Family -- Juvenile fiction; Young women -- Juvenile fiction
Looking carefully over the damaged room the lawyer made some entries in
his note book and, with the doctor, approached Lily's mother. The woman
positively refused to make known her name, and even the railroad men
had not succeeded in learning who she was.
"That my baby is safe," she declared, "is all I ask. People saw the
girl coax her off, but even this I am entirely willing to overlook, and
I will positively make no claims against the company."
The doctor saw the child was not in the least injured, and also was
convinced there was no danger of shock to the little nervous system, as
the tot looked upon the whole occurrence as "good fun," so the
professional men withdrew their offer to serve either the woman or her
child.
CHAPTER XXI
AT AUNT WINNIE'S
Dorothy had fastened Tavia's hair up under her hat, so that the one
long and uninjured side covered the burnt ends and hid the damage. She
looked like a pretty boy, Dorothy told her, and the red line about her
neck was not noticeable at all, for around the scar Dorothy had pinned
her own white silk handkerchief. Except for a few tell-tale spots of
"scorch" marking the back of her new dress, from her appearance Tavia
might never have been suspected of being the heroine of a railroad
accident.
"Oh, there is Aunt Winnie!" exclaimed Dorothy as the train stopped, and
she looked out of the window near the door.
A depot wagon was drawn up to the platform, and in it sat a stylishly
dressed woman.
If Tavia had felt "alarmed at the style" as she afterward told Dorothy,
the moment Mrs. White grasped her hand in welcoming her to Birchland
all nervousness left her, for Mrs. White had an unmistakable way of
greeting her guests--she really was glad to see them. Dorothy climbed
up beside her aunt, while Tavia took the spare seat at front, and it
seemed to her the world had suddenly fallen from its level, everything
was beneath her. She had risen physically, mentally and socially from
her former self--the first ride on a box seat was an inspiration to the
country girl, and Tavia felt its influence keenly.
Dorothy chatted pleasantly to her aunt, occasionally referring to
something to Tavia to give her a chance to join in the conversation and
Tavia noticed that Dorothy had already cheered up wonderfully.
"I suppose this is the sort of company Doro belongs in," Tavia thought.
"There is something so different about society people."
Mrs. White certainly was different. She knew exactly how to interest
the girls, and she also knew how to make them feel at home. She had
asked all sorts of polite questions about Dalton folks, and showed the
keenest interest in the new appointment of Squire Travers. Tavia
insisted that Dorothy had elected him, and this item of news Mrs. White
begged Tavia would repeat to the "boys" as she declared they would be
"just delighted to hear how their girl cousin managed Dalton politics."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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