Part 6 (2/2)
”Don't go near the water,” said she; then throwing her arms about her little sister, she sang,--
”If you love me as I love you, No knife shall cut our love in two.”
”Well, I do,” replied Dotty, with an affectionate hug, ”and I sha'n't go near the water.”
”You won't forget?” said Prudy, anxiously. ”You know mamma's as afraid of the water as she can be.”
”What are you after?” cried Angeline, half a minute afterwards. ”Of all the rummaging children!” At the same time she gave Dotty a nice cake warm from the oven.
”I'm looking for my hat,” said the little girl, shutting the sink door.
”Last time I saw it 'twas in a barrel somewhere.”
But it happened to be in a hogshead.
”I think this is a real nice sort of world,” thought Dotty, as she and Johnny trudged off in the pleasant suns.h.i.+ne. ”I do think, just to myself--though I wouldn't say it out loud--that I'm as nice as anybody.
I don't know what Prudy'd do 'thout me; and I guess Susy'd cry her eyes out!”
”What you thinking about?” said Johnny.
”O, 'bout a good many things! Let's run; it tires me to pieces to walk!”
”Look!” cried Johnny, ”there's Mandoline!”
And such a pretty sight as bareheaded Mandoline presented! She was a little Jewess, with such beauty, perhaps, as that of the women we read about in the Bible. She had dark, wavy hair, like sea-foam with ink tipped over in it. Her eyes were like gems; there was a brilliant color in her cheeks, and her mouth was so sweet that
”Upon her lip the honey bee Might build her waxen throne.”
Dotty did not know why she liked Mandoline so well, but like her she did. Mrs. Parlin was afraid Mandoline had not been taught to respect the truth, and had often desired her little daughter not to play with the beautiful Jewess.
But ”Lina” went to Mrs. Eastman's, and Mrs. Eastman petted her. Dotty thought it could not be wrong to a.s.sociate with a little girl her auntie liked so well.
”Come with us, Lina,” said Johnny.
”Where are you going?”
”Going to make a Bunger Hill Monuement,” replied Dotty. ”We know where the sh.e.l.ls grow real thick.”
”But I've lost my shaker. A dog's got it.”
”O, no matter, _you_ don't care,” said Dotty, in a grandmotherly tone, ”for _I_ won't let anybody laugh at you.”
Lina yielded. The three children tripped along together, taking up Freddy Jackson on the way--a deaf and dumb boy, who only knew when it thundered by the jar he could feel. Everybody was kind to Freddy. Dotty Dimple, with all her faults, was never known to be impatient with the poor boy.
The children reached the sea-sh.o.r.e, which _was_ somewhere ”near the water,” though Dotty had a.s.sured Prudy to the contrary. Sh.e.l.l-gathering is more exciting work than picking strawberries in the country; for strawberries are all very much alike, whereas sh.e.l.ls present some variety.
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