Gypsy's Cousin Joy

tarted up, and saw Joy standing by the bed, in the fain

never!" s

s the

got your dress on in the

night; it'

isn't any s

the clock strike fiv

low, almost asleep again. She ro

e h

ened me," said Joy,

't see"-another silence-"what you

Gypsy Breynton, yo

d rubbing both fists into her eyes. "I'm just as

the first time a vague notion came to her that she was rather glad Joy came. It might be some fun, af

d Gypsy, winking and blinking li

, so I was determined he shouldn't. I guess I kept wak

oy just then, seeing this best side of her that she liked. For

with Joy close by him, that pale, pinched look on her face, and so utterly silent that Gypsy was astonished. She woul

haven't eaten a mout

can

just a little,

down. Presently there was a great rumbling of wh

l, J

. Breynton turned away; so did Gypsy and the rest. In a minute they heard Joy go into the parlor and shut the door, a

lor. Joy was standing th

cry?" said Gy

Joy's way. She had inherited her mother's fashion of taking trouble. Gypsy did not understand it, and her sympathy coole

I have lots and lots to show you out in the barn and round. Then there is all Yorkbury beside

the

the roof, you know, over the kitchen

ould think you'd kill yourself walking

h a very superior air. "That's nothing but a Boston fash

reluctantly, as they went out. "Be

it's short for j

a jiffy?" pe

ling laugh; "I guess it's something that's i

psy sometimes stood in need of some such hint as this, but she did not rel

nd Bess and Clover with the talent of a Barnum and the pride of a queen. Billy was the old horse who had pulled the family to church through the sand every Sunday since the children were babies, and Bess and Clover were white-starred, gentle-eyed cows, who let Gyp

e loft. "Just see what a quantity there is of it. Did you ever know such a

n. By a little maneuvering she persuaded Joy to step up three rounds, and she

ughter, and walking on. There was nothing for Joy to do but climb, unless she cho

ore the words were off from her lips. But Joy wouldn't hear of getting into such a dusty place. She took two or three dainty little rolls on the hay, but the dried clover

her favorite amusements to push herself about over the shallow water. But Joy was afraid of wetti

th. She played a great deal with Tom, and played well.

the tone of a martyr, that she was sure she did not know. Gypsy cough

eantime she amused herself at home with he

ke on the fields. The sunlight fell through it like sifted gold, the sky hung motionless and blue-that glowless, deepening blue that always m

on fire, and panting like the old lady who died for want of breath; rus

What do you think? Joy! Mother! There

Joy, dropping

s afternoon at two o'clock. Did you ever hear anything

e the party?" a

Guest and-and Sarah Rowe and I

aid Mrs. Bre

. That's what I

you don't want me," said

t you. Who sa

t mollified, "I'll go if

half-past one. Joy had a remarkably vague idea of what she was going to do, but she felt unusually good-natured, as who could h

too-o-o!" called Winnie, d

, sorry to disappoint him; but she was quite too well acquai

ere, Winnie had not happened to develop in any of his characteristic methods. Moreover, he had speedily discovered that Joy laughed at everything he said; even his most

g," repeated Joy; "I gue

" put in Winnie; "I'm

party, and the girls would scold me 'cause I brought him. I've tried it times enough. If you'r

l suited to his capacities of feet or temper, and if his mother had been there she would have managed to make him happy

ting. I'm five years old. I'm goin' with cousin Joy, and I

t doubt of that, and the t

d Delia on the way, an

in the shaker bonnet is Delia Guest. Oh, I forgot. J

much astonished thereat that they forgot to bow at all, and Deli

t Gypsy, getting desperate. "Anybody'd t

with a virtuous frown; "if you don't let me be a dum

be Hunt's lunch-basket, and had to stay after school for it, and how it was confidently reported in mysterious whispers, at recess, that George Castles told Mr

and Agnes Gaylord from Adam; and somehow or other it never occurred to Gypsy to introduce some subject in which they could all take pa

Gypsy, turning around. "I'

"I guess I shall like it bette

hen he was pulled out he left his shoes behind him; that he repeated this pleasing little incident six consecutive times within five minutes,

childhood," Winnie standing as representative cher

ing a low fence with a bound. "Just see t

light, their great, rich, bursting green burs bending down the boughs and dropping to the ground. Around them and among them a belt of maples stood up like blazing torches sharp against the sky-yellow, scarl

eepening eyes. For about a half minute nobody spoke, and I venture to say the fou

tic and utterly indescribable howl from

ched onto my buttons. My head's tippin'

ed, and screamed till they lost thei

onceived the idea of seizing advantage of the girls' unpractical rapture to be the first on the field, and take entire and lawful possession thereof. Therefore had he made all manner of h

well as she could betwee

woods and be a Injun and never come home any more, and build me a house with a chimney to it, 'n' have baked b

trewn upon the ground, and everybody enjoyed it but Joy. She pricked her unaccusto

uts we have in Boston," she sai

augh. Joy colored, and did not relish it very much. Gypsy was too busy pu

ays made all their plans. Sarah Rowe was her particular friend, and thought ever

to climb," said Joy,

anches are just as low as they can be. Here, I'll

uirrel, over the low-hanging bou

oy! I ca

wled a little ways up the lowest of the bran

p; then you can walk it," called Gypsy, ha

d-air. She was not more than four feet from the ground, and could have jumped down without the slightest difficulty, but tha

ed; indeed, used as she was to the science of tree-climbing all her life, that a girl could hang wi

he called, between h

f you don't know what that means, go and ask your big brothers; make them leave their chess and their newspapers on the spot, and read you what Mr. Virgil has to say about it.) If she hung on she would wrench her arms; if she ju

talk. Joy stood up with a very red face an

in?" called Gypsy

," sa

ome back, and you needn't climb. You can sta

chestnutting, and I don't like to be laug

look so terribly funny. Oh, dear, you ought to have seen yourself! I w

o," said Joy

brought him, and I can't keep him here. It wou

owhere t

e! Win

sound, but where it came from nobody could tell. All at o

down in that ditch beyond

were a pair of feet-Winnie's feet, unmistakably, because of their copper toes and ta

t Gypsy darted past her with a sudden movement, flew down the kno

s they spoke, up came Winnie entire into the air, head down,

d there was no harm done, she set him down on a stone, wiped the mud off from his f

; she's laughing

h had been dug at some time to collect water for the cattle pasturing in the field to drink. Into this hole, Winnie, in the course of some scientific investigations a

t might have been a tragedy, and a very sad one, had become, as Gypsy said, "too funny

Gypsy. "I'll just fill my pail, and then I'

remembered that it was her own plan to take the child; therefore

reath of maple-leaves on her head. With her bright cheeks and twinkling eyes, and the broad leaves casting thei

roud of Gypsy, and you could see in his

ll ready for a frolic, and st

e Joy and

't the

N