“Industry—
To meditate, to plan, resolve, perform,
Which in itself is good—as surely brings
Reward of good, no matter what be done.”
—POLLOCK.
IT was decided that the box for Pleasant Plains must start within a week, so there was no time to be lost in getting it ready.
Shortly after leaving the tea-table the two little girls held a whispered consultation, the result of which was that they stole quietly away to Elsie’s boudoir and set to work with zeal and determination upon the morrow’s lessons.
It was a lovely moonlight evening, and a carriage load of company, and two or three gentlemen on horseback, arriving just as they left the parlor, prevented them from being missed for a couple of hours.
Then the visitors having taken leave, the elder members of the family began to wonder what had become of the children, and presently Mr. Dinsmore went in search of them.
“Papa,” cried Elsie, looking up from her book as he entered the boudoir, “we have learned our lessons for to-morrow. Won’t you hear them now and let us go to the city in the morning with mamma and Cousin Mildred?”
“I will hear the recitations, and if I find them satisfactory shall certainly consider you deserving of the favor you ask,” he replied, seating himself and taking the book she held out to him.
“You have both done extremely well, and if nothing happens to prevent shall go to the city with the ladies to-morrow,” he said when the last lesson had been recited.
Both the young faces were full of delight.
“Thank you, Cousin Horace,” said Annis.
“Thank you, my dear, kind father,” Elsie said, seating herself on his knee and giving him a hug and kiss. “Annis says father always, and it sounds so nice. May I say it too? I mean would you like me to, papa?”
“Address me by whichever title pleases you best, my darling; both are very sweet to my ear coming from your lips,” he said, holding her close. “But come now, we must return to our friends; it is time for prayers.”
After prayers Annis followed Mildred to her rooms to tell how her evening and Elsie’s had been spent and talk about the purchases to be made on the morrow.
Mildred sympathized fully in her little sister’s pleasure, praised her industry, and gave patient attention to the other matters, and advice in regard to them.
“I don’t think we can quite decide what will be best for you to buy till we see the pretty things in the stores,” she said at length. “And now, dear child, I think it is about time for you to be getting ready for bed.”
“Yes, I suppose it is. O Milly, I do love you so! you are just like a mother to me, now while we are away from our own dear mother,” Annis said, giving and receiving a close and tender embrace.
Dr. Landreth came in at that moment, and as the two released each other, “Now, Annis,” he said, “isn’t it my turn? I’ve been your brother for a good while and you have never given me a hug yet.”
“I never hug gentlemen, except my father and brothers,” she returned, coloring and edging away from him.
“Of course not; but don’t you acknowledge me as your brother?”
“I think you are a very nice brother,” she said, remembering his many acts of kindness, “but not—”
“Not the sort you like to hug, eh? Then you oughtn’t to hug Mildred; because she and I are one.”
“I don’t think so,” she said, laughing and shaking her head, “and I have let you hug me once or twice.”
“Ah! but that’s another thing. See here, I’ll give you this if you’ll pay for it with such a hug as you gave Milly just now.” And he held up a double gold eagle.
Annis’s eyes sparkled. “That’s twenty dollars, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“I’d like to have it, but if it’s to be a gift you can’t ask pay for it.”
“True enough,” he said, tossing it up and catching it again. “Well, how am I to contrive to get what I want?”
“If you really want it so much, Brother Charlie, you shall have it for nothing, because I am ’most as fond of you as if you were my very own brother,” she said, permitting him to catch her in his arms and putting hers about his neck.
“That’s right,” he said, kissing her on both cheeks; “and now, as I’m not to be outdone in generosity, you shall have the gold piece as a free gift.”
He put it into her hand, and with a half breathless, “Oh, thank you. I never was so rich before!” and a gay good-night to him and Mildred too, she hurried away, eager to tell Elsie of her good fortune.
“It was worth twenty dollars just to see her delight,” he remarked, to his wife; “don’t you think so, Milly?”
“Yes; how kind and generous you are, my dear husband.”
As the cousins left the parlor Elsie drew out her watch, glanced at it, then gave her father a wistful, pleading look.
He smiled and held out his hand. “Yes, it is your bedtime I know; but a little girl who has been so industrious all evening I think deserves a little indulgence.”
She was on his knee and he fondling her before the sentence was finished.
“And papa is very glad of a good excuse to indulge her and himself at the same time,” Rose said, regarding the two with a look of mingled amusement and satisfaction.
“Quite true, mamma,” Mr. Dinsmore returned, caressing Elsie again and again; “but I hardly expected you to be so keen-eyed as to see through my little subterfuge, so very small a one that in fact I was hardly aware of it myself.”
“But what has Elsie been so busy about? if I may know.”
“Oh, yes, mamma; of course you may; I have only been learning and reciting my lessons—Annis and I—so that we might go with you and Cousin Mildred in the morning; and papa says we may if nothing happens to prevent.”
“Such, for instance, as a disinclination for your company on the part of your mother and cousin.”
“No danger of that impediment,” remarked Rose, with an affectionate look at her little step-daughter, “I can answer for myself and Mildred too, that we shall be glad to have them with us.”
“Thank you, dear mamma,” said Elsie. “Papa, how much may I spend on the presents for the cousins?”
“A hundred dollars if you wish. What do you think of buying?”
“I don’t know, sir. Mamma, can you suggest something?”
“Laces, ribbons, gloves, handkerchiefs; a lady can hardly have too many of any of those.”
“Or of books of the right sort,” added Mr. Dinsmore; “or of ornaments for the hair and dress. A handsome party fan makes a nice present too. But we need not decide fully until we see what the merchants have; it is sufficient for the present to have an idea of what we want. And now it is high time for my little daughter to go to bed. Good-night, my darling.”
Aunt Chloe’s busy hands were preparing her nursling for bed, when Annis came dancing in, holding up her double eagle.
“See, Elsie, what Brother Charlie has just given me! Wasn’t he kind? and isn’t it pretty? I never before had a larger gold piece than a quarter eagle. It’s so bright and new it seems too pretty to spend; but I mean to spend it to-morrow, for it will buy ever so many nice things for mother and the rest.”
“It’s a beauty!” Elsie said, taking it in her hand for a moment. “I remember papa gave me one three years ago when I was starting off to buy Christmas gifts, and I was so glad; for my purse wasn’t nearly so full as I wished it was.”
“But this year you have a bank to fill it from,” laughed Annis. “O Elsie, I do think that must be ever so nice!”
“But it doesn’t make much difference when you can’t get any out without leave,” Elsie responded with a smile and a little shake of her pretty head. “I hadn’t told papa I wanted more money that time and didn’t expect it in the least, because he had given me fifty dollars extra for Christmas just a few weeks before; but somehow papa always seems to know what I want. And he is sure to give it to me if he thinks it good for me to have it.”
“Yes, he’s a very nice father; and so is mine;” Annis said, “though he can’t afford to give me so much money—partly, I guess, because he has ’most as many children as the old woman that lived in a shoe. O dear! I forgot I wasn’t going to say guess any more, Elsie. I’m afraid I shall spoil you entirely, and Cousin Horace will feel like sending me home in disgrace, if he doesn’t actually do it.”
“No danger of that; I should be less surprised to hear him say he feared I should spoil you. But he told me to go to bed, and if I’m not there pretty soon he may say I shall not go to the city to-morrow. And besides I don’t want to disobey my dear father, though he should not so much as say I’m not pleased with you.”
“Then good-night, dear, I’ll run back to my room and get to bed too, as fast as I can,” Annis returned, giving Elsie a kiss and hurrying away.
The next day’s shopping was a decided success, and the two little girls managed to get a great deal of enjoyment out of it. Mildred was not far behind them in that, she had seldom set herself a sweeter task than the selection and preparing of these gifts for the dear ones at home. For some only the materials were bought, and then fashioned into beautiful things by her own deft fingers; many a tender thought, many a loving prayer, weaving itself in among the stitches.
Annis and Elsie also made some pretty things and had them ready in season too, though Mr. Dinsmore would not allow any neglect of either lessons or out-door exercise; and they as well as the ladies were occasionally hindered by calls.
Elsie had a number of little girl friends in the families which kept up a more or less intimate acquaintance at the Oaks and Roselands, who when their mothers or older sisters came to call upon Mrs. Landreth and Mrs. Dinsmore were allowed to come with them as callers upon Elsie and Annis.
It was no unusual thing for Mr. Dinsmore to take Elsie with him when making informal visits upon neighbors and friends, whether Rose accompanied him or not; and he made no objection to her going with her mamma and cousins to return these calls of her young friends; which they did as soon as the all-important box had been dispatched.
He and Dr. Landreth were usually of the party also, and the hospitable cordiality with which they were everywhere received made the little visits a pleasure to all.
The visit to Ion was the most enjoyable of any, both Mrs. Travilla and her son were so very kind and knew so well how to please and entertain their guests, both older and younger; Mr. Travilla was fond of little girls, and Elsie was a very great favorite with both his mother and himself.
He had a good many pretty and interesting things to show to her and Annis, as well as to the older people; paintings, engravings, flowers, birds and other live pets, besides a cabinet of curiosities. Some of these last were relics of the Revolutionary War, and each had a story connected with it. He told one or two, but said there was not time now for more, or to go into the details of any; that must all be deferred for the longer visit he and his mother hoped soon to have from them.
“We should like,” he added, “to have you all here for a week or two, or as much longer as you please; but if the older people cannot afford us so much of their valuable time, we think we must at least have the little girls. What do you say to it, Dinsmore?”
Elsie turned eagerly to hear her father’s reply. Annis listened anxiously for it too, for both were greatly interested in everything connected with the Revolution, and thought a week at Ion very desirable.
Mr. Dinsmore looked at them with an indulgent smile. “I see they would like to accept your kind invitation, Travilla,” he said, “as doubtless we all should; yet while thanking you and Mrs. Travilla for it, I think we must beg a little time to consider the matter. There must be a visit to Roselands, some entertaining at the Oaks, too, and it will not do to make pleasure the business of life, it cannot be all holiday to any of us.”
“That is very true,” said Mrs. Travilla, “and these dear little girls need to be garnering up knowledge now, in their youth, to make them ready for the duties and responsibilities of later years. Still I hope, Horace, you will find that you can spare them to us for at least a few days. Their presence would brighten up the old place delightfully.”
“You are very kind, my dear madam.”
“To myself, yes; Edward and I are very fond of children, and your little daughter has always been an especial favorite with us both, as I am sure you know. If you should ever want to get rid of her,” she added playfully, “we will be ready at a moment’s notice to take her off your hands.”
“Ah, yes, when?” he said, turning upon his child a look of unutterable love, joy, and fatherly pride.