THE WATER-KELPIE.
It was nearly time for vacation. As the children were to start on the
next Monday for Willow-brook, their mother allowed them to spend their
last Wednesday afternoon with their cousin Florence. It fell to Prudy's
lot to dress her little sister.
"I'm ever so glad," said Dotty, "that the barber snipped off my
_kyurls_. Don't you think I do look like a boy, now, Prudy? You may call
me Tommy, if you want to; I'm willin'."
"There, now," she exclaimed, when her toilet was made, "say me my
lesson; please to, Prudy."
"O, I forgot all about that" replied the little teacher, uneasily. "Susy
'll be done practising in half an hour, and I thought I'd just have time
to make my doll's boots,--finish them, I mean. Can't you wait till
Saturday, Dotty?"
"O, my suz, Prudy Parlin! When I get to be a great sister to you, I
won't treat you so. I want to get my letters all smooth done
to-day,--don't want to wait till Sat'day."
At any other time Prudy would have been gratified to see Dotty show so
much eagerness.
"Be kind to thy sister," hummed the gentle little teacher. "Yes, I
will. I'm always glad after I've been kind. Nothing makes me love Dotty
so well as to try to please her!"
"Now," said she, calling her school to order, "you've learned as far as
S, which I think is doing finely, all alone, with nobody to help us.
This next letter stands, you see, for a _top_. What is it we drink out
of cups?"
"I don't get anything but milk, and that's in a mug," replied Dotty in
an injured tone.
"But what does mother drink? Now think."
Dotty eyed the letter sharply. "Why, mamma drinks coffee sometimes, and
it has grounds; but they don't look like that thing, the grounds don't!
Why, that thing looks like a spade, with the teeth out, wrong side up."
"You mean a _rake_" laughed Prudy. "Well, dear, this is T."
When Dotty came to X, she declared it stood "for your thumb. Susy said
so, and it was in the music-book."
Now came an hour of triumph for the little pupil. Her mother was both
surprised and delighted to hear that her youngest daughter knew all her
letters.
"She can say them skipping about," said Prudy, "and can spell a few
little words, too."
"C, a, t, cat, d, o, g, Zip," laughed Dotty, showing her deepest
dimples, and frisking about the room.
"My dear little ones," said Mrs. Parlin, kissing both the children, "I
am really very much gratified. Both teacher and pupil have shown a great
deal of patience and perseverance."
These words from her beloved mother were most precious to Prudy. Dotty,
though she did not know what was meant by patience and perseverance,
presumed it was something fine, and laughed and danced in great glee.
Nothing remarkable happened during the visit to Florence Eastman, except
that Miss Dimple and Johnny were found running off the track of the
upper railroad just one second after the engine started. Everybody was
very much frightened when it was all safely over. But Dotty said,--
"O, my suz! Me an' Johnny has done that a hundred and a million
times--hasn't we, Johnny? We wait till the injin w'istles, then we run
on to the platform--don't we, Johnny?"
It came out after a while, that these reckless children had also been in
the habit of crossing pins on the track, to make "scissors," the weight
of the cars pressing the two pins into a solid _x_.
"I still tremble," said Mrs. Eastman, with white lips. "This Alice
Parlin is the most daring little creature I ever saw, more harum-scarum
than ever Susy was."
Prudy was Mrs. Eastman's pet. "Prudy," she said, "was a natural lady:
the other two were romps."
The next Monday Mrs. Parlin and the three children started for
Willow-brook. Dotty wished to take her sweet Pusheen and her darling
Zip; but it was decided that Pusheen must stay at home, and help keep
house.
"Be a good kitty," said her little mistress, embracing her, "and eat all
the mice in the mouse-chamber, 'fore they grow up _rats_!"
But Zip was allowed to go to Willow-brook; and Dotty watched him all the
way, scarcely allowing him to stir from the seat beside her.
"No," said she, holding him firmly by both ears; "Dotty'd be glad to let
you get down, but she doesn't think it's best. You is only a doggie, and
you'd get runned over and die. So now, Zippy, you'll have to give up,
and it's no use to bark."
But Zip, having the spirit of a dog, _would_ bark.
The whole party reached Willow-brook in safety, and had a joyful
welcome.
"Prudy, my aunt Louise is the handsomest lady there is in this world,"
said Dotty, privately.
"O, Dotty, how can you think so," exclaimed Prudy, "when there's only
one woman can be THAT!"
"Who's _she_?"
"Mother, _of course_!"
When Dotty was called to supper, she was found beside Pincher's green
grave, telling her "brother Zip" the story of that dog's death, and
trying to impress upon his mind the importance of keeping his paws out
of fox-traps.
It was delightful to be at grandma Parlin's once more. The summer-house,
the seat in the tree, and the swing, were all in their old places, and
had been waiting a whole year for the children. A few things had been
added: a hennery,--called by Dotty "a henpeckery"--and a graceful white
boat, named the Water-Kelpie. This boat was kept chained to a stake on
the bank, and no one could have a sail in it without first obtaining the
key, which hung over the bird-cage, in the back parlor.
Susy was charmed with the boat. It was lighter and nicer than the old
canoe, which had so long been used by the family. She and Lonnie Adams,
her aunt Martha's nephew, took daily lessons in rowing; but Susy, who
had for years been accustomed to the water, knew how to manage a boat
far better than did Master Lonnie. The boy strained every nerve, to very
little purpose, while Susy would lightly dip in the paddle, and turn it
with perfect ease.
"I don't care," said Lonnie; "guess you can't drive a nail any better
than I can, Susy Parlin, and I can row her some, anyhow. Now, Abner,
can't I row her?"
"Yes, my boy, I think I've heard you _roar_," replied Abner, with a
provoking smile.
"Well, can't I row her this way?"
"Middlin' well," returned Abner, cautiously; "but little Sue, here, is
the water-man for me."
Susy's cheeks glowed, and there was a proud flash in her eyes as they
met Lonnie's. At that moment she felt equal to the task of steering a
ship across the Atlantic Ocean.
Not long after this praise from Abner, aunt Martha said that she and
Master Lonnie were going over the river, after some wild-flower roots,
and would be glad to have the boat sent for them at five o'clock.
"Mayn't I be the one to go?" asked Susy.
"If you like," replied the grandmother; "that is, if Abner is willing."
Susy knew perfectly well that her grandmother had no idea of allowing
her to go alone; but it so happened, when she reached the river-bank
with the boat-key, that Abner was nowhere to be seen.
"Seems to me," thought Susy, "Abner is generally somewhere else."
"Where you goin', all alone, 'thout me?" cried Dotty Dimple, from the
top of the bank.
"You here? What did you come for?" said Susy.
For answer, Dotty took a pair of rubber overshoes out of Zip's mouth.
"Grandma says to put 'em right on, or you'll catch the hookin' cough;
the boat's wet."
"There, now," said Susy, putting on the rubbers, "I've forgot the basket
for those Jack-in-the-pulpit roots. Didn't grandma send it up?"
"No, she sended up _me_," replied Dotty; adding, quickly, "and I'm goin'
where you go, you know; and if you don't go anywhere, I'm goin' there,
too."
"That's just the way it is with you, Dotty Dimple; always coming when I
don't expect you."
"Prudy coaxed me to," said Dotty, with one of her sweetest smiles and
deepest dimples.
"Coaxed you?"
"Well," faltered Dotty, "she wanted to come her own self. She said she
wished I'd stay to home,--so, _of course_ I camed!"
"I'll tell you how it is," said Susy, thoughtfully. "That queer old
Abner's nowhere to be seen. I suppose he's in the cornfield, or the
meadow, or the barn. It's after five; and what will aunt Martha think? I
could row across the river well enough by myself, if you'd only run
home; you're _such_ a bother!"
"O, my darlin' sister Susy! I won't do nothin' but just sit still. Who's
your precious comfort?"
"Well, I don't know but I'll take you, then. Come, little Miss Trouble,
jump into the boat."
So Dotty Dimple, being what Mr. Allen had called a "child-queen," had
her own way, as usual.
"Why, where's the paddles?" said Susy. "The men must have hid them.
Dear me, I can't stop to hunt; and here it is five o'clock long ago! O,
I'll take this good smooth shingle, I declare! I guess it washed ashore
on purpose; it's almost equal to a paddle.--Now we'll go, all so nice,"
continued Susy, fearlessly dipping the chance-found shingle into the
water.
"O, my suz," said Dotty, clapping her hands, which had any amount of
dimples on the backs; "we're goin'!"
"Of course we're going!" said Susy, proudly. "What did you expect? I can
do five times as well with a shingle as Lonnie can with a paddle. What
do you suppose aunt Martha'll say? 'Bravo! those are smart children, to
be rowing all alone, by themselves'!"
"O, Susy, what a hubble-bubble we make in the water! Look at the bubbles
winkin' their eyes! See those pretty wrinkles, all puckered up in the
water!"
"I see them," said Susy, steadily plying her shingle; "but why don't you
sit still? You'll tip us both over, as sure as this world; and if we get
drowned I guess grandma'll scold! I shall be the one to have all the
blame."
"O, dear," said Dotty, reeling about from side to side, "the boat's
dizzy! My head's goin' to tip into the water. But don't you cry, Susy;
you catch hold of me, and I shan't go!"
Susy was suddenly seized with mortal terror.
"Dotty Parlin, I'll never take you anywhere again, as long as I live!
You sit as still as ever you can, and fold your hands; fold them both!"
Dotty obeyed at once, and sat up quite straight, looking very sweet, and
at the same time slightly acid, like a stick of lemon-candy. The Water
Kelpie, now that Dotty was quiet, floated on, safely and surely, towards
the opposite shore.
It was a pretty picture--the white boat, the graceful children, and the
still, blue water. Susy's fair arms were bared to the elbows, and her
face was deeply flushed. Dotty's beautiful eyes danced, but she herself
was motionless and demure.
When they landed, Susy called aloud for her aunt Martha to come and
secure the boat. Her voice echoed from afar, waking "the sleep of the
hills," but no aunt Martha appeared. The children clambered out at last,
and Susy chained the boat to a stick, which she drove into the sand. But
the sand was light, and the boat was heavy, and the current strong; so
before the children had walked a dozen rods, the Water-Kelpie was
floating down stream of its own free will.
Thus it happened that although aunt Martha was certainly surprised, she
did not seem very much pleased. She did not say, "Bravo! my two nieces
are smart children, to be rowing all alone by themselves." Nothing of
the sort. She reproved Susy for her rash conduct, and sent her and
Lonnie around two miles, by the bridge, to ask Abner to come for them
with the canoe.
Lonnie was very much comforted when he saw that Susy received no praise.
"I can row her myself," said he; "but I wouldn't put Dotty in, and most
drown her, and dab along with that shingle."
The runaway Water-Kelpie was caught a little way below the bridge, and
Abner slyly laid by the dripping shingle, and afterwards showed it to
everybody, as a proof that "our Sue was an amazin' smart little water
man."
This famous boat-ride only had the effect to make Dotty Dimple more
fearless than ever; but her next adventure on the water proved somewhat
serious.