A Little Girl in Old New York

garet took two music lessons a week and gave the little

elf, Dinah, in

u a-drivin' so g

" asked the

nted harness. You must go out and christen it for g

ar. They were bronze and laced across the top several times with narrow ribbon tied in a bow at her instep. She had a new hat, too, a leghorn flat with pale pink roses on it. It cost a good deal, but then it would "do up" every summer and last years and years. Fashions didn't change ev

re one or two blocks were quite given over to colored people. There was an African M. E. church, that the little gi

girl wonderingly. She couldn't quite r

g time to the tunes. Well-the Shakers dance in t

me queer old houses, and at almost every corner a store. Saloons were a rarity. Over yonder was Williamsburg, up a little

y land, wild and unimproved. After a while it began to grow more diversified and beautiful-country residences and well-kept grounds ful

man must live somewhere about here. I p

table stood under one, and some ladies were sitting there sewing and chatting, while several children ran about.

Why, this is lovely of you, Stephen! Can

leasant laugh. "She has begun to think straight down to

hen!" dep

braids of flaxen hair and a silver comb in the top to

derhill!" s

ittle one," explained Stephen. "And thi

garet's cheeks as a half

evening was delightful, but the day is warm. We are all living out-of-doors, as you see. And this, I suppose, is

ds that fell nearly to the bottom of the skirt. Her sleeves came to the elbow and were composed of three rather deep ruffles edged with lace. Round her pretty white neck she had an inch-wide black

s there were in "Pinafore." The small person was not quite comfortable. She had a feeling that the back of her nice frock was dreadfully crushed. Margaret

n boy that she would gladly have changed for a girl; Mrs. Bond, the next sister, with a boy

e tables standing about, with work-baskets and piles of sewing and knitting, for people had not

der ladies wore them of black silk and handsome black lace. They were held up on the arms and sometimes tied carelessly, and the r

and timid with the eyes of so many grown people upon her. But they all took u

in the modern extreme. They wore long trousers and roundabouts, and low shoes with light gray stockings, though their Sunday best were white. We should say now they looked very queer, and unmista

rrying round. Paulus asked her "to come and see Molly who had great big horns and went this wa

"She'll get acquainted by and by. I suppose she

," answere

her mother's family, the Vermilyeas. A Miss Vermilye, sixty or seventy years ago, had married a Conklin and come over to Closter. She seemed to have all her family genealogy at her tongue's end, and knew all the relations to the third and fourth generation. But she had a rather sweet face with fine wrinkles and blue veins, and wore her hair in long ringlets at the sides, fastened with shell combs that had been her mother's, and were very dear to her. She wore a light chang

shuttle on which your thread was wound. It was very light and fleecy. Aunt Gitty had made one of silk for a cousin who was going ab

sture lot, beside the great lawn and flower-garden. Old Mr. Beekman was out there. He was past seventy now, hale and hearty to be sure, with a round, wr

rgamot, that scented the air and attracted the humming-birds. All manner of old-fashioned flowers that are coming around again, and you

d a pungent fragrance. We had not shaken hands so neighborly with J

isturb a room full of company. The repression made them rather diffident, to be sure. But Mr. Beekman gathered her a nosegay of spice pinks, carnations now, and took her to see his beautiful ducks,

hat were almost blue, and when she said "mie-e-o-u" in a rather delighted tone,

her neck, rubbed against his leg, and turned back and forth. Then she str

" he said, as she seemed to look inquiringly at Han

ch a curious creature. But presently she came and rubbed again

She loves Dolly, and she won't have anything to do with Annette, though I think the girl t

id "yes," and smiled. It was very different from the

me flying d

r. Stephen and his sister think they can't stay to supper. But may be th

really did like Mr. Beekman, but as for

arried her in triumph. Two whit

and yellow, fruit cake, a heaping dish of doughnuts and various cookies and seed cakes. Scipio, a young colored lad, passed the eatables. Young Mrs. Beekman poured the tea. Th

entertaining story. One of the Gessler cousins had been knitting lace, double oak-leaf with a heading of insertion. It looked marvellous to the little girl. She said she was making it to trim a visite

she only knew him such a little. Mrs. Beekman could hardly accept the fact that they would not stay to supper, and said they must come soon and spend the day, and have

eze. Miss Gitty kissed her as well and told her she was a "very pretty behaved

hen they had driven away. "I'm afraid she doesn't run and play enough

seem like a real count

gh, English descent from some Lord Underhil

nt Gitty. "There's nothing like being partic

y, having said her good-bys, sauntered back to the circle. "He might be r

d father Beekman. "If he'd been a poor shoat he wouldn't have hung around her

wn true-love anyway, but she was glad to have them all like him. With t

d to get out of a low marshy place, a pond in the rainy season, and some rocks that seemed tumbled up on end. They struck a bit of the old Boston Post Road, and that caused the little gir

eart. Margaret was awed by the mystery of love, captivated by Dolly's friendliness, and puzzled to decide what her mother would think of

hills levelled, and rocks blasted away. After they turned a little stream wound in and ou

ried, "may I get o

ret and sprang down, running across a littl

er eyes shone. "What a

Kissing

kiss?" asked the lit

a twinkle in his eye, "there wasn't any bridge. The lovers us

y kissing bridge the

ilt they stopped and ki

eally so,

ed that ever sinc

med Stephen, with an air of offended dignity

ses, so you shall have the kiss all the same," an

his paper. Jim begged to take the horse round to the stable. Margaret went up-stairs to pull off her best dress

-you must h

so strange. Is it reall

But there's some mysterious sense about it, and I began to see presently that she preferred me. Tho

hen! To l

natural thought

me. We shall be engaged a

r-and our c

you will have a new sister. Oh, Peggy, try to love he

s very

at first. But some day you'll have your romance, only I don't believe you can ever understand how glad the other fellow will be to get you. Girls can't. And you'll

tly. Stephen kissed his siste

d Margaret hurried thro

of the lot when you get your nose buried in a newspaper. Boys, do keep still, though I

o soft and furry and different from theirs, and with truly blue eyes, and who could understand everything you said to her. And Mr. Beekman was very nice, but not as nice

laughed

aint story, until her mother came and routed her out and said

ght she could see Dolly Beekman with her laughing eyes and crown of shining hair, and was sure she would make a delightful sister. Mrs. Underhill sat and darned stockings and sighed a little.