THE TREE-PARTY.
Another golden day! But the days would all be golden now, thought
Hildegarde. "Oh, how different it is from yesterday!" she cried to Nurse
Lucy as she danced about the kitchen. "The sun shone yesterday, but it
did us no good. To-day it warms my heart, the good sunshine. And
yesterday the trees seemed to mock me, with all their scarlet and gold;
but to-day they are dressed up to celebrate our good fortune. Let us
call them in to rejoice with us, Nurse Lucy. Let us have a tree-party,
instead of a tea-party!"
"My dear," said Dame Hartley, looking up with a puzzled smile, "what
_do_ you mean?"
"Oh! I don't mean to invite the whole forest to supper," said
Hildegarde, laughing. "But you shall see, Nurse Lucy; you shall see.
Just wait till this afternoon. I must run now over to Pink's, and tell
her all the wonderful things that have happened, and see how poor Bubble
is."
Away she went like a flash, through the golden fields, down the lane,
where the maples made a flaming tent of scarlet over her head, bursting
suddenly like a whirlwind into the little cottage, where the brother and
sister, both now nearly helpless, sat waiting with pale and anxious
faces. At sight of her Pink uttered a cry of delight, while Bubble
flushed with pleasure; and both were about to pour out a flood of eager
questions, when Hilda laid her hand over Pink's mouth and made a sign to
the boy. "Two minutes to get my breath!" she cried, panting; "only two,
and then you shall hear all." She spent the two minutes in filling the
kettle and presenting Bubble with a pot of peach-marmalade that Dame
Hartley had sent him; then, sitting down by the invalid's chair, she
told from beginning to end the history of the past two days. The recital
was thrilling enough, and before it was over the pale cheeks were
crimson, and the two pairs of blue eyes blazed with excitement.
"_Oh!_" cried Bubble, hopping up and down in his chair, regardless of
the sprained ankle. "Oh, I _say_, Miss Hildy! I dunno what _to_ say!
Wouldn't _he_ ha' liked it, though? My! 'twas jest like himself. Jes'
exactly what he'd ha' done."
"What who would have done, Bubble?" asked Hilda, laughing.
"Why, him! Buckle-oh!" said the boy. "I was jest sayin' over the ballid
when I saw ye comin'. Warn't it like him, Pink, say?"
But Pink drew the stately head down towards her, and kissed the glowing
cheek, and whispered, "Queen Hildegarde! _my_ queen!"
The tears started to Hilda's eyes as she returned the kiss; but she
brushed them away, and rose hastily, announcing her intention of
"setting things to rights" against Mrs. Chirk's return. "You poor
dears!" she cried, "how did you manage yesterday? If I had only known, I
would have come and got dinner for you."
"Oh! we got on very well indeed," replied Pink, laughing, "though there
were one or two mishaps. Fortunately there was plenty of bread in the
cupboard, where we could easily reach it; and with that and the molasses
jug, we were in no danger of starvation. But Mother had left a
custard-pie on the upper shelf, and poor Bubble wanted a piece of it for
dinner. But neither of us cripples could get at it; and for a long time
we could think of no plan which would make it possible. At last Bubble
had a bright idea. You remember the big fork that Mother uses to take
pies out of the oven? Well, he spliced that on to the broom-handle, and
then, standing well back, so that he could see (on one foot, of course,
for he couldn't put the other to the ground), he reached for the pie. It
was a dreadful moment, Hilda! The pie slid easily on to the fork, and
for a moment all seemed to promise well; but the next minute, just as
Bubble began to lower it, he wavered on his one foot--only a little, but
enough to send the poor pie tumbling to the ground."
"Poor pie!" cried Bubble. "Wal, I like that! Poor _me_, I sh'd say. I'd
had bread'n m'lasses three meals runnin', Miss Hildy. Now don't you
think that old pie might ha' come down straight?"
"You should have seen his face, poor dear!" cried Pink. "He really
couldn't laugh--for almost two minutes."
"Wal, I s'pose 'twas kind o' funny," the boy admitted, while Hilda
laughed merrily over the catastrophe. "But thar! when one's used to
standin' on two legs, it's dretful onhandy tryin' to stand on one. We'll
have bread and jam to-day," he added, with an affectionate glance at
the pot of marmalade, "and that's a good enough dinner for the Governor
o' the State."
"Indeed, you shall have more than that!" cried Hildegarde. "Nurse Lucy
does not need me before dinner, so I will get your dinner for you."
So the active girl made up the fire anew, swept the floor, dusted tables
and chairs, and made the little room look tidy and cheerful, as Pink
loved to see it. Then she ran down to the cellar, and reappeared with a
basket of potatoes and a pan of rosy apples.
"Now we will perform a trio!" she said. "Pink, you shall peel and core
the apples for apple-sauce, and Bubble shall pare the potatoes, while I
make biscuit and gingerbread."
Accordingly, she rolled up her sleeves and set busily to work; the
others followed her example, and fingers and tongues moved ceaselessly,
in cheerful emulation of each other.
"I'd like to git hold o' Simon Hartley!" said Bubble, slicing vengefully
at a big potato. "I wish't he was this tater, so I do! _I'd_ skin him!
Yah! ornery critter! An' him standin' thar an' grinnin' at me over the
wall, an' I couldn't do nothin'! Seemed's though I sh'd _fly_, Miss
Hildy, it did; an' then not to be able to crawl even! I sw--I tell ye,
now, I didn't like that."
"Poor Bubble!" said Hilda, compassionately, "I'm sure you didn't. And
did he really start to crawl over to the farm, Pink?"
"Indeed he did!" replied Pink. "Nothing that I could say would keep him
from trying it; so I bandaged his ankle as well as I could, and off he
started. But he fainted twice before he got to the gate, so there was
nothing for it but to crawl back again, and--have the knees of his
trousers mended."
"Dear boy!" said Hilda, patting the curly head affectionately. "Good,
faithful boy! I shall think a great deal more of it, Bubble, than if
you had been able to walk all the way. And, after all," she added, "I am
glad I had to do it myself,--go down to the mill, I mean. It is
something to remember! I would not have missed it."
"No more wouldn't I!" cried Bubble, enthusiastically. "I'd ha' done it
for ye twenty times, ye know that, Miss Hildy; but I druther ha' hed you
do it;" and Hildegarde understood him perfectly.
The simple meal prepared and set out, Hilda bade farewell to her two
friends, and flitted back to the farm. Mrs. Chirk was to return in the
evening, so she felt no further anxiety about them.
She found the farmer just returned from the village in high spirits.
Squire Gaylord had examined the diamonds, pronounced them of great
value, and had readily advanced the money to pay off the mortgage,
taking two or three large stones as security. Lawyer Clinch had
reluctantly received his money, and relinquished all claim upon
Hartley's Glen, though with a very bad grace.
"He kind o' insinuated that the di'monds had prob'ly ben stole by Father
_or_ me, he couldn't say which; and he said somethin' about inquirin'
into the matter. But Squire Gaylord shut him up pooty quick, by sayin'
thar was more things than that as might be inquired into, and if he
began, others might go on; and Lawyer Clinch hadn't nothin' more to say
after that."
When dinner was over, and everything "redded up," Hildegarde sent Dame
Hartley upstairs to take a nap, and escorted the farmer as far as the
barn on his way to the turnip-field. Then, "the coast being clear," she
said to herself, "we will prepare for the tree-party."
Accordingly, arming herself with a stout pruning-knife, she took her way
to the "wood-lot," which lay on the north side of the house. The
splendor of the trees, which were now in full autumnal glory, gave Hilda
a sort of rapture as she approached them. What had she ever seen so
beautiful as this,--the shifting, twinkling myriads of leaves, blazing
with every imaginable shade of color above the black, straight trunks;
the deep, translucent blue of the sky bending above; the golden light
which transfused the whole scene; the crisp freshness of the afternoon
air? She wanted to sing, to dance, to do everything that was joyous and
free. But now she had work to do. She visited all her favorite
trees,--the purple ash, the vivid, passionate maples, the oaks in their
sober richness of murrey and crimson. On each and all she levied
contributions, cutting armful after armful, and carried them to the
house, piling them in splendid heaps on the shed-floor. Then, after
carefully laying aside a few specially perfect branches, she began the
work of decoration. Over the chimney-piece she laid great boughs of
maple, glittering like purest gold in the afternoon light, which
streamed broadly in through the windows. Others--scarlet, pink, dappled
red, and yellow--were placed over the windows, the doors, the dresser.
She filled the corners with stately oak-boughs, and made a bower of the
purple ash in the bow-window,--Faith's window. Then she set the
tea-table with the best china, every plate and dish resting on a mat of
scarlet leaves, while a chain of yellow ones outlined the shining square
board. A tiny scarlet wreath encircled the tea-kettle, and even the
butter-dish displayed its golden balls beneath an arch of flaming
crimson. This done, she filled a great glass bowl with purple-fringed
asters and long, gleaming sprays of golden-rod, and setting it in the
middle of the table, stood back with her head a little on one side and
surveyed the general effect.
"Good!" was her final comment; "very good! And now for my own part."
She gathered in her apron the branches first selected, and carried them
up to her own room, where she proceeded to strip off the leaves and to
fashion them into long garlands. As her busy fingers worked, her
thoughts flew hither and thither, bringing back the memories of the past
few days. Now she stood in the kitchen, pistol in hand, facing the
rascal Simon Hartley; and she laughed to think how he had shaken and
cowered before the empty weapon. Now she was in the vault of the ruined
mill, with a thousand horrors of darkness pressing on her, and only the
tiny spark of light in her lantern to keep off the black and shapeless
monsters. Now she thought of the kind farmer, with a throb of pity, as
she recalled the hopeless sadness of his face the night before. Just the
very night before, only a few hours; and now how different everything
was! Her heart gave a little happy thrill to think that she, Hilda, the
"city gal," had been able to help these dear friends in their trouble.
They loved her already, she knew that; they would love her more now. Ah!
and they would miss her all the more, now that she must leave them so
soon.
Then, like a flash, her thoughts reverted to the plan she had been
revolving in her mind two days before, before all these strange things
had happened. It was a delightful little plan! Pink was to be sent to a
New York hospital,--the very best hospital that could be found; and
Hildegarde hoped--she thought--she felt almost sure that the trouble
could be greatly helped, if not cured altogether. And then, when Pink
was well, or at least a great, great deal better, she was to come and
live at the farm, and help Nurse Lucy, and sing to the farmer, and be
all the comfort--no, not all, but nearly the comfort that Faith would
have been if she had lived. And Bubble--yes! Bubble must go to
school,--to a good school, where his bright, quick mind should learn
everything there was to learn. Papa would see to that, Hilda knew he
would. Bubble would delight Papa! And then he would go to college, and
by and by become a famous doctor, or a great lawyer, or--oh! Bubble
could be anything he chose, she was sure of it.
So the girl's happy thoughts flew on through the years that were to
come, weaving golden fancies even as her fingers were weaving the gay
chains of shining leaves; but let us hope the fancy-chains, airy as they
were, were destined to become substantial realities long after the
golden wreaths had faded.
But now the garlands were ready, and none too soon; for the shadows were
lengthening, and she heard Nurse Lucy downstairs, and Farmer Hartley
would be coming in soon to his tea. She took from a drawer her one white
frock, the plain lawn which had once seemed so over-plain to her, and
with the wreaths of scarlet and gold she made a very wonderful thing of
it. Fifteen minutes' careful work, and Hilda stood looking at her image
in the glass, well pleased and a little surprised; for she had been too
busy of late to think much about her looks, and had not realized how sun
and air and a free, out-door life had made her beauty blossom and glow
like a rose in mid-June. With a scarlet chaplet crowning her fair locks,
bands of gold about waist and neck and sleeves, and the whole skirt
covered with a fantastic tracery of mingled gold and fire, she was a
vision of almost startling loveliness. She gave a little happy laugh.
"Dear old Farmer!" she said, "he likes to see me fine. I think this will
please him." And light as a thistledown, the girl floated downstairs and
danced into the kitchen just as Farmer Hartley entered it from the other
side.
"Highty-tighty!" cried the good man, "what's all this? Is there a fire?
Everything's all ablaze! Why, Hildy! bless my soul!" He stood in silent
delight, looking at the lovely figure before him, with its face of rosy
joy and its happy, laughing eyes.
"It's a tree-party," explained Hildegarde, taking his two hands and
leading him forward. "I'm part of it, you see, Farmer Hartley. Do you
like it? Is it pretty? It's to celebrate our good fortune," she added;
and putting her arm in the old man's, she led him about the room,
pointing out the various decorations, and asking his approval.
Farmer Hartley admired everything greatly, but in an absent way, as if
his mind were preoccupied with other matters. He turned frequently
towards the door, as if he expected some one to follow him. "All for
me?" he kept asking. "All for me and Marm Lucy, Hildy? Ye--ye ain't
expectin' nobody else to tea, now?"
"No," said Hilda, wondering. "Of course not. Who else is there to come?
Bubble has sprained his ankle, you know, and Pink--"
"Yes, yes; I know, I know!" said the farmer, still with that backward
glance at the door. And then, as he heard some noise in the yard, he
added hurriedly: "At the same time, ye know, Hildy, people do sometimes
drop in to tea--kind o' onexpected-like, y' understand. And--and--all
this pretty show might--might seem to--indicate, ye see--"
"Jacob Hartley? what are you up to?" demanded Nurse Lucy, rather
anxiously, as she stood at the shed-door watching him intently. "Does
your head feel dizzy? You'd better go and lie down; you've had too much
excitement for a man of--"
"Oh, you thar, Marm Lucy?" cried the farmer, with a sigh of relief that
was half a chuckle, "Now, thar! you tell Hildy that folks does sometimes
drop in--onexpected-like--folks from a _con_sid'able distance sometimes.
Why, I've known 'em--" But here he stopped suddenly. And as Hilda,
expecting she knew not what, stood with hands clasped together, and
beating heart, the door was thrown open and a strong, cheery voice
cried, "Well, General!" Another moment, and she was clasped in her
father's arms.
THE LAST WORD.
The lovely autumn is gone, and winter is here. Mr. and Mrs. Graham have
long since been settled at home, and Hildegarde is with them. How does
it fare with her, the new Hildegarde, under the old influences and amid
the old surroundings? For answer, let us take the word of her oldest
friend,--the friend who "_knows_ Hildegarde!" Madge Everton has just
finished a long letter to Helen McIvor, who is spending the winter in
Washington, and there can be no harm in our taking a peep into it.
"You ask me about Hilda Graham; but, _alas!_ I have
NOTHING pleasant to tell. My dear, Hilda is simply
LOST to us! It is all the result of that _dreadful_
summer spent among _swineherds_. You know what the Bible
says! I don't know exactly _what_, but something _terrible_
about that sort of thing. Of course it is _partly_ her
mother's influence as well. I have always DREADED
it for Hilda, who is so _sensitive_ to _impressions_. Why, I
remember, as far back as the first year that we were at Mme.
Haut-Ton's, Mrs. Graham saying to Mamma, 'I wish we could
interest our girls a little in _sensible_ things!' My dear,
she meant _hospitals_ and _soup-kitchens_ and things! And
Mamma said (you know Mamma isn't in the _least_ afraid of
Mrs. Graham, though I confess I AM!), 'My _dear_
Mrs. Graham, if there is _one_ thing Society will
NOT tolerate, it is a _sensible_ woman. Our girls
might as well have the small-pox at once, and be done with
it.' Wasn't it _clever_ of Mamma? And Mrs. Graham just
LOOKED at her as if she were a _camel_ from
_Barnum's_.
"Well, poor Hildegarde is sensible enough _now_ to satisfy
_even_ her mother. Ever since she came home from that
_odious_ place, it has been one round of hospitals and
tenement-houses and _sloughs of horror_. I don't mean that
she has given up school, for she is studying harder than
ever; but out of school she is simply _swallowed up_ by
these wretched things. I have remonstrated with her _almost_
on my KNEES. 'Hildegarde,' I said one day, 'do you
REALIZE that you are practically _giving up_ your
_whole_ LIFE? If you once _lose your place_ in
Society among those of your _own age_ and _position_, you
NEVER can regain it. Do you REALIZE this, Hilda?
for I feel it a SOLEMN DUTY to _warn_ you!' My
dear, she actually LAUGHED! and only said, 'Dear
Madge, I have only just begun to have any life!' And that
was _all_ I could get out of her, for just then some one
came in. But even _this_ is not _the worst_! Oh, Helen! she
has some of the _creatures_ whom she saw this summer,
actually _staying_ in the house,--in THAT house,
which we used to call Castle Graham, and were almost afraid
to enter ourselves, so stately and beautiful it was! There
are two of these creatures,--a girl about our age, some sort
of dreadful cripple, who goes about in a bath-chair, and a
freckled imp of a boy. The girl is at ---- Hospital for
treatment, but spends _every Sunday_ at the Grahams', and
Hilda devotes _most_ of her spare time to her. The boy is at
school,--one of the _best_ schools in the city. 'But _who_
are these people?' I hear you cry. My dear! they are simply
_ignorant paupers_, who were Hilda's constant companions
through that _disastrous summer_. Now their mother is dead,
and the people with whom Hilda stayed have adopted them. The
boy is to be a doctor, and the girl is going to get well,
Dr. George says. (_He_ calls her a beautiful and interesting
creature; but you know what _that_ means. _Any diseased_
creature is beautiful to _him_!) Well, and THESE,
my dear Helen, are Hilda Graham's FRIENDS, for whom
she has _deserted_ her OLD _ones_! for though she
is _unchanged_ towards me when I see her, I hardly ever
_do_ see her. She cares nothing for _my_ pursuits, and I
certainly have NO intention of joining in _hers_. I
met her the other day on _Fifth Avenue_, walking beside that
_odious_ bath-chair, which the freckled boy was pushing. She
looked so _lovely_ (for she is prettier than ever, with a
fine color and eyes like _stars_), and was talking so
earnestly, and walking somehow as if she were treading on
air, it sent a PANG through my heart. I just paused
an instant (for though I _trust_ I am not SNOBBISH,
Helen, still, I _draw the line_ at bath-chairs, and will
_not_ be seen standing by one), and said in a low tone,
meant _only_ for _her ear_, 'Ah! has _Queen Hildegarde_ come
to _this_?' My dear, she only LAUGHED! But that
_girl_, that cripple, looked up with a smile and a sort of
flash over her face, and said, just as if she _knew_ me,
'Yes, Miss Everton! the Queen has come to her kingdom!'"
THE END
Selections from The Page Company's Books for Young People
* * * * *
THE BLUE BONNET SERIES
_Each large 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated, per volume_ $1.75
A TEXAS BLUE BONNET
By CAROLINE E. JACOBS.
"The book's heroine, Blue Bonnet, has the very finest kind of wholesome,
honest, lively girlishness."--_Chicago Inter-Ocean._
BLUE BONNET'S RANCH PARTY
By CAROLINE E. JACOBS AND EDYTH ELLERBECK READ.
"A healthy, natural atmosphere breathes from every chapter."--_Boston
Transcript._
BLUE BONNET IN BOSTON
By CAROLINE E. JACOBS AND LELA HORN RICHARDS.
"It is bound to become popular because of its wholesomeness and its many
human touches."--_Boston Globe._
BLUE BONNET KEEPS HOUSE
By CAROLINE E. JACOBS AND LELA HORN RICHARDS.
"It cannot fail to prove fascinating to girls in their teens."--_New
York Sun._
BLUE BONNET--DÉBUTANTE
By LELA HORN RICHARDS.
An interesting picture of the unfolding of life for Blue Bonnet.
BLUE BONNET OF THE SEVEN STARS
By LELA HORN RICHARDS.
"The author's intimate detail and charm of narration gives the reader an
interesting story of the heroine's war activities."--_Pittsburgh
Leader._
ONLY HENRIETTA
BY LELA HORN RICHARDS.
Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated $1.90
"It is an inspiring story of the unfolding of life for a young girl--a
story in which there is plenty of action to hold interest and wealth of
delicate sympathy and understanding that appeals to the hearts of young
and old."--_Pittsburgh Leader._
HENRIETTA'S INHERITANCE: A Sequel to "Only Henrietta"
BY LELA HORN RICHARDS.
Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated $1.90
"One of the most noteworthy stories for girls issued this season. The
life of Henrietta is made very real, and there is enough incident in the
narrative to balance the delightful characterization."--_Providence
Journal._
THE YOUNG KNIGHT
By I.M.B. of K.
Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated $1.75
The clash of broad-sword on buckler, the twanging of bow-strings and the
cracking of spears splintered by whirling maces resound through this
stirring tale of knightly daring-do.
THE YOUNG CAVALIERS
By I.M.B. of K.
Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated $1.75
"There have been many scores of books written about the Charles Stuarts
of England, but never a merrier and more pathetic one than 'The Young
Cavaliers.'"--_Family Herald._
"The story moves quickly, and every page flashes a new thrill before the
reader, with plenty of suspense and excitement. There is valor,
affection, romance, chivalry and humor in this fascinating
tale."--_Kansas City Kansan._
THE MARJORY-JOE SERIES
By ALICE E. ALLEN
_Each one volume, cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, per volume_ $1.50
JOE, THE CIRCUS BOY AND ROSEMARY
These are two of Miss Allen's earliest and most successful stories,
combined in a single volume to meet the insistent demands from young
people for these two particular tales.
THE MARTIE TWINS: Continuing the Adventures of Joe, the Circus Boy
"The chief charm of the story is that it contains so much of human
nature. It is so real that it touches the heart strings."--_New York
Standard._
MARJORY, THE CIRCUS GIRL
A sequel to "Joe, the Circus boy," and "The Martie Twins."
MARJORY AT THE WILLOWS
Continuing the story of Marjory, the Circus Girl.
"Miss Allen does not write impossible stories, but delightfully pins her
little folk right down to this life of ours, in which she ranges
vigorously and delightfully."--_Boston Ideas._
MARJORY'S HOUSE PARTY: Or, What Happened at Clover Patch
"Miss Allen certainly knows how to please the children and tells them
stories that never fail to charm."--_Madison Courier._
MARJORY'S DISCOVERY
This new addition to the popular MARJORY-JOE SERIES is as lovable and
original as any of the other creations of this writer of charming
stories. We get little peeps at the precious twins, at the healthy
minded Joe and sweet Marjory. There is a bungalow party, which lasts the
entire summer, in which all of the characters of the previous
MARJORY-JOE stories participate, and their happy times are delightfully
depicted.
THE YOUNG PIONEER SERIES
By HARRISON ADAMS
_Each 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated, per volume_ $1.65
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE OHIO;
OR, CLEARING THE WILDERNESS.
"Such books as this are an admirable means of stimulating among the
young Americans of to-day interest in the story of their pioneer
ancestors and the early days of the Republic."--_Boston Globe._
THE PIONEER BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES;
OR, ON THE TRAIL OF THE IROQUOIS.
"The recital of the daring deeds of the frontier is not only interesting
but instructive as well and shows the sterling type of character which
these days of self-reliance and trial produced."--_American Tourist,
Chicago._
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE MISSISSIPPI;
OR, THE HOMESTEAD IN THE WILDERNESS.
"The story is told with spirit, and is full of adventure."--_New York
Sun._
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE MISSOURI;
OR, IN THE COUNTRY OF THE SIOUX.
"Vivid in style, vigorous in movement, full of dramatic situations, true
to historic perspective, this story is a capital one for
boys."--_Watchman Examiner, New York City._
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE YELLOWSTONE;
OR, LOST IN THE LAND OF WONDERS.
"There is plenty of lively adventure and action and the story is well
told."--_Duluth Herald, Duluth, Minn._
THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE COLUMBIA;
OR, IN THE WILDERNESS OF THE GREAT NORTHWEST.
"The story is full of spirited action and contains much valuable
historical information."--_Boston Herald._
THE FRIENDLY TERRACE SERIES
By HARRIET LUMMIS SMITH
_Each one volume, cloth, decorative, 12mo, illustrated, per volume_
$1.75
THE GIRLS OF FRIENDLY TERRACE
"It is a book that cheers, that inspires to higher thinking; it knits
hearts; it unfolds neighborhood plans in a way that makes one tingle to
try carrying them out, and most of all it proves that in daily life,
threads of wonderful issues are being woven in with what appears the
most ordinary of material, but which in the end brings results stranger
than the most thrilling fiction."--_Belle Kellogg Towne in The Young
People's Weekly, Chicago._
PEGGY RAYMOND'S VACATION
"It is a clean, wholesome, hearty story, well told and full of incident.
It carries one through experiences that hearten and brighten the
day."--_Utica, N.Y., Observer._
PEGGY RAYMOND'S SCHOOL DAYS
"It is a bright, entertaining story, with happy girls, good times,
natural development, and a gentle earnestness of general tone."--_The
Christian Register, Boston._
THE FRIENDLY TERRACE QUARTETTE
"The story is told in easy and entertaining style and is a most
delightful narrative, especially for young people. It will also make the
older readers feel younger, for while reading it they will surely live
again in the days of their youth."--_Troy Budget._
PEGGY RAYMOND'S WAY
"The author has again produced a story that is replete with wholesome
incidents and makes Peggy more lovable than ever as a companion and
leader."--_World of Books._
"It possesses a plot of much merit and through its 324 pages it weaves a
tale of love and of adventure which ranks it among the best books for
girls."--_Cohoe-American._
FAMOUS LEADERS SERIES
By CHARLES H.L. JOHNSTON
_Each large 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated, per volume_ $2.00
FAMOUS CAVALRY LEADERS
"More of such books should be written, books that acquaint young readers
with historical personages in a pleasant, informal way."--_New York
Sun._
FAMOUS INDIAN CHIEFS
"Mr. Johnston has done faithful work in this volume, and his relation of
battles, sieges and struggles of these famous Indians with the whites
for the possession of America is a worthy addition to United States
History."--_New York Marine Journal._
FAMOUS SCOUTS
"It is the kind of a book that will have a great fascination for boys
and young men."--_New London Day._
FAMOUS PRIVATEERSMEN AND ADVENTURERS OF THE SEA
"The tales are more than merely interesting; they are entrancing,
stirring the blood with thrilling force."-_Pittsburgh Post._
FAMOUS FRONTIERSMEN AND HEROES OF THE BORDER
"The accounts are not only authentic, but distinctly readable, making a
book of wide appeal to all who love the history of actual
adventure."--_Cleveland Leader._
FAMOUS DISCOVERERS AND EXPLORERS OF AMERICA
"The book is an epitome of some of the wildest and bravest adventures of
which the world has known."--_Brooklyn Daily Eagle._
FAMOUS GENERALS OF THE GREAT WAR
Who Led the United States and Her Allies to a Glorious Victory.
"The pages of this book have the charm of romance without its unreality.
The book illuminates, with life-like portraits, the history of the World
War."--_Rochester Post Express._
FAMOUS LEADERS SERIES (Con.)
By EDWIN WILDMAN
FAMOUS LEADERS OF INDUSTRY.--First Series
"Are these stories interesting? Let a boy read them; and tell
you."--_Boston Transcript._
FAMOUS LEADERS OF INDUSTRY.--Second Series
"As fascinating as fiction are these biographies, which emphasize their
humble beginning and drive home the truth that just as every soldier of
Napoleon carried a marshal's baton in his knapsack, so every American
youngster carries potential success under his hat."--_New York World._
THE FOUNDERS OF AMERICA (Lives of Great Americans from the Revolution to
the Monroe Doctrine)
"How can one become acquainted with the histories of some of the famous
men of the United States? A very good way is to read 'The Founders of
America,' by Edwin Wildman, wherein the life stories of fifteen men who
founded our country are told"--_New York Post._
FAMOUS LEADERS OF CHARACTER (Lives of Great Americans from the Civil War
to Today)
"An informing, interesting and inspiring book for boys."--_Presbyterian
Banner._
" ... Is a book that should be read by every boy in the whole
country...."--_Atlanta Constitution._
FAMOUS AMERICAN NAVAL OFFICERS
With a complete index.
By CHARLES LEE LEWIS
_Professor, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis_
"Professor Lewis does not make the mistake of bringing together simply a
collection of biographical sketches. In connection with the life of John
Paul Jones, Stephen Decatur, and other famous naval officers, he groups
the events of the period in which the officer distinguished himself, and
combines the whole into a colorful and stirring narrative."--_Boston
Herald._
STORIES BY EVALEEN STEIN
Each, one volume, cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, with a jacket in
color $1.65
THE CHRISTMAS PORRINGER
This story happened many hundreds of years ago in the quaint Flemish
city of Bruges and concerns a little girl named Karen, who worked at
lace-making with her aged grandmother.
GABRIEL AND THE HOUR BOOK
"No works in juvenile fiction contain so many of the elements that stir
the hearts of children and grown-ups as well as do the stories so
admirably told by this author."--_Louisville Daily Courier._
A LITTLE SHEPHERD OF PROVENCE
"The story should be one of the influences in the life of every child to
whom good stories can be made to appeal."--_Public Ledger._
THE LITTLE COUNT OF NORMANDY
"This touching and pleasing story is told with a wealth of interest
coupled with enlivening descriptions of the country where its scenes are
laid and of the people thereof"--_Wilmington Every Evening._
WHEN FAIRIES WERE FRIENDLY
"The stories are music in prose--they are like pearls on a chain of
gold--each word seems exactly the right word in the right place; the
stories sing themselves out, they are so beautifully expressed."--_The
Lafayette Leader._
PEPIN: A Tale of Twelfth Night
"This retelling of an old Twelfth Night romance is a creation almost as
perfect as her 'Christmas Porringer.'"--_Lexington Herald._
End of Project Gutenberg's Queen Hildegarde, by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards