Georgina of the Rainbows

rthday

rs. Yates, the lady who kept it. She wanted him to "cry" an especial bargain sale of old lamps later in the week. That is how he happened

se the fish was left to lie there a moment while Mrs. Yates finished her conversation, the cat, stretched out on the high window ledge above the table, decided to have his breakfast without waiting to be called. He was an enormous cat by the n

d the bowl of it. It toppled over on to a pair of old brass andirons, smashing into a thousand pieces. Bits of glass flew in every direction, and "Grandpa,"

ked up from the wreck the only piece of the lamp not shattered to bits by the fall. It was one of the prisms,

nt a ripple of rainbows dancing across the shop. He watched them, pleased as a child; and when Mrs. Yates, loud in

y when he reached the house a couple of hours later, not knowing t

g the white sails scudding along like wings, made her feel all the more desolate. She was trying her best to forget what day it was, but there wasn't much to keep her mind off the

me dragged, Georgina went to her scales and five-finger exercises as usual. With the hour-glass on the piano beside her, she practised not only her accustomed time, till the sand had run half through

Belle seemed doubly interesting now that she had heard of the unused wedding dress and the sorrow that

wn to feel that it took a human interest in all her celebrations. To see it standing bare now, like any ordinary tree, made her feel that her last friend was indifferent. Nobody cared. Nobody was glad that she was in the world.

er put into port and tie up till storm's over. Let your Uncle Darcy have a han

door to join him on the steps which led down into the garden. At first she was loath to confess the cause of her tears. She felt ashamed of being caught crying simply because no

nfession Mr. Darcy bethought him

bles. It's a sort of magic glass. When you look through it, it shows you thing

t from Georgina as she held the prism to

uft of green needles. It's even lovelier than the colored lanterns we

the house, the old man following, and smiling over each enthusiastic "oh" she uttered, as the pris

, and eagerly turned the prism from one object to another. Mrs. Triplett was scowling

frown," Georgina cried excitedly. Then sh

day. See how it puts a rainbow around every bl

amp, and she ran upstairs to find a piece of ribbon to run through it. When she came down again, the prism han

fingers and r

rainbows wher

answered Georgina, whirling around on her toes. Then s

r with only a magazine her disappoint

st night--but just for a minute I couldn't help hoping--but I didn't mind it half so much, Uncle Dar

y the pink ribbon, she looked out upon what seemed to be an enchanted harbor. It was filled with a fleet of rainbows. Every sail was outlined with one, every mast edged with lines of red and gold and blue. E

hushed, awed tone. "It's just like a miracle the way

rs. Looking up they saw Richard, hanging out of the open doors of the loft, waving to them. Georgina stood up in the boat and be

mighty slow painter. Maybe if you'd ask him the way you did before, Uncle D

ile which he usually found impossible to

lk with you alone. Maybe I ought to wait till you're older before I say what I want to say, but at my ti

s curious to know what he could show her out here on the water, and what

yes. And Georgina, who dearly loved dramatic effects in her own story-tellin

nd around the smaller ones where the old fish-houses stood. Past groups of children, playing in the sand they went, past artist

d across a vacant strip of beach between two ho

ounced. "That's what

the direction of h

d tone. "I've seen that all my life.

figure of a woman. It was of heroic size, head thrown back as if looking off to sea, and with a green wreath in its hands. Weather-be

ppointment show

as gone more than a year. When it was crossing the equator, headed for home, the look-out at the masthead saw a strange object in the water that looked like a woman afloat. The Captain gave orders

ront door, and they call it the Lady of Mystery, because they said 'from whence that ship came, what was its fate and what was its destination will always be shrouded in mystery.' And Mrs. Tupman said that a famous artist lo

ith a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, as if she thought she was forestal

e whole town knows. That old figurehead has a meaning for me that nobod

id slowly, with a wistful tenderness comin

o a child like you. Maybe I shouldn't, now; but when I saw how disappointed you were this morning, I said to myself, '

, looking off toward the lighthouse in the distance.

, when that little craft went sailing along with the best of them. I used to look at him and think, _'Danny'll_ weather the seas no matt

"My little ship went down--

eorgina seemed to hear Cousin Mehit

an old man sitting with his arms flung out across the table and his head bowed on-them

rt of his grief as if the pain had stab

Huntingdon came to me. He was always a good friend. And he asked me to row him out here on the water. When we passed the Figurehead House he pointed up at that head. It was all white and fair in those days, before the paint wore off. And he said,

ur son. You've got to go on hoping that if he's innocent his name will be cleared of this di

ritten by a man who was stone blind, and hadn't anything to look forwa

te a

e, but still be

t on

yself first, when I met people on the street that I knew were thinking of Danny's disgrace, and I didn't see how I was going to get up courage to pass 'em. And I said it when I was lying on

yes, now full of tears, he had so

e just as that prism did around your empty holiday

to know this, Baby, they can't hurt you as long as you keep Hope at the prow, because Hope is a magic glass that makes rainbows of our tears. Now you won't forget that, will you? Even after Uncle Darcy is dead and gone, you'll remembe

e is no reason that they are not taken to heart and stowed away there for the years to build upon. In the unbroken silence with which they ro

edge. It was "Grandpa." Georgina, laughing a little shakily because of recent tears, raised her prism to put a rainbow around the cat's