Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-10-08
NO. 233.
OLD JANET.
BY MRS, NJ. ". CARPENTER.

Old Janet! II was an old nickname
that had given her, though we were chill
den together, and she six weeks my jun
lor. She was creature of moods and
swift impulses. She was tender, proud.
humble, all at once, and, more than all,
he was r;gidly just. Not even her inor-
dinate affection for Teddy Burr could
noodwink her sense of justice or blind her
eyes to perception of my folles when
the cost entailed by them was likely to
tall on our common guardian.
"Mind now, Teddy, l will tell grand
par she said one day, when, coming un-
expectedly to the stables. she surprised
me, leading our Bess, the bay mare, pre-
paratory to ride into town. Bess was
our grandtather's pet mare, and no person
was allowed to mount her except By per-
mission at gracious favor. =
IL will tell grandpa y she repeated,
planting herself firmly before ME, her
clumpy little feet set wide apart, and all
her roughened, bright, brown hair, tum-
bling, cataract fashion, from under her
gypsy hat. 94 .seI
My only answer was a tightening of the
girths with defiant air.
You have no right {" she flushed out
angrily. "You know dada does not like
it, and will surely tell him.
by this time was mounted and riding
out of the gate. But as swept past her1
looked back, and pursuing up my lips, sung
out insultingly: "Tell tale ! tell tale! Tell
tales, il you dare !" and so cantered off.
She did tell. Not one of the people en-
ployed on the place would have betrayed,
though every one Of them knew that had
willuly done wrong, and I was proper
tonately indignant with Old Janet for car
rying out her threat. think that when
was punished she suffered more than did.
For two days would not speak to her,
and she moved about the house with red
eyes and unkempt head. On the evening
OF the third day, was sitting in the din
ing room waiting for tea, when Janet stole
up to me with shy, hesitating air.
Wont you forgive me, Teddy, dear ?'
she whispered.
l made no answer, but sat resolutely
gazing out of the window at the red and
bronzed foliage tossed by the autumn
winds.
II am SO sorry" A pair of quivering
wet lips were laid on my hand, a slender
brown arm stole about my neck. please
forgive me, Ted ?"
What are you sorry about ?" asked,
shortly.
l was quite as ready as she to make up
our difference, for missed her a great
deal in my daily sports; but I meant to
make the reconciliation as humiliating for
her as possible. 1t might serve as warn
ing to her in future not to meddle.
80, Ted! am SO sorry because-be-
cause you are so angry; and was so sor-
ry to see you punished and grandpapa so
angry. l would thousand times rather
have been punished in your stead. Please
please forgive me. Tedd dy-do %
Tears were flowing plentifully, and she
was wiping them with her ruffied apron all
in a muss.
"Well, thcn," answered, modified, ..if
you are really sorry, you must go without
your supper tonight, as l did that night,
and then III make it all up with you"
20! will you, truly Dear Ted, how
good you are l am SO glad don'tmind
going without my supper-that's nothing
| wished you had asked something harder
of me. But won't you kiss me. Teddy
just once ?'
TO morrow" answered. turning short
ly away. "After it's all over, Ill kiss you
if You want. But not tonight"
Every well tomorrow. thent"
She took her little, wistful, iear-stained
face off to the other side of the room, and
sat penitenlly down by the tire. She sat
there quietly while the bell rung, and my
grandfather and took our places at the
table. had pictured her, in my mind,
with disgraced air going early, supper
less to bed, and l was not prepared for
this. Grandfather missed her. She al.
ways sat at his right hand. feeding out of
his cup or plate, as the wilful fancy moved
her. and he now peremptorily ordered her
to her usual seat by his side.
Not tonight. please. dear dada ~ she
pleaded, without stirring; and when he
asked her what was the matter, went hur-
riedly on; ~ am not 10 have any tea TO.
night. don't really mind it. It's moth
ing-and Teddy's going to forgive me-
and-he will kiss me in the morning-and
we are always going to be good friends af-
ter this-always, forever"
Then her voice broke, and, with a rush
of tears, she went away from the room,
up stairs, to hide them out of sight.
$50. so +! Master Theodore. that's il, is
it !" My grandiather's sharp, gray, needle
gun eyes, seemed to shoot me through and
through. Little Janet is to be punished
because she was honest enough to show
you up in your faithlessness to me p
muttered something in reply not quite
Ineligible.
We'll, it won't hurt Janet, this disici-
pline, like to see the metal she's made of.
But, as for You, sir, it strikes me that you
have much more the air of a culprit, sit
ting there eating your supper, than the
little girl who is hiding her honest tears
up stairs in bed"
1t was tough work. His looks and
words were hard to bear; but sat it out;
munching my bread with defiant air, and
afterwards going out of the room with as
much bravado as l could assume, lightly
humming, "Love is a Sickness" one OF
our grandfather's old airs which Janet and
l expected to sing together.
kissed Janet the next morning. and so
we made up our difference; and pretty
much in this way we quarrelled and made
up again till was eighteen years of age
and sent away 10 school. BY that time it
was pretty well understood that grand