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VII.
_THE PEACH-STONES._
THOSE peach-stones gave Maggie and Bessie a great deal to do. They werevery busy children in those days. On Monday mamma began again withtheir lessons. They went to her for an hour each morning after theycame from their walk, said a reading and spelling lesson, a little ofthe multiplication-table which Maggie said she was sure was made just"to bother little girls," and a verse of poetry; and when the hour wasover, had a short sewing lesson. Maggie's "towel task," as she calledit, was done later in the day whenever her mamma had time to attend toher.
As soon as the sewing lesson was over, they went to the yard tolook after the peach-stones. Patrick saved them all for Bessie, andhad found two boards for her on which she might dry them; and neverpeach-stones needed so much attention. In the first place, there waseach morning the plate full which Patrick had collected from the tableto be washed and spread out on the boards, and the whole number countedover and over again, for they could never make them twice the same.
Often when they went out, they found the cats had come over the fence,and knocked them down into the earth of the flower-garden, and theyall had to be washed over again. Then Flossy, who was always with themnow, would insist on scrambling over the boards, and would send thepeach-stones flying in every direction, for he thought it fine fun tosee them rolling about. There is no telling how much they enjoyed allthis trouble, or how distressed they would have been, if it had beensuddenly brought to an end. Indeed, they were quite disappointed ifthey found everything in good order when they went out in the yard.
"Margaret," said Mr. Bradford to his wife one day, as he sat at thelibrary window, watching his little daughters at their work, "how longdo you suppose it will take those peach-stones to dry at this rate?"
Mrs. Bradford laughed as she came and looked over his shoulder.
"Dear little things!" she said. "How they do enjoy it! I believethey fancy they are doing the chief part of the work for our peachpreserves, besides gaining something to add to their store for thelibrary. I shall be sorry when the warm weather is at an end, and Ishall have to forbid them to play with water. It gives some trouble,to be sure, in the matter of dresses and aprons, but I have not theheart to stop them, while I do not fear they will take cold."
Nurse grumbled a good deal over the wet dresses and aprons.
"Who ever heard of such doings?" she said one day. "And what's the goodof it all? Them little ignoramuses out in the backwoods can't read yourbooks when they get 'em."
Maggie was very much displeased.
"You ought not to talk so, nursey," she said. "If those childrendon't know how to read, they can be taught. And don't you like to domissionary work?"
"Missionary work!" said nurse. "And do you think I'd leave mycomfortable home to go missioning?"
"That's because you're not so very good," said Maggie, gravely. "MissWinslow is going to leave her comfortable home, and go to teach thoselittle children that you called such an unpleasant name; and it's verygood of her. Besides, you needn't go away to do missionary work; youcan do it here if you choose."
"And how's that? I'd like to know," said nursey, whisking off Maggie'swet dress.
"If we want to help people, we can do it without going away," saidMaggie, "and sometimes it's our duty to do it, and then that's ourmission; mamma said so. Now, nursey, don't you think you have a duty?"
"If I have, I don't need you to teach it to me," said nurse.
"No," said Maggie, "I am not going to teach you, 'cause you are old,and I am little, but I am just going to enter an ex-plan-a-tion foryou, 'cause you don't seem to understand."
At this, Jane, who was dressing Bessie began to giggle, and nurse puther head into the wardrobe, where the children's dresses lay.
"Now," Maggie went on, "you see Miss Winslow thinks it is her duty togo and teach those log-cabin children, and that's her missionary work;and it's Bessie's duty and mine to help her if we can, so it's ourmissionary work to buy the library; and it's your duty to dress us ifwe get ourselves wet while we earn the money, so that's your missionarywork; and you ought to do it with a cheerful mind, and not scold us."
Nurse tried to look grum, but the corners of her mouth were twitching,and when she had fastened Maggie's dress, she gave her a hug and a kisswhich did not seem as though she were very angry.
As soon as the little girls had run away to their mamma's room, nurseand Jane laughed heartily.
"Well, well," said nurse, "to hear the reasoning of her! And she hasthe right of it, too, bless her heart, and just shames her old mammy."
After this, there was no more grumbling about the wet dresses.
One night there was a hard storm, and in the morning, when the childrenwent out, they found that the rain had washed sand and gravel all overtheir precious peach-stones. This, of course, must be attended toimmediately, and it was quite a piece of work, for by this time theyhad collected seven or eight hundred.
"We ought to have something large to wash them in," said Maggie. "Whatcan we find?"
Now, Mrs. Bradford had a new cook, who had only been in the house fortwo or three days; and, as the children were seldom allowed to go intothe kitchen, she was as yet quite a stranger to them. This cook had nota good temper, but she was very neat, and that morning she had beenmaking a great scrubbing and polishing of her tins, after which she putthem out in the sun. Looking about for something in which to wash theirpeach-stones, Maggie and Bessie saw these tins, and among them a brightnew colander.
"Oh, that's just what we want," said Maggie. "Can we take it, Patrick?"she asked of the good-natured waiter, who was cleaning knives in thearea.
"'Deed, and ye may," said Patrick, who thought his little ladies musthave everything they asked for.
Much delighted, the children filled the colander with peach-stones,and, carrying it to the hydrant, turned on the water, thinking it finefun to see it stream through the holes of the colander.
Meanwhile Flossy, who was running about the yard, putting his nose intoeverything, found a quantity of muffin-rings, and thinking that thesewould be good things for him to play with, soon had them rolling aboutin every direction; but our little girls were too busy to see that hewas in mischief.
It took some time to wash all the peach-stones, but they were done atlast, and just arranged again in regular rows upon the boards, when thecook came out to take in her tins. Angry enough she was when she sawthe rings scattered around, and the clean, bright colander smeared withsand and gravel; and terribly she scolded.
"How dare ye!" she said to Maggie and Bessie. "I'll teach ye to touchmy tins."
"They're not yours," said Bessie, "they are mamma's. Maggie and I werewith her the other day when she bought that basin with holes in, andshe only lent them to you; and, cook, we don't be talked to in thatway; mamma don't allow it."
This made the cook still more angry, and she scolded in a way quiteterrible to hear, while the children stood looking at her, too muchastonished and frightened to answer. But Flossy never heard any greatnoise without trying to add his share, and he now began to bark at cookwith all his might.
"There now," said Patrick, "don't ye make such a fuss, Bridget, andI'll just wash yer colander as clane as a new pin. They're not used tosich talk, isn't the little ladies; for it's dacent people we are all,Mrs. Bradford's help, and not a hard word among us at all, at all. Comenow, be civil; and do you run to your play, honeys; it is no harrum yehave done."
But the cook would not be pacified, and scolded louder and louder,while the more she scolded, the louder Flossy barked.
"Cook," said Bessie, "you are a very naughty woman, and I don't thinkwe'll keep you."
"Woof, woof," said Flossy.
"Be off with you," said cook. "You'll fly at me, will you?"
"Woof, woof," said Flossy.
The woman snatched up Patrick's knife-brick, and with a very bad wordto the children, was about to throw it at the puppy, when Patrickcaught her arm; and
the frightened little ones, catching up their dog,scampered off as fast as their feet could carry them.
Up the back steps and through piazza and hall, till they reached thefront stairs, where they sat down quite out of breath. For a moment ortwo neither of them said a word, but sat looking at each other, as ifthey did not know what to make of all this; while Flossy, thinking hehad made noise enough for this time, curled himself up in Maggie's lapfor a nap.
At last, Maggie gave a long sigh. "Oh, dear," she said, "what adreadful woman!"
"And what a wicked word she called us!" said Bessie. "Maggie, whatshall we do?"
"We'll have to tell mamma," said Maggie; "she ought to know it."
"But, how can we tell her? I don't like to say that word, and, Maggie,I don't like you to say it either."
"But I s'pose we'll have to," said Maggie. "Mamma wouldn't like to havea swearer in her house."
"And what will be done to the cook?" asked Bessie. "Will she be hung?"
"No, I guess not," answered Maggie. "I think they only hang people whenthey kill somebody. But I s'pose she'll have to be took to prison.Papa's a lawyer, and I guess he'll send her."
"I thought the policemen did that," said Bessie.
"I'll tell you," said Maggie. "You know papa goes down town?"
"Yes, to his office."
"And he goes to another place called 'court,'" said Maggie. "Well,when somebody is very wicked, the police officer comes, and takes himto the lawyer, and he says, 'Mister, this is a very naughty person whohas done something very bad;' and the lawyer says, 'Here, you, go toprison, and just behave yourself.' And then the policeman takes him toprison, and locks him up."
"Oh!" said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration, "what awise girl you are! You know almost everything."
"I am going to try and learn a great deal more, so I can tell everybodyeverything they want to know," said Maggie.
"Maggie, do you think cook has been 'brought up in the way she shouldgo'?"
"No, I don't," said Maggie. "No 'way she should go' about it."
"Then do you think we ought to want her to be punished?"
"I don't want her to be punished," answered Maggie; "at least, notmuch. But you see she _ought_ to be. Anyhow, we must tell mamma, andshe'll know what is best."
"But how _can_ we say that word?" said Bessie.
"I'll tell you," said Maggie, after a moment's thought. "You say halfof it, Bessie, and I'll say the rest. I'll say the first half."
"Well," said Bessie, with a long sigh. "I suppose we'll have to. Let'sgo and do it quick then. I don't like to think about it."
Maggie laid Flossy down upon the soft mat at the foot of the stairs,and hand in hand, she and Bessie went up to their mother's room. Now itso happened that Mrs. Bradford had been passing through the upper hallas the little girls sat talking below. She stopped for a moment to seewhat they were doing, and heard Maggie tell Bessie about the lawyer.They did not see or hear her, and she would not wait to listen, thoughshe was sure, from the sound of their voices that they were in trouble,but passed on to her room, where her sister Annie and Mrs. Rush weresitting. She told them what Maggie had said, at which they were verymuch amused.
"Something has happened to distress them," said Mrs. Bradford, "and Isuppose I shall soon hear of it. If they come up with any droll story,do not laugh, as it seems to be a serious matter to them."
Mrs. Rush and Annie Stanton promised to keep sober faces if possible;but they did not know how much their gravity was to be tried. A momentlater, the children came in, and with grave, earnest looks walkeddirectly to their mother.
"Mamma," said Maggie, "we have something dreadful to tell you."
"Such a shocking thing!" said Bessie; "but we _have_ to tell you."
"That is right, my darlings," said mamma. "If you have done anythingwrong, tell me at once, and I will forgive you."
"It was not us, mamma. It was the new cook. Tell her quick, Maggie."
"Mamma," said Maggie, almost in a whisper, "she called us little dev'--"
"'ul," said Bessie.
"'s--s--s--s!" said Maggie.
Down went Aunt Annie's face into the sofa-pillows, while Mrs. Rushturned quickly toward the window to hide hers. Mrs. Bradford coughed,and put her hand over her mouth, but it was all useless; and Annie'smerry laugh was ringing in the children's astonished ears.
Maggie colored all over, and the tears came in her eyes, while Bessie,with cheeks almost as red, turned angrily to her aunt.
"You oughtn't, you oughtn't!" she said; "It is not a thing to laugh at.It was a shocking, shocking word."
"My darling," began mamma, then she, too, broke down and laughed withthe other ladies.
This was quite too much; Bessie hid her face on Maggie's shoulder, andboth burst into tears. Mamma was grave in a moment. She lifted Bessieon her lap, and drew Maggie close to her side.
"My poor little ones," she said, "that was too bad, but we did not meanto hurt your feelings;" and she soothed and petted them till they couldlook up again and dry their tears.
"Now tell me all about it," she said; and Bessie told her story withmany a grieved sob, ending with "And then she called us that name,mamma," for she would not trust herself to repeat the words which hadcaused her and Maggie so much distress.
Mrs. Bradford was much displeased with the cook, and reproved her; butthe woman was saucy, and as she made much trouble in the kitchen, shesent her away. The children were greatly surprised that no policemancame for her, and that she left the house quite quietly, as if nothingextraordinary had happened.
About this time an end came to the washing of peach-stones, for, asthe weather became cool, mamma forbade Maggie and Bessie to play withwater. So the stones had at last a chance to dry; then Patrick crackedthem, and the children took out the kernels. Boiling water was thenpoured over them, and when it had cooled enough for small fingers, thekernels were fished out; and the skin which the hot water had loosenedwas slipped off by the little girls. After that mamma allowed them todrop the blanched pits into the jars of preserves; and papa declaredthat no peaches had ever tasted so good as those sweet-meats whichhis Maggie and Bessie had helped to make. They had collected thirteenhundred peach-stones, and earned sixty-five cents, which went into the"library-box" in mamma's drawer. Maggie had hemmed four towels, forwhich she had been paid twenty cents. This, with papa's twenty-sevenbright pennies, made one dollar and twelve cents.
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