"How d'ye do, Mr. Man? You _mustn't_ smoke! My mamma don't like it!"
"Oh, why _did_ you do that?" said Ninny, her face covered with blushes,
as she darted after Flaxie, and brought her into the house.
"Well, then, show me your new picture-book, and I won't."
As long as she was looking at pictures she was out of mischief, and
Ninny turned the leaves very patiently.
But soon the cat came into the room with the new kitten in her mouth,
and then Flaxie screamed with terror. She thought the cat was eating it
up for a mouse; but instead of that she dropped it gently on the sofa,
purring, and looking at the two little girls as if to say,--
"Isn't it a nice baby?"
Flaxie thought it was; you could see that by the way she kissed it. But
when she picked it up and marched about with it, the old cat mewed
fearfully.
"Put it down," said Ninny. "Don't you see how bad you make its mother
feel?"
"No. I's goin' to carry it over the bridge, and show it to my grandma;
she wants to see this kitty."
Ninny looked troubled. She hardly dared say Flaxie must not go, for fear
that would make her want to go all the more.
"What a funny spot kitty has on its face," said she, "white all over;
with a yellow star on its forehead."
"Well," said Flaxie, "I'll wash it off." And away she flew to the
kitchen sink.
"What are you up to now?" said Dora, the housemaid, who stood there with
her bonnet on. "You'll drown that poor little creetur, and squeeze it to
death too! Miss Ninny, why don't you attend to your little sister?"
Dear Ninny! as if she were not doing her best! And here it was
half-past three, and Eva Snow coming at four!
"O Dodo!" said she, "you're not going off?"
"Only just round the corner, Miss Ninny. I'll be right back."
But it was a pity she should go out at all. Mrs. Gray did not suppose
she would leave the house while she was gone.
As soon as "Dodo" was out of sight, Flaxie thought she could have her
own way.
"O Ninny! you're my darlin' sister," said she, with a very sweet smile.
"Will you lem me carry my kitty over to grandma's?"
"Why, no indeed! You mustn't go 'way over the bridge."
"Yes I mus'. 'Twon't hurt me _a_ tall!"
"But I can't let you, Flaxie Frizzle; truly I can't; so don't ask me
again."
Flaxie's lip curled as well as her nose.
"Poh! I haven't got so good a sister as I fought I had. Laugh to me,
Ninny, and get me my pretty new hat, or I'll shut you up in the closet!"
Ninny did laugh, it was so funny to hear that speck of a child talk of
punishing a big girl like her!
"Will you lem me go?" repeated Flaxie.
"No, indeed! What an idea!"
"I've got fi-ive cents, Ninny. I'll buy you anyfing what you want? Now
lem me! 'Twon't hurt me _a_ tall!"
Ninny shook her head, and kept shaking it; and Flaxie began to push her
toward the closet door.
"_Will_ you get my hat, Ninny? 'Cause when I die 'n' go to hebben, then
you won't have no little sister."
"No, I will not get your hat, miss, so there!"
All this while Flaxie was pushing, and Ninny was shaking her head. The
closet-door stood open, and, before Ninny thought much about it, she was
inside.
"There you is!" laughed the baby.
Then rising on her "tippy-toes," Flaxie began to fumble with the key.
Ninny smiled to hear her breathe so hard, but never thought the wee, wee
fingers could do any harm.
At last the key, after clicking for a good while, turned round in the
lock; yes, fairly turned. The door was fastened.
"Let me out! out! out!" cried Ninny, pounding with both hands.
Flaxie was perfectly delighted. She had not known till then that the
door was locked, and if Ninny had been quiet she would probably have
kept fumbling away till she opened it. But now she wouldn't so much as
touch the key, you may be sure. O, Flaxie Frizzle was a big rogue, as
big as she _could_ be, and be so little! There she stood, hopping up and
down, and laughing, with the blind kitty hugged close to her bosom.
"Laugh to me, Ninny!"
"What do I want to laugh for? Let me out, you naughty girl!"
"Well, _you_ needn't laugh, but _I_ shall. Now I's goin' to grandma's,
and carry my white kitty."
"No, no, you mustn't, you mustn't!"
"_You_ can't help it! I _is_ a goin'!"
"Flaxie! Flax-ee!"
Oh! where was Eva Snow? Would she never come? There was a sliding-door
in the wall above the middle shelf, and Ninny climbed up and pushed it
back. It opened into the parlor-closet, where the china dishes stood. If
she could only crawl through that sliding door she might get out by way
of the parlor, if she _did_ break the dishes.
But, oh dear! it wasn't half big enough. She could only put her head in,
and part of one shoulder. What should she do?
It was of no use screaming to that witch of a Frizzle; but she did
scream. She threatened to "whip her," and "tie her," and "box her ears,"
and "burn up her dollies."
But Flaxie knew she wouldn't; so she calmly pulled off her boots and put
on her rubbers.
Then Ninny coaxed. She promised candy and oranges and even wedding-cake,
for she forgot she hadn't a speck of wedding-cake in the world.
But, while she was still screaming, Flaxie was out of sight and hearing.
She hadn't found her hat; but, with her new rubbers on her feet, and the
blind kitty still hugged to her bosom, she was "going to grandma's." She
ran with all her might; for what if somebody should catch her before she
got there!
"The faster I hurry the quicker I can't go," said she, puffing for
breath.
It was a beautiful day. The wind blew over the grass, and the grass
moved in green waves; Flaxie thought it was running away like herself.
It was half a mile to the bridge. By the time she reached Mr. Pratt's
store, which was half way, she thought she would stop to rest.
"'Cause he'll give me some candy," said she, and walked right into the
store, though it was half full of men,--oh fie! Flaxie Frizzle!
Mr. Jones, a lame man, was sitting next the door, and she walked boldly
up to him.
"Mr. _Lame_ Jones, does you want to see my kitty?"
He laughed, and took it in his hands; and another man pinched its tail.
Flaxie screamed out:
"You mustn't hold it by the handle, Mr. Man!"
Then they all laughed more than ever, and clapped their hands; and Mr.
Jones said:
"You're a cunning baby!"
"Well," replied Flaxie, quickly, "what makes you have turn-about feet?"
This wasn't a proper thing to say, and it made Mr. Jones look sober, for
he was sorry to have such feet. Mr. Pratt was afraid Flaxie would talk
more about them; so he frowned at her and said:
"Good little girls don't run away bare-headed, Miss Frizzle! Is your
mamma at home?"
"Guess I'll go now," said Flaxie; "some more folks will want to see my
kitty."
Mr. Pratt's boy ran after her with a stick of candy, but could not catch
her. She called now at all the houses along the road, ringing the bells
so furiously that people rushed to the doors, afraid something dreadful
had happened.
"I fought you'd want to see my kitty," said the runaway, holding up the
little blind bundle; and they always laughed then; how could they help
it?
But somehow nobody thought of sending her home.
When she reached the bridge she was hungry, and told the "bridge-man"
she was "fond of cookies." His wife gave her a caraway-cake shaped like
a leaf.
"I'm fond o' that one," said she, with her mouth full. "Please give me
_two_ ones."
Just fancy it! Begging food at people's houses! Yet her mamma _had_
tried to teach her good manners, little as you may think it.
"I don't believe she has had any supper. It must be she is running
away," said the bridge-man's wife, as Flaxie left her door. "I ought to
have stopped her; but somebody will, of course."
But nobody did. People only laughed at her kitty, and then passed on.
Soon the sun set, and the new moon shone white against the blue sky.
Flaxie had often seen the moon, but it looked larger and rounder than
this. What ailed it now?
"Oh, I know," said she, "God has doubled it up."
She had changed her mind, and did not want to go to her grandmother's.
"Mr. Pratt fought I was bare-headed, and grandma'll fink I'm
bare-headed. Guess I won't go to g'andma's, kitty, I'll go to
preach-man's house; preach-man will want to see you."
On she went till she came to the church. Then she sat down on the big
steps, dreadfully tired.
"Oh, my yubbers ache so! Now go s'eep, Kitty; and when you want to wake
up, call me, and I'll wake you."
This was the last Flaxie remembered. When the postmaster found her, she
was sitting up, fast asleep, with her little tow head against the door,
and the kitty in her arms. The kitty was still alive.
Eva Snow had come and let Ninny out of the closet long ago; and lots of
people had been hunting ever since for Flaxie Frizzle. When the
postmaster and the minister brought her home between them, Mrs. Gray was
so very glad that she laughed and cried. Still she thought Flaxie ought
to be punished.
"O mamma," said Miss Frizzle next morning, very much surprised to find
herself tied by the clothes-line to a knob in the bay-window. "The men
laughed to me, they did! Mr. Lame Jones, he said I was very cunning!"
But for all that, her mamma did not untie her till afternoon; and then
Flaxie promised "honestly," not to run away again.
Would you trust her?