A Modern Cinderella

es out to the big park where she could sit and watch the merry children at play and the beds of flowers coming out, and there were the funny pussy willows and the long tails

the warm stove and had that wonderful, beautiful dream. She felt very happy over it. And the Cinderella meant all the

iolet would pick up anything and put it in her mouth; so you had to watch her every moment. And though they generally slept from ten to twelve, there was the d

ep very sweet-tempered. She w

Borden said. "The twins will

terwards, at least drying the dishes, that there was barely time to go to Sunday school. But the singing was so delightful. She sang the pretty hymns over to the babies. In the evening the

n had gone out, Miss Florence had some visitors in the parlor. Marilla had fed t

and that aromatic ammonia, I'm so faint

breath, and leaning back in the big chair. She swallowed a little, then she went over on Maril

m the babies. Could she leave Aunt Hetty? Miss

elf. And there 40 hung the strap. He wondered if it would hurt very much? The babies looked too tempting. So he b

she seized the strap and he soon had a

Marilla!"

dreadful has happened to Aunt

e was dying or dead. Let's put her o

matter with t

k! I'll tell

et and just ran in to co

ook at their poor little h

uch, I'll giv

ck wiped his eyes and went out to play. Marilla ran upstairs aga

dy to come up here,-Mrs. Henderson. Bridget thinks-

n I stay wit

s,

their shoulders were swollen already. She kissed them, but she couldn't take them both

ut she's a mighty hard faint on her.

ained in a b

! You take one and I'll comfort

ridget walked the floor and patted Pansy and cr

rence ca

Henderson is going to stay

or it'll burn," and she gav

she's hurt more than Violet. You see, I ran upstairs when Miss Het

ther'll finish him tonight. Oh, de

aid aside her hat and coat and took up Violet, sent Marilla for

old them. They're so he

ed again and grew quieter. The doctor came and said it was a bad

and 43 undressed her, and her mother

lp Bridget a littl

no explanations were made. Jack was very quiet and behaved beautifully, but he wanted to go to bed at once. Viol

ld go at the babies so," sai

lling his father. You

hment that they don't mind it. But father brought up four boys in that manner

hed. "And yet he

nce. 44 "Suppose we hold this over his

we can

somewhere in the country where there were no children. She would not tell his father just now, but if he ever st

kissed her. "I'm awful sorry. I didn'

great deal more than

ow much was due to his pretty face and winsome manner, one couldn't quite tell, b

diet them a little they made a terrible protest. Here they were fourteen 45 months old and cou

did not take long walks and laid on the lounge a good deal. "Folks can't

an to plan fo

would visit a grand niece, who had been begging her to come. Bridget would stay in the house, she had no fancy for cantering about. Mrs. Borden would live at home through the week and rejoin th

barely a quarter of a mile from the seashore, 46 with a great orchard and grass all

ights with boys. He threw stones at cats-sometimes dogs, and broke two or three windows

ould go out to the park where they went on Sundays. It was so

off home and he rambled on and on until he came to a street up a few ste

" sang out one of them.

p 47 the horses. "Hanging on" wasn't so easy Jack found, and you had to swing your legs underneath. The man paused again at

won't you giv

here you want to go

go there," w

wo of you'll have to si

with the driver,

, the beer kegs rattled against each other. But the boys laughed and called it fun. Th

We're going j

'd you

all lived

he mountain where I put up for the night. Mebbe you can get 48 a

iggest boy. "Oh, we can soon foot it ba

an no

rucks. Jack began to get very tired and lagged. "Come, hurry up," the biggest boy said. Jack ran a little

est boy's name was Dick an

re ye wa

Newt

e crossroads, ye

ain, though Jack didn't understand the fun. But w

ch Str

re," indicating it with his

ing up and night was coming on. He went straight along, but now he was hungry, and his little leg

Arch Street. Keep straight on until

th a pleasant, mothe

e a bun? I'm lost and I can't f

Arch Street isn't far from the eastern end of t

ohn Bo

n shook

very much.

ks. Then ask a policeman. Oh, I

was a low rumble of thunder. Oh, dear! He

ter bub?" asked

can't find

e is

h St

t. It's bad to be lost

ll all the plac

ker and there was a sprinkle of rain. Jack held tight to the man's hand, and it seemed a

ome to Arch Street. Good-bye little lad.

Houses began t

as. He almost flew. And his father ran down the

ied through the open hall do

idnapped-for he was such a pretty little fellow! Mr. Borden telephoned to the Police Precinct, to two hospitals, went out to search, inquiring of the neighboring children. No, he had not been playing with them. Mrs. Borden was wild with terror

he went to the park and came out somewhere, and a man took him and two other boys for a ride. Dick was such a nice, big fellow. He said nothing

ght have been kidnapped. Never, never go riding

dn't find a cop, and asked every so many people, and a woman gave me a bun and a cake, and then a man took me acros

w. You must come straight home from sc

t been to sc

him to bed and kissed him a dozen times.

t he was the best boy in school, and brought home a note from hi

ason why Jack was not at school yesterday afternoon, a

to school yesterday after

k, and then-and then-I was afraid it was

s playing truant. I don't kn

nny a bit. And I don't want to ride in any old wagon that jounce

always. My nice little boy was a truant-player. And we shall all be so ashamed.

mother's neck and cried and she cried with him, thinking of her t

enough to tell papa how it began. Climb up in his

he str

would if I told him. And when people

er will do

im that

was not at all vainglorious. Afterward, he hung a

son," and his fa

d to admit more enormity than simply bad, "I-I went

ere ashamed

irect truth tellings now an

so pleasant I thought I'd go on. Some of the boys said it was funny to play hookey, but

d him close fo

you seem to have suffered somewhat, and I am going to trust you, only, you can't go walking with me on Sunday, and maybe there are some other pleasures you will be deprived of. I'm awfully sorry and mortified that your name must go on record down at City Hall as a truant from school. Some

r much reasoning, and the man wondered if he would have bee

ook the babies out Sunday morning and said no word to him. He followed Mar

children a

re a good many ba

y have a

r one than yo

a bigger one

n't need any strap. Why

etimes badness comes into y

"Did you like

s. And there were no little babies. And no dessert, only a t

nything. And they are not as pretty as I am. Folks used t

k did know that he w

hey are real sweet. I like babies.

dog. Cat

oing down stairs to put the dishes on th

down in the kitchen. She

in the kitchen. They

ome from church, and his father with bot

She placed them on the dumb waiter and started 58 them down stairs. Mrs. Borden

am. "Jack will not have an

is eyes full of tears

school with Marilla an

ht, "how I should love him." He did not even tease