Faith Gartney's Girlhood

thirst! The

d trace of l

de sigheth t

e drop of

ields are sp

s to the bo

nd cedars s

e for thee,-

with Glory and the baby one day when his school didn't keep, and Mrs.

ets ranged fair and tempting before her, and a pile of roasted peanuts, and one of deli

cross that southeast corner of the Common, knew her well, and had a smile, and perhaps a penny for her; and got

'd go and see it perform next day-uttering something of her old soliloquy about "good times," and why she "warn't ever in any of 'em." However it was, Mrs. Foye, in her buxom cheeriness, was drawn to give some of it forth to the uncouth-looking, companionless girl, and not only began a chat with her, after the momentary stir in the street w

bench by Bridget Foye, and hear her talk, and tell her, confidentially, some of her small, incessant troubles. It was one more life to draw

aid it down, a rule, with Master Herbert, that he was not to go to the apple stand with her unless he had first put by a penny for a purchase. And so unflinchingly she adhered to this determination

n evil into his heart, nor crowded, I dare to say, a better thought out of his brain. Glory liked the stories as well, almost, as the child. One moral always ran through them all. Troubles always, somehow, came to an end; go

hen," said Herbert, paying his

out to the big tree, an' lave Glo

aid the boy-aping, ambitiou

in her pocket. So the ould rashkill iv a fox, he watched, an' he prowled, an' he laid awake nights, till he came all to skin an' bone, on' sorra a ha'porth o' the little rid hin could he git at. But at lasht there came a shcame intil his wicked ould head, an' he tuk a big bag one mornin', over his shouldher, and he says till his mother, says he, 'Mother, have the pot all bilin' agin' I come home, for I'll bring the little rid hin to-night for our shupper.' An' away he wint, over the hill, an' came craping shly and soft through the woods to where the little rid hin lived in her shnug bit iv a house. An' shure, jist at the very minute tha

e fox whipped her up and popped her intil his bag, and shtarted off home in a minute. An' he wint up the wood, an' down the wood, half the day long, with the little rid hin shut up shmotherin' in the bag. Sorra a know she knowd where she was, at all, at all. She thought she was all biled an' at

a fine shupper he'd have. An' whin he came in sight iv his din in the rocks, and shpied his ould mother a-watchin' for him at the door, he says, 'Mother! have ye the

o' bilin' wather, an' shuk in the big, heavy shtone. An' the bilin' wather shplashed up all over the rogue iv a fo

r perhaps the twentieth time. "Now tell abo

Foye. "Kape yer promish, an'

s hoop trundled o

lory, a whole catechism of questions in the one

tied up tight in the bag, an' I'll never

pair iv schissors in ye

r Herbert comes trundling back, and Bridget tells him the story

day or other, she, too, will

carcely a holy day to her-Glory sits at the fro

ot off to sleep-supposing he shall be complaisant, and go-Glory is to dust up, and set table, an

ef. Actually, gloves on her hands, too. The gate closes with a cord and pulley after her, and somehow the hem of the fresh, outspreading crinoline gets caught in it, as it shuts. So she turns half round, and takes both hands to push it open and release herself. Doing so, something slips from between the folds of her handkerchief, and drops upon the ground. A b

e," is all she says, as she p

upon her shoulder, and beholding the strange figure, an

eady retreating up the street. "It's the red-headed girl over at Grubbling's," she continues to

made anoth

hot stove, or do any other horrid thing he likes, while you go flacketting out, bareheaded, into the streets, after a topping jade like that? You can't have any high-flown acquaintances while you live in my house, I tell you now, once and for all. Are y

ively, like a sentry caught off his post and warned of mortal punishment, and shouldered arms once more; that is, picked u

then, "killing two birds with one stone," p

gave a glance up at the Grubblings' windows; and if she caught sight of Glory's illumined head, nodded her own, with its pretty, dark-brown locks, quite pleasant and

l good times-all around her. And she caug

h half-a-dozen eggs and two lemons, Katie ran out

e's to be a grand party at our house to-morrow night, an' I thought maybe ye'd like to get lave, an' run over

r. Not so, either. With a glow of feeling, and an oppression of gratitude, and a humility of d

tter, "and, anyhow, I'm sure I'm

, in a poor fashion, a rent in the faded "best frock," and sewing a bit of cotton lace in th

he had administered the day before. The work she got out of the girl that Thursday forenoon! Never once did Glory leave her scrubbing, or her dusting, or her stove polishing, to glance from the windows into the street

we wait for Heaven-trusting

Her lips turned quite white with anxiety as she st

, "Katie Ryan asked me over for a litt

usy, as if her poor, untutored handm

rty?" sh

', mum. I thought

do? Maybe I'm

wide in mingled cons

you was, mum.

ng out to-night, anyhow, whether it's there or not, and you can't be spared. Besides, you needn't think you're goi

ners-heard the suffering cry that went up from her

good a time! I'd ought to a

oss the narrow street, searched even through the dim panes behind which Glory sat, resting her tired arms, after tucking away th

oing now? Can't

urst of brilliant melody floated over to her e

'm coming there to sit with you, Glory." And

l-only for a little bit of a minute, then," as Herbert persisted, a

wouldn't be a good boy, and he wouldn't go back to bed, till the music paused. Then, by dint of promising that if it began again she would open the window a

hite linen shade at one of the back parlor windows to slide the sash a little from the top. It was Katie, whom

"let Katie come in. She'll get such a good look down the room at the dancers." There was no abated admirati

and that she would be sure to be looking and listening from her old post opposite? However it was, the linen shade was not lowered again, and there between the l

so near to be in it! But I ain't; and I s'pose I shan't ever get a chance again. Maybe Katie'd g

'll have the croup and whooping cought, and everything to-morrow." This to Herbert

I like. And I'll tell my ma how you was a-wantin' to go away and

; but you know I never said such a word, nor ever though

have a girl like you? What a lookin' you'd be,

as did Glory, that it was his mother come back, scrambled into his bed a

an, with cakes

ared. I knows ye're sich an honest one. An' it's a tearin' shame, if ever there

lly long ears. "And thank you kindly, over and over, I'm sure. It's real good o' you to think o' me so-oh!" And Glor

chance; an' I'd adwise ye to get out o' this if ye can. Good-by. I've set the

the crib with an old woolen shawl, and set a high-backed rocking chair to keep the draft from Herbert, and opened the window "a teenty crack." In five minutes the slight

erbert made ho

Glory, to catch such a c

d get out of bed to hear th

me over and kept the front door open. And you said how you wished

, mum," burst out

face, you good-for-nothing girl?" shrieked the e

m; and I wouldn't say it was lies

ng come into his head

I think you'd oughter believe me first, when I never told you a lie in my

wn behalf since she had come to feel there was a

," retorted the mistress, with

k an involuntary step to the woman'

ghter take it back," said she, excited

hand passionately, and str

r your impudence! Don'

, except where the vindictive fingers had left their crimson s

r wrongs, and sharpened at length th

e a new manner, that, in the little dependant of less than fifteen

ng short in her return toward the c

ling, dimly foreshadowing to herself what it

keep me, till I'm growed u

Of course I wouldn't be held to anything of that sort.

ink I'll go," said Glory. And s

e?" asked Mr

, the sarcasm drying her tears.

d a place?" The cat thought she had her paw on the mouse, now,

she deemed a finishing stroke of policy, "you go straight o

off, this minute?"

and go, or else let me

was to lay the table for dinner. But she wen

with her eyes very tearful, and

dy cared for me the leastest bit that ever was. I wouldn't mind bein' worked and put upon, and not havin' any good times; but when people hates me, and goes to say I doesn't tel

and sobs, "that Katie Ryan give me-an' I kept-to make a party-for the children, w

le as she spoke. Master Herbert eyed them

ndle," said Glory, standing still in the

s, dryly, affecting to treat the whole affair a

and sorrowfully out into the street, and drew the door behind her, t

and down Branch Street, and across the green

And I don't know what to

e ye, an' let yersel' loose out o' the bag? Well, it's I that i

e sure; but here she was, "all alone by herself" once more, and the foxe

opes and plans for the future. For dinner, she shared Mrs. Foye's plain bread and cheese, and made a dessert of an apple and a handful of peanuts. At night Bridget took her home and gave her