“Youth treads on flowers where’er he goes,
And finds on every thorn a rose.”
“We are almost there! Time to don hats, gloves, and cloaks, and gather
together bags, boxes, and bundles,” exclaimed Dr. Landreth in his
cheery tones, reaching Annis her hat from the rack overhead as he
spoke. “Milly, my dear,” bending over her in tender solicitude, “how
is the headache now? I’m thankful I shall soon have you out of this
close, overheated atmosphere. No, don’t disturb yourself, Annis and I
will take care of the bundles. Now give me the boy.”
“Here,” beckoning to the porter as the train came to a standstill,
“carry out these packages, will you? Now, Milly and Annis, keep close
to me, but don’t be uneasy; this is the end of the road, and we have
plenty of time.”
Annis had hurried on her wrap, and now, catching up her satchel,
turned to her sister, who was fastening her cloak, with “O Milly, make
haste, and I’ll keep close behind you.”
“No, go on, child,” Mildred answered, gently pushing the little girl
on before her.
Another minute and they were assisted from the car by their Uncle
Dinsmore on one side and Cousin Horace on the other. There was Elsie
too, waiting to give a welcoming embrace to each; and beside her Mr.
Travilla, who had ridden over to meet his old friend, Charlie
Landreth, and be introduced to his wife; for the mistress of Ion had
so often sounded Mildred’s praises in her son’s ears that he was very
desirous to meet the object of her encomiums.
Tired and travel-stained as she was, Mildred did not show to the best
advantage, yet the beauty of form and feature, the intellectual and
sweet countenance, seemed to him to fully justify his mother’s
praises.
With joyous exclamations, “O Elsie, dear!” “O Annis, how glad I am
you’ve come at last!” the little girls clasped each other in a warm
embrace.
Greetings, introductions, and friendly inquiries exchanged all around,
the travellers were speedily bestowed in Mr. Horace Dinsmore’s
comfortable family carriage and driven away in the direction of the
Oaks, their luggage following in a wagon.
Elsie was lifted to her saddle by her father’s strong arms, he vaulted
to the back of his own larger steed, and the older Mr. Dinsmore and
Mr. Travilla having mounted theirs, all four started at a gallop in
pursuit of the carriage, which they presently distanced, exchanging
smiling salutations with its occupants as they passed.
Elsie rode by her father’s side, the other two gentlemen a little in
advance.
“You will go on to the Oaks with us, father? and you, Travilla?” Mr.
Horace Dinsmore said with hospitable cordiality.
“Not to-night, Horace,” the old gentleman answered, “I’ll be over
to-morrow, if nothing happens to prevent. I want a talk with Mildred,
but she’s tired to-night and ought to retire early.”
Mr. Travilla, too, declined the invitation, on the plea of an
engagement to meet a gentleman on business.
So presently, when they reached the spot where their roads parted,
Elsie and her papa were left to pursue their way alone.
“Now for a race to the Oaks, Elsie,” Mr. Dinsmore said gayly; “let us
see if we can get there in time to receive our friends on their
arrival.”
So the horses were urged till they almost flew over the ground. Elsie
had never ridden so fast before, and enjoyed it keenly.
They arrived so much in advance of the carriage that she had time to
run to her dressing-room and have her riding habit exchanged for a
white cashmere and pink ribbons, then join her papa and mamma in the
principal entrance hall as the carriage drew up before the door.
The warmest of welcomes awaited the weary travellers. “Never were
guests more welcome!” was Mr. Dinsmore’s salutation.
Rose embraced Mildred with sisterly affection, saying, “I am so very
glad you have come. I am sure we shall love each other.”
“I do not doubt it,” Mildred answered; “I was prepared to love you for
your husband’s sake, and now I see that I shall for your own.”
“And, mamma, this is Annis,” Elsie said, releasing the latter from a
vigorous hug, and drawing her toward Rose. “Annis, this is my pretty
new mamma that I told you I was going to have, when I was at your
house.”
“She _is_ pretty, and looks very kind, too,” Annis exclaimed, in a
burst of honest admiration.
“Thank you, dear,” returned Rose, in evident amusement, bestowing an
affectionate kiss upon the child.
Mr. and Mrs. Dinsmore themselves conducted their older guests to the
apartments prepared for them, Annis and Elsie following.
“Oh, how charming!” was Mildred’s delighted exclamation when shown
into the beautiful boudoir, whence open doors gave glimpses of
dressing and bedrooms equally inviting in appearance; and she turned
with beaming countenance to her hospitable entertainers, adding, “What
a haven of rest after our long, weary journey!”
“I hope it may prove so, indeed,” Rose said, looking greatly pleased.
“We want you to make yourself perfectly at home in our house, Milly,”
added Mr. Dinsmore. “You, too, Charlie; call for anything you want; a
servant will always be ready to answer your ring. And do not feel that
you are trammelled by any of the rules of our establishment; rise in
the morning and retire at night, come and go, as you like. We will be
glad of your company when you are disposed to favor us with it, but
when you prefer the solitude of these rooms, do not hesitate to
indulge that preference,” he concluded laughingly, as he withdrew,
presently followed by his wife.
In the mean while Elsie, after allowing Annis a hasty survey of
Mildred’s apartments, had taken her into an adjoining bedroom, saying,
“Now, Annis, dear, you are to choose between this room and another
next to my sleeping-room. Mamma said so because she was not sure
whether you would care most to be near Cousin Milly or near me.”
For several minutes Annis gazed about her in silence, seemingly struck
dumb with surprise and admiration at the richness and beauty of her
surroundings.
A velvet carpet covered the floor, lace curtains draped the windows,
the bed-spread and pillow-shams were of pink silk covered with a film
of lace, chairs and couches were cushioned with satin damask, while
sweet-scented hothouse flowers and a variety of other pretty things
were scattered here and there with lavish hand.
“Oh,” she cried, at last, drawing a long breath, “what a lovely room!
fit for a queen, I am sure! Did Cousin Rose really intend it for me?”
“Yes; if you prefer it to the other, Annis. But won’t you see that
before you decide? I should so like to have you close beside me,”
Elsie said, half imploringly, putting an arm about Annis’s waist and
drawing her toward a door opposite that by which they had entered the
room.
“And I’d like it too,” Annis returned with hearty acquiescence. “And,
in fact,” she went on, “I’d rather not be where everything is so
handsome and costly; because I might spoil something.”
“That wouldn’t make any difference, ’tis easy to replace things, and
one grows tired of always seeing the same,” Elsie said. “But I think
the other room is quite as pretty in every way as that.”
She had led Annis into a back hall, and they were now descending a
flight of stairs that led to another on the ground floor; reaching
that they presently came to a door which, on opening, admitted them to
a bedroom that was, as Elsie remarked, quite equal to the one they had
just left.
“This is it, Annis,” she said. “That door yonder opens into my
sleeping-room, and you can get to Cousin Mildred from here very
quickly and easily by the way we came.”
“Oh, I’ll take this!” said Annis. “’Twill be ever so nice for us to be
close together!”
“Oh, won’t it! I’m so glad. Come and see my rooms if you’re not too
tired.” And Elsie led the way, Annis following, through bedroom,
dressing-room, and boudoir.
They were large and airy, and so luxuriously and beautifully furnished
and adorned that Annis almost thought herself in fairy-land.
She said so to her little cousin, adding, “What a happy girl you must
be! you seem to have nothing left to wish for.”
“‘A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he
possesseth,’” Elsie murmured half aloud, half to herself; then turning
to Annis a very bright, winsome face, “You know Jesus said that when
here on earth, and though I am very happy I sometimes think I could be
just as happy in a hut with His love and my dear papa’s.”
“Yes,” assented Annis, “I wouldn’t be without father and mother for
all the money and fine things in the world. But oh, isn’t it time for
me to be getting washed and dressed?”
“Yes; I’ll have your trunk carried to your room,” Elsie said, ringing
for a servant. “And mammy will help you dress, if you wish. Oh, here
she is!” as the old nurse appeared before them. “Mammy, this is Cousin
Annis Keith. You remember her, don’t you?”
“Yes, ’deed I do, darlin’,” she returned; “I’se glad to see you at de
Oaks, Miss Annis, and hopes you and my chile hab best ob good times
togedder,” she added, dropping a courtesy to the young guest.
“Thank you, Aunt Chloe,” Annis said, shaking hands with her.
“Yes, Mammy, we’re going to be close together,” said Elsie. “So please
have Annis’s trunk brought immediately to that room,” indicating with
a motion of her hand the adjoining apartment, for they were now in her
own sleeping-room.
“Bress yo’ heart, honey. I’ll see ’bout dat ’dreckly,” and Aunt Chloe
hurried away in search of the luggage and a man servant to carry it
in.
“Is Cousin Horace near you at night?” asked Annis.
“Yes, indeed!” Elsie replied, with joyous look and tone; “that door
beside my bed leads into the room where he and mamma sleep; their bed
is very near it too, and papa always sets the door wide open before he
gets into bed, so that if I want him in the night I have only to call
out ‘papa,’ and he is beside me in an instant. Oh, it’s so nice,
Annis! I feel so glad and safe with my dear earthly father so close to
me, and our heavenly Father always with us, taking care of us all. You
know the Bible says, ‘Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither
slumber nor sleep.’ Aren’t they sweet words?”
Mr. Dinsmore sat alone in the library reading by the light of the
astral lamp on the centre-table. A door on the farther side of the
room opened softly, a little white-robed figure lingered for a moment
on the threshold, then with noiseless steps stole swiftly to the back
of his chair, two round white arms crept about his neck, a soft cheek
was laid against his, and a low sweet voice murmured in his ear, “My
papa! my own, own dear papa!”
The book was hastily closed and thrust aside, he turned half round in
his chair, caught the little graceful figure and drew it to his knee
to caress and fondle it with many an endearing word.
“Where is Annis?” he asked at length.
“Taking a bath while Mammy unpacks her trunk. Then Mammy will brush
her hair for her and help her dress.”
“Ah! I hope she will find herself quite refreshed and with a good
appetite for her supper. Are you not fatigued after your long ride?”
“A little, papa.”
“Then sit here and rest for the present; and you and Annis would do
well to retire early to your beds to-night. I should advise her to
defer even an introduction to the dolls and their house until
to-morrow.”
“I can hardly help wishing to-morrow was here,” exclaimed the little
girl. “I’m in such a hurry to show her Gyp and Glossy and the two new
ponies and the phaeton.”
“And ever so many other things? Well, my child, go to bed early, and
to-morrow will soon be here. I shall give you a holiday for the rest
of the week, that you and Annis may get your fill of play and find
lessons enjoyable by next Monday.”
“Oh, how nice, papa!” she cried, giving him a hug.
“But I thought you were fond of lessons,” he said, pinching her cheek
and smiling fondly down into the bright little face.
“Yes, papa, so I am usually; but I like a holiday now and then. And
may I drive Annis out in the phaeton every day?”
“You may, when there is nothing to prevent; two or three times a day
if you wish. But you will want to ride sometimes. The Shetlands can be
used in the saddle, and I think will be the best for Annis to learn
on; if, as I suspect, she has never ridden.”
“And you will teach her, papa? No one could do it better.”
“If she wishes. But Dr. Landreth and Mr. Travilla are quite as
capable; and she may prefer to learn of them.”
“I don’t believe she will. I’m sure I’d much rather have you than
anybody else.”
At that he only smiled and stroked her hair.