"WHITE WITCHES"
For a moment both Anna and Luretta looked at Melvina a little
doubtfully, for they could but remember and be ashamed of their part in
the foolish game they had tried to play with her so short a time ago.
But Melvina was smiling and friendly, and evidently had cherished no
ill-feeling toward them. By the time she had replied to Mrs. Foster's
friendly inquiries in regard to her mother, Anna and Luretta were quite
at their ease; and Luretta said to herself that she did not wonder Anna
wanted to be like Melvina. Luretta even began to wonder if it would not
be well for her to learn to speak as softly as did Melvina Lyon; it
certainly had a pleasant sound, she thought admiringly.
"I must return home," said Mrs. Foster, "but Melvina's father will
expect her to wait here for him; so, Luretta, you and Anna may stay with
her until he comes. Here is a clean log where you can sit comfortably,
and do not go far from this spot."
The little girls promised, and Mrs. Foster started for home. Hardly had
she turned her back when Melvina clasped Anna by the hand, and
exclaimed: "Now you can tell me more about the woods, and the little
animals who live in hollow logs or burrow under rocks, and about the
different birds and their nests! Oh, begin quickly, for my father may
soon return," and she drew Anna toward the big log that lay near the
path.
"Tell her about our rabbits, Danna," suggested Luretta. "My brother Paul
brought me two little gray rabbits from the forest," she explained; and
Melvina listened eagerly to the description of Trit and Trot, and of
their cunning ways and bright eyes, and was told that they had already
lost their fear of Luretta and Anna.
"I wish I could see them. I have never seen any little animals except
kittens," said Melvina. It seemed to Melvina that Anna and Luretta were
very fortunate children. They could run about in old clothes, play on
the shore and among the piles of lumber, and they knew many strange and
interesting things about the creatures of the forest which she had
never before heard. The long lessons that she had to learn each morning,
the stint of neat stitches that she had to set each day, and the
ceremonious visits now and then, when she always had to take her
knitting, and was cautioned by her anxious mother to "remember that she
was a minister's daughter, and behave properly, and set a good
example"--all these things flitted through Melvina's thoughts as
tiresome tasks that she would like to escape, and be free as Anna seemed
to be.
"Mayn't I bring the rabbits down here for Melvina to see?" asked Anna.
"The box would not be very heavy."
But Luretta had objections to this plan. Her brother had told her not to
move the box from the sunny corner near the shed; and, beside this, she
was sure it was too heavy for Anna to lift. "If you should let it fall
they might get out and run away," she concluded. Then, noticing Anna's
look of disappointment, she added: "I know what you may do, Danna. You
and Melvina may go up and see the rabbits, and I will wait here for
Parson Lyon and tell him where Melvina is, and that we will see her
safely home; and then I will hurry after you."
"Oh! Yes, indeed; that is a splendid plan," said Melvina eagerly,
jumping up from the log. "Let us go now, Anna. And is not Luretta kind
to think of it?"
Anna agreed rather soberly. Mrs. Foster had told them to remain near the
log, she remembered, but if Melvina saw no harm in Luretta's plan she
was sure it must be right; so taking Melvina's hand they started off.
"Let's run, Anna," urged Melvina; for Anna was walking sedately, in the
manner in which she had so often seen Melvina come down the path, and
she was a little surprised that her companion had not at once noticed
it. But Anna was always ready to run, and replied quickly: "Let's race,
and see who can get to the blacksmith shop first."
Away went the two little girls, Melvina's long braids dancing about, and
her starched skirts blown back as she raced along; and, greatly to
Anna's surprise, Melvina passed her and was first at the shop.
"I beat! I beat!" exclaimed Melvina, her dark eyes shining and her face
flushed with the unwonted exercise.
"You do everything best," Anna declared generously, "but I did not know
that you could run so fast."
"Neither did I," Melvina acknowledged laughingly. Anna felt a little
puzzled by this sudden change in Melvina, which was far more noticeable
than Anna's own effort to give up her boyish ways and become a quiet,
sedate little girl. For ever since the few hours of freedom on the
shore, on the day of the tempest, Melvina had endeavored to be as much
like Anna as possible. She ran, instead of walking slowly, whenever she
was out of her mother's sight. She had even neglected her lessons to go
out-of-doors and watch a family of young robins one morning, and had
been immediately called in by her surprised mother. In fact, Melvina had
tried in every way to do things that she imagined Anna liked to do. She
had even besought her mother to cut off her hair; but, as she dared not
give her reason for such a wish, Mrs. Lyon had reproved her sharply,
saying that it was a great misfortune for a little girl not to have
smoothly braided hair, or long curls. So while Anna endeavored to cover
her pretty curly hair, to behave sedately, and give up many of her
outdoor games, in order to be like Melvina, Melvina was wishing that
she could be exactly like Anna; and as they stood looking at each other
at the end of their race each little girl noticed a change in the other
which she could not understand, and they started off toward Luretta's
home at a more sober pace.
"Here they are," said Anna, as they came to the corner of the shed and
saw the rabbits looking out at them between the slats of the box.
Melvina kneeled down close to the box and exclaimed admiringly as Trit
and Trot scurried away to the farthest corner.
"I do wish I could touch one! Would it not be fun to dress them up like
dolls!" she said. "If they were mine I would dress them up in bonnets
and skirts, and teach them to bow. Oh, Anna! Can't we take one out? One
of them is yours, Luretta said so; let us take out your rabbit, Anna."
"But we haven't anything to dress it up in," said Anna, beginning to
think that Melvina was a good deal like other little girls after all.
"Could we not take your rabbit over to my house, Anna? My mother has
gone to Mrs. Burnham's to spend the day, and we could take Trot up to my
room and dress her up and play games. Do, Anna!" urged Melvina.
"It would be great sport indeed," agreed Anna eagerly; "we could call
Trot by some fine name, like Queen Elizabeth, and have your dolls for
visitors."
"Yes, yes, we could! Or play Trot was a lion that we had captured in
Africa. Where is the door to the box, Anna?" and Melvina's dark eyes
shone more brightly than ever as Anna slid back the little door that
Paul had so carefully made, and, after several vain efforts, finally
secured one of the rabbits and quickly wrapped it in the skirt of her
dress.
"Shut the door, Melvina! Quick! or the other will run out," she said,
but although Melvina hastened to obey she was only just in time to catch
the second rabbit in her hands; an instant later and it would have
scampered away free.
"Put your skirt around it. Hurry, and let's run. Mrs. Foster is coming,"
whispered Anna, and the two little girls ran swiftly behind the shed,
holding the trembling frightened rabbits, and then across the fields
toward Mr. Lyon's house. Not until they reached the back door of the
parsonage did either of them remember Luretta, and then it was Anna who
exclaimed:
"But what will Luretta think when she comes home and does not find us,
and sees the empty box?"
"She won't go home for a long time; we will be back and the rabbits safe
in their box by that time," declared Melvina. "We will go up the back
stairs, Anna; and we need not be quiet, for London has gone fishing. We
will have a fine time! Oh, Anna, I am so glad you stopped me that day
when we went wading, for now we are friends," she continued, leading the
way up-stairs.
"But I was horrid, Melvina," Anna said, recalling her efforts to make
Melvina appear silly and ignorant so that Luretta would scorn her.
"No, indeed, you were not," responded Melvina. "When we played on the
shore you made me laugh and run. I never played like that before."
"Well, I think you are real good," said Anna humbly, as she followed
Melvina into a pleasant sunny chamber. "Most girls would have been angry
when their fine clothes were spoiled; and you were punished too, and I
was not;" and Anna looked at Melvina admiringly, thinking to herself
that she would do anything that Melvina could ask to make up to her for
that undeserved punishment.
"You will have to hold both the rabbits while I get my dolls," said
Melvina; and Anna's attention was fully occupied in keeping the two
little creatures safe and quiet in the folds of her skirt, which she
held together bag fashion, while Melvina drew a large box from the
closet and took out three fine dolls.
Anna gazed at the dolls admiringly. Each one wore a gown of blue silk,
and little shirred bonnets to match. Melvina explained that they, the
dolls, all wanted to dress just alike.
"We will put these on Trit and Trot," she said, drawing out two white
skirts from her collection of doll clothes. "And see these little white
bonnets!" and she held up two tiny round bonnets of white muslin; "these
will be just the thing."
The rabbits submitted to being dressed. Both the girls were very gentle
with them, and gradually the little creatures grew less frightened.
Neither Anna nor Melvina had ever had such delightful playthings before.
The rabbits were Queen Elizabeth and Lady Washington, and the dolls
came to bow low before them. The time passed very rapidly, and not until
London was seen coming toward the house to prepare the noonday meal did
the little girls give another thought to Luretta. Melvina, glancing from
the window, saw London coming up the path with his basket of fish. She
was holding Lady Washington, and for a second her clasp was less firm,
and that was enough. With a leap the rabbit was through the open window,
the white skirt fluttering about it. Anna, starting up in surprise, let
go Queen Elizabeth, who followed Lady Washington through the window so
closely that it was small wonder that London dropped his basket of fish
and ran back a few steps with a loud cry. After a few scrambling leaps
the rabbits disappeared, and London, trembling with fright, for he
believed that the strange leaping creatures dressed in white must be
some sort of evil witches, picked up his basket, and shaking his head
and muttering to himself, came slowly toward the house.
"And there comes my father, and Luretta is with him," exclaimed Melvina.
"What shall we do, Anna? And what will Luretta say when we tell her
about the rabbits? Come, we must be at the front door when they get
here, or my father will fear I am lost."
Mr. Lyon smiled as he saw his little girl standing in the doorway, and
his troubled look vanished. But Luretta looked flushed and angry. All
the morning she had been sitting on the log waiting for Mr. Lyon, and
when he came at last she had hurried home only to find that her mother
had not seen either of the girls, and Luretta had run after Mr. Lyon to
tell him this, and accompanied him to the door.
"I will walk home with Luretta," Anna said with unusual meekness.
Melvina watched them go, a little frightened at the end of the morning's
fun. She did not know what they could say to Luretta to explain their
mischief. At that moment London came into the front entry.
"I'se seen strange sights this mornin', massa!" he said, rolling his
eyes. "I'se seen white witches flyin' out ob dis house."
"London! Do not talk of such wickedness," said Mr. Lyon sharply. "Even
your little mistress is amused at such absurd talk," for Melvina,
knowing what London had seen, was laughing heartily. But London, shaking
his head solemnly, went back to the kitchen, sure that he had seen a
strange and awful sight, and resolved to speak to Mr. Lyon again of the
matter.
"Well, Danna Weston! You can't have one of my rabbits now, after
treating me this way," said Luretta. "And I am not going to walk home
with you, either," and she ran swiftly ahead.
Anna did not hurry after her, as Luretta hoped and expected. She began
to feel very unhappy. Trit and Trot were gone, and who could tell but
the skirts and bonnets might not strangle them? Then, suddenly, she
remembered that Rebecca was at home ill, and that she had entirely
forgotten her, and the young checkerberry leaves she had intended
picking for her sister. She put the thought that it was all Melvina's
fault out of her mind. Even if it were, had not she, Anna, led Melvina
into a more serious trouble on the day of the tempest? She resolved that
she would take all the blame of the lost rabbits, that Melvina should
not even be questioned about them if she could help it. But it was a
very sober little girl who went up the path toward home.