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第21节

a summer in a canyon-第21节

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and red hair that make me what I am; or did what I am make my nose
and hair what they arewhich?'

'We'll have to ask Aunt Truth;' said Margery; 'that is too difficult
a thing for us to answer。'

'Wasn't it nice I catched that big bull…frog; Margie?' cried Dick;
his eyes shining with anticipation。  'Now I'll have as many as seven
or 'leven frogs and lots of horned toads when Elsie comes; and she
can help me play with 'em。'

When the girls reached the tents again; the last article had been
taken from the team and Manuel had driven away。  The sound of Phil's
hammer could be heard from the carpenter…shop; and Pancho was already
laying the tent floor in a small; open; sunny place; where the low
boughs of a single sycamore hung so as to protect one of its corners;
leaving the rest to the full warmth of the sunshine that was to make
Elsie entirely well again。

'I am tired to death;' sighed Laura; throwing herself down in a
bamboo lounging…chair。  'Such a tramp as we had! and after all; the
boys insisted on going where Dr。 Winship wouldn't allow us to follow;
so that we had to stay behind and fish with the children; I wish I
had stayed at home and read The Colonel's Daughter。'

'Oh; Laura!' remonstrated Margery; 'think of that lovely pool with
the forests of maiden…hair growing all about it!'

'And poison…oak;' grumbled Laura。  'I know I walked into some of it
and shall look like a perfect fright for a week。  I shall never make
a country girlit's no use for me to try。'

'It's no use for you to try walking four miles in high…heeled shoes;
my dear;' said Polly; bluntly。

'They are not high;' retorted Laura; 'and if they are; I don't care
to look like aacow…boy; even in the backwoods。'

'I'm an awful example;' sighed Polly; seating herself on a stump in
front of the tent; and elevating a very dusty little common…sense
boot。  'Sir Walter Raleigh would never have allowed me to walk on his
velvet cloak with that boot; would he; girls?  Oh; wasn't that
romantic; though? and don't I wish that I had been Queen Elizabeth!'

'You've got the HAIR;' said Laura。

'Thank you!  I had forgotten Elizabeth's hair was red; so it was。
This is my court train;' snatching a tablecloth that bung on a hush
near by; and pinning it to her waist in the twinkling of an eye;
'this my farthingale;' dangling her sun…bonnet from her belt;'this
my sceptre;' seizing a Japanese umbrella;'this my crown;' inverting
a bright tin plate upon her curly head。  'She is just alighting from
her chariot; THUS; the courtiers turn pale; THUS; (why don't you do
it?) what shall be done?  The Royal Feet must not be wet。  〃Go round
the puddle?  Prit; me Lud; 'Od's body!  Forsooth!  Certainly not!
Remove the puddle!〃 she says haughtily to her subjects。  They are
just about to do so; when out from behind a neighbouring chaparral
bush stalks a beautiful young prince with coal…black hair and rose…
red cheeks。  He wears a rich velvet cloak; glittering with
embroidery。  He sees not her crown; her hair outshines it; he sees
not her sceptre; her tiny hand conceals it; he sees naught save the
loathly mud。  He strips off his cloak and floats it on the puddle。
With a haughty but gracious bend of her head the Queen accepts the
courtesy; crosses the puddle; THUS; waves her sceptre; THUS; and
saying; 〃You shall hear from me by return mail; me Lud;〃 she vanishes
within the castle。  The next morning she makes Sir Walter British
Minister to Florida。  He departs at once with a cargo of tobacco;
which he exchanges for sweet potatoes; and everybody is happy ever
after。'

The girls were convulsed with mirth at this historical romance; and;
as Mrs。 Winship wiped the tears of merriment from her eyes; Polly
seized the golden opportunity and dropped on her knees beside her。

'Please; Aunt Truth; we can't get the white mosquito…netting because
Dr。 Winship has the key of the storehouse in his pocket; and somay…
…Iblow the horn?'

Mrs。 Winship gave her consent in despair; and Polly went to the oak…
tree where the horn hung and blew all the strength of her lungs into
blast after blast for five minutes。

'That's all I needed;' she said; on returning; 'that was an escape…
valve; and I shall be lady…like and well…behaved the rest of the
day。'



CHAPTER VI:  QUEEN ELSIE VISITS THE COURT



'An hour and friend with friend will meet;
Lip cling to lip and hand clasp hand。'


'Now; Laura;' asked Bell; when quiet was restored; 'advise us about
Elsie's tent。  We want it to be perfectly lovely; and you have such
good taste!'

'Let me think;' said Laura。  'Oh; if she were only a brunette instead
of a blonde; we could festoon the tent with that yellow tarlatan I
brought for the play!'

'What difference does it make whether she is dark or light?' asked
Bell; obtusely。

'Why; a room ought to be as becoming as a dressso Mrs。 Pinkerton
says。  You know I saw a great deal of her at the hotel; and oh;
girls! her bedroom was the most exquisite thing you ever saw!  She
had a French toilet…table; covered with pale blue silk and white
marquise lace;perfectly lovely;with yards and yards of robin's…
egg blue watered ribbon in bows; and on it she kept all her toilet
articles; everything in hammered silver from Tiffany's with monograms
on the back;three or four sizes of brushes; and combs; and mirrors;
and a full manicure set。  It used to take her two hours to dress; but
it was worth it。  Oh; such gorgeous tea…gowns as she had!  One of old
rose and lettuce was a perfect dream!  She always had her breakfast
in bed; you know。  I think it's delightful to have your breakfast
before you get up; and dress as slowly as you like。  I wish mamma
would let me do it。'

'What does she do after she gets dressed in her rows of old lettuce
I mean her old rows of lettuce?' asked Polly。

'Do?  Why really; Polly; you are too stupid!  What do you suppose she
did?  What everybody else does; of course。'

'Oh!' said Polly; apologetically。

'How old is Mrs。 Pinkerton?' asked Margery。

'Between nineteen and twenty。  There is not three years' difference
in our ages; though she has been married nearly two years。  It seems
so funny。'

'Only nineteen!' cried Bell。  'Why; I always thought that she was old
as the hillstwenty…five or thirty at the very least。  She always
seemed tired of things。'

'Well;' said Laura; in a whisper intended to be too low to reach Mrs。
Winship's tent; 'I don't know whether I ought to repeat what was told
me in confidence; but the fact iswellshe doesn't like Mr。
Pinkerton very well!'

The other girls; who had not enjoyed the advantages of city life and
travel; looked as dazed as any scandalmonger could have desired。

'Don't like him!' gasped Polly; nearly falling off the stump。  'Why;
she's married to him!'

'Where on earth were you brought up?' snapped Laura。  'What
difference does that make?  She can't help it if she doesn't happen
to like her husband; can she?  You can't make yourself like anybody;
can you?'

'Well; did she ever like him?' asked Margery; 'for she's only been
married a year or two; and it seems to me it might have lasted that
long if there was anything to begin on。'

'But;' whispered Laura; mysteriously; 'you see Mr。 Pinkerton was very
rich and the Dentons very poor。  Mr。 Denton had just died; leaving
them nothing at all to live on; and poor Jessie would have had to
teach school; or some dreadful thing like that。  The thought of it
almost killed her; she is so sensitive and so refined。  She never
told me so in so many words; but I am sure she married Mr。 Pinkerton
to save her mother from poverty; and I pity her from the bottom of my
heart。'

'I suppose it was noble;' said Bell; in a puzzled tone; 'if she
couldn't think of any other way; but'

'Well; did she try very hard to think of other ways?' asked Polly。
'She never looked especially noble to me。  I thought she seemed like
a die…away; frizzlygig kind of a girl。'

'I wish; Miss Oliver; that you would be kind enough to remember that
Mrs。 Pinkerton is one of my most intimate friends;' said Laura;
sharply。  'And I do wish; also; that you wouldn't talk loud enough to
be heard all through the canyon。'

The colour came into Polly's cheeks; but before she could answer;
Mrs。 Winship walked in; stocking…basket in hand; and seated herself
in the little wicker rocking…chair。  Polly's clarion tones had given
her a clue to the subject; and she thought the discussion needed
guidance。

'You were talking about Mrs。 Pinkerton; girls;' she said; serenely。
'You say you are fond of her; Laura; dear; and it seems very
ungracious for me to criticise your friend; that is a thing which
most of us fail to bear patiently。  But I cannot let you hold her up
as an ideal to be worshipped; or ask the girls to admire as a piece
of self…denial what I fear was nothing but indolence and self…
gratification。  You are too young to talk of these things very much;
but you are not too young to make up your mind that when you agree to
live all your life long with a person; you must have some other
feeling than a determination not to teach school。  Jessie Denton's
mother; my dear Laura; would never have asked the sacrifice of her
dau

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