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The Girl Warriors
_A BOOK FOR GIRLS_
By ADENE WILLIAMS
David C. Cook Publishing Company ELGIN, ILL.; OR 36 WASHINGTON STREET, CHICAGO.
Copyright, 1901. By David C. Cook Publishing Company.
The Girl Warriors.
_A BOOK FOR GIRLS._
By ADENE WILLIAMS.
CHAPTER I.
THE BURTONS.
Winnifred Burton sat all alone in the pleasant sitting-room, curled upin an easy-chair so large that her little figure was almost lost in itsgreat depths. The fire in the open grate burned brightly, sending outlittle tongues of flame which made dancing shadows on the walls andceiling, and flashed ever and anon on the bright hair and face and dressof the little girl sitting so quiet before it.
It was a dismal day near the close of January. Snow had been fallingsteadily all day, and the window-sill was already piled so high with itthat by and by it would have to be brushed away in order to close theshutters. But Winnifred was so absorbed in the book she was reading thatshe knew nothing of all this. The book was a new edition of "The GiantKiller; or, The Battle That All Must Fight." She was just reading howthe brave but tempted Fides lay in the dreadful Pit of Despair; ofhow he had fallen back, bruised and bleeding, time after time, in hisendeavors to cut and climb his way out, before he found the little cordof love which was strong enough to draw him out with scarcely an effortof his own.
Twilight was fast closing in around the little reader, and all theletters on the page were beginning to dance up and down. Impatientlyshaking herself, Winnifred slipped down from her chair, gave the firea little poke, and settled herself on the floor in front of it, holdingthe book so that she could see to read by the flickering light. But shehad scarcely begun to do so, when the door opened. She gave a littlejump, and turned quite red in the face.
But it was only her little brother Ralph, who said: "'Innie, mamma saysif 'oo have 'oor lessons done, 'ou'se to come out and set the table forsupper."
Her lessons done! Winnie glanced at the pile of books lying on thetable by the window. Yes, there they all were--her geography, history,grammar, arithmetic. When now would she have time to learn thoselessons? And she felt that she had been dishonest, too, because hermother would perhaps have had something else for her to do, if she hadnot supposed she was studying hard. However, there was no help for itnow, and with a rueful face she left the room.
Mrs. Burton was in the kitchen, so that Winnie escaped being questioned,but just now she was taking herself to task, for she had a very guiltyconscience, and was wondering when she was going to begin fighting hergiants. She knew only too well what one of them was, and she knewalso that if she could not find time to learn those lessons, anotherpunishment beside the stings of her conscience would await her on themorrow.
But presently her father and older brother came home; little Ralph ranto get their slippers, while they took off their wet boots; supper wasput on the table, and they all sat down to the cheerful meal.
Mr. and Mrs. Burton had few rules for their household, but they hadone which was imperative: nothing but cheerful faces and cheerfulconversation was allowed at the table. Business or household worrieswere kept for private conference, and the little griefs of the childrenwere not allowed to be mentioned.
Winnie soon forgot her anxiety in listening to the things that herfather and brother Jack were saying, and, as the talk was aboutpolitics, and the tariff, and the state of the market, other littlegirls may not be so interested as Winnie tried to make herself believethat she was. So this will be a good time to describe them all, as theysit at the table.
All of their acquaintances spoke of the Burtons as a very happy family,and this opinion was undoubtedly correct, the reason for which willappear later.
Mr. Burton is a tall, handsome, young-looking man, with brown eyeshaving a merry twinkle in them; his eyebrows and moustache are dark andheavy, and his firm mouth and chin show character and decision.
Mrs. Burton looks as young as her husband, and Winnie is always taken bystrangers to be her younger sister, which is a source of great delightand comfort to the girl, as she is very proud of her dainty and stylishmother. Mrs. Burton has soft brown hair, always prettily dressed; hereyes are a deep, soft blue, shaded by long, curling lashes, and withstraight, delicate eyebrows above. Although she does much of thehousehold work, she manages, in some mysterious manner, to keep herhands soft and white. Winnie sometimes steals up behind her mother andputs her own little brown hands beside one of the soft white ones witha little sigh--for she would like her own to be soft and white, too--butmore often with a merry laugh.
Eighteen-year-old Jack, except that he gives promise of attaining hisfather's noble inches, is much like his mother. He had been intended forone of the professions, but all of his talents and inclinations havingpointed to business, his father finally yielded the point of having himgo through college, and, upon his graduation from high-school the yearprevious, took him into his own real estate office.
Winnie has eyes and hair like her father, but, in spite of her twelveyears, is so small and slight that she looks like a child of nine orten.
Four-year-old Ralph is the pet and beauty of the family. His haircurls in loose rings all over his head. His hazel eyes have such large,dilating pupils, and such a way of shining when anything is given him,that his young aunts and uncles, together with Winnie and Jack, arealways giving him something for the pleasure of seeing his wonderinglook.
"Well, my dear," said Mr. Burton to his wife, as they rose from thetable, "anything on the carpet for to-night?"
"Yes, if you don't think the weather too bad, I'd like to call on Mrs.Brown after Ralph is put to bed."
"Winnie, I should like you to accompany Jack in one of his new violinstudies, while we are gone; but you must not forget that half past nineis your bed-time."
"Now for the new music," Jack said.--See page 6.]
Poor Winnie! She dearly liked playing Jack's accompaniments, but theunlearned lessons rose up before her, and she said, "Oh, mamma, I can'tto-night; I haven't done my lessons!"
"Well, Winnie, this has happened three or four times within the lastweek. If several study bells in school and two hours in the afternoonare not sufficient for you to keep up with your classes, I'd ratheryou'd go back a year. I want you to be educated thoroughly, but I can'thave you 'crammed,' and you're too young to do studying at night."
"Mamma, that is time enough for me to do all my school work; but, likethe Little Women, I have something to ''fess,' and if you'll letme study this time, I think that after this I'll get through in thedaytime."
"Very well; but remember, if this is of frequent occurrence, I'll haveto consult Mr. Bowen and see if you are overworked."
Jack and Mr. Burton had heard none of this conversation, having goneinto the sitting-room for a game of chess, and Mrs. Burton and Winniehad remained in the dining-room.
Mrs. Burton went into the kitchen to give her orders for breakfastto Norah, and Winnie returned to the sitting-room with a strongdetermination to work so hard that she would make up for herself-indulgence of the afternoon. But little Ralph came running up toher with: "Now, 'Innie, tell me a story."
"Oh, Ralphie, Winnie can't to-night; see, she has to learn something outof all these books;" and she pointed to the big pile of them that lay onthe table.
"Well, den, me'll wead the newspaper;" and he sat down on a ha
ssock witha paper in his hand, and looked so cunning that Winnie had to go andgive him a little hug before she could get to work.
She began with her greatest bugbear, United States History; not,however, without having cast one longing look at "The Giant Killer,"as it stood temptingly on the edge of the book case. But, saying toherself, "I'm bound to do it"--a phrase which had seemed to help herover difficulties so many times that she almost felt as if it were thephrase, and not the exertions which always followed the use of it, thatwas helpful to her--she applied herself with such concentration that,during the twenty minutes her mother remained out of the room, shelearned quite thoroughly the three pages describing the Battle ofMonmouth. In the meantime, Ralph had been put to bed, and Mrs. Burtonhad come in, cloaked and bonneted. As soon as their father and motherhad gone, Jack said, "Now, Win, for the new music."
"Oh, Jack, look here! There are two pages of descriptive geography, tenmap questions, and a short account of the exports and imports of Indiato be learned, and I've six long problems in percentage to work."
"Whew! Then my cake's dough! But how is it that you have all this todo to-night? I thought we were to spend our evenings in helping andentertaining each other; that was what I understood mother to say whenshe changed your hour for bed from half past eight to half past nine.Ah! Win, I know what it is; you've been at your old tricks, you littlebookworm!"
"Don't tease, Jack. I'm sorry enough for it now, and I'll be ready tohelp you to-morrow night."
"To-morrow! Always to-morrow! But to-morrow our debating club meets, andthat settles that. I'll have to play without accompaniment, that's all."
Winnie heaved a sigh. It was a disappointment to her, too, but sheresolutely forbore to say more about the matter. It took her, however,until nearly nine o'clock to learn her geography lesson, and when herbed-time came, she had but four of the problems solved. She would muchhave liked to remain up an hour longer, but of direct disobedience Mrs.Burton's children were seldom guilty, so Winnie gathered up her books,ready to take to school in the morning, and went to her room.