BUYING A BROTHER.
"One, two, buckle my slipper! no, my gaiters," repeated Miss Dimple, as
Prudy laced her boots. "I wish I was a horse, then my shoes would be
nailed on, and be done with it."
"I'm so glad," said Prudy, putting on her hat, "that we can go to
housekeeping again."
They had built a shingle palace on the bank of the river. It was as
white as chalk could make it, and glared like a snowdrift out of a clump
of evergreens which were no taller than dandelions.
"Our house is shaded so much," said Prudy, "that it makes me think of a
lady with hair over her eyes."
The entrance to the little palace was through a swinging door, of white
cloth, and from the roof fluttered a small flag. There were four rooms
in the house, all of them on the ground floor. The parlor was elegantly
furnished with a braided carpet, of striped grass, a piano, whose black
and white keys were put on with coal and chalk, not to mention other
articles of luxury. The table was spread with acorn-cups and poppy
teapots, the little housekeepers being advised not to make use of their
china dishes for this establishment.
There was a very black stove in the kitchen, but the most of the
cooking was done out of doors, farther down the bank, in ovens shaped
like swallows' nests. Here were baked delicious mud cakes, tempting
currant tarts, and dainty custards.
Nothing pleased Miss Dimple so well as to govern a household. She ruled
with a rod of iron.
In the midst of a caution to her servant-maid, Prudy, "not to burn her
biscuits as black as so'-leather," she was surprised to see her
twinkling off a tear.
"O, Prudy, I didn't mean to scold," said she, in the tenderest tones.
"Poh, as if I minded your make-believe, Dotty! I was only thinking about
aunt Madge--that's all."
"What has she done?" asked Dotty as she went on stamping her mud cake
with the head of a pin.
"It isn't done yet, Dotty; but it will be. She's going to be married."
Dotty dropped her mud-cake. "Why! who to? Abner?"
"O, dear, no! To Mr.--I mean Colonel--Augustus Allen. Didn't you ever
hear of that?"
"Was that why he sent his objections to mamma?" asked Dotty, in a low
voice.
"He sent his _respects_ to mother, if that's what you mean; and in the
same letter he said, 'Give oceans of love to Prudy.' As if it wasn't bad
enough to break my heart, without trying to drown me," murmured Prudy,
with dripping eyes.
"I don't see what you're crying for," broke in her little sister. "I
shall marry my papa one of these days. I should think you'd feel badder
about that. Who's _you_ goin' to marry, Prudy?"
"Nobody, Dotty, as long as I live! I shall stay at home with my mother,
and she'll be sitting in the rocking-chair, knitting, and father'll be
sitting by the window, reading the paper.--But there," added she, "aunt
Madge might be married three or four times, and I wouldn't care. It's
her going to New York that makes my heart ache so."
"Well, shell come back bimeby," said Dotty, soothingly.
"O," replied Prudy, with a wise smile; "seems to me when I was four
years old I knew a great deal more than you do, child! People that are
married stay away always."
"I wish they wouldn't," cried Dotty, beginning to feel alarmed. "I'll
ask Colonel 'Gustus to marry Abby Grant after she gets growed, and let
my auntie stay at home."
"The worst of it is," continued Prudy, glad of her sister's sympathy,
such as it was, "Colonel Allen is a lawyer."
"Well, isn't lawyers as good as white folks?"
"The only trouble with lawyers, Dotty, is, that they can't write so you
can read it. My father told me so. He said their writing was like
turkey's tracks. He said it looked as if a fly had got into the
inkstand, and crawled over the paper."
Dotty's face was the picture of distress.
"It's a drefful thing to grow up a nidiot," said she, drawing her mouth
down as she had seen Prudy do when beseeching her to learn the alphabet.
"Don't he know all the letters, skippin' about?"
Here aunt Louise's voice was heard, from the piazza. She asked if the
children would like to go with her and see Mrs. Gray's baby. After a
little washing and brushing they were ready.
"Auntie," said Dotty, as they walked along, "you've got my
porkmonnaie."
"Very true; so I have."
"How much money is in my porkmonnaie?"
"Two dollars and a half. Why?"
"'Cause I want to give it to Mr. Colonel Allen, to make him marry Abby
Grant when she gets growed. I 'spise her, and I want her to go to New
York. There's where the husbands and wives go."
Miss Louise laughed.
"Very well," said she; "you may give the money to 'Mr. Colonel,' and
I've no doubt you can persuade him to marry any one you please."
Dotty smiled with entire satisfaction, but Prudy looked inquiringly into
her auntie's face, not believing it possible that Colonel Allen would
really change his mind for two dollars and a half.
The children went wild over the sleeping baby, Philip Gray.
"He's a brother, isn't he?" said Dotty. "I wish he was mine. I haven't
any but Zip. I'd take my kitty out of the carriage, and put in this
brother, and give him all my sugar things."
"Well," said Dr. Gray, with a flicker of fun in his eyes, "the baby is
not of the least use to me, and if you like him, my dear--"
Dotty danced about the cradle.
"He's nicer than a squir'l catched in a cage. O, he is!"
"That's just as people may fancy," said Dr. Gray. "Now I think, for my
part, a squirrel would be less trouble, for he could get his own
living."
Dotty peeped into the doctor's face with her bright eyes, to make sure
he really liked squirrels better than babies.
"But," continued he, very gravely, "it may be his mother might object to
my giving him away. I don't know why it is, but she seems to value him
very highly. She would expect some money for him, I think. How much are
you willing to pay?"
Dotty reflected. She possessed several dollies, a new tea-set, a box of
picture-books, and a red morocco ball. But what would Dr. Gray care for
these, or her various other toys? All her money was contained in her
portemonnaie, the money which she had meant should put a stop to her
aunt Madge's dreadful marriage. Should she save her auntie, and give up
the baby? Or should she buy the baby, and leave her auntie to her fate?
The struggle in her mind was a severe one, but it did not last long.
"O," thought she, looking at the little sleeper in the cradle, "I'd
rather have him than aunt Madge; for he'll stay to our house, and sleep
in my crib."
"How now?" said Dr. Gray, pinching Dotty's cheek; "made up your mind?"
"Yes, sir," replied the child, with her finger in her mouth; "I'm goin'
to buy him. I mean, I'm goin' to if I can get him for two dollars and a
half."
"A generous sum," laughed the doctor. "Well said. Now, the next thing
is, to obtain his mother's consent."
This was very easily done, for Mrs. Gray, who was not strong, and had
only a young girl in the kitchen, declared that, dearly as she loved the
baby, she found him a deal of trouble.
Dotty's face was radiant; but Prudy, who understood that the whole
conversation was merely a playful one, looked down upon her younger
sister with a sage smile.
"Don't you think," whispered Dotty, clutching her auntie by the dress,
"don't you think we'd better be going?"
"Why, dear, are you tired of your brother so soon?"
"O, I want to get the carriage, you know, and the money to pay him for."
Miss Louise, who knew that her little niece was terribly in earnest, now
tried to divert her with pictures; but Dotty was not to be wheedled by
any such arts.
"I'll tell you what we'll do," said Dr. Gray; "we'll keep little Phil
for you till he's as tall as a pair of tongs."
Unfortunately there was a fireplace in the room, and Dotty's keen eyes
at once espied the tongs, leaning against a brass rester. As quick as a
thought she seized them, and laid them in the cradle beside the baby.
They were half an inch shorter than Phil--even the doctor was obliged
to confess it.
"Bravo! Miss Bright Eyes," said he, catching up Dotty, and whirling her
over his shoulder; "you have a shrewd little brain of your own. I see
you can be trusted to make your own bargains."
The baby had been for some moments nestling uneasily, and of course was
broad awake by this time, screaming lustily, as if to protest against
the inhuman proceeding of being bought and sold.
Dotty had just time to see that her "brother" had "nut-blue" eyes, when
she was hurried away by her aunt Louise.
For three days the expectant child was kept in suspense by mirthful Dr.
Gray, who pretended that he should bring the baby to her some time when
she did not expect it. She often rushed into the parlor, saying, "O, I
thought I heard somethin' cryin';" and almost cried herself because
there was no baby there. "I wish I could stop expecting my brother,"
said Dotty, sorrowfully, "for then he might come."
But, at last, after her young heart had throbbed again and again with
false hopes, she began to see that she had been cruelly deceived. Dr.
Gray did not mean, and never had meant, to sell his baby.
"He tells too many fibs," said Dotty, stamping her foot, and looking
very much flushed; "he cheated me, he did."
"Now, Susy, do you think it was right to cheat her so?" said Prudy,
sorry for Dotty's disappointment.
"I don't know," replied the older sister, hesitating. "Dr. Gray is a
real good man. I don't believe he meant to cheat. Father wears paper
collars sometimes, and makes believe they are linen; but then, you know,
_father_ wouldn't cheat! Dr. Gray was only joking. The trouble is, Dotty
is too little to understand jokes. Dr. Gray didn't mean to break his
word."
"Well, if he didn't break it, he _bent_ it," replied Prudy, positively.