Bildungsromans; Communities -- Juvenile fiction; First loves -- Juvenile fiction; Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- History -- Juvenile fiction
The child's eyes had a wonderful exalted light in them, and her voice
had a tender, appealing sound, that went to the mother's heart. She
was thankful, too, that Daffodil had no terror of death. She shrank
from it as from some dread spectre standing in her way.
The child missed him most in her walks. Norah liked neighbors to chaff
and gossip with; rambles, with no special motive, did not appeal to
her. Gran'mere was always busy, her mother was easily tired out. She
rode, as of old, with grandad, but she could not use the pillion, her
arms were too short to go around his stout body. Her father took her
out with him when he could; he did a good deal of surveying. On
Saturday Ned Langdale would hunt them up, and one day he brought
Archie, who was three years younger, and not exactly stupid, either,
but always wanting to examine the beginning of things, and how the
Indians came to own the continent, and why the Africans were black and
had woolly hair and in the country called Asia they were yellow? And
if God created only two at first, how did they come to be so
different? And how did Adam know what to name the animals? Were there
people living in the stars?
"Oh, do hush up," his mother would exclaim impatiently. "You are
enough to turn one's brain upside down! And you can't say half the
multiplication table. I don't believe you know how many black beans
make five!"
It had been a great puzzle to him. He sprung it on Daffodil one day.
She considered. "Why, five would be five of anything, wouldn't it?"
"Oh, how quick you are with a good reason, too. I couldn't see into it
for ever so long. I'm awful dull."
Then they both laughed. His face was such a good honest one, but not
full of mirth, like Ned's.
They were really nice boys, and her father felt he could trust her
with them. But he wished there were some tolerably well trained girls
for her to know.
Then the winter came on again. Her father had to go to Philadelphia on
some business, and there were stirring times in the brave old city.
They missed him so much. Grandfather Bradin was promoted to the whole
name now, as there was no chance of confusion, but the little girl as
often endearingly called him "gran."
Bernard Carrick brought home with him great-grandfather's will that
had been made five years before, and intrusted to a legal friend, who
was, like himself, a Huguenot refugee. To his wife Felix Duvernay had
entrusted his strong box, with the gold pieces that were almost
heirlooms, and various jewels, to do with whatever she chose. There
were some deeds of property that he brought home with him, and the
will.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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