II.
_AN EXCITEMENT._
"That is Maggie's writing," said Belle, seizing eagerly upon the note,as the man handed it to her. "I s'pose it's about something nice:Maggie's notes always are,--Bessie's too. Please read it to me, papa."
Mr. Powers did as he was asked; and when Belle had opened the envelope,which was a part of the business she must of course attend to forherself, read aloud these words, written in Maggie Bradford's large,round hand:--
"OH! MY DEAR, DARLING BELLE,--We are so glad Bessie and I are that yourpapa has made up his mind not to take you away to your home in thesouth this winter. And not to have you go in that horrid steamer andsail with monsters of the deep and be seasick, which is such a horriblefate that I could not wish it of my worst enemy of which I hope I havenone in this world or that which is to come. And because we are so gladabout it we wanted to have a public rejoicing, and mamma says we may,and if you don't know what a public rejoicing is it means when peopleare very glad about something and want other people to be glad too andso they make a great fuss and have something very nice. And so in thepresent case mamma says you can come and make the public rejoicing withus to-morrow afternoon and Lily Norris is coming too and Nellie andCarrie Ransom. And mamma is going to let us have a very nice supperand some mottos, of which she knows you are fond as I suppose are allmankind or ought to be if they have any sense, and we think she is thevery dearest mamma that ever lived and I hope I shall be her gratefulchild as I am yours till death and Bessie the same.
"MAGGIE STANTON BRADFORD."
"Oh, yes! I'll go, 'course I will," said Belle, clapping her hands, asher father finished reading the note; and too much accustomed to goingand coming to and from Mrs. Bradford's house as she pleased to thinkit necessary to ask permission. "'Course I'll go. And, papa, isn'tthis a lovely note? and isn't Maggie just the smartest child to writeso nicely? I think she writes just as good notes and letters as bigpeople: yes, I think hers are a good deal more interesting than bigpeople's. And she makes me understand every thing too. I'm glad shetold me what a public rejoicing was, 'cause I didn't know before; andisn't that nice and pretty about not going away and monsters of thedeep?"
"But you must send your answer: Patrick is waiting," said Mr. Powers.
"Oh! to be sure," said Belle. "Please write it for me, papa;" andaccordingly her father wrote as she dictated:--
"DEAR MAGGIE AND BESSIE,--I guess I will; and I thank you very muchfor making a public rejoicing, and mottoes and all. Your mamma is sogood; and I love her and you, and hope I'll be a sunbeam to everybody.Good-by.
"Your own precious "BELLE."
On the afternoon of the next day Belle was taken to the home of heryoung playmates by Daphne, the old colored nurse who took care ofher. She was in very good time, you may be sure; for she insistedon going immediately after her own early dinner; and Daphne was toomuch accustomed to giving her her own way in all things to dream ofdisputing her wish.
The preparations for the "public rejoicing" were not quite finished,as might have been expected; but that did not much matter where Bellewas concerned, for she was so much with the little Bradfords that theylooked upon her almost as one of their own family; and she was at oncecalled upon by Maggie to "help with the arrangements," which she wasquite ready to do.
"Mamma hasn't had time to buy the mottoes yet," said Maggie, "'causeshe couldn't go out this morning; but she is going now and says we areto go with her. Don't you want to come too, Belle?"
Belle was only too glad; and as soon as Mrs. Bradford was ready, thethree little girls, Maggie, Bessie, and Belle, set forth with her tomake the important purchase.
As they were on their way to the store, Maggie, who had skipped aheadto a corner they had to turn, came running back with face all aglow andeyes full of excitement.
"Oh! mamma!" she said: "there's such a fuss round the corner, and I'mafraid we'll have to pass it."
"What is the trouble?" asked Mrs. Bradford.
"I don't know; but there's a crowd, and I saw a carriage, and apoliceman; and there's such a fuss."
"Well," said Bessie, who held the most unbounded faith in policemen,"if there's a policeman, I s'pose he'll fix it all right: won't he?"
"But you see we'll have to pass it to reach the candy-store," saidMaggie; "and maybe, it's a drunken man, or a carry-on horse, or ananimal escaped out of the menagerie, or a mad dog, or some otherdreadful excitement;" and she looked quite distressed as she finishedthe list of horrors she had imagined.
"I think I can take care of you," said her mother; "and if there shouldbe any danger we will stop in at grandmamma's till it is over."
Thus consoled, but still clinging tight to her mother's hand, Maggiethought they might venture to go on; but as soon as the corner wasturned, it became quite plain that there was no danger for them,though there was indeed what she called "a fuss."
In the middle of the street was a carriage about which a crowd hadgathered, one of the horses having stumbled, fallen, and broken hisleg. On the sidewalk stood a lady in deep mourning, with a nurse, and achild about Bessie's age, the latter screaming at the top of her voice,and dancing up and down, seemingly partly in fear, partly in anger; forshe would not listen to her mother and nurse when they tried to sootheher, but struck out her hands passionately at the woman when she triedto draw her away from her mother's side, so that the lady might findopportunity to speak to those about her.
"Oh! the poor little girl! just see how frightened she is," said Bessie.
"I am afraid she is a little naughty, too," said her mother, as thechild gave another furious scream and stamped wildly with both her feetupon the pavement; while the lady, who was plainly weak and nervous,drew her hand across her forehead as if the uproar her little daughterwas making was almost too much for her.
"But I must speak to the lady and see if I can do any thing for her,"continued Mrs. Bradford; and stepping up to her, as she stood a littlewithdrawn from the crowd, she said kindly, "Can I be of any assistanceto you?"
"No, thank you," said the lady: "I am not ill, only startled; and--ifMabel would but be quiet and let me speak and think."
Mabel seemed inclined to do this now that she had caught sight of theother children; for ceasing her loud screams, and standing still, shestared open-mouthed at them.
"My house is but a few steps farther on: will you not come in and rest,and compose yourself?" asked Mrs. Bradford of the stranger.
"No, thank you," she answered again: "I believe we have but littlefarther to go. Is not the ---- Hotel near here?"
"Only a block or two," replied Mrs. Bradford.
"Then we will walk on," said the lady; and directing the nurse tobring some shawls from the carriage, she thanked Mrs. Bradford for herkindness, and taking the hand of her little girl would have gone on.
But this did not please the child, who now drawing sharply back fromher mother, said pettishly,--
"No: I want to go to that lady's house and play with those nice littlegirls."
"But we're not going home. We are going to the candy-store to buy somemottoes," said Belle.
When Mabel heard this, she said she wanted to go to the candy-store andbuy mottoes too; and her mother, who, it was plainly to be seen, gaveway to her in every thing, said she might do so.
"But if I go and buy you mottoes, will you be a good girl, and comewith me to find your uncle and little cousin?" asked the stranger lady.
Mabel promised, anxious now only to secure the mottoes; and she andher mother and nurse followed Mrs. Bradford and our little friends tothe candy-store.
Mrs. Bradford politely waited and let the saleswoman attend to thestranger first, for she saw there would be small chance of peace tillthe spoiled child had all she desired.
All she desired! There seemed no end to that. Not only Maggie andBessie, but Belle also, who was accustomed to the most unboundedindulgence, and to have every wish gratified, stood amazed at thenumber and quantity of dainties which Mabel demanded, and
which she wasallowed to have. Parcel after parcel was put up for her, till not onlyher own hands and those of her already well-laden nurse were filled tooverflowing, but those of her mother also.
"Now do come, dear," said the latter, when it was impossible that anyone of the three could carry another thing: "let us go and see thelittle cousin, and she shall share them with you."
"No, she shan't," whined Mabel: "I don't want little cousin, and Ishan't have her now."
"Well, never mind, then. She is such a nervous child," said her mother,turning to Mrs. Bradford. "She shall not tease you if you do notchoose. Come, darling, won't you, with poor mamma?"
But it took so much more promising and coaxing before the unruly childcould be persuaded by her weary but foolish mother to go on, that Mrs.Bradford made her purchases and quitted the store with her own littleflock, leaving Mabel still whining and fretting, and at the last momentinsisting upon having a sugar "Temple of Liberty," which the shopwomantold her was not for sale, but only put there for show.
"That's the spoildest child I ever saw," said Belle, as they turnedhomewards, each little girl by her own desire laden with a parcel.
"Yes," said Maggie: "she's just the kind of a child to cry for themoon, and get it too, if she could; but she couldn't. I'm glad," sheadded, with an air of deep wisdom, "that our parents saw the error oftheir ways and didn't train us up that way. What are you laughing at,mamma?"
But mamma made no answer; the reason of which Maggie took to be thatjust at that moment she bowed to a gentleman who was passing; andbefore she could repeat her question Bessie spoke.
"I'm glad enough I'm not her little cousin she is going to see. I'msorry for her cousin."
"So am I," said Belle. "I wouldn't have such a cousin as Mabel for anything. She's too horrid."
"You have a cousin named Mabel, though, haven't you?" asked Maggie.
"Yes, so I have; but then she's not one bit like that Mabel, you know,"answered Belle.
"You never saw her, did you?" asked Bessie.
"No, 'cause she lives about a million thousand of miles off, way offin Boston; but she is coming to see me some time," said Belle.
"But if you never saw her, how can you tell she is not one bit likethat child?" asked Bessie.
"Why how could she be?" demanded Belle, indignantly: "her mamma is mypapa's own sister, and he'd never have such a foolish lady as that forhis sister. I guess he wouldn't;" and Belle shook her head in a mannerwhich seemed to say that such an idea was to be put out of the questionat once.
"Yes: you know 'birds of a feather flock together,'" said Maggie.
"What does that mean?" asked Bessie.
"Why," answered Maggie, slowly, as she considered how she might makeone of her favorite proverbs fit the occasion, "it means--well--itmeans--that a foolish mother is apt to have a foolish child, and thingsof that kind. Do you understand, Bessie?"
"Oh, yes!" said Bessie, looking at her sister with admiring pride:"you always make every thing plain to understand, Maggie. Don't she,Belle?"
"Yes," said Belle: "she's an excellent explainer. And, Maggie, doyou know I told papa what nice things you said about being sunbeams,and told him those verses you made; and, oh! didn't he think it wassplendid?"
"I don't believe Mabel is much of a sunbeam to her people," saidBessie. "I'm 'fraid her mother don't teach her to be."
"No, indeed, I guess she isn't!" said Belle; "and I wouldn't want to bea sunbeam to her."
"But our Father in Heaven makes His sun to shine on the evil and on thegood," said Mrs. Bradford, softly. "Does not my little Belle want tocopy Him?"
Just the words her father had used yesterday when she was talking withhim on this very subject. They set Belle thinking; and she walked morequietly on towards the house, trying to make up her mind if she could"be a sunbeam" to such a disagreeable child as the one she had justseen.
She had not quite decided when they reached Mrs. Bradford's door,and there for the time her thoughts were taken up with her play andplaymates.
But Mrs. Bradford was rather amused when, one of the dolls beingsupposed to have behaved badly, Belle was overheard to say,--
"This child must be punished severely, she is so very nervous."