We Girls: a Home Story

hat the doctor called a premonitory attack; that he might have another and more serious one any day, or that he might live on for years without a re

ad been on the point of showing him something which he looked for among his papers, just before the wind whirled them out of his hands. He had almost said he would complete and give it to him at once; and then, when they were interrupted, he had just put everything up again, and th

d deed of gift. He had thought of securing to us this home

this that wants evening; and so I've been thinking about it. What you do with your share of my other property when you get it is no concern of mine as I know of; but I should like to give you something in such a shape that it couldn't go for old debts. I never undertook to shoulder any of them; what little I've done w

en house; we knew all the hopes and the perplexities, only they came round to us in due order of hearing. But father had not really seen the

father said, "unless something comes up to remind h

other, "even when he does recoll

d, sunshiny house. In October Harry Goldt

d it, and did not tell us anything about it. She answered it next day; and it was a month late

re she stopped, as if she had accide

ork! Why! When?" cried Ba

exed way. "Mrs. Van Alstyne asked me

idn't you say something? You might have gone perhaps. We could

anything more, and she

e daughter who objected and then did. I have often thought that young

and pressed away more in all the big books we could confiscate, and hunted frosted ferns in the wood-edge, and had beautiful pine blazes mor

said Ruth, "round this great open chim

mond. "We'll ask the gi

te

me supper. We can have that

ee the coo

it, when they d

able in the front ro

we'll have the fortune tricks and the nuts later; and then the supper, bravely and comfortably, in the dining-room, where it belongs. If they get frightened at anything, they can go home; I'm going to new cover that screen, though, mother; And I'll tell you what with,-that piece of goldy-brown damask up in the cedar-trunk. And I'll put a

kind of party for us

ere, if they tried. It would

recognize her own special opportunities. She was

ntricate questions

se, "That would be a confusion. Jus

and leaves out Leslie Gold

replied Rosamond. "Grace Hobart is nice," she

r her, though," said Ruth

concile things. She liked them all, each in their wa

ows are knit,-your nose is crocheted,-and your mout

king; tha

build th

t fe

other men came and built four big houses, exactly behind the first ones. They wanted the pond all to themselves; but the little people were nearest to it;

satisfy e

-with a squ

ttle news-picker, with her music lessons! She had five scholars now; beside Lily and Reba, there were Elsie Hobart and little Frank Hendee, and Pen Pennington, a girl of

nvite until Wednesday; on Tuesday Ruth came home and told us that Olivia and Adelaide Marchbanks were getting up a Halloween them

anything?" as

but Elinor was in the room, a

d you te

them all. And Elinor said it would be so nice here. If

ankses? We could not take it for granted that they meant to ask us. There was no such thin

Maud Marchbanks rode by, homeward, on their

d Barbara. "If they did,

l send a note to-

n hopes?" asked Rosamond, in

er hat on. "I am going over to

it, whatever happe

osamond; and

nly come." Mrs. Hobart lent Rosamond an old English book of "Holida

sselyn, begging Mrs. Ingleside to come too, if she would; the doctor would call for them,

ve the message to her mother. Then

her mind, she had not decided it. But seeing her gentle, refined face, pale always wit

ay. Will you come? You will have Helen and th

e for Leslie, had seen an unopened note lying upon the table,

the Hendees'; and when Elinor said, "But you will be sure to be asked to the Marchbankses yourselves," replied, "It is a pit

nt out to parties, promised to come. "They would divide," she said. "Fanny might go to

ke liberties, if anybody. Last of all, R

Adelaide Marchbanks walked over, a

e. We want the same people, of course,-the Hendees, and the Haddens, and Lesl

oo late; we had asked others; the Hobarts, and the Inglesides; one or two whom Adelaide did n

ere, a little sceptre of

onday evening, when she returned; also, she heard of Rosamond's verbal invitation. Leslie was very bright about these things. She saw in a

ly of Leslie's. She showed it to Jeannie H

to oblige me to decline it. I see you have two days' advantage of her, and she will no doubt lose some o

h West Z--. "But Leslie Goldthwaite," Barbara sa

pique, or rivalry; there was no excitement about it; it seemed to be a pure, sp

as beating up Italian cream, and Rosamond was cutting chicken for

ight and neighborly way, but it isn't exac

, "I think, mother, I'm growing very proud and self-sufficien

between "somewhere" an

ping the firm-built pile backward to the two great, solid logs behind,-a picture which it only needed the touch of flame to finish and perfect. Then the dazzling fire-wreaths curled and clasped through and about i

wn, crooked stick in one hand

ease, 'biggin' your castle.' That will be

each other, and they made pretty curves and

d Miss Elizabeth, still looking at the f

ngton! Woul

hy I came over. Are you going to play snap-d

" said Ruth. "Anything,

great dragon-bowl with me, and superintend that part? Mother got her fate out of a snap-dragon, and

How perfectly lovely

afraid it was terribly meddlesome. B

ur Halloween part

ime when things are getting together, in the beautiful prosper

hings while they are entertaining in the drawing-room, don't have half the pleasure, after all, that we do, in s

ret of; and the salad, of spring chickens and our own splendid celery, was ready in the cold room, with its bowl of delicious dressing to be poured over it at the last; and the scalloped oysters were in the pantry; Ruth was to put them into the oven again when the time came, and mother would pin the white napkins

new where we could shirk righteously and in good order, when we could not accomplish everything; but there was neither huddle nor hurry; we were as quiet and comfortable as we could be. Eve

estal-looking. There was the open piano, and Ruth played a little; there was the stereoscope, and some of the girls looked over the new views of Catskill and the Hudson that Dakie Thayne had given us; there was the table with cards, and we played one game of Old Maid, in which the Old Maid got lost m

"And that," holding up a little white bottle, "is the Dragon." And Barbara set all away in th

in a great basin of water, and gave them names, and watched them turn and swim and draw together,-some point to point, some heads and points, some joined cosily side to side, while some drifted to the margin and clung there all alone, and some got tears in their eyes, or an interferi

e tell these until we tried? Some little crack, or unseen worm-hole, would keep one still, while its companion would pop off, away from it; some would take flight together, and land in like manner, without ever parting company; these were to go s

once the larger gave a sort of unwilling lurch, without popp

climate, or something else, sent him back again, with a real bound, just as Barbara's g

p back, I wonder?"

f cracked when it went away

it into the dark field, walking backward, saying the rhyme to the stars

round, O st

nd search ou

weet stars, n

o my future hu

eslie. She was the oldest

d Sarah Hobart. "I heard of a girl w

e took the little mirror that Ruth brought her from up stairs, put on

n the bank," said Barbara,

e instant after, we heard a great laugh. Off the piazza, she

other was a friend of his, just arrived in Z--. "Doctor

ss, and had ridden a stray horse across a battle-field, in his shirt-sleeves, right in front of a Rebel battery,

the tricks, excep

it was; but mother and Rut

a funny, twinkling curiosity, as he stood there with her in the full light

her Dragon, and threw in her snaps. A ver

ped" first, and go

able," said Miss P

ngton tried, a

your own fingers

e!" cried Barbara, h

aid Mrs. Ingleside, over her should

a sugar

said the merry do

ried, and seized a s

eful, that is all,"

y pungent," s

yne drew for

o timid or irresolut

"One must take the risk of getting scorche

reat fun

That was the last s

you would think it really meant somethi

hing,-that our Halloween at Wes

n the hearth in the brown room, before the embers, and throwi

bara. It is a comfort to put by things, with a clear conscience, to a more rested time. We should let them be over the Sunday; Monday morning would be all c

ou feel a

," said Ruth; "not as if 'the girls' had come and ha

asn't it bewitchinating of her

It was very nice of Miss Pennington, and kind, consider