Betty Leicester: A Story For GirlsJewett, Sarah Orne
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Betty Leicester: A Story For Girls
Jewett, Sarah Orne
Girls -- Juvenile fiction
But at this moment the train man shouted "Newburyport," as if there were
not a minute to be lost, and the good soul gathered her possessions in
a great hurry, dropping her purse again twice, and letting fall bits of
broken sentences with it from which Betty could gather only "The fog
come in," and "coast o' France," and then, as they said good-by, "'t was
so divertin' ridin' along that I took no note of stoppin'." After they
had parted affectionately, she stood for a minute or two at the door of
the still moving train, nodding and bobbing her kind old head at her
young fellow-passenger whenever they caught each other's eye. Betty was
sorry to lose this new friend so soon, and felt more lonely than ever.
She wished that they had known each other's names, and especially that
there had been time to hear the whole of the boat story.
Now that there was no one else in the car seat it seemed to be a good
time to look over some things in the pretty London traveling bag, which
had been pushed under its owner's feet until then. Betty found a small
bit of chocolate for herself by way of dessert to the early luncheon,
and made an entry in a tidy little account book which she meant to keep
carefully until she should be with papa again. It was a very
interesting bag, with a dressing-case fitted into it and a writing case,
all furnished with glass and ivory and silver fittings and yet very
plain, and nice, and convenient. Betty's dear friend, Mrs. Duncan, had
given it to her that very spring, before she thought of coming to
America, and on the voyage it had been worth its weight in gold. Out of
long experience the young traveler had learned not to burden herself
with too many things, but all her belongings had some pleasant
associations: her button-hook was bought in Amsterdam, and a queer
little silver box for buttons came from a village very far north in
Norway, while a useful jackknife had been found in Spain, although it
bore J. Crookes of Sheffield's name on the haft. Somehow the traveling
bag itself brought up Mrs. Duncan's dear face, and Betty's eyes
glistened with tears for one moment. The Duncan girls were her best
friends, and she had had lessons with them for many months at a time in
the last few years, so they had the strong bond in friendship of having
worked as well as played together. But Mrs. Duncan had been very
motherly and dear to our friend, and just now seemed nearer and more
helpful than ever. The train whistled along and the homesick feeling
soon passed, though Betty remembered that Mrs. Duncan had said once that
wherever you may put two persons one is always hostess and the other
always guest, either from circumstances alone or from their different
natures, and they must be careful about their duties to each other.
Betty had not quite understood this when she heard it said, though the
words had stayed in her mind. Now the meaning flashed clearly into her
thought, and she was pleased to think that she had just now been the one
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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