They were all longing for a place they could call "home."
During the few days, while they yet remained at Mrs. Eastman"s, very few events occurred which are worth recording. For one thing, Dotty"s bird died. She had loved it for its helplessness; but Angeline said,--
"You needn"t be sorry. What did I tell you when you took that bird into the window? I knew something would happen; but didn"t know as it would be a boat-wreck exactly."
Dotty, and even Prudy, had received some very foolish ideas from Angeline. The Portland fire had affected the Parlin family in more ways than one; and it would be long before the three little girls would settle into their usual quiet habits again.
CHAPTER IX.
THE NEW HOME.
"Prudy," said Dotty, "you needn"t say that word "wherrying" to me any more. Mamma said there mus"n"t anybody tease me about that, because I"ve--I"ve repented it all up."
"O, I"m so glad!" replied Prudy.
"I"ll never take another bird into the window," continued Dotty; "it"s almost as bad as a ghost."
"You never saw a ghost, Dotty. n.o.body ever did."
"Yes, indeed; Angeline has seen "em as thick as spatter! They come when you"re asleep, and there don"t anybody know it. I shouldn"t dare open my eyes in the night. They"re wrapped in a sheet, all white, and their eyes snap like fire. Angeline says they do."
"I don"t believe it," said Prudy, stoutly; "my mother told me "twasn"t true."
"P"r"aps mamma doesn"t wake up in the night," said Dotty, "and p"r"aps the ghosts never come where she is. Why, Prudy, they"re made out o"
nothing! If you stick a knife into "em it goes right through, and don"t touch their blood, for they haven"t got any blood. They don"t care for knives--they"re just like bubbles."
"I don"t believe it," replied Prudy, again. "I think it"s wicked. My mother wouldn"t like it if she knew how much you sat in Angeline"s lap and talked about ghosts. _I_ don"t want to see any or hear any."
"I do, though!" cried Dotty. "I shouldn"t be afraid--the leastest speck. I"d go right up to "em, and, said I, "How do you do, sir?" And then they would melt like a wink. It blows "em right out the moment you speak."
"Does it, though?" said Johnny, who had been listening at the door. "You don"t say so! Call me when you see your ghostses, and let me talk to "em too."
"And _me_! What _is_ um?" said wee Katie, toddling in with her mouth full of candy.
"There, there!" cried Dotty Dimple, "you"ve been a-listening, Johnny Eastman."
"Don"t care! "Tisn"t so bad as being a tell-tale, Miss!" said Johnny, ending the sentence in a naughty tone.
"Why, Johnny, you mus"n"t say that!"
"Why, Johnny," echoed Katie, "you _musser_ say _that_!"
"Say what?"
"Say _Miss_."
The children all laughed at this.
"Come, little ones," said Mr. Parlin, appearing at the door, "put on your hats; we are ready to start."
Prudy clapped her hands--an action which cousin Percy did not consider very polite.
"It shows," said he, "how glad you are to leave us."
"O, but we are going _home_, you know, Percy! Only think of having a home to go to!"
"It isn"t the burnt one, though," remarked Dotty, as she danced off the door-step; "and I "spect I"ll never see that darling little tea-set any more."
The new house was not in the least like the old one. Susy was always bewailing the contrast. She did not like the wallpaper; the carpets were homely; the rooms were, some of them, too large, and the door-yard, certainly, too small.
"But it"s better than nothing," said Prudy, who, for one, was heartily tired of visiting.
"I think," said Mrs. Parlin, smiling, "this is a very good opportunity for my little daughters to learn to make the best of everything. We cannot have the old house, so we will try not to long for it. We never wish for the moon, you know."
"Katie does," laughed Susy.
"We cannot have the old home again, so we will make the new one as happy as we can. Isn"t that the best way?"
"Of course it is, mamma," replied all the children.
""Course, indeed, it is!" said Katie, trying to pull up the carpet in her search for a lost three-cent piece.
"I"m glad father"s dressing-gown and slippers didn"t get scorched," said Prudy; "and the piano sounds as sweetly as ever it did. It sounds to me just as if there was a family in there, living inside."
"Like what?"
"O, you know there are four parts playing at once, and it seems as if it was a man and his wife, and two children, all singing together!"
"I"m glad we brought so many flowers from aunt Eastman"s," said Susy, brightening; "now we"ll trim all the rooms."
"That is right," said Mrs. Parlin. "This is the first night in the new house: let us make it as cheerful as we can for dear papa. Susy, you may as well practise that new tune he likes so well."
"O, mamma," said Prudy, "I"ll tell you what I"ll do! I"ll make some vinegar candy!--if you"ll boil it, you know, and pull it."
"A very brilliant idea, my daughter. Your part will be the looking on, I suppose."
"And what"ll _I_ do?" queried Dotty, twisting the inevitable lock of front hair; "if papa would only give me some money, I"d go and buy him a present."
"The wisest thing you can do just now, dear, is to wash that berry-stain off your lips; then you may bring me a fresh ruffle to baste in the neck of this dress."
Dotty obeyed at once. She was always glad to wear that white delaine with the scarlet spots.
The whole family were so very busy during the afternoon, that they forgot to feel any regrets for the old home. The furniture had been brought and arranged some time before, and the most Mrs. Parlin expected to do to-day was to make the house as pleasant as possible. Susy was allowed to attend to the flowers; the three others looked on, and watched Mrs. Parlin, while she made vinegar candy, filled some tarts with jelly, and helped Norah set the supper-table.
"How nice!" said Prudy, rubbing her hands. "Sometimes I don"t much care if our house was burnt up."