A DAY ON THE SOFA.
When Dotty Dimple awoke that morning, she was very much astonished to
see the sun so high.
"The sky looks very clean," said she, "and I should think it might after
such a washing."
She did not know it, but for some reason the pure blue of the heavens
made her feel dissatisfied with herself. Since she had slept upon it,
her last night's conduct seemed worse to her than ever. All this while
her grandmamma's forgiveness had not been asked. Must it be asked? Dotty
hung her proud head for shame. Then she offered her morning prayer, and
promised God that henceforth she would try to be good.
"If Jennie Vance only stays away," added she, meekly.
The fact was, Dotty was losing faith in herself. She had boasted that
she never told a lie; she had "preached" to Jennie Vance; and now,
behold, what had she been doing herself! The child was full of good
resolutions to-day, but she began to find that her strongest purposes
did not hold together any longer than her gingham dresses.
Her foot was so lame and swollen that she made believe the staircase was
a hill, and slid down it accordingly. As she hobbled by the parlor door,
she saw her Aunt Maria seated on the sofa sewing. It must be very late,
she knew. Little Flyaway, who had been chasing the cat, ran to meet her,
looking very joyful because her cousin had overslept herself.
"It's half past o'clock," said she, clapping her little hands; "half
past o'clock, Dotty Dimple!"
Dotty felt quite ashamed, but her grandmother assured her that although
it was nearly ten o'clock, she was perfectly excusable. She seated her
in an easy chair, and gave her a cracker to nibble; for Dotty said she
was not hungry, and did not care for breakfast.
There was one thought uppermost in the little girl's mind: she must ask
her grandmother's forgiveness. Some children might not have seen the
necessity, but Dotty had been well instructed at home; she knew this
good, kind grandmamma was deserving of the highest respect, and if any
of her grandchildren disobeyed her, they could do no less than
acknowledge their fault. But Dotty was a very proud child; she could not
humble herself yet.
Mrs. Parlin dressed the lame foot, and pitied it, and was very sorry the
little girl had any soreness of the throat; but not a word of reproach
did she utter; she was waiting to see if Dotty had anything to say for
herself.
Susy and Prudy had gone to Aunt Martha's and, till "the Charlie boy"
came, there was no one at home for company but little Katie. Dotty did
not wish to think; so she made the best of the little ones, and played
"keep school."
Black Dinah was the finest-looking pupil, but there were several others
made of old shawls and table-covers, who sat bolt upright, and bore
their frequent whippings very meekly. Katie and Charlie each held a
birch switch, and took the government of the school, while Dotty did the
teaching.
"Spell _man_," said Dotty, sternly, pointing with a bodkin at Dinah.
Dinah was sulky, and kept her red silk mouth shut; but Dotty answered
for her: "m, a, n, man."
"To," said she to the black and white shawl: "t, o, to." "Put," to the
green table-cover: "p, u, t, put."
"We 'shamed o' you," said Katie, beating the whole school unmercifully.
"Why don't you mind in a minute? Let _me_ spell 'em! Hush, Dinah! Say
put! T, o, put!"
"I think," said Dotty, laughing, "it is time now for Dinah to take her
music lesson."
"Yes," said Katie, "lady wants um to packus."
So the colored miss was set on the music stool, and both her kid hands
spread out upon the keys.
"Don't um packus booful?" said Katie, admiringly.
But next moment Charlie was punishing the pupil because she didn't
"breeve." "Kady wanth her to breeve when her packithith."
As it was an ingrain misfortune of Dinah's that she could not breathe,
she showed no signs of repentance.
"Stop!" said Dotty; "she looks faint; it is rheumatism, I think."
"O, O, roosum-tizzum! Poo' Dinah!" said Katie.
"We must pack her in a wet sheet," said Dotty.
Katie was sent to the kitchen for a towel and a basin of water; and very
soon Dinah's clothes were removed, and she was rolled up in a pack;
like the boy in the swamp, with "not a bit of her out but the end of her
nose."
"Ow! Ow!" cried Katie, in a tone of agony, speaking for Dinah. "Ow! O,
dear!"
This was what the black patient would have said, no doubt, if she had
had her faculties. Aunt Maria came in, a little alarmed, to inquire what
was the matter with Katie.
"Nuffin, mamma, only we _suffer_ Dinah," replied the child, dancing
round the patient; "her wants to ky, but her can't. Gets caught in her
teef comin' out!"
"Very well," said Mrs. Clifford, kissing the small nurse, "you may
'suffer' Dinah as much as you like, but please don't scream quite so
loud."
"Is grandma busy, Aunt 'Ria?" said Dotty; "because I'd like to see her
a moment."
The child had seized her knitting-work. Her face was flushed and eager.
She thought she felt brave enough to open her heart to her grandmother;
but when Mrs. Parlin entered the nursery, her face beaming with
kindness, Dotty was not ready.
"O, grandma," stammered she, "are there any ducks hatched? Don't you
think that hen is very slow and very lazy?"
Mrs. Parlin knew her little granddaughter had not called her out of the
kitchen merely to ask about the poultry. She seated herself on the sofa,
and drew Dotty's head into her lap.
"Please look at my knitting-work, grandma. Shall I seam that stitch or
_plain_ it?"
"You are doing very well," said Mrs. Parlin, looking at the work; "you
seamed in the right place."
Dotty cast about in her mind for something more to say.
"Grandma, you know what fireflies are? Well, if you scratch 'em will
they light a lamp? Susy says they have _fosfos_ under their wings, like
a match."
"No, Alice; with all the scratching in the world, they could not be made
to light a lamp."
Dotty sighed.
"Grandma, there are some things in this world I hate, and one is
skeetos."
"They are vexatious little creatures, it is true."
There was a long pause.
"Grandma, are skeetos idiotic? You said people without brains were
idiotic, and there isn't any place in a skeeto's head for brains."
"Dotty," said grandma, rising with a smile, "if you sent for me to ask
me such foolish questions as these, I must really beg to be excused. I
have a pudding to make for dinner."
"Grandma, O, grandma," cried Dotty, seizing her skirts, "I have
something to say, now truly; something real sober. I--I--"
"Well, my dear," said Mrs. Parlin, encouragingly.
"I--I--O, grandma, which do you think can knit the best, Prudy or I?"
"My dear Dotty," said the kind grandmother, stroking the child's hair,
"don't be afraid to tell the whole story. I know you have a trouble at
your heart. Do you think you were a naughty girl last night?"
[Illustration: DOTTY AND "THE CHARLIE BOY."--Page 113.]
Dotty's head drooped. She tried to say, "Yes, ma'am;" but, like
Dinah, "the words got caught in her teef comin' out."
"We didn't go where you thought we did, grandma," faltered she at last.
"Mr. Crossman has two orchards, and we went to just the one you wouldn't
have s'posed."
"Yes, dear; so I have learned to-day."
"I deceived you a-purpose, grandma; for if I hadn't deceived you, you
wouldn't have let me go."
There was a sorrowful expression on Mrs. Parlin's face as she listened
to these words, though they told her nothing new.
"Has you got a pain, gamma?" said little Katie, tenderly.
"I did another wickedness, grandma," said Dotty, in a low voice; "I went
barefoot, and you never said I might."
"Poor little one, you were sorely punished for that," said grandma,
kindly.
"And another, too, I did; I threw my basket away; but that wasn't much
wicked; Jennie made me think perhaps 'twas a non."
"A what?"
"A _non_, that catches lightning, you know; so I threw it away to save
my life."
Grandma smiled.
"And now," continued Dotty, twirling her fingers, "can you--can
you--forgive me, grandma?"
"Indeed I can and will, child, if you are truly sorry."
"There now, grandma," said Dotty, looking distressed, "you think I don't
feel sorry because I don't cry. I can't cry as much as Prudy does, ever;
and besides, I cried all my tears away last night."
Dotty rubbed her eyes vigorously as she spoke, but no "happy mist" came
over them.
"Why, my dear little Alice," said grandmamma, "it is quite unnecessary
for you to rub your eyes. Don't you know you can _prove_ to me that you
are sorry?"
"How, grandma?"
"Never do any of these naughty things again. That is the way I shall
know that you really repent. Sometimes children think they are sorry,
and make a great parade, but forget it next day, and repeat the
offence."
"Indeed, grandma, I don't mean ever to deceive or disobey again," said
Dotty, with a great deal more than her usual humility.
"Ask your heavenly Father to help you keep that promise," said Mrs.
Parlin, solemnly.