He
filled it so full that he spilled it all the way over the clean kitchen
floor, but his mother said nothing. Seventoes lapped his milk happily;
Benjamin, with his little contrite, tear-stained face, stood watching
him, and grandsir sat in his arm-chair. Over in the fields the
hay-makers were pitching the last loads into the carts; the east sky was
red with the reflected color of the west. Everything was sweet and cool
and peaceful, and the sun was not going down on Benjamin's childish
wrath. His grandfather put out his hand and patted his little red
cropped head, "You're always going to be a good boy after this, ain't
you, sonny?"
"Yes, sir," said Benjamin, and he got down on his knees and hugged
Seventoes.
LITTLE MIRANDY AND HOW SHE EARNED HER SHOES
By the 1st of June Mrs. Thayer had the sun-bonnets done. There were four
of them, for the four youngest girls--Eliza, Mary Ann, Harriet, and
Mirandy. She had five daughters besides these, but two were married and
gone away from home, and the other three were old enough to make their
own sun-bonnets.
There were four Thayer boys; one of them came next to Mirandy, the
youngest girl, the others ranked upward in age from Harriet, who was
eleven, to Sarah Jane, who was sixteen. There were thirteen sons and
daughters in all in Josiah Thayer's family, and eleven were at home. It
was hard work to get enough from the stony New England farm to feed
them; and let Mrs.
Pages:
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127