PUNISHMENT
The Reading ladies had departed, and the younger guests of Dana Dene
had also trotted homeward.
“It’s too bad to take those things off of Eliza,” said Dolly, “she looks
so pretty in ’em. Let’s take her, wheelbarrow and all, to show to the
aunties.”
“I’m ’fraid Aunt Nine will faint again,” objected Dick.
“Oh, no, she won’t; it was the carving knife that scared her.”
So the twins trundled the white-draped wheelbarrow, and its white-garbed
occupant straight up to the front door of the house.
“Come out, aunties!” they called. “The queen wants you to salute her
majesty!”
Hearing the commotion, the three ladies came out on the veranda, and
this time Aunt Penninah did not faint, but seemed greatly interested in
the majestic Eliza.
“What have you put on her?” the old lady cried. “Why, they’re
clothes,—rough-dry! Did you take them from the clotheslines? Rachel, do
you allow these children to act up like that? I am ashamed of them, and
you, too!”
Just then Delia came out to the veranda with a clothes-basketful of the
garments the children had played with. Good-natured Delia rarely minded
the twins’ mischief, but it had been a specially hard day, and the extra
work and company had tired her out completely. Also, it _was_ annoying
to find her carefully washed clothes all muddied and grass-stained!
“Will ye look at this, Miss Rachel!” she exclaimed, her face red and
angry. “It’s too much to ask of a gur-rl to hurry up her wash an’ cook
for comp’ny on a Monday, an’ thin to go fer her clothes, an’ find ’em
like this!”
Aunt Rachel and Aunt Abbie looked at the twins. So did Aunt Penninah.
Dick and Dolly looked at the clothes in Delia’s basket. They _were_ a
sorry sight, but the twins seemed surprised rather than ashamed.
“Why, Delia Maloney!” cried Dick. “Are you sure we spoiled those clothes
like that! Why, we just wore them to the coronation. I didn’t ’spect it
would hurt ’em a bit!”
“Neither did I!” cried Dolly. “I’m awful sorry, Delia. I s’pose we ought
not to have taken ’em; but truly, I never thought about their getting
dirty. Will you have to wash ’em all over again?”
“Will I!” said Delia, grimly; “that I will, Miss Dolly; an’ a foine time
I’ll have gettin’ the green stains out, for-bye the mud; an’ to say
nothin’ of their being torn to bits!”
She held up a sheet and a tablecloth, each of which showed a jagged
tear.
“I’ll mend those,” said Dolly, cheerfully, “they’ll be good practice,
for Aunt Rachel is just teaching me darning in my sewing lessons.”
Soft-hearted Delia couldn’t help smiling at the earnest little face;
Aunt Rachel and Aunt Abbie looked perplexed; but Aunt Penninah was
unable to restrain expression of her feelings.
“You’re the worst children I ever saw!” she exclaimed; “the very worst!
At nine years old you should know better than to cut up such naughty,
wicked tricks! You must be severely punished. Rachel, if you don’t
punish them, I shall do so myself!”
Now Dick and Dolly were quite unaccustomed to this sort of scolding.
Aunt Rachel, though severe in principle, was very lenient in practice,
and Aunt Abbie was gentleness itself. So it was with real curiosity that
the twins drew nearer, to look at the reddening face and flashing black
eyes of their great-aunt, and Dick said, very seriously:
“We _were_ naughty, Aunt Nine; and if you punish us, how are you going
to do it?”
The question was not at all impertinent, Dick’s round little face showed
only a justifiable interest, and Aunt Penninah looked a little baffled,
as both twins waited eagerly for her answer.
“Do just what you please in the matter, Aunt Nine,” said Miss Rachel,
who had never quite outlived her youthful awe of the stern old lady.
Miss Abbie clasped her hands in alarm, as if fearing the twins would be
subjected to torture, and they all awaited Miss Penninah’s dictum.
“I think,” said the old lady, slowly,—and then she paused, a little
disconcerted at the earnest gaze of the four brown eyes, that were so
like those of the children’s father, her favourite nephew.
“I think,” she went on, more gently, “that I shall forbid you to go
outside the house all day to-morrow.”
She didn’t say that she had had a far more severe punishment in mind,
but had been deterred from inflicting it by those appealing eyes.
“Whew!” cried Dick, “stay in the house a whole day!”
“Yes,” said Aunt Nine, her ire returning as she noted the other aunts’
sorrowful looks, and Delia’s woe-begone face. “You children need
discipline. It’s terrible the way you’re let to run wild! Rachel, you’ve
no idea of training children properly, and as for you, Abbie, you’re
simply a tool in their hands!”
Dolly took a step nearer to the old lady.
“Aunt Nine!” she cried, with flashing eyes, “don’t you talk like that
about my Aunt Abbie, or my Aunt Rachel, either! They know how to bring
up children just splendid! And they’re doing the best they can with me
and Dick, but, as you know yourself, we’re the worst children ever,—so
what can you ’spect?”
“Yes,” said Dick, taking his sister’s part, as usual. “We’ll do your old
punishment, and we’re sorry we were naughty;—but you can’t jump on our
aunties like that!”
The youngest inheritors of the celebrated Dana “spunk,” faced bravely
the oldest member of the proud old family, and she realised the justice
of their reproof.
“The children are partly right,” she said, turning to her older nieces
with a short, sharp laugh; “and the matter must not be discussed further
in their presence. Dick and Dolly, you will obey my orders about
to-morrow, and now come and kiss me, and we will drop the subject.”
Dick stared at his aunt and hesitated, but quicker-witted Dolly
appreciated that, in Aunt Penninah’s mind, the coming punishment wiped
out even remembrance of the fault, and she willingly kissed her. Not the
spontaneous, loving sort of embraces they gave the other aunties, but a
whole-hearted, honest kiss of truce.
Dick followed her example, and then the twins were excused, and they
raced out in the kitchen after Delia.
“The intherferin’ ould lady!” cried Delia, as she snatched the children
in her arms. “Sorra the day I iver wint to Miss Rachel wid thim clo’es;
but I was that put about, Miss Dolly, dear.”
“Oh, pooh, Delia,” cried Dick; “you were all right, and we’ve come to
’pollergize for spoilin’ your wash all up. We’re awful sorry.”
“Yes,” chimed in Dolly, as Delia embraced them both; “we’ll never do it
again; but, truly, Delia, we didn’t think!”
“Av coorse ye didn’t, ye blissid babies! Shure ye niver think! An’
what’s a wash, more or less? I wish ould Miss Penninah had to do it
hersilf fur teasin’ ye.”
“Now, Delia,” said Dick, “you mustn’t talk that way. Aunt Nine is our
aunt, and we must love and respect her just as we do the other aunties.”
“It’s a thrue Dana ye are, Masther Dick; both of yez. An’ ye’re right,
too. Miss Penninah is the grand old lady, and the rale head of the
fambly. So do yez take yer punishment like the shwate childher ye be.”
And having duly made good their reputation as “true Danas” Dick and
Dolly trotted off to bed.
The next day proved to be the very loveliest day of the whole Spring.
The sun incessantly winked an invitation for the twins to come out and
play. The blue sky smiled the same plea, and the soft breeze whispered
it again and again.
The flowers nodded at them as they looked out of the windows, and the
trees spread their branches, as in a welcoming embrace.
The birds twittered, “Come, come!” and, though too far away to be heard,
Dolly knew, her pet chicken was peeping the same words.
But worst of all was to see Pat watering their own flower-beds,—their
pansies and daffodils that had never drank from any hands save the
twins’ own!
This sight nearly made the tears come, but Dick said bravely:
“We must make the best of it, Dollums. There’s no use of getting all
weepy-waily when it won’t do any good.”
“No, but Dick, don’t you s’pose she’d just let us go and water our
plants,—if we came right back?”
“Sha’n’t ask her; and don’t you ask that, either. Now we’ll both do our
practising,—I guess I’ll practise another hour while you’re doing your
old sewing,—and then let’s go up in the attic to play.”
Dolly brightened a little. “All right; we’ve always been going to fish
around up there, and we never had a good chance before.”
So Dolly went to one piano, and Dick to the other, and they practised so
diligently and painstakingly, that Aunt Penninah, who listened at the
doors, was greatly pleased with their thorough work.
“There’s good stuff in those children, Rachel,” she said; “if you don’t
spoil them by your foolish leniency and over-indulgence.”
“I don’t mean to, Aunt Nine,” said Miss Rachel, a little meekly, “but
you know they’re never purposely mischievous. The Danas are all
impulsive and thoughtless, and Dick is exactly like his father was at
his age.”
“Yes, I know all that; but they need a strong hand to rule them, and
though you and Abbie are firm enough in some ways, you give right in to
those twins. Now, I don’t!”
“No,” said Miss Rachel, grimly, “you don’t. How long are you going to
stay this time, Aunt Nine?”
“I planned to stay only a day or two; but as I’ve become interested in
John’s children, I shall remain a week at least. I want to learn their
natures, and, incidentally, I can help you with my judgment and advice.”
Miss Rachel groaned in spirit, but made no audible objection to her
aunt’s decree.
Dolly’s sewing hour that day was devoted to mending the clothes she and
her little friends had torn, and by dint of much instruction from the
three aunts, and honest industry on her own part, she achieved some very
creditable darns and patches.
During the sewing hour, Aunt Penninah sought out Dick, and had a talk
with him. She was rather severe, but the clan feeling was strong in
both, and after their conversation Dick felt a loyalty and respect
toward the old lady, if not a deep affection.
Then, Dolly’s sewing hour being over, the twins scampered for the attic.
“It’s horrid,” said Dick, “to be shut up in this stuffy old place on a
day like this; but let’s get all the fun we can out of it.”
“Let’s,” agreed Dolly, and as a starter they rambled through the old,
unused rooms, and looked at the old pictures and discarded furniture
stored there.
“Awful poky!” said Dick as they sat down on a haircloth sofa, and stared
at each other.
“Yes,” said Dolly, with a scowl. “I think Aunt Nine is a horrid——”
“Don’t talk that way, Doll,” said Dick, remembering his conversation
with the old lady; “just forget it,—forget outdoors and flowers and
everything,—and let’s play something nice.”
“What can we play?” asked Dolly, disconsolately.
“I dunno; but isn’t it funny why we can’t think of something? If it was
a rainy day and we couldn’t go outdoors, we’d have lots of fun in the
house.”
“Well, let’s play it’s raining then.”
This was a distinct suggestion, and Dick caught it at once.
“Wow!” he cried, looking out of the window; “what a storm! It’s just
pouring!”
“So it is!” said Dolly, gleefully; “we couldn’t go out to-day even with
umbrellas! Do you s’pose it’ll clear by to-morrow?”
“Yes, I guess so. But it won’t stop all day to-day.”
“No, I don’t believe it will. So we’ll play up here to-day.”
Then the twins went into the big lumber room, where all sorts of old
things were stored away.
“What’s that big boxy thing, face to the wall?” asked Dolly, looking at
a plain black walnut affair, about as high as herself.
“Dunno; let’s turn it around.”
Dick pulled the thing out from the wall, which was quite easy, as it
rolled on casters, and it proved to be entirely open on the other side.
It was about four feet high, and about three feet wide, and though
something like a small wardrobe, it was divided into six equal
compartments, each of which was lined with wallpaper.
“Why, Dick!” cried Dolly, “it’s a playhouse! A doll’s house, you know. I
believe it was Aunt Abbie’s when she was a little girl. Do you s’pose
there’s any furniture for it?”
“Must be; somewheres. Isn’t it gay? See the windows, they have real
glass in ’em. This must be the kitchen with oilcloth on the floor.”
“Yes; and the other floors are all bare. I s’pose the carpets are put
away somewhere, with the furniture. Let’s hunt them.”
The twins were not long in discovering three or four good-sized boxes
tied together, which proved to contain the furniture of the doll’s
house.
“Oh, what fun!” cried Dolly, as they took out little beds and tables and
chairs. “But we can’t put these in place till we find the carpets. Oh,
here comes Aunt Rachel. Auntie, was this your babyhouse when you were a
little girl?”
“Yes,” said Aunt Rachel, coming toward the twins. “I meant to fix it up
for you some day, Dolly, but perhaps you’ll like to fix it yourselves
just as well.”
“Yes, we will, Auntie!” cried Dolly, tumbling into her aunt’s arms for a
few caresses before they looked for the carpets.
“Who made the house, Auntie?” said Dick, snuggling into her other arm,
and patting her cheek.
“Why, a carpenter, I suppose. Father had it made for me when I was ten
years old, and your father was a toddling baby. He used to creep up to
it, and pull out the things that he could reach.”
“Did he look like us?” asked Dolly.
“He looked like Dick. You both have eyes like his, but his hair was in
dark ringlets all over his head, like Dick’s is. Now, let’s find the
carpets, and fix up the house. Wouldn’t you rather have it down in the
playroom?”
“Oh, yes,” said Dick. “It’s pretty hot and dry up here. The playroom is
lovely and airy, ’most like outdoors.” He gave a little sigh, and Aunt
Rachel remembered that the children were undergoing punishment.
Her eyes twinkled a little, as she said:
“Aunt Nine didn’t make any other stipulation, except that you were to
stay in the house all day, did she?”
“No’m,” said Dick. “And, Auntie Rachel, we’re _awful_ sorry we spoiled
the clean clothes.”
“Yes, _terrible_ sorry,” added Dolly, while they both fondled their aunt
half-unconsciously.
“You can be the sorriest pair of twins I ever saw, after your mischief
is accomplished,” said Miss Rachel. “Why doesn’t your sorriness begin
beforehand, I’d like to know?”
“Well, you see,” said Dolly, “we don’t think——”
“That’s just it, you never ‘think.’ Now, I’m going to teach you to
think,—somehow; I don’t know how yet, but we’ll manage to make you
thinkers somehow.”
“After Aunt Nine goes away,” suggested Dick.
“Yes,” agreed Aunt Rachel, “after Aunt Nine goes away.”