Year: 1879

WIS nlhu enough, L can tell you, Nnen
heard that she was coming. Another girl to
fuss round, and worry, and nag at a fellow
day in and day out to be scared at fire.
crackers, you know, and to make fuss if
you brought some worms for next days fish
ing, and put them on the mantel-pece, Just
to have them handy. What business had
she to go and open the box, I'd like to know 7
If she I'd let it alone, it would never have done
her any harm, and she'd never have known
whatwas init. And then to go and throw them
all out the window do say it was Just too
mean, when I'd meant to go fishing early
and bring home fish for breakfast and all.
You don't know who I'm talking about,
though, and I've got things so mixed up that
I'm not quite sure that know myself, so l
reckon I'd better bring up with a round turn,
and lay OF ON another tack


There were three of u.s. you see-the man.
my and Laura, and me. II was Laura that
threw the worms out of the window, you
know, not the nanny nor Sid neither. My
sister? Oh no! Laura wasn't my sister
Shed have been better sort of girl if she
had been. She was only just my cousin but
she lived with us because she hadn't any
place to live in that she liked better. She
was pretty enough for sx-big blue eyes and
lots of yellow hair, and cheeks that looked
like wild roses, l thought sometimes May
u
up people, but she wasn't the kind that gets
on with boys. 1t was just nag, nag, nag all
the time Fred, your boots are muddy :"
or, Fred, you've left the door open :" or,
Fred, come. put up your things right away"
Never any peace, day night till | was
about sick of the whole thing. There was
Burr, too-Brian Boru was his name, only we
always called him Burr. Laura hated Burr,
and Burr hated Laura. She squealed and he
growled (softly and very low down in his
his throat whenever they caught sight of
each other. No wonder he hated her, for she
was always nagging at him just like she was
at me. Burr mustn't come into the house, be-
cause he left hairs about Burr mustn't go
into the garden, because he made tracks on
the beds Burr mustn't 60 on the lawn be-
cause he would break the shrubs. She al
ways said she liked dogs well enough, only
she wanted them kept in their places" Such
nonsense! The only place where she wanted
Burr kept was in the stable-yard, tied up
tight by the neck to his kennel and what's
the good of dog that can't follow you about
and play with you, I'd like to know?


Now maybe you know why was mad when
heard that another girl was coming. She
wa, a sort of cousin too-Sidney Blake
and of course l thought she was Just such one
as Laura. Laura was rich enough to pay her
own way any where; but Sidney was poor,
and taught school for living. The nanny
has heart big enough to take any body in
so, when she heard that Sidney had been
sick, and lost her place, and wasn't strong
enough to teach any more just yet she said,
"Why, she must come here, of course, poor
child"


l don't believe Laura liked it, over and
above, and l know 1 didn't but there was
no good saying anything. Generally it's ea-
GU a1h 10 l,,Ns
is n question of doing good to any body, why,
wild horses could not move her so Laura
and Just grinned and held our tongues.


Well, Sidney came-glad enough to come,
too I'll be bound. 1t was one warm, bright
afternoon, when Burr and saw the carriage,
driving up the avenue, and ourselves in a
cllmp of lilac bushes that grew near the
house to see what she looked like. She
wasn't much to look at, and nothing to be
scared at, after adjust n little scrap of a
creature, hardly bigger than l was myself,
and | was only twelve then. She had short
black hair, all in little rings and curls, and
brown skim without bit of color in it, and
the biggest blue eyes / ever saw in my life,
not bright blue like Laura's, but dark and
notified, and shaded with lashes as black rs
her hair. Someway | felt better when l saw
that she wasn't bit like Laura looked at
Burr and Burr he looked at me with his big
soft eyes and wagged his dear old bushy tail,
as much as to say, "Shell do, my boy" That
made me feel better yet, for always thought
more of what Burr thought about people than
OF what did myself. Dogs know SO much
more than folks


didn't see much of Sidney that night, for
thr nanny made her go TO bed as soon as
ten was over. She was the queerest little
thing for schoolma'am, though that ever
saw ; not bit prim or stiff, but just full of
fun. Once Burr came up and put his nose in
the window, looking for me and when Sid
saw him she just jumped up out of her chair,
aud burst into the cunningest little laugh.
Laura looked black enough, but the
nanny laughed too, and asked if she liked
dogs.


Erred must take you out and introduce you
to Burr in the morning" she said. "He isn't
very fond of ladies, but"


| couldn't stand that you know, "How do
you know he isnt?" l said. "He is fond of
ladies. He likes you, nanny and you're a
hdy. It's only Laura that he isn't fond of,
and that doesn't prove any thing"


Fred" said the nanny; and Sidney
Just gave me one quick look from under her
eyelashes.


Laura drew herself up, and was going to
make u bow but the nanny jumped up in
n hurry and hustled Sidney OFF TO bed, and
| cleared out. | can stand Lauras tongue
well enough, but don't like it-not much
and always get out of the way when l
can.


1t was that very night that Philip came
home. Philip is my big brother but he does
not live at home with us. Ever so much too
grand for that, Mr.. Philips. Or, maybe, it's
only that he has to live in New York because
he is a lawyer, and has his office there. He
never was much good to us when he did come,
for he was always round with Laura, riding,
or driving or playing croquet, or something.
When grumbled about it, the nanny used
to say, "Philip is quite right. Laura is our
guest, and he ought to do all he can to amuse
her, even if he is not amused himself"


Well, maybe he ought but a big brother
ought to take some notice of little one some
times too, l think, and not be round with the
girls all the time


Sidney was down bright and early the next
morning. / saw her among the flowers long
before breakfast was ready, and went down
to see her No, if tell the whole truth,
maybe it would be that l didn't so much go
to see her as to show her to Burr. l wanted
TO see whether she'd be afraid of him. was