It was very pleasant having grandma in the house; and her dear old husband began to feel better the moment he saw her.
"Dear little Mary, how do you do?" said she to Flaxie, who was lying on the bed. Flaxie made no answer, except to put out her tongue.
"Can't you speak to grandma?" said Ninny.
"No: I'm a doctor's chillen, and doctor's chillen always puts out their tongues," replied Flaxie, showing it again.
"It doesn't look very sick," said grandma, laughing.
"Then what makes my mamma keep me in bed?" whined1 Flaxie. "I don't want to be in my nightie. I want to be in my pretty dress, and sit in your lap."
"She is very, very cross," said Ninny to grandma, with a patient smile, as they left the room.
"Perhaps we can amuse her," replied grandma; and next morning she gave her some bright worsted to make her doll, Miss Peppermint2 Drop, a scarf.
Flaxie was well pleased, for awhile, tying the worsted into knots and putting it over the needles; but it soon tired her.
"O gramma, the needles won't knit: they're crooksey needles," said she.
"Well, come sit in my lap, dear, and I'll tell you a story about a knitting-work party, that I had a great, great while ago, when I was about as old as Julia."
"That's a funny party, I should fink," said Flaxie, curling her head down on her grandma's shoulder.
"A knitting-work party, did you say?" asked Ninny, preparing to listen.
"Well, yes. You know girls in those times didn't have so many parties as they do now," replied grandma; "and I had been wanting this one for weeks and weeks before I even dared ask my mother about it. When I did ask her, she said,—
"'Why, Polly, don't you see how much spring-work I have to do? How can I stop to cook a supper for a dozen little girls?'
"'O, but I'll cook it myself,' said I. 'I can make gingerbread and cup-custards.'
"'And what will you do for bread?' said she.
"I didn't think there would be any trouble about that. 'There was always bread enough,' I said. 'Little girls didn't eat much, and twelve wouldn't make the least difference!'
"Well, but mother wanted to know what I could give them for sauce. The dried apples were all gone, and she couldn't let me have any preserves; she was keeping those for sickness.
"I said I would give them some molasses. I liked molasses, and thought everybody else did.
"Mother smiled.
"'But if I let you have a party,' said she, 'you can't do your knitting. You know I'm in a hurry for you to finish father's socks.'
"That was what made me think of turning it into a knitting-work party. I spoke3 up in a moment, and said I,—
"'O mother! if you'll only let me have it, I'll ask all the girls to bring their knitting-work, and then we'll measure yarns4! O, won't that be grand? And, when we get our stints5 done, we'll go out and play in the barn. We won't trouble you one speck6.'
"'Well, Polly,' said mother, 'I've a great mind to say yes; for that sounds to me like a very sensible kind of a party; and will be setting a good example too. Yes, you may have it, if your sisters are willing to show you how to cook, and you won't make me any trouble.'
"You may depend I was pleased. I skipped off to the kitchen in great glee, and danced about the kneading-trough, where sister Judith was mixing brown-bread, crying out,—
"'I'm going to have a knitting-work party, Judy, and cook it myself! Give me a pan and a spoon!'
"My eldest7 sister, Sally, was pounding spices in a mortar8; and I remember Judith turned to her, and said,—
"'Now, Sally, you don't suppose mother is going to let that child bother round?'
"'O, I shan't bother,' said I. 'I'm only going to make gingerbread and cup-custards. 'Twill be very easy!'
"Sally laughed,—she was very good-natured,—and told me to run out to the barn for some eggs. While I was gone, I suppose she and Judith talked the matter[42] over, and thought they would keep me out of the kitchen; for, as soon as I came back, they sent me off to give my invitations.
"'We'll do the cooking,' said Sally; 'but you may set the table yourself, and wait upon your little girls. We will not see them at all.'
"I ran off, happy enough; and I have thought a great many times since, how kind it was in Sally and Judith to leave their work to do that baking for me. They were good sisters, certainly.
"I had a grand time that morning, going from house to house, asking my friends to my knitting-work party. Everybody was delighted; and everybody came, of course, and got there by two o'clock, or earlier.
"Mother left her quilting long enough to put marks with red worsted into each little girl's knitting-work.
"'There,' said she, 'at four o'clock I will come to see which has beat. I must be the one to judge; for there is a difference in your yarn,—some is coarse and some is fine; and we must be fair about it.'
"'O, yes'm,' said the girls; 'we want to be fair.'
"'Well, now I'll leave you,' said mother; 'and I hope you'll have a nice time.'
"And we did, for awhile. As we sat busy with our knitting, we heard now and then the tender bleating9 of a lamb in the barn,—how well I remember that!
"'That's my cosset,' said I. 'She hasn't any mother, you know. I'll show her to you, girls, when we get our knitting done.'
"Persis Russell 'didn't see the use of waiting,' she said. 'Why couldn't we run out and look, and right back again?'
"Just then the lamb began to bleat10 louder, and in a very beseeching11 tone, as if he felt lonesome and wanted company. It seemed to touch the girls' hearts; and they sprang up, and started for the door—all but me.
"'Well, run along if you want to,' said I, 'I'll come in a minute.'
"'But you mustn't stay here and keep on knitting,' said they; 'that wouldn't be fair.'
"'I don't mean to keep on knitting. I won't knit another stitch; but I want to sweep up the hearth
Join or Log In!
You need to log in to continue reading
(Left Keyword <-) Previous:
II. FLAXIE'S DOSE.
Back
Next:
IV. MAKING FLAXIE HAPPY.
(Right Keyword:->)