The first thing she saw, as she entered her own door, was the fluttering of Dotty"s pink dress. The runaway was safe and sound. She had only toddled off after a man with a basket of images, calling out, "baa, baa," "moo, moo," "bow-wow." The end of it was, that the image man had given her a toy lamb, for which she had said, "How do," instead of thank you; and Florence Eastman had led her home.
Susy was heartily ashamed of her heedlessness.
"Now, mother," said she, "do you think, if I should be kept on bread and water for a whole day, I should learn to remember? You"ll never trust Dotty with me again."
"Ah," said Mrs. Parlin, with a meaning smile; "the trouble is, Susy, you"ve made up your mind that your memory is good for nothing: you _expect_ to forget! I _shall_ trust you again, and you must fully resolve to do better."
Dotty was very proud of her "baa, baa," and insisted upon putting it in her bathing tub every morning, and scrubbing it with her own hands.
Everybody laughed at Prudy"s wild story of the soap-boiler.
"We were tired, my feet and I," said she, between laughing and crying; "but I never"d have rode with that whispering man if I"d known he was a _bone man_!"
CHAPTER III.
DOTTY"S VERSES.
By the time Alice Parlin was three years old she could prattle like a bobolink, and thought herself quite as old and wise as either of her sisters. Every Sunday morning it made her very wretched to see Susy and Prudy set out, with bright faces, for Sabbath school!
"Mayn"t me go, too?" said she, plaintively. "Me"s got the coop; _must_ go to Sabber school!"
"O," replied Prudy, s.n.a.t.c.hing a kiss from her pouting lips, "if you"ve got the croup you certainly can"t go."
Dotty shook her curls. "Coop"s went off now. Dotty"ll go, all o" _you_."
"O, no, little sister; you"ll stay at home and look at your pictures.
That"s the way _I_ did when I was little."
"You mustn"t _contraspute_," cried Dotty, shaking her elbows. "I _is_ goin" to Sabber school." Then suddenly showing her dimples, she added with a bright smile, ""Cause I"s your comfort, you know, Prudy, your darlin", precious little comfort; isn"t I, Prudy?"
"Dear me," thought tender Prudy, "the poor little thing always has to stay at home. I"ll ask mother to let her go with me next time. It is right for me to ask, for I"m sure I don"t _want_ her to go; so it isn"t selfish!"
Mrs. Parlin had a great many doubts as to Dotty"s good behavior, but at last consented. She felt pretty safe to trust her with Prudy, who was very patient, and had even now a memory longer than Susy"s.
Before the time came to start for Sabbath school, Dotty stood a long while before the mirror, looking up at her gay hat and down at her cunning gaiters. She liked nice clothes, and it pleased her to see herself so prettily dressed.
"Is that you, O you darlin" Dotty?" said she, nodding her vain little head, and smiling till her dimples "twinkled." "Well, good by, Dotty; I"s goin" to Sabber school."
"O, hurry, hurry!" cried Susy; "we"ll surely be late."
They stepped out upon the pavement, Dotty walking between her sisters.
"We can"t hurry, you know," said Prudy, "because Dotty"s feet are so little."
"_I_ never should have thought of bringing her," exclaimed Susy. "Any one would think she"d been eating snails. When she takes up her foot she shakes it before she puts it down."
"O, what a "tory!" said Dotty Dimple, tossing her head. "I never shaked my foot; did I, Prudy?"
But Prudy had suddenly turned about, and gone back to the house, saying she had forgotten something. She had left home without kissing her mother good by, and nothing could console Prudy for the loss of one of her mother"s caresses.
"There, girls, I"m back again," said she, catching her breath. "Now, Dotty, let"s we see how fast we can walk."
"Drefful dirty," said Dotty, scowling at her overshoes.
"Yes," replied Susy, "this snow has been round on the ground a good while. It"s most time it went back to heaven to get clean."
"What do you mean by snow"s going to heaven?" said Prudy, gazing at the street, which was half white and half black.
"Why, you see," answered Susy, "it says, "G.o.d scattereth the snow like wool, and his h.o.a.r-frost like the shining pearls." And my Sabbath school teacher tells us that after a while the sun draws it back, and makes clouds of it, as "twas before. So, you see, the snow and the rain keep sprinkling down, and then rising up to the sky again."
"Why--ee!" said Prudy; "how does the snow go up? I never saw it going."
"Indeed you have, Prudy. It goes puffing up in fog. Why, it"s just as if the snow was a teakettle, and it keeps steaming out clouds."
"O, does it, Susy? Now, when it fogs, I shall know the snow"s going up."
"Please don"t talk any more," returned Susy, suddenly lowering her voice; "we must be very quiet on the street, for it"s Sunday. You don"t mean any harm, Prudy, but you say so much that I"m afraid I shall forget my lesson. I keep saying it over to myself, you know."
Susy and Prudy belonged in different cla.s.ses. Susy recited from a question book, and Prudy learned verses from the Bible. Dotty Dimple went with Prudy into Miss Carlisle"s cla.s.s, where eight or ten little girls were already seated.
"It"s my little sister, Miss Carlisle," whispered blushing Prudy.
"Mother allowed her to come to-day because she isn"t coming any more.
Will you please excuse her?"
Smiling, Miss Carlisle was very willing to "excuse" Dotty for her sweet sister"s sake. But Prudy felt rather nervous. She made a place beside herself for Dotty, who folded her small hands and sat as still as a marble cherub; but what odd thing she might take it into her busy brain to do, no one could tell.
When Prudy"s turn came she repeated her verse: "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth: keep the door of my lips."
"An excellent text," said Miss Carlisle. "It would make me very happy if I thought you would remember it all your life, darling. Do you think you understand it?"
"Mother says it means, "Be careful to say only what is true and good,""
replied Prudy, in a low voice.
"That is right," said Miss Carlisle; "but do you understand what is called the "figure of speech" in the verse? Do you know what a watch is?"
"A little thing that ticks."
"There is another kind, my dear. We have in cities _watchmen_, to guard us and see that all goes right while we sleep."
"O, I know," replied Prudy, quickly; "the verse asks G.o.d to give us a _conscience_ to walk back and forth before our lips while we talk!"
Miss Carlisle went on to say more about the watch, while Dotty fixed her bright eyes on her face, thinking, "What booful flowers those is in her bonnet! Where did she pick "em?"
The next verse was Sadie Bicknell"s:--