FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   >>  
from pricking through her tone. The wild temptation to sell her Plummer birthright for a kiss assailed her. But she groped in the dimness for Duty's cool touch and found it. In the Plummer code of laws it was writ, "Thou shalt not kiss." "I'm going right to work to make you some new nightgowns," Aunt Olivia added, hastily. "I think I shall make them plain," for it was in the nature of a reinforcement to her courage to leave off the ruffles. Rebecca Mary's eyes shone like stars in the dark little room. The child thought she was glad to be going away to school. "Shall I study algebra and Latin?" she demanded. "I suppose so--that'll be what you go for." "And French--not FRENCH?" "Likely." Rebecca Mary fell back on the pillows to grasp it. But she was presently up again. "And that thing that tells about the air and--and gassy things? And the one that tells about your bones?" Aunt Olivia did not recognize chemistry, but she knew bones. She sighed gently. "Oh yes; I suppose you'll find out just how you're put together, and likely it'll scare you so you won't ever dare to breathe deep again. Maybe learning like that is important--I suppose the minister knows." "The minister knows everything," Rebecca Mary said, solemnly. "If you let me go away to school, I'll try to learn to know as much as he does, Aunt Olivia. You don't--you don't think he'd mind, do you?" In the dark Aunt Olivia smiled. The small person there on the pillows was, after all, a child. Rebecca Mary had not grown up, after all! "He won't mind," promised Aunt Olivia for the minister. She went away presently and cut out Rebecca Mary's new nightgowns. She sat and stitched them, far into the night, and stitched her sad little bodings in, one by one. Already desolation gripped Aunt Olivia's heart. Rebecca Mary's dreams that night were marvelous ones. She dreamed she saw herself in a glass after she had learned all the things there were to learn, and she looked like the minister! When she spoke, her voice sounded deep and sweet like the minister's voice. Somewhere a voice like the minister's wife's seemed to be calling "Robert! Robert!" "Yes?" answered Rebecca Mary, and woke up. There were many preparations to make. The days sped by busily, and to Rebecca Mary full of joyous expectancy. Aunt Olivia made no moan. She worked steadily over the plain little outfit and thrust her Dreads away with resolute courage, to wait until Rebecca M
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   >>  



Top keywords:

Rebecca

 

Olivia

 

minister

 
suppose
 
stitched
 

courage

 
pillows
 

school

 

things

 

Plummer


Robert
 

presently

 

nightgowns

 

promised

 

person

 
smiled
 

bodings

 

joyous

 

expectancy

 
busily

preparations

 
worked
 

resolute

 

Dreads

 

steadily

 

outfit

 

thrust

 
dreamed
 

marvelous

 

desolation


gripped

 

dreams

 

learned

 

looked

 

calling

 

answered

 

Somewhere

 

sounded

 

Already

 

nature


reinforcement

 

hastily

 

ruffles

 

thought

 

temptation

 

birthright

 
assailed
 

pricking

 

groped

 

dimness