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BROTHER BILLY
* * * * * *
BROTHER BILLY
Works of
Frances Margaret Fox
Farmer Brown and the Birds $ .50
The Little Giant's Neighbours .50
Mother Nature's Little Ones .50
Betty of Old Mackinaw .50
Brother Billy .50
Little Lady Marjorie 1.50
L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
New England Building
Boston, Mass.
* * * * * *
[Illustration: "'THAT'S MY AUNT FLORENCE'S LOCKET'"]
(_See page 31_)
Cosy Corner Series
BROTHER BILLY
by
FRANCES MARGARET FOX
Author of "Farmer Brown and the Birds," "Little Lady
Marjorie," "Betty of Old Mackinaw," etc.
Illustrated by Etheldred B. Barry
[Illustration]
Boston
L. C. Page & Company
1905
Copyright, 1904
By L. C. Page & Company
(Incorporated)
All rights reserved
Published October, 1904
Colonial Press
Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co.
Boston, Mass., U. S. A.
TO
MY DEAREST ONE
=Lee Everett Joslyn, Jr.=
[Illustration: CONTENTS]
CHAPTER PAGE
I. ENTERTAINING AUNT FLORENCE 1
II. INDIANS 8
III. BILLY GOES SWIMMING 24
IV. THE STEAM-TUG BILLY 35
V. ANTOINE LEBRINN 53
VI. ORANGES 67
VII. MINNAVAVANA'S BRAVES 72
VIII. ANTOINE'S BEAR STORIES 82
IX. UNCLE JOHN'S "OLD TIMER" 97
X. FISHING THROUGH THE ICE 105
XI. CHRISTMAS EVE 119
[Illustration: ILLUSTRATIONS]
PAGE
"'THAT'S MY AUNT FLORENCE'S LOCKET,'"
(_See page 31_) _Frontispiece_
"'ISN'T IT QUEER ABOUT INDIAN TRAILS?'" 10
"EVERYTHING HE WORE WAS NEW" 34
"HE HELD BILLY ON HIS KNEE" 54
"WATCHING FROM BEHIND THE NORTH WALL
OF THE EVERGREEN FORT" 76
"THERE WAS MERRIMENT WITHIN THE EVERGREEN
FORT" 77
"SAMONE" 83
"BETTY ... WROTE HER PLEDGE" 109
"LIFTING HER IN HIS ARMS" 127
BROTHER BILLY
CHAPTER I.
ENTERTAINING AUNT FLORENCE
Billy was cross. The twins from Grand Rapids who were living in the
green cottage wanted him to play Indians on the beach. The boy from
Detroit, whose mother didn't know where he was half the time, had been
teasing him to go swimming. 'Phonse LeBrinn, child of Mackinaw, was
throwing stones at the boat-house, a signal Billy well understood.
When 'Phonse had a plan that promised more fun than usual, he always
threw stones at the boat-house. Other boys came to the door and rang
the bell or knocked when they wanted Billy. 'Phonse knew better. Billy
longed to find out what was on his mind, but it wouldn't do to let any
one know that the ragged little playmate had a particular reason for
throwing stones.
Suddenly a light dawned on Billy's face. "Mamma," said he, "let me go
down on the beach and tell Frenchy he must quit that, he'll spoil the
paint. I won't be gone but a minute."
"Now, see here," remonstrated Billy's mother, "never mind what 'Phonse
is doing, and keep away from the window, Billy, so he won't see you.
Come, child, Aunt Florence will soon be ready."
"Oh, shoot the luck! I don't want to go with Aunt Florence. I want to
play with the boys. What made Betty go and tell her all about old fort
relics, I'd like to know."
"Hush, hush, Billy! Aunt Florence may hear you."
"Well, but, mamma, I don't want to go to the old fort and dig beads all
the afternoon. It's too warm. I'm roasting."
Billy's mother laughed. One look at the child's face was enough to make
anybody laugh. He was so cross. "Maybe auntie won't care to stay long,
Billy. Strangers who are not accustomed to our woods often feel pretty
lonesome at the old fort."
"She'll stay, mamma; I know all about bead-diggers; they stay and stay.
Besides that, she won't be afraid, because there are about a million
thousand resorter folks up there every day digging relics. I wish that
Betty had kept something to herself. She just reads that old Pontiac's
history all the time, and then tells all she knows to anybody that
wants to find out. She makes me tired. I don't like to go to the old
fort, anyway."
"Why not, Billy?"
"'Cause everybody up there that don't know you asks questions. They
say, 'There's a little boy, ask him;' then 'cause you don't want to
talk, they say, 'Lost your tongue,' and silly things like that. Aunt
Florence is a question asker, too, mamma. Oh, shoot the luck!"
"I'll tell you a good plan, Billy dear," suggested his mother. "You
help Aunt Florence dig beads, like a good boy, and very likely she'll
be willing to come home sooner. Then you can play with the boys the
rest of the afternoon."
"May I play with Frenchy?"
"Ye-es, yes, you may this time."
Billy's face brightened suddenly. "Oh, goody, goody, there comes
Betty," he cried. "Now I won't have to go. Where's my hat? Oh, Bet, you
came just in time," continued the boy. "Aunt Florence wants you to go
to the old fort with her to dig beads, because the missionary meeting's
going to be here, and mamma says to entertain Aunt Florence. You've got
to go, that's all."
"Of course she must go," echoed Aunt Florence, who came down-stairs in
time to hear Billy's last words. "Didn't you find your little girl at
home, Betty?"
"No, auntie, she had gone to the island, but I only came home for a
minute to ask--"
"Well," interrupted Aunt Florence, "then of course you can go with
Billy and me to the old fort."
"Guess--guess I won't go, Aunt Florence; there's a boy down there wants
me," and Billy waved his hand to 'Phonse.
"Yes, Billy'll go with you," Betty hastened to say, "because--because,
Aunt Florence, I can't. I'd love to, but I must go to see another
girl. I'd love to walk up there with you, but--but I--"
"You needn't go if you don't want to, children," Aunt Florence looked
the least bit grieved.
"Certainly they want to go," declared Billy's mother, in a tone that
Betty and Billy understood. "Go find your little shovels, children, and
bring Aunt Florence the fire shovel from the wood-shed."
Billy was about to venture a protest, but, catching a look from Betty
that meant a great deal to him, he followed her out of the room.
"What is it, Bet?" he whispered.
"Well, Billy, don't you see it won't do a bit of good to make a fuss.
We'll have to go to the old fort; mamma'll make us. But I know one
way to fix it so we won't have to stay long. The Robinsons are making
pineapple sherbet, and they've invited me to it, so I can't waste
time up to the old fort this afternoon. I told Lucille I'd come right
straight back soon's I asked mamma."
"And I want to play with Frenchy," put in the little brother.
"But don't you see, Billy, we've got to be decent to company first, so
we'll take her to the old fort all right enough, but we'll scare her
to death when we get her there, so she'll want to come right straight
home. Don't you see? I'll tell her true wild Indian stories, and she
won't want to stay."
"And I know another thing we can do," agreed Billy.
"What is it?"
"We'll take your old fort beads and then, Betty, we'll break the string
and scatter the beads in the dirt, and then we'll call her to come and
find them. She'll be satisfied to come home after that."
"Why, of course, Billy, and your plan is so much better than mine,
we'll try it first. We won't scare her unless we have to, though a good
scare never hurts anybody. You get the beads while I get the shovels.
Hurry now, we'll have some fun."
Mrs. Grannis was much relieved when the children returned with pleasant
faces. Aunt Florence, too, was pleased.
"I truly wouldn't want you to go a step unless you were perfectly
willing," she said, as they were leaving the house.
"Well, auntie, we're always willing to go anywhere, Billy and I, if we
think we can have some fun, and we're going to have a jolly time this
afternoon, aren't we, Billy?"
The little brother's round face beamed as he felt of the beads in his
trousers' pocket.