 |
|
Unknown Writer 1879 |
Looking at the sunlight streaming through the door she had opened to let the cat in, Kate said: “Momma, can’t I go outside and play? The clouds are all gone, and the sun shines bright and warm.” 1 |
“But the grass must be entirely soaked after all the rain,” said Mamma. “I will tell you what to do; run to Papa and ask him if he will not take us to drive.” 2 |
Papa was above to go out and had his hat in his hand, but he sat down at once to hear what Kate had to say and promised that he would take them in half an hour, so Kate ran upstairs to ask the domestic helper to put her wraps on. 3 |
By the time the horse wagon were at the door she was all ready, and took her place in the cab with great glee. 4 |
What a bright afternoon it was; the long rain had made all the grass and leaves look bright and green, and they were rustling in the fresh breeze. Away out at sea the ships were flying before the wind, looking like great white birds. 5 |
Kate’s home was at the seaside, and their drive this afternoon would take them for a time on the beach. 6 |
The waves, papa said, would be very wild, for the wind was just right to make a heavy surf. Soon they began to come to the fishing village. The houses were small, and on the beach close to each was drawn up a fishing boat. 7 |
On one of these a man was hard at work. He was down on his knees in his shirtsleeves, with some sort of a tool in his hands, and was so intent on what he was doing that he did not raise his head as they passed. 8 |
In the boat itself was a boy. He was leaning over the side and looking down at his father. His hat had blown off, and he looked like such a nice boy that Kate smiled at him as they went by. He laughed back and made her a little bow, but the horses went by so fast that she saw him for a minute only. 9 |
“What was the name of that boat, papa?” she asked. 10 |
“Phillis,” said papa. 11 |
“Why, that’s a girl’s name,” said Kate. 12 |
Just at that moment they passed by a small house. The door stood wide open, and in it sat a young girl. She had a pillow in her lap and was working over it, Kate thought, with a needle. 13 |
“She is making lace,” said mamma. “It is hard work, because one has to sit still bent over. I suppose she is glad to have the bright sunshine to sit in, for no doubt she has been kept in the house by the rain. I wonder if that is her little brother who is leaning against the side of the house whittling.” 14 |
Kate stretched her head out to look, and cried, “Why, he is making a boat; what a clever boy! See, the hull is done, and two masts are in place. What fun it would be to have a boat to sail on our little pond.” 15 |
“Our pond is too deep for it to be safe for you to play about it,” said papa; “but when you are older you shall have a boat without fail.” 16 |
The road now left the village behind and ran along the top of some high cliffs. At their feet the sea came in in great waves that were topped with foam, and that broke in a mass of spray. 17 |
There were two or three persons on the beach, and they were walking about and holding up their skirts to keep them from getting wet. It looked like such fun that mamma asked papa if he would not stop and let her and Kate have a short run on the sands. 18 |
So the horses were brought to a halt, and they got down and made their way through a break in the cliffs to the beach. Then, after they had walked a while, they sat down on a great mass of rock and watched the waves as they rolled and broke at their feet. 19 |
Kate was much interested in a piece of board that the waves were tossing about. She played that it was a ship, and really felt quite badly when it was dashed against the rocks. How long they would have stayed there I do not know, but they heard papa shouting that he was tired of waiting. And so they made haste to climb up to where he was and take their seats. 20 |
Then he spoke to the horses and on they went. They had not gone far when they found themselves in a green lane. Coming toward them were a little girl and boy. They were on their way home from school, as the bag in the girl’s hand showed, for it had books in it. 21 |
As they drew up by the fence to let our party pass, Kate said: “Their mamma lets them walk out though the grass is wet; but I would much rather ride this way than walk at any time, or play either, and so would they, I know.” 22 |
“I am afraid the rain is not all over yet,” said papa. “That black cloud ahead will give us a wetting, I fear. I will drive faster.” 23 |
Soon the drops began to fall, but their carriage had a top, and they had with them rugs, so that they were not hurt at all. Kate, as she peeped out, saw that all were not so safe. A girl and a boy were crouched close under a bush by the roadside. 24 |
“They will not get very wet,” said mamma, “for the cloud is nearly passed by, and the sun shines once more.” 25 |
“Are we not near home?” she said to papa, “it is getting late, I think. There goes a girl with her pail to drive the cows to the yard to be milked. Kate must have her supper when we get back, and her bedtime is seven o’clock, you know.” 26 |
“It is only five now,” said papa; “we can have a good hour more, and Kate won’t mind, I fancy, if she is a little late for once.” 27 |
“No, indeed,” said Kate; “I think any way I am getting much too big to go to bed at seven.” 28 |
“There is a little girl,” said mamma, as she looked in at the door of a house that they were passing, “that thinks bedtime is not far off.” 29 |
“She’s only a baby,” said Kate with great indignation, “and I am quite a large little woman.” 30 |
Papa and mamma both laughed at Kate’s tone. She did not like to be laughed at at all, and so, to change the subject, as they went by a house, called out, “Why, what are that boy and girl doing at that hogshead?” 31 |
“Fishing,” said papa soberly. 32 |
“In a hogshead!” said Kate. “Who ever caught fish in such a place? No, they must be sailing chips. Yes,” she went on, as she stretched her short neck up as far as she could, “that is what they are doing; I can see the chips.” 33 |
Just then papa called out, “What in the world is this coming down the road? Whoa! my boys, steady,” he said to his horses as they began to prick up their ears. 34 |
The next minute they saw what it was. A dog came toward them at full speed, howling with fright, while close at his heels was a cat wild with rage. Her ears were laid back, and she meant to catch and scratch the dog if she could. But he was too fleet for her, and as they looked they saw puss give up the chase and climb up on a fence. 35 |
“Well,” said papa, “I think that dog has had a lesson. He will not trouble that cat again, I am sure. I wonder what he did to make her so angry. Perhaps he teased her kittens.” 36 |
“There,” said Kate, a few minutes later, “there is a dog that is not going to be driven by a cat. Just look, mamma, he wants to get some of that baby’s supper.” Mamma looked up, and on the porch of a house saw just what you see in this picture—a fat small boy with a slice of bread and butter, while a dog almost as big as the boy looked on waiting for a bite. 37 |
Just at the side gate of the house stood an old cart half full of hay. It had not been used for some time, and a pair of birds had made their nest in it and had two or three young birds, which they were just feeding with a worm. 38 |
“Oh, how sweet!” cried Kate, “Papa, dear, do stop a minute.” So papa drew in his horses, and they watched them for a little while. The birds did not seem to mind them at all. 39 |
“There are no bad boys hereabout,” said papa, “that is very certain.” 40 |
“I am quite sure,” said mamma, “that it must be time for us to be home. The sun is nearly setting.” 41 |
“Yes,” said papa, “it is ten minutes of six. I will take a new way home, and we can be there in a very short time.” So he turned off into a lane close at hand. The horses seemed to know that their work was nearly done, and went on so briskly that just as the hall clock struck six they stopped in front of the door. 42 |
Nurse was waiting on the piazza to meet them, and she jumped Kate out of the carriage and took her right up to the nursery, where in a very short time her tea was all ready. How hungry she was; it seemed to her that bread and milk never tasted so good before, and she had her bowl filled three times. 43 |
At last she pushed back her chair and said she had had enough. Then she began to tell to nurse all she had seen—the boys, and the dogs, and all the pleasant sights; and all the time that nurse was getting her ready for bed, her small tongue wagged without stopping. 44 |
“I am getting now to be such a big little woman,” she said to nurse, “that I don’t think I shall go to bed any more till eight; I only just lay awake for an hour when I go at seven.” But that night when mamma came up, at five minutes past seven, to kiss her goodnight, she found her little girl so fast asleep that she did not know at all that she had come. “Ha, ha!” laughed mamma softly, “I think we will not change the hour for Kate to go to bed just yet.” 45 |
The next day was bright and fair, and Kate was glad to get out once more. She found that the rain, which had seemed so useless to her, had been of great service. Her flowers were all looking fresh and green, and every bud was nodding its head in the sunlight. 46 ★ |
 |
