The weeks flew by, and Aunt Barbara was able first to take a short
drive, and then to be in the air hour after hour.
One Saturday Mr. Lee pushed back his chair, after dinner, and looking
pleasantly round on his children, said, "What do you all say to a visit
to Mr. Sparrow's peach orchard to-day?"
The young faces flushed back a glad response, and every little voice was
raised in a joyous welcome to the proposal.
"Aunt Barbara must go, too," said Meg, giving the old lady a protective
look, which, although it was quite absurd, sprang from real kindness.
"Yes, Aunt Barbara must go, of course," said Mr. Lee, smiling.
"And Hatty, Hatty so dood," put in Harry, as he laid his plump hand
caressingly on Hatty's white arm.
"Yes, every one must go, if the carriage is as full as the shoe where
the old woman lived, with that wonderfully large family."
"I hope none of us will have to be whipped and sent to bed," said Meg,
laughingly.
"No, no. You shall all have peaches and bread, instead," said Mr. Lee,
with a quizzical look.
The children all laughed so much at what they thought a charming
witticism on their father's part, that they could hardly hear his voice
when he spoke again to say they must be ready in an hour; and then away
he went, to give orders about the carriage.
At the first mention of the excursion Marcus had darted away to get his
fishing-tackle in order; for he knew there was a famous trouting stream
on Mr. Sparrow's farm, and he meant to have sport, for which he cared
more than for bushels of peaches.
The hour passed quickly away in busy preparation for the coming
pleasure, and all were ready when the great family carriage Mr. Lee had
borrowed from his brother, came up to the door.
The horses seemed as full of glee as the children, and Mr. Lee could not
leave them to attend to the ladies. Marcus assisted Aunt Barbara very
carefully down to the gate, and handed her in so dexterously that she
was able to take her seat without complaining of twisting her joints
with the exertion. Then Mrs. Lee was escorted with great ceremony, by
Marcus, and placed at Aunt Barbara's side. Jane (with the baby in her
arms) and Hatty took up the middle seat. Marcus was to sit with his
father,--but what was to become of Harry and Meg. The little things
looked disconsolate as they saw the places filling up; but Hatty called
out, cheerily, "I will hold Meg," and Marcus said, almost in the same
breath, "Harry must sit on my knee, that all the gentlemen may be
together."
"All de dentlemen todedder!" said Harry, with a pompous look, as he
stood ready to be lifted to the place of honor assigned him.
"Now are all packed in tight?" said Mr. Lee, as he drew up the reins in
his hand.
"All right!" was the merry shout within, and away went the horses, as
if they enjoyed the sport.
The swift motion through the cool air made Hatty glad to draw close
round her the shawl she had thrown over her bare neck and arms; and Mrs.
Lee reached forward to fold the baby's blanket closely about it.
Hatty soon found Meg rather heavy, and she might have made the whole
party uncomfortable by complaining,--but she had learned that one way of
doing right is, to check all complaints about trifles, and to be as
cheerful as possible.
After a while Meg slipped quietly down into the bottom of the carriage,
and said she had a charming seat there on the baby's strong basket. She
did not say that she saw sister Hatty was weary, and wished to relieve
her. Little Meg was learning something of Christian kindness; so true is
it that where one child in a family is really trying to do right, all
the others soon catch something of her spirit.
It was a real treat to the children to be fairly outside the town, among
green fields and pleasant woods. Mrs. Lee had to keep her head bobbing
this way and that way, to see a flock of turkeys that made Meg laugh;
or a wild flower that pleased Hatty; or a "pretty moo cow" that Harry
thought quite extraordinary.
Marcus, meanwhile, was sitting up beside his father, and trying to talk
learnedly of "crops and fallow-land, good timber, and pretty fair
orchards." His father listened when he spoke, and quietly corrected his
mistakes, without showing him the least sign of contempt, or making him
feel his youth unnecessarily.
Mr. Lee saw that Marcus was bent upon appearing like a man, and he only
tried to make him a sensible, accurate little man, instead of putting
him down in a way likely to provoke him.
All Marcus' _mannish_ ways went off, suddenly, when the carriage drew up
at Mr. Sparrow's door. He leaped from his seat, and without waiting to
hand out the ladies and children, he gave a merry shout, and started off
for the brook at a pace that most men find neither easy nor comfortable.
Good farmer Sparrow was away in the orchard; but stout Mrs. Sparrow
helped Aunt Barbara out as well as if she had been a man; and by that
time Mr. Lee had tied the horses, and was ready to lift down the
children; Meg came out with a flying skip, and Hatty bounded down
cheerfully; but Harry was so sleepy, that his father had to lift him as
if he were a bag of meal.
The sight of the peach orchard was enough to fill the children with
astonishment,--the rich fruit looked so beautifully, hanging on the
bending boughs. Aunt Barbara was placed on a comfortable chair by the
window; Mrs. Lee took the baby,--and then Jane and the children went out
into the peach orchard, with Mrs. Sparrow.
The farmer's wife knew exactly to what trees to take them; and she
reached up and picked two of the largest peaches Hatty had ever seen,
and placed one in the little girls' hands. Away went Hatty back to the
house with her treasures, and when she had given them to Aunt Barbara
and her mother, she was ready for her own pleasure.
Hatty was learning to think of others first, even in trifles.
Mrs. Lee had told the children just how many peaches they must eat; and
after they had come up to the number she named, they enjoyed going
about with Mrs. Sparrow, and watching her while she filled the large
basket that had been placed in the carriage, in front of Mr. Lee, for
the purpose. Hatty could not help thinking, as she looked at the trees
loaded with the beautiful fruit, how kind it was in our Heavenly Father
to make so much that is "pleasant to the eye and good for food," that we
may take without breaking any of his commandments. She pitied poor Eve,
if the forbidden fruit looked anything like those tempting peaches, and
was glad that there was no "serpent" at farmer Sparrow's that pleasant
day.
Hatty forgot that there is temptation every where, if not quite in the
form that was tried upon Eve.
After the children had enjoyed the orchard to their hearts' content,
little Harry grew tired, and Jane took him to rest. Mrs. Sparrow and her
strong maid carried in the heavy basket of peaches, and Hatty and Meg
had permission to wander about to look at the chickens, the bee-hives,
or anything else that might interest them.
Meg was full of glee, and would gladly have chased the chickens, handled
the young ducks, and teazed the turkey-gobbler till he was quite in a
passion. Hatty checked her as gently as she could, and managed to keep
her for some time from doing any actual mischief.
Meg was charmed when she got to the bee-hives. She had lately heard
Marcus discoursing, in his most learned manner, as to the habits and
peculiarities of bees, and she was curious to see these wise little
insects in their own home.
Hatty was glad to find her at last so absorbed as to be willing to be
quiet a moment, and, a little relieved from her anxiety, she turned away
to look at a curious plant that was growing in a small swampy place,
into which the surplus water from the large back-yard was made to flow.
The plant was, indeed, worth looking at; it was the pitcher plant, or
side-saddle-flower,--every leaf of which is so formed as to hold water.
She walked round and round it, looking into each pitcher-like leaf, and
thinking of the wonderful variety which God has chosen to make even in
the forms of the leaves, not to speak of the many-hued flowers.
Turning accidentally towards Meg, Hatty saw her slender brown arms
pushing with all their might against one of the hives, and it was
evident from Meg's determined air that she had made up her mind to do
something--some mischief, Hatty concluded, of course, and hurried to the
spot.
She only reached it in time to see the hive tumbling over, while a swarm
of angry bees came forth to avenge themselves for this overthrow of
their home.
The very impulsiveness of character, which made Hatty open to temptation
from a hasty temper, now made her think and act quickly.
She saw at once the danger that Meg was in, from the angry insects. It
was but the work of a second for Hatty to throw her light shawl
completely over Meg--the child's straw hat--holding it at such a distance
from her face and arms that the stings of the insects could not reach
her.
Then, with one hand, Hatty held her white sun-bonnet close together in
front, while she extended the other, to lead Meg.
Over Hatty's bare neck and arms the bees now settled, and began to vent
their anger in sharp stings that made her scream with pain.
The cries of the children quickly brought Mr. Lee and Farmer Sparrow,
who had been taking a survey of the place, together.
Farmer Sparrow bade Mr. Lee keep at a distance, as soon as he saw, from
the over-turned hive, and from the moving black spots on Hatty's fair
neck and arms, what was the matter.
Mr. Lee found it hard to keep away from his children when they were in
such trouble, but he knew it was best to obey.
With a dexterous turn of the shawl, Farmer Sparrow shut the bees up in
it, while he bade Meg run for her life. She needed no second command,
and was soon sobbing in her father's arms.
The few bees who had escaped from the shawl settled upon Farmer Sparrow,
but he minded them no more than if they were so many flies, for the
sagacious insects knew him too well to sting him.
"Stand quite still, child!" said Farmer Sparrow to Hatty, in a tone of
command. It would have been hard for Hatty to obey, covered as she was
with the tormenting bees, but for the belief that the prayer for help
that she had sent up to God in her distress was about to be answered.
One by one Farmer Sparrow picked off the bees with his hands, and
slipped them into the shawl, which he held like a bag. They seemed to
own him as a master, and not one offered him a disrespectful sting.
When Hatty was freed from her tormentors she was in a piteous plight,
her neck and arms being spotted over with the painful stings. Hatty
struggled hard to bear them patiently, and Farmer Sparrow declared she
was a perfect soldier.
Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Sparrow were now on the spot. The latter hastened to
bind indigo on the wounded parts, and poor Hatty soon presented an odd
appearance, her white face peering out from her blue wrappings.
Farmer Sparrow excused himself from any further attendance upon the
party, as he must secure his beloved bees ere they were lost to him.
The sun was now sinking in the west, and Marcus, laden with the results
of his successful trouting, came whistling up to the farmhouse. He
heard, in silence, the story of Hatty's misfortune; but when his mother
came quite to the end, Marcus walked up to his sister, and kissing her
fondly, said: "You are a splendid girl, Hatty. You ought to have been a
boy!" Then, turning to Meg, his indignation burst upon her, and he could
not find words strong enough to express his anger at her mischief, and
his conviction of the severity of the punishment she deserved.
Meg could only reply in sobs.
"Poor Meg is punished sufficiently by seeing her sister suffer. I think
she will not soon forget this lesson!" said Mrs. Lee, kindly.
"Meg did not know the harm she was doing!" added Hatty, pleadingly.
"I only wanted to look inside," said poor Meg, in the midst of her sobs.
"I thought the wise little bees knew too much to hurt us!"
"I hope my little Meg will remember, hereafter, 'to touch not, taste
not, handle not' what is not her own," said Mrs. Lee, soberly.
"Indeed, I will try," answered Meg, earnestly. "Do kiss me, Hatty," and
the child turned her swollen face towards her generous sister.
Hatty kissed her, and assured her the pain of the stings was almost
gone, and that she should soon be quite well.
Mr. Lee was now ready with the horses, and the little party set out for
home.
As Hatty rode along in the carriage, and all seemed so tenderly
interested for her, the little girl went back in memory to the time
before she started on that all important visit to her grandmother.
She recalled the frequent reproofs she then received from her mother,
the stern displeasure of her father, her constant quarrels with Marcus,
her impatience with Meg, and the saucy replies of the child. It seemed
strange to her to remember that even Harry did not then like to be with
her, and that she thought it quite a trial to be left with Aunt Barbara
even for a few moments. Were all changed, or was the change in herself?
When she thought all around her severe, cross, or quarrelsome, must not
the fault have been in a great measure her own?
Hatty could not bear to think of her old naughty self, and she turned
with pleasure to the happy present. God had given her the wish to do
right, and granted his blessing on her sincere efforts. How near and
dear now seemed that Heavenly Father to his little one; she realized
that He was at her side; she needed not to wait until she reached home
to thank Him for his mercies. Into her heart she knew He was then
looking, and beholding her gratitude there.
Little Hatty felt very happy as she glanced round on the kind faces,
beaming lovingly on her. Surrounded by such affection, she could bear
almost anything. Yes, Hatty Lee, who once so dreaded pain, knew now that
wrong, angry feelings, in herself, or the disapproval of her earthly
parents, or the smile of her mother withdrawn, were far greater trials
than the slight sufferings her body had been called to endure.