Mary Ware in Texas

het blade up and down on the edge of the step below him, made deep notches in the paint while he waited. Little Sister, fuming with impatience, sat with one ar

s collar, but as Brud usually began to explain about that time that he was a "peggydreed" dog, his sister thought that they were laughing at the way he pronounced pedigreed. Therefore, she would gravely correct him and add the informatio

e her a chance for more than a bare word of greeting, and she never knew how much

continued to hold it out to her, and plainly showed by every way in a dog's power that he liked her and wanted to emphasize his friendline

ot in a mood to approve anything fully. According to Meliss, "she'd done got out of bed crosswis

ary through the window. She lagged behind when the others started briskly off, and halfway down the hill began to drag and scrape her feet annoyingly thro

t a having a happy time

to glance back over her shoulder, and Sister was ob

rds herself. "You've never seen the place where Mr. Metz has given us permission to build. It's where a branch of the creek curves up through his place. It's d

d to move briskly in order to keep up with the procession. But Brud's questions op

smallest shoots of his willows, and he marked the trees we could chop. That's where you will find use for your hatchet. Willow switches woven toge

tened little cotton-tail loped away unhurt. It served its mission in life, however, as far as Mary was concerned, for it reminded her of a story which she proceeded to tell as they walked along. Sister listened, suspiciously, expecting a personal application at the end, about a sulky

was bewildered for a moment. Then she remembered that this was a surprise school, and determined not to miss anything that seemed to start out with such p

ut-of-doors in the perfect weather that had followed the Norther. It was like late Oc

ndon which almost equalled theirs. There was no pretense about her enjoyment at first. With a pleasure almost as deep and unalloyed as when s

hing which not only put a golden glamour over everything she said and did, but turned their little world of mimic sports into a real world of tremendous meaning and importance. For the first time in hi

they demanded. They never wanted to go home and would have hung on to her until dark every evening, had it not been for the alarm-clock which she brought with her each day. She had no watch and was a

f Fate, which must be promptly obeyed. She often wondered why they did. To Mary the muttering of the abracadabra charm was only a part of the game, one of the many little embellishments which made her plays more picturesque than ordinary people's, and she had no thought of the children attaching any

inventive genius than she had anticipated. She had promised them a different plum in their pie each day, and she lay awake at night to plan games that were instructive as well

ray mules standing at the gate. Mrs. Barnaby had brought in some

d, as Mary greeted her and sank limply down into a chair. "Why, yo

n images, so interested they scarcely breathe, till the last word is out. Then they'll begin, 'Oh, tell us another, Miss Mayry! Just one more! Please, Miss Mayry!' They cling to me like burrs. We nearly always have a small campfire every day now, for either we're Indians or gypsies, cooking our meals, or we're witches brewing spells, or elv

ppens that there is no service to-morrow at St. Boniface, but James will be

d them so much that she welcomed the thought of a return to the homelike old place, with its air of

forward to hold the reins while he went into the post-office. She had risen early and hurried through as much of the work as she could in order that her holiday might not mean extra work

some four or five minutes, when a familia

iss Mayry! Wher

and showing such joy over having discovered her that it was impossible not to give them a gracious reception, even though she groaned i

am going visiting. But I'll tell you a lovely one to-morrow, about Ali Baba an

oking clasp. Brud immediately threw his arms around Uncle August and held him tight, rega

g with you," B

n a provoked tone. "You surely don't care t

but Brud, seizing the back of the seat with both hands, stiffened himself and began to cry, shrieking out be

miliar cries, and quickened her pace to a run. A crowd was gathering around the carriage. She came up in time to hear Mr. Bar

something has happened to them," p

'y. She won't worry none. Her haid aches fit to bus' this mawnin'. I'll tell her y

of her own day being spoiled, and realized that for discipline's sake the children ought not to be allowed to

bring them back before n

as they had begun. Presently Mr. Barnab

At the invitation both children threw themselves violently on Mary and clung to her, beginning to sniffl

e old Nick has put his ear marks on 'em pretty plain. You're crowded back there,

sted in everything they passed that Mr. Barnaby laughed. He laid a caressing hand on him, saying, "So you're the dog that's been

, and were so quiet all the way to the ranch that she felt remorseful whe

carriage, but when the situation had been explained in a laughing aside, she said in her whole-souled, motherly way, "Now

ve them instructions to stay out and play. A low swing and a seesaw between the kitchen and the garden gate showed where her grand-children amused them

mother Ware's. I love its low ceiling and little, deep-set windows and wide fireplace. I could

out in the kitchen for a while. I've got pretty fair help, but she needs a

at her Grandmother Ware's; that the sunshine streaming in at the open door was the sunshine of a Northern June instead of a Texas January; and that the odor of lemon verbena which reached her now and then came from an outside garden instead of the potted plant on

nder if I'll ever get to a place where I can always be as serene of spirit as she was, no matter what happ

e the peacocks. Had they said any other kind of fowl she would have resented the intrusion more than she did, but peacocks recalled Warwick Hall so pleasantly that she got up at once and went with them. She

chen door. "He takes the greatest pride in them. Th

was an elderly cousin of her husband's who had made his home with them for years. A few minutes later she came upon the old man in t

them chasing the ducks until they were dizzy, and stopped them with a sternness that made them wary of him. They had had an encounter with him one day in town also, soon after their arrival in Bauer. They had climbed into the wagon, which he left hitched in front of the grocery, and had poked holes into every package he had piled on the seat, in order to discover what they held. When he came out littl

they could. She was enjoying the conversation they had drifted into, starting with the colt. He spoke with a strong New E

emed selfish not to answer their eager questions, and when their wanderings around the place led them to a deserted cabin where the Indians had once killed two Mexican shepherds, she repeated the thrilling story

the children's conduct. They were so quiet and well behaved that Mary watched them in surprise. Beyond yes and no and politely expressed thanks, B

ry explained, feeling that Sister, as usual, was enjoying the

n, eh? If she changes her nature to suit her name it

tter drop the name of Nancy," said old Sammy, with a solemn wag of the head

would never h

choose to hav

ful end, jumping up a

er mother comma

ed louder and

ad. The only Nancys I have ever known

d up her face into the ugliest grimace possible for her to make. Fortunately the arrival of a huge pumpkin pie turned his eyes away from her just then, for Sammy Bradford,

door, and Mrs. Barnaby provided for the children's entertainment by bringing out a box of toys that had been left behind at differen

on Mrs. Barnaby and Mary went into the next room, and drawing two big easy chairs into the chimney corner, they settled themselves for a long, cosy tête-à-tête. It was

ith her hat and coat on. Her lips were drawn into a dissatisfied pout, and she threw herself across

remembering to use the new name. "I told you before you c

appearing in the doorway also in coat and hat. "Yo

bin we were looking at," was the patient answer. "That was different from s

e hands, after one keen glance at her to see if she really was i

s. Barnaby, and I'll not play with you till to-morrow. If you don't want to make pictures or cut paper or work the puz

p you've got to play with us to keep us

ding open in the corner. It was an old-fashioned one, its rosewood case inlaid above the keyboard with mother-of-pearl. The yellow keys were out of tune, but they had never been touched save by careful finge

ly they struggled out of her grasp, and rushing back, pounded the keys harder than before. Mary, who had never seen them act like this, was distressed beyond measure that she had been the cause, even

he disobedience and the Sabbath-breaking uproar. With one swoop he caught up

s he put them down. "There's all out-of-doors to play in, and if you so much a

id it in a deep, awful voice that made Brud think creepily of the Fee-fi-fo-fum giant in his pi

timidated them; then Sister, in a blind rage, seized his clay pipe that he had put

t was the sight of his gray beard that finally suggested to her choking wrath a name ugly enough t

r hat and coat, which had been laid away in there. "I'd feel so responsible if they should

interrupted old Sammy. "

ipe, which lay in several pieces on the floor, and Mrs. Barnaby,

them like a hawk, just for the pleasure of pouncing down on them again if they cut up any

ation, but she could not rid herself of an uneasy feeling that kept o

next prank. Their wild chase down the lane had been brought to a sudden stop by the sight of the lordly peacock, strutting back and forth in the barn-yard, his beautiful tail spread wide in the sun. The

Brud asserted, "'cause with all those eyes in

sees with its two little head eyes. Th

ey

y ca

o on indefinitely, till Brud's triumphant, "Ten million times can," w

d's next taunt. "Try and

hers come out of his tail as easy as they did out of

nd was slowly filling it, when the sound of a wild commotion in the barn-yard made him hurry to the door. Turkeys, guineas, ducks, hens,-everything that could gobble or flutter or squawk, were doing their utmost to attract someone's attention. And the cause of it all, or, rather, the two causes, were standing by th

ld Sammy, coming upon them suddenly and se

dle of a sentence to say, "Listen! Didn't th

how, Sammy is looking after them. He won't let them come to any real harm.

ened the doorway for an instant as Sammy

Mary. "Do you know wh

ing out a great handful of peacock feathers

ey've teetotally ruined that cock's looks. Yes, I know where the

!" echoed Mary and Mrs. B

idea of other people's rights than weasels,

one dose, Sammy?" asked Mr. Barnaby, dryly, coming o

his room. "They were sniffling and snubbing considerable when

t was followed by heart-broken wails and demands to be taken home. Nothing comforted them. Nothing could

, James, you'll just have to hitch up and take them back, even if it is so early. I hate to have Mary's visit c

pectacles so sternly that the children backed away, le

rror in the bedroom, she turned to her

that the very sound of their voices sets my teeth on edge. If I only could have had this one whole day away

poor child," was th

d to something; that I'd really made an impression, and given them all sorts of good ideas. But you see it isn't worth a row of pins. They are good only s

oot of the trouble. "You told them it was a surprise school. Let the next surpris

mother would think I was incapable and give my place to someone else. No, we must have

looked so dim she could scarcely see it. But it made her glance up with a smile into the benevo

g. "By the bloodstone on my finger, I'll keep

o kiss her good-bye. Only that week she had read The Jester's Sword, from which

she added, trying to put as many consoling thoughts into their parting as possible, "If you do succeed in teaching them anything that'll help to snatch th

home. When conversation flagged, she filled the silences with pleasant snatches of day-dreams, in which she saw herself becoming to these benigh

themselves as they look to other people," she th

one who, in many ways, was