Rose in Bloom: A Sequel to "Eight Cousins"Alcott, Louisa May
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Rose in Bloom: A Sequel to "Eight Cousins"
Alcott, Louisa May
Cousins -- Fiction; Family life -- Fiction; Orphans -- Fiction
“Wise people say we must carry our sunshine with us,” answered Rose,
taking refuge in commonplaces, for the face at the window grew pensive
suddenly as he answered, with a longing look, “I wish I could.” Then,
smiling gratefully, he added, “Thank you for giving me a little of
yours.”
“You are very welcome.” And Rose offered him her hand while her eyes
mutely asked pardon for withholding her leave to keep it.
He pressed it silently and, shouldering the umbrella which he forgot to
open, turned away with an “up again and take another” expression, which
caused the soft eyes to follow him admiringly.
“I ought not to have kept him a minute longer than I could help, for it
wasn't all pity; it was my foolish wish to show off and do as I liked
for a minute, to pay for being good about the gown. Oh, me! How weak
and silly I am in spite of all my trying!” And Miss Campbell fell into a
remorseful reverie, which lasted till she got home.
“Now, young man, what brought you out in this driving storm?” asked Rose
as Jamie came stamping in that same afternoon.
“Mama sent you a new book thought you'd like it. I don't mind your
old storms!” replied the boy, wrestling his way out of his coat and
presenting a face as round and red and shiny as a well-polished Baldwin
apple.
“Much obliged it is just the day to enjoy it and I was longing for
something nice to read,” said Rose as Jamie sat down upon the lower
stair for a protracted struggle with his rubber boots.
“Here you are, then no yes I do believe I've forgotten it, after all!”
cried Jamie, slapping his pockets one after the other with a dismayed
expression of countenance.
“Never mind, I'll hunt up something else. Let me help you with those
your hands are so cold.” And Rose good-naturedly gave a tug at the boots
while Jamie clutched the banisters, murmuring somewhat incoherently
as his legs flew up and down: “I'll go back if you want me to. I'm so
sorry! It's very good of you, I'm sure. Getting these horrid things on
made me forget. Mother would make me wear 'em, though I told her they'd
stick like like gumdrops,” he added, inspired by recollections of
certain dire disappointments when the above-mentioned sweetmeat melted
in his pockets and refused to come out.
“Now what shall we do?” asked Rose when he was finally extricated.
“Since I've nothing to read, I may as well play.”
“I'll teach you to pitch and toss. You catch very well for a girl, but
you can't throw worth a cent,” replied Jamie, gamboling down the hall
in his slippers and producing a ball from some of the mysterious
receptacles in which boys have the art of storing rubbish enough to fill
a peck measure.
Of course Rose agreed and cheerfully risked getting her eyes blackened
and her fingers bruised till her young receptor gratefully observed that
“it was no fun playing where you had to look out for windows and jars
and things, so I'd like that jolly book about Captain Nemo and the
Nautilus, please.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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