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Read Ebook: Seven daughters by Douglas Amanda M
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Ebook has 2198 lines and 71950 words, and 44 pages
Release date: September 25, 2023
Original publication: Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1874
BOOKS FOR "OUR GIRLS."
THE MAIDENHOOD SERIES.
SEVEN DAUGHTERS.
"A charming romance of Girlhood," full of incident and humor. The "Seven Daughters" are characters which reappear in some of Miss Douglas' later books. In this book they form a delightful group, hovering on the verge of Womanhood, with all the little perplexities of home life and love dreams as incidentals, making a fresh and attractive story.
OUR HELEN.
THE ASBURY TWINS.
THAT QUEER GIRL.
RUNNING TO WASTE.
DAISY TRAVERS;
The story of Hive Hall is full of life and action, and told in the same happy style which made the earlier life of its heroine so attractive, and caused the Dick and Daisy books to become great favorites with the young. What was said of the younger books can, with equal truth, be said of Daisy grown up.
SEVEN DAUGHTERS.
SEVEN DAUGHTERS.
BOSTON:
LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS. NEW YORK: CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM.
KATE ISABELLE HIBBARD.
In thy book, oh Lord, are written all that do what they can, though they cannot do what they would.
ST. BERNARD.
SEVEN DAUGHTERS.
"'How many? Seven in all,' she said, And wondering looked at me."
WORDSWORTH.
"Another girl!"
"Seven of 'em!"
"What a pity!"
"The land sakes alive! Brother Endicott will have to buy calico by the piece for their gowns! He might get a little throwed off, or a spool of cotton extry. He, he! ho, ho! Well, children are a great risk! You don't s'pose there'll be a donation party right away--do you!"
"There is donation enough for the present, I think; and the sewing society will not be called upon."
I liked that soft, silvery voice of Mrs. Whitcomb. It was just like her pretty light hair, beginning to be plentifully sprinkled with silver, and her clear peachy skin, that was just a little wrinkled. Her touch was so gentle, her motions so graceful and pleasing!
"I was only joking about it. They'll miss her in the s'ciety--that's what they will."
Aunt Letty Perkins was--dreadful! a thorn in the flesh; a sort of bitter, puckery presence, as if you had just tasted an unripe persimmon.
"And it'll be a puzzle to get husbands for 'em all. That's the most unfort'net thing about girls."
It was a sunny April morning, and a pair of swallows were twittering about the windows.
Hal was very sorry. Then he had such great, beseeching brown eyes, that when he turned them so appealingly to me, I pitied him more than I did myself. It was very foolish, I know. I ought to have scolded. I should have said,--
"You great, rough, careless boy! now see what you have done! I wish you would never come here again!"
"Never mind," I said, meekly, with a wonderful tendency towards tears, though whether they would have been for Harry, or the knife, or myself, I could not exactly tell.
The other event that reconciled me to the advent of my little sister, whom I had not yet seen, was Tabby, who sprang up on the window sill, with her cunning salutation, like three or four n's, strung together in a prolonged musical fashion, not quite a mew. I don't want you to think the word back there was meant for a pun, for it wasn't. I'll tell you in the beginning that I am not a bit bright, or sharp, or funny. I have even heard jokes that I did not see the point of until the next day.
Tabby is just as beautiful as she can be. A Maltese cat, with a white nose and two white front paws. She is very cunning, and knows almost everything within the domain of cat knowledge. If there is one thing I do love better than another, in the way of pets, it is cats. A clean-faced, sleek cat, sitting on the hearth-rug before the grate, is enough to give the whole household a feeling of contentment. Then the kittens are always so funny and frolicksome!
"Yes," answered Tabby.
She says it as plainly as you do. In fact, we sometimes hold quite lengthy conversations.
Tabby shook her head sagely, and scratched her left ear. I knew she felt just the same as I did.
I finished the parlor, and shut down the windows. Then I went to papa's study, took the ashes softly out of the grate, and laid another fire, in case the evening should be cool, picked up papers and magazines, and dusted with the very lightest of touches. It was my part of the work to look after the study. I was so glad to be able to suit papa!
"Sorry for what, my daughter?" And he looked a good deal surprised.
"That we haven't a boy. There are so many of us girls!"
"My dear, I have always had a great fancy for little girls, as you know. And we take whatever God sends. She is very pretty."
"O, you dear, blessed papa!"
"You will have to be the mother now, for a little while, Rose. You must try to manage the children nicely."
"Indeed, I will do my best. Papa, do you not believe that I could go in and see her? Aunt Letty Perkins is there."
"O, how could Mrs. Whitcomb! Yes; come along, child."
I followed him to the sitting-room. The Rectory was a great, rambling old house, with a wide hall through the middle. Back of the parlor, quite shut off, indeed, were the dining-room and the two kitchens; on the other side, study, sitting-room, nursery, and mamma's sleeping apartment.
Mamma's door was shut. Mrs. Whitcomb was wise enough to keep guard over that. There was a little fire in the Franklin stove, and before it sat Mrs. Perkins, though everybody called her Aunt Letty. Her feet were on the fender, her brown stuff dress turned up over her knees, her black alpaca skirt not quite so high, and a faded quilted petticoat taking the heat of the fire. She always wore substantial gray yarn stockings in the winter, and lead-colored cotton in summer, except on state occasions. Her bonnet was always a little awry, and the parting of her hair invariably crooked. I'm sure I don't know what she did, except to attend to other people's affairs.
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