Elsie's children Read online

  CHAPTER FOURTH.

  "A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." --PROVERBS xxix. 15.

  Lucy, too, had a talk with her children, in which she begged them quitepathetically, not to disgrace her before the expected guests, Mr. Dinsmoreespecially, who was so very strict in his ideas of how children ought tobe brought up, and how they should behave.

  They promised readily enough to "behave splendidly" and for a few days didso astonishingly well that, as she laughingly said, "she began to growfrightened lest they were becoming too good to live."

  But she need not have been alarmed; the reaction was not long in comingand was sufficient to relieve all apprehension that they were in immediatedanger from an overplus of goodness.

  It began on the morning after Mr. Dinsmore's departure. Gertrude was lateto breakfast, and when reproved by her mother answered in a manner sodisrespectful as to quite astonish the young Travillas. They expected tosee her banished at once from the table and the room; but her mother onlylooked grave and said in a tone of displeasure, "Gertrude, I cannot haveyou speak to me in that way--Don't do it again."

  "I don't care; you needn't scold so about every little trifle then,"muttered the delinquent in an undertone, pulling the dish of meat towardher, helping herself and spilling the gravy on the clean tablecloth.

  Mrs. Ross did not seem to hear, she was spreading a piece of bread withthe sweetest and freshest of butter, for Sophie.

  "I don't want it, I want waffles!" screamed the child, snatching up thebread the instant it was laid on her plate, and dashing it on to thecarpet.

  "You are not well this morning, dear, and mamma thinks waffles might makeher darling worse," said Lucy in a soothing tone. "Come now be a goodbaby, and eat the bread. Shall mamma spread another piece?"

  "No, no, naughty mamma! I'll jus' frow it on the floor if you do," criedthe child, bursting into angry sobs.

  "Shall mamma have some toast made for her?" (coaxingly).

  "No, no! waffles! and butter on waffles, and 'lasses on butter, and sugaron 'lasses!"

  The mother laughed. It seemed to irritate the child still further; and shescreamed louder than ever, slid down from her chair and stamped her footwith rage.

  Mrs. Ross was deeply mortified at the exhibition. "Pick her up and carryher to the nursery," she said to a servant.

  Sophie kicked and struggled, but the girl,--a strong and determinedone--carried her away by main force.

  "I'm dreadfully ashamed of her, Elsie," Lucy said, turning to her friend;"but she's a nervous little creature and we must try to excuse her."

  "A few hearty slaps would reverse the nervous currents and do her animmense amount of good, Mrs. Ross," remarked the governess in her slow,precise way.

  "Slaps, Miss Fisk," returned Lucy reddening, "_I_ don't approve ofcorporal punishment, as _I_ have told you more than once. I was neverwhipped, and I don't intend that any of my children shall be."

  "Most assuredly not, madam; but I was recommending it not as a punishmentfor disobedience or ill temper, but simply as a remedial agent. I havenever experienced anything of the kind myself, Mrs. Ross, but have heardit remarked that nervousness occasions greater suffering than what isgenerally understood by the term pain; therefore I suggested it as Ishould the amputation of a diseased member when necessary in order topreserve life."

  "Permit me to remark," returned Lucy, "that unmasked advice is seldomacceptable, and now a truce to discussion, if you please. My dear Elsie,"turning to Mrs. Travilla, "I beg you to excuse our ill-manners. Itstrikes me that none of us are behaving quite as we ought this morning.Hal and Archie, what's wrong between you now?" For the two boys, seatedside by side, were scowling at each other, and muttering angrily halfunder their breath.

  "Why, ma, he went and took the very piece of meat I just said I was goingto have," whimpered Archie, digging his fists into his eyes.

  "Well, I don't care," retorted Harry, "I'd as good a right as you, and Iwas ready first."

  "Give him a part of it, can't you?" said his mother.

  "'Tain't more'n I want myself."

  "I won't have it after it's been on his plate," exclaimed both together.

  "Boys, I'm ashamed of you!" said Lucy, "I wish your father were here tokeep you straight. You don't dare behave so before him. I'm sure yourlittle friends would never act so. Don't you see how your naughtinessastonishes them? Vi, would you talk to your mamma as my children do tome?"

  The large blue eyes opened wide upon the questioner in half incredulous,reproachful surprise, then turned upon the beautiful, gentle face of Mrs.Travilla with an expression of ardent affection mingled with admirationand respect. "O Aunt Lucy! could you b'lieve I'd do that to my mamma?"

  The very thought of so wounding that tender mother heart was evidently sofull of pain to the little one, that Elsie could not refrain fromresponding to the appeal, "Mamma knows you would not, darling."

  "Oh, no, mamma, 'cause I love you!" cried the child, the young facegrowing bright with smiles.

  "Atmospheric influences have often a great deal to do with these things;do you not find it so?" Elsie said, turning to her friend.

  "Yes, I have noticed that!" Lucy said, catching gladly at the suggestion:"and the air is certainly unusually oppressive this morning. I feelnervous myself. I think we'll have a gust before night."

  The last words were spoken in an undertone, but the quick ear of Gertrudecaught them. "Then I shan't go to school," she announced decidedly.

  "Nonsense," said her mother, "'twon't be here till afternoon; probably nottill night, if at all."

  "Now, ma, you're just saying that. Aunt Elsie, do you really think itwon't come soon?"

  Glancing through the open window at the mountains and the sky, Elsieanswered that she saw no present indications of a storm; there was nothingto betoken it but the heat and closeness of the air.

  "Are you afraid of thunder, Aunt Elsie?" asked Harry.

  "Lightning, you silly boy," corrected Gertrude, "nobody's afraid ofthunder."

  "Yes, you are," he retorted. "You just ought to see, Ed, how scared shegets," and Harry laughed scornfully.

  Gertrude was ready with an indignant retort, but her mother stopped her."If you are really brave, Gertrude, you can have an excellent opportunityto show it when the storm comes." Then to Harry, "Let your sister alone,or I'll send you from the room."

  The gust, a very severe one, came in the afternoon. Before it was fairlyupon them, Lucy, herself pale with terror, had collected her children in adarkened room and seated them all on a feather-bed, where they remainedduring the storm, half stifled by the heat, the little ones clinging totheir mother, hiding their heads in her lap and crying with fear.

  Elsie and her children formed a different group; the mother the centralfigure here also, her darlings gathered closely about her, in herdressing-room--at a safe distance from the open windows--watching withawed delight, the bursting of the storm clouds over the mountain-tops, theplay of the lightning, the sweep of the rain down from the heights intothe valleys and river below, listening to the crash and roar of thethunder as it reverberated among the hills, one echo taking it up afteranother, and repeating it to the next, till it sounded like theexplosions of many batteries of heavy artillery, now near at hand, nowfarther and farther away.

  "Mamma, isn't it grand?" exclaimed Eddie, in one of the brief pauses inthe wild uproar of the elements.

  "Yes," she said, "the thunder of his power who can understand?"

  "Is it God, mamma? does God make it?" asked little Herbert.

  "Yes, dear; 'when he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters inthe heavens, and he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of theearth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out ofhis treasuries.'"

  "We needn't be 'f'aid, mamma?"

  "No, darling, no; for God is our Father; He loves us and will take care ofus."

  The storm was very violent while it lasted, but s
oon passed away; the sunshone out, and a beautiful rainbow spanned the eastern sky above themountain-tops.

  Elsie's children clapped their hands in ecstasy, and ran to call theirlittle friends to enjoy the sight with them. Mrs. Ross followed, lookingso pale and exhausted, that Elsie inquired with concern if she were ill.

  "Oh, it was the storm!" she said, "wasn't it fearful? I was sure the housewould be struck and some of us killed. Weren't you frightened?"

  "No," Elsie said, with a kindly reassuring smile, "I presume my nerves arestronger than yours, and I am not naturally timid in regard to thunder andlightning. Besides, I know so well that he who guides and controls it ismy Father and my Friend. Come, look at his bow of promise."

  The children were in a group about the window, gazing and admiring.

  "Let's ask mamma for the story of it," Vi was saying.

  "The story of it?" repeated Archie Ross.

  "Yes; don't you know? about Noah and the flood."

  "I never heard it."

  "Oh, Archie, it's in the Bible; grandma told it to us once," exclaimed hissister Gertrude.

  "I didn't hear it, anyhow," persisted the boy, "do, Vi, coax Aunt Elsie totell it."

  The petition was readily granted. Mrs. Travilla was an inimitablestory-teller, and Lucy, whose knowledge of Scripture history was butsuperficial, listened to the narrative with almost as much interest andpleasure as did the children.

  "I would give anything for your talent for story-telling, Elsie," she saidat its conclusion.

  "Oh, another! another! Please tell us another?" cried a chorus of youngvoices.

  Mrs. Travilla drew out her watch, and holding it up with a smile, "Notjust now, my dears," she said, "see it is almost tea-time, and," sheadded playfully, "some of us have need to change our dresses and smoothour tangled tresses."

  "That is true," said Lucy, rising hastily, "and I expect my husband home.I must send the carriage off at once to the depot; for the train is nearlydue."

  Thereupon a cry was raised among the Rosses as they flew after theirmother, "I want to go for papa!" "and I!" "It's my turn, I say, and I willgo!" "No, you shan't, for it's mine."