Down the RiverA fortnight later, the boys were picking apples one golden Octoberafternoon, and the girls were hurrying to finish their work, thatthey might go and help the harvesters. It was six weeks now Sincethe new school began, and they had learned to like it very much,though they found that it was not all play, by any means. Butlessons, exercise, and various sorts of housework made anagreeable change, and they felt that they were learning thingswhich would be useful to them all their lives. They had beenmaking underclothes for themselves, and each had several neatlyfinished garments cut, fitted, and sewed by herself, and trimmedwith the pretty tatting Jill made in such quantities while she lay onher sofa.
Now they were completing new dressing sacks, and had enjoyedthis job very much, as each chose her own material, and suited herown taste in the making. Jill's was white, with tiny scarlet leavesall over it, trimmed with red braid and buttons so likecheckerberries she was tempted to eat them. Molly's was gay, withbouquets of every sort of flower, scalloped all round, and adornedwith six buttons, each of a different color, which she thought thelast touch of elegance. Merry's, though the simplest, was thedaintiest of the three, being pale blue, trimmed with delicateedging, and beautifully made.
Mrs. Minot had been reading from Miss Strickland's "Queens ofEngland" while the girls worked, and an illustrated Sliakspeare layopen on the table, as well as several fine photographs of historicalplaces for them to look at as they went along. The hour was overnow, the teacher gone, and the pupils setting the last stitches asthey talked over the lesson, which had interested themexceedingly.
"I really believe I have got Henry's six wives into my head right atlast. Two Annes, three Katherines, and one Jane. Now I've seenwhere they lived and heard their stories, I quite feel as if I knewthem," said Merry, shaking the threads off her work before shefolded it up to carry home.
"King Henry the Eighth to six spouses was wedded,One died, one survived, two divorced, two beheaded,'
was all I knew about them before. Poor things, what a bad timethey did have," added Jill, patting down the red braid, which wouldpucker a bit at the corners.
"Katherine Parr had the best of it, because she outlived the oldtyrant and so kept her head on," said Molly, winding the threadround her last button, as if bound to fasten it on so firmly thatnothing should decapitate that.
"I used to think I'd like to be a queen or a great lady, and wearvelvet and jewels, and live in a palace, but now I don't care muchfor that sort of splendor. I like to make things pretty at home, andknow that they all depend on me, and love me very much. Queensarc not happy, and I am," said Merry, pausing to look at AnneHathaway's cottage as she put up the picture, and to wonder if itwas very pleasant to have a famous man for one's husband.
"I guess your missionarying has done you good; mine has, and I'mgetting to have things my own way more and more every day. MissBat is so amiable, I hardly know her, and father tells her to askMiss Molly when she goes to him for orders. Isn't that fun?"laughed Molly, in high glee, at the agreeable change. "I like it everso much, but I don't want to stay so all my days. I mean to travel,and just as soon as I can I shall take Boo and go all round theworld, and see everything," she added, waving her gay sack, as if itwere the flag she was about to nail to the masthead of her ship.
"Well, I should like to be famous in some way, and have peopleadmire me very much. I'd like to act, or dance, or sing, or be what Iheard the ladies at Pebbly Beach call a 'queen of society.' But Idon't expect to be anything, and I'm not going to worry I shall notbe a Lucinda, so I ought to be contented and happy all my life,"said Jill, who was very ambitious in spite of the newly acquiredmeekness, which was all the more becoming because her naturalliveliness often broke out like sunshine through a veil of lightclouds.
If the three girls could have looked forward ten years they wouldhave been surprised to see how different a fate was theirs from theone each had chosen, and how happy each was in the place shewas called to fill. Merry was not making the old farmhouse pretty,but living in Italy, with a young sculptor for her husband, andbeauty such as she never dreamed of all about her. Molly was nottravelling round the world, but contentedly keeping house for herfather and still watching over Boo, who was becoming her prideand joy as well as care. Neither was Jill a famous woman, but avery happy and useful one, with the two mothers leaning on her asthey grew old, the young men better for her influence over them,many friends to love and honor her, and a charming home, whereshe was queen by right of her cheery spirit, grateful heart, andunfailing devotion to those who had made her what she was.
If any curious reader, not content with this peep into futurity, asks,"Did Molly and Jill ever marry?" we must reply, for the sake ofpeace--Molly remained a merry spinster all her days, one of theindependent, brave, and busy creatures of whom there is such needin the world to help take care of other peoples' wives and children,and do the many useful jobs that the married folk have no time for.
Jill certainly did wear a white veil on the day she was twenty-fiveand called her husband Jack. Further than that we cannot go,except to say that this leap did not end in a catastrophe, like thefirst one they took together.
That day, however, they never dreamed of what was in store forthem, but chattered away as they cleared up the room, and then ranoff ready for play, feeling that they had earned it by work welldone. They found the lads just finishing, with Boo to help bypicking up the windfalls for the cider-heap, after he had amusedhimself by putting about a bushel down the various holes old Bunhad left behind him. Jack was risking his neck climbing in themost dangerous places, while Frank, with a long-handledapple-picker, nipped off the finest fruit with care, both enjoyingthe pleasant task and feeling proud of the handsome red andyellow piles all about the little orchard. Merry and Molly caughtup baskets and fell to work with all their might, leaving Jill to situpon a stool and sort the early apples ready to use at once, lookingup now and then to nod and smile at her mother who watched herfrom the window, rejoicing to see her lass so well and happy.
It was such a lovely day, they all felt its cheerful influence; for thesun shone bright and warm, the air was full of an invigoratingfreshness which soon made the girls' faces look like rosy apples,and their spirits as gay as if they had been stealing sips of newcider through a straw. Jack whistled like a blackbird as he swungand bumped about, Frank orated and joked, Merry and Molly ranraces to see who would fill and empty fastest, and Jill sung to Boo,who reposed in a barrel, exhausted with his labors.
"These are the last of the pleasant days, and we ought to make themost of them. Let's have one more picnic before the frost spoils theleaves," said Merry, resting a minute at the gate to look down thestreet, which was a glorified sort of avenue, with brilliant mapleslining the way and carpeting the ground with crimson and gold.
"Oh, yes! Go down the river once more and have supper on theIsland. I couldn't go to some of your picnics, and I do long for alast good time before winter shuts me up again," cried Jill, eager toharvest all the sunshine she could, for she was not yet quite her oldself again.
"I'm your man, if the other fellows agree. We can't barrel these upfor a while, so to-morrow will be a holiday for us. Better makesure of the day while you can, this weather can't last long"; andFrank shook his head like one on intimate terms with Old Prob.
"Don't worry about those high ones, Jack. Give a shake and comedown and plan about the party," called Molly, throwing up a bigBaldwin with what seemed a remarkably good aim, for a shower ofapples followed, and a boy came tumbling earthward to catch onthe lowest bough and swing down like a caterpillar, exclaiming, ashe landed,"I'm glad that job is done! I've rasped every knuckle I've got andworn out the knees of my pants. Nice little crop though, isn't it?""It will be nicer if this young man does not bite every apple hetouches. Hi there! Stop it, Boo," commanded Frank, as he caughthis young assistant putting his small teeth into the best ones, to seeif they were sweet or sour.
Molly set the barrel up on end, and that took the boy out of thereach of mischief, so he retired from view and peeped through acrack as he ate his fifth pearmain, regardless of consequences.
"Gus will be at home to-morrow. He always comes up early onSaturday, you know. We can't get on without him," said Frank,who missed his mate very much, for Gus had entered college, andso far did not like it as much as he had expected.
"Or Ralph; he is very busy every spare minute on the little boy'sbust, which is getting on nicely, he says; but he will be able tocome home in time for supper, I think," added Merry,remembering the absent, as usual.
"I'll ask the girls on my way home, and all meet at two o'clock fora good row while it's warm. What shall I bring?" asked Molly,wondering if Miss Bat's amiability would extend to makinggoodies in the midst of her usual Saturday's baking.
"You bring coffee and the big pot and some buttered crackers. I'llsee to the pie and cake, and the other girls can have anything elsethey like," answered Merry, glad and proud that she could providethe party with her own inviting handiwork.
"I'll take my zither, so we can have music as we sail, and Grif willbring his violin, and Ralph can imitate a banjo so that you'd besure he had one. I do hope it will be fine, it is so splendid to goround like other folks and enjoy myself," cried Jill, with a littlebounce of satisfaction at the prospect of a row and ramble.
"Come along, then, and make sure of the girls," said Merry,catching up her roll of work, for the harvesting was done.
Molly put her sack on as the easiest way of carrying it, and,extricating Boo, they went off, accompanied by the boys, "to makesure of the fellows" also, leaving Jill to sit among the apples,singing and sorting like a thrifty little housewife.
Next day eleven young people met at the appointed place, basketin hand. Ralph could not come till later, for he was working nowas he never worked before. They were a merry flock, for themellow autumn day was even brighter and clearer than yesterday,and the river looked its loveliest, winding away under the sombrehemlocks, or through the fairyland the gay woods made on eitherside. Two large boats and two small ones held them all, and awaythey went, first up through the three bridges and round the bend,then, turning, they floated down to the green island, where a groveof oaks rustled their sere leaves and the squirrels were stillgathering acorns. Here they often met to keep their summer revels,and here they now spread their feast on the flat rock which neededno cloth beside its own gray lichens. The girls trimmed each dishwith bright leaves, and made the supper look like a banquet for theelves, while the boys built a fire in the nook where ashes andblackened stones told of many a rustic meal. The big tin coffee-potwas not so romantic, but more successful than a kettle slung onthree sticks, gypsy fashion; so they did not risk a downfall, but setthe water boiling, and soon filled the air with the agreeableperfume associated in their minds with picnics, as most of themnever tasted the fascinating ............