Grandfathers -- Juvenile fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Juvenile fiction; Orphans -- Juvenile fiction; Poor girls -- Juvenile fiction
Bonny Angel went to sleep; and, holding her snugly, Glory herself leaned
back against the tree trunk where she was sitting and closed her own
eyes. She did this the better to mature her plans for the search she
meant to resume that very day, if possible, and certainly by the morrow
at the latest. Now that Bonny was so nearly well, she must go on; and as
her head whirled with the thoughts which swarmed it, it seemed to her
that she had "grown as old as old since grandpa went away."
Glory at last decided that she had best stop thinking and planning
altogether, just for a moment, and go to sleep as Bonny Angel had done.
She remembered that grandpa had often said that a nap of "forty winks"
would clear his own head and set him up lively for the rest of the day.
Whatever Captain Simon Beck, in his great wisdom said was right, must be
so; and though it seemed very lazy for a big girl such as she to take
"forty winks" on her own account and in the daytime, she did take them
and with so many repetitions of the "forty" that the boarders had all
come home across the fields before she roused again to know what was
going on about her.
There was a hum of voices on the other side of the tree; and though they
were low, as if not intended for her ear, they were also very earnest
and in evident dispute over some subject which she gradually learned was
none other than herself.
She had been going to call out to them, cheerily, but what she heard
made her sit up and listen closely. Not very honorable, it may be, yet
wholly natural, since Mistress Mary was insisting:
"There's no use talkin', Timothy Dowd, them two must pack to the first
'Asylum' will take 'em in. The sooner the better and this very day the
best of all. 'Twas yourself brought 'em or sent 'em, and 'tis yourself
must do the job. You can knock off work this half-day and get it
settled."
"Oh, but Mary, me cousin, by marriage that is. I hate it. I hate it
worse nor ever was. Sure, it was bad enough touchin' a match to them
neat little clothes o' theirs but forcin' themselves away----Ah! Mary,
mother o' seven, think! What if 'twas one o' your own, now?" wheedled
Tim.
But Mary was not to be moved. Indeed, she dared not be. As Glory had
already learned, Dennis Fogarty was the now useless gardener of the rich
family which lived in the great house on the hill beyond, and to whom
the abused Queen Anne cottage and all the other red outbuildings visible
belonged.
The rich people were very particular to have all things on their estate
kept in perfect order; and though they had no fault to find with Dennis
himself, whenever he was well enough to work, they did find much fault
with his shiftless or careless wife, while the brood of noisy children
was a constant annoyance to them, whenever they occupied Broadacres.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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