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The Flag-Raising By: Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin (1856-1923) |
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by KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN
CONTENTS I. A DIFFERENCE IN HEARTS
II. REBECCA'S POINT OF VIEW
III. WISDOM'S WAYS
IV. THE SAVING OF THE COLORS
V. THE STATE O' MAINE
I A DIFFERENCE IN HEARTS "I DON' know as I cal'lated to be the makin' of any child," Miranda had
said as she folded Aurelia's letter and laid it in the light stand
drawer. "I s'posed of course Aurelia would send us the one we asked
for, but it's just like her to palm off that wild young one on somebody
else." "You remember we said that Rebecca, or even Jenny might come, in case
Hannah could n't," interposed Jane. "I know we did, but we hadn't any notion it would turn out that way,"
grumbled Miranda. "She was a mite of a thing when we saw her three years ago," ventured
Jane; "she's had time to improve." "And time to grow worse!" "Won't it be kind of a privilege to put her on the right track?" asked
Jane timidly. "I don' know about the privilege part; it'll be considerable work, I
guess. If her mother hasn't got her on the right track by now, she
won't take to it herself all of a sudden." This depressed and depressing frame of mind had lasted until the
eventful day dawned on which Rebecca was to arrive. "If she makes as much work after she comes as she has before, we might
as well give up hope of ever gettin' any rest," sighed Miranda as she
hung the dish towels on the barberry bushes at the side door. "But we should have had to clean house, Rebecca or no Rebecca," urged
Jane; "and I can't see why you've scrubbed and washed and baked as you
have for that one child, nor why you've about bought out Watson's stock
of dry goods." "I know Aurelia if you don't," responded Miranda. "I've seen her house,
and I've seen that batch o' children, wearin' one another's clothes and
never carin' whether they had 'em on right side out or not; I know what
they've had to live and dress on, and so do you. That child will like
as not come here with a bundle o' things borrowed from the rest o' the
family. She'll have Hannah's shoes and John's undershirts and Mark's
socks most likely. I suppose she never had a thimble on her finger in
her life, but she'll know the feelin' o' one before she's been here
many days. I've bought a piece of unbleached muslin and a piece o'
brown gingham for her to make up; that'll keep her busy. Of course she
won't pick up anything after herself; she probably never saw a duster,
and she'll be as hard to train into our ways as if she was a heathen." "She'll make a dif'rence," acknowledged Jane, "but she may turn out
more biddable than we think." "She'll mind when she's spoken to, biddable or not," remarked Miranda
with a shake of the last towel. Miranda Sawyer had a heart, of course, but she had never used it for
any other purpose than the pumping and circulating of blood. She was
just, conscientious, economical, industrious; a regular attendant at
church and Sunday school, and a member of the State Missionary and
Bible societies, but in the presence of all these chilly virtues you
longed for one warm little fault, or lacking that, one likable failing,
something to make you sure that she was thoroughly alive. She had never
had any education other than that of the neighborhood district school,
for her desires and ambitions had all pointed to the management of the
house, the farm, and the dairy. Jane, on the other hand, had gone to an
academy, and also to a boarding school for young ladies; so had
Aurelia; and after all the years that had elapsed there was still a
slight difference in language and in manner between the elder and the
two younger sisters. Jane, too, had had the inestimable advantage of a sorrow; not the
natural grief at the loss of her aged father and mother, for she had
been resigned to let them go; but something far deeper. She was engaged
to marry young, Tom Carter, who had nothing to marry on, it is true,
but who was sure to have, some time or other. Then the war broke out.
Tom enlisted at the first call... Continue reading book >>
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