Family life -- Juvenile fiction; New England -- Juvenile fiction; Women college graduates -- Juvenile fiction
Three days had entirely made over Liz Hopworth. Sarah Hopkins' death
had given Liz, hitherto an outcast, a position of importance in the
community. However unfitting Freedom's ladies might have thought it,
nevertheless it was an undisputable fact, and everyone knew it, that
Liz's hands had "done for" the stricken family; she had cleaned and
comforted, dusted and baked and stitched together suitable mourning for
poor Jennie, the oldest Hopkins girl. At the simple funeral it had
been Liz who had greeted the neighbors and had urged them to "just look
at Sarah Hopkins--you'd think she was enjoyin' it all, she's that happy
lookin'!" What no one else knew was that it had been Liz who had put
her arms around Jennie Hopkins when a complete realization of her loss
had swept over the girl and had bade her "just lay your poor little
head right here and cry all you want to!" Never in all her life had
Liz's arms known such a labor of love. Jennie _had_ cried all she
wanted to--great, heart-breaking sobs that had, though they exhausted,
finally soothed her.
From his corner where old Dan'l, with hanging head waited his supper,
came a grunt of unbelief. Liz turned reprovingly.
"Anyway, Archie Eaton's a soldier even if he be an Eaton!" Then, to
Nonie: "I met Mis' Sniggs comin' up the village and she wants all the
little girls to wear white and throw bouquets at Archie as he's gettin'
off the stage and sing America. She's goin' to get the flowers at Mis'
Todd's and Mis' Brown's. Miss Nancy's white's too nice, but I guess
your gingham's faded most white 'nough. Anyways, it's plenty good."
"Have I time to run up and tell Miss Nancy?"
"Lan' sakes, no! We gotta get supper spry so's to have the work
cleared away. Nancy Leavitt knows it, I callate--ain't much happens
Webb doesn't carry straight off up to Happy House. I guess maybe
they're pretty busy, too. Things is certainly changin', I said, when
Sabriny Leavitt goes to poor Sarah Hopkins' funeral, sittin' right on
the plush chair over in the right-hand corner near the waxed flowers.
And sure's I'm alive, she's taken the Hopkins baby up to Happy House to
do for. She wanted it to keep regular like her own, but Timothy
Hopkins wouldn't listen for a minit--his children wa'nt a goin' to be
separated if they all starved! Seems to me he was foolish, but he was
awful set and mebbe he was right. Dan'l Hopworth, take off your
slippers! Of course you're goin' to see Archie Eaton come home! I
guess you're as patriotic as any other folks."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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