A Modern Cinderella, Amanda Minnie Douglas [free ereaders .txt] 📗

two hours, more when it was pleasant, and brought back the babies, rosy and bright eyed.

"Jack," and his father took him on his knee that evening, "you have been a very bad boy today. You have been a thief. Suppose the man had sent you to the Station House?"

"I wouldn't a' gone."

"Well, you would have had to. Thieves break laws and are sent to prison. And there you broke up the toys. You must never go in a store again without your mother."

"M'rilla took me in."

"And mother and Auntie supposed they could trust you. Now they can't. You will have to be watched and punished, and I am going to do it. There'll be no more Sunday walks with me, either."

"Can't I go alone?"

"Not until you are a good boy."

Jack looked rather sober, but his father saw he was not making much impression. And presently his mother put him to bed.

"I really don't know what to do with Jack," his mother said on her return, taking up her sewing.

"Listen to this," and Mr. Borden read from the paper an account of three boys who had managed to enter a grocery store and steal some quite valuable stock. Ages, seven, nine and ten.

"I'd rather bury Jack tomorrow than have such a thing published about him," he said.

"And Jack used to be so nice," returned his mother with a sigh.

"We've indulged him too much, and we have idealized childhood too much; we've laughed at his smart tricks and his saucy replies, and tried high moral suasion, but we must turn over a new leaf. When he is bad he must be punished severely enough to make an impression. Are you sure of that girl, Marilla?"

"Yes. She's truthful and so sweet to the babies. Bridget says she wouldn't even touch a piece of cake without asking for it. But I think she does sometimes shield Jack. He has a nasty way of pinching and I do slap him for it. I'm afraid of his pinching the babies. But we never do leave him alone with them."

"See here," began Florence, "why not send him to Kindergarten. The new term is just beginning. I think boys ought to be with other boys. And those classes are made so entertaining. The many employments take a child's mind off of mischief, and they are trained in manners. Oh dear! think, what a blessed time we should have!"

"I don't know but it is a good idea," said Jack's father. "He will have to mix with children some time, and our training hasn't proved such a brilliant success. Oh, I do want him to grow up a nice boy. But boys seem an awful risk now-a-days. I never knew so many youthful criminals."

"I'd like to know who that woman was who recognized Jack in the store. That mortifies me awfully."

"And it will get told all over, I know," returned Aunt Florence.

"Well, children do out grow a good many of these disagreeable capers."

The next night Mr. Borden brought home something in a paper bag and Jack begged the bag "to bust," watching his father as he shook out a leather strap cut in thongs and said--

"Now, Jack, every time you do any naughty, ugly thing, I am going to punish you with this strap. You must not pinch Marilla or the babies, not kick any one nor tell what isn't true. We want you to be a pretty good boy, otherwise you will have to be sent to the reform school."

"I'd like to go to the 'form school."

"Not much," was the comment.

"Why, I'd run away."

"There's a high fence all around, and you couldn't climb it."

"Then I'd holler like fury."

"And be put in a dark dungeon."

"There was a man in a story who dug his way out. That's what I'd do."

Arguing was useless. He was such a little fellow, but fertile in expedients.

"I don't want ever to use this strap on my little boy. I hope he will be good."

"What is good and what is bad."

"Come to bed, Jack. You're getting silly."

On Monday morning Jack went to Kindergarten. The house was like another place. And Jack was very much entertained. He soon learned what a "punch below the belt" meant, and a "biff in the eye" and several other fighting terms.

"And they're a set of gumps," he declared. "They can't read right off, they've got to write it, and I can read most anything and spell words, too. But they make pictures and lovely things, and sing. Yes, I like to go."


CHAPTER III

PLAYING HOOKEY

Marilla thought she had lovely times with Jack in school, but she did have to run up and down so much that some nights her little legs fairly ached. But now she took the babies out to the big park where she could sit and watch the merry children at play and the beds of flowers coming out, and there were the funny pussy willows and the long tails of yellow forsythia and some squirrels running around, and birds calling to each other. Then there were pretty children playing about and some nurse girls that she talked to. She felt so rested sitting here, and sometimes her thoughts went back to the March night when she had fallen asleep by the warm stove and had that wonderful, beautiful dream. She felt very happy over it. And the Cinderella meant all the little hard worked girls who had few pleasures. Oh, she wished they could all have one night in that magic fairy land.

She was learning to sew a little as well, and she thought she should like it if there was a little more time. But the babies began to crawl around now and Violet would pick up anything and put it in her mouth; so you had to watch her every moment. And though they generally slept from ten to twelve, there was the door to answer, little things to be done for Aunt Hetty whose bell would ring just as she had her work fixed ready to sew. Then likely she would lose her needle.

But she managed somehow to keep very sweet-tempered. She wished she could go to school.

"We'll see next fall," Mrs. Borden said. "The twins will be larger and less trouble."

Sundays were pretty good; Mr. Borden took out the children in the afternoon. She had to help Bridget with the vegetables for dinner, which was at midday and there was so much washing-up afterwards, at least drying the dishes, that there was barely time to go to Sunday school. But the singing was so delightful. She sang the pretty hymns over to the babies. In the evening the family generally went out or had company. So after Jack and the babies were abed she used to read, unless Jack wouldn't go to sleep and torment her with questions that were unanswerable.

On the whole Jack had been pretty good for a fortnight. One afternoon Mrs. Borden had gone out, Miss Florence had some visitors in the parlor. Marilla had fed the babies who were laughing and crowing when Aunt Hetty's bell rang. She ran up.

"M'rilla get me some hot water, quick, and that aromatic ammonia, I'm so faint and feel queer all over. Be quick now."

She ran down, but could not run up lest she might spill the water. Aunt Hetty was gasping for breath, and leaning back in the big chair. She swallowed a little, then she went over on Marilla's shoulder and the child was frightened at her ghastly look. There was the lavender salts----

Just then there was a succession of screams from the babies. Could she leave Aunt Hetty? Miss Florence called her, then ran up stairs herself.

And this was what had happened; Jack had come home and finding no one, knew there was some candy on the closet shelf. And there hung the strap. He wondered if it would hurt very much? The babies looked too tempting. So he began to strap them and enjoyed the howling. He was just going to leave off when Aunt Florence flew into the room.

"Oh, Jack, you cruel, wicked boy!" Then she seized the strap and he soon had an opportunity to known how much it hurt.

"Marilla! Marilla!" she called.

"Oh, Miss Florence, something dreadful has happened to Aunt Hetty, and I'm fast with her."

She came up. "Oh, she looks as if she was dying or dead. Let's put her on the lounge and you go for Bridget."

"What is the matter with the children."

"Oh, go, quick! I'll tell you afterward."

The child summoned Bridget and just ran in to comfort and kiss the babies.

"Oh, Jack, you never--oh, look at their poor little hands! You bad, wicked boy!"

"If you say much, I'll give you some----"

Marilla snatched at the strap and flung it upon a high shelf. Jack wiped his eyes and went out to play. Marilla ran upstairs again. They were fanning Aunt Hetty and bathing her face and head.

"Marilla, will you go to the parlor and ask that lady to come up here,--Mrs. Henderson. Bridget thinks--oh, and we ought to have a doctor! I must telephone."

"And then can I stay with the babies?"

"Yes, yes."

"Poor babies!" Marilla fairly stopped them with witch hazel. Their little fat hands and their shoulders were swollen already. She kissed them, but she couldn't take them both and they wanted to be cuddled. So she sat down and hugged them and really cried herself.

Bridget came down, "She isn't dead but she's a mighty hard faint on her. And what happened to the children?"

Marilla explained in a broken voice.

"Oh, the murtherin' little devil! You take one and I'll comfort 'tother. But you can't lift her."

No; Marilla couldn't lift such a dead weight. Bridget walked the floor and patted Pansy and crooned over her, but the hurt was pretty deep.

Aunt Florence came down.

"She's over the faint. Mrs. Henderson is going to stay a while. Oh, poor babies!"

"I must look after my meat or it'll burn," and she gave the baby to Miss Florence.

"I'll sit in the rocking chair and you put her in my lap, I think she's hurt more than Violet. You see, I ran upstairs when Miss Hetty's bell rang, and she fell on my shoulder, and I never thought----"

"I gave it to him good, and his father'll finish him tonight. Oh, dear! Well, there comes their mother."

There was a hubhub with both babies crying again. Mrs. Borden laid aside her hat and coat and took up Violet, sent Marilla for a pitcher of milk and both babies were comforted with a drink.

"Sit on the floor and hold them. They're so heavy. Poor sweet babies."

The sobs ceased after a while. Violet fell asleep, Pansy was bathed again and grew quieter. The doctor came and said it was a bad fainting spell but that Mrs. Vanderveers heart was weak from age.

Marilla fixed Pansy's supper, fed her and undressed her, and her mother laid her in the crib. Then she said--

"You may go and help Bridget a little with the dinner."

Marilla arranged the table and the master of the house came in. Jack sneaked in, also. Mrs. Henderson staid, so no explanations were made.