第2章

Jackobedientlyclosedhiseyesandlistenedwhiletheboyssang"TheSweetByandBy,"softeningtheirroughyoungvoicesforhissaketillthemusicwasassoftasalullaby。Helaysostillhismotherthoughthewasoff,butpresentlyatearslippedoutandrolleddowntheredcheek,wettingherhandasitpassed。

"Myblessedboy,whatisit？"shewhispered,withatouchandatonethatonlymothershave。

Theblueeyesopenedwide,andJack\'sownsunshinysmilebrokethroughthetearsthatfilledthemashesaidwithasniff,"EverybodyissogoodtomeIcan\'thelpmakinganoodleofmyself。

"Youarenotanoodle！"criedMamma,resentingtheepithet。"Oneofthesweetthingsaboutpainandsorrowisthattheyshowushowwellweareloved,howmuchkindnessthereisintheworld,andhoweasilywecanmakeothershappyinthesamewaywhentheyneedhelpandsympathy。Don\'tforgetthat,littleson,"

"Don\'tseehowIcan,withyoutoshowmehowniceitis。Kissmegood—night,andthen\'I\'llbegood,asJillsays。"

Nestlinghisheaduponhismother\'sarm,Jacklayquiettill,lulledbythemusicofhismates,hedrowsedawayintothedreamlesssleepwhichisNurseNature\'shealthiestsoothingsirupforwearysoulsandbodies。

Chapter3WardNo。I

Forsomedays,nothingwasseenandlittlewasheardofthe"dearsufferers,"astheoldladiescalledthem。Buttheywerenotforgotten;thefirstwordsutteredwhenanyoftheyoungpeoplemetwere:"HowisJack？""SeenJillyet？"andallwaitedwithimpatienceforthemomentwhentheycouldbeadmittedtotheirfavoritemates,morethaneverobjectsofinterestnow。

Meantime,thecaptivesspentthefirstfewdaysinsleep,pain,andtryingtoacceptthehardfactthatschoolandplayweredonewithformonthsperhaps。Butyoungspiritsarewonderfullyelasticandsooncheerup,andhealthyyoungbodieshealfast,oreasilyadaptthemselvestonewconditions。Soourinvalidsbegantomendonthefourthday,andtodrivetheirnursesdistractedwitheffortstoamusethem,beforethefirstweekwasover。

ThemostsuccessfulattemptoriginatedinWardNo。I,asMrs。

MinotcalledJack\'sapartment,andwewillgiveoursympathizingreaderssomeideaofthisplace,whichbecamethestagewhereonwereenactedmanyvariedandremarkablescenes。

EachoftheMinotboyshadhisownroom,andtherecollectedhisowntreasuresandtrophies,arrangedtosuithisconvenienceandtaste。Frank\'swasfullofbooks,maps,machinery,chemicalmesses,andgeometricaldrawings,whichadornedthewallslikeintricatecobwebs。Abigchair,wherehereadandstudiedwithhisheelshigherthanhishead,abasketofapplesforrefreshmentatallhoursofthedayornight,andanimmenseinkstand,inwhichseveralpenswerealwaysapparentlybathingtheirfeet,weretheprincipalornamentsofhisscholasticretreat。

Jack\'shobbywasathleticsports,forhewasbentonhavingastrongandactivebodyforhishappylittlesoultoliveandenjoyitselfin。Soaseveresimplicityreignedinhisapartment;insummer,especially,forthenhisfloorwasbare,hiswindowswereuncurtained,andthechairsuncushioned,thebedbeingasnarrowandhardasNapoleon\'s。Theonlyornamentsweredumbbells,whips,bats,rods,skates,boxing—gloves,abigbath—panandasmalllibrary,consistingchieflyofbooksongames,horses,health,hunting,andtravels。Inwinterhismothermadethingsmorecomfortablebyintroducingrugs,curtains,andafire。Jack,also,relentedslightlyintheseverityofhistraining,occasionallyindulginginthenationalbuckwheatcake,insteadoftheprescribedoatmealporridge,forbreakfast,omittinghiscoldbathwhenthethermometerwasbelowzero,anddancingatnight,insteadofrunningagivendistancebyday。

Now,however,hewasahelplesscaptive,givenovertoallsortsofcoddling,laziness,andluxury,andtherewasadrollmixtureofmirthandmelancholyinhisface,ashelaytrussedupinbed,watchingthecomfortswhichhadsuddenlyrobbedhisroomofitsSpartansimplicity。Adeliciouscouchwasthere,withFrankreposinginitsdepths,halfhiddenunderseveralfolioswhichhewasconsultingforahistoryofthesteam—engine,thesubjectofhisnextcomposition。

Awhite—coveredtablestoodnear,withallmannerofdaintiessetforthinawaytotemptthesternestprinciples。Vasesofflowersbloomedonthechimney—piecegiftsfromanxiousyoungladies,leftwiththeirlove。Frivolousstory—booksandpicture—papersstrewedthebed,nowshroudedineffeminatechintzcurtains,beneathwhichJacklaylikeawoundedwarriorinhistent。Butthesaddestsightforourcrippledathletewasaglimpse,throughahalf—openeddoor,atthebeloveddumb—bells,bats,balls,boxing—gloves,andsnow—shoes,allpiledignominiouslyawayinthebath—pan,mournfullyrecallingthefactthattheirdaywasover,now,atleastforsometime。

Hewasabouttogroandismally,whenhiseyefellonasightwhichmadehimswallowthegroan,andcoughinstead,asifitchokedhimalittle。Thesightwashismother\'sface,asshesatinalowchairrollingbandages,withabasketbesideherinwhichwerepilesofoldlinen,lint,plaster,andothermatters,neededforthedressingofwounds。Ashelooked,Jackrememberedhowsteadilyandtenderlyshehadstoodbyhimallthroughthehar4timesjustpast,andhowcarefullyshehadbathedanddressedhiswoundeachdayinspiteoftheeffortitcosthertogivehimpainorevenseehimsuffer。

"That\'sabettersortofstrengththanswingingtwenty—pounddumb—bellsorrunningraces;IguessI\'lltryforthatkind,too,andnothowlorletherseemesquirmwhenthedoctorhurts,"thoughttheboy,ashesawthatgentlefacesopaleandtiredwithmuchwatchingandanxiety,yetsopatient,serene,andcheerful,thatitwaslikesunshine。

"Liedownandtakeagoodnap,motherdear,Ifeelfirst—rate,andFrankcanseetomeifIwantanything。Do,now,"headded,withapersuasivenodtowardthecouch,andaboyishrelishinstirringuphislazybrother。

Aftersomeurging,Mammaconsentedtogotoherroomforfortywinks,leavingJackinthecareofFrank,begginghimtobeasquietaspossibleifthedearboywishedtosleep,andtoamusehimifhedidnot。

Beingwornout,Mrs。Minotlengthenedherfortywinksintoathreehoursnap,andasthe"dearboy"scornedrepose,Mr。Frankhadhishandsfullwhileonguard。

"I\'llreadtoyou。Here\'sWatt,Arkwright,Fulton,andalotofcapitalfellows,withpicturesthatwilldoyourheartgood。Haveabit,willyou？"askedthenewnurse,flappingtheleavesinvitinglyforFrankbadapassionforsuchthings,anddrewsteam—enginesalloverhisslate,asTommyTraddlesdrewhostsofskeletonswhenlowinhisspirits。

"Idon\'twantanyofyouroldboilersandstokersandwhirligigs。I

mtiredofreading,andwantsomethingregularlyjolly,"answeredJack,whohadbeenchasingwhitebuffaloeswith"TheHuntersoftheWest,"tillhewasatrifletiredandfractious。

"Playcribbage,euchre,anythingyoulike";andFrankobliginglydisinterredhimselffromunderthefolios,feelingthatitwashardforafellowtolieflatawholeweek。

"Nofun;justtwoofus。Wishschoolwasover,sotheboyswouldcomein;doctorsaidImightseethemnow。"

"They\'llbealongbyandby,andI\'llhailthem。Tillthen,whatshallwedo？I\'myourmanforanything,onlyputanametoit。

"JustwishIhadatelegraphoratelephone,soIcouldtalktoJill。

Wouldn\'titbefuntopipeacrossandgetananswer！"

"I\'llmakeeitheryousay";andFranklookedasiftriflesofthatsortweretobehadfortheasking。

"Couldyou,really？"

"We\'llstartthetelegraphfirst,thenyoucansendthingsoverifyoulike,"saidFrank,prudentlyproposingthesurestexperiment。

"Goahead,then。I\'dlikethat,andsowouldJill,forIknowshewantstohearfromme。"

"There\'sonetrouble,though;IshallhavetoleaveyoualoneforafewminuteswhileIriguptheropes";andFranklookedsober,forhewasafaithfulboy,anddidnotwanttodeserthispost。

"Oh,nevermind;Iwon\'twantanything。IfI\'do,IcanpoundforAnn。"

"Andwakemother。I\'llfixyouabetterwaythanthat";and,fullofinventivegenius,ouryoungEdisonsplicedthepokertopartofafishing—rodinajiffy,makingalong—handledhookwhichreachedacrosstheroom。

"There\'sanarmforyou;nowhookaway,andlet\'sseehowitworks,"hesaid,handingovertheinstrumenttoJack,whoproceededtoshowitsunexpectedcapabilitiesbyhookingtheclothoffthetableinattemptingtogethishandkerchief,catchingFrankbythehairwhenfishingforabook,andbreakingapaneofglassintryingtodrawdownthecurtain。—

"It\'ssoeverlastinglong,Ican\'tmanageit,"laughedJack,asitfinallycaughtinhisbed—hangings,andnearlypulledthem,ringandall,downuponhishead。

"Letitalone,unlessyouneedsomethingverymuch,anddon\'tbotherabouttheglass。It\'sjustwhatwewantforthetelegraphwireorropetogothrough。Keepstill,andI\'llhavethethingrunningintenminutes";and,delightedwiththejob,Frankhurriedaway,leavingJacktocomposeamessagetosendassoonasitwaspossible。

"WhatintheworldisthatflyingacrosstheMinots\'yardabrownhenoraboy\'skite？"exclaimedoldMissHopkins,peeringoutofherwindowatthesingularperformancesgoingoninheroppositeneighbor\'sgarden。

First,Frankappearedwithahatchetandchoppedaclearspaceinthehedgebetweenhisownhouseandthecottage;next,aclotheslinewaspassedthroughthisapertureandfastenedsomewhereontheotherside;lastly,asmallcoveredbasket,slungonthisrope,wasseenhitchingalong,drawneitherwaybyasetofstrings;then,asifsatisfiedwithhisjob,Frankretired,whistling"HailColumbia。"

"It\'sthosechildrenattheirpranksagain。Ithoughtbrokenboneswouldn\'tkeepthemoutofmischieflong,"saidtheoldlady,watchingwithgreatinterestthemysteriousbaskettravellingupanddowntheropefromthebighousetothecottage。

Ifshehadseenwhatcameandwentoverthewiresofthe"GreatInternationalTelegraph,"shewouldhavelaughedtillherspectaclesflewoffherRomannose。AletterfromJack,withalargeorange,wentfirst,explainingthenewenterprise:

"DearJill—It\'stoobadyoucan\'tcomeovertoseeme。Iamprettywell,butawfultiredofkeepingstill。Iwanttoseeyoueversomuch。Frankhasfixedusatelegraph,sowecanwriteandsendthings。Won\'titbejolly！Ican\'tlookouttoseehimdoit;but,whenyoupullyourstring,mylittlebellrings,andIknowamessageiscoming。Isendyouanorange。Doyoulikegorverjelly？Peoplesendinlotsofgoodies,andwewillgohalves。Good—by。

Jack"

Awaywentthebasket,andinfifteenminutesitcamebackfromthecottagewithnothinginitbuttheorange。

"Hullo！Isshemad？"askedJack,asFrankbroughtthedespatchforhimtoexamine。

But,atthefirsttouch,thehollowpeelopened,andoutfellaletter,twogum—drops,andanowlmadeofapeanut,withroundeyesdrawnattheendwherethestemformedafunnybeak。Twobitsofstrawwerethelegs,andthefacelookedsolikeDr。Whitingthatbothboyslaughedatthesight。

"That\'ssolikeJill;she\'dmakefunifshewashalfdead。Let\'sseewhatshesays";andJackreadthelittlenote,whichshowedasadneglectofthespelling—book:

"DearJacky—Ican\'tstirandit\'shorrid。Thetellygrafisveryniceandwewillhavefunwithit。Ineverateanygorverjelly。Theorangewasfirstrate。Sendmeabooktoread。Allaboutbearsandshipsandcrockydiles。Thedoctorwascomingtoseeyou,soIsenthimthequickestway。MollyLoosaysitisdreadfullonesomeatschoolwithoutus。Yourstruly,Jill"

Jackimmediatelydespatchedthebookandasampleofguavajelly,whichunfortunatelyupsetontheway,tothegreatdetrimentof"TheWildBeastsofAsiaandAfrica。"Jillpromptlyrespondedwiththeloanofatinyblackkitten,whoemergedspittingandscratching,toJack\'sgreatdelight;andhewascudgellinghisbrainsastohowafatwhiterabbitcouldbetransported,whenashrillwhistlefromwithoutsavedJillfromthatinconvenientoffering。

"It\'sthefellows;doyouwanttoseethem？"askedFrank,gazingdownwithcalmsuperiorityuponthethreeeagerfaceswhichlookedupathim。

"GuessI\'do！"andJackpromptlythrewthekittenoverboard,scorningtobeseenbyanymanlyeyeamusinghimselfwithsuchgirlishtoys。

Bang！wentthefrontdoor;tramp,tramp,tramp,camesixbootedfeetupthestairs;and,asFrankthrewwidethedoor,threelargebeingspausedonthethresholdtodeliverthecourteous"Hullo！"

whichistheestablishedgreetingamongboysonallsocialoccasions。

"Comealong,oldfellows;I\'meversogladtoseeyou！"criedtheinvalid,withsuchenergeticdemonstrationsofthearmsthathelookedasifabouttoflyorcrow,likeanexcitedyoungcockerel。

"Howareyou,Major？"

"Doesthelegachemuch,Jack？"

"Mr。Phippssaysyou\'llhavetopayforthenewrails。"

Withthesecharacteristicgreetings,thegentlemencastawaytheirhatsandsatdown,allgrinningcheerfully,andallwitheyesirresistiblyfixeduponthedainties,whichprovedtoomuchforthepolitenessofever—hungryboys。

"Helpyourselves,"saidJack,withahospitablewave。"Allthedearoldladiesintownhavebeensendinginnicethings,andIcan\'tbegintoeatthemup。Lendahandandclearawaythislot,orweshallhavetothrowthemoutofthewindow。Bringonthedoughnutsandthetartsandtheshakystuffintheentrycloset,Frank,andlet\'shavealark。"

Nosoonersaidthandone。Gustookthetarts,Joethedoughnuts,Edthejelly,andFranksuggested"spoonsallround"fortheItaliancream。Afewtriflesinthewayofcustard,fruit,andwaferbiscuitswerenotworthmentioning;buteverydishwassoonemptied,andJacksaid,ashesurveyedthesceneofdevastationwithgreatsatisfaction,"Callagainto—morrow,gentlemen,andwewillhaveanotherbout。

Freelunchesat~P。M。tillfurthernotice。Nowtellmeallthenews。"

Forhalfanhour,fivetongueswentlikemillclappers,andthereisnoknowingwhentheywouldhavestoppedifthelittlebellhadnotsuddenlyrungwithaviolencethatmadethemjump。

"That\'sJill;seewhatshewants,Frank";andwhilehisbrothersentoffthebasket,Jacktoldaboutthenewinvention,andinvitedhismatestoexamineandadmire。

Theydidso,andshoutedwithmerrimentwhenthenextdespatchfromJillarrived。Apasteboardjumping—jack,withonelegdoneupincotton—wooltopreservethelikeness,andagreatlumpofmolassescandyinabrownpaper,withaccompanyingnote:

"DearSir—Isawtheboysgoin,andknowyouarehavinganicetime,soIsendoverthecandyMollyLooandMerrybroughtme。

MammysaysIcan\'teatit,anditwillallmeltawayifIkeepit。

AlsoapictureofJackMinot,whowilldanceononelegandwaggletheother,andmakeyoulaugh。IwishIcouldcome,too。

Don\'tyouhategrewel？I\'do。Inhaste,J。P。"

"Let\'sallsendheraletter,"proposedJack,andoutcamepens,ink,paper,andthelamp,andeveryonefelltoscribbling。Adrollcollectionwastheresult,forFrankdrewapictureofthefatalfallwithbrokenrailsflyingineverydirection,Jackwithhisheadswollentothesizeofaballoon,andJillintwopieces,whilethevariousboysandgirlswerehitoffwithaslyskillthatgaveGuslegslikeastork,MollyLoohairseveralyardslong,andBooaseriesofvisiblehowlscomingoutofanimmensemouthintheshapeofos。Theoxenwereparticularlygood,fortheirhornsbranchedlikethoseofthemoose,andMr。Granthadapatriarchalbeardwhichwavedinthebreezeasheborethewoundedgirltoasledverylikeafuneralpyre,thestakesbeingcrownedwithbigmittensliketorches。

"Yououghttobeanartist。Ineversawsuchadabsterasyouare。

That\'stheverymoralofJoe,allinabunchonthefence,withablottoshowhowpurplehisnosewas,"saidGus,holdingupthesketchforgeneralcriticismandadmiration。

"I\'dratherhavearednosethanlegslikeagrasshopper;soyouneedn\'ttwit,Daddy,"growledJoe,quiteunconsciousthatablotactuallydidadornhisnose,ashelaboredoverabriefdespatch。

Theboysenjoyedthejoke,andoneaftertheotherreadouthismessagetothecaptivelady:

"DearJill—Sorryyouain\'there。Greatfun。Jackprettylively。LauraandLotwouldsendloveiftheyknewofthechance。Flyroundandgetwell。

Gus"

"DearGilliflower—Hopeyouareprettycomfortableinyour\'dungeoncell。Wouldyoulikeaserenadewhenthemooncomes？

Hopeyouwillsoonbeupagain,forwemissyouverymuch。ShallbeveryhappytohelpinanywayIcan。Lovetoyourmother。Yourtruefriend,E。D。"

"MissPecq。

"DearMadam—Iamhappytotellyouthatweareallwell,andhopeyouarethesame。IgaveJemCoxalickingbecausehewenttoyourdesk。Youhadbettersendforyourbooks。Youwon\'thavetopayforthesledorthefence。Jacksayshewillseetoit。Wehavebeenhavingaspreadoverhere。First—ratethings。Iwouldn\'tmindbreakingaleg,ifIhadsuchgoodgrubandnochorestodo。Nomorenow,fromyours,withesteem,JosephP。Flint"

Joethoughtthatanelegantepistle,havingcopiedportionsofitfromthe"LetterWriter,"andproudlyreaditofftotheboys,whoassuredhimthatJillwouldbemuchimpressed。

"Now,Jack,hurryupandletussendthelotoff,forwemustgo,"

saidGus,asFrankputthelettersinthebasket,andtheclatteroftea—thingswasheardbelow。

"I\'mnotgoingtoshowmine。It\'sprivateandyoumustn\'tlook,"

answeredJack,pattingdownanenvelopewithsuchcarethatnoonehadachancetopeep。

ButJoehadseenthelittlenotecopied,andwhiletheotherswereatthewindowworkingthetelegraphhecaughtuptheoriginal,carelesslythrustbyJackunderthepillow,andreaditaloudbeforeanyoneknewwhathewasabout。

"MyDear—IwishIcouldsendyousomeofmygoodtimes。AsI

can\'t,Isendyoumuchlove,andIhopeyouwilltryandbepatientasIamgoingto,foritwasourfault,andwemustnotmakeafussnow。Ain\'tmotherssweet？Mineiscomingoverto—morrowtoseeyouandtellmehowyouare。Thisroundthingisakissforgood—night。

YourJack"

"Isn\'tthatspoony？Youdbetterhideyourface,Ithink。He\'sgettingtobearegularmollycoddle,isn\'the？"jeeredJoe,astheboyslaughed,andthengrewsober,seeingJack\'sheadburiedinthebedclothes,aftersendingapillowathistormentor。

ItnearlyhitMrs。Minot,cominginwithherpatient\'steaonatray,andatsightofhertheguestshurriedlytookleave,JoenearlytumblingdownstairstoescapefromFrank,whowouldhavefollowed,ifhismotherhadnotsaidquickly,"Stay,andtellmewhatisthematter。"

"OnlyteasingJackabit。Don\'tbemad,oldboy,Joedidn\'tmeananyharm,anditwasrathersoft,nowwasn\'tit？"askedFrank,tryingtoappeasethewoundedfeelingsofhisbrother。

"Ichargedyounottoworryhim。Thoseboysweretoomuchforthepoordear,andIoughtnottohavelefthim,"saidMamma,asshevainlyendeavoredtofindandcaresstheyellowheadburrowedsofaroutofsightthatnothingbutoneredearwasvisible。

"Helikedit,andwegotoncapitallytillJoeroughedhimaboutJill。Ah,Joe\'sgettingitnow！IthoughtGusandEdwoulddothatlittlejobforme,"addedFrank,runningtothewindowasthesoundofstifledcriesandlaughterreachedhim。

Theredearheardalso,andJackpoppeduphisheadtoask,withinterest,\'Whataretheydoingtohim？"

"Rollinghiminthesnow,andhe\'showlinglikefun。"

"Serveshimright,"mutteredJack,withafrown。Then,asawailarosesuggestiveofanunpleasantmixtureofsnowinthemouthandthumpsontheback,heburstoutlaughing,andsaid,good—naturedly,"Goandstopthem,Frank;Iwon\'tmind,onlytellhimitwasameantrick。Hurry！Gusissostronghedoesn\'tknowhowhispoundinghurts。"

OffranFrank,andJacktoldhiswrongstohismother。Shesympathizedheartily,andsawnoharmintheaffectionatelittlenote,whichwouldpleaseJill,andhelphertobearhertrialspatiently。

"Itisn\'tsillytobefondofher,isit？Sheissoniceandfunny,andtriestobegood,andlikesme,andIwon\'tbeashamedofmyfriends,iffolksdolaugh,"protestedJack,witharapofhisteaspoon。

"No,dear,itisquitekindandproper,andI\'dratherhaveyouplaywithamerrylittlegirlthanwithroughboystillyouarebigenoughtoholdyourown,"answeredMamma,puttingthecuptohislipsthattherecliningladmighttakehisbromawithoutspilling。

"Pooh！Idon\'tmeanthat;I\'mstrongenoughnowtotakecareofmyself,"criedJack,stoutly。"IcanthrashJoeanyday,ifIlike。Justlookatmyarm;there\'smuscleforyou！"andupwentasleeve,tothegreatdangerofoverturningthetray,astheboyproudlydisplayedhisbicepsandexpandedhischest,bothofwhichwereveryfineforaladofhisyears。"IfI\'dbeenonmylegs,hewouldn\'thavedaredtoinsultme,anditwascowardlytohitafellowwhenhewasdown。

Mrs。MinotwantedtolaughatJack\'sindignation,butthebellrang,andshehadtogoandpullinthebasket,muchamusedatthenewgame。

Burningtodistinguishherselfintheeyesofthebigboys,Jillhadsentoveratall,redflannelnight—cap,whichshehadbeenmakingforsomeproposedChristmasplays,andaddedthefollowingverse,forshewasconsideredagiftedrhymesteratthegameparties:

"Whenitcomesnight,Weputoutthelight。

Someblowwithapuff,Someturndownandsnuff;

ButneatfolkspreferAniceextinguisher。

SohereIsendyoubackOnetoputonMr。Jack。"

"Now,Icallthatregularlysmart;notoneofuscoulddoit,andI

justwishJoewasheretoseeit。Iwanttosendoncemore,somethinggoodfortea;shehatesgruelso";andthelastdespatchwhichtheGreatInternationalTelegraphcarriedthatdaywasabakedappleandawarmmuffin,with"J。M。\'sbestregards。"

Chapter4WARDNO。2。

"Idobelievethechildwillfretherselfintoafever,mem,andImcleandistraughttoknowwhattodoforher。Sheneverusedtomindtrifles,butnowshefretsabouttheoddestthings,andIcan\'tchangethem。Thiswall—paperiswellenough,butshehastakenafancythatthespotsonitlooklikespiders,anditmakeshernervous。I\'venootherwarmplacetoputher,andnomoneyforanewpaper。Poorlass！Therearehardtimesbeforeher,I\'mfearing。

Mrs。PecqsaidthisinalowvoicetoMrs。Minot,whocameinasoftenasshecould,toseewhatherneighborneeded;forbothmotherswereanxious,andsympathydrewthemtooneanother。

Whileonewomantalked,theotherlookedaboutthelittleroom,notwonderingintheleastthatJillfoundithardtobecontentedthere。Itwasveryneat,butsoplainthattherewasnotevenapictureonthewalls,noranornamentuponthemantel,exceptthenecessaryclock,lamp,andmatch—box。Thepaperwasugly,beingadeepbuffwithabrownfigurethatdidlookverylikespiderssprawlingoverit,andmightwellmakeonenervoustolookatdayafterday。

JillwasasleepinthefoldingchairDr。Whitinghadsent,withamattresstomakeitsoft。Thebackcouldberaisedorloweredatwill;butonlyafewincheshadbeengainedasyet,andthethinhairpillowwasallshecouldbear。Shelookedveryprettyasshelay,withdarklashesagainstthefeverishcheeks,lipsapart,andacloudofcurlyblacklocksallaboutthefacepillowedononearm。

SheseemedlikeabrilliantlittleflowerinthatdullplacefortheFrenchbloodinherveinsgaveheracolor,warmth,andgracewhichwereverycharming。Hernaturalloveofbeautyshoweditselfinmanyways:aredribbonhadtiedupherhair,agaybutfadedshawlwasthrownoverthebed,andthegiftssentherwerearrangedwithcareuponthetablebyhersideamongherownfewtoysandtreasures。Therewassomethingpatheticinthischildishattempttobeautifythepoorplace,andMrs。Minot\'seyeswerefullasshelookedatthetiredwoman,whoseonejoyandcomfortlaythereinsuchsadplight。

"Mydearsoul,cheerup,andwewillhelponeanotherthroughthehardtimes,"shesaid,withasofthandontheroughone,andalookthatpromisedmuch。

"PleaseGod,wewill,mem！Withsuchgoodfriends,Inevershouldcomplain。Itrynottodoit,butitbreaksmyhearttoseemylittlelassspoiledforlife,mostlike";andMrs。Pecqpressedthekindhandwithadespondentsigh。

"Wewon\'tsay,oreventhink,that,yet。EverythingispossibletoyouthandhealthlikeJaneys。Wemustkeepherhappy,andtimewilldotherest,I\'msure。Letusbeginatonce,andhaveasurpriseforherwhenshewakes。"

Asshespoke,Mrs。Minotmovedquietlyabouttheroom,pinningthepagesofseveralillustratedpapersagainstthewallatthefootofthebed,andplacingtothebestadvantagetheothercomfortsshehadbrought。

"Keepupyourheart,neighbor。IhaveanideainmyheadwhichI

thinkwillhelpusall,ifIcancarryitout,"shesaid,cheerily,asshewent,leavingMrs。PecqtosewonJack\'snewnight—gowns,withswiftfingers,andthegratefulwishthatshemightworkforthesegoodfriendsforever。

Asifthewhisperingandrustlinghaddisturbedher,Jillsoonbegantostir,andslowlyopenedtheeyeswhichhadclosedsowearilyonthedullDecemberafternoon。Thebarewallwithitsbrownspidersnolongerconfrontedher,butthecoloredprintofalittlegirldancingtothetuneherfatherwasplayingonaguitar,whileastatelylady,withsatindress,ruff,andpowder,stoodlookingon,wellpleased。Thequaintfigure,initsbelacedfrock,quiltedpetticoat,andred—heeledshoes,seemedtocometrippingtowardherinsuchalife—likeway,thatshealmostsawthecurlsblowback,heardtherustleoftherichbrocade,andcaughtthesparkleofthelittlemaid\'sbrighteyes。

"Oh,howpretty！Whosentthem？"askedJill,eagerly,ashereyeglancedalongthewall,seeingothernewandinterestingthingsbeyond:anelephant—hunt,ashipinfullsail,ahorse—race,andaball—room。

"Thegoodfairywhonevercomesempty—handed。Lookroundabitandyouwillseemoreprettiesallforyou,mydearie";andhermotherpointedtoabunchofpurplegrapesinagreenleafplate,aknotofbrightflowerspinnedonthewhitecurtain,andagaylittledoublegownacrossthefootofthebed。

Jillclappedherhands,andwasenjoyinghernewpleasures,whenincameMerryandMollyLoo,withBoo,ofcourse,trottingafterherlikeafatandamiablepuppy。Thenthegoodtimesbegan;thegownwasputon,thefruittasted,andthepictureswerestudiedlikefamousworksofart。

"It\'sasplendidplantocoverupthathatefulwall。I\'dstickpicturesallroundandhaveagallery。Thatremindsme！Upinthegarretatourhouseisaboxfullofoldfashion—booksmyauntleft。Ioftenlookatthemonrainydays,andtheyareveryfunny。I\'llgothisminuteandgeteveryone。Wecanpinthemup,ormakepaperdolls";andawayrushedMollyLoo,withthesmallbrotherwaddlingbehind,for,whenhelostsightofher,hewasdesolateindeed。