A Summer in a Canyon: A California Story

riend with fri

lip and han

, 'advise us about Elsie's tent. We want it to be

brunette instead of a blonde, we could festoon the t

ke whether she is dark or l

th yards and yards of robin's-egg blue watered ribbon in bows; and on it she kept all her toilet articles, everything in hammered silver from Tiffany's with monograms on the back,-three or four sizes of brushes, and combs, and mirrors, and a full manicure set. It used to take her two hours to d

sed in her rows of old lettuce-I mean

stupid! What do you suppose she did?

Polly, apol

s. Pinkerton?'

years' difference in our ages, though she has b

that she was old as the hills-twenty-five or thirty

ship's tent, 'I don't know whether I ought to repeat what was told me in

antages of city life and travel, looked as d

, nearly falling off the stump

ce does that make? She can't help it if she doesn't happen to like

nly been married a year or two, and it seems to me it migh

live on, and poor Jessie would have had to teach school, or some dreadful thing like that. The thought of it almost killed her, she is so sensitive and so refi

l, in a puzzled tone, 'if she coul

d Polly. 'She never looked especially noble to me. I thoug

erton is one of my most intimate friends,' said Laura, sharply. 'And I do wish

ocking-basket in hand, and seated herself in the little wicker rocking-chair. Polly's clario

-gratification. You are too young to talk of these things very much; but you are not too young to make up your mind that when you agree to live all your life long with a person, you must have some other feeling than a determination not to teach school. Jessie Denton's mother, my dear Laura, would never have asked the sacrifice of her daughter's whole life; and Jessie herself would never ha

justice, Mrs. Winship; I d

tea-gowns and silver-backed brushes are all very pretty and nice to have, if they are not gained at the sacrifice of something better. I should have said to my daughter, had I been Mrs. Denton, "We will work for each other, my darling, and try to do whatever God gives us to do; but, no matter how hard life is, your heart is the most precious thing in the world, and you mus

ith a hint of coldness in her voice, 'though I can't help thinking that you are a little hard on poor J

ually excuse in other people we should be inclined by and by to excuse in ourselves. Let us choose our friends as wisely as possible, and love them dearly, helping them to grow wort

the boys. Let us come to luncheon

oke the echoes, and presently they came into view, bearing two quarters and a saddle of freshl

exclaimed Jack. 'Game plenty and not too shy, dogs i

She did not appear quite as unrestrained as usual, but as everybody was engaged in the preparations for El

gether with his unrivalled collection of horned toads, were continually escaping from their tin pails and boxes in the var

ne corner there was a slender manzanita-tree which had been cropped for some purpose or other. He had nailed a cross-piece on this, so that

without reserve, each claiming that his own special piece of work was the gem of the collection. The sunlight shining through the grey an

green and white gauzy stuff had been looped from the corners of the tent to the centre of the roof-piece, and delicate tendrils of wild clematis climbed here and there as if it were growing, its roots plunged in cunningly hidden bottles of water. Bell had gone about with pieces of awning cloth and green braid, and stitched an elaborate

orked with the camp name, floated from the tip top of the front entrance to the tent. The ceremony of raising the

hed Margery, 'who wouldn't be co

way?' exclaimed Philip. 'Sniff t

rbara,' quoth Dr. Winship. 'Why, you youngsters have m

people! Come over here, Aunt Truth! I will take the chair myself, sin

he road to meet my beloved family,' said Jack,

en they will arrive?

well. Let's see: it's about twenty-five miles, isn't it, Uncle Doc? Say twenty-three to the place where they turn of

ished guests we will grant you special consideration and order you to the front. Ladies and gentlemen, passing over the slight in

' four raised the right

rence of opinion as to the usual

olly, at the to

as an imaginary gavel with incredible force and dignity. 'Dr. and Mrs. Win

lingly. 'Will the Chair kindly outline

they stay at home and-receive the guests,-yes, that will do very nicely. All-in-favour-and-so-

id Jack, sagely. 'There is no se

-got to do some more things first; that will do, sit down. Will the Misses

that sort of thing?' interrupted Polly, who had not the slightest conception of

interrupting the business of the meeting, the Chair will be

ould respectfully ask the Chair,

n!' roar

Bell, that being the only parl

ents. 'I will adjourn the meeting and cle

gly. 'I will rise again, like Ph

the Chair that the last speaker amend her motion

said Polly, serenely, am

ighty projection of memory into a missi

s any motion before the hous

d the

endment!' shou

you oblige the Chair by remainin

one called, with a new Chair!' remarked Margery,

read upon the minutes, and a copy of it be

iately bound in calf,' said Ja

ttees be elected by ballot

'Order! order! I appoint Miss Oliver Committee on

particular as well as

e appoint you Co

you wish it t

t; we wish it

chorus, and that's "My

ard Winship, the Chair appoints you Committee on Menagerie, and suggests that as w

eans,' said Dicky, who feared that he

aptives to parade in the evening

at, 'n' my horn' toads, all e'cept the one that just gotted away in Lau

k was the signal for a hasty adjournment. A common danger restored p

magnificent Spanish bayonets growing there, and if you'll let me have Pancho, Uncle Doc, we can bring down four

rtainly,' sai

ed Laura, with enthusiasm. 'I

If you couldn't endure our walk this morning, y

answered. 'I feel equal to any amount of wa

illing to carry home one of the trees, I suppo

ied Bell; 'we never allow him

aura, with a charming smile, 'and I shall see how a

e what I lon

because I fo

k, nonch

d him very carefully, and we know that the only way to live with him is to keep him in a sort of "pint pot

ing character. Excuse me, please, while I put on a celluloid collar, and make some fe

answered Laura, laughingl

a cane, a pocket-handkerchief tied about his throat, and a flower pinned on his flannel camping-shirt-a most ridiculous figure, since nothing seems so out of place in the woods as any suggestion of city c

ancho, keep a look-out for the pack-mule. T

pling or

me should have led him not to se

ie

her at the Tacitas ranch; but nothing did. Everything came to pass exactly as it was arranged, and Jack m

the strains of an orchestra, formed of a guitar, banjo, castanets, Chinese fiddle, and tin cans, greeted them from a distance, but were properly allowed to d

her face, already a little tanned and burned, no longer colourless; Elsie, with no lines of pain in her pretty forehead, and the hollow ring gone from her voice; Elsie

in the world assembled at the rough

le himself, wore his cap with a red button on the top to wait upon the table, and ministered to the hungry people with more interest and alacrity than he had shown since he had been dragged from Santa Barbara

FOR HER MAJ

il

cke

Colo

style, with Chili peppe

Boile

Pota

Onions stew

er-s

ck

ricots, and

a Nuts an

ff

d for by the boys, and prepared and fried by her own hands w

r bobbed up out of the way and doing its best to escape, a high-necked white apron, sleeve

ep up with you,' and she rushed to the brush kitchen to turn her next instalments that had been left to brown. Hop Yet had retired to a distant spot by the brook, and was washing dish-towels. All Chine

flapjacks and turned them over deftly, using a little too much force, p

nch one with the handle of this tin shovel, and see how it acts. Goodness! it's sort of-elastic. That's funny. Well, perhaps it's the way they ought to look.' Her

k, when the words were frozen on her lip

mmer and spike, Scott Burton a hatchet, Geoffrey a saw, and Philip a rifle. Bell was nothing if not intuitive. No elaborate explanations ever were needed to

ou must, this

flapjacks, si

it. Your tools are too dull,-that's all. Use more energy!

own,' began Mrs. Win

very good flavo

ill by my failures. But as for the boys, I don't care a fig for them. Let them make flapjacks more to their tast

'Baking powder

A-K-I-N-G P-O-W-D-E-R!

er, I do remember that Dicky called me away just as I was getting i

O,' sang Jack. 'I recommend the c

ghed Dr. Winship. 'Cheer up, gi

scathingly; 'and as they are yours, not mine, I advise you to throw them in the brook,

ey touch,' sighed Polly, gloomily

lie in the g

ery, 'that apology will not serve a

tirely different,' cont

lie in the g

ould upon

she made fl

e did he

ise!' cr