Lewie; Or, The Bended TwigBradford, Sarah H. (Sarah Hopkins)
General
Lewie; Or, The Bended Twig
Bradford, Sarah H. (Sarah Hopkins)
Fiction
“I will not stay in this room another night!” said little Carrie; “I
wish we dared to go down to Mrs. Arlington. Let’s all go down together
to Miss Emma, and ask her to come up here.”
“No, no; hush, children!” said Agnes. Then she called, as loudly as she
dared, without awaking those in the neighboring rooms:
“Miss Glenn! Miss Glenn! where are you?”
“Here I am! What do you want of me?” answered a smothered voice.
“Mercy on us!” shrieked Carrie and Ella in a breath, and springing with
one bound on to the floor—“mercy on us! she is under our bed!”
Agnes looked under the bed, and could just distinguish something white,
huddled up in one corner under the head of the bed.
“Miss Glenn! what do you mean?” exclaimed Agnes, in a tone of
amazement. “Are you trying to frighten these poor children? Come out
here directly.”
With all Agnes’ gentleness, she had sufficient spirit when roused, and
she was now really indignant at what she supposed was a cruel attempt
to frighten little Carrie and Ella. Ruth Glenn was three or four years
older than Agnes, but yet she submitted at once to the tone of
authority in which she was addressed, and came crawling out from under
the bed.
“I think it’s a little too bad,” said the trembling little sisters,
crying and talking together; “it’s real mean, to wake us up, and
frighten us so. I mean to tell Mrs. Arlington of you to-morrow, Miss
Glenn. I know our mother won’t let us stay here to be frightened so!”
Ruth Glenn sat down on the edge of her own bed and said nothing, but
Agnes noticed that she shivered, as if with cold.
“Come, Miss Glenn, lie down,” said Agnes, “and let us see if we can
have quiet for the rest of the night; we shall none of us be fit for
study to-morrow, I fear.”
Ruth Glenn obeyed quietly, and was soon asleep, but the others had been
so agitated that it was a long time before their minds were
sufficiently calmed for repose. When startled by the rising bell, they
got up tired and unrefreshed, and with no very amiable feelings towards
the author of the disturbance in the night. Miss Glenn went about
dressing as quietly as usual, saying nothing to any one; till little
Ella, who was a spirited little thing, just as she was leaving the
room, turned about and said:
“Now, Miss Glenn! I am going right down to tell Mrs. Arlington about
you.”
To the surprise of all, this cold silent girl sat down on the bed, and
wringing her hands, and rocking back and forth, and crying most
piteously, she begged little Ella not to tell of her.
“I will do anything I can for you, Ella,” said she, “I will help you in
your lessons, whenever you want any help; only don’t tell Mrs.
Arlington; she will send me away perhaps, and then what shall I do!”
She then implored Agnes to use her influence with the little girls, and
her cousins, to ensure their silence on the subject, promising not to
disturb them again, if she could help it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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