Hildegarde's Holiday

fore the door, with a neat phaeton behind him; and the girls were

e you ready? You said ten o'clock,

e book on the floor and another on the chair. "We are coming immediately.

, meekly; but she was cut

en, and don't let your tongue come near the roof o

ried not to be plaintive. "I dare say the young ladies will be read

arriage, but not till a kiss and a whispered apology from Hildegarde had driven the slight cloud-not of vexation, but of wondering sa

y drove in high spirits, while Miss Wealthy went back to the piazza and picked up the French books, w

e," she added, "they call me an old maid. Very likely. Not these girls,-for they are too well-mannered,-but people. An old maid!" Miss Wealthy sighed a littl

irst they went up a hill, from the top of which they saw "all the kingdoms of the earth," as Rose said. The river valley was behind them, and they could see the silver stream here and there, gleaming between its wooded banks. Beyond were blue hills, fadi

he White Mountains. Jeremiah told me that we could see them from he

oments, watching the mountains,

nd I; sometime when you are quite, quite strong, you know. And we will see the Flume and the wonderful Notch. You remember Hawthorne's story of the 'Ambitious Guest'? I think it is one of the most beautiful of a

othered him. Here is our turn to the left; a pine-tree at the corner,-yes, this

day?" asked Rose, as they drove along,-"the one you have copied in your commonpl

n't know what poet. I found it in

ent, and then rep

e mountains

they darke

mpest warr

orm beatin

tempest war

orm beatin

sweeping

him the d

ng hill on the left. Is it true, I wonder? I never see those flying shadows without thinking of

da dear, stop a moment! There is some yellow clove

, looking about her. "Who ever heard

gies, nor even on stone-walls. If you could bend your lofty

, Miss Impudence, and I will get them." She sprang ligh

ining them curiously. "I had no idea ther

melilot, which is a kind of clover-cousin. This yellow is the h

love inquire, does it resemble y

ractical herself, and a famous housekeeper. So she looked at me, and frowned, and said, 'Well, Pink, mooning away over a book as usual? Useless rubbish! yer ma'd ought to keep ye at work.' I didn't say anything; I never said much to Aunt Caroline, because I knew she didn't like me, and I suppose I was rather spoiled by every one else being too good to me. But I looked down at my old book, which was open at 'Trefolium: Clover.' And there I read-oh, Hilda, it is really too bad to tell!-I read: 'The teeth bristle-form'-and hers did stick out nearly straight!-'corolla mostly withering or persistent; the claws'-and then I began to laugh, for it w

ng. "I didn't suppose you were ever

ed to sit in a sort of little chair-cart that Father made for me. One day Mother was washing, and she set me down beside the baby's cradle (that was Bubble, of course), and told me to watch him, and to call her if he cried. Well, for a while, Mother said, all was quiet. Then s

'I roared in his ear!' You may imagine how frighte

hat even country-bred Rose had never seen before. When the great trees, the giants of the old forest, had been cut, and the ground cleared for farm-lands and pastures, their stumps had bee

the bones of some great monster,-a gigantic cuttlefish, perhaps.

y could only have been left! Isn't it strange

le. "It is strange now; but before last year,

ver heard of Shelley before last year. I had never read a ballad, nor a 'Waverley,' nor the

"The oak best of all, the el

ays seems as if an eagle should be sitting on one of them. What was that line you told me

l. I looked, and found it was 'cedar.' Mr. Holbrook, you remember,-Miss Matty's old lover,-quotes it, when the

ink-Oh, Hilda, look!" she cried, breaking

y, gray with age, the shingles rotting off, and moss growing in the chinks. The small panes of glass were crusted with dirt, and here and there one had been broken, and replaced with brown paper

e what it is like inside. Take the reins, Bonne Silène, while I go and reconnoitre the position." She jumped out, and making her way as best she might through the grassy tangle, was soon gaz

ed Rose. "If you don't te

word for it; squalor is richness compared to this house. I am looking-sit still, Rose!-I am looking into a room about as big as a comfortable pantry. There is

"The only question is whether I g

ght, so it shall. Carefully, now; don't trip on these long grass-loops. There! isn't that a pret

ation of surprise. "Luncheon!" she cried. "Rose, my dear, did you know about this basket? Saint Martha must have put it in. Tur

GGED EACH OTH

n the least hungry, but I should l

with the precious basket, and applying her n

cupboard, with the door hanging by one hinge; and there isn

tood in the melancholy little hovel. All was even dirtier and more squalid than it had looked from outside; but the girls did not mind it now, for they had an idea, which had come perhaps to both at the same moment. Hilda looked about for a broom, and finally found the dilapidated skeleton of one. Rose, realizing at once that search f

ed Hildegarde. "Sit down on the doors

putting them in a broken pitcher with water, set them in the middle of the table. Meanwhile Rose had found two or three peonies and some sweet-william, and with these and some ribbon-grass had made quite a brilliant bouquet, which was laid beside the one cracked plate which the cupboard afforded. On this plate the sandwiches wer

n't be a child, Hildegarde, could it? living here all alone. And anyhow he-or she-will have a better dinner

nded the face, and a fragment of old straw hat was drawn down over the brows. Altogether it was a wild vision; and perhaps it was not surprising that the gentle Rose was terrified, while even Hildegarde felt decidedly uncomfortable. They stood still for a moment, meeting helplessly the steady gaze of the sharp, fierce eyes; then with one impulse they turned and fled,-Hildegar

hen, as they came to the foot of a hill, Hildegarde checked the good horse to a walk, and turned and looked at

olling down her cheeks. "Rose! I wonder if I looked a

ught with the spoons in her hand; and I-oh! my cheeks are burning still; I feel as

of the way. And I'm glad the poor old glowering thing will have a good dinner for

"For he must be alone. There was only one plate, you know, and that wretched bed. Oh, Hilda!" she ad

l, half playful. "I wouldn't go back there now for the half of

ose, shrinking at

o be ill; we will wait a day or two before we tell her. But Martha is not nervous. We can tell her to

aft agley;" and the girls were not to have th

oice, saying, "Martha, there is some one coming up the front walk,-an aged man, apparen

se looked at each

atching her friend's hand, "it

se! Do? what should he do to us? He might recite the

indow-blind, now uttered an exclamation. "Well, of all! Mam

reat surprise. "Martha, you must be mistaken. Galus

ady to answer her mistress, fo

with clasped hands

" they heard Martha sa

aking very slowly, as if speech were an un

d Martha, in amazem

ighty-tighty, fly-away-lookin', 'n' the other k

, more and more astoni

an continued; "tell 'em I-relish

; and the next moment Miss Wealthy and Martha were gazing at the guilty girls wi

while, when you would not be worried. We thought the house was deserted, and I

three crackers," murmured Ros

we had finished, we saw a face at the window-oh, such a dreadful old face!-and we ran away, and forgot

, chuckling, and app

sha Pennypacker is half insane, people think. A dreadful old miser, who lives in filth and wretchedness, while he has

ars old. And of course we didn't know he was a miser. But surely it will do no harm for him to have a good dinner for once, and Martha's turn

of the case; but she declared that Rose must g

ve an exclamation of surprise. "Why," she said, "there's th

wondering. "I left nothing

wo small parcels which lay in the bottom of the basket, and looked them carefu

!" cried Hildegarde. "Martha

: "'The fly-away gal' and 'the pail gal.' Well, of all!" she cried, "

yellow with age, a silver bodkin, and a silver fruit-knife, all fitting neatly in their places; the whole case closing with a spring. "It is the prettiest thing I ever saw!" cried

arved with minute Chinese figures. It fitted her slender finger to perfection, and she gazed at i

, with such things a

sents!" exclaimed the other. "W

st have brought this home from one of his voyages, perhaps fifty or sixty years ago. Dear me! how strangely thing

umph with their treasures, to chatter i