A Little Girl of Long Ago; Or, Hannah Ann: A Sequel to a Little Girl in Old New YorkDouglas, Amanda M.
History
A Little Girl of Long Ago; Or, Hannah Ann: A Sequel to a Little Girl in Old New York
Douglas, Amanda M.
New York (N.Y.) -- History -- 1775-1865 -- Fiction
Men talked themselves up to fever-heat. Why plod along years making a
fortune, when here you could dig it out of the ground in a few months!
As if wealth was the great and only good to mankind.
Now, when one flies across the continent in a palace-car, it seems
strange indeed to think of the long journey of these pilgrims to the
land of Ophir, as it was called. The overland route, that across Mexico,
or the isthmus, comprised the sail to Vera Cruz, and then up the Pacific
coast, and was costly. That around Cape Horn took five months. Yet men
were selling their property or business that they had been years in
building up, leaving their families, and hurrying off, promising to be
back in a few years, millionaires perhaps.
The Underhills were not seized with the mania. There were several other
matters that occupied their attention. John was to be married in
January, and to go in business with his employer, who would be his
father-in-law. And in December, two granddaughters were added to the
family.
Hanny was quite dazed with the conflicting claims. Margaret's little
girl had large dark eyes like Dr. Hoffman, and dark, silky hair; while
Dolly's daughter was fair. Margaret's baby was really beautiful.
But in her secret heart the little girl thought no baby in the world
could ever be the sweet and joyful surprise that Stevie had been,--the
Christmas gift to them all. Dr. Hoffman declared that he was really
jealous that she should not transfer all her affections to his little
daughter. "He should not call her Haneran now."
"I should hope you wouldn't," declared Hanny, mirthfully. "You ought to
name her Margaret, and we could all call her Daisy. That's such a
cheerful, pretty name!"
"But she won't be white and gold. She would have to be a Michaelmas
daisy. And we couldn't call her Pearl, with her dark eyes and hair.
Still, I think Margaret one of the noblest and sweetest of names."
"I don't suppose any one will think Hannah a sweet name," said the
little girl, rather ruefully. "They all say--it's a _good_ name. But I
don't want to be just like Grandmother Van Kortlandt. When I am real old
I would rather be like Grandmother Underhill."
"Luckily, the names do not endow us with the natures."
In the end, it _was_ Margaret; and they called her Daisy, much to the
little girl's delight. When Mrs. Jasper heard of the name, she sent her
a beautiful pair of sleeve-pins. They were used to pin through the
shoulders and sleeves of babies' dresses. It seemed then as if all
babies had beautiful fat necks, and pretty dimpled arms.
Dolly's little girl was called Annette Dorothea; but her household name
was Annie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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