cattle showthe children were not the oniy ones who had learned something atpebbly beach. mrs. minot bad talked a good deal with some verysuperior persons, and received light upon various subjects whichhad much interested or perplexed her. while the ladies worked orwalked together, they naturally spoke oftenest and most earnestlyabout their children, and each contributed her experience. mrs.
hammond, who had been a physician for many years, was wise inthe care of healthy little bodies, and the cure of sick ones. mrs.
channing, who had read, travelled, and observed much in thecause of education, had many useful hints about the training ofyoung minds and hearts. several teachers reported their trials, andall the mothers were eager to know how to bring up their boys andgirls to be healthy, happy, useful men and women.
as young people do not care for such discussions, we will notdescribe them, but as the impression they made upon one of themammas affected our hero and heroine, we must mention thechanges which took place in their life when they all got homeagain.
"school begins to-morrow. oh, dear!" sighed jack, as he looked uphis books in the bird room, a day or two after their return.
"don't you want to go? i long to, but don't believe i shall. i saw ourmothers talking to the doctor last night, but i haven't dared to askwhat they'd ecided," said jill, affectionately eying the long-unusedbooks in her little library.
"i've had such a jolly good time, that i hate to be shut up all dayworse than ever, don't you, frank?" asked jack, with a vengefulslap at the arithmetic which was the torment of his life.
"well, i confess i don't hanker for school as much as i expected.
i'd rather take a spin on the old bicycle. our roads are so good, it isa great temptation to hire a machine, and astonish the natives.
that's what comes of idleness. so brace up, my boy, and go towork, for vacation is over," answered frank, gravely regarding thetall pile of books before him, as if trying to welcome his oldfriends, or tyrants, rather, for they ruled him with a rod of ironwhen he once gave himself up to them.
"ah, but vacation is not over, my dears," said mrs. minot, hearingthe last words as she came in prepared to surprise her family.
"glad of it. how much longer is it to be?" asked jack, hoping for aweek at least.
"two or three years for some of you.""what?" cried all three, in utter astonishment, as they stared atmamma, who could not help smiling, though she was very much inearnest.
"for the next two or three years i intend to cultivate my boys'
bodies, and let their minds rest a good deal, from books at least.
there is plenty to learn outside of school-houses, and i don't meanto shut you up just when you most need all the air and exercise youcan get. good health, good principles, and a good education arethe three blessings i ask for you, and i am going to make sure ofthe first, as a firm foundation for the other two.""but, mother, what becomes of college?" asked frank, ratherdisturbed at this change of base.
"put it off for a year, and see if you are not better fitted for it thenthan now.""but i am already fitted: i've worked like a tiger all this year, andi'm sure i shall pass.""ready in one way, but not in another. that hard work is nopreparation for four years of still harder study. it has cost you theseround shoulders, many a headache, and consumed hours when youhad far better have been on the river or in the fields. i cannot haveyou break down, as so many boys do, or pull through at the cost ofill-health afterward. eighteen is young enough to begin the steadygrind, if you have a strong constitution to keep pace with the eagermind. sixteen is too young to send even my good boy out into theworld, just when he most needs his mother's care to help him bethe man she hopes to see him."mrs. minot laid her hand on his shoulder as she spoke, looking sofond and proud that it was impossible to rebel, though some of hismost cherished plans were spoilt.
"other fellows go at my age, and i was rather pleased to be readyat sixteen," he began. but she added, quickly,"they go, but how do they come out? many lose health of body,and many what is more precious still, moral strength, because tooyoung and ignorant to withstand temptations of all sorts. the bestpart of education does not come from books, and the goodprinciples i value more than either of the other things are to becarefully watched over till firmly fixed; then you may face theworld, and come to no real harm. trust me, dear, i do it for yoursake; so bear the disappointment bravely, and in the end i thinkyou will say i'm right.""i'll do my best; but i don't see what is to become of us if we don'tgo to school. you will get tired of it first," said frank, trying to seta good example to the others, who were looking much impressedand interested.
"no danger of that, for i never sent my children to school to get ridof them, and now that they are old enough to be companions, iwant them at home more than ever. there are to be some lessons,however, for busy minds must be fed, but not crammed; so youboys will go and recite at certain hours such things as seem mostimportant. but there is to be no studying at night, no shutting up allthe best hours of the day, no hurry and fret of getting on fast, orskimming over the surface of many studies without learning anythoroughly.""so i say!" cried jack, pleased with the new idea, for he never didlove books. "i do hate to be driven so i don't half understand,because there is no time to have things explained. school is goodfun as far as play goes; but i don't see the sense of making a fellowlearn eighty questions in geography one day, and forget them thenext.
"what is to become of me, please?" asked jill, meekly.
"you and molly are to have lessons here. i was a teacher when iwas young, you know, and liked it, so i shall be school-ma'am, andleave my house-keeping in better hands than mine. i alwaysthought that mothers should teach their girls during these years,and vary their studies to suit the growing creatures as only motherscan.
"that will be splendid! will molly's father let her come?" criedjill, feeling quite reconciled to staying at home, if her friend wasto be with her.
"he likes the plan very much, for molly is growing fast, and needsa sort of care that miss dawes cannot give her. i am not a hardmistress, and i hope you will find my school a pleasant one.""i know i shall; and i'm not disappointed, because i was pretty surei couldn't go to the old school again, when i heard the doctor say imust be very careful for a long time. i thought he meant months;but if it must he years, i can bear it, for i've been happy this lastone though i was sick," said jill, glad to show that it had not beenwasted time by being cheerful and patient now.
"that's my good girl!" and mrs. minot stroked the curly black headas if it was her own little daughter's. "you have done so well, iwant you to go on improving, for care now will save you pain anddisappointment by and by. you all have got a capital start duringthese six weeks, so it is a good time to begin my experiment. if itdoes not work well, we will go back to school and college nextspring.""hurrah for mamma and the long vacation!" cried jack, catchingup two big books and whirling them round like clubs, as if to gethis muscles in order at once.
"now i shall have time to go to the gymnasium and straighten outmy back," said frank, who was growing so tall he needed morebreadth to make his height symmetrical.
"and to ride horscback. i am going to hire old jane and get out thelittle phaeton, so we can all enjoy the fine weather while it lasts.
molly and i can drive jill, and you can take turns in the saddlewhen you are tired of ball and boating. exercise of all sorts is oneof the lessons we are to learn," said mrs. minot, suggesting all thepleasant things she could to sweeten the pill for her pupils, two ofwhom did love their books, not being old enough to know thateven an excellent thing may be overdone.
"won't that be gay? i'll get down the saddle to-day, so we canbegin right off. lem rides, and we can go together. hope old janewill like it as well as i shall," said jack, who had found a newfriend in a pleasant lad lately come to town.
"you must see that she does, for you boys are to take care of her.
we will put the barn in order, and you can decide which shall behostler and which gardener, for i don't intend to hire labor on theplace any more. our estate is not a large one, and it will beexcellent work for you, my men.""all right! i'll see to jane. i love horses," said jack, well pleasedwith the prospect.
"my horse won't need much care. i prefer a bicycle to a beast, soi'll get in the squashes, pick the apples, and cover the strawberrybed when it is time," added frank, who had enjoyed the free life atpebbly beach so much that he was willing to prolong it.
"you may put me in a hen-coop, and keep me there a year, if youlike. i won't fret, for i'm sure you know what is best for me," saidjill, gayly, as she looked up at the good friend who had done somuch for her.
"i'm not sure that i won't put you in a pretty cage and send you tocattle show, as a sample of what we can do in the way of taming awild bird till it is nearly as meek as a dove," answered mrs. minot,much gratified at the amiability of her flock.
"i don't see why there should not be an exhibition of children, andprizes for the good and pretty ones, as well as for fat pigs, finehorses, or handsome fruit and flowers--i don't mean a baby show,but boys and girls, so people can see what the prospect is of a goodcrop for the next generation," said frank, glancing toward thetower of the building where the yearly agricultural fair was soonto be held.
"years ago, there was a pretty custom here of collecting all theschools together in the spring, and having a festival at the townhall. each school showed its best pupils, and the parents lookedon at the blooming flower show. it was a pity it was ever given up,for the schools have never been so good as then, nor the interest inthem so great"; and mrs. minot wondered, as many people do, whyfarmers seem to care more for their cattle and crops than for theirchildren, willingly spending large sums on big barns and costlyexperiments, while the school-houses are shabby and inconvenient,and the cheapest teachers preferred.
"ralph is going to send my bust. he asked if he might, and mothersaid yes. mr. german thinks it very good, and i hope other peoplewill," said jill, nodding toward the little plaster head that smileddown from its bracket with her own merry look.
"i could send my model; it is nearly done. ralph told me it was aclever piece of work, and he knows," added frank, quite takenwith the idea of exhibiting his skill in mechanics.
"and i could send my star bedquilt! they always have things ofthat kind at cattle show"; and jill began to rummage in the closetfor the pride of her heart, burning to display it to an admiringworld.
"i haven't got anything. can't sew rags together; or make babyengines, and i have no live-stock--yes, i have too! there's old bun.
i'll send him, for the fun of it; he really is a curiosity, for he is thebiggest one i ever saw, and hopping into the lime has made his fursuch a queer color, he looks like a new sort of rabbit. i'll catch andshut him up before he gets wild again"; and off rushed jack to lureunsus fectins old bun, who had grown tame during their absence,into the cage which he detested.
they all laughed at his ardor, but the fancy pleased them; and asmamma saw no reason why their little works of art should not besent, frank fell to work on his model, and jill resolved to finishher quilt at once, while mrs. minot went off to see mr. actonabout the hours and studies for the boys.
in a week or two, the young people were almost resigned to theloss of school, for they found themselves delightfully fresh for thefew lessons they did have, and not weary of play, since it tookmany useful forms. old jane not only carried them all to ride, butgave jack plenty of work keeping her premises in nice order. frankmourned privately over the delay of college, but found a solace inhis whirligig and the gymnasium, where he set himself todeveloping a chest to match the big head above, which head nolonger ached with eight or ten hours of study. harvesting beansand raking up leaves seemed to have a soothing effect upon hisnerves, for now he fell asleep at once instead of thumping hispillow with vexation because his brain would go on working atdifficult problems and passages when he wanted it to stop.
jill and molly drove away in the little phaeton every fair morningover the sunny hills and through the changing woods, filling theirhands with asters and golden-rod, their lungs with the pure,invigorating air, and their heads with all manner of sweet andhappy fancies and feelings born of the wholesome influences ahoutthem, people 5hook their heads, and said it was wasting time; butthe rosy-faced girls were content to trust those wiser thanthemselves, and found their new school very pleasant. they readaloud a good deal, rapidly acquiring one of the rarest and mostbeautiful accomplishments; for they could stop and ask questionsas they went along, so that they understood what they read, whichis half the secret. a thousand things came up as they sewedtogether in the afternoon, and the eager minds received muchgeneral information in an easy and well-ordered way. physiologywas one of the favorite studies, and mrs. hammond often came into give them a little lecture, teaching them to understand thewonders of their own systems, and how to keep them in order-- alesson of far more importance just then than greek or latin, forgirls are the future mothers, nurses, teachers, of the race, andshould feel how much depends on them. merry could not resist theattractions of the friendly circle, and soon persuaded her mother tolet her do as they did; so she got more exercise and less study,which was just what the delicate girl needed.
the first of the new ideas seemed to prosper, and the second,though suggested in joke, was carried out in earnest, for the otheryoung people were seized with a strong desire to send somethingto the fair. in fact, all sorts of queer articles were proposed, andmuch fun prevailed, especially among the boys, who ransackedtheir gardens for mammoth vegetables, sighed for five-leggedcalves, blue roses, or any other natural curiosity by means of whichthey might distinguish themselves. ralph was the only one whohad anything really worth sending; for though franks modelseemed quite perfect, it obstinately refused to go, and at the lastmoment blew up with a report like a pop-gun. so it was laid awayfor repairs, and its disappointed maker devoted his energies tohelping jack keep bun in order; for that indomitable animal gotout of every prison they put him in, and led jack a dreadful lifeduring that last week. at all hours of the day and night thatdistracted boy would start up, crying, "there he is again!" and dartout to give chase and capture the villain now grown too fat to runas he once did.
the very night before the fair, frank was wakened by a chillydraught, and, getting up to see where it came from, found jack'sdoor open and bed empty, while the vision of a white ghost flittingabout the garden suggested a midnight rush after old bun. frankwatched laughingly, till poor jack came toward the house with thegentleman in gray kicking lustily in his arms, and then whisperedin a sepulchral tone,"put him in the old refrigerator, he can't get out of that,"blessing him for the suggestion, the exhausted hunter shut up hisvictim in the new cell, and found it a safe one, for bun could notburrow through a sheet of zinc, or climb up the smooth walls. jill'squilt was a very elaborate piece of work, being bright blue withlittle white stars all over it; this she finished nicely, and felt sureno patient old lady could outdo it. merry decided to send butter,for she had been helping her mother in the dairy that summer, andrather liked the light part of the labor. she knew it would pleaseher very much if she chose that instead of wild bowers, so shepractised moulding the yellow pats into pretty shapes, that it mightplease both eye and taste.
molly declared she would have a little pen, and put boo in it, asthe prize fat boy--a threat which so alarmed the innocent that heran away, ani was ~ouncl two or three miles prom borne, asleepunder the wall, with two seed-cakes and a pair of socks done up ina bundle. being with difficulty convinced that it was a joke, heconsented to return to his family, but was evidently suspicious, tillmolly decided to send her cats, and set about preparing them forexhibition. the minots' deserted bunny-house was rather large; butas cats cannot be packed as closely as much-enduring sheep, mollyborrowed this desirable family mansion, and put her darlings intoit, where they soon settled down, and appeared to enjoy their newresidence. it had been scrubbed up and painted red, cushions andplates put in, and two american flags adorned the roof. beingbarred all round, a fine view of the happy family could be had,now twelve in number, as molasses had lately added three whitekits to the varied collection.
the girls thought this would be the most interesting spectacle ofall, and grif proposed to give some of the cats extra tails, toincrease their charms, especially poor mortification, who wouldappreciate the honor of two, after having none for so long. butmolly declined, and grif looked about him for some attractiveanimal to exhibit, so that he too might go in free and come tohonor, perhaps.
a young lady in the town owned a donkey, a small, gray beast,who insisted on tripping along the sidewalks and bumping herrider against the walls as she paused to browse at her own sweetwill, regardless of blows or cries, till ready to move on. expressinggreat admiration for this rare animal, grif obtained leave to displaythe charms of graciosa at the fair. little did she guess the darkdesigns entertained against her dignity, and happily she was not assensitive to ridicule as a less humble-minded animal, so she wentwillingly with her new friend, and enjoyed the combing andtrimming up which she received at his hands, while he preparedfor the great occasion.
when the morning of september 28th arrived, the town was allastir, and the fair ground a lively scene. the air was full of thelowing of cattle, the tramp of horses, squealing of indignant pigs,and clatter of tongues, as people and animals streamed in at thegreat gate and found their proper places. our young folks were in ahigh state of excitement, as they rumbled away with their treasuresin a hay-cart. the bunny-house might have been a cage of tigers,so rampant were the cats at this new move. old bun, in a smallbox, brooded over the insult of the refrigerator, and looked asfierce as a rabbit could. gus had a coop of rare fowls, who cluckedwildly all the way, while ralph, with the bust in his arms, stood upin front, and jill and molly bore the precious bedquilt, as they satbehind.
these objects of interest were soon arranged, and the girls went toadmire merry's golden butter cups among the green leaves, underwhich lay the ice that kept the pretty flowers fresh. the boys weredown below, where the cackling was very loud, but not loudenough to drown the sonorous bray which suddenly startled themas much as it did the horses outside. a shout of laughter followed,and away went the lads, to see what the fun was, while the girlsran out on the balcony, as someone said, "it's that rogue of a grifwith some new joke."it certainly was, and, to judge from the peals of merriment, thejoke was a good one. in at the gate came a two-headed donkey,ridden by grif, in great spirits at his success, for the gate-keeperlaughed so he never thought to ask for toll. a train of boysfollowed him across the ground, lost in admiration of the animaland the cleverness of her rider. among the stage properties of thedramatic club was the old ass's head once used in some tableauxfrom "midsummer night's dream." this grif had mended up, andfastened by means of straps and a collar to poor graciosa's neck,hiding ~ work with a red cloth over her back. one eye was gone,but the other still opened and shut, and the long ears wagged bymeans of strings, which he slyly managed with the bridle, so theartificial head looked almost as natural as the real one. thefunniest thing of all was the innocent air of graciosa, and themildly inquiring expression with which she now and then turned tolook at or to smell of the new ornament as if she recognized afriend's face, yet was perplexed by its want of animation. shevented her feelings in a bray, which grif imitated, convulsing allhearers by the sound as well as by the wink the one eye gave, andthe droll waggle of one erect ear, while the other pointed straightforward.
the girls laughed so at the ridiculous sight that they nearly fellover the railing, and the boys were in ecstasies, especially whengrif, emboldened by his success, trotted briskly round therace-course, followed by the cheers of the crowd. excited by thenoise, graciosa did her best, till the false head, loosened by therapid motion, slipped round under her nose, causing her to stop sosuddenly that grif flew off, alighting on his own head with aviolence which would have killed any other boy. sobered by hisdownfall, he declined to mount again, but led his steed to repose ina shed, while he rejoined his friends, who were waiting impatientlyto congratulate him on his latest and best prank.
the committee went their rounds soon after, and, when the doorswere again opened, everyone hurried to see if their articles hadreceived a premium. a card lay on the butter cups, and mrs. grantwas full of pride because her butter always took a prize, and thisproved that merry was walking in her mother's steps, in thisdirection at least. another card swung from the blue quilt, for thekindly judges knew who made it, and were glad to please the littlegirl, though several others as curious but not so pretty hung nearby. the cats were admired, but, as they were not among theanimals usually exhibited, there was no prize awarded. gus hopedhis hens would get one; hut somebody else outdid him, to the greatindignation of laura and lotty, who had fed the white biddiesfaithfully for months. jack was sure his rabbit was the biggestthere, and went eagerly to look for his premium. but neither cardnor bun were to be seen, for the old rascal had escaped for the lasttime, and was never seen again; which was a great comfort to jack,who was heartily tired of him.
ralph's bust was the best of all, for not only did it get a prize, andwas much admired, but a lady, who found jill and merry rejoicingover it, was so pleased with the truth and grace of the little head,that she asked about the artist, and whether he would do one of herown child, who was so delicate she feared he might not live long.
merry gladly told the story of her ambitious friend, and went tofind him, that he might secure the order. while she was gone, jilltook up the tale, gratefully telling how kind he had been to her,how patiently he worked and waited, and how much he longed togo abroad. fortunately the lady was rich and generous, as well asfond of art, and being pleased with the bust, and interested in theyoung sculptor, gave him the order wher~ he came, and filled hissoul with joy by adding, that, if it suited her when done, it shouldbe put into marble. she lived in the city, and ralph soon arrangedhis work so that he could give up his noon hour, and go to modelthe child; for every penny he could earn or save now was veryprecious, as he still hoped to go abroad.
the girls were so delighted with this good fortune, that they didnot stay for the races, but went home to tell the happy news,leaving the boys to care for the cats, and enjoy the various matchesto come off that day.
"i'm so glad i tried to look pleasant when i was lying on the boardwhile ralph did my head, for the pleasantness got into the clayface, and that made the lady like it," said jill, as she lay resting onthe sofa.
"i always thought it was a dear, bright little face, but now i loveand admire it more than ever," cried merry, kissing it gratefully, asshe remembered the help and pleasure it had given ralph.
