CHAPTER I._What Might Have Been Expected

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WHAT MIGHT HAVE

BEEN EXPECTED

Frank R. Stockton

New York

Dodd, Mead and Company

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Harry Loudon Makes Up His Mind. 9

II. The Adoption. 15

III. Commencing Business. 21

IV. Kate, very naturally, is Anxious. 30

V. The Turkey-Hunter. 38

VI. Tony Strikes Out. 47

VII. Aunt Matilda's Christmas. 58

VIII. A Lively Team. 71

IX. Business in Earnest. 85

X. A Meeting on the Road. 97

XI. Rob. 103

XII. Tony on the War-path. 112

XIII. Cousin Maria. 118

XIV. Harry's Grand Scheme. 124

XV. The Council. 135

XVI. Company Business. 143

XVII. Principally Concerning Kate. 154

XVIII. The Arrival. 164

XIX. Constructing the Line. 172

XX. An Important Meeting of the Board. 181

XXI. A Last Resort. 189

XXII. A Quandary. 194

XXIII. Crossing the Creek. 202

XXIV. The First Business Telegrams. 210

XXV. Profits and Projects. 225

XXVI. A Grand Proposition. 237

XXVII. How Something Came to an End. 246

XXVIII. A Meeting. 253

XXIX. Once more in the Woods. 257

XXX. A Girl and a Gun. 264

XXXI. A Man in a Boat. 271

XXXII. Aunt Matilda's Letter. 277

XXXIII. Time to Stop. 286

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WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPECTED.

CHAPTER I.

HARRY LOUDON MAKES UP HIS MIND.

On a wooden bench under a great catalpa-tree, in the front yard of a

comfortable country-house in Virginia, sat Harry and Kate Loudon

worrying their minds. It was all about old Aunt Matilda.

Aunt Matilda was no relation of these children. She was an old colored

woman, who lived in a cabin about a quarter of a mile from their house,

but they considered her one of their best friends. Her old log cabin was

their favorite resort, and many a fine time they had there. When they

caught some fish, or Harry shot a bird or two, or when they could get

some sweet potatoes or apples to roast, and some corn-meal for

ash-cakes, they would take their provisions to Aunt Matilda and she

would cook them. Sometimes an ash-cake would be baked rather harder than

it was convenient to bite, and it had happened that a fish or two had

been cooked entirely away, but such mishaps were not common. Aunt

Matilda was indeed a most wonderful cook--and a cook, too, who liked to

have a boy and a girl by her while she was at work; and who would tell

them stories--as queer old stories as ever were told--while the things

were cooking. The stories were really the cause of the ash-cakes and

fish sometimes being forgotten.

And it is no wonder that these children were troubled in their minds.

They had just heard that Aunt Matilda was to go to the alms-house.

Harry and Kate were silent. They had mourned over the news, and Kate had

cried. There was nothing more to be done about it, so far as she could

see.

But all of a sudden Harry jumped up. "I tell you what it is Kate," he

exclaimed; "I've made up my mind! Aunt Matilda is not going to the

alms-house. I will support her myself!"

"Oh, that will be splendid!" cried Kate; "but you can never do it!"

"Yes, I can," said Harry. "There are ever so many ways in which I can

earn money."

"What are you going to do?" said Kate; "will you let me help?"

"Yes," said her brother; "you may help if you can, but I don't think you

will be of much use. As for me, I shall do plenty of things. I shall go

out with my gun--"

"But there is nothing to shoot, now in the summer-time," said Kate.

"No, there isn't much yet, to be sure," said her brother, "but before

very long there will be partridges and hares, plenty of them; and father

and Captain Caseby will buy all I shoot. And you see, until it is time

for game I'm going to gather sumac."

"Oh! I can help you in that," cried Kate.

"Yes, I believe you can," said her brother. "And now, suppose we go down

and see Aunt Matilda, and have a talk with her about it."

"Just wait until I get my bonnet," said Kate. And she dashed into the

house, and then, with a pink calico sun-bonnet on her head, she came

down the steps in two jumps, and the brother and sister, together,

hurried through the woods to Aunt Matilda's cabin.

Harry and Kate Loudon were well-educated children, and, in many

respects, knew more than most girls and boys who were older than they.

Harry had been taught by his father to ride and to swim and to shoot as

carefully as his school-teacher had taught him to spell and to parse.

And he was not only taught to be skillful in these outdoor pursuits, but

to be prudent, and kind-hearted. When he went gunning, he shot birds and

game that were fit for the table; and when he rode, he remembered that

his horse had feelings as well as himself. Being a boy of good natural

impulses, he might have found out these things for himself; but, for

fear that he might be too long about it, his father carefully taught him

that it was possible to shoot and to hunt and to ride without being

either careless or cruel. It must not be supposed that Harry was so

extremely particular that there was no fun in him, for he had discovered

that there is just as much fun in doing things right as in doing them

wrong; and as there was not a boy in all the country round about who

could ride or swim or shoot so well as Harry, so there was none who had

a more generally jolly time than he.

His sister Kate was a sharp, bright, intelligent girl, rather inclined

to be wild when opportunity offered; but very affectionate, and always

as ready for outdoor sports as any boy. She could not shoot--at least,

she never tried--and she did not ride much on horseback, but she

enjoyed fishing, and rambles through the woods were to her a constant

delight. When anything was to be done, especially if it was anything

novel, Kate was always ready to help. If anybody had a plan on hand, it

was very hard to keep her finger out of it; and if there were

calculations to be made, it was all the better. Kate had a fine head for

mathematics, and, on the whole, she rather preferred a slate and pencil

to needles and spool-cotton.

As to Aunt Matilda, there could be no doubt about her case being a

pretty hard one. She was quite old and decrepit when the war set her

free, and, at the time of our story, she was still older and stiffer.

Her former master had gone to the North to live, and as she had no

family to support her, the poor old woman was compelled to depend upon

the charity of her neighbors. For a time she managed to get along

tolerably well, but it was soon found that she would suffer if she

depended upon occasional charity, especially after she became unable to

go after food or help. Mr. and Mrs. Loudon were very willing to give her

what they could, but they had several poor people entirely dependent

upon them, and they found it impossible to add to the number of their

pensioners. So it was finally determined among the neighbors that Aunt

Matilda would have to go to the alms-house, which place was provided for

just such poor persons as she. Neither Harry nor Kate knew much about

the alms-house, but they thought it must be some sort of a horrible

place; and, at any rate, it was too hard that Aunt Matilda should have

to leave her old home where she had spent so many, many years.

And they did not intend she should do it.