Country life -- Juvenile fiction; Girls -- Juvenile fiction; Grandparents as parents -- Juvenile fiction
"She is very much spoiled," said the little grandmother, slowly, "a
very spoiled child, indeed. Her mother began it, and the Judge will
keep it up. But Judy is like her grandmother at the same age, Anne,
and her grandmother turned out to be a charming woman--it's in the
blood."
"She says she is going to live with the Judge." Anne was folding her
best blue ribbons, with quite a grown-up air.
"Yes. I have never told you, Anne, but the Judge's son was in the
navy, and four years ago he went for a cruise and never came back."
"Was he drowned?"
"He was washed overboard during a storm, and every one except Judy
believes that he was drowned. Even Judy's mother believed it in time,
but Judy won't. She thinks he will come back, and so she has lived on
in her old home by the sea, with a cousin of her father's for a
companion--always with the hope that he will come back. But the cousin
was married in the winter, and so Judy is to live with the Judge. He
has always wanted it that way--but Judy clung desperately to the life
in the old house by the sea. The Judge will spoil her--he can't deny
her anything."
"What pretty things she has," said Anne, looking down distastefully at
the simple gown and neat but plain garments that the little grandmother
was packing into a shiny black bag.
The little grandmother gave her a quick look. "Never mind, dearie,"
she said, "just remember that you are a gentlewoman by birth, and try
to be sweet and loving, and don't worry about the clothes."
But as she tied the shabby old hat with its faded roses on the fair
little head, her own old eyes were wistful. "I wish I could give you
pretty things, my little Anne," she whispered.
Anne gave a remorseful cry. "I don't mind, little grandmother," she
said, "I don't really," and for a moment her warm young cheek lay
against the soft old one.
A tiny mirror opposite reflected the two faces. "How much we look
alike," cried Anne, noticing it for the first time. Then she sighed.
"But my hair doesn't curl like yours, little grandmother," and in that
lament was voiced the greatest trial, that had, as yet, come to Anne.
"Neither does Judy's," said Mrs. Batcheller, and Anne brightened up,
but when she went down-stairs and saw Judy's bronze locks giving out
wonderful lights where they were looped up with a broad black ribbon
she sighed again.
When the carriage drove around, Anne caught Belinda up in her arms.
"Good-bye, pussy cat, pussy cat," she cried, "take care of grandmother,
and don't catch any birds."
Belinda crooned a loving song, and tucked her pretty head under her
little mistress' chin.
"You're a dear, Belinda," said Anne, "and so is Becky," and at the
sound of her name the tame crow flew to Anne's shoulder and gave her a
pecking kiss.
"Oh, come on," said Judy, impatiently, and the Judge lifted the shiny
bag and put it on the front seat; then they waved their hands to the
little grandmother and were off.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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