the twelfth of october was rose's birthday, but no one seemed toremember that interesting fact, and she felt delicate aboutmentioning it, so fell asleep the night before wondering if shewould have any presents. that question was settled early the nextmorning, for she was awakened by a soft tap on her face, andopening her eyes she beheld a little black and white figure sittingon her pillow, staring at her with a pair of round eyes very likeblueberries, while one downy paw patted her nose to attract hernotice. it was kitty comet, the prettiest of all the pussies, andcomet evidently had a mission to perform, for a pink bow adornedher neck, and a bit of paper was pinned to it bearing the words,"for miss rose, from frank."that pleased her extremely, and that was only the beginning of thefun, for surprises and presents kept popping out in the mostdelightful manner all through the day, the atkinson girls beingfamous jokers and rose a favourite. but the best gift of all cameon the way to mount windy-top, where it was decided to picnic inhonour of the great occasion. three jolly loads set off soon afterbreakfast, for everybody went, and everybody seemed bound tohave an extra good time, especially mother atkinson, who wore ahat as broad-brimmed as an umbrella, and took the dinner-horn tokeep her flock from straying away.
"i'm going to drive auntie and a lot of the babies, so you must ridethe pony. and please stay behind us a good bit when we go to thestation, for a parcel is coming, and you are not to see it tilldinner-time. you won't mind, will you?" said mac, in aconfidential aside during the wild flurry of the start.
"not a bit," answered rose. "it hurts my feelings very much to betold to keep out of the way at any other time, but birthdays andchristmas it is part of the fun to be blind and stupid, and pokedinto corners. i'll be ready as soon as you are, giglamps.""stop under the big maple till i call then you can't possibly seeanything," added mac, as he mounted her on the pony his fatherhad sent up for his use. "barkis" was so gentle and so "willin',"however, that rose was ashamed to be afraid to ride him; so shehad learned, that she might surprise dr. alec when she got home;meantime she had many a fine canter "over the hills and far away"with mac, who preferred mr. atkinson's old sorrel.
away they went, and, coming to the red maple, rose obedientlypaused; but could not help stealing a glance in the forbiddendirection before the call came. yes, there was a hamper goingunder the seat, and then she caught sight of a tall man whom macseemed to be hustling into the carriage in a great hurry. one lookwas enough, and with a cry of delight, rose was off down the roadas fast as barkis could go.
"now i'll astonish uncle," she thought. "i'll dash up in grand style,and show him that i am not a coward, after all."fired by this ambition, she startled barkis by a sharp cut, and stillmore bewildered him by leaving him to his own guidance downthe steep, stony road. the approach would have been a finesuccess if, just as rose was about to pull up and salute, two orthree distracted hens had not scuttled across the road with a greatsquawking, which caused barkis to shy and stop so suddenly thathis careless rider landed in an ignominious heap just under oldsorrel's astonished nose.
rose was up again before dr. alec was out of the carryall, andthrew two dusty arms about his neck crying with a breathless voice"o uncle, i'm so glad to see you! it is better than a cart-load ofgoodies, and so dear of you to come!""but aren't you hurt, child! that was a rough tumble, and i'm afraidyou must be damaged somewhere," answered the doctor, full offond anxiety, as he surveyed his girl with pride.
"my feelings are hurt, but my bones are all safe. it's too bad! i wasgoing to do it so nicely, and those stupid hens spoilt it all," saidrose, quite crestfallen, as well as much shaken.
"i couldn't believe my eyes when i asked 'where is rose?' and macpointed to the little amazon pelting down the hill at such a rate.
you couldn't have done anything that would please me more, andi'm delighted to see how well you ride. now, will you mount again,or shall we turn mac out and take you in?" asked dr. alec, as auntjessie proposed a start, for the others were beckoning them tofollow.
"pride goeth before a fall better not try to show off again, ma'am,"said mac, who would have been more than mortal if he hadrefrained from teasing when so good a chance offered.
"pride does go before a fall, but i wonder if a sprained anklealways comes after it?" thought rose, bravely concealing her pain,as she answered, with great dignity"i prefer to ride. come on, and see who will catch up first."she was up and away as she spoke, doing her best to efface thememory of her downfall by sitting very erect, elbows down, headwell up, and taking the motion of the pony as barkis canteredalong as easily as a rocking-chair.
"you ought to see her go over a fence and race when we ridetogether. she can scud, too, like a deer when we play 'follow theleader,' and skip stones and bat balls almost as well as i can," saidmac, in reply to his uncle's praise of his pupil.
"i'm afraid you will think her a sad tomboy, alec; but really sheseems so well and happy, i have not the heart to check her. she hasbroken out in the most unexpected way, and frisks like a colt; forshe says she feels so full of spirits she must run and shout whetherit is proper or not," added mrs. jessie, who had been a prettyhoyden years ago herself.
"good good! that's the best news you could tell me," and dr. alecrubbed his hands heartily. "let the girl run and shout as much asshe will it is a sure sign of health, and as natural to a happy childas frisking is to any young animal full of life. tomboys makestrong women usually, and i had far rather find rose playingfootball with mac than puttering over bead-work like that affectedmidget, ariadne blish.""but she cannot go on playing football very long, and we must notforget that she has a woman's work to do by and by," began mrs.
jessie.
"neither will mac play football much longer, but he will be all thebetter fitted for business, because of the health it gives him. polishis easily added, if the foundations are strong; but no amount ofgilding will be of use if your timber is not sound. i'm sure i'm right,jessie; and if i can do as well by my girl during the next sixmonths as i have the last, my experiment will succeed.""it certainly will; for when i contrast that bright, blooming facewith the pale, listless one that made my heart ache a while ago, ican believe in almost any miracle," said mrs. jessie, as roselooked round to point out a lovely view, with cheeks like the ruddyapples in the orchard near by, eyes clear as the autumn skyoverhead, and vigour in every line of her girlish figure.
a general scramble among the rocks was followed by a regulargypsy lunch, which the young folks had the rapture of helping toprepare. mother atkinson put on her apron, turned up her sleeves,and fell to work as gaily as if in her own kitchen, boiling the kettleslung on three sticks, over a fire of cones and fir boughs; while thegirls spread the mossy table with a feast of country goodies, andthe children tumbled about in everyone's way till the toot of thehorn made them settle down like a flock of hungry birds.
as soon as the merry meal and a brief interval of repose were over,it was unanimously voted to have some charades. a smooth, greenspot between two stately pines was chosen for the stage; shawlshung up, properties collected, audience and actors separated, and aword quickly chosen.
the first scene discovered mac in a despondent attitude andshabby dress, evidently much troubled in mind. to him entered aremarkable creature with a brown paper bag over its head. a littlepink nose peeped through one hole in the middle, white teeththrough another, and above two eyes glared fiercely. spires ofgrass stuck in each side of the mouth seemed meant to representwhiskers; the upper corners of the bag were twisted like ears, andno one could doubt for a moment that the black scarf pinned onbehind was a tail.
this singular animal seemed in pantomime to be comforting hismaster and offering advice, which was finally acted upon, for macpulled off his boots, helped the little beast into them, and gave hima bag; then, kissing his paw, with a hopeful gesture, the creatureretired, purring so successfully that there was a general cry of "cat,puss, boots!""cat is the word," replied a voice, and the curtain fell.
the next scene was a puzzler, for in came another animal, onall-fours this time, with a new sort of tail and long ears. a grayshawl concealed its face, but an inquisitive sunbeam betrayed theglitter as of goggles under the fringe. on its back rode a smallgentleman in eastern costume, who appeared to find somedifficulty in keeping his seat as his steed jogged along. suddenly aspirit appeared, all in white, with long newspaper wings upon itsback and golden locks about its face. singularly enough, the beastbeheld this apparition and backed instantly, but the rider evidentlysaw nothing and whipped up unmercifully, also unsuccessfully, forthe spirit stood directly in the path, and the amiable beast wouldnot budge a foot. a lively skirmish followed, which ended in theeastern gentleman being upset into a sweet-fern bush, while thebetter bred animal abased itself before the shining one.
the children were all in the dark till mother atkinson said, in aninquiring tone"if that isn't balaam and the ass, i'd like to know what it is. rosemakes a sweet angel, doesn't she?""ass" was evidently the word, and the angel retired, smiling withmundane satisfaction over the compliment that reached her ears.
the next was a pretty little scene from the immortal story of"babes in the wood." jamie and pokey came trotting in, hand inhand, and, having been through the parts many times before, actedwith great ease and much fluency, audibly directing each otherfrom time to time as they went along. the berries were picked, theway lost, tears shed, baby consolation administered, and then thelittle pair lay down among the brakes and died with their eyes wideopen and the toes of their four little boots turned up to the daisiesin the most pathetic manner.
"now the wobins tum. you be twite dead, dimmy, and i'll peep inand see 'em," one defunct innocent was heard to say.
"i hope they'll be quick, for i'm lying on a stone, and ants arewalking up my leg like fury," murmured the other.
here the robins came flapping in with red scarves over theirbreasts and leaves in their mouths, which they carefully laid uponthe babes wherever they would show best. a prickly blackberryleaf placed directly over pokey's nose caused her to sneeze soviolently that her little legs flew into the air; jamie gave a startled"ow!" and the pitying fowls fled giggling.
after some discussion it was decided that the syllable must be"strew or strow" and then they waited to see if it was a good guess.
this scene discovered annette snow in bed, evidently very ill;miss jenny was her anxious mamma, and her merry conversationamused the audience till mac came in as a physician, and madegreat fun with his big watch, pompous manner, and absurdquestions. he prescribed one pellet with an unpronounceablename, and left after demanding twenty dollars for his brief visit.
the pellet was administered, and such awful agonies immediatelyset in that the distracted mamma bade a sympathetic neighbour runfor mother know-all. the neighbour ran, and in came a brisk littleold lady in cap and specs, with a bundle of herbs under her arm,which she at once applied in all sorts of funny ways, explainingtheir virtues as she clapped a plantain poultice here, put a poundedcatnip plaster there, or tied a couple of mullein leaves round thesufferer's throat. instant relief ensued, the dying child sat up anddemanded baked beans. the grateful parent offered fifty dollars;but mother know-all indignantly refused it and went smilingaway, declaring that a neighbourly turn needed no reward, and adoctor's fee was all a humbug.
the audience were in fits of laughter over this scene, for roseimitated mrs. atkinson capitally, and the herb cure was a good hitat the excellent lady's belief that "yarbs" would save mankind ifproperly applied. no one enjoyed it more than herself, and thesaucy children prepared for the grand finale in high feather.
this closing scene was brief but striking, for two trains of carswhizzed in from opposite sides, met with a terrible collision in themiddle of the stage, and a general smash-up completed the wordcatastrophe.
"now let us act a proverb. i've got one all ready," said rose, whowas dying to distinguish herself in some way before uncle alec.
so everyone but mac, the gay westerner, and rose, took theirplaces on the rocky seats and discussed the late beautiful andvaried charade, in which pokey frankly pronounced her own scenethe "bestest of all."in five minutes the curtain was lifted; nothing appeared but a verylarge sheet of brown paper pinned to a tree, and on it was drawn aclock-face, the hands pointing to four. a small note belowinformed the public that 4 a.m. was the time. hardly had theaudience grasped this important fact when a long waterproofserpent was seen uncoiling itself from behind a stump. aninch-worm, perhaps, would be a better description, for it travelledin the same humpy way as that pleasing reptile. suddenly a verywide-awake and active fowl advanced, pecking, chirping, andscratching vigorously. a tuft of green leaves waved upon his crest,a larger tuft of brakes made an umbrageous tail, and a shawl ofmany colours formed his flapping wings. a truly noble bird, whoselegs had the genuine strut, whose eyes shone watchfully, andwhose voice had a ring that evidently struck terror into thecatterpillar's soul, if it was a catterpillar. he squirmed, hewriggled, he humped as fast as he could, trying to escape; but all invain. the tufted bird espied him, gave one warbling sort of crow,pounced upon him, and flapped triumphantly away.
"that early bird got such a big worm he could hardly carry himoff," laughed aunt jessie, as the children shouted over the jokesuggested by mac's nickname.
"that is one of uncle's favourite proverbs, so i got it up for hisespecial benefit," said rose, coming up with the two-legged wormbeside her.
"very clever; what next?" asked dr. alec as she sat down besidehim.
"the dove boys are going to give us an 'incident in the life ofnapoleon,' as they call it; the children think it very splendid, andthe little fellows do it rather nicely," answered mac withcondescension.
a tent appeared, and pacing to and fro before it was a littlesentinel, who, in a brief soliloquy, informed the observers that theelements were in a great state of confusion, that he had marchedsome hundred miles or so that day, and that he was dying for wantof sleep. then he paused, leaned upon his gun, and seemed todoze; dropped slowly down, overpowered with slumber, andfinally lay flat, with his gun beside him, a faithless little sentinel.
enter napoleon, cocked hat, gray coat, high boots, folded arms,grim mouth, and a melodramatic stride. freddy dove alwayscovered himself with glory in this part, and "took the stage" with anapoleonic attitude that brought down the house; for thebig-headed boy, with solemn, dark eyes and square brow, was "thevery moral of that rascal, boneyparty," mother atkinson said.
some great scheme was evidently brewing in his mighty mind atrip across the alps, a bonfire at moscow, or a little skirmish atwaterloo perhaps, for he marched in silent majesty till suddenly agentle snore disturbed the imperial reverie. he saw the sleepingsoldier and glared upon him, saying in an awful tone"ha! asleep at his post! death is the penalty he must die!"picking up the musket, he is about to execute summary justice, asemperors are in the habit of doing, when something in the face ofthe weary sentinel appears to touch him. and well it might, for amost engaging little warrior was jack as he lay with his shako halfoff, his childish face trying to keep sober, and a great blackmoustache over his rosy mouth. it would have softened the heart ofany napoleon, and the little corporal proved himself a man byrelenting, and saying, with a lofty gesture of forgiveness"brave fellow, he is worn out; i will let him sleep, and mountguard in his place."then, shouldering the gun, this noble being strode to and fro witha dignity which thrilled the younger spectators. the sentinelawakes, sees what has happened, and gives himself up for lost. butthe emperor restores his weapon, and, with that smile which wonall hearts, says, pointing to a high rock whereon a crow happens tobe sitting, "be brave, be vigilant, and remember that from yonderpyramid generations are beholding you," and with thesememorable words he vanishes, leaving the grateful soldier boltupright, with his hand at his temple and deathless devotionstamped upon his youthful countenance.
the applause which followed this superb piece had hardlysubsided, when a sudden splash and a shrill cry caused a generalrush toward the waterfall that went gambolling down the rocks,singing sweetly as it ran. pokey had tried to gambol also, and hadtumbled into a shallow pool, whither jamie had gallantly followed,in a vain attempt to fish her out, and both were paddling about halffrightened, half pleased with the unexpected bath.
this mishap made it necessary to get the dripping infants home assoon as possible; so the wagons were loaded up, and away theywent, as merry as if the mountain air had really been "oxygenatedsweets not bitters," as dr. alec suggested when mac said he feltas jolly as if he had been drinking champagne instead of thecurrent wine that came with a great frosted cake wreathed withsugar roses in aunt plenty's hamper of goodies.
rose took part in all the fun, and never betrayed by look or wordthe twinges of pain she suffered in her ankle. she excused herselffrom the games in the evening, however, and sat talking to unclealec in a lively way, that both amazed and delighted him; for sheconfided to him that she played horse with the children, drilledwith the light infantry, climbed trees, and did other dreadful thingsthat would have caused the aunts to cry aloud if they knew ofthem.
"i don't care a pin what they say if you don't mind, uncle," sheanswered, when he pictured the dismay of the good ladies.
"ah, it's all very well to defy them, but you are getting so rampant,i'm afraid you will defy me next, and then where are we?""no, i won't! i shouldn't dare; because you are my guardian, andcan put me in a strait-jacket if you like;" and rose laughed in hisface, even while she nestled closer with a confiding gesturepleasant to see.
"upon my word, rosy, i begin to feel like the man who bought anelephant, and then didn't know what to do with him. i thought ihad got a pet and plaything for years to come; but here you aregrowing up like a bean-stalk, and i shall find i've got astrong-minded little woman on my hands before i can turn round.
there's predicament for a man and an uncle!"dr. alec's comic distress was mercifully relieved for the timebeing by a dance of goblins on the lawn, where the children, withpumpkin lanterns on their heads, frisked about likewill-o'-the-wisps, as a parting surprise.
when rose went to bed, she found that uncle alec had notforgotten her; for on the table stood a delicate little easel, holdingtwo miniatures set in velvet. she knew them both, and stoodlooking at them till her eyes brimmed over with tears that wereboth sweet and sad; for they were the faces of her father andmother, beautifully copied from portraits fast fading away.
presently, she knelt down, and, putting her arms round the littleshrine, kissed one after the other, saying with an earnest voice, "i'lltruly try to make them glad to see me by and by."and that was rose's little prayer on the night of her fourteenthbirthday.
two days later the campbells went home, a larger party than whenthey came; for dr. alec was escort and kitty comet was borne instate in a basket, with a bottle of milk, some tiny sandwiches, anda doll's dish to drink out of, as well as a bit of carpet to lie on inher palace car, out of which she kept popping her head in the mostfascinating manner.
there was a great kissing and cuddling, waving of handkerchiefs,and last good-byes, as they went; and when they had started,mother atkinson came running after them, to tuck in some littlepies, hot from the oven, "for the dears, who might get tired ofbread and butter during that long day's travel."another start, and another halt; for the snow children cameshrieking up to demand the three kittens that pokey was coolycarrying off in a travelling bag. the unhappy kits were rescued,half smothered, and restored to their lawful owners, amid direlamentation from the little kidnapper, who declared that she only"tooked um 'cause they'd want to go wid their sister tomit."start number three and stoppage number three, as frank hailedthem with the luncheon basket, which had been forgotten, aftereveryone had protested that it was safely in.
all went well after that, and the long journey was pleasantlybeguiled by pokey and pussy, who played together so prettily thatthey were considered public benefactors.
"rose doesn't want to go home, for she knows the aunts won't lether rampage as she did up at cosey corner," said mac, as theyapproached the old house.
"i can't rampage if i want to for a time, at least; and i'll tell youwhy. i sprained my ankle when i tumbled off of barkis, and it getsworse and worse; though i've done all i know to cure it and hide it,so it shouldn't trouble anyone," whispered rose, knitting her browswith pain, as she prepared to descend, wishing her uncle wouldtake her instead of her bundles.
how he did it, she never knew; but mac had her up the steps andon the parlour sofa before she could put her foot to the ground.
"there you are right side up with care; and mind, now, if yourankle bothers you, and you are laid up with it, i am to be yourfootman. it's only fair, you know; for i don't forget how good youhave been to me." and mac went to call phebe, so full of gratitudeand good-will that his very goggles shone.
