A Little Girl in Old New York

is heart was still set on farming. Thanksgiving came after a lovely Indian summer, such as one rarely sees now. Then

un to school. She studied and played, and knew two pretty exercises on the piano. Jim and Benny Frank grew

by and a mollycoddle and have that Perkins crowding me off the line and losing

in and talk to Mr. Theodore, as they all called the eldest Whitney son. Mr. Theodore in his newspaper capacity had found out so many queer things about old

lled Old Gray. It really belonged to Mr. Theodore, but Nora played with it and tended it, and dressed it up in caps and gowns and shawls and carried it around. It certainly was a lovely tempered cat. Hanny was divided in her affection between the Deans' dolls and Nora's cat. The play-house was too cold to use now, and Mrs. Dean objected to having it all moved down to her sewi

re of such unceasing attention, and emit a long, appealing m-i-e-u. If Mr. Theodore was there-and he never seemed to mind the little girls playing

t didn't have to stay out in the stable and catch mice for a living? Nora's is so nice and cunning and you can talk

it and plague you continually. And you know I w

y people do

u wait until Christmas and see what Santa C

air was alive with shouts and snowballing, and then it was like a drift of gray

ls' they had a fire of logs on t

ff his cap in the gutter and made up rhymes about h

Franklin

e boy too a

came out o

he boy so aw

e boy would reply, "Oh, he dassent! He's a

out. Perkins had slipped a crooked stick in

a needle and thread. You'll m

t?" asked his mother, who

fully, and said, "Perkins n

eather. Mrs. Underhill couldn't endure cowards. She was a

sh you! I don't care if you are almost as tall as I am. A great boy of fif

isked him out in the area before he knew where he was

been scolded for his pugnacity. Perkins

xclaimed h

He passed the Whitneys and halted. He could rescue hounded cats and tormented dogs

my Lady Jane!" s

quite t

your false, fla

er mend your coat? Keep ou

ng himself on one f

duff!" he cri

been making a pond. And before he could recover Ben was upon him, roused to his utmost. The boys were nearly of a size. They rolled over and over amid the plaudits of their companions, an

as a fight, if it was betwe

" sai

you in Gui

tile. With such a heavy weight b

d fight I'd a-known--

cked him! We didn't think '

l night till Perkins begs. I've a good seat. You boys keep out. 'Tisn't your f

his eyes were clear and sparkling and his whole face was res

't you hel

. You may as well own up

hering. There was no

. Ben sprang up and was off like a

, Ben," she said, "and take those down to

"Mother's awful spunky when she's roused. I hope I won't have t

issed him on the white foreh

ve admitted to any one else his mother's threat. Mr. Theodore laughed and said boys generally had to make

ar the story the next day. He nodded

could thrash any boy of his size.

ow was over the tops of the houses." She ran to the window in her night-dress to see. Oh, how beautiful it was! The red chimneys grew up out

ere in the cold

n the street. Mr. Underhill insisted that the boys should level theirs. Some wagons tried to get through and made an odd, muffled sound

did believe "a green Christmas would make a fat graveyard." It was so much better in the coun

the walks were not cleared. Men and boys were going aroun

go to school to-day," said Jim, with a longing lo

now-forts, and the snowballing was something tremendous. Th

't get along. Steve came home early to take the boys and Hanny out. Hanny st

hat could be put on runners was there, from the dainty cutter to the lumbering grocery

awl. The boys dropped down on their knees in the straw. It was a great jam, but everybody was jolly and full of good-natured fun

ue and ghostly. The shipping was huddled in the piers with fleecy rigging, and only a few brave vessels were bre

, and stopped when they came to Houston Street. A man on the corner was selling hot waffles as fast as half a doz

crossings. It was a regular carnival. The children decided snow

hough the sleighs were flying about in their tireless fashion

an insult to the sweetest, merriest, wisest, tenderest little man in the world.

busy from morning till night. When Hanny went to the kitchen some one said, "Run up-stairs, child, you'll be in the way here," and

ut nurse dear Old Gray and read fairy stories. Delia told them Ophelia was to be marrie

e the parlor. And then, I suppose, it'll be my turn. I shall just hate to be grown up and have long sk

as. Her gowns were quite long now, and she did have a grown-up air.

and Aunt Patience and Aunt Nancy were to come up from Henry Str

while it was still dark. Hanny woke out of a sound

f anybody," she sighed. "Do yo

a candle," M

hat's in your stocki

er go down. She ran eagerly to her mother's room, and her father made believe asleep t

gs and stockings, and hers were such little mites that some one had hung a white bag on the

eautiful pop-corn that had turned itself inside out. Ribbon for her hair, a paint-box, a case of Faber pencils, handkerchiefs, a lovely new pink merino dress, a muff that purported to be ermine, a pair of beautiful blue knit slippers ti

box. Of course it couldn't be a real live kit

ed with the boys They were n

held her almost up to the ceiling, i

before you c

es, and would have gi

the box." She looked perplexed a

nonhontontho

Her face w

houted wit

given his all out, and Joe had to

, her eyes growing larger with s

n an upbraiding tone. "Boys,

the box. There lay a lovely wax doll with golden hair, a smiling mouth that just betrayed some little teeth, eyes that would open and

joy. Then she knelt down besi

re's only one thing that could make me any gladder, that would be to

had a pair of boots, which was every boy's ambition then, and an overcoat. And lot

s, for it was daylight, and then went down to help get breakfast. Cousin Fannie and Roseann, as Mrs. Eu

own sisters but sisters-in-law and each had a comfortable income. It did not take ve

hem in to inspect hers. Then Dele and Nora Whitney were her next caller

gloves, and the minister came and it was all over in ten minutes. There was wedding-cake and wine. I've brought you in some to dream on. Nora and I are going down to Auntie's in B

st lifted it out of the box and put it ba

eated the children of their customers to what was properly New Year's cake,

ratitude and delight was very sweet to him. He put up the piano stool and she played her pretty little exercises

een Washington when he was the first President of the United States, and lived in Cherry Street with Mrs. Washington and the two Custis children. Afterward they had removed to the Macomb House. Everything had been so simple then, peo

children most was

r washing. There were a good many wells but some were brackish and poor, and people were saying then they were not fit to use. The Tea Water pump was on the corner o

t's just splendid!" said Jim, "I used to go f

ng at home," said Mrs.

else?" sub

a yoke over their shoulders, with a tin can at each end. They used to cry, 'Milk ho! ye-o!' The garbage man rang his bell and you brought out your pail. A few hu

id Jim. "The man had a long jointed

several were smothered or stuck fast in London and it was considered cruel and dangerous. You'd hear the boy

Hanny. "Didn't they get

to begin with," said Jim. "All they

Claus keeps so clean?" asked t

er. No one cou

t our chimney," ann

n it

the soot would soon catch. Then some one would go up on the roof to see if the sparks caught anywhere. We never let it get very dirty. But present

olf in little Red Ridin

Lispenard's meadows over to the North River, where present Canal Street runs. In the Collect proper there was a beaut

e was nineteen, and going skating with some cousins. And now

ey planned for the Morgan cousins to come and spend t

er to tell some more incidents of the old times. The little girl was tired and sleepy and r