Percy caught her up in his arms. "Any pump in the house? Johnny, get some water somewhere, quick! and then run for the camphor bottle."
Percy was at his wit"s end. He ran round and round, with the little girl in his arms. She had life enough to cling to his neck. Johnny saw a pail of water, dipped a tea-strainer into it, and dashed two drops in Dotty"s face.
"That won"t do, boy! Throw on a quartful! Hurry!"
Johnny promptly obeyed. Dotty gasped for breath, and uttered a scream.
Percy felt encouraged.
"More, Johnny; the whole pailful. We"ll have her out of this double-quick--"
Just as Percy had extended his little cousin on the floor, and Johnny had poured enough water over her to soak every thread of her clothing, there was a sound of foot-steps. Mr. and Mrs. Parlin were coming in at the back door.
"What does this mean?" they both exclaimed, very much alarmed, as might have been expected. There lay their little daughter, screaming and gurgling, her mouth full of water, her dress stained with the raspberry jam, which was easily mistaken for blood.
"Why, uncle Edward," stammered Percy, ""twas a--"
"Why, auntie," cried Johnny, ""twas only a pumpkin. She went and was afraid of a pumpkin!"
The cause of this direful affright, the lighted jack-o"-lantern, was lying face upward on the floor, the candle within it smoking and dripping with tallow. One glance explained the whole mystery.
But by this time there seemed to be no further cause for anxiety with regard to Dotty. She gathered herself together, sat upright, and began to scold.
""Twas blazing a-fire, mamma. He lighted it to plague me--Johnny did."
"I"m ever so sorry, auntie," said Percy, and his regretful face said as much as his words.
"Johnny scared me to death," broke in Dotty; "and then he pumped water on me all over--Johnny did."
"I"ll never do so again," said Percy, shamed by the look of reproach in his uncle"s face.
"See that you remember your promise, my boy. You have run a great risk to-night."
No one supposed, at the time, that Dotty had received a serious injury; but she did not sleep off the effects of her fright. She was remarkably pale next morning, and declined her breakfast. She had not been well for some time, but she had not trembled as now at the opening and shutting of a door. It was plain that her nerves had been quite unstrung.
Days pa.s.sed, and still she did not seem quite like herself. Her father told the family physician she was not well, and asked what it was best to do with her. The doctor said he thought she only needed time enough, and she would recover her "tone."
"I have an idea," said Mr. Parlin to his wife some days after this. "If you approve, I believe I"ll take the child West with me, next time I go there on business. I took Prudy once, and it is no more than fair that the other children should have their turn."
"We will see," said Mrs. Parlin; and so it was left. The subject was never mentioned before Dotty; but here is what Prudy said of it in her journal:--
"_Sept. 5th._--I think my little sister Dotty will go out West to see aunt Maria, &c.; but anybody mus"n"t ever tell her of it. She is very pale, they poured so much water over her that night, and she thought it was a yellow ghost.
"I _told_ her it was very, very wrong to sit in Angeline"s lap and hear her talk so. We mus"n"t believe anything for certain except Bible stories.
"She has had temper, and shook Ada Farley. But that was before she was frightened by the ghost, so she couldn"t get her breath; and she won"t do it again. Finis."
DOTTY DIMPLE STORIES.
1. _DOTTY DIMPLE AT HER GRANDMOTHER"S._ 2. _DOTTY DIMPLE AT HOME._ 3. _DOTTY DIMPLE OUT WEST._ 4. _DOTTY DIMPLE AT PLAY._ 5. _DOTTY DIMPLE AT SCHOOL._ 6. _DOTTY DIMPLE"S FLYAWAY._
BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
LITTLE PRUDY STORIES.
_LITTLE PRUDY._ _LITTLE PRUDY"S SISTER SUSIE._ _LITTLE PRUDY"S CAPTAIN HORACE._ _LITTLE PRUDY"S COUSIN GRACE._ _LITTLE PRUDY"S STORY BOOK._ _LITTLE PRUDY"S DOTTY DIMPLE._