Dorothy at Skyrie

! How-

d, and rising from the grass, where she had been searching for wild str

ch full of a friendly curiosity. It was from the biggest face that the voice had come, and Dorothy

s other one, she's Claretta Babcock. The baby that's to hom

ere rude. However, no rudeness was suspected, and Alfaretta laughed in return, then walked a few steps to the bar-way, with her sisters following

ngly, and observing that this was a girl of about her own age though much l

," and when they were too timid to "hop" without aid she seized their hands and pulled them ac

u'll hu

nd keenly scrutinized D

in' fun,

those, and I surely wasn't making fun of the way y

ting. I can beat any boy 'round, even if I do wear petticoats. I'

n her new country life, but her aspirations did not tend that way. Then thinking that this trio of Ba

ient bowlder and her sisters d

o see you more'n anybody else. Besides, you h

last night? And I came out to find some wild strawbe

o early in the day for visiting it fell pointless, fo

s out the way, 'cause she's going down mounting to the 'other village' to 'Liza Jane's store-Claretta, stop suckin' your thumb! Dorothy Chester don't do that, and ma said she'd put som

r uninvited guests with much of the same curiosity they were bestowing upon her, and Alfar

es, I must go. Mother will need me and I don't see any b

eft on the grass, Alfaretta snatched it from her

ere they're thicker 'n mo

d the way and there fulfilled her promise, for the northern hillside was red with the fruit. With little outcries of delight all of them went down upon their knees and began to gather it; the younger ones greedily stuffing their mouths till their

ryin' before

e "berrying" she had done for the truck-farmer, Miranda Stott. "But how happened

er, he was crazy as a loon. Believed there was a gold mine, or somethin' like that, under the south medder-'D you ever hear such a thing! Ma says all the gold'll ever be dug out o' Skyrie is them rocks he put into his stone walls. The whole farm was just clear rocks, ma says, and that's why the walls are four five feet thick, some of 'em more. There wasn't no other place to put 'em and besides he wanted it that way. The whole of Skyrie farm is bounded-Ever study jogaphy? Know how to bound the states? Course. I s'pose you've been to school more'n I have: but I can bound Skyrie for you all right. On the north by a stone wall, 'joining Judge Satterlee's place: on

of smiles constantly breaking out on the round, freckled face, and the blue eyes expressed a deal of admiration for this city girl, so

she showed it to ma, account of Mis' Chester moving up here an' going nigh crazy over losin' you. Ma she washes for the Satterlees, and they give us their old papers. Pa he loves to read. Ma says he'd rather set an' read all day than do a stroke to earn an honest livin'. Pa says if your folks had so many children as he has and some of 'em got away he wouldn't offer no reward for 'em,

friend and is sorry for him, and does things for me, I reckon, just to help him. Of course, I wear sh

bservant young person, already joining

id not hesitate to complete the narrative of her adventures and, indeed, of all her short, simple life, as already related by me in another book called, "Dorothy Chester."-how she had been picked up on the doorstep by Mrs. Chester and brought up as that lady's own

ch fresh remembrance the liking between the two little maids strengthene

n't going to spoil her children by sparing rods when our 'upper lot' is ful

you ever whipped? A

you but I ain't much olde

cond of

ourself. Ma says she's real impartial, 'cause she takes us in turn. One week she begins with me and the next time with Claretta. Diaretta ain't old enough yet to fall into line, and the boys were let off soon as they wen

of sight of the house and my father John will worry. He said last night, when he had me in his arms again after so long and so much happening, that he meant to keep me right beside him for the rest of his life. Of course, he didn't mean that

mother Martha's frugal household and but sufficient for three ever prepared, unless there was due warning of more to partake. Twice three would halve the rati

and bound, Baretta started for the cottage and Cl

, too! I'm

pail of berries and bursting in upon the ast

's children. See all the berries I've picked you

pail as her own, wondering how it had come into this girl's hands, and faili

so searching the landscape. "A minute ago she was tagging me, close, and no