face bright and her voice happy that 
 night. No one dreamed what was going on under 
 the muslin frock, till grandma s wise old eyes spied 
 out the little shadow on Polly s spirits, and guessed 
 the cause of it. When dressed, the three girls went 
 up to show themselves to the elders, who were in 
 grandma s room, where Tom was being helped into 
 an agonizingly stiff collar. 
 
 Maud pranced like a small peacock, and Fan made 
 
128 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 a splendid courtesy as every one turned to survey 
 them ; but Polly stood still, and her eyes went from 
 face to face, with an anxious, wistful air, which seemed 
 to say, " I know I m not right ; but I hope I don t 
 look very bad." 
 
 Grandma read the look in a minute ; and when 
 Fanny said, with a satisfied smile, " How do we 
 look?" she answered, drawing Polly toward her so 
 kindly, 
 
 " Very like the fashion-plates you got the patterns 
 of your dresses from. But this little costume suits 
 me best." 
 
 "Do you really think I look nice?" and Polly s 
 face brightened, for she valued the old lady s opinion 
 very much. 
 
 u Yes, my dear ; you look just as I like to see a 
 child of your age look. What particularly pleases 
 me is that you have kept your promise to your moth 
 er, and have n t let any one persuade you to wear bor 
 rowed finery. Young things like you don t need any 
 ornaments but those you wear to-night, youth, 
 health, intelligence, and modesty." 
 
 As she spoke, grandma gave a tender kiss that 
 made Polly glow like a rose, and for a minute she 
 forgot that there were such things as pink silk and 
 coral ear-rings in the world. She only said, " Thank 
 you, ma am," and heartily returned the kiss ; but the 
 words did her good, and her plain dress looked charm 
 ing all of a sudden. 
 
 u Polly s so pretty, it don t* matter what she wears," 
 observed Tom, surveying her over his collar with an 
 air of calm approval. 
 
 " She has n t got any bwetelles to her dwess, and I 
 
Good-by. 129 
 
 have," said Maud, settling her ruffled bands over her 
 shoulders, which looked like cherry-colored wings on 
 a stout little cherub. 
 
 " I did wish she d just wear my blue set, ribbon ia 
 BO very plain ; but, as Tom says, it don t much mat 
 ter ; " and Fanny gave an effective touch to the blue 
 bow above Polly s left temple. 
 
 " She might wear flowers ; they always suit young 
 girls," said Mrs. Shaw, privately thinking that her 
 own daughters looked much the best, yet conscious 
 that blooming Polly had the most attractive face. 
 
 kk Bless me ! I forgot my posies in admiring the 
 belles. Hand them out, Tom ; " and Mr. Shaw nodded to 
 ward an interesting looking box that stood on the table. 
 
 Seizing them wrong side up, Tom produced three 
 little bouquets, all different in color, size, and con 
 struction. 
 
 " Why, papa ! how very kind of you," cried Fanny, 
 who had not dared to receive even a geranium leaf 
 since the late scrape. 
 
 " Your father used to be a very gallant young gen 
 tleman, once upon a time," said Mrs. Shaw, with a 
 simper. 
 
 " Ah, Tom, it s a good sign when you find time to 
 think of giving pleasure to your little girls ! " And 
 grandma patted her son s bald head as if he was n t 
 more than eighteen. 
 
 Thomas Jr. had given a somewhat scornful sniff at 
 first ; but when grandma praised his father, the young 
 man thought better of the matter, and regarded the 
 flowers with more respect, as he asked, " Which is for 
 which?" 
 
130 An Old-Fashioned Girl 
 
 " Guess," said Mr. Shaw, pleased that his unusual 
 demonstration had produced such an effect. 
 
 The largest was a regular hothouse bouquet, of tea- 
 rosebuds, scentless heath, and smilax ; the second 
 was just a handful of sweet-peas and mignonette, 
 with a few cheerful pansies, and one fragrant little 
 rose in the middle ; the third, a small posy of scarlet 
 verbenas, white feverfew, and green leaves. 
 
 " Not hard to guess. The smart one for Fan, the 
 sweet one for Polly, and the gay one for Pug. Now, 
 then, catch hold, girls." And Tom proceeded to de 
 liver the nosegays, with as much grace as could be 
 expected from 4 a youth in a new suit of clothes and 
 very tight boots. 
 
 " That finishes you off just right, and is a very 
 pretty attention of papa s. Now run down, for the 
 bell has rung ; and remember, not to dance too often, 
 Fan ; be as quiet as you can, Tom ; and, Maud, don t 
 eat too much supper. Grandma will attend to things, 
 for niy poor nerves won t allow me to come down." 
 
 With that, Mrs. Shaw dismissed them, and the four 
 descended to receive the first batch of visitors, sev 
 eral little girls who had been asked for the express 
 purpose of keeping Maud out of her sister s way. 
 Tom had likewise been propitiated, by being allowed 
 to bring his three bosom friends, who went by the 
 school-boy names of Rumple, Sherry and Spider. 
 
 " They will do to make up sets, as gentlemen are 
 scarce ; and the party is for Polly, so I must have 
 some young folks on her account," said Fanny, when 
 sending out her invitations. 
 
 Of course, the boys came early, and stood about in 
 
Good-by. . 131 
 
 comers, looking as if they had more arms and legs 
 than they knew what to do with. Tom did his best 
 to be a good host ; but ceremony oppressed his spirits, 
 and he was forced to struggle manfully with the wild 
 desire to propose a game of leap-frog, for the long 
 drawing-rooms, cleared for dancing, tempted him 
 sorely. 
 
 Polly sat where she was told, and suffered bashful 
 agonies as Fan introduced very fine young ladies and 
 very stiff young gentlemen, who all said about the 
 same civil things, and then appeared to forget all about 
 her. When the first dance was called, Fanny cor 
 nered Tom, who had been dodging her, for he knew 
 what she wanted, and said, in an earnest whisper : 
 
 " Now, Tom, you must dance this with Polly. You 
 are the young gentleman of the house, and it s only 
 proper that you should ask your company first." 
 
 " Polly don t care for manners. I hate dancing ; 
 don t know how. Let go my jacket, and don t bother, 
 or I 11 cut away altogether," growled Tom, daunted 
 by the awful prospect of opening the ball with Polly. 
 
 " I 11 never forgive you if you do. Come, be clev 
 er, and help me, there s a dear. You know we both 
 were dreadfully rude to Polly, and agreed that we d 
 be as kind and civil to her as ever we could. I shall 
 keep my word, and see that she is n t slighted at my 
 party, for I want her to love me, and go home feeling 
 all right." 
 
 This artful speech made an impression on the 
 rebellious Thomas, who glanced at Polly s happy 
 face, remembered his promise, and, with a groan, 
 resolved to do his duty. 
 
132 An Old-Fashioned GirL 
 
 " Well, I 11 take her ; but I shall come to grief, for 
 I don t know anything about your old dances." 
 
 " Yes, you do. I ve taught you the steps a dozen 
 times. I m going to begin with a reclowa, because 
 the girls like it, and it s better fun than square dances. 
 Now, put on your gloves, and go and ask Polly like a 
 gentleman." 
 
 " Oh, thunder ! " muttered Tom. And having split 
 the detested gloves in dragging them on, he nerved 
 himself for the effort, walked up to Polly, made a stiff 
 bow, stuck out his elbow, and said, solemnly, u May 
 I have the pleasure, Miss Milton ? " 
 
 He did it as much like the big fellows as he could, 
 and expected that Polly would be impressed. But 
 she was n t a bit ; for after a surprised look she 
 laughed in his face, and took him by the hand, say 
 ing, heartily, 
 
 " Of course you may ; but don t be a goose, 
 Tommy." 
 
 " Well, Fan told me to be elegant, so I tried to," 
 whispered Tom, adding, as he clutched his partner 
 with a somewhat desperate air, u Hold on tight, and 
 we 11 get through somehow." 
 
 The music struck up, and away they went; Tom 
 hopping one way and Polly the other, in a most un 
 graceful manner. 
 
 " Keep time to the music," gasped Polly. 
 
 " Can t ; never could," returned Tom. 
 
 "Keep step with me, then, and don t tread on my 
 toes," pleaded Polly. 
 
 " Never mind ; keep bobbing, and we 11 come right 
 by and by" muttered Tom, giving his unfortunate 
 
Good-by. 133 
 
 partner a sudden whisk, which nearly landed both on 
 the floor. 
 
 But they did not " get right by and by " ; for Tom, 
 in his frantic efforts to do his duty, nearly annihilated 
 poor Polly. He tramped, he bobbed, he skated, he 
 twirled her to the right, dragged her to the left, 
 backed her up against people and furniture, trod on 
 her feet, rumpled her dress, and made a spectacle of 
 himself generally. Polly was much disturbed ; but 
 as every one else was flying about also, she bore it 
 as long as she could, knowing that Tom had made a 
 martyr of himself, and feeling grateful to him for the 
 sacrifice. 
 
 u Oh, do stop now ; this is dreadful ! " cried Polly, 
 breathlessly, after a few wild turns. 
 
 "Isn t it?" said Tom, wiping his red face with 
 such an air of intense relief, that Polly had not the 
 heart to scold him, but said, " Thank you," and 
 dropped into a chair exhausted. 
 
 " I know I Ve made a guy of myself; but Fan in 
 sisted on it, for fear you d be offended if I did n t go 
 the first dance with you," said Tom, remorsefully, 
 watching Polly as she settled the bow of her crushed 
 eash, which Tom had used as a sort of handle by 
 which to turn and twist her ; " I can do the Lancers 
 tip-top ; but you won t ever want to dance with me 
 any more," he added, as he began to fan her so 
 violently, that her hair flew about as if in a gale 
 of wind. 
 
 " Yes I will. I d like to ; and you shall put your 
 name down here on the sticks of my fan. That *s the 
 way, Trix says, when you don t have a ball-book." 
 
134 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Looking much gratified, Tom produced the stump 
 of a lead-pencil, and wrote his name with a flourish, 
 saying, as he gave it back, 
 
 " Now I m going to get Sherry, or some of the fel 
 lows that do the redowa well, so you can have a real 
 good go before the music stops." 
 
 Off went Tom ; but before he could catch any eligi 
 ble partner, Polly was provided with the best dancer 
 in the room. Mr. Sydney had seen and heard the 
 whole thing ; and though he had laughed quietly, he 
 liked honest Tom and good-natured Polly all the 
 better for their simplicity. Polly s foot was keeping 
 time to the lively music, and her e3 r es were fixed wist 
 fully on the smoothly-gliding couples before her, when 
 Mr. Sydney came to her, saying, in the pleasant, j r et 
 respectful way she liked so much, 
 
 " Miss Polly, can you give me a turn?" 
 
 " Oh, yes ; I m dying for another." And Polly 
 jumped up, with both hands out, and such a grateful 
 face, that Mr. Sydney resolved she should have as 
 many turns as she liked. 
 
 This time all went well ; and Tom, returning from 
 an unsuccessful search, was amazed to behold Polly 
 circling gracefully about the room, guided by a most 
 accomplished partner. 
 
 " Ah, that s something like," he thought, as he 
 watched the bronze boots retreating and advancing in 
 perfect time to the music. u Don t see how Sydney 
 does the steering so welj ; but it must be fun ; and, 
 by Jupiter ! I 11 learn it ! " added Shaw, Jr., with an 
 emphatic gesture which burst the last button off m> 
 gloves. 
 
Good-by. 135 
 
 Polly enjoyed herself till the music stopped ; and 
 before she had time to thank Mr. Sydney as warmly 
 as she wished, Tom came up to say, with his most 
 lordly air, 
 
 " You dance splendidly, Polly. Now, you just 
 show me any one you like the looks of, and I 11 get 
 him for you, no matter who he is." 
 
 " I don t want any of the gentlemen ; they are so 
 etiff, and don t care to dance with me ; but I like 
 those boys over there, and I 11 dance with any of them 
 if they are willing," said Polly, after a survey. 
 
 "Ill trot out the whole lot." And Tom gladly 
 brought up his friends, who all admired Polly im 
 mensely, and were proud to be chosen instead of the 
 " big fellows." 
 
 There was no sitting still for Polly after that, for 
 the lads kept her going at a great pace ; and she was 
 so happy, she never saw or suspected how many little 
 manoeuvres, heart-burnings, displays of vanity, affec 
 tation, and nonsense were going on all round her. 
 She loved dancing, and entered into the gayety of the 
 scene with a heartiness that was pleasant to see. 
 Her ej es shone, her face glowed, her lips smiled, and 
 the brown curls waved in the air, as she danced, with 
 a heart as light as her feet. 
 
 "Are you enjoying yourself, Polty?" asked Mr. 
 Shaw, who looked in, now and then, to report to 
 grandma that all was going well. 
 
 " Oh, such a splendid time ! " cried Polly, with an 
 enthusiastic little gesture, as she chasseed into the 
 corner where he stood. 
 
 "She is a regular belle among the .boys." said 
 Fanny, as she promenaded by. 
 
136 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 "They are so kind in asking me, and I m not 
 afraid of them," explained Polly, prancing, simply 
 because she could n t keep still. 
 
 " So you are afraid of the young gentlemen, hey?" 
 and Mr. Shaw held her by one curl. 
 
 " All but Mr. Sydney. He don t put on airs and 
 talk nonsense ; and, oh ! he does ; dance like an 
 angel/ as Trix says." 
 
 "Papa, I wish you d come and waltz with me. 
 Fan told me not to go near her, cause my wed dwess 
 makes her pink one look ugly ; and Tom won t ; and 
 I want to dwedfully." 
 
 " I ve forgotton how, Maudie. Ask Polly ; she 11 
 spin you round like a teetotum." 
 
 " Mr. Sydney s name is down for that," answered 
 Polly, looking at her fan with a pretty little, air of 
 importance. " But I guess he would n t mind my 
 taking poor Maud instead. She hasn t danced 
 hardly any, and I ve had more than my share. 
 Would it be very improper to change my mind?" 
 And Polly looked up at her tall partner with eyes 
 which plainly showed that the change was a sacrifice. 
 
 "Not a bit. Give the little dear a good waltz, 
 and we will look on," answered Mr. Sydney, with a 
 nod and smile. 
 
 " That is a refreshing little piece of nature," said 
 Mr. Shaw, as Polly and Maud whirled away. 
 
 " She will make a charming little woman, if she 
 is n t spoilt." 
 
 "No danger of that. She has got a sensible 
 mother." 
 
 "I thought so." And Sydney sighed, for he had 
 lately lost his own good mother. 
 
Good-by. 137 
 
 When supper was announced, Polly happened to be 
 talking, or trying to talk, to one of the " poky " gen 
 tlemen whom Fan had introduced. He took Miss 
 Milton down, of course, put her in a corner, and hav 
 ing served her to a dab of ice and one macaroon, he 
 devoted himself to his own supper with such interest, 
 that Folly would have fared badly, if Tom had not 
 come and rescued her. 
 
 " I ve been looking everywhere for you. Come 
 with me, and don t sit starving here," said Tom, with 
 a scornful look from her empty plate to that of her 
 recreant escort, which was piled with good things. 
 
 Following her guide, Polly was taken to the big 
 china closet, opening from the dining -room to the 
 kitchen, and here she found a jovial little party feast 
 ing at ease. Maud and her bosom friend, " Gwace," 
 were seated on tin cake-boxes ; Sherry and Spider 
 adorned the refrigerator ; while Tom and Rumple for 
 aged for the party. 
 
 " Here s fun," said Polly, as she was received with 
 a clash of spoons and a waving of napkins. 
 
 " You just perch on that cracker-keg, and I 11 see 
 that you get enough," said Tom, putting a dumb 
 waiter before her, and issuing his orders with a fine 
 air of authority. 
 
 " We are a band of robbers in our cave, and I *m the 
 captain ; and we pitch into the folks passing by, and 
 go out and bring home plunder. Now, Rumple, you 
 go and carry off a basket of cake, and I 11 watch here 
 till Katy comes by with a fresh lot of oysters ; Polly 
 must have some. Sherry, cut into the kitchen, and 
 bring a cup of coffee. Spider, scrape up the salad. 
 
138 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 and poke the dish through the slide for more. Eat 
 away, Polly, and my men will be back with supplies 
 in a jiffy." 
 
 Such fun as they had in that closet ; such daring 
 robberies of jelly-pots and cake-boxes ; such success 
 ful raids into the dining-room and kitchen ; such base 
 assaults upon poor Katy and the colored waiter, who 
 did his best, but was helpless in the hands of the rob 
 ber horde. A very harmless little revel ; for no wine 
 was allowed, and the gallant band were so busy 
 skirmishing to supply the ladies, that they had not 
 time to eat too much. No one missed them ; and 
 when they emerged, the feast was over, except for a 
 few voracious young gentlemen, who^ still lingered 
 among the ruins. 
 
 u That s the way they always do ; poke the girls in 
 corners, give em just one taste of something, and 
 then go and stuff like pigs," whispered Tom, with a 
 superior air, forgetting certain private banquets -of his 
 own, after company had departed. 
 
 The rest of the evening was to be devoted to the 
 German ; and, as Polly knew nothing about it, she 
 established herself in a window recess to watch the 
 mysteries. For a time she enjoyed it, for it was all 
 new to her, and the various pretty devices were very 
 charming ; but, by and by, that bitter weed, envy, 
 cropped up again, and she could not feel happy to be 
 left out in the cold, while the other girls were getting 
 gay tissue-paper suits, droll bonbons, flowers, ribbons, 
 and all manner of tasteful trifles in which girlish souls 
 delight. Every one was absorbed ; Mr. Sydney was 
 dancing ; Tom and his friends were discussing base- 
 
Good-by. 139 
 
 ball on the stairs ; and Maud s set had returned to 
 the library to play. 
 
 Polly tried to conquer the bad feeling ; but it wor 
 ried her, till she remembered something her mother 
 once said to her, 
 
 " When you feel out of sorts, try to make some one 
 else happy, and you will soon be so yourself." 
 
 " I will try it," thought Polly, and looked round 
 to see what she could do. Sounds of strife in the 
 library led her to enter. Maud and the young ladies 
 were sitting on the sofa, talking about each other s 
 clothes, as they had seen their mammas do. 
 
 " Was your dress imported?" asked Grace. 
 
 " No ; was yours?" returned Blanche. 
 
 " Yes ; and it cost oh, ever so much." 
 
 " I don t think it is as pretty as Maud s." 
 
 " Mine was made in New York," said Miss Shaw, 
 smoothing her skirts complacently. 
 
 u I can t dress much now, you know, cause mam 
 ma s in black for somebody," observed Miss Alice 
 Lovett, feeling the importance which affliction con 
 ferred upon her when it took the form of a jet necklace. 
 
 " Well, I don t care if my dress is n t imported ; my 
 cousin had three kinds of wine at her party ; so, now," 
 said Blanche. 
 
 " Did she?" And all the little girls looked deeply 
 impressed, till Maud observed, with a funny imitation 
 of her father s manner, 
 
 " My papa said it was scan-dill-us ; for some of the 
 little boys got tipsy, and had to be tooked home. 
 He would n t let us have any wine ; and gwandma 
 said it was vewy impwoper for childwen to do so." 
 
140 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " My mother says your mother s coupe is n t half so 
 stylish as ours," put in Alice. 
 
 " Yes, it is, too. It s all lined with gween silk, 
 and that s nicer than old wed cloth," cried Maud, ruf 
 fling up like an insulted chicken. 
 
 " Well, my brother don t wear a horrid old cap, and 
 he s got nice hair. I would n t have a brother like 
 Tom. He s horrid rude, my sister says," retorted 
 Alice. 
 
 " He is n t. Your brother is a pig." 
 
 "You re a fib!" 
 
 " So are you ! " 
 
 Here, I regret to say, Miss Shaw slapped Miss 
 Lovett, who promptly returned the compliment, and 
 both began to cry. 
 
 Polly, who had paused to listen to the edifying 
 chat, parted the belligerents, and finding the poor 
 things tired, cross, and sleepy, yet unable to go home 
 till sent for, proposed to play games. The young 
 ladies consented, and " Puss in the corner " proved a 
 peacemaker. Presently, in came the boys ; and being 
 exiles from the German, gladly joined in the games, 
 which soon were lively enough to wake the sleepiest. 
 " Blind-man s-buff" was in full swing when Mr. Shaw 
 peeped in, and seeing Polly flying about with band 
 aged eyes, joined in the fun to puzzle her. He got 
 caught directly ; and great merriment was caused by 
 Polly s bewilderment, for she could n t guess who he 
 was, till she felt the bald spot on his head. 
 
 This frolic put every one in such spirits, that Polly 
 forgot her trouble, and the little girls kissed each 
 other good-night as affectionately as if such things as 
 
Good-by. 141 
 
 imported frocks, coupes, and rival brothers didn t 
 exist. 
 
 "Well, Polly, do you like parties?" asked Fan, 
 when the last guest was gone. 
 
 " Very much ; but I don t think it would be good 
 for me to go to many," answered Polly, slowly. 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " I should n t enjoy them if I did n t have a fine 
 dress, and dance all the thne, and be admired, and 
 all the rest of it." 
 
 " I did n t know you cared for such things," cried 
 Fanny, surprised. 
 
 " Neither did I till to-night ; but I do ; and as I 
 can t have em, it s lucky I m going home to-morrow." 
 
 " Oh, clear ! So you are ! What shall I do with 
 out my * sweet P., as Sydney calls you?" sighed 
 Fanny, bearing Polly away to be cuddled. 
 
 Every one echoed the exclamation next day ; and 
 many loving eyes followed the little figure in the drab 
 frock as it went quietly about, doing for the last time 
 the small services which would help to make its ab 
 sence keenly felt. Polly was to go directly after an 
 early dinner, and having packed her trunk, all but 
 one tray, she was told to go and take a run while 
 grandma finished. Polly suspected that some pleas 
 ant surprise was going to be put in ; for Fan did n t 
 offer to go with her, Maud kept dodging about with 
 something under her apron, and Tom had just whisked 
 into his mother s room in a mysterious manner. So, 
 Polly took the hint and went away, rejoicing in the 
 thought of the unknown treasures she was to carry 
 home. 
 
142 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Mr. Shaw had not said he should come home so 
 early, but Polly thought he might, and went to meet 
 him. Mr. Shaw did n t expect to see Polly, for he 
 had left her very busy, and now a light snow was fall 
 ing ; but, as he turned into the mall there was the 
 round hat, and under it the bright face, looking all the 
 rosier for being powdered with snow-flakes, as Polly 
 came running to meet him. 
 
 " There won t be any one to help the old gentleman 
 safely home to-morrow," he said, as Polly took his 
 hand in both hers with an affectionate squeeze. 
 
 " Yes, there will ; see if there isn t," cried Polly, 
 nodding and smiling, for Fan had confided to her that 
 she meant to try it after her friend had gone. 
 
 " I m glad of it. But, my dear, I want you to 
 promise that you will come and make us a visit every 
 winter, a good long one," said Mr. Shaw, patting 
 the blue mittens folded round his hand. 
 
 " If they can spare me from home, I d love to come 
 dearly." 
 
 " They must lend you for a little while, because you 
 do us all good, and we need you." 
 
 " Do I ? I don t see how ; but I m glad to hear 
 you say so," cried Polly, much touched. 
 
 " I can t tell you how, exactly ; but you brought 
 something into my house that makes it warmer and 
 pleasanter, and won t quite vanish, I hope, when you 
 go away, my child." 
 
 Polly had never heard Mr. Shaw speak like that 
 before, and did n t know what to say, she felt so proud 
 and happy at this proof of the truth of her mother s 
 words, when she said that " even a little girl could 
 
Good-by. 143 
 
 exert an influence, and do some good in this big, busy 
 world." She only gave her friend a grateful look 
 sweeter than any words, and they went on together, 
 hand in hand, through the " soft-falling snow." 
 
 If Polly could have seen what went into that top 
 tray, she would have been entirely overcome ; for 
 Fanny had told grandma about the poor little pres 
 ents she had once laughed at, and they had all laid 
 their heads together to provide something really fine 
 and appropriate for every member of the Milton fam 
 ily. Such a mine of riches ! and so much good-will, 
 affection, and kindly forethought was packed away in 
 the tempting bundles, that no one could feel offended, 
 but would find an unusual charm about the pretty 
 gifts that made them doubly welcome. I only know 
 that if Polly had suspected that a little watch was 
 ticking away in a little case, with her name on it, 
 inside that trunk, she never could have left it locked 
 as grandma advised, or have eaten her dinner so 
 quietly. As it was, her heart was very full, and the 
 tears rose to her eyes more than once, every one was 
 so kind, and so sorry to have her go. 
 
 Tom did n t need any urging to play escort now ; 
 and both Fan and Maud insisted on going too. Mrs. 
 Shaw forgot her nerves, and put up some gingerbread 
 with her own hands ; Mr. Shaw kissed Polly as if she 
 had been his dearest daughter ; and grandma held her 
 close, whispering in a tremulous tone, " My little 
 comfort, come again soon " ; while Katy waved her 
 apron from the nursery window, crying, as they drove 
 away, " The saints bless ye, Miss Polly, dear, and 
 sind ye the best of lucks ! " 
 
144 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 But the crowning joke of all was Tom s good-by ; 
 for, when Polly was fairly settled in the car, the last 
 " All aboard ! " uttered, and the train in motion, Tom 
 suddenly produced a knobby little bundle, and thrust 
 ing it in at the window, while he hung on in some 
 breakneck fashion, said, with a droll mixture of 
 fun and feeling in his face, 
 
 " It s horrid ; but you wanted it, so I put it in to 
 make you laugh. Good-by, Polly ; good-by, good- 
 by I" 
 
 The last adieu was a trifle husky, and Tom vanished 
 as it was uttered, leaving Polly to laugh over his part 
 ing souvenir till the tears ran down her cheeks. It 
 was a paper bag of peanuts, and poked down at the 
 very bottom a photograph of Tom. It was " horrid," 
 for he looked as if taken by a flash of lightning, so 
 black, wild, and staring was it ; but Polly liked it, 
 and whenever she felt a little pensive at parting with 
 tier friends, she took a peanut, or a peep at Tom s 
 funny picture, which made her merry again. 
 
 So the short journey came blithely to an end, and 
 m the twilight she saw a group of loving faces at the 
 door of a humble little house, which was more beauti 
 ful than any palace in her eyes, for it was home. 
 
CHAPTER VHL 
 
 SIX YEARS AFTERWARD. 
 
 , it T1TIIAT do you think Polly is going to do this 
 winter ? " exclaimed Fanny, looking up from 
 the letter she had been eagerly reading. 
 
 " Going to deliver lectures on Woman s Rights," 
 said the young gentleman who was carefully examin 
 ing his luxuriant crop of decidedly auburn hair, as 
 he lounged with both elbows on the chimney-piece. 
 
 " Going to set her cap for some young minister and 
 marry him in the spring," added Mrs. Shaw, whose 
 mind ran a good deal upon match-making just now. 
 
 " I think she is going to stay at home, and do all 
 the work, cause servants cost so much ; it would be 
 just like her," observed Maud, who could pronounce 
 the letter R now. 
 
 " It s my opinion she is going to open a school, or 
 something of that sort, to help those brothers of hers 
 along," said Mr. Shaw, who had put down his paper 
 at the sound of Polly s name. 
 
 44 Every one of you wrong, though papa comes 
 nearest the truth," cried Fanny ; " she is going to give 
 music lessons, and support herself, so that Will may 
 go to college. He is the studious one, and Polly is 
 
 10 
 
146 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 very proud of him. Ned, the other brother, has a 
 business talent, and don t care for books, so he has 
 gone out West, and will make his own way anywhere. 
 Polly says she is n t needed at home now, the family is 
 so small, and Kitty can take her place nicely ; so she 
 is actually going to earn her own living, and hand 
 over her share of the family income to Will. What a 
 martyr that girl does make of herself," and Fanny 
 looked as solemn as if Polly had proposed some awful 
 self-sacrifice. 
 
 " She is a sensible, brave-hearted girl, and I respect 
 her for doing it," said Mr. Shaw, emphatically. "One 
 never knows what may happen, and it does no harm 
 for young people to learn to be independent." 
 
 " If she is as pretty as she was last time I saw her, 
 she 11 get pupils fast enough. I would n t mind tak 
 ing lessons myself," was the gracious observation of 
 Shaw, jr., as he turned from the mirror, with the sooth 
 ing certainty that his objectionable hair" actually 
 was growing darker. 
 
 " She would n t take you at any price," said Fanny, 
 remembering Polty s look of disappointment and dis 
 approval when she came on her last visit and found 
 him an unmistakable dandy. 
 
 " You just wait and see," was the placid reply. 
 
 " If Polly does carry out her plan, I wish Maud to 
 take lessons of her ; Fanny can do as she likes, but it 
 would please me very much to have one of my girls 
 sing as Polly sings. It suits old people better than 
 your opera things, and mother used to enjoy it so 
 much." 
 
 As he spoke, Mr. Shaw s eye turned toward the 
 
Six Years Afterward. 147 
 
 corner of the fire where grandma used to sit. The 
 easy chair was empty now, the kind old face was, 
 gone, and nothing but a very tender memory re 
 mained. 
 
 " I d like to learn, papa, and Polly is a splendid 
 teacher, I know ; she s always so patient, and makes 
 everything so pleasant. I do hope she will get schol 
 ars enough to begin right away," said Maud. 
 
 "When is she coming?" asked Mrs. Shaw, quite 
 willing to help Polly, but privately resolving that Maud 
 should be finished off by the most fashionable master 
 in the city. 
 
 ." She does n t say. She thanks me for asking her 
 here, as usual, but says she shall go right to work, and 
 had better begin with her own little room at once. 
 Won t it seem strange to have Polly in town, and 
 yet not with us ? " * 
 
 "We ll get her somehow. The little room will 
 cost something, and she can stay with us just as well 
 as not, even if she does teach. Tell her I say so/ 
 said Mr. Shaw. 
 
 " She won t come, I know ; for if she undertakes to 
 be independent, she ll do it in the most thorough 
 manner," answered Fanny, and Mrs. Shaw sincerely 
 hoped she would. It was all very well to patronize 
 the little music teacher, but it was not so pleasant to 
 have her settled in the family. 
 
 " I shall do what I can for her among my fiends, 
 and I dare say she will get on very well with young 
 pupils to begin with. If she starts right, puts her 
 terms high enough, and gets a few good names to 
 give her the entree into our first families, I don t 
 
148 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 doubt she will do nicely, for I must say Polly has the 
 manners of a lady," observed Mrs. Shaw. 
 
 " She s a might} 7 " taking little body, and I m glad 
 she s to be in town, though I d like it better if she 
 didn t bother about teaching, but just sta3 ed here and 
 enjoyed herself," said Tom, lazily. 
 
 " I ve no doubt she would feel highly honored to be 
 allowed to devote her time to your amusement ; but 
 she can t afford expensive luxuries, and she don t ap 
 prove of flirting, so you will have to let her go her 
 own way, and refresh herself with such glimpses of 
 you as her engagements permit," answered Fannj r , in 
 the sarcastic tone which was becoming habitual to her. 
 
 " You are getting to be a regular old maid, Fan ; 
 as sharp as a lemon, and twice as sour," returned 
 Tom, looking down at her with an air of calm supe 
 riority. 
 
 " Do be quiet, children ; you know I can t bear any 
 thing like contention. Maud, give me my Shetland 
 shawl, and put a cushion at my back." 
 
 As Maud obeyed her mother, with a reproving look 
 at her erring brother and sister, a pause followed, for 
 which every one seemed grateful. They were sitting 
 about the fire after dinner, and all looked as if a lit 
 tle sunshine would do them good. It had been a dull 
 November day, but all of a sudden the clouds lifted, 
 and a bright ray shot into the room. Every one 
 turned involuntarily to welcome it, and every one 
 cried out, " Why, Polly ! " for there on the threshold 
 stood a bright-faced girl, smiling as if there was no 
 such thing as November weather in the world. 
 
 " You dear thing, when did you come ? " cried 
 
Six Years Afterward. 149 
 
 Fanny, kissing both the blooming cheeks with real 
 affection, while the rest hovered near, waiting for a 
 chance. 
 
 " I came yesterdaj^ and have been getting my nest 
 in order ; but I could n t keep away any longer, so I 
 ran up to say 4 IIow do you do? "answered Polly, in 
 the cheery voice that did one s heart good to hear. 
 
 " My Polly always brings the sunshine with her," 
 and Mr. Shaw held out his hands to his little friend, 
 for she was his favorite still. 
 
 It was good to see her put both arms about his 
 neck, and give him a tender kiss, that said a great 
 deal, for grandma had died since Polly met him last, 
 and she longed to comfort him, seeing how gray and 
 old he had grown. 
 
 IT Tom had had any thoughts of following his 
 father s example, something in Polly s manner made 
 him change his mind, and shake hands with a hearty 
 " 1 m very glad to see you, Polly," adding to himself, 
 as he looked at the face in the modest little bonnet : 
 " Prettier than ever, by Jove ! " 
 
 There was something more than mere prettiness in 
 Polly s face, though Tom had not learned to see it 
 yet. The blue eyes were clear and steady, the fresh 
 mouth frank and sweet, the white chin was a very 
 firm one in spite of the dimple, and the smooth fore 
 head under the little curls had a broad, benevolent 
 arch ; while all about the face were those unmistakable 
 lines and curves which can make even a plain coun 
 tenance comely, by breathing into it the beauty of a 
 lovely character. Polly had grown up, but she had 
 no more style now than in the days of the round hat 
 
150 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 and rough coat, for she was all in gray, like a young 
 Quakeress, with no ornament but a blue bow at the 
 throat and another in the hair. Yet the plain suit 
 became her excellently, and one never thought of the 
 dress, looking at the active figure that wore it, for the 
 freedom of her childhood gave to Polly that good 
 gift, health, and every movement was full of the vigor, 
 grace, and ease, which - nothing else can so surely 
 bestow. A happy soul in a healthy body is a rare 
 sight in these days, when doctors flourish and every 
 one is ill, and this pleasant union was the charm 
 which Polly possessed without knowing it. 
 
 "It does seem so good to have you here again, " 
 said Maud, cuddling Polly s cold hand, as she sat at 
 her feet, when she was fairly established between Fan 
 ny and Mr. Shaw, while Tom leaned on the back of 
 his mother s chair, and enjoyed the prospect. 
 
 " Flow do you get on? When do you begin? 
 Where is your nest ? Now tell all about it," began 
 Fanny, who was full of curiosity about the new plan. 
 
 " I shall get on very well, I think, for I ve got 
 twelve scholars to begin with, all able to pay a good 
 price, and I shall give my first lesson on Monday." 
 
 "Don t you dread it?" asked Fanny. 
 
 " Not much ; why should I ?" answered Polly, stoutly. 
 
 " Well, I don t know ; it s a new thing, and must 
 be a little bit hard at first," stammered Fanny, not 
 liking to say that working for one s living seemed 
 a dreadful hardship to her. 
 
 44 It will be tiresome, of course, but I shall get used 
 to it ; I shall like the exercise, and the new people and 
 places I must see will amuse me. Then the indepeu- 
 
Six Years Afterward. 151 
 
 dence will be delightful, and if I can save a little to 
 help Kitty along with, that will be best of all." 
 
 Polly s face shone as if the prospect was full of 
 pleasure instead of work, and the hearty good will 
 with which she undertook the new task, seemed to 
 dignif} T her humble hopes and plans, and make them 
 interesting in the sight of others. 
 
 " Who have you got for pupils?" asked Mrs. Shaw, 
 forgetting her nerves for a minute. 
 
 Polly named her list, and took a secret satisfaction 
 in seeing the impression which certain names made 
 upon her hearers. 
 
 " How in the world did you get the Davenports 
 and the Greys, my dear?" said Mrs. Shaw, sitting 
 erect in her surprise. 
 
 "Mrs. Davenport and mother are relations, you 
 know." 
 
 " You never told us that before ! " 
 
 " The Davenports have been away some years, arid 
 I forgot all about them. But when I was making my 
 plan, I knew I must have a good name or two to set me 
 going, so I just wrote and asked Mrs. D. if she would 
 help me. She came and saw us and was very kind, 
 and has got these pupils for me, like a dear, good 
 woman as she is." 
 
 " Where did you learn so much worldly wisdom, 
 Polly?" asked Mr. Shaw, as his wife fell back in her 
 chair, and took out her salts, as if this discovery had 
 been too much for her. 
 
 " I learnt it here, sir," answered Polly, laughing. 
 " I used to think patronage and things of that sort 
 very disagreeable and not worth having, but I ve got 
 
152 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 wiser, and to a certain extent I m glad to use what 
 ever advantages I have in m^ power, if they can be 
 honestly got." 
 
 " Why did n t you let us help you in the beginning ? 
 We should have been very glad to, I m sure," put in 
 Mrs. Shaw, who quite burned to be known as a joint 
 patroness with Mrs. Davenport. 
 
 " I know you would, but you have all been so kind 
 to me I did n t want to trouble you with my little 
 plans till the first steps were taken. Besides, I 
 did n t know as you would like to recommend me as 
 a teacher, though you like me well enough as plain 
 Polly." 
 
 u My dear, of course I would, and we want you to 
 take Maud at once, and teach her your sweet songs. 
 She has a fine voice, and is really suffering for a 
 teacher." 
 
 A slight smile passed over Polly s face as she re 
 turned her thanks for the new pupil, for she remem 
 bered a time when Mrs. Shaw considered her " sweet 
 songs" quite unfit for a fashionable young lady s 
 repertoire. 
 
 "Where is your room?" asked Maud. 
 
 " My old friend Miss Mills has taken me in, and 1 
 am nicely settled. Mother did n t like the idea of my 
 going to a strange boarding-house, so Miss Mills 
 kindly made a place for me. You know she lets her 
 rooms without board, but she is going to give me my 
 dinners, and I m to get my own breakfast and tea, 
 quite independently. I like that way, and it s ver^ 
 little trouble, my habits are so simple ; a bowl of bread 
 a lid milk night and morning, with baked apples or 
 
Six Years Afterward. 153 
 
 something of that sort, is all I want, and I can have 
 it when I like." 
 
 " Is your room comfortably furnished ? Can t we lend 
 you anything, my dear? An easy chair now, or a 
 little couch, so necessary when one comes in tired," 
 said Mrs. Shaw, taking unusual interest in the affair. 
 
 " Thank you, but I don t need anything, for I 
 brought all sorts of home comforts with me. Oh, 
 Fan, you ought to have seen my triumphal entry into 
 the city, sitting among my goods and chattels, in a 
 farmer s cart." Polly s laugh was so infectious that 
 every one smiled and forgot to be shocked at her 
 performance. " Yes." she added, " I kept wishing 1 
 could meet you, just to" see your horrified fa.ce when 
 you saw me sitting on my little sofa, with boxes and 
 bundles all round me, a bird-cage on one side, a fish 
 ing basket, with a kitten s head popping in and out of 
 the hole, on the other side, and jolly old Mr. Brown, 
 in his blue frock, perched on a keg of apples in front. 
 It was a lovely bright day, and I enjoyed the ride im 
 mensely, for we had all sorts of adventures." 
 
 " Oh, tell about it," begged Maud, when the genera] 
 laugh at Polly s picture had subsided. 
 
 " Well, in the first place, we forgot my ivy, and Kit 
 ty came running after me, with it. Then we started 
 again, but werelsoon stopped by a great shouting, and 
 there was Will racing down the hill, waving a pillow 
 in one hand and a squash pie in the other. How we did 
 laugh when he came up and explained that our neigh 
 bor, old Mrs. Dodd. had sent in a hop-pillow for me, in 
 case of headache, and a pie to begin house-keeping 
 with. She seemed so disappointed at being too Itite 
 
154 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 that Will promised to get them to me, if he ran all 
 the way to town. The pillow was easily disposed of, 
 but that pie ! I do believe it was stowed in every 
 part of the wagon, and never staid air^where. ! found 
 it in my lap ; then on the floor ; next, upside down 
 among the books ; then just on the point of coasting 
 off a trunk into the road, and at last it landed in my 
 rocking-chair. Such a remarkable pie as it was, too, 
 for in spite of all its wanderings, it never got spilt or 
 broken, and we finally ate it for lunch, in order to be 
 left in peace. Next, my kitty got away, and I had a 
 chase over walls and brooks before I got her, while 
 Mr. Brown sat shaking with fun, to see me run. "We 
 finished off by having the book-shelves tumble on our 
 heads as we went down a hill, and losing my chair 
 off behind, as we went up a hill. A shout made us 
 pause, and, looking back, there was the poor little 
 chair rocking all by itself in the middle of the road, 
 while a small boy sat on the fence and whooped. It 
 was great fun, I do assure you." 
 
 Polly had run on in her lively way, not because she 
 thought her adventures amounted to much, but from a 
 wish to cheer up her friends, who had struck her as 
 looking rather dull and out of sorts, especially Mr. 
 Shaw ; and when she saw him lean back in his chair 
 with the old hearty laugh, she wa* satisfied, and 
 blessed the unlucky pie for amusing him. 
 
 " Oh, Polly, you do tell such interesting things ! " 
 sighed Maud, wiping her eyes. 
 
 " I wish I d met you, I f d have given you three 
 cheers and a tiger, for it must have been an imposing 
 spectacle," said Tom. 
 
Six Years Afterward. 155 
 
 "No, you wouldn t; you d have whisked round 
 the corner when you saw me coming, or have stared 
 straight before you, utterly unconscious of the young 
 woman in the baggage wagon." 
 
 Polly laughed in his face just as she used to do, 
 when she said that, and, in spite of the doubt cast 
 upon his courtesy, Tom rather liked it, though he had 
 nothing to say for himself but a reproachful, . 
 
 " Now, Polly, that s too bad." 
 
 " True, nevertheless. You must come and see my 
 pets, Maud, for my cat and bird live together as 
 happily as brother and sister," said Polly, turning to 
 Maud, who devoured every word she said. 
 
 "That s not saying much for them," muttered 
 Tom, feeling that Polly ought to address more of her 
 conversation to him. 
 
 "Polly knows what she s talking about; her 
 brothers appreciate their sisters," observed Fanny, 
 in her sharp tone. 
 
 " And Polly appreciates her brothers, don t forget 
 to add that, ma am," answered Tom. 
 
 "Did I tell you that Will was going to college?" 
 broke in Polly, to avert the rising storm. 
 
 "Hope he ll enjoy himself," observed Tom, with 
 the air of a man who had passed through all the mys 
 teries, and reached that state of sublime indifference 
 which Juniors seem to pride themselves upon. 
 
 " I think he will, he is so fond of study, and is so 
 anxious to improve every opportunity. I only hope 
 he won t overwork and get sick, as so many boys 
 do," said simple Polly, with such a respectful belief 
 in the eager thirst for knowledge of collegians as a 
 
156 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 class, that Tom regarded the deluded girl with a smile 
 of lofty pity, from the heights of his vast and varied 
 experience. 
 
 " Guess he won t hurt himself. I 11 see that he 
 don t study too hard." And Tom s eyes twinkled as 
 they used to do, when he planned his boyish pranks. 
 
 " I m afraid you can t be trusted as a guide, if va 
 rious rumors I Ve heard are true," said Polly, looking 
 up at him with a wistful expression, that caused his 
 face to assume the sobriety of an owl s. 
 
 " Base slanders ; I m as steady as a clock, an orna 
 ment to my class, and a model young man, ain t I, 
 mother?" And Tom patted her thin cheek with a 
 caressing hand, sure of one firm friend in her ; for 
 when he ceased to be a harum-scarum boy, Mrs. Shaw 
 began to take great pride in her son, and he, missing 
 grandma, tried to fill her place with his feeble mother. 
 
 " Yes, dear, you are all I could ask," and Mrs. 
 Shaw looked up at him with such affection and con 
 fidence in her eyes, that Polly gave Tom the first ap 
 proving look she had vouchsafed him since she came. 
 
 Why Tom should look troubled and turn grave all 
 at once, she could n t understand, but she liked to see 
 him stroke his mother s cheek so softly, as he stood 
 with his head resting on the high back of her chair, 
 for Polly fancied that he felt a man s pity for her 
 weakness, and was learning a son s patient love for a 
 mother who had had much to bear with him. 
 
 " I m so glad you are going to be here all winter, 
 for we are to be very gay, and I shall enjoy taking 
 you round with me," began Fanny, forgetting Polly s 
 plan for a moment. 
 
Six Years Afterward. 157 
 
 Polly shook her head decidedly. " It sounds very 
 nice, but it can t be done, Fan, for I ve come to work, 
 not play ; to save, not spend ; and parties will be quite 
 out of the question for me." 
 
 " You don t intend to work all the time, without a 
 bit of fun, I hope," cried Fanny, dismayed at the idea. 
 
 " I mean to do what I Ve undertaken, and not to be 
 tempted away from my purpose by anything. I 
 should n t be fit to give lessons if I was up late, should 
 I ? And how far would my earnings go towards dress, 
 carriages, and all the little expenses which would come 
 if I set up for a young lad} in society ? I can t do 
 both, and 1 m not going to try, but I can pick up bits 
 of fun as I go along, and be contented with free con 
 certs and lectures, seeing you pretty often, and every 
 Sunday Will is to spend with me, so I shall have quite 
 as much dissipation as is good for me." 
 
 " If you don t come to my parties, I 11 never for 
 give you," said Fanny, as Polly paused, while Tom 
 chuckled inwardly at the idea of calling visits from a 
 brother " dissipation." 
 
 " Any small party, where it will do to wear a plain 
 black silk, I can come to ; but the big ones must n t be 
 thought of, thank you." 
 
 It was charming to see the resolution of Polly s 
 face when she said that ; for she knew her weakness, 
 and beyond that black silk she had determined not to 
 go. Fanny said no more, for she felt quite sure that 
 Polly would relent when the time came, and she 
 planned to give her a pretty dress for a Christmas 
 present, so that one excuse should be removed. 
 
 " I say, Polly, won t you give some of us fellows 
 
158 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 music lessons? Somebody wants me to play, and I d 
 rather learn of you than any Senor Twankydillo," 
 said Tom, who did n t find the conversation interest 
 ing. 
 
 4 Oh, yes ; if any of you boys honestly want to 
 learn, and will behave yourselves, I 11 take you ; but 
 I shall charge extra," answered Polly, with a wicked 
 sparkle of the eye, though her face was quite sober, 
 and her tone delightfully business-like, 
 
 " Why, Polly, Tom is n t a boy ; he s twenty, and 
 he says I must treat him with respect. Besides, he s 
 engaged, and does put on such airs," broke in Maud, 
 who regarded her brother as a venerable being. 
 
 "Who is the little girl?" asked Polly, taking the 
 news as a joke. 
 
 "Trix; why, didn t you know it?" answered 
 Maud, as if it had been an event of national import 
 ance. 
 
 "No! is it true, Fan?" and Polly turned to her 
 friend with a face full of surprise, while Tom struck 
 an imposing attitude, and affected absence of mind. 
 
 " I forgot to tell you in my last letter ; it s just out, 
 and we don t like it very well," observed Fanny, who 
 would have preferred to be engaged first herself. 
 
 " It s a very nice thing, and J am perfectly satis 
 fied," announced Mrs. Shaw, rousing from a slight 
 doze. 
 
 " Polly looks as if she did n t believe it. Have ir t 
 I the appearance of 4 the happiest man alive ? " asked 
 Tom, wondering if it could be pity which he saw in 
 the steady eyes fixed on him. 
 
 " No, I don t think you have," she said, slowly. 
 
Six Years Afterward. 159 
 
 " How the deuce should a man look, then ? " cried 
 Tom, rather nettled at her sober reception of the grand 
 news. 
 
 " As if he had learned to care for some one a great 
 deal more than for himself," answered Polly, with 
 sudden color in her cheeks, and a sudden softening of 
 the voice, as her eyes turned away from Tom, who was 
 the picture of a complacent dandy, from the topmost 
 curl of his auburn head, to the tips of his aristocratic 
 boots. 
 
 " Tommy s quenched ; I agree with you Polly ; I 
 never liked Trix, and I hope it s only a boy-and-girl 
 fancy, that will soon die a natural death," said Mr. 
 Shaw, who seemed to find it difficult to help falling 
 into a brown study, in spite of the lively chatter 
 going on about him. 
 
 Shaw, Jr., being highly incensed at the disrespect 
 ful manner in which his engagement was treated, 
 tried to assume a superb air of indifference, and find 
 ing that a decided failure, was about to stroll out of 
 the room with a comprehensive nod, when his mother 
 called after him : 
 
 14 Where are you going, dear? " 
 " To see Trix, of course. Good-by, Polly," and 
 Mr. Thomas departed, hoping that by the skilful 
 change of tone, from ardent impatience to conde 
 scending coolness, he had impressed one hearer al 
 least with the fact that he regarded Trix as the stai 
 of his existence, and Polly as a presuming little chit. 
 If he could have heard her laugh, and Fanny s 
 remarks, his wrath would have boiled over; for 
 tunately he was spared the trial, and went away hop- 
 
160 An Olct-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 ing that the coquetries of his Trix would make him 
 forget Polly s look when she answered his question. 
 
 " My dear, that boy is the most deluded creature 
 you over saw," began Fanny, as soon as the front 
 door banged. " Belle and Trix both tried to catch 
 him, and the slyest got him ; for, in spite of his airs, 
 he is as soft-hearted as a baby. You see Trix has 
 broken off two engagements ahead} 7 ", and the third 
 time she got jilted herself. Such a fuss as she made ! 
 I declare, it really was absurd. But I do think she 
 felt it very much, for she would n t go out at all, and 
 got thin, and pale, and blue, and was really quite 
 touching. I pitied her, and had her here a good deal, 
 and Tom took her part ; he always does stand up for 
 the crushed ones, and that s good of him, I allow. 
 Well, she did the forsaken very prettily ; let Tom 
 amuse her, and led him on till the poor fellow lost his 
 wits, and finding her crying one day (about her hat, 
 which was n t becoming) , he thought she was mourn 
 ing fpr Mr. Banks, and so, to comfort her, the goose 
 proposed. That was all she wanted ; she snapped 
 him up at once, and there he is in a nice scrape ; for 
 since her engagement she is as gay as ever, flirts 
 awfully with any one who comes along, and keeps 
 Tom in a fume all the time. I really don t think he 
 cares for her half as much as he makes believe, but 
 he 11 stand by her through thick and thin, rather than 
 do as Banks did." 
 
 " Poor Tom ! " was all Polly said, when Fan had 
 poured the story into her ear, as they sat whispering 
 in the sofa corner. 
 
 " My only consolation is that Trix will break off 
 
Six Years Afterward. 161 
 
 the affair before spring ; she always does, so that she 
 may be free for the summer campaign. It won t hurt 
 Tom, but I hate to have him make a fool of himself 
 out of pity, for he is more of a man than he seems, 
 and I don t want any one to plague him." 
 
 " No one but yourself," said Polly, smiling. 
 
 " Well, that s all fair ; he is a torment sometimes, 
 but I m rather fond of him in spite of it. I get so 
 tired of the other fellows, they are such absurd things, 
 and when Tom is in his good mood he is very nice 
 and quite refreshing." 
 
 " I m glad to hear it," said Polly, making a -mental 
 note of the fact. 
 
 " Yes, and when grandma was ill he was perfectly 
 devoted. I did n t know the boy had so much gentle 
 ness in him. He took her death sadly to heart, for, 
 though he did n t say much, he was very grave and 
 steady for a long time. I tried to comfort him, and 
 we had two or three real sweet little talks together, 
 and seemed to get acquainted for the first time. It 
 was very nice, but it didn t last; good times never do 
 with us. We soon got back into the old way, and now 
 we hector one another just as before." 
 
 Fanny sighed, then yawned, and fell into her usual 
 listless attitude, as if the brief excitement of Polly s 
 coming had begun to subside. 
 
 " Walk home with me and see my funny little room. 
 It s bright now, and the air will do you good. Come, 
 both of you, and have a frolic as we used to," said 
 Polly, for the red sunset now burning in the west 
 seemed to invite them out. 
 
 They agreed, and soon the three were walking 
 11 
 
1 62 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 briskly away to Polly s new home, in a quiet street, 
 where a few old trees rustled in the summer, and the 
 morning sun shone pleasantly in winter time. 
 
 " The way into my parlor 
 Is up a winding stair," 
 
 sang Polly, running up two flights of broad, old- 
 fashioned steps, and opening the door of a back room, 
 out of which streamed the welcome glow of firelight. 
 
 " These are my pets, Maud," she added, pausing 
 on the threshold, and beckoning the girls to look in 
 quietly. 
 
 On the rug, luxuriously basking in the warmth, lay 
 a gray kitten, and close by, meditatively roosting on 
 one leg, stood a plump canary, who cocked his bright 
 eye at the new comers, gave a loud chirp as if to 
 wake his comrade, and then flew straight to Polly s 
 shoulder, where he broke into a joyful song to wel 
 come his mistress home. 
 
 " Allow me to introduce my family," said Poll} 7 " ; 
 " this noisy little chap the boys named Nicodemus ; 
 and this dozy cat is called Ashputtel, because the joy 
 of her life is to get among the cinders. Now, take 
 off your things, and let me do the honors, for you are 
 to stop to tea, and the carriage is to come for you at 
 eight. I arranged it with your mother while you 
 were up stairs." 
 
 " I want to see everything" said Maud, when the 
 hats were off, and the hands warmed. 
 
 " So you shall ; for I think my housekeeping ar 
 rangements will amuse you." 
 
 Then Polly showed her kingdom, and the three had 
 
Six Years Afterward. 163 
 
 a merry time over it. The big piano took up so much 
 room there was no place for a bed ; but Polly proudly 
 displayed the resources of her chintz-covered couch, 
 for the back let down, the seat lifted up, and inside 
 were all the pillows and blankets. " So convenient, 
 you see, and yet out of the way in the daytime, for 
 two or three of my pupils come to me," explained 
 Polly. 
 
 Then there was a bright drugget over the faded 
 carpet, the little rocking-chair and sewing-table stood 
 at one window, the ivy ran all over the other, and hid 
 the banqueting performances which went on in that 
 corner. Book-shelves hung over the sofa, a picture 
 or two on the walls, and a great vase of autumn 
 leaves and grasses beautified the low chimney-piece. 
 It was a very humble little room, but Polly had done 
 her best to make it pleasant, and it already had a 
 home-like look, with the cheery fire, and the household 
 pets chirping and purring confidingly on the rug. 
 
 " How nice it is ! " exclaimed Maud, as she 
 emerged from the big closet where Polly kept her 
 stores. " Such a cunning teakettle and saucepan, 
 and a tete-a-tete set, and lots of good things to eat. 
 Do have toast for tea, Polly, and let me make it with 
 the new toasting fork ; it s such fun to play cook." 
 
 Fanny was not so enthusiastic as her sister, for her 
 eyes saw many traces of what seemed like poverty to 
 her ; but Polly was so gay, so satisfied with her small 
 establishment, so full of happy hopes and plans, that 
 her friend had not the heart to find a fault or suggest 
 an improvement, and sat where she was told, laugh 
 ing and talking while the others got tea. 
 
164 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 This will be a country supper, girls," said Polly, 
 bustling about. " Here is real cream, brown bread, 
 home-made cake, and honey from my own beehives. 
 Mother fitted me out with such a supply, I m glad 
 to have a part}-, for I can t eat it all quick enough. 
 Butter the toast, Maudie, and put that little cover 
 over it. Tell me when the kettle boils, and don t step 
 on Nicoderaus, whatever you do." 
 
 " What a capital house-keeper you will make some 
 day," said Fanny, as she watched Polly spread her 
 table with a neatness and despatch which was pleasant 
 to behold. 
 
 " Yes, it s good practice," laughed Polly, filling her 
 tiny teapot, and taking her place behind the tray, 
 with a matronly air, which was the best joke of the 
 whole. 
 
 " This is the most delicious party I ever went to," 
 observed Maud, with her mouth full of honey, when 
 the feast was well under way. " I do wish I could 
 have a nice room like this, and a cat and a bird that 
 wouldn t eat each other up, and a dear little tea 
 kettle, and make just as much toast as I like." 
 
 Such a peal of laughter greeted Maud s pensive 
 aspiration, that Miss Mills smiled over her solitary 
 cup of tea, and little Nick burst into a perfect ecstasy 
 of song, as he sat on the sugar-bowl helping nirn- 
 self. 
 
 tk I don t care for the toast and the kettle, but I do 
 envy j r ou your good spirits, Polly," said Fanny, as 
 the merriment subsided. " I m so tired of every 
 body and everything, it seems sometimes as if I should 
 iie of ennui. Don t you ever ft el so ? " 
 
Six Years Afterward. 165 
 
 " Things worry me sometimes, but I just catch up 
 a broom and sweep, or wash hard, or walk, or go at 
 something with all my might, and I usually find that 
 by the time I get through the worry is gone, or I ve 
 got courage enough to bear it without grumbling," 
 answered Polly, cutting the brown loaf energetically. 
 
 " I can t do those things, you know ; there s no 
 need of it, and I don t think they M cure my worry 
 ing," said Fanny, languidly feeding Ashputtel, who 
 sat decorously beside her at the table, winking at the 
 cream pot. 
 
 " A little poverty would do you good, Fan ; just 
 enough necessity to keep you busy till you find how 
 good work is ; and when you once learn that, you 
 won t complain of ennui any more," returned Polly, 
 who had taken kindly the hard lesson which twenty 
 3 r ears of cheerful poverty had taught her. 
 
 " Mercy, no, I should hate that ; but I wish some 
 one would invent a new amusement for rich people. 
 I in dead sick of parties, and flirtations, trying to out- 
 dress my neighbors, and going the same round year 
 after year, like a squirrel in a cage." 
 
 Fanny s tone was bitter as well as discontented, 
 her face sad as well as listless, and Polly had an in 
 stinctive feeling that some trouble, more real than any 
 she had ever known before, was lying heavy at her 
 friend s heart. That was not the time to speak of it, 
 but Polly resolved to stand ready to offer sympathy, 
 if nothing more, whenever the confidential minute 
 came ; and her manner was so kind, so comfortable, 
 that Fanny felt its silent magic, grew more cheerful 
 In the quiet atmosphere of that little room, and when 
 
1 66 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 they said good-night, after an old-time gossip by the 
 fire, she kissed her hostess warmly, saying, with a 
 grateful look, 
 
 " Polly, dear, I shall come often, you do me so 
 much good." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 LESSONS. 
 
 rjlHE first few weeks were hard ones, for Polly had 
 not yet outgrown her natural shyness, and going 
 among so many strangers caused her frequent panics. 
 But her purpose gave her courage, and when the ice was 
 once broken, her little pupils quickly learned to love 
 her. The novelty soon wore off, and though she thought 
 she was prepared for drudgery, she found it very 
 tedious to go on doing the same thing day after day. 
 Then she was lonely, for Will could only come once a 
 week, her leisure hours were Fanny s busiest, and the 
 " bits of pleasure " were so few and far between that 
 they only tantalized her. Even her small housekeep 
 ing lost its charms, for Polly was a social creature, 
 and the solitary meals were often sad ones. Ashput- 
 tel and Nick did their best to cheer her, but they, too, 
 seemed to pine for country freedom and home atmos 
 phere. Poor Puttel, after gazing wistfully out of the 
 window at the gaunt city cats skulking about the yard, 
 would retire to the rug, and curl herself up as if all 
 hope of finding congenial society had failed ; while lit 
 tle Nick would sing till he vibrated on his perch, with 
 out recuving any response except an inquisitive chirp 
 
1 68 An Old-Fashioned Girl 
 
 from the pert sparrows, who seemed to twit him with 
 his captivity. Yes, by the time the little teakettle 
 had lost its brightness, Polly had decided that getting 
 one s living was no joke, and many of her brilliant 
 hopes had shared the fate of the little kettle. 
 
 If one could only make the sacrifice all at once, and 
 done with it, then it would seem easier ; but to keep up 
 a daily sacrifice of one s wishes, tastes, and pleasures, 
 is rather a hard task, especially when one is pretty, 
 young, and gay. Lessons all day, a highly instructive 
 lecture, books over a solitary fire, or music with no 
 audience but a sleepy cat and a bird with his head 
 tucked under his wing, for evening entertainment, was 
 not exactly what might be called festive ; so, in spite of 
 her brave resolutions, Polly did long for a little fun 
 sometimes, and after saying virtuously to herself at 
 nine : " Yes, it is much wiser and better for me to go 
 to bed early, and be ready for work to-morrow," she 
 would lie awake hearing the carriages roll to and fro, 
 and imagining the gay girls inside, going to party, 
 opera, or play, till Mrs. Dodd s hop pillow might 
 as well have been stuffed with nettles, for any sleep it 
 brought, or any use it was, except to catch and hide 
 the tears that dropped on it when Polly s heart was 
 very full. 
 
 Another thorn that wounded our Polly in her first 
 attempt to make her way through the thicket that 
 always bars a woman s progress, was the discovery that 
 working for a living shuts a good many doors in one s 
 face even in democratic America. As Fanny s guest 
 she had been, in spite of poverty, kindly received where 
 ever her friend took her, both as child and woman. 
 
Lessons. 169 
 
 Now, things were changed ; the kindly people patron 
 ized, the careless forgot all about her, and even 
 Fanny, with all her affection, felt that Polly the music 
 teacher would not be welcome in many places where 
 Polly the young lady had been accepted as " Miss 
 Shaw s friend." 
 
 Some of the girls still nodded amiably, but never 
 invited her to visit them ; others merely dropped 
 their eyelids, and went by without speaking, while a 
 good many ignored her as entirely as if she had been 
 invisible. These things hurt Polly more than she 
 would confess, for at home every one worked, and 
 every one was respected for it. She tried not to care, 
 but girls feel little slights keenly, and more than once 
 Polly was severely tempted to give up her plan, and 
 run away to the safe shelter at home. 
 
 Fanny never failed to ask her to every sort of fes 
 tivity in the Shaw mansion ; but after a few trials, 
 Polly firmly declined everything but informal visits 
 when the family were alone. She soon found that 
 even the new black silk was n t fine enough for Fanny s 
 smallest party, and, after receiving a, few of the 
 expressive glances by which women convey their 
 opinion of their neighbor s toilet, and overhearing 
 a joke or two " about that inevitable dress," and " the 
 little blackbird," Polly folded^, away the once treas 
 ured frock, saying, with a choke in her voice : 
 
 " I 11 wear it for Will, he likes it, and clothes can t 
 change his love for me." 
 
 I am afraid the wholesome sweetness of Polly s na 
 ture was getting a little soured by these troubles ; but 
 before- lasting harm was done, she received, from aa 
 
170 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 unexpected source, some of the real help which teaches 
 young people how to bear these small crosses, by 
 showing them the heavier ones they have escaped, and 
 by giving them an idea of the higher pleasures one 
 may earn in the good old-fashioned ways that keep 
 hearts sweet, heads sane, hands busy. 
 
 Everybody has their days of misfortune like little 
 Rosamond, and Polly was beginning to think she had 
 more than her share. One of these ended in a way 
 which influenced her whole life, and so we will record 
 it. It began early ; for the hard-hearted little grate 
 would n t behave itself till she had used up a ruinous 
 quantity of kindlings. Then she scalded poor Puttel 
 by upsetting her coffee-pot ; and instead of a leisurely, 
 cosy meal, had to hurry away uncomfortably, for 
 everything went wrong even to the coming off of both 
 bonnet strings in the last dreadful scramble. Being 
 late, she of course forgot her music, and hurrying back 
 for it, fell into a puddle, which capped the climax of 
 her despair. 
 
 Such a trying morning as that was ! Polly felt out 
 of tune herself, and all the pianos seemed to need a 
 tuner as much as she did. The pupils were unusually 
 stupid, and two of them announced that their mamma 
 was going to take them to the South, whither she was 
 suddenly called. This was a blow, for they had just 
 begun, and Polly had n t" the face to send in a bill 
 for a whole quarter, though her plans and calculations 
 were sadly disturbed by the failure of that sum. 
 
 Trudging home to dinner, tired and disappointed, 
 poor Polly received another blow, which hurt her 
 more than the loss of all her pupils. As she went hur- 
 
Lessons. 171 
 
 rying along with a big music book in one hand and a pa 
 per bag of rolls for tea in the other, she saw Tom and 
 Trix coming. As she watched them while they slowly 
 approached, looking so gay and handsome and happy, it 
 seemed to Polly as if all the sunshine and good walk 
 ing was on their side of the street, all the wintry wind 
 and mud on hers. Longing to see a friendly face and 
 receive a kind word, she crossed over, meaning to nod 
 and smile at least. Trix saw her first, and suddenly 
 became absorbed in the distant horizon. Tom ap 
 parently did not see her, for his eyes were fixed on a 
 fine horse just prancing by. Polly thought that he had 
 seen her, and approached with a curious little flutter 
 at her heart, for if Tom cut her she felt that her cup 
 would be full. 
 
 On they came, Trix intent on the view, Tom 
 staring at the handsome horse, and Polty, with red 
 cheeks, expectant eyes, and the brown bundle, in 
 full sight. One dreadful minute as they came par 
 allel, and no one spoke or bowed, then it was all 
 over, and Polly went on, feeling as if some one had 
 slapped her in the face. " She would n t have be 
 lieved it of Tom ; it was all the doings of that horrid 
 Trix ; well, she wouldn t trouble him any more, if he 
 was such a snob as to be ashamed of her just because 
 she carried bundles and worked for her bread." She 
 clutched the paper bag fiercety as she said this to her 
 self, then her eyes filled, and her lips trembled, as 
 she added, " How could he do it, before her, too?" 
 
 Now Tom was quite guiltless of this offence, and 
 had always nodded to Polly when they met ; but it so 
 happened he had always been alone till now, and that 
 
172 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 was why it cut so deeply, especially as Polly never 
 had approved of Trix. Before she could clear her 
 eyes or steady her face, a gentleman met her, lifted 
 his hat, smiled, and said pleasantly, 
 
 " Good morning, Miss Polly, I m glad to meet you." 
 Then, with a sudden change of voice and manner, he 
 added, " I beg pardon is anything the matter can 
 I be of service ? " 
 
 It was very awkward, but it could n t be helped, and 
 all Polly could do was to tell the truth and make the 
 best of it. 
 
 " It s very silly, but it hurts me to be cut by my 
 old friends. I shall get used to it presently, I dare 
 say." 
 
 Mr. Sydney glanced back, recognized the couple 
 behind them, and turned round with a disgusted ex 
 pression. Polly was fumbling for her handkerchief, 
 and without a word he took both book and bundle 
 from her, a little bit of kindness that meant a good 
 deal just then. Polly felt it, and it did her good ; 
 hastily wiping the traitorous eyes, she laughed and 
 said cheerfully, 
 
 " There, I m all right again ; thank you, don t 
 trouble yourself with my parcels." 
 
 " No trouble, I assure you, and this book reminds 
 me of what I was about to say. Have you an hour to 
 spare for my little niece? Her mother wants her 
 to begin, and desired me to make the inquiry." 
 
 " Did she, really?" and Polly looked up at him, as 
 if she suspected him of inventing the whole thing, out 
 of kindness. 
 
 Mr. Sydney smiled, and taking a note from his 
 
Lessons. 173 
 
 pocket, presented it, saying, with a reproachful 
 look, 
 
 " Behold the proof of my truth, and never doubt 
 again." 
 
 Polly begged pardon, read the note from the little 
 girl s mother, which was to have been left at her room 
 if she was absent, and gave the bearer a very grateful 
 look as she accepted this welcome addition to her pu 
 pils. Well pleased at the success of his mission, Syd 
 ney artfully led the conversation to music, and for a 
 time Polly forgot her woes, talking enthusiastically 
 on her favorite theme. As she reclaimed her book 
 and bag, at her own door, she said, in her honest way, 
 
 " Thank you very much for trying to make me for 
 get my foolish little troubles." 
 
 " Then let me say one thing more ; though appear 
 ances are against him, I don t believe Tom Shaw saw 
 you. Miss Trix is equal to that sort of thing, but it 
 is n t like Tom, for with all his foppery he is a good 
 fellow at heart." 
 
 As Mr. Sydney said this, Polly held out her hand 
 with a hearty u Thank you for that." The young 
 man shook the little hand in the gray woollen glove, 
 gave her exactly the same bow which he did the Hon 
 orable Mrs. Davenport, and went away, leaving Polly 
 to walk up stairs and address Puttel with the peculiar 
 remark, 
 
 " You are a true gentleman ! so kind to say that 
 about Tom. I 11 think it s so, any way ; and won t I 
 teach Minnie in my very best style ! " 
 
 Puttel purred, Nick chirped approvingly, and Polly 
 ate her dinner with a better appetite than she had 
 
174 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 expected. But at the bottom of her heart there was 
 a sore spot still, and the afternoon lessons dragged 
 dismally. It was dusk when she got home, and as 
 she sat in the firelight eating her bread and milk, 
 several tears bedewed the little rolls, and even the 
 home honey had a bitter taste. 
 
 " Now this won t do," she broke out all at once ; 
 " this is silly and wicked, and can t be allowed. I 11 
 try the old plan and put myself right by doing some 
 little kindness to somebody. Now what shall it be ? 
 O, I know ! Fan is going to a party to night ; I 11 run 
 up and help her dress ; she likes to have me, and I 
 enjoy seeing the pretty things. Yes, and I ll take 
 her two or three clusters of my daphne, it s so sweet." 
 
 Up got Polly, and taking her little posy, trotted 
 uway to the Shaw s, determined to be happy and con 
 tented in spite of Trix and hard work. 
 
 She found Fanny enduring torment under the hands 
 of the hair-dresser, who was doing his best to spoil 
 her hair, and distort her head with a mass of curls, 
 braids, frizzles, and puffs ; for though I discreetly re 
 frain from any particular description, still, judging 
 from the present fashions, I think one may venture to 
 predict that six years hence they would be something 
 frightful. 
 
 " How kind of you, Polly ; I was just wishing you 
 were here to arrange my flowers. These lovely 
 daphnes will give odor to my camelias, and you were 
 a dear to bring them. There s my dress ; how do you 
 like "it?" said Fannj , hardly daring to lift her eyes 
 from under the yellow tower on her head. 
 
 " It s regularly splendid ; but how do you ever get 
 
Lessons. 175 
 
 into it?" answered Polly, surveying with girlish in 
 terest the cloud of pink and white lace that lay upon 
 the bed. 
 
 " It s fearfully and wonderfully made, but distract- 
 ingly becoming, as you shall see. Trix thinks I m 
 going to wear blue, so she has got a green one, and 
 told Belle it would spoil the effect of mine, as we 
 are much together, of course. Was n t that sweet of 
 her? Belle came and told me in time, and I just got 
 pink, so my amiable sister, that is to be, won t succeed 
 in her pretty little plot." 
 
 " I guess she has been reading the life of Josephine. 
 You know she made a pretty lady, of whom she was 
 jealous, sit beside her on a green sofa, which set off her 
 own white dress and spoilt the blue one of her guest," 
 answered Polly, busy with the flowers. 
 
 " Trix never reads anything ; you are the one to 
 pick up clever little stories. I 11 remember and use 
 this one. Am I clone ? Yes, that is charming, is n t 
 it, Polly?" and Fan rose to inspect the success of 
 Monsieur s long labor. 
 
 " You know I don t appreciate a stylish coiffure as 
 I ought, so I like your hair in the old way best. But 
 this is 4 the thing, I suppose, and not a word must be 
 said." 
 
 " Of course it is. Why, child, I have frizzed and 
 burnt my hair so that I look like an old maniac with 
 it in its natural state, and have to repair damages as 
 well as I can. Now put the flowers just here," and 
 Fanny laid a pink camelia in a nest of fuz, and stuck 
 a spray of daphne straight up at the back of her head. 
 
 "O. Fan, don t, it looks horridly so ! " cried Polly 
 
176 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 longing to add a little beauty to her friend s sallow 
 face by a graceful adjustment of the flowers, 
 
 " Can t help it, that s the way, and so it must be," 
 answered Fan, planting another sprig half-way up tho 
 tower. 
 
 Polly groaned, and offered no more suggestions as 
 the work went on ; but when Fan was finished from 
 top to toe, she admired all she honestly could, and 
 tried to keep her thoughts to herself. But her frank 
 face betrayed her, for Fanny turned on her suddenly, 
 saying, 
 
 " You may as well free your mind, Polly, for I see 
 by your eyes that something don t suit." 
 
 u I was only thinking of what grandma once said, 
 4 that modesty had gone out of fashion, " answered 
 Polly, glancing at the waist of her friend s dress, 
 which consisted of a belt, a bit of lace, and a pair of 
 shoulder straps. 
 
 Fanny laughed good-naturedly, saying, as she 
 clasped her necklace, " If I had such shoulders as 
 yours, I shouldn t care what the fashion was. Now 
 don t preach, but put my cloak on nicely, and come 
 along, for I m to meet Tom and Trix, and promised 
 to be there early." 
 
 olly was to be left at home after depositing Fan 
 at Belle s. 
 
 " I feel as if I was going myself," she said, as they 
 rolled along. 
 
 " I wish you were, and you would be, Polly, if you 
 weren t such a resolute thing. I ve teased, and 
 begged, and offered anything I have if you 11 only 
 break } T our absurd vow, and come and enjoy yourself." 
 
Lessons. 177 
 
 u Thank you ; but I won t, so don t trouble your 
 I lid heart about me ; I m all right, * said Polly, 
 stoutly. 
 
 But when they drew up before the lighted house, 
 and she found herself in the midst of the pleasant stir 
 of festivity, ttie coming and going of carriages, the 
 glimpses of bright colors, forms, and faces, the bursts 
 of music, and a general atmosphere of gayety, Polly 
 felt that she was n t all right, and as she drove away 
 for a dull evening in her lonely little room, she just 
 cried as heartily as any child denied a stick of candy. 
 
 " It s dreadful wicked of me, but I can t help it," 
 she sobbed to herself, in the corner of the carriage. 
 " That music sets me all in a twitter, and I should 
 have looked nice in Fan s blue tarlatan, and I know 
 I could behave as well ^as any one, and have lots 
 of partners, though I m not in that set. Oh, 
 just one good gallop with Mr. Sydney or Tom ! 
 No, Tom would n t ask me there, and I would n t 
 accept if he did. Oh, me ! oh, me ! I wish I was 
 as old and homely, and good and happy, as Miss 
 Mills ! " 
 
 So Polly made her moan, and by the time she got 
 home, was just in the mood to go to bed and cry her 
 self to sleep, as girls have a way of doing when their 
 small afflictions become unbearable. 
 
 But Polly did n t get a chance to be miserable very 
 long, for as she went up stairs feeling like the most 
 injured girl in the world, she caught a glimpse of 
 Miss Mills, sewing away with such a bright face that 
 she could n t resist stopping for a word or two. 
 
 " Sit down, my dear, I m glad to see you, but ex- 
 12 
 
178 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 cuse me if I go on with my work, as I m in a driving 
 hurry to get these things done to-night," said the 
 brisk little lady, with a smile and a nod, as she took 
 a new needleful of thread, and ran up a seam as if 
 for a wager. 
 
 " Let me help you, then ; I m lazy and cross, and 
 it will do me good," said Polly, sitting down with the 
 resigned feeling, " Well, if I can t be happy, I can 
 be useful, perhaps." 
 
 " Thank you, my dear ; yes, you can just hem the 
 skirt while I put in the sleeves, and that will be a 
 great lift." 
 
 Polly put on her thimble in silence, but as Miss 
 Mills spread the white flannel over her lap, she ex 
 claimed, "Why, ^it looks like a shroud! Is it 
 one?" 
 
 " No, dear, thank God, it is n t, but it might have 
 been, if we had n t saved the poor little soul," cried 
 Miss Mills, with a sudden brightening of the face, 
 which made it beautiful in spite of the stiif gray curi 
 that bobbed on each temple, the want of teeth, and a 
 crooked nose. 
 
 "Will you tell me about it? I like to hear your 
 adventures and good works so much," said Polly, 
 ready to be amused by anything that made her forget 
 herself. 
 
 " Ah, my dear, it s a very common story, and that s 
 the saddest part of it. I 11 tell you all about it, for 
 I think you may be able to help me. Last night I 
 watched with poor Mary Floyd. She s dying of con 
 sumption, you know," began Miss Mills, as her nimble 
 fingers flew, and her kind old face beamed over the 
 
Lessons. 1 79 
 
 work, as if she put a blessing in with every stitch. 
 " Mary was very low, but about midnight fell asleep, 
 and I was trying to keep things quiet, when Mrs. 
 Finn she ; s the woman of the house came and 
 beckoned me out, with a scared face. 4 Little Jane 
 has killed herself, and I don t know what to do,* she 
 said, leading me up to the attic." 
 
 "Who was little Jane?" broke in Polly, dropping 
 her work. 
 
 " I only knew her as a pale, shy young girl who 
 Tent in and out, and seldom spoke to any one. Mrs. 
 Finn told me she was poor, but a busy, honest, little 
 thing, who did n t mix with the other folks, but lived 
 ind worked alone. l She has looked so down-hearted 
 and pale for a week, that I thought she was sick, and 
 asked her about it, said Mrs. Finn, 4 but she thanked 
 me in her bashful way, and said she was pretty well, 
 so I let her alone. But to-night, as I went up late to 
 bed, I was kind of impressed to look in and see how 
 the poor thing did, for she had n t left her room all 
 day. I did look in, and here s what I found. As 
 Mrs. Finn ended, she opened the door of the back 
 attic, and I saw about as sad a sight as these old eyes 
 ever looked at." 
 
 "O, what?" cried Polly, pale now with interest. 
 
 " A bare room, cold as a barn, and on the bed a 
 little dead, white face that almost broke my heart, it 
 was so thin, so patient, and so young. On the table 
 was a bottle half full of laudanum, an old pocket-book, 
 and a letter. Read that, my dear, and don t think 
 hard of little Jane." 
 
180 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Polly took the bit of paper Mrs. Mills gave her, 
 and read these words : 
 
 " DEAR MRS. FINN : 
 
 " Please forgive me for the tro ble I make you, but 
 I don t see any other way. I can t get work that 
 pays enough to keep me ; the Dr. says I can t be well 
 unless I rest. I hate to be a -burden, so I m going 
 away not to trouble anybody any more. I ve sold 
 my things to pay what I owe you. Please let me be 
 as I am, and don t let people come and look at me. 
 I hope it is n t very wicked, but there don t seem any 
 room for me . in the world, and I m not afraid to die 
 now, though I should be if I stayed and got bad be 
 cause I had n t strength to keep right. Give my love 
 U the baby, and so good-by, good-b} 7 . 
 
 JANE BRYANT/ 
 
 "0, Miss Mills, how dreadful !" cried Polly, with 
 her eyes so full she could hardly read the little letter. 
 
 41 Not so dreadful as it might have been, but a bit 
 ter, rjad thing to see that child, only seventeen, lying 
 there in her little clean, old night-gown, waiting for 
 death to come and take her, because 4 there did n t 
 seem to be any room for her in the world/ Ah, well, 
 we saved her, for it was n t too late, thank heaven ; 
 and the first thing she said was, l Oh, why did you 
 bring me back? I ve boen nursing her all day, 
 hearing her story, and trying to show her that there 
 is room and a welcome for her. Her mother died a 
 year ago, and since then she has been struggling along 
 alone. She is one of the timid, innocent, humble 
 
Lessons. 181 
 
 creatures who can t push their way, and so get put 
 aside and forgotten. She has tried all sorts of poorly 
 paid work, could n t live on it decently, got dis 
 couraged, sick, frightened, and could see no refuge 
 from the big, bad world but to get out of it while she 
 was n t afraid to die. A very old story, my dear, 
 new and dreadful as it seems to you, and I think it 
 won t do you any harm to see and help this little girl, 
 who has gone through dark places that you are never 
 like to know." 
 
 " I will ; indeed, I will do all I can ! Where is she 
 now ? " asked Polly, touched to the heart by the story, 
 so simple yet so sad. 
 
 " There," and Miss Mills pointed to the door of her 
 own little bedroom. " She was well enough to be 
 moved to-night, so I brought her home and laid her 
 safely in my bed. Poor little soul ! she looked about 
 her for a minute, then the lost look went away, and she 
 gave a great sigh, and took my hand in both her thin 
 bits of ones, and said, O, ma am, I feel as if I d been 
 born into a new world. Help me to begin again, and 
 I 11 do better. So I told her she was my child now, and 
 might rest here, sure of a home as long as I had one." 
 
 As Miss Mills spoke in her motherly tone, and cast 
 a proud and happy look toward the warm and quiet 
 nest in which she had sheltered this friendless little 
 sparrow, feeling sure that God meant her to keep it 
 from falling to the ground, Polly put both arms about 
 her neck, and kissed her withered cheek with as much 
 loving reverence as if she had been a splendid saint, 
 for in the likeness of this plain old maid she saw the 
 lovely charity that blesses and saves the world. 
 
1 82 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " How good you are ! Dear Miss Mills, tell ine 
 what to do, let me help you, I m ready for anything," 
 said Polly, very humbly, for her own troubles looked 
 so small and foolish beside the stern hardships which 
 had nearly had so tragical an end, that she felt heart 
 ily ashamed of herself, and quite burned to atone for 
 them. 
 
 Miss Mills stopped to stroke the fresh cheek oppo 
 site, to smile, and say, 
 
 "Then, Polly, I think I ll ask you to go in and 
 say a friendly word to my little girl. The sight of 
 you will do her good ; and you have just the right 
 way of comforting people, without making a fuss." 
 
 "Havel?" said Polly, looking much gratified by 
 the words. 
 
 "Yes, dear, you ve the gift of sympathy, and the 
 rare art of showing it without offending. I would n t 
 let many girls in to see my poor Jenny, because 
 they d only flutter and worry her ; but you 11 know 
 what to do ; so go, and take this wrapper with you ; 
 it s done now, thanks to your nimble fingers." 
 
 Polly threw the warm garment over her arm, feel 
 ing a thrill of gratitude that it was to wrap a living 
 girl in, and not to hide away a young heart that had 
 grown cold too soon. Pushing open the door, she 
 went quietly into the dimty lighted room, and on the 
 pillow saw a face that drew her to it with an irresist 
 ible power, for it was touched by a solemn shadow 
 that made its youth pathetic. As she paused at the 
 bedside, thinking the girl asleep, a pair of hollow, 
 dark eyes opened wide, and looked up at her ; startled 
 at first, then softening with pleasure, at sight of the 
 
Lessons. 183 
 
 bonny face before them, and then a humble, beseech 
 ing expression filled them, as if asking pardon for the 
 rash act nearly committed, and pity for the hard fate 
 that prompted it. Polly read the language of these 
 63^68, and answered their mute prayer with a simple 
 eloquence that said more than any words, for she just 
 stooped down and kissed the poor child, with her own 
 eyes full, and lips that trembled with the sympathy 
 she could not tell. Jenny put both arms about her 
 neck, and began to shed the quiet tears that so re 
 fresh and comfort heavy hearts when a tender touch 
 unseals the fountain where they lie. 
 
 " Everybody is so kind," she sobbed, " and I was 
 so wicked, I don t deserve it." 
 
 " Oh, yes, you do ; don t think of that, but rest and 
 let us pet you. The old life was too hard for such a 
 little thing as you, and we are going to try and make 
 the new one ever so much easier and happier," said 
 Polly, forgetting everything except that this was a 
 girl like herself, who needed heartening up. 
 
 " Do you live here ? " asked Jenny, when her tears 
 were wiped away, still clinging to the new-found 
 friend. 
 
 " Yes, Miss Mills lets me have a little room up stairs, 
 and there I have my cat and bird, my piano and my 
 posy pots, and live like a queen. You must come up 
 and see me to-morrow if you are able. I m often 
 lonely, for there are no young people in the house to 
 play with me," answered Polly, smiling hospitably. 
 
 " Do j ou sew ? " asked Jenny. 
 
 " No, I in a music teacher, and trot round giving 
 lessons all day." 
 
184 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " How beautiful it sounds, and how happy you 
 must be, so strong and pretty, and able to go round 
 making music all the time," sighed Jenny, looking 
 with respectful admiration at the plump, firm hand 
 held in both her thin and feeble ones. 
 
 It did sound pleasant even to Polly s ears, and she 
 felt suddenly so rich, and so contented, that she 
 seemed a different creature from the silly girl who 
 cried because she could n t go to the party. It 
 passed through her mind like a flash, the contrast 
 between her life, and that of the wan creature lying 
 before her, and she felt as if she could not give 
 enough out of her abundance to this needy little 
 sister, who had nothing in the wide world but the 
 . ife just saved to her. That minute did more for 
 Polly than many sermons, or the wisest books, for it 
 brought her face to face with bitter truths, showed 
 her the dark side of life, and seemed to blow away 
 her little vanities, her frivolous desires, like a wintry 
 wind, that left a wholesome atmosphere behind. Sit 
 ting on the bedside, Polly listened while Jane told the 
 story, which was so new to her listener, that every 
 word sank deep into her heart, and never was for 
 gotten. 
 
 " Now you must go to sleep. Don t cry nor think, 
 nor do anything but rest. That will please Miss 
 Mills best. I 11 leave the doors open, and play you a 
 lullaby that you can t resist. Good night, dear." 
 And with another kiss, Polly went away to sit in the 
 darkness of her own room, playing her softest airs 
 till the tired eyes below were shut, and little Jane 
 seemed to float away on a sea of pleasant sounds, 
 
Lessons. 185 
 
 into the happier life which had just dawned for 
 her. 
 
 Polly had fully intended to be very miserable, and 
 cry herself to sleep ; but when she lay down at last, her 
 pillow seemed very soft, her little room very lovely, 
 with the fire-light flickering on all the home-like ob 
 jects, and her new-blown roses breathing her a sweet 
 good-night. She no longer felt an injured, hard-work 
 ing, unhappy Polly, but as if quite burdened with 
 blessings, for which she was n t half grateful enough. 
 She had heard of poverty and suffering, in the vague, 
 far-off way, which is all that many girls, safe in happy 
 homes, ever know of it ; but now she had seen it, in a 
 shape which she could feel and understand, and life 
 grew more earnest to her from that minute. So much 
 to do in the great, busy world, and she had done so 
 little. Where should she begin ? Then, like an an 
 swer came little Jenny s words, now taking a new sig 
 nificance to Polly s mind, " To be strong, and beauti 
 ful, and go round making music all the time." Yes, 
 Bhe could do that ; and with a very earnest prayer, 
 Polly asked for the strength of an upright soul, the 
 beauty of a tender heart, the power to make her life a 
 sweet and stirring song, helpful while it lasted, re 
 membered when it died. 
 
 Little Jane s last thought had been to wish with all 
 her might, tliat " God would bless the dear, kind girl 
 up there, and give her all she asked." I think both 
 prayers, although too humble to be put in words, went 
 up together, for in the fulness of time they were beau 
 tifully answered. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 BROTHERS AND SISTERS. 
 
 TROLLY S happiest day was Sunday, for Will never 
 *- failed to spend it with her. Instead of sleeping 
 later than usual that morning, she was always up bright 
 and early, flying round to get ready for her guest, for 
 Will came to breakfast, and they made a long day of it. 
 Will considered his sister the best and prettiest girl 
 going, and Polly, knowing well that a time would 
 come when he would find a better and a prettier, was 
 grateful for his good opinion, and tried to deserve it. 
 So she made her room and herself as neat and inviting 
 as possible, and always ran to meet him with a bright 
 face and a motherly greeting, when he came tramping 
 in, ruddy, brisk and beaming, with the brown loaf and 
 the little pot of beans from the bake-house near by. 
 They liked a good country breakfast, and nothing 
 gave Polly more satisfaction than to see her big boy 
 clear the dishes, empty the little coffee-pot, and then sit 
 and laugh at her across the ravaged table. Another 
 pleasure was to let him help clear away, as they used 
 to do at home, while the peals of laughter that always 
 accompanied this performance did Miss Mills heart 
 good to hear, for the room was so small and Will so 
 
Brothers and Sisters. 187 
 
 big that he seemed to be everywhere at once, and 
 Polly and Puttel were continually dodging his long 
 arms and legs. Then they used to inspect the flower 
 pots, pay Nick a visit, and have a little music as a 
 good beginning for the day, after which they went to 
 church and dined with Miss Mills, who considered Will 
 44 an excellent young man." If the afternoon was fair, 
 they took a long walk together over the bridges into 
 the country, or about the city streets full of Sabbath 
 quietude. Most people meeting them would have 
 seen only an awkward young man, with a boy s face 
 atop of his tall bocty, and a quietly dressed, fresh- 
 fuced little woman hanging on his arm; but a few 
 people, with eyes to read romances and pleasant his 
 tories everywhere, found something very attractive in 
 this couple, and smiled as they passed, wondering if 
 they were young lovers, or country cousins " looking 
 round." 
 
 If the day was stormy, they stayed at home, read 
 ing, writing letters, talking over their affairs, and giv 
 ing each other good advice ; for, though Will was 
 nearly three years younger than Polly, he couldn t 
 for the life of him help assuming amusingly venera 
 ble airs, when he became a Freshman. In the twi 
 light he had a good lounge on the sofa, and Polly sung 
 to him, which arrangement he particularly enjoyed, it 
 was so " cosy and homey." At nine o clock, Polly 
 packed his bag with clean clothes, nicely mended, 
 Biich remnants of the festive tea as were transporta 
 ble, and kissed him " good-night," with many injunc 
 tions to muffle up his throat going over the bridge, 
 and be sure that his feet were dry and warm when he 
 
1 88 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 went to bed. All of which Will laughed at, accepted 
 graciously, and did n t obey ; but he liked it, and 
 trudged away for another week s work, rested, cheered 
 and strengthened by that quiet, happy day with Polly, 
 for he had been brought up to believe in home influ 
 ences, and this brother and sister loved one another 
 dearly, and were not ashamed to own it. 
 
 One other person enjoyed the humble pleasures of 
 these Sundays quite as much as Polly and Will. 
 Maud used to beg to come to tea, and Polly, glad to 
 do anything for those who had done a good deal for 
 her, made a point of calling for the little girl as they 
 came home from their walk, or sending Will to escort 
 her in the carriage, which Maud always managed to 
 secure if bad weather threatened to quench her hopes. 
 Tom and Fanny laughed at her fancy, but she did not 
 tire of it, for the child was lonely, and found some 
 thing in that little room which the great house could 
 not give her. 
 
 Maud was twelve now ; a pale, plain child, with 
 sharp, intelligent eyes, and a busy little mind, that 
 did a good deal more thinking than anybody imagined. 
 She was just at the unattractive, fidgety age when 
 no one knew what to do with her, and so let her 
 fumble her way up as she could, finding pleasure in 
 odd things, and living much alone, for she did not go 
 to school, because her shoulders were growing round, 
 and Mrs. Shaw would not u allow her figure to be 
 spoiled." That suited Maud excellently ; and when 
 ever her father spoke of sending her again, or getting 
 a governess, she was seized with bad headaches, a 
 pain in her back, or weakness of the eyes, at which 
 
Brothers and Sisters. 189 
 
 Mr. Shaw laughed, but let her holiday go on. No 
 body seemed to care much for plain, pug-nosed little 
 Maudie ; her father was busy, her mother nervous and 
 sick, Fanny absorbed in her own affairs, and Tom re 
 garded her as most young men do their younger 
 sisters, as a person born for his amusement and con 
 venience, nothing more. Maud admired Tom with all 
 her heart, and made a little slave of herself to him, 
 feeling well repaid if he merely said, " Thank you, 
 chicken," or did n t pinch her nose, or nip her ear, as 
 he had a way of doing, " Just as if I was a doll, or a 
 dog, and hadn t got any feelings," she sometimes 
 said to Fanny, when some service or sacrifice had 
 been accepted without gratitude or respect. It never 
 occurred to Tom, when Maud sat watching him with 
 her fjace full of wistfulness, that she wanted to be 
 petted as much as ever he did in his neglected boy 
 hood, or that when he called her " Pug " before 
 people, her little feelings were as deeply wounded 
 as his used to be, when the boys called him " Car 
 rots." He was fond of her in his fashion, but he 
 did n t take the trouble to show it, so Maud wor 
 shipped him afar off, afraid to betray the affection 
 that no rebuff could kill or cool. 
 
 One snowy Sunday afternoon Tom lay on the sofa 
 in his favorite attitude, reading " Pendennis " for the 
 fourth time, and smoking like a chimney as he did so. 
 Maud stood at the window watching the falling flakes 
 with an anxious countenance, and presently a great 
 sigh broke from her. 
 
 " Don t do that again, chicken, or you 11 blow me 
 away. What s the matter?" asked Tom, throwing 
 
190 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 down his book with a yawn that threatened disloca 
 tion. 
 
 " I m afraid I can t go to Polly s/ answered Maud, 
 disconsolately. 
 
 " Of course you can t ; it s snowing hard, and 
 father won t be home with the carriage till this even 
 ing. What are you always cutting off to Polly s 
 for?" 
 
 " I like it ; we have such nice times, and "Will is 
 ;here, and we, bake little johnny-cakes in the baker be 
 fore the fire, and they sing, and it is so pleasant." 
 
 " Warbling johnny-cakes must be interesting. Come 
 and tell me all about it." 
 
 " No, you 11 only laugh at me." 
 
 " I give you my word I won t, if I can help it ; but 
 I really am dying of curiosity to know what you do 
 down there. You like to hear secrets, so tell me 
 yours, and I 11 be as dumb as an oyster." 
 
 "It is n t a secret, and you would n t care for it. 
 Do you want another pillow?" she added, as Tom 
 gave his a thump. 
 
 " This will do ; but why you women always stick 
 tassels and fringe all over a sofa-cushion, to tease and 
 tickle a fellow, is what I don t understand." 
 
 " One thing that Polly does Sunday nights, is to take 
 Will s head in her lap, and smooth his forehead. It 
 rests him after studying so hard, she says. If you 
 don t like the pillow, I could do that for you, cause 
 you look as if you were more tired of studying than 
 Will," said Maud, with some hesitation, but an evi 
 dent desire to be useful and agreeable. 
 
 " Well, I don t care if you do try it, for I am con- 
 
Brothers and Sisters. 191 
 
 foundedly tired." And Tom laughed, as he recalled 
 the frolic he had been on the night before. 
 
 Maud established herself with great satisfaction, 
 and Torn owned that a silk apron was nicer than a 
 fuzzy cushion. 
 
 " Do you like it?" she asked, after a few strokes 
 over the hot forehead, which she thought was fevered 
 by intense application to Greek and Latin. 
 
 " Not bad ; play away," was the gracious reply, as 
 Tom shut his eyes, and lay so still that Maud was 
 charmed at the success of her attempt. Presently, 
 she said, softly, 
 
 " Tom, are you asleep?" 
 
 " Just turning the corner." 
 
 44 Before you get quite round would you please tell 
 me what a Public Admonition is ? " 
 
 " What do you want to know for ? " demanded Tom, 
 opening his eyes very wide. 
 
 44 1 heard Will talking about Publics and Privates, 
 and I meant to ask him, but I forgot." 
 
 "What did he say?" 
 
 " I don t remember ; it was about somebody who cut 
 prayers, and got a Private, and had done all sorts of 
 bad things, and had one or two Publics. I did n t 
 hear the name and did n t care ; I only wanted to know 
 what the words meant." 
 
 " So Will tells tales, does he ? " and Tom s fore 
 head wrinkled with a frown. 
 
 44 No he did n t ; Polly knew about it and asked him.* 
 
 " Will s a 4 dig/ " growled Tom, shutting his eyes 
 again, as if nothing more could be said of the delin 
 quent William. 
 
1 92 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " I don t (mre if he is ; I like him very much, and 
 so does Polly." 
 
 " Happy Fresh ! " said Tom, with a comical groan. 
 
 " You need n t sniff at him, for he is nice, and treats 
 me with respect," cried Maud, with an energy that 
 made Tom laugh in her face. 
 
 " He s good to Polly always, and puts on her cloak 
 for her, and says my dear/ and kisses her good 
 night/ and don t think it s silly, and I wish I had a 
 brother just like him, yes, I do ! " And Maud showed 
 signs of woe, for her disappointment about going was 
 very great. 
 
 "Bless my boots! what s the chicken ruffling up 
 her little feathers and pecking at me for ? Is that the 
 way Polly soothes the best of brothers ? " said Tom, 
 still laughing. 
 
 " Oh, I forgot ! there, I won t cry ; but I do want 
 to go," and Maud swallowed her tears, and began to 
 stroke again. 
 
 Now Tom s horse and sleigh were in the stable, for 
 he meant to drive out to College that evening, but he 
 did n t take Maud s hint. It was less trouble to lie 
 still, and say in a conciliatory tone, 
 
 " Tell me some more about this good boy, it s very 
 interesting." 
 
 " No, I shan t, but I 11 tell about Puttel s playing 
 on the piano," said Maud, anxious to efface the 
 memory of her momentary weakness. " Polly points 
 to the right key with a little stick, and Puttel sits on 
 the stool and pats each key as it s touched, and it 
 makes a tune. It s so funny to see her, and Nick 
 perches on the rack and sings as if he d kill himself." 
 
BrotJwrs and Sisters. 193 
 
 " Very thrilling," said Torn, in a sleepy tone. 
 
 Maud felt that her conversation was not as inter 
 esting as she hoped, and tried again. 
 
 " Polly thinks you are handsomer than Mr. Sydney." 
 
 44 Much obliged." 
 
 44 1 asked which she thought had the nicest face, 
 and she said yours was the handsomest, and his the 
 best." 
 
 44 Does he ever go there?" asked a sharp voice be 
 hind them ; and looking round Maud saw Fanny in 
 the big chair, cooking her feet over the register. 
 
 44 1 never saw him there ; he sent up some books 
 one day, and Will teased her about it." 
 
 4t What did she do?" demanded Fanny. 
 
 4 Oh, she shook him." 
 
 44 What a spectacle ! " and Tom looked as if he 
 would have enjoyed seeing it, but Fanny s face grew 
 so forbidding, that Tom s little dog, who was ap 
 proaching to welcome her, put his tail between his 
 legs and fled under the table. 
 
 44 Then there is n t any 4 Sparking Sunday night ?" 
 sung Tom, who appeared to have waked up again. 
 
 44 Of course not. Polly is n t going to marry any 
 body ; she s going to keep house for Will when he s a 
 minister, I heard her say so," cried Maud, with im 
 portance. 
 
 44 What a fate for pretty Polly ! " ejaculated Tom. 
 
 44 She likes it, and I m sure I should think she 
 would ; it s beautiful to hear em plan it all out." 
 
 "Any more gossip to retail, Pug?" asked Tom a 
 minute after, as Maud seemed absorbed in visions of 
 the future. 
 
 18 
 
194 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " He told a funny story about blowing up o?ie of 
 the professors. You never told us, so I suppose you 
 did n t know it. Some bad fellow put a torpedo, or 
 some sort of powder thing, under the chair, and it 
 went off in the midst of the lesson, and the poor man 
 flew up, frightened most to pieces, and the boys ran 
 with pails of water to put the fire out. But the thing 
 that made Will laugh most was, that the very fellow 
 who did it got his trousers burnt trying to put out 
 the fire, and he asked the is it Faculty or Presi 
 dent?" 
 
 " Either will do," murmured Tom, who was shaking 
 with suppressed laughter. 
 
 " Well, he asked em to give him some new ones, 
 and they did give him money enough for a nice pair ; 
 but he got some cheap ones, with horrid great stripes 
 on em, and always wore em to that particular 
 class, k which was one too many for the fellows, Will 
 said, and with the rest of the money he had a punch 
 party. Was n t it dreadful ? " 
 
 " Awful ! " And Tom exploded into a great laugh, 
 that made Fanny cover her ears, and the little dog 
 bark wildly. 
 
 u Did you know that bad boy ? " asked innocent 
 Maud. 
 
 " Slightly," gasped Tom, in whose wardrobe at col 
 lege those identical trousers were hanging at that 
 moment. 
 
 " Don t make such a noise, my head aches dread 
 fully," said Fanny, fretfully. 
 
 " Girls heads always do ache," answered Tom, sub 
 siding from a roar into a chuckle. 
 
BrotJiers and Sisters. 195 
 
 " What pleasure you boys can find in such ungen- 
 tlernanly things, I don t see," said Fanny, who was 
 evidently out of sorts. 
 
 " As much a mystery to you as it is to us, how you 
 girls can like to gabble and prink from one week s end 
 to the other," retorted Tom. 
 
 There was a pause after this little passage-at-arms, 
 but Fan wanted to be amused, for time hung heavily 
 on her hands, so she asked, in a more amiable tone, 
 
 "How s Trix?" 
 
 " As sweet as ever," answered Tom, gruffly. 
 
 " Did she scold you, as usual?" 
 
 " She just did." 
 
 "What was the matter?" 
 
 " Well, I 11 leave it to you if this is n t unreasona 
 ble : she won t dance with me herself, yet don t like 
 me to go it with anybody else. I said, I thought, if a 
 fellow took a girl to a party, she ought to dance with 
 him once, at least, especially if they were engaged. 
 She said that was the very reason why she should n t 
 do it ; so, at the last hop, I let her alone, and had a 
 gay time with Belle, and to-day Trix gave it to me 
 hot and heavy, coming home from church." 
 
 " If you go and -engage yourself to a girl like that, 
 I don t know what you can expect. Did she wear her 
 Paris hat to-day ? " added Fan, with sudden interest 
 in her voice. 
 
 " She wore some sort of a blue thing, with a con 
 founded bird of Paradise in it, that kept whisking into 
 my face every time she turned her head." 
 
 " Men never know a pretty thing when they see it 
 That hat is perfectly lovely." 
 
196 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " They know a lady when they see her, and Trix 
 don t look like one ; I can t say where the trouble is, 
 but there s too much fuss and feathers for my taste. 
 You are twice as stylish, yet you never look loud 
 or fast." 
 
 Touched by this unusual compliment, Fanny drew 
 her chair nearer as she replied with complacency, 
 
 u Yes, I natter myself I do know how to dress well. 
 Trix never did ; she s fond of gay colors, and gen 
 erally looks like a walking rainbow." 
 
 " Can t you give her a hint ? Tell her not to wear 
 blue gloves any way, she knows I hate *em." 
 
 " I Ve done my best for your sake, Tom, but she is 
 a perverse creature, and don t mind a word I say, even 
 about things much more objectionable than blue 
 gloves." 
 
 " Maudie, run and bring me my other cigar case, 
 it s lying round somewhere." 
 
 Maud went ; and as soon as the door was shut, 
 Tom rose on his elbow, saying in a cautiously lowered 
 voice. 
 
 " Fan, does Trix paint? " 
 
 " Yes, and draws too," answered Fanny, with a sly 
 laugh. 
 
 " Come, you know what I mean ; I Ve a right to ask 
 and you ought to tell," said Tom, soberly, for he was 
 beginning to find that being engaged was not unmiti 
 gated bliss. 
 
 " What makes you think she does? " 
 
 " Well, between ourselves," said Tom, looking a 
 little sheepish, but anxious to set his mind at rest, 
 " she never will let me kiss hor on her cheek, nothing 
 
Brothers and Sisters. 197 
 
 but an unsatisfactory peck at her lips. Then the 
 other day, as I took a bit of heliotrope out of a vase to 
 put in my button-hole, I wisked a drop of water into 
 her face ; I was going to wipe it off, but she pushed my 
 hand away, and ran to the glass, where she carefully 
 dabbed it dry, and came back with one cheek redder 
 than the other. I did n t say anything, but I had my 
 suspicions. Come now, does she ? " 
 
 "Yes, she does ; but don t say a word to her, for 
 she 11 never forgive my telling if she knew it." 
 
 " I don t care for that ; I don t like it, and I won t 
 have it," said Tom, decidedly. 
 
 " You can t help yourself. Half the girls do it, 
 either paint or powder, darken their lashes with burnt 
 hair-pins, or take cologne on lumps of sugar or bella- 
 dona to make their eyes bright. Clara tried arsenic 
 for her complexion, but her mother stopped it," said 
 Fanny, betraying the secrets of th^prison house in the 
 basest manner. 
 
 u I knew you girls were a set of humbugs, and very 
 pretty ones, too, some of you, but I can t say I like 
 to see 3 T ou painted up like a lot of actresses," said 
 Tom, with an air of disgust. 
 
 " / don t do anything of the sort, or need it, but 
 Trix does ; and having chosen her, you must abide 
 your choice, for better or worse." 
 
 " It has n t come to that yet," muttered Tom, as 
 he lay down again with a rebellious air. 
 
 Maud s return put an end to these confidences, 
 though Tom excited her curiosity by asking the mys 
 terious question, " I say, Fan, is Polly up to that sort 
 of thing?" 
 
198 An Old-Fashioned Girl 
 
 " No, she thinks it s awful. When she gets pale 
 and dragged out she will probably change her mind." 
 
 " I doubt it," said Tom. 
 
 " folly says it is n t proper to talk secrets before 
 people who ain t in em," observed Maud, with dignity. 
 
 " Do, for mercy sake, stop talking about Polly, I m 
 sick to death of it," cried Fanny, snappishly. 
 
 " Hullo ! " and Tom sat up to take a survey. " 1 
 thought you were bosom friends, and as spoony as 
 ever." 
 
 "Well, I am fond of Polly, but I get tired of 
 hearing Maud sing her praises everlastingly. Now 
 don t go and repeat that, chatterbox." 
 
 " My goodness, is n t she cross?" whispered Maud 
 to Tom. 
 
 " As two sticks ; let her be. There s the bell ; see 
 who it is, Pug," answered Tom, as a tingle broke the 
 silence of the house. 
 
 Maud went to peep over the banisters, and came 
 fiying back in a rapture. 
 
 "It s Will come for me! Can t I go? It don t 
 snow hard, and I 11 bundle up, and you can send for 
 me when papa comes." 
 
 " I don t care what you do," answered Fan, who 
 was in a very bad temper. 
 
 Without waiting for any other permission, Maud 
 rushed away to get ready. Will would n t come up, 
 he was so snowy, and Fanny was glad, because with 
 her he was bashful, awkward and silent, so Tom went 
 down and entertained him with Maud s report. They 
 were very good friends, but led entirely different lives, 
 Will being a " dig," and Tom a " bird," or, in plain 
 
Brothers and Sisters. 199 
 
 English, one was a hard student, and the other a jolly 
 young gentleman. Tom had rather patronized Will, 
 who did n t like it, and showed that he did n t by refus 
 ing to borrow money of him, or accept any of his invi 
 tations to join the clubs and societies to which Tom 
 belonged. So Shaw let Milton alone, and he got on 
 very well in his own way, doggedly sticking to his 
 books, and resisting all temptations but those of 
 certain libraries, athletic games, and such inexpen 
 sive pleasures as were within his means ; for this be 
 nighted youth had not yet discovered that college 
 nowadays is a place in which to " sky-lark," not to 
 study. 
 
 When Maud came down and trotted contentedly 
 away, holding Will s hand, Tom watched them out of 
 sight, and then strolled about the house whistling and 
 thinking, till he went to sleep in his father s arm 
 chair, for want of something better to do. He awoke 
 to the jo}^s of a solitary tea, for his mother never 
 came down, and Fanny shut herself and her head 
 ache up in her own room. 
 
 "Well, this is cheerful," he said, as the clock 
 struck eight, and his fourth cigar came to an end. 
 Trix is mad, and Fan in the dumps, so I 11 take my 
 self off. Guess I 11 go round to Polly s, and ask Will 
 to drive out with me, and save him the walk, poor chap. 
 Might bring Midget home, it will please her, and 
 there s no knowing when the governor will be back." 
 
 With these thoughts in his head, Tom leisurely got 
 under way, and left his horse at a neighboring stable, 
 for he meant to make a little call, and see what it wae 
 Maud enjoyed so much. 
 
20O An Old-Fashioned Girl 
 
 " Polly is holding forth," he said to himself, as h& 
 . went quietly up-stairs, and the steady murmur of a 
 pleasant voice came down to him. Tom laughed at 
 Polly s earnest way of talking when she was interested 
 in anything. But he liked it because it was so dif 
 ferent from the coquettish clatter of most of the girls 
 with whom he talked. Young men often laugh at the 
 sensible girls whom they secretly respect, and affect to 
 admire the silly ones whom they secretly despise, be 
 cause earnestness, intelligence, and womanly dignity 
 are not the fashion. 
 
 The door was ajar, and pausing in the dark entry, 
 Tom took a survey before he went in. The prospect 
 was not dazzling, but home-like and pleasant. The 
 light of a bright fire filled the little room, and down 
 on a stool before it was Maud tending Puttel, and 
 watching with deep interest the roasting of an apple 
 intended for her special benefit. On the couch 
 lounged Will, his thoughtful eyes fixed on Polly, who, 
 while she talked, smoothed the broad forehead of her 
 " yellow-haired laddie " in a way that Tom thought 
 an immense improvement on Maud s performance. 
 They had evidently been building castles in the air, 
 for Polly was saying in her most impressive manner, 
 
 " Well, whatever you do, Will, don t have a great, 
 costly church that takes so much money to build and 
 support it that you have nothing to give away. 
 I like the plain, old-fashioned churches, built for use, 
 not show, where people met for hearty praying and 
 preaching, and where everybody made their own 
 music instead of listening to opera singers, as we do 
 now. I don t care if the old churches were bare and 
 
Brothers and Sisters. 201 
 
 cold, and the seats hard, there was real piety in them, 
 and the sincerity of it was felt in the lives of the peo 
 ple. I don t want a religion that I pat away with my 
 Sunday clothes, and don t take out till the day comes 
 round again ; I want something to see and feel and 
 live by day by day, and I hope you 11 be one of the 
 true ministers, who can teach by precept and example, 
 how to get and keep it." 
 
 " I hope I shall be, Polly, but you know they say 
 that in families, if there is a boy who can t do any 
 thing else, they make a minister of him. I sometimes 
 think I ain t good for much, and that seems to me the 
 reason why I shouldn t even try to be a minister," 
 said Will, smiling, yet looking as if with all his 
 humility he did have faith in the aspirations that 
 came to him in his best moments. 
 
 " Some one said that very thing to father once, and 
 I remember he answered, I am glad to give my best 
 and brightest son to the service of God. " 
 
 " Did he say that?" and Will s color rose, for the 
 big, book-loving fellow was as sensitive as a girl to 
 the praise of those dearest to him. 
 
 " Yes," said Polly, unconsciously giving the strong 
 est stimulus to her brother s hope and courage. "Yes, 
 and he added, 4 1 shall let my boys follow the guide 
 that is in them, and only ask of them to use their gifts 
 conscientiously, and be honest, useful men/ " 
 
 " So we will ! Ned is doing well out West, and 
 I m hard at it here. If father does his best to give 
 us the chance we each want, the least we can do is to 
 work with a will." 
 
 " Whatever you do, you can t help working with a 
 
2O2 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Will," cried Tom, who had been so interested, that he 
 forgot he was playing eavesdropper. 
 
 Polly flew up, looking so pleased and surprised, 
 that Tom reproached himself for not having called 
 oftener. 
 
 " I ve come for Maud," he announced, in a paternal 
 tone, which made that young lady open her eyes. 
 
 " I can t go till my apple is done ; besides, it is n t 
 nine yet, and Will is going to take me along, when 
 he goes. I d rather have him." 
 
 " I m going to take you both in the cutter. Tht; 
 storm is over, but it is heavy walking, so you 11 drive 
 out with me, old man ? " said Tom, with a nod at 
 Will. 
 
 " Of course he will ; and thank you ver}^ much. 
 I Ve been trying to keep him all night ; Miss Mills 
 always manages to find a corner for stray people, but 
 he insists on going, so as to get to work early to-mor 
 row," said Polly, delighted to see that Tom was tak 
 ing off his coat, as if he meant to wait for Maud s ap 
 ple, which Polly blessed for being so slow to cook. 
 
 Putting her guest into the best chair, Polly sat 
 down and beamed at him with such hospitable satis 
 faction, that Tom went up several pegs in his own 
 estimation. 
 
 " You don t come very often, so we are rather over 
 powered when you do honor us," she said, demurely. 
 
 "Well, you know we fellows are so busy, we 
 haven t much time to enjoy ourselves," answered 
 Tom. 
 
 " Ahem ! " said Will, loudly. 
 
 " Take a troche," said Tom. 
 
Brothers and Sisters. 203 
 
 Then they both burst out laughing, and Polly, fully 
 understanding the joke, joined them, saying, 
 
 " Here are some peanuts, Tom ; do enjoy yourself 
 while you can." 
 
 " Now I call that a delicate compliment ! " And 
 Tom, who had not lost his early relish for this sort 
 of refreshment, tnough he seldom indulged his pas 
 sion nowadays, because peanuts are considered vul 
 gar, fell to cracking and munching with great satis 
 faction. 
 
 u Do you remember the first visit I made at your 
 house, how you gave me peanuts, coming from the 
 depot, and frightened me out of my wits, pretending 
 the coachman was tipsy ? " asked Polly. 
 
 " Of course I do, and how we coasted one day," 
 answered Tom, laughing. 
 
 * ; Yes, and the velocipede ; you ve got the scar of 
 that yet, I see." 
 
 " I remember how you stood *by me while it was 
 sewed up ; that was very plucky, Polly." 
 
 " I was dreadfully afraid, but I remember I wanted 
 to seem very brave, because 3 r ou d called me a 
 coward." 
 
 " Did I ? Ought to have been ashamed of myself. 
 I used to rough you shamefully, Polly, and you were 
 so good-natured, you let me do it." 
 
 * Could n t help myself," laughed Polly. "I did 
 use to think you were an awful boy, but seems to me 
 I rather liked it." 
 
 " She had so much of it at home, she got used to 
 it," put in Will, pulling the little curl behind Polly s 
 ear. 
 
2O4 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " You boys never teased me as Tom did, that s the 
 reason it amused me, I suppose ; novelty hath charms, 
 you know." 
 
 " Grandma used to lecture Tom for plaguing you, 
 Polly, and he used to say he d be a tip-top boy, but 
 he was n t," observed Maud, with a venerable ah*. 
 
 "Dear old grandma; she did her best, but I m a 
 bad lot," said Tom, with a shake of the head and a 
 sober face. 
 
 " It always seems as if she must be up in her rooms, 
 and I can t get used to finding them empty," added 
 Polly, softly. 
 
 " Father wouldn t have any thing moved, and Tom 
 sits up there sometimes ; it makes him feel good, he 
 says," said Maud, who had a talent for betraying trifles 
 which people preferred should not be mentioned in 
 public. 
 
 " You d better hurry up your apple, for if it isn t 
 done pretty soon, you 11 have to leave it, Pug," said 
 Tom, looking anno3 r ed. 
 
 " How is Fan? " asked Polly, with tact. 
 
 " Well, Fan is rather under the weather ; says she s 
 dyspeptic, which means cross." 
 
 " She is cross, but she s sick too, for I found her 
 crying one day, and she said nobody cared about her, 
 and she might as well be dead," added Maud, having 
 turned her apple with tender care. 
 
 " We must try to cheer her up, among us. If I 
 was n t so busy I d like to devote myself to her, she 
 has done so much for me," said Polly, gratefully. 
 
 " I wish you could. I can t understand her, for 
 <jlie acts like a weathercock, and I never know how I m 
 
Brothers and Sisters. 205 
 
 going to find her. I hate to have her mope so, but, 
 upon my life, I don t know what to do," said Tom ; 
 but as he uttered the words, something was suggested 
 by the sight before him. Chairs were few, and Polly 
 had taken half of Will s when they drew round tho 
 fire. Now she was leaning against him, in a cosy, con 
 fiding way, delightful to behold, while Will s strong 
 arm went round her with a protecting air, which said, 
 as plainly as any words, that this big brother and 
 small sister knew how to love and help one another. 
 It was a pleasant little picture, all the pleasanter for 
 its unconsciousness, and Tom found it both sugges 
 tive and agreeable. 
 
 " Poor old Fan, she don t get much petting ; maybe 
 that s what she wants. I 11 try it and see, for she 
 stands by me like a trump. If she was a rosy, cosy 
 little woman, like Polly, it would come easier, though/ 
 thought Tom, as he meditatively ate his last nut, feel 
 ing that fraternal affection could not be very difficult 
 of demonstration, to brothers blessed with pretty, 
 good-tempered sisters. 
 
 " I told Tom about the bad fellow who blew up the 
 professor, and he said he knew him, slightly ; and I 
 was so relieved, because I had a kind of a feeling that 
 it was Tom himself, you and Will laughed so about it." 
 
 Maud had a queer way of going on with her own 
 thoughts, and suddenly coming out with whatever lay 
 uppermost, regardless of time, place, or company. 
 As this remark fell from her, there was a general 
 smile, and Polly said, with mock solemnity, 
 
 " It was a sad thing, and I ve no doubt that mis 
 guided young man is very sorry for it now." 
 
206 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " He looked perfectly bowed down with remorse 
 last time I saw him," said Will, regarding Tom with 
 eyes full of fun, for Will was a boy as well as a book 
 worm, and relished a joke as well as scatter-brained 
 Tom. 
 
 u He always is remorseful after a scrape, I ve un 
 derstood, for he is n t a very bad fellow, only his spir 
 its are one too many for him, and he is n t as fond of 
 his book as another fellow I know." 
 
 " I m afraid he 11 be expelled if he don t mind," 
 said Polly, warningly. 
 
 41 Should n t wonder if he was, he s such an unlucky 
 dog," answered Tom, rather soberly. 
 
 " I hope he 11 remember that his friends will be 
 very much disappointed if he is. He might make 
 them so proud and happy ; that I guess he will, for he 
 is n t half as thoughtless as he makes himself out," 
 said Polly, looking across at Tom with such friendly 
 eyes that he was quite touched, though of course he 
 did n t show it. 
 
 "Thank you, Polly; he may pull through, but I 
 have my doubts. Now, old man, let us c pud along ; 
 it s getting late for the chicken," he added, relapsing 
 into the graceful diction with which a classical educa 
 tion gifts its fortunate possessor. 
 
 Taking advantage of the moment while Will was 
 wrestling with his boots in the closet, and Maud wa3 
 absorbed in packing her apple into a large basket, 
 Polly said to Tom in a low tone, 
 
 " Thank you very much, for being so kind to Will." 
 
 " Bless your heart, I have n t done anything ; he s 
 such a proud fellow he won t let me," answered Tom. 
 
Brothers and Sisters. 207 
 
 u But you do in many little ways ; to-night, foi 
 example. Do you think I don t know that the suit oi 
 clothes he s just got would have cost a good deal 
 more, if your tailor had n t made them ? He s only 
 a boy, and don t understand things yet ; but I 
 know your way of helping proud people, so that 
 they don t find it out, and I do thank you, Tom, so 
 much." 
 
 "Oh, come Polly, that won t do. What do you 
 know about tailors and college matters?" said Tom, 
 looking as much confused as if she had found him 
 out in something reprehensible. 
 
 " I don t know much, and that s the reason why 
 I m grateful for your kindness to Will. I don t care 
 what stories they tell about you, I m sure you wont 
 lead Mm into trouble, but keep him straight, for my 
 sake. You know I ve Iftst one brother, and Will 
 takes Jimmy s place to me now." 
 
 The tears in Polly s eyes as* she said that, made 
 Tom vow a tremendous vow within himself to stand 
 by Will through thick and thin, and u keep him 
 straight for Polly s sake " ; feeling all the time how 
 ill-fitted he was for such a task. 
 
 u I 11 do my best," he said, heartily, as he pressed 
 the hand Polly gave him, with a look which assured 
 her that he felt the appeal to his honor, and that 
 henceforth the country lad was safe from all the 
 temptations Tom could have offered him. 
 
 " There ! now I shall give that to mamma to take 
 her pills in ; it s just what she likes, and it pleases 
 her to be thought of," said Maud, surveying her gift 
 with complacency, as she put on her things. 
 
208 An O Id-Fashioned Girl 
 
 "You re a good little soul, to remember poor 
 mum," said Tom, with an approving nod. 
 
 " Well, she was so pleased with the grapes you 
 brought her, I thought I d try something, and maybe 
 she d say Thank you, darling, to me too. Do you 
 think she will?" whispered Maud, with the wistful 
 look so often seen on her little plain face. 
 
 44 See if she don t" ; and to Maud s great surprise 
 Tom did n t laugh at her project. 
 
 " Good night, dear ; take care of yourself, and keep 
 your muffler round your mouth going over the bridge, 
 or you ll be as hoarse as a crow to-morrow," said 
 Polly, as she kissed her brother, who returned it with 
 out looking as if he thought it u girl s nonsense." 
 Then the three piled into the sleigh and drove off, 
 leaving Polly nodding on the doorstep. 
 
 Maud found the drive altogether too short, but 
 was consoled by the promise of a longer one if the 
 sleighing lasted till next Saturday ; and when Tora 
 ran up to bid his mother good-by, and give her a hint 
 about Maud s gift, she stayed below to say, at the 
 last minute, in unconscious imitation of Polly, 
 
 " Good night ; take care of yourself, my dear." 
 
 Tom laughed, and was about to pinch the much- 
 enduring little nose ; but, as if the words reminded 
 Aim of something, he gave her a kiss instead, a piece 
 of forbearance which almost took Maud s breath away 
 with surprise and gratification. 
 
 It was rather a silent drive, for Will obediently 
 kept his muffler up, and Tom fell into a brown study. 
 
 He was not much given to reflection, but occasion 
 ally indulged when something gave him a turn in that 
 
Brothers and Sisters. 209 
 
 direction, and at such times he was as sober and 
 sincere as could be desired. Any one might have 
 lectured him for an hour without doing as much good 
 as that little call and the chat that grew out of it, for, 
 though nothing very wise or witty was said, many 
 things were suggested, and every one knows that per 
 suasive influences are better than any amount of 
 moralizing. Neither Polly nor Will tried to do any 
 thing of the sort, and that was the charm of it. No 
 body likes to be talked to, but nobody can resist the 
 eloquence of unconscious preaching. With all his 
 thoughtlessness, Tom was quick to see and feel these 
 things, and was not spoilt enough yet to laugh at 
 them. The sight of Will and Polly s simple affection 
 for one another reminded him of a neglected duty so 
 pleasantly, that he could not forget it. Talking of 
 early days made him wish he could go back and start 
 again, doing better. Grandma s name recalled the 
 tender memory that always did him good, and the 
 thought that Polly trusted her dearest brother to his 
 care stirred up a manful desire to deserve the confi 
 dence. Tortures would n t have drawn a word of all 
 this from him, but it had its effect, for boys don t 
 leave their hearts and consciences behind them when 
 they enter college, and little things of this sort do 
 much to keep botii from being damaged by the four 
 years scrimmage which begins the battle of life for 
 most of them. 
 
 14 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 NEEDLES AND TONGUES. 
 
 U FjEAR POLLY, 
 
 U "The Sewing Circle meets at our house this 
 P. M. This is in your line, so do come and help me 
 through. I shall depend on you. 
 
 Yours ever, 
 
 FAN." 
 
 "Bad news, my dear?" asked Miss Mills, who had 
 just handed the note to Polly as she came in one noon, 
 a few weeks after Jenny s arrival. 
 
 Polly told her what it was, adding, " I suppose 1 
 ought to go and help Fanny, but I can t say I want 
 to. The girls talk about things I have nothing to 
 do with, and I don t find their gossip very amusing. 
 I m an outsider, and they only accept me on Fan s 
 account; so I sit in a corner and sew, while they 
 chatter and laugh." 
 
 " Would n t it be a good chance to say a word for 
 Jenny? She wants work, and these young ladies 
 probably have quantities done somewhere. Jenny 
 does fine work exquisitely, and begins to feel anxious 
 to be earning something. I don t want her to fee) 
 dependent and unhappy, and a little well-paid sewing 
 
Needles and Tongues. 211 
 
 <vould be all she needs to do nicely. I can get it for 
 her by running round to my friends, but I really 
 have n t the time, till I get the Mullers off. They 
 are paupers here, but out West they can take care of 
 themselves, so I ve begged the money to send them, 
 and as soon as I can get them some clothes, off they 
 go. That s the way to help people help themselves," 
 and Miss Mills clashed her big scissors energetically, 
 as she cut out a little red flannel shirt. 
 
 " I know it is, and I want to help, but I don t know 
 where to begin," said Polty, feeling quite oppressed 
 with the immensity of the work. 
 
 " We can t any of us do all we would like, but we 
 can do our best for every case that comes to us, and 
 that helps amazingly. Begin with Jenny, my dear ; 
 tell those girls about her, and if I m not much mis 
 taken, you will find them ready to help, for half the 
 time it is n t hardness of heart, but ignorance or 
 thoughtlessness on the part of the rich, that makes 
 them seem so careless of the poor." 
 
 " To tell the truth, I m afraid of being laughed at, 
 if I try to talk seriously about such things to the 
 girls," said Polly, frankly. 
 
 "You believe that such things are true? you 
 are sincere in your wish to help better them, and you 
 respect those who work for that end ? " 
 
 " Yes, I do." 
 
 " Then, my dear, can t you bear a little ridicule for 
 the sake of a good cause ? You said yesterdUy that 
 you were going to make it a principle of your life, 
 to help up your sex as far and as fast as you could. 
 It did my heart good to hear you say it, for I was 
 
212 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 sure that in time you Would keep your word. But, 
 Polly, a principle that? can t bear being laughed at, 
 frowned on, and cold-shouldered, isn t worthy of 
 the name." 
 
 " I want to be strong-minded in the real sense of 
 the word, but I don t like to be called so by people 
 who don t understand my meaning ; and I shall be if 
 I try to make the girls think soberly about anything 
 sensible or philanthropic. They call me old-fash 
 ioned now, and I d rather be thought that, though it 
 isn t pleasant, than be set down as a rampant wo 
 man s rights reformer," said Polly, in whose memory 
 many laughs, and snubs, and sarcasms still lingered, 
 forgiven but not forgotten. 
 
 "This love and thought and care for those weaker, 
 poorer, or worse than ourselves, which we call Christian 
 charity, is a very old fashion, my dear. It began eigh 
 teen hundred years ago, and only those who honestly 
 follow the beautiful example set us then, learn how to 
 get genuine happiness out of life. I m not a ram 
 pant woman s rights reformer, " added Miss Mills, 
 with a smile at Polly s sober face ; "but I think that 
 women can do a great deal for each other, if they will 
 only stop fearing what people will think, and take a 
 hearty interest in whatever is going to fit their sisters 
 and themselves to deserve and enjoy the rights God 
 gave them. There are so many ways in which this 
 can be done, that I wonder they don t see and im 
 prove them. I don t ask you to go and make speeches, 
 only a few have the gift for that, but I do want every 
 girl and woman to feel this duty, and make any little 
 sacrifice of time or feeling that may be asked of them, 
 
Needles *and Tongues. 213 
 
 because there is so much to do, and no one can do it 
 as well as ourselves, if we only think so." 
 
 " I 11 try ! " said Polly, influenced more by her desire 
 to keep Miss Mills good opinion than any love of self 
 sacrifice for her sex. It was rather a hard thing to 
 ask of a shy, sensitive girl, and the kind old lady knew 
 it, for in spite of the gray hair and withered face, her 
 heart was very young, and her own girlish trials not 
 forgotten. But she knew also that Polly had more 
 influence over others than she herself suspected, simply 
 because of her candid, upright nature ; and that while 
 she tried to help others, she was serving herself in a 
 way that would improve heart and soul more than any 
 mere social success she might gain by following the 
 rules of fashionable life, which drill the character out 
 of girls till they are as much alike as pins in a paper, 
 and have about as much true sense and sentiment in 
 their little heads. There was good stuff in Polly, un 
 spoiled as yet, and Miss Mills was only acting out her 
 principle of women helping each other. The wise old 
 lady saw that Polly had reached that point where the 
 girl suddenly blooms into a woman, asking something 
 more substantial than pleasure to satisfy the new 
 aspirations that are born ; a time as precious and 
 important to the after-life, as the hour when the 
 apple blossoms fall, and the young fruit waits for the 
 elements to ripen or destroy the harvest. 
 
 Polly did not know this, and was fortunate in pos 
 sessing a friend who knew what influences would serve 
 her best, and who could give her what all women 
 should desire to give each other, the example of a 
 sweet, good life, more eloquent and powerful than any 
 words ; for this is a right no one can deny us. 
 
214 An Old-Fashidned Girl. 
 
 Polly turned the matter over in her mind as she 
 dressed, while Jenny played waiting maid, little 
 dreaming what this new friend was meaning to do 
 for her, if she dared. 
 
 " Is it going to be a tea-party, Miss ? " asked Jenny, 
 as the black silk went rustling on, to her great admira 
 tion, for she considered Polly a beauty. 
 
 " Well, no, I think it will probably be a lecture/ 1 
 answered Polly, laughing, for Jenn}^s grateful service 
 and affectionate e} r es confirmed the purpose which 
 Miss Mills little homily had suggested. 
 
 As she entered the Shaws parlor an hour or two 
 later, an appalling array of well-dressed girls appeared, 
 each provided with a dainty reticule, basket or bag, and 
 each tongue going a good deal faster than the needle, 
 while the white fingers stitched sleeves in upside down, 
 put flannel jackets together hind part before, or gob 
 bled button-holes with the best intentions in life. 
 
 " You are a dear to come so early. Here s a nice 
 place for you between Belle and Miss Perkins, and 
 here s a sweet little dress to make, unless you like 
 something else better," said Fanny, receiving her 
 friend with warmth, and placing her where she thought 
 she would enjoy herself. 
 
 " Thank you, I 11 take an unbleached cotton shirt 
 if you have such a thing, for it is likely to be needed 
 before a cambric frock," replied Polly, subsiding into 
 her corner as quickly as possible, for at least six 
 eye-glasses were up, and she did n t enjoy being 
 stared at. 
 
 Miss Perkins, a grave, cold-looking young lady, 
 with au aristocratic nose, bowed politely, and then 
 went on with her work, which displayed two diamond 
 
Needles and Tongues. 215 
 
 rings to great advantage. Belle, being of the demon 
 strative sort, smiled and nodded, drew up her chair, 
 and began a whispered account of Trix s last quarrel 
 with Tom. Polly listened with interest while she 
 sewed diligently, occasionally permitting her eyes to 
 study the elegant intricacies of Miss Perkins dress, 
 for that young lady sat like a statue, quirking her 
 delicate fingers, and accomplishing about two stitches 
 a minute. 
 
 In the midst of Belle s story, a more exciting bit of 
 gossip caught her ear, and she plunged into the con 
 versation going on across the table, leaving Polly free 
 to listen and admire the wit, wisdom, and charitable 
 spirit of the accomplished young ladies about her. 
 There was a perfect Babel of tongues, but out of the 
 confusion Polly gathered scraps of fashionable intel 
 ligence which somewhat lessened her respect for the 
 dwellers in high places. One fair creature asserted 
 that Joe Somebody took so much champagne at the 
 last German, that he had to be got away, and sent 
 home with two servants. Another divulged the awful 
 fact that Carrie P. s wedding presents were half of 
 them hired for the occasion. A third circulated a 
 whisper to the effect that though Mrs. Buckminster 
 wore a thousand-dollar cloak, her boys were not 
 allowed but one sheet to their beds. And a fourth 
 young gossip assured the company that a certain 
 person never had offered himself to a certain other 
 person, though the report was industriously spread 
 by interested parties. This latter remark caused 
 such a clamor that Fanny called the meeting to order 
 in a most unparliamentary fashion. 
 
2i6 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Girls ! girls ! you really must talk less and sew 
 more, or our society will be disgraced. Do you krow 
 our branch sent in less work than any of the others 
 last month, and Mrs. Fitz George said, she did n t see 
 how fifteen young ladies could manage to do so 
 little?" 
 
 " We don t talk a bit more than the old ladies do. 
 I just wish you could have heard them go on, last 
 time. The way they get so much done, is, they take 
 work home, and make their seamstresses do it, and 
 then they take credit for vast industry," said Belle, 
 who always spoke her mind with charming candor. 
 
 u That reminds me that mamma says they want as 
 many things as we can make, for it s a hard winter, 
 and the poor are suffering very much. Do any of you 
 wish to take articles home, to do at odd times ? " said 
 Fan, who was president of this energetic Dorcas 
 Society. 
 
 u Mercy, no ! It takes all my leisure time to mend 
 my gloves and refresh my dresses," answered Belle. 
 
 " I think if we meet once a week, it is all that 
 should be expected of us, with our other engage 
 ments. Poor people always complain that the winter 
 is a hard one, and never are satisfied," remarked Misa 
 Perkins, making her diamonds sparkle as she sewed 
 buttons on the wrong side of a pink calico apron, 
 which would hardly survive one washing. 
 
 " Nobody can ask me to do any more, if they re 
 member all I ve got to attend to before summer," said 
 Trix, with an important air. " I ve got three women 
 hard at work, and want another, but every one is so 
 bus} r , and ask such abominable prices, that I ra in 
 
Needles and Tongues. 217 
 
 despair, and shall have to take hold myself, I in 
 afraid." 
 
 i4 There s a chance for Jane," thought Polly, but 
 had n t courage " to speak out loud in meeting," just 
 then, and resolved to ask Trix for work, in private. 
 
 " Prices are high, but you forget how much more it 
 costs to live now than it used to do. Mamma never 
 allows us to beat down workwomen, but wishes us to 
 pay them well, and economize in some other way, if 
 we must," said Emma Davenport, a quiet, bright-eyed 
 girl, who was called " odd " among the young ladies, 
 because she dressed simply, when her father was a 
 millionnaire. 
 
 " Just hear that girl talk about economy ! I beg 
 your pardon, she s some relation of yours, I believe ! " 
 said Belle, in a low tone. 
 
 " Very distant ; but I m proud of it ; for with her, 
 economy does n t mean scrimping in one place to make 
 a show in another. If every one would follow the 
 Davenports example, workwomen would n t starve, or 
 servants be such a trouble. Emma is the plainest 
 dressed girl in the room, next to me, yet any one can 
 see she is a true gentlewoman," said Polly, warmly. 
 
 " And } T OU are another," answered Belle, who had 
 always loved Polly, in her scatter-brained way. 
 
 " Hush ! Trix has the floor." 
 
 " If they spent their wages properly, I should n t 
 mind so much, but they think they must be as fine as 
 anybody, and dress so well that it is hard to tell 
 mistress from maid. Why, our cook got a bonnet 
 just like mine (the materials were cheaper, but the 
 effect was the same), and had the impertinence to 
 
218 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 wear it before my face. I forbid it, and she left, of 
 course, which made papa so cross he wouldn t give 
 me the camel s hair shawl he promised this year." 
 
 " It s perfectly shameful !" said Miss Perkins, as 
 Trix paused out of breath. "Servants ought to bo 
 made to dress like servants as they do abroad ; then 
 we should have no more trouble," observed Miss Per 
 kins, who had just made the grand tour, and had 
 brought home a French maid. 
 
 u Perky don t practise as she preaches," whispered 
 Belle to Polly, as Miss P. became absorbed in the chat 
 of her other neighbors. " She pays her chamber girl 
 with old finery ; and the other day, when Betsy was out 
 parading in her missis s cast-off purple plush suit, Mr. 
 Curtis thought she was mademoiselle, and bowed to 
 her. He is as blind as a bat, but recognized the dress, 
 and pulled off his hat to it in the most elegant style. 
 Perky adores him, and was mad enough to beat Betsey 
 when she told the story and giggled over it. Betsey 
 is quite as stylish and ever so much prettier than 
 Perky, and she knows it, which is an aggravation." 
 
 Polly couldn t help laughing, but grew sober a 
 minute after, as Trix said, pettishly, 
 
 " Well, I m sick of hearing about beggars ; I be 
 lieve half of them are humbugs, and if we let them 
 alone they d go to work and take care of themselves. 
 There s altogether too much fuss made about charity. 
 I do wish we could be left in peace." 
 
 " There can t be too much charity ! " burst out 
 Polly, forgetting her shyness all at once. 
 
 u Oh, indeed ! Well, I take the liberty to differ 
 from you," returned Trix, putting up her glass, and 
 
Needles and Tongues. 219 
 
 bestowing upon Polly her most "toploftical stare," 
 as the girls called it. 
 
 I regret to say that Polly never could talk with or 
 be near Trix without feeling irritated and combative. 
 She tried to conquer this feeling, but she could n t, and 
 when Trix put on airs, Polly felt an intense desire to 
 box her ears. That eye-glass was her especial aver 
 sion, for Trix was no more near-sighted than herself, 
 but pretended to be because it was the fashion, and at 
 times used the innocent glass as a weapon with which 
 to put down an} 7 one who presumed to set themselves 
 up. The supercilious glance which accompanied her 
 ironically polite speech roused Polly, who answered 
 with sudden color and the kindling of the eyes that 
 always betrayed a perturbed spirit. 
 
 u I don t think many of us would enjoy that selfish 
 sort of peace, while little children starve, and girls no 
 older than us kill themselves because their dreadful 
 poverty leaves them no choice but sin or death." 
 
 A sudden lull took place, for, though Polly did not 
 raise her voice, it was full of indignant emotion, and 
 the most frivolous girl there felt a little thrill of sym 
 pathy ; for the most utterly fashionable life does not 
 kill the heart out of women, till years of selfish 
 pleasure have passed over their heads. Trix was 
 ashamed of herself ; but she felt the same antagonism 
 toward Polly, that Polly did toward her ; and, being 
 less generous, took satisfaction in plaguing "her. 
 Polly did not know that the secret of this was the 
 fact that Tom often held her up as a model for his 
 -fiancee to follow, which caused that young lady to dis 
 like her more than ever. 
 
220 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Half the awful stories in the papers are made up 
 for a sensation, and it s absurd to believe them, unless 
 one likes to be harrowed up. I don t ; and as for 
 peace, I m not likely to get much, while I have Tom 
 to look after," said Trix, with an aggravating laugh. 
 
 Polly s needle snapped in two, but she did not 
 mind it, as she said, with a look that silenced even 
 sharp-tongued Trix, 
 
 " I can t help believing what my own eyes and ears 
 have seen and heard. You lead such safe and happy 
 lives, you can t imagine the misery that is all round 
 you ; but if you could get a glimpse of it, it would 
 make your hearts ache, as it has mine." 
 
 u Do you suffer from heartache? Some one hinted 
 as much to me, but you looked so well, I could n t 
 believe it." 
 
 Now that was cruel in Trix, more cruel than any 
 one guessed; but girls tongues can deal wounds as 
 sharp and sudden as the slender stiletto Spanish 
 women wear in their hair, and Polly turned pale, as 
 those words stabbed her. Belle saw it, and rushed to 
 the rescue with more good- will than wisdom. 
 
 " Nobody ever accused you of having any heart to 
 ache with. Polly and I are not old enough yet to get 
 tough and cool, and we are still silly enough to pity 
 unhappy people, Tom Shaw especially," added Belle, 
 under her breath. 
 
 That was a two-edged thrust, for Trix was decidedly 
 an old girl, and Tom was generally regarded as a 
 hapless victim. Trix turned red ; but before she 
 could load and fire again, Emma Davenport, who 
 laboied under the delusion that this sort of skirmish* 
 
Needles and Tongues. 221 
 
 ing was ill-natured, and therefore ill-bred, spoke up in 
 her pleasant way , 
 
 " Speaking of pitying the poor, I always wonder 
 why it is that we all like to read and cry over their 
 troubles in books, but when we have the real thing 
 before us, we think it is uninteresting and disagree 
 able." 
 
 " It s the genius that gets into the books, which 
 makes us like the poverty, I fancy. But I don t quite 
 agree that the real thing is n t interesting. I think it 
 would be, if we knew how to look at and feel it," said 
 Poll} , very quietly, as she pushed her chair out of the 
 arctic circle of Miss Perkins, into the temperate one 
 of friendly Emma. 
 
 " But how shall we learn that? I don t see what 
 we girls can do, more than we do now. We have n t 
 much money for such things, should n t know how to 
 use it if we had ; and it is n t proper for us to go pok 
 ing into dirty places, to hunt up the needy. Going 
 about doing good, in pony phaetons/ as somebody 
 says, may succeed in England, but it won t work 
 here," said Fanny, who had begun, lately, to think a 
 good deal of some one beside herself, and so found 
 her interest in her fellow-beings increasing daily. 
 
 " We can t do much, perhaps, just yet ; but still 
 there are things left undone that naturally fall to us. 
 I know a house," said Polly, sewing busily as she 
 talked, " where every servant who enters it becomes 
 an object of interest to the mistress and her daugh 
 ters. These women are taught good habits, books 
 are put where they can get them, sensible amusements 
 are planned for them sometimes, and they soon feel 
 
222 An Old- Fashioned Girl. 
 
 that tLcy are not considered mere scrubs, to do as 
 much work as possible, for as little money as possi 
 ble, but helpers in the family, who are loved and re 
 spected in proportion to their faithfulness. This lady 
 feels her duty to them, owns it, and does it, as con 
 scientiously as she wants them to do theirs by her ; 
 and that is the way it ought to be, I think." 
 
 As Polly paused, several keen eyes discovered that 
 Emma s cheeks were very red, and saw a smile lurk 
 ing in the corners of the mouth that tried to look 
 demure, which told them who Polly meant. 
 
 " Do the Biddies all turn out saints in that well- 
 regulated family?" asked the irrepressible Trix. 
 
 " No ; few of us do that, even in the parlor ; but 
 every one of the Biddies is better for being there, 
 whether they are grateful or not. I ought not to 
 have mentioned this, perhaps, but I wanted to show 
 you one thing that we girls can do. We all complain 
 about bad servants, most as much as if we were 
 house-keepers ourselves ; but it never occurs to us to 
 try and mend the matter, by getting up a better spirit 
 between mistress and maid. Then there s another 
 thing we can do," added Polly, warming up. " Most 
 of us find money enough for our little vanities and 
 pleasures, but feel dreadfully poor when we come to 
 pay for work, sewing especially. Could n t we give 
 up a few of the vanities, and pay the seamstresses 
 better?" 
 
 " I declare I will ! " cried Belle, whose conscience 
 suddenly woke, and smote her for beating down the 
 woman who did her plain sewing, in order that she 
 might have an extra flounce on a new dress. 
 
Needles and Tongues. 223 
 
 w Belle has got a virtuous fit ; pity it won t last a 
 week," said Trix. 
 
 "Wait and see," retorted Belle, resolving that it 
 should last, just to disappoint " that spiteful minx," 
 as she sweetly called her old school-mate. 
 
 " Now we shall behold Belle galloping away at a 
 great pace, on her new hobby. I should n t be sur 
 prised to hear of her preaching in the jail, adopting 
 a nice dirty little orphan, or passing round tracts at a 
 Woman s Rights meeting," said Trix, who never 
 could forgive Belle for having a lovely complexion, 
 and so much hair of her own, that she never patron 
 ized either rats, mice, waterfalls, switches or puff, 
 combs. 
 
 " Well, I might do worse ; and I think, of the two, 
 I d rather amuse myself so, than as some young 
 ladies do, who get into the papers for their pranks," 
 returned Belle, with a moral air. 
 
 " Suppose we have a little recess, and rest while 
 Polly plays to us. Will you, Polly ? It will do us 
 good ; they all want to hear you, and begged I d ask." 
 
 " Then I will, with pleasure " ; and Polly went to 
 the piano with such obliging readiness, that several 
 reproachful glances fell upon Trix, who did n t need 
 her glass to see them. 
 
 Polly was never too sad, perturbed, or lazy to sing, 
 for it was almost as easy to her as breathing, and 
 seemed the most natural outlet for her emotions. For 
 a minute her hands wandered over the keys, as if un 
 certain what to play ; then, falling into a sad, sweet 
 strain, she sang "The Bridge of Sighs." Polly 
 did n t know why she chose it, but the instinct seemed 
 
224 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 to have been a true one, for, old as the song was, it 
 went straight to the hearts of the hearers, and Polly 
 sung it better than she ever had before, for now the 
 memory of little Jane lent it a tender pathos which 
 no art could give. It did them all good, for music is 
 a beautiful magician, and few can resist its power. 
 The girls were touched by the appeal ; Polly was 
 lifted out of herself, and when she turned round, the 
 softened look on all the faces told her that for the 
 moment foolish differences and frivolous beliefs were 
 forgotten in the one womanly sentiment of pity for 
 the wrongs and woes of which the listeners happy 
 lives were ignorant. 
 
 " That song always makes me cry, and feel as if I 
 had no right to be so comfortable," said Belle, openly 
 wiping her eyes on a crash towel. 
 
 " Fortunately such cases are very rare," said an 
 other young lady, who seldom read the newspapers. 
 
 " I wish they were, but I m afraid they are not ; 
 for only three weeks ago, I saw a girl younger than 
 any of us, and no worse, who tried to destroy herself, 
 simply because she was so discouraged, sick, and 
 poor," said Polly. 
 
 " Do tell about her," cried Belle, eagerly. 
 
 Feeling that the song had paved the way for the 
 story, and given her courage to tell it, Polly did tell 
 it, and must have done it well, for the girls stopped 
 work to listen, and when she ended, other eyes beside 
 warm-hearted Belle s were wet. Trix looked quite 
 subdued ; Miss Perkins thawed to such a degree, that 
 something glittered on her hand as she bent over the 
 pink pinafore again, better and brighter than her 
 
Needles and Tongues. 225 
 
 biggest diamond ; Einma got up and went to Polly 
 with a face full of affectionate respect, while Fanny, 
 moved by a sudden impulse, caught up a costly 
 Sevres plate that stood on the etagpre, and laying a 
 fire-dollar bill in it, passed it round, quoting Polly s 
 words, 
 
 " Girls, I know you 11 like to help poor little Jenny 
 k begin again, and do better tjhis time. " 
 
 It was good to see how quickly the pretty purses 
 were out, how generously each gave of its abundance, 
 and what hearty applause broke from the girls, as 
 Belle laid down her gold thimble, saying with an April 
 face, 
 
 u There, take that ; I never have any money, some 
 how it won t stay with me, but I can t let the plate 
 pass me this time." 
 
 When Fanny brought the contributions to Polly, 
 she just gathered it up in her two hands with such a 
 glad, grateful face, the girls wished they had had 
 more to give. 
 
 " I can t thank you enough," she said, with an elo 
 quent little choke in her voice. "This will help 
 Jenny very much ; but the way in which it was done 
 will do her more good than double the money, because 
 it will prove to her that she is n t without friends, and 
 make her feel that there is a place in the world for her. 
 Let her work for you in return for this ; she don t ask 
 alms, she only wants employment and a little kind 
 ness, and the best charity we can bestow is to see 
 that she has both." 
 
 " I 11 give her as much sewing as she wants, and 
 she can stay at our house while she does it, if she 
 
 16 
 
226 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 needs a home," said Trix, in a spasm of benevo- 
 lence. 
 
 " She does n t need a home, thank you ; Miss Mills 
 has given half of hers, and considers Jane her 
 child," answered Polly, with proud satisfaction in tbo 
 fact. 
 
 " What an old dear ! " cried Belle. 
 
 " I want to know her. May I ? " whispered Emma. 
 
 "Oh, yes; I m glad to make her known to any 
 one. She is a quiet little old lady, but she does one 
 heaps of good, and shows you how to be charitable in 
 the wisest way." 
 
 " Do tell us about it. I m sure I want to do my 
 duty, but it s such a muddle, I don t know how," said 
 Belle. 
 
 Then, quite naturally, the conversation fell upon 
 the great work that none should be too busy to think 
 of, and which few are too young or too poor to help 
 on with their mite. The faces grew more earnest, the 
 fingers flew faster, as the quick young hearts and 
 brains took in the new facts, ideas, and plans that 
 grew out of the true stories, the sensible hints, the 
 successful efforts which Polly told them, fresh from 
 the lips of Miss Mills ; for, of late, Polly had talked 
 much with the good lady, and learned quickly the les 
 sons her unselfish life conveyed. The girls found this 
 more interesting than gossip, partly owing to its 
 novelty, doubtless ; but the enthusiasm was sincere 
 while it lasted, an I did them good. Many of them 
 forgot all about it in a week, but Polly s effort was 
 not lost, for Emma, Belle, and Fanny remained firm 
 friends to Jane, so kindly helping her that the poor 
 
Needles and Tongues. 227 
 
 child felt as if she had indeed been born again, into a 
 new and happy world. 
 
 Not till long afterward did Polly see how much 
 good this little effort had done her, for the first small 
 sacrifice of this sort leads the way to others, and a 
 single hand s turn given heartily to the world s great 
 work helps one amazingly with one s own small tasks. 
 Polly found this out as her life slowly grew easier and 
 brighter, and the beautiful law of compensation gave 
 her better purposes arid pleasures than any she had 
 lost. The parents of some of her pupils were persons 
 of real refinement, and such are always quick to per 
 ceive the marks of culture in others, no matter where 
 they find them. These, attracted first by Polly s 
 cheerful face, modest manners and faithful work, soon 
 found in her something more than a good teacher ; 
 they found a real talent for music, an eager desire for 
 helpful opportunities, and a heart grateful for the 
 kindly sympathy that makes rough places smooth. 
 Fortunately those who have the skill to detect these 
 traits also possess the spirit to appreciate and often 
 the power to serve and develop them. In ways so 
 delicate that the most sensitive pride could not 
 resent the favor, these true gentlefolk showed Polly 
 their respect and regard, put many pleasures in her 
 way, and when they paid her for her work, gave her 
 also the hearty thanks that takes away all sense of 
 degradation even from the humblest service, for money 
 so earned and paid sweetens the daily bread it buys, 
 and makes the mutual obligation a mutual benefit and 
 pleasure. 
 
 A few such patrons did much for Polly, and the 
 
228 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 music she gave them had an undertone of gratitude 
 that left blithe echoes in those great houses, which 
 money could not buy. 
 
 Then, as her butterfly acquaintances deserted her, 
 she found her way into a hive of friendly bees, who 
 welcomed her, and showed her how to find the honey 
 that keeps life sweet and wholesome. Through Miss 
 Mills, who was the counsellor and comforter of 
 several, Polly came to know a little sisterhood of 
 busy, happy, independent girls, who each had a pur 
 pose to execute, a talent to develop, an ambition to 
 achieve, and brought to the work patience and perse 
 verance, hope and courage. Here Polly found her 
 place at once, for in this little world love and liberty 
 prevailed ; talent, energy, and character took the first 
 rank ; money, fashion, and position were literally no 
 where ; for here, as in the big world outside, genius 
 seemed to blossom best when poverty was head gar 
 dener. Young teachers, doing much work for little 
 P av 5 young artists, trying to pencil, paint, or carve 
 their way to Rome ; young writers, burning to dis 
 tinguish themselves ; young singers, dreaming of 
 triumph, great as those of Jenny LindJ and some 
 who tried to conquer independence, armed only with 
 a needle, like poor Jane. All these helped Polly 
 as unconsciously as she helped them, for purpose and 
 principle are the best teachers we can have, and the 
 want of them makes half the women of America what 
 they are, restless, aimless* frivolous, and sick. 
 
 To outsiders that was a very hard-working and 
 uneventful winter to Polly. She thought so herself; 
 but as spring came on, the seed of new virtues, planted 
 
Needles and Tongues. 229 
 
 in the winter time, and ripened by the sunshine of 
 endeavor, began to bud in Polly s nature, betray 
 ing their presence to others by the added strength 
 and sweetness of her character, long before she her 
 self discovered these May flowers that had blossomed 
 for her underneath the snow. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 FORBIDDEN FRUIT. 
 
 ((T M perfectly aching for some fun," said Polly to 
 * herself, as she opened her window one morning, 
 and the sunshine and frosty air set her blood dancing, 
 and her eyes sparkling with youth, health, and over 
 flowing spirits. " I really must break out somewhere, 
 and have a good time ; it s quite impossible to keep 
 steady any longer. Now what will I do ? " Polly 
 sprinkled crumbs to the doves, who came daily to be 
 fed ; and while she watched the gleaming necks and 
 rosy feet, she racked her brain to devise some unus 
 ually delightful way of enjoying herself, for she really 
 had bottled up her spirits so long, they were in a 
 state of uncontrollable effervescence. 
 
 " I 11 go to the opera," she suddenly announced to 
 the doves. "It s expensive, I know, but it s re 
 markably good, and music is such a treat to me, 
 Yes, I ll get two tickets as cheap as I can, send a 
 note to Will, poor lad, he needs fun as much as I 
 do, and we 11 go and have a nice time in some cor 
 ner, as Charles Lamb and his sister used to." 
 
 With that, Polly slammed down the window, to the 
 dismay of her gentle little pensioners, and began to 
 
Forbidden Fruit. 231 
 
 fly about with great energy, singing and talking to 
 herself, as if it was impossible to keep quiet. She 
 started early to her first lesson, that she might have 
 time to buy the tickets, hoping, as she put a five dol 
 lar bill into her purse, that they wouldn t be very 
 high, for she felt that she was not in a mood to resist 
 temptation. But she was spared any struggle, for 
 when she reached the place, the ticket office was 
 blocked up by eager purchasers, and the disappointed 
 faces that turned away told Polly there was no hope 
 for her. 
 
 44 Well, I don t care ; I 11 go some^where, for I will 
 have my fun," she said, with great determination, for 
 disappointment only seemed to whet her appetite. 
 But the play-bills showed her nothing inviting, and 
 she was forced to go away to her work with the money 
 burning her pocket, and all manner of wild schemes 
 floating in her head. At noon, instead of going 
 home to dinner, she went and took an ice, trying to 
 feel very gay and festive all by herself. It was rather 
 a failure, however ; and after a tour of the picture 
 shops, she went to give Maud a lesson, feeling that it 
 was very hard to quench her longings, and subside 
 into a prim little music teacher. 
 
 Fortunately she did not have to do violence to her 
 feelings very long, for the first thing Fanny said to 
 her was, 
 
 44 Can you go?" 
 
 44 Where?" 
 
 44 Did n t you get my note ? " 
 
 44 1 did n t go home to dinner." 
 
 44 Tom wants us to go to the opera to-night and " 
 
232 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Fan got no further, for Polly uttered a cry of rapture 
 and clasped her hands. 
 
 "Go? Of course I will ; I Ve been dying to go all 
 day ; tried to get tickets this morning and could n t ; 
 been fuming about it ever since ; and now oh, how 
 splendid ! " and Polly could not restrain an ecslatia 
 skip, for this burst of joy rather upset her. 
 
 " Well, you come to tea, and we 11 dress together, 
 and go all comfortable with Tom, who is in a heavenly 
 frame of mind to-day." 
 
 " I must run home and get my things," said Polly, 
 resolving on the spot to buy the nicest pair of gloves 
 the city afforded. 
 
 "You shall have my white cloak, and any other 
 little rigging you want. Tommy likes to have his 
 ladies a credit to him, you know," said Fanny, de 
 parting to take a beauty sleep. 
 
 Polly instantly decided that she would n t borrow 
 Becky s best bonnet, as she at first intended, but get 
 a new one, for in her present excited state, no extrava 
 gance seemed too prodigal in honor of this grand 
 occasion. I am afraid that Maud s lesson was not as 
 thorough as it should have been, for Polly s head was 
 such a chaos of bonnets, gloves, opera-cloaks and fans, 
 that Maud blundered through, murdering time and 
 tune at her own sweet will. The instant it was over, 
 Polly rushed away and bought not only the kids, but 
 a bonnet frame, a bit of illusion, and a pink crape 
 rose, which had tempted her for weeks in a certain 
 shop window; then home and to work with all the 
 skill and speed of a distracted milliner. 
 
 "I m rushing madly into expense, I m afraid ; but 
 
Forbidden Fruit. 233 
 
 the fit is on me, and I 11 eat bread and water for a 
 week to make up for it. I must look nice, for Tom 
 seldom takes me, and ought to be gratified when he 
 does. I want to do like other girls, just for once, 
 and enjoy m} r self without thinking about right and 
 wrong. Now a bit of pink ribbon to tie it with, and 
 I shall be done in time to do up my best collar," she 
 said, turning her boxes topsy-turvy for the necessary 
 ribbon, in that delightful flurry which young ladies 
 feel on such occasions. 
 
 It is my private opinion, that the little shifts and 
 struggles we poor girls have to undergo beforehand, 
 give a peculiar relish to our fun when we get it. This 
 fact will account for the rapturous mood in which 
 Polly found herself when, after making her bonnet, 
 washing and ironing her best set, blacking her boots 
 and mending her fan, she at last, like Consuelo, " put 
 on a little dress of black silk," and with the smaller 
 adornments pinned up in a paper, started for the 
 Shaws , finding it difficult to walk decorously, when 
 her heart was dancing in her bosom. 
 
 Maud happened to be playing a redowa up in the 
 parlor, and Polly came prancing into the room so 
 evidently spoiling for a dance, that Tom, who was 
 there, found it impossible to resist catching her about 
 the waist, and putting her through the most intricate 
 evolutions, till Maud s fingers gave out. 
 
 " That was splendid ! Oh, Tom, thank you so 
 much for asking me to-night. I feel just like having 
 a regular good time," cried Polly, when she stopped, 
 with her hat hanging round her neck, and her hair 
 looking as if she had been out in a high wind. 
 
234 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Glad of it. I felt so myself, and thought we d 
 have a jolly little party all in the family," said Tom. 
 looking much gratified at her delight. 
 
 "Is Trix sick?" asked Polly. 
 
 " Gone to New York for a week." 
 
 " Ah, when the cat s away the mice will play." 
 
 " Exactly ; come and have another turn." 
 
 Before they could start, however, the awful spec 
 tacle of a little dog trotting out of the room with a 
 paper parcel in his mouth, made Polly clasp her hands 
 with the despairing cry, 
 
 " My bonnet ! oh, my bonnet ! " 
 
 "Where? what? which?" and Tom looked about 
 him bewildered. 
 
 " Snip s got it. Save it ! save it ! " 
 
 " I will ! " and Tom gave chase with more vigor 
 than discretion. 
 
 Snip, evidently regarding it as a game got up for 
 his especial benent, enjoyed the race immensely, and 
 scampered all over the house, shaking the precious 
 parcel like a rat, while his master ran and whistled, 
 commanded and coaxed in vain. Polly followed, con 
 sumed with anxiety, and Maud laughed till Mrs. Shaw 
 sent down to know who was in hysterics. A piteous 
 yelp from the lower regions at last announced that the 
 thief was captured, and Tom appeared, bearing Snip 
 by the nape, of the neck in one hand, and Polly s cher 
 ished bonnet in the other. 
 
 " The lit\,le scamp was just going to worry it when 
 [ grabbed him. I m afraid he has eaten one of your 
 gloves ; I can t find it, and this one is pretty well 
 chewed up," said Tom, bereaving Snip of the torn 
 kid, to which he still pertinaciously clung. 
 
Forbidden Fruit. 235 
 
 " Serves me right," said Polly, with a groan. " I d 
 no business to get a new pair, but I wanted to be 
 extra gorgeous to-night, and this is my punishment 
 for such mad extravagance." 
 
 44 Was there anything else?" asked Tom. 
 
 " Only my best cuffs and collar ; you 11 probably 
 find them in the coal-bin," said Polly, with the calm 
 ness of despair. 
 
 " I saw some little white things on the dining-room 
 floor as I raced through. Go get them, Maud, and 
 we 11 repair damages," said Tom, shutting the culprit 
 into the boot closet, where he placidly rolled himself 
 up and went to sleep. 
 
 " They ain t hurt a bit," proclaimed Maud, restoring 
 the lost treasures. 
 
 " Neither is my bonnet, for which I m deeply grate 
 ful," said Polly, who had been examining it with a 
 solicitude which made Tom s eyes twinkle. 
 
 " So am I, for it strikes me that is an uncommonly 
 4 nobby little affair," he said, approvingly. Tom had 
 a weakness for pale pink roses, and perhaps Polly 
 .knew it. 
 
 " I m afraid it s too gay," said Polly, with a dubious 
 look. 
 
 " Not a bit ; sort of bridal, you know. Must be 
 becoming ; put it on, and let s see." 
 
 44 1 would n t for the world, with my hair all tumbling 
 down. Don t look at me till I m respectable, and 
 don t tell any one how I Ve been acting. I think 1 
 must be a little crazy to-night," said Polly, gathering 
 up her rescued finery, and preparing to go and find 
 Fan. 
 
 44 Lunacy is mighty becoming, Polly ; try it again," 
 
236 An O Id-Fashioned Girt. 
 
 answered Tom, watching her as she went laughing 
 away, looking all the prettier for her dishevelment. 
 " Dress that girl up, and, she d be a raving, tearing 
 beauty," added Tom to Maud, in a lower tone, as he 
 took her into the parlor under his arm. 
 
 Polly heard it, and instantly resolved to be as 
 44 raving and as tearing " as her means would allow, 
 44 just for one night," she said, as she peeped over the 
 banisters, glad to see that the dance and the race 
 had taken the " band-boxy " air out of Tom s elegant 
 array. 
 
 I deeply regret being obliged to shock the eyes and 
 ears of such of my readers as have a prejudice in 
 favor of pure English, by expressions like the above ; 
 but, having rashly undertaken to write a little story 
 about Young America, for Young America, I feel 
 bound to depict my honored patrons as faithfully as 
 my limited powers permit ; otherwise, I must expect 
 the crushing criticism, " Well, I dare say it s all 
 very prim and proper, but it is n t a bit like us," and 
 never hope to arrive at the distinction of finding the 
 covers of "An Old-Fashioned Girl" the dirtiest in 
 the library. 
 
 The friends had a social " cup o tea "up stairs, 
 which Polly considered the height of luxury ; and then 
 each took a mirror, and proceeded to prink to her 
 heart s content. The earnestness with which Polly 
 made her toilet that night, was delightful to behold. 
 Feeling in a daring mood, she released her pretty 
 hair from the braids in which she usually wore it, and 
 permitted the curls to display themselves in all theii 
 brown abundance, especially several dangerous little 
 
Forbidden Frmt. 237 
 
 ones about the temples and forehead. The putting 
 on of the rescued collar and cuffs was a task which 
 absorbed her whole mind ; so was the settling of a 
 minute bit of court-plaster, just to the left of the 
 dimple in her chin, an unusual piece of coquetry, in 
 which Polly would not have indulged, if an almost 
 invisible scratch had not given her an excuse for 
 doing it. The white, down- trimmed cloak, with cer 
 tain imposing ornaments on the hood, was assumed 
 with becoming gravity, and draped with much advanc 
 ing and retreating before the glass, as its wearer prac 
 tised the true Boston gait, elbows back, shoulders for 
 ward, a bend and a slide, occasionally varied by a 
 slight skip. But when that bonnet went on, Polly ac 
 tually held her breath till it was safely landed, and the 
 pink rose bloomed above the smooth waves of hair, 
 with what Fanny called " a ravishing effect." At this 
 successful stage of affairs, Polly found it impossible 
 to resist the loan of a pair of gold bands for the 
 wrists, and Fanny s white fan, with the little mirror in 
 the middle. 
 
 " I can put them in my pocket if I feel too much 
 dressed," said Polly, as she snapped on the bracelets ; 
 but, after a wave or two of the fan, she felt that it 
 would be impossible to take them off till the evening 
 was over, so enticing was their glitter. 
 
 Fanny also lent her a pair of three-button gloves, 
 which completed her content ; and when Tom greeted 
 her with an approving, " Here s a sight for gods and 
 men ! Why, Polly, you re gorgeous ! " she felt that 
 her " fun " had decidedly begun. 
 
 "Wouldn t Polly make a lovely bride?" said 
 
238 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Maud, who was revolving about the two girls, trying 
 to decide whether she would have a blue or a white 
 cloak, when she grew up, and went to operas. 
 
 " Faith, and she would ! Allow me to congratulate 
 you, Mrs. Sydney," added Tom, advancing with 
 his wedding reception bow, and a wicked look at 
 Fanny. 
 
 " Go away! how dare you?" cried Polly, growing 
 much redder than her rose. 
 
 " If we are going to the opera to-night, perhaps 
 we d better start, as the carriage has been waiting 
 some time/ observed Fan, coolly, and sailed out of 
 the room in an unusually lofty manner. 
 
 "Don t you like it, Polly?" whispered Tom, as 
 they went down stairs together. 
 
 " Very much." 
 
 " The deuce you do ! " 
 
 " I m so fond of music, how can I help it? " 
 
 " I m talking about Syd." 
 
 " Well, I in not." 
 
 " You d better try for him." 
 
 "I 11 think of it." 
 
 "Oh, Polly, Polly, what are you coming to?" 
 
 " A tumble into the street, apparently," answered 
 Polly, as she slipped a little on the step ; and Torn 
 stopped in the middle of his laugh, to pilot her safely 
 into the carriage, where Fanny was already seated. 
 
 " Here s richness ! " said Polly to herself, as she 
 rolled away, feeling as Cinderella probably did when 
 the pumpkin-coach bore her to the first ball, only 
 Polly had two princes to think about, and poor Cin 
 derella, on that occasion, had not even one. Fanny 
 
Forbidden Fruit. 239 
 
 did n t seem inclined to talk much, and Tom would go 
 on in such a ridiculous manner, that Polly told him 
 she would n t listen, and began to hum bits of the 
 opera. But she heard every word, nevertheless, and 
 resolved to pay him for his impertinence, as soon as 
 possible, by showing him what he had lost. 
 
 Their seats were in the balcony, and hardly were 
 they settled, when, by one of those remarkable coinci 
 dences which are continually occurring in our youth, 
 Mr. Sydney, and Fanny s old friend, Frank Moore, 
 took their places just behind them. 
 
 " Oh, you villain ! you did it on purpose," whispered 
 Polly, as she turned from greeting their neighbors, 
 and saw a droll look on Tom s face. 
 
 u I give you my word I did n t. It s the law oi 
 attraction, don t you see." 
 
 " If Fan likes it, I don t care." 
 
 " She looks resigned, I think." 
 
 She certainly did, for she was talking and laughing 
 in the gayest manner with Frank, while Sydney was 
 covertly surveying Polly, as if he did n t quite under 
 stand how the gray grub got so suddenly transformed 
 into a white butterfly. It is a well-known fact, that 
 dress plays a very important part in the lives of most 
 women ; and even the most sensible cannot help own 
 ing, sometimes, how much happiness they owe to a 
 becoming gown, gracefully arranged hair, or a bonnet 
 which brings out the best points in their faces, and 
 puts them in a good humor. A great man was once 
 heard to say, that what first attracted him to his well- 
 beloved wife, was seeing her in a white muslin dress, 
 with a blue shawl on the chair behind her. The dress 
 
240 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 caught his eye, and, stopping to admire that, the 
 wearer s intelligent conversation interested his mind, 
 and, in time, the woman s sweetness won his heart. 
 It is not the finest dress which does the most execu 
 tion, I fancy, but that which best interprets individual 
 taste and character. Wise people understand this, and 
 everybody is more influenced by it than they know, 
 perhaps. Polly was not very wise, but she felt that 
 every one about her found something more attractive 
 than usual in her, and modestly attributed Tom s de 
 votion, Sydney s interest, and Frank s undisguised 
 admiration, to the new bonnet, or, more likely, to that 
 delightful combination of cashmere, silk, and swan s- 
 down, which, like Charity s mantle, seemed to cover 
 a multitude of sins in other people s eyes, and exalt 
 the little music teacher to the rank of a young lady. 
 
 Polly scoffed at this sort of thing sometimes, but 
 to-night she accepted it without a murmur, rather en 
 joyed it in fact, let her bracelets shine before the e}^es 
 of all men, and felt that it was good to seem comely in 
 their sight. She forgot one thing, however, that her 
 own happy spirits gave the crowning charm to a 
 picture which every one liked to see, a blithe young 
 girl enjoying herself with all her heart. The music 
 and the light, costume and company, excited Polly, 
 and made many things possible which at most times 
 she would never have thought of saying or doing. 
 She did not mean to flirt ; but somehow " it flirted 
 itself," and she could n t help it, for, once started, it 
 was hard to stop, with Tom goading her on, and Syd 
 ney looking at her with that new interest in his eyes. 
 Polly s flirting was such a very mild imitaiion of the 
 
Forbidden Fruit. 241 
 
 fashionable thing, that Trix & Co. would not have 
 recognized it ; but it did very well for a beginner, and 
 Polly understood that night wherein the fascination 
 of it lay, for she felt as if she had found a new gift al 1 
 of a sudden, and was learning how to use it, knowing 
 Miat it was dangerous, yet finding its chief charm in 
 1 1 uit very fact. 
 
 Tom did n t know what to make of her, at first, 
 though he thought the change uncommonly becoming ; 
 and finally decided that Polly had taken his advice, 
 and was " setting her cap for Syd," as he gracefully 
 expressed it. Sydney, being a modest man, thought 
 nothing of the kind, but simply fancied that little 
 Polly was growing up to be a very charming woman, 
 lie had known her since her first visit, and had alwa} r s 
 liked the child ; this winter he had been interested in 
 the success of her plans, and had done what he could 
 to help them ; but he never thought of falling in love 
 with Polly, till that night. Then he began to feel that 
 he had not fully appreciated his young friend ; that 
 she was such a bright and lovable girl, it was a pity 
 she should not always be gay and pretty, and enjoy 
 herself ; that she would make a capital wife for some 
 body, and perhaps it was about time to think of set 
 tling, as his sister often said. These thoughts came 
 and went, as he watched the white figure in front, felt 
 the enchantment of the music, and found everybody 
 unusually blithe and beautiful. He had heard the 
 opera many times, but it had never seemed so fine be 
 fore ; perhaps, because he had never happened to have 
 had an ingenuous young face so near him, in which 
 the varying emotions born of the music, and tho ro 
 
242 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 mance it portrayed, came and went so eloquently, that 
 it was impossible to help reading them. Polly did 
 not know that this was why h leaned down so 
 often to speak to her, with an expression which she 
 did not understand, but liked very much, neverthe 
 less. 
 
 " Don t shut your eyes, Polly ; they are so full of 
 mischief to-night, I like to see them," said Tom, after 
 idly wondering for a minute, if she knew how long and 
 curly her lashes were. 
 
 " I don t wish to look affected ; but the music tells 
 the story so much better than the acting, that I don t 
 care to look on, half the time," answered Polly, hop 
 ing Tom would n t see the tears she had so cleverly 
 suppressed. 
 
 " Now I like the acting best ; the music is all very 
 fine, I know ; but it does seem so absurd for people 
 to go round telling tremendous secrets at the top of 
 their voices. I can t get used to it." 
 
 " That s because you ve more common-sense than 
 romance. I don t mind the absurdity, and quite long 
 to go and comfort that poor girl with the broken 
 heart," said Polly, with a sigh, as the curtain fell on 
 a most afflicting tableau. 
 
 " What s-his-name is a great jack not to see that 
 she adores him ; in real life, we fellows ain t such bats 
 as all that," observed Tom, who had decided opinions 
 on many subjects that he knew very little about, and 
 expressed them with great candor. 
 
 A curious smile passed over Polly s face, and she 
 put up her glass to hide her eyes, as she said, 
 
 " I think you are bats sometimes ; but women are 
 
Forbidden .Fruit. 243 
 
 taught to wear masks, and that accounts for it, I sup 
 pose." 
 
 " I don t agree. There s precious little masking 
 nowadays ; wish there was a little more, sometimes," 
 added Tom, thinking of several blooming damsels 
 whose beseeching eyes had begged him not to leave 
 them to wither on the parent stem. 
 
 " I hope not ; but I guess there s a good deal more 
 than any one would suspect." 
 
 " What can you know about broken hearts and 
 blighted beings?" asked Sydney, smiling at the girl s 
 pensive tone. 
 
 Polly glanced up at him, and her face dimpled and 
 slione again, as she answered, laughing, 
 
 " Not much ; my time is to come." 
 
 " I can t imagine you walking about the world, with 
 your back hair down, bewailing a hard-hearted lover," 
 said Tom. 
 
 " Neither can I ; that would n t be my way." 
 
 " No ; Miss Polly would let concealment prey on 
 her damask cheeks, and still smile on, in the novel 
 fashion ; or turn sister of charity, and nurse the heart 
 less lover through small-pox, or some nice contagi 
 ous disease, and die seraphicall}-, leaving him to the 
 agonies of remorse and tardy love." 
 
 Polly gave Sydney an indignant look, as he said 
 that, in a slow satirical way, that nettled her very 
 much, for she hated to be thought sentimental. 
 
 " That s not my way either," she said, decidedly ; 
 " I d try to outlive it, and if I could n t, I d try to 
 be the better for it. Disappointment need n t make 
 a woman a fool." 
 
244 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Nor an old maid, if she s pretty and good ; re 
 member that, and don t visit the sins of one block 
 head on all the rest of mankind," said Tom, laughing 
 at her earnestness. 
 
 " I don t think there is the slightest possibility of 
 Miss Polly s being either," added Sydney, with a look 
 which made it evident that concealment had not 
 seriously damaged Polly s damask cheek as } T et. 
 
 " There s Clara Bird. I have n t seen her but once 
 since she was married. How pretty she looks ! " and 
 Polly retired behind the big glass again, thinking the 
 chat was becoming rather personal. 
 
 " Now, there s a girl who tried a different cure for 
 unrequited affection from any you mention. People 
 say she was fond of Belle s brother ; he did n t recip 
 rocate, but went off to India to spoil his constitution, 
 so Clara married a man twenty years older than she 
 is, and consoles herself by being the best-dressed 
 woman in the city." 
 
 " That accounts for it," said Polly, when Tom s 
 long whisper ended. 
 
 " For what?" 
 
 " The tired look in her eyes." 
 
 " I don t see it," said Tom, after a survey through 
 ttie glass. 
 
 " Did n t expect you would." 
 
 " I see what you mean ; a good many women have 
 it nowadays," said Sydney, over Polly s shoulder. 
 
 " What s she tired of? the old gentleman? " asked 
 Tom. 
 
 " And herself," added Polly. 
 
 " You ve been reading French novels, I know you 
 
Forbidden Fruit. 245 
 
 have ; that s just the way the heroines go on, cried 
 Tom. 
 
 " I have n t read one ; but it s evident you have, 
 young man, and you d better stop." 
 
 " I don t care for em ; only do it to keep up 
 my French. But how came you to be so wise, 
 ma am ? " 
 
 " Observation, sir. I like to watch faces ; and I 
 seldom see a grown-up one that looks perfectly 
 happy." 
 
 "True for you, Polly; no more you do, now 1 
 think of it. I don t know but one that always looks 
 so, and there it is." 
 
 u Where?" asked Polly, with interest. 
 
 " Look straight before you, and you 11 see it." 
 
 Polly did look, but all she saw was her own face 
 in the little mirror of the fan which Tom held up 
 and peeped over with a laugh in his eyes. 
 
 " Do I look happy? I m glad of that," and Polly 
 surveyed herself with care. 
 
 Both young men thought it was girlish vanity, and 
 smiled at its naive display ; but Polly was looking 
 for something deeper than beauty, and was glad not 
 to find it. 
 
 " Rather a pleasant little prospect, hey, Polly?" 
 
 " My bonnet is straight, and that s all I care about. 
 Did you ever see a picture of Beau Brummel ? " asked 
 Polly, quickly. 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Well, there he is, modernized," and turning the 
 fan, she showed him himself. 
 
 "Any more portraits in your gallery?" asked 
 
246 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Sydney, as if he liked to share all the nonsense 
 going. 
 
 " One more." 
 
 " What do you call it?" 
 
 " The portrait of a gentleman ; " and the little glass 
 reflected a gratified face for the space of two seconds. 
 
 " Thank you ; I m glad I don t disgrace my name," 
 said Sydney, looking clown into the merry blue eyes 
 that thanked him silently for many of the small kind 
 nesses that women never can forget. 
 
 " Very good, Polly, you are getting on fast," whis 
 pered Tom, patting his yellow kids approvingly. 
 
 " Be quiet ! Dear me, how warm it is ! " and Polly 
 gave him a frown that delighted his soul. 
 
 " Come out and have an ice ; we shall have time." 
 
 " Pan is so absorbed, I could n t think of disturbing 
 her," said Polly, fancying that her friend was enjoying 
 the evening as much as she was, a great mistake, 
 by the wa}^, for Fan was acting for effect ; and though 
 she longed to turn and join them, would n t do it, 
 unless a certain person showed signs of missing her. 
 He did n t, and Fanny chatted on, raging inwardly 
 over her disappointment, and wondering how Polly 
 could be so gay and selfish. 
 
 It was delicious to see the little airs Polly put on, 
 for she felt as if she were soinebod} r else, and acting a 
 part. She leaned back, as if quite oppressed by the 
 heat, permitted Sydney to fan her, and paid him for 
 the service by giving him a flower from her bouquet, 
 proceedings which amused Tom immensely, even while 
 it piqued him a little to be treated like an old friend 
 who did n t count. 
 
Forbidden Fruit. 247 
 
 " Go in and win, Polly ; I 11 give you my bless 
 ing," he whispered, as the curtain rose again. 
 
 " It s only part of the fun, so don t you laugh, you 
 disrespectful boy," she whispered back in a tone never 
 used toward Sydney. 
 
 Tom did n t quite like the different way in which she 
 treated them, and the word " boy " disturbed his dig 
 nity, for he was almost twenty-one, and Polly ought 
 to treat him with more respect. Sydney, at the same 
 moment, was wishing he was in Tom s place, young, 
 comely, and such a familiar friend, that Polly would 
 scold and lecture him in the delightful way she did 
 Tom ; while Polly forgot them both when the music 
 began, and left them ample time to look at her and 
 think about themselves. 
 
 While they waited to get out, when all was over, 
 Polly heard Fan whisper to Tom, 
 
 " What do you think Trix will say to this?" 
 
 " What do you mean? " 
 
 " Why, the way you ve been going on to-night." 
 
 " Don t know, and don t care ; it s only Polly." 
 
 " That s the very thing ; she can t bear P." 
 
 " Well, I can ; and I don t see why I should n t 
 enjoy myself as well as Trix." 
 
 44 You 11 get to enjoying yourself too much, if you 
 are n t careful. Polly s waked up." 
 
 " I m glad of it, and so s Syd." 
 
 " I only spoke for your good." 
 
 " Don t trouble yourself about me ; I get lecturing 
 enough in another quarter, and can t stand any more. 
 Come, Polly." 
 
 She took the arm he offered tier, but her heart was 
 
248 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 sore and angry, for that phrase, "It s only Polly , r 
 hurt her sadly. "As if I was n t anybody, had n t 
 any feelings, and was only made to amuse or work for 
 people ! Fan and Tom are both mistaken, and I 11 
 show them that Polly is awake," she thought, indig 
 nantly. "Why shouldn t I enjoy myself as well as 
 the rest ; besides, it s only Tom," she added, with a 
 bitter smile, as she thought of Trix. 
 
 " Are you tired, Polly? " asked Tom, bending dowo 
 to look into her face. 
 
 " Yes ; of being nobody." 
 
 " Ah, but you ain t nobody ; you re Polly, and 
 you could n t better that if you tried ever so hard," 
 said Tom, warmly, for he really was fond of Polly, 
 and felt uncommonly so just then. 
 
 " I m glad you think so, any way ; it s so pleasant 
 to be liked," and she looked up with her face quite 
 bright again. 
 
 " I always did like you ; don t you know, ever since 
 that first visit." 
 
 " But you teased me shamefully, for all that." 
 
 "So I did ; but I don t now." 
 
 Polly did not answer, and Tom asked, with more 
 anxiety than the occasion required, 
 
 "Do I, Polly?" 
 
 " Not in the same way, Tom," she answered, in a 
 tone that did n t sound quite natural. 
 
 " Well, I never will again." 
 
 " Yes, you will ; you can t help it." And Polly s 
 eye glanced at Sydney, who was in front with Fan. 
 
 Tom laughed, and drew Polly closer, as the crowd 
 pressed, saying, with mock tenderness, 
 
Forbidden Fruit. 249 
 
 " Did n t she like to be chaffed about her sweet 
 hearts? Well, she shan t be, if I can help it. Poor 
 dear, did she get her little bonnet knocked into a 
 cocked hat, and her little temper riled at the same 
 time?" 
 
 Polly could n t help laughing, and, in spite of the 
 crush, enjoyed the slow journey from seat to carriage, 
 for Tom took such excellent care of her, she was 
 rather sorry when it was over. 
 
 They had a merry little supper after they got home, 
 and Polly gave them a burlesque opera, that convulsed 
 her hearers, for her spirits rose again, and she was 
 determined to get the last drop of fun before she went 
 back to her humdrum life again. 
 
 " I ve had a regularly splendid time, and thank you 
 ever so much," she said, when the good-nights were 
 being exchanged. 
 
 " So have I ; let s go and do it again to-morrow," 
 said Tom, holding the hand from which he had helped 
 to pull a refractory glove. 
 
 " Not for a long while, please ; too much pleasure 
 would soon spoil me," answered Polly, shaking her 
 head. 
 
 " I don t believe it. Good-night, sweet Mistress 
 Milton, as Syd called you. Sleep like an angel, am! 
 don t dream of I forgot, no teasing allowed," and 
 Tom took himself off with a theatrical farewell. 
 
 " Now it s all over and done with," thought Polly, 
 as she fell asleep after a long vigil. But it was not, 
 and Polly s fun cost more than the p r x;e of gloves 
 and bonnet, for, having nibbled at forbidden fruit, she 
 had to pa}* the penalty. She only meant to have a 
 
250 An Old- Fashioned GirL 
 
 good time, and there was no harm in that ; but, unfor 
 tunately, she yielded to the various small temptations 
 that beset pretty young girls, and did more mischief 
 to others than to herself. Fanny s friendship grew 
 cooler after that night. Tom kept wishing Trix was 
 half as satisfactory as Polly, and Mr. Sydney began 
 to build castles that had no foundation. 
 
CHAPTER XHI. 
 
 THE SUNNY SIDE. 
 
 " T VE won the wager, Tom." 
 
 -* " Did n t know there was one." 
 
 " Don t you remember you said Polly would be tired 
 of her teaching and give it up in three months, and I 
 said she would n t?" 
 
 "Well, is n t she?" 
 
 " Not a bit of it. I thought she was at one time, 
 and expected every day to have her come in with a 
 long face, and say she could n t stand it. But some 
 how, lately, she is always bright and happy, seems to 
 like her work, and don t have the tired, worried look 
 she used to at first. The three months are out, so pay 
 up, Tommy." 
 
 " All right, what will you have?" 
 
 " You may make it gloves. I always need them, 
 and papa looks sober when I want money." 
 
 There was a minute s pause as Fan returned to her 
 practising, and Tom relapsed into the reverie he was 
 enjoying seated astride of a chair, with his chin on his 
 folded arms. 
 
 " Seems to me Polly don t come here as often as 
 she used to," he said, presently. 
 
252 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 "No, she seems to be very busy; got some new 
 friends, I believe, old ladies, sewing-girls, and 
 things of that sort. I miss her, but know she 11 get 
 tired of being goody, and will come back to me before 
 long." 
 
 " Don t be too sure of that, ma am." Something 
 in Tom s tone made Fan turn round, and ask, 
 
 " What do you mean? " 
 
 " Well, it strikes me that Sydney is one of Polly s 
 new friends. Have n t you observed that she is un 
 commonly jolly, and don t that sort of thing account 
 for it?" 
 
 " Nonsense ! " said Fanny, sharply. 
 
 " Hope it is," coolly returned Tom. 
 
 " What put it into your head ? " demanded Fanny, 
 twirling round again so that her face was hidden. 
 
 " Oh, well, I keep meeting Syd and Polly circulat 
 ing in the same directions ; she looks as if she had 
 found something uncommonly nice, and he looks as 
 if all creation was getting Pollyfied pretty rapidly. 
 Wonder you have n t observed it." 
 
 " I have." 
 
 It was Tom s turn to look surprised now, for 
 Fanny s voice sounded strange to him. He looked 
 at her steadily for a minute, but saw only a rosy ear 
 and a bent head. A cloud passed over his face, and 
 he leaned his chin on his arm again with a despondent 
 whistle, as he said to himself, 
 
 " Poor Fan ! Both of us in a scrape at once." 
 
 " Don t you think it would be a good thing ? " asked 
 Fann} , after playing a bar or two, very badly. 
 
 " Yes, for Syd." 
 
The Sunny Side. 253 
 
 " Not for Polly ? Why, he s rich, and clever, and 
 better than most of you good-for-nothing fellows. 
 What can the girl expect ? " 
 
 " Can t say, but I don t fancy the match myself." 
 
 " Don t be a dog in the manger, Tom." 
 
 " Bless your little heart, I only take a brotherly 
 sort of interest in Polly. She s a capital girl, and 
 she ought to marry a missionary, or one of your re 
 former fellows, and be a shining light of some sort. 
 I don t think setting up for a fine lady would suit 
 her." 
 
 "I think it would, and I hope she ll have the 
 chance," said Fanny, evidently making an effort to 
 speak kindly. 
 
 " Good for you, Fan ! " and Tom gave an emphatic 
 nod, as if her words meant more than she suspected. 
 " Mind you," he added, " I don t know anything, and 
 only fancied there might be some little flirtation going 
 on. But I dare say it s nothing." 
 
 " Time will show." Then Fan began to sing, and 
 Tom s horse came, so he departed with the very un 
 usual demonstration of a gentle pat on the head, as 
 he said kindly, 
 
 " That s right, my dear, keep jolly." It was n t 
 an elegant way of expressing sympathy, but it was 
 hearty, and Fan thanked him for it, though she only 
 said, 
 
 " Don t break your neck, Tommy." 
 
 When he was gone, Fan s song ended as suddenly 
 as it began, and she sat thinking, with varying ex 
 pressions of doubt and trouble passing rapidly across 
 her face. 
 
254 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Well, I can t do anything but wait ! " she said, at 
 last, slamming the music-book together with a des 
 perate look. " Yes, I can," she added, a minute af 
 ter, " it s Polly s holiday. I can go and see her, and 
 if there is anything in it, I shall find it out." 
 
 Fanny dropped her face into her hands, with a lit 
 tle shiver, as she said that ; then got up, looking as 
 pale and resolute as if going to meet some dreadful 
 doom, and putting on her things, went away to Polly s 
 as fast as her dignity would allow. 
 
 Saturday morning was Polly s clearing-up day, and 
 Fan found her with a handkerchief tied over her head, 
 and a big apron on, just putting the last touches to 
 the tidy little room, which was as fresh and bright as 
 water, air, and a pair of hands could make it. 
 
 " All ready for company. I 11 just whisk off my 
 regimentals, and Polly, the maid, becomes Polly, the 
 missis. It was lovely of you to come early ; take 
 off your things. Another new bonnet ? you extrav- 
 gant wretch ! How is your mother and Maudie ? It s 
 a nice day, and we 11 have a walk, won t we ? " 
 
 By the time Polly s welcome was uttered, she had 
 got Fan on the little sofa beside her, and was smiling 
 at her in such an infectious manner, that Fan could n t 
 help smiling back. 
 
 " I came to see what you have been doing with 
 yourself lately. You don t come and report, and I 
 got anxious about you," said Fanny, looking into the 
 clear eyes before her. 
 
 " I ve been so busy ; and I knew } r ou would n t care 
 to hear about my doings, for they are n t the sort you 
 like," answered Polly. 
 
The Sunny Side. 255 
 
 " Youi lessons did n t use to take up all your time. 
 Ft s my private opinion that you are taking as well as 
 giving lessons, miss," said Fan, putting on a play 
 fully stern air, to hide her real anxiety. 
 
 " Yes, I am," answered Polly, soberly. 
 
 In what? Love?" 
 
 A quick color came to Polly s cheeks, as she laughed, 
 and said, looking away, 
 
 " No ; friendship and good works." 
 
 " Oh, indeed ! May I ask who is your teacher?" 
 
 " I Ve more than one ; but Miss Mills is head 
 teacher." 
 
 " She instructs in good works ; who gives the 
 friendship lessons ? " 
 
 " Such pleasant girls ! I wish you knew them, 
 Fan. So clever, and energetic, and kind, and happy, 
 it always does me good to see them," cried Polly, with 
 a face full of enthusiasm. 
 
 " Is that all? " And Fan gave her a curious look of 
 mingled disappointment and relief. 
 
 " There, I told you my doings would not interest 
 y ou, and they don t , they sound flat and prosy after 
 your brilliant adventures. Let s change the subject," 
 said Polly, looking relieved herself. 
 
 " Dear me, which of our sweethearts sends us dainty 
 bouquets of violets so early in the morning ? " asked 
 Fanny, suddenly spying the purple cluster in a grace 
 ful little vase on the piano. 
 
 44 He sends me one every week ; he knows I love 
 them so," and Polly s eyes turned that way full of 
 pride and pleasure. 
 
 "I d no idea he was so devoted," said Fanny, 
 
256 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 stooping to smell the flowers, and at the same time 
 read a card that lay near them. 
 
 " You need n t plague me about it, now you know 
 it. I never speak of our fondness for one another, 
 because such things seem silly to other people. Will 
 is n t all that Jimmy was to me ; but he tries to be, 
 and I love him dearly for it." 
 
 "Will?" Fanny s voice quite startled Polly, it 
 was so sharp and sudden, and her face grew red and 
 pale all in a minute, as she upset the little vase with 
 the start she gave. 
 
 "Yes, of course; who did you think I meant?" 
 asked Polly, sopping up the water before it damaged 
 her piano. 
 
 " Never mind ; I thought you might be having u 
 quiet little flirtation with somebody. I feel respon 
 sible, you know, because I told your mother I d look 
 after you. The flowers are all right. My head aches 
 so, I hardly know what I m doing this morning." 
 
 Fanny spoke fast, and laughed uncomfortably, ap 
 she went back to the sofa, wondering if Polly had told 
 her a lie. Polly seemed to guess at her thoughts as 
 she saw the card, and turning toward her, she held it 
 up, saying, with a conscious look in her eyes, 
 
 " You thought Mr. Sydney sent them? Well, you 
 are mistaken, and the next time you want to know 
 anything, please ask straight out. I like it better 
 Jn talking at cross purposes." 
 
 " Now, my dear, don t be angry ; I was only teas 
 ing you in fun. Tom took it into his foolish head that 
 something was going on, and I felt a natural interest 
 you know." 
 
The Sunny Side. 257 
 
 * Tom ! What does he know or care about my 
 affairs ? " demanded Polly. 
 
 " He met you two in the street pretty often, and 
 being in a sentimental mood himself, got up a romance 
 for you and Sydney." 
 
 " I m much obliged to him for his interest, but it s 
 quite wasted, thank you." 
 
 Fan s next proceeding gave her friend another sur 
 prise, for, being rather ashamed of herself, very much 
 relieved, and quite at a loss what to say, she took 
 refuge in an hysterical fit of tears, which changed 
 Polly s anger into tenderness at once. 
 
 " Is that the trouble she has been hiding all winter? 
 Poor dear, I wish I d known it sooner," thought 
 Polly, as she tried to soothe her with comfortable 
 pats, sniffs of cologne, and sympathizing remarks 
 upon the subject of headache, carefully ignoring that 
 other feminine affliction, the heartache. 
 
 " There, I feel better. I ve been needing a good 
 cry for some time, and now I shall be all right. 
 Never mind it, Polly, I m nervous and tired; I ve 
 danced too much lately, and dyspepsia makes me 
 blue ; " and Fanny wiped her eyes and laughed. 
 
 " Of course it does ; you need rest and petting, 
 ind here I ve been scolding you, when I ought to 
 oave been extra kind. Now tell me what I can do 
 for you," said Polty, with a remorseful face. 
 
 " Talk to me, and tell me all about yourself. You 
 lon t seem to have as many worries as other people. 
 fVhat s the secret, Polly ? " and Fan looked up with 
 wet eyes, and a wistful face at Polly, who was putting 
 little dabs of cologne all over her head. 
 
 17 
 
258 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Well," said Polly, slowly, " I just try to look on 
 the bright side of things ; that helps one amazingly. 
 Why, you ve no idea how much goodness and sun 
 shine you can get out of the most unpromising things, 
 if you make the best of them." 
 
 " I don t know how," said Fan, despondently. 
 
 " You can learn ; I did. I used to croak and fret 
 dreadfully, and get so unhappy, I was n t fit for any 
 thing. I do it still, more than I ought, but I try not to, 
 and it gets easier, I find. Get a- top of your troubles, 
 and then they are half cured, Miss Mills says." 
 
 " Everything is so contrary and provoking," said 
 Fanny, petulantly. 
 
 u Now what in the world have you to fret about? " 
 asked Polly, rather anxiously. 
 
 " Quantities of things," began Fan, and then stopped, 
 for somehow she felt ashamed to own that she was 
 afflicted because she could n t have a new set of furs, 
 go to Paris in the spring, and make Mr. Sydney love 
 her. She hunted up something more presentable, and 
 said in a despairing tone, 
 
 " Well, mother is very poorly, Tom and Trix quar 
 rel all the time, Maud gets more and more wilful every 
 day, and papa is worried about his affairs." 
 
 " A sad state of things, but nothing very desperate. 
 Can t you lend a hand anywhere? That might do 
 good all round." 
 
 " No ; I have n t the talent for managing people, 
 but I see what ought to be done." 
 
 " Well, don t wail about it ; keep yourself happy, 
 if you can ; it will help other people to see you cheer 
 ful." 
 
The Sunny Side. 259 
 
 " Just what Tom said, Keep jolly ; but, dear me, 
 how can one, when everything is so stupid and tire 
 some ? " 
 
 " If ever a girl needed work, it s you ! " cried Polly. 
 " You began to be a young lady so early, that you are 
 tired of everything at twenty-two. I wish you d go 
 at something, then you d find how much talent and 
 energy you really had." 
 
 " I know ever so many girls who are just like me, 
 sick to death of fashionable life, but don t know what 
 to take in its place. I d like to travel ; but papa 
 says he can t afford it, so I can only drag about and 
 get on as I may." 
 
 " I pity you rich girls so much, you have so many 
 opportunities, and don t seem to know how to use 
 them. I suppose I should do just the same in your 
 place, but it seems now as if I could be very happy 
 and useful with plenty of money." 
 
 "You are that without it. There, I won t croak 
 any more. Let us go and take a good walk, and don t 
 you tell any one how I came and cried like a baby." 
 
 " Never ! " said Polly, putting on her bonnet. 
 
 " I ought to go and make calls," said Fanny, " but 
 I don t feel now as if I ever wanted to see any of the 
 girls again. Dreadful state of mind, is n t it ? " 
 
 " Suppose you come and see some of my friends 
 instead ! They are not fine or ceremonious, but lively, 
 odd, and pleasant. Come, it will amuse you." 
 
 " I will," cried Fanny, whose spirits seemed im 
 proved by the shower. " Nice little old lady, is n t 
 she?" added Fan, as she caught sight of Miss Mills, 
 on their way out, sitting at a table piled with work, 
 
260 An Old- Fashioned Girl. 
 
 and sewing away with an energy that made the gray 
 curls vibrate. 
 
 " Saint Mehitable, I call her. Now, there is a rich 
 woman who knew how to get happiness out of her 
 money," said Polly, as they walked away. " She was 
 poor till she was nearly fifty ; then a comfortable for 
 tune was left her, and she knew just how to use it. 
 That house was given her, but instead of living in it 
 all alone, she filled it with poor gentlefolks who 
 needed neat, respectable homes, but could n t get 
 anything comfortable for their little money. I m 
 one of them, and I know the worth of what she does 
 for me. Two old widow ladies live below me, several 
 students overhead, poor Mrs. Kean and her lame boy 
 have the back parlor, and Jenny the little bedroom 
 next Miss Mills. Each pays what they can ; that s 
 independent, and makes us feel better : but that dear 
 woman does a thousand things that money can t pay 
 for, and we feel her influence all through the house. 
 I d rather be married, and have a home of my own ; 
 but next to that, I should like to be an old maid like 
 Miss Mills." 
 
 Polly s sober face and emphatic tone made Fanny 
 laugh, and at the cheery sound a young girl pushing 
 a baby-carriage looked round and smiled. 
 
 44 What lovely eyes ! " whispered Fanny. 
 
 " Yes, that s little Jane," returned Polly, adding, 
 when she had passed, with a nod and a friendly " Don t 
 get tired, Jenny," 44 we help one another at our house, 
 and every fine morning Jenny takes Johnny Kean out 
 when she goes for her own walk. That gives his 
 mother time to rest, does both the children good, anj 
 
The Sunny Side. 261 
 
 keeps things neighborly. Miss Mills suggested it, 
 and Jenny is so glad to do anything for anybody, it a 
 a pleasure to let her." 
 
 " I ve heard of Miss Mills before. But I should 
 think she would get tired to death, sitting there mak 
 ing hoods and petticoats day after day," said Fanny, 
 after thinking over Jenny s story for a few minutes, 
 for seeing the girl seemed to bring it nearer, and 
 make it more real to her. 
 
 " But she don t sit there all the time. People come 
 to her with their troubles, and she goes to them with 
 all sorts of help, from soap and soup, to ^hrouds for 
 the dead and comfort for the living. I go with her 
 sometimes, and it is more exciting than any play, to 
 see and hear the lives and stories of the poor." 
 
 " How can you bear the dreadful sights and sounds, 
 the bad air, and the poverty that can t be cured ? " 
 
 "But it isn t all dreadful. There are good and 
 lovely things among them, if one only has eyes to see 
 them. It makes me grateful and contented, shows 
 me how rich I am, and keeps me ready to do all I can 
 for these poor souls." 
 
 " My good Polly ! " and Fanny gave her friend s 
 arm an affectionate squeeze, wondering if it was this 
 alone that had worked the change in Polly. 
 
 " You have seen two of my new friends, Miss Mills 
 and Jenny, now I 11 show you two more," said Polly, 
 presently, as they reached a door, and she led the way 
 up several flights of public stairs. " Rebecca Jeffrey 
 is a regularly splendid girl, full of talent ; she won t 
 let us call it genius ; she will be famous some day, I 
 know, sbe is so modest, and yet so intent on her work. 
 
262 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Lizzie Small is an engraver, and designs the most 
 delightful little pictures. Becky and she live togeth 
 er, and take care of one another in true Damon and 
 Pythias style. This studio is their home, they work, 
 eat, sleep, and live here, going halves in everything. 
 They are all alone in the world, but as happy and 
 independent as birds ; real friends, whom nothing will 
 part." 
 
 " Let a lover come between them, and their friend 
 ship won t last long," said Fanny. 
 
 " I think it will. Take a look at them, and you 11 
 change your mind," answered Polly, tapping at a door, 
 on which two modest cards were tacked. 
 
 " Come in ! " said a voice, and obeying, Fanny 
 found herself in a large, queerly furnished room, 
 lighted from above, and occupied by two girls. One 
 stood before a great clay figure, in a corner. This 
 one was tall, with a strong face, keen eyes, short, 
 curly hair, and a fine head. Fanny was struck at 
 once by this face and figure, though the one was not 
 handsome, and the other half hidden by a great pina 
 fore covered with clay. At a table where the light 
 was clearest, sat a frail-looking girl, with a thin face, 
 big eyes, and pale hair, a dreamy, absorbed little 
 person, who bent over a block, skilfully wielding her 
 tools. 
 
 4 Becky and Bess, how do you do? This is my 
 friend, Fanny Shaw. We are out on a rampage ; so 
 go on with your work, and let us lazy ones look on 
 and admire." 
 
 As Polly spoke, both girls looked up and nodded, 
 smilingly^ Bess gave Fan the one easy-chair ; Becky 
 
The Sunny Side. 263 
 
 took an artistic survey of the new-comer, with eyes 
 that seemed to see everything ; then each went on 
 with her work, and all began to talk. 
 
 " You are just what I want, Polly. Pull up your 
 sleeve, and give mo an arm while you sit ; the mus 
 cles here are n t right, and you ve got just what I 
 want," said Becky, slapping the round arm of the 
 statue, at which Fan was gazing with awe. 
 
 "How do you get on?" asked Polly, throwing off 
 her cloak, and rolling up her sleeves, as if going to 
 washing. 
 
 " Slowly. The idea is working itself clear, and 1 
 follow as fast as my hands can. Is the face better, 
 do you think? " said Becky, taking off a wet cloth, and 
 showing the head of the statue. 
 
 " How beautiful it is ! " cried Fanny, staring at it 
 with increased respect. 
 
 "What does it mean to you? "asked Rebecca, 
 turning to her with a sudden shine in her keen eyes. 
 
 " I don t know whether it is meant for a saint or a 
 muse, a goddess or a fate ; but to me it is only a 
 beautiful woman, bigger, lovelier, and more imposing 
 than any woman I ever saw," answered Fanny, slowly, 
 trying to express the impression the statue made 
 upon her. 
 
 Rebecca smiled brightly, and Bess looked round to 
 nod approvingly, but Polly clapped her hands, and 
 said, 
 
 "Well done, Fan ! I didn t think you d get the 
 idea so well, but } ou have, and I m proud of your in 
 sight. Now I ll tell you, for Becky will let me, since 
 you have paid her the compliment of understanding 
 
264 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 her work. Some time ago we got into a famous talk 
 about what women should be, and Becky said she d 
 show us her idea of the coming woman. There she 
 is, as you say, bigger, lovelier, and more imposing 
 than any we see nowadays ; and at the same time, 
 she is a true woman. See what a fine forehead, yet 
 the mouth is both firm and tender, as if it could say 
 strong, wise things, as well as teach children and kiss 
 babies. We couldn t decide what to put in the 
 hands as the most appropriate symbol. What do 
 you say ? " 
 
 " Give her a sceptre ; she would make a fine queen," 
 answered Fanny. 
 
 " No, we have had enough of that ; women have 
 been called queens a long time, but the kingdom 
 given them is n t worth ruling," answered Rebecca. 
 
 " I don t think it is nowadays," said Fanny, with a 
 tired sort of sigh. 
 
 " Put a man s hand in hers to help her along, then," 
 said Polly, whose happy fortune it had been to find 
 friends and helpers in father and brothers. 
 
 " No ; my woman is to stand alone, and help her 
 self," said Rebecca, decidedly. 
 
 " She s to be strong-minded, is she?" and Fanny s 
 lip curled a little as she uttered the misused words. 
 
 " Yes, strong-minded, strong-hearted, strong-sou led, 
 and strong-bodied ; that is why I made her larger than 
 the miserable, pinched-up woman of our day. Strength 
 and beauty must go together. Don t you think these 
 broad shoulders can bear burdens without breaking 
 down, these hands work well, these eyes see clearly, and 
 these lips do something besides simper and gossip ? " 
 
The Sunny Side. 265 
 
 Fanny was silent ; but a voice from Bess s corner 
 
 " Put a child in her arms, Becky." 
 
 " Not that even, for she is to be something more 
 than a nurse." 
 
 u Give her a ballot-box," cried a new voice, and 
 turning round, they saw an odd-looking woman 
 perched on a sofa behind them. 
 
 " Thank you for the suggestion, Kate. I 11 put 
 that with the other symbols at her feet ; for I in 
 going to have needle, pen, palette, and broom some 
 where, to suggest the various talents she owns, and 
 the ballot-box will show that she has earned the 
 right to use them. How goes it?" and Rebecca 
 offered a clay-daubed hand, which the new-comer cor 
 dially shook. 
 
 " Great news, girls ! Anna is going to Italy ! " 
 cried Kate, tossing up her bonnet like a school-boy. 
 
 u Oh, how splendid! Who takes her? Has she 
 had a fortune left her? Tell all about it," exclaimed 
 the girls, gathering round the speaker. 
 
 u Yes, it is splendid ; just one of the beautiful things 
 that does everybody heaps of good, it is so generous and 
 so deserved. You know Anna has been longing to go ; 
 working and hoping for a chance, and never getting 
 it, till all of a sudden Miss Burton is inspired to 
 invite the girl to go with her for several years to 
 Italy. Think of the luck of that dear soul, the ad 
 vantages she ll have, the good it will do her, and, 
 best of all, the lovely way in which it comes to her. 
 Miss Burton wants her as a friend, asks nothing of 
 her but her company, and Anna will go through fire 
 
266 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 and water for her, of course. Now, isn t that 
 fine?" 
 
 It was good to see how heartily these girls sympa 
 thized in their comrade s good fortune. Polly danced 
 all over the room, Bess and Becky hugged one an 
 other, and Kate laughed with her eyes full, while 
 even Fanny felt a glow of pride and pleasure at the 
 kind act. 
 
 " Who is that?" she whispered to Polly, who had 
 subsided into a corner. 
 
 " Why, it s Kate King, the authoress. Bless me, 
 how rude not to introduce you! Here, my King, 
 is an admirer of yours, Fanny Shaw, and my well- 
 beloved friend," cried Polly, presenting Fan, who 
 regarded the shabby 3 7 oung woman with as much 
 respect, as if she had been arrayed in velvet and 
 ermine ; for Kate had written a successful book by 
 accident, and happened to be the fashion, just then. 
 
 " It s time for lunch, girls, and I brought mine 
 along with me, it s so much jollier to eat in sister 
 hood. Let s club together, and have a revel," said 
 Kate, producing a bag of oranges, and several big, 
 plummy buns. 
 
 " We ve got sardines, crackers, and cheese," said 
 Bess, clearing off a table with all speed. 
 
 " Wait a bit, and I 11 add my share," cried Polly, 
 and catching up her cloak, she ran off to the grocery 
 store near by. 
 
 "You ll be shocked at our performances, Miss 
 Shaw, but you can call it a picnic, and never tell 
 what dreadful things you saw us do," said Rebecca, 
 polishing a paint knife by rubbing it up and down in 
 
The Sunny Side. 267 
 
 a pot of ivy, while Kate spread forth the feast in sev 
 eral odd plates, and a flat shell or two. 
 
 " Let us have coffee to finish off with ; put on the 
 pot, Bess, and skim the milk," added Becky, as she 
 produced cups, mugs, and a queer little vase, to sup 
 ply drinking vessels for the party. 
 
 " Here s nuts, a pot of jam, and some cake. Fan 
 likes sweet things, and we want to be elegant when 
 we have company," said Polly, flying in again, and 
 depositing her share on the table. 
 
 "Now, then, fall to, ladies, and help yourselves. 
 Never mind if the china don t hold out ; take the 
 sardines by their little tails, and wipe your fingers on 
 my brown-paper napkins," said Kate, setting the ex 
 ample with such a relish, that the others followed it 
 in a gale of merriment. 
 
 Fanny had been to many elegant lunches, but never 
 enjoyed one more than that droll picnic in the studio ; 
 for there was a freedom about it that was charming, 
 an artistic flavor to everything, and such a spirit of 
 good-will and gayety, that she felt at home at once. 
 As they ate, the others talked and she listened, find 
 ing it as interesting as any romance to hear these 
 young women discuss their plans, ambitions, successes, 
 and defeats. It was a new world to her, and they 
 seemed a different race of creatures from the girls 
 whose lives were spent in dress, gossip, pleasure, or 
 ennui. They were girls still, full of spirits, fun, and 
 youth ; but below the light-heartedness each cherished 
 a purpose, which seemed to ennoble her womanhood, 
 to give her a certain power, a sustaining satisfac 
 tion, a dail} T stimulus, that led her on to daily effortj 
 
268 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 and in time to some success in circumstance, or char 
 acter, which was worth all the patience, hope, and 
 labor of her life. 
 
 Fanny was just then in the mood to feel the beauty 
 of this, for the sincerest emotion she had ever known 
 was beginning to make her dissatisfied with herself, 
 and the aimless life she led. " Men must respect such 
 girls as these," she thought ; " yes, and love them 
 too, for in spite of their independence, they are 
 womanly. I wish I had a talent to live for, if it 
 would do as much for me as it does for them. It is 
 this sort of thing that is improving Polly, that makes 
 her society interesting to Sydney, and herself so dear 
 to every one. Money can t buy these things for me, 
 and I want them very much." 
 
 As these thoughts were passing through her mind, 
 Fanny was hearing all sorts of topics discussed with 
 feminine enthusiasm and frankness. Art, morals, 
 politics, society, books, religion, housekeeping, dress, 
 and economy, for the minds and tongues roved 
 from subject to subject with youthful rapidity, and 
 seemed to get something from the dryest and the 
 dullest. 
 
 " How does the new book come on?" asked Polly, 
 sucking her orange in public with a composure which 
 would have scandalized the good ladies of " Cran- 
 ford. 
 
 " Better than it deserves. My children, beware of 
 popularity ; it is a delusion and a snare ; it puffeth 
 up the heart of man, and especially of woman ; it 
 blindeth the eyes to faults ; it exalteth unduly the 
 humble powers of the victim ; it is apt to be capricious, 
 
The Sunny Side. 269 
 
 and just as one gets to liking the taste of this intox 
 icating draught, it suddenly faileth, and one is left 
 gasping, like a fish out of water," and Kate empha 
 sized her speech by spearing a sardine with a pen 
 knife, and eating it with a groan. 
 
 " It won t hurt you much, I guess ; you have 
 worked and waited so long, a large dose will do you 
 good," said Rebecca, giving her a generous spoonful 
 of jam, as if eager to add as much sweetness as pos 
 sible to a life that had not been an easy one. 
 
 " When are you and Becky going to dissolve part 
 nership?" asked Polly, eager for news of all. 
 
 " Never ! George knows he can t have one without 
 the other, and has not suggested such a thing as part 
 ing us. There is always room in my house for Becky, 
 and she lets me do as she would if she was in my 
 place," answered Bess, with a look which her friend 
 answered by a smile. 
 
 " The lover won t separate this pair of friends, you 
 see," whispered Polly to Fan. "Bess is to be married 
 in the spring, and Becky is to live with her." 
 
 " By the way, Polly, I ve got some tickets for you. 
 People are always sending me such things, and as I 
 don t care for them, I m glad to make them over to 
 you young and giddy infants. There are passes for 
 the statuary exhibition, Becky shall have those ; here 
 are the concert tickets for you, my musical girl ; and 
 that is for a course of lectures on literature, which 
 I 11 keep for myself." 
 
 As Kate dealt out the colored cards to the grateful 
 girls, Fanny took a good look at her, wondering if 
 the time would ever come when women could earn & 
 
270 An Old- Fashioned Girl. 
 
 little money and success, without paying such a 
 heavy price for them ; for Kate looked sick, tired, and 
 too early old. Then her eye went to the unfinished 
 statue, and she said, impulsively, 
 
 " I hope you 11 put that in marble, and show us 
 what we ought to be." 
 
 " I wish I could ! " And an intense desire shone 
 in Rebecca s face, as she saw her faulty work, and felt 
 how fair her model was. 
 
 For a minute, the five young women sat silent, look 
 ing up at the beautiful, strong figure before them, each 
 longing to see it done, and each unconscious that she 
 was helping, by her individual effort and experience, 
 to bring the day when their noblest ideal of woman 
 hood should be embodied in flesh and blood, not clay. 
 
 The city bells rung one, and Polly started up. 
 
 " I must go, for I promised a neighbor of mine a 
 lesson at two." 
 
 " I thought this was a holiday," said Fanny. 
 
 " So it is, but this is a little labor of love, and 
 does n t spoil the day at all. The child has talent, 
 loves music, and needs help. I can t give her money, 
 but I can teach her ; so I do, and she is the most 
 promising pupil I have. Help one another, is part of 
 the religion of our sisterhood, Fan." 
 
 " I must put you in a story, Polly. I want a hero 
 ine, and you will do," said Kate. 
 
 " Me ! why, there never was such a humdrum, un- 
 romantic thing as I am," cried Polly, amazed. 
 
 " I ve booked you, nevertheless, so in you go ; but 
 you may add as much romance as you like, it s time 
 you did." 
 
The Sunny Side. 271 
 
 " I m ready for it when it comes, but it can t be 
 forced, you know," and Polly blushed and smiled as if 
 some little spice of that delightful thing had stolen 
 into her life, for all its prosaic seeming. 
 
 Fanny was amused to see that the girls did not kiss 
 at parting, but shook hands in a quiet, friendly fash 
 ion, looking at one another with eyes that said more 
 than the most " gushing" words. 
 
 " I like your friends very much, Polly. I was 
 afraid I should find them mannish and rough, or senti 
 mental and conceited. But they are simple, sensible 
 creatures, full of talent, and all sorts of fine things. 
 I admire and respect them, and want to go again, if 
 I may." 
 
 u Oh, Fan, I am so glad ! I hoped you d like them, 
 I knew they d do you good, and I 11 take you any 
 time, for you stood the test better than I expected. 
 Becky asked me to bring you again, and she seldom 
 does that for fashionable young ladies, let me tell 
 you." 
 
 " I want to be ever so much better, and I think you 
 and they might show me how," said Fanny, with a 
 traitorous tremble in her voice. 
 
 u We 11 show you the sunny side of poverty and 
 work, and that is a useful lesson for any one, Miss 
 Mills says," answered Polly, hoping that Fan would 
 learn how much the poor can teach the rich, and what 
 belpful friends girls may be to one another. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 NIPPED IN THE BUD. 
 
 ON the evening of Fan s visit, Polly sat down before 
 her fire with a resolute and thoughtful aspect. 
 She pulled her hair down, turned her skirt back, put her 
 feet on the fender, and took Puttel into her lap, all of 
 which arrangements signified that something very im 
 portant had got to be thought over and settled. Polly 
 did not soliloquize aloud, as heroines on the stage and 
 in books have a way of doing, but the conversation 
 she held with herself was very much like this, 
 
 " I m afraid there is something in it. I ve tried to 
 think it s nothing but vanity or imagination, yet I 
 can t help seeing a difference, and feeling as if I 
 aught not to pretend that I don t. I know it s con- 
 iidered proper for girls to shut their eyes and let 
 dungs come to a crisis, no matter how much mischief 
 is done. But I don t think it s doing as we d be done 
 /by, and it seems a great deal more honest to show a 
 oaan that you don t love him, before he has entirely 
 tost his heart. The girls laughed at me when I said 
 *o, and they declared that it would be a very im 
 proper thing to do ; but I ve observed that they don t 
 hesitate to snub ineligible parties, as they call poor, 
 
Nipped in the Bud. 273 
 
 very young, or unpopular men. It s all right then ; 
 but when a nice person comes, it s part of the fun to 
 let him go on to the very end, whether the girls care 
 for him or not. The more proposals, the more credit. 
 Fan says Trix always asks when she comes home 
 after the summer excursions, l How manj- birds have 
 you bagged? as if men were partridges. What 
 wicked creatures we are ! some of us at least. I 
 wonder why such a love of conquest was put into us ? 
 Mother says a great deal of it is owing to bad edu 
 cation nowadays, but some girls seem born for the 
 express purpose of making trouble, and would man 
 age to do it, if they lived in a howling wilderness. 
 1 in afraid I ve got a spice of it, and if I had the 
 chance, should be as bad as any of them. I ve tried 
 it and liked it, and maybe this is the consequence of 
 that night s fun." 
 
 Here Polly leaned back and looked up at the little 
 mirror over the chimney-piece, which was hung so 
 that it reflected the faces of those about the fire. In 
 it Polly saw a pair of telltale eyes looking out from 
 a tangle of bright brown hair, cheeks that flushed and 
 dimpled suddenly, as the fresh mouth smiled with 
 an expression of conscious power, half proud, half 
 ashamed, and as pretty to see as the coquettish ges 
 ture with which she smoothed back her curls, and 
 flourished a white hand. For a minute she regarded 
 the pleasant picture, w r hile visions of girlish romances 
 and triumphs danced through her head ; then she 
 shook her hair all over her face, and pushed her chair 
 out of range of the mirror, sajang, with a droll mix 
 ture of self-reproach and self-approval in her tone, 
 
 18 
 
274 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Oh, Puttel, Puttel, what a fool I am ! " 
 
 Puss appeared to endorse the sentiment by a loud 
 purr and a graceful wave of her tail, and Polly re 
 turned to the subject from which these little vanities 
 had beguiled her. 
 
 " Just suppose it is true, that he does ask me, and 
 I say yes ! What a stir it would make, and what 
 fun it would be to see the faces of the girls when it 
 came out ! They all think a great deal of him because 
 he is so hard to please, and almost any of them would 
 feel immensely flattered if he liked them, whether they 
 chose to marry him or not. Trix has tried for years 
 to fascinate him, and he can t bear her, and I m so 
 glad ! What a spiteful thing I am. Well, I can t help 
 it, she does aggravate me so ! " and Polly gave the 
 cat such a tweak of the ear that Puttel bounced out 
 of her lap in high dudgeon. 
 
 " It don t do to think of her, and I won t ! " said 
 Polly to herself, setting her lips with a grim look that 
 was not at all becoming. "What an easy life I 
 should have ; plenty of money, quantities of friends, 
 all sorts of pleasures, and no work, no poverty, no 
 cold shoulders or patched boots. I could do so much 
 for all at home, how I should enjoy that ! " and 
 Polly let her thoughts revel in the luxurious future 
 her fancy painted. It was a very bright picture, but 
 something seemed amiss with it, for presently she 
 sighed and shook her head, thinking sorrowfully. 
 " Ah, but 1 don t love him, and I m afraid I never 
 can as I ought ! He s very good, and generous, and 
 wise, and would be kind, I know, but somehow I can t 
 imagine spending my life with him ; I m so afraid I 
 
Nipped^ in the Bud. 275 
 
 get tired of him, and then what should I do? 
 Polly Sydney don t sound well, and Mrs. Arthur Syd 
 ney don t seem to fit me a bit. Wonder how it would 
 seem to call him 4 Arthur ? " and Polly said it under 
 her breath, with a look over her shoulder to be sure no 
 one heard it. " It s a pretty name, but rather too fine, 
 and I should n t dare to say Syd, as his sister does. 
 I like short, plain, home-like names, such as Will, Ned, 
 or Tom. No, no, I can never care for him, and it s no 
 use to try ! " The exclamation broke from Polly as 
 if a sudden trouble had seized her, and laying her 
 head down on her knees, she sat motionless for many 
 minutes. 
 
 When she looked up, her face wore an expression 
 which no one had ever seen on it before ; a look ol 
 mingled pain and patience, as if some loss had come 
 to her, and left the bitterness of regret behind. 
 
 " I won t think of myself, or try to mend one mis 
 take by making another," she said, with a heavy sigh. 
 " I 11 do what I can for Fan, and not stand between 
 her and a chance of happiness. Let me see, how can 
 I begin ? I won t walk with him any more ; I 11 dodge 
 and go roundabout ways, so that we can t meet. I 
 never had much faith in the remarkable coincidence 
 of his always happening home to dinner just as I go 
 to give the Roths their lesson. The fact is, I like to 
 iceet him, I am glad to be seen with him, and put on 
 airs, I dare say, like a vain goose as I am. Well, I 
 won t do it any more, and that will spare Fan one 
 affliction. Poor dear, how I must have worried her 
 all this time, and never guessed it. She has n t been 
 quite as kind as ever; but when she got sharp, I 
 
276 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 fancied it was dyspepsia. Oh, me ! I wish the other 
 trouble could be cured as easily as this." 
 
 Here puss showed an amiable desire to forgive antf 
 forget, and Polly took her up, saying aloud, 
 
 44 Puttel, when missis abuses you, play it s dyspepsia, 
 and don t bear malice, because it s a very trying dis 
 ease, my dear." 
 
 Then, going back to her thoughts, she rambled on 
 again, 
 
 44 If he does n t take that hint, I will give him a 
 stronger one, for I will not have matters come to a 
 crisis, though I can t deny that my wicked vanity 
 strongly tempts me to try and 4 bag a bird, just for 
 the excitement and credit of the thing. Polly, 
 I in ashamed of you ! What would your blessed 
 mother say to hear such expressions from you? 
 I d write and tell her all the worry, only it would n t 
 do any good, and would only trouble her. I ve 
 no right to tell Fan s secrets, and I m ashamed 
 to tell mine. No, I 11 leave mother in peace, and 
 light it out alone. I do think Fan would suit him ex 
 cellently by and by. He has known her all her life, 
 and has a good influence over her. Love would do so 
 much toward making her what she might be ; it s a 
 shame to have the chance lost just because he happens 
 to see me. I should think she d hate me ; but I J I 
 show her that she need n t, and do all I can to help 
 her ; for she has been so good to me nothing shall ever 
 make me forget that. It is a delicate and dangerous 
 task, but I guess I can manage it ; at any rate I 11 try, 
 and have nothing to reproach myself with if things do 
 go 4 contrary. " 
 
Nipped in the Bud. 277 
 
 What Polly thought of, as she lay back in her chair, 
 with her eyes shut, and a hopeless look on her face, i& 
 none of our business, though we might feel a wish to 
 know what caused a tear to gather slowly from time 
 to time under her lashes, and roll down on Puttel s 
 Quaker-colored coat. Was it regret for the conquest 
 Bhe relinquished, was it sympathy for her friend, or 
 was it an uncontrollable overflow of feeling, as she 
 read some sad or tender passage of the little romance 
 which she kept hid away in her own heart ? 
 
 On Monday, Polly began the " delicate and dan 
 gerous task." Instead of going to her pupils by way 
 of the park, and the pleasant streets adjoining, she 
 took a roundabout route, through back streets* and 
 thus escaped Mr. Sydney, who, as usual, came home 
 to dinner very early that day, and looked disappointed 
 .because he nowhere saw the bright face in the modest 
 bonnet. Poll} 7 kept this up for a week, and by care 
 fully avoiding the Shaws house during calling hours, 
 she saw nothing of Mr. Sydney, who, of course, did n t 
 visit her at Miss Mills . Minnie happened to be 
 poorly that week, and took no lesson, so Uncle Syd 
 was deprived of his last hope, and looked as if his 
 allowance of sunshine had been suddenly cut off. 
 
 Now, as Polly was by no means a perfect creature, 
 1 am free to confess that the old temptation assailed 
 her more than once that week, for, when the first 
 excitement of the dodging reform had subsided, she 
 missed the pleasant little interviews that used to put 
 a certain flavor of romance into her dull, hard-working 
 clays. She liked Mr. Sydney very much, for he had 
 always been kind and friendly since the early times 
 
278 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 when he had treated the little girl with a courtesy 
 which the young woman gratefully remembered. I 
 don t think it was his wealth, accomplishments, or 
 position that most attracted Polly, though these doubt 
 less possessed a greater influence than she suspected. 
 It was that indescribable something which women 
 are quick to see and feel in men who have been blessed 
 with wise and good mothers. This had an especial 
 charm to Polly, for she soon found that this side of 
 his character was not shown to every one. With 
 most girls, he was very like the other young men of 
 his set, except perhaps in a certain grace of manner, 
 which was as natural to him as his respect for all 
 womankind. But with Fanny and Polly, he showed 
 the domestic traits and virtues which are more engag 
 ing to womanly women than any amount of cool intel 
 lect or worldly wisdom. 
 
 Polly had seen a good deal of him during her visits 
 at the Shaws , where he was intimate, owing to the 
 friendship between Madam and his mother ; but she 
 had never thought of him as a possible lover for 
 either Fanny or herself, because he was six or eight 
 years older than they, and still sometimes assumed 
 the part of a venerable Mentor, as in the early days. 
 Lately this had changed, especially towards Polly, 
 and it flattered her more than she would confess even 
 to herself. She knew he admired her one talent, re 
 spected her independence, and enjoyed her society ; 
 but when something warmer and more flattering than 
 admiration, respect, or pleasure crept into his man 
 ner, she could not help seeing that one of the good 
 gifts of this life was daily coming more and more 
 
Nipped in the Bud. 279 
 
 within her reach, and began to ask herself if she 
 could honestly receive the gift, and reward the giver. 
 
 At filst she tried to think she could ; but unfortu 
 nately hearts are so " contrairy " that they won t be 
 obedient to reason, will, or even gratitude. Polly felt 
 a very cordial friendship for Mr. Sydney, but not one 
 particle of the love which is the only coin in which 
 love can be truly paid. Then she took a fancy into 
 her head that she ought to accept this piece of good 
 fortune for the sake of the family, and forget herself. 
 But this false idea of self-sacrifice did not satisfy, 
 for she was not a fashionable girl, trained to believe 
 that her first duty was to make " a good match," and 
 never mind the consequences, though they rendered 
 her miserable for life. Polly s creed was very simple : 
 " If I don t love him, I ought not to marry him, es 
 pecially when I do love somebody else, though every 
 thing is against me." If she had read as many 
 French novels as some young ladies, she might have 
 considered it interesting to marry under the circum 
 stances and suffer a secret anguish to make her a 
 romantic victim. But Polly s education had been 
 neglected, and after a good deal of natural indecision, 
 she did what most women do in such cases, thought 
 she would " wait and see." 
 
 The discovery of Fanny s secret seemed to show 
 her something to do, for if the " wait-and-see " de 
 cision was making her friend unhappy, it must be 
 changed as soon as possible. This finished Polly s 
 indecision, and after that night she never allowed her 
 self to dwell upon the pleasant temptation which came 
 m a guise particularly attractive to a young girl with 
 
280 An O Id-Fashioned Girl 
 
 a spice of the old Eve in her composition. So day 
 after day she trudged through the dull back streets, 
 longing for the sunny park, the face that always 
 brightened when it saw her coming, and most of all 
 the chance of meeting well, it wasn t Trix. 
 
 When Saturday came, Polly started as usual for a 
 visit to Beck and Bess, but could n t resist stopping 
 at the Shaws , to leave a little parcel for Fan, though 
 it was calling time. As she stepped in, meaning to 
 run up for a word, if Fanny should chance to be 
 alone, two hats on the hall table arrested her. 
 
 " Who is here, Katy?" 
 
 "Only Mr. Sydney and Master Tom. Won t jou 
 stop a bit, Miss Polly?" 
 
 " Not this morning, I m rather in a hurry ; " and 
 away went Polly, as if a dozen eager pupils were 
 clamoring for her presence. But as the door shut be 
 hind her, she felt so left out in the cold, that her eyes 
 filled, and when Nep, Tom s great Newfoundland, 
 came blundering after her, she stopped and hugged 
 his shaggy head, saying softly, as she looked into the 
 brown, benevolent eyes, full of almost human sympa 
 thy, 
 
 " Now, go back, old dear ; you must n t follow me. 
 Oh, Nep, it s so hard to put love away when you want 
 it very much, and it is n t right to take it." 
 
 A foolish little speech to make to a dog ; but you 
 see Polly was only a tender-hearted girl, trying to do 
 her duty. 
 
 " Since he is safe with Fanny, I may venture to 
 walk where I like. It s such a lovely day, all the 
 babies will be out, and it always does me good to see 
 
Nipped in the Bud. 281 
 
 them," thought Polly, turning into the wide, sunny 
 street, where West End-dom promenaded at that 
 hour. 
 
 The babies were out in full force, looking as gay 
 and delicate and sweet as the snow-drops, hyacinths, 
 and daffodils on the banks, whence the snow had 
 melted. But somehow the babies did n t do Polly 
 Uie good she expected, though they smiled at her 
 from their carriages, and kissed their chubby hands 
 as she passed them, for Polly had the sort of face 
 that babies love. One tiny creature in blue plush 
 was casting despairing glances after a very small 
 lord of creation, who was walking away with a tod 
 dling belle in white, while a second young gentleman 
 in gorgeous purple gaiters was endeavoring to con 
 sole the deserted damsel. 
 
 " Take hold of Master Charley s hand, Miss Mamie, 
 and walk pretty, like Willy and Flossy," said the 
 maid. 
 
 " No, no, I want to do wid Willy, and he won t let 
 me. Do way, Tarley ; I don t lite you," cried little 
 Blue-bonnet, casting down her ermine muff, and sob 
 bing in a microscopic handkerchief, the thread-lace 
 edging on which couldn t mitigate her woe, as it 
 might have done that of an older sufferer. 
 
 " Willy likes Flossy best, so stop crying and come 
 right along, you naughty child." 
 
 As poor little Dido was jerked away by the unsym 
 pal hetic maid, and Purple-gaiters essayed in vain to 
 plead his cause, Polly said to herself, with a smile 
 and a sigh, 
 
 44 How early the old story begins 1 " 
 
282 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 It seemed as if the spring weather had brought out 
 all manner of tender things beside fresh grass and the 
 first dandelions, for as she went down the street, 
 Polly kept seeing different phases of the sweet old 
 story which she was trying to forget. 
 
 At a street corner, a black-eyed school-boy was 
 parting from a rosy-faced school-girl, whose music- 
 roll he was reluctantly surrendering. 
 
 " Don t you forget, now," said the boy, looking 
 bashfully into the bright eyes, that danced with pleas 
 ure as the girl blushed and smiled, and answered 
 reproachfully, 
 
 " Why, of course I shan t ! " 
 
 " That little romance runs smoothly so far ; I hope 
 it may to the end," said Polly, heartily, as she watched 
 the lad tramp away, whistling as blithely as if his 
 pleasurable emotions must find a vent, or endanger 
 the buttons on the round jacket ; while the girl pranced 
 on her own doorstep, as if practising for the joyful 
 dance which she had promised not to forget. 
 
 A little farther on Polly passed a newly engaged 
 couple whom she knew, walking arm in arm for the 
 first time, both wearing that proud yet conscious look 
 which is so delightful to behold upon the countenances 
 of these temporarily glorified beings. 
 
 " How happy they seem ; oh, dear ! " said Polly, and 
 trudged on, wondering if her turn would ever come, 
 and fearing that it was impossible. 
 
 A glimpse of a motherly looking lady entering a 
 door, received by a flock of pretty children, who cast 
 themselves upon mamma and her parcels with cries of 
 rapture, did Polly good ; and when, a minute after, 
 
Nipped in the Bud. 283 
 
 she passed a gray old couple walking placidly together 
 in the sunshine, she felt better still, and was glad to 
 see such a happy ending to the romance she had read 
 all down the street. 
 
 As if the mischievous little god wished to take Polly 
 at a disadvantage, or perhaps to give her another 
 chance, just at that instant Mr. Sydney appeared at 
 her side. How he got there was never very clear to 
 Polly, but there he was, flushed, and a little out of 
 breath, but looking so glad to see her that she had n t 
 the heart to be stiff and cool, as she had fully intended 
 to be when they met. 
 
 "Very warm, isn t it?" he said, when he had 
 shaken hands, and fallen into step, just in the old way. 
 
 u You seem to find it so." And Polly laughed, 
 with a sudden sparkle in her eyes. She really 
 could n t help it, it was so pleasant to see him again, 
 just when she was feeling so lonely. 
 
 " Have you given up teaching the Roths ? " asked 
 Sydney, changing the subject. 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Do you go, as usual ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Well, it s a mystery to.me how you get there." 
 
 " As much as it is to me how you got here so sud 
 denly." 
 
 " I saw you from the Shaws window, and took the 
 liberty of running after you by the back street," he 
 said, laughing. 
 
 " That is the way I get to the Roths," answered 
 Polly. She did not mean to tell, but his frankness 
 was so agreeable she forgot herself. 
 
284 An Old-Fashioned Girl 
 
 " It s not nearly so pleasant or so short for you as 
 the park." 
 
 " I know it ; but people sometimes get tired of old 
 ways, and like to try new ones." 
 
 Polly did n t say that quite naturally, and Sydney 
 gave her a quick look, as he asked, 
 
 " Do you get tired of old friends, too, Miss Polly ?* 
 
 "Not often; but " and there she stuck, for the 
 fear of being ungrateful or unkind made her almost 
 hope that he would n t take the hint which she had 
 been carefully preparing for him. 
 
 There was a dreadful little pause, which Polly 
 broke by saying, abruptly, 
 
 "How is Fan?" 
 
 " Dashing as ever. Do you know I m rather dis 
 appointed in Fanny, for she don t seem to improve 
 with her years," said Sydney, as if he accepted the 
 diversion, and was glad of it. 
 
 " Ah, you never see her at her best. She puts on 
 that dashing air before people to hide her real self. 
 But I know her better ; and I assure you that she 
 does improve ; she tries to mend her faults, though 
 she won t own it, and will surprise you some da}~, by 
 the amount of heart and s.ense and goodness she has 
 got." 
 
 Polly spoke heartily now, and Sydney looked at hei 
 a* if Fanny s defender pleased him more than Fanny s 
 defence. 
 
 "I m very glad to hear it, and willingly take your 
 word for it. Everybody shows you their good side, 
 I think, and that is why you find the world sucii a 
 pleasant place." 
 
Nipped in the Bud. 285 
 
 " Oh, but I don t ! It often seems like a very hard 
 and dismal place, and I croak over my trials like an 
 ungrateful raven." 
 
 " Can t we make the trials lighter for you?" 
 
 The voice that put the question was so very kind, 
 that Polly dared not look up, because she knew what 
 tho eyes were silently saying. 
 
 " Thank you, no. I don t get more tribulation than 
 is good for me, I fancy, and we are apt to make mis 
 takes when we try to dodge troubles." 
 
 44 Or people," added Sydney, in a tone that made 
 Polly color up to her forehead. 
 
 u How lovely the park looks," she said, in great 
 confusion. 
 
 44 Yes, it s the pleasantest walk we have ; don t you 
 think so ? " asked the artful young man, laying a trap, 
 into which Polly immediately fell. 
 
 4< Yes, indeed ! it s always so refreshing to me to 
 see a little bit of the country, as it were, especially at 
 this season." 
 
 Oh, Polly, Polly, what a stupid speech to make, 
 when you had just given him to understand that you 
 were tired of the park ! Not being a fool or a cox 
 comb, Sydney put this and that together, and taking 
 various trifles into the account, he had by this time 
 come to the conclusion that Polly had heard the same 
 bits of gossip that he had, which linked their names 
 togethei , that she did n t like it, and tried to show she 
 did n t in this way. He was quicker to take a hint 
 than she had expected, and being both proud and 
 generous, resolved to settle the matter at once, for 
 Polly s sake, as well as his own. So, when she made 
 
286 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 her last brilliant remark, he said quietly, watching 
 her face keenly all the while, 
 
 " I thought so ; well, I m going out of town on 
 business for several weeks, so you can enjoy your 
 little bit of country without being annoyed by me." 
 
 "Annoyed? oh, no!" cried Polly, earnestly; then 
 stopped short, not knowing what to say for herself. 
 
 She thought she had a good deal of the coquette in 
 her, and I ve no doubt that with time and training 
 she would have become a very dangerous little per 
 son, but now she was far too transparent and straight 
 forward by nature even to tell a white lie cleverly. 
 Sydney knew this, and liked her for it, but he took 
 advantage of it, nevertheless, by asking suddenly, 
 
 " Honestly, now, would n t you go the old way and 
 enjoy it as much as ever, if I was n t anywhere about 
 to set the busy bodies gossiping ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Poll} , before she could stop herself, and 
 then could have bitten her tongue out for being so 
 rude. Another awful pause seemed impending, but 
 just at that moment a horseman clattered by with a 
 smile and a salute, which caused Polly to exclaim, 
 " Oh, there s Tom ! " with a tone and a look that 
 silenced the words hovering on Sydney s lips, and 
 caused him to hold out his hand with a look which 
 made Polly s heart flutter then and ache with pity for 
 a good while afterward, though he only said, " Good 
 by, Polly." 
 
 He was gone before she could do anything but look 
 up at him with a remorseful face, and she walked on, 
 feeling that the first and perhaps the only lover she 
 would ever have, had read his answer and accepted vt 
 
Nipped in the Bud. 287 
 
 in silence. She did not know what else he had read, 
 and comforted herself with the thought that he did 
 not care for her very much, since he took the first 
 rebuff so quickly. 
 
 Polly did not return to her favorite walk till she 
 learned from Minnie that "Uncle" had really left 
 town, and then she found that his friendly company 
 and conversation was what had made the way so 
 pleasant, after all. She sighed over the perver 
 sity of things in general, and croaked a little 
 over her trials in particular, but on the whole got 
 over her loss better than she expected, for soon 
 she had other sorrows beside her own to com 
 fort, and such work does a body more good than 
 floods of regretful tears, or hours of sentimental 
 lamentation. 
 
 She shunned Fanny for a day or two, but gained 
 nothing by it, for that young lady, hearing of Sydney s 
 Sudden departure, could not rest till she discovered 
 the cause of it, and walked in upon Polly one after 
 noon just when the dusk made it a propitious hour for 
 tender confidences. 
 
 44 What have you been doing with yourself lately ? " 
 asked Fanny, composing herself, with her back toward 
 the rapidly waning light. 
 
 44 Wagging to and fro as usual. What s the news 
 with you?" answered Polly, feeling that something 
 was coming, and rather glad to have it over and done 
 with. 
 
 44 Nothing particular. Trix treats Tom shamefully, 
 and he bears it like a lamb. I tell him to break his 
 engagement, and not be worried so; but he won t, 
 
288 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 because she has been jilted once, and he thinks it s 
 such a mean thing to do." 
 
 " Perhaps shell jilt him." 
 
 "I ve no doubt she will, if anything better conies 
 along. But Trix is getting passee, and I should n t 
 wonder if she kept Mm to his word, just out of per 
 versity, if nothing else." 
 
 " Poor Tom, what a fate ! " said Polly, with what 
 was meant to be a comical groan ; but it sounded so 
 tragical, that she saw it would n t pass, and hastened 
 to hide the failure by saying, with a laugh, " If you 
 call Trix passee at twenty- three, what shall we all be 
 at twent}-five ? " 
 
 "Utterly done with, and laid upon the shelf. I 
 feel so already, for I don t get half the attention I used 
 to have, and the other night I heard Maud and Grace 
 wondering why those old girls did n t stay at home, 
 and give them a chance/ " 
 
 " How is Maudie?" 
 
 " Pretty well ; but she worries me by her queer 
 tastes and notions. She loves to go into the kitchen 
 and mess, she hates to study, and said right before 
 the Vincents, that she should think it would be great 
 fun to be a beggar-girl, to go round with a basket, it 
 must be so interesting to see what you d get/ 
 
 " Minnie said the other day sbe wished she was a 
 pigeon, so she could paddle in the puddles, and not 
 fuss about rubbers." 
 
 "By the way, when is her uncle coming back?" 
 asked Fanny, who could n t wait any longer, and joy 
 fully seized the opening Polly made for her. 
 
 " I m sure I don t know." 
 
Nipped in the Bud. 289 
 
 * Nor care, I suppose, you hard-hearted thing." 
 
 " Why, Fan, what do you mean? " 
 
 " I in not blind, my dear, neither is Tom ; and when 
 a young gentleman cuts a call abruptly short, and 
 races after a young lady, and is seen holding her hand 
 at the quietest corner of the park, and then goes trav 
 elling all of a sudden, we, know what it means, if you 
 don t." 
 
 " Who got up that nice idea, I should like to know ?" 
 demanded Polly, as Fanny stopped for breath. 
 
 u Now don t be affected, Polly, but just tell me, like 
 a dear, has n t he proposed ? " 
 
 "No, he hasn t." 
 
 u Don t you think he means to ? " 
 
 " I don t think he 11 ever say a word to me." 
 
 " Well, I am surprised ! " and Fanny drew a long 
 breath as if a load was off her mind. Then she added, 
 in a changed tone, 
 
 " But don t j^ou love him, Polly? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 "Truly?" 
 
 " Truly, Fan." 
 
 Neither spoke for a minute, but the heart of one of 
 them beat joyfully, and the dusk hid a very happy face. 
 
 " Don t you think he cared for you, dear ? " asked 
 Fanny, presently. " I don t mean to be prying, but 
 I really thought he did." 
 
 " That s not for me to say ; but if it is so, it s 
 onlj r a passing fancy, and he 11 soon get over it." 
 
 " Do tell me all about it ; I m so interested, and I 
 know something has happened, I hear it in your voice, 
 for I can t see your face." 
 19 
 
290 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Do you remember the talk we once had after 
 reading one of Miss Edgeworth s stories, about not 
 letting one s lovers come to a declaration, if one 
 did n t love them?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " And you girls said it was n t proper, and I said it 
 was honest, any way. Well, I always meant to try it 
 if I got a chance ; and I have. Mind you, I don t say 
 Mr. Sydney loved me, for he never said so, and never 
 will, now ; but I did fancy he rather liked me, and 
 might do more if I did n t show him that it was of no 
 use." 
 
 " And you did ? " cried Fanny, much excited. 
 
 " I just gave him a hint, and he took it. He meant 
 to go away before that, so don t think his heart is 
 broken, or mind what silly tattlers say. I did n t like 
 his meeting me so much, and told him so by going 
 another way. He understood, and being a gentle 
 man, made no fuss. I dare say he thought I was a 
 vain goose, and laughed at me for my pains, like 
 Churchill in Helen. " 
 
 " No, he would n t ; he d like it, and respect you for 
 doing it. But, Polly, it would have been a grand 
 thing for you." 
 
 " I can t sell myself for an establishment." 
 
 " Mercy ! what an idea ! " 
 
 " Well, that s the plain English of half your fash 
 ionable matches. I m 4 odd/ you know, and prefer 
 to be an independent spinster, and teach music all 
 my days." 
 
 " Ah, but you won t. You were made for a nice, 
 happy home of your own, and I hope you 11 get it, 
 
Nipped in the Bud. 291 
 
 Polly, dear," said Fanny, warmly, feeling so grateful 
 to Polly, that she found it hard not to pour out all 
 her secret at once. 
 
 " I hope I may ; but I doubt it," answered Polly, in 
 a tone that made Fanny wonder if she, too, knew 
 what heartache meant. 
 
 " Something troubles you, Polly, what is it? Con 
 fide in me, as I do in you," said Fanny, tenderly ; for 
 all the coldness she had tried to hide from Polly, had 
 melted in the sudden sunshine that had come to her*. 
 
 "Do you always?" asked her friend, leaning for 
 ward with an irresistible desire to win back the 
 old-time love and confidence, too precious to be ex 
 changed for a little brief excitement, or the barren 
 honor of "bagging a bird," to use Trix s elegant 
 expression. Fanny understood it then, and threw 
 herself into Polly s arms, crying, with a shower of 
 grateful tears, 
 
 " Oh, my dear ! my dear ! did you do it for my 
 sake?" 
 
 And Polly held her close, saying, in that tender 
 voice of hers, 
 
 " I did n t mean to let a lover part this pair of 
 friends, if I could help it." 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 BREAKERS AHEAD. 
 
 GOING into the Shaws* one evening, Polly found 
 Maud sitting on the stairs, with a troubled face. 
 
 " Oh, Polly, I m so glad you ve come ! " cried the 
 little girl, running to hug her. 
 
 " What s the matter, deary ? " 
 
 " I don t know ; something dreadful must have hap 
 pened, for mamma and Fan are crying together up 
 stairs, papa is shut up in the library, and Tom is 
 raging round like a bear, in the dining-room." 
 
 " I guess it is n t anything very bad. Perhaps 
 mamma is sicker than usual, or papa worried about 
 business, or Tom in some new scrape. Don t look 
 so frightened, Maudie, but come into the parlor and 
 see what I ve got for you," said Polly, feeling that 
 there was trouble of some sort in the air, but tr3 T ing 
 to cheer the child, for her little face was full of a 
 sorrowful anxiety, that went to Polly s heart. 
 
 " I don t think I can like anything till I know what 
 the matter is," answered Maud. "It s something 
 horrid, I in sure, for when papa came home, he went 
 up to mamma s room, and talked ever so long, and 
 mamma cried very loud, and when I tried to go in, 
 
Breakers Ahead. 293 
 
 Fan would n t let me, and she looked scared and 
 strange. I wanted to go to papa when he came 
 down, but the door was locked, and he said, Not 
 now, my little girl, and then I sat here waiting to 
 see what would happen, and Tom came home. But 
 when I ran to tell him, he said, 4 Go away, and don t 
 bother/ and just took me by the shoulders and put 
 me out. Oh, dear ! everything is so queer and 
 horrid, I don t know what to do." 
 
 Maud began to cry, and Polly sat down on the 
 stairs beside her, trying to comfort her, while her 
 own thoughts were full of a vague fear. All at once 
 the dining-room door opened, and Tom s head ap 
 peared. A single glance showed Polly that some 
 thing was the matter, for the care and elegance which 
 usually marked his appearance were entirely want 
 ing. His tie was under one ear, his hair in a toss, 
 the cherished moustache had a neglected air, and his 
 face an expression both excited, ashamed, and dis 
 tressed ; even his voice betrayed disturbance, for in 
 stead of the affable greeting he usually bestowed upon 
 the young lady, he seemed to have fallen back into 
 the bluff tone of his bojdsh days, and all he said 
 was, 
 
 " Hullo, Polly." 
 
 " How do you do?" answered Polly. 
 
 " I m in a devil of a mess, thank you ; send that 
 chicken up stairs, and come in and hear about it," he 
 said, as if he had been longing to tell some one, and 
 welcomed prudent Polly as a special providence. 
 
 " Go up, deary, and amuse yourself with this book, 
 and these ginger snaps that I made for you, there s a 
 
294 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 good child," whispered Polly, as Maud rubbed away 
 her tears, and stared at Tom with round, inquisitive 
 eyes. 
 
 " You 11 tell me all about it, by and by, won t 
 you?" she whispered, preparing to obey. 
 
 " If I may," answered Polly. 
 
 Maud departed with unexpected docility, and Polly 
 went into the dining-room, where Tom was wandering 
 about in a restless way. If he had been " raging like 
 a bear," Polly would n t have cared, she was so pleased 
 that he wanted her, and so glad to be a confidante, as 
 she used to be in the happy old days, that she would 
 joyfully have faced a much more formidable person 
 than reckless Tom. 
 
 u Now, then, what is it?" she said, coming straight 
 to the point. 
 
 " Guess." 
 
 " You ve killed your horse racing." 
 
 " Worse than that." 
 
 " You are suspended again." 
 
 " Worse than that." 
 
 " Trix has run away with somebody," cried Polly, 
 with a gasp. 
 
 " Worse still." 
 
 " Oh, Tom, you have n t horsewhipped or shot any 
 one?" 
 
 " Came pretty near blowing my own brains out, but 
 you see I did n t." 
 
 " I can t guess ; tell me, quick." 
 
 "Well, I m expelled." 
 
 Tom paused on the rug as he gave the answer, and 
 looked at Polly to see how she took it. To his sur 
 
Breakers Ahead. 295 
 
 prise she seemed almost relieved, and after a minute s 
 silence, said, soberly, 
 
 " That s bad, very bad ; but it might have been 
 worse." 
 
 " It is worse;" and Tom walked away again with a 
 despairing sort of groan. 
 
 " Don t knock the chairs about, but come and sit 
 down, and tell me quietly." 
 
 44 Can t do it." 
 
 "Well, go on then. Are you truly expelled? Can t 
 it be made up ? What did you do ? " 
 
 "It s a true bill this time. I just had a row 
 with the Chapel watchman, and knocked him down. 
 If it was a first offence, I might have got off; but 
 you see I ve had no end of narrow escapes, and 
 this was my last chance ; I ve lost it, and now 
 there 11 be the dickens to .pay. I knew it was all up 
 with me, so I did n t wait to be turned out, but just 
 took myself off." 
 
 " What will your father say?" 
 
 " It will come hard on the governor, but the worst 
 of it is " there Tom stopped, and stood a minute in 
 the middle of the room with his head down, as if he 
 did n t find it easy to tell even kind little Polly. Then 
 out came the truth all in a breath, just as he used to 
 bolt out his boyish misdemeanors, and then back up 
 against the wall ready to take the consequences. 
 
 44 1 owe an awful lot of money that the governor 
 don t know about." 
 
 44 Oh, Tom, how could you?" 
 
 44 1 ve been an extravagant rascal, I know it, and 
 I m thundering sorry, but that don t help a fellow. 
 
296 An Old-Fashioned GirL 
 
 I ve got to tell the dear old buffer, and there s where 
 it cuts." 
 
 At another time Polly would have laughed at the 
 contrast between Tom s face and his language, but 
 there was a sincere remorse, which made even the 
 dreadful word u buffer " rather touching than oth 
 erwise. 
 
 " He will be very angry, I dare say ; but he 11 help 
 you, won t he ? He always does, Fan says." 
 
 " That s the worst of it, you see. He s paid up so 
 often, that the last time he said his patience could n t 
 stand it, nor his pocket either, and if I got into any 
 more scrapes of that sort, I must get out as I could. 
 I meant to be as steady as Bunker Hill Monument ; 
 but here I am again, worse than ever, for last quarter 
 I did n t say anything to father, he was so bothered 
 by the loss of those ships just then, so things have 
 mounted up confoundedly." 
 
 " What have you done with all your money? " 
 
 " Hanged if I know." 
 
 " Can t you pay it any way ? " 
 
 " Don t see how, as I have n t a cent of my own, 
 and no way of getting it, unless I try gambling." 
 
 " Oh, mercy, no ! Sell your horse," cried Polly, 
 after a minute of deep meditation. 
 
 " I have ; but he did n t bring half I gave for him. 
 I lamed him last winter, and the beggar won t get 
 over it." 
 
 " And that did n t pay up the debts ? " 
 
 " Only about a half of em." 
 
 " Why, Tom, how much do you owe ? " 
 
 " I have dodged figuring it up till yesterday ; then 
 
Breakers Ahead. 297 
 
 things were so desperate, I thought I might as well 
 face the truth, so I overhauled my accounts, and 
 there s the result." 
 
 Tom threw a blotted, crumpled paper into Polly s 
 lap, and tramped up and down again, faster than ever. 
 Polly took one look at the total, and clasped her hands, 
 for to her inexperienced eyes it looked appalling. 
 
 "Tidy little sum, is n t it?" asked Tom, who 
 could n t bear the silence, or the startled, grieved look 
 in Polly s eyes. 
 
 "It s awful! I don t wonder you dread telling 
 your father." 
 
 "I d rather be shot. I say, Polly, suppose we 
 break it to him easy ! " added Tom, after another 
 turn. 
 
 " How do you mean ? " 
 
 " Why, suppose Fan, or, better still, you go and 
 sort of pave the way. I can t bear to come down on 
 him with the whole truth at once." 
 
 " So you d like to have me go and tell him for you ? " 
 Polly s lip curled a little as she said that, and she 
 gave Tom a look that would have shown him how blue 
 eyes can flash, if he had seen it. But he was at the 
 window, and did n t turn, as he said slowly, 
 
 " Well, you see, he s so fond of you ; we all confide 
 in you ; and you are so like one of the family, that it 
 seems quite natural. Just tell him I m expelled, you 
 know, and as much more as you like ; then I 11 come 
 in, and we 11 have it out." 
 
 Polly rose and went to the door without a rrord. 
 In doing so, Tom caught a glimpse of her face, and 
 said, hastily, 
 
298 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Don t you think it would be a good plan? " 
 
 " No, I don t." 
 
 " Why not? Don t you think he d rather have it 
 told him nicely by you, than blurted out as I always 
 do blurt things?" 
 
 " I know he d rather have his son go to him and 
 tell the truth, like a man, instead of sending a girl 
 to do what he is afraid to do himself." 
 
 If Polly had suddenly boxed his ears, Tom could n t 
 have looked more taken aback than by that burst. He 
 looked at her excited face, seemed to understand the 
 meaning of it, and remembered all at once that he was 
 trying to hide behind a girl. He turned scarlet, said 
 shortly, " Come back, Polly," and walked straight out 
 of the room, looking as if going to instant execution, 
 for poor Tom had been taught to fear his father, and 
 had not entirely outgrown the dread. 
 
 Polly sat down, looking both satisfied and troubled. 
 " I hope I did right," she said to herself. " I could n t 
 bear to have him shirk and seem cowardly. He is n t, 
 only he did n t think how it seemed to me, and I don t 
 wonder he was a little afraid, Mr. Shaw is so severe 
 with the poor fellow. Oh, dear, what should we do if 
 Will got into such scrapes. Thank goodness, he s 
 poor, and can t ; I m so glad of that ! " 
 
 Then she sat silent beside the half-open door, hear 
 ing the murmur of Tom s voice across the hall, and 
 hoping, with all her heart, that he would n t have a 
 very hard time. He seemed to tell his story rapidly 
 and steadily, without interruption, to the end ; then 
 Polly heard Mr. Shaw s deeper voice say a few 
 words, at which Tom uttered a loud exclamation, as 
 
Breakers Ahead. 299 
 
 if taken by surprise. Polly couldn t distinguish a 
 word, so she kept her seat, wondering anxiously what 
 was going on between the two men. A sudden pause 
 seemed to follow Tom s ejaculation, then Mr. Shaw 
 talked a long time in a low, earnest tone, so different 
 from the angry one Polly had expected to hear, that 
 it made her nervous, for Mr. Shaw usually " blew 
 Tom up first, and forgave him afterward," as Maud 
 said. Presently Tom s voice was heard, apparently 
 asking eager questions, to which brief replies were 
 given. Then a dead silence fell upon the room, and 
 nothing was heard but the spring rain softly falling 
 out of doors. All of a sudden she heard a move 
 ment, and Tom s voice say audibly, 
 
 " Let me bring Polly;" and he appeared, looking so 
 pale and miserable that Polly was frightened. 
 
 " Go and say something to him ; I can t ; poor old 
 father, if I d only .known," and to Polly s utter 
 dismay, Tom threw himself into a chair, and laid his 
 head down on the table, as if he had got a blow that 
 was too much for him. 
 
 "Oh, Tom, what is it ? " cried Polly, hurrying to him, 
 full of fears she dared not speak. 
 
 Without looking up, Tom answered, in a smothered 
 voice, 
 
 " Failed ; all gone to smash ; and to-morrow every 
 one will know it." 
 
 Polly held on to the back of Tom s chair for a 
 minute, for the news took her breath away, and she 
 felt as if the world was coming to an end, " failed " 
 was such a vaguely dreadful word to her. 
 
 " Is it very bad?" she asked, softly, feeling as if 
 
300 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 anything was better than to stand still and see Tom 
 so wretched. 
 
 " Yes ; he means to give up everything. He s 
 done his best ; but it can t be staved off any longer, 
 and it s all up with him." 
 
 " Oh, I wish I had a million to give him ! " cried 
 Polly, clasping her hands, with the tears running 
 down her cheeks. " How does he bear it, Tom?" 
 
 " Like a man, Polly ; and I m proud of him," said 
 Tom, looking up, all red and excited with the emo 
 tions he was trying to keep under. " Everything has 
 been against him, and he has fought all alone to 
 stand the pressure, but it s too much for him, and 
 he s given in. It s an honorable failure, mind you, 
 and no one can say a word against him. I d like to 
 see em try it ! " and Tom clenched his hands, as if it 
 would be an immense relief to him to thrash half a 
 dozen aspersers of his father s honest name. 
 
 " Of course they can t ! This is what poor Maud 
 was troubled about. He had told your mother and 
 Fan before you came, and that is why they are so un 
 happy, I suppose." 
 
 "They are safe enough. Father hasn t touched 
 mother s money ; he could n t rob his girls, he said, 
 and that s all safe for em. Is n t he a trump, Polly ? " 
 And Tom s face shone with pride, even while his lips 
 would twitch with a tenderer feeling. 
 
 " If I could only do anything to help," cried Polly, 
 oppressed with her own powerlessness. 
 
 44 You can. Go and be good to him ; you know 
 how ; he needs it enough, all alone there. I can t do 
 it, for I in only a curse instead of a comfort to him." 
 
Breakers Ahead. 301 
 
 " How did he take your news? " asked Polly, who, 
 for a time, had forgotten the lesser trouble in the 
 greater. 
 
 " Like a lamb ; for when I d done, he only said, 
 * My poor lad, we must bear with one another/ and 
 then told his story." 
 
 " I m glad he was kind," began Polly, in a sooth 
 ing tone ; but Tom cried out, remorsefully, 
 
 " That s what knocks me over ! Just when I ought 
 to be a pride and a prop to him, I bring him my debts 
 and disgrace, and he never says a word of blame. 
 It s no use, I can t stand it ! " and Tom s head went 
 down again with something very like a sob, that 
 would come in spite of manful efforts to keep it back, 
 for the poor fellow had the warmest heart that ever 
 was, and all the fine waistcoats outside could n t 
 spoil it. 
 
 That sound gave Polly more pain than the news of 
 a dozen failures and expulsions, and it was as impos 
 sible for her to resist putting her hand tenderly on the 
 bent head, as it was for her to help noticing with pleas 
 ure how brown the little curls were growing, and how 
 soft they were. In spite of her sorrow, she enjoyed 
 that minute very much, for she was a born consoler* 
 and, it is hardly necessary for me to add, loved this 
 reprehensible Tom with all her heart. It was a very 
 foolish thing for her to do, she quite agreed to that ; 
 she could n t understand it, explain it, or help it ; she 
 only felt that she did care for him very much, in spite 
 of his faults, his indifference, and his engagement. 
 You see, she learned to love him one summer, when 
 he made them a visit. That was before Trix caught 
 
302 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 him ; and when she heard that piece of news, Polly 
 could n t unlove him all at once, though she tried very 
 hard, as was her duty. That engagement was such a 
 farce, that she never had much faith in it, so she put 
 her love away in a corner of her heart, and tried to 
 forget it, hoping it would either die, or have a right 
 to live. It did n t make her very miserable, because 
 patience, work, and common-sense lent her a hand, 
 and hope would keep popping up its bright face from 
 the bottom of her Pandora-box of troubles. Now and 
 then, when any one said Trix would n t jilt Tom, or 
 that Tom did care for Trix more than he should, Polly 
 had a pang, and thought she could n t possibly bear 
 it. But she always found she could, and so came to 
 the conclusion that it was a merciful provision of 
 nature that girls hearts could stand so much, and 
 their appetites continue good, when unrequited love 
 was starving. 
 
 Now, she could not help yearning over this faulty, 
 well-beloved scapegrace Tom, or help thinking, with 
 a little thrill of hope, " If Trix only cared for his 
 money, she may cast him off now he s lost it ; but 
 I 11 love him all the better because he s poor." With 
 this feeling warm at her heart, I don t wonder that 
 Polly s hand had a soothing effect, and that after a 
 heave or two, Toin s> shoulders were quiet, and certain 
 smothered sniflfe suggested that he would be all right 
 -again, if he could only wipe his eyes without any one s 
 seeing him do it. 
 
 Polly seemed to divine his wish, and tucking a little, 
 clean handkerchief into one of his half-open hands, she 
 said, " I in going to your father, now," and with a 
 
Breakers Ahead. 303 
 
 farewell smooth, so comforting that Tom wished she d 
 do it again, she went away. 
 
 As she paused a minute in the hall to steady herself, 
 Maud called her from above, and thinking that the 
 women might need her more than the men, she ran up 
 to find Fann}^ waiting for her in her own room. 
 
 " Mamma s asleep, quite worn out, poor dear, so we 
 can talk in here without troubling her," said Fanny, 
 receiving her friend so quietly, that Polly was amazed. 
 
 " Let me come, too, I won t make any fuss ; it s so 
 dreadful to be shut out everywhere, and have people 
 crying and talking, and locked up, and I not know 
 what it means," said Maud, beseechingly. 
 
 " You do know, now ; I ve told her, Polly," said 
 Fan, as they sat down together, and Maud perched 
 herself on the bed, so that she might retire among the 
 pillows if her feelings were too much for her. 
 
 " 1 in glad you take it so well, dear ; I was afraid 
 it might upset you," said Polly, seeing now that in 
 spite of her quiet manner, Fan s eyes had an excited 
 look, and her cheeks a feverish color. 
 
 " I shall groan and moan by and by, I dare say, but 
 at first it sort of dazed me, and now it begins to ex 
 cite me. I ought to be full of sorrow for poor papa, 
 and I am truly sorry, but, wicked as it may seem, 
 it s a fact, Polly, that I m half glad it s happened, for 
 it takes me out of myself, and gives me something 
 to do." 
 
 Fanny s eyes fell and her color rose as she spoke, 
 but Polly understood why she wanted to forget her 
 self, and put her arm round her with a more tender 
 sympathy than Fanny guessed. 
 
304 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Perhaps things are not as bad as they seem ; I 
 don t know much about such matters, but I ve seen 
 people who have failed, and they seemed just as com 
 fortable as before," said Polly. 
 
 " Jt won t be so with us, for papa means to give up 
 everything, and not have a word said against him. 
 Mamma s little property is settled upon her, and has 
 n t been risked. That touched her so much! She 
 dreads poverty even more than I do, but she begged 
 him to take it if it would help him. That pleased 
 him, but he said nothing would induce him to do it, 
 for it would n t help much, and was hardly enough to 
 keep her comfortable." 
 
 " Do you know what he means to do? " asked Polly, 
 anxiously. 
 
 " He said his plans were not made, but he meant to 
 go into the little house that belonged to grandma, as 
 soon as he could, for it was n t honest for a bankrupt 
 to keep up an establishment like this." 
 
 " I shan t mind that at all, I like the little house 
 cause it s got a garden, and there s a cunning room 
 with a three-cornered closet in it that I always wanted. 
 ff that s all, / don t think bankrupting is so very 
 Dad," said Maud, taking a cheerful view of things. 
 
 " Ah, just wait till the carriage goes and the nice 
 clothes and the servants, and we have to scratch 
 along as we can. You ll change your mind then, 
 poor child," said Fanny, whose ideas of failure were 
 decidedly tragical. 
 
 " Will they take all my things away? " cried Maud, 
 In dismay. 
 
 " I dare say ; I don t know what we are allowed to 
 
Breakers Ahead. 305 
 
 
 
 keep ; but not much, I fancy," and Fan looked as if 
 strung up to sacrifice everything she possessed. 
 
 "They shan t have my new ear-rings, I ll hide 
 em, and my best dress, and my gold smelling- 
 bottle. Oh, oh, oh ! I think it s mean to take a little 
 girl s things away ! " And Maud dived among the pil 
 lows to smother a wail of anguish at the prospect of 
 being bereft of her treasures. 
 
 Polly soon lured her out again, by assurances that 
 she wouldn t be utterly despoiled, and promises to 
 try and soften the hard hearts of her father s creditors, 
 if the ear-rings and the smelling-bottle were attached. 
 
 " I wonder if we shall be able to keep one servant, 
 just till we learn how to do the work," said Fanny, 
 looking at her white hands, with a sigh. 
 
 But Maud clapped hers, and gave a joyful bounce, 
 as she cried, 
 
 " Now I can learn to cook ! I love so to beat eggs ! 
 I 11 have an apron, with a bib to it, like Polly s, and 
 a feather duster, and sweep the stairs, maybe, with 
 my head tied up, like Katy. Oh, what fun ! " 
 
 " Don t laugh at her, or discourage her ; let her find 
 comfort in bibs and dust-pans, if she can," whispered 
 Polly to Fan, while Maud took a joyful " header " 
 among the pillows, and came up smiling and blowsy, 
 for she loved house-work, and often got lectured for 
 stolen visits to the kitchen, and surreptitious sweep 
 ings and dustings when the coast was clear. 
 
 " Mamma is so feeble, I shall have to keep house, I 
 suppose, and you must show me hOw, Polly," said Fan. 
 
 "Good practice, ma am, as you ll find out some 
 day," answered Polly, laughing significantly. 
 
306 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 
 
 Fanny smiled, then grew both grave and sad. " Thia 
 changes everything ; the old set will drop me, as we 
 did the Mortons when their father failed, and my 
 ; prospects/ as we say, are quite ruined." 
 
 " I don t believe it ; your real friends won t drop 
 you, and you 11 find out which the true ones are now. 
 I know one friend who will be kinder than ever." 
 
 "Oh, Polly, do you think so?" and Fanny s eyes 
 softened with sudden tears. 
 
 " I know who she means," cried Maud, always 
 eager to find out things. u lt s herself; Polly 
 won t mind if we are poor, cause she likes beg 
 gars." 
 
 " Is that who you meant? " asked Fan, wistfully. 
 
 "No, it s a much better and dearer friend than I 
 am," said Polly, pinching Fanny s cheek, as it reddened 
 prettily under her eyes. " You 11 never guess, Maud, 
 so I would n t try, but be planning what you will put 
 in your cunning, three-cornered closet, when you 
 get it." 
 
 Having got rid of " Miss Paulina Pry," as Tom 
 called Maud, who was immediately absorbed by her 
 cupboard, the older girls soberly discussed the sudden 
 change which had come, and Polly was surprised to 
 see what unexpected strength and sense Fanny showed. 
 Polly was too unconscious of the change which love 
 had made in herself to understand at first the cause 
 of her friend s new patience and fortitude ; but she 
 rejoiced over it, and felt that her prophecy would 
 yet be fulfilled. Presently Maud emerged from 
 her new closet, bringing a somewhat startling idea 
 with her. 
 
Breakers Ahead. 307 
 
 %< Do bankrupting men," (Maud liked that new 
 word) " always have fits ? " 
 
 " Mercy, no ! What .put that into your head, 
 child? "cried Polly. 
 
 " Why, Mr. Merton did ; and I was thinking per 
 haps papa had got one down there, and it kind of 
 frightened me." 
 
 " Mr. Merton s was a bad, disgraceful failure, and 
 I don t wonder he had a fit. Ours is n t, and papa 
 won t do anything of that sort, you may be sure," 
 said Fanny, with as proud an air as if " our failure " 
 was rather an honor than otherwise. 
 
 " Don t you think you and Maud had better go 
 down and see him ? " asked Polly. 
 
 " Perhaps he would n t like it ; and I don t know 
 what to say, either," began Fan ; but Polly said, 
 eagerly, 
 
 " I know he would like it. Never mind what you 
 say ; just go, and show him that you don t doubt or 
 blame him for this, but love him all the more, and are 
 ready and glad to help him bear the trouble." 
 
 " I m going, I ain t afraid ; I 11 just hug him, and 
 say I m ever so glad we are going to the little 
 house," cried Maud, scrambling off the bed, and run 
 ning down starrs. 
 
 " Come with me, Polly, and tell me what to do," 
 said Fanny, drawing her friend after her. 
 
 44 You 11 know what to do when you see him, better 
 than I can tell you," answered Polly, readily yielding, 
 for she knew they considered her 4 quite one of the 
 family, as Tom said. 
 
 At the study door they found Maud, whose courage 
 
308 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 had given out, for Mr. Merton s fit rather haunted 
 her. Polly opened the door ; and the minute Fanny 
 saw her father, she did know what to do. The fire 
 was low, the gas dim, and Mr. Shaw was sitting in 
 his easy-chair, his gray head in both his hands, look 
 ing lonely, old, and bowed down with care. Fanny 
 gave Polly one look, then went and took the gray 
 head in both her arms, saying, with a tender quiver 
 in her voice, 
 
 " Father dear, we ve come to help you bear it." 
 
 Mr. Shaw looked up, and seeing in his daughter s 
 face something that never had been there before, put 
 his arm about her, and leaned his tired head against 
 her, as if, when least expected, he had found the con 
 solation he most needed. In that minute, Fanny felt, 
 with mingled joy and self-reproach, what a daughter 
 might be to her father ; and Polly, thinking of feeble, 
 selfish Mrs. Shaw, asleep up-stairs, saw with sudden 
 clearness what a wife should be to her husband, a 
 helpmeet, not a burden. Touched by these unusual 
 demonstrations, Maud crept quietly to her father s 
 knee, and whispered, with a great tear shining on her 
 little pug nose, 
 
 " Papa, we don t mind it much, and I m going to 
 help Fan keep house for you; I d like to do it, 
 truly." 
 
 Mr. Shaw s other arm went round the child, and 
 for a minute no one said anything, for Polly had 
 slipped behind his chair, that nothing should disturb 
 the three, who were learning from misfortune how 
 much they loved one another. Presently Mr. Shaw 
 steadied himself and asked, 
 
Breakers Ahead. 309 
 
 ** Where is my other daughter, where s my Polly ? " 
 
 She was there at once ; gave him one of the quiet 
 kisses that had more than usual tenderness in it, for 
 she loved to hear him say " my other daughter," and 
 then she whispered, 
 
 * Don t you want Tom, too ? " 
 
 " Of course I do ; where is the poor fellow ? " 
 
 "I ll bring him;" and Polly departed with most 
 obliging alacrity. 
 
 But in the hall she paused a minute to peep into 
 the glass and see if she was all right, for somehow she 
 was more anxious to look neat and pretty to Tom in 
 his hour of trouble, than she had ever been in his 
 prosperous days. In lifting her arms to perk up the 
 bow at her throat, she knocked a hat off the bracket. 
 Now, a shiny black beaver is not an object exactly 
 calculated to inspire tender or romantic sentiments, 
 one would fancy, but that particular u stove pipe " 
 seemed to touch Polly to the heart, for she caught it 
 up, as if its fall suggested a greater one, smoothed 
 out a slight dint, as if it was symbolical of the hard 
 knocks its owner s head was now in danger of receiv 
 ing, and stood looking at it with as much pity and 
 respect, as if it had been the crown of a disinherited 
 prince. Girls will do such foolish little things, and 
 though we laugh at them, I think we like them the 
 better for it, after all. 
 
 Richard was himself again when Polly entered, for 
 the handkerchief had disappeared, his head was erect, 
 his face was steady, and his whole air had a dogged 
 composure which seemed to say to fate, " Hit away, 
 I m ready." He did not hear Polly come in, for 
 
3io An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 he was looking fixedly at the fire with eyes that 
 evidently saw a very different future there from that 
 which it used to show him ; but when she said, 
 " Tom, dear, 3 our father wants you," he got up at 
 once, held out his hand to her, saying, " Come too ; 
 we can t get on without you," and took her back into 
 the study with him. 
 
 Then they had a long talk, for the family troubles 
 seemed to warm and strengthen the family affection 
 and confidence, and as the 3 r oung people listened 
 while Mr. Shaw told them as much of his business 
 perplexities as they could understand, every one of 
 them blamed him or herself for going on so gayly and 
 blindly, while the storm was gathering, and the poor 
 man was left to meet it all alone. Now, however, the 
 thunder-clap had come, and after the first alarm, find 
 ing they were not killed, they began to discover a 
 certain half-anxious, half-pleasant excitement in talk 
 ing it over, encouraging one another, and feeling 
 unusually friendly, as people do when a sudden shower 
 drives two or three to the shelter of one umbrella. 
 
 It was a sober talk, but not all sad, for Mr Shaw 
 felt inexpressibly comforted by his children s unex 
 pected sympathy, and they, trying to take the down 
 fall cheerfully for his sake, found it easier to bear 
 themselves, They even laughed occasionally, for the 
 girls, in their ignorance, asked queer questions ; Tom 
 made ludicrously unbusiness-like propositions ; and 
 Maud gave them one hearty peal, that did a world of 
 good, by pensively remarking, when the plans for the 
 future had been explained to her, 
 
 44 1 m so relieved ; for when papa said we must give 
 
Breakers Ahead. 311 
 
 up everything, and mamma called us all beggars, I 
 did think I d got to go round asking for cold vittles, 
 with a big basket, and an old shawl over my head. I 
 said once I *d like that, but I *m afraid I should n t, for 
 I can t bear Indian cake and cold potatoes, that s 
 what the poor children always seem to get, and I 
 should hate to have Grace and the rest see me scuffing 
 round the back gates." 
 
 " My little girl shall never come to that, if I can 
 help it," said Mr. Shaw, holding her close, with a look 
 that made Maud add, as she laid her cheek against 
 his own, 
 
 " But I d do it, father, if you asked me to, for 1 
 truly want to help." 
 
 " So do I ! " cried Fanny, wondering at the same 
 minute how it would seem to wear turned silks, and 
 clean her gloves. 
 
 Tom said nothing, but drew toward him a paper of 
 figures which his father had drawn up, and speedily 
 reduced himself to the verge of distraction by trying 
 to understand them, in his ardent desire to prove his 
 willingness to put his shoulder to the wheel. 
 
 " We shall pull through, children, so don t borrow 
 trouble, only be ready for discomforts and annoyances. 
 Put your pride in your pockets, and remember poverty 
 is n t disgraceful, but dishonesty is." 
 
 Polly had always loved kind Mr. Shaw, but now 
 she respected him heartily, and felt that she had not 
 done him justice when she sometimes thought that he 
 only cared for making money. 
 
 " I should n t wonder if this was a good thing for 
 the whole family, though it don t look so. Mrs. Shaw 
 
312 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 will take it the hardest, but it may stir her up, so she 
 will forget her nerves, and be as busy and happy as 
 mother is," said Polly to herself, in a hopeful mood, 
 for poverty was an old friend, and she had learned 
 long ago not to fear it, but to take its bitter and its 
 sweet, and make the best of both. 
 
 When they parted for the night, Polly slipped away 
 first, to leave them free, yet could n t help lingering 
 outside to see how tenderly the girls parted from their 
 father. Tom had n t a word to say for himself, for 
 men don t kiss, caress, or cry when they feel most, 
 and all he could do to express his sympathy and pen 
 itence, was to wring his father s hand with a face full 
 of respect, regret, and affection, and then bolt up 
 stairs as if the furies were after him, as they were, in 
 a mild and modern form. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 A DRESS PARADE. 
 
 THE weeks that followed taught the onaws, as 
 many other families have been taught, how rapidly 
 riches take to themselves wings and fly away, when 
 they once begin to go. Mr. Shaw carried out his 
 plans with an energy and patience that worked won 
 ders, and touched the hearts of his hardest creditors. 
 The big house was given up as soon as possible, and 
 the little house taken ; being made comfortable with 
 the furniture Madam left there, when she went to live 
 with her son. The old-fashioned things had been let 
 with the house, and now seemed almost like a gift 
 from Grandma, doubly precious in these troublous 
 times. At the auction, several persons tried to show 
 the family, that though they had lost their fortune, 
 friends still remained, for one bid in Fanny s piano, 
 and sent it to her ; another secured certain luxurious 
 articles for Mrs. Shaw s comfort ; and a third saved 
 such of Mr. Shaw s books as he valued most, for he 
 had kept his word and given up everything, with the 
 most punctilious integrity. So the little house was 
 not bare, but made pleasant to their eyes by these 
 waifs from the wreck, brought them by the tide of 
 sympathy and good- will which soon set in. 
 
314 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Everybody who knew them hastened to call, many 
 from a real regard, but more from mere curiosity to 
 " see how they took it." This was one of the hardest 
 things they had to bear, and Tom used strong lan 
 guage more than once, when some fine lady came to 
 condole, and went away to gossip. Polly s hopes of 
 Mrs. Shaw were disappointed, for misfortune did not 
 have a bracing effect. She took to her bed at once, 
 received her friends in tears and a point-lace cap, and 
 cheered her family by plaintively inquiring when she 
 was to be taken to the almshouse. This was hard 
 for Fanny ; but after an interval of despair, she came 
 to the conclusion that under the circumstances it was 
 the best thing her mother could have done, and with 
 something of her father s energy, Fanny shouldered 
 the new burden, feeling that at last necessity had 
 given her what she had long needed, something to do. 
 
 The poor girl knew as much of household affairs 
 as Snip ; but pride, and the resolution " to stand by 
 father," kept up her courage, and she worked away 
 with feverish activity at whatever task came first, till, 
 just as strength and heart were about to fail, order 
 began to emerge from chaos, and the vision of a home 
 made happy and comfortable by her skill and care, 
 came to repay and sustain her. 
 
 Maud, being relieved from the fear of back-door beg 
 gary, soon became reconciled to bankruptcy ; thought 
 it rather a good joke, on the whole, for children like 
 novelty, and don t care much for Mrs. Grundy. She 
 regarded the new abode as a baby-house on a large 
 scale, where she was allowed to play her part in the 
 most satisfactory manner. From the moment when. 
 
A Dress Parade. * 315 
 
 on taking possession of the coveted room, she opeued 
 the doors of the three-cornered closet, and found a 
 little kettle, just like Polly s, standing there, she felt 
 that a good time was coming for her, and fell to dust 
 ing furniture, washing cups, and making toast, the 
 happiest, fussiest little housewife in the city. For 
 Maud inherited the notable gifts of her grandmother, 
 and would have made a capital farmer s daughter, in 
 spite of her city breeding. 
 
 Polly came and went through all these changes, 
 faithful, helpful, and as cheery as she could be, when 
 her friends were in trouble. The parts seemed re 
 versed now, and it was Polly who gave, Fanny who 
 received ; for where everything seemed strange and 
 new to Fan, Polly was quite at home, and every one 
 of the unfashionable domestic accomplishments now 
 came into play, to the comfort of the Shaws, and the 
 great satisfaction of Polly. She could not do enough 
 to prove her gratitude for former favors, and went 
 toiling and moiling about, feeling that the hardest, 
 most disagreeable tasks were her especial duty. In 
 the moving nothing suited her better than to trot up 
 and down, lugging heavy things ; to pound her fin 
 gers black and blue, nailing carpets and curtains ; 
 and the day she nearly broke her neck, tumbling 
 down the cellar stairs, in her eagerness to see that 
 Utrs. Shaw s wine was rightly stored, she felt that she 
 was only paying her debts, and told Tom she liked it, 
 when he picked her up, looking as grimy as a chim 
 ney-sweep. 
 
 " You can turn your hand to anything, you clever 
 girl, so do come and give me some advice, for I am 
 
31 6 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 in the depths of despair," said Fanny, when the 
 " maid-of-all-work," as Polly called herself, found a 
 leisure hour. 
 
 "What is it? moths in the furs, a smoky chimne3 f , 
 or small-pox next door ? " asked Polly, as they entered 
 Fan s room, where Maud was trying on old bonnets 
 before the looking-glass. 
 
 " Actually I have nothing to wear," began Fan, im 
 pressively ; " I ve been too busy to think or care till 
 now, but here it is nearly May, and I have hardly a 
 decent rag to my back. Usually, you know, I just go 
 to Mrs. O Grady and tell her what I want ; she makes 
 my spring wardrobe, papa pays the bill, and there I 
 am. Now I Ve looked into the matter, and I declare 
 to you, Polty, I m frightened to see how much it costs 
 to dress me." 
 
 " Not so much as some girls I know," said Polly, 
 encouragingly. 
 
 " Perhaps not, for I have a conscience, and taste is 
 economy sometimes ; but really, Polly, I have n t the 
 heart to ask papa for a cent just now, and yet I must 
 have clothes. You are such a genius for planning and 
 working wonders, that I throw myself upon you, and 
 ask, c How shall I make a spring wardrobe out of 
 nothing? " 
 
 "Let me see the nothing before I advise. Bring 
 out every rag you ve got, and we 11 see what can be 
 done," said Polly, looking as if she enjoyed the pros 
 pect, for she had a great deal of that feminine faculty 
 which we call "knack," and much practice had in 
 creased it. 
 
 Fanny brought out her " rags," -and was astonished 
 
A Dress Parade. 317 
 
 to see how many she had, for chair, sofa, bed, and 
 bureau were covered, and still Maud, who was burrow 
 ing in the closets, kept crying, " Here s another." 
 
 44 There s a discouraging heap of rubbish for you ! * 
 said Fan, as she added a faded muslin to the last 
 pile. 
 
 44 Now, to me your 4 rubbish looks very encourag 
 ing, because there is good material there, and not much 
 worn-out finery, that s my detestation, for you can t 
 do anything with it. Let me see, five bonnets. Put 
 the winter ones awaj r till autumn, rip up the summer 
 ones, and out of three old ones we 11 get a pretty new 
 one, if my eyes don t deceive me." 
 
 44 1 11 rip, and then do let me see you make a bon 
 net, it must be so interesting," said Maud, whipping 
 out her scissors, and eagerly beginning to reduce a 
 shabby little bonnet to its original elements. 
 
 44 Now the dresses," continued Polly, who had rap 
 idly sorted out the piles. 
 
 44 Will you have the goodness to look at this?" said 
 Fan, holding up a gray street suit, faded past cure. 
 
 Polly whisked it wrong side out, and showing the 
 clean, bright fabric, said, with a triumphant wave, 
 
 44 Behold your new suit ; fresh trimming and less of 
 it will finish you off as smart as ever." 
 
 44 1 never wore a turned dress in my life ; do you 
 suppose people will know it?" said Fan, doubtfully. 
 
 44 What if they do, it won t hurt you. Not one in a 
 hundred will ever think anything about your dress, 
 except that it is pretty. I ve worn turned and dyed 
 gowns all my days, and it don t seem to have alienated 
 my friends, or injured my constitution." 
 
318 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 "That it hasn t; I m a goose, Polly, and I ll get 
 over the feeling that it s sort of disgraceful to be poor 
 and have to economize. We 11 turn the gray, and I 11 
 wear it bravely." 
 
 " Then it will be more becoming than ever. Oh, 
 here s the pretty violet silk ; that will make a lovely 
 suit," cried Polly, going on with the review. 
 
 " Don t see how two draggled skirts and a stained 
 waist can be transformed into a whole rig," said Fan, 
 sitting on the bed, with her garments strewn about 
 her in various attitudes of limp despondency. 
 
 " Well, ma am, my plan is this," began Polly, imi 
 tating Mrs. O Grady s important tone, and bad gram 
 mar : " Gores is out, and plaits is in ; therefore, as the 
 top of this skirt is quite fresh, we will take off the 
 ruffles, turn it upside down, and leave it plain. The 
 upper skirt will be made scanter, and finished with a 
 frill ; then the waist can be refreshed with the best 
 parts of these wide flounces, and out of those new bits 
 we will concoct a hat. The black lace Maud has just 
 taken off the green one will do to edge the violet, and 
 with your nice silk mantilla you are complete, don t 
 you see?" 
 
 " I don t quite see it yet, but I have firm faith that 
 I shall in time, and consider my calling costume fin 
 ished," said Fanny, getting more and more interested 
 as she saw her condemned wardrobe coming out fresh 
 again under Polly s magic knack. 
 
 " There are two ; then that pique is all right, if you 
 cut the tail off the jacket, and change the trimming a 
 bit. The muslins only need mending and doing up 
 to look as well as ever ; you ought not to put them 
 
A Dress Parade. 319 
 
 away torn and soiled, my child. The two black silks 
 will be good stand-bys for years. If I were } 7 ou, I d 
 have a couple of neat, pretty prints for home-wear, 
 and then I don t see why you are n t fixed well enough 
 for our short season." 
 
 " Can t I do anything with this barege? It s one 
 of iny favorite dresses, and I hate to give it up." 
 
 " You wore that thoroughly out, and it s only fit 
 for the rag-bag. Yes, it was very pretty and becom 
 ing, I remember, but its day is over." 
 
 Fanny let the dress lie in her lap a minute, as she 
 absently picked at the fringe, smiling to herself over 
 the happy time when she wore it last, and Sydney said 
 she only needed cowslips in her lap to look like 
 spring. Presently she folded it up, and put it 
 away with a sigh ; but it never went into the rag 
 bag, and my sentimental readers can understand what 
 saved it. 
 
 " The ball dresses had better be put nicely away till 
 next year," began Polly, coming to a rainbow-colored 
 heap. 
 
 u My day is over, I shall never use them again ; do 
 what you like with them," said Fan, calmly. 
 
 " Did you ever sell your cast-off finery, as many 
 ladies do?" asked Polly. 
 
 41 Never ; I don t like the fashion. I give it away, 
 or let Maud have it for tableaux." 
 
 " I wonder if you would mind my telling you some 
 thing Belle proposed?" 
 
 u If it s an offer to buy my clothes, I should mind," 
 answered Fanny, sharply. 
 
 " Then I won t," and Polly retired behind a cloncf 
 
320 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 of arsenic-green gauze, which made her look as if she 
 had the cholera. 
 
 " If she wanted to buy that horrid new gooseberry 
 colored gown/ as Tom calls it, I d let her have it 
 cheap," put in Maud, who was of a practical turn. 
 
 "Does she want it, Polly?" asked Fan, whose 
 curiosity got the better of her pride. 
 
 " Well, she merely asked me if I thought you d be 
 mortally offended, if she offered to take it off your 
 hands, as you d never worn it. You don t like it, and 
 another season it will be all out of fashion," said 
 Polly, from her verdant retreat. 
 
 "What did you say?" 
 
 "I saw she meant it kindly, so I said I d ask. 
 Now between ourselves, Fan, the price of that dress 
 would give you all you 11 want for your spring fixings, 
 that s one consideration ; then here s another, which 
 may have some weight with you," added Polly, slyly. 
 " Trix told Belle she was going to ask you for the 
 dress, as you wouldn t care to wear it now. That 
 made Belle fire up, and say it was a mean thing to 
 do without offering some return, for a costly thing 
 like that ; and then Belle said, in her blunt way, I 11 
 give Fan all she paid for it, and more too, if it will 
 be any help to her. I don t care for the dress, but 
 I d like to slip a little money into her pocket, for I 
 know she needs it, and is too good to ask dear Mr. 
 Shaw for anything she can get on without. " 
 
 " Did she say that? I 11 give her the dress, and not 
 take a penny for it," cried Fan, flushing up with 
 mingled anger toward Trix, and gratitude to Belle. 
 " That won t suit her ; you let me manage it, and 
 
A Dress Parade. 321 
 
 don t feel any shame or anxiety about it. You did 
 many a kind and generous thing for Belle when you 
 had the power, and you liked to do it ; now let her 
 pay her debts, and have the same pleasure." 
 
 " If she looks at it in that way it makes a difference. 
 Perhaps I d better, the money would be an immense 
 help, only I don t quite like to take it." 
 
 " Kings and queens sell their jewels when times are 
 hard or they get turned off their thrones, and no one 
 thinks it anything amiss, so why need you ? It s just 
 a little transaction between two friends who exchange 
 things they don t want for things which they do, and 
 I d do it if I were you." 
 
 " We 11 see about it," said Fan, privately resolving 
 to take Polly s advice. 
 
 " If I had lots of things like Fan, I d have an auc 
 tion, and get all I could for them. Why don t you ? * 
 asked Maud, .beginning on her third bonnet. 
 
 " We will," said Polly ; and mounting a chair, she 
 put up, bid in, and knocked down Fan s entire ward 
 robe to an imaginary group of friends, with such droll 
 imitations of each one that the room rung with 
 laughter. 
 
 "That s enough nonsense; now we ll return to 
 business," said Polly, descending breathless, but sat 
 isfied with the effect of her fun. 
 
 " These white muslins and pretty silks will keep for 
 years, so I should lay them by till they are needed. 
 It will save buying, and you can go to your stock any 
 time and make over what you want. That s the way 
 mother does ; we Ve always had things sent us from 
 richer friends, and whatever was n t proper for us to 
 21 
 
322 . An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 wear at the time, mother put away to be used when 
 we needed it. Such funny bundles as we used to 
 have sometimes : odd shoes, bonnets without crowns, 
 stockings without heels or toes, and old finery of all 
 sorts. We used to rush when a bundle came, and sit 
 round while mother opened it. The boys always 
 made fun of the things, though they were as grateful, 
 really, as any of us. Will made a verse one day, 
 which we thought pretty well for a little chap : 
 
 * To poor country folks 
 
 Who have n t any clothes, 
 Rich folks, to relieve them, 
 Send old lace gowns and satin bows. " 
 
 " I think that Will is going to be as nice a poet as 
 Mr. Shakespeare," remarked Maud, in a tone of seri 
 ous conviction. 
 
 " He is already a Milton ; but I don t believe he 
 will ever be anything but a poet in name," said Polly, 
 working away while she talked. 
 
 "Didn t your mother ever let you wear the nice 
 things that came ? " asked Maud. 
 
 " No ; she thought it was n t the thing for a poor 
 minister s girls to go flourishing about in second-hand 
 finery, so she did what I m doing now, put away what 
 would be useful and proper for us by and by, and let 
 us play with the shabby, silk bonnets and dirty, 
 flounced gowns. Such fun as we used to have up in 
 our big garret ! I remember one day we d been play 
 ing have a ball, and were all rigged up, even the boys. 
 Some new neighbors came to call, and expressed & 
 wish to see us, having been told that we were pattern 
 
A Dress Parade. 323 
 
 children. Mother called us, but we had paraded out 
 into the garden, after our ball, and were having a 
 concert, as we sat about on the cabbages for green 
 satin seats, so we didn t hear the call; and just as 
 the company was going, a great noise arrested them 
 on the door-step, and round the corner of the house 
 rattled Ned in full costume, wheeling Kitty in a bar 
 row, while Jimmy, Will, and I ran screaming after 
 looking like Bedlamites ; for we were playing that 
 Lady Fitz Perkins had fainted, and was being borne 
 home senseless in a cab. I thought mother would kill 
 herself with laughing ; and you can imagine what a 
 fine impression the strangers received of the model 
 children." 
 
 Maud was so tickled with this youthful prank that 
 she unguardedly sat down to laugh on the edge of an 
 open trunk, immediately doubled up, fell in, and was 
 with difficulty extricated. 
 
 " People in the country have great deal nicer times 
 than we do. / never rode in a wheelbarrow, I never 
 sat on cabbages, and I don t think it s fair," she said, 
 with an injured expression. " You need n t save any 
 old silk gowns for me ; I don t mean to be a fine lady 
 when I grow up, I m going to be a farmer s wife, and 
 make butter and cheese, and have ten children, and 
 raise pigs," she added, in one enthusiastic burst. 
 
 " I do believe she will if she can find a farmer any 
 where," said Fanny. 
 
 " Oh, I m going to have Will ; I asked him and he 
 said All right. He s going to preach Sundays, and 
 work on the farm the rest of the time. Well, he is, 
 so you need n t laugh, for we ve made all our plans," 
 
324 An O Id-Fashioned GirL 
 
 said Maud with comical dignity, as she tried the effect 
 of an old white bonnet, wondering if farmers wives 
 could wear ostrich feathers when they went to meeting. 
 
 u Blessed innocence ! Don t you wish you were 
 a child, and dared tell what you want?" murmured 
 Fanny. 
 
 " I wish I had seen Will s face when Maud pro 
 posed," answered Polly, with a nod which answered 
 her friend s speech better than her words. 
 
 "Any news of anybody?" whispered Fan, affecting 
 to examine a sleeve with care. 
 
 " Still at the South ; don t think late events have 
 been reported yet ; that accounts for absence," an 
 swered Polly. 
 
 " I think Sir Philip was hit harder than was sup 
 posed," said Fan. 
 
 " I doubt it ; but time cures wounds of that sort 
 amazing quick." 
 
 " Wish it did ! " 
 
 "Who is Sir Philip?" demanded Maud, pricking 
 up her ears. 
 
 " A famous man who lived in the time of Queen 
 Elizabeth," answered Fan, with a look at Polly. 
 
 " Oh ! " and Maud seemed satisfied, but the sharp 
 child had her suspicions, nevertheless. 
 
 " There will be an immense deal of work in all this 
 fixing over, and I hate to sew," said Fanny, to divert 
 a certain person s thoughts. 
 
 "Jenny and I are going to help. We are your 
 debtors as well as Belle, and demand the privilege 
 of paying up. Blessings, like curses, come home to 
 roost, Fan." 
 
A Dress Parade. 325 
 
 44 Mine come home a good deal bigger than they 
 went," answered Fanny, looking pleased that little 
 favors should be so faithfully remembered. 
 
 " The interest on that sort of investment rolls up 
 beautifully, you know. Now rip that dress for Jenny 
 to put in order, and I 11 toss you up a bonnet in less 
 than no time," said Polly, determined to have things 
 go smoothly, for she knew Fan s feelings had been a 
 good deal tried lately, in many ways. 
 
 " I must have something to match my dress, and 
 blue inside," said Fanny, bringing out her nbbon 
 boxes. 
 
 " Anything you like, my dear ; when it comes to 
 bonnets, I am usually inspired. I have it ! there we 
 are ! and nothing could be nicer," cried Poll} 7 , making 
 a dive among the silks Fan was turning over with a 
 lost expression. " This bit of silver-gray is all I ask, 
 here s enough for a killing bonnet, and those forget- 
 me-nots are both pretty and appropriate." 
 
 44 You wretch, be still ! " cried Fanny, as Polly 
 looked up at her with a wicked laugh in her eyes. 
 
 44 It will be done in time, and the dress likewise, 
 so look your prettiest, and accept my blessing," con 
 tinued Polly, seeing that Fan liked her raillery. 
 
 44 Time for what?" asked Paulina Pry. 
 
 44 Your wedding, dear," sweetly answered Fan, for 
 Polly s pleasant hints and predictions put her in a 
 charming humor, and even made old clothes of little 
 consequence. 
 
 Maud gave an incredulous sniff, and wondered why 
 44 big girls need to be so dreadful nysterious about 
 their old secrets." 
 
326 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 "This silk reminds me of Kitty s performance last 
 summer. A little checked silk was sent in our spring 
 bundle from Mrs. Davenport, and mother said Kit 
 might have it, if she could make it do. So I washed 
 it nicely, and we fussed and planned, but it came short 
 by half of one sleeve. I gave it up, but Kit went to 
 work and matched every scrap that was left so neatly, 
 that she got out the half sleeve, put it on the under 
 side, and no one was the wiser. How many pieces 
 do you think she put in, Maud?" 
 
 " Fifty," was the wise reply. 
 
 " No, only ten ; but that was pretty well for a 
 fourteen-year-old dressmaker. You ought to have 
 seen the little witch laugh in her sleeve when any 
 one admired the dress, for she wore it all summer, 
 and looked as pretty as a pink in it. Such things are 
 great fun, when you get used to them ; besides, con 
 triving sharpens your wits, and makes you feel as if 
 you had more bands than most people " 
 
 " I think we 11 get a farm near your house ; I should 
 like to know Kitty," said Maud, feeling a curious 
 interest in a girl who made such peculiar patchwork. 
 
 " The dress-parade is over, and I m ever so much 
 obliged to you, Polly, for helping me through, and 
 showing me how to make the best of things. I hope 
 in time to have as many hands as you," said Fan, 
 gratefully, when the simple bonnet was done, and 
 everything planned out ready to be finished. 
 
 " I hope you will soon have two good, strong ones 
 beside your own, my dear," answered Polly, as she 
 vanished, with a parting twinkle that kept Fan s face 
 bright all day. 
 
CHAPTER XVH. 
 
 PLAYING GRANDMOTHER. 
 
 I THINK Tom had the hardest time of all, for be 
 sides the family troubles, he had many of his own 
 to perplex and harass him. College scrapes were 
 soon forgotten in greater afflictions ; but there were 
 plenty of tongues to blame " that extravagant clog," 
 and plenty of heads to wag ominously over prophecies 
 of the good time Tom Shaw would now make on the 
 road to ruin. As reporters flourish in this country, 
 of course Tom soon heard all the friendly criticisms 
 passed upon him and his career, and he suffered more 
 than anybody guessed ; for the truth that was at the 
 bottom of the gossip filled him with the sharp regret 
 and impotent wrath against himself as well as others, 
 which drives many a proud fellow, so placed, to de 
 struction, or the effort that redeems boyish folly, and 
 makes a man of him. 
 
 Now that he had lost his heritage, Tom seemed to 
 see for the first time how goodly it had been, how 
 rich in power, pleasure, and gracious opportunities. 
 He felt its worth even while he acknowledged, with 
 the sense of justice that is strong in manly men, how 
 little he deserved a gift which he had so misused. 
 
328 An Old- Fashioned Girl. 
 
 He brooded over this a good deal, for, like the bat ID 
 the fable, he did n t seem to find any place in the new 
 life which had begun for all. Knowing nothing of 
 business, he was not of much use to his father, though 
 he tried to be, and generally ended by feeling that he 
 was a hindrance, not a help. Domestic affairs were 
 equally out of his line, and the girls, more frank than 
 their father, did not hesitate to tell him he was in the 
 way when he offered to lend a hand anywhere. After 
 the first excitement was over, and he had time to 
 think, heart and energy seemed to die out, remorse 
 got hold of him, and, as generous, thoughtless natures 
 are apt to do wlfen suddenly confronted with con 
 science, he exaggerated his faults and follies into sins 
 of the deepest dye, and fancied he was regarded by 
 others as a villain and an outcast. Pride and pen 
 itence made him shrink out of sight as much as possi 
 ble, for he could not bear pity, even when silently 
 expressed by a friendly hand or a kindly eye. He 
 stayed at home a good deal, and loafed about with a 
 melancholy and neglected air, vanished when any one 
 came, talked very little, and was either pathetically 
 humble or tragically croys. He wanted to do some 
 thing, but nothing seemed to appear ; and while he 
 waited to get his poise after the downfall, he was so 
 very miserable that I m afraid, if it had not been for 
 one thing, my poor Tom would have got desperate, 
 and been a failure. But when he seemed most useless, 
 outcast, and forlorn, he discovered that one person 
 needed him, one person never found him in the way, 
 one person always welcomed and clung to him with 
 the strongest affection of a very feeble nature. This 
 
Playing Grandmother. 329 
 
 dependence of his mother s was Tom s salvation at 
 that crisis of his life ; and the gossips, who said softly 
 to one another over their muffins and tea, " It really 
 would be a relief to that whole family if poor, dear 
 Mrs. Shaw could be ahem ! mercifully removed, * 
 did not know that the invalid s weak, idle hands were 
 unconsciously keeping the son safe in that quiet room, 
 where she gave him all that she had to give, mother* 
 love, till he took heart again, and faced the world, 
 ready to fight his battles manfully. 
 
 " Dear, dear ! how old and bent poor father does 
 look. I hope he won t forget to order my sweet 
 bread," sighed Mrs. Shaw one day, as she watched her 
 husband slowly going down the street. 
 
 Tom, who stood by her, idly spinning the curtain 
 tassel, followed the familiar figure with his eye, and 
 seeing how gray the hair had grown, how careworn the 
 florid face, and how like a weary old man his once 
 strong, handsome father walked, he was smitten by 
 a new pang of self-reproach, and with his usual im 
 petuosity set about repairing the omission as soon as 
 he discovered it. 
 
 " I 11 see to your sweetbread, mum. Good by, 
 back to dinner," and with a hasty kiss, Tom was off. 
 
 lie did n t know exactly what he meant to do, but 
 it had suddenly come over him, that he was hiding 
 from the storm, and letting his father meet it alone ; 
 for the old *nan went to his office every day with the 
 regularity of a machine, that would go its usual round 
 until it stopped, while the young man stayed at home 
 with the women, and let his mother comfort him. 
 
 " He has a right to be ashamed of me, but I act as 
 
330 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 if I was ashamed of him ; dare say people think so 
 I 11 show them that I ain t ; yes, by the powers, I 
 will ! " and Tom drew on his gloves with the air of a 
 man about to meet and conquer an enemy. 
 
 "Have an arm, sir? If you don t mind I ll walk 
 down with you. Little commission for mother, nice 
 day, isn t it?" 
 
 Tom rather broke down at the end of his speech, for 
 the look of pleased surprise with which his father 
 greeted him, the alacrity with which he accepted and 
 leaned on the strong arm offered him, proved that the 
 daily walks had been solitary and doubtless sad ones, 
 I think Mr. Shaw understood the real meaning of that 
 little act of respect, and felt better for the hopeful 
 change it seemed to foretell. But he took it quietly, 
 and leaving his face to speak for him, merely 
 said. 
 
 " Thanky, Tom ; yes, mother will enjoy her dinner 
 twice as much if you order it." 
 
 Then they began to talk business with all their 
 might, as if they feared that some trace of sentiment 
 might disgrace their masculine dignity. But^it made 
 no difference whether they discussed lawsuits or love, 
 mortgages or mothers, the feeling was all right and 
 they knew it, so Mr. Shaw walked straighter than 
 usual, and Tom felt that he was in his proper place 
 again. The walk was not without its trials, however ; 
 for while it did Tom s heart good to see the cordial 
 respect paid to his father, it tried his patience sorely 
 to see also inquisitive or disapproving glances fixed 
 upon himself when hats were lifted to his father, and 
 to hear the hearty " Good day, Mr. Shaw," drop into a 
 
Playing Grandmother* 331 
 
 cool or careless, " That s the son ; it s hard on him. 
 Wild fellow, do him good." 
 
 " Granted ; but you need n t hit a man when he s 
 down," muttered Tom to himself, feeling every mo 
 ment a stronger desire to do something that should 
 silence everybody. " I d cut away to Australia if it 
 was n t for mother ; anything, anywhere to get out 
 of the way of people who know me. I never can 
 right myself here, with all the fellows watching, and 
 laying wagers whether I sink or swim. Hang Greek 
 and Latin ! wish I d learned a trade, and had some 
 thing to fall back upon. Have n t a blessed thing 
 now, but decent French and my fists. Wonder if old 
 Bell don t want a clerk for the Paris branch of the 
 business ? That would n t be bad ; faith, I 11 try it." 
 
 And when Tom had landed his father safely at the 
 office, to the great edification of all beholders, he 
 screwed up his courage, and went to prefer his re 
 quest, feeling that the prospect brightened a little. 
 But Mr. Bell was not in a good humor, and only gave 
 Tom a severe lecture on the error of his ways, which 
 sent him home much depressed, and caused the hori 
 zon to lower again. 
 
 As he roamed about the house that afternoon, try 
 ing to calculate how much an Australian outfit would 
 cost, the sound of lively voices and clattering spoons 
 attracted him to the kitchen. There he found Polly 
 giving Maud lessons in cookery ; for the " new help " 
 not being a high-priced article, could not be depended 
 on for desserts, and Mrs. Shaw would have felt as if 
 the wolf was at the door if there was not " a sweet 
 dish" at dinner. Maud had a genius for cooking, 
 
332 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 and Fanny hated it, so that little person was in her 
 glory, studying receipt books, and taking lessons 
 whenever Polly could give them. 
 
 " Gracious me, Tom, don t come now ; we are aw 
 ful busy! Men don t belong in kitchens," cried 
 Maud, as her brother appeared in the doorway. 
 
 u Could n t think what you were about. Mum is 
 asleep, and Fan out, so I loafed down to see if 
 there was any fun afoot," said Tom, lingering, as if 
 the prospect was agreeable. He was a social fellow, 
 and very grateful just then to any one who helped 
 him to forget his worries for a time. Polly knew this, 
 felt that his society would not be a great affliction to 
 herself, at least, and whispering to Maud, " He won t 
 know," she added, aloud, 
 
 " Come in if you like, and stir this cake for me ; it 
 needs a strong hand, and mine are tired. There, put on 
 that apron to keep you tidy, sit here, and take it easy." 
 
 " I used to help grandma bat up cake, and rather 
 liked it, if I remember right," said Tom, letting Polly 
 tie a checked apron on him, put a big bowl into his 
 hands, and settle him near the table, where Maud was 
 picking raisins, and she herself stirring busily about 
 among spice-boxes, rolling-pins, and butter-pots. 
 
 "You do it beautifully, Tom. I ll give you a 
 conundrum to lighten your labor : Why are bad boys 
 like cake ? " asked Polly, anxious to cheer him up. 
 
 " Because a good beating makes them better. I 
 doubt that myself, though," answered Tom, nearly 
 knocking the bottom of the bowl out with his ener 
 getic demonstrations, for it really was a relief to do 
 something. 
 
"Life, my brethren, is like plum-cake." PAGE 333. 
 
Playing Grandmother. 333 
 
 u Bright boy! here s a plum for you," and Polly 
 threw a plump raisin into his mouth. 
 
 " Put in lots, won t j r ou ? I m rather fond of plum- 
 cake," observed Tom, likening himself to Hercules 
 with the distaff, and finding his employment pleasant, 
 if not classical. 
 
 " I always do, if I can ; there s nothing I like better 
 than to shovel in sugar and spice, and make nice, 
 plummy cake for people. It s one of the few things 
 I have a gift for." 
 
 " You ve hit it this time, Polly ; you certainly have 
 a gift for putting a good deal of both articles into 
 your own and other people s lives, which is lucky, as 
 we all have to eat that sort of cake, whether we like 
 it or not," observed Tom, so soberly that Polly opened 
 her eyes, and Maud exclaimed, 
 
 " I do believe he s preaching." 
 
 " Feel as if I could sometimes," continued Tom ; 
 then his eye fell upon the dimples in Polly s elbows, 
 and he added, with a laugh, "That s more in your 
 line, ma am ; can t you give us a sermon ? " 
 
 "A short one. Life, my brethren, is like plum- 
 cake," began Polly, impressively folding her floury 
 hands. " In some the plums are all on the top, and 
 we eat them gayly, till we suddenly find they are gone. 
 In others the plums sink to the bottom, and we look 
 for them in vain as we go on, and often come to them 
 when it is too late to enjoy them. But in the well- 
 made cake, the plums are wisely scattered all through, 
 and every mouthful is a pleasure. We make our own 
 cakes, in a great measure, therefore let us look to it, 
 my brethren, that they are mixed according to the 
 
334 -An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 best receipt, baked in a well-regulated oven, and grate 
 fully eaten with a temperate appetite." 
 
 " Good ! good ! " cried Tom, applauding with the 
 wooden spoon. "That s a model sermon, Polly, 
 short, sweet, sensible, and not a bit sleepy. I m one 
 of your parish, and will see that you get your ; celery 
 punctooal, as old Deacon Morse used to say." 
 
 " Thank you, brother, my wants is few, and ravens 
 scurser than they used to be/ as dear old Parson 
 Miller used to answer. Now, Maud, bring on the 
 citron;" and Polly began to put the cake together in 
 what seemed a most careless and chaotic manner, 
 while Tom and Maud watched with absorbing interest 
 till it was safely in the oven. 
 
 " Now make your custards, dear ; Tom may like to 
 beat the eggs for you ; it seems to have a good effect 
 upon his constitution." 
 
 " First-rate ; hand em along," and Tom smoothed 
 his apron with a cheerful air. " By the way, Syd s 
 got back. I met him yesterday, and he treated me 
 like a man and a brother, " he added, as if anxious to 
 contribute to the pleasures of the hour. 
 
 "I m so glad!" cried Polly, clapping her hands, 
 regardless of the egg she held, which dropped and 
 smashed on the floor at her feet. "Careless thing! 
 pick it up, Maud, I ll get some more;" and Polly 
 whisked out of the room, glad of an excuse to run 
 and tell Fan, who had just come in, lest, hearing the 
 news in public, she might be startled out of the well- 
 bred composure with which young ladies are expected 
 to receive tidings, even of the most vital import 
 ance. 
 
Playing Grandmother. 335 
 
 4 You know all about history, don t you?" asked 
 Maud, suddenly. 
 
 44 Not quite," modestly answered Tom. 
 
 " I just want to know if there really was a man 
 named Sir Philip, in the time of Queen Elizabeth." 
 
 "You mean Sir Philip Sidney? Yes, he lived 
 then, and a fine old fellow he was too." 
 
 " There ; I knew the girls did n t mean him," cried 
 Maud, with a chop that sent the citron flying. 
 
 44 What mischief are you up to now, you little mag 
 pie?" 
 
 44 1 shan t tell you what they said, because I don t 
 remember much of it ; but I heard Polly and Fan 
 talking about some one dreadful mysterious, and 
 when I asked who it was, Fan said, 4 Sir Philip/ 
 Ho ! she need n t think I believe it ! I saw em laugh, 
 and blush, and poke one another, and I Jcnew it wasn t 
 about any old Queen Elizabeth man," cried Maud, 
 turning up her nose as far as that somewhat limited 
 feature would go. 
 
 44 Look here, you. are letting cats out of the bag. 
 Never mind, I thought so. They don t tell us their 
 secrets, but we are so sharp, we can t help finding 
 them out, can we ? " said Tom, looking so much inter 
 ested, that Maud could n t resist airing her knowledge 
 a little. 
 
 44 Well, I dare say, it isn t proper for you to know, 
 but / am old enough now- to be told anything, and 
 those girls better mind what they say, for I m not a 
 stupid chit, like Blanche. I just wish you could have 
 heard them go on. I m sure there s something very 
 nice about Mr. Sydney, they looked so pleased when 
 
336 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 they whispered and giggled on the bed, and thought 
 I was ripping bonnets, and did n t hear a word." 
 
 "Which looked most pleased ?" asked Tom, invea 
 tigating the kitchen boiler with deep interest. 
 
 "Well, pears to me Polly did; she talked most, 
 and looked funny and very happy all the time. Fan 
 laughed a good deal, but I guess Polly is the lov- 
 eress," replied Maud, after a moment s reflection. 
 
 "Hold your tongue; she s coming!" and Tom 
 began to pump as if the house was on fire. 
 
 Down came Polly, with heightened color, bright 
 eyes, and not a single egg. Tom took a quick look 
 at her over his shoulder, and paused as if the fire was 
 suddenly extinguished. Something in his face made 
 Polly feel a little guilty, so she fell to grating nut 
 meg, with a vigor which made red cheeks the most 
 natural thing in life. Maud, the traitor, sat demurely 
 at work, looking very like what Tom had called her, 
 a magpie with mischief in its head. Polly felt a 
 change in the atmosphere, but merely thought Tom 
 was tired, so she graciously dismissed him with a 
 stick of cinnamon, as she had nothing else just then 
 to lay upon the shrine. 
 
 " Fan s got the books and maps you wanted. Go 
 and rest now. I m much obliged ; here s your wages, 
 Bridget." 
 
 " Good luck to your messes," answered Tom, as he 
 walked away meditatively crunching his cinnamon, 
 and looking as if he did not find it as spicy as usual. 
 He got his books, but did not read them ; for, shut 
 ting himself up in the little room called " Tom s den," 
 he just sat down and brooded. 
 
Playing Grandmother. 337 
 
 When he came down to breakfast the next morning, 
 he was greeted with a general " Happy birth-day, 
 Torn ! " and at his place lay gifts from every member 
 of the family ; riot as costly as formerly, perhaps, but 
 infinitely dearer, as tokens of the love that had out 
 lived the change, and only grown the warmer for the 
 test of misfortune. In his present state of mind, Tom 
 felt as if he did not deserve a blessed thing ; so when 
 every one exerted themselves to make it a happy day 
 for him, he understood what it means " to be nearly 
 killed with kindness," and sternly resolved to be an 
 honor to his family, or perish in the attempt. Even 
 ing brought Polly to what she called a " festive tea," 
 and when they gathered round the table, another gift 
 appeared, which, though not of a sentimental nature, 
 touched Tom more than all the rest. It was a most 
 delectable cake, with a nosegay atop, and round it on 
 the snowy frosting there ran a pink inscription, just 
 as it had been every year since Tom could remember. 
 
 "Name, age, and date, like a nice white tomb 
 stone," observed Maud, complacently, at which fune 
 real remark, Mrs. Shaw, who was down in honor of 
 the day, dropped her napkin, and demanded her 
 salts. 
 
 "Whose doing is that?" asked Tom, surveying the 
 gift with satisfaction ; for it recalled the happier birth 
 days, which seemed very far away now. 
 
 " I did n t know what to give you, for you Ve got 
 everything a man wants, and I was in despair till I 
 remembered that dear grandma always made you a 
 little cake like that, and that you once said it would n t 
 be a happy birthday without it. So I tried to make 
 22 
 
338 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 it just like hers, and I do hope it will prove a good, 
 sweet, plummy one." 
 
 " Thank you," was all Tom said, as he smiled at 
 the giver, but Polly knew that her present had pleased 
 him more than the most elegant trifle she could have 
 made. 
 
 " It ought to be good, for you beat it up yourself. 
 Tom," cried Maud. "It was so funny to see you 
 working away, and never guessing who the cake was 
 for. I perfectly trembled every time you opened your 
 mouth, for fear you d ask some question about it. 
 That was the reason Polly preached, and I kept talk 
 ing when she was gone." 
 
 " Very stupid of me ; but I forgot all about to-day. 
 Suppose we cut it ; I don t seem to care for anything 
 else," said Tom, feeling no appetite, but bound to do 
 justice to that cake, if he fell a victim to his gratitude. 
 
 " I hope the plums won t all be at the bottom," said 
 Polly, as she rose to do the honors of the cake, by 
 universal appointment. 
 
 " I ve had a good many at the top already, you 
 know," answered Tom, watching the operation w\th 
 as much interest as if he had faith in the omen. 
 
 Cutting carefully, slice after slice fell apart ; e^ch 
 firm and dark, spicy and rich, under the frosty rime 
 above ; and laying a specially large piece in one of 
 grandma s quaint little china plates, Polly added the 
 flowers and handed it to Tom, with a look that said a 
 good deal, for, seeing that he remembered her sermon, 
 she was glad to find that her allegory held good, in 
 one sense at least. Tom s face brightened as he took 
 it, and after an inspection which amused the others 
 
Playing Grandmother. 339 
 
 very much, he looked np, saying, with an air of relief, 
 u Plums all through ; I m glad I had a hand in it, 
 but Pollj r deserves the credit, and must wear the 
 posy," and turning to her, he put the rose into her 
 hair with more gallantry than taste, for a thorn 
 pricked her head, the leaves tickled her ear, and the 
 flower was upside down. 
 
 Fanny laughed at his want of skill, but Polly 
 would n t have it altered, and everybody fell to eat 
 ing cake, as if indigestion was one of the lost arts. 
 They had a lively tea, and were getting on famously 
 afterward, when two letters were brought for Tom, 
 who glanced at one, and retired rather precipitately 
 to his den, leaving Maud consumed with curiosity, 
 and the older girls slightly excited, for Fan thought 
 she recognized the handwriting on one, and Polly, on 
 the other. 
 
 One half an hour and then another elapsed, and 
 Tom did not return. Mr. Shaw went out, Mrs. Shaw 
 retired to her room escorted by Maud, and the two 
 girls sat together wondering if anything dreadful had 
 happened. All of a sudden a voice called, " Polly ! " 
 and that young lady started out of her chair, as if 
 the sound had been a thunder clap. 
 
 " Do run ! I m perfectly fainting to know what 
 the matter is," said Fan. 
 
 " You d better go," began Polly, wishing to obey, 
 yet feeling a little shy. 
 
 " He don t want me ; besides, I could n t say a 
 word for myself if that letter was from Sydney," cried 
 Fanny, hustling her friend towards the door, in a 
 great flutter. 
 
340 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Polly went without another word, but she wore a 
 curiously anxious look, and stopped on the threshold 
 of the den, as if a little afraid of its occupant. Toin 
 was sitting in his favorite attitude, astride of a chair, 
 with his arms folded and his chin on the top rail ; not 
 an elegant posture, but the only one in which, he said, 
 he could think welL 
 
 " Did you want me, Tom? " 
 
 " Yes. Come in, please, and don t look scared ; I 
 only want to show you a present I ve had, and ask 
 your advice about accepting it." 
 
 " Why, Tom, you look as if you had been knocked 
 down ! " exclaimed Poll}*, forgetting all about herself, 
 as she saw his face when he rose and turned to meet 
 her. 
 
 " I have ; regularly floored ; but I m up again, and 
 steadier than ever. Just you read that, and tell me 
 what you think of it." 
 
 Tom snatched a letter off the table, put it into her 
 hands, and began to walk up and down the little 
 room, like a veritable bear in its cage. As Polly read 
 that short note, all the color went out of her face, and 
 her eyes began to kindle. When she came to the end, 
 she stood a minute, as if too indignant to speak, then 
 gave the paper a nervous sort of crumple and dropped 
 it on the floor, saying, all in one breath, 
 
 " 1 think she is a mercenary, heartless, ungrateful 
 girl ! That s what I think." 
 
 " Oh, the deuce ! I did n t mean to show that 
 one ; it s the other." And Tom took up a second 
 paper, looking half angry, half ashamed at his own 
 mistake. " I don t care, though ; every one will know 
 
Playing Grandmother. 34 1 
 
 to-inonow ; and perhaps you 11 be good enough to 
 keep the girls from bothering me with questions and 
 gabble," he added, as if, on second thoughts, he was 
 relieved to have the communication made to Polly 
 first. 
 
 " I don t wonder you looked upset. If the other 
 letter is as bad, I d better have a chair before I read 
 it," said Polly, feeling that she began to tremble with 
 excitement. 
 
 4 It s a million times better, but it knocked me worse 
 than the other ; kindness always does." Tom stopped 
 short there, and stood a minute turning the letter 
 about in his hand as if it contained a sweet which 
 neutralized the bitter in that smaller note, and 
 touched him very much. Then he drew up an arm 
 chair, and beckoning Polly to take it, said in a sober, 
 steady tone, that surprised her greatly, 
 
 44 Whenever I was in a quandary, I used to go and 
 consult grandma, and she always had something sen 
 sible or comfortable to say to me. She s gone now, 
 but somehow, Polly, you seem to take her place. 
 Would you mind sitting in her chair, and letting me 
 tell you two or three things, as Will does? " 
 
 Mind it? Poljy felt that Tom had paid her the 
 highest and most beautiful compliment he could have 
 devised. She had often longed to do it, for, being 
 brought up in the most affectionate and frank rela 
 tions with her brothers, she had early learned what it 
 takes most women some time to discover, that sex 
 does not make nearly as much difference in hearts and 
 souls as we fancy. Joy and sorrow, love and fear, 
 life and death bring so many of the same needs to all, 
 
34 2 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 that the wonder is we do not understand each othei 
 better, but wait till times of tribulation teach us that 
 human nature is very much the same in men and 
 women. Thanks to this knowledge, Polly understood 
 Tom in a way that surprised and won him. She knew 
 that he wanted womanly sympathy, and that she could 
 give it to him, because she was not afraid to stretch 
 her hand across the barrier which our artificial educa 
 tion puts between boys and girls, and to say to hin? 
 in all good faith, " If J can help you, let me." 
 
 Ten minutes soor^r Polly could have done this 
 almost as easily to Tom as to Will, but in that ten 
 minutes something had happened which made this 
 difficult. Reading that Trix had given Tom back his 
 freedom changed many things to Polly, and caused 
 her to shrink from his confidence, because she felt as 
 if it would be harder now to keep self out of sight ; 
 for, spite of maiden modesty, love and hope would 
 wake and sing at the good news. Slowly she sat 
 down, and hesitatingly she said, with her eyes on the 
 ground, and a very humble voice, 
 
 " 1 11 do my best, but I can t fill grandma s place, 
 or give you any wise, good advice. I wish I could ! " 
 
 "You ll do it better than any one else. Talk 
 troubles mother, father has enough to think of with 
 out any of my worries. Fan is a good soul, but she 
 is n t practical, and we always get into a snarl if \ve 
 try to work together, so who have I but my other 
 sister, Polly ? The pleasure that letter will give you 
 may make up for my boring you." 
 
 As he spoke, Tom laid the other paper in her lap, 
 and went off to the window, as if to leave her free to 
 
Playing Grandmother. 343 
 
 enjoy it unseen ; but he could not help a glance now 
 and then, and as Polly s face brightened, his own fell. 
 
 " Oh, Tom, that s a birthday present worth having, 
 for it s so beautifully given I don t see how you can 
 refuse it. Arther Sydney is a real nobleman ! " cried 
 Polly, looking up at last, with her face glowing, and 
 her eyes full of delight. 
 
 " So he is ! I don t know another man living, ex 
 cept father, who would have done such a thing, or 
 who I could bring myself to take it from. Do you 
 see, he s not only paid the confounded debts, but has 
 done it in my name, to spare me all he could?" 
 
 " I see, it s like him ; and I think he must be very 
 happy to be able to do such a thing." 
 
 "It is an immense weight off my shoulders, for 
 some of those men could n t afford to wait till I d 
 begged, borrowed or earned the money. Sydney can 
 wait, but he won t long, if I know myself." 
 
 " You won t take it as a gift, then ? " 
 
 "Would you?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Then don t think I will. I m a pretty poor affair, 
 Polly, but I m not mean enough to do that, while I Ve 
 got a conscience and a pair of hands." 
 
 A rough speech, but it pleased Polly better than 
 the smoothest Tom had ever made in her hearing, 
 for something in his face and voice told her that the 
 friendly act had roused a nobler sentiment than grati 
 tude, making the cancelled obligations of the boy, 
 debts of honor to the man. 
 
 " What will you do, Tom?" 
 
 "I ll tell you; may I sit here?" And Tom tooh 
 
344 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 the low footstool that always stood near grandma s 
 old chair. "I ve had so many plans in my head 
 lately, that sometimes it seems as if it would split," 
 continued the poor fellow, rubbing his tired forehead, 
 as if to polish up his wits. " I ve thought seriously 
 of going to California, Australia, or some out-of-the- 
 way place, where men get rich in a hurry." 
 
 " Oh, no ! " cried Polly, putting out her hand as if 
 to keep him, and then snatching it back again before 
 he could turn round. 
 
 " It would be hard on mother and the girls, I sup 
 pose ; besides, I don t quite like it myself; looks as if 
 I shirked and ran away." 
 
 " So it does," said Polly, decidedly. 
 
 " Well, you see I don t seem to find anything to do 
 unless I turn clerk, and I don t think that would suit. 
 The fact is, I could n t stand it here, where I m 
 known. It would be easier to scratch gravel on a 
 railroad, with a gang of Paddies, than to sell pins to 
 my friends and neighbors. False pride, I dare say, 
 but it s the truth, and there s no use in dodging." 
 
 " Not a bit, and I quite agree with you." 
 
 "That s comfortable. Now I m coming to the 
 point where I specially want your advice, Polly. 
 Yesterday I heard you telling Fan about your brother 
 Ned ; how well he got on ; how he liked his business, 
 and wanted Will to come and take some place near 
 him. You thought I was reading, but I heard ; and 
 it struck me that perhaps I could get a chance out 
 West somewhere. What do you think ? " 
 
 " If you really mean work, I know you could," an 
 swered Polly, quickly, as all sorts of plans and pro- 
 
Playing Grandmother. 345 
 
 iects went sweeping through her mind. " I wish you 
 could be with Ned ; you d get on together, I m sure ; 
 and he d be so glad to do anything he could. I 11 
 write and ask, straight away, if you want me to. 
 
 " Suppose you do ; just for information, } r ou know, 
 then I shall have something to go upon. I want to 
 have a feasible plan all ready, before I speak to 
 father. There s nothing so convincing to business 
 men as facts, you know." 
 
 Polly could not help smiling at Tom s new tone, it 
 seemed so strange to hear him talking about anything 
 but horses and tailors, dancing and girls. She liked 
 it, however, as much as she did the sober expression 
 of his face, and the way he had lately of swinging his 
 arms about, as if he wanted to do something ener 
 getic with them. 
 
 " That will be wise. Do you think your father will 
 like this plan ? " 
 
 " Pretty sure he will. Yesterday, when I told him 
 I must go at something right off, he said, Anything 
 honest, Tom, and don t forget that your father began 
 the world as a shop-bo}^ You knew that, did n t you ?" 
 
 " Yes, he told me the story once, and I always liked 
 to hear it, because it was pleasant to see how well he 
 had succeeded." 
 
 " I never did like the story, a little bit ashamed, 
 I m afraid ; but when we talked it over last night, 
 it struck me in a new light, and I understood why 
 father took the failure so well, and seems so contented 
 with this poorish place. It is only beginning again, he 
 says ; and having worked his way up once, he feels as 
 if he could again. I declare to you, Polly, that eort 
 
346 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 of confidence in himself, and energy and courage in 
 a man of his years, makes me love and respect the 
 dear old gentleman as I never did before." 
 
 " I m so glad to hear you say that, Tom ! I ve some 
 times thought you didn t quite appreciate your father, 
 any more than he knew how much of a man you 
 were." 
 
 " Never was till to-day, you know," said Tom, laugh 
 ing, yet looking as if he felt the dignity of his one and 
 twenty years. " Odd, is n t it, how people live together 
 ever so long, and don t seem to find one another out, 
 till something comes to do it for them. Perhaps this 
 smash-up was sent to introduce me to my own father." 
 
 " There s philosophy for you," said Polly, smiling, 
 even while she felt as if adversity was going to do 
 more for Tom than years of prosperity. 
 
 They both sat quiet for a minute, Polly in the big 
 chair looking at him with a new respect in her ej^es, 
 Tom on the stool near by slowty tearing up a folded 
 paper he had absently taken from the floor while he 
 talked. 
 
 " Did this surprise you? " he asked, as a little white 
 shower fluttered from his hands. 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Well, it did me ; for you know as soon as we came 
 to grief I offered to release Trix from the engage 
 ment, and she would n t let me," continued Tom, as if, 
 having begun the subject, he wished to explain it 
 thoroughly. 
 
 " That surprised me," said Polly. 
 
 " So it did me, for Fan always insisted it was the 
 money and not the man she cared for. Her first 
 
Playing Grandmother. 347 
 
 answer pleased me very much, for I did n t expect it, 
 and nothing touches a fellow more than to have a 
 woman stand by him through thick and thin." 
 
 " She don t seem to have done it." 
 
 " Fan was right. Trix only waited to see how bad 
 things really were, or rather her mother did. She s as 
 cool, hard, and worldly-minded an old soul as I ever 
 saw, and Trix is bound to obey. She gets round it 
 very neatly in her note, * won t be a burden, 4 will 
 sacrifice her hopes, * and always remain my warm 
 friend, but the truth is, Tom Shaw rich was worth 
 making much of, but Tom Shaw poor is in the way, 
 and may go to the devil as fast as he likes." 
 
 " Well, he is n t going ! " cried Polly, defiantly, for 
 her wrath burned hotly against Trix, though she 
 blessed her for setting the bondman free. 
 
 " Came within an ace of it," muttered Tom to him 
 self; adding aloud, in a tone of calm resignation that 
 assured Polly his heart would not be broken though 
 his engagement was, 
 
 " It never rains but it pours, specially in hard times ; 
 but when a man is down, a rap or two more don t 
 matter much, I suppose. Its the first blow that hurts 
 most." 
 
 " Glad to see you take the last blow so well." 
 There was an ironical little twang to that speech, and 
 Polly could n t help it. Tom colored up and looked 
 hurt for a minute, then seemed to right himself with 
 a shrug, and said, in his outspoken way, 
 
 " To tell the honest truth, Polly, it was n t a very 
 hard one. I ve had a feeling for some time that Trix 
 and I were not suited to one another, and it might be 
 
348 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 wiser to stop short. But she did n t or would n t see 
 it ; and I was n t going to back out, and leave her to 
 wear any more willows, so here we are. I don t bear 
 malice, but hope she 11 do better, and not be disap 
 pointed again, upon my word I do." 
 
 " That s very good of you, quite Sydneyesque and 
 noble," said Polly, feeling rather ill at ease, and 
 wishing she could hide herself behind a cap apd specta 
 cles, it she was to play Grandma to this confiding 
 youth. 
 
 " It will be all plain sailing for Syd, I fancy," 
 observed Tom, getting up as if the littlo cricket 
 suddenly ceased to be comfortable. 
 
 " I hope so," murmured Polly, wondering wliat was 
 coming next. 
 
 " He deserves the very best of everything, and I 
 pray the Lord he may get it," added Tom, poking 
 the fire in a destructive manner. 
 
 Polly made no answer, fearing to say too much, for 
 she knew Fan had made no confidant of Tom, and ske 
 guarded her friend s secret as jealously as her own. 
 
 " You 11 write to Ned to-morrow, will you ? I 11 take 
 anything he s got, for I want to be off," said Tom, 
 casting down the poker, and turning round with 
 resolute air which was lost on Polly, who sat twirling 
 the rose that had fallen into her lap. 
 
 " I 11 write to-night. Would you like me to tel) 
 the girls about Trix and Sydney ? " she asked as she 
 rose, feeling that the council was over. 
 
 " I wish you would. I don t know how to thank 
 you for all you ve done for me ; I wish to heaven ] 
 did," said Tom, holding out his hand with a look that 
 
Playing Grandmother. 349 
 
 Polly thought a great deal too grateful for the littfe 
 she had done. 
 
 As she gave him her hand, and looked up at him 
 with those confiding eyes of hers, Tom s gratitude 
 seemed to fly to his head, for, without the slightest 
 warning, he stooped down and kissed her, a pro 
 ceeding which startled Polly so that he recovered 
 himself at once, and retreated into his den with the 
 incoherent apology, 
 
 44 1 beg pardon could n t help it grandma 
 always let me on my birthday." 
 
 While Polly took refuge up-stairs, forgetting all 
 about Fan, as she sat in the dark with her face hidden, 
 wondering why she was n t very angry, and resolving 
 never again to indulge in the delightful but dangerous 
 pastime of playing grandmother. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 THE WOMAN WHO DID NOT DARE. 
 
 "HOLLY wrote enthusiastically, Ned answered satis- 
 -*- factorily, and after much corresponding, talking, 
 and planning, it was decided that Tom should go 
 West. Never mind what the business was ; it suffices 
 to say that it was a good beginning for a young man 
 like Tom, who, having been born and bred in the 
 most conservative class of the most conceited city in 
 New England, needed just the healthy, hearty, social 
 influences of the West to widen his views and make a 
 man of him. 
 
 Of course there was much lamentation among the 
 women, but every one felt it was the best thing for 
 him ; so, while they sighed, they sewed, packed vis 
 ions of a brilliant future away with his new pocket 
 handkerchiefs, and rejoiced that the way was open be 
 fore him even in the act of bedewing his boots with 
 tears. Sydney stood by him to the last, " like a man 
 and a brother," (which expression of Tom s gave 
 Fanny infinite satisfaction,) and Will felt entirely 
 consoled for Ned s disappointment at his refusal to 
 go and join him, since Tom was to take the place Ned 
 had kept for him. 
 
T/ie Woman who did not Dare. 351 
 
 Fortunately every one was so busy with the neces 
 sary preparations that there was no time for romance 
 of any sort, and the four young people worked jO- 
 gether as soberly and sensibly as if all sorts of emo 
 tions were not bottled up in their respective hearts. 
 But in spite of the silence, the work, and the hurry, I 
 think they came to know one another better in that 
 busy little space of time than in all the years that had 
 gone before, for the best and bravest in each was up 
 and stirring, and the small house was as full of the 
 magnetism of love and friendship, self-sacrifice and 
 enthusiasm, as the world outside was full of spring 
 sunshine and enchantment. Pity that the end should 
 come so soon ; but the hour did its work and went its 
 way, leaving a clearer atmosphere behind, though the 
 young folks did not see it then, for their eyes were 
 dim because of the partings that must be. 
 
 Tom was off to the West ; Polly went home for 
 the summer; Maud was taken to the seaside with 
 Belle ; and Fanny left alone to wrestle with house 
 keeping, " help," and heartache. If it had not been 
 for two things, I fear she never would have stood a 
 summer in town ; but Sydney often called, till his va 
 cation came, and a voluminous correspondence with 
 Polly beguiled the long days. Tom wrote once a 
 week to his mother, but the letters were short and not 
 very satisfactory, for men never do tell the interest 
 ing little things that women best like to hear. Fanny 
 forwarded her bits of news to Polly ; Polly sent back 
 all the extracts from Ned s letters concerning Tom, 
 and by putting the two reports together, they gained 
 the comfortable assurance that Tom was well, in good 
 
352 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 spirits, hard at work, and intent on coming out strong 
 in spite of all obstacles. 
 
 Polly had a quiet summer at home, resting and 
 getting ready in mind and body for another winter s 
 work, for in the autumn she tried her plan again, to 
 the satisfaction of her pupils, and the great joy of 
 her friends. She never said much of herself in her 
 letters, and Fanny s first exclamation when the} met 
 again, was an anxious 
 
 " Why, Polly, dear I have you been sick, and never 
 told me?" 
 
 " No, I m only tired ; had a good deal to do lately, 
 and the dull weather makes me just a trifle blue. I 
 shall soon brighten up when I get to my work again," 
 answered Polly, bustling about to put away her tfiings. 
 
 " You don t look a bit natural ; what have you been 
 doing to your precious little self? " persisted Fanny, 
 troubled by the change, yet finding it hard to say 
 wherein it lay. 
 
 Polly did not look sick, though her cheeks were 
 thinner, and her color paler than formerly, but she 
 seemed spiritless, and there was a tired look in her 
 eyes, that went to Fanny s heart. 
 
 " I m all right enough, as you 11 see when I m in 
 order. I m proper glad to find you looking so well 
 and happy. Does all go smoothly, Fan ? " asked Polly, 
 beginning to brush her hair industriously. 
 
 " Answer me one question first," said Fanny, look 
 ing as if a sudden fear had come over her. " Tell me, 
 truly, have you. never repented of your hint to Syd 
 
 ney?" 
 
 Never!" cried Polly, throwing back the brown 
 
The Woman who did not Dare. 353 
 
 veil behind which she had half hidden her face at 
 first. 
 
 " On your honor, as an honest girl ? " 
 
 " On my honor, as anything you please. Why do 
 you suspect me of it ? " demanded Polly, almost an 
 grily. 
 
 " Because something is wrong with you. It s no 
 use to denjr it, for you ve got the look I used to see in 
 that very glass on my own face when I thought he 
 cared for you. Forgive me, Polly, but I can t help 
 saying it, for it is there, and I want to be as true to 
 you as you were to me, if I can." 
 
 Fanny s face was full of agitation, and she spoke 
 fast and frankly, for she was trying to be generous, and 
 found it very hard. Polly understood now, and put 
 her fear at rest by saying, almost passionately, 
 
 "I tell you I don t love him ! If he was the only 
 man in the world, I would n t marry him, because I 
 don t want to." 
 
 The last three words were added in a different tone, 
 for Polly had checked herself there with a half fright 
 ened look, and turned away to hide her face behind 
 her hair again. 
 
 " Then if it s not him, it s some one else. You ve 
 got a secret, Polly, and I should think you might tell 
 it, as you know mine," said Fann} r , unable to rest till 
 everything was told, for Polly s manner troubled her. 
 
 There was no answer to her question, but she was 
 satisfied, and putting her arm round her friend, she 
 said, in her most persuasive tone, 
 
 " My precious Polly, do I know him ? " 
 
 " You have seen him." 
 as 
 
354 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 "And is he very wise, good, and splendid, dear?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 " He ought to be if you love him. I hope he is n t 
 bad ? " cried Fan, anxiously, still holding Polly, who 
 kept her head obstinately turned. 
 
 " I m suited, that s enough." 
 
 " Oh, please just tell me one thing more ; don t he 
 love back again ? " 
 
 " No. Now don t say another word ; I can t bear 
 it ! " and Polly drew herself away, as she spoke in a 
 desperate sort of tone. 
 
 " I won t ; but now I m not afraid to tell you that 
 I think, I hope, I do believe that Sydney cares a little 
 for me. He s been very kind to us all, and lately he 
 has seemed to like to see me always when he comes, 
 and miss me if I m gone. I did n t dare to hope any 
 thing, till papa observed something in his manner, and 
 teased me about it. I try not to deceive myself, but 
 it does seem as if there was a chance of happiness 
 for me." 
 
 "Thank heaven for that!" cried Polly, with the 
 heartiest satisfaction in her voice. " Now come and 
 tell me all about it," she added, sitting down on the 
 couch with the air of one who has escaped a great peril. 
 
 "I ve got some notes and things I want to ask 
 your opinion about, if they really mean anything, you 
 know," said Fanny, getting out a bundle of papers 
 from the inmost recesses of her desk. " There s a 
 photograph of Tom, came in his last letter ; good, 
 is n t it? He looks older, but that s the beard and the 
 rough coat, I suppose. Dear old fellow, he is doing 
 so well, I really begin to feel quite proud of him." 
 
The Woman who did not Dare. 355 
 
 Fan tossed her the photograph, and went on rum 
 maging for a certain note. She did not see Polly 
 catch up the picture and look at it with hungry eyes, 
 but she did hear something in the low tone in which 
 Polly said, 
 
 " It don t do him justice," and glancing over her 
 bhoulder Fan s quick eye caught a glimpse of the 
 truth, though Polly was half turned away from her. 
 Without stopping to think, Fan dropped her letters, 
 took Polly by the shoulders, and cried in a tone lull of 
 astonishment, 
 
 " Polly, is it Tom?" 
 
 Poor Polly was so taken by surprise, that she had 
 not a word to say. None were needed ; her telltale 
 face answered for her, as well as the impulse which 
 made her hide her head in the sofa cushion, like a 
 foolish ostrich when the hunters are after it. 
 
 " Oh, Polly, I am so glad ! I never thought of it, 
 you are so good, and he s such a wild boy, I 
 can t believe it, but it is so dear of you to care for 
 him." 
 
 "Couldn t help it tried not to but it was so 
 hard you know, Fan, you know," said a stifled voice 
 from the depths of the very fuzzy cushion which Tom 
 had once condemned. 
 
 The last words, and the appealing hand outstretched 
 to her, told Fanny the secret of her friend s tender 
 sympathy for her own love troubles, and seemed so 
 pathetic, that she took Polly in her arms, and cried 
 over her, in the fond, foolisti way girls have of doing 
 when their hearts are full, and tears can say more 
 than tongues. The silence never lasts long, however, 
 
356 An O Id-Fashioned Girl 
 
 for the feminine desire to " talk it over" usually gets 
 the better of the deepest emotion. So presently the 
 girls were hard at it, Polly very humble and down 
 cast, Fanny excited, and overflowing with curiosity 
 and delight. 
 
 u Really my sister ! You dear thing, how heavenly 
 that will be," she cried. 
 
 " It never will be," answered Polly, in a tone of 
 calm despair. 
 
 " What will prevent it?" 
 
 " Maria Bailey," was the tragic reply. 
 
 " What do you mean ? Is she the Western girl ? she 
 shan t have Tom ; I 11 kill her first ! " 
 
 " Too late, let me tell you is that door shut, and 
 Maud safe?" 
 
 Fanny reconnoitred, and returning listened breath 
 lessly, while Polly poured into her ear the bitter 
 secret which was preying on her soul. 
 
 " Has n t he mentioned Maria in his letters?" 
 
 " Once or twice, but sort of jokingly, and I thought 
 it was only some little flirtation. He can t have time 
 for much of that fun, he s so bus} r ." 
 
 " Ned writes good, gossipy letters, I taught him 
 how, and he tells me all that s going on. When he d 
 spoken of this girl several times (they board with 
 her mother, you know), I asked about her, quite care 
 lessly, and he told me she was pretty, good, and well 
 educated, and he thought Tom was rather smitten. 
 That was a blow ; for you see, Fan, since Trix broke 
 the engagement, and it was n t wrong to think of 
 Tom, I let myself hope, just a little, and was so 
 happy ! Now I must give it up, and now I see how 
 
The Woman who did not Dare. 357 
 
 much I hoped, and what a dreadful loss it s going 
 to be." 
 
 Two great tears rolled down Polly s cheeks, and 
 Fanny wiped them away, feeling an intense desire to 
 go West by the next train, wither Maria Bailey with 
 a single look, and bring Tom back as a gift to Polly. 
 
 u It was so stupid of me not to guess before. But 
 you see Tom always seems so like a boy, and you are 
 more womanly for your age than any girl I know, so 
 I never thought of your caring for him in that way. 
 I knew you were very good to him, you are to every 
 one, my precious ; and I knew that he was fond of 
 you as he is of rne, fonder if anything, because he 
 thinks you are perfect ; but still I never dreamed of 
 his loving you more than a dear friend." 
 
 " He does n t," sighed Polly. 
 
 " Well, he ought ; and if I could get hold of him, 
 he should ! " 
 
 Polly clutched Fan at that, and held her tight, say 
 ing, sternly, 
 
 " If you ever breathe a word, drop a hint, look a 
 look that will tell him or any one else about me, I ll 
 yes, as sure as my name is Mary Milton I ll pro 
 claim from the housetops that you like Ar ." Polly 
 
 got no further, for Fan s hand was on her mouth, 
 and Fan s alarmed voice vehemently protested, 
 
 " I won t ! I promise solemnly I ll never say a word 
 to a mortal creature. Don t be so fierce, Polly ; you 
 quite frighten me." 
 
 " It s bad enough to love some one who don t love 
 you, but to have them told of it is perfectly awful. 
 It makes me wild just to think of it. Oh, Fan, I m 
 
358 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 getting so ill-tempered and envious and wicked, I 
 don t know what will happen to me." 
 
 " I m not afraid for you, my dear, and I do believe 
 things will go right, because you are so good to every 
 one. How Tom could help adoring }^ou I don t see. 
 I know he would if he had stayed at home longer 
 after he got rid of Trix. It would be the making of 
 him ; but though he is my brother, I don t think he s 
 good enough for you, Polly, and I don t quite see how 
 you can care for him so much, when you might have 
 had a person so infinitely superior." 
 
 " I don t want a superior person ; he d tire me if 
 he was like A. S. Besides, I do think Tom is superior 
 to him in many things. Well, you need n t stare ; I 
 know he is, or will be. He s so different, and ver f 
 young, and has lots of faults, I know, but I like him 
 all the better for it, and he s honest and brave, and 
 has got a big, warm heart, and I d rather have him 
 care for me than the wisest, best, most accomplished 
 man in the world, simply because I love him ! " 
 
 If Tom could only have seen Polly s face when she 
 said that! It was so tender, earnest, and defiant, 
 that Fanny forgot the defence of her own lover, in 
 admiration of Polly s loyalty to hers ; for this faithful, 
 all-absorbing love was a new revelation to Fanny, 
 who was used to hearing her friends boast of two or 
 three lovers a year, and calculate their respective 
 values, with almost as much coolness as the young 
 men discussed the fortunes of the girls they wished, 
 but " could not afford to marry." She had thought 
 her love for Sydney very romantic, because she did 
 not really care whether he was rich or poor, though 
 
The Woman who did not Dare. 359 
 
 she never dared to say so, even to Polly, for fear of 
 being laughed at. She began to see now what true 
 love was, and to feel that the sentiment which she 
 could not conquer was a treasure to be accepted with 
 reverence, and cherished with devotion. 
 
 " I don t know when I began to love Tom, but I 
 found out that I did last winter, and was as much 
 surprised as you are," continued Polly, as if glad to 
 unburden her heart. " I did n t approve of him at all ; 
 I thought he was extravagant, reckless, and dandified. 
 I was very much disappointed -when he chose Trix, 
 and the more I thought and saw of it, the worse I 
 felt, for Tom was too good for her, and I hated to see 
 her do so little for him, when she might have done so 
 much ; because he is one of the men who can be led 
 by their affections, and the woman he marries can 
 make or mar him." 
 
 " That s true ! " cried Fan, as Polly paused to look 
 at the picture, which appeared to regard her with a 
 grave, steady look, which seemed rather to belie her 
 assertions. 
 
 " I don t mean that he s weak or bad. If he was, I 
 should hate him ; but he does need some one to love 
 him very much, and make him happy, as a good 
 woman best knows how," said Polly, as if answering 
 the mute language of Tom s face. " I hope Maria 
 Bailey is all he thinks her," she added, softly, " for I 
 could n t bear to have him disappointed again." 
 
 " I dare say he don t care a fig for her, and you are 
 only borrowing trouble. What do you say Ned an 
 swered when you asked about this inconvenient girl?" 
 said Fanny, turning hopeful all at once. 
 
360 An Old- Fashioned Girl. 
 
 Polly repeated it, and added, " Tasked him in another 
 letter if he did n t admire Miss B. as much as Tom, and 
 he wrote back that she was a nice girl, but he had no 
 time for nonsense, and I need n t get my white kids 
 ready for some years yet, unless to dance at Tom s 
 wedding. Since then he hasn t mentioned Maria, 
 so I was sure there was something serious going on, 
 and being in Tom s confidence, he kept quiet." 
 
 " It does look bad. Suppose / say a word to Tom, 
 just inquire after his heart in a general wa}^ you 
 know, and give him a chance to tell me, if there is 
 anything to tell." 
 
 " I m willing ; but you must let me see the letter. 
 I can t trust you not to hint or say too much." 
 
 "You shall. I ll keep my promise in spite of 
 everything, but it will be hard to see things going 
 wrong when a word would set it right." 
 
 " You know what will happen if you do," and Polly 
 looked so threatening that Fan trembled before her, 
 discovering that the gentlest girls when roused are 
 more impressive than any shrew ; for even turtle 
 doves peck gallantly to defend their nests. 
 
 "If it is true about Maria, what shall we do ? " said 
 Fanny, after a pause. 
 
 " Bear it ; people always do bear things, some 
 how," answered Polly, looking as if sentence had been 
 passed upon her. 
 
 " But if it is n t?" cried Fan, unable to endure the 
 sight. 
 
 u Then I shall wait." And Polly s face changed so 
 beautifully that Fan hugged her on the spot, fervently 
 wishing that Maria Bailey never had been born. 
 
The Woman who did not Dare. 36 1 
 
 Then the conversation turned to lover number two, 
 and after a long confabulation, Polly gave it as her 
 firm belief that A. S. had forgotten M. M., and was 
 rapidly finding consolation in the regard of F. S. 
 With this satisfactory decision the council ended, 
 after the ratification of a Loyal League, by which the 
 friends pledged themselves to stand stanchly by one 
 another, through the trials of the coming year. 
 
 It was a very different winter from the last for both 
 the girls. Fanny applied herself to her duties with 
 redoubled ardor, for "A. 8." was a domestic man, and 
 admired housewifely accomplishments. If Fanny 
 wanted to show him what she could do toward making 
 a pleasant home, she certainly succeeded better than 
 she suspected, for in spite of many failures and dis 
 couragements behind the scenes, the little house 
 became a most attractive place, to Mr. Sydney at 
 least, for he was more the house-friend than ever, and 
 seemed determined to prove that change of fortune 
 made no difference to him. 
 
 Fanny had been afraid that Polly s return might 
 endanger her hopes, but Sydney met Polly with the 
 old friendliness, and very soon convinced her that the 
 nipping in the bud process had been effectual, for 
 being taken early, the sprouting affection had died 
 easy, and left room for an older friendship to blossom 
 into a happier love. 
 
 Fanny seemed glad of this, and Polly soon set her 
 heart at rest by proving that she had no wish to try 
 her power. She kept much at home when the day s 
 work was done, finding it pleasanter to sit dreaming 
 over book or sewing alone, than to exert herself even 
 to #0 to the Sltaws . 
 
362 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Fan don t need me, and Sydney don t care wheth 
 er I come or not, so I 11 keep out of the way," she 
 would say, as if to excuse her seeming indolence. 
 
 Polly was not at all like herself that winter, and 
 those nearest to her saw and wondered at it most. 
 Will got very anxious, she was so q liet, pale, and 
 spiritless, and distracted poor Polly by his affectionate 
 stupidity, till she completed his bewilderment by 
 getting cross and scolding him. So he consoled him 
 self with Maud, who, now being in her teens, assumed 
 dignified airs, and ordered him about in a style that 
 afforded him continued amusement and employment. 
 
 Western news continued vague, for Fan s general 
 inquiries produced only provokingly unsatisfactory 
 replies from Tom, who sang the praises of " the beauti 
 ful Miss Bailey," and professed to be consumed by a 
 hopeless passion for somebody, in such half-comic, 
 half-tragic terms, that the girls could not decide 
 whether it was " all that boy s mischief," or only a 
 cloak to hide the dreadful truth. 
 
 " We ll have it out of him, when he comes home in 
 the spring," said Fanny to Polly, as they compared 
 the letters of their brothers, and agreed that " men 
 were the most uncommunicative and provoking animala 
 under the sun." For Ned was so absorbed in business 
 that he ignored the whole Bailey question, and left 
 them in utter darkness. 
 
 Hunger of any sort is a hard thing to bear, espe 
 cially when the sufferer has a youthful appetite, and 
 Polly was kept on such a short allowance of happiness 
 for six months, that she got quite thin and interesting ; 
 and often, when she saw how big her eyes were getting, 
 
The Woman who did not Dare. 363 
 
 and how plainly the veins on her temples showed, 
 indulged the pensive thought that perhaps spring 
 dandelions might blossom o er her grave. She had 
 no intention of dying till Tom s visit was over, how 
 ever, and as the time drew near, she went through 
 such alternations of hope and fear, and lived in such a 
 state of feverish excitement, that spirits and color 
 came back, and she saw that the interesting pallor 
 she had counted on would be an entire failure. 
 
 May came at last, and with it a burst of sunshine 
 which cheered even poor Poll/s much-enduring heart. 
 Fanny came walking in upon her one day, looking as 
 if she brought tidings of such great joy that she hardly 
 knew how to tell them. 
 
 "Prepare yourself somebody is engaged!" she 
 said, in a solemn tone, that made Polly put up her 
 hand as if to ward off an expected blow. " No, 
 don t look like that, my poor dear ; it is n t Tom, 
 it s I!" 
 
 Of course there was a rapture, followed by one of 
 the deliciously confidential talks which bosom friends 
 enjoy, interspersed with tears and kisses, smiles and 
 sighs. 
 
 " Oh, Polly, though I ve waited and hoped so long 
 I could n t believe it when it came, and don t deserve 
 it ; but I will ! for the knowledge that he loves me 
 seems to make everything possible," said Fanny, with 
 an expression which made her really beautiful, for the 
 first time in her life. 
 
 " You happy girl ! " sighed Polly, then smiled and 
 added, " I think you deserve all that s come to you, 
 for you have truly tried to be worthy of it, and 
 
364 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 whether it ever came or not that would have been a 
 thing to be proud of." 
 
 " He says that is what made him love me," an 
 swered Fanny, never calling her lover by his name, 
 but making the little personal pronoun a very sweet 
 word by the tone in which she uttered it. " He was 
 disappointed in me last year, he told me, but you 
 said good things about me, and though he did n t care 
 much then, yet, when he lost you, and came back to 
 me, he found that you were not altogether mistaken, 
 and he has watched me all this winter, learning to re 
 spect and love me better every day. Oh, Polly, when 
 he said that, I could n t bear it, because in spite of all 
 iny trying, I m still so weak and poor and silly." 
 
 " We don t think so ; and I know you 11 be all he 
 hopes to find you, for he s just the husband you ought 
 to have." 
 
 " Thank you all the more, then, for not keeping him 
 yourself," said Fanny, laughing the old blithe laugh 
 again. 
 
 "That was only a slight aberration of his ; he knew 
 better all the time. It was your white cloak and my 
 idiotic behavior the night we went to the opera that 
 put the idea into his head," said Polly, feeling as if 
 the events of that evening had happened some twenty 
 years ago, when she was a giddy young thing, fond of 
 gay bonnets and girlish pranks. 
 
 "I m not going to tell Tom a word about it, but 
 keep it for a surprise till he comes. He will be here 
 next week, and then we 11 have a grand clearing up of 
 mysteries," said Fan, evidently feeling that the mil 
 lennium was at hand. 
 
The Woman who did not Dare. 365 
 
 " Perhaps," said Polly, as her heart fluttered and 
 then sunk, for this was a case where she could do 
 nothing but hope, and keep her hands busy with Will s 
 new set of shirts. 
 
 There is a good deal more of this sort of silent suf 
 fering than the world suspects, for the " women who 
 dare " are few, the women who " stand and wait " are 
 many. But if work-baskets were gifted with powers 
 of speech, they could tell stories more true and tender 
 than any we read. For women often sew the tragedy 
 or comedy of life into their work as they sit appar- 
 rently safe and serene at home, yet are thinking 
 deeply, living whole heart-histories, and praying fer 
 vent prayers while they embroider pretty trifles or 
 do the weekly mending. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 TOM S SUCCESS. 
 
 "Come, Philander, let us be a marching, 
 Every one his true love a searching," 
 
 WOULD be the most appropriate motto for this 
 chapter, because, intimidated by the threats, 
 denunciations, and complaints showered upon me t n 
 consequence of taking the liberty to end a certain 
 story as I liked, I now yield to the amiable desire of 
 giving satisfaction, and, at the risk of outraging all 
 the unities, intend to pair off everybody I can lay my 
 hands on. 
 
 Occasionally a matrimonial epidemic appears, espe 
 cially toward spring, devastating society, thinning the 
 ranks of bachelordom, and leaving mothers lamenting 
 for their fairest daughters. That spring the disease 
 broke out with great violence in the Shaw circle, 
 causing paternal heads much bewilderment, as one 
 case after another appeared with alarming rapidity. 
 Fanny, as we have seen, was stricken first, and hardly 
 had she been, carried safely through the crisis, when 
 Tom returned to swell the list of victims. As Fanny 
 was out a good deal with her Arthur, who was sure 
 
Tom s Success. 367 
 
 that exercise was necessary for the convalescent, 
 Polly went every day to see Mrs. Shaw, who found 
 herself lonety, though much better than usual, for the 
 engagement had a finer effect upon her constitution 
 than any tonic she ever tried. Some three days after 
 Fan s joyful call Polly was startled on entering the 
 thaws door, by Maud, who came tumbling down 
 stairs, sending an avalanche of words before her, 
 
 " He s come before he said he should to surprise us ! 
 He s up in mamma s room, and was just saying, 
 1 How s Polly ? when I heard you come, in your creep- 
 mouse way, and you must go right up. He looks so 
 funny with whiskers, but he s ever so nice, real big 
 and brown, and he swung me right up when he kissed 
 me. Never mind your bonnet, I can t wait." 
 
 And pouncing upon Polly, Maud dragged her away 
 like a captured ship towed by a noisy little steam- 
 tug. 
 
 u The sooner it s over the better for me," was the 
 only thought Polly had time for before she plunged 
 into the room above, propelled by Maud, who cried 
 triumphantly, 
 
 " There he is ! Ain t he splendid ?" 
 
 For a minute, everything danced before Polly s 
 eyes, as a hand shook hers warmly, and a gruifish 
 voice said heartily, 
 
 " How are you, Polly?" Then she slipped into a 
 chair beside Mrs. Shaw, hoping that her reply had 
 been all right and proper, for she had not the least 
 idea what she said. 
 
 Things got steady again directly, and while Maud 
 expatiated on the great surprise, Polly ventured to 
 
368 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 look at Tom, feeling glad that her back was toward 
 the light, and his was not. It was not a large room, 
 and Tom seemed to fill it entirely ; not that he had 
 grown so very much, except broader in the shoulders, 
 but there was a brisk, genial, free-and-easy air about 
 him, suggestive of a stirring, out-of-door life, with 
 people who kept their eyes wide open, and were not 
 very particular what they did with their arms and 
 legs. The rough-and-ready travelling suit, stout 
 boots, brown face, and manly beard, changed him so 
 much, that Polly could find scarcely a trace of elegant 
 Tom Shaw in the hearty looking young man who 
 stood with one foot on a chair, while he talked busi 
 ness to his father in a sensible way, which delighted 
 the old gentleman. Polly liked the change immensely, 
 and sat listening to the state of Western trade with 
 as much interest as if it had been the most thrilling 
 romance, for, as he talked, Tom kept looking at her 
 with a nod or a smile so like old times, that for a 
 little while she forgot Maria Bailey, and was in bliss. 
 By and by Fanny came flying in, and gave Tom a 
 greater surprise than his had been. He had not the 
 least suspicion of what had been going on at home, 
 for Fan had said to herself, with girlish malice, " If 
 he don t choose to tell me his secrets, I m not going 
 to tell mine," and had said nothing about Sydney, 
 except an occasional allusion to his being often there, 
 and very kind. Therefore, when she announced her 
 engagement, Tom looked so staggered for a minute, 
 that Fan thought he did n t like it ; but after the first 
 surprise passed, he showed such an affectionate satis 
 faction, that she was both touched and flattered. 
 
Toms Success. 369 
 
 ** What do you think of this performance ? " asked 
 Tom, wheeling round to Polly, who still sat by Mrs. 
 Shaw, in the shadow of the bed-curtains. 
 
 " I like it very much," she said, in such a hearty 
 tone, that Tom could not doubt the genuineness of 
 her pleasure. 
 
 " Glad of that. Hope you 11 be as well pleased 
 with another engagement that s coming out before 
 long " ; and with an odd laugh, Tom carried Sydney 
 off to his den, leaving the girls to telegraph to one 
 another the awful message, 
 
 " It is Maria Bailey." 
 
 How she managed to get through that evening, 
 Polly never knew, yet it was not a long one, for at 
 eight o clock she slipped out of the room, meaning to 
 run home alone, and not compel any one to serve as 
 escort. But she did not succeed, for as she stood 
 warming her rubbers at the dining-room fire, wonder 
 ing pensively as she did so if Maria Bailey had small 
 feet, and if Tom ever put her rubbers on for her, the 
 little overshoes were taken out of her hands, and 
 Tom s voice said, reproachfully, 
 
 " Did you really mean to run away, and not let me 
 go home with you ? " 
 
 " I m not afraid ; I did n t want to take you away," 
 began Polly, secretly hoping that she did n t look too 
 pleased. 
 
 " But I like to be taken away. Why, it s a whole 
 year since I went home with you ; do you remember 
 that ? " said Tom, flapping the rubbers about without 
 any signs of haste. 
 
 " Does it seem long? " 
 
 " Everlasting ! " 
 
370 An Old-Fashioned GirL 
 
 Polly meant to say that quite easily, and smile 
 incredulously at his answer; but in spite of the 
 coquettish little rose-colored hood she wore, and which 
 she knew was very becoming, she did not look or 
 speak gayty, and Toni saw something in the altered 
 face that made him say hastily, 
 
 " I m afraid you ve been doing too much this winter ; 
 you look tired out, Polly." 
 
 " Oh, no ! it suits me to be very busy," and she 
 began to drag on her gloves as if to prove it. 
 
 " But it does n t suit me to have you get thin and 
 pale, you know." 
 
 Polly looked up to thank him, but never did, for 
 there was something deeper than gratitude in the 
 honest blue eyes, that could not hide the truth 
 entirely. Tom saw it, flushed all over his brown face, 
 and dropping the rubbers with a crash, took her hands, 
 saying, in his old impetuous wa} 7 ", 
 
 " Polly, I want to tell you something ! " 
 
 " Yes, I know, we ve been expecting it. I hope 
 you ll be very happy, Torn;" and Polly shook his 
 hands with a smile that was more pathetic than a 
 flood of tears. 
 
 " What ! " cried Tom, looking as if he thought she 
 had lost her mind. 
 
 " Ned told us all about her ; he thought it would be 
 so, and when you spoke of another engagement, we 
 knew you meant your own." 
 
 " But I did n t ! Ned s the man ; he told me to tell 
 you. It s just settled." 
 
 " Is it Maria?" cried Polly, holding on to a chair 
 as if to be prepared for anything. 
 
 " Of course. Who else should it be ? " 
 
TOM S SUCCESS. 
 
 " Do you want to know the name of the pirl I ve loved for more than a year! 
 PA OH , 
 
Toms Success. 371 
 
 "He didn t say you talked about her most 
 and so we thought " stammered Polly, falling into 
 a sudden flutter. 
 
 " That I was in love ? Well, I am, but not with 
 her." 
 
 " Oh ! " and Polly caught her breath as if a dash of 
 cold water had fallen on her, for the more in earnest 
 Tom grew, the blunter he became. 
 
 " Do you want to know the name of the girl I ve 
 loved for more than a year? Well, it s Polly ! " As 
 he spoke, Tom stretched out his arms to her, with the 
 sort of mute eloquence that cannot be resisted, and 
 Polly went straight into them, without a word. 
 
 Never mind what happened for a little bit. Love 
 scenes, if genuine, are indescribable ; for to those who 
 have enacted them, the most elaborate description 
 seems tame, and to those who have not, the simplest 
 picture seems overdone. So romancers had better let 
 imagination paint for them that which is above all 
 art, and leave their lovers to themselves during the 
 happiest minutes of their lives. 
 
 Before long, Tom and Polly were sitting side by 
 side, enjoying the blissful state of mind which usually 
 follows the first step out of our work-a-day world, into 
 the glorified region wherein lovers rapturously exist 
 for a month or two. Tom just sat and looked at Polly 
 as if he found it difficult to believe that the winter of 
 his discontent had ended in this glorious spring. But 
 Polly, being a true woman, asked questions, even 
 while she laughed and cried for joy. 
 
 " Now, Tom, how could I know you loved me when 
 you went away and never said a word ? " she began, in 
 
37 2 An Old- Fashioned Girl. 
 
 a tenderly reproachful tone, thinking of the hard } T ear 
 she had spent. 
 
 " And how could I have the courage to say a word, 
 when I had nothing on the face of the earth to 
 offer you but my worthless self?" answered Tom, 
 warmly. 
 
 " That was all I wanted ! " whispered Polly, in a 
 tone which caused him to feel that the race of angels 
 was not entirely extinct. 
 
 " I Ve always been fond of you, my Polly, but I 
 never realized how fond till just before I went away. 
 I was n t free, you know, and besides I had a strong 
 impression that you liked Sydney in spite of the dam 
 per which Fan hinted you gave him last winter. He s 
 such a capital fellow, I really don t see how you could 
 help it." 
 
 u It is strange ; I don t understand it myself; but 
 women are queer creatures, and there s no account 
 ing for their tastes," said Polly, with a sly look, which 
 Tom fully appreciated. 
 
 " You were so good to me those last days, that I 
 came very near speaking out, but could n t bear to 
 seem to be offering you a poor, disgraced sort of fel 
 low, whom Trix would n t have, and no one seemed 
 to think worth much. No, I said to myself, c Polly 
 ought to have the best ; if Syd can get her, let him, 
 and I won t say a word. I 11 try to be better worthy 
 her friendship, any way; and perhaps, when I ve 
 proved that I can do something, and am not ashamed 
 to work, then, if Polly is free, I shan t be afraid to 
 try my chance. So I held my tongue, worked like a 
 horse, satisfied myself and others that I could get my 
 
Toms Success. 373 
 
 living honestly, and then came home to see if there 
 was any hope for me." 
 
 " And I was waiting for you all the time," said a 
 soft voice close to his shoulder ; for Polly was much 
 touched by Tom s manly efforts to deserve her. 
 
 " I did n t mean to do it the first minute, but look 
 about me a little, and be sure Syd was all right. But 
 Fan s news settled that point, and just now the look 
 in my Polly s face settled the other. I could n t wait 
 another minute, or let you either, and I could n t help 
 stretching out my arms to my little wife, God bless 
 her, though I know I don t deserve her." 
 
 Tom s voice got lower and lower as he spoke, and 
 his face was full of an emotion of which he need not 
 be ashamed, for a very sincere love ennobled him, 
 making him humble, where a shallower affection would 
 have been proud of its success. Polly understood 
 this, and found the honest, hearty speech of her lover 
 more eloquent than poetry itself. Her hand stole up 
 to his cheek, and she leaned her own confidingly 
 against the rough coat, as she said, in her frank, sim 
 ple way, 
 
 " Tom, dear, don t say that, as if I was the best 
 girl in the world. I ve got ever so many faults, and 
 I want 3 r ou to know them all, and help me cure them, 
 aa you have your own. Waiting has not done us any 
 harm, and I love you all the better for your trial. 
 But I m afraid your year has been harder than mine, 
 you look so much older and graver than when you 
 went away. You never would complain; but I ve 
 had a feeling that you were going through a good 
 deal more than any of us guessed-" 
 
374 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " Pretty tough work at first, I own. It was all so 
 new and strange, I m afraid I should n t have stood 
 it if it had not been for Ned. He d laugh and say 
 * Pooh ! if he heard me say it, but it s true neverthe 
 less that he s a grand fellow and helped me through 
 the first six months like a well, a brother as he is. 
 There was no reason why he should go out of his way 
 to back up a shiftless party like me, yet he did, and 
 made many things easy and safe that would have been 
 confoundedly hard and dangerous if I d been left to 
 myself. The only way I can explain it is that it s a 
 family trait, and as natural to the brother as it is to 
 the sister." 
 
 " It s a Shaw trait to do the same. But tell me 
 about Maria ; is Ned really engaged to her ? " 
 
 " Very much so ; you ll get a letter full of raptures 
 to-morrow ; he had n t time to send by me, I came off 
 in such a hurry. Maria is a sensible, pretty girl, and 
 Ned will be a happy old fellow." 
 
 " Why did you let us think it was you ? " 
 
 " I only teased Fan a little ; I did like Maria, for 
 she reminded me of you sometimes, and was such 
 a kind, cosy little woman I could n t help enjoying 
 her society after a hard day s work. But Ned got 
 jealous, and then I knew that he was in earnest, so 
 I left him a clear field, and promised not to breathe 
 a word to any one till he had got a Yes or No from 
 his Maria." 
 
 " I wish I d known it," sighed Polly. " People in 
 love always do such stupid things ! " 
 
 " So they do ; for neither you nor Fan gave us poor 
 fellows the least hint about Syd, and there I ve been 
 having all sorts of scares about you." 
 
Totris Success. 375 
 
 * Serves us right ; brothers and sisters should n t 
 have secrets from each other." 
 
 " We never will again. Did you miss me very 
 much?" 
 
 " Yes, Tom ; very, very much." 
 
 " My patient little Polly ! " 
 
 " Did you really care for me before you went ? " 
 
 " See if I did n t;" and with great pride Tom pro 
 duced a portly pocket-book stuffed with business-like 
 documents of a most imposing appearance, opened a 
 private compartment, and took out a worn-looking 
 paper, unfolded it carefully, and displayed a small 
 brown object which gave out a faint fragrance. 
 
 " That s the rose you put in the birthday cake, and 
 next week we 11 have a fresh one in another jolly little 
 cake which you 11 make me ; you left it on the floor of 
 my den the night we talked there, and I ve kept it 
 ever since. There s love and romance for you ! " 
 
 Polly touched the little relic, treasured for a year, 
 and smiled to read the words " My Polly s rose," 
 scribbled under the crumbling leaves. 
 
 "I didn t know you could be so sentimental," she 
 said, looking so pleased that he did not regret confess 
 ing his folly. 
 
 " I never was till I loved you, my dear, and I m 
 not very bad yet, for I don t wear my posy next my 
 heart, but where I can see it every day, and so never 
 forget for whom I am working. Should n t wonder 
 if that bit of nonsense had kept me economical, honest, 
 and hard at it, for I never opened my pocket-book 
 that I did n t think of you." 
 
 "That s lovely, Tom," and Polly found it so 
 
376 An O Id-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 touching that she felt for her handkerchief ; but Tom 
 took it away, and made her laugh instead of cry, by 
 saying, in a wheedlesome tone, 
 
 "I don t believe you did as much, for all yout 
 romance. Did you, now ? " 
 
 " If you won t laugh, I 11 show you my treasures. 
 I began first, and I Ve worn them longest." 
 
 As she spoke, Polly drew out the old locket, opened 
 it, and showed the picture Tom gave her in the bag of 
 pea-nuts, cut small and fitted in on one side ; on the 
 other was a curl of reddish hair and a black button. 
 How Tom laughed when he saw them ! 
 
 " You don t mean you ve kept that frightful guy 
 of a boy all this time ? Polly ! Polly ! you are the most 
 faithful loveress, as Maud says, that was ever known." 
 
 " Don t flatter yourself that I Ve worn it all these 
 years, sir ; I only put it in last spring because I didn t 
 dare to ask for one of the new ones. The button come 
 off the old coat you insisted on wearing after the fail 
 ure, as if it was your duty to look as shabby as possible, 
 and the curl I stole from Maud. Are n t we silly ? " 
 
 He did not seem to think so, and after a short pause 
 for refreshments, Polly turned serious, and said anx 
 iously, 
 
 " When must you go back to your hard work? " 
 
 " In a week or two ; but it won t seem drudgery now, 
 for you 11 write every day, and I shall feel that I m 
 working to get a home for you. That will give me a 
 forty-man-power, and I 11 pay up my debts and get a 
 good start, and then Ned and I will be married and 
 go into partnership, and we ll all be the happiest, 
 busiest people in the West." 
 
Toms Success. 377 
 
 " It sounds delightful ; but won t it take a long time, 
 Tom?" 
 
 " Only a few years, and we need n t wait a minute 
 after Syd is paid, if you don t mind beginning rather 
 low down, Polly." 
 
 " I d rather work up with you, than sit idle while 
 you toil away all alone. That s the way father and 
 mother did, and I think they were very happy in 
 Bpite of the poverty and hard work." 
 
 " Then we 11 do it by another year, for I must get 
 more salary before I take you away from a good home 
 here. I wish, oh, Polly, how I wish I had a half of 
 the money I ve wasted, to make you comfortable 
 now." 
 
 " Never mind, I don t want it ; I d rather have less, 
 and know you earned it all yourself," cried Polly, as 
 Tom struck his hand on his knee with an acute pang 
 of regret at the power he had lost. 
 
 " It s like you to say it, and I won t waste any 
 words bewailing myself, because I was a fool. We 
 will work up together, my brave Polly, and you shall 
 yet be proud of your husband, though he is poor 
 Tom Shaw. " 
 
 She was as sure of that as if an oracle had foretold 
 it, and was not deceived ; for the loving heart that 
 had always seen, believed, and tried to strengthen 
 all good impulses in Tom, was well repaid for its 
 instinctive trust by the happiness of the years to 
 come. 
 
 " Yes," she said, hopefully, " I know you will 
 succeed, for the best thing a man can have, is work 
 with a purpose in it, and the will to do it heartily." 
 
378 An Old-Fashioned Girl. 
 
 " There is one better thing, Polly," answered Tom, 
 turning her face up a little, that he might see his 
 inspiration shining in her eyes. 
 
 "What is it, dear?" 
 
 " A good womaaJo_love and help him all his life, 
 as you will me, please God." 
 
 " Even though she is old-fashioned," whispered 
 Polly, with happy eyes, the brighter for their tears, 
 as she looked up at the young man, who, through her, 
 had caught a glimpse of the truest success, and was 
 not ashamed to owe it to love and labor, two beauti 
 ful old fashions that began long ago, with the first 
 pair in Eden. 
 
 Lest any of my young readers who have honored 
 Maud with their interest should suffer the pangs of 
 unsatisfied curiosity as to her future, I will add for 
 their benefit that she did not marry Will, but re 
 mained a busy, lively spinster all her days, and kept 
 house for her father in the most delightful manner. 
 
 Will s ministerial dream came to pass in the course 
 of time, however, and a gentle, bright-eyed lady ruled 
 over the parsonage, whom the reverend William 
 called his " little Jane." 
 
 Farther into futurity even this rash pen dares not 
 proceed, but pauses here, concluding in the words of 
 the dear old fairy tales, " And so they were married, 
 and all lived happily till they died." 
 
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